InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Yesterday's Pain ❯ Return of Crimson Sorrows ( Chapter 4 )

******************************************************

 ~~Chapter 4~~

~~Return of Crimson Sorrows~~

 

 

 

“Crying is the refuge of plain women, but the ruin of pretty ones”

  -Oscar Wilde

 

***

 

One hour earlier… 

 

It had been easy, too easy.  The Jewel of Four Souls had been fully tainted once again, and Kagome lie broken from the vivid nightmares Byakuya had planted in her mind.  It was pathetic really.  She laid there crying her eyes out for something as useless as love.  She was better off without it; he had said it before to Sango about Kohaku…

“Warriors have no need for feelings; they would only get in the way”

He still held firm to that belief, and this was living proof that it was true.  He had entered the room quietly, but he suspected that Kagome knew he was there.

He studied her for a moment.  The irony of the situation was almost funny.  Before, Kagome was a stubborn, annoyingly courageous, insolent little wench, who had defied him for so long.  But no more…  Now she was broken and weeping pitifully because of something that wasn't even real.  It was a waste, a pitiful waste to put so much time and effort into someone, when, in the end, it was never worth it.  He had learned from Onigumo's mistakes.  He would put her powers to far greater use.  So he watched her until her loud sobs had reduced to mere whimpers, though her body shook with overwhelming grief, and then he spoke.

“You want him to be there for you,” he whispered, though he was not denied the echoing effect of his voice that he desired, “You want him to tell you that you are loved by him, that you have his protection… You want him to hold you, as though you are the only one.”

“Shut up!” she screamed defiantly, sobbing into the cold, hard, stone.

At this point he would have started to get annoyed, but he knew her resistance was crumbling; it wouldn't be long before she submitted to his will. “And yet, you feel guilty for feeling such things,” he continued softly yet forcefully, “You feel as though you have no right to feel these things and you are starting to understand… that you, will mean as much as her.  I bet you even feel like you deserve to die at his hand, because you are, after all, the reason why she is dead —”

“NO!!!” Kagome screeched as though in pure agony, she lifted to show her tear stained face and nearly empty eyes “I didn't kill her!  I tried to save her!”

“Mt.Azusa tests the hearts of those who wander it's grounds, you were tested and took far too long, and therefore, she perished.” He replied coolly

“No!” she half screamed, half sobbed, returning to the cold hardness of the floor, “No, No, No, I tried — I — NOOOO!”

She was a screaming wreck again, throwing herself against the floor, wailing; begging for the hurt to stop.  “I didn't mean to!  I didn't want this!  I didn't…

But even as the words left her lips, the room was already out of focus, and the webs had returned.  She was forced to watch, yet again, Inuyasha kill her savagely.  She knew only pain, a searing pain in her heart that she was sure that would never heal.  Sobbing, screaming, writhing in utter agony as illusionary death took hold once more.  The next thing she knew Naraku was looking at her in fake concern.  In her heart, she knew it was fake, but she accepted the pity greedily and continued to cry.  Nothing mattered anymore.  It was over.  Inuyasha was probably glad that she was gone.  He wasn't going to save her, like he had so many times before.

Naraku knew he had done it.  She was helpless as a fly caught in a spider web, his spider web!  The time had come.

He grasped her face in his hands and said, “Surrender to me, and all this pain will go away”  He didn't need to say anything else, he had thrown the bait and she had already bitten.

Kagome didn't even hesitate as she closed her eyes.  Knowing instinctively what to do, she let go of her resistance, her purity, her good will.  And — in essence — sold her soul to the most wicked demon who had ever stepped foot in the world of the living.

Naraku smirked as her eyes grew cold and empty, the jewel glowed brightly with the addition of Kagome's now tainted powers. 

Watching as the tears that poured from her eyes changed colors, staining her cheeks red…

 

***

 

Present

 

What the — what's going on?!  How is this possible?! wildly thought the hanyou, Kaou is dead!  HE'S DEAD DAMMIT!!  How can those tears be there?!

It was the strangest, but scariest thing to see her looking like she had been crying for days, yet she held no sadness in her eyes, body or attitude.  Her posture was that of a lethal warrior who had been fighting and killing for years.  Her attitude was arrogant, cocky, and bloodthirsty.  But what really bothered him was her eyes.  Her eyes were cold, black, and empty of emotion, a startling contrast to the warm, loving, brown eyes that had once held so much life.

Kagome what have they done to you

Kagome strode forward slowly but steadily, her eyes unblinking, bow raised with a steady grasp.  The only sign of weakness were the crimson tears that continually poured down her face.  “Kagome!”  Miroku yelled from behind the barrier, “Kagome, snap out of it!  Naraku's got you under some sort of spell; don't do something you're going to regret later!

Kagome paused and for a minute Inuyasha thought she had come to, but she merely said “Do not call me by a name I do not bear”

“Then what is your name?!” Inuyasha retorted, still unable to move.

Kagome shrugged, “I have no need for something as useless as a name, my only purpose in life is to kill” she whispered.

“Kagome” whispered Inuyasha, horrified at the words that were coming from her mouth.   He would have continued speaking but at that moment a voice decide to make itself heard.  It boomed into the clearing, as if it came from the tree's themselves and that's what everyone would have thought, had it not been such a terribly familiar voice.

“That's it miko, kill Inuyasha.  Make him suffer for what he has done to you.” 

Inuyasha was furious, what did he mean by `what he had done to her?!'  It was Naraku who kidnapped kagome and turned her into this… this monster!  “Naraku! What have you done to Kagome!” he roared with fury  If you hurt her I swear I'll —”

“I assure you Inuyasha, no harm has come to Kagome by my hand but that could easily be remedied” Naraku's disembodied voice boomed back coolly.

Before Inuyasha could ask what he meant by `his' hand, a small moan and a few gasps were suddenly heard.  Inuyasha altered his gaze to Kagome who was now on her knees, shaking, holding the sides of her head with both hands, and eyes tightly closed.  “Kagome!” yelled Inuyasha, trying to move, but still paralyzed by the arrow.  Roaring in frustration, he struggled with the invisible force holding him down and he could only watch as Kagome suffered before his eyes.

An image had appeared in Kagome's head, just one image.  An image of a tree, a solitary tree standing in the midst of a forest.  The tree was gnarled and old looking, yet it looked sturdy and impressive.  There were vines running form the base to about seven feet up.  There was a figure trapped inside of the vines, but all she could make out was a triangular, furry ear.  Dispersing the image from her mind, she tried to concentrate on the matter at hand… killing Inuyasha.

Looking up she trained her sights on the hanyou.  She forced herself to concentrate on his silver hair, his clawed hands and feet, all of the things that made him unusual, trying to get rid of the nagging image in her head.  His amber eyes, his furry dog ears that sat on top of his head, his — wait a minute… his ears!  Kagome's eyes widened in disbelief, `No, No that… that can't be true it — it just can't!'  But the pictures appearing in her head begged to differ.

The pain was immense, she could barely hear Inuyasha's shouts, that woman's feeble attempts to break the barrier, and that demon child's wailing.  Kagome gasped, she had to get out of here!  She didn't know where, but anywhere was better than here.

Stumbling to her feet she turned and ran as fast as she could, leaving the loud shouts of Inuyasha far, far behind.

 

***

 

Byakuya sat in a tree observing the chaos below unnoticed.  He had to hand it to his creator; he was unmatched when it came to manipulating people's feelings.  Kagome had easily taken down Inuyasha, and entrapped his friends in an impenetrable barrier.  He watched as Kagome advanced as Naraku's voice echoed in the clearing. 

Then things started to get a little strange, Kagome had collapsed and looked as though she was in pain.  Observing in confusion, he witnessed Kagome hightail it out of there. 

He shook his head in disbelief.  Was she resisting? 

No, no one had the power to resist their soul, not even Kikyou.   

When Kagome's soul had become tainted with grief, the small part of her soul that had resided inside of Kikyou — the part that now sat inside of the jewel — became tainted as well giving Naraku a newly tainted Sacred Jewel.  But that was only a small part of the prize for Naraku's cunning.  With the jewel now fully tainted, it was once again completely in Naraku's control.  Since that small part of Kagome's soul resided itself within the jewel, the miko was under Naraku's control as well.  No one could go against their own soul, not even the Kami. 

While Naraku's fortune was certainly sweet, the same could not be said for Kagome.  Once Kagome had finished the job of killing off Inuyasha (there would be no need to kill the others, they could be easily dealt with) Naraku would kill the miko.  The jewel would trap the larger part of the young girl's soul within itself and Kagome's soul would be complete.  However, the consequences would be dire.  She would never be reincarnated, usually that would mean eternal peace, but the act of killing the man she loved would torment her.  Her guilt would ensure that her soul would remain tainted forever, binding itself to the dark side of the jewel. 

Her soul would remain inside the jewel for all eternity, tortured by her painful memories forever. 

But all of that came later, right now it seemed like Kagome was distracted.  And distractions were inexcusable in his master's plan.  So he took off after the girl who was fated to be tortured by her past for the remainder of eternity.

 

***

 

Inuyasha yelled for Kagome to come back but she was already gone.  What happened? he thought to himself, One minute she was ready to kill me, and the next

“Ku-ku-ku, it seems our little miko is still suffering” mused the voice of the dark hanyou.

“Naraku!!” roared Inuyasha, “What the hell did you do to her, you bastard!!!”

“It is not a question of what I did Inuyasha, rather what you did,” replied Naraku, who seemed rather smug, “It is literally by your hand that she has suffered this fate, besides you should be savoring these moments, for the worst is yet to come.”

Inuyasha and the others roared with outrage and protest.  “That's insane!” bellowed Miroku, his knuckles turning white from gripping his staff so hard. 

“You lie!!” screeched Sango, who looked mad as hell and was continually beating on the barrier, trying to break through. 

“Take it back, take it back!” yelled Shippo, who was dancing in place out of frustration of his inability to act.

Inuyasha was speechless.  Never had he heard such an outrageous accusation.  Granted, he could be nicer to her, and she had been acting strangely around him lately.  But he had never done anything to cause her physical pain.  Whatever was bothering Kagome it was Naraku's fault, not his.  If only he could move, then he could find that bastard and stab a hole straight through his back excuse for a heart, with or without Tetsusaiga. 

Though his instincts thoroughly agreed with that idea, his brain tried to reason with it.  His plan would accomplish nothing, and would most likely end up putting himself in danger.  Right now, caution was essential.

But there was no caution or reason in his being.  He was consumed in anger.  Naraku had taken away one of the most important people in his life, now he was threatening another one in the same exact circumstances.  He wouldn't allow history to repeat itself; no way, no how. 

If only I could move, he thought.

As if the gods had heard his silent request, his body suddenly became a whole lot lighter, and he found himself able to move. 

He recovered from the shock quickly and grabbed Tetsusaiga, which he had dropped amongst all the chaos.  He quickly transformed it into the great fang and looked into the forest.  He wanted to mow down all of these trees, not destroy the whole forest.  So he went with a precision strike.  Aiming towards the place where he had last heard Naraku's voice, he screamed…

“ADAMANT BARRAGE!!”

The trees of the forest were cut down like paper, crumbling beneath the power of the huge diamond spears, and soon there was nothing in the vicinity of the place where he had aimed.  His attack had cleaved a giant valley of destruction, but there was nothing to be seen but chipped wood and dying animals that had had the misfortune to get in the way of the Adamant Barrage.

Nothing.

Well, if he couldn't see him, then there was nothing for it but to do this.  Focusing his power, the adamant began to be replaced with dragon scales.  Taking a little longer than with his other attacks, considering he was still quite new to this, he concentrated on finding the whirlpools of demonic energy, the Yoketsu.    

But try as he might, he couldn't find the damned bastards Yoketsu determined that he just wasn't doing it right.  He stood there for a moment searching for the white whirlpools but they refused to show themselves.  Moments passed until Miroku spoke, “His voice echoed throughout the forest, yet I can't sense any malice in the area.” he said, “I know what your trying to do Inuyasha, but he has escaped.  You won't be able to find his Yoketsu.”

Inuyasha very reluctantly put down his sword and sighed, “Why did the spells lift, Kagome couldn't have —”

“I doubt anything of the sort happened, Inuyasha,” interjected Miroku, who completely understood his worries, “ her concentration has wandered elsewhere, I'm sure she is safe.”

Inuyasha stood straight with new resolve at the reassurance and said, “Then finding her, is our top priority.”

“Right” said Sango. 

Shippo looked nervous, and Miroku nodded grimly, “I agree”

“Oh, I do not think that would be a wise descision” came a horribly uninvited, cold voice.

Inuyasha's eyes widened with shock, Naraku, he thought confusedly, but how —

Naraku's cold voice broke his chain of thought, “Inuyasha, you seriously don't know what you have done to this pour soul have you?  Her sorrow is so deep that she didn't even try to resist me when I invaded her mind.  I would go so far as to say that she may have even wanted this”

Now that pissed off a certain hanyou. “Don't be fucking stupid!!” he screeched, “You know as well as I do that Kagome would never want this”

“True enough” He admitted, “but the fact remains that she willingly submitted to my darkness.  No one is to blame but you”

“Inuyasha, don't listen to him!” yelled Sango.

“You have never done anything but protect Kagome.” added Miroku, “You know that Naraku's main weapon is the manipulation of people's feelings, don't fall for his tricks.”

Inuyasha nodded, “Keh, you don't have to tell me twice.” He said curtly.

Naraku's voice sighed loudly, “You never see truth, do you Inuyasha?  Even if it is staring you right in the face.  Then again, you have always been a man of action, never thinking anything through. Maybe it would make the most sense if we stooped down to your level of thinking”
 
Inuyasha let the insult roll off his shoulder (but took note of it for later) and focused on what mattered, “What in seven hells are you talking about you bastard?  I think you've actually gone insane from the miasma” he said.

“If you refuse to see the truth when I tell you,” he began with a malice coated whisper, “Then I will show you”

~<>~o~<>~o~<>~o~<>~o~<>~o ~<>~o~<>~o~<>~o~<>~o~<>~o~<>~o~<> ~o~<>~o~<>~o~<>~

 ::A/N:: 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 

Again, I apologize for the long wait but things have been hectic lately.  My Grandmother is nearing the end and everyone is trying to say their goodbyes.  Thank you to all who have been reading and reviewing, you guys have been such a great inspiration, and the reason why I have the strength to keep writing, that and the fact that my grandmother keeps insisting I finish this, always wanting me to finish what I started, lol.  But I'm serious every single one of them means so much to me and because of that I would like to honor them all right here… 

 

--*--*--*--*--

 

Special shout out to:  Atlanta-avalon1.1!  You have reviewed more than anyone else for this story!  Thank you so much,  you've been so kind!

 

 

MediaMiner.org 

 The Flaming Pheonix… rainydays…Hitsugaya630…saygoodnight 

 

AFF 

ShadowStar666…i_heart_inuyasha…Walter205…nmo s…Ai Kisugi 

 

IY Fanfiction 

 PitaBread…angel_of_purity15…black_fairy< i>119

 

Eternal Destiny 

 Miss Marilyn69 

 

FanFiction 

Atlanta-avalon1.1…Kurinju-sama…Islan d Heart…brokenchaos

 

--*--*--*--*--

Kagome has ran away, seeking information, on the images appearing in her head…

 Meanwhile, Naraku has a dark secret of Kagome's that he is about to reveal… 

What horrors await our beloved heroes? 

 

Find Out In The Next Chapter…

YESTERDAY'S PAIN  

*

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

-feudalman

 

 

 

*Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.  I claim no owner ship of the original characters in this story nor do I profit from their use.