Warning: Nothing really...might be slightly confusing...I'm too tired to tell.
Disclaimer: ::sniff:: It's the holidays, are you sure I can't...oh fine. I don't own Inu-Yasha. But I guess you're all probably glad, 'cause then the series would never get updated. >P
Feedback: It would be nice. Consider it a present to me. ^^
Elf #1: ...you actually still think you have readers? After your delayed update? Psh.
You're so mean, 'specially 'round the holidays...
Elves: 'Cause you never give us anything! And you make us WORK!
Oh stop your complaining. You don't have 3 projects and finals to study for.
Elf #1: Which, by the way, you should have started on this afternoon!
Quiet you.
Yeah...um...no real excuse for late update. Schools been...busy... And you might notice a change in style or whatever around halfway through the chapter. That's 'cause I wrote the first half a long while back, then had to stop 'cause of work and writer's null (I tried you advise, Inez, I really did!) and then I finished it today. Anyway, I think I'm over the hump now, so things should...hopefully...get written faster. ::crosses fingers::
~ ~ ~
Up to this point: Basically, Inu-yasha has hurt Kagome when he called out Kikyo's name in his sleep (for reason unknown, which I may get into someday) and Kagome has rushed off to find Kikyo. Why, you ask? To trade her soul with Kikyo's hatred. The two have just about switched positions. So while Kagome walks around with this unknown burning inside her, Kikyo has taken over as caretaker of the Shikon Jewel. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo still continue to follow Inu-yasha and Kikyo out of hate for Naraku, but the friendship between the hanyou and the other three have deteriorated. And now, someone has taken Kagome, who was trying to get through the well, and is submitting her to mind games. Hm...I wonder who that is...
~ ~ ~
It was dark.
Not the kind of dark of a moonless night, or the darkness of when one's eyes are closed. It is much deeper and more terrifying. Black could not describe this darkness, as even the tiniest bit of light is required to be able to see black.
But there is no light here.
It is the dark in nightmares, in the deepest recesses of the mind where there were no lies, but everything is hidden in the shadows. It is here that one is alone and always alone. It is here that the most horrible demons are given birth and nurtured.
For there is no light here.
~ ~ ~
Someone was crying.
The sound got louder and louder, seeming to echo from every direction, yet coming from nowhere at all. She was running, and still the sobs got louder until she felt her heart would tear from the agony of the sound.
And she ran.
There was a boy. He stood in the distance, but she could see every detail. Clear blue eyes shined with shed tears, streaks running down his face and soaked splotches in his shirt. Auburn hair dulled by dirt and scratches covered his skin. He was curled into a ball, and she wanted nothing but to pick him up and tell him it was okay.
Almost sensing her presence, the boy looked up, and his breath hitched. As her hand came closer, a whimper escaped his lips and he flinched. His tiny form shook violently and she knew he was afraid.
Shippo?
Again she tried to touch him, comfort him, only to be stopped as another pained sound tore from his throat. And reflected in those wide blue eyes, she saw.
Kikyo...
Before she could open her mouth in surprise, a pair of hands scooped him up. Looking up, there stood two familiar figures.
Miroku? Sango?
Both looked at her with such disgust that she stepped back, a hand on her chest. Only to realize the fabric under her hand was unfamiliar. White and red met her eyes as she looked down.
Kikyo...
She whipped her head up, trying to protest, only to find them walking away without a backward glance, without a goodbye. And she was alone.
A blur appeared to her right and she turned, the priestess robe rustling. A silhouette in fog walked closer to her.
Inu-yasha?
He was smiling, and she realized she'd never seen him smile like that. It made her heart wrench as he came closer, one clawed hand coming up to trace her face. And she could almost hear him whisper...
Kikyo...
Everything shattered as he disappeared, all except amber eyes. Haunting amber eyes that burned into her mind, before fading away too. And she was alone.
Someone was crying.
And it was her.
~ ~ ~
Miroku blew gently as he tried to coax the ember to spread, sparks flying as the dried leaves and twigs were quickly devoured. Automatically, he fed larger sticks into the flame, confident that it would stay lit. Such trivial chores were familiar to him now, as it was all he and Sango had been doing ever since leaving the village. The said exterminator was hunting with Kirara.
Their first encounter with a shard was enough evidence to show that Kikyo was more than capable of taking charge of the Shikon Jewel. Before, there was always the challenging banter carried back and forth between the demon and Inu-yasha. But before the hanyou could even make his threat, an arrow shaft protruded from the demon's throat.
The search proved to be moving along faster now with the former priestess back, however, the atmosphere was not comfortable as it once was. Rarely a word passed between any of them. There was nothing to be said. Kikyo obviously knew what to do, and did it efficiently herself. He and Sango followed, held only by their hatred for Naraku. And Inu-yasha... The priest was puzzled by the hanyou's behavior and somewhere deep in his mind, worried.
The inu-demon was quieter than he ever remembered him being. Now that it wasn't required for him to be the main fighter, he lost the arrogance that authority had given him before as leader of the pack. He no longer came near the three of them, but followed Kikyo obediently, and Miroku couldn't help start thinking him a dog on a leash. It was obvious that he would support her in whatever she did, yet, the houshi wondered if it was more from self-obligation than love. Was this really how the half-breed pictured love to be?
The Shikon Jewel complicated things, he was sure. Even Sango could see the seriousness that Kikyo carried her responsibility. But...Kagome had never been that way. Kagome...
The three of them did not speak of her, but at night, when Shippo huddled closer to Sango, he knew she was in their thoughts. He was still trying to understand why she did what she did. Miroku did not believe Inu-yasha had that much of an affect on the girl, not enough to turn her away from the rest of them, to make her abandon Shippo.
Groaning, he laid his warded hand over his face.
Somewhere, another unfortunate demon cried as it fell.
~ ~ ~
Why am I so cold?
Thought.
Why is it so dark?
Doubt.
You are alone, priestess.
Fear.
Who's there? Show yourself!
Anger.
He will not come for you.
Pain.
...I know...
Humiliation.
He played you for a fool.
Lies.
...shut up...
Deceit.
He will never love you.
Tears.
Shut up.
Hurt.
You are nothing...but a copy.
Broken.
SHUT UP!!!
Hatred.
...he's not coming...
~ ~ ~
It was as Kikyo bent down to pick up the newly acquired shard piece that he felt it. Every alarm went off as his senses screamed danger and he reacted, only to be too late. A scream pierced the evening air that froze his heart at the familiarity of it.
Kikyo's mind exploded with pain as blood sprayed from her shoulder, the exact spot 50 years ago...
[...claws...horribly sharp claws...]
"Kikyo!"
She barely noticed the strong arms that supported her as she tried to gather her thoughts, focus on anything except the pain, a pain she never expected to feel again. Déjà vu swam through her, and she could feel herself slipping again...just like 50 years ago...
Only...
...'Kikyo!'...
...she wasn't alone...
~ ~ ~
Without a thought, Inu-yasha hoisted Kikyo's form onto his back; he could hear her heart beating, slightly irregular, but beating. And with that, he bound off after the fleeing form, rage coursing through his veins like never before. The recent events had sent his emotions reeling, confusing him, until he settled on something he was familiar with: anger. And by the gods, was he angry.
It's all you're fault, you fucking bastard. If it weren't for you, NONE of this would have happened! Kikyo wouldn't have died, Miroku wouldn't have a fucking hole in his hand, Sango and Shippo would BOTH have their families, and most of all...Kagome would never have been dragged into this mess... I will hunt you to the ends of the earth, you bastard...
"NARAKU!"
~ ~ ~
Miroku gripped an arm around Sango's waist tightly, a jolt of panic rushing through his mind with each jar of the giant fire cat below him, threatening to toss him off if he wasn't careful. The other hand held onto his staff like a lifeline, even though it served no anchor. On his shoulder perched the tiny kitsune, not fazed the least. He was used to hitching rides on his companions, and it taught him how to balance on bumpy rides.
They had all heard the scream, and Miroku had already doused the fire and packed their supplies by the time Sango burst into camp upon Kirara, wasting no time to pull the priest up behind her, before urging her pet towards the source of the sound.
The trees rushing by seemed to darken as the sun set. Without a word, Sango signaled Kirara to go faster, and the cat, sensing her master's urgency, put in an extra burst of speed. Which only proved to shake the passengers more. Sango jumped slightly as she felt Miroku press his face to her lower back, his grip being on the verge of becoming painful and dangerously close to going south of the border. She made a note to pummel him later, but changed her mind. This was no time for such things, and even Miroku would not pull such an act.
...
Something squeezed her rear.
BONK!
SMACK!
Sango looked up to see the hand of Shippo, a similar bump appearing on the houshi's head next to the one created by her own fist. The two of them shared a smile before the exterminator turned back to the road, feeling lighter than she had for the last couple of days. She did not realize how much tension she released each time she beat the perverted monk senseless, and it felt good in its familiarity. True, while it seemed wrong to take pleasure from his pain, especially after the bond they had formed recently, Sango had a feeling that Miroku wouldn't mind, and perhaps, it was something both of them needed.
"NARAKU!"
The mood shifted as the expressions of the three riders (Shippo had roused the unconscious Miroku so he would not fall off) grimed. A low foreign sound brought to his attention forced Miroku to look up at its origin.
It was Shippo.
All playfulness was gone from the kitsune's face, along with all traces of childish fear as his mouth was pulled back in a fierce snarl, revealing his sharp canines, and it took Miroku a while to figure out that the low rumbling was Shippo growling. Fierce determination burned in his large, yet suddenly dangerous, eyes, and the priest wondered what strength the boy would wield when he became an adult. He looked older than he should have been, and this saddened Miroku, for he was reminded of his own childhood, or lack of one, due to the burden of the void. The signs of Life forcing you to grow up were already showing in Shippo, in the way he held himself, in the way his face had set itself. He was not running from this battle, nor was his fighting purposeless.
He was fighting for Kagome.
The houshi did not blame him for pinning all his anger and pain on the monster, for in a way, it was true. Naraku was the reason behind all their sufferings. However, he also knew the fox stood no chance against the stronger demon, and he would surely die if he took on this fight.
And that was something Miroku could not allow.
~ ~ ~
"Inu-yasha. How nice of you to come."
The hanyou slowly lowered Kikyo to the ground, careful of her wound, which appeared to have slowed its bleeding. Stepping before the despised baboon pelt, he withdrew Tetsusaiga, reveling in the humming power as it transformed. He had missed handling the sacred blade, and he itched to get started, his blood singing as he took a steady stance.
"Are those your last words, Naraku?"
KRAK!!!
THUNK!
Naraku laughed at Inu-yasha's shocked face as the inu-demon saw the arrow shaft embed itself into the dirt, the rusted Tetsusaiga still smoking from mystical powers. He watched with sadistic satisfaction as those golden eyes widened further when the girl known as Kagome stepped out from the shadows, another shaft already loaded and pointed straight at the hanyou.
"Ironic, isn't it, Inu-yasha? That you should die exactly how you died 50 years ago," While the baboon mask hid his features, the pleasure of catching his prey was dripping from his voice.
"Only this time...you won't be awoken."
~ TBC ~
Author's Note: Yeah...I noticed how the mind games became kinda repetative...sorry. I couldn't think of anything really creative.
Anyway, I'll try to get another chapter in before...New Year's? Hopefully that's not too long of a wait, but I really do have to start homework. Ugh. My teachers are sadistic creatures...At least my Latin teacher. And knowing him, he'd take that as a compliment. -.-;
Oh, and before I forget...HAPPY [PRE] CHRISTMAS!!! And if you don't celebrate Christmas...MERRY HOLIDAYS!! And if not even that...HAVE A WONDERFUL WINTER, despite the lack of snow here... AND if you don't like winter...then BE HAPPY!! THERE'S NO SCHOOL!!!
Elf #2:...you got into the candy again, didn't you...
...no...::innocent eyes::
To the Reviewers (though you might have all left and don't even remember what you wrote...): Yeah, I noticed the lack of reviews for the last chapter...but that's totally okay. I'm pretty frustrated and blame myself for taking so long. Sigh. Oh well. Just in case anyone still does read this...here ya go. Hope you enjoyed. ^^
Inez: I don't know if you still read this...but apparently you're comments have been erased. What's going on there? Maybe you're no longer a member? I dunno, but I understand. The changes in FF.net lately have been getting to me, but I don't have anywhere else to put my stuff. Sigh. Oh well. I do hope you still read, 'cause I really value your comments.
Celestial: Who is this other person you told names to? I don't think I know anyone from school here...anyway...don't know if you still read. But I could just ask you, hm? And if you do read this...what's this I hear of Latin practice? When? And if you're not who I think you are...then I'm very embarrassed.
Shisou: Sorry, I took a long time again. And yaks are so cute...^^ ::bascially thinks anything fuzzy is cute:: And don't worry, I have a great respect and liking of Sesshy-kun. Personally, I prefer the mangas over the CN version. Now if only manga 13 would come out...unless it already has and I don't know 'bout it. Anyway, I'm glad you like my style...though I can't really say what kinda style it is. Eh. The story should come out faster now, 'cause I think this was the only part that I hadn't really thought much 'bout, so it was a bit hard. ^^
CX-chan: Heh heh...yeah, my writing tends to be on the darker side, eh? Sorry if it make you cry, unless you like angst. I personally don't like it in large amounts, which is strange since I write so much of it. Eh. Anyway...things might start getting a tiny itsy bit lightly, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. I hope you continue to read, and hopefully you didn't waste too much money on tissues. ^^
Twin Star of Suzaku: Thanks for the support. I really hate it when I let readers down. And things should get resolved...hopefully... Not sure if I thought that far ahead yet. We'll see, hm?
Jessica: Almost made you cry? Darn...gotta try harder. Just kidding. I'm not sure if you just decided to post on the first chapter after reading all 5 or what, but hope you liked the 6th one. I'm not sure how long it'll be, but it will be finished! And hopefully soon. ^_^ And I still haven't decided on pairings...but I'll tell you that Sesshomaru will be coming up. As if there was any doubt. ^_~
'Til next time...