Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and co. what so ever…(sighs)…I wish I owned Inuyasha…how can anyone not like those cute little dog ears XD! Ok done with my rambling on with the chappie!!
Chapter 12-Stay Safe……My Hanyou
Kagome didn't know where she was and neither did she care; she was warm, comfortable, and tired. She hated to move but knew she would have to sooner or later. Slowly cracking open her ebony lashes Kagome came to see a mist around her much like that of a hot spring and opening her sapphire gaze further she found that she was in a hot spring, Naraku's hot spring. Kagome had long since grown sick of the dark purples and blacks that seemed to be everywhere she longed for color and joy, but knew she wasn't going to get any, any time soon.
She groaned as she sat herself up from the flat rock she was lining against. Looking suddenly down at herself Kagome found she was naked and clapped her hands around herself and sunk into the water up to her neck. Looking cautiously around the bath house Kagome found no cold, mocking crimson eyes starring down at her with a possessive grin.
"Ahh" she sighed as she relaxed a little as much one could in a situation like she was in. Remembering that battle she was in Kagome looked her self over to find only slight scars as the remains of the battle but knew that too would soon vanish entirely. "The mark is making my body act like that of a youkai" Kagome whispered so softly she could barely hear herself as she turned to look at her back in the water and saw that the mark was growing slightly and the colors were more vibrant. But a sudden flash of fire-rat red met the corner of her eye and Kagome whipped around with a look of hope on joy on her face but what met her gaze wasn't the warm, sunshine bright golden gaze of her hanyou but just the tattered and torn remains of the haori she had worn in battle.
The miko wadded through the water to the haori and touched the fabric with a delicate hand and her heart broke open and bled endlessly. As she held it close as she stood in the middle of the spring the voice of Inuyasha rang out in her head.
"Never think Kouga that I won't protect Kagome with my life. She's counting on me to save her, and I will. No one could ever stop me from that! I'll always keep my promise to protect her!!!"
His ruff yet comforting voice faded as Kagome began to sob her shoulders shacking with the power of her weeping. She sank into the pool the blood from the haori bled into the water turning it a crimson shade. Kagome let all else go and let her self sink to the bottom to hide from everything yet even when hidden she still wished to die and leave this nightmare behind as if it was only that, a nightmare.
Washing the blood from the soft cloth that lay between her pale hands as water flowed around her. Beneath the surface she pulled on the haori; her lungs screamed for air. "How easily I could just end it here…" Kagome thought as she shoved herself off the bottom of the spring with her youkai strength and landed in front of the door still dripping wet, her ebony coal hair and haori clinging to her like a second skin. She kneeled there for a time and the dripping spring water hiding her tears.
"Inuyasha, I miss you" she whispered.
"Hahaha" rang out a unwelcomed laughter bouncing off the wall of the bath house.
Kagome snarled tightening the fire-rat haori around her. "That bastard is going to die!!!" she screamed in her head furious at the invasion of her privacy to such a level. Calling up her miko powers Kagome found little if nothing of her miko powers left. "Wha!!?" she gasped eyes wide with shock.
A sudden swarm of miasma appeared before her and in front of the door that led to her chambers and as it grew and condensed Kagome sensed the presence of the one she did not what to see. There standing before her was Naraku with a grin of amusement and possessiveness on his face. His eyes trailed over Kagome's wet form dripping water beneath the red haori and clung to her like a second skin.
Kagome felt her stomach churn as she watched the evil hanyou's eyes trail over her; she tightened the haori around her tighter and in return received nothing more then an amused chuckle.
"What do you want Naraku!?" she barked sick of his presence, sick of his scent that was strong enough for her to pick up, sick of this place, sick of not being able to see Inuyasha, sick of this curse and sick of knowing she had no where to go. "This is becoming nothing but a living nightmare!!" snapped Kagome to herself.
Naraku's chuckle rang out again to the point where Kagome clapped her hands over her ears; that laughter was driving her slowly insane. The laughter grew louder and Kagome felt like it was going to split her head in half when she started awake her eyes wide and splashing the water with her quick movements.
Kagome looked down at her hands in desperation then swept back her hair and her pale hand came back blood dripping red. "Not a dream, just a living nightmare" Kagome whispered flitting beneath the surface of the water as it turned crimson from the blood in her hair. Coming back up for air she grabbed the ripped and torn haori in hand and fled beneath the surface once again.
She washed the dirt, blood and guts from the red soiled haori, but it wasn't anything she couldn't fix. As she placed the clothing on beneath the flowing now crimson water her lungs screamed for air. Placing her feet against the bottom of the spring Kagome pushed off and broke through the surface with a loud gasp flinging her curtain of ebony hair back. Climbing from the spring Kagome's mind went back to the words she heard Inuyasha say in her dream.
"Never think Kouga, that I won't protect Kagome with my life. She's counting on me to save her, and I will. No one could ever stop me from that! I'll always keep my promise to protect her!!!"
Warmth flowed over Kagome in a comforting wave at those words rang out in her head. Not know if they were true or not choice to believe in them as she believed in Inuyasha giving herself hope she so desperately craved and needed. Not knowing how long she had stood there or had just been there in the dark glooming bath house all she knew was that her hair was dry as well as Inuyasha's fire-rat haori. Looking to the bundle of silk on a piece of cloth that lay near the edge of the spring Kagome ignored it except for the soft coal silk obi and placing it around her she had made her own kimono that was the same length as her uniform skirt.
Kagome in a solemn mood strode to her chamber no worry about the youkai knowing there were few left and something she couldn't take care off easily enough. But as she passed the main entrance to the castle Kagome heard something she never thought she would hear in such a dismal place; the sweet velvet sound of a soft rain shower.
Turning on her heel to the courtyard and slide back the door and met a steady peaceful shower of rain. Kagome since she had been kidnapped had a sweet innocent smile cross her face and softly laughed in joy. "How I love the rain" she laughed in her head in childish joy. Stepping slowly into the rain and slowly found her way into the courtyard free of blood and guts that littered the ground, but not nearly as bad as it first occurred. Standing there looking to the sky Kagome saw the faintest glint of the crescent moon, soon to vanish in the cover of a new moon.
"That's right, the new moon is tomorrow" she whispered under her breath and reached inside her haori and brought back a large tear-drop diamond with a swirl of crimson trapped within it. It was connected to a chain that was intertwined with a red fire-rat ribbon, from Inuyasha's haori. "I hope you're alright" she said as she was swept into the past.
--back flash—
Inuyasha and Kagome sat under the God Tree waiting for the steady rain to finally stop. They sat in peaceful silence starring up at the giant branches. It had been the day after Kaguya had been defeated and the day before Kagome was to leave to go back to her time.
"Kagome?" said Inuyasha turning his sunshine eyes to her.
"Mmm?" answered Kagome smiling sweetly turning to look at one of her best friends with warm affection in her sapphire gaze.
"Here" he said roughly holding out his clawed hand in a fist while it held a secret.
Kagome cupped her hands and put them beneath Inuyasha's and from his strong hand fell a necklace of a large tear-drop diamond with a spiral of red in it on a chain and bright red ribbon. "Ahh!?" gasped Kagome as she held the tangling pendant before her eyes in complete utter shock.
"You don't like it…" trailed Inuyasha sounding disappointed bowing his head.
Kagome looked at him confused. "He thinks that I would love a thing like this, how thick is he" she said mentally smile at her joke but smiling on the outside as she took in that her opinion on the peace meant to him. "Inuyasha" she said smiling with complete happiness and joy. "It's absolutely gorgeous; thank you" and she flung her arms around him giving him a giant hug.
"Ehh" groaned Inuyasha a little shock at the sudden attack but huffed slightly and raised his arms to hug Kagome back and breathe in her sweet scent of spring sakura blossoms. Inuyasha felt her stiffen but it was surprise not fear that caused it and he felt her loosening her grip so he did as well wishing it would never end.
"Thank you" she whispered again smiling her eyes sparkling like the stars on a midsummer night.
The hanyou huffed again looking again feeling like putty in the young girl's mortal hands. "It's a diamond with a drop of my blood and hair in it, and the ribbon's from my haori; it's supposed to protect you."
Kagome nodded and smiled seeing the string to the gold locket with their pictures in it around her hanyou's neck along with the beads of subjugation. Lining her head against his shoulder she closed her eyes. "Thank you so much, it means a lot to me…Inuyasha" she whispered softly.
He huffed again but softer this time but lead his head on top of Kagome's. "Call it thanks for giving me the locket that protected me from Kaguya's attack."
Kagome smiled as she drifted into the land of dreams to the sound of peaceful rain falling and Inuyasha's strong steady breathing.
--end back flash—
xXx
Inuyasha breached himself in a tree that was near the sheltered wall of an old run down shine. Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, Kikyou, and Kouga stood beneath that sheltered wall keeping dry from the rain that came down steadily. (A/N: picture the group in the opening theme song "I Am" just Inuyasha in a tree and Kikyou and Kouga are there…:D)
"Kagome did always love the rain" said Miroku lining against the stone wall near him.
Sango laughed slightly. "If she was here she'd be running around in the rain like a child."
Miroku and Sango looked up at the tree where the inu-hanyou sat to see if that comment just said had gotten any reaction out of him, but none was seen. What Inuyasha did instead was reach beneath his white haori to take hold of the golden locket and opened it to find both his and Kagome's faces.
You're not alone,
Together we stand,
I'll be by your side; you know I'll take your hand.
"Hey" cried out Shippo from where he said next to the two-tailed neko. "What is that!?" he said pointing out into the clearing they faced.
And there in the middle of the clearing shimmering to life in a pale blue light was the figure of a girl standing there in the clearing embracing the soft fall of rain. The light faded to reveal the girl wearing a tattered and torn thigh length red kimono with a silken plain black obi around her waist that matched the darkness of her hair. Holding out her hand palm up and coming from a silver chain and red intertwined ribbon draped around her neck was something very familiar. There catching Inuyasha attention was a large tear-drop diamond with a frozen swirl of bloody crimson inside was Kagome gift he had commissioned a demon woman to make being that she made such things. Here stood a pure, wild, and spirited girl with beauty that took he's breathe away standing in the soft delicate down fall of moonlit rain.
When it gets cold,
And it fells like the end,
There's no place to go, you know I won't give in,
No, I won't give in.
"Kagome" whispered Inuyasha shocked to see the beauty before him as she leapt from the shadows of the tree and stepped into the pale light of the clearing that was lit with the soft light of the moon that was blocked by the dark clouds of rain. "Kagome he said again as the locket fell softly against his chest. "Is she really here?"
Kagome turned her face from the fall of rain to the quite voice to her right. There standing in silent shock, gold locket glistening was her hanyou, her Inuyasha. "Inuyasha?" she whispered in shock and joy. She saw the new clearing around her but behind those dark greens and blacks were the dead, foreboding carnage of the courtyard. "I'm not really here" she said mournfully to herself but refused to let it crush the moment she had now and let the pendant fall to her chest.
Inuyasha started slowly to her in disbelief that the woman he cared for so much and unable to admit it to was right there in front of him. Then Inuyasha sped up thinking that Kagome would vanish before his very eyes. Then with demon speed he took Kagome in his arms and held her close and Kagome embraced him back as tears left her now indigo eyes.
Keep holding on,
Cause you know we'll make it through, make it through,
Just stay strong,
Cause you know I'm here for you, here for you
"Kagome…" Inuyasha trailed barring his face in her hair taking in her comforting, gorgeous scent. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you" he whispered in her ear in such a mournful, self-directed anger that was directed at him self.
Kagome's eyes flung open as his words finally hit her hard; he had never really apologized before, but here he was embracing her and saying he was sorry. It made her heart sore and making her smile and cling to him harder and closer feeling his warmth seep through her fragile form and feeling the steady beat of his heart.
"It's alright Inuyasha, I'm fine" she whispered as the rain fall down on them but Kagome felt far from fine. "I'm a monster" she yelled with pity for herself in her voice and she burrowed her face in Inuyasha's chest in grief and shame.
Inuyasha felt her cling to him and smelled her grief as if it was his own and the shame as well clocked her tears. Opening his molten gold eyes he didn't just see the castle courtyard but behind that he saw the forest clearing. "We're not really here are we?" he asked looking down at his Kagome; she shock her head, as she looked up at him with her grief filled cobalt eyes. In her eyes Inuyasha saw the hurt from holding back a secret. "I know Kagome; I know what he's done to you." Only more tears fell; falling like the rain but hidden by it. Inuyasha couldn't see them but he smelled them and held Kagome face in his hands.
There's noth'in you can say,
There's noth'in you can do,
There's no other way when it comes to the truth.
So keep holding on,
Cause you know we'll make it through, make it through
Kagome looked up at him with a broken, sorrow filled look. Looking into the strong amber eyes before her Kagome never looked away as the words left her tarring her apart in the inside.
"Then you know of the youkai I've slaughtered."
Inuyasha was shocked beyond belief. "Kagome!? Slaughter!?" screamed his head, but he received the answer quickly enough once he forced his mind to it. He smelled in around him like a toxic cloud swarming around him and he smelled it on her, he saw it as well, what was left of it anyway. Kagome had the smell of youkai blood all over her. "Kagome…" he whispered wanting to grant her comfort but not sure as of how. "She did this when caught up in the flow of the curse Naraku put on her…" he thought, nothing else made any sense.
Kagome started to sob as they racked through her body and Inuyasha held her closer. Closing their eyes they hopped to open them again the blood and gore no longer there.
So fare away,
I wish you were here,
Before it's too late, this all could disappear.
Opening their eyes they found themselves in the clearing but that it didn't have the ability to stop Kagome's cascading bitter tears that blended with the rain. Kagome looked to her right to find beneath the shelter of a entrance to a shrine stood her friends smiling, with Kouga grim by their side and standing there stock still as stone with an emotionless look on her face was the undead miko, Kikyou.
"What's she doing here?" she asked herself out loud, but Inuyasha heard the hurt in her voice and it drove a twinge in his heart.
"She's helping us find you; she knows where Naraku is hiding."
Kagome nodded trusting him, but the pain was still there hidden beneath bitter tears of anguish. Kagome went to pull away but Inuyasha wasn't about to let her go so soon. As he went to pull her back into his arms some how they both lost their footing among the wet grass. They fell in a splash of water but Inuyasha spun in mid air so save Kagome the pain of having him land on top of her. Kagome found herself lying atop her silver haired hanyou with him looking up at her with a sheepish grin on his face that made her smile brightly.
Before the doors close,
And it comes to an end,
With you by my side I will fight and defend,
I'll fight and defend, yea, yea, yea.
Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, Kouga and Kikyou stood under the wall entrance watching the couple embrace each other.
Sango stood there smiling at her best friend as tears cascaded down her face. "They look so great together" she said to herself sniffing; Shippo cried as well but out of joy of seeing Kagome who was like a mother to him.
Miroku say his dear Sango begin to cry in joy and thankfulness and for the first time when seeing a woman cry he didn't not reach for her butt but placed a comforting arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him and she was grateful for it and lined her head down on his shoulder.
Keep holding on,
Cause you know we'll make it through, make it through,
Just stay strong,
Cause I'm here for you, here for you.
"Damnit! That dog-breath's in for it now! He ain't touch'in my woman" growled Kouga as he went to crouch and Miroku and Sango were about pummel him for just thinking that, but it wasn't them who stopped the wolf prince.
"Stop" came a soft yet stone hard, harsh voice…that came from Kikyou who stood next to the wolf youkai, eyeing him sternly. "Leave them alone."
Kouga was shocked at her words but he did vaguely that Inuyasha and Kikyou once had something but the facts were few about it. Glaring at the older miko he turned his back to the couple that lay on the ground drenched to the bone.
There's noth'in you can say,
There's noth'in you can do,
There's no other way when it comes to the truth.
So keep holding on,
Cause you know we'll make it through, make it through.
Kagome stared down at Inuyasha as her pendant swung back and forth with in his vision and his smile broke out; the full, unmasked smile. Kagome in return gave him her best sweetest smile she could. But her eyes flung open wide with shock and fear as she grew rigid with fear and distress.
"Kagome, what is it!?" asked the hanyou as eh sat up holding Kagome's arms as her eyes glazed over with fear and shock, but Kagome didn't answer she hadn't heard him through the youkai laughter in her head. "Kagome! What's wrong!?"
Hit me when I say I believe,
Nothings gonna change, nothings gonna change destiny,
What ever its gonna be, will work out perfectly yea, yea, yea,
Ladada, ladada, ladadadadada,
Kagome blinked twice as her focused on the nervous face starring down at her with so much concern. "He's calling…" but she was unable to finish as she was overcome by the sudden crashing wave of pain that ripped through her body. "AHHHH" screamed out Kagome throwing her head back eyes shut tight trying to hold back the pain.
But with Kagome's sudden scream of ravaging pain the moon broke through the rain clouds washing the clearing and the couple in pale mournful midnight moonlight.
Inuyasha saw the tears leaving the corners of Kagome's eyes as she fought the pain consuming her and ripping her apart. For the first time he was unable to help subdue her pain and could only watch. Soon the pain left but not the pain caused by that pain. Kagome looked down at him with a gorgeous smile on her face but yet sad and embraced Inuyasha in her comforting arms, tears falling onto his face.
Keep holding on,
Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through,
Just stay strong,
Cause you know I'm here for you, here for you,
There's noth'in you can say,
There's noth'in you can do,
There's no other way when it comes to the truth,
Then Kagome's whisper soft and sweet yet mournful broke through the still night shattering it to a million pieces and ringing in Inuyasha's dog ears.
There's noth'in you can say,
There's noth'in you can do,
There's no other way when it comes to the truth.
So keep holding on,
"Stay safe…my hanyou" and with that Kagome vanished in a pale shimmer of light.
"KAGOME!!! NOO, WAIT!!!" cried out Inuyasha but it was to late, the young cursed miko was gone.
Cause you know we'll make it through, make it through…
xXx
But off somewhere not to far off was Sesshomaru stood on a cliff looking over a lake starring up at the moon smirking a small grin of amusement; he had felt Kagome's flare of demonic power, and was indeed interested.
"Hmm".
A/N: Oooo look it's…SESSHOMARU!!!! (looks out the window to see a hoard of people cheering) yea I liked this chappie it was fluffy!! XD And so I it doesn't cause me problems later I'd like to say that the song was by Avril Lavigne-"Keep Holding On" the song off Eragon the movie….sweet movie I might add. But yea if ppl didn't notice ur favorite taiyoukai and ice prince will make is true appearance next chappie…hope u enjoyed the chappie!!!
BLAZE
P.S.-lyrics might be off a little didn't have time to look up the exact ones just listened to it off my iPod.