Haunted
By $hAdOwCaT
Chapter 5: Saiko
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"Stupid wolf!"
"Idiot!"
"Dog face!"
"Why you mangy wolf!"
"Your breath smells, dog face!"
Kagome put her face in her hand and sighed deeply. This routine was getting old fast. Ever since Koga had followed her scent all the way to the inn, he and Inuyasha had done nothing but bicker like children. What they were fighting for was a mystery to everyone, probably even to them.
She had given up a long time ago to stop them from fighting; it was useless. Like mosquitoes were attracted to bright lights, Inuyasha and Koga would fight. They had yet to draw their weapons and were currently trading insults.
When will they stop? Kagome wondered. Her fingers massaged her temples in a futile attempt to stop her raging headache. The loud voices and bright sunlight were giving her a major migraine.
"Does not!" Inuyasha snarled.
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too, dogface!" Koga growled back.
Kagome sighed once more. She wasn't the only one exasperated by the two's behavior. Sango leaned closer to Miroku, who had Shippo perched on his shoulder.
"Those two have been at it for hours now. Shouldn't we do something about it?" the demon exterminator asked.
"Nothing we can do or say will ever make them stop," Miroku replied sagely. "They are completely deaf to words of reason."
"And their the ones with the superior hearing too," Shippo said dully. The others nodded in agreement.
Kagome groaned and leaned against the side of the building. Everyone was gathered outside of the inn in the grassy courtyard. She wasn't sure how much of this she could take. She glanced over at Inuyasha and Koga once more. They were in each other's faces, yelling and snarling.
"Your such an ingrate, you know that?" Koga was saying.
Inuyasha made a throaty growl. "Well your such an asshole."
"Is that the best you can do?"
"You ain't seen nothing yet."
"Honestly, I don't know what my Kagome sees in you. She puts up with your crap daily when she should be with me, where she belongs."
"Your Kagome?" Inuyasha snarled, his eyes flashing.
Koga smirked. "Well she sure ain't yours, dog boy."
"She's not yours either! Kagome would never want to be with an ass like you!"
"How do you know? And I am not an ass!" Koga said, folding his arms indignantly over his chest.
Kagome hung her head and sighed. Apart of her wanted to walk up to them and chew them out for talking about her like she was some sort of possession. While another part just wanted to disappear. The problem with the first one was that she simply didn't have the energy to put up with their bickering and getting involved required too much. And with the second option, she didn't want to worry her friends.
She turned away and started to walk off when Miroku called to her. With an annoyed sigh, she looked to see what he wanted.
"Yes?" she tried not to sound angry.
"Where are you going?" Miroku asked.
"I'm just gonna go for a short walk. I'll be back soon."
The monk nodded. "Alright, would you like me to accompany you?"
Kagome couldn't help but think that he wanted to feel her even though he had to be much smarter than that with both Inuyasha and Koga around. Those two would pommel him if he tried anything lecherous. Besides, Miroku was clearly interested in Sango. The last thought brought a small smile to her lips.
"That's okay. I'll be fine." With that she walked away.
The sun was setting and the horizon was painted colors of orange, pink, and purple. Dark clouds appeared to be on their way from over the mountains on the east. A thunderstorm would be coming soon.
There was something about this time of day that made her feel at ease, peaceful almost. It was like her soul craved for darkness, yearned for the solitude. At the same time, she wanted nothing but to be around those she cared about. The confliction was confusing to say the least.
Her desire to be alone, she feared, was starting to show. As much as she longed for solitude, she found no comfort in her own thoughts. They showed her what she was really in her heart and what she feared. Most of all, they reminded her of why she couldn't sleep.
Kagome was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't notice where she was going. Her feet led her down a dirt path that stretched out to a river.
The area was abandoned except for one person, who knelt by the river's edge. Whoever it was looked as though he were in deep thought. Her first impression was that the person was praying but his hands were not together.
Wait a minute... "Hey!"
The figure turned and just as Kagome suspected it was the teenager she had met earlier.
She smiled. "It's you, Mister Mysterious."
The raven-haired youth smirked. "Aren't you the bright one? What brings you here, Lady Kagome?"
"I needed some fresh air," Kagome replied with a shrug.
She put her hands behind her and casually strode next to the mysterious youth. She stole a glance from the corner of her eye and found herself marveling at how much he looked like someone that she knew. The only problem was, she couldn't remember who he looked like.
"So...are you ever going to give me a name so I can stop calling you Mister Mysterious?"
"You want it that badly, ne? Well then I guess you can call me Saiko. Although if you ask me, Mister Mysterious has a much better ring to it."
Kagome couldn't help but smile. "I think I like Saiko better."
"Suite yourself."
The pastels that had painted the heavens earlier were vanishing beneath a blanket of darkness. Small, soft lights in the sky began to twinkle. Their reflections shone in the crystal clear water.
They stood in a comfortable silence. Although she had just met the guy, Kagome felt as if she had known Saiko her whole life. The way he put her at ease was unnatural to say the least.
She stole another glance in his direction; the fading light made his handsome features more noticeable. Every time she looked at him, she was hit by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Where on earth had she seen this guy before?
Saiko must have caught her staring because he smirked and said, "Do you always gape at people you've just met? Or just the good-looking ones?"
Kagome jerked back and scowled deeply. "I was not gaping," she retorted. "It's just that...well this may sound kind of weird, but you look strangely familiar. I was just trying to remember where I've seen someone like you before. Have we met before or something?"
A strange light twinkled in his violet orbs, giving them an almost crazed look. "I can't say that we have. As far as I know we met today. And trust me, I would know if I met a girl as beautiful as you."
Kagome rolled her eyes and tried to not act uncomfortable. That look in his eyes made her a bit uneasy. It was the kind of look a tiger gave once he had chosen his unlucky victim...Saiko didn't want to eat her, did he?
"Is something wrong?" Saiko asked.
His voice caused her to jump a couple feet in the air. She gulped and shook her head quickly. "No. Nothing's wrong."
Saiko arched an eyebrow. "You're acting as though you are afraid of me. Don't worry, I don't bite."
She shivered. "I would hope not."
"Of course, I could nip you. That is only if you want me to," Saiko smirked.
"Saiko! No thank you! I'd rather not be bitten."
"Nipped is more like it."
"Nipped. Bitten-whatever. I don't want either of them!" Kagome cried, shaking her head against the rather adult thoughts that were rising in her head.
Saiko shrugged, but his smirk remained. "It's your loss."
Just as Kagome was about remark about his desperation for a girl, all too familiar voices arose from not too far away. They belonged to her friends, who up until this part, Kagome had forgotten they even existed.
Saiko's eyebrow rose. "They friends of yours?"
"Yes," she said with a sigh.
"You don't sound very excited to hear from them."
"I-"Kagome started to say 'I'm not' but thought better of it. She didn't want to give the impression that she disliked her friends because she didn't. "I was just hoping for more time for myself. That's all."
"Time with yourself, ne? Even though you're here with me?"
"Yeah well you distracted me," Kagome retorted.
Saiko snorted. "Yeah sure, put the blame on me. Even though you're the one who approached me."
She rolled her azure eyes. "Oh shut up."
The shouts sounded again. Kagome knew it was only a matter of time until either Inuyasha or Koga for that matter followed her scent. She sighed and turned to Saiko only to find that he had vanished. She blinked.
"Saiko?"
Blinking, she glanced around and found that the raven-haired youth was gone. Did she imagine the whole conversation? Nonsense. She couldn't have. It felt so real.
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The sun had disappeared completely over the horizon and stars shimmered brightly in the dark sky by the time she had returned. Her clothes were disheveled, her ebony hair amuck. It was like her mind was in another world all together. She didn't even acknowledge the presences of her friend's before shuffling off to the room she shared with Inuyasha.
The companions exchanged confused glances while sitting on the floor, waiting for dinner to be served. Sango was the first to the recover. She glanced at the four men around her. Koga and Inuyasha were sitting on opposite sides of the room away from each other. While Shippo and Miroku were seated in the center along with herself.
"Should someone check on her?" Sango asked but her words were more demanding than asking. Her hazel gaze 'conveniently' landed on a certain half-demon.
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze. It was obvious that she meant for him to go and see what was wrong with Kagome. But did she have to be so...so...forward about it?
Before he had a chance to reply however, Koga rose onto his feet. "Very well then, I'll go check on my Kagome."
"Hell no! If anyone is going to see Kagome, it's gonna be me!" Inuyasha was on his feet in two seconds flat, his hands balled into fists and his fangs exposed threateningly. "And she's not your Kagome," he added with a growl.
"This is getting ugly fast," Miroku announced with a sigh. The two, who weren't bickering, nodded.
"It seems like all those two do is fight," Shippo said. "You'd think they'd tire after such long and pointless battles."
Sango folded her arms over her chest and took in deep, soothing breaths in an attempt to calm her rising temper. She could feel her eyebrow twitching in annoyance and no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to stop. The angry yells surrounding her did not help matters at all.
Must stay calm, she told herself, Kagome has not been herself lately. Someone has to help her.
Hazel orbs looked up at Koga and Inuyasha, who were in each other's faces, yelling at the other. A plan slowly formed in her mind.
She may not want my help, but there's someone whose help she cannot refuse.
"Inuyasha? Can I ask you something?" Sango asked suddenly.
Inuyasha tilted his head in her direction and turned to face her. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"
"Were you ever afraid of the dark as a child?"
"What the hell are you talking about, Sango?"
"Were you afraid of the dark growing up?" she repeated.
Inuyasha stole an uneasy glance at Koga, who was watching him intently. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"Be honest. Were you afraid of the dark? I know I was," Sango stated, rising from the floor. She straightened the wrinkles in her skirt casually. "I remember I used to be terrified. I would hide underneath my covers until all the shadows in my room stopped moving or until I passed out from exhaustion."
The half-demon in question shot Sango a strange look. What exactly was she pulling at? He wondered.
"Feh. I was never afraid of the dark," Inuyasha stated stiffly, folding his hands in his puffy sleeves.
He received four sets of skeptical looks.
"I have better night vision than all you!" he shouted.
"Not me," Koga announced. "I'm a full blooded demon so therefore I can see in the dark even better than you, dog boy."
Inuyasha made a deep throaty growl in response.
"Come on, what kind of fool do you take me for, Inuyasha? All children, whether they be human or demon, fear what lurks just beyond their sight. You are no exception."
Inuyasha moved his attention from the demon to the demon slayer, narrowing his eyes. "What are you trying to say, Sango? That I'm a liar?" he growled.
Sango gave a non-committal shrug. "Everybody fears something. Whether it is something tangible like a serpent or intangible like death. No one is safe from fear."
"I fear nothing."
"You may be fearless, but there are some of us who fear the intangible. Fear the uncontrollable like losing a loved one for example," her eyes darted to the staircase. "If only we had someone to comfort us when we needed it..."
Inuyasha followed Sango's gaze when it hit him. What Sango was trying to say. He gasped and his eyes widened. Of course! Why didn't he think of it sooner? Gods, he was such an idiot!
In the blink of an eye, he flew down the hall and up the stairs leaving the others dumbfounded in his wake.
"What's his deal?" Koga was the first to break the stunned silence.
The wolf demon stifled a yawn and leaned against the wall. Meanwhile, Sango smiled and wrapped her arms around herself. It seemed as though her work here was done. For today at least.
She turned to walk outside when suddenly she was staring into a pair of cobalt eyes.
"Miroku?" she blinked.
"Sango, if you ever need a comforting presence you can turn to me. I will be here if there is anything you need," Miroku said.
"Er...thank you, I guess..."
His eyes seemed to draw her into a place where time and space didn't exist. Into a place where something inside of her knew she could find happiness...whoa, what was she just thinking? The words 'find' and 'happiness' and 'Miroku' all in the same sentence? Was that even possible? Although, it was times like these that Sango actually liked the guy, he seemed like a really nice non-perverted guy-then again this was Miroku she was thinking about here.
She could feel her eyebrow twitch as something caressed her bottom. She let her instincts kick in.
"Miroku...you HENTAI!!"
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The rain came pouring down, crashing upon the earth below mercilessly. The droplets rolled down her face, mixing with the salty tears that fell from her eyes. Her whole body lacked the strength to wipe the liquid falling down her face even though she wanted to.
She couldn't bring herself to move. To move meant to feel and she never wanted to feel again. Death was what she wanted. Her own.
There she was on the black swing again. Gusts of wind moved her back and forth. Was this the same dream again? Or was it real this time? It felt real, that was for sure.
She looked heavenwards and found the sky was exactly the way it was before. Dark and gray. There was one difference this time however. The dark clouds, once hovering over the horizon, now loomed overhead.
"Why do you weep so?"
Kagome looked at her feet and noticed the front part of her uniform was painted red. Blood. Inuyasha's blood. It was everywhere, she noted with distaste, even on her hands but the rain was currently washing it away.
She hugged herself tightly in a futile attempt to keep the rain from washing away the blood.
"Why do you weep, maiden?" the disembodied voice asked again.
"I've just lost the most important person in my life...the one person who was everything to me...that is way I weep!"
"You needn't so. Wipe your eyes. There is hope yet in your future."
"No...there isn't...the moment Inuyasha died," her voice cracked. "a huge chunk of me died as well...I shouldn't be alive..." Kagome muttered bitterly.
Normally she would have been shocked and ashamed of such a tone, but now she didn't care. She wanted to die, end of story.
A large droplet fell on her nose.
"Maiden, do you remember what I asked you the last time we spoke?"
Kagome shook her head mutely, unable to speak. Tears clogged her throat making it painful to even breathe.
"I asked you to join me and finally be rid of your pain. To finally be free...do you wish to free?"
It sounded so simple, almost too good to be true.
"I...yes...I do..."
"Do you wish to finally be rid of your wretched past? From the numbing pain that consumes your heart?"
"...well...I..."
"Join me and I will make all these things a reality. Will you join me?"
"...yes..."
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Author's Note: And thus finishes Chapter Five! Happy day! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update everyone! I hit a writer's block but I do believe that I have successfully kicked that block's ass. . I'm going on vacation in a couple of days so I won't be able to update as often as I'd like. But I'll have plenty of time to write so I have Chapter 6 done before you know it! I know I said I'd put the review responses in this chapter...but I'm feeling lazy. Sorry! Don't hate me! I apprecite each and every review! So please review, okay?
--$hAdOwCaT
By $hAdOwCaT
Chapter 5: Saiko
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"Stupid wolf!"
"Idiot!"
"Dog face!"
"Why you mangy wolf!"
"Your breath smells, dog face!"
Kagome put her face in her hand and sighed deeply. This routine was getting old fast. Ever since Koga had followed her scent all the way to the inn, he and Inuyasha had done nothing but bicker like children. What they were fighting for was a mystery to everyone, probably even to them.
She had given up a long time ago to stop them from fighting; it was useless. Like mosquitoes were attracted to bright lights, Inuyasha and Koga would fight. They had yet to draw their weapons and were currently trading insults.
When will they stop? Kagome wondered. Her fingers massaged her temples in a futile attempt to stop her raging headache. The loud voices and bright sunlight were giving her a major migraine.
"Does not!" Inuyasha snarled.
"Does too!"
"Does not!"
"Does too, dogface!" Koga growled back.
Kagome sighed once more. She wasn't the only one exasperated by the two's behavior. Sango leaned closer to Miroku, who had Shippo perched on his shoulder.
"Those two have been at it for hours now. Shouldn't we do something about it?" the demon exterminator asked.
"Nothing we can do or say will ever make them stop," Miroku replied sagely. "They are completely deaf to words of reason."
"And their the ones with the superior hearing too," Shippo said dully. The others nodded in agreement.
Kagome groaned and leaned against the side of the building. Everyone was gathered outside of the inn in the grassy courtyard. She wasn't sure how much of this she could take. She glanced over at Inuyasha and Koga once more. They were in each other's faces, yelling and snarling.
"Your such an ingrate, you know that?" Koga was saying.
Inuyasha made a throaty growl. "Well your such an asshole."
"Is that the best you can do?"
"You ain't seen nothing yet."
"Honestly, I don't know what my Kagome sees in you. She puts up with your crap daily when she should be with me, where she belongs."
"Your Kagome?" Inuyasha snarled, his eyes flashing.
Koga smirked. "Well she sure ain't yours, dog boy."
"She's not yours either! Kagome would never want to be with an ass like you!"
"How do you know? And I am not an ass!" Koga said, folding his arms indignantly over his chest.
Kagome hung her head and sighed. Apart of her wanted to walk up to them and chew them out for talking about her like she was some sort of possession. While another part just wanted to disappear. The problem with the first one was that she simply didn't have the energy to put up with their bickering and getting involved required too much. And with the second option, she didn't want to worry her friends.
She turned away and started to walk off when Miroku called to her. With an annoyed sigh, she looked to see what he wanted.
"Yes?" she tried not to sound angry.
"Where are you going?" Miroku asked.
"I'm just gonna go for a short walk. I'll be back soon."
The monk nodded. "Alright, would you like me to accompany you?"
Kagome couldn't help but think that he wanted to feel her even though he had to be much smarter than that with both Inuyasha and Koga around. Those two would pommel him if he tried anything lecherous. Besides, Miroku was clearly interested in Sango. The last thought brought a small smile to her lips.
"That's okay. I'll be fine." With that she walked away.
The sun was setting and the horizon was painted colors of orange, pink, and purple. Dark clouds appeared to be on their way from over the mountains on the east. A thunderstorm would be coming soon.
There was something about this time of day that made her feel at ease, peaceful almost. It was like her soul craved for darkness, yearned for the solitude. At the same time, she wanted nothing but to be around those she cared about. The confliction was confusing to say the least.
Her desire to be alone, she feared, was starting to show. As much as she longed for solitude, she found no comfort in her own thoughts. They showed her what she was really in her heart and what she feared. Most of all, they reminded her of why she couldn't sleep.
Kagome was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't notice where she was going. Her feet led her down a dirt path that stretched out to a river.
The area was abandoned except for one person, who knelt by the river's edge. Whoever it was looked as though he were in deep thought. Her first impression was that the person was praying but his hands were not together.
Wait a minute... "Hey!"
The figure turned and just as Kagome suspected it was the teenager she had met earlier.
She smiled. "It's you, Mister Mysterious."
The raven-haired youth smirked. "Aren't you the bright one? What brings you here, Lady Kagome?"
"I needed some fresh air," Kagome replied with a shrug.
She put her hands behind her and casually strode next to the mysterious youth. She stole a glance from the corner of her eye and found herself marveling at how much he looked like someone that she knew. The only problem was, she couldn't remember who he looked like.
"So...are you ever going to give me a name so I can stop calling you Mister Mysterious?"
"You want it that badly, ne? Well then I guess you can call me Saiko. Although if you ask me, Mister Mysterious has a much better ring to it."
Kagome couldn't help but smile. "I think I like Saiko better."
"Suite yourself."
The pastels that had painted the heavens earlier were vanishing beneath a blanket of darkness. Small, soft lights in the sky began to twinkle. Their reflections shone in the crystal clear water.
They stood in a comfortable silence. Although she had just met the guy, Kagome felt as if she had known Saiko her whole life. The way he put her at ease was unnatural to say the least.
She stole another glance in his direction; the fading light made his handsome features more noticeable. Every time she looked at him, she was hit by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Where on earth had she seen this guy before?
Saiko must have caught her staring because he smirked and said, "Do you always gape at people you've just met? Or just the good-looking ones?"
Kagome jerked back and scowled deeply. "I was not gaping," she retorted. "It's just that...well this may sound kind of weird, but you look strangely familiar. I was just trying to remember where I've seen someone like you before. Have we met before or something?"
A strange light twinkled in his violet orbs, giving them an almost crazed look. "I can't say that we have. As far as I know we met today. And trust me, I would know if I met a girl as beautiful as you."
Kagome rolled her eyes and tried to not act uncomfortable. That look in his eyes made her a bit uneasy. It was the kind of look a tiger gave once he had chosen his unlucky victim...Saiko didn't want to eat her, did he?
"Is something wrong?" Saiko asked.
His voice caused her to jump a couple feet in the air. She gulped and shook her head quickly. "No. Nothing's wrong."
Saiko arched an eyebrow. "You're acting as though you are afraid of me. Don't worry, I don't bite."
She shivered. "I would hope not."
"Of course, I could nip you. That is only if you want me to," Saiko smirked.
"Saiko! No thank you! I'd rather not be bitten."
"Nipped is more like it."
"Nipped. Bitten-whatever. I don't want either of them!" Kagome cried, shaking her head against the rather adult thoughts that were rising in her head.
Saiko shrugged, but his smirk remained. "It's your loss."
Just as Kagome was about remark about his desperation for a girl, all too familiar voices arose from not too far away. They belonged to her friends, who up until this part, Kagome had forgotten they even existed.
Saiko's eyebrow rose. "They friends of yours?"
"Yes," she said with a sigh.
"You don't sound very excited to hear from them."
"I-"Kagome started to say 'I'm not' but thought better of it. She didn't want to give the impression that she disliked her friends because she didn't. "I was just hoping for more time for myself. That's all."
"Time with yourself, ne? Even though you're here with me?"
"Yeah well you distracted me," Kagome retorted.
Saiko snorted. "Yeah sure, put the blame on me. Even though you're the one who approached me."
She rolled her azure eyes. "Oh shut up."
The shouts sounded again. Kagome knew it was only a matter of time until either Inuyasha or Koga for that matter followed her scent. She sighed and turned to Saiko only to find that he had vanished. She blinked.
"Saiko?"
Blinking, she glanced around and found that the raven-haired youth was gone. Did she imagine the whole conversation? Nonsense. She couldn't have. It felt so real.
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The sun had disappeared completely over the horizon and stars shimmered brightly in the dark sky by the time she had returned. Her clothes were disheveled, her ebony hair amuck. It was like her mind was in another world all together. She didn't even acknowledge the presences of her friend's before shuffling off to the room she shared with Inuyasha.
The companions exchanged confused glances while sitting on the floor, waiting for dinner to be served. Sango was the first to the recover. She glanced at the four men around her. Koga and Inuyasha were sitting on opposite sides of the room away from each other. While Shippo and Miroku were seated in the center along with herself.
"Should someone check on her?" Sango asked but her words were more demanding than asking. Her hazel gaze 'conveniently' landed on a certain half-demon.
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze. It was obvious that she meant for him to go and see what was wrong with Kagome. But did she have to be so...so...forward about it?
Before he had a chance to reply however, Koga rose onto his feet. "Very well then, I'll go check on my Kagome."
"Hell no! If anyone is going to see Kagome, it's gonna be me!" Inuyasha was on his feet in two seconds flat, his hands balled into fists and his fangs exposed threateningly. "And she's not your Kagome," he added with a growl.
"This is getting ugly fast," Miroku announced with a sigh. The two, who weren't bickering, nodded.
"It seems like all those two do is fight," Shippo said. "You'd think they'd tire after such long and pointless battles."
Sango folded her arms over her chest and took in deep, soothing breaths in an attempt to calm her rising temper. She could feel her eyebrow twitching in annoyance and no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to stop. The angry yells surrounding her did not help matters at all.
Must stay calm, she told herself, Kagome has not been herself lately. Someone has to help her.
Hazel orbs looked up at Koga and Inuyasha, who were in each other's faces, yelling at the other. A plan slowly formed in her mind.
She may not want my help, but there's someone whose help she cannot refuse.
"Inuyasha? Can I ask you something?" Sango asked suddenly.
Inuyasha tilted his head in her direction and turned to face her. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"
"Were you ever afraid of the dark as a child?"
"What the hell are you talking about, Sango?"
"Were you afraid of the dark growing up?" she repeated.
Inuyasha stole an uneasy glance at Koga, who was watching him intently. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"Be honest. Were you afraid of the dark? I know I was," Sango stated, rising from the floor. She straightened the wrinkles in her skirt casually. "I remember I used to be terrified. I would hide underneath my covers until all the shadows in my room stopped moving or until I passed out from exhaustion."
The half-demon in question shot Sango a strange look. What exactly was she pulling at? He wondered.
"Feh. I was never afraid of the dark," Inuyasha stated stiffly, folding his hands in his puffy sleeves.
He received four sets of skeptical looks.
"I have better night vision than all you!" he shouted.
"Not me," Koga announced. "I'm a full blooded demon so therefore I can see in the dark even better than you, dog boy."
Inuyasha made a deep throaty growl in response.
"Come on, what kind of fool do you take me for, Inuyasha? All children, whether they be human or demon, fear what lurks just beyond their sight. You are no exception."
Inuyasha moved his attention from the demon to the demon slayer, narrowing his eyes. "What are you trying to say, Sango? That I'm a liar?" he growled.
Sango gave a non-committal shrug. "Everybody fears something. Whether it is something tangible like a serpent or intangible like death. No one is safe from fear."
"I fear nothing."
"You may be fearless, but there are some of us who fear the intangible. Fear the uncontrollable like losing a loved one for example," her eyes darted to the staircase. "If only we had someone to comfort us when we needed it..."
Inuyasha followed Sango's gaze when it hit him. What Sango was trying to say. He gasped and his eyes widened. Of course! Why didn't he think of it sooner? Gods, he was such an idiot!
In the blink of an eye, he flew down the hall and up the stairs leaving the others dumbfounded in his wake.
"What's his deal?" Koga was the first to break the stunned silence.
The wolf demon stifled a yawn and leaned against the wall. Meanwhile, Sango smiled and wrapped her arms around herself. It seemed as though her work here was done. For today at least.
She turned to walk outside when suddenly she was staring into a pair of cobalt eyes.
"Miroku?" she blinked.
"Sango, if you ever need a comforting presence you can turn to me. I will be here if there is anything you need," Miroku said.
"Er...thank you, I guess..."
His eyes seemed to draw her into a place where time and space didn't exist. Into a place where something inside of her knew she could find happiness...whoa, what was she just thinking? The words 'find' and 'happiness' and 'Miroku' all in the same sentence? Was that even possible? Although, it was times like these that Sango actually liked the guy, he seemed like a really nice non-perverted guy-then again this was Miroku she was thinking about here.
She could feel her eyebrow twitch as something caressed her bottom. She let her instincts kick in.
"Miroku...you HENTAI!!"
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The rain came pouring down, crashing upon the earth below mercilessly. The droplets rolled down her face, mixing with the salty tears that fell from her eyes. Her whole body lacked the strength to wipe the liquid falling down her face even though she wanted to.
She couldn't bring herself to move. To move meant to feel and she never wanted to feel again. Death was what she wanted. Her own.
There she was on the black swing again. Gusts of wind moved her back and forth. Was this the same dream again? Or was it real this time? It felt real, that was for sure.
She looked heavenwards and found the sky was exactly the way it was before. Dark and gray. There was one difference this time however. The dark clouds, once hovering over the horizon, now loomed overhead.
"Why do you weep so?"
Kagome looked at her feet and noticed the front part of her uniform was painted red. Blood. Inuyasha's blood. It was everywhere, she noted with distaste, even on her hands but the rain was currently washing it away.
She hugged herself tightly in a futile attempt to keep the rain from washing away the blood.
"Why do you weep, maiden?" the disembodied voice asked again.
"I've just lost the most important person in my life...the one person who was everything to me...that is way I weep!"
"You needn't so. Wipe your eyes. There is hope yet in your future."
"No...there isn't...the moment Inuyasha died," her voice cracked. "a huge chunk of me died as well...I shouldn't be alive..." Kagome muttered bitterly.
Normally she would have been shocked and ashamed of such a tone, but now she didn't care. She wanted to die, end of story.
A large droplet fell on her nose.
"Maiden, do you remember what I asked you the last time we spoke?"
Kagome shook her head mutely, unable to speak. Tears clogged her throat making it painful to even breathe.
"I asked you to join me and finally be rid of your pain. To finally be free...do you wish to free?"
It sounded so simple, almost too good to be true.
"I...yes...I do..."
"Do you wish to finally be rid of your wretched past? From the numbing pain that consumes your heart?"
"...well...I..."
"Join me and I will make all these things a reality. Will you join me?"
"...yes..."
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Author's Note: And thus finishes Chapter Five! Happy day! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update everyone! I hit a writer's block but I do believe that I have successfully kicked that block's ass. . I'm going on vacation in a couple of days so I won't be able to update as often as I'd like. But I'll have plenty of time to write so I have Chapter 6 done before you know it! I know I said I'd put the review responses in this chapter...but I'm feeling lazy. Sorry! Don't hate me! I apprecite each and every review! So please review, okay?
--$hAdOwCaT