InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Unforgiven ❯ The Valley of Death ( Chapter 9 )

"Unforgiven"

Chapter 9: The Valley of Death

"What did he say to the prisoners, Kagura?" Naraku's voice rang as cold as always.

She gulped silently, but knew her mind had already been made up. "Nothing, really…it was actually pretty boring, and I wish you hadn't sent me. He asked Inuyasha if he'd ever visited anywhere across the water, or if he had secret alliances with any of the demon tribes in the Northern mountains. Then, he tried to trick Inuyasha into telling, but he didn't really get anything from it."

Naraku raised an eyebrow. "And, he didn't question any further? What about the girl, Kagome?" he said her name darkly, drew it out with his voice.

Kagura shrugged nonchalantly. "She stayed quiet mostly, and Miroku spent most of his time questioning Inuyasha. That's all I can tell you…unless you want me to send for Miroku." Her eyes gleamed, knowing Naraku wouldn't even take the bait.

His face remained unreadable, as he stared at the wall in front of him.

"That is all, Kagura."

Kagura left the room, he skirt swishing around her. Alone in the adjoining room, she breathed out a small sigh.

Had he believed her lies?

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Miroku leaned over the washbasin in their bedroom, lifting handfuls of the cool water to splash across his heated face. He meticulously removed his jacket and shirt like always, rinsing the dirt from his torso. Today had been a grueling day of training for his men, and Miroku had been at the head of it all. He had actually been looking forward to returning all day, just to know that Sango would be there to hear the news in the ranks, and to smile for him after a long day.

He had been rather disappointed to find that she wasn't in their room when he had come back. Of course, he knew that it was probably a good thing that she wasn't holing herself up inside their room anymore. Still weighed down from the loss of her village life, Sango hadn't been able to be as social as her position required. But, lately, she had taken the initiative on her own to become their eyes and ears within the court.

A smile flickered across his lips for a second, as he moved about the bedroom. He didn't know what this journey would have been like without her companionship and her help. She seemed to be the only one in the world that truly knew his motives and understood him, even if they drove each other away some times. Of course, the fact that every day was becoming more dangerous for both of them worried Miroku. He didn't have much fear for his own life…but he was the one who had dragged Sango into this mess, and he didn't want to see her hurt on his account.

Suddenly, Miroku's heard a banging sound issuing from the hall, as if someone had hit their fist against the wall. He lifted an eyebrow, and stood erect, his eyes trained on the door. What was coming his way? His breath quieted as he waited. Within seconds, Sango had burst through the doorway, obviously having thrown herself up the stairs to find him. Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes wide in alarm.

Miroku immediately crossed over to support her by the elbows, looking worriedly into her flushed face. What had made her fly so quickly to see him? "Sango- what is it?"

She met his eyes, and he sensed panic in her movements. "He's going to kill them!"

"Who?! Who is he going to kill?"

"Naraku's planning to kill the prisoners!"

A shot of adrenaline pierced through Miroku's veins as realization dawned on him. Inuyasha and Kagome- their only allies in the world at this point. If Naraku was planning on murdering them, it might mean that he had discovered their true intentions, or that Inuyasha's time had finally run out. Either way, they were two people that Miroku and Sango couldn't afford to lose at this stage in the game.

"Come….sit….tell me what you heard…" Miroku ushered Sango to their bed, and they sat beside each other as her breath calmed.

"It was said in the house that Inuyasha will be dead within the week. He's planning a public hanging….he's going to be an example for the rest of the people not to betray him…." Sango's eyes scanned the floor hopelessly.

Miroku's fist tightened in the coverlet in frustration, his knuckles began to turn white with the effort. He lifted a hand to run through his dark bangs, as he shut his eyes tight. "This isn't good…"

"We need to do something about it! But….what can we do?"

Miroku's eyes shot up to Sango's, and saw the worry in her face. He knew, too, that this was the sign that they could not wait any longer. Naraku had just upped the stakes incredibly…and if they let Inuyasha die, there was no question that they would soon be next.

"There….there is really only one thing we have left to do…" Miroku said resolutely, though he felt like he was only resigning to a choice that had come to soon.

"We're going to have to stop Naraku once and for all."

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"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"I do not snore, Inuyasha!" Kagome's face heated up as she stared him down.

He snickered loudly, his voice taunting. "It was so loud I couldn't even hear myself think! I thought there was an avalanche here!" He snorted with laughter.

Kagome folded her arms stubbornly, her cheeks colored a delicate red. Her brows furrowed deeper above her eyes, and she stumbled to find a retort. "Well- I'm not the only one who makes noise at night! I have plenty enough trouble with you sleeping near me!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes dramatically. "Sure you do…."

"Well I'm not the one mumbling about `Kikyo' this and `Kikyo' that…!" She sniffed his self-satisfaction, glaring back.

Inuyasha didn't smile back though. It was the moment when she knew she had crossed that invisible line that was drawn between them. It was the barrier that she wasn't allowed to cross, and always stopped them in their tracks. His face became stony in the space of a moment, and the humor of the game had dissipated almost immediately.

Kagome felt like melting into the ground to get away from his withering stare. His eyes flicked away from hers, his mouth returning to its normal stubbornness.

Kagome sighed in distress. "I-Inuyasha…I'm sorry…."

"Whatever."

Kagome knew she should have left it at that, and not pressed any further. After all, Inuyasha had a volatile temper.

But, Kagome couldn't stand not knowing anymore. The door had been opened, and presented to her was the perfect opportunity to discover his past. She was finding it increasingly difficult to live without understanding the truths behind his motives. To live feeling pain for him, and not understanding why. All she understood was his personality and reactions…but not what had made him that way.

"Tell me." Her voice was hushed, coaxing.

"Tell you what?!" Inuyasha almost yelled, and she flinched to hear the tone of voice.

"Who was she? You can't hide it from me forever. If you have such violent nightmares of her…she must have been important to you." Her heart ached for him, as his bangs shaded his eyes. Why was he torturing himself like this? Why couldn't he let her help him?

He frowned deeper, and didn't meet her eyes. He snorted out a half-stubborn, half-sorrowful breath, trying to ignore her. Kagome, suddenly filled with a deep desire to discover his secret, began to move forward slowly. She reached out tentatively, laid a careful hand on each of his shoulders. If she treated him tenderly, would he finally realize how much she cared? He flinched as her fingers touched the thick cloth of his jacket. She felt the quiver of his muscles underneath her fingertips.

"Please. Tell me."

Suddenly, Inuyasha's hands shot up to grab hers. His fingers crushed hers in a vice-like grip and she winced at the pressure on her hands. He yanked her forward until his flashing golden eyes were just centimeters from hers, and where she could feel his hot breath move angrily across her cheek. "You want to know, huh?" His voice was rough and choked.

"Kikyo?! I killed her! Did you hear me? I KILLED HER! The one true love I've ever had, and she died because of my stupidity!" His voice, his body, shook in anger and sorrow, and he shoved Kagome back onto the floor. Inuyasha turned abruptly away from her, moved back into his shadowy corner.

Kagome sat, stunned for a moment, noticing how his breath shook as he moved away from her. She regretted having provoked him, seeing as how much pain the memory had obviously put him through.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha…" she whispered, knowing he didn't hear her.

She waited for a long time for him to move back out into the light, or remind her, like always, of what a stupid human she was. But Inuyasha didn't make a sound. Kagome finally settled on getting some rest. She curled up in her space on the floor, her mind still frozen on the fact that the person Inuyasha had murdered…was his only love.

The time passed as they lay, silent in the dark. Kagome desperately ached to lighten the atmosphere- to make Inuyasha laugh like he had just a short while ago…and to let him know that she did not, and would never, hate him for his past.

"I-I'll try not the snore….Ok?" Her voice radiated false teasing, and she cringed at the sound of it reverberating on the walls.

Inuyasha didn't respond.

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The valley was like death. Those were the only words Rin knew to use to describe the feeling the place gave off. Sesshomaru, after smelling something suspicious, had took off without warning, leaving his two companions with their choice to stay or follow. Of course, neither of them would have dreamed abandoning him at that point, and they had both followed loyally.

Rin shuddered, even though the weather was fairly mild today. But, although the weather was nice, foreboding hung in the air. Something evil resided within the valley, and she could tell that they were heading straight into the heart of it.

Far up ahead of them was the white-haired demon who could move swifter than any being Rin had ever come across. He was edging along the foothills, moving towards a bank of cliffs in the deep part of the valley. That was exactly where the feeling was coming from.

Jaken stopped in his tracks, the staff of heads teetering on his tiny shoulder, and his small cap being shoved around by the force of the wind. He was obviously alerted by something in his master's pose, and he grunted in surprise. Before Rin could ask, Jaken was tottering off towards Sesshomaru, and she was trying to keep up. How could such a small, ugly creature move so speedily?

As she ran, she felt her lungs clench in an unexplainable kind of horror. If she hadn't been a priestess, she supposed she still would have been able to feel it. It was exactly the reason that there were no other inhabitants in this area. They neared fast to where Sesshomaru was inspecting the mouth of a cave, and began to pump their legs quicker as they saw the white form step into the shadowy depths.

When Rin finally arrived, gasping and choking for breath, she suddenly found the ability to recognize the atmosphere, and what was causing her distress. Inside the cave, even without seeing anything, she could feel the battling of two kinds of powers. Purity of human spirit…and then, the essence of Naraku. All three of them felt it.

She shuffled forward tentatively, her priestess robe dragging on the hard-packed dirt, and her leather sandals making soft noises. Sesshomaru, moving ahead of them, was suddenly framed by a thin glow of silvery light, and it made him seem more ghost-like than ever. Rin held her breath, ready to discover what lay in the body of the cave.

And when she saw it, she felt physically sick.

"How….?"

Before another movement could be made, Sesshomaru's claws had been tinted bright acid green, and a stream of the poisonous liquid shot out to destroy one of the figures in front of him.

Rin bit her lip in horror, as she saw what he had just murdered. It was a little girl…yet, she couldn't have been human. It was but a demon in the shape of a girl, who had the palest complexion and hair the priestess had ever seen. Her body was now in two halves, and her already-blank eyes were devoid of any kind of emotion.

But, the girl had not been what had horrified Rin. Clutched in the lifeless hands of the demon was a small, circular mirror. A woman, pale with near-death, was placed in the center of the room. The demon had been constantly drawing pieces of her soul out with the mirror… and for a long time, it had seemed.

The thought of it made Rin want to keel over. To have one's entire existence be pulled out in excruciating slowness would be able to break anyone's mind. It was the epitome of human torture, and something that, as a priestess, she had been taught of in detail.

The unconscious woman was almost frozen, most of her soul having been removed by force, and Rin stood over her, frightened. Could she do anything to save her, or was her life beyond retrieval? There was barely any aura issuing from the body, and Rin couldn't even tell how powerful she was.

Sesshomaru stood behind her, and Rin heard him turn to leave. He didn't speak a word to her, and walked away as she surveyed the body in front of her. Her desires began tearing at her, as she realized she couldn't let the chance to beat Naraku fall loose from her hands, by trying to save this woman.

Before the thought troubled her much longer, a curious thing began happening. The round mirror, which Rin had supposed was deadened with its carrier, began to move. One by one, small glowing fragments began to float up from the smooth glass, and move into the air towards the woman. It was as if the body was calling her soul back.

Rin felt a rush of relief spread over her. She couldn't do anything for this woman except let the soul return and allow her to heal. She glanced back over her shoulder for a moment, seeing Sesshomaru disappear out in the sunlit valley. With a quick chant, she was able to spread a strong protective barrier around the woman. And then, praying to the gods for that poor woman's safety, Rin began to jog out to where the demon was.

It would begin to bother her more through that night and every night after: what business did Naraku have in stealing souls?

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A/N: ::runs away in fear for her life:: If you're not sure who that is laying alone in a cave, then you're probably not out for my head…yet. But, if you do know, then I apologize muchly. The twisted just begged me to write it ::Depraved laughter::

Till next time!