CHAPTER 1: MUST TO LEARN
(A/n: I know I said it won't all be Kagome's view, it wont…I'll probably just do it more than anything. Doing her view is fun)
Inuyasha watched from nearby branches intrigued, fascinated, and somewhat shocked. Sitting more securely on his branch, hooking his feet under the branch to anchor him, he leaned forward like a keen child wanting to know a secret. One ear twitched and so did the other, and he narrowed his eyes. What had just happened?
Not one to abandon the opportunity to find things out, he promptly hopped from his branch and landed gracefully on the ground, his white furry ears high at attention. The camp was silent, but he'd kind of expect that. His head cocked to the side cutely (he knew she would giggly if she had seen him), he made his way to the nearby camp.
Nobody seemed to notice his entrance, gazes firmly upon the girl who looked just so miserable curled up there on the ground, taking deep breaths.
"Just what the fuck are you people gawking at?" he announced gruffly, resisting the urge to jump when all heads snapped his way. Never before in his time with these people had they ever creeped him out like this…
Sango looked back to Kagome, who was watching the hanyou, analyzing, and looked to Miroku. Miroku turned to her a second later, confusion as bright in his eyes as it was in hers. Neither could explain, they had themselves no idea as to what happened. It was quite disturbing, the way she acted…
They heard the hanyou sigh irritated and stomp over to the girl from the future. He tried not to wince when backed away from him, like he would hurt her. He would never hurt her…
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Don't come near me! Don't come near me Inuyasha! I'm afraid of what might happen…
This whirling in my head, it confused me, and I was afraid what might happen if anyone touched me again. The repercussion of these…"visions" made my head swim, and it did not feel good, let me tell you. So I hope you can understand my desperate need to get away from him.
Looking back on it now, I realize there was some hurt in the golden depths of his eyes, like it hurt him that I didn't want him to touch me, like I gave him a physical slap. But it was me who became sick at the prospect of touching. Strange isn't it? When something can scare you so much, that your habits, your nature can change in the blink of an eye. I've never had any problem with contact, hell I sometimes encouraged it. Ever since I was little, I grew up with hugs and falling asleep on the couch with my little brother all over me. I liked it when people I cared for hugged me, or gave the occasional touch on the hand. I liked it when Inuyasha touched me…
But right then, I repulsed at the idea of anyone touching me.
I saw his hand reaching for me, to stop me from possibly backing into something I might regret. Oh, maybe like, the FIRE. But it didn't matter to me then, I had to do SOMETHING to stop that flow, that stream of flashes. I saw them even then, like an echo had occurred, like my head was empty and those images kept bouncing back to me. It made my stomach turn, and so I kept moving away from him.
Under any other circumstances, I would have welcomed any contact Inuyasha initiated, but…well yeah, I think you get the point.
My feet shuffled and flung up dirt, my hands scraped over little pebbles, but I had to get away from him. I didn't want for it to happen again. I saw the look of frustration pass over his face, his becoming determined, and he practically lunged at me. I lifted up and jumped back from him, a little cry escaping my throat. And my hand…it landed on another, soft, warm, hand…
"You want to rid the curse? Fine then, I shall rid it for you…"
Something happened. It was too fast to see. But not too fast to feel. He saw the blood splatter, he heard something fall, he heard her scream. But he still didn't want to believe. It was only when he lifted his arm, his cursed limb…
To find nothing there. It was nothing, a bloody stump that ended at his elbow. Only then did he scream, small at first, but grew to agonized howls as his brain processed the fact that he had NO ARM. His bloody goddamn arm was GONE.
He clutched at the amputated appendage, eyes wide, mouth pained, raspy wheezing cries ripping at his throat. He heard her scream again…then…black…
I woke…it hurt…
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Miroku seemed to freeze in shock when Kagome's hand landed on his. Not that he was one for non-contact, but given the current events, it sort of freaked him. Sango gasped, and Inuyasha paused in his pursuit for Kagome. He felt her hand…it was so cold…
It clasped to his for dear life, to the point when he heard a crack. He looked up at her. She had frozen completely, and only the twitching muscles in her jaw gave any indication she was even alive. He felt a cold pit dissolve into his stomach. Her eyes, they…they were so…lost, they were gone. No one was home, to say.
The pupils of her deep brown eyes were gone, like they never existed. They had shrunk to nothing. He felt a shudder rake her body, and her hand grasped tighter to his, and it trembled. He was afraid it would break his hand, it was just so strong…
Miroku jumped when she fell to her side, grunting in effort, in pain. Still gripping his hand painfully, she curled into her self, hiding her other hand into her chest. She took a deep breath…and screamed.
So close to her, it hurt his ears, like he imagined it would hurt Inuyasha if he were so close. Inuyasha himself turned pale and quickly swooped an agonized squirming Kagome into his arms. "Let go monk!"
"I would if I could, but SHE wont let go!" Miroku cried over the distressed miko, wincing when his hand was twisted as Inuyasha moved her. Inuyasha growled, and took Kagome's other hand to try and uncurl her, to make it easier to handle her. She struggled quite hard, but he managed to jerk the arm from its clutched position to her body. Everyone froze.
Miroku gulped and Sango gasped. Her fingers curled and straightened, obviously in pain, but they…they were laced with black. Like ink had been injected into her veins, like blight had taken her arm. Little swirls of the darkness curled beneath her skin, her knuckles popping as she tensed her hand to fist it. The blight like condition spread, becoming thicker in her skin, till only so little of her naturally pale skin turned a sickly shiny black. It was her right arm…Miroku shuddered. His cursed arm.
In a second of fear, Miroku ripped his hand from hers, stumbling back panting, watching wide eyed as Kagome's eyes fluttered, and she groaned as she rolled away from Inuyasha. Her breath shuddered from her lips, and she kept clamping, and unclamping her right hand, the darkness the plagued her system slowly receding until her fair skin was fair once more. Inuyasha, quite spooked by now, quickly grabbed her shoulders and shook her a bit, whispering her name.
Seeming as if her lids were made of lead, the miko opened her eyes…
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Oh my head was pounding. I've never experience a headache like this quite before. Every thump of my blood sent little needles poking over my brain, and I could have sworn my head split open.
I sighed as it ebbed away a little, and I risked opening my eyes. It was so blurry, my tears of pain clouding my vision. But as I blinked them away, a white blob slowly became a white blur of a head…
I opened my eyes wide and I gasped harshly. Inuyasha took this as distress. When really it was dread. Kami, why did he have to grab my hands…
"Me? Human?"
"It is possible…"
NO!
I do NOT want to see that!
I screamed and tried to slap away his big hands. He growled in annoyance and grabbed to calm me down I think. I was crying out and raving pretty badly. But hell, I was SCARED okay?! I was having freakin visions in my head and I didn't like it! He grabbed my flailing hands and held tight. My breath froze in my lungs…
"I know you are there…"Her voice was so calm, so deep and serious. But he caught her humorous undertone.
"Come sit with me Inuyasha…"
"feh," he snorted, but hopped down from his perch nonetheless. Be damned if this woman didn't fascinate him. When he flopped down a few feet away from her, he saw a smile grace her face, and he blushed. The breeze blew in, and ruffled her miko robes, making her raven hair wisp by her face. He saw a slender white hand reach up to tame her hair.
They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the company…
"Inuyasha, what do I look like to you?"
I couldn't take it. It was too much.
"STOP TOUCHING ME DAMN IT!!"
I don't normally curse, only if I'm upset enough to do it. Even I know when it is just shocking. I slipped my hands from his frozen ones, and backed away several feet. Wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to calm my breath, but I'm shaking so hard. All was quiet, all I heard was the crackle of the fire as I stared at the ground, waiting for the "echoes" to die down in my head. It was scary to think that I was already getting use to it.
"Kagome-chan?" Sango called to me softly, and I turned to her. Then looked around. Inuyasha was gone. I swallow my guilt and turn back to my present friends. Sango clasped a hand to her chest, "Kagome-chan…are you okay now?"
"hai, I'll be fine," I murmured, relaxing in my spot. But the cold pit of dread formed in my gut. I had hurt him, I know I did. Tears stung my eyes. I know I did.
"Kagome-sama, I was…" Miroku gained my attention this time, and when I looked at him, he had stopped in mid sentence. He looked a bit disturbed.
"hai, Miroku?"
His gaze came back to mine, and I saw the mask of cool clam had slipped back in to place. "Could you possibly explain? Quite frankly, you're scaring us."
I couldn't help but snort at that, but I looked back down to the ground. "I don't know if I can. Every time I touch someone…something happens, I see things—"
"You're having visions?" Sango gasped, eyes going wider.
I shook my head, "only when you touched me. It was…unnerving."
The jingle of Miroku's staff caught my attention, and I looked up surprised. He had risen to stand by me, and he crouched slowly, eyes analyzing. A bit coldly might I add. It made me squirm. He nodded a second later, and before I could react, he placed a had on my shoulder. I jumped back in shock, but gasped for a different reason.
"Did you see anything?" he asked calmly, and I shook my head. "Uh-hm, I thought so…skin to skin contact seems to activate it. Flesh is living, clothing is not."
Well duh. And if it was…I'd feel so bad for wearing it. Call me silly, I don't care.
"What did you see?" Sango spoke, rubbing her hand over the other, "when…you touched my hand."
I gathered my knees up to my chest, and I rested my cheek on them, "flashes, I think they were memories. One of…kohaku, you're father training you…giving you your armor…"
Sango bit her lip and turned her face away. The dread gnawed further in my gut. Bother Miroku didn't need to see her face to know she was trying not to cry. Miroku seated himself next to me, giving my plenty of space.
"So the past? You see the past?" he frowned when I shrugged. I really didn't know the limit of this new "power". "Well…when Shippou hugged you, and you touched my hand…what did you see?"
"Shippou's were memory too, of his father I think," the little kitsune's head popped up, fascinated. I frowned, "but you Miroku…I don't believe it was a memory…"
"Why not?" he pressed, eager to understand what was happening to me I'm sure.
I looked to him, giving the most deadpan stare I could give. I really didn't want any emotion when I said it, "otherwise, you would have no arm."
He paled. Really paled, and I couldn't look anymore. I wanted to hold Shippou, but knew I couldn't. Tears sprung to my eyes, and I didn't stop them. Already, this was looking worse and worse. What would happen if I couldn't touch people? If I couldn't catch someone falling cause I new I would see things? I can't hug Shippou, I can't comfort Sango now when she cried, I bet I could even slap Miroku anymore. And forget riding on Inuyasha's back, who knows what could happen if I accidentally touched his neck, or his hand. And his hands held up my thighs, my bare thighs. The tears slipped from my eyes, leaving cold trials after them.
"kagme-chan…" I heard Sango's endearment, and I lost it. I just broke down in sobs and it hurt…it hurt so much…
"Please stop crying Kagome-chan, we'll get through it…" Sango moved, she probably got up, but my head was buried in my knees. She wouldn't touch me, that I knew. They were afraid to now. It made me cry harder.
Why me damn it!? Why did I have to be cursed like this?! Whatever normality I had is GONE now, just GONE! And I couldn't change it now could I? How could I, when I don't even know what caused it!? And felt so cold too, with no one to hold me while I cried…
I felt a slender hand on my back, and was thankful this curse didn't take all contact away when it rubbed my sore muscles, stroking to calm me. Sango found a way around everything…
"Do you think…it was your arrow?" I heard Miroku asked quietly, more like to himself.
I only nodded, sniffling as my tears died down, eyes puffy and red. Sango's hand stopped, and I sat up. Miroku had gone "contemplating commando", and Sango could only give me sympathetic smiles. Shippou smiled brightly at me from her shoulder, and that got me to give a watery smile. Such good friends…
Later that night, after Miroku suggested we rest, I would lay up all night. I would blink back tears all night…
"Me? Human?"…
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whoo!!! Another chapter!! Yeah you love it!! You know it!! Cough…yeah…
SO's:
LadyAkina: skin to skin, no other way. And I never said it was JUST people's past…
LynneC114: I update!! And edo high might take some time…blockage going on .
Drake220: oh why thank you!!
Kikiusa: I got your attention!! Yay!! I must be good!! I wouldn't know, all I write is crap..
xSilverShadowsx: basic gist, but her "gift" will come into great play later
kayyt-kat: it screams? Wow, so do i…
NorikuKitsune: sorry to disappoint, but I hope you keep reading!!
Wyntermajik: yay! I made the right decision for once!!
Serena-girl: I hate school…but you like my story, so me happy now
Yuki kesuma: cuddles? Cool, maybe I should name mine…oh! I know! I'll name my brain…Timmy! There!!