Warning: This chapter may be a little weird, 'cause I wasn't completely paying attention to what I was writing. Yeah.
Disclaimer: Oi, it's getting really tiring writing these. Get it through your thick skull, you lawyer-type people. I don't own Inu-yasha! Never will!! You're just waiting for me to slip, aren't you? So you can take me away...vultures!
Elves: ::flee the mind of their owner 'cause she's being weird, even for them::
Feedback: Ack...of course it's good to get lotsa reviews. But for now, I think I'll just keep writing for this fic, 'cause I like the idea I have in mind for it. So there! You can't stop me by not reviewing!! Mwah...ha...hah...
Elf #1: You really can't do the evil laugh, can you?
Oh shut up.
Yeah, I should be writing a paper...but oh well! I hate that class anyway...stupid Amer. Govt...so should have taken it over the summer...::Author is busy muttering 'bout how much she hates that class, so we're gonna cut to the story now...::
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Where am I?
A fog deeper than any he had ever seen before surrounded him everywhere, no matter where he turned, muffling all sound. Everything was a shadow among the mist, bending and changing its shape until he couldn't tell what was real and what was an illusion. He couldn't even smell anything; the air was so damp and stale.
A hazy form moved towards him, taking a more distinct shape, as it got closer.
Kagome?
It wasn't until he saw her eyes that he knew he was mistaken.
Her hand came up to cup his cheek, yet he didn't respond. Even now, her hand was cold and smelled of wet earth.
Kikyo...
Suddenly, her eyes, her clear blue-gray eyes, started to cry. Warmth crawled into her flesh as pain filled her eyes.
Kagome!
All too soon, she moved away, her warmth disappearing. No matter how fast he ran, she kept retreating farther away, fading away in the fog, the same hurt-filled eyes staring at him the whole way. He could smell the salty tears all around him; hear the pounding of her feet as she ran away, away from him.
"Kagome!!"
His breath was ragged as he sat up, with sweat beading on his forehead. A dream. Only a dream. Almost for reassurance, he moved towards Kagome's sleeping bag so he could see for himself.
Before he even got a few steps, he knew something was wrong. Her scent was old and fading, mixed with an air of salt and something darker. His heart stopped as he ripped back the cover of the sleeping bag, and he looked around frantically, wishing what his nose was telling him was wrong. For once, he wanted to be wrong.
Damnit...
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"Why are you doing this? What makes you think I'll agree?"
She looked at the ground, at her scruffy school shoes. Why was she doing this? So many memories together, and yet...
"I want him to be happy. I want to see him smile, and laugh, and not have to worry about anything." She could feel the tears forming again, the ache still fresh in her chest. "And I can't give him that."
She looked up, looked into those eyes that were mirrors of her own, only empty.
"He loves you. And you love him. I'm just in the way. So I'm doing this...to give him the life he should have had. With you."
Something broke inside of her right then, and she felt numb. Numb by the sorrow that weighed itself on her heart that hadn't even had time to mend. It had been hard to say. Her throat was tight from suppressing tears. But this was how it had to be. She saw it clearly, and wasn't unsure anymore.
For you...Inu-yasha...
Lifting the necklace with half the Shikon Jewel on it, she tossed it between them, glancing at her former self, never doubting that she would go through with it. Then, standing across from her, she started chanting the words that had been imprinted in her mind the first time she found the spell.
'To take what is readily given,
For this is how fate should be.'
The air prickled with magic, nipping at her skin as the power from them both grew. She could feel her soul, her emotions, battering against her body, struggling to be free of its cage. Someone screamed for her to finish the words, and she knew it was her own mind talking.
'Take what is mine, and I what is yours,'
"Kagome!!!"
She felt more than saw his presence, and watched as his face went slack with shock, his eyes traveling behind her, and she knew who he was looking at.
*He calls your name. *
She looked across from her, and knew that she saw him too.
*But he sees you. *
"What the hell?! You stupid---!"
She spun around, angry tears forming in her eyes. He will NOT interfere! He can't play around with her anymore! He can't say he likes having her around, only to run back to that corpse! This ended now!!
"STAY AWAY!!!"
She turned around because she knew she would crumble if she saw him get flung back by the barrier. She didn't want to see the betrayal and hurt that was sure to be in his eyes, his beautiful amber eyes.
"Do it, girl!" Kikyo shouted at her, the souls already leaking from her body.
'As we deem it---,'
The power grew painful as her whole being was screaming for release. She looked at the battered hanyou sitting up, yelling at her to stop; yet she could not.
'---so it shall be.'
Her body went stiff as everything rushed out like water, flowing towards her other self, and she was left empty. She was nothing but a shell filled with despair, and yet, she was alive. So this is what it feels like...
She looked at Inu-yasha, but he wasn't facing her. A smile crept onto her face, subtle and a touch bitter, as she could feel a fiery burning spread throughout her, as if it were consuming the entire inside of her body, her mind.
You won't have to choose anymore, Inu-yasha.
Then everything went dark.
~TBC ~
Author's Note: Yeah, this chapter may be a little...rushed. Sorry if it confused anybody.
To the Reviewers: Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Inez: Wow, favorite's list? I'm flattered! Thankie! And I'll try with fast updates, I really will. I'm amazed I even came up with this chapter so fast. It must be a fluke...But you made me so happy!!
Kodokuchan: I hope you understood what happened. I hate it when I confused people. But even so, I think everything'll be explained eventually. ^^