AN: OMG! I'm soooooooooo sorry I haven't posted in a long time! My computer broke over the summer, then we got a new one like, a month ago and I've been really busy. THEN we find out the comp doesn't have a disk drive, just a CD drive! So I had to write out the whole next chapter by hand and rewrite it on the new comp. This kinda reminds me of the Rurouni Kenshin fic I did, when my disk drive went bad. Well, anyways, heres the next chappie! Enjoy!
Act Six
This song is from Gravedigger by the Dave Mathews Band. I'm doing this by memory so if I'm wrong, please forgive this one!
'Gravedigger, when you dig my grave...
Can you make it shallow so that I can feel the rain...'
Kagome had never ridden a horse before, let alone saddled one. That alone proved to be a challenge, so when Kagome had her horse tacked up, she felt like quitting right then and there. But then there was the challenge of getting IN the saddle! The stallion stood still while Kagome jumped up and down, trying to get herself in. And when she finally did manage to get her seat, she was exaughsted. Sitting up, she gently nudged the horse with her heels. Although she had never ridden, she had read enough books to know how it was done.
Kagome rode through the afternoon, enjoying her time in the feudal era. She was finally able to sort through all of her thoughts and feelings. As she rode, she let her guard drop. Suddenly she felt the stallion tense under her. His head shot up and his nostrils flared. She could hear his labored breathing as his ears swiveled in uncertainty.
"Easy boy..." Kagome patted his tense neck, trying to sooth the equine. However his nerves had affected her as well, and she also was on edge. A moment later she heard a rustle in the bushes behind them. The results where immediate. The stallion shot forward like a Thoroughbred from the starting gate, giving a powerful buck that caused Kagome's abdomen to slam into the pommel of the saddle. She dropped the reins and the steed sped forward, Kagome just barely able to hold on. They flew through the woods, nothing more than a white streak against the green foliage and the sound of thundering hooves against the backdrop of chirping birds. Tears were streaming from Kagome's eyes as she desperately clung to the cremello's neck. Abruptly something lunged out at the horse from the side shrubs. It hit the stallion's front legs as kagome felt with horror the sensation of the horse dropping out from underneath her hold. His knees buckled as he slammed into the ground with his head, sliding forward and falling to his side. Kagome fell from his back and landed next to the horse, her face in the dirt. She then heard the creature that had attacked the horse start from the opposite bushes. What did it want, why was it here?
Then it hit her.
Shoving her hand down her shirt, Kagome clasped the little purple jewel around her fingers and pulled. She heard the snap of the gold chain as it broke and hastily pulled it from her blouse. She shoved her fist under the big horse and let the jewel go, pulling her hand back out. And just in time. The creature turned her over and looked her in the eyes. Fear took over as Kagome peered into the coldest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. He was a demon. His upper body was human, yet below that was the body of a wolf.
"You, girl, shall bare my pups." His voice was chilling and reminded Kagome of shattering glass. And she was so caught up in his voice that she didn't even realize what he had said. He grabbed her firmly by the back of the shirt and began to drag her away. Kagome lost track of time after fifteen minutes. The fabric of her clothing was wearing thin from being dragged on the ground. Suddenly she was jolted from her stupor as she felt her body leave the ground. He slammed her forward into a tree, deep in the forest. Before Kagome could regain her breath, the demon began to shred off her clothing. When she tried to fight him off by smacking him, he bit deep into her neck. It felt like hot wax being poured over her body. She tried to move her fingers, but they wouldn't budge. Her entire body was paralyzed. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Her head lolled to the side as the demon flipped her over. Her eyes rolled in horror as she suddenly realizing what he was doing.
Slowly Inuyasha approached the form. Her black hair was strewn about, claw marks flashing an angry red. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Turning her around, Kagome's blank eyes stared up. Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes as she struggled to move.
"In...u...ya...sh...a..."Her voice was faint and rough.
Inuyasha's ears pinned back in anger. He had to get her to Kaede. Otherwise, she might not make it. Quickly he shrugged off the top of his kimono and rolled Kagome's naked form in it. She wreaked of demon, and Inuyasha desperately wanted to rid her of that smell. His own institincts wanted to cover it with his own, but now was not the time for that. Quietly he stood, Kagome dangling in his arms like a rag doll. Carefully he supported her head against his chest and carried her bridal-style, leaping through the forest with remarkable speed.
"Inuyasha, look here."
Inuyasha had managed to get Kagome to Kaede's in a matter of minutes. While Inuyasha sat in the corner, Kaede slowly examined Kagome's body, trying to locate the source of her paralysis. Meanwhile, Sango and Miroku poured over books written in Kagome's time as well as their time.
Kaede had Kagome on her back, her head in Shippo's lap so she could still breathe. Kaede started at her lower back and slowly began working up, parting her hair at the base of her neck to find a huge bite mark.
Inuyasha flung himself over towards Kaede, peering over her shoulder. He glanced at the mark, a low growl forming in his throat.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kaede poked his shoulder, as he seemed to be mesmerized.
"That bastard MARKED her! HE MARKED HER!" He was snarling now, teeth bared and all.
Sango had heard enough. Quickly she flipped to a section about demons and the illnesses that they sometimes caused. There was a section about how some caused paralysis, but nothing about how to cure it. She softly cursed under her breath.
Kaede knew enough about how demons worked, but this 'marking' was new to her. "Do ye mind to inform I on what this marking is?"
Inuyasha nodded, his voice so soft that Kaede had to lean to catch what he was saying.
"It means that the demon has claimed Kagome for his own. If he finds her in the company of another demon, he will kill everyone around her." Inuyasha bowed his head. "And most of the time, a demon will mark his mate after... Impregnating her..." His heart clenched. He had always wanted Kagome to be his own mate, to bare his own pups, yet...It just seemed so unreal. How could she have just come back and all of a sudden be in trouble again?
It them hit him. Ripping Kagome from Shippo's hold, he flipped the priestess over. His eyes scanned her bare chest, causing him to blush slightly, but that wasn't what he was interested in.
"Inuyasha! What are you doing?!" Cried everyone at once. The hanyou jerked around.
"Where's the jewel!?"
"What?"
"The Shikon no Tama! She had it around her neck on a little gold chain!"
Everyone paled. Not again.
Kaede finally broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Inuyasha, Kagome will sleep here tonight. Its getting late, and you are tired. Perhaps sleep will return Kagome's movement. Until then, the Jewel will have to wait."
Inuyasha wrestled with invisible demons that night. His dreams were plagued with sights of Kagome being raped and of the mysterious scent that covered her body. He shot up, his body covered in a cold sweat. His instincts where in control. For his body was still in the dream, while his head screamed at him to stop. Throwing the light blanket off of him, he lept and raced to the door. Half is mind was screaming 'I must rid her of that scent, I must claim her!' but his other half way telling him 'No! No!"
But it didn't matter. Adrenaline and instinct had control of his body. Quietly he crept into Kaede's hut and over to Kagome's body. Picking her up softly, he raced back to his own hut, unnoticed. Carefully he laid her down on his futon, rolling her over so that she laid on her stomach. He then hunched over her and, in one swift movement, clamped his jaw down on the scar of the bite. He held her there, clamping harder and harder until suddenly his world exploded into stars.
"ITAI!" Kagome sat up and reached to the back of her neck. It was covered in blood. She then turned to Inuyasha, her face etched in fury. If looks could kill, Inuaysha would be dead a thousand times over.
"WHY THE HECK DID YOU BITE ME?!"
Inuyasha was rolling on the floor, clutching himself and groaning in pain. Kagome knew that she had hit her target, and couldn't help but stifle a giggle.
"ITS NOT FUNNY! Do you know how much that hurts?"
Kagome stopped laughing, but at the look upon Inuyasha's face burst out hysterically. Inuyasha finally managed to get into a sitting position, and it was then that he got it.
"your not... your...moving..."
Kagome paused and looked at her hands. "Well, wadya know, I guess I am..."
She stopped suddenly as she felt Inuyasha's hand take hers.
"Kagome, I was so worried, I thought I was gonna loose you."
Kagome felt touched by Inuyasha's concern for her, and she knew that he loved her, but, just the same, she wasn't used to this whole routine yet. She carefully placed a hand on top of his as her mind flashed back to the demon that had raped her. Suddenly the scratches on her back began to burn.
"Inuyasha, why did you bite me?"
The demon stared into Kagome's eyes with a blank expression.
"Because, the other demon...he marked you as his own. His scent was all over you. Then I started to dream. And I guess my instincts took over. But the thought of you being with any other demon, I just wont have it."
Kagome looked at Inuyasha, she could see the distress in his eyes.
"Inuyasha, I would never go to anyone else. You are my only choice. That is why I came back." Slowly she reached up and kissed his lips softly, savoring the flavor of sweat and blood. She then pulled away.
Suddenly Kagome remembered. Slowly she put her hand to her chest, carefully searching for the jewel and little golden chain. When she didn't feel it, her eyes gazed with shame at the floor. "I forgot about the jewel."
Inuaysha carefully touched her cheek. She looked up, her eyes full of sorrow. He smiled sadly. "The demon took it. But when I kill him, then we will retrieve the jewel."
Kagome shook her head. "No. That's not what happened." Inuyasha looked at her quizzically. Kagome shrugged the blanket further up onto her shoulders. "Right before the demon... took me..." She paused, recalling the painful memory. "I shoved the jewel under the horse I was riding. The demon seemed so preoccupied with me that I believe he didn't even notice the jewel."
She watched as Inuyasha's expression lifted slightly.
"Then I should go get it before another demon senses it." He rose to his feet and turned, but just as he stepped forward, Kagome grabbed onto his kimono.
"Take me with you."
Inuaysha was about to argue, yet he saw the sadness and fear in her eyes. He could understand that she didn't want him to leave.
Heaving a sigh, Inuyasha pulled of his haori and wrapped it around Kagome. Then he wrapped her in a blanket and picked her up carefully. Although she could move, she was still fragile at the moment.
The two picked there way through the forest, until they came upon the body of the white steed. His cream colored body glowed mystically in the gloomy fog of the early morning. Although he appeared dead, Kagome could see his rib cage moving slightly. She squirmed and Inuyasha took the hint and put her carefully on her feet.
Slowly Kagome made her way to the horse. As he heard her approach, he lifted his head, looking at her in desperation. The ground was covered in marks and blood, the only traces of his desperate attempts to stand. When he recognized her, he gave a snort of discomfort before laying back down onto the earth.
Hot salty tears began to form in her eyes. Carefully she loosened the girth to the saddle and the bridle, giving the horse some comfort in his final moments of life. As she stripped the bridle from the equines head, she planted a final goodbye kiss on his cheekbone. She then carefully crawled over to his side and reached under his bulk. Her fingers finally found the small orb and she pulled free.
The tears were coming in waves now as she walked toward Inuyasha. "Please, let his soul rest."
Inuyasha nodded solemnly. Without hesitating, he drew Tetsusaiga. Stepping forward to face the horse, he made one swift movement, plunging Tetsusaiga into the stallions side. The horse made a final grunt, and his body went still. Kagome flinched visibly as she heard Inuyasha withdraw Tetsusaiga and resheath it. Another tsunami of tears began to fill her.
"It was the right thing to do, Kagome. His leg was broken, he had internal bleeding, and he had been on his side for two long. The muscles would have been paralyzed. So don't blame yourself." He tried to put his arm around her, but she shrugged it off.
"Inuyasha! You don't get it! If it hadn't been for me, he wouldn't have died! If it hadn't been for my stupidness, I would have never gotten raped! And now on top of all that, I have to worry about when that demon is coming back and if I am carrying his baby!" She fell to the ground, sobs wracking her body.
Inuyasha sat there in total shock. "Your telling me that you think that your pregnant?" he said quietly. He didn't want to believe it.
Kagome didn't answer for several minutes. "Everything was right..." she said suddenly.
"So you were in heat. I thought maybe, but I wasn't sure..."Inuyasha trailed off as he thought.
Kagome was feeling sick now. She wanted to puke. Was it from nerves? Or pregnancy? She didn't want to know.
"I need to go take a bath." She said suddenly.
Inuyasha was awoken from his stupor. "You have just been raped, maybe pregnant, and you want to take a fucking BATH!?" He was enraged now.
"What else can I do? Worrying about it isn't going to change the fact. Besides..."
She frowned. "I smell like that disgusting demon."
She shriveled up her nose. Inuyasha had to admit, she did look awfully cute with her tear streaked eyes and wrapped around in that blanket.
"Fine. But I'm staying there with you."
Kagome quickly stripped of the blanket, Inuyasha's haori and the miko clothing Kaede had adorned her in. This was the first time she had had to examine her body. Dirt clotted her body, giving her a darker skin color. tear streaks lined her cheeks. Her back was scratched and raw, her neck sore from the two bites. It too, was clotted with dirt and blood. The insides of her thighs as well were coated in a light blood, the solid evidence of her refusal.
"Kagome, are you all right?" Called Inuyasha.
Kagome jumped before wading into the hot water. "Yea, I'm fine."
She hissed softly as the hot water seared her wounds. But the pain passed as quickly as it had come and she submerged the rest of her body in the warmth of the hot spring.
Dawn was just breaking over the horizon. The sky was painted with light oranges ad creamy pinks. It reminded Kagome of an old saying her father used to tell her.
"Pink sky at night, sailor's delight. Pink sky at morning, sailor's take warning."
"Warning, eh?"
Kagome swung around, dropping as close to the water as she could, just below her nose. When her eyes locked on a pair of steel blue ones, however, she reeled backwards, her mouth open in a silent scream, her eyes full of panic.
'Gravedigger, when you dig my grave,'
'Can you make it shallow so that I can feel the ran..."
A?N: Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha! Cliffhanger! I love cliffhangers. Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but its, lets see, Tuesday. I have to ride me horse everyday after school, school itself, I have homework tonight, tomorrow I have riding lessons, then on Thursday I have 4-H, and this weekend I have a dog show, plus I'm gonna go see The Grudge with my BFF Julie on 'Ween. So that leaves me with little time to write after school, and only an hour before school. But, I will prevail! The next chapter will be up in a week a max! my guarantee to you. Please review!
