GODSPEED
Chapter 07: Forever and Ever
"Hurry it up!" Kouga yelled over the crashing of the waves. They had climbed up the rocky shore, barely able to hear one another over the sound of the sea and the rain lashing down from perfectly clear skies above. A mist crowned the entire island, making it difficult to see. Linh had elected to stay in the boat and guard it, while the others pursued the path laid out before them.
Kouga was holding the door open---an enchanted door that required him to stand in one area while the others moved on by him. Inuyasha paused in the open door behind Leilani and turned to face Kouga.
He hated Kouga. Kouga was a villain, as far as he was concerned, who annoyed him and who Inuyasha felt had no business treating Kagome the way he did. But he had learned that he could hate Kouga and still respect him, and he did now. Kouga did not have to venture beyond the realm of mortals, risking his soul, to save Kagome's life---but he had. He had designed the idea behind their escape from prison, he had searched for Kagome and never once did he complain about the possibility of losing his soul or being unable to return to earth. His loyalty to the young woman was genuine, and Inuyasha could only respect that even if it annoyed him to admit it. But loyalty and honor were, to Inuyasha, important virtues that he could only respect no matter how much he hated Kouga.
So he owed Kouga something, he felt. He owed Kouga a promise of his own loyalty to their cause.
"I will find her and I will save her," Inuyasha told Kouga over the rain and the waves. "I will bring her back." His voice was solemn, strong, and sincere. There was no mockery or trickery in his voice. His word was earnest.
Kouga nodded once, accepting this vow.
"Do what we came here to do," he encouraged. Then he smirked. "Dog-crap."
Inuyasha growled. "Stinky wolf!" He turned and stomped after Leilani. Immediately, Kouga stepped away from the gate outside and the door returned to place, blocking out the wind and rain. Inuyasha saw there was a doorknob on this end of the building, which would make it possible for he, Kagome, and Leilani to leave later.
He and Leilani had stepped into a hallway with white walls and white tile---it was comparable to a hospital in Kagome's time, even by the sterile smell of disinfectant, but Inuyasha did not recognize it. The ceiling was neither too far nor too close to the ground, but the walls seemed unnaturally close together and Inuyasha felt immensely uneasy in the empty closeness.
"Follow me," Leilani said. He did in silence. The hall seemed to go on forever, miles and miles of white broken only by doors with numbers on them. It gave him an eery feeling of deja vu---he had once been down a similarly modern hallway, in hell, when he was held in a cell.
He had assumed that, because this was heaven, Kagome would be safe at least---he had not considered that she might be just as poorly off as he had been in hell. He swallowed thickly and hoped that was untrue, that she was well and waiting for him.
They climbed several flights of white stairs and passed no one on their trek.
Finally, they arrived at one door that Leilani paused at.
"Kagome," she said brightly, grinning at Inuyasha. She reached out and grasped the silver doorknob, turned it, and opened it. Inuyasha stepped into the white room; it was decorated with white shelves that held ghostly images of things that Inuyasha could not recognize, awkward shapes very pale in color. He paid no mind to them and instead hurried to the only piece of furniture in the room: a plain white bed where a figure slept under white blankets. Leilani remained near the door and waited as Inuyasha, heart fluttering in his chest, approached the sleeping woman.
He reached out to touch her, but stopped when she rolled over.
He stepped backwards. She was still asleep, and he could feel his heart sink into his stomach.
"This isn't Kagome..." he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "This isn't Kagome."
"It is too Kagome!" Leilani insisted, stamping her foot on the ground and putting her tiny hands on her hips. "It is Kagome!"
"No, it's not!" Inuyasha argued, stamping his own foot on the white tile. "Take me to Kagome! My Kagome, not this Kagome, who ever she is!"
"This is too your Kagome! This is the Kagome you and Kouga were talking about!" Leilani insisted, her lip turning out in a pout.
"Kagome is not a little KID!" Inuyasha yelled over the sterile silence of the lighthouse. "Kagome is grown up!"
"Kagome's a kid right now because her soul is incomplete," Leilani began to explain with an annoyed sigh, her tone very matter of fact.
"What the hell?" Inuyasha snapped.
"This is the process for reincarnation," Leilani continued as if Inuyasha had not spoken to her. "It's called un-aging. During a period of time usually several days to several weeks, a person's character traits and personality are unraveled until only the pure soul is left, like the living part of a seed. Whatever traits are left when it is nothing but a soul are core traits, things a person is born with. And when a person is worn down to that soul, that vulnerable part of seed, it will be sent back to earth. Usually it's reincarnated, which is where accidentals in heaven go, but in this case Kagome will be sent to re-inhabit the body that has the remaining soul. I know so because I read so on her door," Leilani went on, pointing at the white wooden panel of the door. Inuyasha had seen no writing, but Leilani was a being of heaven and he was not.
He was not troubling himself with the source of Leilani's knowledge. One name repeated in his mind with her words, over and over, until he finally let it roll off his tongue.
"Kikyou..." he whispered, his eyes widening. If he let Kagome stay here, and become unraveled, her soul would be sent back to Kikyou's body. Kikyou would be whole again.
Kagome, no more than seven years old, small, and innocent as she had always been and would always be, mumbled sleepily and slowly awoke. Her childish eyes were alight with joy at nothing but simply being, blue and tired but undeniably happy. She rubbed them with her small fists, trying to clear the blurriness of waking. Inuyasha watched as Leilani went to the edge of the bed. Kagome smiled slowly at her and sat up. Her cheeks were padded with baby fat and dimpled more than they normally did as her smile broadened.
She turned and smiled at him, too. At this age, her smile was babyish and awkward---a little longer on one side than the other, but it was bright and it was pure and it was no one but Kagome smiling up at him out of those bright blue eyes.
I will always protect you.
Somehow, beyond his consciousness, he knew that he could love Kikyou, or owe Kikyou something, or whatever else he felt for the undead woman who had been the one he had loved...and he would still never, ever be able to turn Kagome down from anything.
He smiled slowly, softly at the little girl in the bed and Kikyou was gone from his thoughts.
"Hi," she said shyly.
"Kagome, this is Inuyasha! I'm Leilani. We're here to help you go home."
"Okay," Kagome agreed, entirely trusting and innocent.
"It's raining outside but...that's okay..." Leilani told her. "Are you afraid of thunder?"
Kagome stuck her nose up in the air and crossed her arms over her chest. She was dressed in a white yukata with no decoration, Inuyasha noticed as her little arms pushed the fabric around.
"I'm not afraid of anything," Kagome insisted.
"That's right," Inuyasha stated before he could help himself. "Don't be, because I swear I'll protect you...now let's get out of here."
Inuyasha and Leilani moved to the door while Kagome slid out of the bed, small feet touching down on the cold tile. But she didn't follow them.
"What's wrong, Kagome?" Leilani asked with a puzzled expression. Kagome held open her arms and waited.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked.
Leilani turned to him and stamped a foot. "You're so stupid! What are you waiting for? Pick her up!"
"What?! She has two legs, she can walk on her own."
"Carry me!" Kagome insisted.
"No!" Inuyasha argued. "You can walk on your own, I know you can! I don't want to lug you around!"
"Just do it or she might cry!" Leilani insisted. Inuyasha gave in at that. He hated to see Kagome cry, and he did not want to see that coupled with the squalling she would produce as a child. So, with a heavy sigh, he pulled the delighted child up into his arms before following Leilani back into the hallway.
"Hey, she'll go back to normal once we get back to earth, right?" he asked.
Leilani shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "Leilani is guardian of this and that in heaven, not on earth." Inuyasha sighed once more and began following Leilani down the hall. Kagome, who was propped on Inuyasha's side with his arm around her middle, stirred and watched her door as they moved away from it.
"Ohh," she cooed suddenly. "I see angels!"
Leilani looked over her shoulder, made a disgruntled noise, and took off running down the hallway. Inuyasha, who remembered his last run in with the ethereal beings, did not look back and merely chased after Leilani as shouts erupted behind them. They raced down the halls and stairs until they finally came back to the doorway, which they were able to open up from the inside.
"Let's go!" Inuyasha yelled over the sudden noise to Kouga as they burst from the building. "No time to explain now!" he yelled when Kouga opened his mouth to ask about Kagome's appearance. Kagome was clinging tightly to Inuyasha and flinched when a rock fell into the sea, and then again when the thunder crashed overhead. Despite her earlier bravado, she did appear to be afraid of the thunder after all. He could feel her little face as she pressed it against his shoulder.
They rushed down the rocks and clambered into the boat. Inuyasha handed Kagome to Linh and immediately began rowing away from the lighthouse with Kouga. A group of angels, bright-winged and furious, exited the building and took to wing.
"Shit, we've got to get out of here fast."
"There's a door about ten feet that way!" Linh screamed over the noise of the storm that was beginning to fade as they left it behind. "Quickly as you can!" she ordered, a stark change from her normally calm demeanor.
A flaming arrow shot down from the sky and Kagome screamed, holding tightly to Linh, as it sizzled past them and was swallowed by the water.
"I want to go home now!" she cried out.
"We're going, don't worry, Kagome!" Leilani consoled. "Leilani is guardian of this and that, I won't let anything bad happen!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes and paddled fiercely in time with Kouga. A volley of fire-licked arrows rained down on them as the angels gathered overhead, obscuring the stars. The arrows swarmed down, cutting the lighthouse beam. One struck the boat and a flame blazed up. Kagome wailed.
"Jump ship!" she cried valiantly, wiggling in Linh's arms.
"Not yet!" the older woman commanded. "We're close!"
Another wave of arrows fell on them and the boat began to burn more brightly.
"Alright, jump ship!" Leilani said. "We'll have to swim the rest of the way!"
"I can't swim!" cried Linh in response.
"Me, neither!" Kagome added, crying and trying to get away from the heat of the flames. More arrows fell on them.
"I'll carry you!" Kouga said, grabbing Linh and Kagome and diving into the waves. Leilani and Inuyasha shortly followed. They all struggled sluggishly through the salty ocean water, gasping for air. Angels began diving into the water around them, causing white splashes of water to blossom in the sea. Inuyasha swore as one of the angels grabbed Kouga, causing Kagome to shriek unhappily. He launched himself towards the group and freed Kouga, sending the angel who had attacked them splashing into the blackness surrounding them.
"Keep going!" Inuyasha shouted hoarsely.
"No!" Kouga insisted. "You can't hold him off as a human! Take Linh and Kagome and go!" he yelled. They switched off and Kouga faced the angel, alone, as they pushed onward. Bobbing in the water with Inuyasha's support, Linh hastily opened the door as they reached its location.
"Come the fuck on, Kouga!" Inuyasha roared as Leilani splashed through the bright opening. Inuyasha thrust Kagome in after her. "Shit! Hold the door open from the other side!" he ordered, shoving Linh through.
"I can't for very long!" she warned as she struggled to keep it open. Inuyasha splashed over to Kouga and, together, they fought against the angel in the water, limbs dragged down by the weight of the sea. Kouga was using the small sword he usually kept at his side, blocking flame-licked attacks from the angel's own sword. Inuyasha joined in by unsheathing the untransformed Tessaiga and taking whacks at the angel when he could. Inuyasha and Kouga worked their way towards the door and eventually climbed through.
It closed behind them just in time to block the angels.
Once safely on the other side, Inuyasha scooped Kagome up again and the panting group rushed after Leilani.
"We have to hurry!" Linh screamed. "If they've seen where we've gone, they can create their own doors! That's how all the others have been put there!" They all took her warning to heart and rushed down lush green hillsides.
"I know an exit not far from here!" Leilani said gratefully. "Oh, Linh, you opened up a wonderfully useful door!"
One moment they were running through the wild greens of grass and the pinks and oranges of flowers, the gold of the sun overhead, surrounded by the serenade of screaming cicadas in a far off forest, and with one step they fell into total darkness that was not tall enough to stand up in.
"Follow me!"
Everyone followed the glow of Leilani at a desperate crawl. Voices chattered all around them, laughing and gleeful, but whoever might have been watching was ignored while the company progressed with only escape in mind. Finally, Leilani opened a door and they stumbled out onto the walkway around heaven, the same that was boarded all around by orbs of bright stars. There, everyone paused to recover, tumbling to the ground to pant.
After some time, they calmed, stood up, and arranged themselves as orderly as they could. Leilani then pointed towards the long path that Inuyasha and Kouga had followed upon arriving.
"Go that way," she said. "Keep following the bridge until you arrive on earth again."
"What about you?" Inuyasha asked, his human heart feeling unnaturally sympathetic, as it was wont to do. "Won't you and Linh be in trouble?"
"Nope," Leilani said, grinning brightly. "As long as you're gone, no one will mind anymore." Linh and Leilani exchanged somewhat secretive glances.
"Alright, then..." Kouga said, sounding a little disoriented. "Let's go back now."
"Bye, bye!" Leilani said. "I'll miss you! When you come back permanently, please come say hi to me! You're my favorite stupids!" Leilani hugged them both around the legs, since that was all she could manage at her height. Linh smiled peacefully at the disgruntled male demons.
"Yes, and please come see me, as well," she said softly. "I haven't had any such adventure in all my life, or afterlife." Then she put a hand against Leilani's head and waved at them.
"Uh, bye..." Inuyasha added. "Your help..." Leilani and Linh smiled, needing no more thanks since Inuyasha probably couldn't manage it. Kouga nodded in agreement, and then the two demons, with Kagome holding Inuyasha's hand and toddling behind, waved to Leilani and Linh.
They began walking down the path together, and, once they reached a foggy edge of the pathway, turned and waved to the two figures who seemed so small in the distance. Then they disappeared beyond the mist and landed somewhat painfully on earth.
"Ugh," Inuyasha said, immediately looking down at his hands. His claws were back and he sighed gratefully as silver-white hair fell into his face.
He turned to Kagome and found that she, as well, had returned to her normal self; she was a young woman dressed in a white yukuta that was much too short for her. And Kouga, it seemed, had returned to normal also. He held Kagome's hands in his own.
"Get away from her, flea-bag!" Inuyasha yelled, standing up and launching himself at Kouga. "After all you've put her through!"
"All that I've put her through?" Kouga snapped. "Why, if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have gotten saved at all!"
"You blasted, stinking, rotten wolf!" Inuyasha roared, unsheathing Tessaiga. "Today is the day I kill you!"
Kagome, shaking her head in disbelief and mumbling under her breath, was already walking away.
The End
Comments: Thanks so much to all my reviewers, whether you reviewed only one chapter or all of them, and those who e-mailed me. And thanks so much to every reader for taking the time to read this fic! I hope you enjoyed it!
xoxo Sissy
