Takashi opened his eyes facing a thatch roof. He looked around and remembered things about this place that brought a chill down his spine. He moved his hand around the bed. He felt something smooth and warm and then it moved. He spun his head around to find his sleeping wife. Her black hair was speckled with sweat and her face glowed with a radiance that made him feel at home. She stirred and her eyes slowly opened. She looked at him smiled and took a deep breath and gave him a kiss on the shoulder.
"Good morning my love," she said putting her arm on his chest. "Sleep well?"
He was in sheer shock; what had happened? He was facing his dead wife! This couldn't be real. He slid out of bed and reached for his clothes and swiftly dressed himself.
"What's wrong?" she asked, wrapping the blanket around her. "Did I do something? Is something wrong?"
"This can't be happening," he mumbled to himself. "This isn't possible it can't be."
"Where are you going?"
Takashi looked for the source of the voice.
"I'm giving you what you've always wanted and you're leaving it?"
Takashi ignored the voice and tightened the strap around his waist and searched for his sword. His face gazed upon a mirror and he gazed into his pale white eyes. He was right, this wasn't real, and this was all the proof he needed. He found his sword and strapped it around his waist. "Better safe than sorry." he thought.
He moved to the door but was stopped by his 'wife'.
"You should at least tell me where you're going," she said moving towards him. "I thought you were going to take a break from training to spend some time with me?" she said moving closer and closer until their chests met.
Takashi winced. This may be a trick but it was very, very convincing. He quickly brushed by her and passed the door and started heading towards the path to the waterfall.
"Takashi," she said. "Takashi! Takashi don't ignore me!"
He kept walking ignoring her cries. She stood at the doorway and pouted, but quickly disappeared from view.
"Where are you going?" asked the voice again, this time louder.
"I'm going to try and figure this out." he said.
"Why?"
"I'm leaving because I know this isn't real."
"But it is Takashi; it is, if you want it to be."
He snorted in disagreement and headed the waterfall. His most favorite spot to train and get away from distraction, but it wasn't there. He saw a large, glowing, purple, crystal in a black pool. He slowly approached the giant jewel.
"Turn back Takashi, go back to your home and wife, you'll never have to suffer again."
He kept walking forward and raised a hand to touch the pillar. He began to fell deep-seated hate, anger and despair; so many sad and angry feelings. Then the water from the pool shot up, incased his hand, and fastened it to the jewel. Hate and anger filled his body and the black substance spread along his arm. He tried wrenching out his hand but it was held fast suppressed from moving. The black substance spread further and further along his body and the anger spread further and further into him and he woke up screaming.
A Search Inside a Killer's Mind
"Kagome what's happening?!" exclaimed Sango.
Takashi was bound to the ground with ropes to prevent him to inflict any more damage. He had suddenly awoke from his sleep raving and screaming trying to break out of his bonds.
"I don't know I haven't seen this before," she said. "Maybe we should get Miroku to look at this?"
Shippo bolted out of the hut and brought back a reluctant Miroku.
"What's happening here?" said Miroku.
"It seems like Takashi has gone into a fit and Kagome doesn't know what's happening," answered Shippo. "They think he might be possessed by some kinda demon."
Miroku crouched by the thrashing Takashi and examined him.
"We'll there doesn't seem to be a problem spiritually..." he said. "Wait a moment, is that a jewel shard?" he said looking at his armlet. There was a slight protrusion sticking out of the ruby in the center.
"Well I did sense a jewel shard but it felt very faint," said Kagome. "But how did it get there?"
Takashi stopped thrashing around and rested breathing heavily. He looked around and tried wiping the sweat of his brow but was restrained by ropes. He looked around in confusion. He saw everybody looking at him.
"What happened?" he murmured. "Where am I?"
Every one looked around to each other.
"You're at the village where the girl, we saved, is from." said Shippo.
The girl came in carrying a large platter of food and set it down in front of them.
"I'm sorry but this is all we can spare right now," she said humbly. "That demon had asked for tributes of food to him or else he'd destroy us. But know that he's gone everything should be fine now."
"It was nothing at all," said Miroku, with a sly grin. "By the way," he said clasping her hand. "Would you...bear my child?"
"MIROKU!" cried Kagome and Sango simultaneously, and they both landed a firm smack on his head with a loud 'BONK' creating two large bumps on his head.
Takashi was awkwardly silent, his faced had a screwed up expression.
"Takashi, are you all right?" asked Kagome.
"No," said Takashi. "It's beginning to get," wince "harder to control these emotions coming from the jewel. I have to get rid of it."
"The jewel has, sort of, lodged itself into the jewel of your armlet." said Sango. "Maybe, could we, take it off?"
"Trust me," said Takashi. "If I could, I would have, a long time ago...ARGH!" Takashi let out a cry of pain.
"Perhaps if it would be best to excuse the young women from seeing this," he said, gesturing to the woman they had saved. They all nodded in agreement and Kagome sent her on a false errand.
"K-k-k-Kagome," stuttered Takashi. "In my satchel is a vial of white liquid with a dropper. It is used for deep meditation; one drop in each eye should send a person into a deep dream-like state giving them access into there mind, but since I must go farther give me two drops in each eye. If I do not resurface into the real world in ten minutes...sever the armlet from my hand." said Takashi hesitantly. "I can trust you to do that much, can't I Inuyasha?"
"Of course," said Inuyasha, cracking his fingers.
"Inuyasha don't say things like!" scolded Kagome "You'll be back, right Takashi?"
Takashi hesitated to answer.
"You will, right?" repeated Sango.
"If I do not succeed I will become uncontrollable, my powers will return and wreak havoc, but most of all, I will not be able to track down and kill Naraku." he explained. "I must do this. Kagome dose me with the potion."
Kagome looked at him and turned to the others.
"If you will not do it," he said coldly. "Give it to some one else."
Kagome quickly regained her composure and gave him the eye drops. The black that out lined his eyes faded slightly giving him and even more ghostly look and his eyes seemed to sink into his head. His consciousness sank deeper into his unconsciousness and the world faded around him.
-End of Chapter-
"Good morning my love," she said putting her arm on his chest. "Sleep well?"
He was in sheer shock; what had happened? He was facing his dead wife! This couldn't be real. He slid out of bed and reached for his clothes and swiftly dressed himself.
"What's wrong?" she asked, wrapping the blanket around her. "Did I do something? Is something wrong?"
"This can't be happening," he mumbled to himself. "This isn't possible it can't be."
"Where are you going?"
Takashi looked for the source of the voice.
"I'm giving you what you've always wanted and you're leaving it?"
Takashi ignored the voice and tightened the strap around his waist and searched for his sword. His face gazed upon a mirror and he gazed into his pale white eyes. He was right, this wasn't real, and this was all the proof he needed. He found his sword and strapped it around his waist. "Better safe than sorry." he thought.
He moved to the door but was stopped by his 'wife'.
"You should at least tell me where you're going," she said moving towards him. "I thought you were going to take a break from training to spend some time with me?" she said moving closer and closer until their chests met.
Takashi winced. This may be a trick but it was very, very convincing. He quickly brushed by her and passed the door and started heading towards the path to the waterfall.
"Takashi," she said. "Takashi! Takashi don't ignore me!"
He kept walking ignoring her cries. She stood at the doorway and pouted, but quickly disappeared from view.
"Where are you going?" asked the voice again, this time louder.
"I'm going to try and figure this out." he said.
"Why?"
"I'm leaving because I know this isn't real."
"But it is Takashi; it is, if you want it to be."
He snorted in disagreement and headed the waterfall. His most favorite spot to train and get away from distraction, but it wasn't there. He saw a large, glowing, purple, crystal in a black pool. He slowly approached the giant jewel.
"Turn back Takashi, go back to your home and wife, you'll never have to suffer again."
He kept walking forward and raised a hand to touch the pillar. He began to fell deep-seated hate, anger and despair; so many sad and angry feelings. Then the water from the pool shot up, incased his hand, and fastened it to the jewel. Hate and anger filled his body and the black substance spread along his arm. He tried wrenching out his hand but it was held fast suppressed from moving. The black substance spread further and further along his body and the anger spread further and further into him and he woke up screaming.
A Search Inside a Killer's Mind
"Kagome what's happening?!" exclaimed Sango.
Takashi was bound to the ground with ropes to prevent him to inflict any more damage. He had suddenly awoke from his sleep raving and screaming trying to break out of his bonds.
"I don't know I haven't seen this before," she said. "Maybe we should get Miroku to look at this?"
Shippo bolted out of the hut and brought back a reluctant Miroku.
"What's happening here?" said Miroku.
"It seems like Takashi has gone into a fit and Kagome doesn't know what's happening," answered Shippo. "They think he might be possessed by some kinda demon."
Miroku crouched by the thrashing Takashi and examined him.
"We'll there doesn't seem to be a problem spiritually..." he said. "Wait a moment, is that a jewel shard?" he said looking at his armlet. There was a slight protrusion sticking out of the ruby in the center.
"Well I did sense a jewel shard but it felt very faint," said Kagome. "But how did it get there?"
Takashi stopped thrashing around and rested breathing heavily. He looked around and tried wiping the sweat of his brow but was restrained by ropes. He looked around in confusion. He saw everybody looking at him.
"What happened?" he murmured. "Where am I?"
Every one looked around to each other.
"You're at the village where the girl, we saved, is from." said Shippo.
The girl came in carrying a large platter of food and set it down in front of them.
"I'm sorry but this is all we can spare right now," she said humbly. "That demon had asked for tributes of food to him or else he'd destroy us. But know that he's gone everything should be fine now."
"It was nothing at all," said Miroku, with a sly grin. "By the way," he said clasping her hand. "Would you...bear my child?"
"MIROKU!" cried Kagome and Sango simultaneously, and they both landed a firm smack on his head with a loud 'BONK' creating two large bumps on his head.
Takashi was awkwardly silent, his faced had a screwed up expression.
"Takashi, are you all right?" asked Kagome.
"No," said Takashi. "It's beginning to get," wince "harder to control these emotions coming from the jewel. I have to get rid of it."
"The jewel has, sort of, lodged itself into the jewel of your armlet." said Sango. "Maybe, could we, take it off?"
"Trust me," said Takashi. "If I could, I would have, a long time ago...ARGH!" Takashi let out a cry of pain.
"Perhaps if it would be best to excuse the young women from seeing this," he said, gesturing to the woman they had saved. They all nodded in agreement and Kagome sent her on a false errand.
"K-k-k-Kagome," stuttered Takashi. "In my satchel is a vial of white liquid with a dropper. It is used for deep meditation; one drop in each eye should send a person into a deep dream-like state giving them access into there mind, but since I must go farther give me two drops in each eye. If I do not resurface into the real world in ten minutes...sever the armlet from my hand." said Takashi hesitantly. "I can trust you to do that much, can't I Inuyasha?"
"Of course," said Inuyasha, cracking his fingers.
"Inuyasha don't say things like!" scolded Kagome "You'll be back, right Takashi?"
Takashi hesitated to answer.
"You will, right?" repeated Sango.
"If I do not succeed I will become uncontrollable, my powers will return and wreak havoc, but most of all, I will not be able to track down and kill Naraku." he explained. "I must do this. Kagome dose me with the potion."
Kagome looked at him and turned to the others.
"If you will not do it," he said coldly. "Give it to some one else."
Kagome quickly regained her composure and gave him the eye drops. The black that out lined his eyes faded slightly giving him and even more ghostly look and his eyes seemed to sink into his head. His consciousness sank deeper into his unconsciousness and the world faded around him.
-End of Chapter-