Carol Of The Bells

By AriznGlori

A/N: Ok, this update took far too long. It's just that this is such an important chapter, and took me forever to word properly. (Ok, I'm just lazy, but NyaaaH!)

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say this?

Chapter 4: Osoroshii Hikari

Inuyasha was roughly shoved into the back seat of the police car, along with a very worked-up Kagome. She was shoved in after him, and so Inuyasha wound up on the right side of the back seat, and Kagome on the left. The girl was not being very calm.

"I hate you, Inuyasha! What on earth convinced you to do something so frickin' stupid!" She glared at him with eyes that could have shattered the chains of Hell (it's not like she hasn't done it before). "Well?"

Inuyasha turned his face away from her, couldn't look her in the eyes. "Answer me, you dumb hanyou!" Suddenly he turned around, a fiery anger burning him, and he raged worse than Kagome.

"Don't you ever call me STUPID!" he roared before sitting down and sulking bitterly. Kagome snorted, unimpressed.

"Just because you're a teensy bit mad doesn't give you the right" But Inuyasha cut her off, interjecting "YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

Kagome blinked in surprise. "Huh?" Her expression softened as she tried to comprehend. "D-did what? Yell?" She leaned over to him, closer to Inuyasha, concern flooding her. "Inuyasha, what are you talking about?"

"N-nothing," Inuyasha murmured, shifting away so she wouldn't see his blush. "Sit down; you're invading my personal space…" Kagome frowned disappointedly, and looked away.

"Fine, be a jack-ass; not that it makes much of a difference for someone as pig-headed as you…" She gazed sadly out the window at the shrine as the police came back and entered the car, starting up the engine. Just then the little dashboard police intercom system turned on, a voice fogged by static coming over the speaker.

"HOY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

"I'd sit you if it wouldn't blow up the car; you know that, right?" Kagome remarked depressingly as the car took off down the street.

"W-we're moving?" Inuyasha looked out the window, his face tinged green. "Oh…Kami-sama, save my stomach…" Kagome sweat-dropped, and said timidly, "Umm, officers?"

Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells,

All seem to say, "Throw cares away!"

Souta walked back toward the house as the car disappeared down the street, a gloomy atmosphere tainting all the Christmas decorations that were set up. "Oh man, Kagome is way grounded…"

A low rumbling interrupted his short, slow walk. "Huh?" He could feel it; the waves of dark movement beneath his feet. I-it is like standing over an airplane engine… he thought suddenly.

The boy looked at the Goshimboku tree, towering and impressive even far across the temple grounds. Its branches were shuddering ominously, layers of snow shaken down upon its great roots in a silver cloud. "Is Santa Claus flying a little low this year…?" Souta looked up at the gray sky habitually, but then a thought struck him; thoughts usually never struck him, so he knew this was important.

"Hey, wait! Christmas isn't for two days!" But it didn't make a difference what day it was now. The ground thundered a low growling as in the chest of a wolf, as if it was groaning from the great weight of the city that it held up.

"I-it's an earthquake!" Souta cried, looking around. From the street, the sounds of people screaming and cars slowing shocked him. The buildings rocked as if gently blown in a breeze, scaring him.

Buyo ran past the boy, meowing loudly, streaking out of the well-house in unnatural bounds. Souta looked over to the building. Dark streaks of static shocks flowed from beneath the doors, and the gray sky darkened quickly, as if night decided to descend a little earlier than usual…

Christmas is here, bringing good cheer,

To young and old, meek and the bold!

Kikyo was entranced from the moment she entered Time; the beauty of the skies she soared through, the sensation of weightlessness; it was a pleasure in itself, a luxury for the gods. And she, Kikyo, was partaking of the joys of flight. Yet all too soon, she found herself in the well again. She looked around.

"Did it work?"

Suddenly, the ground beneath her started rumbling, the stone and dirt shaft of the well started crumbling, and the square patch of bone-filled earth she stood upon rose up the well, bursting out of the binding posts that helped it retain its shape for well over five hundred years. Lightning was flowing out of the ground, and a great power filled Kikyo, satisfying her like nothing else could, not like food or the souls of young women that kept her flesh together.

She knew this was what she should have done a long time ago.

Ding dong ding-dong, that is their song,

Ring joyful ring, all caroling!

"Souta!" Mrs. Higurashi came running from the other side of the temple grounds, snow shovel in hands. She knelt down as she reached him, dropping the snow shovel and pulling him close in motherly affection. "Oh, thank Kami-sama you're unhurt! I heard the sirens and thought something terrible had happened!"

Souta clutched to his mother in fear, Kagome and—well, mostly Inuyasha, flashing through his mind. "Well, something did…" he spoke uneasily, fearful of his mother's reaction. Mrs. Higurashi looked him in the eyes, concern crossing her face. "Grandpa had a heart attack?"

"Ye—I mean NO! No, nothing along those lines… although Kagome might kill Inuyasha, but… Grandpa is…Grandpa is…well, frankly I don't know where Grandpa is, but I know that he is alive and…alive."

"That's good. Although, all this-" she gestured at the ominous sky, the shivering tree, and the black lightning coming out of the hut of the Bone-eater's Well- "has something to do with your sister; right?"

"I think that-" but Souta was interrupted the well-house exploding, the lightning meeting the sky, and ground making one final lurch, before, in the remains of the well-house, a lone woman appeared, laughing maniacally. "Kagome's in trouble," Souta finished, looking over at the ash-covered woman nervously.

"That's nice, Souta... Wanna make a break for it before she sees us?" Mrs. Higurashi whispered, glancing at the woman quickly.

"Sure. I call the foyer closet."

"Alright then, on the count of-" But Souta was already halfway there. "Hey, wait!" Mrs. Higurashi yelled before she could stop herself. "Souta!"

Kikyo turned her eyes over in their direction, and a sudden smile of pure joy played on her lips. "Why, if it isn't my mother, come back from the dead! Oh, now I've been meaning to talk to her…Mother!"

She walked silently over to Mrs. Higurashi, who was getting up to go and catch up with her son; Kikyo put an icy hand on her shoulder. Mrs. Higurashi looked up into the sad brown eyes of the girl.

"K-Kagome? Darling, it was you?" Mrs. Higurashi stood up, unaware that she was looking at a dead woman with murder on her mind. This all can't possibly be Kagome's fault, can it?

"Mother, don't you know me?" Kikyo asked, puzzled. Who is this woman? She looks exactly like my own mother…But she's calling me KAGOME?

"Kagome, you look very different. Are you okay? Your voice sounds funny; do you have a sore throat?" Kikyo choked back tears as she looked at this woman, realizing her mistake, and she was greatly saddened.

"You don't know me," she whispered, a frown crossing her face, marring her features. Mrs. Higurashi realized that this person was far different from whom she thought she was addressing. "You aren't my mother…You are her reincarnation, aren't you?"

"Oh, so you're Kikyo!" Mrs. Higurashi said angrily. "How long I have wanted to speak with you. Follow me to the house; we have a lot to discuss…" Kikyo gulped. She remembered her own mother acting this way before several demons met their end…

"A-alright…" A frightened Kikyo was led away into the snow storm, disappearing in the direction of the Higurashi abode, where dark times waited for her. So Kagome does live in Hell…

One seems to hear, words of good cheer,

From everywhere, filling the air!

Kagome was staring at Inuyasha and, needless to say (but I'll say it anyway to take up some space), he didn't like it at all. Angrily, he looked over at her and yelled "WHAT?", but she continued to look at him like an ameba under a microscope until she gasped and pointed angrily at his face with both hands (the handcuffs, people!). "I knew it!"

"Knew what? That I'm better-looking than you?"

"Only to a tranny," Kagome tossed her hair in a stuck-up manner, also using both hands, and then returned to her new favorite activity: glaring at Inuyasha just to make him pissed off. "Anyways, you've got lipstick on your cheek; apparently you did a little more than rob a store…Pervert."

"What do you care? You hate me!" Inuyasha yelled sarcastically, rolling his eyes and looking out the window on his side of the car. The city was hard to see through the snow, but he didn't care; better than looking at a bitch.

"So what? Doesn't mean I can't be nosy…" Kagome pointed out with a satisfied smile of victory. "Besides, if you hate someone, it's your job to annoy them to death."

"Y-you're going to kill me?" Inuyasha asked, genuinely horrified.

One officer picked up the radio: "Car 157 to base, car 157 to base; we have a murder in progress in the back seat…"

"Shut up!" Kagome yelled angrily. "No murders yet! Wait a while, why don't you?" The officers laughed at her, and hung up the radio.

"Calm down, princess," said one.

"Yeah," said the other. "Don't get your hair in a knot! Hahaha!"

"I hate dumb jokes!" Inuyasha roared angrily. "Shut up and leave her alone! If anyone gets to piss off and criticize Kagome, it's me!"

"I really feel like I've got a knight in shining armor…" Kagome said ironically. "Unfortunately, you're not him, Inuyasha."

"Yeah, it's Hobo…" the hanyou muttered, a hint of envy in his voice.

"His name is Hojo, and no, he's not my boyfriend. He wants to be, but I don't."

"You don't want to be his boyfriend?" Inuyasha asked, confused.

"You know what I mean, Inuyasha!" Kagome growled. "Don't screw with me; it's not the right day to do this if you'd like to escape going to the Vet and getting your balls cut off." The hanyou then proceeded to shut up and look out the window again.

"Damn wench…"

Oh, how they pound, raising the sound,

O'er hill and dale, telling their tale!

"Shippo!" Sango bellowed. "SHIPPO! Where are you?" Her voice echoed on into the snow-bound forest, and her call was answered by the sudden flight of several birds. She waited, listening for any noise, but there was nothing. She would remain pinned to the back of the Goshimboku until someone came upon her. She bowed her head in defeat, and cried freely for the first time.

"S-Sango?" a small, childish voice asked. "A-are you okay? Don't cry, Sango!" Shippo bounded out of the forest at her, and leapt upon the girl, hugging her as best he could.

"Shippo? Shippo, you came!" Sango was overjoyed. She looked seriously at the fox tyke who was pretending to be a stud right now. "Quickly, can you get Hiraikotsu off of me? I'm having trouble breathing." Shippo saw the seriousness in her face, and quickly nodded.

He turned into a small, cartoon-like ladybug, crawled into the small space between the giant boomerang and the tree-trunk. Gradually, he morphed into different forms, steadily increasing in size, and steadily pushing part of the boomerang out of the tree. When he was finished with his efforts, he was gasping, and collapsed down to the ground, muttering. "I am so done for the day…"

"Thanks Shippo," Sango said gratefully, inhaling lots of air and exhaling it joyfully. "Quickly! We have to get to Miroku!"

"What…? Waaah!" Shippo screamed as Sango grabbed him by the tail and took off, running to the well. "OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!" Sango dropped him unceremoniously as she reached the well and saw Miroku, still laying there, steaming like a vegetable. She ran over to him, rolled him over on his back.

"Miroku! Miroku, are you okay?" Sango cried; she felt his neck for a pulse, and sighed in relief. "Kami-sama be praised! He's still alive!"

Gaily they ring, while people sing,

Songs of good cheer, Christmas is here!

"Kikyo, please sit down," Mrs. Higurashi gestured coldly at the sofa in the living room. Kikyo just stared at it.

"It's not going to eat me, is it?"

"Only if you try anything that could hurt anyone. It gets very… protective sometimes…" Kikyo then sat on the floor.

"That won't save you," Mrs. Higurashi said. "It hasn't charged at anyone in a long time, but that doesn't mean that it's docile now."

"Now I know you're lying to me," Kikyo muttered. "I don't like it."

"I don't like the fact that you're getting in the way of Inuyasha and Kagome…" Mrs. Higurashi glowered. "I think that's unfair; you can't have him. You're dead."

"I came here to fix that," Kikyo replied simply. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, standing up to leave. Mrs. Higurashi blocked her way. "I'm sorry, but you can't go and hurt my baby."

"Move!" Kikyo roared angrily. "You're a liar, and evil! BURN!" She grabbed the older woman, purified her, threw her on the couch and left.

"That stupid woman shouldn't have gotten in my way…" Kikyo murmured almost regretfully as she left the house, walking out into the snow storm. "At least the sky isn't black anymore…" Kikyo looked around for the first time since she arrived. "Such a huge city. Where could Kagome be?"

She walked over to the stairs that led down to street-level, and strolled calmly down them, following the sidewalk in the direction that she felt Kagome more. She's moving at and incredible rate of speed…It's not natural…She must be with Inuyasha! "Kagome, I'm going to get my soul back no matter how hard you try to keep them from me. And then Inuyasha will be mine!"

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!

"Where are we, again?" Inuyasha asked, glancing sideways at Kagome as the girl was taken from the car by a police officer.

"We're at the police station," Kagome said in depression. "This means I'll have to call mom and tell her I'm in jail…Why me, Kami-sama, why me!"

"What's so bad about jail?" Inuyasha asked in curiosity, glancing at Kagome. She looked back at him, sighing. "It'll be a lot worse for you, believe me. What with your looks and a bunch of guys locked behind bars with no girls, what do you think?"

"Umm, I'll kick some ass?"

"Sure you will… But all I have to do is say sit and-" The hanyou fell to the ground painfully. "OUCH!"

"Get up, you pussy," one officer yelled kicking the boy in the side. "You're a thief. Now let's get you to the cell; some inmates will become very good 'butties' with you. Hahaha!" Kagome sighed, looking away.

"We are so screwed."

"Kagome, what are you complaining about? I'm the one with the crooks who swing both ways…" Just then, Yuka, Eri, and Ayame came walking down the street, giggling and talking to each other, when Ayame pointed and waved. "Hi Kagome! What brings you down here so late?"

"We're Christmas shopping; a little late again. You wanna come, Kagome?" Yuka giggled. But then, Eri pointed at Kagome's handcuffs.

"Kagome! You've been arrested?" Eri walked up to Inuyasha and scowled in his face. "So he's the two-timer, eh?"

"Two-timer?" Inuyasha growled, glaring at Kagome. "I think I deserve some answers, Kagome."

"All their ideas! Not mine!"

On now they send, on without end,

Their joyful tone, to every home!

"Miroku? Can you hear me?" Sango asked as the monk groaned.

"Mm? Sango…dear Sango, what's happened to me? I feel so different…"

"'Different' how?" Sango asked warily, shifting away from the monk. "You don't want to do…anything perverted…do you?"

"No."

"WHAT?"

"I don't want to do anything perverted."

"Shippo, did you hear that?" Sango looked over at the kitsune, but he had already passed out.

End Of Chapter 4

A/N: Whoo…all in one day…but hey, who cares? I've updated! Yay! See you all later.