InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Windows on the West ❯ Dante's Inferno ( Chapter 19 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer:  I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

-sSs-

Sesshoumaru was rather less happy than he usually was, not that he was a happy person to begin with.

Still...

The miko had been trapped by Naraku's schemes, and he had not been able to reach her.  

She'd had to free herself.

He could agree that it was good that she had proven that she could do so if necessary.

But it was not good that it had been necessary.

He was her protector – and he had not protected her.  

On top of that, whatever had happened while she was there, was bothering her – because she had not spoken of it to anyone.  Except to say that the miko that Naraku had killed and used had told her that her powers were being sealed.

Beyond that, Kagome was silent.

He found that unacceptable.

After dinner one evening a few days afterwards, as she sat and watched the stars as was her habit just outside of camp, he followed, and confronted her, determined to get some answers.

The answers he got, weren't what he was expecting.

Sitting gracefully near her, he looked over, considering her for a moment, then looked up at the sky.  “Miko, you will tell me what happened when you were trapped inside the shrine.”

Kagome rolled her eyes, pulled out of her melancholy for a moment at his arrogance, then sighed.  He'd only badger her to death if she didn't answer, so...

“It was Naraku.  He was trying to either taint me so I wouldn't be able to purify the shards, or kill me outright.  Either way, he would have won – it didn't matter which outcome succeeded.”

“You are not tainted, nor are you dead,”  he said.  “What did he do, and how did you find your way out of the trap?”

“You sure don't want much, do you?”  she asked dryly.

“Speak, miko,”  he said, and it was apparent that he was not appreciating her seeming reluctance to give him the information he was asking for.

“Fine.  You really want to know?”  At his sideways glance, she continued.  “Naraku took control of Hitomiko, making her attack me.  If I fought back and killed her, I would be tainted – and if I did not, I would die.”

He nodded curtly, indicating that she should go on.  With another sigh, she did.

“As soon as I could, I ran.  I was trying to give myself a chance to figure some way... some loophole out,”  she murmured, her eyes going distant as she lost herself in unpleasant memories.  After a moment, she resumed.  “Then... I fell through the floor of the shrine... into hell,”  she whispered.

Stunned, though only one who knew him well would be able to see it, he stared at her, his gaze going even icier as he took in her words.

“Explain,”  he said, his voice uncompromising and harsh.

She lifted her gaze to the stars, her eyes going distant once again.  “It was painfully hot, an inferno,”  she said, melancholy strafing her normally sweet tones and making her voice raspy.  “I... wanted so badly to panic, you know – I was terrified.  But... I couldn't.  I knew that if I did, I'd never make it out of there.  So I... paid attention.  I had to figure out how to rid Hitomiko of Naraku's control, so that we both could get out of hell together.”

Sesshoumaru's mind went back to his own relatively recent trip to hell, and the thick, cloying darkness, and icy cold.  It was not hot, he thought, eyes narrowing.

“I myself visited hell recently, miko, and while there found no heat.  Why do you speak of burning?”

She shot him a look.  “I'm sure you know there are levels to hell, Sesshoumaru.  Obviously, we didn't go to the same level.  Where I was... youkai and human alike writhed in torment in flames that will never go out.”

His anger flared to life as he took in just what it was that Naraku had done.  That level of hell was reserved for punishment of truly evil beings.  Like the spider – not like Kagome.  She had no business there.

He had been determined to destroy the hanyou before this – and now he was even more determined.  Naraku would soon be visiting that same place, and by he, Sesshoumaru's, hand.

“How did you defeat his purpose?”  he asked almost disinterestedly, his inward rage well hidden by his ice.  He did not like the fact that the worthless half-breed spider had dared to harm that which he claimed.  Naraku had no sense – and no respect for his betters.  

He would enjoy teaching him those very lessons.

She chuckled, though the sound was strangely lacking in emotion or humor; it was a sound one would more expect to hear come from the great youkai Lord of the West, than from the overly emotional human miko.  

It didn't sit well with Sesshoumaru; he shifted slightly as he turned his gaze her way.

“I figured out a new trick with my bow, here,”  she murmured as she patted it.  “I managed to destroy Naraku's essence, purifying it from Hitomiko's body and soul without killing her.”  She shook her head bemusedly.  “That sounds so strange to say about someone who's already dead, but... anyway, once she was freed of his control, her spirit was able to go to its rest.”

He continued to regard her coolly, not giving his thoughts or anger away.  “She was freed completely, then, thus freeing you?”

“Hai,”  she said, her own gaze refusing to meet his; it was still introspective – it was clear that something about her sojourn in hell was still bothering her beyond the simple fact of it.  He wanted to know what it was that was doing so.

“Something concerns you.”

She shivered; he caught it and his eyes sharpened.  “When I was... falling into the abyss, I saw... for just a moment, a huge pile of corpses, and more being placed there.  It was so strange... that pile had both youkai and human corpses, Sesshoumaru-sama.”  With another hollow chuckle, she finished with,   I guess what they say about death being the great leveler is true.  In death, we're all alike.”

It is like what father said before – about the difference between youkai and human being only flesh deep.  It is irksome that this seems to be the truth... still...

“Why does this bother you, miko?”  he asked, genuinely curious, despite his own uncomfortable struggle with just that same seeming-truth.

She shot him an uncomfortable look even as her lips tightened, and he was abruptly made aware that whatever he was about to hear was the thing that was causing Kagome all her upset.  And it was also obvious that she did not want to tell him about it.

He would not allow her to falter in her tale.

“Speak.  This one will not wait any longer.”

“When I saw those youkai bodies there, I-”  she took a deep breath, blushed and looked down,  “-I couldn't help but think about what I would feel if it was you there.  I... didn't like that thought,”  she mumbled, a disgruntled expression suddenly marring her face.

He blinked.  She... does not like the idea of death touching... me?  He really didn't know what to say to that.  It was a rather... startling admission.

“Why does my death matter so to you, little priestess?”  he asked blankly, not certain what to make of her words.

She whipped her head up to stare at him incredulously for several moments, eyes wide – and then they narrowed in temper as she stood up, fists clenched hard by her sides.  

“Because I care about you, you pompous ass!”  she shrieked frustratedly.  “I can't believe you'd ask me something like that!  Of course I don't want to see you dead!”  With an angry growl that sent an odd shiver down Sesshoumaru's spine, had she but known it, Kagome turned on her heel and stormed off back to camp, dropping into her sleeping bag and tugging the covers over her head with a huff.  Stupid, arrogant youkai!  Her blush deepened to scalding when she realized what she'd just let out in her temper.

Oh, no!  I didn't mean to say that... at least, not like that!

Sesshoumaru stared after her, his eyes narrowed.  She... cares... for me?  What foolishness.  This one does not need people to care for him.  

He completely ignored the little twinge inside that said he was lying to himself.

He did not need anyone to care for him, end of story.

-oOo-

A/N:  Can anyone say 'denial'?

Amber


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