Chapter Four: Destruction
The next week dragged on, and Kagome would wait impatiently for the days to end. In class while doing tests and such, she could not concentrate. All she ever thought about was seeing Inu Yasha again.
Back in the feudal era, Inu Yasha was impatient as well. He was bored when Kagome wasn't around. He spent his time running around, hunting, visiting Miroku, Sango and Shippou, and sleeping.
His days were more boring than hers, though. "I don't believe this," he grumbled to himself. "How can days like this be so boring? I definitely need a hobby."
On Friday afternoon, Kagome sprinted to her home after school was out. She ran like the devil was chasing her, not knowing why she was in such a rush. She was going to see him on Saturday, not today.
But she ran anyway, and was out of breath when she finally reached her house. She took a bath, ate dinner, did her homework, and then went to bed. She was a bit too nervous to fall asleep.
She didn't know why she was nervous, but Inu Yasha felt the same way. He turned over in the tree a thousand times before he finally felt comfortable. Soon in both worlds, Inu Yasha and Kagome fell into a deep, peaceful slumber, anxiously awaiting the next day to arrive.
***
Inu Yasha woke up to Kagome's scent. He went to the well and saw her still struggling to climb out. He couldn't help himself; he burst out laughing.
"Hey!" Kagome cried. "What are you laughing at?" Inu Yasha couldn't reply because he was laughing so hard; instead, he shook his head.
She fell over the lip of the well and landed on her face. "Ow," she said, her voice muffled from the ground. "Are you okay?" Inu Yasha asked, still laughing.
He helped her up. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied, dusting herself off. When she was done dusting and Inu Yasha was done laughing, they looked at each other for a second, and then kissed.
"Well, let's go," Kagome said, smiling, after they broke away. Inu Yasha nodded and crouched down so she could get on his back. When she got on, he sped off like a bullet once again to his cave.
***
"After we left the village, my mother and I wandered the forest for several days. We had little food to eat and little water to drink. We were exhausted and scared, not knowing where we were going or what to do," Inu Yasha continued his story. Kagome was lying in his lap, her arms around him and her head against his chest.
"We thought for sure that we were going to die if we didn't find shelter soon. The forest was dark and ominous, its eerie presence striking fear into our hearts.
"It was unbearably hot in the daytime, and it was freezing at night. My mother did her best to protect me from the cold and the hunger of the night creatures. She was willing to die for me. I owe her so much."
Inu Yasha looked down, and Kagome saw tears brimming in his eyes. "Well, I used to owe her, anyway." Kagome was silent. He took in a shuddering breath and continued.
"Pretty soon we were on the brink of death itself. We could feel our lives slowly dripping away, and we became so weak that we could barely walk.
"My mother carried me, and she rested every five minutes of our travel. There was no soul in sight, and we were starting to lose hope. But then, one day, we were practically crawling through the forest, when we emerged from a couple shrubs and, lo and behold, there was another village that lay before our eyes.
"It was a lot bigger than the other village, and it certainly looked a lot more welcoming. The people who lived there were humans, but they seemed friendly enough. When they saw us all scraggly and starving and lying in the dirt, they took us in and treated us.
"There was this one lady named Mae whom invited us to settle in her spare bedrooms. How could we refuse? She was very kind, and she did not call me a 'half-breed'. Actually, none of the villagers did. We eventually got our strength back, and were soon well again.
"I wandered the village a lot, and I played with some of the human boys. They did not throw stuff at me and called me names; they were my best friends. We occasionally went out to the docks and fished. This was a fishing village, so it was by the water.
"Life went well for us once again. It seemed like there would be no problems. No danger, no hassle. But I had always ignored and forgotten about that dark figure that I always saw out of the corner of my eye. He was always somewhere, watching me, studying me. I could always feel that he was there, yet I did not seem to care at all.
"We had been living there for three years, and that person was always watching me like a protective parent. I was stupid not to tell my mother about it. Then one day my friends and I were playing hot-potato with a ball, and it just so happened to fly out of my reach and roll into an alley.
"My buddies told me to go get it, so I went for it. I went into the alley, a bit scared because I had hated the dark. The ball was a bit far in, wedged between two crates. I pulled that ball out, and as soon as I was about to get up and walk away, I heard a voice. 'Little boys shouldn't wander in dark places.'
"My heart had stopped in my chest, and I slowly rose to see the dark figure standing there in front of me. He was clad in a long, black robe, and the hood of it covered his head. The only part of his body that was showing was his mouth.
"He smiled at me; it was a dark smile. I stammered, 'I-it's y-you' and he looked down at me, continuing to smile. I saw a quick glimpse of his eyes before they disappeared once again in his hood. 'Inu Yasha,' he said, his voice in a deadly calm tone. 'Why do you befriend these humans?'
"I looked up at him in confusion, not really knowing what to say. 'W- what is so wrong w-with it?' I asked. His mouth twisted into that insane smile again. 'Did you know that humans do not care one bit about us hanyous? Sure, they may seem as nice and friendly now, but sooner or later they betray you. They hate hanyous, Inu Yasha, and they want to kill us all.'
"I was terrified now, and I didn't even bother to ask how he knew my name. Instead, I said, 'You're lying! My friends would never hurt me!' The person shook his head. 'Just like those boys at the other village did?' I fell silent at this. I looked down at the ground. 'Look, Inu Yasha,' he continued. 'These humans are inferior. They are a hazard to the hanyou race. You are a very special and powerful demon, and I would very much appreciate it if you would help me exterminate every human off the face of this planet.'
"I was so shocked, I could barely talk. I was also disgusted. 'I-I won't do that!' I stammered; my legs were shaking like there was an earthquake. He glared down at me. 'You better help me, or you will regret it. I am warning you.'
"He pointed a clawed finger at my face. I gasped. 'Now, join me,' he hissed. 'It is for your own good, and for the good of the future of hanyous!' I stared up at him for a while, terribly shaken. Somehow, I found the courage to speak. 'No,' I replied firmly, steadying my voice. 'I hope you go to hell, you dirty son of a bitch.'
"That sentence I used was one that I heard from this woman that was yelling at her husband for 'cheating' on her, whatever that is. I did not know what the sentence meant or that it was used to curse people, but after I said it and saw the fury in his eyes, I took off like a bullet. 'You will regret this!' I heard him bellow after me. He was not following, but I still ran like there was fire on my heels.
"I ran past my buddies, and they yelled stuff like, 'Hey where's the ball?' and 'Where are you going?' I didn't stop running until I was in Mae's house and under the covers of my bed, shaking like a leaf."
Inu Yasha stopped, either to take a breath or to relax himself from bursting into tears, which he looked like he was about to do. He took a breath, steadied his breathing, and held Kagome closer to him. She could hear his heart pounding fast in his chest, but not from holding her.
"A couple days passed after that ordeal, and even though I went out to play with my buddies, that dark guy was nowhere in sight. But somehow, that had made me feel scared and nervous.
"I had not told my mother, my friends, or anyone else about that incident. I was too scared, but I also thought that it was just a dream. So I pushed it out of my mind.
"One night my mother was tucking me into bed. She kissed me good- night and got into the bed that was in the room across from mine. That night I had felt strange; I was nervous, sad, and frightened all at once. I was having bad premonitions that something terrible would happen to someone.
"I felt like this all through the night until I fell asleep. When I was sleeping, I had a dream that there was a fire and a corpse. When I awoke, there really was a fire. It was spreading fast, along the walls and ceiling. The smoke was thick and was choking me.
"But the first word that came to my lips instead of 'help' was 'mother'. I screamed the word 'mother' and I ran into her room. 'Mother, get up! There's a fire! Get up!' When I reached her bed, I froze. She was dead. There was blood everywhere, all over the bed and the floor around it.
"She had been murdered. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, gazing upon her dead body, her corpse. My dream was true. My meeting with the dark figure was true. He had kept his word. With a cry, I smashed the window by her bed to pieces with my fist. I climbed out of there easily because the window was at ground-level. The whole house was on fire, and Mae was probably dead.
"There were people running around, not knowing what to do. Some just stood there in shocked silence. I stood there as well, but not shocked. I was solemn, my face showing no emotion. I saw a dark figure in the shadows of the blazing house, and then disappeared.
"Right there at that moment, I had made a silent vow that I would become a full-blooded demon and kill my mother's murderer. I walked off into the dark night, continuing north, and that was the start of my journey to finding the Jewel of Four Souls."
Inu Yasha closed his eyes. Kagome asked softly, "So that is your life story?" He shook his head. "No, there is a lot more. If you don't want to hear the rest, then I won't tell you it."
"No, it's okay," she said. "I want to hear it." Inu Yasha nodded. "So be it, then. Would you like me to go on?" Kagome nodded eagerly. "Yes, please do. And Inu Yasha, I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked. "For your mother," Kagome explained. Inu Yasha smiled and waved it away. "It's okay. I've gotten over it."
"Oh," Kagome said, her expression telling that she was not so sure. But as Inu Yasha continued, she listened intently.
The next week dragged on, and Kagome would wait impatiently for the days to end. In class while doing tests and such, she could not concentrate. All she ever thought about was seeing Inu Yasha again.
Back in the feudal era, Inu Yasha was impatient as well. He was bored when Kagome wasn't around. He spent his time running around, hunting, visiting Miroku, Sango and Shippou, and sleeping.
His days were more boring than hers, though. "I don't believe this," he grumbled to himself. "How can days like this be so boring? I definitely need a hobby."
On Friday afternoon, Kagome sprinted to her home after school was out. She ran like the devil was chasing her, not knowing why she was in such a rush. She was going to see him on Saturday, not today.
But she ran anyway, and was out of breath when she finally reached her house. She took a bath, ate dinner, did her homework, and then went to bed. She was a bit too nervous to fall asleep.
She didn't know why she was nervous, but Inu Yasha felt the same way. He turned over in the tree a thousand times before he finally felt comfortable. Soon in both worlds, Inu Yasha and Kagome fell into a deep, peaceful slumber, anxiously awaiting the next day to arrive.
***
Inu Yasha woke up to Kagome's scent. He went to the well and saw her still struggling to climb out. He couldn't help himself; he burst out laughing.
"Hey!" Kagome cried. "What are you laughing at?" Inu Yasha couldn't reply because he was laughing so hard; instead, he shook his head.
She fell over the lip of the well and landed on her face. "Ow," she said, her voice muffled from the ground. "Are you okay?" Inu Yasha asked, still laughing.
He helped her up. "Yes, I'm fine," she replied, dusting herself off. When she was done dusting and Inu Yasha was done laughing, they looked at each other for a second, and then kissed.
"Well, let's go," Kagome said, smiling, after they broke away. Inu Yasha nodded and crouched down so she could get on his back. When she got on, he sped off like a bullet once again to his cave.
***
"After we left the village, my mother and I wandered the forest for several days. We had little food to eat and little water to drink. We were exhausted and scared, not knowing where we were going or what to do," Inu Yasha continued his story. Kagome was lying in his lap, her arms around him and her head against his chest.
"We thought for sure that we were going to die if we didn't find shelter soon. The forest was dark and ominous, its eerie presence striking fear into our hearts.
"It was unbearably hot in the daytime, and it was freezing at night. My mother did her best to protect me from the cold and the hunger of the night creatures. She was willing to die for me. I owe her so much."
Inu Yasha looked down, and Kagome saw tears brimming in his eyes. "Well, I used to owe her, anyway." Kagome was silent. He took in a shuddering breath and continued.
"Pretty soon we were on the brink of death itself. We could feel our lives slowly dripping away, and we became so weak that we could barely walk.
"My mother carried me, and she rested every five minutes of our travel. There was no soul in sight, and we were starting to lose hope. But then, one day, we were practically crawling through the forest, when we emerged from a couple shrubs and, lo and behold, there was another village that lay before our eyes.
"It was a lot bigger than the other village, and it certainly looked a lot more welcoming. The people who lived there were humans, but they seemed friendly enough. When they saw us all scraggly and starving and lying in the dirt, they took us in and treated us.
"There was this one lady named Mae whom invited us to settle in her spare bedrooms. How could we refuse? She was very kind, and she did not call me a 'half-breed'. Actually, none of the villagers did. We eventually got our strength back, and were soon well again.
"I wandered the village a lot, and I played with some of the human boys. They did not throw stuff at me and called me names; they were my best friends. We occasionally went out to the docks and fished. This was a fishing village, so it was by the water.
"Life went well for us once again. It seemed like there would be no problems. No danger, no hassle. But I had always ignored and forgotten about that dark figure that I always saw out of the corner of my eye. He was always somewhere, watching me, studying me. I could always feel that he was there, yet I did not seem to care at all.
"We had been living there for three years, and that person was always watching me like a protective parent. I was stupid not to tell my mother about it. Then one day my friends and I were playing hot-potato with a ball, and it just so happened to fly out of my reach and roll into an alley.
"My buddies told me to go get it, so I went for it. I went into the alley, a bit scared because I had hated the dark. The ball was a bit far in, wedged between two crates. I pulled that ball out, and as soon as I was about to get up and walk away, I heard a voice. 'Little boys shouldn't wander in dark places.'
"My heart had stopped in my chest, and I slowly rose to see the dark figure standing there in front of me. He was clad in a long, black robe, and the hood of it covered his head. The only part of his body that was showing was his mouth.
"He smiled at me; it was a dark smile. I stammered, 'I-it's y-you' and he looked down at me, continuing to smile. I saw a quick glimpse of his eyes before they disappeared once again in his hood. 'Inu Yasha,' he said, his voice in a deadly calm tone. 'Why do you befriend these humans?'
"I looked up at him in confusion, not really knowing what to say. 'W- what is so wrong w-with it?' I asked. His mouth twisted into that insane smile again. 'Did you know that humans do not care one bit about us hanyous? Sure, they may seem as nice and friendly now, but sooner or later they betray you. They hate hanyous, Inu Yasha, and they want to kill us all.'
"I was terrified now, and I didn't even bother to ask how he knew my name. Instead, I said, 'You're lying! My friends would never hurt me!' The person shook his head. 'Just like those boys at the other village did?' I fell silent at this. I looked down at the ground. 'Look, Inu Yasha,' he continued. 'These humans are inferior. They are a hazard to the hanyou race. You are a very special and powerful demon, and I would very much appreciate it if you would help me exterminate every human off the face of this planet.'
"I was so shocked, I could barely talk. I was also disgusted. 'I-I won't do that!' I stammered; my legs were shaking like there was an earthquake. He glared down at me. 'You better help me, or you will regret it. I am warning you.'
"He pointed a clawed finger at my face. I gasped. 'Now, join me,' he hissed. 'It is for your own good, and for the good of the future of hanyous!' I stared up at him for a while, terribly shaken. Somehow, I found the courage to speak. 'No,' I replied firmly, steadying my voice. 'I hope you go to hell, you dirty son of a bitch.'
"That sentence I used was one that I heard from this woman that was yelling at her husband for 'cheating' on her, whatever that is. I did not know what the sentence meant or that it was used to curse people, but after I said it and saw the fury in his eyes, I took off like a bullet. 'You will regret this!' I heard him bellow after me. He was not following, but I still ran like there was fire on my heels.
"I ran past my buddies, and they yelled stuff like, 'Hey where's the ball?' and 'Where are you going?' I didn't stop running until I was in Mae's house and under the covers of my bed, shaking like a leaf."
Inu Yasha stopped, either to take a breath or to relax himself from bursting into tears, which he looked like he was about to do. He took a breath, steadied his breathing, and held Kagome closer to him. She could hear his heart pounding fast in his chest, but not from holding her.
"A couple days passed after that ordeal, and even though I went out to play with my buddies, that dark guy was nowhere in sight. But somehow, that had made me feel scared and nervous.
"I had not told my mother, my friends, or anyone else about that incident. I was too scared, but I also thought that it was just a dream. So I pushed it out of my mind.
"One night my mother was tucking me into bed. She kissed me good- night and got into the bed that was in the room across from mine. That night I had felt strange; I was nervous, sad, and frightened all at once. I was having bad premonitions that something terrible would happen to someone.
"I felt like this all through the night until I fell asleep. When I was sleeping, I had a dream that there was a fire and a corpse. When I awoke, there really was a fire. It was spreading fast, along the walls and ceiling. The smoke was thick and was choking me.
"But the first word that came to my lips instead of 'help' was 'mother'. I screamed the word 'mother' and I ran into her room. 'Mother, get up! There's a fire! Get up!' When I reached her bed, I froze. She was dead. There was blood everywhere, all over the bed and the floor around it.
"She had been murdered. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, gazing upon her dead body, her corpse. My dream was true. My meeting with the dark figure was true. He had kept his word. With a cry, I smashed the window by her bed to pieces with my fist. I climbed out of there easily because the window was at ground-level. The whole house was on fire, and Mae was probably dead.
"There were people running around, not knowing what to do. Some just stood there in shocked silence. I stood there as well, but not shocked. I was solemn, my face showing no emotion. I saw a dark figure in the shadows of the blazing house, and then disappeared.
"Right there at that moment, I had made a silent vow that I would become a full-blooded demon and kill my mother's murderer. I walked off into the dark night, continuing north, and that was the start of my journey to finding the Jewel of Four Souls."
Inu Yasha closed his eyes. Kagome asked softly, "So that is your life story?" He shook his head. "No, there is a lot more. If you don't want to hear the rest, then I won't tell you it."
"No, it's okay," she said. "I want to hear it." Inu Yasha nodded. "So be it, then. Would you like me to go on?" Kagome nodded eagerly. "Yes, please do. And Inu Yasha, I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked. "For your mother," Kagome explained. Inu Yasha smiled and waved it away. "It's okay. I've gotten over it."
"Oh," Kagome said, her expression telling that she was not so sure. But as Inu Yasha continued, she listened intently.