What Lies Within

Takashi woke up and immediately sat straight up and took a look around. It was the large meadow, a waterfall, and a small worn path. This is where he was captured by the shard. He stood up to take a better look around and nearly fell into a large black pit. The pit was growing larger enveloping more and more of his memories. It had left its mark and moved deeper. He, too, must move deeper into his mind to find it. He slowly walked forward and plummeted into the black morass.

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"You think he's alright?" asked Kagome, looking over Takashi's body.

"How would I know?" retorted Inuyasha, cracking his knuckles.

Kagome stared in dismay. "You're not seriously thinking about, actually, cutting off his arm are you?"

Inuyasha stared blankly at her and looked at his hand. "Yep."

"You mind coming with me Inuyasha?" asked Kagome, grabbing him by the ear and dragging him, resisting (of course), out the door. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo looked at each other. They all knew what was going to happen next.

"SIT!"

"KRRR-THUNK!"

Kagome came back in with a smile on her face dusting off her hands. "There," she said "Much better."

He emerged from the black hole falling into a steel room. On one side there was a blue glow with the sound of waves, the other side was glowing red with intense heat. He was in limbo between two souls. One was his wife's the other, himself. The only real difference between the two was the large jagged crack in the red wall. He peered into the crack and saw a man bound by rusted chains against a wall of steel. Then something appeared through the blue wall.

"Why did you do that for!?!" raged Inuyasha.

"You were acting stupid!" she retorted.

"Admit it Inuyasha," said Miroku. "You were acting like an idiot."

"Was not," he pouted.

"Everyone, look!" she exclaimed, she said looking at Takashi's face. "He's moving a little."

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An ominous figure in a blue cloak appeared behind him carrying a bowl of water and a wash clothe. It was a women, her black hair covered the side of her face.

"I know what you here for," she said. "Follow me." She passed through the red wall and he followed. On the other side wasn't as bad as it had felt. The large steel pillar still took up most of the view. They walked along the grassy land till they stopped at the man who was chained to the pillar.

The man raised his head and Takashi winced at the site of the man's face. He saw himself dirtied and worn his hands red because of the chafing of the manacles. The young women kneeled beside him with the bowl and the damp rag mopping up his hand. His hand was covered in thick black tar. The bowl of water quickly turned black but then the black disappeared leaving sparkling clean water. She reached to wash off his face but he shrugged away.

"I don't need to be washed like a child Motoko." said his other half to the women. She looked up revealing her beautiful face and sapphire blue eyes.

"Well if you wouldn't keep struggling to get out of your bonds you wouldn't be so dirty!" she retorted cleaning his face, regardless.

"Bonds?" he asked sarcastically. "These aren't bonds these are shackles!"

She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "He really doesn't like you chaining him up like this."

"Well, if he didn't struggle for control so much this wouldn't be the case." he said.

"If you had let me go and do my job Naraku we would have killed him a long time ago!" he shouted.

"Maybe," he said. "He be rotting away as we speak but so would many other innocent lives that you could kill to gain the power to kill him with this!" he shouted pointing to his manacle.

His other half opened his mouth to respond but Motoko quickly interfered. "You both know what must do to stop this right?" she said holding up his other half's blackened hand. "You must merge and both go forth and find this tainted Shikon jewel shard."

They both looked at each other, him and his other half. He walked forward t this shackled half and put his hand on his shoulder. His other half immediately dissolved into small red lights and then merged into him. He felt bruises and slight abrasions appear onto his body. He took a deep breath and turned to his wife. She shook her head she couldn't go with him.

She stood up and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Come back to me," she said, and backed away disappearing through a mist. At that moment an opening appeared in the solid steel pillar. He felt a sudden suction of air trying to pull him inside; he didn't resist.

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"What's happening Kagome?" cried Shippo spying the emerging damage appearing on Takashi's body. On the outside it appeared like he had been chained and tortured.

"I don't know Shippo I've never seen anything like this," she quickly pulled out her medical supplies and began to tend to his wounds. "I guess all we can do his try to heal these wounds."

"Hmm, I think I've heard of this before." Miroku said to himself. "I believe I heard that when a person goes far enough into the mind that if he gets hurt inside the mind will make it real in reality."

"So if he dies inside his mind he'll die outside as well?" said Inuyasha.

"Exactly," respond Miroku.

"Well he could have told us before he went inside," pouted Shippo.

"Well maybe he didn't want us to worry?" said Sango.

"Well whatever is happening," said Kagome. "It must not be good."

--------------------------------End of Chapter--------------------------------

Gomen for the long delay I haven't had much time to write so Gomen. I'll try to squeeze out sometime to write the next chapter.