Author's Notes: Here's the second chapter of the promise duo. I finally know where I'm going with this and I think you'll like it. But never mind that, read on!
I Did It For YouKaede made that sound she always made when Inuyasha got out of hand or did something stupid between himself and Kagome that made the human girl jump in the well and go home. It was something between a growl and a sigh. Now she made it because of what Miroku and Sango both told her.
"With Inuyasha in the state that he's in, I believe Kouga is in serious trouble. As pure as his intentions are, Inuyasha will see it as trespassing on his territory." The aged miko said.
"And he'd be right." Ginta added.
The group looked at the duo curiously. "What do you mean?" Miroku asked.
Hakkaku crossed his legs casually. "Well, according to Kouga, Inuyasha and him fought over Kagome. He lost, so Kagome is his claim now."
"Kagome-chan is nobody's claim!" Sango shouted.
Miroku put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hear them out. We have to remember that Inuyasha being a dog demon and Kouga being a wolf demon, their traditions would be similar." He turned to the wolf brothers. "When one breaks this code, what happens?"
"Well, they fight again except if the one who lost the first time loses again, he not only loses the claim, he loses his life." Ginta said sadly.
This shocked everybody. "We have to stop them!" Sango got to her feet. "I'm going!" She shouted at Miroku. "With or without you!"
The priest got up and held up his staff. "I'm ready!"
"Hakkaku and I would go but…" Ginta said slowly.
Shippo crossed his arms and smirked. "You're as afraid of him as I am."
Both brothers laughed nervously.
Sango ran out of the hiding place with Miroku. "Kirara!"
Kimiko leaned in towards Kaede as she watched them leave. "Do you think they'll be alright?"
The other miko nodded. "In all the years I've known Inuyasha, he's never opened up to a group like he has them. They know him probably better than he knows himself. If he can be saved, they're the ones who can do it."
* * *
Ayame sniffed around the shore where she assumed Kouga and Kagome had come to land. Both their tracks lead into the forest where Ayame knew there was a field and a lake. Kouga probably took her there to rest. Standing up, she got ready to follow them when she heard something approaching.
Whipping around, she barely had time to gasp before Inuyasha flew at her and rammed into her, sending her flying back.
"Where is she!?" He demanded, eyes glowing even more than before.
Ayame struggled to get up and when she did, she wished she hadn't. "I-Inuyasha!?"
Inuyasha ignored her and sniffed the air, picking up both scents again and running off after them.
Ayame pulled a leaf from her hair and used it to gain speed in a slightly different direction. She knew a more direct path to the lake that Kouga was going to, but he probably didn't want to take it because of Kagome's condition. It was more rocky and jagged than cutting through the forest.
"I have to warn him!" She shouted as hurried as fast as she could.
* * *
Kouga put Kagome down softly on the grass and pushed her bangs aside. They were still a good mile or so from the lake. She's so beautiful. Especially when she's sleeping. Upon his touch, Kagome winced and opened her eyes, but they were glazed over and registered nothing of what was before her.
"Kagome!?" Kouga lifted her upper body against his chest and smiled. "You're okay!" But when she didn't respond at all, he frowned. "Kagome?"
He fingered her bruise again and wondered if that had anything to do with it. She's in shock? Whatever happened to her must've been horrible. He hugged her close and tried to get through to her. "Kagome, please wake up. I need to know you're okay." Still no answer. He pulled her away just slightly to look into her eyes as they stared off into a distant land. "Kagome, you've always been so strong. That's why I choose you to be my woman. A strong woman is always the best to have by your side when you're a leader. Please, be strong for me now. If not me, Inuyasha. I know as much as I hate him he…" The wolf leader paused. "He cares a lot about you. You can't give up on him!"
Inuyasha… She heard the name, but what did it really mean anymore?
* * *
Inuyasha and Kagome still held hands and walked through the glorious caves behind the waterfall. The cascading waters were all but silent behind them now and all Kagome heard were small trickles of water falling on the ground in puddles beneath her feet.
"Inuyasha?" She asked.
He half turned to her with a smile. "Don't worry. We're almost there." It was so dark, Kagome couldn't see anything, but when her hanyou turned towards her, she saw his golden eyes, even in their darkness. They would always be there to guide her.
Just after he said that, the passageway began to open and Kagome saw a medium sized cavern with more studded jewels all around. There was an opening in the roof that let in the sunlight and where the light touched the cavern floor, there was a stone altar. It resembled a bed but was raised about five feet from the ground. A sacrifice table?
There was a body on the table and when Kagome looked closer, she gasped, "No, it can't be!"
* * *
As Kouga continued to try and wake up Kagome, Ayame came running and caused Kouga to turn away from his love. "Ayame?" He questioned.
She stopped right in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Kouga, you have to get out of here! He's coming!"
"Who?" The wolf leader asked.
"Me." Inuyasha emerged from the forest and walked slowly, but purposefully towards the trio.
Kouga gasped at Inuyasha's new form and almost couldn't find his voice. "Inuyasha? What did you do?"
"Get away from her." He said in a menacing voice.
Kouga's eyes widened. "What?"
Inuyasha's head jerked up and his eyes flashed again. "I SAID GET AWAY FROM HER!!!" With a flap of his wings he sent another mighty gust of wind towards all three of them and Ayame almost couldn't keep her footing.
Kouga shielded Kagome from any debris that would've hit her and when it was over, Kouga handed Kagome over to Ayame. "Ayame, watch over Kagome." He stood up and began walking towards Inuyasha. "You bastard. You were the one who hit Kagome. Gave her that mark on her face." He gritted his teeth in mounting anger. "And you're the reason she's hurting!"
Inuyasha seemed fazed for a minute, his eyes widening and loosing their glow, but it was soon covered up when he crackled his knuckles. "And? What are you going to do about it?"
Kouga lowered his head and glared at his rival. "I'm going to tear you apart."
This made Inuyasha laugh. "You don't have your precious jewels anymore. You not even a challenge to me."
"Is that so? Then why are you here?" Kouga asked.
"Kagome is mine and mine alone and if she choose to be with you, then you both deserve to die." He replied.
This made both Ayame and Kouga gasped. "You wouldn't!" The leader exclaimed
"Ah, but I can now. The Inuyasha you knew is no more. He was what was preventing me from killing her before, but now I have complete control. She will die as soon as I'm through with you!" Inuyasha took to the air and came down again punching Kouga across the face.
The wolf leader was able to recover and flipped to get back on his feet. When he saw Inuyasha come at him again, he jumped on his hands and lashed out with his leg, catching Inuyasha in the side, but the full-blooded demon blocked it.
He landed a few feet away and smirked. "You actually almost landed a hit on me. My brother was able to do that to once." He said casually. "Before I finished him off!" Inuyasha moved so quickly that he disappeared and reappeared several times all around Kouga, landing powerful hits one after the other. It wasn't too long before Kouga was spitting up blood and falling to the floor in a messy heap.
"Kouga!" Ayame shouted in fear.
* * *
"Inuyasha!" Kagome ran at the altar and tears immediately formed in her eyes. "What happened!?" The body on the floor was none other than black-haired Human Inuyasha.
"Aren't you happy?" Hanyou Inuyasha asked from behind her. "I did it for you." He said. "Now I am stronger than ever, without that weakling blood to slow me down."
Kagome continued to cry as she hunched over the body. "No! I never wanted this! I loved you the way you were!"
Suddenly angry, Hanyou Inuyasha turned into Demon Inuyasha and came at Kagome, grabbing her wrist and pinning it behind her, while holding his arm across her throat.
She gasped for air as his eyes glowed bright red. "You are so hard to please. Aren't you happy? Aren't you touched I would make such a sacrifice for you? You are so selfish not to see what it meant for us."
"I always loved you for who you were! I never asked for anything else! I stood by you through thick and thin! I was there for you whenever I could be. I loved you as much as I dared and you said you loved me! If you love me, let me go and become the Inuyasha I always wanted! Be yourself!"
"Oh, but it's too late for that. Far too late. He's dead. And there's no one here but me." Demon Inuyasha tightened his hold on her throat and Kagome started to see black spots before her eyes.
Tears flew down her cheeks like the icy waterfall that guarded this place. I never asked for this…Agony finally overwhelming her, she cried out. "I never wanted this!!"
Her tears fell to the ground, but never made their final descent because where they landed a body materialized. And on the altar, Human Inuyasha's gentle brown eyes opened as well.
Seeing none of this, Kagome was surprised when Inuyasha's grip on her slackened and as soon as she was free, she turned around and saw Hanyou Inuyasha and Human Inuyasha holding back Demon Inuyasha.
"What's this? Let me go!" He demanded. Both struggled to keep their hold on the demon.
"Kagome, if you love me, help me now." Hanyou Inuyasha begged.
Human Inuyasha gritted his teeth trying to will the strength to keep his other side contained. He looked up at Kagome with one eye closed. "I can't do this alone. I need you by my side now. In the real world."
Kagome gasped. "In the real world…?"
Light surrounded Kagome and the three images before her disappeared. Wincing she now noticed she was in Ayame's arms, but what caught her attention more were the two beings in front of her.
"KOUGA!" Ayame shouted as she watched the fearless wolf demon fall in battle.
Kagome gasped and shot to her feet. Inuyasha raised his hand and it began glowing green, just like Sesshoumaru's poison claw attack. "I will kill you so you will know once and for all, which of us is better." He ran his claw down, but stopped when Kagome's body intercepted between the two fighters.
"Inuyasha stop this!" She begged.
Inuyasha gasped and took an unsure step back. "K-Kagome…"
Tears welled up in her eyes and she leaned over Kouga's unconscious bloodied body. "I never wanted this…" She whimpered. "It almost seemed to be a dream. Not real. You were always so strong, but you were strong because you needed to be. For me, Sango-chan, Miroku-sama, and Shippo-chan. You were there for all of us, but we need to repay the favor now." She said.
Inuyasha's red eyes lost some of their glow as doubt filled his veins.
"I have to admit." The miko said sadly. "I don't know how to save you, but I will. I will find a way to save you, but I need you to be strong for me once more. I can't do this alone and I know now that you can't either. We need each other now more than ever. Whether the Inuyasha I knew is still alive in you or not, I know the courage to become whatever you want is still in you. You don't want to hurt anybody, you never did. Please, hold on just a little longer and I promise, I will save you."
As gold met brown, Inuyasha could feel Kagome's determination pierce his heart. Where his beating emotions once lay still, as if dead, it began to beat again and the Shikon no Tama inside, once black with hate and anger, began to be purified, as if Kagome's gaze struck directly into his very soul.
The Demon Inuyasha doubled over and clutched his chest as the purification sent waves of pain throughout his body. W-what's happening?
Inside, the real Inuyasha, who had been pressed into submission, reawakened and shouted out, reaching for his beloved. "I'm still here! Kagome!"
"Kagome-chan!" Sango called from the air.
"Kagome-sama! Are you alright!" Miroku called as well.
Demon Inuyasha gasped and took to the air back towards his castle. When it was safe, Ayame ran towards Kouga and began to cry into his chest. "Please be okay, Kouga!"
"He'll be fine." Kagome assured her. "Naraku's put him through a lot worse and he's survived."
When Sango touched ground, she ran at Kagome and pulled the girl into a crushing hug. "I was so worried about you!"
Kagome smiled and nodded towards Miroku. "I'm fine. Thanks to Kouga."
"And Inuyasha?" Sango wondered.
Kagome nodded solemnly. "I've bought us some time, but we have to get more help. I have an idea, but I'm not sure it'll work."
"Let's head back to Kaede's and discuss it there. Everyone's worried about you."
Kagome nodded and looked towards the sky where Inuyasha disappeared. We will pull through this, just like everything else. Just wait for me.
Author's Notes: Everything's pulling together nicely, but there's still more to come before the end! Keep checking for new chapters. I should have one up by…*thinks* Wednesday or Thursday. Arigatou, Minna-san!
