Author's note: Hey everybody! Thanks to the people who wrote me. Now, I want some review-alicious reviews on this chapter. Just because I know how my story's gonna end doesn't mean I have to tell you! :-P Lol. Seriously, school's starting up, so you'll have to convince me to finish writing the story. Though if, for once, it goes the way I think it will, I think you guys will like it.
Review review review! I like 'em of all sizes, long and short. Drop me a line! ^_^
Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine, though I'd love to give those ears a good loooong tweak. Come on, you know you've all thought about doing it. ^_~
* * *
Later that night, the clearing fell into silence as the last few embers of the fire died. The soft cracks and pops faded slowly into nothingness.
Lifting his head, Inuyasha glumly took in the sleeping forms of his friends. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo all rested against Kirara's large, comforting side, and the cat demon growled softly in her sleep. With a frown, Inuyasha turned to look at the one person who was still awake.
Ishiyana glared daggers at Inuyasha from across the fire bed. His arms tightened instinctively around Kagome, whom Sango had dressed hours ago. Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha tried once more to accept the fact that the boy wasn't letting him near Kagome and that as a human, he would not be able to pry her out of the other boy's arms…at least, not without hurting her even more. Every time he'd gone near her, the jerk had tossed out another verbal dagger that made Inuyasha feel lower than dirt. At the risk of either waking Kagome or harming her, Inuyasha had forcibly restrained himself.
Inuyasha winced as he took in her bandaged arm once more. Dammit, I should have been there for her. Maybe if I'd figured things out sooner, she wouldn't even be hurt now. He sighed. I should've noticed before now that Kikyo wasn't the same, but I guess I just couldn't see past my guilt and those memories. His shoulders tensed. I can't let her hurt Kagome ever again. Even if I have to take out Kikyo myself…
He stilled as Kagome shifted in her sleep. Slowly, she reached one dainty hand up and clutched Ishiyana's shirtfront. Inuyasha's fists clenched as he watched the boy's face turn red.
Ishiyana peered down into Kagome's face. Gingerly, he brushed a few strands of hair back from her troubled forehead. As if searching for something, she turned her head towards him, and her lips parted. Swallowing, Ishiyana fought the sudden urge to kiss her. Where is this coming from? Suddenly, the few memories he had of Kagome ran before his eyes. Well, duh, no wonder I'm protective of her. She's always in trouble! And yet… His thumb absentmindedly stroked her cheek. Somehow, even though I know she's been through a lot more than just that…she always has a smile on her face. She's probably been to hell and back…and yet she still seems happy. How did she do it?
A growl rose up in Inuyasha's throat. "For the last time, let me hold her!" he hissed. "And don't start laying in with the guilt trip. I know I screwed up, dammit!"
Ishiyana looked up. "No way. You don't deserve her."
"I told you—"
He trailed off as Kagome murmured softly. The hand that clutched Ishiyana's shirt relaxed, then traveled up to his face. Ishiyana held his breath as her soft fingers explored his face. Suddenly, her hand stilled, and a frown swept across her face.
"I…Inuyasha."
Her hand dropped from Ishiyana's face and was flung out to the side, as if reaching for the half-demon. Swallowing, Inuyasha moved to her side and gently took her hand in his.
"I'm here, Kagome."
Her frown smoothed away as she tightened her grip on his hand and promptly fell into a deeper sleep.
A blush crept onto Inuyasha's cheeks, but he managed to look up into the glowering face of Ishiyana and scowl.
"Give her to me, or I take her from you. Your choice," Inuyasha challenged softly. With obvious reluctance, Ishiyana relaxed his hold on the girl and allowed Inuyasha to gather her into his arms. She did ask for him, after all.
The boys sat in silence for a long moment as Kagome made herself comfortable. Though he felt better with Kagome in his arms, Inuyasha still felt uneasy. She hadn't woken since she'd collapsed earlier. Could the wound in her arm be serious enough to cause any real trouble? It was, after all, a sacred arrow she'd been shot with, and she'd lost a lot of blood. What if an artery was hit? His heart pounded as he recalled one of her descriptions of first-aid. She'd said that if a certain spot on the arm were hit, a person would bleed to death.
Gingerly, he checked the bandage on her arm. It didn't look like she was bleeding to death, but what would he know about human injuries?
Or…was there some other reason she hadn't woken up?
Sighing, Inuyasha tightened his hold on her. I wish I knew what was wrong… I can't stand for her to be in pain! And for Kikyo to cause this…
Kikyo.
Suddenly, all of his frustration regarding his reincarnation surfaced. Is this how Kikyo felt when she looked at Kagome? Then that moronic scene when Kagome had laughed at Ishiyana's antics came to mind. What if she chooses him? After all, he's from HER time…wouldn't they be better suited for each other? A ball of lead rolled in his stomach. Gods, I don't know what I would do if she went with him. I mean, yeah, she has loyalties to me because she met me first, but…in the long run, what does meeting her first matter? What if she realizes that she'd be happier with my reincarnation than with me…wait!
Inuyasha gasped and straightened. His thought repeated over and over again…what does meeting her first matter? What does meeting her first matter?
"Oh gods."
What did it matter that he'd met Kikyo first, if he knew he'd be happier with her reincarnation? Kagome wasn't Kikyo, and that's exactly why he'd fallen for her. She was happier, nicer, and more…fun than Kikyo ever was. Not to mention that the Kikyo running around now wasn't even the same girl. Yeah, he had to avenge her death and yeah, he felt guilty about the way she died…but did he have to die for her? Did he have to go to Hell for a girl that didn't even exist anymore? Would it be that terrible if he found happiness with another?
"I'm an idiot."
"At least we agree."
Inuyasha snapped out of his reverie to find Ishiyana looking at him with a strange expression on his face.
"You look like you've just made a revelation," Ishiyana stated dryly. "Care to share?"
"No."
"Fine." Ishiyana folded his arms and sighed. "Look…I guess there isn't much of a point to my harping about you not being good enough for Kagome, even if it's true. All that matters is her decision when your quest is over. But still, I can't help but wonder why you treat her the way you do. I can tell by the way you fight that you do it a lot, but I know you care for each other." He eyed Inuyasha. "And I can tell already that Kagome's not the type to act that way around someone she cares about…which puts you to blame."
Inuyasha scowled, ignoring the guilt that welled up in him. "Hey, she starts it as often as I do, ok?!"
"Uh huh. Just keep your voice down." Ishiyana started to lie down, then stopped. "You know, maybe if you opened up a little more, you guys wouldn't fight so much." He smirked. "Maybe we wouldn't fight so much either."
With that, he lay down, pillowed his head on his arm, and went to sleep.
Inuyasha sat in silence. Is it really my fault? He sighed. Man, I wouldn't be surprised if she did pick him.
As sleep began to overtake him, he mumbled softly.
"Though I'd probably have to kill myself if she did."
* * *
Kagome looked around in the dark mist.
"Oh no, not this again!"
As before, a shape appeared before her. It was so like Inuyasha, and yet…it was different. Frowning, Kagome reached out to Ishiyana. The blur that had obscured his face before cleared, and he smiled down at her.
"Ishiyana! You have to help me. I know Inuyasha's going to be hurt!" Her eyes drifted to the side, where Inuyasha stood with his arm around someone. Was it Kikyo?
Ishiyana shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kagome, but this is just something you have to do yourself."
With a cry, she tried to run to Inuyasha, but found that she couldn't move past Ishiyana. He wasn't restraining her, and yet…she couldn't get past him! Inuyasha turned and started to walk away.
"Move! You have to move, or I'll lose him!"
"I'm sorry." Ishiyana placed a hand on her shoulder. "He'll have to come to you."
"No!" Kagome reached her hand out. "Inuyasha! Come back!"
He stopped this time. As he turned to face her, the mists rose between them and started swirling violently. Squinting, she could just barely make out the shimmer of tears on Inuyasha's face.
"I'm sorry, Kagome." His voice was soft. "I couldn't do it. I wasn't…good enough."
Though she had no idea what he was talking about, she found herself yelling to him.
"I don't care! I don't care about that. I just don't want you to be hurt! Come back!"
"I'm sorry…"
The mist enveloped him and the girl.
"INUYASHA!!!"
* * *
Inuyasha woke with a start at Kagome's yell. Instantly frightened, he tried to calm her as she struggled violently in his arms.
"Kagome! Kagome, wake up!"
The others, also woken by her scream, instantly came to his side.
"What's the matter with her??" Sango yelped. She reached out and touched Kagome's arm. "Kagome-chan, please! Wake up!"
Suddenly, Kagome's eyes flew open and she sat up, rapping heads with Inuyasha.
"Ow!" He rubbed his head. "Kagome, what the hell's gotten into you??"
Breathing heavily, she took him in, then let her eyes drift to the faces of her concerned friends.
"I…" She took a deep breath. "I just had a terrible dream." Rubbing the goosebumps that had popped up on her arms, she looked Inuyasha in the eye. "It was kind of like the one I had before Ishiyana came, but…this one was…clearer."
He frowned, but before he could utter a word, Miroku jumped in.
"You had the same dream twice? What was it about?"
She paused at his concerned expression. "It…I don't know. It was about Ishiyana, Inuyasha, and me, but…I can't really tell what was going on. All I know is that something bad's gonna happen. Something really bad."
Miroku frowned. "Kagome, what exactly happened in your dream?"
Slowly, a blush crept across her face. "I…I told you I'm not sure." No way can I tell them that Inuyasha was crying and leaving me. No way. She peered at Miroku's face. "Why? Do you think it means something?"
"Perhaps…" He frowned. "It didn't give you any certain events to go off of?"
"Huh? I mean, no, it didn't."
Miroku straightened. "Then it might not be anything to worry about, but just in case, if you see anything that reminds you of it, be sure to tell us. You never know when dreams can save a life."
He returned to his spot against Kirara but made no attempt to fall asleep. Sango reached out and touched Kagome's arm gently.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure it out before anything happens."
Kagome smiled weakly, and Sango also returned to Kirara. Shippo, however, steadfastly clung to Kagome's middle.
"Don't do that again, Kagome! That was scary!"
She smiled and gently rubbed the child's head. "It's ok, Shippo. I'm fine."
As the fox fell asleep, Kagome realized that she was sitting in Inuyasha's lap. Blushing furiously, she moved to sit beside him.
"Um…thanks for…holding me, Inuyasha." Her blush deepened.
"Uh, no problem." Feeling awkward, he shoved his hands into his sleeves. "After all, you did it for me when I was hurt."
Ishiyana watched the two. Sheesh…they really do have a thing for each other. Stifling a sigh, he touched Kagome's shoulder.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
She nodded.
"Good. But if you want to talk, I'm here for you." Ignoring the little voice that was yelling, Keep going, you idiot! Give her a shoulder to cry on. Girls love that! , he lay down and forced himself to fall asleep.
A long, tense moment passed as Kagome and Inuyasha sat together.
"Um, Inuyasha, I was just wondering…what was your nightmare, back when we faced Kiori?"
He blushed. "It was nothing. Go to sleep."
Sighing in defeat, she laid down, back facing him. Instantly, Ishiyana's words came back to him. You know, maybe if you opened up a little more… He swallowed.
"It…it was about…about you. You'd died, and…and it was my fault," he stammered softly. After a moment, Kagome rolled over to look at him.
"You…you dreamed about me? But I thought…" she trailed off, overcome by uncertainty.
He frowned. "You thought what?"
"I thought…that you dreamt about Kikyo."
"Well, she showed up at the end, but…it was really about you." He tried to ignore the blush burning away at his cheeks.
"Oh." She didn't know what to say to that. "Um, speaking of Kikyo, though…what happened after I passed out?"
"…She got away."
"Oh." Meaning he let her get away. He's never going to pick me over her, is he? "Well, thanks, Inuyasha."
He shifted warily. "Thanks for what?"
"For telling me the truth." She smiled at him gently, and then went to sleep.
Inuyasha watched her for a long moment. She's not mad that I didn't attack Kikyo? I'd be furious if I were hurt by Ishiyana, he couldn't resist snorting, and she took his side.
He shook his head. Kagome, you're a hell of a lot stronger than I am.
* * *
Naraku walked slowly through the ruins of the village. Perfect. He's failed me, too. He raised an eyebrow as he came across a trail of blood. Following it, he discovered Kiori, who was wrapping what was left of his right leg and cursing profusely. The man's face was half-covered in terrible scars and cuts, and his chest, already wrapped, showed signs of serious injury.
"So," Naraku started, "you have failed to destroy Inuyasha."
Kiori looked up, hatred written all over his face. "You did not tell me of his weapon's power, Naraku. How was I supposed to react to that? It's only because I'm a Master that I escaped most of the blast."
"In vain, it would seem. Our deal was, he dies, you live. He's alive, so—"
"I don't care what the hell you think, Naraku. It's personal between Inuyasha and me now. I'm taking him out no matter what you do." Spitting on the ground between them, Kiori went back to bandaging his leg.
Impressed despite himself, Naraku raised an unseen eyebrow beneath his baboon pelt. "How will you do that with only one leg? You lost my jewel shard."
Kiori scowled. "I only need one." I just need some time to get my strength back. He turned away. "And I'll get that jewel shard back."
Naraku turned to leave. "You do that. But, in the meantime, I want you to bring me Inuyasha's double." He smirked. "I have some plans for him."
He started to walk away, listening to Kiori's curses. His smile widening, he stopped. "By the way, I have the rest of your species under my control. Fail me again, and they all die, whether you return or not."
As his form disappeared, he called out once more. "That is…the few I have not already destroyed will die."
Kiori sat silently, letting his hatred of Naraku boil his insides. "Fine. I'll do as you ask, Lord Naraku. But I swear on my grave that after I defeat this Inuyasha…"
With a grunt, he tied off the bandage.
"It's your turn."