Next chapter! Moving along rather quickly now, since I have to take advantage of my free time while it lasts. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu Yasha. I am saving up for it, though. Anyone know how much Rumiko Takahashi would take for it?
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Pain. She felt it everywhere at first, as consciousness slowly returned to her. Eventually, it settled in her ribs. It hurt to breathe.
Her eyes fluttered open, pupils dilating to make the most of the dim light. The temporary disorientation she felt when she woke up in the feudal era was something she was accustomed to; this horrible sense of dread was not.
"Where am I?"
The croaking sound of her own voice startled her, and she bolted upright. She regretted it immediately when her bruised ribs throbbed in protest. Wincing, she braced herself against the ground with one hand and placed the other across her chest. Taking a small breath, she pushed herself to her knees.
"So you've decided to wake up, little miko."
Goosebumps rose along her arms, and she quickly forced herself to her feet. Sharp pain coursed through her, but it was getting easier to bear. "Naraku?"
The hanyou chuckled, his voice echoing eerily in the dark room. "Please accept my apologies, miko. I did not wish for your departure to be so…rough."
The sarcasm in his voice chilled her to the very bone. "Where am I?"
"That should be the least of your worries," he said silkily. "We've got plans for you."
"You have got plans for her. Do not flatter yourself, Naraku."
Kagome's eyes widened. "Kikyo? Is that you?"
The undead miko did not answer her. She merely walked up to her, illuminating the space between them with a soul. Kikyo's glance made Kagome nervous. It was as if she didn't see her…or…like she was looking right inside of her.
"I just want my soul back when you're finished with your foolish games." She gave Naraku a cold look, and the hanyou shook his head.
"Kikyo, you should learn some patience," he said, forcing himself to smile. He didn't feel comfortable around her, especially since she caused so many strange feelings to stir in him. *That fool Onigumo refuses to leave me,* he thought passively, turning to Kagome.
"You've been a bother, little miko," he said tauntingly. "I did not appreciate the damage you caused to my body, even if it was reparable." Naraku slid one hand across her waist, and his free hand wrapped around her throat. "I should kill you right now, as you stand here, helpless without your precious Inuyasha."
"Get your hands off me." Kagome's voice was soft but firm. "Kill me if you want, you monster. I don't care anymore."
"Really?" There was a hint of amusement in the hanyou's voice. "What could have caused someone as young as yourself to give up the will to live?" He grabbed her face and forced her to look at Kikyo, who was standing at the far end of what Kagome had deduced was a rather simple but elegant room.
"It wouldn't happen to concern her, now would it?"
When a tear slid down her cheek, Naraku laughed. "Of course. You thought you had a chance with the hanyou, did you? That maybe he would love you if you treated him kindly." He released her, and she fell to the floor with a dull thud. Tears ran down her face, but she didn't bother wiping them away. The only thing she could think about was the sight of Kikyo and Inuyasha together.
"How did you ever think he would love someone as helpless as you?"
She remembered his words, the first time he had seen Kikyo. He had screamed it at the top of his lungs. 'I never stopped thinking about you, not even for an instant!'
"You are only his shard detector, little girl. He has no other use for someone like you."
He had gotten angry with her whenever she lost her shards. But when Kikyo had taken them, he had not said a word. He had forgiven Kikyo for taking the shards that they had worked so hard to collect. It was as if she had simply walked away with a cup of Ramen.
"He does not love you, little miko. He loves her."
"Stop it!" Kagome cried, cradling her head in her hands. "I don't want to hear it anymore!" Her eyes were so full of tears she couldn't see. She was fighting to keep her sobs down, and the pain in her ribs was excruciating.
"That's it," Naraku said soothingly. "Take out your anger. Let your resentment take over you!"
"Ugh, shut up!" Without thinking, Kagome lifted her hand up to her tormentor's face.
Naraku's eyes widened as a pink light grew from her palm. He moved aside, and barely missed the blast of raw energy. It grazed his shoulder, disintegrating part of it.
With his other arm, he held his dangling appendage close. His eyes were narrowed. "You impertinent little fool!" He raised his hand up as if to strike her, and Kagome braced herself.
He stopped, and a sadistic smile broke across his refined face. "I won't soil myself with your dirty blood."
"Naraku, you are a coward." Kikyo shook her head. "She doesn't know how to control her power. My power," she added. There was resentment in her voice. "Stop wasting time and kill her."
Naraku allowed himself to frown for a second, but it was quickly replaced by a slight smirk. "She has no will to fight left in her anyway," he said reluctantly. "I will get no pleasure from her this way."
Kagome gasped as Naraku's hand landed heavily against the side of her head. She tried to back away, but he lifted her by the collar of her blouse.
When she was inches from his face, he leaned in and nuzzled her neck. She tried to squirm away, but it was no use.
She felt a sudden sharp pain as his fangs drove into the space between her neck and shoulder. There was a hot, burning sensation as his poison entered the wound.
He threw her on the hard wooden floor like a rag doll and moved toward the sliding door. "You can have your way with her now, Kikyo," he said roughly. "And I do not believe I shall allow you to assist me again. This was not pleasurable in the least." He stepped out and slid the door shut behind him.
"Pompous fool," Kikyo muttered. She glanced at the girl on the floor. "Do not fight it, girl. There is no use." Several Soul-Gatherers flew into the room, comfortable now that Naraku was gone. "I will have my soul, and fulfill my revenge upon Inuyasha."
She was mildly surprised when Kagome lifted her head and looked up at her. "Why, Kikyo?" she asked quietly. "If it was all Naraku's doing…why would you help him?"
Kikyo was silent. "Why do you hate Inuyasha…even when…you know it wasn't…him?" *Kami, it's getting so hard to concentrate,* she thought. Her vision swam. "He..still…still…loves you."
"I know he does," Kikyo stated blankly. "He will never forget me. When you die, then I will have my soul back. I shall be truly alive again." She looked down at Kagome. "That will make him happy, don't you think?"
Kagome blinked. *It will make him happy. I will be dead, and Kikyo will be alive because of it.* She closed her eyes when the familiar pain stabbed at her heart. She didn't want it anymore. *If I die, he will be happy.*
She released a brokenhearted sigh from the depths of her soul, and breathed no more.
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This has made me so very sad. Please, let me know what you think.