" 'It can't be anybody else!' Alice said to herself. 'I'm as certain of it, as if his name were written all over his face.' "
Kagome took a tentive step back as the wounded Kagome let out a sigh as she closed her eyes and died. She shuddered then looked at Inuyasha. His eyes were glued to the floating mirror, but worst of all he was changing, his long white hair flaring out behind him, red filling his eyes like blood, fangs stretching slowly to overlap his lower lip.
"Inuyasha..." She reached out a hand then snapped it back in fear when he snarled at her. "Inuyasha what's happening to you!?"
He snarled and reached out a hand to curl around Sango's throat, lifting the exterminator's limp body from the ground and Kagome watched in horror as he tore a brutal chunk of flesh from Sango's shoulder. She took another step backwards. He'd become a monster. He was a monster.
'He's Inuyasha' a voice echoed in her head.
Monster
'Inuyasha' a soft whisper.
Kagome stopped her retreat and moved forward her courage growing then dashed ahead to try and tug Sango's body away from him before he desecrated it anymore. This wasn't real. Inuyasha wasn't really like this. It was the jewel playing with him. But nothing scared her more then when Inuyasha turned cold eyes on her devoid of any recognition or kindness.
Kaori's voice echoed back to her, 'The things we forget about are the most dangerous.'
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha don't forget about me. Don't make me a danger to you."
And Kagome knew it was true. The other her, the dead her wasn't real. She was fake. But if Inuyasha killed the real her...he wouldn't be able to live with himself. And that made her dangerous. She reached out a hand to touch his face and winced when she felt razor teeth clamp down on her hand but didn't draw back. Instead she steeled herself and pressed against his chest, clinging to him.
"This isn't you Inuyasha! You didn't do this. You aren't a demon. You know better then to use the jewel." His teeth clamped down harder piercing flesh. "You're fine as a half demon Inuyasha! Don't forget me." She trembled with fear and anxiety and tears stung her eyes as she screamed. "You promised to protect me Inuyasha!"
And she heard something shatter, shifted then turned her face away quickly as they were showered with the fragments of the mirror. She felt a shard sliver slice her cheek and pressed her face against Inuyasha's chest. There was a long period devoid of any movement or speech and then she felt a gently hand on her cheek and looked up to meet Inuyasha's soft gold eyes.
"You're bleeding." He murmured softly.
Kagome blinked then smiled as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Inuyasha. You're fine. I'm so glad."
"Did I do that?" he said and she could hear the hidden fear in his voice. She hid her hand behind her back, determined not to let him ever know how he had nearly bit her fingers of and shook her head. "No. A shard of the mirror did it."
He looked away from her towards the glittering pieces of mirror that littered the ground. The bodies and blood were gone as if they'd never been. "You faced my fear for me."
She looked up at him then down again and slipped her hand into his, closing her fingers around his when he didn't resist. "You faced mine too. Besides." She grinned. "I want to protect you to after all."
He looked down at her then tugged her against his side. "Thank you." The words so soft she barely caught them.
She lifted her face to smile but he didn't see because darkness took everything again before light returned once again as if, once more, a light switch had been turned on and off. This time, they were back on the path. Farther along then they'd been before but still on the path that seemed to lead farther into the distance then they could ever hope to walk even in the expanse of their whole lifetime.
Inuyasha growled. "So the jewel was just playing with us. We aren't anywhere near home yet."
"Of course it was. Haven't you figured that out yet?" Kagome had often heard voices described as velvet but she'd always thought it no more then romantic nonsense. Now she asked for silent forgiveness from the poets she mocked because the voice of the man who spoke fit that description perfectly.
Kagome turned. A man stood, leaned against a tree, his eyes shaded downward towards the ground, hands buried in his pockets. His hair was dark emerald and fell across his boredly averted eyes but his beautiful mouth was turned up at the corners in a light smirk of amusement. He radiated power and seduction and for some reason Kagome was afraid. Of the stranger with the voice like a drug.
"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha asked, not snarled as she had thought he was but the quiet, wary question of a warrior summing up another of greater or equal strength.
The stranger lifted eyes and Kagome gasped. One of his eyes was deep, burning gold like Inuyasha's but the other was pale, pale silver; like a tiny, flawless moon. And despite the brilliant color of both his eyes they glimmered with a kind of darkness, or shadows, the absence of light completely.
"This observer is Amatsuichi."
"First born son of Amatsu!? The god of evil!" Kagome gasped in surprise. ((Note: That's what Amatsuichi translates into: first son of Amatsu, incase you didn't realize that))
He turned his eyes on her and a dark eyebrow arched elegantly. "And who are you child?"
Kagome blushed at the insult before she bristled. "I'm sorry. Child was three years ago!"
"You are in the Sacred Jewel. Time does not have the same meaning here." He had dimples in the pale white of perfect skin. "My, you are...worried. And in such capable hands." His gaze flickered towards Inuyasha. "A half demon."
The stranger laughed and the sound was so heartbreaking in it's beauty that Kagome raised her hands to her ears without thinking. She regretted the motion instantly when the beautiful stranger's lips curled in a sharp smile of amusement.
"Come priestess. I don't believe we've met and I miss human company."
Inuyasha moved partly infront her. "Don't move Kagome." He glared at the stranger. "If you're the son of a god just what the hell does that make you?"
"Me?" He grinned and his eyes flashed and Kagome understood suddenly. "I'm just another half breed." He said elusively.
But Kagome wasn't fooled. She saw what he was in that instant. In the strange, unnatural color of his eyes and the long, arched nails of his hand as he drew it out of his pocket, and the feral power that radiated of him so strong that it added to the intimidation and allure as much as his perfect features and irresistible voice did. He was half god...and half demon.
" 'as if his name were written all over his face.' "
Kagome took a tentive step back as the wounded Kagome let out a sigh as she closed her eyes and died. She shuddered then looked at Inuyasha. His eyes were glued to the floating mirror, but worst of all he was changing, his long white hair flaring out behind him, red filling his eyes like blood, fangs stretching slowly to overlap his lower lip.
"Inuyasha..." She reached out a hand then snapped it back in fear when he snarled at her. "Inuyasha what's happening to you!?"
He snarled and reached out a hand to curl around Sango's throat, lifting the exterminator's limp body from the ground and Kagome watched in horror as he tore a brutal chunk of flesh from Sango's shoulder. She took another step backwards. He'd become a monster. He was a monster.
'He's Inuyasha' a voice echoed in her head.
Monster
'Inuyasha' a soft whisper.
Kagome stopped her retreat and moved forward her courage growing then dashed ahead to try and tug Sango's body away from him before he desecrated it anymore. This wasn't real. Inuyasha wasn't really like this. It was the jewel playing with him. But nothing scared her more then when Inuyasha turned cold eyes on her devoid of any recognition or kindness.
Kaori's voice echoed back to her, 'The things we forget about are the most dangerous.'
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha don't forget about me. Don't make me a danger to you."
And Kagome knew it was true. The other her, the dead her wasn't real. She was fake. But if Inuyasha killed the real her...he wouldn't be able to live with himself. And that made her dangerous. She reached out a hand to touch his face and winced when she felt razor teeth clamp down on her hand but didn't draw back. Instead she steeled herself and pressed against his chest, clinging to him.
"This isn't you Inuyasha! You didn't do this. You aren't a demon. You know better then to use the jewel." His teeth clamped down harder piercing flesh. "You're fine as a half demon Inuyasha! Don't forget me." She trembled with fear and anxiety and tears stung her eyes as she screamed. "You promised to protect me Inuyasha!"
And she heard something shatter, shifted then turned her face away quickly as they were showered with the fragments of the mirror. She felt a shard sliver slice her cheek and pressed her face against Inuyasha's chest. There was a long period devoid of any movement or speech and then she felt a gently hand on her cheek and looked up to meet Inuyasha's soft gold eyes.
"You're bleeding." He murmured softly.
Kagome blinked then smiled as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Inuyasha. You're fine. I'm so glad."
"Did I do that?" he said and she could hear the hidden fear in his voice. She hid her hand behind her back, determined not to let him ever know how he had nearly bit her fingers of and shook her head. "No. A shard of the mirror did it."
He looked away from her towards the glittering pieces of mirror that littered the ground. The bodies and blood were gone as if they'd never been. "You faced my fear for me."
She looked up at him then down again and slipped her hand into his, closing her fingers around his when he didn't resist. "You faced mine too. Besides." She grinned. "I want to protect you to after all."
He looked down at her then tugged her against his side. "Thank you." The words so soft she barely caught them.
She lifted her face to smile but he didn't see because darkness took everything again before light returned once again as if, once more, a light switch had been turned on and off. This time, they were back on the path. Farther along then they'd been before but still on the path that seemed to lead farther into the distance then they could ever hope to walk even in the expanse of their whole lifetime.
Inuyasha growled. "So the jewel was just playing with us. We aren't anywhere near home yet."
"Of course it was. Haven't you figured that out yet?" Kagome had often heard voices described as velvet but she'd always thought it no more then romantic nonsense. Now she asked for silent forgiveness from the poets she mocked because the voice of the man who spoke fit that description perfectly.
Kagome turned. A man stood, leaned against a tree, his eyes shaded downward towards the ground, hands buried in his pockets. His hair was dark emerald and fell across his boredly averted eyes but his beautiful mouth was turned up at the corners in a light smirk of amusement. He radiated power and seduction and for some reason Kagome was afraid. Of the stranger with the voice like a drug.
"Who the hell are you?" Inuyasha asked, not snarled as she had thought he was but the quiet, wary question of a warrior summing up another of greater or equal strength.
The stranger lifted eyes and Kagome gasped. One of his eyes was deep, burning gold like Inuyasha's but the other was pale, pale silver; like a tiny, flawless moon. And despite the brilliant color of both his eyes they glimmered with a kind of darkness, or shadows, the absence of light completely.
"This observer is Amatsuichi."
"First born son of Amatsu!? The god of evil!" Kagome gasped in surprise. ((Note: That's what Amatsuichi translates into: first son of Amatsu, incase you didn't realize that))
He turned his eyes on her and a dark eyebrow arched elegantly. "And who are you child?"
Kagome blushed at the insult before she bristled. "I'm sorry. Child was three years ago!"
"You are in the Sacred Jewel. Time does not have the same meaning here." He had dimples in the pale white of perfect skin. "My, you are...worried. And in such capable hands." His gaze flickered towards Inuyasha. "A half demon."
The stranger laughed and the sound was so heartbreaking in it's beauty that Kagome raised her hands to her ears without thinking. She regretted the motion instantly when the beautiful stranger's lips curled in a sharp smile of amusement.
"Come priestess. I don't believe we've met and I miss human company."
Inuyasha moved partly infront her. "Don't move Kagome." He glared at the stranger. "If you're the son of a god just what the hell does that make you?"
"Me?" He grinned and his eyes flashed and Kagome understood suddenly. "I'm just another half breed." He said elusively.
But Kagome wasn't fooled. She saw what he was in that instant. In the strange, unnatural color of his eyes and the long, arched nails of his hand as he drew it out of his pocket, and the feral power that radiated of him so strong that it added to the intimidation and allure as much as his perfect features and irresistible voice did. He was half god...and half demon.
" 'as if his name were written all over his face.' "