Passing Shadows
by polaris
12-25-07
He was losing his mind, and it was breaking her heart.
"No, Sango."
Her voice broke. She had one hand to the side of her head, as if it ached painfully. She shook her head slowly in disbelief. "Kagome please, we have no other choice. He is refusing to take the pills, and the outbreaks are getting more and more intense, their getting violent Kagome. If we don't do this he could hurt, even kill someone!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" Kagome's voice was livid. Her teeth clenched. Her hands shook. She looked read to pounce at any second, her eyes once so beautiful so serene were puffy and red, flickering back and forth as if sensing some unknown danger. "This is Inuyasha we are talking about. I cannot abandon him. I can't just sit back and let this happen." She was strong with conviction. Firm and steady, she had to be.
"Let me see him Sango. I can help him I just know I can." Sango starred at her, but did not move. "It's not safe. I can't let you go in there. Miroku has him sealed in there for a reason, Kagome he attacked someone!"
Unblinking Kagome replied, "I don't care. It's still Inuyasha, he wont hurt me I know it…I know it Sango." Her eyes where begging, pleading thick with emotion. "Sango, my heart is heavy thinking of it. I feel like it will sink to the pit of my stomach and be eaten away. I cannot bear to look at him like this, but when I'm gone I feel I'll die if I don't see him.
"I love him. I love him and I can't bear to be away from him for a measly few hours, do you honestly expect my to let you kill him!?"
"We have no other choice Kagome."
"There is always another choice! Do you think its easy watching him slowly fade away? Watch as the man I love slowly becomes a stranger? But I don't care what it costs me or what I have to face. I will not give up on him. I will not give up on him Sango, I won't."
She looked down. Her heart squeezed. Clutching a shaking hand to her chest Kagome looked down at the shed across the way. "I love him Sango, so I don't want to lose him but… even I have my doubts, when he looks at me like some sort of stranger, someone he can't trust. It's horrible, sometime I want to give up, just leave him to his delusions and phobia's.
"It's hard watching the man who was once so strong, so fierce being replaced by fidgeting fingers and darting glances. But when, for just an instant, his eyes meet mine, I catch a glimpse of what he used to be and I know I can't go, not now not ever."
Sango bowed her head. Tears welling in her eyes, how could this happen to them? Haven't they suffered enough? And now, after they finally found some semblance of happiness, something like this has to happen.
How cruel fate could be.
Sango moved aside. With a slight nod Kagome made her way to the small hut. This hut was not an ordinary hut. Instead of a screen there was a solid door, built with 3 foot thick hard wood. Littering the door sutras of many kinds, sutras to keep away demons, to ward away evil spirits, sutras to guard against malicious intentions, but more prevalent were sutras to imprison demons within.
Kagome waved her hand before the door. With a flickering crackle the charms glowed before falling uselessly to the ground. Turning the handle she stepped through the entrance, closing the door securely behind her.
The room was in shambles. Wood savings spewed across the floor, bits of hay and tattered pieces of cloth lay discarded. Beyond the chaos, lay wreckage of a different kind. Huddled in the corner of the room sat Inuyasha.
The once proud Prince was a quivering child.
Stepping cautiously towards him the petite brunette took a shaky breath. "Inuyasha? Inuyasha it's me, it's Kagome. I'm here Inuyasha, everything's going to be ok."
Lifting his head the dog demon starred intently at the woman. "Kagome?" with a hesitant step forward the girl nodded, "Yes, it's me, I'm right here." She reached him, dropping slowly to her knees, every movement careful, with exaggerated slowness. No sudden movements to alarm him. She edged closer to him, wrapping his frame in her arms, pushing his head to her chest.
She cradled him, like a mother would a son.
He clung to her like a child to a mother's breast. She was his support, his love. She was what he had left, she was why he stayed. His eyes darted to the closed door.
"Were you followed?"
Kagome closed her eyes, willing the tears away. "No, Inuyasha. I wasn't followed. There's no one left who would follow me." He eyed her suspiciously, "What about Naraku?" She clutched his head tighter to her. "Naraku's dead Inuyasha, you killed him. Don't you remember?" There was a moment's pause, "Oh yes, that's right so I did."