Chapter 5:
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. His voice sounded distant. She knew he was following her trail, tracking her as a hound would hunt a fox. Kagome spun to face the way he was coming, instantaneously forgetting her encounter with Kikyou. She had other things to think of. Like how she was going to get out of trouble for leaving the village again.
"Over here." She shouted. A moment later she was once again on his back, heading for the cave. Inuyasha wasn't too happy with her vanishing act. Kagome could tell. He hadn't let her hop onto his back, but grabbed her and pulled her up, keeping his arms on her legs as if fearing she would jump off as he was flying. Inuyasha set her down in front of the cave and then proceeded to pace its narrow entrance.
"Feh, I don't know what to do with you. Running away like that.completely uncalled for and extremely dangerous. What if something had been waiting for you in there?" "Kagome recognized his tone of voice. She was in for a long lecture. Kagome decided not to tell him about her encounter with Kikyou. That would only make the lecture more drawn out.
"You think now that you're powerful you are invincible. Fact is, you're not and still have a lot to learn." Kagome tried to keep from yawning at his endless chatter. He sounded just like her mother when she did something 'inappropriate' like climbing trees or jumping out her window into the snow.
Inuyasha pulled out a new flask and stared at it for a minute before tossing it to Kagome. She caught it easily and stared through the handspun glass. Blue liquid swirled in the flask, red chunks floating in the mixture. Kagome gulped. Suddenly she would have given anything to not drink from this flask. She would have even downed the entire old concoction if it meant she didn't have to try this.
"Kaede said this should work more than the other one did." Inuyasha explained as he walked into the cave. Kagome followed him, still staring at the flask in disgust. Inuyasha was sitting beside the fire, spinning two sticks together to try to start it.
"Kaede said you should take two sips of that twice a day. Starting tonight." A tiny flame started as he dropped the sticks, fumbling with something in his pocket for a few moments before his eyes landed on hers. "I think the sooner the better judging by how your magic has grown stronger. The old concoction isn't strong enough anymore to protect you." Kagome looked down at the flask. Hunger was rapidly replaced with nausea.
"Yeah, but at least the old one tasted better than this stuff." Kagome wrinkled her nose. The flames engulfed the wood as the fire burned brighter. The shadows around the cave receded.
"You haven't even tried it."
"I can tell. What's in it?"
"Ingredients. Now drink!" Inuyasha barked, impatient. Kagome slowly took out the stopper.
"Mean. Cruel. Torture. He's going to poison me." Kagome hissed, too quietly for Inuyasha to hear over the crackle of the crisping wood. Taking a large breath, Kagome tilted the flask back and let a little bit of the potion trickle into her mouth. Her tongue flinched and tried to get away from the foul mixture. It felt as though someone had painted it with oil and rotten liver. The taste didn't leave her mouth after she swallowed it, chunks sliding down her throat. Her body screamed the need to rid itself of the foul stuff, but Kagome held it in, shivering as more slid down the back of her throat. She lifted her hand to her tongue, trying to scrape off the rancid taste with her nails.
"Another." Inuyasha said firmly. She looked at him in dismay. He had no idea how hard it was to drink the poisonous concoction. He would never know, either. Unless.
"Nah ah, not until you try some."
"WHAT?"
"I want you to try some and then I'll take another sip." She grinned, sitting up. She couldn't wait to see his reaction to the stuff.
"That's for you! I'm not drinking it. You need to." Kagome sighed. It would have been fun to see him drink it. As it was, he was the only one who would get to be amused. At least he didn't laugh at her when she tried to get it down.
Kagome quickly raised the flask and downed another sip, trying to get it over with. Her stomach clenched, trying to keep the stuff from entering it. Kagome swallowed, face contorted.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Inuyasha said, grinning broadly at her. She couldn't respond. Kagome fell to the ground and dry heaved, unable to stand the thought of taking more of the concoction. She tried not to throw up the amount she had managed to swallow. Luckily, none of it came up.
Inuyasha stood and approached her, putting his hands on her shoulders to support her. He lifted her hair out of the way as she continued to gag, thinking she would throw up. She didn't. Moments later she was left gasping for air, shuddering. "You're fine." He said in a sharp tone. Her body went limp. The bad taste began to fade as she slumped to the ground, arms cushioning her head as she panted for breath no the ground.
"It will be a full moon soon." He commented. She mumbled something incoherent, too tired to make sense. "Good night, love." Inuyasha said, picking Kagome up off the ground and holding her for a moment. Then, as she began to feel her body accept the inevitable sleep, she felt him lower her, placing her gently on the ground. He yawned. Kagome knew he was exhausted after staying up, watching her, for the last two nights. Her eyes closed by themselves and Kagome fell into a deep sleep.
********
"Kagome." Kagome stirred, but didn't move. She didn't want to. Her body was resisting. "Kagome!" The voice shouted. Kagome jumped. The voice had sounded close to her, feet from her. She saw no one. Night surrounded her. Kagome frowned, looking around in confusion. This was not like the last two dreams. "Kagome, come out from there. Come into the light, child." The voice instructed. Kagome raised an eyebrow. She couldn't go to the light. It was dark. There was no light. This was turning out to be one of those 'Don't go to the light' kind of dreams people saw in movies, and a corny one at that.
"Um.where?" Kagome asked. The voice came from behind her.
"Will the light to rid yourself from the shadows cast over you." Kagome frowned again. Definite corny dream.
"Who are you?" She asked, an appropriately corny question to go along in the dream.
"Will it." Kagome closed her eyes and followed the voices instructions, wondering if she should click her shoes together three times too. She decided against it and willed the shadows away. Opening her eyes once more, she found herself surrounded in light, bathing in it.
"Good girl. You're learning finally. I should have known you didn't do well with metaphoric dreams."
"Huh?" Kagome was confused. There was still no one there, but the voice continued to talk, explaining itself.
"The dreams you've been having. The bird."
"Oh, those. Yeah, I've had them. What, do they mean something."
"Outcomes! Two outcomes, child. My god, it would make my job so much easier if you were actually taught something useful in school these days."
"And you're saying dream interpretation is useful?"
"Well of course it is. But I'm not here to teach you how to do it. I need to talk to you. Your perception is in need of some serious help."
"What are you talking about? I have perfect vision! I think I'm seeing everything just fine. Who are you, anyway? My fairy godmother?"
"I AM you. And I must say, I'm most ashamed." Kagome was starting to get a little annoyed at the voice, no matter who it was. And by now she knew this voice was the same one she had heard earlier, her conscience. She found herself already hating it.
"Oh yeah, and why's that?"
"You're blind." Kagome was definitely going to have some problems with her conscience.
"Why?"
"Look into the fire. There you will find your answer. Will the truth to be revealed. Will the past to show itself. There you will find your answer. There you will see what is blind to you." Kagome scowled. How indirect could one answer be? Ask a question and be told to look into the fire. That's like saying 'look deep in your heart.'
"Fine, done. Are you happy? I'll scry with fire and find out whatever you saw that I'm not seeing. Any other complaints you'd like to make about me?"
"No, I only want to lead you from the shadows."
"Then go ahead, lead away."
"It will hurt. The truth will hurt." Didn't it always?
"So be it, I can take pain."
"Very well. Awake." The voice commanded. Kagome felt as if she was being torn apart. As if her body was anchored and she was being stretched. She screamed in pain. She had been expecting emotional pain, not excruciating physical pain. However, she endured it, looking forward to waking up where she didn't have to listen to the voice anymore. "Awake," it repeated.
Kagome opened her eyes, sweat dripping down her cheeks. The voice had been annoying, but Kagome knew she should trust it. After all, it was her conscience, her sixth sense, her soul. It hadn't steered her wrong yet. Kagome's gaze landed on the fire. She knew what she had to do. She had to see what had happened in the past. What she had been blind to.
Curiosity surrounded her. She wanted to see what she had missed. She needed to see the truth. Her conscience had told her it would be painful, making Kagome wonder all the more what she would see. She gulped down her raising fear. She could endure the pain for the truth.
She began to scoot towards the fire, but sleep overcame her instantly. She fell into the deep sleep once more, surrounded by darkness.
"Kagome, please. You must wake up." Kagome blinked in the sudden darkness.
"I tried. Honestly I did. But I'm too tired. Too weak. I'll try again later."
"No, now! You aren't weak or tired. Try again." The voice faded, leaving Kagome in the dark. Slowly, Kagome willed the light to return. She watched the shadows recede. Light surrounded her. "AWAKE" She told herself. Her energy slammed an invisible barrier of sleep. The barrier broke.
Kagome's eyes fluttered open one more. It was morning. Rays of sunlight shone into the dreary cave, highlighting patches of dirt and rocks. Inuyasha was out again. For that she was grateful. She felt sleep creeping up on her again. NO! She commanded. Her energy swelled, fighting the sleep back. Suddenly her stomach became aflame. She doubled over and threw up. The disgusting concoction splashed onto the ground and she instantly felt better. Her stomach rumbled a farewell to the concoction and fell silent, content at last.
She turned her gaze to the fire, feeling more alive than ever. She crawled over to it. The flames were definitely smaller than they had been the night before, but it was still going pretty strongly. Inuyasha must have tended the fire before he left.
"Show me the truth," she commanded. A thousand thoughts entered her mind of what she wanted to see. Her thoughts, however, were jumbled. Help me. She begged her conscience. Abruptly, the thoughts cleared themselves, like knots being untied to untangle rope. The flames shot up once and she found herself back in time. Well that wasn't so hard. She thought and heard distant laughter from her conscience.
Kagome saw herself leave Kaede's hut. She smiled at the vision. This was the night she had run away from Inuyasha to return to her home for her birthday. Kagome laughed at her expression. She wore a mischievous grin as she left the hut, eyes wandering the woods in amusement. Kagome watched herself vanish into the shadows of the trees. Now it was time to find out what they were talking about. Kagome felt a mischievous smile creep onto her face. This was fun! Like spying. Kagome entered the hut. She knew she wouldn't be seen. After all, this was a vision from the past. If the Kagome in the past hadn't seen her standing feet away, neither would the Inuyasha and Kaede in the past.
Inuyasha knelt near the fire while Kaede paced. Sure enough, neither noticed her. "Now it's time to act." Kaede started. Kagome sat down, hands propping up her head as she sat cross-legged. This was amusing, although she didn't know what Kaede was talking about. "Now is our chance. You can't blow it, boy. Don't let your emotions ruin our chances. We can do this if we work together. We can complete this." Inuyasha nodded as she spoke, mouth drawn in a thin line. Kagome's amused expression faded into concentration. What were they talking about?
"But to complete this she must fall for me. She can't love someone who doesn't love her back." Kagome's mouth fell. They were talking about her. This was no longer amusing.
"I didn't say not to love her. Just don't get emotionally attached to her. She is a puppet. You are the puppeteer." Bewildered, Kagome felt the first tears well in her eyes, blurring her vision. She stood up, fists clenched.
"LIAR!" She screamed at the vision. "This isn't true! This isn't real! This is fake! Spiteful and fake! I don't believe it!" Kagome shouted, drowning the voices of the two conversing. Tears marred the vision, swirling color and shape until nothing could be seen. Kagome suddenly found herself on the ground, staring blurry-eyed into the ashes of the dead fire. Footsteps sounded outside. Kagome hands shot to her cheeks, wiping tears away. She threw her hair over her shoulders and dusted herself off, trying to look presentable. She was definitely going to have a little chat with her conscience later on.
Inuyasha entered the cave with fresh vegetables. "I got you breakfast." He beamed with pride. She nodded towards him, not trusting her voice. Her throat was constricted with sobs. Inuyasha frowned. "Are you alright?" Kagome knew she wasn't good at hiding emotions. She swallowed, trying to get her voice steady before speaking.
"I'm not feeling so great." He looked at where the remnants of the contents she had thrown up lay. His frown deepened.
"That's not good. Why'd you throw up?" She sniffled.
"I wasn't feeling good." He nodded, accepting her answer.
"Very well. Well, just take some more of the concoction and you'll feel better. You look awful. You should be asleep." Kagome nodded, unable to disagree. She was feeling too terrible to argue, although she didn't know how much of the concoction she could keep down. She crawled over to the flask, heart weighing her to the ground, mind clouded in confusion. Slowly, she took a sip of the potion and, remembering what Inuyasha had said, she took a second. He smiled. "Have a good rest." He left and she found herself alone again.
Kagome lied down, head resting on a firm, flat stone. Within minutes she was asleep once again, lethargic and pained.
"What happened, Kagome? You were so close." The voice called to her. Kagome turned away.
"Close to what? A lie? The vision I saw was nothing more than a nightmare, meant to scare and hurt me. I want nothing to do with it or you. Leave me alone." She shouted into the darkness, arms crossed. The blackness seemed to envelop her.
"Tonight's the night you and Inuyasha join physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Tonight is the night of the full moon." It said. Kaogme sighed. She wasn't sure that she was ready to do something like that, regardless of the fabricated vision she had witnessed. After all, she was only sixteen.
"And what if I don't want to? I know you don't. You've already voiced your opinion last time he asked me to." The voice chuckled.
"Yes, I don't think you should. But I have more reason than you do. However, tonight you will have no choice." Kagome's eyebrows bunched. She couldn't believe her conscience would say something like that. After a year of Inuyasha not so much as kissing her, she doubted he would demand she have sex with him tonight.
"Again you lie. Leave me alone!" Kagome was fed up with her conscience. She may have to listen to it, but no one ever said she couldn't hate it.
"Stop fooling yourself. You're blinding yourself from the truth. Trust me for once instead of what you want to trust because it's easier. The easy way isn't always the true path you were meant to take."
"Listen. I'm sick and tired of hearing you-" suddenly the darkness faded. A bird suddenly flew in front of her, wings alight with fire. It hovered in front of her for a moment before plunging into shadows, vanishing. Darkness engulfed her once again, swallowing her. She allowed it to.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted. His voice sounded distant. She knew he was following her trail, tracking her as a hound would hunt a fox. Kagome spun to face the way he was coming, instantaneously forgetting her encounter with Kikyou. She had other things to think of. Like how she was going to get out of trouble for leaving the village again.
"Over here." She shouted. A moment later she was once again on his back, heading for the cave. Inuyasha wasn't too happy with her vanishing act. Kagome could tell. He hadn't let her hop onto his back, but grabbed her and pulled her up, keeping his arms on her legs as if fearing she would jump off as he was flying. Inuyasha set her down in front of the cave and then proceeded to pace its narrow entrance.
"Feh, I don't know what to do with you. Running away like that.completely uncalled for and extremely dangerous. What if something had been waiting for you in there?" "Kagome recognized his tone of voice. She was in for a long lecture. Kagome decided not to tell him about her encounter with Kikyou. That would only make the lecture more drawn out.
"You think now that you're powerful you are invincible. Fact is, you're not and still have a lot to learn." Kagome tried to keep from yawning at his endless chatter. He sounded just like her mother when she did something 'inappropriate' like climbing trees or jumping out her window into the snow.
Inuyasha pulled out a new flask and stared at it for a minute before tossing it to Kagome. She caught it easily and stared through the handspun glass. Blue liquid swirled in the flask, red chunks floating in the mixture. Kagome gulped. Suddenly she would have given anything to not drink from this flask. She would have even downed the entire old concoction if it meant she didn't have to try this.
"Kaede said this should work more than the other one did." Inuyasha explained as he walked into the cave. Kagome followed him, still staring at the flask in disgust. Inuyasha was sitting beside the fire, spinning two sticks together to try to start it.
"Kaede said you should take two sips of that twice a day. Starting tonight." A tiny flame started as he dropped the sticks, fumbling with something in his pocket for a few moments before his eyes landed on hers. "I think the sooner the better judging by how your magic has grown stronger. The old concoction isn't strong enough anymore to protect you." Kagome looked down at the flask. Hunger was rapidly replaced with nausea.
"Yeah, but at least the old one tasted better than this stuff." Kagome wrinkled her nose. The flames engulfed the wood as the fire burned brighter. The shadows around the cave receded.
"You haven't even tried it."
"I can tell. What's in it?"
"Ingredients. Now drink!" Inuyasha barked, impatient. Kagome slowly took out the stopper.
"Mean. Cruel. Torture. He's going to poison me." Kagome hissed, too quietly for Inuyasha to hear over the crackle of the crisping wood. Taking a large breath, Kagome tilted the flask back and let a little bit of the potion trickle into her mouth. Her tongue flinched and tried to get away from the foul mixture. It felt as though someone had painted it with oil and rotten liver. The taste didn't leave her mouth after she swallowed it, chunks sliding down her throat. Her body screamed the need to rid itself of the foul stuff, but Kagome held it in, shivering as more slid down the back of her throat. She lifted her hand to her tongue, trying to scrape off the rancid taste with her nails.
"Another." Inuyasha said firmly. She looked at him in dismay. He had no idea how hard it was to drink the poisonous concoction. He would never know, either. Unless.
"Nah ah, not until you try some."
"WHAT?"
"I want you to try some and then I'll take another sip." She grinned, sitting up. She couldn't wait to see his reaction to the stuff.
"That's for you! I'm not drinking it. You need to." Kagome sighed. It would have been fun to see him drink it. As it was, he was the only one who would get to be amused. At least he didn't laugh at her when she tried to get it down.
Kagome quickly raised the flask and downed another sip, trying to get it over with. Her stomach clenched, trying to keep the stuff from entering it. Kagome swallowed, face contorted.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Inuyasha said, grinning broadly at her. She couldn't respond. Kagome fell to the ground and dry heaved, unable to stand the thought of taking more of the concoction. She tried not to throw up the amount she had managed to swallow. Luckily, none of it came up.
Inuyasha stood and approached her, putting his hands on her shoulders to support her. He lifted her hair out of the way as she continued to gag, thinking she would throw up. She didn't. Moments later she was left gasping for air, shuddering. "You're fine." He said in a sharp tone. Her body went limp. The bad taste began to fade as she slumped to the ground, arms cushioning her head as she panted for breath no the ground.
"It will be a full moon soon." He commented. She mumbled something incoherent, too tired to make sense. "Good night, love." Inuyasha said, picking Kagome up off the ground and holding her for a moment. Then, as she began to feel her body accept the inevitable sleep, she felt him lower her, placing her gently on the ground. He yawned. Kagome knew he was exhausted after staying up, watching her, for the last two nights. Her eyes closed by themselves and Kagome fell into a deep sleep.
********
"Kagome." Kagome stirred, but didn't move. She didn't want to. Her body was resisting. "Kagome!" The voice shouted. Kagome jumped. The voice had sounded close to her, feet from her. She saw no one. Night surrounded her. Kagome frowned, looking around in confusion. This was not like the last two dreams. "Kagome, come out from there. Come into the light, child." The voice instructed. Kagome raised an eyebrow. She couldn't go to the light. It was dark. There was no light. This was turning out to be one of those 'Don't go to the light' kind of dreams people saw in movies, and a corny one at that.
"Um.where?" Kagome asked. The voice came from behind her.
"Will the light to rid yourself from the shadows cast over you." Kagome frowned again. Definite corny dream.
"Who are you?" She asked, an appropriately corny question to go along in the dream.
"Will it." Kagome closed her eyes and followed the voices instructions, wondering if she should click her shoes together three times too. She decided against it and willed the shadows away. Opening her eyes once more, she found herself surrounded in light, bathing in it.
"Good girl. You're learning finally. I should have known you didn't do well with metaphoric dreams."
"Huh?" Kagome was confused. There was still no one there, but the voice continued to talk, explaining itself.
"The dreams you've been having. The bird."
"Oh, those. Yeah, I've had them. What, do they mean something."
"Outcomes! Two outcomes, child. My god, it would make my job so much easier if you were actually taught something useful in school these days."
"And you're saying dream interpretation is useful?"
"Well of course it is. But I'm not here to teach you how to do it. I need to talk to you. Your perception is in need of some serious help."
"What are you talking about? I have perfect vision! I think I'm seeing everything just fine. Who are you, anyway? My fairy godmother?"
"I AM you. And I must say, I'm most ashamed." Kagome was starting to get a little annoyed at the voice, no matter who it was. And by now she knew this voice was the same one she had heard earlier, her conscience. She found herself already hating it.
"Oh yeah, and why's that?"
"You're blind." Kagome was definitely going to have some problems with her conscience.
"Why?"
"Look into the fire. There you will find your answer. Will the truth to be revealed. Will the past to show itself. There you will find your answer. There you will see what is blind to you." Kagome scowled. How indirect could one answer be? Ask a question and be told to look into the fire. That's like saying 'look deep in your heart.'
"Fine, done. Are you happy? I'll scry with fire and find out whatever you saw that I'm not seeing. Any other complaints you'd like to make about me?"
"No, I only want to lead you from the shadows."
"Then go ahead, lead away."
"It will hurt. The truth will hurt." Didn't it always?
"So be it, I can take pain."
"Very well. Awake." The voice commanded. Kagome felt as if she was being torn apart. As if her body was anchored and she was being stretched. She screamed in pain. She had been expecting emotional pain, not excruciating physical pain. However, she endured it, looking forward to waking up where she didn't have to listen to the voice anymore. "Awake," it repeated.
Kagome opened her eyes, sweat dripping down her cheeks. The voice had been annoying, but Kagome knew she should trust it. After all, it was her conscience, her sixth sense, her soul. It hadn't steered her wrong yet. Kagome's gaze landed on the fire. She knew what she had to do. She had to see what had happened in the past. What she had been blind to.
Curiosity surrounded her. She wanted to see what she had missed. She needed to see the truth. Her conscience had told her it would be painful, making Kagome wonder all the more what she would see. She gulped down her raising fear. She could endure the pain for the truth.
She began to scoot towards the fire, but sleep overcame her instantly. She fell into the deep sleep once more, surrounded by darkness.
"Kagome, please. You must wake up." Kagome blinked in the sudden darkness.
"I tried. Honestly I did. But I'm too tired. Too weak. I'll try again later."
"No, now! You aren't weak or tired. Try again." The voice faded, leaving Kagome in the dark. Slowly, Kagome willed the light to return. She watched the shadows recede. Light surrounded her. "AWAKE" She told herself. Her energy slammed an invisible barrier of sleep. The barrier broke.
Kagome's eyes fluttered open one more. It was morning. Rays of sunlight shone into the dreary cave, highlighting patches of dirt and rocks. Inuyasha was out again. For that she was grateful. She felt sleep creeping up on her again. NO! She commanded. Her energy swelled, fighting the sleep back. Suddenly her stomach became aflame. She doubled over and threw up. The disgusting concoction splashed onto the ground and she instantly felt better. Her stomach rumbled a farewell to the concoction and fell silent, content at last.
She turned her gaze to the fire, feeling more alive than ever. She crawled over to it. The flames were definitely smaller than they had been the night before, but it was still going pretty strongly. Inuyasha must have tended the fire before he left.
"Show me the truth," she commanded. A thousand thoughts entered her mind of what she wanted to see. Her thoughts, however, were jumbled. Help me. She begged her conscience. Abruptly, the thoughts cleared themselves, like knots being untied to untangle rope. The flames shot up once and she found herself back in time. Well that wasn't so hard. She thought and heard distant laughter from her conscience.
Kagome saw herself leave Kaede's hut. She smiled at the vision. This was the night she had run away from Inuyasha to return to her home for her birthday. Kagome laughed at her expression. She wore a mischievous grin as she left the hut, eyes wandering the woods in amusement. Kagome watched herself vanish into the shadows of the trees. Now it was time to find out what they were talking about. Kagome felt a mischievous smile creep onto her face. This was fun! Like spying. Kagome entered the hut. She knew she wouldn't be seen. After all, this was a vision from the past. If the Kagome in the past hadn't seen her standing feet away, neither would the Inuyasha and Kaede in the past.
Inuyasha knelt near the fire while Kaede paced. Sure enough, neither noticed her. "Now it's time to act." Kaede started. Kagome sat down, hands propping up her head as she sat cross-legged. This was amusing, although she didn't know what Kaede was talking about. "Now is our chance. You can't blow it, boy. Don't let your emotions ruin our chances. We can do this if we work together. We can complete this." Inuyasha nodded as she spoke, mouth drawn in a thin line. Kagome's amused expression faded into concentration. What were they talking about?
"But to complete this she must fall for me. She can't love someone who doesn't love her back." Kagome's mouth fell. They were talking about her. This was no longer amusing.
"I didn't say not to love her. Just don't get emotionally attached to her. She is a puppet. You are the puppeteer." Bewildered, Kagome felt the first tears well in her eyes, blurring her vision. She stood up, fists clenched.
"LIAR!" She screamed at the vision. "This isn't true! This isn't real! This is fake! Spiteful and fake! I don't believe it!" Kagome shouted, drowning the voices of the two conversing. Tears marred the vision, swirling color and shape until nothing could be seen. Kagome suddenly found herself on the ground, staring blurry-eyed into the ashes of the dead fire. Footsteps sounded outside. Kagome hands shot to her cheeks, wiping tears away. She threw her hair over her shoulders and dusted herself off, trying to look presentable. She was definitely going to have a little chat with her conscience later on.
Inuyasha entered the cave with fresh vegetables. "I got you breakfast." He beamed with pride. She nodded towards him, not trusting her voice. Her throat was constricted with sobs. Inuyasha frowned. "Are you alright?" Kagome knew she wasn't good at hiding emotions. She swallowed, trying to get her voice steady before speaking.
"I'm not feeling so great." He looked at where the remnants of the contents she had thrown up lay. His frown deepened.
"That's not good. Why'd you throw up?" She sniffled.
"I wasn't feeling good." He nodded, accepting her answer.
"Very well. Well, just take some more of the concoction and you'll feel better. You look awful. You should be asleep." Kagome nodded, unable to disagree. She was feeling too terrible to argue, although she didn't know how much of the concoction she could keep down. She crawled over to the flask, heart weighing her to the ground, mind clouded in confusion. Slowly, she took a sip of the potion and, remembering what Inuyasha had said, she took a second. He smiled. "Have a good rest." He left and she found herself alone again.
Kagome lied down, head resting on a firm, flat stone. Within minutes she was asleep once again, lethargic and pained.
"What happened, Kagome? You were so close." The voice called to her. Kagome turned away.
"Close to what? A lie? The vision I saw was nothing more than a nightmare, meant to scare and hurt me. I want nothing to do with it or you. Leave me alone." She shouted into the darkness, arms crossed. The blackness seemed to envelop her.
"Tonight's the night you and Inuyasha join physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Tonight is the night of the full moon." It said. Kaogme sighed. She wasn't sure that she was ready to do something like that, regardless of the fabricated vision she had witnessed. After all, she was only sixteen.
"And what if I don't want to? I know you don't. You've already voiced your opinion last time he asked me to." The voice chuckled.
"Yes, I don't think you should. But I have more reason than you do. However, tonight you will have no choice." Kagome's eyebrows bunched. She couldn't believe her conscience would say something like that. After a year of Inuyasha not so much as kissing her, she doubted he would demand she have sex with him tonight.
"Again you lie. Leave me alone!" Kagome was fed up with her conscience. She may have to listen to it, but no one ever said she couldn't hate it.
"Stop fooling yourself. You're blinding yourself from the truth. Trust me for once instead of what you want to trust because it's easier. The easy way isn't always the true path you were meant to take."
"Listen. I'm sick and tired of hearing you-" suddenly the darkness faded. A bird suddenly flew in front of her, wings alight with fire. It hovered in front of her for a moment before plunging into shadows, vanishing. Darkness engulfed her once again, swallowing her. She allowed it to.