Spiraling into the Realm of Hatred

Chapter 11

     The fires of hell burned around them as Inu-Yasha stood before Kagome, trying his hardest not to seem frightened . . .

     But it was a battle the hanyou was quickly losing.  "Kagome?"

     She glared at him angrily.  "Who are you?  What do you want?"
     He was at a loss for words, she saw her standing there clueless.  Trembling before him.  Not knowing who he was!  "K . . . Kagome . . . it's me!  Inu-Yasha."

     Her eyes glazed with non-recognition.  "What are you doing here?"

     "I . . . I don't know." He muttered, taking a step forward, only to have Kagome step away from him.  "I just sort of got here.  Kagome . . . give me your hand."

     He lied to you . . .

     The voice resounded against the magma and the black, featureless sky . . .

     Kagome took another step back.  "Get away from me."

     "What's wrong?  What's wrong with you?" he shrieked, trying to get near to her, but she only pulled away out of fear.  "Don't you even recognize me?"

     The smoke around them began to grow thick, she coughed.  "Where is this place?"

     Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun . . . he liiiied to you . . .

     Inu-Yasha bristled as he heard the voice echo about him.  "Kikyou?  This is your doing!  Stop this!  STOP THIS!" he reached for Kagome . . .

     But she was already gone . . . running from him through the mist and billowing smoke plumes . . .

     "Wait!  Kagome!" he called after her, watching in horror as she vanished through the thickness.  "Kagome!"

     He'll never come for you . . .

     He heard it again . . . it was Kikyou's voice . . .

     Welcome to my Hell, Inu-Yasha.  Now . . . it is hers . . .

     "What?" he growled.  "What is this?  Let Kagome go!"
     I can't let her go . . . she can't let me go . . . we're connected . . . and she has already fallen . . . the only reason you are here is because it was part of her soul who called you here to save her . . . but that was foolish . . . you can do nothing . . .

     I am so close to regaining what is mine now, Inu-Yasha . . . and then we can be together once more . . .

     Just as we had once been . . .

     Inu-Yasha stood there, stunned.  He couldn't believe what he heard!  Somewhere inside of him it was something he wanted.  To be there with Kikyou again, fifty years ago when they were madly in love with one another . . . when he wanted to be with her forever . . .

     But it was over now . . .

     Over . . .

     "Kikyou!" he shouted.  "This is wrong!  This is not the way I want it to be."

     There was no reply.  Inu-Yasha began to wonder if she had given up . . . but he knew it could never be that easy.  He peered through the thickening smoke for Kagome, but couldn't find her . . . nor could he see Kikyou . . .

     He was alone . . . in Kikyou's hell . . .

     Was this what it was like for her to be alive . . . well . . . brought back?  In her tortured soul where she thought he betrayed her? 

     Inu-Yasha could feel it . . . that horrible feeling.  That terrible cry that raised and lowered again and again, calling out the feeble words of a dying woman in anger against who she thought was him.  Where she had laid in the dewy late night grass in puddles of her own blood rushing from the wounds she died with thinking that it had been him . . .

     But it wasn't him . . .

     It wasn't him . . .

     A sparkling firefly drifted over to Inu-Yasha as he stood there, still trying to take it all in.  Kagome was gone . . . no longer could he see her . . . he could smell nothing in the sulfur filled air but he could see and hear the vile hell-demons bouncing around with their evil voices . . . taunting . . . shouting . . .

     He could feel the despair . . .

     It was contagious . . .

     The firefly drifted in front of his face . . . a brilliant whitish pink . . .

     It hovered there before his face . . . twinkling before his eyes . . .

     A long moment passed before he realized what it was . . . a bit of soul . . .

     Kagome's soul!

     He reached to grab it, but it flittered away as if it had a mind of its own . . .

     Calling to him with a soft voice, but when he twitched his ears, he could hear it . . .

     It was Kagome's voice deep within his soul . . .

     Leading him . . .

     Begging him to follow . . .

     She wasn't completely lost!  Inu-Yasha felt a spark of hope in his heart that the fires of hell quickly dampened has he wandered unseeing . . .

     The bit of soul quickly died out, it's light fading right in front of him . . .

     Leaving nothing . . .

     You'd better find her Inu-Yasha . . . Kikyou taunted . . .

     You'd better find her . . . she's almost gone . . .

*** Okay – please review!  Sigh it's getting to the end.  So close and yet so far :O).  Please review!!!  Will he find her?  Her soul is already dying!  Part of it already died!  Oh no!  I hope he gets to her before she's lost!