Two choices I have
I must pick one
Instead of picking,
I choose to run.
I can not pick,
I can not choose.
I am afraid
For the one I will lose
I feel so selfish
I am such a coward
I wish I could choose,
But I lack that kind of power.
So I continue to ignore
And turn my head away
From the choice I have to make,
For another day.
~~ WaterLilly37 ~~
A/N: Sorry for the really late update. I am trying to keep up with everything, including this story. So hope this chapter will make it up to all of you! And to all of my readers, thanks for taking the time to read this story and for the ones who leave a review, a really big thank you. I appreciate it. Now on to the story.
Oh, and the first part will be done in both Inuyasha's and Daisuke's view. I prefer switching back and forth rather than rewrite the section in the other point of view. I also think it's important to know the thought process to both, not just one. And here we go!
~ ~ Inuyasha & Daisuke ~ ~
"The name's Daisuke and I suggest you leave the girl alone or face my blade, demon."
The hanyou finally took his gaze off from the young miko in front of him and glared in the direction of the blast. There stood a human with a fairly large blade resting on his shoulder. He wore a smirk that Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to wipe off his smug face.
"Keh, was wondering when you would show up."This was the human that he had smelt many times before when searching for Kagome. He would recognize it anywhere at this point, and assumed that he may still be with her. But where were his demon companions?
"Good. Now I won't feel so bad for kicking your ass considering you had plenty of warning."Daisuke continued to stare down the demon, trying to get as much information on him as possible. He noticed the claws and the teeth, along with the pointed ears, so it was safe to assume he was some sort of dog demon. He also took notice of the sheath strapped to the demon's left side. So he also had a weapon.
"Listen, I'm not here to play around in your stupid human games so hand over the girl before I tear you into shreds."Inuyasha started to crack his knuckles as he began to take a step or two closer. He had faced many humans in his life time and knew not to underestimate them. But this one seemed really reliant on his weapon which meant if he knocked that out of his hand, he'd be rendered useless.
Katsu started to glow a soft white color as Daisuke started to smile.
"Ahh, so you're not even a full blooded demon, are you dog boy?"The hunter questioned mockingly. "Just a warning, I have killed many demons in my time, so a half demon like you should be no problem!"
"Keh, we'll see about that!"
Daisuke swung his sword as another blast of energy was sent into the hanyou's direction. Inuyasha easily dodged the attack and made a jump attack at the hunter, claws out. Daisuke just as easily dodge as he swung his sword where Inuyasha stood.
Inuyasha dodged again. He was surprised that this human could manage to have such speed with such a large sword. Even with Tetsaiga, he wouldn't be able to swing as fast as this hunter could.
"Are we done?"The hunter asked, sword still in hand as he watched the hanyou stare at him from a few feet away.
"Keh, as if. I'm just getting started."Inuyasha made another leap. Daisuke again, swung his sword at the half demon, but again he missed. This time, however, Inuyasha stayed close to the hunter and continued to dodge attack after attack, hoping to tire the human hunter out. In between each swing of the sword, Inuyasha would make an attempt with his claws to strike the hunter. Each time, the hunter was too fast and managed to pull away just in time.
The close combat seemed to go on for ages, nobody seeming to land a hit. By this time, Daisuke was getting sick of the back and forth and decided to turn it up a notch. He swung at the hanyou, and again the hanyou dodged, but this time Daisuke anticipated where the hanyou would land and made a kick which hit the hanyou on his right side. This didn't seem to faze him much.
"Keh, do you really think something as stupid as that will stop me?"The hanyou leaped forward from the ground and started to attack the hunter's sword. Each swipe sent sparks flying everywhere as Katsu took every hit from the half demon's attacks. Daisuke could feel himself being pushed back from the sheer force of the swipes. He noticed the hanyou start to smile.
"Don't get too cocky,"the hunter blurted, "I'm not going to lose to the likes of you!"
Just then, Katsu began to glow a really bright white and before Inuyasha had time to react, he was blasted off of his feet and landed a few feet away from the hunter. He stood back up and he wiped the dirt from his face.
What just happened?
As the dust cleared, he noticed a small barrier was placed around the hunter, shielding him in a small bubble. This would make it harder for him to get close which meant his first plan of tiring the human out with close range attacks was impossible. Especially if he could erect a barrier at any time and send him flying. Well, time for a new plan!
"Keh, guess we're gonna have to play the hard way. Don't say I didn't warn you."The hanyou grabbed his sword from his sheath and held the transformed Tetsaiga in front of him.
"Hmm, so it seems you are finally getting serious."Daisuke stated. He knew the hanyou was just toying with him before. Now he was hoping that this fight would actually turn serious and allow him to end it soon. He knew with his barrier up, the hanyou wouldn't be able to touch him which gave him the upper hand. However, he still needed a way to strike the hanyou and who knows what his sword could do.
"Yeah, figured I should even the odds a little bit."And before Daisuke could even prepare a plan of attack, he noticed the sword that the hanyou was holding grow a bright red. "Now about that barrier…"and the hanyou leapt at him.
Daisuke held Katsu out in front of him, putting as much power into the barrier as possible hoping to send the hanyou flying. Instead, the sword made contact with his barrier and seemed to be cutting right through it.
Before the hunter had a chance to counter, the barrier was destroyed and the blast from it sent Daisuke flying into a nearby tree. He looked up and smiled at the hanyou.
"Nice trick."He grunted. "Guess I couldn't expect to win that easily."He stood back up and held Katsu out as the sword started to glow once again. "Ok, enough with this. It's time to finish what we started."Daisuke started running towards the hanyou and swung.
Inuyasha used Tetsaiga to block the human's attack, causing sparks to fly from both swords. Each in turn was pushing forward with all their might, trying to send the other one flying. Daisuke, making a quick decision, eased up his end a little bit, forcing the hanyou to bear down on him even more.
"Your strength is no match to a demon's-"But before he had time to finish, Daisuke quickly withdrew to the right causing Inuyasha to stumble forward. In that instant, Daisuke slammed his elbow in the middle of Inuyasha's back, causing him to hit the ground. Without a second though, he took Katsu and made a swinging motion. Inuyasha quickly rolled out of the way and stood back up on his feet. The two were staring at each other, not one willing to back down.
Daisuke made a swing with Katsu, sending a blast of energy towards the hanyou, and in turn Inuyasha swung Tetsaiga screaming wind scar. Both blasts met in the middle sending a large gust of wind, dust and debris from trees and nearby scrubs flying in all directions.
The young miko took cover behind some trees as the blast nearly took her off her feet. She didn't know how much longer this battle was going to be but by the looks of things, she knew that both were evenly matched and that neither was going to give up.
By the time the dust cleared, Kagome looked in the direction of the two and noticed sparks flying with every hit they landed with their swords.
"You're really starting to piss me off!"the hanyou spat, as he placed Tetsaiga in front of him, frustration clearly showing on his face. Daisuke, who held Katsu front of him, also seemed annoyed by the hanyou.
Inuyasha made another leap towards the hunter and again, Tetsaiga met with Katsu as both swords tried desperately to overcome the other. But this time, Inuyasha seemed to be winning as Daisuke was being pushed backwards.
"Damnit!"the hunter yelled internally. He knew he was started to get worn out. Unlike a demon or half demon, Daisuke was still just a human and his body could only handle so much before he started to slow down. He had to win this fight and fast. The longer this took, the slower he would become and he knew he would be finished by that point.
That's when he had an idea. He continued to let the hanyou push him further and further as the hunter's heels dug deeper and deeper into the dirt.
"Keh, getting tired already?"The hanyou teased as he put even more strength into his blade causing Daisuke to sink down to one knee. Inuyasha noticed the difference in strength and knew that the hunter was getting tired. If he could continue to hack away at the human, his body would eventually get too tired and he would have a sure victory.
He wasn't about to let this human take Kagome away from him again. He'd be damned if she left his view anymore!
Daisuke continued to struggle with the weight of the hanyou's blade. He had to act fast. There was no way that he was going to let this hanyou take Kaori and do god knows what to her. He would rather face death a hundred times. He was not going to have her blood on his conscious.
Inuyasha took one hand off from Tetsaiga and with claws out, took a swing at the hunter's face. Daisuke tried to move but the tip of the hanyou's claws managed to graze the hunter's face. Daisuke backed away and lowered his face into his hands. Inuyasha could smell the blood from where he stood.
Daisuke was on both knees holding his face, not bothering to look at the hanyou. He could feel the blood slower drip onto his hands. Though it stung, he knew the cuts weren't deep.
"Any last words?"the hanyou snorted before closing the gap between hunter and half demon. Daisuke didn't say anything but slowly moved his hand towards the hilt of this sword which lay beside him on the ground. Inuyasha all but noticed and kicked the sword away.
"Nice try."The hanyou raised his sword, but just as he was about to swing, something –or someone - blocked his way.
The young miko stood in front of the hunter with her arms stretched out as if trying to protect him. She glared at the hanyou as if challenging him to make the final swing.
"What are you doing?!"The hanyou cried out, as he lowered Tetsaiga and stood in disbelief that Kagome would protect this low life hunter.
"I won't let you hurt him anymore!"Her voice was shaky but she continued to hold her ground. Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he watched the woman he loved try to protect another man. This not only angered him, but he also felt hurt over her actions.
"Move."
"I won't!"
"I said move!"
"You'll have to cut me down with him!"Inuyasha took a few steps forward. He had no intentions on cutting Kagome down along with that human hunter. If he had to, he would take her by force and leave the hunter wounded and alone in the forest. Besides, he seemed like someone who could do well on his own.
"I didn't want to have to do this…"As the hanyou neared the young miko, he could feel her tense up as if ready to embrace for the hit.
Just then, Daisuke quickly stood up and pushed Kagome off to the side. She landed on the ground with a thud as the hunter threw a black powder in the direction of the hanyou.
"Why you..!"Inuyasha yelled, as he made a swipe at the hunter. But instead of moving forward and making contact with the hunter's body with his claws, the hanyou landed on his knees. His vision began to blur as his senses were starting to fail him. "What the…?"
"Like any other demon, you are also weak against certain poisons."The hunter smiled, leaning over the hanyou. "Don't worry, this won't kill you. But it may leave you defenseless and immobile for a short period of time. Plenty of time for the young lady and I to take our leave. But I would be careful. The woods at night are no place for a hanyou… especially one that can't fight."Inuyasha started to swear under his breath as he tried to force his eyes to see clear and his strength to return to his body.
Kagome got up from where she was lying and made her way to the hunter.
"Daisuke, are you ok?!"The hunter turned to face her as she noticed three claw marks almost three inches long place along his right cheek. One look and Daisuke could tell that the young miko was beside herself with worry over his wounds.
"Don't cry over this. It's not even that deep."He began to walk over to his sword and pick it up, all but keeping a close eye on the hanyou making sure that the poison was indeed doing its job. He placed Katsu on his back and turned to face Kaori.
"Let's go."
"Damnit! I won't let you take her!"Kagome watched as the hanyou forced himself to stand and stare in the direction of where Daisuke was. He could tell that the hanyou was still struggling with the effects of the poison, but he was generally surprised that he could stand. This was one of Daisuke's most powerful poisons. It left most demons paralyzed for three days, which meant this hanyou should be out for about a week. And yet...
"I….won't…let…you…take…her…" The hanyou struggled to take a step forward, but failed as he fell back down to the ground. Daisuke just shook his head. He had to give the hanyou credit, he was a stubborn one, but very stupid as well.
"Give it up already. You can barely stand, let alone fight."But the hanyou continued to get up and make his way towards Daisuke. He was shaking and unable to hold his sword properly. Tetsaiga ended up transforming back to its rusty state and hitting the ground with a thud.
"I said give her back!"Kagome was confused as to why this half demon was still trying to take her away even after he clearly lost the battle. Was she that important to him?
"Stubborn fool…"Daisuke walked over to the hanyou and with one good hit with his fist, forced the hanyou to fall down on the ground. He turned to face Kaori. "Let's get out of here before he decides that he can get up again."
~ ~ Kagome/Kaori ~ ~
Kagome nodded at the hunter as she gave the hanyou one last look. She could tell he was still trying to get up and this scared her. Why would this hanyou be fighting so hard to take her away? Did he know something she didn't? And why was the fact of seeing him hurting there on the ground seem to cause her to want to run over and help him?
She shook the feeling away and turned to face the hunter.
"You're right, let's go."
Just then, something huge flew at the direction of the hunter causing the hunter to jump out of the way and hit the ground only feet away from the attack. Dust was everywhere in the air, causing Kagome to be blind as to what was going on.
"Daisuke!"she screamed.
"Don't move!"she heard him holler back as she saw the white glow from Katsu through the thick cloud of dust. She did as she was told, though her heart started to race once again.
Could the hanyou have attacked again? But he could barely stand just moments again and it didn't seem to come from his direction…
As the dust began to settle, she heard a large thud on the ground beside her. She turned to see a very large shadow walk towards her. She wanted to grab her bow and shout to Daisuke but she couldn't move. Fear had taken over.
Finally, she could make out the large figure coming towards her. It was a large demon feline with two large fangs and white bushy fur. Upon the feline sat two other people who, to Kagome, looked like humans. One was female wearing body armor with her hair tied back in a ponytail. The other was a male and looked to be a sort of monk.
"Inuyasha!"The young female cried as she ran towards the hanyou. "What happened to you?!"The monk descended from the feline as well but faced the young miko and the human hunter. In his hand he held a golden staff of some sort.
"Keh, nothing I can't handle."The hanyou replied as he tried to stand up again. "Just make sure that damn hunter doesn't get away."
The young female turned her attention to the hunter as she walked over to the large boomerang shaped weapon which was lying on the ground. Daisuke held Katsu up which caused the large feline demon to growl.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you"the monk warned. Daisuke didn't know what to make of this, just as much as Kagome didn't know.
Why were humans helping this hanyou out? Weren't demons and humans enemies?
"Listen, I don't want to pick a fight with any of you. Just let me and the girl go and we won't cause you any harm."Daisuke finally said, breaking the silence between them. He raised Katsu up and placed it on his shoulder. Kagome knew that he didn't want to fight any humans, it wasn't his style. Besides, he could probably easily take them on. But her? What was she supposed to do?
"No need to fight. We're not looking for any blood shed either. What we do want to do is talk though, especially regarding the young maiden in your care."The monk replied, waving his hands in a friendly gesture and smiling.
"Sure, talk. That's what your little friend there tried to pull only moments ago."Daisuke snorted, clearly not buying what the monk had to say.
"You mean Inuyasha? Well, he is just plain hard to get along with anyways. We can't even get along with him most days."
"What did you say monk!?"spat the hanyou, clearly still struggling with the poison as he leaned across the tree trying to steady himself.
"See what I mean?"
Kagome was even more confused. These humans seem friendly enough, but it still didn't answer what they wanted from them or why the hanyou was after her.
"What do you want with me?"She was just as shocked as the others when she realized that it was her voice that demanded an answer from the group.
"Ahh, it's just like Kikyo said. You don't recognize us, do you?"Asked the woman who slowly made her way to Kagome. Her weapon was now securely on her back and she didn't look like she was going to try and harm her.
Recognize them? Did she know them?
"I'm sorry, but do I know you people?"
Just then, Kagome felt something crawl up her back and onto her left shoulder.
"What are you guys talking about? She'd never forget us, right Kagome?"
She stared into the eyes of the little demon resting on her shoulder. Of course she had no idea who this demon was, but he seemed so small, almost child-like that she didn't see the thing as any sort of threat.
"Wait, what did you just call her?"Daisuke was now standing beside Kagome as he bent down a little until he was face to face with the little fox demon.
"AHHH!"The little fox demon cried as he jumped down into Kagome's arms. Kagome raised the little one up and smiled at him.
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you."She reassured. "But he does ask a valid question. What did you call me?"
"Kagome, that's your name. You do remember your name, don't you?"The young miko lowered the young demon to the ground and stood back up.
"Kagome..."The young miko echoed, tasting the words of her own name for the first time in a month. It seemed oddly strange but familiar to her. "My name is… Kagome…."
Daisuke continued to look at the woman, half expecting her memory to just somehow all come back and see the girl jump up and down over the fact that she remembered who she was. But nothing like that happened.
Instead, the girl seemed even more confused.
"It has been some time since you left us. I don't expect this problem to just up and disappear, but I want you to know something. We are your friends Kagome. We came to rescue you when we heard that Naraku had plans on using your powers. Even this doofus over here was worried sick over you."The monk said, pointing to the hanyou who was now sitting by the tree drinking water that Kilala had brought him from the bags the group was carrying.
"You're…my…friends?"She slowly responded. The two humans nodded with the fox kutsune jumping up and down with a smile.
"Wait just a bloody second! You can't just come here expecting us to believe what you're telling us is true! For all we know, that hanyou over there could have you guys under some sort of spell! Or you all could be working for Naraku! What makes you think that we're just going to go ahead with your story?!"Daisuke interrupted, clearly angered by the whole ordeal. He turned his attention back to Kagome.
"Do you want to take your chances with these people!? Listen, it could be a trap. We don't know anything about them."
"And I don't know anything about me!"The young miko yelled back. "Listen, I don't know if what they are saying is true, but what if they are my friends? What if they can help me get my memory back?"
"And what if you end up dead? Or sent right into Naraku's hands…"
"HEY!"The young fox kitsune chimed in, clearly mad that the human hunter even suggested such a thing. "We would never do such a thing to Kagome!"
"Hey now Shippo, calm down. The hunter has a point."The monk said. "If it makes you feel any better, I offer an extended hand to you in joining us in returning Kagome's memory back to her. That way, if we do anything you deem dangerous or suspicious, you can jump right on in and save the day. I'm sure you can handle two humans, a child demon, and one half demon. Am I right hunter?"
Daisuke scoffed at the monk's little jab but turned his attention back to Kagome.
"You can offer whatever the hell you want to monk, but it's ultimately her decision."He walked over to Kagome and grabbed her hand and walked to the edge of the forest. "Give us a few. We need to discuss our next move. I'm sure you can respect our privacy, right?"The monk and the demon slayer both nodded.
"Fine by us."
"What are you doing?! Don't let them go!?"The hanyou said as he pushed Kilala away and struggled to walk a few feet before stopping and staring at the pair. "We came to bring Kagome home, not hand her to this idiot!"
Daisuke could feel his hands start to form into fists, but Kagome grabbed his arm and he felt all anger leaving his body. She really did cast a spell on him lately.
"And how did forcing them to come with us work out?"The monk asked sarcastically. "The hunter is right. It is ultimately Kagome's choice. She should decide whether to take our word and come with us, or leave with the hunter."
As Inuyasha started to counter their logic, Daisuke grabbed Kagome's arm and walked further into the forest, out of ear shot of the rest of the group. That's when Daisuke turned around and faced Kagome, leaving only inches separating them. Kagome started to go bright red at the proximity of her companion.
"Listen, no pressure. But do what you feel is right, ok? I won't stop you if you want to go with them, but I won't let them take you either. No matter what you choose, I will be there for you. I won't let you do any of this alone. Not until you get your memory back."
"I want to join them. At least for a little while, see if they really can help me with my memories. Besides, I feel somewhat strange around them."She gave the hunter a little smile. She didn't want to let him that how she had felt the urge to help the hanyou out during their confrontation. Besides, she wasn't lying. She did feel like these people were telling the truth and that she had some sort of connection with them.
Who would have guessed that the young miko they were searching for in order to regain her memories would end up being her? That is, if what the humans and demons spoke had any truth in what they said.
The young demon hunter smiled down at her and patted her head. "I'm happy that I found you. For a second, I was pretty sure I was going to lose you to some demon. Do you know how worried you made me?!"
Kagome could feel the tears well up in her eyes. So he did care about her. Maybe not as strong as she felt for him, but knowing that he at least cared was enough for her. She gave the hunter a small smile as a tear trickled down her face.
"Wait, why are you crying?"He asked, confused but she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve.
The young miko ran into the arms of the demon hunter and hugged him tightly.
"I was afraid you only saw me as a burden and that my sudden outbursts annoyed you. I wasn't even sure if you would come and find me."She sniffed and she buried her head deeper into the cloth of Daisuke's outfit. She could feel him relax as he tightened his grip around her.
"Dummy, like I was going to leave you behind."
"And now all this…I don't even know what to think anymore."
"Well then, don't. Just relax. Do what your gut instinct tells you to do. It has never failed you before. Besides, it even got me out of a jam once or twice."She smiled at this.
"Listen,"Daisuke calmly said, keeping his arms wrapped around the young miko and resting his head on hers. "I'm sorry about earlier. You know, the stupid comments I made. It's just…well… I didn't want to admit that I was staring at…well…you. You don't have an awkward body type. In fact, you're beautiful and I'm sorry for saying anything different."
Kagome could feel Daisuke stiffen as he talked about their last fight and how she stormed off upset over the things he said.
"It's ok,"She replied. "I'm over it. I'm just glad that it's all over with and that you found me."
"You're right, no more fighting?"
"No more fighting."Kagome repeated.
"We'll make the best of the little time we have left."
Kagome stiffened as she pushed the hunter away and glared at him, hard. "What do you mean with the little time we have left? Aren't you staying by my side? You said you'd be there for me and now you're talking about leaving! Which is it!?"She could feel her voice getting louder as her control over her anger started to slip.
"Hey now, I will be by your side for as long as you want me there. I will NEVER leave you, got it? But who's to say you'll still want me around when you get your memories back? Who's to say that you'll even need me around?"
"But I'll still be me. I'm still the Kaori you were travelling with. It's just that…my name…is different…"She could feel her chest tighten over the fact that with her new identity, things might change between them. "I won't ever want you to leave…"
"I know,"Daisuke drew her back to him and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry for upsetting you. So much for no more fighting, huh? I screwed that up real quick."
Kagome went back to hugging into the demon huunter. Did she really want to get her memory back after she finally started to understand some of his feelings for her? Did she want to go back to how she was, even if she couldn't recall any of it? If it meant losing Daisuke, maybe she would just stay the way she was.
"Yeah, who would have guessed that you would be the almighty priestess, Kagome. Guess I can start calling you that instead."He calmly said, trying to change the subject. "Though I am going to miss my little Kaori, the professional demon hunter."
"I'm never going away. I promise. We'll be together… we have to be. I won't accept any other way."She said, trying to convince herself over anyone else.
Just then, she felt Daisuke rest his lips on her forehead and then calmly pushed her away from him. "Let's get going, we don't want to keep them waiting too long. Besides, we need to figure out how much they know."
Kagome watched as Daisuke slowly started to make his way back to the group. A single tear left Kagome's cheek as she cursed on her weakness. Surely she was much stronger as Kagome than Kaori, but she couldn't be sure.
She couldn't be sure of anything anymore.
