Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, although I wish I did cries. Rumiko Takahashi does just to spite me, I know it!
Review responses-
Nikki- If you don't like my fic, don't read it!
KaGs&YaShA- Thanks a lot for your support, I will keep going and I hope the plot meets your expectations.
Sesshomaru639- Please don't explode! Or if you do, don't do it on my fic!
Luna Chic799- He he! Don't worry, I didn't listen. Besides, I have lots of support from all you lovely people. inugirl47- Same goes for you too J
xo-Kagome-ox- Wow, you really like this, ne? Thank you very much!
BlaiseWorth- Point taken. Thanks for the advice!
SesShOuMaRuZ .BaBe- I will, I promise!
surfbratt- I'll keep that in mind for this chapter, arigatou!
Yamia-chan- I will check out your fic a.s.a.p!
Aven- Very succinct J Thanks!
Kagome lover 2009- More on the way, K!
InU aNd YyH gUrL- Oh no, you're not going to explode like Sess639, are you?!
FukashiOni – Some spelling errors?! Gah, I'm glad you were so tactful- I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed in my life! Thanks for the pointers, and you'll be happy to know that there are plenty of plot points to comment on in this chapter.
Meyu- I'd like to think I'm full of surprises -
Usada- Love at first sight? Thanks, Usada!
Angel- Of course I'll believe you had no perverted thoughts!
Ally and Lavender Valentine - I posted this chappie up a.s.a.p just for you guys!
GREAT STORY- Blunt and to the point, Thanks!
gigglin lil elf- I hope you'll find this chappie as good, although, whispers conspiratorially I think It's better…
Dilandra- I'll leave his dream to your imagination!
Kurokumo- The fluff is to make up for the horrendous lack in ch2. L
Animeluverartist- Kagome has been in Sengoku Jidai for about three years, (as mentioned in this chapter). She's overcome a few of her inhibitions and is a little more comfortable around Inuyasha, but even that kiss shocked him!
Mandapanda- It will be a while before I get to that bit. I just hope you have some Kleenex ready!
Me- Thanks a lot!
Megan- Whoa! Calm down, your wait is over!
Morgan- My ass has been hurried- hope you enjoy!
So, on with the show!!
Dying To Tell You
Chapter 2
I
have wandered far and wide
for something real something to die for
but I have found you and you do not see
all that is me all that is true
I am more than you will see,
I am more than you will need
I am more than you will see,
more than wanted
as you float the flimsy surface
you should know life lies beneath it
don't pretend you feel what I feel for you
live illusion and I am real
I know, I know you like the way
you feel when I play
I know, I know you don't really
hear what I say
I know, I know you are waiting
for something to raid
I know, I know you wish you could be
more than you say
I have wandered far and wide
for something real something to die for
but I have found you and you do not see
all that is me all that is true and
more than you'll love, more than you'll hate,
more than you'll hold, more than wanted
more than you'll crave, more than you'll cherish,
more than you'll have, more than wanted.
Vanessa Carlton- Wanted
"So he went to get her last night?" Sango asked, absentmindedly stirring some strange concoction over the fire.
"So Shippo said," Miroku replied, for once not within groping distance of the exterminator, "But I wonder what could be keeping them…" he added suggestively.
"Once a pervert, always a pervert," Sango muttered.
Miroku put on his best "hurt" expression but then decided to switch to "devastated", especially as Sango could easily reach for Hiraikotsu at any moment, "My dearest Sango, why must you always think the worst of me?" he said, clutching his chest theatrically.
"Because-"
"Is lunch ready yet, Sango?" Shippo interrupted, sitting right beside the young woman in the hopes of getting served first.
"I suppose so," Sango replied tiredly, filling the bowl with steaming broth and handing it to the young kitsune. Shippo held the bowl to up to his face and took a deep breath to savour the smell of "real" food, as opposed to Miroku's pathetic attempt at breakfast earlier that day. But before he began to eat, his expression shifted from excitement to deep though in less than a second.
"What is it?"
After a moment, Shippo's face lit up again to form an expression of absolute joy, "Kagome's back!" he said breathlessly before sprinting off in the direction of the well.
"Hurry up, wench," Inuyasha huffed, "I haven't got all day." He grabbed Kagome's hand and pulled her roughly out of the well.
"Why not?" Kagome asked, "What's so important that you have to rush back to the village?"
"KAGOME!"
Both she and Inuyasha turned abruptly to look at the source of the noise, only to see a ball of orange fur speeding towards Kagome's mid-section. But before he collided with her, Shippo found himself dangling by his tail from Inuyasha's outstretched hand.
"Hey, baka, put me down!" Shippo whined, "Tell him, Kagome!"
"I think that's close enough, brat," Inuyasha said. Shippo began to wriggle, trying to get in a position to bite the hanyou's hand, until he stopped and his nose twitched.
"You smell weird, Kagome," he said, sniffing the air.
"I only had a bath last night-"
"No, it's not that," Shippo interrupted her, "You smell like Inuyasha."
Inuyasha held Shippo up level with his face, "You've just outstayed your welcome, brat," he growled, before flinging him into the trees.
"INUYASHA!" Kagome yelled.
"You bit her?" Miroku questioned Inuyasha later that day, taking advantage of the girls' absence later that day.
"I didn't actually mean to," Inuyasha said sheepishly, "I must have done it in my sleep."
"You slept with her?!"
"Mou, hentai, we just slept," he snapped, "and I didn't mean to do that either, I just closed my eyes for a minute…"
"I see," Miroku grinned. "So what did Kagome say about the bite mark on her neck?"
Inuyasha didn't reply for a moment and tried to look anywhere but at the monk.
"Well?"
"I don't think she's noticed yet," he mumbled.
All of a sudden, Miroku burst out laughing and clutched his stomach, "She…hasn't noticed…yet?! I can't wait…to see her…face!" While he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself, Miroku couldn't help but notice how nervous Inuyasha was beginning to look.
"Shit, I'm not sticking around, waiting to be sat into oblivion," he said after a moment.
"That's the smartest thing you've said all week, Inuyasha," Miroku chuckled.
After Sango left the lake once she had finished bathing, Kagome decided to stay a little while longer. She lay on her back, floating peacefully in the cool water, gazing up at the twilight sky. It was almost silent except for the gentle breeze rustling the leaves on nearby trees, and as Kagome watched the moon rise she knew that she had never been more at peace. But, as relaxing as it was, once the sun had completely set the slight wind had become chilly causing goosebumps to rise all over her skin. Deciding it would probably be a good idea to go back to camp before Inuyasha came searching for her; she swam back to shore and got dressed.
Once again the wind shifted and dropped a few degrees making Kagome shiver. She could sense something faintly in the back of her mind and it made her skin crawl. She wanted to run. Quickly, Kagome picked up her towel and shampoo in order to get back to the village as soon as possible because by now, the sky was almost completely dark.
"You are a miko."
Kagome's heart nearly gave out with fright at suddenly being addressed by someone she hadn't even known was there. She turned slowly to face the owner of the voice as calmly as she could. "Who are you?" she asked the young man standing only a few feet from her. Something about this man's face made her not want to know but she resisted the urge to scream for Inuyasha…just.
"I am one who seeks a miko," he replied in a deadpan voice.
"Well, I'm sure-"
"You are a miko, are you not?" the stranger persisted.
"Yes, but-"
"Very well," he said. Kagome didn't have a chance to react before he pulled a silver dagger from his obi, "You will do," he muttered and plunged the blade into his heart.
"Oh Kami, what have you done?!" she screamed, falling to her knees beside him and pulling the dagger from his chest. He was already dead.
The young miko didn't move when what appeared to be a soul leave the dead man's body and move straight for her. It seeped right through her clothes and chilled flesh and it wasn't until then that she realised what was happening.
Kagome was being possessed.
And it felt like she was dying.
'Inuyasha!' her mind screamed in anguish.
"Be silent," the creature snapped, using Kagome's voice.
Kagome's soul, severed from all control of her body was completely helpless. (A/N: no change there, then…)
"You will help me accomplish my task and you will tell me whatever I wish to know, understand?" the creature asked.
'I will never,' Kagome spat.
"If you do not cooperate," the creature said, "I will kill you with the same dagger the boy died by and possess someone else. A friend or loved one, perhaps?"
'You were not him?' Kagome asked, meaning the stranger.
The creature laughed a cold, cruel sound that terrified Kagome to know that it came from her mouth. It wasn't until then that she realised this was no nightmare. "He was just another host," the creature replied with no trace of human emotion, "One in a long line, but you may be the last, Miko. I can feel your power even now and it will be more than enough to complete my task."
'What is your task?'
"All in good time, but now you will take me to the village and tell me everything."
"I'm worried about Kagome," Sango said, pacing back and forth, wearing a hole in the floor of Kaede's hut, "The sun set an hour ago…she should be here by now."
Shippo got up from where he had been curled up by the fire and stretched. "I'm going to find Inuyasha," he said, "Maybe he knows where she is." But before he reached the curtain, it was pulled brusquely aside and Kagome entered. Without saying a word, she walked over to the fire and sat opposite Miroku. Sango couldn't help but notice how tense she was and wondered if she had had another fight with Inuyasha. Maybe it was the bite mark Miroku had mentioned…
"Are you alright, Kagome?" she asked, "You look pale."
"Hmm? Oh yes, arigatou…Sango." Kagome replied, but she seemed to not be paying attention.
'The young man is a houshi, yes?' the creature asked. 'Tell me his name'.
'His name is Miroku.' Kagome grudgingly replied.
'And the kitsune?'
'…Shippo.'
"Inuyasha will probably smell dinner eventually, so there's no point looking for him," Sango went on, "Ah, speak of the demon."
If the way Inuyasha moved had to be described as he entered Kaede's hut, it would be confidently nervous. As usual, he seemed to strut with grace and control borne of canine instinct and arrogance- one of his many character flaws. But tonight there was something different and he looked at Kagome with a worried expression. Yet again, he was waiting for the "sit" that would never come. Kagome hadn't noticed the bite mark obviously, so Inuyasha crouched down beside Miroku and stared into the fire silently.
The other three could almost feel something in the air that was not quite tension but they could sense Inuyasha's almost tangible emotions and realised that leaving would probably be a really good idea. Sango decided to speak for all of them.
"I have just remembered that I have an errand to run for Kaede," she lied, "and I'll need your assistance, houshi," she added grudgingly.
Miroku smiled, "Of course, Lady Sango."
"You too, Shippo."
"Oh, But Sango!" Shippo whined. Sango raised her eyebrows in warning, a look not that dissimilar form Inuyasha's just before he whacked Shippo on the head. "Fine," the little kitsune pouted.
Inuyasha sat back on his haunches as he watched them leave, frowning at their obvious ploy to get he and Kagome alone. For some reason though, Kagome seemed oblivious. Judging by the lack of yelling, he had already guessed that she hadn't found the mark, but her complete silence made him uncomfortable. All of a sudden, his thoughts drifted to when he woke up earlier that day with his face buried in her neck and he couldn't help a slight blush stain his cheeks.
'What is your involvement with the hanyou?'
Kagome ignored the creature's question but she wasn't able to conceal her embarrassment and stop it crossing the mental link between the creature and herself.
'Is he your mate?' the creature persisted, but Kagome could feel that it's patience was wearing thin. Still she remained silent. 'Very well. I have already warned you that I will take another host if you fail to cooperate. However, you leave me no choice. At least the hanyou is an excellent specimen and I shall enjoy-'
'Wait,' Kagome interrupted, 'You can't. You need me to complete your task, you said so yourself.'
'You are correct, but I have been searching for a host strong enough to take revenge for many, many years,' the creature explained, 'If you were to die, I would simply have to find another miko of your power.'
Inuyasha watched as Kagome sat staring at the flames with a blank expression, appearing to talk to herself. It had been several minutes since she had blinked and Inuyasha felt his eyes watering for her. "Kagome, are you ok?"
For a moment she didn't say anything but just looked up at him unseeing, before her eyes suddenly sparked back to life. "I'm fine," she answered cheerfully, "Why, is there something wrong?"
Inuyasha frowned. She looks different, he thought, she smells different and she even sounds different. Yeah, something's wrong.
"No, everything's fine," he answered instead. His thoughts began to wonder again as he worried about what could make Kagome act so strangely.
"Inuyasha, how do you feel about me?" she asked all of a sudden, sounding merely curious as opposed to afraid, which Inuyasha had come to expect when their conversations touched on this delicate subject. Inuyasha was dumbstruck. Never before had she been so forward and found that he couldn't deal with Kagome's new attitude. Never before had he been forced to confront his feelings and been so confused. In the last three years, Inuyasha knew that he had come to care for her more and more, but whether it was love or not, he wouldn't admit. It was true that she and Kikyo were as different as night and day, but the woman Kikyo had been in life would always have a place in Inuyasha's troubled heart.
Without him realising, Kagome had crawled over to sit beside him as he thought, and was looking at him intently. Inuyasha tried desperately to look at anything other than her in the hopes of buying some time. Maybe he could jump out of the window?
"Well?" Kagome asked, an edge of impatience just audible as she spoke.
"I, er- what?" Inuyasha stammered. Go for the window, go for the window now!
The confused hanyou felt his stomach lurch and his eyes flicked down to his leg where Kagome's fingers were tracing circles on the inside of his thigh. He cleared his throat in a vain attempt to regain at least some of his earlier composure, but lost it all as he noticed her expression. Kagome's lips were quirked into a slight smile and her eyes glittered invitingly- a look he was sure had been learnt from a certain lecherous houshi. …She's trying to seduce me! Inuyasha thought, and it's working…oh Kami.
"Inuyasha," she purred. Her hand now rested on his thigh and she was leaning in… Inuyasha swallowed awkwardly.
Without any warning, Kagome threw herself back away from him just before their lips met, the smell of her fear choking his senses. "Inuyasha, help me!" she gasped.
"What?!" Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders and fought the urge to shake her.
"I need-" Kagome began shakily, but before she finished, her expression changed as if she had become a different person. "I need you to help me clear up the dirty bowls later," she finished, gesturing to the discarded dishes from the meal she and Inuyasha still hadn't eaten.
Inuyasha remained silent, frowning at the young miko. He had smelt her fear, seen the terror in her eyes and he wasn't going to believe that it had ANYTHING to do with dirty dishes. Oh well, I guess this will tell me if I'm right… he decided, and this time it was he who kissed her. Responding without hesitation, which surprised the hanyou, Kagome deepened the kiss. Scoldingly hot and passionate, it was beginning to force Inuyasha to desperately cling to his humanity in an attempt to suppress his youkai instinct to claim her. Kagome- or whatever she was- hadn't failed to notice his reaction and nipped his bottom lip as encouragement.
It was all going so fast, too fast in fact and Inuyasha wasn't sure that this was a good idea. Kagome had never acted like this before and it unnerved him. There was something in the way she kissed him that wasn't quite right…
Then reality came crashing down and he shoved her roughly away, "Who are you?!" he barked.
Kagome simply smirked and licked her lips. "Ah, the physical pleasure is what I missed most about being corporeal," she sighed. "That was truly delicious."
Inuyasha scowled at her in disgust, "What have you done with Kagome?" he growled.
"The miko is well," she waved her hand vaguely, "for now, at least."
This thing had done something to Kagome and wouldn't give her back… Inuyasha's eyes began to redden as his youkai blood started to drown out his rational mind. "Tell me what you've done with her before I start sharpening my claws in your flesh," he hissed.
"I don't think so," Kagome replied nonchalantly. "If you even think of trying to stop me, this girl dies."
"Give her back."
"It doesn't matter, hanyou, because you won't remember a thing in the morning," Kagome smirked, "Sweet dreams," she said coldly. Her hand flew up, palm facing his chest and before he could move, a blast of pure energy like one of Kikyo's arrows hit him. For a moment, he thought it was one of Kikyo's arrows and memories of betrayal stirred. Had he been betrayed? Again?
Why?
