We all already know that I do not own Inuyasha or the characters, so don't
ask.
Chapter 13: A Golden Glow
~.~.~.~.~.Kagome
Dark.
Everything was dark and fuzzy and very confused.
Very, very faintly I heard a sweet, high-pitched little voice saying "Kagome-oonechan? Big sister Kagome? Wake up!"
Who was it?
A small girl with big brown eyes and short black hair came floating into my mind.
Rin?
Memories came in a trickle, and I remembered the shield. Oh yea. I had to let Sesshoumaru out.
I concentrated as best I could and released the shield, feeling a giant, soundless explosion rocket out from me in all directions.
It would be okay now.
I slumped down in a faint.
~.~.~.~.~.Sango
Despite all our efforts, too many were getting by us. I bit my lip until I tasted blood. Kagome was still alive, and if I had anything to say in the matter, she would remain that way.
Kirrara snarled in front of me, bringing me from my exhausted musings with an almost audible bump. Yet more chunks of demon fell onto the pile around me. Sadly, something had lent them extra power so that they were more difficult to kill. No prizes for guessing who the lender was.
I lifted my boomerang for what seemed the millionth time in the past few hours and flung it again.
"Hirokotsu!"
The weapon cut through dozens of the things and then cam sailing back to me as I lifted my arm to grab the leather strap. It ripped through my fingers, nearly taking my arm with it. I looked at hit lying on the blood-soaked ground, feeling disgusted with myself. Never had I been this weak before.
A shrieking in front of me made me look up and I kicked and the demon, the small, concealed blade in the toe of my boot snapping out and slashing the thing. It fell away, screaming differently now as blood flowed from the new wound.
Grimly I drew my katana. There would be times to brood later.
~.~.~.~.~.Sesshoumaru
The first thing that I did when the woman finally let me out was take my claws to the demon who was coming towards her. After all, she had healed me and then kept me from being killed when I was sleeping. That did merit some reward. Making sure that she did not die now would suffice.
After about a half an hour of defending her I sighed, realizing that we would have to move. I could barely breathe as it was, if any more demons were killed in this place I would not be able to take the reek of blood any longer. I would pass out from the lack of air and the suffocating scent. It helped, somewhat at least, that what demons the miko purified did not leave behind blood or gore. As I thought of her and then how I had to kill the demons my youkai, which was causing me to glow a faint forest green, changed, waves of golden light rippling outward from me until all that remained was the golden glow. A demon screeched in front of me and, unthinkingly, I slashed at it.
It let out what would be an earsplitting screech even by human standards. Needless to say, it left my ears ringing. After voicing this cry, it glowed golden like myself and then fell to my feet, smoking faintly; almost as though it was dissolving. I looked, amazed, at the small gashes that I had inflicted on it. I had barely brushed the thing and had not even used my poison! Those scratches should not have been enough to kill it!
I heard the scratching of claws and small splashes from behind me and spun around, slashing once again, vaguely noticing that the golden tinge was gone and my normal green aura had returned.
Sighing, I looked at the girl. As if the stench of the area were not enough incentive, both of us and Rin had bled in this place. That, I knew from experience as a hunter myself, would only make us easier to track. Both of us were strong, but neither could take on this army by ourselves. As much as I hated to admit that I needed help, if we were to make it through this then we would have to work off of one another. I sighed again. If we had to move, then I would have to move her. She was in no condition to do it herself. Gently I wrapped my tail (which I was quite intent on, and so of me was decorated with the least amount of red) around her small form and lifted her, marveling as I did so that one so who looked so delicate could be so strong. Inuyasha did not deserve to have such companions.
I did not think of why I bothered being gentle.
~.~.~.~.~.Kagome
There was a pool in front of me, its colors shifting and flowing like a living thing. It never remained the same color for long. It was kind of pretty, and I walked up to it to look closer.
The technicolor muck rose up like a snake to greet me as I stepped hesitantly closer and then reached out to touch it.
It grabbed my hand and pulled me into it. I tried to scream and scream and scream at the horror of that touch, at the hard, slimy, soft, fleshy, dripping, gooey, wet, ever shifting hands that seemed to pull me into that pool, and then through it, but after I had screamed only once, the hands covered my mouth. Mentally I shrieked with horror, crying out against the wrongness of everything about that touch. It was not something that should exist, not ever, and now it had me in its clutches. Everything around me had a sense of wrongness to it, and when I tried to purify it all with my power, it was as if a giant chasm had been torn through my power itself, and I felt myself loosing who I was, slipping into the abyss inside me.
I wrenched back from the gaping hole inside me and then suddenly was spit out by the pool–which was now a wall, a wall of many colors that were always shifting.
I don't know how long I knelt on the ground after scrambling away from the one-time pool, hot tears forcing themselves between my lashes. It could have been minutes, or it could have been days. At last I looked around and found myself in a giant maze. I needed to get out of here. I stood and ran in the opposite direction to that which I had come in until I last found myself at a fork. I took the right branch and ran, turning right again whenever I came to a split. When at last I reached the end, it was a dead- end.
I stopped, looking at the end curiously. There seemed to be something large and white resting against the ending wall. I stepped forward and then shrieked in horror, running up to the limp pile of fur.
Kirrara was lying in her full form, for all appearances dead. I collapsed by her side, crying her name as more tears ran down my cheeks.
"Kirrara! Kirrara! Wake up! Oh, wake up please," I begged, my tears falling on the demon.
In a sudden flash of inspiration I concentrated on healing her, whatever her affliction might be. Slowly my hands began to glow purple and I put them next to her, about to try to heal her as I had healed Sesshoumaru. Growing purple as I concentrating on helping the demon.
"Kagome," said a somehow very familiar voice behind me.
I turned around and saw that Sango was standing there in her demon exterminator armor, her hand on the leather strap that she held her boomerang with.
"Sango, do you know what's wrong?" I sobbed, the glow fading from my hands.
"Yes, Kagome. I do." Her voice was so cold.
"What is it? Can I help?" I asked desperately as I stood, the tears making tracks down my face.
"I am afraid that you cannot help, Kagome. You see, the problem is... you." When she said this I stood in shock, staring at her as she swung her boomerang.
She had not swung it hard, but it was a powerful weapon and I felt my legs not just break, but shatter. I screamed in pain, my useless legs crumbling beneath me.
Why was everything still so clear? This much pain should have caused everything to become hazy at the very least. I probably should have fainted by now.
As I fell Kirrara sprang up from behind me, yowled and slashed me across the stomach with her claws, her eyes shining a truly demonic red. Her fangs sank into my shoulder and I screamed again, feeling them come out the other side.
Somehow when I hit the ground I began sinking through it, like I do when I cross the times. Blood roses blossomed on my clothing as I heard the big cat scream in rage and Sango curse.
What had happened to them?
I hit the next level down and screamed in pain again as my legs hit the ground beneath me, crying uncontrollably. Miroku was standing in front of me. I sagged in relief.
"Miroku, Sango and Kirrara have gone nuts! Look what they did to me! Do you know why? Miroku?"
His eyes were so very, very cold and suddenly I was afraid. He did not even answer me, but reached for the rosary beads wrapped around his right hand. I stiffened, my eyes going blank with fear. I tried to move back, but it was no use. I could barely scoot back an inch before collapsing with pain.
"Miroku, please," I begged from my position on the ground. He didn't even reply, but I could feel the wind pulling at me harder and harder and harder. I whimpered, my tears being pulled off my cheeks even as I cried them. Soon I too was pulled into that hole, that black abyss in my friend's palm.
I landed on green grass. I almost cried again at seeing it, at the relief. Until I looked in front of me. Inuyasha was lying on the ground, his beautiful hair stained red and his eyes blank and empty. Slowly he was raised like a marionette, until he was standing again.
"Why Kagome?" he asked, a hurt expression in those empty eyes. "Why did you kill me?"
I tried to tell him that I hadn't killed him, that I never would do such a thing but found that my mouth wouldn't move. I cried and cried and tried to tell him as he looked at me with those empty eyes.
Kikyo stepped up next to him, kissing his cheek. "So, my love, that we could be together," she explained, trailing her arm seductively over his shoulders. He looked at me once again with those dead eyes, this time with a smile on his face.
"Really Kagome? You killed me for us?"
I wanted to deny it, to cry out that I had never killed him, but still I could not speak. I could only continue to watch him helplessly, tears pouring down my cheeks.
"Of course, as she does have part of my soul she could always join us in death."
I heard a bow twang and then felt an arrow punch through my chest.
~.~.~.~.~.Sesshoumaru
The still sleeping girl moaned and thrashed, occasionally whimpering or whispering "No," in hushed tones. It was annoying me. The noise was helping the demons find us, this I knew. More were appearing then should be with two different tracks to follow.
Finally, at a loss as to what else to do, I picked her up once more in my tail. She began to calm almost instantly, the violent shudders that had wracked her frame replaced by a mild trembling before vanishing completely. Finally she sighed contentedly and nuzzled deeper into the fur.
~.~.~.~.~.Kagome
"Don't look," a soft male voice whispered from behind me as strong arms wrapped themselves around me. "It's not real."
I blinked away my tears and found that I had my voice again. "Daddy?" I whispered shakily.
"No, but don't worry. It isn't real."
The red and black maze faded out and I found myself on a hilltop, my injuries gone, and rather then my uniform I was wearing a sundress. He, whoever he was, was still holding me while I trembled.
"See?" he asked when I recovered slightly.
"Is this real?" I asked curiously.
"No, but it's more real then back there."
"Thank you," I whispered as I closed my eyes and curled up next to him. He chuckled quietly and held me.
"Quite a mess you had gotten yourself into there," he commented in a soft voice. "How could I do anything but help?"
"Still, thank you," I said, turning my head to tuck it under his chin.
"Who are you anyway?" I asked dreamily as I watched the clouds sail overhead.
"Idiot," he said almost affectionately, slapping my arm lightly, "you aren't supposed to ask that. Wake up."
I came awake slowly, wrapped in something white.
******
...........o___O........... Whoooooooooa. Looooooong chapter this time. In fact, I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that this is the longest chappie so far. .......@_____o.........
Man, that would be a nightmare. All but the end, that is. If I had a dream like that, I probably wouldn't sleep for a year. Honestly, I didn't know that it would turn out so bad. I had wanted her to have a nightmare, but still I didn't know that it would be the nightmare to top all nightmares.
I just had to give her a bit of good stuff at the end, doncha think?
Sooooooo... Has anyone guessed the mystery of the golden youki and the purple power yet? I promise that they are very closely related. You just have to think back a while to a seemingly unimportant event.... Anyone who guesses correctly gets a pan of virtual brownies and this Sesshoumaru doll!!! (He interacts with you, but I warn you, if you win, DO NOT let him use his poison claws. I am now down one radio because of that...)
IMPORTANT: Next time I update, I am going to change the genera from Drama/Romance to Drama/Action/Adventure. This does not mean that I have changed the story, but the first installment (this story) will not have as much romance as the next. Sorry about that. If you could put three different genres then I would add romance too.
Five Reviews. That is all.
Reviewer Responses: (;D YAY!!!!!! Keep those reviews comin' people!)
blutterflygirl013- Whew. I'm glad that you don't think that I'm crazy with my odd Sesshoumaru's-relationship-with-Inuyasha thing.
Tusnaigi Water Angel- I'm glad you liked it! Thanx for reviewing!
Sayori-chan- *blush, blush* Umm, Kagome is really disoriented and, remember how I had a demon coming for her? That is the purple rope thing. Ehe.
Sukera- ... umm... I'm glad you... like it?
blue fox demon- Arf, arf! (I'm not all that bad at writing for a dog, huh?)
Chapter 13: A Golden Glow
~.~.~.~.~.Kagome
Dark.
Everything was dark and fuzzy and very confused.
Very, very faintly I heard a sweet, high-pitched little voice saying "Kagome-oonechan? Big sister Kagome? Wake up!"
Who was it?
A small girl with big brown eyes and short black hair came floating into my mind.
Rin?
Memories came in a trickle, and I remembered the shield. Oh yea. I had to let Sesshoumaru out.
I concentrated as best I could and released the shield, feeling a giant, soundless explosion rocket out from me in all directions.
It would be okay now.
I slumped down in a faint.
~.~.~.~.~.Sango
Despite all our efforts, too many were getting by us. I bit my lip until I tasted blood. Kagome was still alive, and if I had anything to say in the matter, she would remain that way.
Kirrara snarled in front of me, bringing me from my exhausted musings with an almost audible bump. Yet more chunks of demon fell onto the pile around me. Sadly, something had lent them extra power so that they were more difficult to kill. No prizes for guessing who the lender was.
I lifted my boomerang for what seemed the millionth time in the past few hours and flung it again.
"Hirokotsu!"
The weapon cut through dozens of the things and then cam sailing back to me as I lifted my arm to grab the leather strap. It ripped through my fingers, nearly taking my arm with it. I looked at hit lying on the blood-soaked ground, feeling disgusted with myself. Never had I been this weak before.
A shrieking in front of me made me look up and I kicked and the demon, the small, concealed blade in the toe of my boot snapping out and slashing the thing. It fell away, screaming differently now as blood flowed from the new wound.
Grimly I drew my katana. There would be times to brood later.
~.~.~.~.~.Sesshoumaru
The first thing that I did when the woman finally let me out was take my claws to the demon who was coming towards her. After all, she had healed me and then kept me from being killed when I was sleeping. That did merit some reward. Making sure that she did not die now would suffice.
After about a half an hour of defending her I sighed, realizing that we would have to move. I could barely breathe as it was, if any more demons were killed in this place I would not be able to take the reek of blood any longer. I would pass out from the lack of air and the suffocating scent. It helped, somewhat at least, that what demons the miko purified did not leave behind blood or gore. As I thought of her and then how I had to kill the demons my youkai, which was causing me to glow a faint forest green, changed, waves of golden light rippling outward from me until all that remained was the golden glow. A demon screeched in front of me and, unthinkingly, I slashed at it.
It let out what would be an earsplitting screech even by human standards. Needless to say, it left my ears ringing. After voicing this cry, it glowed golden like myself and then fell to my feet, smoking faintly; almost as though it was dissolving. I looked, amazed, at the small gashes that I had inflicted on it. I had barely brushed the thing and had not even used my poison! Those scratches should not have been enough to kill it!
I heard the scratching of claws and small splashes from behind me and spun around, slashing once again, vaguely noticing that the golden tinge was gone and my normal green aura had returned.
Sighing, I looked at the girl. As if the stench of the area were not enough incentive, both of us and Rin had bled in this place. That, I knew from experience as a hunter myself, would only make us easier to track. Both of us were strong, but neither could take on this army by ourselves. As much as I hated to admit that I needed help, if we were to make it through this then we would have to work off of one another. I sighed again. If we had to move, then I would have to move her. She was in no condition to do it herself. Gently I wrapped my tail (which I was quite intent on, and so of me was decorated with the least amount of red) around her small form and lifted her, marveling as I did so that one so who looked so delicate could be so strong. Inuyasha did not deserve to have such companions.
I did not think of why I bothered being gentle.
~.~.~.~.~.Kagome
There was a pool in front of me, its colors shifting and flowing like a living thing. It never remained the same color for long. It was kind of pretty, and I walked up to it to look closer.
The technicolor muck rose up like a snake to greet me as I stepped hesitantly closer and then reached out to touch it.
It grabbed my hand and pulled me into it. I tried to scream and scream and scream at the horror of that touch, at the hard, slimy, soft, fleshy, dripping, gooey, wet, ever shifting hands that seemed to pull me into that pool, and then through it, but after I had screamed only once, the hands covered my mouth. Mentally I shrieked with horror, crying out against the wrongness of everything about that touch. It was not something that should exist, not ever, and now it had me in its clutches. Everything around me had a sense of wrongness to it, and when I tried to purify it all with my power, it was as if a giant chasm had been torn through my power itself, and I felt myself loosing who I was, slipping into the abyss inside me.
I wrenched back from the gaping hole inside me and then suddenly was spit out by the pool–which was now a wall, a wall of many colors that were always shifting.
I don't know how long I knelt on the ground after scrambling away from the one-time pool, hot tears forcing themselves between my lashes. It could have been minutes, or it could have been days. At last I looked around and found myself in a giant maze. I needed to get out of here. I stood and ran in the opposite direction to that which I had come in until I last found myself at a fork. I took the right branch and ran, turning right again whenever I came to a split. When at last I reached the end, it was a dead- end.
I stopped, looking at the end curiously. There seemed to be something large and white resting against the ending wall. I stepped forward and then shrieked in horror, running up to the limp pile of fur.
Kirrara was lying in her full form, for all appearances dead. I collapsed by her side, crying her name as more tears ran down my cheeks.
"Kirrara! Kirrara! Wake up! Oh, wake up please," I begged, my tears falling on the demon.
In a sudden flash of inspiration I concentrated on healing her, whatever her affliction might be. Slowly my hands began to glow purple and I put them next to her, about to try to heal her as I had healed Sesshoumaru. Growing purple as I concentrating on helping the demon.
"Kagome," said a somehow very familiar voice behind me.
I turned around and saw that Sango was standing there in her demon exterminator armor, her hand on the leather strap that she held her boomerang with.
"Sango, do you know what's wrong?" I sobbed, the glow fading from my hands.
"Yes, Kagome. I do." Her voice was so cold.
"What is it? Can I help?" I asked desperately as I stood, the tears making tracks down my face.
"I am afraid that you cannot help, Kagome. You see, the problem is... you." When she said this I stood in shock, staring at her as she swung her boomerang.
She had not swung it hard, but it was a powerful weapon and I felt my legs not just break, but shatter. I screamed in pain, my useless legs crumbling beneath me.
Why was everything still so clear? This much pain should have caused everything to become hazy at the very least. I probably should have fainted by now.
As I fell Kirrara sprang up from behind me, yowled and slashed me across the stomach with her claws, her eyes shining a truly demonic red. Her fangs sank into my shoulder and I screamed again, feeling them come out the other side.
Somehow when I hit the ground I began sinking through it, like I do when I cross the times. Blood roses blossomed on my clothing as I heard the big cat scream in rage and Sango curse.
What had happened to them?
I hit the next level down and screamed in pain again as my legs hit the ground beneath me, crying uncontrollably. Miroku was standing in front of me. I sagged in relief.
"Miroku, Sango and Kirrara have gone nuts! Look what they did to me! Do you know why? Miroku?"
His eyes were so very, very cold and suddenly I was afraid. He did not even answer me, but reached for the rosary beads wrapped around his right hand. I stiffened, my eyes going blank with fear. I tried to move back, but it was no use. I could barely scoot back an inch before collapsing with pain.
"Miroku, please," I begged from my position on the ground. He didn't even reply, but I could feel the wind pulling at me harder and harder and harder. I whimpered, my tears being pulled off my cheeks even as I cried them. Soon I too was pulled into that hole, that black abyss in my friend's palm.
I landed on green grass. I almost cried again at seeing it, at the relief. Until I looked in front of me. Inuyasha was lying on the ground, his beautiful hair stained red and his eyes blank and empty. Slowly he was raised like a marionette, until he was standing again.
"Why Kagome?" he asked, a hurt expression in those empty eyes. "Why did you kill me?"
I tried to tell him that I hadn't killed him, that I never would do such a thing but found that my mouth wouldn't move. I cried and cried and tried to tell him as he looked at me with those empty eyes.
Kikyo stepped up next to him, kissing his cheek. "So, my love, that we could be together," she explained, trailing her arm seductively over his shoulders. He looked at me once again with those dead eyes, this time with a smile on his face.
"Really Kagome? You killed me for us?"
I wanted to deny it, to cry out that I had never killed him, but still I could not speak. I could only continue to watch him helplessly, tears pouring down my cheeks.
"Of course, as she does have part of my soul she could always join us in death."
I heard a bow twang and then felt an arrow punch through my chest.
~.~.~.~.~.Sesshoumaru
The still sleeping girl moaned and thrashed, occasionally whimpering or whispering "No," in hushed tones. It was annoying me. The noise was helping the demons find us, this I knew. More were appearing then should be with two different tracks to follow.
Finally, at a loss as to what else to do, I picked her up once more in my tail. She began to calm almost instantly, the violent shudders that had wracked her frame replaced by a mild trembling before vanishing completely. Finally she sighed contentedly and nuzzled deeper into the fur.
~.~.~.~.~.Kagome
"Don't look," a soft male voice whispered from behind me as strong arms wrapped themselves around me. "It's not real."
I blinked away my tears and found that I had my voice again. "Daddy?" I whispered shakily.
"No, but don't worry. It isn't real."
The red and black maze faded out and I found myself on a hilltop, my injuries gone, and rather then my uniform I was wearing a sundress. He, whoever he was, was still holding me while I trembled.
"See?" he asked when I recovered slightly.
"Is this real?" I asked curiously.
"No, but it's more real then back there."
"Thank you," I whispered as I closed my eyes and curled up next to him. He chuckled quietly and held me.
"Quite a mess you had gotten yourself into there," he commented in a soft voice. "How could I do anything but help?"
"Still, thank you," I said, turning my head to tuck it under his chin.
"Who are you anyway?" I asked dreamily as I watched the clouds sail overhead.
"Idiot," he said almost affectionately, slapping my arm lightly, "you aren't supposed to ask that. Wake up."
I came awake slowly, wrapped in something white.
******
...........o___O........... Whoooooooooa. Looooooong chapter this time. In fact, I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that this is the longest chappie so far. .......@_____o.........
Man, that would be a nightmare. All but the end, that is. If I had a dream like that, I probably wouldn't sleep for a year. Honestly, I didn't know that it would turn out so bad. I had wanted her to have a nightmare, but still I didn't know that it would be the nightmare to top all nightmares.
I just had to give her a bit of good stuff at the end, doncha think?
Sooooooo... Has anyone guessed the mystery of the golden youki and the purple power yet? I promise that they are very closely related. You just have to think back a while to a seemingly unimportant event.... Anyone who guesses correctly gets a pan of virtual brownies and this Sesshoumaru doll!!! (He interacts with you, but I warn you, if you win, DO NOT let him use his poison claws. I am now down one radio because of that...)
IMPORTANT: Next time I update, I am going to change the genera from Drama/Romance to Drama/Action/Adventure. This does not mean that I have changed the story, but the first installment (this story) will not have as much romance as the next. Sorry about that. If you could put three different genres then I would add romance too.
Five Reviews. That is all.
Reviewer Responses: (;D YAY!!!!!! Keep those reviews comin' people!)
blutterflygirl013- Whew. I'm glad that you don't think that I'm crazy with my odd Sesshoumaru's-relationship-with-Inuyasha thing.
Tusnaigi Water Angel- I'm glad you liked it! Thanx for reviewing!
Sayori-chan- *blush, blush* Umm, Kagome is really disoriented and, remember how I had a demon coming for her? That is the purple rope thing. Ehe.
Sukera- ... umm... I'm glad you... like it?
blue fox demon- Arf, arf! (I'm not all that bad at writing for a dog, huh?)