Disclaimers: I don't own anything here. Not even the idea. Do you know how pathetic that is?
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Three-Way Mirror
Chapter 2
Love Bites
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Women are very pleased when you call them cruel.
-- Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais, 'The Barber of Seville'
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"Give it back," InuYasha said quietly. Even Sesshoumaru almost missed it.
"Give what back?" Kikyou replied, glaring and taking a miniscule step away from him.
"Kagome's soul, give it back!" InuYasha roared, rising to his feet.
Kikyou glared forcefully at him. "It is not her soul! It belongs to me!"
"Maybe once," InuYasha agreed. "But not any more. It belongs to Kagome, so give it back to her!"
"If I give it back, I will die," Kikyou stated, trying to stop him in his tracks. But his decision was already made.
"So be it!"
--
Kikyou stared at InuYasha in disbelief. She smiled in denial and shook her head a little. "Gomen ne," Kikyou growled. "I thought you said that you didn't care that when my soul is handed off to this... this... girl, that you--"
"Don't give a shit," InuYasha finished for her. "Not any more."
"InuYasha, you are in denial," Kikyou insisted. InuYasha growled at her.
"Don't think so, Kikyou," InuYasha replied. "For once, I'm thinking all the way through."
Sango and Miroku stared at InuYasha in disbelief. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, and Shippo hopped onto InuYasha's shoulder. "Don't hurt yourself," he quipped. InuYasha bopped him one so hard that the kit saw stars and went cross-eyed.
"Damn it, Kikyou, don't make me kill you," InuYasha said coldly. The ice in his voice greatly contrasted to the heated rage that burned below the surface. Everyone could see it. Kagome looked up at the hanyou and gasped.
His face was tinged with an angry red, his silver-white hair splattered with blood, some was his own and some not. His haori was torn and frayed in some places from the battle, the red a deeper red, nearly black, in some places where he was still bleeding. Across one cheek was a clean slice, still running in red rivulets down his face. He was smeared with dirt and grime, and didn't seem to give a damn. Something burned in his eyes; something dangerous.
Sesshoumaru, perhaps the cleanest that had been fighting, clearly felt the energy rolling off his younger brother in waves. The hanyou was angry, no doubt about it, and he couldn't really blame him. He'd been lied to, cheated, beaten, hurt, any kind of abuse you could possibly think of. It was in that moment that Sesshoumaru had a sudden revelation: InuYasha was stronger than he was. True it wasn't constant, but he supposed that everyone got stronger when they were protecting something-- or someone-- they truly loved. It was an interesting theory.
Kikyou drew an arrow slowly, and aimed it right at InuYasha's heart. "No, InuYasha," she said. "I think it's me that would be made to kill you. Do not push me."
"Oh, I'll push you alright," InuYasha responded, "Right off another cliff." This came off as unexpected to everyone. Shippo blinked rapidly up at InuYasha, and Sesshoumaru struggled to remain unaffected while Sango and Miroku's jaws dropped. Even Kouga, who was making his way slowly up the hill, gasped. InuYasha's posture betrayed nothing. He seemed perfectly calm, almost stoic. Almost like Sesshoumaru. Almost like Kikyou. Almost.
"Would you?" Kikyou said in a low tone, meant to be threatening. "Would you really choose this girl that is not even from this time, over me? We could go back to what we had, InuYasha. We could be together. Have each other."
InuYasha shook his head slowly, left and right, and that was it. "You destroyed anything that we could have had when you pinned me to the God Tree that day."
"You cannot kill me," Kikyou declared.
"I'll sure as hell try, if that's what it comes down to. Now let Kagome go and give her back her soul."
Kikyou glared at him, but the soul stealers set Kagome on her feet. But her knees were weak, and she collapsed to her knees. She was still shivering, still cold. Shippo hopped up next to her, and patted her leg reassuringly.
InuYasha picked up his sword, not taking his eyes off Kikyou, almost like he expected her to try something. He sat down near Kagome, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He held her in the circle of his arms, sword held tensely toward Kikyou. "You okay?" he asked gently. Kagome nodded, leaning into his warm embrace.
"Yeah," she shivered. "But I'm cold."
Kikyou smirked at that. "Of course you are," she mocked. "I hold part of your life in my hands."
"Uh," Shippo interjected. "I think you just insulted yourself there..."
InuYasha stood quickly, bringing Kagome with him. He glared meaningfully at the undead bitch. "What the fuck was that supposed to mean?!" InuYasha yelled.
"It means, my dear hanyou," Kikyou said mockingly, "that I have Kagome right where I want her."
"Well that tells me a lot," InuYasha sneered.
"That... is SO... SICK..." Miroku commented. Sango bopped him with her boomerang, and he saw stars. Everyone looked at the fallen perverted monk in shock and/or disbelief. Shippo frowned.
"I still don't get anything he says," he complained.
Kikyou glared at the kit. "Give me the jewel, fox."
Shippo stuck his tongue out at her. "No!" he cried. Kikyou shot an arrow at him, but he quickly dodged behind InuYasha with a loud wail. Kagome frowned and looked worriedly over InuYasha's shoulder to the young kitsune. InuYasha growled, vibrating Kagome from head to toe; at least, more than she was already shivering. All anger was directed to Kikyou. Kikyou could feel the tension thick in the air, and grew fearful. That was her last arrow. She did the last rational thing she could think of.
She ran. Ran like a bitch outta hell; which was meant figuratively and literally.
InuYasha cursed under his breath and gave Kagome a comforting and explaining squeeze before entrusting her to Sango and taking off after Kikyou. Kikyou was barely down the hill before InuYasha caught up with her. They could all see the following battle.
Kikyou stumbled backward when InuYasha cut her off. Everyone could tell he was trying to stay in control enough that he wouldn't kill her. Not if he could help it. But Kikyou became frantic and smacked InuYasha upside the head with her bow. She was going to do it again, but something truly terrifying happened.
InuYasha caught the bow at least a foot before it struck its target, almost by reflex. His entire being was calm, serene, and cold. He slowly turned to face the woman. On his face was a look of quiet rage that made even Sesshoumaru tremble in fear. The hanyou stared at Kikyou with crimson and sapphire eyes. Everyone could see Kikyou shaking in fright. She struggled to summon up her miko powers, but it wouldn't work. She was too scared. She was staring true death right in the eyes, a death from which she could never return.
InuYasha glanced around, as if he didn't remember where he was or whom he was with. A snarl worked its way across his face until he saw Kagome, cradling Shippo in her arms. He then looked to Kikyou. Kikyou knew that all youkai were straightforward... well, most. They hardly ever lied. This was her chance.
"I-Inu...Yasha..." she stammered. InuYasha glared at her. "Does that girl up there mean more to you than I do?" she asked.
An evil, alarming smirk passed over his features. When he spoke, his voice was thick with a growl. "Kagome can't compare to you," he said. Kikyou felt a cooling relief flood over her. The relief was taken away when InuYasha fisted his hand in her yukata and jerked her forward, an intimidating glare on his face. "You're dead."
Kikyou froze on the spot, just as a hand violently pierced her stomach. Since she was already dead, she didn't bleed. That was bad. InuYasha rammed his other set of claws through her throat, coming out the other side of her neck. Kikyou gasped for breath, and failed. InuYasha spit a small amount of blood from his mouth to the ground, not taking his eyes off Kikyou.
He dropped her, making her land unceremoniously on the ground, writhing and arching her back in violent spasms. He walked up the hill to the others, Kikyou managing to control her movements enough to watch him. He moved gracefully when he was calm, with a fluidity he didn't possess as a hanyou. Sango rather cowered away from Kagome and InuYasha as he approached. Kagome held her ground. She wasn't cold any more, and she faintly wondered why. InuYasha stopped in front of her.
She stared admiringly into those fiery eyes unflinching, while Shippo shied away to hide on Miroku's shoulder. InuYasha hesitated for a moment, as if he'd never seen anything like the look Kagome was giving him now: warm and affectionate, not at all afraid. At least, not afraid of him, just what he would do. After that moment, he was back into that manic calm. He held out a hand before her, the smaller part of the Shikon no Tama in his hand.
Kagome stared at the jewel in surprise. Then she looked back up into those corruptly innocent eyes and gasped at what she saw there. The raw need and love she saw was nearly staggering. He wanted her, not because she was Kikyou's reincarnation or just alive, but because she was simply Kagome. Ka-go-me.
InuYasha took her hand and placed the jewel in her palm. Kikyou, down in the ditch between two hills, made a sound of outrage. No one paid her any mind. InuYasha slowly pulled Kagome to him, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Kagome hugged him back, fisting her hands in his haori. He nuzzled her neck, and edged her collar to the side a little. This startled her, and she instinctively pulled away from him by a fraction of a fraction. He growled.
"He is taking you as a mate," Sesshoumaru said quietly. "It would be in your best interest if you do not refuse him."
She nodded as the other two youkai and the demon slayers' jaws dropped. Miroku blinked. "Mate?" he wondered aloud.
"Like a wife," Sango answered him on reflex. "The bite near the shoulder indicates that a person already has a mate and cannot be claimed by anyone else. If it were that way..." she trailed off, with an uncertain motion with her hands.
"It would be a fight to the death," Kouga supplied, coming to stand next to Sesshoumaru. It was then that they realized Kouga was taller than Sesshoumaru. However, he hunched to seem shorter. Even though Kouga was the prince of his pack, Sesshoumaru was lord of the western lands. To stand taller than him was a challenge to his authority. "And not one that I'm up to right now."
Shippo frowned. "You mean you won't fight InuYasha over Kagome any more?" he asked. Kouga nodded. Shippo mouthed the word, 'wow'. Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement.
InuYasha tugged away Kagome's collar, and lightly sniffed along her skin. When Kagome didn't pull away, he gently pressed his teeth to the juncture of her shoulder and neck. Once he was sure she wouldn't struggle, he sank his teeth into her flesh, enough to draw blood but not enough to wound. The line of Kagome's body tensed greatly at the sensation. She didn't pull away, but she didn't lean into it, either. Even as InuYasha licked away the blood, she could feel her shattered heart fix itself. It was as if she'd found a part of her that she didn't know was missing.
In the ditch, Kikyou managed to scream in outrage. She tried to claw her way up the hill, but the exertion proved itself too much for her to handle. InuYasha looked at her, eyes full of hatred and contempt. It only made her angrier. He held Kagome with one hand on each of her sides, and held her close again. Kagome leaned into him, because her legs suddenly felt unstable. InuYasha sent a glance to Sesshoumaru, who easily strode down the hill and severed Kikyou's head and neck with his poisonous whip. The poison would have no effect on her -- being dead and all -- but it stung like an effing bitch. When her head fell to the ground, she disintegrated into graveyard soil and bones.
InuYasha moved against Kagome. It was slight, but she felt it all the same. He ground himself against her, being very forward. Kagome 'eeped' in alarm and surprise, as he was caught up in his instincts trying to take her right there. He fumbled for the seam of her skirt, and Miroku moved to stop him. Kouga grabbed his arm, too quick to be comfortable, but he didn't think InuYasha would
Kagome felt herself shake. However, she didn't shake; it was InuYasha. He fell to his knees, in effect taking Kagome down with him. He wrapped his arms around her as if she were a lifeline, and buried his face in her neck. All the humans and young youkai could do was watch helplessly. Kouga raised an eyebrow. Sesshoumaru walked back up to them. At the same time, a blue light hit Kagome in the back, causing her to shiver.
InuYasha looked back up at her with golden honey eyes, truly shocked.
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Not much of a cliffhanger, but oh well. I don't normally do that. Did you like this chapter?
Did you get the connection with the title of the chapter and the theme? InuYasha's love bite? It was meant figuratively and literally.
One of the reviews on mediaminer came from my friend Meletina, and she accused me of doing cliffhangers in ALL of my chapters. I looked back and tried to see if I could fix them, but I didn't see any cliffhangers. All I saw were places to end. Sorry if you see them that way. Just know that I tried!
Ja ne.
