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Spiraling into the Realm of Hatred

Chapter Ten

     Inu-Yasha stayed in the woods with Kagome, for how long, he couldn't tell . . . still as stone, sobbing into her raven hair as he clung to her.  He was like a lost child, struggling to find reason in mindless tragedy but was finding nothing to grasp . . . nothing but Kagome's cold, stiff body.

     Only knowing that it was all his fault . . .

     Stroking a wet wisp of hair from her face to behind her ear, Inu-Yasha struggled to stay awake and yet something seemed to pull him towards the realm of sleep.  It was an odd feeling . . . as if some subconscious force called to him . . .

     The rain that threatened to flood the world trickled to a stop and yet he hardly had noticed, only he shivered in the night winds . . .

     Shielding Kagome from the cold . . .

     A thousand demons could strike at that very moment . . .

     But he wouldn't have care . . .

     All he saw was Kagome . . .

     How his angry words destroyed her . . .

     It was more than he could bear, he tightened his grip around her, promising never to let her go . . . not even in his own death . . .

     And he wouldn't . . .

     "Kagome . . ." he whimpered pathetically.  "Kagome . . . come back to me . . . please . . ."

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     The world of darkness seemed to enclose on Kagome. 

     It entered her eyes, forcing any reasonable conscious from her very thoughts as the mists of nothing turned into a world inhospitable and cruel . . . full of seething hatred and fire that quested for flesh of the living . . .

     Or dead . . .

     But Kagome stood there, unphased at such turmoil . . . as if she had seen it all before . . .

     The charred black rock erupted from the nothingness below her feet, cracks wrinkled below her, giving her something to visibly stand on as molten rock filled them . . . unscathing . . .

     As if it knew her . . .

     Stroking her as if she were its pet . . .

     The blinding mist turned a thick hellish gray as Kagome looked about.  Crisped black demons hopped around frantically with broken wings and tortured faces, laughing cynically at her humanness . . .

     Waiting for her . . .

     Calling to her . . .

     This is . . . Kagome felt the words form into her head . . . her own words . . .

     This is Hell . . . welcome . . .

     She felt herself grow rigid and yet remained unafraid. 

     Unsurprised . . .

     A terrible smell filled her senses and yet she felt nothing . . .

     It was terrible . . . but familiar . . .

     "Kagome . . ." she heard it . . .

     The fires raged even higher . . . shielding her from it's urgency . . .

     Shielding her from the reality it struggled to bring her back to . . .

     He would never come for you . . .

     Kagome trembled angrily . . .

     He would never come for me . . . she whimpered to herself.  I don't deserve to live . . .

     "Kagome . . . come back to me . . ."

     She put her hands over her ears as if the words pained her . . .

     They did pain her . . .

     They weren't real . . .

     He would never come back for me . . .

     He could never love something like me . . .

     But the words grew louder . . . more urgent . . .

     Stronger against her troubled soul . . .

     He could almost feel him there with her, holding her . . . his warm arms around her . . .

     But that wasn't for her . . . it was for Kikyou . . . she knew it . . . it couldn't be for her!  It was impossible . . .

      She tore away from those tender thoughts . . . those innocent feelings that pulled her through darkness . . . intrusive emotions that threatened to drag her back into that terrible world of pain . . .

     For a flicker of a moment her heart began to pound tightly in her chest . . . maybe Inu-Yasha was trying to get through to her . . . maybe . . .

     He could never love you . . .

     The voice blared in her head, forcing out any other of her childish thoughts. 

     Run . . . he liiiiiiiied to you . . .

     Run . . .

     Kagome listened . . .

     She had no other choice, even the prospect of reason eluded her . . .

     The chocking smoke seemed to drive her forward, the heathen hell-beasts cackled and pursued her, pinching at her with their knobbed fingers . . . clawing at her flesh . . .

     Kagome gasped in a moment of fear . . . 

     The voice from before . . . whoever that was . . .

     The kindness . . .

     The weakness in the tone calling for strength . . .

     Calling for her . . .

     But at the moment it was forgotten . . .

     At the moment, there was nothing but the fires licking her cheek as she sprinted through the midst of lava and danger and yet was unhurt. 

     Whoever it was . . .

     Only her terrible thoughts to promote her fear . . .

     He liiiiiiiiied to me . . .

     He wont come back for me. . .

     Tears screamed down her face . . .

     There was no turning back . . .

     Nothing behind her . . .

      She struggled to keep moving . . . her soul leaving a trail as she fell apart . . .

      Memories fluttered away . . .

     Her strength slackened . . . her thoughts quieted . . .

     Until she was nothing . . .

      Standing in the midst of Hell . . .

     Broken . . .

      Alone . . .

      Forgotten . . .

     Forgetting who she even was . . .

     "Kagome?" a male voice questioned.

      She turned, stunned at the silver haired, dog eared demon behind her . . .

     He held out a tender hand, his amber eyes wide with worry and fear . . . "Kagome . . . are you okay?"

     She narrowed her eyes menacingly.  "Who are you?"

*** So – how do you guys like it?  Do ya like it?  Huh?  Do ya like it?  It's sort of . . . well, I'm not good at mushy, goopy stuff but it's a semi-half-decent start . . . right?  Please review!!!  Please!  Please!  Please!  Please!  Please!  Please!!  Pleeeeeeease!!!!!!***