Indecision
Chapter Twelve: We All Must Make Choices...
Disclaimer: I did not create any of the characters in this story (that's why it's a fanfic!!!! 8mumbles8Dumbass...)
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Kagome stepped back slightly, seeing Inuyasha's eyes glow red. " Oh, no!" she thought, wishing that she was only dreaming again, wishing that all she had to do was open her eyes, and she would find herself in the camp, where everyone else was sound asleep. But, unfortunately, she wasn't asleep. She continued to step back, unsure of what she could do. Everytime she dreamt, it ended the same way: She would die.
" I don't care if running won't help!" she thought, " There's nothing else I can do, unless I stand here and wait for him to kill me!" So, she turned, and began running.
Inuyasha, currently influenced by animal instincts, as well as evil forces, chased his new prey, using only a fraction of his speed. The commands in his mind kept repeating over and over: Torture her before you kill her.
Kagome ran through the woods, being pelted by branches constantly. Her arms were being scratched up badly; she used them to protect her face, and her eyes. She needed to see where she was going.
She kept running. " Inuyasha, sit!" she cried, but to no avail. The hanyou was no longer under her power, and he pursued her even more closely now, preparing for the kill.
Pieces of her dream were coming back to her. As she continued running, she tried her best to consider every bit of her nightmares, hoping to find a loophole, or something she hadn't tried before in her dreams.
" I've got to think of something!" she thought, her breathing becoming labored, " There has to be some way out of this!" Suddenly, her thoughts rushed to the bow and quiver strapped to her back. She shivered, and shook her head, almost being knocked down by a low-hanging branch. " No way am I gonna kill him!" she thought, trying to think harder.
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Kikyo stood beside Naraku in a clearing not too far away. They waited patiently for the chase to end there, along with the demise of Kikyo's reincarnation. Kikyo first stared out to the trees, then, she averted her attention to the man beside her.
" Are you certain your plan will work, my love?" she asked. " What if she finds a way to stop him?"
There was a moment of silence before he answered. " She will never find a way," he replied, " I am sure of that."
" My love..." Kikyo started again, " Everything has worked out according to plan. Inuyasha will soon kill the girl, freeing the rest of my soul, and giving me what I have wanted for so long. Then, you will kill Inuyasha, and we will be at peace at last. What have you planned after that?"
" After the half-breed is gone, we will bring an apocolypse to this world," Naraku replied. " We will dominate all, and those whom oppose us will be slaughtered without a moment to reconsider. Soon, they will be slaves to us, and we will be the most powerful beings of this wretched planet."
Kikyo gasped, and looked back out into the woods. " An...apocolypse?! But, everything I worked for....everything I protected when I was alive...it will all be for naught..." She sighed, feeling sad. But, after a moment, her demeanor changed, and she looked happily at her love, with wickedness in her eyes.
" That is a good thing," she replied, " Now, others will feel the torture that I have experienced these past moons."
So, the couple continued to wait for the hanyou and girl to clear the woods, and change everything.
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Kagome was still running, but she was exhausted, almost prepared to give up. " I'll never be fast enough!" she thought. " If I want to live, I have to....kill Inuyasha...No! I can't; I won't!! Come on, Kagome, you can think of something! You've got to!" Suddenly, her foot hooked into a root that stuck out of the ground, and she began to fall. As she fell, everything seemed to play in slow motion, and she thought of the first time she'd had her nightmare.
She had been running for a while, trying to keep away from the evil creature chasing her, when she tripped. As she fell onto the soil with a loud thud, she realized that the thud would most likely be the last sound she would ever hear. Her heart echoed the thud as she lay there, dazed. Her quickest reaction was to turn over, onto her back, but as soon as she did this, she came face to face with the blinded demon, and her demise came soon after.
" This is it..." she whispered to herself, closing her eyes before the fall. But, suddenly, she felt as if she was floating. Opening her eyes, she soon landed back on her feet, and, without a moment's hesitation, she began to run once again. Inuyasha growled closely behind her.
" How did I do that?!" she thought, confused as she tried to escape. " I couldn't have done that!!"
She did not know that Kikyo had controlled her fall, and that she wanted to be able to see her die.
She kept running, and just as she felt ready to pass out, she came to a clearing.
" No..." she thought, gasping as she slowed down to a walk.
It was the clearing in the very end of her nightmare.
With Naraku standing on the other side, as an Emperor would sit on the other end of an arena, watching the battle between the gladiator and the beast.
Waiting to see the gladiator die.
Further observation of the evil man showed more from her dream.
Kagome stood before the man, and gasped, seeing a soul snatcher by his side, as yet another figure came out of the shadows...
Kikyo stood by him, smiling wickedly at Kagome, no longer pure in even the slightest fraction. Any type of holy aura that may have stayed with her had evanescenced, and the woman by this evil man's side was pure evil as well.
" Kikyo!" she exclaimed, " Why won't you see? Naraku is going to destroy everyone and everything!"
Kikyo laughed. " We can start over again," she replied, " Mankind is beyond repair; I have ensured that extermination of every living being will begin immediately after the death of Inuyasha."
" Of course," Naraku added, " That can not take place until after you are dead."
Suddenly, Kagome felt a clawed hand grab her arm, and yank her hard. She turned as she flew backward, and saw Inuyasha drawing closer.
" Is this...it?" she thought, the only audible sound being her heartbeat.
But, Inuyasha did not draw close to her. Instead, he drew the Tetusaiga from its sheath, and caught Naraku off-guard. Using the wind-scar, he hurt him badly, but, unfortunately, it was not enough. Naraku stumbled backward, surprised, but he soon was back on his feet, cackling. Kagome grabbed an arrow from her quiver, and aimed a shot at the over confident Naraku.
" Die Naraku!" she cried, releasing her arrow, but Kikyo stepped in the way, and took the arrow for him.
Kagome gasped in complete shock as the undead woman fell to the ground on her knees. Trembling greatly, she spoke. " You will die, Inuyasha! Though, I may not be able to witness it, I shall die knowing I did what I had to." Gasping for air, her strength weakened, and she was unable to stay up any longer. Falling on the grass, she spoke her last words, " I am sorry, my love..."
Kikyo was dead.
Inuyasha growled, no longer under evil power, but his own pent up anger and rage. Still full-demon, he lashed out at Naraku again, whom was a little bit more prepared than last time. He dodged the blow, but just barely. He chuckled.
" You must do better than that!" he said cockily, " I am more powerful than you could ever imagine!" he struck out at the hanyou, but missed. Even he would never have expected that. " What?!" he exclaimed, " How?!"
Inuyasha's speed was greatly higher than Naraku's when in complete form, and he could hear movement before it actually occured. This had never before happened, but he was under the influence of a shard of the Shikon Jewel. As he had been attacking Naraku, Kagome had gotten a closer look at him, and saw the glimmer shine from his forehead. However, to her surprise, Naraku had a trick up his sleeve.
Inuyasha slashed at the man with another windscar attack, then came in close to slice at him with his claws. It was then that Naraku held out his hand, and somehow drew the jewelshard from his forehead. He fell backward to the ground, seemingly knocked out of his senses.
The evil man stood over him, holding the jewel shard in his hand. " And, now, Inuyasha," he said sadistically, beginning to glow, " To prove how utterly weak you are, I will kill you without the aid of any jewel shards!"
Every jewel fragment the man owned fell out of his body onto the ground, and were magically gathered into a small heap off to a dark corner. After every last one had fallen out, he cracked his knuckles.
" Since I am still half-demon, this should be even easier..." he said, preparing to pick him up by the collar, and run his claws through his heart.
He suddenly froze, a terrible pain spreading through his body. His eyes grew die with realization: The girl is still alive. You never finished her off.
He fell to the ground, even weaker than an old man, a small arrow in his back.
Kagome stood off in the distance, holding her bow.
" Never forget, Naraku," she said, " Even if it seems like you are about to win, you should never let your guard down!"
Being weakened, not just by Kagome's small arrow, but also the damage done by Inuyasha, all it took was one more arrow through the heart to finish of the evil man called Naraku.
The man whom was once a thief, the man who once was Onigumo, that evil man, now Naraku, finally perished once and for all.
Inuyasha rose, not once letting the man out of his sight.
" It's over!" she thought, " He's normal again!"
Kagome ran eagerly to Inuyasha. " Inuyasha!" she cried happily, " We did it! We-"
The eyes that glared up at her remained red, and piercing.
Kagome froze. Neither removing the jewel shard nor killing Naraku had freed him. He was on his own now. Kagome's heart sank as she realized nothing could free him in time to spare her life.
" If that's true, then..." she thought, walking toward him, " Then I won't run away."
" But, before you kill me..." she added aloud, coming closer, " I have to tell you the truth. Why I decided to help you find the jewel shards. Why I can never stay home anymore."
Inuyasha growled as she came close. Kagome didn't even stop for a second.
" The truth is, I couldn't leave because I can never stop thinking about you!" she confessed. " Even when I try to forget about you, I wonder how you're doing, what you're doing...The reason I left last time was because I thought you didn't love me. I saw you with Kikyo, and I decided that if I could forget about you this once, then I wouldn't ever think about you again, and it wouldn't hurt so much. But, it was a lie. I woke up when you were holding me, Inuyasha, and I realized that I can never forget about you. I could never lie to myself until I forgot, because I never will forget!"
She stood in front of him, looking up into the glowing eyes, thinking about the beautiful golden ones. All the times she had gone through with him ran through her memories, and she stepped into his arms, which were ready to crush her with hate.
She ignored the look of malice on his face; she smiled at him as a tear ran down her cheek.
" Inuyasha," she said softly, putting her hands on his shoulders, " I can never forget about you. I...I love you..."
Then, as what she knew would be both her first and last time, stood on the very tips of her toes, and kissed him.
The only thoughts that had run through Inuyasha's mind as she talked were, " Lies! All lies! She is trying to make you forget! She does not care, she only wants to live! Do not grant her that wish! Kill her now!"
The last words he had heard come from her mouth were when she had at last made her confession; the words that she had wanted to say for a long time; the words he had wanted to hear the most. When her lips met his, the evil voices vanished instantly, and the red dissipated. He saw clearly now, it was no dream what was happening. He blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened. But, when the girl pulled away from him, and gasped at the sight of him returning to his natural state, decided that it wasn't important how these events had come about. The only thing that matter was that they did.
Kagome stared at him, wide-eyed, and in disbelief.
" His eyes....aren't glowing anymore!" she thought. " But, how? And why? What did he hear?!"
" Kagome..." he said softly, his arms holding her gently now. He looked deep into her eyes, and answered her confession with one of his own: " I love you, too...."
Kagome looked at him, dumbfounded for a moment. But, when he began to draw closer, she did the same, and this time they shared the kiss.
When they pulled away, Kagome grinned sheepishly. " Oh..." she said, remembering the shards still laying around, " When Naraku died, he left every jewel shard here. Look over there!"
They both looked at the small, glistening pile. Approaching it, they slowly began piecing shards together, one by one. With each new addition, the jewel began reforming, taking it's present shape. When they had gone through each shard, there were two still missing.
" We have to find the others!" Kagome said, sighing. " Without the shards from Miroku and Sango, the jewel will never be complete!"
" Yeah..." Inuyasha said. Suddenly, he began sniffing the air. " Wait, I think I smell them near..." he said, looking around. Suddenly, Sango and Kilala appeared, followed by Miroku and Shippo.
" There you are!" Kagome exclaimed. " Where were you?!?!"
" I'm not sure..." Sango replied, " There was so much fog, we couldn't see, so we had to stop for a while, and it only just cleared."
" Inuyasha!" Miroku exclaimed, " Is that not the Shikon Jewel?!?!"
" Yeah," Inuyasha replied, " But it's still missing two pieces..." he glared anxiously at the monk.
" Oh, right..." Sango said, adding her shard. It fit perfectly in the first cut in the jewel, and seemed to melt into it.
Miroku sighed, and glanced at his shard one last time. " I can't believe it's finally over..." he sighed, adding the last piece to the puzzle.
Kagome took the jewel from Inuyasha, and it began to glow. Slowly, it was fully purified, and, at last, back to it's original status.
" So..." Kagome said sadly, " I guess you're going to choose now, huh, Inuyasha?"
Inuyasha glanced at her. " Hn?"
" You wanted the jewel so you could transform to a full demon, right?" she asked. " So, are you still going to?"
Inuyasha started to answer, but was stopped when he looked at Kagome more closely. There were small cuts on her upper arms; some were puncture wounds, while others were open cuts. What made him stare was the realization that they were wounds inflicted by him.
Even with Naraku and Kikyo dead, even without a jewel shard inside him, he still was unable to control himself as a demon when he was with Kagome. The thought hurt him, and he began to consider if being a full demon was really what he wanted. He began thinking about being human instead.
" If I was human..I would never hurt Kagome again..." he thought. " But, then it would be almost impossible to protect her, too! What can I do?"
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, a bit puzzled. He was so quiet, and she wondered what he was thinking about.
" Inuyasha?" she asked meekly.
He snapped out of his thoughts for a moment, and looked at her. His face softened, and he smiled at her. " Yeah?" he asked softly.
Sango and Miroku stared at each other, dumbfound. " What's going on between them?" their eyes said to each other.
" What are you thinking about?" she asked gently. " Don't you know what you want?"
Inuyasha reached out, and held Kagome's free hand in both of his. " I do!" he replied, " I want to be able to protect you, Kagome!"
Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all grew wide eyed. " What?!?!?!" they all exclaimed.
Inuyasha ignored them. " If I became full-demon, I would be extremely powerful!" he said, " I'd be strong enough to protect you!" He paused slightly. " If I became full-human, I'd be just like you, Kagome...but I wouldn't be able to protect you...I can't let anything happen to you! But, if I'm full-demon, then I couldn't control myself, and I couldn't stand it if I hurt you..."
Kagome smiled at him. " Inuyasha, " she said kindly. " It doesn't matter to me what you decide, I love you, no matter what!"
Those words answered Inuyasha's confusion. " Then I won't change at all!" he said, determined.
" WHAT?!?!?!" Miroku exclaimed.
" Are you serious?!" Sango asked, stepping forward.
Inuyasha nodded. " If I'm one or the other, I will never be able to protect Kagome!" he said, " At least when I'm a half-breed, I have some power, but I can still control myself! I may not be extremely powerful," he added, holding Kagome closer, " But at least I can still protect you."
Kagome smiled, and hugged him. " I'm glad you decided! But, what are we going to do about the Shikon Jewel?"
They all stared down at the jewel, watching it shimmer in the moonlight.
" We'll have to protect it..." Miroku said.
" Well, it has to go back to my village!" Sango said, " That's where it came from, after all! It should go back to where it originated."
" Sango's right!" Shippo said. " I may be just a kid, but she really makes sense!"
" So we'll all stay in Sango's village?" Miroku asked.
" I can't stay!" Kagome cried.
Everyone looked at her oddly. " What?" they asked.
" Why not?" Inuyasha asked angrily, " I'll look after you, isn't that enough?!?!"
Kagome looked down at the ground. " What about my home in the future?" she asked weakly. " What about my mom, my brother, my grandpa? What about them?"
Sango put a hand on Kagome's shoulder. " You have to do what's best, Kagome." she replied. " But, never forget; the choice you make is the choice you must live with."
Kagome sighed, and tried her hardest to make her chioce.
" Kagome," Miroku said calmly, " The well will be sealed up soon. If you wish to go home, you had better decide to go soon. If you do not hurry, you won't make it back. Where ever you decide to stay will be your home permanently, you can not try to turn back."
Kagome gasped, and hung her head.
" It seems like no matter what I choose, I have to go through the well again anyway..." she said. " I have to hurry!"
She started to run, but Inuyasha called after her. " Kagome! Wait a minute!!" He chased after her to the well.
" Kagome!" he said again, having caught up with her. " Will back?"
" I...I can't promise you that I will..." she replied slowly. She looked up at him, her face slightly tear stained. " Will you stay by the well? Just for tonight?"
" Why?" he asked softly.
" Because," she replied, " If I do come back, you will see me again soon. The latest will be by morning. If I don't come back when the sun rises, the well will be sealed, and you'll know you have to go to Sango's village without any more delay. Will you wait for me tonight?"
Inuyasha paused for a moment, then nodded. Sighing, Kagome started to enter the well, but Inuyasha grabbed her hand before she could make the jump.
" Kagome," he said quietly, " Come back." He kissed her one last time before she made the jump into the well.
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Kagome ran to the house. As she ran, she looked at the skyline.
" You can hardly even see the stars here!" she thought sadly. " And the trees have been ruined! Look at all those buildings! People can live without electricity, without cable, without having to destroy nature!" She stopped for a moment, realizing her thoughts. Now knowing her answer, she walked into her house, shutting the door behind her.
" Kagome!" her mother exclaimed, embracing her daughter as she walked in. " You were gone even longer than usual, what took you so long?"
" The well is about to seal over, Mom." she replied sadly. " By tomorrow morning no one will be able to go through it again!"
" Oh, dear..." she replied, sitting down. " That's sad news...what are you going to do?"
" Huh?" Kagome asked, looking at her mother. " What do you mean? What can I do?"
" Sweetheart," her mother said, hugging her again. " I know you love someone back there; you can't hide things like that from your mother. Even though you're only fifteen, I think you're mature enough to decide what you want to do with your life. I think, I know you'll make the best choice. But, remember, you have to stick to your decision. Whether I see you tomorrow morning or not, I'll be proud of you, and I'll still love you."
Kagome smiled. " Thank you, Mom." she replied, ready to make the most important decision of her life.
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Inuyasha sat up all night, waiting for Kagome to come back. He prayed she would come back. " Kagome..." he thought. " Please, come back."
Now, though, the sun was rising, and the well already seemed a bit narrow.
" Kagome!" he said, realizing time was almost up. " Where the hell are you?!?! Kagome!!!"
Suddenly, a hand reached out of the well. " Maybe if you were paying attention, you'd have realized that I'm back!" Kagome scolded from inside. " I can't see; help me out!"
Inuyasha pulled her out of the well. She no longer wore her school clothing; she wore the clothing Lady Kaede once gave her when she had been injured. Her backpack was also absent, only her bow and quiver remained, and she had tied her hair back in a ribbon. She did, however, wear a locket around her neck, with pictures of her mother and her father. She had sworn never to let it go; and she didn't. When she had gained her footing, she looked at the hanyou and smiled.
" You're still sure about this?" she asked.
" About what?" Inuyasha asked, sounding like he had a long time ago.
" Staying half-human, so you can still be somewhat powerful?" she said.
" Do you want me to be a human?" he asked.
Kagome shook her head. " I want you to be happy." she replied. " Now, come on! I'll bet you the others are already to go now!"
" Right!" Inuyasha replied. They were both quiet for a moment.
" Let's go!" Kagome said, pecking his lips lightly before getting on his back. " I'll bet they have a headstart!" she added teasingly.
Inuyasha scoffed, but he was smiling. " Yeah, right!" he replied, " As if that would make any difference!" With that, he started running to the camp to meet the others, so they could travel to Sango's village, and put the Shikon Jewel to rest once more.
The End
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Time to thank all the loyal fans!!!! I'm gonna try and mention everyone who reviewed this fic-period! But, I'm gonna start with the most recent reviewers, and then thank the others who reviewed in the past.
AnimeFanatic16: I'm glad you found the fic again, but I'm sorry I ended it on ya so soon! I'm gonna write more fics again soon (maybe not Inuyasha, but we'll have to see about that 8winks8) Thank you for being my first reviewer for this fic!
Dark Angel Grace: Gracie!!! Yay! It's so cool you're beginning to understand, but it's also a shame that this is it! I hope by the time you reach this chapter, you'll finally have some understanding of Inuyasha! My number one fan, you've been here since my first fic (which is also the last one I wrote, coincidence? 8LoL8) I'm grateful for your support!!! Thank you soooo much!!
Firestorm2004: I'm glad you've been getting into the story, I hope this last chapter isn't too much of a disappointment! Thanks for reading!
BeccaPatty: Kikyo always seems to spoil things...but not anymore!!! Isn't it awesome?!?!?! Thankies for the reivews!
Keyo: Red Angel of Hope: ROFL Your betting pools are awesome! I love your sense of humor!!! I've really enjoyed reading your reviews (including your wishes to see Koga, Naraku, Sesshoumaru, and Kikyo dead; BTW I decided not to leave Sesshoumaru's fate in this fic! Sorry!) and I hope you follow my work when I begin my next fic (still working on an idea)
Inuyashasonly1: Evil cliffhanger person? I kinda like that......ah, well, the story is over! I probably get a new name, right? 8Laughs8 I hope you like the ending!
Kasatka( ): Ah, the short yet sweet R&R. It's still appreciated, though! Thankies for reading, I hope the story doesn't disappoint ya too much!
siyuri: Yeah, just when it gets really good, I end it. Isn't that peachy? Heh, hope I haven't disappointed you! Well, glad you've been reading!
vulpixfan: Cyute name! I like Vulpix (or did when I was deeply into the game) I hope you liked the fic!
Now, a quick shout out to all the other people whom R&Red me in the beginning up until now:
Danno123, cindamin, StarryKegome,Crazy-Writer-Girl, PisxiePam, Kagome, XxXSarahXxX, LittleLetty, and misery. You all RAWK!!!!! Thank you soooo much for your support!! I love all of you, thank you so much for reading!!!! Hope to see you all again!!! Trin, a.k.a. TrinForever, Trinity, or Sakura-chan