First things first; I am a BIG Inukag fan, but that doesn't mean it's going to hit off with them at the start, or that it's going to necessarily be ALL Inukag, okay? I have a lot of respect for Kikyou when she was LIVING, but I don't like to trash her at all. This means I'm not going to kill her off or toss her to the side, because Kikyou is a VERY important person in this story (You'll see what I'm talking about later on), and it also means that even though I wish I could, I can't ignore Inuyasha and Kikyou's love for each other to make way for Kagome. That's the platform that Rumiko Takahashi-sama set and that's what I'm working with.
The beginning will most likely scare you a bit… because I kind of throw you head-first into a death scene… eh heh… but there's a reason for everything. Just trust me. ANGST WARNING!
Disclaimer: Now, this is a no brainer. *turns to a class of preschool students* Now, children, do I own Inuyasha?
"No!"
Well, then, who owns it?
"Rumiko Takahashi-sama! The master of all manga artists!"
*wipes tear from eyes* You make me so proud…
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Trapped In BetweenChapter 1: A Terrible Loss
By: Kaji-chan
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~***~
The sky was dark, and the distant rumbling of thunder was heard on the horizon. 'It's going to rain...' he thought to himself. The repressed half youkai stared out into the distance, straining to see through the darkness of the night. 'Where could she have gone this time?'
~*v*~
"Inuyasha! Where have you been? I have been looking all over for you!" the black haired teenager called to the hanyou, her blue-grey eyes shining with frustration. "Hurry up, unless you don't want anything to eat!"
Inuyasha suppressed a smile. She looked so funny in that silly little apron she was wearing… with all that frilly shit. He walked over to where Shippou and Miroku were eating their dinner and took a seat on the forest floor. "So… what did you make? Ramen?" he asked curiously, leaning over to pick up the lid off of the pot simmering over the fire. Suddenly, a disgusted look over came his face and he shrunk away from the pot, a weary expression on his face. "You didn't make curry, did you…?"
The look on her face when he said that was priceless. "Hey! I worked hard on dinner, so eat it! Besides…" she made a pouting face, "You're a big, tough guy…" Her expression hardened as she hissed, "Food a little on the spicy side shouldn't hurt you…" She wore a dry expression and cocked her hip to one side, daring him to challenge her.
"I'm not hungry…" He stated simply, backing away from the food. Kagome pursed her lips but didn't say anything more. Inuyasha sighed in relief and stretched his weary muscles, scratching the back of his head with his claw. His eyes were dull and fatigued, showing every hint of drowsiness. Moving onto the next subject, he replied, "So, any luck with the last of the Shikon shards?"
"No, not yet. We've been waiting for you, Inuyasha," Miroku stated plainly before resuming to his task of digging his chopsticks into the bowl of spiced ramen noodles at hand.
Inuyasha arched an eyebrow. "Why? Kagome can find the shards. I would imagine that you and Sango would be able to take care of any demon that possesses one," He said nonchalantly, pointing to the highly irritated Kagome standing behind him.
The veins in Kagome's forehead seemed to pop out as she stalked over to him. "I am NOT a shard detector!" she yelled, her face turning red with anger.
Inuyasha blinked, replacing it with a flat stare. "I didn't say that and you know it." Her expression faltered, and she began to acquire a guilty look, opening her mouth to apologize, but Inuyasha continued. "Why do you always take little things so offensively?" he asked.
"O-offensively…?" she stuttered, shaking in fury. "Li-little things…?" Slightly calming down, she jabbed a finger at Miroku, who tensed nervously, hoping he hadn't done anything wrong. Fortunately, for him, anyway, she said, "You should be more like Miroku, so sweet and generous to the women! Well...when he isn't groping them, of course..."
Sango looked up from her meal, obviously intrigued by their verbal battle. Miroku looked up from his meal as well, his face poised in a shocked expression. "I'm scandalized, Kagome-sama!" He put on his well-practiced emotionally hurt face at her so-called accusations.
Sango threw her two cents in. "It's true, houshi-sama. You are the most perverted monk I've ever come across. You have the most questionable morals I have ever seen in one studying the Holy Scriptures." Miroku laughed nervously, finding his bowl of ramen suddenly interesting. "Actually, I'm not sure if you even are a monk, to tell you the truth…"
Inuyasha smirked and pointed to the retired youkai taijiya with his thumb. "Isn't that right…"
Kagome raised her finger to say something, but sighed and lowered her hand. "This is not helping me prove my point…" she said, shaking her head in dismay.
Inuyasha looked up at her. "Well, you were never very good at proving your points," he said pointedly. Kagome shot him a death glare that could have wilted a brick wall.
Inuyasha looked towards the horizon, watching the wind blow over the fields below. He was silent for a moment. "I wonder where Naraku is…?"
Miroku shrugged, setting down an empty bowl, "Perhaps planning our demise…?"
He snorted, crossing his arms. "We should be looking for the shards, but Kagome won't get off her butt to…"
Inuyasha's sensitive hearing picked up Kagome's soft sniffling, and he was shocked. Inuyasha looked up to see her sapphire eyes lined with tears. Seeing her silent weeping caused a small bit of guilt to tug at his consciousness. "Kagome... wha...?" She usually didn't take offense to those kind of things…
Kagome glared at him as she threw her apron down. "Fine, then! Go find the rest of the damn shards yourself!" she screamed, running out of camp.
Everyone stood there, shocked by her sudden outburst. Inuyasha stared after her, completely dumfounded. "Wha...What...?" Inuyasha still couldn't take his eyes off of the spot in which she had run. 'What did I do? Was this... my fault? Did I cause this?'
Before anyone in the camp could say anything, Inuyasha tore off after Kagome, leaving behind only his confused companions and a long trail of dust.
~*^*~
Inuyasha sat down to rest. Now that he thought about it, he felt really bad. That was the second time he had made her cry since his second encounter with Kikyou. He sighed and stood up, feeling a light drop of water land on his shoulder. 'It's raining. How perfect to fit my mood…' he thought to himself.
He was about to give up and just apologize in the morning. She could find her own way home…
Inuyasha couldn't seem to force himself to go back, though. He was getting worried. It was beginning to rain, and he could smell that it was going to be a bad storm. Standing up to continue his search, he felt a sudden vibration in the still night air, noticing that it was coming from a path deep in the woods.
Was it Kagome?
With lightning speed, he sped off towards the well, knowing all too well that she would be there.
~*~
Kagome reached the old well, a tear slipping down her face for the countless time that night. 'I don't care what happens, I'm going back. Inuyasha just doesn't understand...how I feel...' Kagome shook her head free of the guilty thoughts running though her and allowed another tear to slip from her eyes and cascade down her cheeks. She was being selfish, just running off like that. Inuyasha didn't even know what she was mad at him for.
She couldn't explain it. She just looked at him, and was overcome with a horrible feeling. Maybe her
'I'll just… go back for a little while to calm down… he'll… understand.' Kagome felt a drop of rainfall onto her hand and her face dropped in a sad expression, reaching over to lightly brush off the droplet. 'It's raining. How perfect to fit my mood…' she thought to herself.
"Going back, I see?" an icy voice whispered from behind her.
Kagome turned to stare at the looming figure of a priestess. Her long, black hair was blowing freely in the wind, her dark blue-grey eyes shining with a hollow doubt. She could see the miko's hand clenched onto a bow, and unsusceptible fear coursed through her. "Kikyou…" Kagome whispered.
It was Kikyou, her previous incarnation. The original protector of the Shikon no Tama. The miko who had died protecting that jewel. The priestess who sealed Inuyasha, and who once attempted to drag him back to Hell with her. The one he loved, the miko who was their ally in battle, but their enemy as well.
She felt that horrible churning in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps that was why she ran off? Because she was over-run with feelings for Inuyasha that she knew he would never return. Because he was with her. She let go of the well and turned to completely face the priestess.
It was time she faced her fears and had a talk with Kikyou.
~*~
Inuyasha had almost reached the well, when he felt the presence of Kikyou. "Kikyou! What the hell is she doing here?" Frowning, he continued forwards, just about to clear out of the brush.
"Kikyou…?"
Inuyasha halted his pursuit, ducking behind a tree, his eyes wide. Kagome?! What were the both of them doing here…?
He pricked up his ears and listened intently, hearing two voices. Curious, he quietly inched closer, not wanting to interrupt their conversation in hopes of hearing what they were conversing.
~*~
Kagome could almost see her lips twist up into a smile. "Inuyasha has pierced your heart with his arrogance, has he not?" Kagome turned her face away and quickly wiped away the tears on her rain-soaked face. There was something funny about Kikyou's voice. Kikyou chuckled to herself. "Well, it looks as if we have more in common than I thought, girl. We both hate Inuyasha, that snarling, cold-hearted fool..."
Kagome whirled around, her eyes burning. "C-cold-hearted? He's never cold hearted!" she cried, her face soaked from the rain and her tears. "All he ever does is care about…" she faltered a bit, "…you… and… his friends…" Then, her voice shaking slightly, she whispered, "He always talks about how much he loves you, Kikyou."
The miko showed no sign of caring, her face stoic and flat.
Kagome looked away from the miko and stared back at the well. She closed her eyes and let her antipathy pass through deep, calming breaths. Why couldn't she see? This wasn't like the Kikyou she knew. Unless she had never really known her well enough, until now. Kagome shot an angry look at Kikyou, her attempts to suppress her anger proving to no avail. "You are just too blind to see it!"
~*~
Inuyasha stepped back. His amber eyes stared unblinkingly towards Kagome in utter shock as he peeked around the tree trunk. For some reason, Kagome had run off into the woods after swearing at him, because he had said something to her, and now she was defending him? He still didn't know what it was, but he did know it had something to do with him and that her had hurt her feelings in some way. He still couldn't figure out what it was.
And why was she telling Kikyou that he loved her when every time his relationship with Kikyou was brought up, she would get angry at him?
This thought made him even more confused. Why was she standing up for him when he had been the original cause of her pain?
Secondly, why was Kikyou acting so strange? He had never seen her act like this before, and it was beginning to concern him. And why was Kikyou being so harsh? He had never seen either of them act this way…
~*~
Kikyou snorted at the girl's stubbornness to see her way. "You're a fool. Only I see what he truly is. That bastard of a half-breed… all he does is lie and deceive! He just wants is the jewel for himself! Don't you see? He is only playing along with you… until you restore the jewel! Then, when all the pieces of the jewel have been collected, he will only kill you and steal the Shikon Jewel so he can become a full youkai!"
~*~
Inuyasha forced back the impulse to run into the middle of the quarrel and shout that he would never hurt Kagome, that he would never lay a hurtful finger on her.
And what about his dream to become a full-blooded youkai? Didn't he want that? Wasn't that his goal? To be the strongest youkai in the world? But… he didn't want that. Then he realized… that he had never wanted that.
Then, what did he want?
Inuyasha's head was spinning out of control. What the hell was wrong with him?!
But then again… why would he want to be a full-youkai, when he was so happy in his present state, traveling with his friends, and especially traveling with… He gasped at his realization, though he'd known it for a long time. He knew the answer. Kagome.
~*~
Kagome shook her head, there was definitely something wrong with Kikyou. "How can you hate him so much, Kikyou?" she asked, surprised by how small her voice sounded compared to the forceful words that Kikyou spoke. "Why would he…?"
Kikyou narrowed her eyes, cutting her off. "He's only lying to you. You are the one that's blind and unable to see."
Kagome's blood boiled with anger. How dare she insult him! After all he'd done for her. After all he'd sacrificed for her. After all she'd sacrificed so he could be with her.
Her hands clenched into fists. "He would never lie to me! You are the liar! And you're certainly the one to talk about deception! All those times you've deceived Inuyasha, messed with his mind, trying to make him believe that you still loved him, when all along you were trying to drag him down to Hell!!" she screamed. Her eyes were flashing with hatred. But then, the young woman threw a surprised hand over her mouth, gasping in shock.
How could she have said such things to her? Kikyou was older than her, and Kagome had no right to step in between their relationship, even if she had good intentions. Even though Kikyou was wrong about Inuyasha… she was in no position to speak that way.
Kikyou could insult her, yell at her, and physically hurt her, and she would not fight back. She had never fought back. It wasn't her place. But nevertheless, she would not stand there, watch her insult Inuyasha, and do nothing. Quietly, she continued, but her voice was still forceful and direct. "Inuyasha has saved my life so many times I can't count them." Swallowing, she gathered up her courage, feeling a prickling feeling in the back of her eyes. "If I can't trust him after that, I'm must be crazy!"
~*~
Inuyasha didn't know that she trusted him so much. No… he knew. Was he so blind to not see it? No. He just never paid enough attention to her. How many other times had she stood up for him? He never acknowledged her.
How had he not noticed Kikyou's intentions? Of course... he always did, he just never wanted to believe it. However, Kikyou was acknowledging that they were true; that she hated him, and that she will never love him after what he did to her. But… he didn't want to believe… that Kikyou didn't love him anymore…
Why hadn't these thoughts ever surfaced before? Why hadn't he ever taken into account that she cared so much about him? That he cared so much about her? About Kagome?
No. He'd always known. They were thoughts that he'd known all along, but he just pushed them away. And now he was going to face it.
~*~
Kikyou narrowed her eyes at Kagome's indirect insults. "You have suffered long enough, Kagome." Kagome's face was full of confusion at her statement, blinking and unconsciously taking a step back at her cold tone.
"I'm afraid that one of us will have to go. I am sorry." Without warning, Kikyou pulled out and arrow and set it in her bow. "To an extent." Her unemotional expression quickly melted into a devious and evil grin, and Kagome gasped at her sudden shift in attitude. What was going on?
Kagome's shocked face was indescribably pale as she watched the older priestess raise the weapon; the glistening point of the arrow aimed directly at her. "Kikyou… you don't know what you're doing! Please stop!" she cried, a twinge of fear touching her.
Kikyou ignored Kagome's desperate pleading. Then, when she spoke, her voice seemed to change into an icy tone. "At least, with you out of the way, I'll be able to finish what I came here for." Her eyes flashed red as she added, "Don't worry; you'll see Inuyasha in Hell."
She released the arrow.
~*~
Millions of thoughts raced through Inuyasha's head as he watched the arrow slice through the crisp, night air. Knowing that his thoughts would lead him astray, he let his instincts take over. "NO!!" Inuyasha cried, jumping out of the bushes and running towards the arrow. There was only one thought in his mind—to save Kagome.
Kikyou held a surprised look on her face as a streak of red shot past her in an attempt to stop the arrow. Her eyes narrowed. 'Hm… I should have sensed his presence… no matter. This won't change anything. Actually, this should turn out better than I had originally planned…'
Kagome watched in horror as it came speeding towards her, knowing she couldn't dodge it. Everything seemed to slow down as the arrow closed in on her, the silver tip glinting viciously in the moonlight. Kagome let out a blood-curdling scream as the arrow pierced her flesh, blood spurting out of the new wound.
"KAGOME!" he shouted, his voice slicing through the darkness of the night, strangled by a terrorizing fear. Fear for her. He rushed to her side and took her in her arms, a pained expression on his features as he looked at her pierced shoulder.
"Inuyasha…" she whispered, her face scrunched in pain. "Make it stop…" Tears welled up in her eyes as pain flooded through her body, her knees buckling as she fell in on herself.
His strong, protective grip on her held her steady, and he pulled the arrow out of her shoulder as carefully as possible, making sure to cause the least amount of pain. Kagome let out a choked grunt of pain as the shaft was pulled out of shoulder, taking a bit of skin and blood with it.
Tears began to slide down her face as she tightly clutched her wounded shoulder. A strong hand clasped over hers in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Her gaze moved towards the hanyou's concerned face, a small smile gracing her lips.
Inuyasha felt an unfamiliar sting plague the backs of his eyes, but he held it back. "Kagome? Are you all right? Say something, dammit!" he said, squeezing her hand, afraid for her.
Kagome clenched her teeth in an effort to ease the pain. A smile forced its way back upon her lips as she whispered, "I'm glad you're here for me, Inuyasha."
He felt a smile tug at his lips, but he retained it, though he was not able to repress the soft tone with overcame his amber eyes. Inuyasha shifted his weight to pick her up and take her away from harm.
Kagome screamed.
Another arrow was protruding from her side, this time near her abdominal area, and Inuyasha's breath hitched in his throat. He once again grasped the shaft and slowly slipped it out of her body, gripping her stomach area to prevent anymore bleeding. His attempts failed as blood pushed up from between his fingers, the coppery substance oozing silently down his arm to puddle at his feet. "Kagome… please, don't give up on me, now…" he said as he shook he slightly, her now-pale lips moving soundlessly up and down.
"Inuyasha…" she whispered in a raspy voice, her eyes squeezed closed as she suppressed the urge to cry out in pain, "It hurts so much…"
"Its okay, Kagome." He replied, hugging her frail body to him. "Don't worry, we'll take you to Kaede and everything will be okay…" Kagome's hands fisted in his haori as she tried to make the unbearable pain disappear.
Inuyasha threw his gaze towards Kikyou with a hurt and confused look, her bow poised with another arrow. Kikyou's face remained expressionless. "Fool…" she hissed, a third arrow shooting from her bow.
"No…" he whispered, his hand reaching out to intercept it. Unfortunately, the silent rain drizzling on them had made his fingers slick, and his claws slipped right over the top of the shaft. He watched in silent horror as the arrow whizzed by his hands and sliced into Kagome's chest.
Inuyasha's shocked face turned sharply to Kagome's as her face turned pale. "No… Kagome…" he whispered fearfully to her, not even bothering to cover his current distress. He once again slid the arrow out of her body, dropping the bloody remains of the arrow to the ground and reaching to cover the wound on her chest that began to bleed. 'She's loosing a lot of blood…' he thought frantically. "Kagome," he said urgently, "I want you to—"
Kagome shook her head, staring up at him with pleading eyes. She coughed and sputtered as she attempted to speak to him, amidst the pain, to the silver haired hanyou. "It's… no use… the wounds are too bad…"
Inuyasha shook his head in disbelief, not wanting to believe her hopeless words. "No, Kagome, don't talk like that! We'll take you Kaede's and you'll be just fine…"
She closed her eyes for a second as she swallowed thickly, feeling weariness slowly but surely overtake her. "Inuyasha… I'm sorry…" Her eyes twitched as the pain slowly flowed through her, racking her body in small spasms.
His eyes softened and he clutched her hand. "What for?"
"For…" she closed her eyes, a tear sliding out from underneath her lashes, "…for running off on you… it wasn't your fault… and I…"
"Kagome… don't worry about that right now, you just need some rest…" he said, trying to reassure her, as well as himself, that she would make it though. This wasn't the end… it couldn't be…
Her hands were gradually loosing their color and becoming colder than normal, clutching to his haori with a surprisingly strong grip. Her watery blue-grey eyes looked deeply into the amber ones above her, as tears began to slip silently down her blanched cheeks. Kagome bit her lip before attempting once more to speak to Inuyasha, as it was becoming harder and harder for her to speak. "Inu…ya…sha…" she whispered, barely audible through the sharp intake of breaths she was taking in between each word.
Inuyasha's eyes clouded over as he looked down at Kagome's pale and trembling form. Sweet, innocent, caring Kagome. How could he let this happen? To Kagome? To his Kagome. The Kagome who was always there for him when he was hurt. The Kagome who always thought of him before herself, even in a desperate situation. The Kagome who was a friend to everyone. The amiable young woman, who always had a smile on her beautiful face, was lying in his lap, dying, because he couldn't save her.
How could he let this happen? How could he? After everything she did for him? And he just watched this pure angel be shot by the woman who haunted his past and lingered in his shadows. How could he let this happen?! "What is it, Kagome?" he whispered; his voice shakier than ever.
Her thoughts raced. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she did not know how to put them in words. She looked into his eyes, as if trying to tell him. She opened her mouth to speak. "Inu…ya…sha…" She drew in a sharp breath. "I… I just wanted… to say… th-that…"
Inuyasha lifted her up to his chest. "Yes, Kagome? What do you need to tell me?" he whispered back, closing his eyes as he memorized the feeling of her body molded against his in a caring embrace. He felt tears threatening to spill, but continued to push them back.
Kagome bit her lip again and shuddered. "…Th-that…I…"
Kagome suddenly ceased speaking, her unblinking eyes widening as she made a soft gurgling noise. Her words were silenced as a small trail of blood began to dribble out of her mouth, slowly trickling down her chin into Inuyasha's lap. Inuyasha looked down to see another wooden shaft protruding from her chest, his eyes widening in panic.
"NO! KAGOME!!" he cried, her body tensing, crimson seeping from the new wound and seeping through her white uniform, staining it a dark red. Her eyes began to loose their usual twinkle as they stared frightfully up at him, her hands trailing up and grasping his shoulders. The color drained from her face as she forced another smile on her lips. "Kagome…" he whispered, finally allowing a tear to slip silently down his face. She wasn't going to make it.
He turned to gaze at Kikyou, whose expression was stoic and cold. His brows creased in misunderstanding, turning back to look down at Kagome's trembling form.
She opened her lips to speak once more, but was only able to draw in a raspy breath. She reached up, her soft, and now cold, fingers lightly touching his face, her eyes softening as she wiped away a tear. Finally able to speak, she rasped out to him, "Don't… don't cry… Inuyasha…"
Inuyasha clasped her cold hand and held it to his cheek, wishing its happy warmth would magically return, clutching it to his chest. Kagome tried to fight off the looming fatigue that was slowly engulfing her, but found she was too weak to do so. She closed her eyes, feeling darkness swamp her thoughts as she felt herself slowly floating away from reality. With the last of her strength, she opened her eyes and smiled up at him, brushing a long bang out of his face and wiping the tears from his cheeks.
Inuyasha pulled her closer, smiling sadly at her and hesitantly placing a warm, gentle kiss on her parted lips. Kagome was surprised for only a moment before she weakly responded, kissing back and leaning into him as much as her frail body would allow, a solitary tear sliding down her cheek. 'Inuyasha…'
Inuyasha slowly and reluctantly pulled back to gaze at her with saddened, mournful eyes. She returned his gaze and smiled sadly. He returned her smile, his more pained and forced. "Inuyasha…" she whispered, smiling softly before she gave in to the shadows, her eyes fluttering shut and her chest stilling with her last breath.
Inuyasha sat there, transfixed, holding the body of the one he cared for. Her hand slipped from his face, but he caught it brought it back up to his lips. "Kagome…" he whispered. Inuyasha kissed her hand and held it to his heart, swallowed up in the brief moment of despair.
Inuyasha sat there, holding her lifeless body in his hands, tears silently streaming down his sorrowful face. His mind was clouded with remorse and he couldn't bring himself to think straight. His eyes continued to move in and out of focus as the large amounts of tears spilled over his eyelids. "Kagome…" he whispered again, in a voice so low that not even a youkai two feet away from him could hear. "You… you can't die, Kagome…" He lifted up her body and hugged it close to his chest, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "Kagome… don't die on me… Ka-Kagome… don't die!"
His frantic shouts remained unheard by the miko lying dead in his arms. Inuyasha sat in that position for what felt like eternity, clutching her protectively to his chest, until a distant voice interrupted the remorseful silence.
"A reincarnation of Kikyou would only get in my way. She deserved to die…" said a contemptuous voice from behind him. The only thing was, it wasn't Kikyou's. "As do you."
~***~***~
Okay, I would like to say one thing: I'm not a hypocrite! I LOVE Kikyou's character. You'll understand why I'm not in chapter two.
I promise this isn't the end for Kagome! Don't kill me! *cringes* You'll find out how this turns out in the next chapter. You HAVE TO READ MY AUTHOR NOTES IN THE SECOND CHAPTER!!! Ooooh... I love cliffhangers! ^_^ Be sure to review, or I won't add the next chapter! I give you a piece of candy! *Puppy dog face* Be nice, this is only my second Inuyasha fic... ^_~
