Kagome opened her eyes and blinked a little, confused as to where she was. She could have sworn she was standing in front of InuYasha and he was growling at her. It looked like she was in some sort of hut now…
"You are awake. That's good." She heard a deep voice say beside her.
She turned a little and was surprised to find Sesshomaru sitting beside her, watching her cautiously.
Kagome blinked again and then tried to sit up, but her head was heavy and she felt like she had been thrown around like a ragdoll.
"What happened?"
"You incurred InuYasha's wrath to the ultimate degree. It took all we could do to subdue him. Luckily, I know a thing or two about full yokai forms…"
"Full yokai forms? What do you mean?"
"As with my body, since InuYasha is now full yokai, he has the ability to turn into his true form."
Kagome gasped and turned to him fully. Sesshomaru was licking a wound on his arm and she frowned.
"You shouldn't do that."
"I always do. My saliva has healing properties and even in this low form of it, it is better than your human herbs." He grumbled, licking it again.
Kagome made a face and then looked down at herself and gasped again.
"What happened? Where is InuYasha?"
Sesshomaru didn't say anything for a while and then looked back up at her.
"InuYasha happened and he is detained."
"What happened? Why is it like pulling teeth with you?" Kagome growled.
Sesshomaru sighed. "After you idiotically used the beads of subjugation on him, he threatened to show you what it was like to feel the pain he felt. So, he did. He wounded you pretty badly with his claws before I could even get to you and then he turned into his real form. I tried to stop him before he could grab a hold of you again but he brushed me aside and grabbed you, shaking you around like it was nothing. I was able to retrieve you from him only after almost choking him to death on my poisoned whip. Eventually InuYasha's howling caught the attention of your friends and we somehow defeated him into submission."
Kagome couldn't believe what had happened but for some reason, she could recall briefly laying on the ground and whispering 'sit boy' before she closed her eyes.
"How long have I been here, then?"
"Three days. We came back to the village promptly."
"And where's InuYasha?"
"The monk is holding him at the cave we were at in a barrier with his magic pieces of paper." Sesshomaru looked at his arm and a ghost of a smile appeared. "Finally."
"Take me to him."
"No."
Kagome turned and glared at the hanyou angrily. "What?"
"I said no."
"Why?"
"He is too dangerous. The monk is barely keeping him in as it is. I don't think your presence will only cause problems as it always does."
Kagome frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
He didn't get to answer because Shippo came in and upon seeing Kagome, he raced to her and jumped into her arms.
"Oh, Kagome! I thought you'd never wake up! You were so unconscious!"
"Don't worry, Shippo. I don't get defeated that easily." She said with a small smile to him. She looked back at Sesshomaru. "I want to see him."
Sesshomaru stood up, wiping his clothes off.
"I don't think you do." He said softly, leaving the hut.
Shippo looked up at Kagome as she looked at him.
"Is he alright?"
"Sesshomaru?"
"No, InuYasha."
"Oh… he's okay. Miroku is having a hard time with the barrier when he clashes into it but when he's passed out…"
"Passed out?"
Shippo looked away. "He's still in his full yokai bloodlust form. Not the dog form but… no one can get through to him. He slams into the barrier, hoping Miroku will lose strength… poor Miorku has been awake for three days straight!"
Kagome sighed and began to get up, wobbly, but still able to stand. She went to the water basin and began to take off her bandages. Seeing the deep claw marks didn't really register until she went to wash them off. Bloody water fell into the basin and she could clearly see the valley of torn flesh where he had hurt her. Where InuYasha had hurt her. Tears began to form, the reality of the attack setting in. She knew it wasn't him… her InuYasha would never hurt her on purpose. He was controlled and she knew that… but knowing he truly had done it was worse than the stinging pain.
She heard the flap and turned, finding Kaede holding an armful of bottles.
"I was hoping ye would be up." She said, shuffling over to her.
"I'm going to go see InuYasha."
"Aye, I figured ye would. I thought I'd leave some of these salves for ye but since ye are awake, I can help ye with them."
Kagome nodded as Kaede helped her.
InuYasha was laying on the floor of the cave, purified burns all over his body and breathing heavily. He was pissed off that the monk was holding on for so long. He didn't think he'd be able to. Humans were so feeble and needed sleep to recuperate, but he could go for weeks without it now. He wasn't a hanyou anymore and he knew that the more he hit the barrier, the harder it would be for Miroku to hold it up.
"Have you run out of energy?" Miroku asked.
InuYasha just grinned at the monk, his fangs prominent.
"For now."
"You can't still possibly believe that Kagome would purposefully try to hurt you."
"You were there, your little eyes can just as well as mine can. She used the subjugation beads on me."
"Because Kikyo was trying to take you away. Life would have been no better-"
"Kikyo believes in me as a full yokai. She believes I can control myself and live up to my full potential. I don't need to be controlled."
"And yet she gave you a set of beads as well that makes you want to be with her when she calls your name? How is that not controlling?"
"Because they don't cause me physical pain. For once, obeying Kikyo is safer for me than being with Kagome."
"Is that how you really feel?" Kagome asked, crutching up next to Miroku.
InuYasha turned over and walked to the barrier, stopping just short of it. He looked her over, her flesh marred with claw marks that he had made. He was almost horrified at himself but then he remembered why he did it and frowned.
"You told me you would never use the beads again because they hurt me. You promised me you would never do it until we fixed this. But you did…"
"I only did it because I overheard you talking to Kikyo. You had just said to her that you understood why I used them and the reasons I did it. I thought you were saying that it was okay for me to use them in that manner for that reason." Kagome walked closer to the barrier and InuYasha growled. "InuYasha… You know that I would never hurt you on purpose. Why can't you believe me?"
InuYasha stared into her eyes and then untied his haori and then untied the undergarment under it and let it fall to the ground. Kagome stared at the scars of purification that we all over his body that came down from the necklace in lightning-like formation. There were a couple of spots but Kagome figured it was from the barrier, not her. Seeing the marks, Kagome understood why he would be so mad and in pain.
"I'm so sorry…" she said softly.
"That's not enough."
"I know it isn't… What can I do to fix this?"
"Let me go."
"And let you go to Kikyo?"
InuYasha walked almost inches to the barrier and glared down at Kagome.
"For the time being, she's a hell of a lot more safer than being with you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sesshomaru was right. I don't know you like I thought I did. She seems like she can give me everything that I want: full yokai body, full yokai powers, and she isn't emotional enough to cause undo damage." Kagome winced at the statement.
"So you want to stay in that body then?"
"I don't know anymore…" he said looking away.
Kagome sighed and closed her eyes, walking through the barrier and into the cave with InuYasha.
"Kagome!" Miroku called.
Kagome ignored him and dropped her crutches, wrapping her arms around InuYasha's torso. He didn't return the gesture but Kagome didn't care.
"I never wanted to hurt you. Please know that."
"Doesn't matter now."
"It does to me… If… if you want to go with Kikyo, then fine." She said, backing up a little.
"Kagome!" Miroku said in shock.
InuYasha watched her for a moment. "You'd let me go?"
She smiled sadly. "Yes… if it keeps you safe. Apparently I'm the enemy to you now. Protecting you only hurts you and in turn, hurts me; both physically and emotionally."
InuYasha was completely surprised that she was even considering the idea. His thoughts were still all jumbled from the conformation beads of Kikyo to the pain from the subjugation beads and the unexpected transformation into his true form that he had never done before, but instinct told him to go down the path less painful and Kikyo's seemed to be the only one. He didn't know what he wanted anymore though: to get his body back or just leave it. The only problem is that one would make him unable to be with Kagome…
"Why would you let me go?"
"Does it matter, you idiot?" Kagome grumbled. "You said it yourself that Kikyo is much more emotionally stable than I am. At least she won't mouth off things that will hurt you."
InuYasha looked away at the statement and sighed, reaching down to pick up Kagome's crutches. He handed them to her and then touched her face softly.
"If I leave, will you hate me?"
"Yes." She snapped.
He smiled a little. "Fair enough… maybe I can do more of infiltration and get some information on our predicament."
Miroku scoffed. "You couldn't infiltrate if your life depended on it. Besides, with Kikyo able to control you anyway she likes, you'll be completely under her spell and with no way out."
"Shut up, Miroku! I'm not that stupid!" InuYasha yelled. "I can infiltrate if I put my mind to it! Who do you think you are?"
"Do you think that would help?" Kagome asked softly.
"I would definitely try. It's better than nothing."
Kagome didn't like the idea but it was better than anything else they had tried. Kikyo wanted InuYasha and InuYasha was getting hurt by Kagome. If InuYasha actually tried and played his cards right, he might be able to find out a way to switch back to his hanyou form.
"Miroku, let the barrier down."
Miroku did as she asked and she motioned for the mouth of the cave.
"Go…"
InuYasha picked up his clothing and stuck it back on. He then looked back at Kagome as she looked away.
"Kagome-"
"Just… go…"
He sighed and ran off to find Kikyo, smiling a little as he left. My plan worked…
uh oh, it looks like he had an ulterior motive after all. who knew inuyasha could be so slick?
and it looks like kikyo gets what she wants... supposedly. there are a lot of underlying things happening here