Spiraling into the Realm of Hatred


Chapter Seven

     The bow shuddered in Kagome's numb hands, the metal tip quivered in the sheets of rain that pummeled her, drawing the color from her already pale skin.  She pulled the string ever more taunt as Inu-Yasha faced her, his hands held up in submission . . . he came no closer . . . in shock at the fierce eyes that ripped a hole through his heart . . .

     Tore a piece from his soul as if they had claws of their own . . .

     Kagome's eyes were hard . . . they weren't her usual self . . . they were strange, confused . . . dead . . .

     Filled with hatred.

     "K . . . Kagome . . ." Inu-Yasha tried, but her angry voice silenced him.

     "Shut up!"

     "Please, Kagome . . ." he pleaded softly, his eyes desperately seeking to find hers amidst their oddity . . . but unusual familiarity . . .  "Please . . . Kagome, look at me . . ."

     "I am looking at you." She hissed in a low, dangerous voice.  Her muscles tensed within her body as she released the arrow that had once been held so tightly within her fingers and watched astounded as it sailed into the muddy ground just where Inu-Yasha had stood . . . she grabbed for another arrow . . . "Damn it!"

    "Kagome!" the hanyou shouted in distress, landing upon a tree branch above her head, gripping the bark with his claws, preparing to leap again.  "Kagome, think about what you're doing!"

     Another arrow raced towards his chest, driving itself deep within the flesh of the tree as he leaped, swiftly soaring the air with his silver hair flowing behind him.  Kagome watched him bitterly, angrily . . .

     How dare he come after me now!  All for that stupid jewel . . .

     That stupid, stupid jewel . . .

     "Kagome, please . . . you're not well.  Put the bow down and listen to me." His voice was filled with worry, his eyes begged with her . . . he stood before her again, innocently.  "Please, Kagome, don't do this.  I . . . I don't want to see you get hurt."

     "Why?  So you wont have a jewel detector anymore?  Why don't you get that Kikyou by your side again . . . she's the one you want anyway!"

     The tone in the young woman's voice hurt Inu-Yasha deeply, deeper than any one of her arrows empowered with Miko energy.  The hanyou stood stunned, shocked, to frightened to move and his stomach wrenching from the emotion that saturated her tender voice . . . her frightened voice . . .

     Inu-Yasha could not believe that those were the words she had said to him!

     He never thought of it that way!

     Kagome continued to tremble and yet never lost her grip on her bow and the newly notched arrow.  "I'm tired of just being a double!  I'm tired of going out of my way to help you and you don't appreciate it!  I'm tired of knowing I have feelings for you and you don't share them!  I'm tired of it . . ."

     The new arrow slammed into the muddy earth a hairs breath from her targets bare foot, yet he did not move. 

     Inu-Yasha stood there, bewildered . . . his orange eyes wide . . . his face pale with shock . . .

     Kagome armed her bow again, aiming it directly for the half demons chest again.  "I'm tired of it . . ."

     But he didn't move.  "K . . . Kagome . . ."

     Silence befell them, her eyes were like fire . . .

     Reflecting the fires of hell . . .

     "I . . . I d . . . did love Kikyou . . . I did . . . b . . . but . . ."  the hanyou stuttered, his eyes were not even focused on the weapon that threatened his life, but on her eyes . . . her precious eyes tormented . . . lost . . . he longed to see them again . . . "Those feelings . . . they aren't . . . they aren't there anymore . . . in that way anymore . . ."

     Kagome pulled the bow taunt, anger swelling in her heart.  "Shut up, Inu-Yasha!  I will kill you . . ."

     "No, Kagome!  Wait!" he shouted, taking a bold step forward.  "I still care about Kikyou . . . but . . . but I . . ." the hanyou paused, feeling his heart palpitate in his chest.  "But I . . . love you . . ."

     The string of the blow slackened by a great margin as the words came from his lips.  Words that would never have come . . . words from the very heart she aimed for . . .

     "I don't want you to kill me, Kagome.  But . . . but if you want to then . . . then go ahead . . ." a tear slipped into the corner of his shining eyes.  "but I never looked at you as a 'shard detector' as much as I looked at you as my closest friend."

     The bow was lowered, Kagome began to shake harder than before.  "I . . . Inu-Yasha . . ." she gasped, her knees buckled under her, the rain seemed too much for her to bear as the emotions bore down on her heart . . . weakened her to nothing . . . she fell to the muddy ground . . .

     "Kagome!" Inu-Yasha shouted in horror, rushing to her, picking her up from the muck and holding her in his arms, close to him . . .

     She was icy cold . . . frozen . . . hypothermic no doubt . . .

     Still she shivered, but it was weak . . . slow . . .

     Tears flowed from her eyes in little streams.

     Or was that the rain that beat her face? 

     He shielded her from it, taking off the shirt of his kimono and draping it over her frailness . . .

     It was as if she were being tortured by nightmares . . .

     Kikyou's nightmares . . .

     Those eyes, he began to think to himself . . . they were never Kagome's . . .

     Those words . . . were not from Kagome's heart . . .

     And Kikyou lurked in the shadows, he could feel her . . . smell her . . .

     And what she had done to poor Kagome . . . those memories that haunted the reincarnated girl still . . . tormenting her soul to the point of . . . to the point of this.

     Inu-Yasha clenched his fist as the dead woman emerged from the forest into the clearing.  "You!" he hissed.

**** Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up.  Writers block with a mixture of change of employment with a dash of my kid suddenly becoming potty trained sort of got in the way.  That, and I lost my dvd remote, so I couldn't watch my anime which is a real drain on my creativity bug for anything but creative works, so I do apologize.  Please review.  Sniff I hope you're not mad at me sniff, sniff****