Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction / Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Mayakashi ❯ Chapter 44 ( Chapter 44 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Bleach, or YuYu Hakusho, or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Gore, Violence, Language, Angst

Revolution

 

“What happened?” Yoruichi asked, shocked to see Kagome's tear-stained face.

“We were on our way back when the Soul Society sent out a squad of Shinigami to attack Genkai and take information on how to get into the Makai. Kagome-”

“Did anyone die?”

“There are several Shinigami who are deceased,” Kurama sighed, gently laying Kagome down on her bed. “I think that she could use comforts we cannot give at the moment. Where's Shippo?”

“He's somewhere in the castle,” Yoruichi sighed. “Tsuki, here's mommy. Be a good, quiet girl for her, okay?” she cooed as she slid the baby into Kagome's arms.

Instantly, Kagome's tremors subsided, a gentle and beautiful smile creeping onto her lips…

 

“You're telling me she took on a whole squadron of Shinigami, a former Lieutenant, and two Captains, and didn't even get hurt!? And how many did she kill?” Yoruichi asked, eyes wide in shock.

“I wouldn't say she's unharmed,” Kurama said, glaring at the floor.

“Definitely not,” Urahara sighed, appearing in the room.

At that, Kurama's eyes widened, his knuckles turning white.

“Relax, kid,” Urahara sighed, taking a seat. “She's not dying. But she's not looking good…”

“What's wrong?” Yoruichi asked.

“She's in a coma. Or at least, something like a coma. Her reiatsu's all over the place, trying to stabilize with her youki. Whatever the hell happened, it took a major toll on her psyche and body.”

“Quite,” Kurama sighed. “But comas are recoverable, and if anyone's got the will to come back from one, it would be Kagome.”

“You're right about that, foxboy,” Urahara said with a smirk. “But I don't think she'll be getting up any time soon… And honestly, there's a lot of shit in her aura. It reminds me of what the Vizards told me about when they got control over their Hollows, actually. I'd guess that she'll wake up before the tournament, but there's only so much I can do to help. You'd be better, actually,” he added to a surprised Kurama.

“Me? I'm hardly a doctor.”

“The problem's psychological. I don't know what the hell's been going on in her head, and you know her mind better than either of us… You can do that calming plant magick, too. Her body's going to start suffering from the mental strain she's going through, and it would help.”

At that, Kurama stood up, eyes wide. Without another word, he was gone, and Urahara gave a sigh of relief.

“It's worse than you said, isn't it?” Yoruichi asked worriedly.

“I don't think so. Kagome really is fine, all things considered… but she's got some serious problems in her psyche. I'm hoping the foxboy can work her through it so she'll wake up recovered…”

 

Kagome

Kagome stood in a mass of darkness, nothing visible in any direction.

“What the hell? Where am I?”

“You're nowhere, miko.”

Instead of being frightened, Kagome simply frowned, looking for the voice's source.

“Obviously I'm somewhere.”

Something brushed against her leg, and a shudder ran through her at the feel of something rough and wet like a scaled tongue against her skin.

“Yes. But nowhere of the physical world.”

Kagome focused on her hand, brilliant flames springing to life that did very little to dispel the surrounding darkness.

“And what're you?” Kagome asked, her voice bouncing around as though she were in a small amphitheater.

“Can't you guess? You can't sense me?”

“No. I can't,” Kagome growled.

An amused laugh filled the air at that, the sound scraping against Kagome's spine as it echoed through her head.

“Think about that. When have you not sensed something?”

“Before I had my powers and when… When I met Kumori, I wouldn't have known she was there if she wasn't standing in front of me… But you're not her.”

“Well, I am and I'm not. But this is getting boring. I think I'll eat you.”

Kagome jumped at the scaly feeling that brushed against her leg, casting her glance around as her fire grew larger.

“What are you? Where am I?”

“And where's the foxboy, right?” the voice mocked, something sharp scraping against Kagome's neck, sending her rolling away.

A strange wave of cold passed down her neck, and Kagome's hand slipped upwards, finding her neck wet. Even in the dim light, though, she could tell the liquid wasn't water.

In an instant, Kagome's ignited hand shot forward. The fire slipped from her skin and hit the ground beneath her, spreading out like napalm until there was a ring of flames around her. And with the darkness's absence, she found a grotesque monstrosity standing a few feet away.

The creature appeared to have her form, but perverted. Her tanned skin was a shade of unhealthy, ashen white on the creature, and its eyes were pure obsidian, giving off a hellish glow in the flames' light. Her mouth was considerably wider, a long, scaled black tongue hanging from its sneering lips.

In one pale, clawed hand was a long, jagged scimitar of a blade. In the other was a spinning, whirring chakram that was shooting black sparks off with each rotation.

“Hado 31, Shakkaho!” Kagome yelled, not hesitating to attack the creature.

It simply smirked, looking at her with a mocking consideration.

“Danku.”

A wall of shimmering black energy sprang into existence, completely obliterating her attack.

“Sokatsui,” the creature sneered, a mass of energy blasting for Kagome around its barrier.

Kagome dove to the side, swinging her Zanpakuto in an arc that sent the attack wide. It hit a wall somewhere nearby with a resounding explosion, smoke shooting up and filling the surrounding darkness.

“So, what are you? This feels like a dream,” Kagome said as she rose to her feet, bringing her dagger to bear…

 

Kurama

Kurama came into the room, noticing that Kagome was beginning to shake, clutching Tsuki for dear life.

Instantly, he was at her side. And, oddly enough, the second his hand came into contact with her forehead, her shaking subsided greatly, though it didn't stop.

“Rest easy, Kagome,” he murmured. “Take as much time as you need and sort through all the issues of your mind. I'll be here for you.”

Silently, he slipped Tsuki from Kagome's arms and the miko rolled, her arm going across his stomach and resting on her child.

“Even asleep, you're impressively protective,” Kurama mused, smiling.

“Well, Kurama, this is a sight I never thought I would see,” Yomi's voice said, bringing the fox's attention to the open door and the youkai standing in it.

“Oh? And what sight is that?” the fox asked, knowing that just because he was blind didn't mean that Yomi couldn't see.

“Youko Kurama, sitting on a bed with a child and a human miko wrapped around him like a fur,” Yomi mused, smirking.

“Ah. Yes, well, I can't say that it's unpleasant.”

At that, Yomi laughed, finally slowing until he was just smirking only after a full minute.

“You're certainly less subtle than before. I take it Yusuke's been having more influence on you?”

“I suppose so. Though he's less entertaining than she is,” Kurama responded, smirking as Kagome made some form of indignant sound.

“Seems she's aware of her surroundings on some level,” Yomi mused. “But her energy's fluctuating sporadically.”

“I know. I can't seem to help her.”

“Well, there's nothing to help, it seems… But there's going to be. Her heartbeat's starting to increase and her breathing's becoming shorter.”

“Damn,” Kurama growled, focusing his youki around her, trying to calm her energy.

“I think it would be more conducive if you tried to work her through whatever's stressing her.”

“I believe you're right,” Kurama sighed, gently caressing her cheek.

Without another word, Yomi vanished. Just as Kagome began seizing and bleeding…

 

Kagome

“I'm Kumori Suishou,” the monster said with a smirk, jagged fangs gleaming in the fire's light.

“No you're not,” Kagome growled, power flowing into her Zanpakuto. “She's way less nasty-looking.”

In response, the creature smirked, bringing its blades up to catch harsh glints off the flames' light.

“Don't be so cocky, miko. I thought Ichigo told you what might happen to you.”

At that, Kagome's eyes widened, her mind whirring.

“Okay. So you look like me and say you're my Zanpakuto. Look like a really nasty Hollow. And clearly you're not here to play,” Kagome finished, brushing the blood off her neck. “You're my Inner Hollow?”

The creature nodded, its body blurring.

Kagome reacted a second fast enough, finding her Zanpakuto the only thing protecting her throat from the whirring chakram, sparks flying everywhere.

“So why am I here?”

“You really have to ask? Since the start of your second life, you've done nothing but push yourself beyond exceedingly high physical and mental limits. And now, you've completely jumped ship from the holy to the youki. I live here, too, and I won't let you break this vessel. I'll take much better care of it,” the creature sneered, a long, spindly tail suddenly making itself known as it wrapped around Kagome's ankles and smashed her downward.

Kagome grunted, still fighting off the chakram's rotational blade as the tail began to cut the circulation from her legs. A flash of steel brought her attention up, and her free hand came up, just barely blocking the scimitar as it buried through her hand, its tip lowering more and more towards her exposed neck.

A scream of pain ripped from her throat, and echoing, cruel laughter filled the surrounding area…

 

Kurama

“Shit.”

Kurama was instantly across the room, forming a barrier around Tsuki before returning to Kagome's side as his youki rose, slowly closing the mysterious, bleeding injuries.

“Be calm. Relax, Kagome. You're safe,” Kurama intoned, his power rising.

Gently, he took hold of her shaking form, hissing as smoke rose upon the contact. He watched in shock as her body began to glow, her youki rising more and more with every seizure.

“It seems Hiei may have trained you too well,” he groaned as his skin began to smolder.

Despite the rapidly building pain, he didn't let go, keeping her in his embrace and pouring out calming chemicals by the boatload into the air.

“This doesn't look good,” Youko growled, pain quickly becoming noticeable even to their combined, extremely high pain threshold.

“Damnit,” Kurama growled, the pain breaking his sophisticate speech patterns. “If ever there was a time for Hiei to show up, this would be it.”

“I sincerely doubt she'll be in fixable shape even if we were to summon him this instant.”

“Not helpful. Kagome, please relax. You're safe.”

“Unless she's not. The Shinigami said it was her psyche.”

A memory of Kagome's first transformation while training surfaced, and again he cursed.

“Youko, I'm giving you control. Don't screw this up,” Kurama growled before planting his lips firmly on Kagome's, youki exploding as his body transformed, his lips being scorched by her body's heat.

“Well, that was certainly an interesting strategy. I must be rubbing off on you,” Youko mused, smirking as he began caressing Kagome, his youki wrapping comfortingly around Kagome…

 

Kagome

“Prepare to die, miko. You'll know what it means to be nothing but shadows, now,” the Hollow sneered, her blade almost touching her skin now as the dagger in her other hand began to glow white with friction heat.

“I'm… not going down… that easily,” Kagome growled, thrashing her legs around against the tail holding her.

“You have no say in the matter!” it sneered, lips pulled into a sadistic sneer. “It's impressive you're still holding me off, though.”

Kagome glared at her bleeding hand, the hole growing larger the more the blade slid towards her neck.

“If I'm going to be killed, it's certainly not going to be by my own blood decapitating me,” she snarled, eyes bleeding crimson. “Hado 88, Hiryugekizokushintenraiho!”

The creature's eyes widened and it leapt away in less than a second, just as a massive arc of energy exploded upwards from the hole in Kagome's hand. As soon as she wasn't restrained, she was on her feet, glaring at it.

“Cero,” the creature growled, pointing at her.

She moved, missing the attacks that were fired off one after another trailing her by less and less space.

Finally, a blast hit her side, and she went sailing through her flames, gasping as her arms were burned. And just as the Hollow reached her again, a mass of youki filled the air, and the area was ignited with light, the darkness retreating to reveal them in a massive, cave-like structure.

Between them, a redheaded man took form, a mass of youki-infused plants sprouting from his left hand and trapping the creature in place while the other went to Kagome's forehead, a soft glow building around them.

“K… Kur… Kurama? What… How…”

“Your body's not doing well, and I recall you saying that you have an actual being inside of you. That together with Mr. Urahara telling me you're psyche isn't doing well, and I decided that I should drop in to see what was happening.”

“Um… okay?” Kagome asked, blinking in confusion as Kurama helped her up.

“I'll explain later. But I take it this is the Hollow that resides in you?” Kurama asked, eyeing the creature.

“Yeah, that's what it looks like.”

“Release me, fowl fox! I will flay the flesh from your bones and feast on your life!” the creature hissed, its voice echoing inside his head.

“Not a pleasant one… You should finish this quickly. Your body will not last much longer.”

The Hollow began writhing in its confines, hissing and snarling as youki build around it.

“You cannot kill me! I will not let this weak bitch further torture our body!”

“I'm sorry,” Kagome sighed. “I don't do it on purpose. But I won't let you take over my body,” she growled, white flames beginning to rise around her body. “I'm the mistress of my body, and I'll be damned if you think I'll let you take over.”

“You can't kill me,” it sneered, glaring death at her. “If I die, half your power dies with me!”

“I'd take the risk. But I don't need to,” Kagome sighed, walking up to the thrashing Hollow.

Slowly, she placed her hand on the creature's slimy, clammy forehead, repressing a shudder at the feeling. A blinding white light began to build, and a soft smile rose to her lips.

“I'm bringing Kumori back now. I still have need for this power, to protect my family and win this tournament.”

With that, the creature gave an echoing scream that shook the cave around them, the light enveloping everything around them. When it faded, Kagome stood there alone, Kurama's plants no longer holding anything.

“Umm… So why're you in my head?” Kagome asked, turning to Kurama with a confused stare.

“I'll explain it when you wake up. But as for right now, I may as well work you through the things that are troubling you.”

“You're kidding me, right?” Kagome asked. “This is my mind. Could we take this… somewhere outside? Though now that I think of it, I don't know how I got here in the first place, or how to get out…”

At that, Kurama stepped right up to her, smiling.

“That's simple.”

She began to ask what the answer was when he leaned forward, and power exploded as their lips met. And when her eyes opened again, she was in her room at Yomi's, signs of Youko quickly fading from Kurama and the room looking as though it had been lit on fire by a dragon…

 

A/N:

Sorry it took so long, but here's the newest chapter! Hope that it wasn't too forced, but I wanted to do this for a while. I have no idea how well I pulled it off, but I hope you enjoyed. As always, be sure to give your opinions, be they positive or not. See you next time!