Lauren: Hey everybody! Wow, I almost feel like I'm slapping chapter after chapter out, but I'm sure that nobody minds and I don't either. I've got some good news too- I'm not sick anymore! I'm just about over my cold. I've got tomorrow off and I'm going skiing all day, which will rock. Let's just pray that I don't run into any trees or they don't run into me! XD I don't want to go swish, swish, SPLAT! I've also got four new songs to add to the soundtrack! And Shinjitsu no Uta is sung by Do As Infinity.
Fuel- Won't Back Down (Thanks Shorty!)
Shaun groves- The Last Notes
Ayumi Hamasaki- No More Words
Ayashi no Ceres- Raindrops
Asilin- Yeah, he's probably ticklish. Hehe…let's try it!!
Raiye- -hides from her- Hey! Long time no see. I've missed you! Welcome back! Please don't hurt me!
Like-anyother- Yeah, cliffhangers are a must-have for me. I love just torturing you guys! Well, I don't do it totally for pleasure. It's cool to have a cliffhanger because then the readers anticipate the next chapter even more.
dragon fire- Oh, oh, oh! I want to be painted sky blue! Then I'd run into walls and make body prints of me! Okay…wow…I'm scary, I'll shut up now! XD
Dark Angel Himeko- Aww…I hope you get your computer back! Thanks for the song information!
Glarie- You ARE special! Everybody is special! ^_^ Yeah, Kikyo is in this fic. I've sort of forgotten about her in the last few chapters but we'll see how she's doing at Kagome's house soon.
Inuyasha-loves-Kagome- GET WELL SOON! –glomp-!!
Kawaii Bunny- You're welcome! That's odd because when it emailed me your review it says it's from 0? Oh well, just type in Kawaii Bunny so I know it's you! =)
Thank you so much for the reviews, each single one means a lot to me! I'd like to quote something I once read somewhere. "Writers are raised by the readers" And it's true. Please feel free to write whatever you want when you review. Thanks again! Also, if I can figure out something cool, I might give a little award to (hopefully) my 1,000th reviewer!
~*~ Where Did You Go? ~*~
~By: Lauren~
-Chapter 27-
"The Last Notes"
Inuyasha screamed in a blind panic as he realized what was about to happen…he tried to jump over the fence or rip his way through the metal wires but his body would not comply with his minds orders, for he was frozen in fear and he was too far away to get there in time.
Just as Daemon's claws reached her skin, Kagome's foot dung into the soaked earth, causing her to lose her balance. With a quiet 'ohmf', she landed face-flat on the ground, while the threat of Daemon skewing her was gone- for now.
As Kagome crashed into the ground, her ring went flying from her hand, tumbling on the ground about six feet ahead of her. She gulped, the hairs on the back of her neck sticking straight up as she shivered. Time seemed to slow for what happened next. The ebony haired girl felt her heart thudding madly in her chest as her hand groped the ground, digging her fingers into it as she picked up a handful of dirt and gradually lifted her head up to gaze over at Inuyasha. Her eyes glazed over a moment as she looked at his face, her mouth opening a crack as a single tear slid down her wet cheek, blending in with the cold rain.
Inuyasha stared at Kagome, clenching Tetsusaiga tightly in his hand. Snarling, he lifted his arm to slash through the fence with his sword but he paused for a single moment, looking at Kagome- the woman he loved.
Her bottom lip began to tremble as her eyebrows furrowed together. Her lips moved ever so slowly as the words she spoke came out as mere whispers, only loud enough to reach Inuyasha's ears.
"I…I'm…so…sorry…" She murmured, stuttering for words. Kagome knew what was coming. Quickly and in a blur of movement, she rolled over onto her back, throwing her handful of dirt into Daemon's eyes. The demon stumbled backwards while releasing a roar of anger. Time once again sped up, returning to normality as the sound echoed against the rain and Inuyasha swung Tetsusaiga, slicing the metal fence in half as he burst through it.
Scrambling forward on all fours, Kagome grabbed her ring and with fluid motions, tossed it to Inuyasha. The hanyou lunged for the half of the Shikon no Tama, grabbing it in his fist mid-air before quickly shoving it into his pocket. Smirking with triumph, he landed and turned around, ready to slice Daemon in half but at that second…Inuyasha's heart broke in half instead…
Hissing with anger and fury, Daemon wiped the mud from his eyes then dove forward at Kagome, who was still on the ground. He crashed into her, his razor claws slicing through her chest as if her skin were paper. She felt the pain. In under seconds, the incredible and unexplainable pain of burning, sharp spikes tore deeply through the flesh of her chest. She let out a high-pitched scream and instantly her eyes squeezed shut tightly from the throbbing. Her body drained of energy and her mind was a blur from the aching impulses as a red trickle of blood began spewing out of her wound. Blinded with pain and short of breath, she struggled to stand upward but she was much too weak to handle the challenge. Her wound was searing painfully now from being so exposed to the crisp air and the cold rain while her face paled. Wincing, she found herself falling downward in pure agony, Daemon's claw sliding out of her body inch by inch, making it only so much more painful. Breathing slowly from the torture, she grimaced, waiting for the dreaded impact. Even though everything seemed to hurt to such an incredible level, still, no matter how much pain she felt and would feel, she knew something even more incredible. She had been able to save her half of the Shikon no Tama.
A shrill scream reached Inuyasha's ears before it was carried away with the wind and drowned out in the rain.
Chuckling, Daemon pulled his bloodied claws out of Kagome's body, letting her fall forward and slump to the ground, droplets of crimson blood landing next to her. Quickly a puddle began to surround her, mingling with the mud and rain. The demon stepped back a few feet, watching with mirth as Inuyasha scrambled to Kagome in shock. The sensation was overwhelmingly unexpected and had caught her entirely unprepared. She grimaced quickly and bit her lip to prevent herself from releasing another painful yell. It was hasty, that fleeting yet surging emergence of pain, erupting as if out of nowhere, as if out of the night skies themselves, hitting her like a sharp bullet to the heart. Kagome didn't know precisely how to describe it or think of it- not that there was even time to do so- just because though it felt as if it were pain, at the same time, she couldn't quite say she felt hurt anymore, as if in a non-sense way, it was now some oddly existing form of painless pain. It was as if it was so immense, it was numbing. She didn't understand that and didn't have time to understand it. Kagome could barely even hear herself think, or make herself do so as it felt as if all her blood was rushing out of her. All she managed to notice was the cold earth and her vision swiftly impairing, only able to see a complex swishing of nightly colors before her, trees blending in with Inuyasha, pale moonlight blending with the dirt of the ground, forming a palette of murky and unclear darkness that was as easily disappearing into absolute nothingness.
He couldn't blink- he couldn't even breathe. Inuyasha collapsed onto the ground next to her, gathering Kagome up in his arms as he choked back a sob. Without warning he scooped her up quickly off the disheveled ground, maneuvering his body into a sitting position before setting her carefully on his lap, keeping his arms wound around her tightly in a comforting gesture. He pulled her onto his lap and Kagome felt strong arms envelop her soul like a dreamy blanket around her body. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second as she gave into the warmth she was incased in, smiling at the feel of someone showing her the affection she had longed for so often. Quickly Inuyasha's clothing began to take on a dark red color as Kagome weakly blinked her eyes and made strange, quiet whimpering sounds of pain. They died down slight as she felt a hand stroking her raven tresses, yet it did not ease away the great pain she felt throughout her entire body. She sniffed, tilting her head against Inuyasha, her eyes red and puffy. Inuyasha clung to her tightly, pressing her up against his chest while her face rested on his shoulder. He exhaled a ragged breath as he used the hand that was caressing her hair to bring it up to her face, shakily brushing the wetness off of her face with care. He could smell it- the stench of that deep gash, that cut searing through Kagome's chest, searing so deeply that it went through her entire body, tinting both of their clothes a frightening shade of red.
Kagome wheezed, coughing slightly as she breathed in his intoxicating scent. He had a distinguished, musky male scent mixed with the smell of a field. A tiny smile crept on her face as she whispered, "I'm…sorry... I-It was like…I-I knew…I w-was on the e-edge of a cliff…but then…I…j-just went ahead a-and jumped off a-any way. L…like I knew it was g-going to hurt when I…hit…but…I'm sorry…I love you…and I-I…want you t-to know… that…"
Inuyasha's heart wrenched inside. He felt so upset, so alone, so scared and so responsible. He let out strangled whimper as he curled his hand around the back of her head and drew her forehead-to-forehead with him. He tightened his embrace around her, "Keh…shut up right now you idiot. Everything's going to be all right. You'll live…we'll live together…I'll kick Daemon's ass…I'll make him pay. You just wait…you'll be okay…"
Kagome's thoughts stopped roiling and cleared for a moment as hope feathered upward from deep in her belly. She gasped as liquid traveled up her throat, choking her before she coughed, blood splattering on the ground next to her. "I've g-got to purify the Shikon no Tama…" She muttered.
"What makes you so sure that it's personally up to you to do anything?" Inuyasha gaped at her, his body trying to suppress the violent trembles that were seizing him from fear.
"I-It's s-so…cold. I'm so…cold. Y-you're…you're so nice and…w..warm…" She shivered, sinking against him.
Where the fence used to be, two shadowed figures dashed to the scene. Sango and Miroku both froze, studying what lay before them while Shippo buried his face in Sango's shirt. Daemon was standing in the shadows, grinning madly while Inuyasha was clinging onto Kagome's limp, crimson form. Tears accumulated in both Sango's and Shippo's eyes as the young boy tried to run forward to Kagome but the former exterminator held him back.
Kagome knew they were there- she could feel it. It was only to her reassurance that she was in company of other friendly figures besides Inuyasha. Though her exterior image showed only misery and pain, she was very grateful for the silent three that had been like invisible support hiding away, the comfort in knowledge that when she felt that all she cared for most were on the verge of deserting her, three incredible companions stood on guard like readied soldiers on high alert. They had been doing a lot for her, mainly Miroku and Sango, most especially indeed. The two of them had been around Kagome for at least two days straight now, putting up with her awkward antics and her glum resentment to everything, always there bright and early to hours late at night. She hoped that now, they would be there for her just this one more time.
"You need us? We're here for you, you know." Sango stepped forward, speaking partly to Inuyasha and partly to Kagome. She did not hesitate to offer her assistance that she knew would be needed.
"Same here." Miroku added respectfully, adding in a meek smile while fear consumed his insides. She couldn't…she wouldn't…Kagome could not leave them…
"What can we do?" Shippo cried through sobs as his tiny frame shook.
Kagome stared at them from Inuyasha's grip, blinking softly with a quiet nod of thankful appreciation- the gentlest image she had projected in a long time.
A steady stream of tears splattered down Inuyasha's cheeks, trailing down his neck onto Kagome. "You know…when you're going crazy tryin' to find something…only you can't find it, cause it's missing. That's how I was before I met you. Then, soon as I stopped looking, turns out its been there all along. Ya know? Somehow…you were always there and I never saw it…" He cringed, his face wrinkling together in anguish. "H-how do you do it Kagome? How?"
Kagome took in a shallow breath, "As long…as there is life…there's hope. As long…as I can hope…I have faith. That's…what kept me going…" The world around her went hushed and dim, the only sound in her ears the frantic thrumming of her own heartbeat and the ragged rush of breath; a dark curtain of blackness was tugging at the edges of her vision, crowding in on the world. "Y-you know…I-I've always…w-wanted…" Her neck twisted as she glanced at Inuyasha, noticing the concern and fear in his eyes. Accompanied with an overpowering sense of light-headedness and an impulse to either gag or pass out, she last managed to give a fleeting glance to the diamond-studded star sky way overhead, gazing motionless towards her confused figure miles below, a choked breath fighting to escape her, before the world around her rushed up coldly and all turned a dark, pitch black.
Inuyasha tensed as he felt Kagome's body go limp and slacken, her hand dropping from where she had once been clinging onto him. His jaw dropped as his tears quickened, his heart shattering into pieces as panic crawled into his throat. "You always wanted…what? Kagome, answer me! ANSWER ME! What have you wanted?! K-Kagome…no…stupid idiot…wake up!! WAKE UP!!" He held her out before him, shaking her roughly. "TELL ME! You didn't finish what you were going to say!! TELL ME! WHAT?! KAGOME!!!"
Miroku closed his eyes in the background, shaking his head sorrowfully while Sango let out a gasp and a sob. She turned, collapsing and burying her face in Miroku's chest as she cried. The former monk wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently while she cried, Shippo squashed between them.
"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!! WAKE UP DAMMIT! KAGOME, OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!!! OPEN YOUR EYES!! WAKE UP!!!" Inuyasha bellowed, his trembling hands running along Kagome's face. He traced the outline of her jaw, her lips, and her cheeks as he brushed back her wet hair. Cradling her against him, he rocked back and forth as he let out heart-wrenching cries. He leaned down, pressing his warm lips against hers. "You've still got so much to do…you can't leave now…not when we're finally all together…wake up…dammit…you can't leave now. YOU CAN'T!" Inuyasha's face contorted in pain as stood up, gently resting Kagome's body on the earth. "KAGOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He let out a heartbroken cry as his mind swam, the Tetsusaiga dropping from his hand and clattering to the ground, landing next to her body. The outline of his vision began to blur with a crimson color as he cracked his knuckles, letting out a scream of fury. His eyes narrowed as he turned to Daemon's smirking figure, a low growl rumbling through his chest. Behind him he heard Sango and Miroku give a startled yelp as many shadow creatures emerged from the trees surrounding them.
"Inuyasha, snap out of it!" Miroku cried, watching in horror as the hanyou's eyes turned from their beautiful amber color to a sickening blood red. "We've got to get the rest of the Shikon no Tama from Daemon! Keep control of yourself! There's still hope!"
Inuyasha gritted his teeth as his vision filled fully with red and he felt the throbbing pain in his heart fade until it was numb. Purple-black stripes decorated his cheeks. He had only one thought in his mind at the moment:
Kill
He let out a blood-curdling battle cry as he lunged at Daemon, his dull mind a blank slate of red coloring, just like the world around him. Inuyasha jumped into the air, his image a blur in the rain as he quickly came down on Daemon, his claws slashing through the creature's arm. Daemon spun around as he winced, the grin that had once been on his face now erased while silver colored blood dripped down his arm. The scowl was instantly replaced with a smile as Daemon's skin grew over the wound, making his arm as good as new. With a thud, Inuyasha landed on all fours behind Daemon. Before the demon could spin around though, Inuyasha had already dashed forward, his claws penetrating through Daemon's shoulder as he flew through the air.
Inuyasha let out a grunt of pain. Daemon's claws slashed forward, slicing his back open as blood splattered onto the ground. The shock of the blow had caught Inuyasha off guard and he crashed into the ground brutally, tumbling forward a few feet as he winced from the impact and the wounds on his back. If Inuyasha had been conscious of his friend, he would have heard their own cries as they battled with the shadow creatures.
But Inuyasha was not himself anymore- even a blind person could tell that much. He was lost in his own grief and insanity…
~*~
Voices faded in and out, swimming in the reddish darkness beneath Kagome's eyelids; she had a vague sensation of being moved, and of strong arms encircling her, but it was all hazy and dim, as if in a dream. She could feel time creeping by, and had a definite sense of movement from around her, but it was as if she had been bound from head to toe and left at the foot of an immense chasm. She could try to break free, try to move, try to scream, but nothing would set her free- she would stay here until someone found her and released her, and until then, all she could do was wait. The one thing that she was thankful for was the absence of the pain that had so recently plagued her.
The waiting seemed to last forever. Darkness swirled around her, dizzying and complete, and there seemed to be no end to it. Suddenly, however, there was a shaft of light, piercing in through the blackness like a flare of sunlight, and then there was another, and another. Warmth crept into her chilled limbs, bringing back feeling and sensation, and it felt suddenly as if she were floating up, floating out of the darkness…
But just as she was about to burst through the last layer, something changed. Icy fingers clenched around her ankle- bony, clawed and painful. She was dragged down a few inches and Kagome didn't dare glance down, knowing what she would find, knowing who was holding her and not wanting to see those too-large, glowing red eyes staring hungrily into her own…