Disclaimer – I do not own InuYasha or any of the original characters; they are the property of the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi. This story is an individual creation for personal and shared enjoyment of true InuYasha fans that I hope is up to the quality of the real series. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
To ShortPoet – I haven't read DreamCatcher but I have seen the movie they made out of it, very freaky but riveting; a great story if a bit gory. (Oops, that rhymed) I know that Sango's memory snippets felt a little brief to me, but I didn't want it to get crazy...they are only memories; if key ones. When I started the last chapter, I knew what the content would be and I was worried that it would barely make a whole chapter, and on top of that, the words were fighting me. Then my muse returned – the choreography and dialogue evened out – and the next thing I knew...I had exceeded my usual page count, almost doubled. But I'm not going to break it up, so I guess this long chapter makes up for my short one.
To Hooked-on-Ramen – Thanks for the review!
Author's Note – Well, here it is. I hope it was worth the wait. Again, forgive me for the he/she changes when referring to Kagome/Akunin. It has a lot to do with point of view and what felt right at the time. I mean, Akunin obviously considers himself as 'he' while the others are looking at and dealing with a 'she' even though they understand better 'who' it is...and 'who' it isn't. Honestly, I'm not trying to confuse you. Really...I'm not!! (Maybe I should hide...) LoL - Enjoy!!
Chapter Seven: Where Darkness DwellsThe girl in pink flannel continues to advance with a frenzy of sword strokes and Sango is running out of ideas, 'I can't hurt Kagome!' She jerks back to avoid a swipe at her head and blocks a second swing with her makeshift weapons. Her training is barely holding up against the fighting skills of her opponent and the unusual power behind each blow is quickly wearing her down. She concentrates on defending herself and avoids looking directly into Kagome's eyes; the virulent hatred blazing in them is too distracting.
'How can this be Akunin?!' She grunts as another cut appears when she is too slow to stop it and moves back again, breathing heavily and doing her best to keep up with the rapid attacks. Every move the girl facing her takes has Akunin's style written all over it and Sango suddenly realizes, 'He's toying with me!' She feels anger supplant most of her fear and takes advantage of a deliberate opening to deliver a hard thump to the girl's leg, hoping to knock her off balance.
Unfazed and unstopped, the girl's grin widens, "That's it! Fight back!"
Sango's heart drops as she continues to back away, only defending herself and no longer looking for a chance to strike. 'He wants me to hurt Kagome...' she grits her teeth and prays silently for help, "Damn you Akunin! I won't!"
Akunin steps back and lowers both swords, staring at the out-of-breath woman standing defiantly before him. His anger burns coldly through his stolen body and fuels the abnormal strength and endurance granted by tiny fragments of crystal. He sees her denying him all over again and with narrowed eyes, he resumes his battle stance and says in a low tone filled with venom, "Then I have no more use for you."
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InuYasha rushes past the vacant stream and the scent of blood leads him to the small clearing where Miroku lay. He kicks up dust as he skids to a stop, quickly placing a hand on the Monk's chest, 'Good...he's breathing.' His ears twitch towards the sounds of fighting and he leaves the unconscious man behind, leaping forward and trusting that Kaede and the others won't be far behind.
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If Akunin was holding back before, Sango was left in no doubt that he wasn't now. Her attempts to block were pitiful compared to the power behind each strike, and she picked up more than a few cuts as she retreated. With almost contemptuous ease, the snaking blade twists and knocks one of her weapons out of her grasp, the golden rings jangling into the bushes, and leaving her with a painful gash across the back of her left hand. Its sudden numbness frightens her but she doesn't dare look for fear of loosing something worse.
Her one-handed defense falls short too many times and she backs away faster, praying she doesn't trip. Finally, her remaining piece of staff is forcibly swatted aside with one hit as the other blade follows to ram through her right shoulder. She gasps loudly, dropping the length of wood, both hands now useless, and sees the crooked smile on her friend's face. Sango stands there in shock, her breathing shallow and staring back into those insane eyes, searching. 'Oh...Kagome-chan...where are you?'
Akunin tilts his head with a considering look, "Ah...it seems to me...that we've been here before." With a malicious twist, he yanks the sword out and Sango drops to her knees, a low keening sound escaping her throat. A low chuckle at her defeat has her glaring up at him, her undaunted spirit stealing his short feeling of victory and he raises the sword; determined to erase the lack of fear in her eyes.
The sword falls - Sango flinches involuntarily - and the blade goes flying from the swift kick delivered by the arriving hanyou's quick reflexes. InuYasha lands a few feet away in a cautious crouch, the lost weapon lying far beyond him. He stares at the girl in pink standing over the bloody Taijiya, his heart racing and unable to break eye contact with this wild-haired girl that is staring back with blazing hatred. He frowns, "Kagome..."
"Damn Filth!" Her voice sounds strangely guttural and the sneer on her face is completely foreign, "I should have killed you when I had the chance!"
Sango takes this moment of distraction to scramble painfully away while InuYasha watches the sword switch hands before swinging in his direction, his confusion beyond measure as he sniffs the air, 'I'm looking at her...but I can't smell her!' He cocks his head and stands, "Kagome, what-?"
"No!" Sango has managed to stand on shaky legs to lean heavily on a tree, "It's not Kagome! It's Akunin!!"
InuYasha backs a step, glancing at her in disbelief, "WHAT?!"
"Shut up Bitch!" Slowly advancing on the hanyou, the bigger danger now, Akunin snarls without taking his eyes off of his new opponent, "I'll take care of you soon enough!"
'That's not possible!' InuYasha jumps back to avoid a wild swing, leaping out of range, "But-" another dodge, "-how?"
Sango shakes her head, finally allowing the tears to surface, "I don't know!" She keeps one eye on the cat-and-mouse display while edging towards the discarded sword, not wanting to remain weaponless. 'Although, I don't know if I can use it,' the pain in her hand and shoulder throbs with each heartbeat.
With every swing and miss, Akunin's fury grows, "Stand and fight!" He lunges forward only to miss again and he yells in frustration, "Coward!"
InuYasha suddenly changes direction and leaps in close, making a grab for the sword in an effort to disarm and gets a stiff foot directly in the chest, knocking him back several yards. He tumbles into a roll and lands on his feet, pain spreading from the impact and trying to catch his breath. 'How...?' He resumes his defensive stance, circling with the other who is and isn't Kagome and suddenly remembers the empty bottle. 'The Shards!' He frowns, finally understanding that this wasn't going to be easy and calculating fast, "Sango! How many Shards did Kagome have?"
She had almost reached the sword when he calls out and Sango looks over at him, her eyes widening in shared understanding. Her eyes snap to the girl in pink with horror spreading over her face, "Eight!"
InuYasha nods, "That's what I thought."
Akunin had calmed while listening to their exchange, head tilted and focused on the circling hanyou, "Oops, my little secret is out." He straightens and sheathes the sword, flexing slender shoulders and raising delicate hands into a martial pose with a crooked grin, "Come on then, Freak...I'm in the mood for a real fight. I'd rather tear you apart by hand anyway!"
'Shit!' InuYasha keeps his distance, knowing he can't do anything to hurt Kagome no matter who might be in control right now. "What have you done to Kagome?"
A soft chuckle, "I ate her!" Akunin leaps forward blindingly fast and slams the unprepared hanyou with a combination kick to the head and torso, spinning InuYasha with the first hit and knocking him back with the second. He shakes his head and tsk's in disappointment, "Too slow Hanyou!" The word is drawn out in a derogatory way.
InuYasha barely avoids the next blow only to be pummeled by a following fist doing its best to shatter his jaw. He rolls back with it, trying to get out of reach and hears the rushing sound of another swing that just barely misses him. He jumps back forcefully to gain more distance, watching wide-eyed as the slim girl follows, leap for leap. 'Fuck!!' He dodges one hit and takes the second on his shoulder, flipping backwards to land on all fours before pushing off the ground powerfully, up towards the treetops; hoping the tangled maze of branches will buy him some time to think.
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A small ray of sunlight blinking through the shifting leaves overhead finds him, the brightness lancing painfully through sensitive pupils and he closes his newly opened eyes. '...Maybe that's not a good idea...' The intense throbbing at the base of his skull overrides any thoughts of trying to move and he tries to remember why he's lying on the ground. The kitsune's high-pitched voice calling his name has him gasping and sitting up reflexively, "Shippo!" He grabs his head with a groan, slightly hunched over, as the world spins dizzyingly and nausea threatens to disgrace him. He shuts his blurry eyes tightly and hopes for the quick return of his equilibrium.
"Miroku!"
"Houshi-dono!"
The sudden, squirming weight landing on his lap and the firm hand on his shoulder identify both speakers and he squints down at the kitsune peering up at him in concern only a few inches away. "Shippo," he sees the old Miko's red hakama at the edge of his view and tries to turn his head, "Kaede-sama." The pain holds him immobile and he settles for looking back at Shippo, "You're...all right?" The youngster's answer is interrupted by Kirara's enraged roar sounding directly behind him followed by the swift padding of the huge cat-youkai running off heavily through the undergrowth. Startled, "What-?" he turns automatically and has to brace himself with a hand on the ground as blackness narrows his vision.
"She must be going after Sango!" Shippo hops to the side and grabs the man's arm, still a bit wobbly himself. "She's fighting...with Kagome..." his voice trails off.
Miroku stares at him, not sure he heard him right, "With Kagome-sama?" He hears Kirara's roar again a short ways off and frowns, trying to clear the fog in his head, "Sango?"
"Can ye stand?" At his careful nod, Kaede hooks her hand in his armpit to help him up, taking a better hold on his arm as he sways unsteadily. He takes a step forward and would have fallen if she had let go. Knowing he won't be stayed, she drapes his arm across her shoulder.
"Arigato Kaede-sama," he grits his teeth against the pounding headache and leans heavily on her surprisingly sturdy support, determined to find the Taijiya...and to find out what's going on.
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Sango is leaning against a tree with her eyes scanning the forested canopy worriedly when the cat-youkai's cry reaches her ears and she turns to see Kirara barreling out of the trees. "Kirara!" She drops to her knees and rests her forehead between the large pointed ears as the cat butts her head against the woman's chest, needing contact.
A largish branch crashes noisily down, thudding to a stop a few yards away and they both turn to look up, seeing a flash of red disappear followed by an equally fast glimpse of pink. Leaves torn loose by the two forms racing unnaturally through the lush foliage rain down, filling the air with their fluttering. Kirara grumbles deep in her throat and Sango raises her right hand slowly to spare her shoulder, burrowing her fingers into the thick fur, "Stay...there's nothing we can do."
"Sango!" Shippo bounds out of the bushes and quickly crosses to her, landing in her lap and gripping the front of her yukata, his eyes wide at her disheveled and bloody appearance.
She touches his cheek and forces a tiny smile of reassurance, "Shippo, you're ok?" At his nod, she gives him a gentle nudge and takes hold of Kirara again to pull herself up, leaning against the strong feline to catch her breath and wait for her knees to stop shaking. A movement in the direction the cat and kit had come from draws her attention and upon seeing the Monk on his feet, very much alive and accompanied by the old Miko, she plops back to the ground, weak with relief. "Houshi-sama...thank goodness," another crash overhead has her looking up, the others as well. Leaves continue to fall like green snow all around them.
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InuYasha lurches off the branch, barely avoiding the powerful downward flying kick that causes said branch to snap and fall; crashing noisily to the forest floor. 'Those damn Shards are making her too fast...too strong!' He puts out a clawed hand to grab an upper tree trunk to swing around and change his direction without stopping, leaving gouges behind in the rough bark. Doubts surface and he mentally shakes them away. 'I refuse to believe that she's not in there...' he glances over his shoulder at the dark haired girl dogging his every move unflaggingly with a twisted grin on her face and shadows in her eyes, '...somewhere.'
Zigzagging, up and down through the arboreal tangle in a surreal game of follow-the-leader, InuYasha stays just beyond the girl's reach. 'If he got in there...' he stops on a wide limb, looking behind and waiting for her to catch up, '...he can just get the hell out again!' He rests a hand on the upright trunk, looking cautiously from side to side. 'Maybe Miroku and Kaede...' his thoughts halt and his eyes narrow, vivid gold glinting under lowered brows, '...where is she?' Unable to catch the girl's scent, he strains his ears, flicking them back and forth nervously. A single leaf floats past his nose, 'No way!' He looks up and sees her swinging down from an overhead branch to slam him in the back with both feet, hurtling him forward off the limb. Several branches fall victim to his uncontrolled tumble from the treetop, his body spinning with each impact; leaving silver strands of his hair snagged on jagged splinters and picking up scratches and bruises in return.
InuYasha ploughs through the lower levels and hammers into the ground on his back, peppered by sticks and twigs that had followed him down. Akunin's guttural laughter in Kagome's voice drifts over him and he blinks up at her standing on a high branch above, with her hands on her hips and an almost-friendly expression on her face. Pushing himself out of the shallow depression created by his landing, he shakes his full sleeves to rid them of debris and rotates his stiff neck and shoulder, hearing bones pop. InuYasha frowns back, flexing his hands until the knuckles crack and shifting his feet into more secure footing, a part of him aware of the others somewhere behind him but keeping his focus here.
Akunin sneers, "Well Brute, it's been fun..." and takes an easy breath as his remaining sword is drawn from its sheath, "...but playtime's over!"
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---- ::Ready?::
Kagome nods and opens the door, looking at the dark mass swirling and pulsing with malevolent flashes of red that is blotting out the gray of her false world; swelling and enveloping it. She takes a deep breath and steps through the doorway; the room vanishing behind her...no longer needed. She allows her anger to build, feeling her strength growing with it, and yells out commandingly, "AKUNIN!!"
The clouded mass churns sluggishly, changing direction and shifting closer. "Ah," a satisfied laugh echoes across the void, "have you finally decided to accept the inevitable Little Bird?" Smoky tendrils snake out twistingly, reaching for her.
"No! I've decided to take back what's mine!!" Her power bursts out, pure and bright. The new radiance spreads rapidly with the girl at its center, overtaking the gray and black alike; reclaiming lost territory. "You're done hurting my friends!!" Her hands fist and she stands confidently, her voice strong and sure, "You're done hurting ANYONE!!" Another light, brighter still and more condensed, forms into a solid shape in front of her before streaking towards the formless hate-filled spirit...an incandescent spear tearing through the darkness. ----
InuYasha braces himself for the attack that doesn't come, watching his unwanted opponent gasp and drop the sword. He dismisses the falling blade as harmless and fixes his eyes on her as she stiffens, staring blindly.
---- His attention turned inward, Akunin is unprepared as his captive turns the tables on him with an unexpected attack. Her brilliant luminescence burns deep into his control, ruthlessly breaking his hold on her and cutting off his escape. He feels the searing pain as the Shikon Shards are purified, one by one, rejecting his foulness before they are forcibly ejected beyond his reach. Without them to bolster his tainted desires, he diminishes, shrinking further into himself, unable to compete as the light within grows and surrounds him, routing him from every corner and bombarding him with the knowledge of how insignificant he really is.
The last thing he sees is the strangely dressed Kagome with the faint image of another female standing close behind her with a pale hand on her shoulder...a shared intensity in their similar eyes; innocence tempered with wisdom. ----
The pink-clad girl perched above him in the tree is emitting a steadily pulsing light when her head suddenly jerks back and the light flares, causing InuYasha to flinch from the glare as the Shards are expelled from her body by the burst. The nimbus grows brighter, becoming painful to look at and almost obscuring the girl as she tips backward; falling.
His heart thumping hard, InuYasha jumps up, snatching her limp form and feeling a jolt as they come into contact. The air surrounding her crackles and his skin tingles uncomfortably. He lands in a crouch, curved protectively over her and not letting go for anything. "Kagome?" He stares at her face as the light fades, his arms tightening anxiously. "Kagome??"
Her eyelids flutter before lifting, blinking slowly as she focuses. She stares silently at him and then looks around at the forest, hearing the birds in the distance and squinting up at the clouds in the blue sky. She feels the warmth of his arms around her and the breath of air on her skin and her flexing hand rises to touch her own cheek. Her heartbeat goes into overdrive and she reaches up, burying her fingers in his long hair, "You're real!" A giddy smile starts in her eyes and spreads across her face, "He's gone!"
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After retrieving the scattered Shards and a quick reunion with the others, Kagome's elation dies as she takes in everyone's condition, turning silent as Sango and Miroku are helped aboard Kirara for transport back to the village and feeling the suspicion on Shippo's little face like a blow. She quietly talks InuYasha into taking her home briefly, with surprisingly little resistance on his part, to reassure her family and to retrieve her things with the all-important first aid kit.
Back at the village, the males loiter outside Kaede's hut after having been efficiently banished by the females to preserve Sango's modesty. Miroku chooses to sit in a spot against the wooden wall facing the sun, a chill running through him despite the multiple layers of his robes. He fingers the two halves of his broken staff laying across his lap with a sigh before closing his eyes against the brightness, still dizzy from the pounding in his head. Thoughts of what could have happened if the young woman had been weaponless earlier causes him to shudder inside, 'I'm glad that she had it...she is not so easily mended.'
He feels Shippo sit next to him to lean tiredly against his leg and he looks down at the top of the kitsune's head, lifting a hand to gently measure the lump under the reddish hair. He winces sympathetically. While a part of him is glad that the youngster's youkai nature will heal him quicker than his own human capabilities will, another part knows that it will take longer for the kit's trusting heart to recover after suffering several, damaging blows from the person closest to him; though through no fault of her own.
The sound of bare feet approaching and InuYasha's snort of disgust followed by the clatter of the two sheathed swords landing in the dust in front of him, draws his attention to the weapons; their distinctive designs matching perfectly the short blade retrieved from the stranger who had attacked Kagome the other day. He reaches for the longer of the two, partially unsheathing it and noting the blood still staining its length, '...Sango's blood.' He slams the blade home and drops it angrily.
"Ugh!" InuYasha makes a pained face after opening a bamboo container that had been found among 'Akunin's' things and sniffing it, the acrid vapors rising from the small amount of what looks like ointment at the bottom rise up and sting the membranes of his sensitive nose. He holds it away at arm's length from his face and puts the lid back on. He rubs his hand against his nose, takes several deep breaths and then looks surprised. He glares at the innocuous looking container before tossing it to the Monk, "I think that's what's left of what he used to mask his scent." He rubs his nose again, startled at how blind he feels without his sense of smell. "I can't smell anything, damnit!" He sneezes, 'Shit! This is worse than my human nights.'
Miroku raises his eyebrows and takes an experimental sniff of the stuff himself, dabbing his finger in it and rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger, "Well, I hope he's the only one who knew about it." He closes it and sets it down near the swords, shaking his head carefully, "I never would have guessed that that man who had attacked Kagome-sama was actually possessed by Akunin's ghost and not just an associate of his looking for revenge." He sighs, "I wonder who he was." Miroku sends up a silent prayer for the deliverance of the unknown man's soul.
"Keh!" InuYasha crosses his arms and looks off towards the forest, "Doesn't matter...he's just as dead as that bastard is...now."
Shippo tilts his head back to look up at them both, asking quietly, "Do you really think that Akunin is gone for good this time?"
Miroku looks seriously at the young kitsune, feeling the shivers shaking his little body, "I believe so. Kagome-sama's explanation of how she exorcised him rings true; her retelling only lacked the actual terminology of what she did. Somehow, at some instinctive level, she knew what to do." A faint smile crosses his face, "I should have expected no less from her. Kagome-sama is truly amazing."
Inside the hut, Kaede is across the room rinsing out the torn and soiled yukata while Kagome is helping to clean Sango's numerous wounds. Many of the cuts are shallow and will heal quickly, but the one she had just finished wrapping on the back of her friend's hand had required a few of Kaede's careful stitches. She looks at the already bandaged shoulder with its heavy padding, and guilt rips through her. Kagome bites her lip and dabs at a sluggishly bleeding slash on the Taijiya's upper thigh, helpfully extended from under the blanket covering her nakedness.
Kirara chirrups and Kagome looks over at the nearby cat-youkai sitting and staring in obvious concern at her mistress, with her red eyes blinking and twin tails twitching, before glancing up herself at her wounded friend. Sango is watching the process of wound-care with a professional detachment, unable to help herself what with one hand out of commission and the other arm too painful to move other than to hold the blanket over herself. Kagome's brow creases and she applies pressure to the raw-looking gash. "Ano...Sango-chan?"
Sango looks up at the soft query, "Hmm?" She sees unshed tears in the younger girl's eyes before they flick guiltily away, "Kagome-chan?"
A soft intake of breath and head lowering, "I'm...sorry."
'I knew it...' Sango tilts her head, trying to see her friend's face better, "For what?"
Kagome's head comes up, her surprise obvious, "For hurting you!"
Sango shakes her head, her eyes clear and a small smile curves her lips, "You didn't hurt me."
"But...it's my fault!" The anguished tears spill over and her breath shudders.
Sango sighs with fatigue, "How many times have you told me to stop apologizing for what Kohaku has done?" She sighs again and shakes her head, "This is no different. Just as he is not at fault for his actions; neither are you."
"But...if I had been trained-"
"Well you weren't...and that's nobody's fault either." She had the younger girl's attention now and she was determined to do what damage control she could. "I understand how you feel, Kagome-chan, but you've done fine up till now with what you do know how to do. Your skills have saved all of us many times and I'm not about to start keeping score. We're all in this together...and when what we can do proves to be inadequate, we do our best to improve. Just look at the lengths that InuYasha has gone to; increasing his power and never giving up."
Kaede sets down a fresh basin of clean water with a mild disinfectant added and sits near. "Sango is right. Guilt misplaced will hinder your actions and cause hesitation." She reaches for the floating cloth and squeezes out the excess liquid, "Besides, ye've not had much time for training."
Kagome sniffs and wipes her sleeve across her eyes angrily, "I'll make time."
The old one-eyed Miko nods satisfactorily, "That is good then."
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The tiny flame dancing amid the glowing coals in the center pit is barely bright enough to cast shadows on the dark walls, the slight crackle of the burning wood a comforting addition to the soft breathing of the sleepers gathered round. A small moan from the person closest to her has Kagome tossing back her cover and sitting up, reaching out a hand to Sango's forehead carefully so as not to wake her. She heaves a grateful sigh, 'No fever,' and sits back, clasping her hands in her lap while looking enviously from one recumbent form to another. Her eyes skim over the Monk to the fluffy-tailed kit sharing his bedding, her heart clenching painfully, and she looks away as if stung to stare dry-eyed at the red coals. She grabs her blanket and drapes it over her hunched shoulders, crossing her legs tailor-style and preparing for a long night.
'I don't blame him...not one bit.' The deep scarlet of the coals and the dancing yellow flames waver in her tired gaze, the warmth welcome on her tired body as strained muscles remind her of what, according to her friends, that...He...had made her do. She picks absently at the rough scab on the back of one hand left by the Shard that had been planted there, feeling the slight pull of a similar one on the back of her other hand; so small it didn't even need a Band-Aid but an irritant none the less. The heat on her face causes her forehead to itch and she reaches up to rub at another tiny scab there. 'Even though I know he's gone...' she touches an identical knot at the base of her throat before dropping her hand back into her lap, memories of waking more than once to find herself on the edge of violence are still too fresh in her mind. 'I don't quite trust myself right now.' The silence emphasizes her loneliness and she shivers, gripping the folds of her blanket and pulling it tight. 'I'm...afraid to sleep.'
"What will I wake to?"
Kagome sits up straighter at the softly spoken words, surprised that she is not the only one awake, and looks over her shoulder at the speaker sitting in his usual spot against the wall. He is hidden by the darkness except for his golden eyes reflecting the miniscule flames and framed by his ghostly-pale hair. His strangeness staring at her with inhuman intensity, the very feel of him so near, with the restlessness of his demon blood an invisible wave of energy washing over her, has her swallowing nervously and asking just as softly, "W-what?"
"What will I wake to?" His voice is a little rough as he repeats the question and she stares; captivated. "Will I wake at all this time?" He blinks and looks away, breaking the spell with a sigh, "...every night."
Her breath rushes to fill aching lungs, no longer holding it as the atmosphere calms and he becomes familiar again. His gaze captures hers once more, this time filled with human emotion; the same emotion plaguing her. Her dark eyes widen in understanding, 'I never thought...' She shifts around, dragging the blanket along as she crawls closer, not stopping until she is within arm's reach and she sits facing him, her voice only a whisper, "You're...afraid-?"
"-to sleep." The darkness is too complete to see him very well but his eyes are expressive enough as he continues in spite of the hint of embarrassment lurking there. He takes a deep breath and re-crosses his arms around the sheathed sword standing upright against his shoulder. "Fifty years of nothing...tricked and sealed," his eyes look past her, "everything was taken away from me." So much was implied in those few words. A sound like a low growl rumbles deep in his throat before his gaze turns back to her, "After you released me, I swore that I wouldn't loose another second...not even to sleep." His laugh was self-mocking, "You don't know how long I fought it...and how many times I lost."
She tucks a strand of still-damp hair behind her ear and then places her hand on his knee, willing to do no less than he; opening her heart and sharing her fears. "I...I've never been so scared before...to loose control, to have it taken away...and not even knowing until it's too late and someone is hurt...or worse. It's awful."
InuYasha's clawed hand covers hers, "Control..." He slides his other hand along the smooth sheath before laying Tessaiga to the side on the wood floor, the metal guard clicking as it settles. "Something I will never take for granted again."
The dull gleam from the cross-guard of the sword catches her eye and she considers the chilling reason that it must always be by his side. Their eyes meet and hold as this new bond of understanding between them roots deep and she turns her hand under his to thread their fingers together, squeezing gently.
Minutes pass and the darkness inside deepens as the last of the flames flicker and die, the chill night air making itself known through the drafty door covering. Kagome eventually moves to sit against the wall next to InuYasha, completely wrapped in her blanket and leaning her head on his shoulder, their hands still entwined. She yawns sleepily, 'Somehow...I don't feel so bad...' and snuggles closer. She stares at the bed of coals glowing in the center of the room and feels his head come to rest against hers, his soft sigh making her smile.
'It's gonna be all right. I know we can do it...one night at a time.'
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The End
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