It's a happy little day in my world folks! and I've been inspired to write
this fic for awhile now, I've just been too lazy to write anything. But
here it is, a fic to end all fics. j/k. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the
story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the characters unless they're my own, so yeah. There you go.
On final note: this is my first Inuyasha fic, so I'm sorry if the characters are a little OOC, and I'd appreciate whatever comments you'd like to give me. Thanks!
On With the story!
Iris- A one shot Inuyahsa fan fic. (guess what the pairing is! ^_^ inu/kag of course!)
The battle was over. The smell of smoke still hung loosely in the air. The corpses of men who had fought valiantly were still strewn about the blood soaked earth, and in the midst of it all, stood one raven-haired girl. She had a bow at her side, along with a quiver of arrows on her back. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, over the gruesome scene that lay before her.
It'd not been a pretty sight to see. The battle had waged on for hours, and this girl, this young, innocent girl, was caught in the middle of it. And it's all because she had something that the demons wanted. This was no ordinary battle of man against man. This was demons against men who were helpless to do anything but watch their own death sentence. Demons were a thing from the past, and that's exactly where Kagome Higurashi was. In feudal Japan.
The story of how Kagome got there started with the ancient bone eaters well that was situated in the family shrine that she lived in with her mother, her brother, and her grandfather. But the day she found the well, her life changed forever. Kagome met Inuyasha, a tough as nails hanyou, who also sought out what the demons were looking for. Of course, Inuyahsa never did get it, and nor did he really truly want it. He wore a necklace that Kagome could control him with, and all it took was a single word, to have him cowering on the floor. Kagome silently thanked Kaede every day for putting that necklace on him.
And as Kagome stood there in the middle of the bloodbath, she felt like shouting the word to the heavens, in hope that Inuyasha would hear her, and fall prey to it. Not only had he been more difficult to take these past few days, they'd gotten separated during the battle, and now she was left alone. Kagome had no idea where she was, or how to get anywhere she recognized.
"When that little hanyou comes back, I'm going to oswauri him into oblivion!" she shouted.
Kagome thought she heard a noise, and she turned around, instantly on alert. But it was only the wind throwing a few stray twigs into the air. As if the wind sensed the girl's anger, it began to blow harder. And faster. Dirt was flying everywhere. Kagome shut her eyes and felt the dirt begin to recede. Puzzled, she opened her eyes, and the wind had stopped almost instantaneously.
"That's odd . . . " she said to herself. She surveyed the field, and saw nothing unusual. Kagome shrugged, and sat down on the edge of the field, bear the woods.
"I hope Inuyasha's alright . . . " the sudden thought of the hanyou being hurt caused Kagome to gasp aloud. ~I know he can take care of himself, but sometimes he lets his pride take over, and his injuries get worse~ She clamped a hand to her mouth.
"Please don't be injured Inuyasha" she whispered. "I don't want to lose you."
Kagome sank to her knees, and sat on the earth that bore the spilled blood of men. Bringing her legs into her chest, she rocked back and forth. ~I can't go home until I know he's going to be ok. ~ She sat and waited for him to come, and as the minutes dwindled by, so did her hope that he was alive and well. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt a drop land on her finger. After one tear came, any others followed, as the young girl sat and cried what she'd give up forever for.
Inuyasha.
* * * *
And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cuz I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
* * * *
Inuyasha stole through the woods, looking for Kagome. The battle had long since been over, and he was once again well and injury free. Normally such an injury wouldn't have fazed him. It wasn't like he had gotten stabbed in the heart. It was a knife to the stomach this time, and when he'd said he'd be fine, Miroku all but dragged him Kaede's hut.
"keh. Stupid monk." He said to himself.
It had been a long few hours in which he sat, saying he was fine, all the while dripping blood like there was no tomorrow. And to top it all off, he found out shortly after he had been confined to Kaede's hut, that Kagome was missing. Of course he got all riled up, and the blood only dripped more, but Inuyahsa cared for Kagome (more than he cared to admit), so of course he was going to be angry.
Inuyasha fought the monk and Kaede tooth and claw to get out of the hut, but the two were surprisingly strong, and put a very hard to break curse on the door. By the time they let Inuyasha out, he all but choked Miroku, and ran off in search of Kagome. It was growing dark fast, but Inuyasha didn't care about that. All he cared about was finding Kagome.
That raven-haired miko somehow broke through the walls of his defenses that he had worked all his life to put up. First it had been Kikyo who had broken them down, but she was dead, and he couldn't love someone who was walking death. And right after her death, he'd just built stronger walls. But Inuyasha could love Kagome, and he did. Very much so in fact. That was why it was driving him crazy that he was unable to detect even the smallest whiff of her scent.
"Where are you wench?" he wondered out loud, as the forest scenery blurred past him.
And then, suddenly, he caught part of her scent. Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. He closed his eyes, and sniffed. Yep. It was definitely Kagome's scent. He knew it off by heart. It was a mixture of flowers, and some modern scent that he couldn't quite describe, but he knew it uniquely Kagome's. And from the faint whiff of it, Inuyasha knew that she had been here, at this very spot, many hours ago.
Right where the battle had taken place.
Inuyasha almost fell over at the realization. He sniffed the air once more, and was relieved to know there wasn't any blood laced around her scent. Another sniff also produced the conclusion that there were no demons around her either. But the question still remained.
Where the hell was Kagome?
Inuyasha wanted to find her so bad, it was nearly eating him up inside. Not even Kikyo had made him act like this. This was something far, far deeper than what he had once felt for the priestess. It scared him half to death . . . but at the same time, it was the first time he actually felt alive in a very long time. As he stood there, contemplating this, he felt a breeze start up. It felt wonderful and light. And Inuyasha could almost swear there was a voice in the wind. He closed his eyes once more, and savored the moment.
And just as quickly as it had come, it vanished.
Inuyasha opened his eyes, and took off with a new determination. He was going to find Kagome no matter what. Because he missed her already, and didn't want to miss her any more tonight.
"Please Kagome." He whispered. "Please be safe."
* * * *
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cuz sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
* * * *
When Kagome opened her eyes, she realized two things. First, that she had dozed off, and second, that she wasn't in the field any longer. She gasped, as she looked around the dark cave. She felt for her bow and arrow, and realized that was completely weaponless. She could feel the lack of life in the cave. It was making her feel rather sick. Sick and utterly fearful. Especially without her bow and arrow. ~What am I doing here? ~ She wondered. She saw a flash of white and red approach her, and then she knew instantly.
Kikyo, the person of whom Kagome had been reincarnated from.
The dead priestess looked at Kagome lying there, and smiled in her mysterious way. Kagome felt even more scared, but refused to show any emotion in front of her.
"Why have you brought me here?" Kagome asked, putting up her brave front. The side that came out when she had to deal with demons, and other such dangers. Kagome was far from fearless, but she could put up a good front when she had to.
"Demons can smell fear." Inuyasha told her once. "Do all you can to mask your fear, lest they feed upon it."
Come to think of it, that was right before the big battle. And now here Kagome was, conversing with a dead priestess who wanted her soul back, and would stop at nothing to get it. And Kagome was unarmed. She groaned, in spite of herself.
"I'm finishing what I started a long time ago." Kikyo replied.
Kagome couldn't hide the shudder that she felt go through her body. Kikyo's smile only got wider.
"Now I can make this easy, or I can this difficult."
Kagome gave Kikyo a defiant glare.
"You can't just up and take my soul you know."
"Oh can't I?" her smile faded. "I almost did the last time I tried it, if you remember."
"I do remember, and who says you can have the soul anyways? It's mine now."
"You dare to speak to me like that?"
Now Kikyo looked angry. Kagome was on the verge on backing down, but knew it would do her no good. Kikyo was merciless, and if Kagome gave up her soul without a fight, then what did that say about her? Kagome may not have been fearless, but she wasn't a coward either.
"Look Kikyo" she began "This is MY body, and the soul that resides in it is now MINE. This is who I am, and if you want the soul, you'll have to fight for it." "You pathetic girl." Kikyo spat. With lightning speed, she drew an arrow, and fitted it into the bow that only now Kagome took notice of.
"The soul is already broken. I got a piece of it. So it's not all yours."
When the hell had life gotten so complicated and twisted? One minute, Kagome was a normal, average schoolgirl, and now the next minute, she's fighting a dead priestess for possession of her soul?
It's no wonder that Kagome felt so out of place when she was back in her own time. None of the people, save her family could even begin to possibly understand what was going on. It was also why she didn't see much of the world when she got back. The only person that truly understood was Inuyasha. And where was he?
Kagome had no idea.
"Well? What will it be?" Kikyo was still staring at Kagome, her arrow seconds away from piercing Kagome's heart.
"Why don't you go to hell? It's where you belong." Kagome replied.
"Why you little-" Kikyo released her bow, and let the arrow fly towards the miko who made her life (or lack thereof) oh so very difficult.
A smile crossed her face at the loud piercing scream that rang throughout the cave.
"Serves her right." Kikyo said, her mysterious smile back on her face.
* * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
* * * *
Inuyasha followed her lingering scent, realizing that it was going to take far longer to find her than he had originally thought. It was odd though. The fact that she was gone, and yet he detected no demon scent. ~And I would know if the wench had gone home~ he thought. When Kagome left his era, her scent was almost nonexistent. No. She was here. The question was, where?
"Damn you wench!" he cursed aloud.
A sudden scream pierced the air. Inuyasha heard it very clearly.
"What the hell?"
He whipped out tetsusaiga, ready to kick some sorry demon ass. But there was nothing there. Puzzled, Inuyasha lowered his sword. And then, his sensitive nose caught the scent.
It was Kagome. And something terrible must have happened to her.
He took off at a fast run, his nose now assaulted with the smell of blood.
"Shit!" he cursed.
In the distance, he saw a cave looming up ahead. ~I know she's in there! ~ Inuyasha thought. He was almost at the entrance to the cave, when he smelled something else.
Something dead
And that meant only one thing . . .
"Kikyo" Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. ~This could get ugly~
He did admit to loving her once, but that was a long time ago. And truthfully, did he really truly love her? When he was around Kagome, it felt right. He felt more peaceful than he usually let on. When they fought, he often lied to her, and said he didn't care about her. But he did.
Almost too much.
And now, here he was, in Kikyo's clutches once more. Trying save Kagome.
The woman he loved.
It kinda felt like he was in a movie- he remembered that, only because Kagome showed him some movies once when he stayed at her house. He had come to collect her, and take her back, as usual. She'd invited him in, and then went to sit on the couch, watching the moving pictures. Against his better will, Inuyasha joined her. He actually found some of it quite interesting. Well not the romantic parts of course, but the hero sure did kick some major ass.
And now it was Inuyasha's turn to play hero for Kagome.
"What a night this is turning out to be." He said to himself, before stepping into the cave that held his dear Kagome.
He started something that had to end tonight.
* * * * And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you'd bleed just to know you're alive
* * * *
Kikyo tensed, staring at the cave entrance. Someone was coming. She'd only just begun the procedure. Timing was absolutely crucial at this point. She turned to the still form of her reincarnation.
"Soon I will have a complete soul again." She whispered.
Kikyo bent over the girl. The first thing she had to do was get the soul out. And there was only one way to do that. She lowered her face to Kagome's . . . every inch got her closer to sucking the soul out of her body . . .
"Kikyo!"
The shout made her halt momentarily. She looked up to see Inuyasha standing before her, with his precious sword out. He looked pissed off beyond all hell.
"Are you going to use that on me Inuyasha?" she asked, knowing full well he wouldn't.
She saw him pause for a second. She knew she was right.
"Don't tempt me Kikyo." He said, the fire blazing in his eyes.
~Well perhaps he is more pissed off then I thought~ Kikyo stood up, and moved closer to Iunyasha, who held his sword in front of him protectively.
"Put your sword down." She whispered. "You don't need it."
"That's what you think." He replied. "And just what the hell do you think you're doing with Kagome anyway? You're already going to pay dearly for shooting her with your arrow. Don't make it any worse."
"It's not Kagome you like. It's me." Kikyo said. "I'm getting my soul back."
"No I don't think you are." Inuyasha crossed his arms, and glared at her defiantly.
"And who is going to stop me?" Kikyo asked, moving even closer towards the half demon.
"I am." There was a hard look in his eye.
"I don't think you have the guts to do it." She said.
"Then you obviously don't know me very well." Inuyasha smirked.
"If you were going to do it, you would have done it already." Kikyo countered.
There was a loud moan, and Inuyasha put down his sword, and raced to Kagome's side.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"I . . nu . . yasha?" Kaogme asked sleepily. Her left shoulder hurt so much, she felt like she was dying.
"Shh. Don't talk." He pushed her hair back from her forehead, letting his hand linger there for a moment.
"What happened?" Kagome asked. "Where am I?" She struggled to sit up, but Inuyasha pushed her back down.
"Rest now." He whispered. "I have something to take care of."
Kagome immediately fell back into slumber, and Inuyasha stood up, glaring at Kikyo.
"Now how would you like to go to hell? In pieces? Or would you prefer a less painful route?"
"I'm only going to hell when you join me there." She replied.
"Not a chance. I would rather die a thousand HUMAN deaths than to be stuck in the tortures of hell with you."
Kikyo's face clouded over. ~I have sorely underestimated that hanyou.~ she thought. ~Well that's not going to happen anymore. ~ She picked up her bow and fitted an arrow into it with lightning speed.
"You can either go to hell willingly, or in many, many pieces. Which do you prefer?" Kikyo smiled at him.
"I told you, I'm NOT going to hell with you." Inuyasha growled. Why couldn't she understand?
"Well then. You've made your choice."
And for the second time that night, an arrow was released.
And for the second time that night, a shrill scream pierced the forest.
* * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
* * * *
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled.
She was lying there, so limp and lifeless in his arms. The second the arrow had flown; Inuyasha realized who it was aimed for. But not even his demon strength could counter it in time. The scream shattered his soul. He felt like a part of him was dying. He tried with fruitless efforts to wake her. But Kagome wouldn't wake.
"Kikyo." Inuyasha's voice held death in it. Death, and immense pain.
"Inuyasha." Kikyo said.
He put Kagome down, thankful that Kikyo hadn't done anything while he quickly tended to her wounds. He stopped the blood flow at least.
"I told you earlier that I would make you pay. And now, I am."
He whipped out tetsusaiga, and saw Kikyo fit another arrow in her bow.
"Go on then. Why don't you attack me with your sword."
It was at that moment, Inuyasha realized how much he hated Kikyo. She was composed of dirt for gods' sake. Kikyo should be resting at her grave. Not killing his one true love. He rushed at her with his sword; at the same second the arrow flew. There was a blast of light that rendered Inuyasha momentarily blinded.
When the light faded, he saw something that was completely unexpected.
The tetsusaiga had reverted back to its useless form. But it had done its job. Kikyo slumped to the ground, the precious dirt losing its form.
"I can't believe you actually did it." She whispered.
"It was for the best." Inuyasha said.
'It's obvious who you truly love." Kikyo said, she felt the shard of the soul leaving her, and then succumbed to the bleak existence as ashes once more.
"Goodbye Kikyo." Inuyasha whispered. There was a breeze in the cave, and Inuyasha felt the shard of the soul being returned to Kagome. And then, it was gone.
And so was Kikyo. Once and for all. * * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
* * * *
When Kagome opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed, was that the pain in her shoulder was bearable. The next thing she noticed, was that she was in a hut, and Inuyasha was sitting at the doorway. He was sleeping, and Kagome chuckled at how adorable he looked. The chuckle awoke him, and he stared at Kagome.
"You're awake." He said, coming over to her.
"Yeah." she tried to stretch, and felt pain engulf her. "But I feel absolutely horrible."
"You should. You almost died you know."
Kagome stared at Inuyasha with shock.
"Say what?"
"You had lost a lot of blood by the time we got here. At least the old hag was here."
"I heard that." Came a voice from outside, which emerged in the hut seconds later.
"Ah Kagome." Kaede said "I see ye are awake."
"I'm awake, but I'm also in pain." Kagome grimaced as she felt stab of pain in her shoulder.
"Well ye had a run-in with Kikyo." Kaede said.
"So that wasn't a dream?"
"I'm afraid not."
'Well where is she now?"
She saw Kaede and Inuyasha exchange a look, and wondered what it meant.
"Well . . . Kagome . . . "
"What?"
She had never seen Inuyasha look so uncomfortable before.
"It's just that . . ." he paused, and gave Kaede another look.
"I'm going to get some more herbs. Be back soon." The old woman disappeared through the doorway.
"What is so important that you didn't want Kaede to know?" Kagome asked.
"Oh she knows. I just want to tell you in private."
"Are you afraid I'm going to get angry?"
"Actually . . . I have no idea what you'll think."
"Come on Inuyasha! Out with it."
"I don't know if you'll understand why I did it"
Kagome gave him a look of her own, but Inuyasha didn't look undaunted.
"Try me."
"Well you know who I am right?" he asked.
"What kind of question is that?"
"Just answer it wench!" the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Don't call me wench!" she yelled, and was preparing to use the O word, when her mouth was suddenly covered with Inuyasha's.
Kagome was so shocked for a moment, that she couldn't do anything.
He kissed her for once sweet, glorious second, before pulling away.
"Inuyasha?" she breathed, staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.
"Yeah?" he asked,
"What was that for?"
"It's who I am." He replied.
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Kagome said.
"Kagome." He whispered. "I am a hanyou who has somehow managed to find love. That is who I am."
"And let me guess. It's Kikyo." Kagome said bitterly. Why was he torturing her with that kiss?
"It was a long time ago." Inuyasha said. "But I'm not the person I was then. I've changed Kagome."
"Well some of you still must love Kikyo." Kagome said.
"Kikyo is dead. You're not. Don't you see Kagome? I was finally able to put Kikyo to rest once and for all because of you."
Kagome gasped aloud, and stared at Inuyasha.
"So the person whom you love is referring to-"
"You"
He gently took her hands in his.
"This is who I am right now Kagome. I'm yours if you want me." He bent closer towards her face.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.
Another gasp issued from the miko, as he pulled her into his arms.
"This is who I am." She said. "A human who loves a hanyou."
Inuyasha smiled at her, and then lowered his face to hers as they kissed once more, each feeling the passion, and the love behind the kiss that bonded them forever.
They finally knew who they were.
At last.
* * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am * * * *
A/N: Well folks, it's done (finally!) I do apologize once more if it's OOC, or a bit clichéd, but please give me comments. I accept raves, constructive criticism, and the like. Luv ya lotz! Bandana Gurl ~_^
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any of the characters unless they're my own, so yeah. There you go.
On final note: this is my first Inuyasha fic, so I'm sorry if the characters are a little OOC, and I'd appreciate whatever comments you'd like to give me. Thanks!
On With the story!
Iris- A one shot Inuyahsa fan fic. (guess what the pairing is! ^_^ inu/kag of course!)
The battle was over. The smell of smoke still hung loosely in the air. The corpses of men who had fought valiantly were still strewn about the blood soaked earth, and in the midst of it all, stood one raven-haired girl. She had a bow at her side, along with a quiver of arrows on her back. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, over the gruesome scene that lay before her.
It'd not been a pretty sight to see. The battle had waged on for hours, and this girl, this young, innocent girl, was caught in the middle of it. And it's all because she had something that the demons wanted. This was no ordinary battle of man against man. This was demons against men who were helpless to do anything but watch their own death sentence. Demons were a thing from the past, and that's exactly where Kagome Higurashi was. In feudal Japan.
The story of how Kagome got there started with the ancient bone eaters well that was situated in the family shrine that she lived in with her mother, her brother, and her grandfather. But the day she found the well, her life changed forever. Kagome met Inuyasha, a tough as nails hanyou, who also sought out what the demons were looking for. Of course, Inuyahsa never did get it, and nor did he really truly want it. He wore a necklace that Kagome could control him with, and all it took was a single word, to have him cowering on the floor. Kagome silently thanked Kaede every day for putting that necklace on him.
And as Kagome stood there in the middle of the bloodbath, she felt like shouting the word to the heavens, in hope that Inuyasha would hear her, and fall prey to it. Not only had he been more difficult to take these past few days, they'd gotten separated during the battle, and now she was left alone. Kagome had no idea where she was, or how to get anywhere she recognized.
"When that little hanyou comes back, I'm going to oswauri him into oblivion!" she shouted.
Kagome thought she heard a noise, and she turned around, instantly on alert. But it was only the wind throwing a few stray twigs into the air. As if the wind sensed the girl's anger, it began to blow harder. And faster. Dirt was flying everywhere. Kagome shut her eyes and felt the dirt begin to recede. Puzzled, she opened her eyes, and the wind had stopped almost instantaneously.
"That's odd . . . " she said to herself. She surveyed the field, and saw nothing unusual. Kagome shrugged, and sat down on the edge of the field, bear the woods.
"I hope Inuyasha's alright . . . " the sudden thought of the hanyou being hurt caused Kagome to gasp aloud. ~I know he can take care of himself, but sometimes he lets his pride take over, and his injuries get worse~ She clamped a hand to her mouth.
"Please don't be injured Inuyasha" she whispered. "I don't want to lose you."
Kagome sank to her knees, and sat on the earth that bore the spilled blood of men. Bringing her legs into her chest, she rocked back and forth. ~I can't go home until I know he's going to be ok. ~ She sat and waited for him to come, and as the minutes dwindled by, so did her hope that he was alive and well. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt a drop land on her finger. After one tear came, any others followed, as the young girl sat and cried what she'd give up forever for.
Inuyasha.
* * * *
And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cuz I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now
* * * *
Inuyasha stole through the woods, looking for Kagome. The battle had long since been over, and he was once again well and injury free. Normally such an injury wouldn't have fazed him. It wasn't like he had gotten stabbed in the heart. It was a knife to the stomach this time, and when he'd said he'd be fine, Miroku all but dragged him Kaede's hut.
"keh. Stupid monk." He said to himself.
It had been a long few hours in which he sat, saying he was fine, all the while dripping blood like there was no tomorrow. And to top it all off, he found out shortly after he had been confined to Kaede's hut, that Kagome was missing. Of course he got all riled up, and the blood only dripped more, but Inuyahsa cared for Kagome (more than he cared to admit), so of course he was going to be angry.
Inuyasha fought the monk and Kaede tooth and claw to get out of the hut, but the two were surprisingly strong, and put a very hard to break curse on the door. By the time they let Inuyasha out, he all but choked Miroku, and ran off in search of Kagome. It was growing dark fast, but Inuyasha didn't care about that. All he cared about was finding Kagome.
That raven-haired miko somehow broke through the walls of his defenses that he had worked all his life to put up. First it had been Kikyo who had broken them down, but she was dead, and he couldn't love someone who was walking death. And right after her death, he'd just built stronger walls. But Inuyasha could love Kagome, and he did. Very much so in fact. That was why it was driving him crazy that he was unable to detect even the smallest whiff of her scent.
"Where are you wench?" he wondered out loud, as the forest scenery blurred past him.
And then, suddenly, he caught part of her scent. Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. He closed his eyes, and sniffed. Yep. It was definitely Kagome's scent. He knew it off by heart. It was a mixture of flowers, and some modern scent that he couldn't quite describe, but he knew it uniquely Kagome's. And from the faint whiff of it, Inuyasha knew that she had been here, at this very spot, many hours ago.
Right where the battle had taken place.
Inuyasha almost fell over at the realization. He sniffed the air once more, and was relieved to know there wasn't any blood laced around her scent. Another sniff also produced the conclusion that there were no demons around her either. But the question still remained.
Where the hell was Kagome?
Inuyasha wanted to find her so bad, it was nearly eating him up inside. Not even Kikyo had made him act like this. This was something far, far deeper than what he had once felt for the priestess. It scared him half to death . . . but at the same time, it was the first time he actually felt alive in a very long time. As he stood there, contemplating this, he felt a breeze start up. It felt wonderful and light. And Inuyasha could almost swear there was a voice in the wind. He closed his eyes once more, and savored the moment.
And just as quickly as it had come, it vanished.
Inuyasha opened his eyes, and took off with a new determination. He was going to find Kagome no matter what. Because he missed her already, and didn't want to miss her any more tonight.
"Please Kagome." He whispered. "Please be safe."
* * * *
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cuz sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight
* * * *
When Kagome opened her eyes, she realized two things. First, that she had dozed off, and second, that she wasn't in the field any longer. She gasped, as she looked around the dark cave. She felt for her bow and arrow, and realized that was completely weaponless. She could feel the lack of life in the cave. It was making her feel rather sick. Sick and utterly fearful. Especially without her bow and arrow. ~What am I doing here? ~ She wondered. She saw a flash of white and red approach her, and then she knew instantly.
Kikyo, the person of whom Kagome had been reincarnated from.
The dead priestess looked at Kagome lying there, and smiled in her mysterious way. Kagome felt even more scared, but refused to show any emotion in front of her.
"Why have you brought me here?" Kagome asked, putting up her brave front. The side that came out when she had to deal with demons, and other such dangers. Kagome was far from fearless, but she could put up a good front when she had to.
"Demons can smell fear." Inuyasha told her once. "Do all you can to mask your fear, lest they feed upon it."
Come to think of it, that was right before the big battle. And now here Kagome was, conversing with a dead priestess who wanted her soul back, and would stop at nothing to get it. And Kagome was unarmed. She groaned, in spite of herself.
"I'm finishing what I started a long time ago." Kikyo replied.
Kagome couldn't hide the shudder that she felt go through her body. Kikyo's smile only got wider.
"Now I can make this easy, or I can this difficult."
Kagome gave Kikyo a defiant glare.
"You can't just up and take my soul you know."
"Oh can't I?" her smile faded. "I almost did the last time I tried it, if you remember."
"I do remember, and who says you can have the soul anyways? It's mine now."
"You dare to speak to me like that?"
Now Kikyo looked angry. Kagome was on the verge on backing down, but knew it would do her no good. Kikyo was merciless, and if Kagome gave up her soul without a fight, then what did that say about her? Kagome may not have been fearless, but she wasn't a coward either.
"Look Kikyo" she began "This is MY body, and the soul that resides in it is now MINE. This is who I am, and if you want the soul, you'll have to fight for it." "You pathetic girl." Kikyo spat. With lightning speed, she drew an arrow, and fitted it into the bow that only now Kagome took notice of.
"The soul is already broken. I got a piece of it. So it's not all yours."
When the hell had life gotten so complicated and twisted? One minute, Kagome was a normal, average schoolgirl, and now the next minute, she's fighting a dead priestess for possession of her soul?
It's no wonder that Kagome felt so out of place when she was back in her own time. None of the people, save her family could even begin to possibly understand what was going on. It was also why she didn't see much of the world when she got back. The only person that truly understood was Inuyasha. And where was he?
Kagome had no idea.
"Well? What will it be?" Kikyo was still staring at Kagome, her arrow seconds away from piercing Kagome's heart.
"Why don't you go to hell? It's where you belong." Kagome replied.
"Why you little-" Kikyo released her bow, and let the arrow fly towards the miko who made her life (or lack thereof) oh so very difficult.
A smile crossed her face at the loud piercing scream that rang throughout the cave.
"Serves her right." Kikyo said, her mysterious smile back on her face.
* * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
* * * *
Inuyasha followed her lingering scent, realizing that it was going to take far longer to find her than he had originally thought. It was odd though. The fact that she was gone, and yet he detected no demon scent. ~And I would know if the wench had gone home~ he thought. When Kagome left his era, her scent was almost nonexistent. No. She was here. The question was, where?
"Damn you wench!" he cursed aloud.
A sudden scream pierced the air. Inuyasha heard it very clearly.
"What the hell?"
He whipped out tetsusaiga, ready to kick some sorry demon ass. But there was nothing there. Puzzled, Inuyasha lowered his sword. And then, his sensitive nose caught the scent.
It was Kagome. And something terrible must have happened to her.
He took off at a fast run, his nose now assaulted with the smell of blood.
"Shit!" he cursed.
In the distance, he saw a cave looming up ahead. ~I know she's in there! ~ Inuyasha thought. He was almost at the entrance to the cave, when he smelled something else.
Something dead
And that meant only one thing . . .
"Kikyo" Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. ~This could get ugly~
He did admit to loving her once, but that was a long time ago. And truthfully, did he really truly love her? When he was around Kagome, it felt right. He felt more peaceful than he usually let on. When they fought, he often lied to her, and said he didn't care about her. But he did.
Almost too much.
And now, here he was, in Kikyo's clutches once more. Trying save Kagome.
The woman he loved.
It kinda felt like he was in a movie- he remembered that, only because Kagome showed him some movies once when he stayed at her house. He had come to collect her, and take her back, as usual. She'd invited him in, and then went to sit on the couch, watching the moving pictures. Against his better will, Inuyasha joined her. He actually found some of it quite interesting. Well not the romantic parts of course, but the hero sure did kick some major ass.
And now it was Inuyasha's turn to play hero for Kagome.
"What a night this is turning out to be." He said to himself, before stepping into the cave that held his dear Kagome.
He started something that had to end tonight.
* * * * And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you'd bleed just to know you're alive
* * * *
Kikyo tensed, staring at the cave entrance. Someone was coming. She'd only just begun the procedure. Timing was absolutely crucial at this point. She turned to the still form of her reincarnation.
"Soon I will have a complete soul again." She whispered.
Kikyo bent over the girl. The first thing she had to do was get the soul out. And there was only one way to do that. She lowered her face to Kagome's . . . every inch got her closer to sucking the soul out of her body . . .
"Kikyo!"
The shout made her halt momentarily. She looked up to see Inuyasha standing before her, with his precious sword out. He looked pissed off beyond all hell.
"Are you going to use that on me Inuyasha?" she asked, knowing full well he wouldn't.
She saw him pause for a second. She knew she was right.
"Don't tempt me Kikyo." He said, the fire blazing in his eyes.
~Well perhaps he is more pissed off then I thought~ Kikyo stood up, and moved closer to Iunyasha, who held his sword in front of him protectively.
"Put your sword down." She whispered. "You don't need it."
"That's what you think." He replied. "And just what the hell do you think you're doing with Kagome anyway? You're already going to pay dearly for shooting her with your arrow. Don't make it any worse."
"It's not Kagome you like. It's me." Kikyo said. "I'm getting my soul back."
"No I don't think you are." Inuyasha crossed his arms, and glared at her defiantly.
"And who is going to stop me?" Kikyo asked, moving even closer towards the half demon.
"I am." There was a hard look in his eye.
"I don't think you have the guts to do it." She said.
"Then you obviously don't know me very well." Inuyasha smirked.
"If you were going to do it, you would have done it already." Kikyo countered.
There was a loud moan, and Inuyasha put down his sword, and raced to Kagome's side.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"I . . nu . . yasha?" Kaogme asked sleepily. Her left shoulder hurt so much, she felt like she was dying.
"Shh. Don't talk." He pushed her hair back from her forehead, letting his hand linger there for a moment.
"What happened?" Kagome asked. "Where am I?" She struggled to sit up, but Inuyasha pushed her back down.
"Rest now." He whispered. "I have something to take care of."
Kagome immediately fell back into slumber, and Inuyasha stood up, glaring at Kikyo.
"Now how would you like to go to hell? In pieces? Or would you prefer a less painful route?"
"I'm only going to hell when you join me there." She replied.
"Not a chance. I would rather die a thousand HUMAN deaths than to be stuck in the tortures of hell with you."
Kikyo's face clouded over. ~I have sorely underestimated that hanyou.~ she thought. ~Well that's not going to happen anymore. ~ She picked up her bow and fitted an arrow into it with lightning speed.
"You can either go to hell willingly, or in many, many pieces. Which do you prefer?" Kikyo smiled at him.
"I told you, I'm NOT going to hell with you." Inuyasha growled. Why couldn't she understand?
"Well then. You've made your choice."
And for the second time that night, an arrow was released.
And for the second time that night, a shrill scream pierced the forest.
* * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
* * * *
"Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled.
She was lying there, so limp and lifeless in his arms. The second the arrow had flown; Inuyasha realized who it was aimed for. But not even his demon strength could counter it in time. The scream shattered his soul. He felt like a part of him was dying. He tried with fruitless efforts to wake her. But Kagome wouldn't wake.
"Kikyo." Inuyasha's voice held death in it. Death, and immense pain.
"Inuyasha." Kikyo said.
He put Kagome down, thankful that Kikyo hadn't done anything while he quickly tended to her wounds. He stopped the blood flow at least.
"I told you earlier that I would make you pay. And now, I am."
He whipped out tetsusaiga, and saw Kikyo fit another arrow in her bow.
"Go on then. Why don't you attack me with your sword."
It was at that moment, Inuyasha realized how much he hated Kikyo. She was composed of dirt for gods' sake. Kikyo should be resting at her grave. Not killing his one true love. He rushed at her with his sword; at the same second the arrow flew. There was a blast of light that rendered Inuyasha momentarily blinded.
When the light faded, he saw something that was completely unexpected.
The tetsusaiga had reverted back to its useless form. But it had done its job. Kikyo slumped to the ground, the precious dirt losing its form.
"I can't believe you actually did it." She whispered.
"It was for the best." Inuyasha said.
'It's obvious who you truly love." Kikyo said, she felt the shard of the soul leaving her, and then succumbed to the bleak existence as ashes once more.
"Goodbye Kikyo." Inuyasha whispered. There was a breeze in the cave, and Inuyasha felt the shard of the soul being returned to Kagome. And then, it was gone.
And so was Kikyo. Once and for all. * * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
* * * *
When Kagome opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed, was that the pain in her shoulder was bearable. The next thing she noticed, was that she was in a hut, and Inuyasha was sitting at the doorway. He was sleeping, and Kagome chuckled at how adorable he looked. The chuckle awoke him, and he stared at Kagome.
"You're awake." He said, coming over to her.
"Yeah." she tried to stretch, and felt pain engulf her. "But I feel absolutely horrible."
"You should. You almost died you know."
Kagome stared at Inuyasha with shock.
"Say what?"
"You had lost a lot of blood by the time we got here. At least the old hag was here."
"I heard that." Came a voice from outside, which emerged in the hut seconds later.
"Ah Kagome." Kaede said "I see ye are awake."
"I'm awake, but I'm also in pain." Kagome grimaced as she felt stab of pain in her shoulder.
"Well ye had a run-in with Kikyo." Kaede said.
"So that wasn't a dream?"
"I'm afraid not."
'Well where is she now?"
She saw Kaede and Inuyasha exchange a look, and wondered what it meant.
"Well . . . Kagome . . . "
"What?"
She had never seen Inuyasha look so uncomfortable before.
"It's just that . . ." he paused, and gave Kaede another look.
"I'm going to get some more herbs. Be back soon." The old woman disappeared through the doorway.
"What is so important that you didn't want Kaede to know?" Kagome asked.
"Oh she knows. I just want to tell you in private."
"Are you afraid I'm going to get angry?"
"Actually . . . I have no idea what you'll think."
"Come on Inuyasha! Out with it."
"I don't know if you'll understand why I did it"
Kagome gave him a look of her own, but Inuyasha didn't look undaunted.
"Try me."
"Well you know who I am right?" he asked.
"What kind of question is that?"
"Just answer it wench!" the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Don't call me wench!" she yelled, and was preparing to use the O word, when her mouth was suddenly covered with Inuyasha's.
Kagome was so shocked for a moment, that she couldn't do anything.
He kissed her for once sweet, glorious second, before pulling away.
"Inuyasha?" she breathed, staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.
"Yeah?" he asked,
"What was that for?"
"It's who I am." He replied.
"But that doesn't make any sense!" Kagome said.
"Kagome." He whispered. "I am a hanyou who has somehow managed to find love. That is who I am."
"And let me guess. It's Kikyo." Kagome said bitterly. Why was he torturing her with that kiss?
"It was a long time ago." Inuyasha said. "But I'm not the person I was then. I've changed Kagome."
"Well some of you still must love Kikyo." Kagome said.
"Kikyo is dead. You're not. Don't you see Kagome? I was finally able to put Kikyo to rest once and for all because of you."
Kagome gasped aloud, and stared at Inuyasha.
"So the person whom you love is referring to-"
"You"
He gently took her hands in his.
"This is who I am right now Kagome. I'm yours if you want me." He bent closer towards her face.
"I love you." He whispered in her ear.
Another gasp issued from the miko, as he pulled her into his arms.
"This is who I am." She said. "A human who loves a hanyou."
Inuyasha smiled at her, and then lowered his face to hers as they kissed once more, each feeling the passion, and the love behind the kiss that bonded them forever.
They finally knew who they were.
At last.
* * * *
And I don't want the world to see me
Cuz I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am * * * *
A/N: Well folks, it's done (finally!) I do apologize once more if it's OOC, or a bit clichéd, but please give me comments. I accept raves, constructive criticism, and the like. Luv ya lotz! Bandana Gurl ~_^
