AN: You know, I just got so tired of this story. I just woke up and thought 'bah, don't wanna write this.' I only managed to write it after I changed the ending of the last chapter, coz I was stuck with the old ending and didn't know where to go. Amazing what a small change can do…^^;. I apologize, and will keep trying to work on this story. Speed wrote ¾ of this thing late afternoon so I could post it by 8:00 tonight . even though I had almost 4 months…0.0 Procrastination will be the death of me…haven't even started on my speech! Wah! Apologize in advance for any errors…
Hitting Against the Wall
"Kagome!" Inu-Yasha yelled, poking his head in her bedroom. "Where the heck are you? Myouga wants to meet with us! Kagomeee!" He entered and pulled the sheets off the bed, in case she might be hiding inside. "Kagome, come on, there's no time for jokes. Get out here." He narrowed his eyes. Maybe she was planning some sort of surprise attack on him. Suspiciously he looked up, then under the bed, then all around him. "Seriously. Your ass out here now." He went into the bathroom. Nada.
"Where the hell is she?" he grumbled, stepping out into the hallway where a human servant girl was creeping against the wall. He watched her curiously. "What are you doing?"
She made a shushing motion with her finger. Inu-Yasha growled impatiently. "Look, do you know where Kagome is or not?"
"I don't know anything, all right?" the servant girl snapped loudly.
"Sango!" Miroku popped up from around the corner. "There you are, I was looking all over for you." The girl groaned. "Seriously, it's almost like you've been hiding from me all this time. Listen, could you go to the kitchen and take care of something for me—"
Inu-Yasha grabbed Miroku's arm. "Have you seen Kagome? I've been running around the entire damn castle looking for her."
Was it just his imagination, or did Miroku actually turn a shade pale? "Uh…haven't seen her, no, sorry," he said, brushing Inu-Yasha's hand off. "Excuse me, will ya? There's a pretty servant girl waiting for me." This brought up an enraged squeak from the said servant girl named Sango.
The vampire glared at Miroku. "You suck at lying, Miroku. Where is she?"
Miroku gulped and shriveled down to half his size under Inu-Yasha's glare. "I don't know. Honestly."
"You know something." Anger was starting to swell in him, combined with an unsettling feeling that felt like dropping rocks in his stomach. "Why won't you tell me?"
"I can't, all right? She said she'd kill me if I told you. Besides, if she really wanted you to know she'd tell you yourself!" Miroku yelled suddenly.
That sounded all wrong to Inu-Yasha. Where the hell was she? And why wouldn't she tell him? And why would Miroku actually take a threat like that seriously? From the way he was talking, it sounded as if she was up to something, and it didn't sound good.
"You're coming with me," Inu-Yasha said shortly. He grabbed Miroku for the second time and marched him down the hallway. "I'm going to find out where she is if I have to force it out of you."
Miroku struggled for awhile, but realized early on (like two seconds into it) that it was a futile struggle. He sighed. "She didn't want you to know. She said you were too busy with Kikyo to be bothered."
Inu-Yasha stopped. The rocks in his stomach just became boulders. "What did you say?"
"Just repeating what she said," he shrugged. "Maybe she saw something, heard something, I dunno. Maybe you were too busy with Kikyo and she couldn't find the right place to interrupt—"
"Shut up!" Inu-Yasha growled. Miroku fell silent. That silence remained for another few seconds. Then Inu-Yasha started walking again.
They continued in silence for some more time when Inu-Yasha spoke up hestitantly, "Er….she hasn't gone and offed herself, has she?"
Miroku practically reeled back in shock. "Hell no, how stupid do you think she is? Or actually, how much do you think she likes you?"
Inu-Yasha frowned. He knew Kagome wasn't exactly going to jump off the roof of a castle just because she'd seen him with Kikyo…but what had she seen? What had she been thinking? And what the hell did Miroku mean? Was he saying she didn't like him?
"Maybe she does like you enough to almost off herself," Miroku said, as if answering him. "But maybe she doesn't realize it yet. Or maybe she has, which is why she didn't want to tell you."
Inu-Yasha closed his eyes. If he were Kagome, and he had just seen something and interpreted it the wrong way, where would he be?
"Come to think of it," Miroku added, "I remember hearing her say something about you choosing Kikyo."
"Oh god…" Inu-Yasha's mind flew back to the conversation he'd had with Kikyo. "She took it the completely wrong way…" He remembered her, smiling unusually brightly, spouting off about Miroku, what had she said? Oh yeah, to take care of him. Shit, he should have realized it from there.
Another realization hit him. "Miroku, when you saw her, did she have a little boy with her? Did she have Souta with her?"
His stomach twisted horribly when Miroku's shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. "You said it, not me," he said simply.
"Oh, shit…" Inu-Yasha's head was pounding. He reached the room where Myouga and the others were waiting and slowly slid it open.
"Inu-Yasha! Did you find Kagome?" Myouga asked, getting up from his seat. Already with him were Falcon, Takada, and Kikyo.
"Kagome's with Naraku," Inu-Yasha said bluntly.
The reactions varied, but all got out the same message: complete shock. Myouga's jaw dropped to the floor (not a far distance from his head), Falcon's right eyebrow shot up, Takada fell off his chair, and Kikyo's teacup froze halfway to her mouth.
"What on earth is she doing with Naraku?!" Myouga roared, suddenly looking furious.
"She made her decision. You know what the bargain was." Inu-Yasha knew it too, but he didn't know all of it. After all, he'd been outside holding Kikyo to him while Myouga and Kagome negotiated.
Myouga rubbed his forehead. "Kagome had to choose—take Souta but go with Naraku, or to stay here without her brother. It was either her or Kikyo who had a choice. Once either of them did, the truce was over."
Inu-Yasha snarled. "So that she's gone off to marry Naraku while we have to fight for our lives here?"
"You will not fight for your lives here…not yet, anyway." Sesshoumaru, with perfect timing, spoke from the door. "The girl and I negotiated another deal. We were not to fight until her return."
"You guys made a deal?" Inu-Yasha growled, while Myouga said at the same time, "Her return?"
Sesshoumaru gave them a cold, "Hmph, must I explain myself?" look. "While all of you were sitting around doing nothing except using up my resources, she and I made a deal. I revealed to her my suspicions of Naraku being a traitor. We have formed an—" he paused, his lip curling disdainfully, "alliance with each other to rid us of Naraku. That involved her agreeing to his terms and going with him to his castle, to investigate and spy on his clan. Her plan was to kill Naraku, escape, return, and we would storm in and wipe out his clan."
Myouga shook his head. "That will never work. She'll die trying."
Inu-Yasha's head was pounding harder. This wasn't right…Myouga couldn't say that. Kagome would be fine, she could kick ass on her own. But another part of him agreed with Miroku, that Kagome could die doing this. He couldn't think of her fighting for her life, in grave danger…all the previous times he'd been there beside her, but this time she was on her own.
His half brother gave the tiniest nod. "We seem to agree on that. Which is why I am heading for his castle now, to fight his clan. If you wish to come, then for this one battle we shall fight alongside each other. But only this once. And never again. We will use the element of surprise, while his main concern is the girl."
Falcon stood from her seat. "But do we have a chance? We don't know the strength of his clan, which is why Kagome is there. Perhaps we should let her scope it out."
"If we leave her there she'll die!" Inu-Yasha burst out. "I'd rather we go there and help her rather than make her face them all alone. Shit, we can't win in either situation, can we?" He glared at Sesshoumaru. "When this is over I'm gonna kill you. You sent Kagome out there, and she might die because of it."
"Of course she might die," Sesshoumaru said. "But she knew it, and she went out on her own. Anyone who is in her place knows of the risks." For the briefest moment, his gaze flickered over to Kikyo. "When one is a vampire hunter one accepts the possibility of death. Isn't that right, Myouga?"
Fists clenched, Myouga nodded.
The vampire lord looked at Inu-Yasha again. "I wonder if you would be so concerned if this were not the human girl. If it had been her," he gestured at Falcon, "Or him," to Takada, "in the girl's place, would you be so angry?"
Before Inu-Yasha could answer, Kikyo rose from her seat. "I will go along," she said. "The more people you have, the better."
The whole world was screwed over, Inu-Yasha thought, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He couldn't let Kikyo go. What if he lost both of them, Kikyo and Kagome? What if the sight of him and Kikyo drove Kagome further away? But he knew he couldn't stop Kikyo—she was more powerful than him, they needed her.
"Perhaps, Inu-Yasha, you should concentrate on your own decisions set before you, rather than those of Kagome," Sesshoumaru said. Leaving his younger half-brother fuming, he turned to the others. "We will leave in the morning. Gather your weapons and whatever you need from the storeroom. Get an Inu-kai to get it for you, I don't want the stench of humans in there."
"How're we supposed to know when morning is?" Takada asked dryly. "I mean, your sky has only so many shades—dark black red and dark black red."
"We will leave when I give the order," Sesshoumaru said stonily.
He turned around and left the room without another word. At the table Myouga sat down again with a huge sigh. Inu-Yasha remained standing, his posture stiff. He couldn't relax until Kagome was there safe beside him.
* * *
Kagome, meanwhile, was staring out at the oldest, darkest, creepiest castle she'd ever seen. Well, she'd only seen one other, but this was still pretty icky…
"I always wondered why you hung out in Sesshoumaru's place," she said casually. "This place looks like it could use some sunshine." She turned to look at Naraku with a grin.
"Learn to love it," Naraku replied. "You have all the time in the world, after all."
She stuck out her tongue. They walked up the wide stairs to the castle, Kagome lagging slightly behind because of all the weapons she carried. "You better have some good food, at least," she grumbled.
Naraku didn't answer. When they reached the top of the stairs, he looked around the entrance of the castle, the entire floor shrouded in mist. "Kagura, Kanna, come to me," he called out in a deep voice that shook the stone.
Through the mist two figures walked. When they were closer Kagome realized they were women. No, a woman and a girl. The woman had black hair pulled back in a ponytail and decorated with hair ornaments, and carried a fan in her white fingers. The little girl had long silvery hair like the Inu-kai, except her eyes were a hollow black. She held a round, circular mirror in front of her that didn't reflect the surroundings.
"You summoned, oh great master?" the woman asked dryly. The girl remained silent.
"Kagura, take Kagome to rest in suitable quarters," he said, stepping to the side so that Kagome was in plain view of the two. "The best there are."
Kagome swallowed when Kagura's gaze shifted to her. Her expression didn't exactly give off the impression of a warm welcome. "So this is Kagome, the great vampire hunter of this era." Her scowl grew deeper. "She doesn't look like much."
Kagome shot her a glare of her own. She would show Kagura exactly how much she was worth. Oh yes, she would show Kagura just how much when she stuck a sword up her—
"As for you, Kanna, tend to her needs. Make her feel more welcome," he said in a tone that spoke of a secret meaning. Kanna nodded slightly without looking at Kagome. Kagome thought the child was kinda scary, scarier than Kagura…she'd have to watch out around her.
"So should I take her now, or what? You wanna play with her a little?" Kagura asked in a bored tone.
The hairs on the back of Kagome's neck rose. She did not just say that. Oh, gross.
"It's Kagome's decision. She's not a guest, anyway. She has chosen to stay here."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Only for awhile, then I'm going to find a way to kick your ass. This is only for letting Souta go." She casually stretched her arms above her head and gave an exaggerated yawn. "I'll go the room, then," she said, grinning at Kagura. "If your servant doesn't mind."
Kagura screeched and opened her fan with a sharp flick. Kagome felt a sharp breeze whirling around her legs before Naraku stopped Kagura. "Stop it. Kagura is one of my kin, soon to be one of yours, too. You will treat each other civilly."
Both women put their hands on their hips. "How can a vampire hunter be our kin?" Kagura sniffed.
"And who are you to order me
around?" Kagome added huffily.
"I am the lord of this clan," Naraku said loudly. For the briefest moment Kagome felt the fear she'd once experienced around him, to remind her of what he was capable of. "If you wish to be on equal footing with me, you are welcome to come with me to my own quarters."
As quickly as it had come the fear left, and Kagome was left with just utter repulsion. "I'll—go—to—my—own—thanks," she muttered through gritted teeth, thinking if she opened her mouth wider she was going to scream in disgust.
Kagura had found the whole thing amusing, but still looked at Kagome like she wanted to rip her apart. "Hmph. Come with me then," she said, turning around and entering the castle. With a dirty look back at Naraku, Kagome followed her.
Kanna stayed behind. Naraku placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know what to do, Kanna," he said with a smile.
"It's easy to forget," Kanna whispered, though she wasn't talking about herself.
"Don't worry, and just do the job right. She'll make a wonderful mother for you."
* * *
As soon as Kagome entered the castle she felt the strong aura of vampires. Naraku's clan seemed pretty powerful just from their aura. Especially the woman in front of her, Kagura…her presence was irritating Kagome like an itch on the inside of her skin.
"What are you planning, slayer?" Kagura asked, breaking the silence of the past few minutes.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kagome blinked innocently.
"Obviously you don't plan on being our kin, and obviously you don't plan on keeping us alive. So what's going on in that small head of yours?"
Kagome resisted the urge to call Kagura something really really nasty. "Obviously, whatever I'm planning I'm not telling you anything," she snorted. Then, after a pause, she added, "Duh."
"But you don't think you'll get out of this castle alive if you go against Naraku…" Kagura laughed at the thought.
"Of course I will!" Kagome snapped.
It was only after Kagura looked at her in amusement for awhile that Kagome realized she had to work harder at keeping her big mouth shut. Inu-Yasha wouldn't have let her say anything stupid like that—
No! Kagome shook her head. Must…not...be…dependent! Blah! I can do this on my own.
"So anyway, what are you to Naraku?" Kagome asked casually, as if she'd just asked about the weather. "Like an old flame, a sister…his mom?"
That seemed to strike Kagura as the funniest thing. She threw her head back and laughed, her laughter echoing down the hallway. "Naraku is my maker," she said, still chuckling.
"Oh." What was so funny about that?
"I was a bit older than you when I met him. He was quite handsome and more charming than the other boys my age."
Kagome tsked sympathetically. "Geez that's terrible…not many decent men back then?"
"When he offered to change me, I accepted readily. I thought that we would rule his clan together." Kagura's lips curled sardonically. "But no, I'm here just to serve him, to carry out his dirty work, and babysit when he's gone. You must be really important, if he had to leave and fetch you himself."
Fetch? Fetch? "We go way back," Kagome shrugged. From the way Kagura was talking, it seemed she had bitter feelings towards Naraku. Maybe when the time came to fight, she could convince Kagura to switch sides.
"I'd never betray him, though," Kagura said, as if she'd read Kagome's thoughts. "I still have my honor." She stopped in front of a large door and pushed it open. The door spread open from the middle, breaking into two parts. "Here's your room. Stay in there until Naraku tells you what to do." Kagome walked through the door, surveying the interior.
Kagura looked Kagome up and down, scrutinizing her. "You look kind of big, actually. I don't know what Naraku was thinking when he said you looked like Kikyo. I've seen her up close, and though I hate to admit it, she's quite pretty." She leaned forward and grabbed the handles of each door half. Then she looked up and gave Kagome a final grin. "Don't know what happened to you."
The doors were shut just in time before Kagome pulled a knife from her clothes and lunged at Kagura. She drove the metal into hard wood instead. "I'll kill you myself," she snarled.
She rubbed her forehead and headed toward the bed, but stopped when she saw someone standing beside it.
"How'd you get here?"
* * *
"So you're my sister's boyfriend?" Souta asked for the thousandth, sitting on the edge of Inu-Yasha's bed.
Inu-Yasha grit his teeth and for the thousandth time fought the urge to strangle the kid. "No, kid, I'm not her boyfriend," he replied for, yes, the thousandth time. "Now will you quite bugging me and let me concentrate?"
"But you're just standing there holding a rusty sword," he pointed out. "How much concentration do you need?"
"Whatever. I just need you to shut up," Inu-Yasha said, only half-listening. He had to make sure he had everything he needed, had everything planned out.
"Why aren't you my sister's boyfriend?"
"Why does it matter to you so much, huh?" Inu-Yasha snapped.
"That's what Miroku told me, and you're telling me something different. So who's telling the truth?"
"I am. Look, your sister got herself into this stupid situation and I have to haul her ass out of Naraku's place. That's all."
Souta brought his knees up to his chest. "I've been in Naraku's castle," he said softly, no longer in that curious, pesky tone.
Inu-Yasha noticed it, and looked at him. "I know," he said quietly.
"It's not a nice place."
"I know."
"He's not a nice person."
"No shi—I mean, that's true."
Souta remained quiet for awhile. Inu-Yasha, while now burdened with the image of a really menacing castle, was relieved Souta had stopped bugging him about Kagome.
At least until the next time Souta opened his mouth. "If you're not my sister's boyfriend, then why are you the only one who's really worked up about her leaving?"
"Well, because—because she's always going out and doing dumb things, and I always have to get her out of it!" Inu-Yasha said defensively.
"Oh, okay." Pause. "So you're worried about her?"
I will not kill Kagome's brother, I will not kill Kagome's brother…he wondered why Kagome had ever wanted to save him in the first place. After all, if it weren't for him, Kagome would be right here…not the best thing to be thinking, but it was true.
"I heard Kagome tell Miroku you chose the other girl, I forgot her name. The one who looks like my sister. She didn't want you to know anything. She sounded pretty angry about it. Guess that means she liked you. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Anything?"
"For crying out loud get out of my room!" Inu-Yasha yelled. What was it with him and little kids? Why did they have to be their most annoying when they were around him? Even with Shippou…
"Okay, okay, I'm gone," Souta said, hopping off the bed. "Guess I should be glad you aren't my sister's boyfriend, you being so temperamental and all." He walked towards the door. "I'll go find Miroku. Since you aren't talking, I know he's got all the answers."
Inu-Yasha groaned. There was just no way to win.
* * *
Kanna moved closer to her, holding the mirror in front of her. She looked creepy, edging toward Kagome in her white dress, with her white skin and pale hair.
Kagome held the knife warningly in front of her. "How'd you get here so fast?" she asked. Kanna didn't answer.
"What are you doing here? Get out," she said in a low voice.
Kanna only moved closer. "You have to forget," she whispered.
"Forget what?"
Smoke began to stream out of her mirror. Kagome took a step back. "He's bad for you," Kanna said softly. "It's hopeless."
Before Kagome could reply, the smoke gathered around Kagome, thick and white and blinding. Kagome choked and tried brushing the smoke away. Finally she saw Kanna again, holding the mirror. All of a sudden the mirror flared bright, and light shone from its surface. There was a loud ringing sound. Kagome covered her eyes until the ringing faded into echoes. When she looked up, she was in complete blackness.
She sighed. "Oh god, not this stuff again…"
But this time she wasn't looking at her brother. She was looking at Inu-Yasha. Why would Naraku show her Inu-Yasha?
She watched Inu-Yasha leave his room and walk down the hallway. "Inu-Yasha!" she called out, knowing that before, Souta could hear her. But this time he couldn't hear her. He turned a couple corners and stopped at Kikyo's room.
"You both are silent to each other," Kanna said, stepping beside Kagome. In front of them, Kikyo had just opened her door.
The two of them talked by the door, Kikyo's hand resting lightly on Inu-Yasha's arm. Kagome couldn't hear them and she couldn't read their lips, the image seemed distorted somehow. Then the scene switched to Kikyo sitting on the bed, Inu-Yasha standing over her. The same scene Kagome had walked into when she agreed to go with Naraku. Kagome blinked. "They still don't know that I'm gone," she murmured.
Images of the two of them popped up, one after the other. Kagome even saw glimpses of their past. A calm and collected Kikyo admonishing a sullen looking Inu-Yasha. Kikyo smiling. The two of them holding hands. Kissing.
"See what you're disrupting?" Kanna said. "He's not good for you. The dead stay with the dead."
The scene switched to the two of them, Inu-Yasha and Kagome, in Myouga's backyard, clinging to each other. Only this time Inu-Yasha was sucking the blood from her neck. Nothing too romantic about that. "See what happens when the dead tries to love the living?" Kanna said. Another image, of Kikyo falling to her 'death.' "They were cursed when she was alive. But they are together now. No room for you."
A vein pulsed in Kagome's temple. "No way…Naraku's playing mind games with me," she said. It was getting harder to speak, her head was getting heavier…
"Naraku can make you forget," Kanna whispered. "You don't have to feel the pain."
Her head was hurting now, like it was being pressed down from all directions. "No," she said again, barely getting the words out. "He—can't—do this!"
There was a shattering sound, and the images disappeared. Kagome was falling, until she hit a soft blanket of darkness.
And then she was dreaming of Inu-Yasha, hazy, distorted dreams. Dreams she hadn't allowed herself to have. Holding Inu-Yasha, kissing him, all those things he'd done with Kikyo, except with her. This time he was all hers.
Kanna watched Kagome sprawled on the bed (who probably didn't even care how she got there), fidgeting in her sleep. She was mumbling Inu-Yasha's name over and over again.
She looked down at her mirror, where there was a small crack. She would have to get it fixed and try again.
"It didn't work?"
"No," Kanna said simply. "She was prepared."
Naraku moved over to the bed, his features malevolent. "Leave now, Kanna," he said.
When Kanna was gone, Naraku shook Kagome. She burst out of sleep with a gasp. Her eyes scanned her surroundings quickly, to get her bearings. Then they fell on Naraku. "You! What are you—"
Her words ended in a horrible choke when Naraku's hand lashed out and curled itself around her throat. She scratched at his arm, but he kept his grip firm. "I have shown you too much kindness," he said in a voice she hadn't heard before. She couldn't say anything, even glare at him, because all she was focused on was trying to get air.
"If you say his name again, I will change you by force," Naraku said harshly. "Just once, and I will hear it, and you will be changed. Do you understand me?"
Kagome gurgled, unable to form words.
He loosened his grip the slightest fraction. "You won't ever say his name again," he repeated. "Is that clear?"
"Y…ysess!" Kagome forced out.
"Good." Naraku released her throat, pushing her head against the headboard before doing so. Kagome clawed at her throat, sucking in deep amounts of air.
"Don't forget that, Kagome," Naraku said smoothly rising up and heading towards the door. When Kagome blinked again, he was gone.
Kagome winced as she rubbed her damaged throat. Forget saying Inu-Yasha's name, probably now she could barely speak. Maybe she'd underestimated Naraku, and bitten off way more than she could chew.
