The Test
His eyes flickered open and he found that he was engulfed in a circle of blinding light. He scrunched his eyes closed again as the light hurt them and they began to water. He pushed himself to his feet and timidly opened his eyes. This time the light didn't hurt so much. So he looked around, searching the ball of light for a sign of anything. But there seemed to be nothing but the light and himself. Then he remembered what had happened what seemed to be seconds before.
"Kagome!" he shouted. But there was still nothing other than himself in the ball of light.
"Stop talking." A loud booming voice said to him from the light.
Inu-Yasha looked about, but there was no body that went with the voice. "Who are you?" he asked angrily, "what have you done with Kagome?"
"You are pathetic. You are a weakling that refuses to see himself as such. Kagome deserves better than you. Leave her alone. She is mine now." The voice rang out.
"I won't let you take her!" Inu-Yasha called towards the loudest point.
"Let me?" the voice asked. The center of the light seemed to brighten as a man appeared in its midst. He had long dark blue-gray hair that was pulled back at the nape of his neck, and flashing blue eyes, he wore long white robes and held a long silver staff. He took long determined strides towards Inu-Yasha to reveal that he was much taller than the half-human boy. "How on earth are you planning on stopping me?" the man demanded with a smirk.
"Any way possible!" Inu-Yasha snarled grabbing for Tetsusaiga. But the sword wouldn't come from its resting place. Inu-Yasha fumbled with it for a few minutes before giving up and going to tackle the man.
The man raised an eyebrow as Inu-Yasha came at him. He sighed and tapped his silver staff to the ground. The ground beneath him crumbled away into blackness. Inu-Yasha gave a shout as the solid light beneath his feat gave way to the emptiness. He managed to turn and grab hold of the remaining light before he fell too far. He managed to pull himself up but was dismayed to find that this small light was completely surrounded by empty black nothing. He gave a start when he realized that he was face to face with the man, who was standing above the emptiness.
"That was very convincing, Inu-Yasha. You really did prove your strength and intelligence." The man said, his face emotionless.
Inu-Yasha sneered, "Who are you? What do you want with Kagome?" he demanded.
"I am what you see around you, I am what is beyond your sight. I am everything you have ever seen and everything you have ever looked past." The man stated simply.
"Well, mister everything, do you have a name?" Inu-Yasha sneered, he hated smart-asses.
"I have many names. I am nameless. Call me what you like, I do not really care." The man answered.
"Real helpful, now what do you want with Kagome?" Inu-Yasha could have hit the man, but he didn't want the only ground he had to cave away and decided to save his fury for another time and place.
The man looked down at Inu-Yasha and sneered, "I do not wish something 'with Kagome'. That is what you want. You are merely using her to find this Shikon-no-Tama. You don't really care for her. Oh no, I want nothing with Kagome. I simply want Kagome."
"How the heck do you even know her?" Inu-Yasha demanded. He didn't really only want to use Kagome...did he? No, that was not why he protected her, not why he wanted her with him, by his side. "I know that you abuse her feelings. That she really does care for you yet you push her away. You don't love her. You don't even care for her. And you never will. So, I'm here to take her from you. To love her as she deserves to be loved. And I am going to keep you away from her."
"You will never keep me away from her!" Inu-Yasha shouted.
"Yes, I know that you are indeed very stupid and stubborn. But do you really care for her as more than just a Shikon shard seeker?" the man asked.
Inu-Yasha took a step back and nearly fell off the edge but he managed to stay on without making it obvious that he almost walked off a cliff. He did care for her, didn't he? Every time she was in trouble he came to her rescue. He admitted that at first it was because he needed her to find the shards, but now it seemed different. He wanted her safe and away from danger. He could recall a few times when he thought he had lost her. It had scared him nearly to death himself. He didn't want her dead, he didn't want her gone. Sure they got into a million fights, but that was just his nature clashing with hers. He knew better than to assume it was because he didn't like her. And he knew better than to assume that she did not return his feelings. He knew he felt deeply for her, didn't he? It would be simple for him to walk away, to leave her with this man and never look back. He was capable of finding the Shikon shards without her help. Probably faster and easier too, without having to worry about her health and safety. He would need less time to stop and rest and he could fight easier without having to worry if she was being attacked or if she would get in the way. And there would be far less "Oshiwari"s said.
But was that what he wanted? Did he truly want to leave her here for the simple fact that his travels and endeavors would be easier to manage? Would he truly be all right without her? Would he truly be happy?
No. He would be miserable. And he would never live it down. No, he could not leave her here with this dominating monster.
He glared up at the man that was threatening both him and Kagome, "Yes. Kagome is much more than a simple Shikon shard seeker to me. She's a friend. And very possibly more than even that." He snapped aggressively at the man.
"Are you willing to put what you just said to the test?" the man asked, uncaring that Inu-Yasha seemed to believe that his feelings for Kagome were indeed much more than he had expected.
"Absolutely." Inu-Yasha said without a second thought.
"Then take your pick, Kagome or this."
Inu-Yasha's eyes widened as the man held up a full and intact Shikon-no- Tama.
His eyes flickered open and he found that he was engulfed in a circle of blinding light. He scrunched his eyes closed again as the light hurt them and they began to water. He pushed himself to his feet and timidly opened his eyes. This time the light didn't hurt so much. So he looked around, searching the ball of light for a sign of anything. But there seemed to be nothing but the light and himself. Then he remembered what had happened what seemed to be seconds before.
"Kagome!" he shouted. But there was still nothing other than himself in the ball of light.
"Stop talking." A loud booming voice said to him from the light.
Inu-Yasha looked about, but there was no body that went with the voice. "Who are you?" he asked angrily, "what have you done with Kagome?"
"You are pathetic. You are a weakling that refuses to see himself as such. Kagome deserves better than you. Leave her alone. She is mine now." The voice rang out.
"I won't let you take her!" Inu-Yasha called towards the loudest point.
"Let me?" the voice asked. The center of the light seemed to brighten as a man appeared in its midst. He had long dark blue-gray hair that was pulled back at the nape of his neck, and flashing blue eyes, he wore long white robes and held a long silver staff. He took long determined strides towards Inu-Yasha to reveal that he was much taller than the half-human boy. "How on earth are you planning on stopping me?" the man demanded with a smirk.
"Any way possible!" Inu-Yasha snarled grabbing for Tetsusaiga. But the sword wouldn't come from its resting place. Inu-Yasha fumbled with it for a few minutes before giving up and going to tackle the man.
The man raised an eyebrow as Inu-Yasha came at him. He sighed and tapped his silver staff to the ground. The ground beneath him crumbled away into blackness. Inu-Yasha gave a shout as the solid light beneath his feat gave way to the emptiness. He managed to turn and grab hold of the remaining light before he fell too far. He managed to pull himself up but was dismayed to find that this small light was completely surrounded by empty black nothing. He gave a start when he realized that he was face to face with the man, who was standing above the emptiness.
"That was very convincing, Inu-Yasha. You really did prove your strength and intelligence." The man said, his face emotionless.
Inu-Yasha sneered, "Who are you? What do you want with Kagome?" he demanded.
"I am what you see around you, I am what is beyond your sight. I am everything you have ever seen and everything you have ever looked past." The man stated simply.
"Well, mister everything, do you have a name?" Inu-Yasha sneered, he hated smart-asses.
"I have many names. I am nameless. Call me what you like, I do not really care." The man answered.
"Real helpful, now what do you want with Kagome?" Inu-Yasha could have hit the man, but he didn't want the only ground he had to cave away and decided to save his fury for another time and place.
The man looked down at Inu-Yasha and sneered, "I do not wish something 'with Kagome'. That is what you want. You are merely using her to find this Shikon-no-Tama. You don't really care for her. Oh no, I want nothing with Kagome. I simply want Kagome."
"How the heck do you even know her?" Inu-Yasha demanded. He didn't really only want to use Kagome...did he? No, that was not why he protected her, not why he wanted her with him, by his side. "I know that you abuse her feelings. That she really does care for you yet you push her away. You don't love her. You don't even care for her. And you never will. So, I'm here to take her from you. To love her as she deserves to be loved. And I am going to keep you away from her."
"You will never keep me away from her!" Inu-Yasha shouted.
"Yes, I know that you are indeed very stupid and stubborn. But do you really care for her as more than just a Shikon shard seeker?" the man asked.
Inu-Yasha took a step back and nearly fell off the edge but he managed to stay on without making it obvious that he almost walked off a cliff. He did care for her, didn't he? Every time she was in trouble he came to her rescue. He admitted that at first it was because he needed her to find the shards, but now it seemed different. He wanted her safe and away from danger. He could recall a few times when he thought he had lost her. It had scared him nearly to death himself. He didn't want her dead, he didn't want her gone. Sure they got into a million fights, but that was just his nature clashing with hers. He knew better than to assume it was because he didn't like her. And he knew better than to assume that she did not return his feelings. He knew he felt deeply for her, didn't he? It would be simple for him to walk away, to leave her with this man and never look back. He was capable of finding the Shikon shards without her help. Probably faster and easier too, without having to worry about her health and safety. He would need less time to stop and rest and he could fight easier without having to worry if she was being attacked or if she would get in the way. And there would be far less "Oshiwari"s said.
But was that what he wanted? Did he truly want to leave her here for the simple fact that his travels and endeavors would be easier to manage? Would he truly be all right without her? Would he truly be happy?
No. He would be miserable. And he would never live it down. No, he could not leave her here with this dominating monster.
He glared up at the man that was threatening both him and Kagome, "Yes. Kagome is much more than a simple Shikon shard seeker to me. She's a friend. And very possibly more than even that." He snapped aggressively at the man.
"Are you willing to put what you just said to the test?" the man asked, uncaring that Inu-Yasha seemed to believe that his feelings for Kagome were indeed much more than he had expected.
"Absolutely." Inu-Yasha said without a second thought.
"Then take your pick, Kagome or this."
Inu-Yasha's eyes widened as the man held up a full and intact Shikon-no- Tama.
