Special Thanks: To SesshomaruFreak who looked over this chapter, Hail to the grammar queen, cause I just don't pay close enough attention when I get lost in la la land, Thanks!
Though my Lips would speak elegant Lies,
You can see beyond Their vicious Bite,
The Pain Life Can Bring:
The blue light faded into the old well, leaving Kagome looking up at white puffy clouds framed by the ancient wood. She nearly tingled with anticipation at the thought of being with Inuyasha again. They had grown much closer over the years of traveling together and she had fallen hard for him. She was so certain that he returned her feelings, at least in part. It allowed her to have hope for their future, even though another, lost to him, still held a part of his heart. Smiling widely, she climbed upward. Once free, she turned her face up to the sun, letting it warm her after the chill of the well. Then she made her way through the now familiar forest that held her best friend's name. It was not long before a memorable feeling pulled her off the well-worn path.
Inuyasha rushed toward the woman resting at the base of an old tree, its roots fanning out behind her. "Kikyo." he whispered, blind to all but her.
"Inuyasha." She greeted him, quietly. She had no idea how to react to her once love. In truth, none of her feelings had changed from that time, she still loved him deeply and craved his presence as the living craved food and drink, but she was no longer really alive. All of her anger had been placed rightfully on Naraku, however it left her with a profound sadness in its place. The life that they would have shared was gone like a wonderful dream that you could not remember, no matter how hard you tried to.
"Are you alright?" he asked, sitting near her. His hands reached out on their own accord as if to touch her, but he reluctantly pulled back, his golden eyes intense with emotions. This is the first time they had met privately since he had revealed Naraku's treachery to her. He longed to hold her as he once did. She did carry the smell of ash with her, but her natural scent far overcame it, as welcome to him as his own breath. In his very center, he hoped that he could find a way for them to spend their lives together this time, after the hunt to find the jewel shards ended and Naraku was defeated. There had to be a way, even if it was just to spend it by her side as he was now.
"Why have you come?" she asked evenly, avoiding his question. She was very weak at that moment, the souls she required for her half-life were nearly depleted. She tried to release them before they completely disappeared so that they could continue on their journey to the after, but it made it so that she had to collect them more often. The piece of soul that she had from the girl Kagome allowed her to remain conscious while her soul collectors ventured out. The young woman was an enigma to her. It seemed that her soul was one of many, almost as if she were reincarnated from several beings, herself included. She also shared some of her traits, one being an affection for a certain silver haired inuyokai.
"I have been worried about you." he told her, leaning closer to her. "I have never stopped thinking about you, not for one second, Kikyo."
She gasped, her head jerked toward him. "Why? Why say such things to me, Inuyasha?" Her eyes burned though she had no tears to give, "It has been fifty years and I live not. You should find someone warm and living to…"
"I love you." he interrupted her, "It has not been fifty years for us and I will never love another the way that I love you." He took her cool hand into his own. "Stay with me. We can try to find a way to make you whole again, but even if we can't, just stay with me, Kikyo." He did not feel whole without her. Kagome was an amazing friend and she comforted him, but Kikyo had his heart. There was a time when he had been confused by such feelings, but no more. He had yet to explain to Kagome, wishing to put off any pain he would cause.
"Inuyasha," Kikyo said, stunned. She reached out and touched his face, closing her eyes as he kissed her, the warmth of his body spreading to hers. Neither noticed the sharp gasp, cut quickly off.
Kagome could not believe what her senses were telling her. Her ears told her that he could not love any but Kikyo, her eyes proved what she had heard. Her hands cut off the bitter sounds of her mouth as her heart dropped, breaking in pieces that echoed silently throughout her body.
Tremors started beneath her skin as her vision blurred. Unable to stand the sight of their love any longer, she ran blindly away, still undetected by the reunited couple lost in one another. She had been a silent witness from the moment he had entered the small clearing, about to offer her help to her rival. Kagome flew over the forest floor, vines and tree branches becoming whips against her body, unnoticed even when thin strips of blood began to trickle down her skin in several places. For what seemed like hours, she fled, not knowing or caring where she ended up so long as she was far away from them.
Suddenly, her ankle twisted, throwing her off balance. The jarring pain woke her from her flight and she grabbed the nearest tree in an effort to catch herself. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, her breathing harsh and ragged, and her ankle throbbed in waves that spread out through her foot and up her leg. Seeing a larger tree with overhanging branches that would provide some shelter, she drug herself against its base and tried to get her bearings. "Stupid." She whispered to herself for a number of reasons.
"I would agree with you and add pathetic as well," a low, horribly familiar voice stated from above her. "It is quite sickening just watching them, isn't it?"
Eyes wide and terrified, Kagome looked up to see the very last person, besides Inuyasha, that she wished to see at that moment. "N..Naraku?" Somebody, somewhere hated her guts and cursed her, had to be, she thought as he pushed back the hood on his white pelt he wore often, revealing long, dark hair and blood red eyes glinting down at her.
In the flesh, unbeknownst to the young priestess. He had been drawn out, again, he thought angrily, by the desire to see Kikyo. Honestly, he could not see Onigumo's fascination with her, nor understand it. Still, it was a part of him, for the moment. At least this time had been mildly amusing, seeing the look on the girl's face as the mutt poured his heart out to his lover. She looked as if she had been stabbed repetitively. It made his lips curl slightly. Perhaps here was a chance to break apart their merry little band. To date, only them and the western lord, Sesshomaru, had come close to defeating him. "And you would be Kagome, the substitute priestess, correct?" The glare she shot him nearly made him chuckle.
"I am not a substitute." she muttered. Kagome was afraid, but there was not a whole lot she could do if he decided to attack her right then. She had no weapon, her leg was too injured to run, and she bled from many cuts and bruises, he could follow her trail easily. Hoping for time before he made any such move, she lay back against the tree and worked on catching her breath. She did have the ability to purify with touch, should he get close enough. The thought was mildly comforting. Why was he here, so close to the well? Naraku had not made an attempt on them here in over a year, preferring to send out his incarnations while they were out searching for jewel shards. At that thought, she sensed them, a large jewel shard and a few little ones he carried on him. This actually was Naraku, not a doll sent for spying. "Why are you here?" she asked, shivering a bit.
"I need not explain my purpose to you, girl." he said, looking back in the direction of the lovers. He could tell that they had left, heading back toward the village. The stupid inu had yet to pay attention to his miko's blood that left a blazing trail straight to them. There had to be a way to use this to his advantage.
Kagome heard something in his voice she could not quite describe, something between longing and bitterness. "Oh, that's right," She wrapped her arms around her legs, drawing them to her chest, her head resting on the rough bark of the tree, "You loved her, too." The fear was beginning to leave her as her mind numbed. There was just too much in to short a time for her to process. She closed her eyes and gave into it.
Naraku snorted, startling her. "Love," he sounded vastly amused at the thought of it. "Hardly. The thief Onigumo obsessed over her. The first kind touch he had ever known and his greatest desire was to corrupt it. Love had nothing to do with it."
Kagome stared up at him, oddly curious. She really did not know too much of their enemy, only what had happened when her companions had encountered him. She had never really had direct dealings with him, though she had helped defeat several of his incarnations. "Why had he never known kindness?" Surely even a thief could have friends and family who cared for them.
Sympathy was perhaps one of his favorite tools. He could play on this girl's emotions and pity to cause dissension and mistrust in the group. There were so many ways he could use that to his advantage in their ongoing battle. His lips twitched with the desire to smirk as a small thrill sparked within his blood. Let the games begin. The great thing was he would not even have to lie, as is so often the case, the truth was far more painful than the falsehoods people made up. "Why would he have?" Naraku looked up at the sky, feeling her eyes upon him. "Onigumo was a person born to cruelty. His mother was a camp follower, selling her body for the things that she desired the most. From the moment he could walk, she ignored him or used him to fetch for her like a well-trained dog. After only a few years, she sold him to a band of crooks for drugs and some coin." He had found her in his teen years and cut off her head, but Naraku left that detail out, though the memory of it played in his mind sometimes. "The men were no kinder, often beating him until he could not move do to some minor mistake or drunkenness. This is how he was nourished until one day, he snapped. He was about eleven, I believe, he killed one of the strongest of them by sneaking in behind him after one such beating and stabbing him repetitively. They found him sitting on top of the body, surrounded in blood."
Kagome could not look away from him, his face devoid of anything as he relayed events that he must remember in colorful, horrific detail. "The leader of the group liked what he saw and made the boy his new pet. Nearly seven years later, Onigumo took his head and became the new leader." He finished the tale, looking down at her. Her eyes glistened with fresh, unshed tears. She really was so much softer than Kikyo. The older priestess would have tried to feel pity, but more for duty than any actual feeling for a miserable wretch like the thief. Perfect. He jumped from the tree, landing before her, enjoying the way her eyes widened. He reached out and caught one tear that escaped on his fingertip. "Do not pity him, or me, girl. It will only bring you trouble." He grinned at her confusion before quickly moving away, out of her sight. The mutt had finally caught on and was crashing through the forest at a rapid rate. "We will meet again." She barely heard before she lost sight of the jewel shards he carried.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, not far from where he and Kikyo were earlier. He had been careless with his friend again. After he had taken Kikyo to Keade's, he noticed that it was well past the time Kagome should have returned from home. Miroku and Sango had not seen her at all and Shippo was away with family they had discovered after a recent jewel hunt. He went to the well. Dread filled him as he followed her fresh scent. The first trace of blood he found was on a tree right by where they had been, a clear view of them. He should have sensed her, he touched where the bark had cut into her hand. He should have told her before this. He quickly took off in the direction she had gone. Inuyasha could read the signs of her passage, guilt eating at him with every stumble, every drop of blood spilt until one scent stopped him cold. "Naraku." His heart began to pound as he sped up. He did not stop again until he found her, sitting under an overhanging branch, her head resting on her knees as she looked at him with tear stained eyes. "Are you…"
"He did not hurt me." she said softly. Kagome was not ready to see him and was very confused by Naraku's parting words. The best she could figure, he was trying to mess with her head, as he was well known for. Letting thoughts of him fade away, she faced the problem before her. She knew in her heart that he had made her no promises and did not love her as she did him. She had been casting dreams into the wind like the foolish teenager she was. Not being able to hold his gaze, she closed her eyes on the sight of him.
"Kagome, I didn't know you were there. I…" he stopped, not knowing what to say. He was not sorry that he loved Kikyo, nor telling her so. He was sorry that Kagome had to find out the way she had.
"Would you have changed it if you had?" she asked, her voice choked with a fresh wave of tears.
"I love her, Kagome." he simply said, wishing she would look at him.
"I know." She took a deep breath and raised her head, looking at the spot where Naraku had been perched. "I knew you did not love me the way I do you. I even understand, but it does not seem to stop the pain of it." She laughed sadly.
"Are you going to leave?" he asked, a light breeze tugging at his hair and red robes. He did not want to lose his friend, the first to love and accept him just the way he was.
"No." she said after a while. "I still have things to do here and I am still your friend. It will take time to get over and used to the way it will be, but my place is still here." Kagome did believe that with all her might. Mystical time traveling wells did not just randomly appear for no reason. She had a destiny and was now beginning to understand why her grandfather sounded sad when he told her such things.
He nodded, grateful for her at the same time ashamed of his own selfishness. This would hurt her for some time, but he could not ask her to change her mind. "I know you will like her when you get to know her, Kagome."
She just smiled despondently and began to rise, wincing as she put weight on her leg. "Let's go back so I can clean up. I do need to tell you that I think Naraku was spying on her, but he did not give a reason. Perhaps you should keep close to her for a while." The words tasted like ashes in her mouth, but her heart told her they were the right ones.
"I will." he swore, then he saw the pain on her face as she took a step forward. "You're hurt!" he said, starting to come to her.
Kagome raised her hand, stopping him. "Don't, please. I can make it on my own. I think it best if you give me some distance for a bit," her voice caught.
"Kagome…" His eyes pleaded with her to understand and not shut him out.
"I can take you, Kagome." Miroku said, popping out of some bushes behind them. He felt the moment needed a little lift. Besides, though his heart belonged to Sango, Kagome felt really good and womanly in his arms. The opportunity would not come often.
She braced herself against the tree. "I don't think that's such a good idea." Kagome muttered, grateful not to be alone with Inuyasha anymore. She needed to get her head and heart straight before they spoke alone again. As ridiculous as it may seem, she wanted to be able to wish them well and mean it.
"Of course it isn't." Sango brushed by the disappointed monk, shaking her head. That man drove her nuts. She stepped around Inuyasha, checking the desire to hit him, knowing that the heart wants what it wants and in most cases, there was not a damn thing you could do about it. "Come on, Kagome, Kirara can take you." She braced her under her arm and helped her over to where the fire Neko had changed, orange flames dying down.
"Thank you, Sango." Her words were filled with gratitude.
"Anytime." She smiled as she climbed on behind her friend, leaving the two men behind as they headed to the village they all now called home. How all this would impact the future she just didn't know. She gently rubbed Kagome's back as she shook with silent cries, Kirara slowing to allow her the time she needed for her pain to bleed from her eyes and heart.
