Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha® it belongs the Goddess Rumiko Takahashi
Chp. I– Fallen
Here I go, scream my lungs out and try to get to you, you are my only one, there's just no one like you, my only one… –Only One, Yellowcard
(A/N: actually the whole song portrays to this chapter, I just didn't want to type it all out, listen to it if you've got it)
Kagome's eyes suddenly shot open, yanking her out of an already uneasy sleep. She sat upright in flash, sending her sleeping bag falling to her waist, which fortunately didn't wake Shippo.
The kit had really never broken his habit of sleeping next to her, but since he was no longer as tiny as he used to be he slept at her side, not in her sleeping bag (that wouldn't be right considering he was older now, according to him).
And as if they were under a spell Inuyasha, Sango, Shippo, Kirara and Miroku all remained sleeping.
On the contrary, the young miko priestess was fully awake and rigid as she clutched her pounding heart, gasping for breath. Cold sweat clung to her skin. Her body wouldn't stop from trembling, her mouth and lungs wanted more than anything to scream in terror as loud as they could possibly go. She had never been more unnerved in her life.
But no time to be scared now, Kagome pushed away her fear and buried it deep within her mind. By standing while taking many full breaths, she forced her shaky body calm. Then she clenched her fists and headed out into the dark night.
She wasn't the only one that noticed, or not the only thing anyway. Small forest creatures were running about as if they were mad, the birds were screeching in an eerie high-pitched tune, and in the middle of night!
But…all through their ruckus, the dark was still and melancholy in the way the wind blew and the trees and the way the air was humid but cold at the same time…
As if the world was crying…odd…
Not right! Even an average person could've seen that something was most defiantly wrong here! And Kagome Higurashi was far from the average person.
She just happened to be a miko; a priestess born with the gift of purifying demons with ordinary wooden arrows or chi straight from her body, in order to defeat them.
After falling through Bone Eaters Well approximately three years from this night, she had somewhat learned how to control and hoist her powers. She may just be the most powerful miko that ever lived, although unknown to herself.
No time for that now, no time to regret not training her powers enough. She was silently thanking Kaede-bachan for giving her the training she did have, for she was going to need it.
Finally, Kagome reached her destination, a jutting cliff on the side of the forest– perfect.
The night air combined with her swift walking had dried the water seeping from her skin, her breath was calm as she made her way to the point of the cliff and closed her eyes.
Kagome placed her hands together as she had been taught: lacing her fingers together, crossing her thumbs over one another at the back of her palm-together hands then paralleling her index fingers.
Then holding her hands firm in front of her chest she concentrated, stretching out her senses to their limits, searching all around her and further for any disturbance, any rise in an aura, any thing unnatural…
'There!' her eyes shot open only to narrow a little in anger, it was just as she had feared: Naraku had completed the Shikon No Tama Jewel of the Four Souls .
It was only a few days earlier that Kagura, along with many other of Naraku's progeny that so he often used to carry out his dirty work, had attacked Kagome and her team of companions.
Although our dear protagonists had come out the victors, Kagura had gotten away with the last of Kagome's Jewel Shards. After that, it was only a matter of time.
So it had happened. Naraku had taken Kouga's jewel shards, the last of the stray pieces in the world were now in the worst possible hands that they could be in. In other words, Naraku had completed the Shikon No Tama.
No time to worry about that now, no time to fret and no time to hope that Kouga had gotten out of the last battle for the jewel shards alive.
Kagome spun from her current spot and headed back into the forest. The cliff had provided a good outlook to search for the threat that had so forcefully pulled her from her sleep, but now she had a new task.
Naraku had the Jewel, and the huge power surges that Kagome kept feeling even as she walked must be Naraku preparing the Shikon in order to use it.
That meant more killing, more betrayal, more tricking. For that was the way to taint the jewel, and the more evil it became, the more powerful it was.
And Naraku would do anything, put forth any means necessary, to drench the Shikon No Tama in blood and hate until it was at full power, then he could use it.
Naraku would use it to become a full demon, and half-demons weren't supposed to become full demons, for hanyou bodies couldn't contain the power of youkai demon blood. Take Inuyasha for example; when his demon blood took over his body and transformed him into a full youkai, he would go on a rampage until his thirst for blood was quenched, and his body was destroyed, no matter whom he killed in the process.
Kagome was the only one who had the power to pull him out of that state, either by "sit"-ing him or…just by merely calling out his name in fear; screaming for him to stop. Somehow her voice could reach his soul and tame his demon blood once more.
The next thought that ran through Kagome's head was more of a harsh statement then a question, as she continued to walk deeper into the forest: 'Inuyasha…when this is all over, you're going to leave me…aren't you?'
She violently shook her head to clear it away. 'No I can't think like that, I have no claim on him…I can't have anything for him, and I can't postpone the end either…even if I want to…' her mind finished weakly.
Kagome then snapped her head up, determination flashing in her hazel eyes, "I've got to go get the others!"
The miko steered herself in the direction of the camp and was about to break in a run, for she had gone a good deal off to confirm her senses, when she stopped frozen in her tracks.
Her skin pricked in goose bumps for a moment, the forest silenced in an eerie quiet, then she sensed an aura behind her.
She whirled around on her heels to find her feelings cruelly confirmed. "Kikyo!"
Kikyo smiled wickedly, perhaps that was the only way she knew how to smile, "Hello my incarnate, its too late for a little girl like yourself to be wandering out in the forest like this…you could get hurt…" her voice dripping with mock sympathy.
Kagome clenched her fists. "I'm not a 'little girl', Kikyo, as you so simply put it, and what do you want!?"
"Ah, yes, I see you felt Naraku's rise in power, very good…"
"That's right Kikyo, now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go tell the others that Naraku is going to transform so we can stop him, and defeat him…which Inuyasha is doing for you I might add."
The undead priestess walked up to the firm standing girl. "You're very bitter about that, aren't you?" she said with a slight sneer.
Kagome swallowed and clenched her fists tighter, though she couldn't stop her eyes from narrowing into slits.
Kikyo noticed her anger "Let me tell you something, little girl, Inuyasha doesn't love you, he never did, you're only my replacement, I hope you understand that."
If Kagome was a demon about now, she would've growled, but alas she could not do so. "Let me go Kikyo, we have to stop Naraku."
Kikyo backed up and causally strolled over to a tree, Kagome didn't notice before, but the dead priestess had her bow and arrows with her. She gracefully slipped the quiver over her shoulder and knocked and arrow on her bow. "I think not…I can't have you messing up our plans, now can I?"
Kagome at once realized Kikyo meant to do some great harm to her, and she had left her own bow and quiver back at the camp– stupid mistake.
Nothing to do about that now, she could try to blast Kikyo with her miko energy, but no doubt Kikyo could top that, being the one more accustomed to fighting with her powers.
The girl stood firm even as Kikyo took aim, no fear showed on her eyes, for no fear was in her to show. "Listen Kikyo, there's no need to kill me now, if you really feel it necessary go ahead and do it after the battle with Naraku, I don't care, I'm going to lose my best friend anyway…" Her voice trailed off for a second only to be found again.
"But not until that. My friends need me to help with the fight, and I'm the only one who can sense the jewel shards…so let me go, I won't 'ruin your plans' to take Inuyasha to hell, I can't stop him from that" 'no matter how much I want to' she added silently.
Kikyo's face cracked into yet another evil smile. "I do believe you're sadly mistaken…not Inuyasha and my plans…but mine and Naraku's…"
Kagome gasped lightly and her eyes widened. "Na-nani? What do you mean?!"
The undead priestess just laughed a pulled her bowstring taught making the wooden bow creak under the tightness. "Now just hold still for me, I want you to die slowly, so first I'm going to stun you, then blast you until you bleed to death, sounds fun doesn't it?"
Kagome narrowed her eyes.
"And don't worry, you won't live tell your little friends about Naraku getting the Jewel together…they'll all be dead soon too…well, all except Inuyasha, he'll never die, just burn in hell for eternity."
Kikyo pulled back on her bowstring and released her arrow.
(A/N: oh the suspense, eh?)
A high-pitched scream retched with pain pierced through the night, sending the five sleeping ones to jump up and assemble on the ground.
Inuyasha was the first to react. "That's Kagome's voice!"
In a flash the hanyou sped off into the direction from whence the scream had come, leaving his friends close behind, unable to stop the irrational demon from charging head first into a raging battle, but, that was Inuyasha for you.
It was dark, but that didn't stop Inuyasha from easily tracking Kagome. Following her scent Inuyasha stopped to find himself in a clearing, only to stop dead, and to have his heart skip a beat, then to have his entire world plunge into drowning horror.
The rest of the team caught up with him to have just about the same reaction to the scene ahead, they did not enter the clearing as Inuyasha had, but they could still see inside perfectly through its surrounding trees:
There was Kagome, gracefully sprawled out the ground, burn marks covering her body. The dirt around her was soaked with her still running blood.
Inuyasha couldn't hear her heartbeat, he couldn't catch any life from her scent, she wasn't moving in the slightest…
Her face wasn't one of pain as a person would expect, but her eyes were simply closed –she had died fearlessly– and that was Kagome for you.
"Why hello, Inuyasha" came a voice to the left of the addressed one.
The hanyou half demon was so wrapped up in Kagome's still form he didn't even notice the third presence in the clearing. "Kikyo" he breathed as his eyes widened in shock.
Kikyo half-smirked, half-smiled as Inuyasha noticed the blood covered purity arrow embedded in the trunk of the tree behind Kagome's lifeless body.
Streaks of crimson were stained on the bark, the arrow was in a position slightly to the left of where the blood was heaviest…as if…as if it had been shot in Kagome's chest, just where he had been shot the same way, more that fifty years ago.
But this spell was different, it was still a binding spell, but Kagome had been conscious through the whole thing…and she had only cried out when her limp body had fallen from its crucifix and hit the ground, and that's what finally killed her.
A purity arrow…and burn marks…from chi life energy …only two people they knew were holders of powers such as that…(and it was utterly pointless to suspect that Kagome had attacked herself).
Then they noticed the flickering red light slowly disappearing from Kikyo's palms, and triumphant smile on her face.
"K-Kikyo…" was yet again the only word Inuyasha could muster
The undead miko's smile stayed " Yes, I killed her, this girl will no longer be a problem to us, Inuyasha. …You know… it was pathetic, she said it would be all right if I killed her after the battle with Naraku but not before because she needed to fight"
Kikyo laughed. "She said something about not wanting to live anymore because her best friend was leaving her…I suspect that's you, Inuyasha… she was only staying alive to be used as a tool to finish Naraku, how very sad."
Inuyasha stood frozen in his spot, his eyes unreadable but thousands of thoughts screaming through is head.
Sango was the first to break from the shock-driven trance that had swept over the team at the realization of their teammate's horrendous end.
The slayer readied her Hiraikotsu Bone Boomerang . "Bitch! You will pay for what you did to Kagome-chan!"
She started to charge when a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.
The huntress struggled against her holder. Let me go houshi-sama!" houshi is a lower class of monk, and the name people sometimes call Miroku .
Miroku held Sango tight against his chest. "Iie, Sango, Inuyasha must deal with this on his own" the monk said calmly while holding her tighter.
Sango looked slightly back to the clearing ahead, her brown eyes filled with pain. "But…she…Kagome-chan" were the only words she could muster as the reality hit her.
The slayer suddenly dropped her weapon and buried her face in Miroku's chest, crying over the loss of the girl who was the sister she never had.
The monk held her as she eloquently cried without touching her for once; it was very rare for Sango to cry anyway.
Shippo was staring at the clearing ahead too, but seemed beyond words, just stood there, not pain in his blue eyes but pure disbelief.
Miroku's own sapphire eyes were dark as he held Sango, then looked back to the silent hanyou and priestess standing in the clearing ahead. 'And how will you handle this one, Inuyasha?'
The contemplated hanyou's amber eyes were unreadable as he spoke. "I don't understand, Kikyo…naze why ? …why would you do this !?"
"She was in the way" she spoke as if she had just tripped someone instead of torturing them to death.
A tsunami of emotions swept over Inuyasha as his eyes widened, then he unconsciously looked down, and his sliver bangs blocked his eyes from view. 'Kagome…she's gone…forever…and it's all my fault…why didn't I stop this, I should've seen this coming…I'm sorry Kagome, I failed to protect you…'
'But your death will not go un-avenged'
Anger overpowered shame when he snapped his head up to the woman who stood in front of him. "She never did anything to you, Kikyo!"
Kikyo's face shifted to one of disgust. "Except try to steal you away from me"
Inuyasha clenched his fists "She never did anything to anyone…she had no right to die…she was unarmed …I can't believe you would do something like this…this is despicable…"
The inu-oni slowly bared his fangs and growled deeply while looking straight into Kikyo's cold eyes. "It's unforgivable"
The deceased miko smiled evilly. "And what will you do about it, kill me?"
In reply Inuyasha flexed his claws. "Iie, I can't do that, I should, but I won't waste my time with you…"
"Oh really? Very interesting…"
"Leave here Kikyo, I never want to see you again…and don't expect me to go to hell with you, I owed you my life, but you've taken Kagome's and I can't let something like that just go…"
Kikyo glared. "Does that girl mean more to you than me!? I was doing us a favor by killing her, now we can be together without her interference."
Inuyasha looked down once more. "Don't ever refer to Kagome as 'interference', Kikyo"
He unclenched his fists only to clench them again, harder this time in order to control his hatred, Kagome wouldn't have wanted him to hate… he slowly looked at Kikyo through his bangs "Leave here, now…and don't ever come back" (A/N: what have I done, has L.O.T.R. really affected me that much? …yes, yes it has)
"Hmph, very funny Inuyasha, may I remind you that your life is mine."
"Not anymore…" he growled
The undead priestess looked away. "Very well, we'll see, but I will see you again my Inuyasha" and with that Kikyo's white soul-stealing demons, with their long bodies circled around her until her image finally faded into nothing.
The mood suddenly shifted as Miroku, Sango, and Shippo ran into the clearing to meet the hanyou who was staring blankly at the spot from where Kikyo had just left.
Shippo was the first to speak, well, more like scream "I can't believe you're letting that bitch get away, Inuyasha, if you don't do something to her I will" the kit said bravely.
Sango glared. "Hai yes , Inuyasha, Kagome-chan suffix for friend or special affection put up with your two-timing for far too long and now she's gone because of it…and now you're going to let her killer get away…I thought you cared about her, you're the one who's despicable"
The slayer stood firm as she spoke her harsh yet seriously candid words. Inuyasha was her friend, but they all got tired of the way he kept playing Kagome and the way she always so graciously forgave him– she didn't regret saying that at all, for she had no reason to be sorry.
Miroku put a claming hand on Sango's shoulder, even though he agreed with her. "Inuyasha, you aren't going to kill Kikyo-sama because you believe you don't deserve to take vengeance on Kagome-sama's death because that would please you, sō right ?"
Inuyasha looked down in shame, he silently agreed with what all of them were saying and knew he deserved the verbal thrashing he was receiving. He nodded once without saying anything.
"I see…" said the monk
"That's stupid!" Shippo cried before he could stop himself, then quickly cringed and awaited the hanyou's wrath.
But it never came; instead Inuyasha looked up but didn't meet anyone's eyes. A very weak smile crossed him. "I don't deserve to get revenge for Kagome, because I'm the one who killed her…I could've stopped Kikyo the first time she hurt Kagome, but I didn't. I just couldn't…because I loved Kikyo once…and she looks exactly the same…"
"That's just might be the most shallow thing I've ever heard!" Sango yelled, then crossed her arms and turned away from him.
"Loved her 'once'?" Miroku asked suspiciously
Inuyasha just nodded and continued. "It's my fault Kagome died…" he smiled weakly "I don't deserve to take my revenge because I treated Kagome so badly…"
Sango blinked, her anger melted at his words. She uncrossed her arms and turned back to her friends.
The inu-oni dog demon looked down "If any of you would like to go and kill Kikyo then please do so, but I can't; I don't deserve to take vengeance on Kagome's death…I don't even deserve to live for that matter, so if you'd like to kill me that's fine too– I don't know which is best: for me to die or for me to live forever with guilt…I guess that's for you guys to decide…"
Sango almost rolled her eyes, but instead her face softened in understanding, she went over to Inuyasha and placed her hands on his shoulders, when she did so he looked up and locked eyes with the slayer. "No one is going to do any thing to you, you fool, and we're not going to abandon you either. You were confused, we understand that now, and I don't blame you. Naraku has deceived all of us with his evil tricks– and none of us will fall for them and give him what he wants".
She turned slightly to address the others as well "right?"
Miroku promptly nodded while Shippo cried "Hai!"
Sango smiled then clenched her fists. "Now– we have to find a way to get Kagome-chan back"
They all stared at her.
"Sango" Miroku whispered, wondering why she would even suggest such an impossible task, she wasn't trying to make Inuyasha's guilt worse, was she?
"I'm serious!" she spun back to Inuyasha "We can ask the jewel to give her life back, can't we?"
Miroku smiled and (in utmost spontaneity) hugged Sango, who blushed. "Why, lovely Sango, I do believe you're on to something!"
Inuyasha smiled a little too, then stopped as determination flashed in his eyes "Or, there's Tenseiga"
Eyes gaped. "You would ask Sesshoumaru to use his sword?" Miroku said in calm surprise.
"Who said anything about asking?!" Inuyasha spat.
His three friends sweat dropped, "So you mean to fight him" Sango said weakly.
The inu-oni stubbornly crossed his arms and looked away "of course!" Then he slowly looked down "But if I have to beg Sesshoumaru to get Kagome back, then I will"
Sango leaned over to Miroku and whispered. "You didn't say 'beg' did you?" the monk shook his head while still staring wide eyed at the hanyou.
Inuyasha looked up "What are you staring at?!"
They smiled. Shippo answered "Just a demon who's had a change for the better…"
The hanyou actually smiled weakly.
An awkward silence fell over the team…they weren't positive if they could bring their friend back…and even if they could…would it be right? It was said the dead was supposed to stay dead.
So preoccupied in their doubts were they that they all failed to notice the slight change in the aura balance around them…a bright blue light flashed then flickered away underneath Kagome's palm-down hands.
None of them even saw it…but a certain hanyou heard the immensely tiny shift of the young miko's hand and as quick as a flash of lightning he was at her side.
The others quickly came to the conclusion that Inuyasha was insane as he gently wrapped his arms around Kagome's body and picked her somewhat off the cold ground to cradle her against his chest. "Kagome…" he whispered.
Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Shippo were about to ask Inuyasha what had driven his sudden action when they heard Kagome scream in pain.
Even that sound was music to their ears, and they quickly ran over to stand close behind the hanyou to see a fully awake but barely hanging onto life Kagome. She was alive, but in very bad shape. Her new breath would be quickly stolen if they didn't get her treated … and fast!
Kagome clenched her teeth and tried to push herself up, Inuyasha quietly shushed her "Don't move just yet, Kagome, it's going to be okay, I swear it"
"Inuyasha" Kagome whispered as she gasped for breath. Slowly she opened her eyes and smiled as brightly as she could at the hanyou.
He bent down close to her. "I'm here, Kagome, I'll always be here"
"Good" Kagome whispered, then her eyes shut and her head dropped softly on to Inuyasha's chest.
Owari Chapter Ichi The end of chapter one
Amehana: I know, I know, evil cliffhanger, but this chapter was just getting so long, I had to stop it! Believe me, you do NOT want to read the whole thing in one sitting; it'd kill you.
This chappie had some Mir/San fluff & I can't wait to write some more, and I really can't wait to write some Inu/Kag fluff too! very girlish giggle I love fluff!
Also, I put a lot of translations on this chapter, but don't worry I'm only doing it the first time a word shows up. I know it's annoying.
I know a lot of you think I made Kikyo too mean but check this. In the anime she is almost pitiable but in the original manga she is horrible. It's weird, but it's true. And to be perfectly honest I went with the manga because I really don't like her…at all.
sigh I know it was really rash for the first chapter but I had to do it because otherwise the beginning would be boring…just a lot building up to this, so I decided to skip all that because I certainly wouldn't want to put you to sleep. Stuff calms down, this is just a very late episode in the series. Not that I could match Rumiko, kuso.
This is only my first chapter & I hope you liked, it going to get much better, I swear! & I have one simple request: PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEEEEED REVEIWS!!!!!!!