InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Vicissitude ❯ Barriers ( Chapter 6 )

Barriers

 

Chapter Six

 

`What the…?' InuYasha glanced over his shoulder making sure it really was Kagome behind him, before turning back to watch the quickly escalating spectacle in front of them. “Why the hell…?”

 

She clung to his back, watching the two youkai as they stood -weapons poised to kill. “I don't get it…” Kagome said quietly.

 

“Hell yes, I have a problem with your mate!” Kouga growled; the blades of Goraishi flashing as the sun hit them. “She murdered my pack!”

 

“Oh yeah…” InuYasha muttered.

 

“That's right,” Kagome replied, as if she'd come up with the answer on her own. “Naraku had Kagura kill his pack, I completely forgot about that.”

 

“I didn't kill them all,” Kagura defended, pulling her fan from her kimono. “I left you and them, which was probably a mistake,” she replied, pointing to the two wolf tribe members that were running as fast as they could from the woods toward their leader.

 

“We can rectify that,” Sesshoumaru commented coldly, pressing the tip of Tenseiga into the flesh of Kouga's neck, drawing blood.

 

“No!” Kagome screamed, making InuYasha wince from the sound since she was right next to him. “No! No killing allies!”

 

Flinching, InuYasha turned to look at her in disbelief. “Allies?” he growled. “Who the fuck are our allies?”

 

“Don't worry, Kagome,” Kouga scoffed, leaping back from the reach of Tenseiga's blade as he knocked it out of the way with Goraishi. “It's been my goal to kill this bitch from the start. I never give up when I set my mind to it. I'll kill her, then Naraku, and then you and I can be together forever.”

 

“At least he's telling the truth about never giving up—even if it's a lost cause.” Miroku commented.

 

“Like hell!” InuYasha cursed, pulling Tetsusaiga from its sheath. “What makes you think she's going with you?”

 

“This is not your battle, half-breed,” Sesshoumaru growled, pulling Tenseiga up toward Kouga's neck. The wolf managed to knock the sword away at the last second. “You will not interfere.”

 

“Keh, that's what you think, bastard!” InuYasha replied, racing forward to cut Sesshoumaru off before he was able to reach Kouga. “I've been wanting to kill him for years!”

 

“InuYasha!” he heard Kagome scold, as a strong gust of wind pushed him away from his target. Slamming the blade into the hard earth, he braced himself against Tetsusaiga in effort to remain standing before turning to look for Kagome.

 

She stood only a few feet away, obvious displeasure radiating from her as she glared at him with her hands on her hips. He couldn't help but note as he fought to keep his hair from his eyes that her hair remained motionless in the wind.

 

“Kagura…”

 

Surprised, InuYasha looked up to see Sesshoumaru fighting the same wind as he growled at his mate. Tenseiga buried in the earth, his brother didn't look too happy to watch Kagura interrupt the battle he had started. Fan poised in front of her, Kagura gracefully dropped from the lip of the well, never taking her eyes off Kouga as she moved.

 

“It is a battle for neither of you; the wolf is here for me—and me alone,” Kagura stated, pulling the fan towards herself as she directed the wind. “Stay out of it—both of you.”

 

With a flick of her wrist, InuYasha found himself having to regain his balance as the force he fought suddenly disappeared. Staggering to his feet, he watched as Kouga smirked, flexing Goraishi in anticipation as Kagura approached.

 

“Don't worry, mutt-face,” Kouga growled, leaping back as he prepared his attack. “Once I deal with these two, you can have your turn playing with Goraishi, too.

 

`Damn it, if he releases that…' InuYasha raced into the middle of the battle, noticing the slight opening the wolf had at Kagura. “You stupid idiot!” Slamming Tetsusaiga against the steel of Goraishi, he pushed back against Kouga to stop the wolf from releasing the attack.

 

“I thought I told you to wait your turn,” Kouga growled, fangs bared as he glared at the hanyou.

 

“I don't care if you blast each other to fucking smithereens, all three of you,” he snarled, bringing Tetsusaiga down since he'd stopped the wolf from unleashing the devastating attack. “But get the hell away from here and do it. If you touch that well at all …”

 

“Who the fuck cares about that stupid well?” Kouga jeered, still keeping an eye on Kagura as he argued. “It's just a pile of wood that reeks of Naraku.”

 

“Why don't I put the barrier back up?” Miroku interrupted, nervously rubbing the back of his head as he made his way to the well.

 

Sheathing Tetsusaiga with a sigh, InuYasha moved away from Kouga to locate Kagome. She stood several feet away, watching Miroku as he placed the barrier around the well again. The only sign of fear he could find as he watched her was the way she worried her lower lip in nervousness.

 

“Kouga's nose must not be working very well,” Shippou commented loudly as he slid next to the hanyou. “I'm sure even InuYasha can smell something besides Naraku.”

 

“Oi!” InuYasha growled, striking the kitsune across the top of the head for the comment. “I've never seen yours come in handy yet.”

 

“I just figured your lame ass couldn't afford anything nicer than a hole in the ground,” Kouga commented, heading toward Kagome.

 

“Are we done here, wolf?” Kagura asked as Rin tugged on the edge of her kimono. “We came here to get the kid food, not play with you.”

 

“What?” Kouga stopped mid-reach for Kagome's hands, opting to turn to his attention to Kagura instead. “You killed my pack! Are you stupid? You're not just gonna get away with it!”

 

“Stop it!” Kagome yelled, planting herself in front of Kouga as he quickly advanced on the wind youkai. “You can't kill her!”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Damn it, Kagome!” InuYasha growled, stomping over and grabbing Kagome's upper arm to drag her away from the two youkai. The last thing he wanted to do was let her get in the middle of a battle; she wouldn't stand a chance.

 

“Your pack killed Rin!” she blurted, fighting as InuYasha dragged her away from the pair of youkai.

 

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” InuYasha demanded.

 

“Everything!” she insisted, yanking her arm away from him. “Rin is a part of Kagura's pack. Kagura was under Naraku's rule when she killed them. We should all be worrying about Naraku; we can't do anything about the past. If we start killing each other-- who's going to kill Naraku?”

 

“I agree with Kagome,” Sango added. “We need to put our differences aside to defeat Naraku; it's been three years already.”

 

“Fine,” Kouga growled in defeat. “As soon as we beat Naraku—you are next on my list.”

 

“Fair enough,” Kagura nodded in agreement, before taking Rin's hand and leading her toward the village.

 

“I trust you will not give us anymore problems.” Sesshoumaru said before turning towards the woods, Jaken and AhUn following as he met them near the trees.

 

“Kouga!” Ginta cried, racing toward him and away from where Sesshoumaru headed, Hakkaku fast on his heels. “Did you find Naraku?”

 

“Oh yeah…the well,” Kouga answered quietly. “What's the deal with the well? Your stench is all over it, mutt-face. So is Kagome's—why?”

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

 She was on her last nerve, it was worse than babysitting a dozen infant children when Kouga and InuYasha spent every waking moment vying for her attention. Kagome had tried to explain to Kouga about the well, but for some reason she hadn't been able to tell him exactly how it worked as InuYasha had started ranting and raving about it being none of his business.  In the end, Kouga hadn't gotten an explanation other than it was something important to Kagome that Naraku was trying to mess with before InuYasha had goaded the wolf into another one of their battles.

 

"They just drive me nuts," she growled, storming back to the village and away from their fight. She only hoped that once they burned off their energy their behavior would improve, though she didn't image she'd be so lucky. "They probably don't even realize that I left, they were so absorbed in their stupid fight," she muttered, hitching her backpack on her shoulders higher as she made her way into the village. "Honestly, why do I even try? I give up on those two!"

 

Stomping onto the porch in frustration, Kagome dropped her bag loudly to get Sango's attention as the taijiya carefully inspected Hiraikotsu for damage. "I'm surprised you managed them as long as you did, Kagome," Sango replied, marking an indention in the weapon so she could fix it later. "Shippou dragged Miroku and me back here the moment InuYasha pulled out Tetsusaiga. You would think after all this time he'd realize it bothered you so much."

 

"Realize? Yeah...that will be the day," Kagome snorted, taking a seat next to the taijiya. Even though she was injured and was unable to fix her weapon, Sango still did what she could to take care of Hiraikotsu. It was something she took pride in, a piece of her heritage she refused to let go. "I think they only use me as an excuse; they don't care what they are fighting about as long as they can show off their weapons."

 

"I think they notice when you are gone..." Sango smiled, looking up as the two people in question came crashing through the woods at a breakneck speed. "At least they did this time."

 

Kagome groaned at the sight of the two of them, weapons still drawn, fighting to beat each other to her side. "Is Miroku inside?” she growled, grabbing her backpack as she got to her feet.

 

"Yes," Sango replied, putting her weapon to the side as she carefully got to her feet as well. "Why do you ask?"

 

"I need him to take down the barrier because I am going home!"

 

Sango just smiled and headed inside to get the houshi as the schoolgirl finally caught the attention of the bickering suitors.

 

"Like hell you are!" InuYasha yelled, abandoning the fight as he dropped in front of her. "We just got back!"

 

"I know!" Kagome walked past him, determined to get away before either of them could start their stupid fight again. "I don't want to stay here while the two of you destroy the entire woods with your dominant male routine!"

 

"We all know who the real dominant male is, don't we, Kagome?" Kouga said, grabbing her hand as he whipped her around to face him. "You're still coming with me when this is all over."

 

"Oh dear," Sango muttered from somewhere behind them all as Miroku's chuckle carried on the wind.

 

Irritation rolled off her in waves, something InuYasha had the experience to realize as he slowly backed away from her. Kouga, on the other hand, hadn't had the pleasure of being around her enough to know the warning signs of her temper. She glared at InuYasha before turning to Kouga, " Shippou! Against the two of you, Shippou is definitely the dominant male!" She screamed, yanking her hands away from the youkai's grasp. "He's the most mature of all of you!"

 

"Huh?" Kouga stood there in shock, positioned as if he still grasped her hands in his.

 

"Now...I think I am quite insulted by that comment, Kagome," Miroku commented as he continued past the trio with Sango, knowing that the rest of them would catch up soon.

 

"She hit the nail on the head, Houshi-sama..." Sango replied, laughing.

 

"Yeah, like the runt could ever..." InuYasha trailed off as she turned her black glare on him before storming off toward the well. "Oi! Kagome!"

 

She heard them following behind her, but neither made an effort to catch up until she had almost reached the well.  Determined to ignore them, she climbed on the edge of the well the instant that Miroku dropped the barrier for her. "When will you come back?" Sango asked, still protectively holding her injured arm.

 

"Maybe in the morning..." she said, pointedly ignoring the hanyou's sputtering as he arrived behind her. “You can have the barrier down at sunrise; I should be back by then."

 

"Forget it, Kagome! You ain't going..."

 

She didn't hear the rest of his comment as she dropped into the time slip.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

"Kagome!" Kouga yelled, lunging to the side of the well and peering in. "Where the hell did she go, mutt-face?"

 

InuYasha just rolled his eyes, "Baka...she went home, just like she said she would." Kouga climbed onto the lip of the well and peered inside, before dropping down to investigate further. For a split second, InuYasha's heart stopped, fearing the wolf would pass through. Kagome had said that Kagura hadn't been able to make it through, but he still sighed from relief when the damn wolf hit the bottom. Grinning, InuYasha dropped into the well as the time slip quickly reacted to him...if only to throw it in Kouga's face that he could.

 

Landing in Kagome's era, he grinned as a sense of victory wrapped around him. He'd proven once and for all that Kouga had no rights to Kagome! Leaping from the well, he landed on the lip of it only to find himself face to face with a furious Kagome. "Oi!" he growled, ignoring her murderous expression. "I thought I told you--"

 

"Baka!" she interrupted, placing her hands on his chest. "I wanted to get away from you for awhile!"

 

To his surprise, he felt himself falling back into the well as the time slip triggered again. "Damn it all..." he growled as he returned to his time, resting at the bottom of the well at Kouga's feet. He couldn't believe that Kagome would have the nerve to shove him back in the well; she'd never done anything like that before! 'Except the time she locked you out with the ofudas...'

 

"What the hell just happened?" Kouga demanded; glaring as the hanyou got back on his feet. InuYasha ignored him, leaping out of the well to find a very amused looking monk and taijiya looking back at him. Kouga emerged immediately after him, looking both confused an annoyed at what he'd just witnessed. "Where the hell did you go?"

 

"Keh," he scoffed, his attention quickly diverted as he noticed two figures that emerged from the woods. "It's none of your business..." The two people slowly came into view, but InuYasha had known who they were already.

 

"Kohaku!" Sango cried, running as fast as she could to her brother's side. Her shoulder slowed her down, but she still managed to quickly reach his side and take a moment to inspect him for injuries as Kikyou walked past the pair.

 

Slowly the miko made her way to his side, taking a moment to stare at the well before turning to InuYasha. "He was here," she said simply, it was not a question but a statement of fact. "There is a great aura of sadness in this place, many died in order to protect this secret of yours."

 

Anguish swelled within him anew, she wasn't blaming him, and he knew that. but it didn't mean that he couldn't. The fact that so many had died protecting this object, something that only the two of them had been able to use, weighed heavily on his shoulders. Not only had the villagers died, so had Kaede, Kikyou's sister. "He killed her," he said quietly, staring at the trees in the distance. Unable to face Kikyou, InuYasha's guilt overwhelmed him as he attempted to explain what had happened. "We weren't here; she had no one protecting her. I'm sorry."

 

"She died with honor, InuYasha. Don't take that away from her," Kikyou replied, kneeling near the well as she inspected it. She took her time, placing her hands on the wood as she quietly sat there. Several moments passed by, and no one bothered the two of them as she worked. Taking a deep breath, as if it pained her, Kikyou slowly rose to her feet. She looked as if she searched for the correct words, not wanting to upset anyone in the vicinity and the expression turned InuYasha's blood cold. Finally, she looked up, meeting his eyes with determination. "This well must be destroyed, InuYasha."

 

"Wha? Hell no!" he growled, moving to protect the well. Standing between the miko and the time slip, he protectively guarded the well. "You can't just make up your mind like that, Kikyou! It's got nothing to do with you!"

 

"Can you trust something that Naraku has touched with his hands?" Kikyou turned around to face him again, her expression tinged with a touch of sadness. "What happened that it now requires the monk to cast a barrier around it? Is it still safe? This place is how that girl comes and goes, is it not?"

 

"Yeah," he replied softly, not liking the way this conversation was quickly heading. He knew Kikyou told the truth; that even with Miroku's barrier the well wasn't safe, no matter how much they tried to pretend it was. Frustration at his inability to protect his friends, to protect Kagome left him panicked and scared. Storming away from the well, he needed time to think, he needed a plan that didn't include completely closing the gateway to Kagome's world.

 

"It rejects me, InuYasha. Whatever power is contained here, I can not destroy."

 

The sentence stopped him dead in his tracks; slowly he turned around to face the miko. She had once been his world, he'd never known someone could care that much about him and he'd wanted to stay with her forever. Times had changed; their paths had crossed from time to time. but things weren't the same. Clenching his hands, his claws dug into his palms as they drew blood, he thought about what she was telling him. "What do you mean?" he asked quietly, refusing break eye contact with her as if he dared her to tell it to his face.

 

"If it comes to it, Kohaku and I are willing to travel with you. I can take her place," Kikyou continued. "She isn't strong enough yet to do it, I'll have to stay and train her until then. My barrier's are stronger than the houshi's, I can cast one that only Kagome can get through until she has the skills to destroy that well."

 

InuYasha turned around abruptly, refusing to lose his cool in front of everyone and reveal the fear he felt at her words to the others. Unable to speak, he did the only thing he could do by storming for the trees to be alone. Miroku broke away from Sango's side as he headed toward the miko. "Kikyou, you mean to force Kagome to choose between her family and us?" 

 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

A/N

I am alive and well…I have not forgotten about this story.

 

 

I do not own InuYasha or the characters affiliated with the Manga and Anime. They are the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I am just `borrowing' them for my own nefarious deeds. I own nothing, suing me won't help anyone.

Sari-15