Chapter 52: The Power of an Hour


Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I am merely borrowing him and toying around with the poor thing.


So guys...what do you think about my updating within the week? Hmm:D Anyways...this chapter didn't turn out -exactly- like I had hoped, but I couldn't figure out what I don't like about it. I'm almost finished with the next chapter, too. And that's probably the one you're going to want to read if you like this story. So...Let's make an incentive shall we? If you give me 690 reviews, I'll update the moment I find out.

:D --I'm not that cruel. I'll update next Tuesday or Wednesday.


Well Jesus Christ, I'm not scared to die,

I'm a little bit scared of what comes after

Do I get the gold chariot?

Do I float through the ceiling?

Do I divide and fall apart?

Cause my pride is too sly to hold back all my dark

-Jesus Christ by Brand New


Feet pounded through the forest, pushing the hanyou closer to his goal with breakneck speed. His heart hammered in his ears. Or was that her heart?

'Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on…' Each beat screamed a mantra in his ears. No. That was definitely his.

"No," he said for the fiftieth time. "No, no, no, no, no, no…" He continued to run.


35 minutes ago…

"Where could that bastard have gone? I know that he's the one responsible for this!"

Miroku sighed and placed a supportive hand on the hanyou's shoulder. "We'll find him next time, Inuyasha."

Sesshoumaru remained silent as his eyes swept over the village's remains one last time. Every last hut was burned to the ground. Ashes were swept away with the light breeze. Humans were…unrecognizable and lay in several pieces. Even the livestock had been butchered. Nothing was alive.

They'd been too late.

Sesshoumaru sniffed the air and knew that the moment that messenger had gotten on the horse, it had been too late. "It was indeed Naraku."

Inuyasha dragged a hand wearily over his face. "Damn. Can't tell you how glad I am that Kagome didn't see this…"

Miroku nodded grimly, and closed his eyes to pray for the lost souls.

The hanyou did not relish the idea of telling his mate what they'd found.


28 minutes ago….

The three walked quietly through the woods. No one had spoken a word since leaving the grizzly sight of the village. No one had anything to say.

Just get back to the village—forget this ever happened.

But they all knew this would never happen, and that it shouldn't happen. It would be wrong to forget those that had lost their lives in their war.

Sesshoumaru stopped walking.

Pausing beside him, Inuyasha and Miroku looked at him expectantly. He looked…confused. And then confusion melted away into his expressionless façade, but not before Inuyasha had seen the fear.

A shiver ran down his spine, and he took a couple steps forward, stopping to stare at the sky. Then he ran as if all hell were chasing him.

Sesshoumaru followed suit, as well as a puzzled Miroku, who kept his questions to himself because he knew something was wrong now. But he wasn't sure he wanted to know what.

A desperate roar filled the sky, and Kirara tore free of the trees, Sango crouching low on her back, urging her to fly faster…

"What happened?" Inuyasha demanded before the youkai had even touched the ground.

"Get back to the village!" she shouted, pausing long enough to tug Miroku onto the fire youkai.

The hanyou stared at her, eyes wide and unbelieving.

"Now, Inuyasha! Go!"

He ran—visions of the mutilated bodies they'd just left behind, and visions of Kagome blurred together in his mind.


1 hour and twenty six minutes ago…

"I want to show Mother what you taught me, Kagome!" Rin grabbed the miko's hand and tugged earnestly. "Let me make her some flower chains—I'll make one for you, too!"

She smiled and rustled the little girl's hair with her free hand. "Go ask your mother first. If she says yes, then we can all go to the hill with all the yellow flowers, kay?"

Rin looked at Kagura expectantly. "Please? I can make them pretty!"

Kagura stood, dusted herself off, and extended her hand to the girl. "Let's see them, then. Don't forget your bow, Kagome."

Sango slung Hiraikotsu over her shoulder and tossed Kagome the bow lying next to her.

"Thanks. It's a nice day out, isn't it?"

"Yeah…Shippou, do you want to come with us?"

The kitsune hopped on Sango's shoulder, chewing on a stick of pocky he'd just fished out of Kagome's magical bag. They made their way to the hill on the outskirts of the village in quite companionship. "The men went this way," Sango remarked, staring into the forest from the top of the mound.

"The village wasn't that far away. If we wait long enough, we'll see them come back. Won't that be nice, Rin?"

The girl was already kneeling on the ground, gathering fist-fulls of flowers, but when Kagome said this, she gasped. "Father will want some pretty flowers, too!" She picked even more, until yellow filled her lap.

The miko looked to the wind youkai. "Will Sesshoumaru really let her put flowers in his hair?" she whispered. That she was even entertaining this thought was just absurd.

Kagura smiled and closed her eyes as the wind wrapped around her. "If she is persistent enough, then yes, he will allow her to put the flowers in his hair. Though he won't exactly be happy about it."

She didn't even know what to say to this, so she settled for "huh" and began to braid flowers together. "He's a…huh," she repeated.

"Mm-hmm," Kagura agreed lightly, watching Rin wrap a flower chain around Shippou's tail.

Grinning as she finished a daisy chain, she held it up, intent on placing the wreath on Sango's head. However, the slayer gasped, and seized a hand, knocking the chain out of her hand, where it came unraveled in the grass. Kagome frowned at it.

"Kagome," Sango breathed, pulling her left hand up to her eyes. "Where did you get that…?"

"Wha—Oooh…" Kagome's face flushed shame when she realized that she hadn't shown her best friend her engagement ring. "It's a wedding ring," she told her. "Inuyasha gave it to me last night." She smiled. She couldn't help it.

"Inuyasha got this for you?"

She nodded.

"It's beautiful! And I'm so happy for you! Do you know when you'll get married?" Sango twisted the hand downward so that she could get a better look, before grabbing both of her friends hands and shaking them excitedly.

When would she get married? She'd always assumed it'd be in her own era. But that would mean her best friend would miss the birth of her first child and her wedding. She didn't know if she liked that idea. At all.

She shook her head, grin widening as Sango's excitement seemed to exceed her own. This was the same reaction she'd had when Sango told her of Miroku's expectations long ago. "I'm not sure. I haven't told Mama yet, of course. You know," she began cautiously as she picked up the broken wreath to mend it, "it would be so romantic to have the ceremony the same time you and Miroku do."

Sango's smile became tighter. "Kagome…"

"I can wait, too, you know." She smiled at the slayer. "We can wait until Naraku is gone to get married."

Brown eyes softened, and she looked like she might cry. "That would be…wonderful."

Both sets of lips morphed into identical grins as they pulled each other into a hug. "We're getting married!" Kagome cheered.

A shadow fell over them, and Kagome started, grappling for her bow as she whirled away from Sango to see who was standing over them.

Kaede smiled kindly back at her. "I see ye and Inuyasha are going to go through with the human rituals. Good…good…"

Placing a hand over her racing heart, Kagome let out a puff of air. "Kaede…you scared me."

Sango stared at the old woman. "Kaede?"

"Yes, child?" A questioning, squinted eye found it's way to the slayer.

"Nevermind." She stood up and dusted herself off, holding a hand out to Kagome. "Come on. I'm about ready for some lunch." Hiraikotsu was readjusted over her shoulder.

Kagura stood as well. "Let's go, Rin."

"But…" she stared at her unfinished chains.

"Rin, we can come back later." Something had her on edge.

Sango continued to stare at Kaede as Kagome walked past her. "Kaede?" she questioned again. The old woman looked up at her. "What happened to your eye?"

Kagome froze, tightening the grip on her bow as her footsteps stilled. She slowly turned around, dread filling her body.

The patch was over the wrong eye.

"Hm?" the old miko hummed. "Oh, dear. I made a mess of things, didn't I?" She grinned, and Kagura had her fan out in an instant. But Rin was standing near the old woman, gathering her work, oblivious to the tension in the air.

With a light touch to her eye, the patch shifted, correcting itself. "Better now?"

"Rin…come to me." There was a note of panic in the wind sorceress's voice. She tried to squish it.

She placed a hand on the little girl's head, stopping her in her tracks. "Oh, but child, weren't ye having fun?"

Rin tried to smile at the woman. "I have to go now," she said quietly.

She felt something cold against her throat, and thought it was some form of liquid. She tried to wipe it away, but the fingers dug painfully into her head. "I wouldn't do that child." Her hair was released in favor of her shoulder. Rin whimpered, and pulled against the arms that held her.

The cold was dragged softly against her neck again, and she felt the serrated edges and recognized it as a blade. She stilled instantly.

Yellow flowers fell around her feet.

Kagura, pale-faced, dropped her fan and held her hands up in surrender.

The woman's lip curled. "You've gotten smarter, I see. Albeit that isn't saying much."

Kagome stood in the middle of the two women, Shippou clutching her leg nervously, while she stared down the woman in front of her. She pulled her bow string even tighter.

Shifting nervously, Sango's held the huge bone boomerang at the ready, and addressed her friend without taking her eyes off of the threat. "Is that…?"

"Nazakaki."

A change rippled over the kind, wrinkled face that was twisted with malice. A young woman dressed in black and green stared ahead with empty eyes. "I'm not alone, though. This is turning out to be somewhat of a reunion. Isn't it, Kikyou?"

Kagome's eyes widened as the undead priestess stepped out of the woods and stopped at the base of the hill. The miko quickly hid her surprise as she stared at her old rival.

Kikyou looked away. "I told you," she said quietly. "I told you that you didn't know what I was capable of. This is your own fault, Kagome."

She ignored her. "Let the girl go," she demanded. The arrow was aimed directly at the crystal on Nazakaki's forehead.

Laughter.

Nazakaki was laughing at her. "Hmm…no, I don't think I will. Not until you both drop your weapons."

Hiraikotsu fell to the ground with a loud thud, and Sango, too, held up her hands.

Kagome remained unmoved. "I said 'let the girl go'," she repeated.

A single black brow arched delicately. "Oh? And I do remember telling you to drop your weapons. This is not a negotiation, Kagome." The blade pressed harder into the tender flesh of the child, and she could clearly see a thin trickle of blood. "I hold all the cards. You will come with us. You will give us the shards you own and much more."

Terror sparked within her, but she remained determined as she held her bow. If worst came to worst, she would just defend herself without her weapon. The miko dropped her bow and her arms went up in surrender. "All right. I'll go with you as long as you let the girl go."

"All right," she sighed, "we get it. You want the girl back. But she has such a pretty little head. Such a pretty little girl…" she drifted off, staring at Rin.

"Kagome!" Sango hissed beside her, "don't be stupid!"

Kagome clenched her fist, and stared long and hard at Kikyou. The undead priestess began to walk toward her. "Sorry, Sango."

The young woman's face hardened. "Come here, Shippou."

The kitsune, sniffling quietly into Kagome's dress, shook his head fiercely. "No!" he cried.

"Shippou—" Sango's voice broke, and she looked away. "Please…come here, okay?"

Kagome tore her eyes away from Kikyou and looked at the frightened girl again, reassuring herself that she was doing the right thing. She smiled brightly down at Shippou, squeezing her eyes shut as tears threatened to fall. It felt like goodbye.

Why did it feel like goodbye?

"I know you're scared, Shippou, but right now I need you to go to Sango, okay? Can you protect her for a little while?"

He shook his head miserably. "No, Kagome—"

"Shippou!" Her voice was strong and demanding. Kikyou was at the top of the hill now. "Go to Sango…" She quickly pulled him into a hug, pushing him to the slayer as she released him. "I'll be fine," she promised.

Liar.

"And I'll be back before you know it."

Liar. Shippou wouldn't look at her.

"Kagome…" Kagura forgot what she was going to say when she saw Kikyou reach into her robes. A piece of paper—an ofuda, by the looks of it—was pinched between her fingers.

She stopped mere inches from Kagome, but still would not meet her eyes.

"What are you—" There was a jolt as the piece of paper was placed firmly on her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she stared at the ofuda. "How…" She tried to call her powers to her.

'This can't be possible!'

She tried again.

Nazakaki giggled. "You didn't seriously think we were going to let you keep your powers, did you?" She stared at Kagome before bursting into giggles again, the knife trembling against Rin's throat. "Oh my…Kikyou! She thought we were going to let her keep her powers! Look at that face!" She sighed merrily. "So that's why you gave yourself up so easily. And here I thought you were so self-sacrificing…"

Kagome narrowed her gaze, glaring at the woman. "Let. Rin. Go."

"You know…I've become rather infatuated with her pretty little head. I think I'll keep it."

"You bitch!" Kagura screamed, fingers flexing as though the fan still rested in her palm.

"Nazakaki. You will let the girl go, as you promised."

The dark youkai glared at Kikyou. "I will let her go. But I never said unharmed."

Kikyou's gaze hardened, and she grabbed the end of an arrow—a silent threat. "Nazakaki." She began walking forward, and Kagome followed.

She smiled weakly at Sango. "This isn't turning out exactly as I'd planned…"

"You'll be fine, Kagome. We'll find you."

"Take your time," she joked, though her eyes washed with tears. "And…If anything happens, tell Inuyasha—"

"You'll be fine, Kagome. We'll find you," Sango repeated more forcefully.

Rin was shoved away as Nazakaki grabbed for Kagome, instead. The pregnant priestess stumbled into her grasp, and Rin ran to Kagura, sobbing in her skirt.

Sango stared into Kagome's eyes as darkness began to surround Nazakaki, then the other two women. Then Kagome was gone, swallowed by the darkness.

Sango instantly took action. "Kirara!" She screamed, throwing Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. "Kagura! Find them! Please! Shippou—take Rin and go back to the village!" She was already halfway down the hill, and in the distance she could see a tiny spark of flame. Kirara was coming for her.


48 minutes ago…

Kagome gasped as light struck her. Night was approaching, but even that was welcome to the overwhelming pitch that she had been engulfed in. Wrapped in the blanket of dark, she could feel herself slipping through the shadows; it felt like flying. But far less pleasant.

She blinked, letting her eyes readjust. Voices. There were voices in the distance. But someone had a hand wrapped firmly around her arm. She recognized the cold hand on her bare arm as Kikyou's.

She twisted to find the sources of the sound, and was startled by a tree falling about 100 yards away. Kagura stood on the other side of it, her fan splayed open, an arm tossed behind her as though holding others back while she crouched.

Kagome watched with bated breath; Nazakaki slinked from the shadows.

"That was a close one. I'm sensing some hostility from you, Kagura."

More blades sliced through the air. The fallen tree was sliced to bits, but Nazakaki had dodged. Instantly black waves of nothing rushed out of the shadows, diving and churning toward Kagura.

"No!" Kagome watched as the wind sorceress was slammed against a trunk with a sickening crack.

A small cry escaped the woman's lips as the force sent her to her knees…and then to all fours. Fingers tightened around the beautiful silk fan, and she struggled to her feet, only to be grabbed by a humongous hand that had emerged from the dark of the forest. The black limb squeezed, and she cried out again.

"You don't understand, Kagura! The power he's given me…it's…magnificent! You can't defeat me now."

Kagura glared at the woman from where she was suspended. "I'll give you a fair warning, Nazakaki." She nodded to Kagome, and then strengthened her glower. "He'll kill you for this. When he finds you…don't bother running."

With a wave of her hand, the huge shadow that held her cracked her soundly against another tree trunk and hurled her out of the forest.

Kagome lurched forward, but Kikyou held her in place. "Kagura!"

"Let's keep moving," the youkai growled.

The next time she was allowed out of the moving shadow, Kagome felt her heart sink.

Goshinboku towered over her.

A trembling smile graced her features.

'So this is how it ends…where it all began.' She could still see Inuyasha hanging by a single arrow—sleeping peacefully. Stormy eyes darted to the other priestess; she was at their mercy. "Kikyou," she whispered, "please…"

The said woman studied her for a long moment. Then she turned on her heel and began to walk out of the ring of trees encircling the God Tree.

"Where are you going?"

Kikyou stopped when Nazakaki demanded an answer, but did not turn to face her. "This is repulsive. And I will not take the life of a miko."

Kikyou left her alone with Nazakaki.

The dark youkai glowered at the place where the priestess had stood. "Naraku will hear about this," she muttered. "Don't know what he sees in that bitch. Well—I guess it's just the two of us, so how about we have a little heart-to-heart. First…" She looked closely at the two necklaces around her neck. With a jerk, she broke both free of her neck. "I'll need these." She held up the glass vial with the small shards, an empty grin filling her face.

Kagome watched as Inuyasha's fang was tossed onto the forest floor. "What do you want with me?"

Her eyes shifted down from the vial she held; she stared at the young woman in disgust. "Are you serious? You honestly don't know why I was sent to you?"

'Buy some time…they will come for me.' She shook her head.

Nazakaki sighed and grabbed a lock of Kagome's hair, twirling it around a finger. Kagome wrenched her face away from her. "All right then. It's time to talk, but first I have to make sure you won't run away. That wouldn't be very good at all."

She reached behind her, revealing about 6 arrows in a straw carrier—Kagome's arrows. "Now," she grabbed a wrist, wrenching it up, pressing it against the rough bark, "scream for me." She flashed a grin at the miko, and readied an arrow.

Kagome's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she squeezed them shut, turning her head away.

And then pain.

She felt a few droplets of her blood splash her cheek, and a cry welled up in her throat, but never made it past her lips. She bit her lip until it bled, and continued to sob silently, but she refused to give Nazakaki the pleasure of hearing her scream.

The other hand was jerked away from where she'd cradled it against her chest. She tried to pull it back, tried to purify the monster that dared touch her. The other hand was pierced as well, pinning her to the tree.

"Inuyasha," she whispered, blinking tears from her eyes. She swallowed and tasted copper.

"Ah, yes. Your puppy. We'll begin with him." Nazakaki ran her hands down Kagome's body, and the miko had never felt so dirty. "What do you think he'll do when he finds you? Will he cry? Scream?" She stared off dreamily. "It would be so romantic if he killed himself, wouldn't it? Then again…he won't really have to, will he? Once you're dead, he'll—"

Kagome spit blood in her face. "Don't," she hissed, "talk about my mate, you bitch."

The youkai wiped her face and stared at the spittle on her hand. "Blood…" To Kagome's horror and disgust, she leaned forward and licked the blood off of her lips.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, trying to pull away. The arrows held her in place with a shock of pain.

Nazakaki leaned back again and watched her writhe. "Right—the arrows. You remember hitting me with one of these?" She flicked the end of the arrow. "It doesn't feel very pleasant, does it? No—hurts like hell."

"Inuyasha will kill you," she spat.

"He will try, yes. Once he finds out his mate and pup are lost, he will try."

Kagome stilled instantly. "No…please. Please."

"But he is no match for Naraku. Especially not when he's half dead already."

"My baby," she whispered. "My baby…"

"I imagine that your child will be quite powerful. Imagine having both the most notorious hanyou and the most powerful miko alive as parents. Naraku will want to absorb him."

Kagome shuddered, yelled, pulled against the arrows as blood ran steadily down her arms. Again and again she called to her purification powers and again and again they failed her. Tears ran down her cheeks, and Nazakaki just grinned back at her.

"I can tell you've never seen this kind of spell before." Nazakaki pointed to the ofuda. "It was made by priestesses for priestesses."

Kagome glared at her.

"It gathers the purification power and turns it against that person. They are bound by their own power. Your soul has basically just knotted around you. Enough talking though. It's time to wrap this up." A flick of her wrist produced the sharp blade that had been held against Rin's throat.

Kagome looked miserably from the sharp steel to the youkai that wielded it. "Why?" she asked again.

A malicious snarl curled her lips back. "To prove you're not invincible. Long live Naraku."

A swell of panic hit her hard, and she screamed. "Inuya—"

The blade slide smoothly across her throat.


Now…

Sesshoumaru ran at the side of his younger brother, light feet barely bending the grass as he raced through the woods.

"Sesshoumaru…"

Narrowed golden eyes darted to the side. He watched his brother out of the corner of his eye. "I will find them." One final sprint and he pushed himself into the air, twisting and glowing until he was an orange ball of light. Within seconds he was out of sight.

Inuyasha just ran faster, his body protesting as trees blurred together. He was aware of another presence though, and knew that Kagome was with him.

"Inuyasha…" That was all she said, but he heard was she wasn't saying. He heard what she meant.

I'm sorry.

"Yeah…"

Me, too.

"Will you be here soon?"

I'm so tired…so tired.

"I'm on my way, Kagome. Hold on, okay?"

Hold on…hold on…wait for me.

"…I'll try…"

I can't.

He heard her gentle sigh, and it occurred to him that this was the first time that they'd ever exchanged thoughts, that one day near the Goshinboku excluded. It made him nauseous.

And then…

"Inuyasha…"

It's time.

"No, Kagome!" His eyes widened as he tried to reach out to her. But she wasn't there.

Hold on! Hold on hold on hold on hold on!

"Inuyasha," she repeated softly, sympathetically.

"Please!" he begged, his pleas echoing throughout his mind and the forest.

Let me go with you…

"I love you."

Forever…

"Dammit, Kagome!" he could feel his eyes burning. "…I love you, too."

And always.

And then there was silence, and something inside the hanyou shattered so quickly and completely he knew that he would never be whole again.

The air was filthy and empty. But he refused to acknowledge this. He refused to acknowledge the possibility that she could be…

'Don't you dare finish that thought! Just run, dammit!' And he did, ignoring everything but the heavy scent of Kagome's blood as he pushed himself faster, farther.

He realized with a sickening lurch where he was heading. Goshinboku was close…

The smell of blood grew stronger.

…And so was Kagome.

And he stopped thinking altogether. He was vaguely aware of Sesshoumaru and Kagura's scent, and before long, skid to a halt when his brother emerged from the ring of trees, blocking his view of the sacred tree.

He saw Sesshoumaru's ashen face, but didn't understand it. He felt Kagura's hand on his chest, gently restraining him, and he heard her choked words: "Don't…Let us clean her up first. …I'm so sorry, Inuyasha." He could smell the salty tinge of her tears. But none of this made any sense to him. Did they even understand what they meant?

Staring at the bruised and battered wind sorceress with wide, wild eyes, he pushed past her and staggered into the ring of the towering trees. And there was the Goshinboku, right in the middle, the source of the blood stench.

He stared at the trunk for a long moment before reality crashed into him, brutally grabbing and crushing his heart in a single, violent blow. His eyes widened in abject horror at the mangled and broken body that leaned against the trunk, blood shining black in the pale moonlight. She was staring at him. The eyes that were once so vibrant and full of life and defiance were now dull and unseeing. Her arms were spread as if welcoming him to an empty embrace. It all sank in with the tenderness of broken glass…

He fell to his hands and knees, digging at the earth with his claws as he retched helplessly. Still the metallic scent of her blood filled his head, and he retched some more.

Kagome…

His Kagome

She had been crucified to the Goshinboku.


Well...ahem... That was certainly fun to write! O.O This chapter was indeed shorter than most. But I felt this was a good place to stop. And if you're wondering about Kagura--she was flung out of the woods, but she's alive. And alright. Well...alright enough to continue after Kagome. So...if that part didn't make any sense, that -was- Kagura that was like "let us clean her up" and all. Not Nazakaki. In my imagination, she got there right before Sesshoumaru did.

Anyway--Kagome dead?! And I'm sure that most of you are all, "well the Tenseiga's going to bring her back, nyah!". But that would just be too easy. And this story is called The Pain... I'm not trying to give anything away, I'm just preparing you. Now...have a good week! XD