Edited: 7/19/2011
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Dashed Hopes
Chapter Eighteen: The Ledge
Kagome couldn't move.
No matter how much she willed her frozen legs to move, she just couldn't do it. As though glued to the floor, she stayed right where she was, but her mind was a million miles away. All the while, Naraku stood behind her, smirking as if he had already won.
How Kagome hated that smirk. It used to seem so charming and boy, but now it just churned her stomach in disgust when she caught sight of it in the window's reflection. The situation had finally reached the point where, although Kagome blamed herself, she also blamed Naraku just as much. Every nerve-ending, every neuron firing, was telling Kagome the exact same thing—she was screwed.
"Kagome," Naraku whispered almost seductively, again close to her ear. "Would you rather be with Inuyasha than me?" Kagome could hear the pout in his dark voice.
She couldn't stop herself. Apparently hanging around with her rash boss had taught her something, and that "something" was to speak without thinking first. (It was probably not Inuyasha's greatest legacy.) "Of course," she spat, trying hard to sound snide; unfortunately, Kagome's voice was naturally too sweet to sound disarming. "I'd rather be with a man-eating tiger than you!"
Naraku scowled and growled low in his throat, his grip tightening on Kagome so that his fingers dug through her shirt and into her skin. "We'll let that one slide, baby. I know it's only because you're so surprised to see me." He pretended not to notice the indignant noise that Kagome made after he'd said that. "You don't have to be scared, Kagome."
Incredulous, Kagome almost snorted at the very suggestion that she was safe with Naraku.
"I'm not that mad. When you come home with me and hand over the Shikon no Tama, then we can finally be happy again. I want you back, Kagome. I know you want to come back, too."
What he was saying outraged Kagome so much that finally managed to move. Summoning what little strength she had, she threw his arms off of her and whipped around to face him. She glared, maneuvering around the desk to put something between them. Although she kept eye contact, she wanted to look around for a weapon.
"No, Naraku. It's not yours! How could you? You killed them for this." Here, she made the mistake to yank the jewel out from under the collar of her tank top. "They're dead! How can you act like everything is normal?"
Naraku eyed the jewel carefully, a hungry glint in his eyes. "It looks beautiful on you, Kagome."
"That's not the point," Kagome countered, angrily. She'd liked it when Inuyasha told her that in the ice cream parlor over a week earlier; not when Naraku said it.
Naraku sighed dramatically, managing to make even that small puff of air seem like it had some dark motive behind it. "No, it's not the point; you're right. I need to sell that jewel. But in order to do that, I have to actually have it." The man took a threatening step forward, one hand held out as though that would be all the invitation Kagome needed to simply give it to him.
Kagome stepped backwards to brace herself against a bookcase. She looked the man up and down, trying to gauge just how much strength he had over her. He was well-built, just like she remembered. Naraku stood more than a head taller than her, even taller than Inuyasha… which bugged the crap out of her right at that moment. She continued studying him, moving her scrutiny to his eyes—which is when she saw it.
Not only did Naraku's eyes contain lust and desire, but they also glinted with something very similar to evil and maybe even insanity.
There was something about him that she didn't recall from just three week earlier, the last time she'd seen him. Kagome leaned forward for a better look, noticing how his eyes were bloodshot and his lips were discolored. His breathing was heavy and ragged; his skin was sallow and waxy looking. Something was clearly wrong with him.
Kagome gasped as realization struck her.
Her ex was on drugs—and more than just a little. It looked like he'd snorted, swallowed, and injected a whole cocktail, and it was definitely not agreeing with him. Everything about the expression on his face and the way he was holding himself screamed how unstable the man was—he was also obviously a lot more violent than he would have been otherwise.
More than a little nervous, Kagome started to glance around the room, looking for a way out. The office was large, but she still felt trapped. It didn't help that this time, Souta, Shippou, and Inuyasha weren't right around the corner, within reach. This time, she was alone.
Naraku didn't miss the way his girlfriend's eyes suddenly brightened with an idea.
Just like the last time they had a confrontation in an office—the last time being when Naraku had brutally murdered two men and knocked her around a little in front of Kagura—he had left the door open and had clearly underestimated her. Kagome dodged Naraku's grasping hands and dashed out into the receptionist's area, hearing thudding footsteps behind her.
At the same time as Kagome's confrontation on the top floor, Inuyasha was just inside the stairwell by the lobby. He looked the woman up and down, struggling to understand who she was.
Seductively, Kagura smirked at the way he was studying her. "See something you like?"
Inuyasha scoffed openly, pulling an exaggerated look of disgust. "You're not my type."
Instead of being offended, Kagura merely chuckled. "Don't worry, you're not mine either," she informed him with a wink. "No offense, of course."
"None taken."
The two circled each other on the small landing, and Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow at the way she was eyeing him—either like a piece of meat or like a prize fighter. He couldn't put his finger on which. For her part, Kagura was trying to determine just how strong Inuyasha was, if he'd be able to do what needed to be done.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Youkai?"
"You can let me get by you," he growled while cracking his knuckles, making his intent clear.
To his surprise, Kagura let out a bark of laughter. "Down, boy! Naraku's orders were to stop you, which… obviously, I've done already. He said nothing about letting you go after a minute or two." Suddenly, she lost her sense of amusement and scowled instead, averting her eyes. "I did what he asked; I don't owe him anything anymore. I am officially done with this," she muttered in a low voice, almost too quietly for him to hear her. Kagura sidestepped, opening up a clear path for Inuyasha up the stairs.
Suspicious, Inuyasha glared at her. "What are you playing at? Only a coward would hit an opponent in the back." He obviously didn't expect her to let him go without a fight.
"Don't be an asshole," Kagura snapped, sneering. "I may be a lot of things, but I am not a coward."
"Again, what do you want?"
The two squared off, but Kagura eventually let the tension in her shoulders go slack. It wasn't giving up, not really. She drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly, closing her eyes in a way that made her seem soft. "What do I want? I want you to hurt him. I want you to save her, and then hurt him. Kagome's a good person; she doesn't deserve any of this. Stealing that jewel? She's got more guts than I do."
Inuyasha tried very hard not to gape at her, to let his surprise show.
When he still hadn't budged, Kagura looked him straight in the eye with the most serious expression she could muster. "Please, help her. I tried to warn her before, but she was too stubborn to listen to me. When Naraku set his plan into motion tonight, I didn't have enough time to find a way to stop it. Now that you're here, you can save her. I'll… I'll go get the police."
Deciding that his best bet was to believe her, to trust her, Inuyasha nodded at Kagura resolutely. "Thanks," he muttered quietly, bounding past her and up the stairs.
Trying to maintain control of her breathing, Kagome threw the door back open to the stairwell and lunged inside. She started to descend, but she faltered—she could hear footsteps, loud, pounding footsteps, heading up the stairs towards her. Naraku had brought backup.
"Oh… shit," she gasped, looking around for another way to go.
Tilting her head upwards, she found her only way out: the roof. There was nowhere else to go. She printed up the finally flight of steps and shouldered the door open. Skidding out onto the gravel, she slid across the flat level of the building. There was nowhere else to go. The chill night air tugged at her hair, whipping it across her face in a way that would have hurt if there wasn't so much adrenaline pumping through her system. The buildings weren't close enough to jump across to, and there was no fire escape for an office building that tall.
"You bitch!"
Spinning on her heel, Kagome faced a panting, furious Naraku. He seemed almost manic from the drugs, even energetic despite the sweat beading on his forehead. The woman chewed on her lip, deciding in that moment to face the problem head on. She squared her shoulders—there wasn't anywhere to run, anyway.
"Naraku!" she shouted, fighting to sound more angry than terrified.
Trying to placate her, Naraku smile, but it came off as demented and disturbing. "Baby, don't worry, we'll get out of this. Give me the jewel, and you can come back home. Everything will go back to normal."
Kagome scoffed. "No," she told him loudly. "You're in too deep, Naraku, you can't get out this time. I bet the police have been keeping as close an eye on you as they have on me. I've learned a lot since I came here, including your criminal record. You've done a lot for someone younger than thirty."
Unsurprisingly, Naraku ignored her. "You can't be serious, my love. Are you saying that you enjoy being here with these people? You enjoy being Kagome Shashu? Don't you want to go home and be Kagome Higurashi again?"
"I have friends here, Naraku! Sango and Miroku and Inuyasha are all here for me! I have a job and a life; I'm able to go where I want, when I want, and no one tries to control me. I'm happy for the first time in a long time, and I love being here."
Her ex scoffed openly. "You don't mean Miroku Houshi, do you? He's no good for you. Did you know that his dad was a famous detective? He'll probably try to mooch off that fame forever. He's worthless— a good-for-nothing piece of trash."
"Miroku is a good man," Kagome argued hotly. "And he's a great friend."
As though he hadn't heard her, Naraku carried on. "And Sango Taijai? She's rolling in money. She's happy without you, Kagome!" Even with several feet between them, he could see the way her eyes were shinning with tears. It gave him the confidence to continue in an even louder voice. "She has her brother, that Kohaku boy. After their parents' death in that fire, she doesn't want to get close to anyone. She doesn't want you around screwing up her life," he told Kagome coldly, taking a step forward.
"Don't you talk about Sango that way," Kagome snapped, swiping stubbornly at the tears falling down her cheek. They made her even angrier. "She's been like a sister to me. You don't know her!"
Naraku cocked his head to one side, a slow malicious smile spreading across his handsome face. "And then there's Inuyasha… He doesn't care for you, in any way at all. He's a shallow playboy who sleeps around with anyone who will have him. He'd just use you and throw you away."
It made her heart ache, the things he was saying. Kagome shook her head violently as though it would be enough to fend off his poisonous words. "Inuyasha is my friend. Don't you dare say that crap about him!"
After a beat, Naraku began walking forward, extending his hands out towards her. He clearly needed to try a different tact if verbally attacking her friends wasn't enough to turn her against them. "Kagome, I love you. Please come home! I need you."
Kagome squeezed her eyes shut tight as more tears brimmed. "My home's here now, Naraku," she insisted, her voice trembling. "Not with you. Not anymore." Suddenly, Kagome's eyes opened and flashed dangerously. "And you don't love me."
He crept closer, still smiling. "Kagome, come back. I promise I won't hit you anymore. I never will again. You love me, Kagome, and you can't stay away."
"I don't love you, and I never have! I will never, ever come back to you."
Stunned, Naraku stumbled to a stop just as Inuyasha burst through the door. He'd heard some of the exchange, mostly in pieces, but he'd caught all of that last remark—and it made Inuyasha smile, wishing he could see the look on Naraku's face instead of just the deadbeat's back.
"Kagome!" he called forcefully, talking a step forward.
"Oh, thank god," Kagome said very quietly under her breath. She gave him a tremulous smile, striving to sound strong and confident. "It's about time, you jerk," she yelled at her friend. For a second, she almost laughed in relief. "I came all the way here to see you, and you weren't here to meet me," she scolded. They shared a smile.
The fact that her attention wasn't focused completely on him made something dark and sinister boil just below Naraku's skin. "Kagome, this bastard has been brainwashing you! Don't you see? You do love me; everyone's just trying to keep you away from me!"
"That was actually the idea," Inuyasha spat. "The keeping you away from her part, I mean. Leave Kagome alone!"
Naraku's attention darted between Kagome and Inuyasha, but it finally landed on the jewel swinging from around her neck. It struck a longing in him, and he took a step towards her, forcing her to take a step back. Kagome had no choice but to keep backing away to keep some distance between them, but he kept coming forward.
As Kagome took her fourth step backward, her tennis shoe scuffed something. She quickly regained her balance and risked a glance behind her, realizing that she'd reach the edge of the roof. The ledge was only up to her shins, and her heel had landed in the middle of it—if she'd had tripped, she would have gone over. The bottom dropped out of her stomach just as her heart leaped into her throat. It made her dizzy to look down at all the lights rushing past, so far below.
When Naraku stepped forward again and watched her shuffle back as far as possible, it made him smirk in triumph. "Kagome, come back to me."
"No, Naraku, never!" Her eyes sparked with hatred and blame, conveying all the doubt and anger he'd invoked in her; it was enough to surprise him, but not enough to stop him.
"This is your last chance," he murmured, coming to stand directly in front of her. There was nothing by sky behind her, a backdrop of stars. For a moment, just a moment, Naraku's drug hazy mind remembered how much he actually did love her.
Tears pooled in Kagome's eyes. This was the man she had lived with for four years, who had taken away her friends, family, and freedom. He had beaten her and hunted her down without mercy when she tried to escape and create a better life away from him. She never wanted to be near him again. "Never," she whispered.
Naraku's smirk flickered and died. Reaching forward, he gently plucked the jewel from her chest, rolling it around with his fingers.
Inuyasha, who had been standing off to the side trying to calculate his next move, stumbled forward—Naraku was officially too close to Kagome for comfort. The gravel shifted under his feet, but he tried to approach as quietly as he could.
Swallowing hard, his eyes crazed, Naraku met Kagome's eyes. He placed a hand flat on her chest, ignoring the way she gasped and flinched away from his touch, and then he pushed. So very quickly, Kagome's body angled backward over the empty space behind her. Her momentum snapped the chain of the Shikon no Tama from around her neck, and Naraku's fingers closed over it completely.
"No!" Inuyasha yelled, rushing forward, watching helplessly as Kagome's arms spread out wide to grab hold of something that wasn't there. Her eyes, already so big and innocent, were even wider with terror. It only took one second for her to lose her balance, for her to go over the edge—but in that one second, she shifted her gaze from Naraku to Inuyasha and gave him a very small smile.
And then she was gone.
Naraku and Inuyasha both stood at the edge, peering down into the darkness, stunned into silence. He hadn't been able to do it—Inuyasha hadn't been able to save her after all, and Naraku had just pushed her off the roof of a building.
Snarling, Inuyasha turned on Naraku. Nothing else mattered. Even if Kagura had called the police, even if they would be running up the stairwell any second, it was already too late. With Kagome gone, Inuyasha didn't care about anything—except killing Naraku.
The younger man lunged at Naraku, his knuckles making contact with the murderer's jaw with a resounding crack of flesh on flesh. As Naraku stumbled backward, Inuyasha used his continued momentum to collide with him in the chest and take him down the ground.
As Naraku laid on the gravel, curling inward, Inuyasha stumbled to his feet and delivered a swift kick into the other's ribs. When he stepped back, Naraku rolled over onto his knees and spit out a mouthful of blood. Afraid to give him too much time to recover, Inuyasha lifted his leg and dropped the heel of his boot into Naraku's head, dropping the man back to the floor with a groan.
"You sick son of a bitch!" Inuyasha roared, dropping to his knees over Naraku's prone body and placing his hand on the back of his head, shoving it hard into the gravel. He didn't notice that Naraku's hand was reaching up until his long fingers wrapped around Inuyasha's neck. Gasping for breath around the pressure on his wind pipe, the younger man allowed the murderer to overpower him.
They both collapsed on the roof, rolling around in the gravel until Naraku was the one on his feet. Returning the favor, the murderer landed several kicks himself into Inuyasha's side. When Inuyasha got to his hands and knees, swaying, Naraku put a foot on his back and pressed down until the younger man was one again flat on the ground.
Desperately, Inuyasha grabbed Naraku's ankle and dug his nails into the skin until he felt it tear, blood pooling around his fingertips.
Naraku yelped and jumped backward, giving Inuyasha enough time to get to his feet and throw a swing that knocked the older man off balance; he dropped to the ground and skidded across the gravel, the small, jagged bits of rock scraping his skin as he went.
They were both breathing raggedly—battered, bloody, and bruised. Inuyasha stumbled back a step, struggling to regain control. Everything was spinning around him. With a couple of false starts, Naraku was able to get to his feet as well. They stood facing one another until Inuyasha threw a vicious right hook, his fist colliding with Naraku's nose until they both heard it break. Blood streamed down the murderer's pale skin.
There in that moment, Inuyasha could picture Naraku hurting Kagome, the way he must have punched and kicked her. Had the bastard ever broken her nose? Anger fueled him again, quieting the pain until it was just a murmur under the surface. He kneed Naraku in the gut, watching with satisfaction as the older man grunted and crumpled to his knees.
Naraku, however, had both drugs and adrenaline on his side—he pushed off from the ground and tackled Inuyasha around his middle, taking them both to the gravel. Inuyasha bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep from crying out in pain when his back collided with the roof.
Using his weight, Inuyasha rolled Naraku over and threw punch after punch into his face. Naraku shoved him away and scrambled to his feet, his face swollen and bloody.
"Naraku," he growled, spitting blood off to the side. "You're a dick, did you know that? You made her think that she loved you and that you loved her and that she deserved everything you gave her. You made her believe that your mistakes were her fault. You're a fucking asshole."
Kagome's ex brushed at his face with a closed fist, smearing blood across his mouth. He scowled.
"You made her see things that no one deserved to see," Inuyasha continued, taking a step forward. "You dragged her into a mess that involved murder, stealing, and drugs. You kept her from the people who loved her, and you made her so terrified that she had to run away to another city—only to be hunted down like an animal by you!"
Naraku snarled, "I wanted her back! Can you blame me? She was always there and was always helping me. And I didn't mistreat her. She did deserve anything she got!"
Unable to restrain himself for another second, Inuyasha lunged forward and grabbed Naraku around the neck. Instinctively, Naraku pushed Inuyasha off of him and took a step backward…
Into thin air.
Inuyasha watched in horror as the second person in just as many minutes tumbled over the edge. Naraku's eyes widened in realization as his body went careening into empty space; he reached outward and something flew from his fist—and the Shikon no Tama landed with a soft ting on the roof.
The last expression on Naraku's face was a twisted smirk, looking both angry and afraid, and then he was out of sight.
Many, many stories below, Naraku screamed until he passed out mid-air, soon after landing in a bloody heap in a Tokyo street.
His death cry echoed in Inuyasha's ears, even long after Naraku was finally gone.
Next Chapter: Home Again
