Illusions Within

By: micchan

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Just borrowing it for a while.

A/N: okay...I finally finished this forgotten fic after more than a year! anyway, thanks for those who read and reviewed this fic! It somehow brought back my spirit as a writer. Arigato gozaimasu!!! Well, here's the last chap, enjoy!

Chapter 3

The hanyou stared at the round and silver moon. The sky was dark, but there were stars sharing its luminance to the heavens. Tranquility filled the whole place. And for once, Inuyasha felt complete peace within his heart. Danger was away. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Suddenly, his ears moved to the sound of a noise. Inuyasha shifted his glance to the side, to the direction where the sound came from.

It was a sound seemingly made by a liquid dropping on another liquid. Or maybe it was just water dropping from a bamboo to a small spring. Whatever it is, it triggered Inuyasha's curiosity. He was going to find out what the strange sound really was.

His adept feet moved against the ground, forcefully pushing himself as he leaped like he was flying. His feet touched the moist land of the cold evening as his face pierced through the chilly wind. The sound was strange, but was somehow familiar... Eventually, his heart pounded louder and louder.

As his foot landed on the floor...

All of a sudden, the ground cracked---making large pieces of rocks and soil falling in the dark abyss. Inuyasha tried to leap backwards, but the ground around him disintegrated as well. Escaping was impossible. And so, Inuyasha faced his fate.

The sound of the dropping liquid continued to ring.

Inuyasha was lying down, still unconscious. Moments later, his eyes slowly opened, revealing the dark place he was in. He sat up and realized that he was lying on a shallow lake. Standing up, he raised his arms to let his sleeves dry after being soaked in the water. And then...

GRRR...

Inuyasha put on his guard. There was a monster near him.

"Show yourself!" he shouted at the unseen enemy.

Golden orbs glowed from the darkness. It was coming nearer to him.

The arrogant hanyou smirked. It was just an ordinary monster; he could defeat it in no time.

And in a split second, the monster charged at the hanyou with its powerful claws. But even in the darkness, Inuyasha's senses are keen. He can fight an opponent in the blackness of the place as if he could see it.

The wolf-like youkai failed to land an attack on the spry hanyou. Water splashed as its claws hit the floor. As if given a great chance, Inuyasha quickly prepared himself for a counter-attack. Only his sharp nails were what he needed to get rid of the weak monster.

Kaze no kizu.

The youkai dropped dead on the water. Inuyasha landed on the shallow lake after executing the final assault.

This has been his life. Hunting and killing youkai and monsters. He never seemed to be satisfied. What if he really became a full human? Would his life still be the way it was? Or would he just choose to be a typical person over being a powerful hanyou? These questions would've been answered on 'that' day...if only Kikyo...

The darkness was slowly being overcome by the strength of the moon. However, even with just some scanty light filling the place, Inuyasha was enthralled by the sight before him.

His feet were still soaked in the lake. But it was not a lake of water.

It was a lake of blood.

Blood from the bodies of foes and monster he had defeated--and now, their corpses lay right in front of him. The stench of the red liquid stayed on his senses. Even if he covered his nose, his hands still had that smell of blood.

Inuyasha was beginning to panic. His reflexes ordered his feet to run--to escape the truth of the existence of the monster within himself.

And so he ran farther and farther away. But then...

SLASH

A slash of a sword provoked him in a lightning speed. He jumped back, still looking straight at the glow of the katana before him.

"Running away?" A voice said.

"Who are you?!"

As if the sky heeded his need, the winds blew the clouds away and revealed the strong and bright moon.

The katana was put back in its sheath by its owner.

"Sesshoumaru..."

Sesshoumaru looked at the red lake. His eyes wore a cold and nonchalant expression.

"Why do you still want to become a human?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at what his brother had just said.

"Humans are weak, worthless," Sesshoumaru continued. "You can never receive ultimate power by wishing to be one of those weaklings."

He was right. Inuyasha knew that, but still he did not know why he wanted to wish for that. Then Kikyo came to his mind. She was the reason why he wanted to change. She served as the happiness in his life. He wanted to become a human to stay with her, because he loved her.

But all he blurted out was, "Shut up."

The older youkai paused for a while, and then raised his hand which was beginning to glow. Inuyasha took a defensive stance, his hand touching the tessaiga. And in a split second, Sesshoumaru was out of sight. His younger brother kept his guard, readying himself to counter the incoming attack.

Like a strong gust of wind, Sesshoumaru's claws drew a slash in front of Inuyasha. The hanyou abruptly jumped backward, but the venom of his brother's claws melted the front part of his clothes. Just as Inuyasha was about to recover, a whip swiftly went towards him. He grabbed his tessaiga which transformed into a huge sword and dodged the whip away. He jumped high to reach his older brother. With his sword in his hand, he slashed the wind several times and out came crescent beams heading to Sesshoumaru. But the latter seemed to be indifferent. He evaded them in a lightning-fast speed, and then turned to attack the surprised hanyou. He prepared his dokkasou, and made a direct assault on Inuyasha.

Inuyasha quickly fell to the ground causing an impact. He was hit on his chest and the venom was beginning to circulate in his body. The attack was too powerful that he barely had the strength to stand up. But he tried. He never wanted to lose to anybody. He fights for his pride, for himself, and for those he wants to protect. That's why he can not lose to anybody...especially to Sesshoumaru!

Now hardly standing, Inuyasha grabbed the tessaiga and gathered all his power for one attack. Sesshoumaru landed on the ground, still wearing an emotionless and merciless face.

But, Sesshoumaru's eyes widened.

Inuyasha was changing. His youkai blood was beginning to overcome him.

"No...Stop...," Inuyasha whispered, but his body wouldn't listen. Inuyasha suddenly moved so fast that Sesshoumaru barely avoided the attacks he executed. Sesshoumaru wrapped him in his white and long fur. Inuyasha fidgeted against it but the grip was too tight. However, the hanyou managed to free his right arm and he used this chance to slash the opponent. Sesshoumaru evaded it and let the fur's grip lose---leaving Inuyasha flying away and skittering on the ground.

Moments later, Inuyasha was taking his stance again, as if not minding the venom and the injuries he had. His claws were sharper than ever, and the longing for the taste of blood was seen in his eyes. He bended his knee, and then, dashed to fight the enemy once more.

Sesshoumaru just stood there, waiting for the attack while keeping himself calm and composed. Though he knew that Inuyasha was stronger, he was slightly delighted for what happened. He wanted a good fight and a challenging adversary.

Inuyasha was quickly approaching...he was ready to kill...his red eyes showed the dissatisfaction of not shedding blood. Finally, he raised his hand for his slash when...

THOK!

Blood sprayed out from Inuyasha's chest.

He went back to normal, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor...all alone. Sesshoumaru disappeared, but someone's presence could be felt.

He stood up and looked at his wound. To his surprise, it was made by something which was very familiar to him--an arrow.

"Inuyasha..."

He looked back upon calling his name. A silhouette was forming under the shadows of the cloudy night sky. And little by little, the person's face was revealed.

Inuyasha was startled. He never thought that he would see her again.

Kikyo walked towards him. Her face was so beautiful. It was enough to make all the pain go away.

"Kikyo...I--" His words were cut short when Kikyo slowly wrapped her arms around him. His body seemed to lose its strength. He didn't hug her back, but deep inside, he wanted to stay like this for a long while.

"Inuyasha, come with me."

He remained silent for a few moments. It's as if time slowed down and that moment never passed away.

"...I can't."

The tranquility turned into the cruel reality.

Kikyo slowly withdrew her arms. Looking down, she asked, "Why?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"You've left me before," she continued. "And now you're leaving me again...?"

Inuyasha just stared at her. Her bangs were covering her eyes; her black hair was reminiscent of another person like her. Kagome.

Kikyo and Kagome. His past and his present. He was confused. Was there a choice to be chosen? A decision to be made? He never knew the answer. He never would want to know.

"You're wrong," he finally replied.

Kikyo looked up to him.

"I'm not leaving you again. Because I never left you...not even once..."

But his vision started to blur. The poison was all over his body. His whole strength was leaving him.

With his final effort, he looked at Kikyo. But instead of seeing her beautiful face, what he saw was different...

And then, he fainted.

Kagome was sitting under a huge tree near Kaede's house. It had been two days since they had an encounter with the youkai that injured Inuyasha. It was a good thing that Miroku came and sucked the monster with his kazaana. However, Inuyasha was already bleeding when he came. And since then, he had not yet recovered fully.

Kagome sighed. "I hope he'd be fine soon. He's been sleeping for days..."

"Kagome! Kagome!"

She looked back and saw Shippou scampering towards her. Catching his breath, he halted in front of her.

"What's wrong, Shippou?"

"Inuyasha's awake now!"

He was just there, staring at the wooden ceiling. He sat up though his wound was still aching.

He recalled all that happened to him. He was here. So that meant that everything was just a dream---his family, his brother, Sesshoumaru, and his encounter with Kikyo. But there was something that he forgot about this dream. Something significant but vague...

Just then, he heard Kagome and Shippou's voices nearing the house. A few moments later, Kagome entered the house and greeted him with a smile.

Inuyasha slightly blushed, but he averted his eyes and wore his usual annoyed face again.

"How are you?" she cheerfully asked.

"I'm perfectly fine now," Inuyasha responded as he tried to stand up. But his wounds suddenly ached and caused him to almost fall down. Kagome rushed and assisted him.

"Don't be silly. You're still not perfectly fine," Kagome joshed.

"Hmph."

They went outside to the tree where they usually hang out. Shippou left for a while to find Miroku and Sango and to tell them that Inuyasha's all right.

"Hey, Kagome, do you have the "yellow stuff" again? I'm starving!"

Kagome raised her eyebrow. "How come you want that more than the food I cook?"

"It's tasty."

"Mou...," Though irritated, Kagome then began to open her big bag to look for some instant cup ramen.

As she dug deep in her bag, Inuyasha silently stared at her. His expression was calm.

"Here it is! Huh?" She caught Inuyasha looking at her but he abruptly looked away. It went on like that for a while, and when finally Inuyasha felt that Kagome was the one staring at him, he returned to the hot-headed hanyou they always knew.

"What?!" he cried out.

"You were looking at me," she replied.

"Shut up."

"Oh I get it! You probably missed me when you were sleeping, ne?"

"And why the heck do you think that I was thinking about you?" Inuyasha's face slightly reddened.

Kagome giggled. "You're blushing!"

"I am not!!!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Just give me that yellow stuff right now!"

"Could you please lower your voice?! I'm the one doing the favor for you!"

"Alright, alright! I just want to eat!" He grabbed the cup ramen from Kagome's hand and opened it.

"Baka," Kagome said and got the cup ramen back. "You still need to put hot water."

"That was great! You should always have that yellow stuff!" Inuyasha commented after finishing his meal.

"Yeah right! And here I am preparing lunch for you guys and you don't even appreciate my cooking! It's even tastier than that yellow--"

"Nee, Kagome," Inuyasha interrupted her. She looked at him and found it strange. He was gazing at the sky, and his eyes showed innocence as that of a child.

"I've never felt this before," he continued. "After fighting that youkai, I thought I was going to die...and while I was asleep, I dreamed of my past, my life...as if I were watching a play."

Kagome was startled. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know exactly either...."

As he watched the clouds drifting in the summer sky, Kikyo's voice rang in his ears.

"Inuyasha, come with me..."

"You've left me before...and now you're leaving me again..."

He pondered upon those words, and thought if they were really true. Maybe he really left her, though he never really wanted to. But he had the urge and the will to continue on living. And it finally occurred to his mind the face of the person he saw before his dream ended. It wasn't Kikyo. It was the girl in front of him right now.

He looked at the last person he saw in his dream. He decided to live in the present, and not in the past. Kikyo had gone in his life, but she would always remain in his heart. He chose to escape death, because he had a reason to go on.

"Kagome," he smiled. "Thank you."

Her cheeks reddened, but she was still confused. But she felt that those words were true. Words coming from the softer side of the brash persona of her friend. It's not everyday that she gets to hear him say his gratitude to her. It was unusual, but she felt solace in that moment.

Though everything was still not clear, she just returned his smile.

END

Okay, it's done! R&R pleez! Everything is welcome!