InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wish You Were Here ❯ Hell ( Chapter 3 )

Bleh! It’s the morning after I wrote the last chapter and since I don’t have anyone laying beside me in bed, I’m having trouble sleeping. I really wish my girlfriend would hurry up and get home. Before I go completely insane. Anyways, with my internet as uncertain as it is, I’m not sure when this will actually make its way online. This chapter is called Hell, as I’ve mentioned, and it seems a good title right now…If Hell is existence without God, I’m in something like it…existence without my betrothed! At least the story is updating fast, eh? You guys benefit from my lack of anything else to do. And I have somewhere to complain!

Hey, I also got my first negative review…despite my best hopes, it was quite a letdown…instead of any real criticism, it was just a ‘stop writing, you suck’ thing. Isn’t it frustrating when someone tries to rip your story, but just makes an ass out of themselves? I mean, criticizing my spelling…I went over that chapter and I’ve yet to find a mistake. Certainly there are none that spell check could find. I was going to write the girl an email back asking exactly why she gave me that review, and point out that it is specifically the kind of review not allowed on ff.net, but I decided it would be a waste of effort. I think I’ll leave the review up, since my spelling is if not perfect, near perfect, and my writing isn’t horrible. I think I’ve failed to inflict any hemorrhaging yet, so I’ll keep writing. And now that I’ve extended my rambling this far, I’ll let you on to the torture-some thing I call writing.       Chapter Three: Hell  

Inu-Yasha was glad he was there to protect Kagome. He didn’t fully trust Inu-Yasha 2 to do it. It hadn’t been more than a day before youkai started showing up, sensing the Shikon no Tama. They were easy to defeat, especially with two Inu-Yashas on the job, but it left the hanyou wondering. When he left, would Inu-Yasha 2 continue on?

Inu-Yasha 2 hadn’t been awoken in the same circumstances that he had…the jewel hadn’t been shattered--yet…Inu-Yasha wasn’t certain he could trust this Kagome to be less clumsy than his--and he wondered if the two would become friendly enough that Inu-Yasha 2 would protect her of is own volition. He hoped so. Already it was hard for Inu-Yasha to stand guard over Kagome all the time.

When the demons started showing up, it had been more of a relief than anything else. He finally had something to take his mind off of his situation. He tried to keep separate from the others as much as possible, only showing up briefly when there were no demons about. It was painful being around Kagome, when she wasn’t HIS Kagome. She didn’t know him, and he couldn’t get close to her. There was also Inu-Yasha 2 to consider.

If things went in this world the way they had in his own, then Inu-Yasha 2 would…start to feel…something…for Kagome, and Inu-Yasha didn’t want to get in the way of that, though the thought made him jealous. He didn’t like that. He had no right to be jealous…it wasn’t even the right Kagome. Maybe he was jealous because this Inu-Yasha had a Kagome but didn’t realize how lucky he was…while HE didn’t have a Kagome but would love to.

Whatever it was, he got a strange ache in his heart every time Inu-Yasha 2 got sat. It was a reminder that this Kagome wasn’t his. Her spell didn’t affect him. Apparently it wasn’t just her voice that did it, because he could hear no difference in her voice from the Kagome he knew. The spell put on him simply had to recognize that this Kagome wasn’t the Kagome that had power over him. On some level, there was a difference in them.

This depressed Inu-Yasha to no end. And each time Kagome said the word, he only became more despondent. At the rate she was going, he’d be suicidal within the week. He remembered complaining about her saying it too often, but really, this was ridiculous! Now when she said it, she had to listen to two hanyous complain at her, even though only one had actually been affected.

Days passed, and Inu-Yasha kept his mind occupied with slaying demons who wanted the jewel. He couldn’t help but watch though, as Inu-Yasha 2 and Kagome grew closer and closer. It was driving him crazy! His jealousy and anger was getting the better of him and he had suppress the urge to murder his counterpart on several occasions. Still, there were demons to kill, and he used that to keep his rage in check. There were always lots of demons when the Shikon no Tama was around.

Inu-Yasha stared at the well. Somehow…he would have to find a way back to his own world. Kaede was still trying to find out how it could be achieved, but he needed it sooner. He didn’t think he could take much more of this…separated from Kagome, yet right in front of her all the time…while she fell in love with some other him, no less. He ignored that he saw her falling in love. He knew that must mean HIS Kagome loved HIM as well, and he didn’t want to think about it. He sort of knew that already, though he had always tried not to.

Inu-Yasha sighed and got up. Another demon was approaching. He could get rid of some of his pent-up emotions by tearing it to shreds. At least some things were still the same.

* * *

It was the ninth day that Inu-Yasha had spent in this horrible other world. He’d killed a lot of petty demons in these days, but nothing of any real threat had bothered to show itself. At least Naraku didn’t seem to have noticed the jewel yet…if Naraku existed in this world. Inu-Yasha was surprised that he found a Naraku-less world a bad thing…but without Naraku, that would mean Kikyou and Inu-Yasha’s betrayals would have been real. And Inu-Yasha didn’t want that to happen in any world.

Maybe he could stick around long enough to help kill that bastard…It would be gratifying to kill at least some Naraku. Inu-Yasha shook his head, trying to disrupt his thoughts, as well as to get rid of the dizzy feeling that was creeping up on him again. Though his thoughts did indeed scatter, he only grew more light-headed.

Inu-Yasha made his way down to Kaede’s village, staggering to her hut as his head began to pound harder and harder. Kagome was there. He felt a bit of relief at that, but even as he caught sight of the hut, his head seemed to explode. He fell over, coughing violently. The urge to vomit was so strong that he barely held it back and his vision blurred to the point that he could barely make out the ground in front of him.

He felt someone catch him as he fell forward. He knew it had to be Inu-Yasha 2, since no one else was really strong enough or willing to help him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if his Kagome missed him right now. That was the last thing he knew before blackness claimed him

* * *

Inu-Yasha awoke with a start. He’d been having a bad dream…a fever dream. They’d been giving him troubles for the past day and a half, ever since he collapsed. He was still too weak to sit up, just like the other dozen times he’d woken up. If anything, he felt like he was getting sicker, despite Kaede’s best attempts to heal him.

He knew that Kagome had spent a lot of time at his side, tending him, but that didn’t make him feel better. There was no use getting attached to the wrong Kagome. She was worried, and so was Kaede. He could smell it. Inu-Yasha 2 seemed angry…and pensive. If Inu-Yasha were dying, it might mean that Inu-Yasha 2 was doomed to do so as well, thought to this point their lives hadn’t taken the same course.

Was he really going to die? Die without being able to have Kagome close…to be able to tell her that he loved her? His mind was so scrambled that he was actually able to admit that he loved Kagome. Somewhere deep down, he knew this was a bad sign. What was making him so sick? Ever since that twisted youkai had attacked him he’d felt wrong. He had gotten over the poisoning, hadn’t he? And how had he been poisoned anyways? The demon hadn’t bitten him or even clawed him in any way. The only thing it had done was take over his kaze no kizu…It had used his own youki against him somehow.

Inu-Yasha’s mind wandered from there, not in any shape to figure out the mystery of the twisted youkai. His body was racked with pain, of all kinds. His stomach had emptied itself on various occasions, he vaguely remembered, and his fever refused to break no matter what herbs they tried. Gods, he really didn’t want to die like this.

Kagome wiped away some of the sweat running down his face. He’d soaked through his layers of clothing, he knew. It was taking all of his will not to break. He felt so helpless in the face of this…illness. He couldn’t fight it with his claws. How was he supposed to fight something he couldn’t even see?

He awoke again later that day. He had been shouting, screaming. His throat was raw with it, and he wondered how much longer he could last. The others were all gathered around, so they didn’t seem to think he’d be lived much longer either. Inu-Yasha tried to growl. He didn’t need them watching over him. Couldn’t they let him die in peace?

A fierce spasm shook him and he thought he was at his end. He could feel his aura leaving him. Even in his half-fevered state something seemed wrong though. The others in the room gasped and Inu-Yasha tried to focus on what they were looking at. Standing over him, facing Kagome, stood a black form. It looked as if someone had tried to twist it around itself.

Inu-Yasha heard himself speaking and it took him a moment to realize it was the other him. He was in no condition to deal with multiple hims! Still, ever since that last spasm, he’d started feeling better. His fever was breaking and strength had begun to return to his body. His mind was clearing too, so he was surprised when he blinked and no one was in the room with him. Had it all been a dream?

Inu-Yasha managed to drag himself into a sitting position and then, using the wall, onto his feet. He felt his way along the hut, finally reaching the door. The sounds of battle reached his sensitive ears and he took a half-step towards it before catching at the doorframe again. He was in no shape to fight Shippou right now. He certainly couldn’t defeat a real threat. What he saw outside shocked him, and he was certain that he must be dreaming.

The twisted youkai was there, fighting against Inu-Yasha 2, who was standing some feet in front of Kagome, obviously trying to protect her and the jewel. Inu-Yasha 2 wasn’t looking good though. He was getting beaten pretty hard. Feh, at least he hasn’t been hit with his own kaze no kizu! Still, the other hanyou--Inu-Yasha almost felt like he should say the YOUNGER hanyou--wasn’t going to last much longer.

Inu-Yasha 2 lunched for the youkai and managed to slash down its side, but it didn’t seem to even notice. Inu-Yasha noticed that as they fought, its strange youki was actually getting stronger while Inu-Yasha 2’s was steadily draining away. Every time he landed a hit on the youkai, it seemed only to grow that much stronger. Inu-Yasha started to get a vague idea what was going on.

Somehow this twisted thing was sapping the aura of its opponent, using their own youki against them. Sort of like when the kaze no kizu had been turned back. Inu-Yasha was in no shape to be over-sensitive to the energies surrounding the combatants, but he was certain that was what was happening. What could defeat something like that?

Inu-Yasha 2 stumbled as the twisted youkai managed to strike him across the face. It wasn’t a hard blow but one intended to entice the hanyou, to make him angry and strike. It worked, much to Inu-Yasha’s dismay. That idiot was only making the thing stronger! He shouted for Inu-Yasha 2 to stop being so stupid, but his voice was raw and even he could barely understand it.

The twisted youkai seemed to notice him for the first time. It gave him one of those lopsided smiles again, and made some sort of gesture. Inu-Yasha wasn’t certain what it was. Inu-Yasha 2 took this distraction as a chance to land a hard blow, half-severing the thing’s spine. The youkai blinked in surprise and turned its upper body back around…an interesting feat considering that its lower body was facing the other direction and it was nearly halved at the waist. Inu-Yasha 2 stumbled back, something like fear entering his face for the first time. Feh, it’s always scary when you find something you can’t fight.

The youkai smiled grimly and raised one clawed hand to attack when Inu-Yasha saw something explode into it. It fell back, suddenly consumed by a purifying magic, arrow still stuck through its body. Kagome was holding the bow as if she’d forgotten it completely. Her face was even more surprised than Inu-Yasha 2’s. Inu-Yasha wasn’t certain what they were waiting for.

“Shoot him again!” He managed to croak at her. She nodded and fumbled for another arrow, dropping it in her haste. Inu-Yasha shook his head. So pathetic.

Meanwhile the youkai started to scream as the purifying flames continued to consume it. Inu-Yasha could feel the youki evaporating away, and he knew that another arrow wouldn’t be necessary. Kagome was still trying to pick up the arrow, without taking her eyes off the shrieking youkai. Inu-Yasha 2 just stared. Inu-Yasha…well, he felt some satisfaction at seeing the thing burning.

Then without warning, the thing turned and launched itself at him. Inu-Yasha barely had time to react, as the thing rushed closer. He tensed himself to fight and then he felt that familiar flare of power from the youkai. It blurred and seemed to fly directly into him, a streak of black. Then it was gone, and Inu-Yasha lurched, head suddenly extremely light. His vision faded again and he almost passed out.

When he could see again, he found his eyes drawn to the arrow laying some feet away. The youkai had just vanished…and with a feeling of horror he realized he knew where. The thing was inside him!

* * *

Inu-Yasha sat with his back against the wall. It was the only thing keeping him upright. He didn’t feel sick as he had before, but he was dizzy…just like last time. Last time he had fought the demon, the demon had managed to manipulate Inu-Yasha’s youki somehow into attacking Inu-Yasha. That was strange enough. What was stranger was that somehow the thing had managed to integrate itself into his aura as well.

He’d felt it this time. When he tensed to fight, his youki had prepared as well, and the youkai had seized it and forced himself into it. If he’d done nothing, the youkai probably wouldn’t have been able to seize it, but it had known he’d try to fight it. Who wouldn’t? When a demon ran at you, you didn’t just let it slice you up. Still it was a clever enemy, with dangerous powers. Inu-Yasha hated clever enemies. And he hated powers he didn’t understand.

Inu-Yasha 2 had been giving him looks all day. Well, everyone had. But the other hanyou had been sniffing at him too. It was obvious that he was trying to catch the scent of the other demon. Inu-Yasha had asked him earlier if there was any scent. The hanyou had given him a long look and said there was, but he hadn’t realized it before. He had thought that Inu-Yasha had just had a different scent. Inu-Yasha couldn’t smell it, himself, but he was told that it was like a small corruption in his scent, sometimes faint, and sometimes stronger. With the demon dormant and likely recuperating from its fight, the scent was almost unnoticeable.

This was exactly what he needed. He was trapped in a strange world with a demon stuck in his aura. Kaede thought that the youkai was the cause of the entire situation. Somehow it had corrupted the well’s magic and sent Inu-Yasha to the wrong world. Now all they had to figure out was how to reverse the effects. He thought it might be as simple as killing the youkai, but Kaede wasn’t certain that it would be enough.

Inu-Yasha groaned and tried to find sleep. It had been a hard day, what with him feeling next to death and then having a youkai step out of his aura…and then back in. If it felt that bad releasing the youkai, he really didn’t want to have to do it more than one more time…when he killed the damned thing. Now all he had to do was figure out how. As sleep came to him, he was still pondering this problem. But when dreams finally claimed him, he found they were all of Kagome.

End of Chapter Three

Well, the next chapter is called Smile but I wouldn’t count on it being a good smile, knowing the way I write. It should be an interesting chapter as more characters come into play…sort of. I’m still having fun with the idea of Inu-Yasha arguing with himself all the time. Chapter Five will probably be full of Inu-Yasha versus Inu-Yasha arguments. As a random note to my readers…about IY’s age, whether it‘s 15, 17, or in the hundreds...I’ve always preferred the age 17...it fits best. IY should be older than Kagome, it’s just the way the world works. I really don’t like the idea of him being 15, though I admit it he looks it a bit in the manga. So in my stories, he’s always 17...‘cept in Hanyou’s Heart, where he’s 67. A bit old for Kagome, eh? Well this has been a long author’s note, but I’m bored out of my mind…can you blame me? Any questions so far? I think the story is straightening out a bit…less questions as to what is going on. Well, there’s another twist next chapter. Til then…

-Chevalier Mal Fet