No Life Flower
Chapter Three:
A Small Spot of Life Floods the Floor!
Agilely slipping through the tatami mat, Kagome entered into the hut. The place was pretty much the same as she left it. A mess. It was clean as far as the era went by, but still in her eyes it seemed dirty. Before her, in the center of the hut, Kaede sat making some herbs into medicines. Sitting off to the side was Shippo, who attentively watched her every move. He seemed so interested in what Kaede was doing. Kagome couldn't help smiling. He was such a cute little sweetheart.
Looking up for a brief moment, Shippo caught sight of her standing there, and immediately went to her. "Kagome! You're back!" he smiled as he ran towards her jumping in her arms.
Still smiling, she hugged him tightly. She was happy to see him. She was happy to see Kaede. After being gone for so long, and everything that had recently been unveiled to her, it was nice to have something to smile about. "Yep, I sure am Shippo." Everything was beginning to unravel evenly so far, now that she knew where everyone was, she could tell her friends all good-bye all at once without them knowing she was dying. She couldn't bear to see another saddened face like Sango's; she just wouldn't be able to take. Her stomach ached just thinking about, and so did her head.
She simpered at Kaede who returned a happy smirk. "Aye Kagome how have ye been doing lately?"
That wasn't a good question to ask her, it made her feel worse as she began ponder her sickness, even more than before. Quickly, she built up a quick cheerful façade. "I feel great, never been better." She had been lying more then she had planned on. Her bones ached and her heart was very sore and tired. Even in that moment she wasn't feeling very well, she knew that she was dying fast, and she needed to say goodbye. Easily enough, she decided to say goodbye to Inuyasha first, she didn't know what to say to him or even how to approach him first with out him knowing the truth. Unconsciously, she took a seat in front of Kaede, and then realizing what she had done, said, "So what are you making?"
Kaede's lips twitched into a smile once more. "I've been making an strong healing herb for ye take along with ye if needed."
Just as Kagome nodded, the tatami mat was sent flying backwards, revealing Inuyasha's face. There was bright glow to his cheeks due an excessive amount of sunlight, and the afternoon setting in over the morning.
Noticing that Kagome was sitting with Kaede, he shot her an evil look. "What was that?" he demanded.
What was he talking about? She became very confused. "What was what?"
He clenched his teeth. "Why did you run off like that?" he growled at her, harshly.
"Because you lied to me!" She informed him, there was certain crackly dryness to her tone, which didn't please her in the least. Kagome didn't know what else to tell him. She did get mad at him for lying to her but then again; she was lying to him. She had to say something otherwise; he would have interrogated her further.
"Come, we need to go search for rest of the Jewel Shards!" she said cutting off the obvious comeback Inuyasha was concocting towards her answer.
Sango and Miroku, at the same time popped their heads in through the tatami mat, before entering in on their conversation. "Kagome, I found out where the next best place to search for Jewel Shards is!" Sango spat out trying to help her friend keep her secret. Kagome then noticed the all-knowing worried looks she gave off to her as she talked. Secretly Kagome inclined her head, announcing quietly to Sango that she knew and understood what she was up to.
"Oh that's great Sango!" she smiled cheerfully as she clasped her hands together.
Inuyasha stared at the two laughing girls questionably. He then turned his head towards Sango, who became a bit nervous by his stares. "Where is this so called place?" he questioned her with shady eyes.
After a few pondering moments, Sango smirked at him as she had found her answer. "Up in the mountains in the south, I heard someone say that there was a Youkai who wore a Jewel shard up there, terrorizing the villagers." She wasn't sure if that was true or not but she hoped and prayed that they would find something up there for Kagome's sake.
Kagome smiled as she nodded her head.
Miroku became a bit suspicious towards her answer, there was something strange going on here. "I haven't heard anything of a Youkai ever having a Jewel shard around those parts." Sango then in one quick motion hit him with Hiraikotsu, knocking him to the ground, though somewhat regretted it, but she had to silence him, he was talking too much.
"That's because he was just found out about. I heard about him while I exterminated the Youkai, someone there asked me to check it out and maybe help the people out there and he specifically said that he was packing a jewel shard." she lied trying to put Miroku and Inuyasha's mind at ease so they would give up questioning her and go with her information, even if it lead them to a dead end. They could just say that he moved on if they didn't find anything, which most likely would be the case.
Kagome motion her lips telling Sango thank you for the save. She nodded at her friend while smiling in return. "Come on then Inuyasha we better hurry before the jewel shard is gone, you wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to score an easy chance at a jewel would you?" she inquired him sarcastically.
Inuyasha sighed, letting go of his interrogation on her. "Fine the, whatever!" he growled as he stood up to leave.
"Come on guys we better hurry before he does something stupid." Kagome said.
Gazes meeting, they all nodded. Kagome grabbed her yellow bag and her bow and arrows. Everyone headed outside to see that Inuyasha was already making his way towards the mountains. In order to keep up with him Sango called Kirara so that all of them could ride her. Sango rode in front, and Miroku sat behind her using his staff to hold on to her, since she didn't trust him all too much. Kagome sat at the back holding on to Miroku with Shippo on her lap. She knew he wouldn't try anything with her for fear that Inuyasha would kill him out of jealous rage. He also wouldn't do anything to her with Shippo there to stop him. All these, made her feel secure. Soaring through the breeze as quick the unfeeling air, they caught up with Inuyasha.
"Inuyasha Wait for us!" Kagome screamed loudly.
~+~+~+~
"So Inuyasha?" a cold stoic voice said as it watched him leave towards the south. It began to laugh as it faded away into the endless tunnels of darkness. Its pure vile evil would make anyone sick to their stomach.
~+~+~+~
Hearing Kagome, Inuyasha slowed down to level of speed that they were at and began to walk with them. It was silent the whole way towards the mountain so fare. Miroku and Shippo walked near Inuyasha while Sango and Kagome were in the way back walking side by side. Sango kept flashing Kagome worried looks hoping to try to strike up a conversation about what she had been, told earlier.
"So Kagome, how did you find out? And how do even know?" she questioned her feeling a bit discomposed. Kagome looked up at her friend noticing the upset look in her face.
Willing a weak smile to her face she said, "Well in my time we have places called hospitals, you go to these places when you're sick or if there something wrong with you, the doctors there are kind of like priestesses they heal the injured or weak. I passed out on the way to school and was taken there to find out what happened to, me." she paused; her weak smile faded away into nothingness. She began to frown; a tear trickled off the tip of her chin. "Well, they checked me out and found five huge tumors around my heart, real soon those tumors will explode inside of me destroying my heart, so when that happens I'm going to die." she finished talking as quick as possible. She never wanted too ever repeat those words again.
Sango didn't exactly know what a tumor was but she did understand that they will explode inside her destroying her heart and that's how she would die. She then stopped walking; she turned to Kagome and pulled her into a full embrace. She cried tears as she spoke. "I'm so sorry Kagome!" Kagome smiled at her comforting gesture, she then hugged her back.
"Don't worry I will be okay."
Miroku and Inuyasha turned around at the same time as they had felt if something was missing. There eyes opened wide as they saw Sango and Kagome a ways behind them hugging. "Sango! Kagome!" Miroku yelled shockingly, he then smirked at them. "I want to be in the huge too." he then ran towards them opened arms; Inuyasha and Shippo sighed. Giggling lightly, Sango and Kagome allowed him in on the huge with open arms. Sango didn't even think about what a pervert he was just that Kagome needed some comfort right now.
Inuyasha's eyes opened very wide when they didn't push him away. He thought that Sango would have knocked him on the ground with in seconds of him saying that he wanted to hug them. There was just something disturbingly wrong with the picture from which he couldn't quite put his claws on. After the shock of them not turning the monk down, several questions came to mind that he decided to get answers for. "What the hell is going on here?" he shrieked vigorously, confused.
Sango, Kagome, and Miroku stopped hugging to turn and look at a bemused Inuyasha. They themselves also became confused at his sudden outburst. "What's wrong Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in bewilderment.
Inuyasha growled ferociously. "What's wrong? What's is wrong is you guys hugging the monk without any suspicion of him doing something lecherous?"
Kagome and Sango looked at each other then back at Inuyasha. "I guess we never thought about that!" Kagome pondered.
Miroku looked at Inuyasha sourly. "I resent that Remark!"
Pivoting towards the monk, an irritated look on his face, Inuyasha said, "Well it's truth you damned lecture." he snarled at him.
Jumping into Kagome's arms, Shippo said, "Yeah how come you didn't hit him away Sango?" the kitsune asked just as confused as everyone else was.
The winds picked up, but everyone ignored it. Sango was about to answer him when something came crashing in on them canceling her out. They should've paid more attention.
Inuyasha grabbed Shippo and Kagome and jumped out of the way. Sango sprung to the right pulling out Hiraikotsu in the process. About the same time as the thing hit the ground, Miroku took his leave. They all looked up from the ground to see a giant Spider head Youkai in front of them.
"I thought we took care of all the spider heads at the priest mansion." Inuyasha growled in frustration.
Sango and Miroku became confused once more that day. Slight surrounded Inuyasha as her drew out Tetsusaiga from its sheath and went on a head on attack with the Youkai. "You guys fought this spider head before?" Sango said as she readied her boomerang.
"Yeah awhile back before we met you and Miroku. We thought we took out their master and what we thought was all their followers, but it looks like this one got away and has come back for revenge." Kagome informed. She then felt a sudden pulse coming from the monster; it struck at her senses drawing her towards it, uncontrollably. She scanned its body thoroughly as Inuyasha fought it; she gasped.
"Inuyasha it has three jewel shards. They're both in its head," she yelled, informing him of what he's up against.
"I knew it! He was a bit stronger the last time we fought," he hissed, as he began to smirk devilishly at the Youkai. "You're just a washed up has-been. Well then, I will just have to put you out of your misery." he laughed sadistically as he ran towards him with his sword. Two feet from the youkai, he jumped up cutting off one of his tentacles. Laughing again as he returned to the ground, Inuyasha said, "Did I make you feel any better?" he asked sarcastically. The monster growled at him angrily. "Good! Cause I wasn't planning to!" He then went for another tentacle; the Youkai had caught onto his plan and knocked him out of the way before he could perfectly execute the attack.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled in a frightened tone as she saw him fly straight into the ground. She pulled out her bows and took out an arrow. She aligned her bow with the arrow pointing it straight at the shard in the Youkai's head. She shot her arrow straight at him, but it noticed the arrow coming, and moved quickly out of the way, allowing it to strike off one of its arms. Fear struck her, she gasped. The monster had begun to leave Inuyasha to come after her. She then yelled at Shippo who was standing next to her. "Run Shippo, go over there with Miroku."
The frightened kitsune looked up at her. "But Kagome what about you?"
She looked down at him with a smile. "Don't worry about me Shippo! Just hurry up and save your self." The kitsune nodded as he ran towards Miroku who was ready to act if he was, needed.
Kagome didn't really care at this point if it came after her as long as she got it away from Inuyasha; it didn't matter if she died. It probably would be better this way she wouldn't have to go through much pain it would be real quick. She withdrew those thoughts from her mind as a passing vision of her an Inuyasha hugging came to her mind, he told her not to leave him. And she told him that she would never. She had remembered when she was in the hospital on her deathbed reaching towards death's light and Inuyasha told her not to die yet, that he needed her. She then refused to die without saying goodbye. A tear trickled down her face; she planned to take him on with all her strength. She pulled another arrow.
The world sloughed away to a single desperate line.
Staving off the queasy feeling of fear flaring in her stomach, she yelled, "Inuyasha, lend me your strength!"
The world sloughed away to a single desperate line. The distance spanning between her and the youkai, what separated her from saving Inuyasha's life, was all that mattered. She pulled the enchanted arrow back; a huge purple glow surrounded her entire body, the bow and the arrow. A single tear slipped down from her cheek into the winds of her energy, and within the pull if was forced to become part of the energy forming around the arrow. The arrow's power began to grow rapidly.
"This is for Inuyasha!" Kagome cried happily with a hint of sadness. "I will not let you hurt him, you jerk!"
Inuyasha sat up from the rubble as he had heard her words. Pushing from him, stones, and wood blocks, Inuyasha sat up fully. His eyes opened wide at the sight before him. Kagome had a huge strong aura of energy surrounding her. The energy on her bow was exceptionally strong. It was the as the time at Naraku's castle, only she seemed stronger this time around.
Miroku and Shippo also had noticed this and watched from the sidelines in awe at her strength.
Sango stood up from the ground holding on to her weapon. She had noticed the energy flowing around, also that she was using too much energy, and that it would strain her heavily. From what Kagome had told her about her heart that wouldn't be too good for her to shoot that arrow, because those tumors of hers would explode much sooner maybe right afterwards. That in mind, she ran towards Kagome with a determination, and worry flaring through her.
"Kagome don't shoot the arrow if you do— "
Kagome cut her off before she could finish her statement. "It will be okay Sango as long as I have him." she reassured her in a positive voice. Kagome then turned from Sango to the Spider-Head before her and glared sharply at it; tears still streamed down her face at knowing this would be her last, battle.
"It's over! Your finished!" she screamed at it as she let her magical arrow go. The arrow shredded through the air: a gray fleck lost in a beam of purple light, humming as it sped towards the Youkai's head. The magical energies of the arrow began to grow expediently while it flew toward the monster, preparing to destroy it. The Youkai began to scream in horror as the arrow came straight through his head piercing the jewel shard from him, destroying him in an instance.
Kagome smiled weakly as the monster dispersed right before her very eyes. Its body disappeared as two pieces of Shikon Jewel Shard fell into her hands.
An evil laugh could be, heard above them, they all looked up to see none other then Naraku in all his wretchedness. "Inuyasha! I knew you couldn't beat him! You always need help! You're like a child!" he said coldly with a mirthless laugh.
Inuyasha growled angrily. Into the air he flew at him violently pulling out Tetsusaiga. "I will show you who's the child!" He yelled as he readied himself to bring his sword down on him.
"You might want to think about it before you destroy me! If you kill me now, you risk losing her forever." he stopped in that instance and turned around to look at Kagome.
"Kagome!" he yelled as he saw Kagome gasping for air. Her chest was pumping wildly. She had used too much of her life's energy.
It was the same, when she fainted coming to see Inuyasha, and the time when she was heading home from school. Kagome's breathing was heavy as sweat loomed her face. Her chest burned, it felt like it was being torn into ribbons from the inside. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest trying to tear its way out. It wouldn't be long before she was gone form the world and she knew it. "I knew I could do it! With your help! Inuyasha I..." she gasped as her heart gave out once more. Her breathing seized as her eyes went dark. Her legs buckled causing her to begin to fall heavily towards the ground.
Inuyasha's eyes opened wide in horror. He gasped as he leaped towards her. "Kagome!" he screamed as he caught her from hitting the ground. She wasn't breathing anymore and her heart had stopped it was just like before except her heart had no faint beat. She was going to die!
"Inuyasha I knew you wouldn't hurt me you care to much for her now to avenge Kikyou!" he snarled as he disappeared into an oval shaped void of endless shadows of darkness.
Miroku, Sango, and Shippo shared a short glance, before taking off towards their fallen friend. "Kagome!" They yelled in unison.
Ignoring Naraku, Inuyasha kept his attention on Kagome. He could smell his friends coming near; he growled, stopping them in their tracks. "Don't come any closer!" he yelled out at them, a hint of worry in his voice.
They all came to a dead halt and, reluctantly, left him alone with her. He held her close to him squeezing her tightly. "Kagome wake up! You can do it, just like before!" He whispered into her ear. His throat tightened when he didn't receive any response. He swallowed; the pulse in his cheek became a sharp, rapping pain. His stomach was taut with fear. Was she dead? Was she going to leave him forever?
He clenched his teeth together as hard as he could, his throat had long since closed. He tried to fight back his tears but they were slowly getting the better of him, slowly they began to seep out.
She was going to leave him.
"Kagome! Don't leave me!"
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Author Notes: I left it at a cliffhanger only for what I'm going to do for the next chapter! Oh yeah I know I ended it with her * looking like she's dead*… keep reading and you will find the next chapter very interesting. If you didn't Get the *hint* for the next chapter well then…
