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OMG... here it is... the long and awaited for Chapter 6!! With the reuniting of Kagome and Inuyasha!! I can not tell you how many times I have wanted to skip ahead and write this part of the story before any of the other chapters... but I didn't and now I'm soo excited to write this part... I hope you all enjoy... since this is my favorite chapter... its going to be super long...Enjoy!!
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Chapter 6
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Kagome felt better, with her stomach full she could now think clearly again. Although her meal hadn't been very tasty, it still filled her up.
Now, she sat on a rock enjoying the moonlight. There was no one out on the water, no late night fisherman, no late night swimmers.
Kagome stared at the shoreline. She watched as the waves gently rolled in and out. She couldn't think of anything prettier then the moonshine on the breaking ocean waves against the gray sands.
Kagome turned her eyes toward the night sky, the moon was almost full. She held out her hands and pretended to be able to hold the moon in her palms.
She remembered something her father once told her, when he first took her to the surface and she got to gaze at the moon for the first time. He told her that,
...Flashback...
"The person who you decide to marry, Kagome, should love you with all his heart and soul; anything you ask of him, he should be able to do for you."
"Even if I asked for the moon?" little Kagome asked her father.
"Indeed," her father answered, "The moon and all the stars will be laid at your fingertips."
....End Flashback....
Her eyes glittered at the yellow moon.
Letting her hands fall, they came to rest on Tetsugaiga, which lay across her lap. Kagome petted the sword snuggled deep within its holster.
Picking up Tetsugaiga she cradled it in her arms. Kagome thought of her father, who she missed dearly.
He had never come to rescue her from Kouga's clutches. He had gone down with his kingdom.
Kagome wondered if she had done the right thing, by leaving. Kouga would probably make up some lie about her committing suicide and then he would rule over all the merfolk.
And he had the document that Kagome had signed.
He had everything that was against her.
Kagome didn't want to think about Kouga. She was safe from him, for now; unless Kouga decided to search for her.
But the ocean was a big place.
Kagome shook the thought away. She only had two tasks now, keeping the Jewel and Tetsugaiga safe.
Carefully, Kagome removed Tetsugaiga from its holster. She held the sword straight out and leveled her eyes parallel to the blade.
The dull blade still shone slightly in the moonlight.
Kagome pulled the blade closer to her eyes and ran a curious finger along the edge.
The blade was dull, but Kagome felt her finger slice open.
"Ouch!" she cried, and put her finger in her mouth. She could taste her own blood in her mouth; she only sucked on it for a minute until the pain went away.
Kagome stared at the sword. "You are dull...yet you cut my skin. There is something magical about you..." she spoke to the sword.
"Demon bone..." she remembered. Maybe that gave it the mysterious powers.
Kagome sighed and placed the sword back into the holster. She strapped the belt around her waist and slid down from off of her rock and back into the water.
The water beneath her was dark and unwelcoming. Kagome decided that she would stay close to the surface, the moon produced allot of light and it made Kagome feel more comfortable.
Swimming only a few feet under the surface, Kagome swam parallel to the shoreline.
She really didn't know where she was going. For she really had no place to go and night was really not the best time to be traveling.
Kagome just decided to keep following the shoreline, seeing where it would take her.
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Inuyasha hadn't realized that he was running until he felt out of breath. He slowed himself and then finally stopped.
Why had he been running? Did he want to really get away from Shippo and the others that badly?
Maybe he did. All they have been doing is driving his crazy this whole time. Making up lies about him; telling wild tales about his life, as if they knew him.
Feh, he didn't need them and even if he did, he would never admit it.
They were stupid and insignificant.
Inuyasha hated himself. He had many reasons for leaving them behind. Not just that they annoyed him and were useless waists of space, but also because he didn't want to feel responsible if anything happened to anyone of them, like what had happened to Kagome.
'I'm such an idiot.' He thought to himself.
He felt himself jump to conclusions.
Why did she have to die? She had told him that if he ever needed anything, she would be there... well where was she now? Dead! And it was all his fault.
He could picture her being attacked by a faceless evil. Screaming as she became drenched in her own blood.
He saw her body floating up to the surface and wash up onto shore... and be picked on by sea birds.
Inuyasha shut his eyes; his emotions surged through his body. He clenched his fists tightly.
He turned and attacked the nearest thing to him, a tree. He sliced through the tree with his claws.
For a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened. But then, the tree began to snap in the middle where he had attacked it.
It swayed to the left slightly, then to the right, then back to the left. Then it fell all the way over, crashing to the ground.
Inuyasha was breathing hard after the attack on the tree. He looked at it, as it lay diminished in front of him.
Inuyasha glared down at his clawed fingers and hands. What good is all this power, if he couldn't keep anything he cared about safe?
Inuyasha sank to the ground and covered his face with his clawed hands. He quietly sobbed there, on the dirty ground, in the middle of the forest.
...........
After several minutes, Inuyasha pulled himself together. He wiped his tears away with his hand and stood up.
'Great,' he thought, 'now I'm just a stupid weak human who cries.'
Inuyasha straightened himself up and turned around. He paused to notice something.
The tree, before he had knocked down, had made it seem like he was enclosed by woods. But now that the tree was gone, he could see a clear gap, and a piece of ocean.
Inuyasha walked forward, towards the ocean, pushing branches aside. He emerged out of the trees and stood just about fifty yards away from the beach.
The moon hung right over the ocean, and cast its reflection onto the dark water.
The tide was out. Inuyasha looked to his far left and noticed a long line of rocks extending out from the shore into the ocean, like a point.
Inuyasha exited the tree line and walked out onto the sandy beach. The chilly ocean air, whipped his hair back and he pulled his robe closer to his body.
He walked along the beach towards the point. The soft sand felt cool under his bare feet.
As waves broke onto the beach, the water rushed up towards his feet and washed over them.
'Cold.' He thought. But he continued to walk and let the water hit him. It washed away his weariness.
The sea foam lay in piles up on the sand, it made a fizzing noise as it dissipated away.
The air was still and the wind made no noise at all. Only the sounds of the waves could be heard.
As he reached the rocky point, the sand beneath his feet turned into rock.
'When the tide is in, this point was probably hidden under the water,' Inuyasha thought.
Many of the rocks were larger than he was, and they extended out into the ocean.
Inuyasha climbed onto the nearest rock and followed the line out into the ocean. He jumped from rock to rock until he reached the farthest end of the point, and could go no further.
There were other rocks further out, but he couldn't reach them unless he wanted to get wet.
The roar of the waves was louder here, as they slammed against the rocks. The wind was also stronger.
Inuyasha curled his feet under him and sat down. He watched the waves roll in and out, under the ever bright moon.
He shut his eyes and enjoyed the silence.
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Kagome yawned as she swam. Her eye lids were heavy; she decided she needed to find a place to sleep for the rest of the evening.
She turned and swam in towards the beach. The current pulled her along as it reached for the sandy shore line.
The tide was out, and the ocean bottom was visible below her. Kagome noticed that it was rocky, 'Good maybe there are some rocks ahead I can hide in.' she thought to herself.
She was only about two feet from the waters surface. Sometimes her fin broke the top of the water.
Kagome stopped swimming and kicked her fin upwards. Her head slowly broke the surface of the water.
She looked around for a suitable rock that she could hide in. She swam along on top of the water with her mouth and nose still submerged. She barely made a sound as she slipped through the water like a ghost.
To her far right was the beach. It extended along until it met the rocks she was near.
'These rocks were probably all underwater when the tide is in.' Kagome thought to herself.
Kagome swam up to a rock that stuck up out of the water about five feet. Starfish stuck to the sides of the rock, even when the waves hit them, they still remained attached to the rock.
The rock was covered with a coat of slime, but this did not bother Kagome, it would help her get on better, and serve as a softer bed.
Kagome unbuckled Tetsugaiga from around her waist and placed it, silently, up on top of the rock.
Next, she dunked her head underwater a ways, and then kicked her powerful fin. With one strong kick, she surfaced again and rose out of the water, landing on her stomach on top of the rock.
Kagome looked for something to grab onto to pull herself up farther. She grabbed onto the rock's corner and pulled the rest of herself up on top of it. Her stomach slipped easily along the rock's top, thanks to the coat of slime.
She sighed and rolled over onto her back. Kagome propped herself up on her elbows and stared out to sea. It seemed to go on forever, and Kagome knew that it did.
The moon hung directly above her and had a soft light.
The waves gently hit the rock and splashed Kagome with their spray. She would remain wet if she was to fall asleep.
Kagome pulled her cloak around her shoulders and piled her hair under her head as a pillow.
Kagome reached over and pulled Tetsugaiga closer to her. She snuggled it under her arm, like a child would cuddle a stuffed animal.
The rhythmic sound of the ocean created a whimsical song that echoed in her ears.
Now that she was comfortable, Kagome found it impossible to sleep.
Perhaps it was the ocean song that kept her awake. It was a melody without words, yet it longed to have words.
Kagome sat up and stared up at the moon. The stars had a beat all to their own.
Kagome felt the music of the night, the music of the ocean.
For the first time in five years, Kagome filled her lungs with air and began to sing...
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Inuyasha listened to the waves hit the rocks below him. He could almost time the waves as they hit the rocks.
He felt comfortable sitting on this cold rock, getting slightly wet with ocean mist, the wind in his face, the stars and moon above his head.
Suddenly, the wind changed. It howled a melody in his ears. Inuyasha listened, it sounded like the ocean was singing.
'The ocean is singing!' he said to himself.
But then, another beat chimed in. A low coo but then it started to grow. Soon, it was singing words.
Inuyasha sat straight up. There was someone out there! Someone out there was singing.
He stood up quickly and pricked his ears forward. The tune filled his head, the words touched his senses.
Inuyasha became entranced by the song. He couldn't pull his mind away from the words. As hard as he tried, he was caught in the song.
Inuyasha stood paralyzed to the spot. He could not move his body. The music had him trapped.
Yet, he didn't want to leave the music. It touched his heart; it dug within his sour temper and sweetened it.
He felt like he was floating...floating above the waves. Pictures flashed in his mind, old images of his past, scenes of his childhood, times when the world seemed so large.
He was forever deepened by this melody.
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Kagome felt the words emit from her lips and throat. She sung one of the ancient songs of the sirens.
A song, she learned, that would often drive men wild with rage and lust.
Yet, the song spoke of the moon and stars and how the merfolk lived beneath them, under the waves of the flowing sea.
It felt good to sing. Kagome had long thought she had lost her voice, due to her long time imprisonment in darkness.
Her father had always complimented her on her voice. It held great beauty and power. Power because it was a weapon. Her royal siren blood made it that way.
Kagome never wanted to use her voice as a weapon... to lead unprepared sailors to their deaths. Or use her beauty to lead men into the ocean to drown.
Merpeople had changed allot since the times of old. Only the Shadow Merfolk really continued to practice the old ways of the siren peoples.
During her stay there, Kagome had learned a few of the deadly tunes. She hoped that she would never have to use them.
She still believed that every person, no matter how evil they seem, had some good in them. She had always believed that until, of course, the demon attacked her people.
As Kagome's song drew to an end, she could feel the aura of power around her. Then as her voice fell with the last note...the aura drifted away... up into the sky.
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The taunting song continued to ring in Inuyasha's ears. He couldn't pull away. And he didn't pull away... only when the song stopped did he regain the ability to move and think again.
The spell faded away and traveled with the wind. Inuyasha blinked a few times and then shook his head clear.
'What the hell just happened?' he wondered.
He looked wildly from side to side, and then out again at the ocean.
"Who's out there?!?" he yelled into the wind.
His voice reached Kagome who jumped. 'Someone is out here!'
Without thinking twice Kagome plunged off of the rock she way lying on and into the water.
From where Inuyasha was standing he saw a dark figure move from behind a piece of rock and splash into the water.
"Hey!" he called.
Using his demon agility and a giant leap, Inuyasha jumped out towards one of the nearby rocks. Waves broke onto his face; he shut his eyes against the stinging salt water. With another graceful leap he sprang to the next nearest rock and then he sprang to another one.
He now stood on the rock that Kagome was just lying on.
Meanwhile, underwater, Kagome's heart was racing.
"Did the person see me?" she wondered out loud.
Kagome knew she was safe in her element. If the person dare follow her, she would have the upper hand.
Her hand rested on her chest to steady her heartbeat. Her fingers touched the Jewel still safely around her neck.
Then, a cloud of fear hung above her. Kagome looked to her side. Nothing hung at her side. She had left Tetsugaiga on the rock!
She had to get it back! Kagome quickly swam back up towards the surface.
Inuyasha glanced around at the rock he was standing on. This was the rock he had seen the thing jump from, he knew it was!
He stared into the dark water and only his reflection stared back at him.
Could he have imagined what he saw? Then his eyes fell onto a sword lying within its holster near the edge of the rock.
Inuyasha cocked his head at the weapon. He bent down and picked it up. Holding it in one hand he pulled on the handle and removed the blade from the holder.
The dull blade appeared from beneath the holster.
Before he could fully remove it he heard movement in the water beside him. He turned his eyes just in time to see a face and shoulders appear from the surface.
Kagome's wet hair was in her face, but she could see the figure dressed in red holding Tetsugaiga.
There was only one way to get him to drop it. 'I'm sorry, who ever you are.' She thought to herself.
Quickly, Kagome drew a deep breath and then sung out a sonic note.
Her sharp note struck Inuyasha's sensitive ears and he dropped the sword and grabbed for them, to block out the noise. The noise burned his ear drums; he hunched over and screamed in pain.
Tetsugaiga fell and hit the rock with a metallic clang. Kagome realized that she had the man paralyzed by her sonic note.
She dropped the piercing note and quickly scooped Tetsugaiga up in her arms and dove back down underwater.
........
Her sonic blast rang out down the beach and upon the village. Villagers were looking around in all directions, a few were grabbing for their ears.
Not far off, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo winced in pain at the noise.
"What is that!!!???" Sango yelled covering her ears. Kirara howled at the noise.
"Make it stop!!" Shippo screamed.
Then it did stop, but it was followed by a loud painful scream.
After recovering their hearing, the group heard the scream.
"That sounds like Inuyasha..." Shippo said.
"Are you sure Shippo-chan?" Sango asked.
"Yes, my ears are better than yours...that is defiantly Inuyasha screaming." Shippo said.
"He must be in trouble, come on!" Miroku said.
Kirara quickly transformed in a burst of flame, Sango and Miroku climbed onto her back and Shippo scampered onto her head.
"Hurry Kirara!" Sango told her cat companion.
And they all set off in the direction of the scream.
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Inuyasha's ears were ringing and felt like they were bleeding. Every noise around him seemed to be magnified ten times louder.
Inuyasha relied on his ears so much, now that where damaged, his whole perception was thrown off.
He tried to stand up, but his feet slipped on the slime of the rock. He felt himself fall backwards.
His head it first, and his skull shattered against the rock face. And his world went black.
Inuyasha's unconscious body lay on the top of the rock. The waves broke over his body.
Very slowly, his body began to slip off the rock into the dark water below.
......
Kagome hovered beneath the surface. She was breathing hard and her heart was in her throat.
She clutched Tetsugaiga in her arms. It had fallen out of its holster, but Kagome didn't care. The blade itself was all that mattered.
"He...he... must have been right behind me...while...while... I was singing..." Kagome stuttered under her shortness of breath.
Or maybe it had been my voice that had brought him too me.
She could have lost Tetsugaiga forever. That person could have taken it back on land, and she would have never of gotten it back.
'Oh, what have I gotten myself into?' she wondered. Maybe she couldn't protect the demon blade...
Kagome's thoughts were redirected when she heard the water splash above her head.
'It followed me into the water?!?' Kagome wondered.
She had no choice now; she had to fight, if the person was to follow her.
Kagome held Tetsugaiga up in front of her. She would use the demon blade to defend herself, if necessary.
The moonshine allowed a little light to reach her, from where she was deep below the waves.
Kagome watched as the dark figure, which had splashed into the water, just lay on the surface of the water.
She lowered Tetsugaiga slightly, 'Why wasn't the thing coming after her?'
Then, Kagome smelled why.
Blood.
There was blood in the water. A very rich strong blood.
Kagome realized that the figure was either unconscious or....or nothing! What ever it was, it was floating on the surface spilling blood into the water, which would certainly attract predators.
Kagome was torn; she didn't know what to do.
She could flee and hopefully get far enough away from the blood smell so that she wouldn't get attacked.
Or she could help this person. Or was it already dead?
Kagome's heart raced. 'Oh, what do I do?'
The dark figure wasn't moving above her, and the current was carrying it away, towards the shore.
Images passed in front of her eyes; images of the warriors lining up to defend the city from the enemy.
An image of her father, dressed in his heavy armor, shouting orders to his warriors.
The sounds of mermen, women and children being attacked by giant monsters.
Kagome shook her head and gazed at the figure, 'Sometimes the violence has to end...' she decided.
Kagome dove down into the deep water, towards the ocean bottom. As the ocean floor became visible she slowed and then hovered above the rocky bottom.
With all her might she stabbed Tetsugaiga into the rock bottom. When it stood up on its own, Kagome left it.
She kicked her fin and powered towards the dark figure in the water.
Her hair streamed behind her, her muscles ached as she stretched them to their limits of speed.
The dark figure became visible under the moonshine. Its back was facing Kagome, and as she got closer she realized that it wore a large, baggy red robe and pants. Then, another feature came into view, beautiful, long silver hair hung in the water.
It wrapped around the person's face, so Kagome couldn't see its facial features. But she did see a stream of blood emitting from the person's head.
Kagome stretched her arms out in front of her, ready to cradle the figure in them.
She grabbed the person around the chest, and kicked herself and the person the last few feet until the surface.
Kagome broke the water's top, holding the person in her arms. Even in the water, his weight was awkward.
'What to do now?' she wondered. Could she make it to the beach and pull his body up into the shallows? Or should she attempt the pull him up onto a rock?
The rocks were closer, so Kagome opted for that. She had too get both of their bodies out of the water, or else they both risked getting attacked by predators following the blood scent.
The person in her arms was still unconscious, Kagome had to keep his head above water or else he would drown.
Kagome swam towards a low lying rock. It was flat on top and could hold them both together out of the water.
It was only about ten yards away, but Kagome had to worry about her companion. He had to keep breathing and couldn't travel underwater like Kagome.
Pulling him along, Kagome pushed for the rock. She was exhausted, and her muscles ached. On top of it all, the person was bleeding on her. The blood was staining his silver hair.
Kagome heard a splash to her left; she turned in time to see a fin break the surface of the water, about thirty feet away.
She could try another sonic blast too keep them away, but Kagome didn't want to further injure the person in her arms. (This was kind of ironic, considering she had just attacked him.)
Kagome made it to the rock she was heading for. She pushed the person up onto it a little ways, when his body stayed. She quickly swam around to the other side of the rock.
With a flash of her fin, she rocketed up onto the rock's top.
Kagome reached over and grabbed the person by his collar and pulled him towards her. He was so heavy! Kagome strained under his weight, she pulled harder and harder.
Finally, his whole body came out of the water and up with her. His head and shoulders fell onto her lap.
Kagome tucked her fin beneath her and made sure no part of either of their bodies was still in the water.
She looked around her and sighed. Just in the nick of time, many dorsal fins now broke the surface of the water around them.
But they were safe.
Kagome looked down at the bleeding youth in her arms. She placed her hand over the gash in his head. She applied pressure to try and stop the bleeding.
Kagome cocked her head at the figures face, hidden behind wet, bloody hair. With her other hand, she pulled a few pieces away from his face.
A man's face appeared... a familiar man's face.
"Inuyasha?!?" Kagome breathed. It was impossible, but it was him! He looked older... but it was him!
Kagome ran her fingers over his facial features; she couldn't believe it was him. It had been so long...
Kagome pulled her ear closer to his mouth, she could hear him breathing. He was alive!
"Inuyasha..." she spoke again. She couldn't get over that it was him.
Kagome glanced down at his body that lay stretched out on the rock.
One of his clawed hands lay over his stomach; the other by his side, palm faced up.
Kagome noticed a rather large bulge coming from his chest. She carefully reached within his red robe and into a hidden pocket.
Her fingers wrapped around the object and pulled it out. Her eyes widened as she recognized what it was.
It was her spatice.
The old toy she had given him years ago, when they were only children.
He had kept it all this time. Kagome was touched. He had remembered her all this time, yet she hadn't even thought of him. Kagome placed the spatice back into his pocket, so he would always keep remembering her, in case they didn't make it out of this.
A fin broke the water only a foot away from the rock she and Inuyasha were lying on. Kagome's eyes jumped to the movement, the predators were circling the rock.
Kagome shook in the cold air; the wind was drying her fin out. But she would be ok for a little while.
She looked over at her other hand that still was clasped to Inuyasha's head. It was quite full of blood. But it seemed to be drying. She didn't dare remove it, for fear it would open up again.
Kagome realized that it had been Inuyasha who had heard her singing. She probably had deafened him. "Oh Inuyasha, I'm so sorry." She spoke softly to him.
She glanced over at his cute dog ears that had touched her heart when she was young. They now lay awkwardly positioned on his head.
Kagome felt horrible, she had caused Inuyasha so much pain.
Kagome couldn't help herself. With the sight of seeing her friend, and now knowing that his injuries she had caused... Kagome began to tear up.
The tears were hot as they ran down her cheeks. A few fell onto Inuyasha's face. But he still didn't stir.
Kagome cradled her body around Inuyasha and hugged him, sobbing onto his clothing.
While Kagome was crying she didn't hear the voices until they were upon her. Kagome heard the faint call of Inuyasha's name.
She glanced up slightly. Listening.
Then she heard it again, this time very close by. She turned her neck and looked behind her.
Fear struck her as she saw a flamed beast that could run on the air coming towards her.
Kagome looked harder and noticed a few figures on the creatures back. They kept calling Inuyasha's name.
Kagome was about to attack them with her voice, but Inuyasha began to stir in her arms.
She turned her attention back to him, "Inuyasha?"
His eyes opened a tiny slit; Kagome saw a flash of gold. But then they shut again.
"You there!" A voice shouted above her head.
Kagome looked up to see three faces glaring down at her.
For a few seconds they all stared at each other.
Only was the stare down broken when another predator's fin broke the surface of the water near Kagome and Inuyasha.
"Sharks!" Shippo cried out pointing wildly at the water.
"Down Kirara." Sango spoke. The huge fire beast moved closer to Kagome and Inuyasha, it hovered just a few feet over the water.
Kagome was afraid at first; she wanted so badly to swim away. But she was captive on the rock.
She guessed that these people must be friends of Inuyasha. Kagome could only hope so. She called up to them, "He's hurt..."
"She talks!" Shippo cried.
Miroku handed his staff to Sango and reached out to Kagome, "Hand him up here."
"I can't," Kagome echoed, "If I move my hand, his wound will reopen." She watched as the young man's eyes drifted to her bloody hand on Inuyasha's head.
"We've got to get them off this rock." Sango yelled to Miroku.
Miroku turned to Shippo, "Shippo can't to transform into something and get them?"
Kagome didn't understand what he was talking about. The one he called Shippo looked scared.
"The little one is fearful." Kagome called up to him.
They all looked at her as if she had spoken another language. The man smiled down at her.
Kagome wished she could be anywhere else in the world but where she was.
"Just hand him up. His wound will heal itself with time." Sango yelled to her. Kagome didn't want to let go of Inuyasha, but she had no other choice.
The giant fire beast moved directly above her. Kagome removed her bloody hand from Inuyasha's head. A few strands of his hair stuck to her hand, Kagome looked at the wound. It was deep, but not big.
The young man reached down to her, "Ladies first..." he said as he grabbed Kagome's shoulder.
With Kagome's not soiled hand she grabbed his arm. The man leaned down and placed his other hand on her bloody wrist.
Kagome felt herself lift off the rock surface and fly into the air. The young man pulled her up and she landed on her belly on the back of the fire beast.
The woman turned around and helped steady her. Kagome let go of the man's arm and grabbed a handful of fur of the fire beast. She pulled herself up slightly and felt an arm go around her waist.
The woman held her softly. Kagome looked up into her kind brown eyes.
"Try and hold your balance while I help get Inuyasha up." She spoke to Kagome.
Kagome only nodded in reply.
She couldn't see what was going on. All she knew was that in a few minutes Inuyasha was up beside her.
His eyes were still shut, and his body limp.
"He's unconscious." Miroku said.
"Let's get him back to camp." Sango said. She turned and looked at Kagome, "Hold on tight."
Kagome had nothing to hold onto, she only tightened her stomach to try and stay on better.
Kagome felt movement beneath her. And the ocean under her eyes began to move. She felt that feeling that she got when she jumped through the water, yet this time it lasted longer.
The wind was in her face. It whipped her hair behind her head, and stung her eyes.
Kagome didn't want to complain, but the wind was drying out her fin. She could feel it starting to itch and burn. She had to get back into the water.
Kagome averted her eyes to the man behind her, he was holding onto Inuyasha with his arms around his waist.
"I need to get back into the water." Kagome breathed. The man looked down at her.
"No problem lady mermaid, we will drop you back as soon as we get away from the sharks." He flashed her a silly smile.
"Please hurry, I can't survive out of the water for very long." Kagome told him.
The man's smile dropped and he looked up and yelled to the woman in front of Kagome, "Sango hurry, she needs to get back into the water fast."
"We are near the beach by the camp, we'll drop her there." Sango yelled back.
Kagome looked back down at the movement below her. They were flying through the air just a few feet above the land.
Kagome shut her eyes and tried to ignore the burning of her dry fin.
She opened her eyes to a sudden thud. She looked down and was staring at the sand.
Kagome pushed against the flying fire beast's body and sat up. She saw the young man and the woman called Sango lift Inuyasha off of the beast's back.
After they dropped Inuyasha in the sand, the young man walked back over to Kagome. "Come lady mermaid, I'll take you to the water." He put one hand behind her back and another under her fin.
He, ever so gently, lifted her off of the beast's back. Kagome felt her cheeks blush as he carried her.
She turned her head and looked where she was going. She could see the beach and the waves rolling in and out. The sun was ever so slightly beginning to light the world with its morning rays.
The young man waded out into the water a bit, and then slowly brought Kagome down into the water.
Kagome sighed deeply as the water rushed around her. Her dry fun soaked up the water, and the burning sensation quickly went away.
"Thank you." She said softly.
"My pleasure," the young man answered, "It is my duty, as well as life long goal, to always assist ladies in distress."
Kagome was shocked by his comment. But she was eternally grateful.
"Miroku!" the creature called Shippo yelled to him.
Miroku turned around and walked back up onto the dry sand. The tiny creature ran up to him but then ran past him and up towards Kagome.
His tiny eyes were wide and bright. "Are you Kagome?" he asked in a tiny voice.
Kagome jumped back a little, "I am, little one, but how do you know me?"
The tiny creature didn't answer her; instead he turned and yelled to the others, "Miroku! Sango! This is Kagome! See I told you she was a mermaid!"
Miroku and Sango both looked at Kagome. Kagome felt her cheeks flush a deep red. Shippo turned back to her, "Kagome will you stay for a while? At least until Inuyasha wakes up; he's been really worried about you...even though he wont admit it...he carries around that funny toy with him everywhere and he says that you gave it to him? Is that true? How did you get that? Do you have anymore? What's it like being a mermaid?...."
Kagome felt her head being surged to questions. She was too tired to answer any of the little ones many questions.
"Shippo!" Sango called, "Let Kagome rest. I need you to help me."
Shippo pouted but turned and scampered towards Sango, who was bent over Inuyasha, who was still unconscious.
'Strange creatures.' Kagome thought to herself. She stared at Inuyasha lying in the sand a ways away from her. She hoped he would be ok.
While the others attended him, Kagome slipped into deeper water. She pushed herself off of the sand bar and submerged her head.
The water was crystal clear and the floor below her was made of soft sand. Kagome instantly lay down and snuggled herself beneath the sand.
The sun began to light the land. But Kagome's eyes were shut tight, as she had instantly fallen asleep.
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Whew! My goodness... what a long chapter... uhh... I better get reviews for this one... I worked really hard on it... I hope to be able to write Chapter 7 tomorrow... but for now, my fingers need a rest... R & R
OMG... here it is... the long and awaited for Chapter 6!! With the reuniting of Kagome and Inuyasha!! I can not tell you how many times I have wanted to skip ahead and write this part of the story before any of the other chapters... but I didn't and now I'm soo excited to write this part... I hope you all enjoy... since this is my favorite chapter... its going to be super long...Enjoy!!
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Chapter 6
................................
Kagome felt better, with her stomach full she could now think clearly again. Although her meal hadn't been very tasty, it still filled her up.
Now, she sat on a rock enjoying the moonlight. There was no one out on the water, no late night fisherman, no late night swimmers.
Kagome stared at the shoreline. She watched as the waves gently rolled in and out. She couldn't think of anything prettier then the moonshine on the breaking ocean waves against the gray sands.
Kagome turned her eyes toward the night sky, the moon was almost full. She held out her hands and pretended to be able to hold the moon in her palms.
She remembered something her father once told her, when he first took her to the surface and she got to gaze at the moon for the first time. He told her that,
...Flashback...
"The person who you decide to marry, Kagome, should love you with all his heart and soul; anything you ask of him, he should be able to do for you."
"Even if I asked for the moon?" little Kagome asked her father.
"Indeed," her father answered, "The moon and all the stars will be laid at your fingertips."
....End Flashback....
Her eyes glittered at the yellow moon.
Letting her hands fall, they came to rest on Tetsugaiga, which lay across her lap. Kagome petted the sword snuggled deep within its holster.
Picking up Tetsugaiga she cradled it in her arms. Kagome thought of her father, who she missed dearly.
He had never come to rescue her from Kouga's clutches. He had gone down with his kingdom.
Kagome wondered if she had done the right thing, by leaving. Kouga would probably make up some lie about her committing suicide and then he would rule over all the merfolk.
And he had the document that Kagome had signed.
He had everything that was against her.
Kagome didn't want to think about Kouga. She was safe from him, for now; unless Kouga decided to search for her.
But the ocean was a big place.
Kagome shook the thought away. She only had two tasks now, keeping the Jewel and Tetsugaiga safe.
Carefully, Kagome removed Tetsugaiga from its holster. She held the sword straight out and leveled her eyes parallel to the blade.
The dull blade still shone slightly in the moonlight.
Kagome pulled the blade closer to her eyes and ran a curious finger along the edge.
The blade was dull, but Kagome felt her finger slice open.
"Ouch!" she cried, and put her finger in her mouth. She could taste her own blood in her mouth; she only sucked on it for a minute until the pain went away.
Kagome stared at the sword. "You are dull...yet you cut my skin. There is something magical about you..." she spoke to the sword.
"Demon bone..." she remembered. Maybe that gave it the mysterious powers.
Kagome sighed and placed the sword back into the holster. She strapped the belt around her waist and slid down from off of her rock and back into the water.
The water beneath her was dark and unwelcoming. Kagome decided that she would stay close to the surface, the moon produced allot of light and it made Kagome feel more comfortable.
Swimming only a few feet under the surface, Kagome swam parallel to the shoreline.
She really didn't know where she was going. For she really had no place to go and night was really not the best time to be traveling.
Kagome just decided to keep following the shoreline, seeing where it would take her.
.............................................................................
Inuyasha hadn't realized that he was running until he felt out of breath. He slowed himself and then finally stopped.
Why had he been running? Did he want to really get away from Shippo and the others that badly?
Maybe he did. All they have been doing is driving his crazy this whole time. Making up lies about him; telling wild tales about his life, as if they knew him.
Feh, he didn't need them and even if he did, he would never admit it.
They were stupid and insignificant.
Inuyasha hated himself. He had many reasons for leaving them behind. Not just that they annoyed him and were useless waists of space, but also because he didn't want to feel responsible if anything happened to anyone of them, like what had happened to Kagome.
'I'm such an idiot.' He thought to himself.
He felt himself jump to conclusions.
Why did she have to die? She had told him that if he ever needed anything, she would be there... well where was she now? Dead! And it was all his fault.
He could picture her being attacked by a faceless evil. Screaming as she became drenched in her own blood.
He saw her body floating up to the surface and wash up onto shore... and be picked on by sea birds.
Inuyasha shut his eyes; his emotions surged through his body. He clenched his fists tightly.
He turned and attacked the nearest thing to him, a tree. He sliced through the tree with his claws.
For a moment, it seemed like nothing had happened. But then, the tree began to snap in the middle where he had attacked it.
It swayed to the left slightly, then to the right, then back to the left. Then it fell all the way over, crashing to the ground.
Inuyasha was breathing hard after the attack on the tree. He looked at it, as it lay diminished in front of him.
Inuyasha glared down at his clawed fingers and hands. What good is all this power, if he couldn't keep anything he cared about safe?
Inuyasha sank to the ground and covered his face with his clawed hands. He quietly sobbed there, on the dirty ground, in the middle of the forest.
...........
After several minutes, Inuyasha pulled himself together. He wiped his tears away with his hand and stood up.
'Great,' he thought, 'now I'm just a stupid weak human who cries.'
Inuyasha straightened himself up and turned around. He paused to notice something.
The tree, before he had knocked down, had made it seem like he was enclosed by woods. But now that the tree was gone, he could see a clear gap, and a piece of ocean.
Inuyasha walked forward, towards the ocean, pushing branches aside. He emerged out of the trees and stood just about fifty yards away from the beach.
The moon hung right over the ocean, and cast its reflection onto the dark water.
The tide was out. Inuyasha looked to his far left and noticed a long line of rocks extending out from the shore into the ocean, like a point.
Inuyasha exited the tree line and walked out onto the sandy beach. The chilly ocean air, whipped his hair back and he pulled his robe closer to his body.
He walked along the beach towards the point. The soft sand felt cool under his bare feet.
As waves broke onto the beach, the water rushed up towards his feet and washed over them.
'Cold.' He thought. But he continued to walk and let the water hit him. It washed away his weariness.
The sea foam lay in piles up on the sand, it made a fizzing noise as it dissipated away.
The air was still and the wind made no noise at all. Only the sounds of the waves could be heard.
As he reached the rocky point, the sand beneath his feet turned into rock.
'When the tide is in, this point was probably hidden under the water,' Inuyasha thought.
Many of the rocks were larger than he was, and they extended out into the ocean.
Inuyasha climbed onto the nearest rock and followed the line out into the ocean. He jumped from rock to rock until he reached the farthest end of the point, and could go no further.
There were other rocks further out, but he couldn't reach them unless he wanted to get wet.
The roar of the waves was louder here, as they slammed against the rocks. The wind was also stronger.
Inuyasha curled his feet under him and sat down. He watched the waves roll in and out, under the ever bright moon.
He shut his eyes and enjoyed the silence.
.......................................................................................................
Kagome yawned as she swam. Her eye lids were heavy; she decided she needed to find a place to sleep for the rest of the evening.
She turned and swam in towards the beach. The current pulled her along as it reached for the sandy shore line.
The tide was out, and the ocean bottom was visible below her. Kagome noticed that it was rocky, 'Good maybe there are some rocks ahead I can hide in.' she thought to herself.
She was only about two feet from the waters surface. Sometimes her fin broke the top of the water.
Kagome stopped swimming and kicked her fin upwards. Her head slowly broke the surface of the water.
She looked around for a suitable rock that she could hide in. She swam along on top of the water with her mouth and nose still submerged. She barely made a sound as she slipped through the water like a ghost.
To her far right was the beach. It extended along until it met the rocks she was near.
'These rocks were probably all underwater when the tide is in.' Kagome thought to herself.
Kagome swam up to a rock that stuck up out of the water about five feet. Starfish stuck to the sides of the rock, even when the waves hit them, they still remained attached to the rock.
The rock was covered with a coat of slime, but this did not bother Kagome, it would help her get on better, and serve as a softer bed.
Kagome unbuckled Tetsugaiga from around her waist and placed it, silently, up on top of the rock.
Next, she dunked her head underwater a ways, and then kicked her powerful fin. With one strong kick, she surfaced again and rose out of the water, landing on her stomach on top of the rock.
Kagome looked for something to grab onto to pull herself up farther. She grabbed onto the rock's corner and pulled the rest of herself up on top of it. Her stomach slipped easily along the rock's top, thanks to the coat of slime.
She sighed and rolled over onto her back. Kagome propped herself up on her elbows and stared out to sea. It seemed to go on forever, and Kagome knew that it did.
The moon hung directly above her and had a soft light.
The waves gently hit the rock and splashed Kagome with their spray. She would remain wet if she was to fall asleep.
Kagome pulled her cloak around her shoulders and piled her hair under her head as a pillow.
Kagome reached over and pulled Tetsugaiga closer to her. She snuggled it under her arm, like a child would cuddle a stuffed animal.
The rhythmic sound of the ocean created a whimsical song that echoed in her ears.
Now that she was comfortable, Kagome found it impossible to sleep.
Perhaps it was the ocean song that kept her awake. It was a melody without words, yet it longed to have words.
Kagome sat up and stared up at the moon. The stars had a beat all to their own.
Kagome felt the music of the night, the music of the ocean.
For the first time in five years, Kagome filled her lungs with air and began to sing...
......................................................................................
Inuyasha listened to the waves hit the rocks below him. He could almost time the waves as they hit the rocks.
He felt comfortable sitting on this cold rock, getting slightly wet with ocean mist, the wind in his face, the stars and moon above his head.
Suddenly, the wind changed. It howled a melody in his ears. Inuyasha listened, it sounded like the ocean was singing.
'The ocean is singing!' he said to himself.
But then, another beat chimed in. A low coo but then it started to grow. Soon, it was singing words.
Inuyasha sat straight up. There was someone out there! Someone out there was singing.
He stood up quickly and pricked his ears forward. The tune filled his head, the words touched his senses.
Inuyasha became entranced by the song. He couldn't pull his mind away from the words. As hard as he tried, he was caught in the song.
Inuyasha stood paralyzed to the spot. He could not move his body. The music had him trapped.
Yet, he didn't want to leave the music. It touched his heart; it dug within his sour temper and sweetened it.
He felt like he was floating...floating above the waves. Pictures flashed in his mind, old images of his past, scenes of his childhood, times when the world seemed so large.
He was forever deepened by this melody.
....................................................................................
Kagome felt the words emit from her lips and throat. She sung one of the ancient songs of the sirens.
A song, she learned, that would often drive men wild with rage and lust.
Yet, the song spoke of the moon and stars and how the merfolk lived beneath them, under the waves of the flowing sea.
It felt good to sing. Kagome had long thought she had lost her voice, due to her long time imprisonment in darkness.
Her father had always complimented her on her voice. It held great beauty and power. Power because it was a weapon. Her royal siren blood made it that way.
Kagome never wanted to use her voice as a weapon... to lead unprepared sailors to their deaths. Or use her beauty to lead men into the ocean to drown.
Merpeople had changed allot since the times of old. Only the Shadow Merfolk really continued to practice the old ways of the siren peoples.
During her stay there, Kagome had learned a few of the deadly tunes. She hoped that she would never have to use them.
She still believed that every person, no matter how evil they seem, had some good in them. She had always believed that until, of course, the demon attacked her people.
As Kagome's song drew to an end, she could feel the aura of power around her. Then as her voice fell with the last note...the aura drifted away... up into the sky.
..........................................................................................................
The taunting song continued to ring in Inuyasha's ears. He couldn't pull away. And he didn't pull away... only when the song stopped did he regain the ability to move and think again.
The spell faded away and traveled with the wind. Inuyasha blinked a few times and then shook his head clear.
'What the hell just happened?' he wondered.
He looked wildly from side to side, and then out again at the ocean.
"Who's out there?!?" he yelled into the wind.
His voice reached Kagome who jumped. 'Someone is out here!'
Without thinking twice Kagome plunged off of the rock she way lying on and into the water.
From where Inuyasha was standing he saw a dark figure move from behind a piece of rock and splash into the water.
"Hey!" he called.
Using his demon agility and a giant leap, Inuyasha jumped out towards one of the nearby rocks. Waves broke onto his face; he shut his eyes against the stinging salt water. With another graceful leap he sprang to the next nearest rock and then he sprang to another one.
He now stood on the rock that Kagome was just lying on.
Meanwhile, underwater, Kagome's heart was racing.
"Did the person see me?" she wondered out loud.
Kagome knew she was safe in her element. If the person dare follow her, she would have the upper hand.
Her hand rested on her chest to steady her heartbeat. Her fingers touched the Jewel still safely around her neck.
Then, a cloud of fear hung above her. Kagome looked to her side. Nothing hung at her side. She had left Tetsugaiga on the rock!
She had to get it back! Kagome quickly swam back up towards the surface.
Inuyasha glanced around at the rock he was standing on. This was the rock he had seen the thing jump from, he knew it was!
He stared into the dark water and only his reflection stared back at him.
Could he have imagined what he saw? Then his eyes fell onto a sword lying within its holster near the edge of the rock.
Inuyasha cocked his head at the weapon. He bent down and picked it up. Holding it in one hand he pulled on the handle and removed the blade from the holder.
The dull blade appeared from beneath the holster.
Before he could fully remove it he heard movement in the water beside him. He turned his eyes just in time to see a face and shoulders appear from the surface.
Kagome's wet hair was in her face, but she could see the figure dressed in red holding Tetsugaiga.
There was only one way to get him to drop it. 'I'm sorry, who ever you are.' She thought to herself.
Quickly, Kagome drew a deep breath and then sung out a sonic note.
Her sharp note struck Inuyasha's sensitive ears and he dropped the sword and grabbed for them, to block out the noise. The noise burned his ear drums; he hunched over and screamed in pain.
Tetsugaiga fell and hit the rock with a metallic clang. Kagome realized that she had the man paralyzed by her sonic note.
She dropped the piercing note and quickly scooped Tetsugaiga up in her arms and dove back down underwater.
........
Her sonic blast rang out down the beach and upon the village. Villagers were looking around in all directions, a few were grabbing for their ears.
Not far off, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo winced in pain at the noise.
"What is that!!!???" Sango yelled covering her ears. Kirara howled at the noise.
"Make it stop!!" Shippo screamed.
Then it did stop, but it was followed by a loud painful scream.
After recovering their hearing, the group heard the scream.
"That sounds like Inuyasha..." Shippo said.
"Are you sure Shippo-chan?" Sango asked.
"Yes, my ears are better than yours...that is defiantly Inuyasha screaming." Shippo said.
"He must be in trouble, come on!" Miroku said.
Kirara quickly transformed in a burst of flame, Sango and Miroku climbed onto her back and Shippo scampered onto her head.
"Hurry Kirara!" Sango told her cat companion.
And they all set off in the direction of the scream.
....................................
Inuyasha's ears were ringing and felt like they were bleeding. Every noise around him seemed to be magnified ten times louder.
Inuyasha relied on his ears so much, now that where damaged, his whole perception was thrown off.
He tried to stand up, but his feet slipped on the slime of the rock. He felt himself fall backwards.
His head it first, and his skull shattered against the rock face. And his world went black.
Inuyasha's unconscious body lay on the top of the rock. The waves broke over his body.
Very slowly, his body began to slip off the rock into the dark water below.
......
Kagome hovered beneath the surface. She was breathing hard and her heart was in her throat.
She clutched Tetsugaiga in her arms. It had fallen out of its holster, but Kagome didn't care. The blade itself was all that mattered.
"He...he... must have been right behind me...while...while... I was singing..." Kagome stuttered under her shortness of breath.
Or maybe it had been my voice that had brought him too me.
She could have lost Tetsugaiga forever. That person could have taken it back on land, and she would have never of gotten it back.
'Oh, what have I gotten myself into?' she wondered. Maybe she couldn't protect the demon blade...
Kagome's thoughts were redirected when she heard the water splash above her head.
'It followed me into the water?!?' Kagome wondered.
She had no choice now; she had to fight, if the person was to follow her.
Kagome held Tetsugaiga up in front of her. She would use the demon blade to defend herself, if necessary.
The moonshine allowed a little light to reach her, from where she was deep below the waves.
Kagome watched as the dark figure, which had splashed into the water, just lay on the surface of the water.
She lowered Tetsugaiga slightly, 'Why wasn't the thing coming after her?'
Then, Kagome smelled why.
Blood.
There was blood in the water. A very rich strong blood.
Kagome realized that the figure was either unconscious or....or nothing! What ever it was, it was floating on the surface spilling blood into the water, which would certainly attract predators.
Kagome was torn; she didn't know what to do.
She could flee and hopefully get far enough away from the blood smell so that she wouldn't get attacked.
Or she could help this person. Or was it already dead?
Kagome's heart raced. 'Oh, what do I do?'
The dark figure wasn't moving above her, and the current was carrying it away, towards the shore.
Images passed in front of her eyes; images of the warriors lining up to defend the city from the enemy.
An image of her father, dressed in his heavy armor, shouting orders to his warriors.
The sounds of mermen, women and children being attacked by giant monsters.
Kagome shook her head and gazed at the figure, 'Sometimes the violence has to end...' she decided.
Kagome dove down into the deep water, towards the ocean bottom. As the ocean floor became visible she slowed and then hovered above the rocky bottom.
With all her might she stabbed Tetsugaiga into the rock bottom. When it stood up on its own, Kagome left it.
She kicked her fin and powered towards the dark figure in the water.
Her hair streamed behind her, her muscles ached as she stretched them to their limits of speed.
The dark figure became visible under the moonshine. Its back was facing Kagome, and as she got closer she realized that it wore a large, baggy red robe and pants. Then, another feature came into view, beautiful, long silver hair hung in the water.
It wrapped around the person's face, so Kagome couldn't see its facial features. But she did see a stream of blood emitting from the person's head.
Kagome stretched her arms out in front of her, ready to cradle the figure in them.
She grabbed the person around the chest, and kicked herself and the person the last few feet until the surface.
Kagome broke the water's top, holding the person in her arms. Even in the water, his weight was awkward.
'What to do now?' she wondered. Could she make it to the beach and pull his body up into the shallows? Or should she attempt the pull him up onto a rock?
The rocks were closer, so Kagome opted for that. She had too get both of their bodies out of the water, or else they both risked getting attacked by predators following the blood scent.
The person in her arms was still unconscious, Kagome had to keep his head above water or else he would drown.
Kagome swam towards a low lying rock. It was flat on top and could hold them both together out of the water.
It was only about ten yards away, but Kagome had to worry about her companion. He had to keep breathing and couldn't travel underwater like Kagome.
Pulling him along, Kagome pushed for the rock. She was exhausted, and her muscles ached. On top of it all, the person was bleeding on her. The blood was staining his silver hair.
Kagome heard a splash to her left; she turned in time to see a fin break the surface of the water, about thirty feet away.
She could try another sonic blast too keep them away, but Kagome didn't want to further injure the person in her arms. (This was kind of ironic, considering she had just attacked him.)
Kagome made it to the rock she was heading for. She pushed the person up onto it a little ways, when his body stayed. She quickly swam around to the other side of the rock.
With a flash of her fin, she rocketed up onto the rock's top.
Kagome reached over and grabbed the person by his collar and pulled him towards her. He was so heavy! Kagome strained under his weight, she pulled harder and harder.
Finally, his whole body came out of the water and up with her. His head and shoulders fell onto her lap.
Kagome tucked her fin beneath her and made sure no part of either of their bodies was still in the water.
She looked around her and sighed. Just in the nick of time, many dorsal fins now broke the surface of the water around them.
But they were safe.
Kagome looked down at the bleeding youth in her arms. She placed her hand over the gash in his head. She applied pressure to try and stop the bleeding.
Kagome cocked her head at the figures face, hidden behind wet, bloody hair. With her other hand, she pulled a few pieces away from his face.
A man's face appeared... a familiar man's face.
"Inuyasha?!?" Kagome breathed. It was impossible, but it was him! He looked older... but it was him!
Kagome ran her fingers over his facial features; she couldn't believe it was him. It had been so long...
Kagome pulled her ear closer to his mouth, she could hear him breathing. He was alive!
"Inuyasha..." she spoke again. She couldn't get over that it was him.
Kagome glanced down at his body that lay stretched out on the rock.
One of his clawed hands lay over his stomach; the other by his side, palm faced up.
Kagome noticed a rather large bulge coming from his chest. She carefully reached within his red robe and into a hidden pocket.
Her fingers wrapped around the object and pulled it out. Her eyes widened as she recognized what it was.
It was her spatice.
The old toy she had given him years ago, when they were only children.
He had kept it all this time. Kagome was touched. He had remembered her all this time, yet she hadn't even thought of him. Kagome placed the spatice back into his pocket, so he would always keep remembering her, in case they didn't make it out of this.
A fin broke the water only a foot away from the rock she and Inuyasha were lying on. Kagome's eyes jumped to the movement, the predators were circling the rock.
Kagome shook in the cold air; the wind was drying her fin out. But she would be ok for a little while.
She looked over at her other hand that still was clasped to Inuyasha's head. It was quite full of blood. But it seemed to be drying. She didn't dare remove it, for fear it would open up again.
Kagome realized that it had been Inuyasha who had heard her singing. She probably had deafened him. "Oh Inuyasha, I'm so sorry." She spoke softly to him.
She glanced over at his cute dog ears that had touched her heart when she was young. They now lay awkwardly positioned on his head.
Kagome felt horrible, she had caused Inuyasha so much pain.
Kagome couldn't help herself. With the sight of seeing her friend, and now knowing that his injuries she had caused... Kagome began to tear up.
The tears were hot as they ran down her cheeks. A few fell onto Inuyasha's face. But he still didn't stir.
Kagome cradled her body around Inuyasha and hugged him, sobbing onto his clothing.
While Kagome was crying she didn't hear the voices until they were upon her. Kagome heard the faint call of Inuyasha's name.
She glanced up slightly. Listening.
Then she heard it again, this time very close by. She turned her neck and looked behind her.
Fear struck her as she saw a flamed beast that could run on the air coming towards her.
Kagome looked harder and noticed a few figures on the creatures back. They kept calling Inuyasha's name.
Kagome was about to attack them with her voice, but Inuyasha began to stir in her arms.
She turned her attention back to him, "Inuyasha?"
His eyes opened a tiny slit; Kagome saw a flash of gold. But then they shut again.
"You there!" A voice shouted above her head.
Kagome looked up to see three faces glaring down at her.
For a few seconds they all stared at each other.
Only was the stare down broken when another predator's fin broke the surface of the water near Kagome and Inuyasha.
"Sharks!" Shippo cried out pointing wildly at the water.
"Down Kirara." Sango spoke. The huge fire beast moved closer to Kagome and Inuyasha, it hovered just a few feet over the water.
Kagome was afraid at first; she wanted so badly to swim away. But she was captive on the rock.
She guessed that these people must be friends of Inuyasha. Kagome could only hope so. She called up to them, "He's hurt..."
"She talks!" Shippo cried.
Miroku handed his staff to Sango and reached out to Kagome, "Hand him up here."
"I can't," Kagome echoed, "If I move my hand, his wound will reopen." She watched as the young man's eyes drifted to her bloody hand on Inuyasha's head.
"We've got to get them off this rock." Sango yelled to Miroku.
Miroku turned to Shippo, "Shippo can't to transform into something and get them?"
Kagome didn't understand what he was talking about. The one he called Shippo looked scared.
"The little one is fearful." Kagome called up to him.
They all looked at her as if she had spoken another language. The man smiled down at her.
Kagome wished she could be anywhere else in the world but where she was.
"Just hand him up. His wound will heal itself with time." Sango yelled to her. Kagome didn't want to let go of Inuyasha, but she had no other choice.
The giant fire beast moved directly above her. Kagome removed her bloody hand from Inuyasha's head. A few strands of his hair stuck to her hand, Kagome looked at the wound. It was deep, but not big.
The young man reached down to her, "Ladies first..." he said as he grabbed Kagome's shoulder.
With Kagome's not soiled hand she grabbed his arm. The man leaned down and placed his other hand on her bloody wrist.
Kagome felt herself lift off the rock surface and fly into the air. The young man pulled her up and she landed on her belly on the back of the fire beast.
The woman turned around and helped steady her. Kagome let go of the man's arm and grabbed a handful of fur of the fire beast. She pulled herself up slightly and felt an arm go around her waist.
The woman held her softly. Kagome looked up into her kind brown eyes.
"Try and hold your balance while I help get Inuyasha up." She spoke to Kagome.
Kagome only nodded in reply.
She couldn't see what was going on. All she knew was that in a few minutes Inuyasha was up beside her.
His eyes were still shut, and his body limp.
"He's unconscious." Miroku said.
"Let's get him back to camp." Sango said. She turned and looked at Kagome, "Hold on tight."
Kagome had nothing to hold onto, she only tightened her stomach to try and stay on better.
Kagome felt movement beneath her. And the ocean under her eyes began to move. She felt that feeling that she got when she jumped through the water, yet this time it lasted longer.
The wind was in her face. It whipped her hair behind her head, and stung her eyes.
Kagome didn't want to complain, but the wind was drying out her fin. She could feel it starting to itch and burn. She had to get back into the water.
Kagome averted her eyes to the man behind her, he was holding onto Inuyasha with his arms around his waist.
"I need to get back into the water." Kagome breathed. The man looked down at her.
"No problem lady mermaid, we will drop you back as soon as we get away from the sharks." He flashed her a silly smile.
"Please hurry, I can't survive out of the water for very long." Kagome told him.
The man's smile dropped and he looked up and yelled to the woman in front of Kagome, "Sango hurry, she needs to get back into the water fast."
"We are near the beach by the camp, we'll drop her there." Sango yelled back.
Kagome looked back down at the movement below her. They were flying through the air just a few feet above the land.
Kagome shut her eyes and tried to ignore the burning of her dry fin.
She opened her eyes to a sudden thud. She looked down and was staring at the sand.
Kagome pushed against the flying fire beast's body and sat up. She saw the young man and the woman called Sango lift Inuyasha off of the beast's back.
After they dropped Inuyasha in the sand, the young man walked back over to Kagome. "Come lady mermaid, I'll take you to the water." He put one hand behind her back and another under her fin.
He, ever so gently, lifted her off of the beast's back. Kagome felt her cheeks blush as he carried her.
She turned her head and looked where she was going. She could see the beach and the waves rolling in and out. The sun was ever so slightly beginning to light the world with its morning rays.
The young man waded out into the water a bit, and then slowly brought Kagome down into the water.
Kagome sighed deeply as the water rushed around her. Her dry fun soaked up the water, and the burning sensation quickly went away.
"Thank you." She said softly.
"My pleasure," the young man answered, "It is my duty, as well as life long goal, to always assist ladies in distress."
Kagome was shocked by his comment. But she was eternally grateful.
"Miroku!" the creature called Shippo yelled to him.
Miroku turned around and walked back up onto the dry sand. The tiny creature ran up to him but then ran past him and up towards Kagome.
His tiny eyes were wide and bright. "Are you Kagome?" he asked in a tiny voice.
Kagome jumped back a little, "I am, little one, but how do you know me?"
The tiny creature didn't answer her; instead he turned and yelled to the others, "Miroku! Sango! This is Kagome! See I told you she was a mermaid!"
Miroku and Sango both looked at Kagome. Kagome felt her cheeks flush a deep red. Shippo turned back to her, "Kagome will you stay for a while? At least until Inuyasha wakes up; he's been really worried about you...even though he wont admit it...he carries around that funny toy with him everywhere and he says that you gave it to him? Is that true? How did you get that? Do you have anymore? What's it like being a mermaid?...."
Kagome felt her head being surged to questions. She was too tired to answer any of the little ones many questions.
"Shippo!" Sango called, "Let Kagome rest. I need you to help me."
Shippo pouted but turned and scampered towards Sango, who was bent over Inuyasha, who was still unconscious.
'Strange creatures.' Kagome thought to herself. She stared at Inuyasha lying in the sand a ways away from her. She hoped he would be ok.
While the others attended him, Kagome slipped into deeper water. She pushed herself off of the sand bar and submerged her head.
The water was crystal clear and the floor below her was made of soft sand. Kagome instantly lay down and snuggled herself beneath the sand.
The sun began to light the land. But Kagome's eyes were shut tight, as she had instantly fallen asleep.
.......................................
Whew! My goodness... what a long chapter... uhh... I better get reviews for this one... I worked really hard on it... I hope to be able to write Chapter 7 tomorrow... but for now, my fingers need a rest... R & R
