Time passed. Maybe minutes, maybe hours. "Hey, InuYasha." "Yeah?" "We could move faster if you carried me." "Fuck you. It's a million degrees and it's hot enough with this damned jacket on my back." "There would be more breeze if you moved faster.." "Hell with you"
Kagome stopped. "You know InuYasha, it occurs to me. If you hadn't been so damn destructive, we would have food now. And gas. And an extra night under a roof. But here we are, sweating to death, we haven't eaten in two days, and we have to walk until we find a town, which will be God knows when. And all because you have to be a damned walking, talking one-man LANDSLIDE'
Both parties stopped and were silent. Kagome wiped her brow. InuYasha panted. "Yeah? What's your point?" He drawled out.
"My point, InuYasha, is after all the shit I have to deal with because of you, you owe me this one." InuYasha looked over his shoulder. There was a stare down. InuYasha spat on the ground.
"Ahh.. Much better, don't you agree?" Kagome asked. InuYasha spat out a curse. "Ah cheer up, we'll be at the next town soon enough." InuYasha mumbled something. "What was that?" "Just a curse on your soul." "Glad to hear it. Speed up will you?"
After traveling for maybe half an hour, InuYasha stopped suddenly. "What's the hold up?" Kagome asked. "Heads up." Was all InuYasha offered before dropping her on her ass. "Ow! Asshole!" "Town up ahead. You gotta walk from now on." "That was no reason to drop me!" "I said heads up." "And I say sit"
InuYasha pushed him self up swearing. He dropped the gas can, which was a pain in the ass to carry around with the girl on his back, to cover his ears.
The two travelers drifted into town. Heat radiated off the road, causing the road ahead of them to shimmer. One thing Kagome immediately noticed was the town was more built up then most towns around here. InuYasha noticed it too.
"Damn, this isn't right." He mumbled to him self. "It shouldn't be this built up, not this close to the bad lands.. Oh fuck, that's right, we're close to a city now."
"A city?" Kagome's attention was captured. "Yeah, a big one." "You think it might be mine?" "How the hell should I know?" "We're stopping there!" "It's out of our way." "We're stopping there!" "We ain't got time!" "Time? Since when do we have a schedule"
InuYasha glared at her for a moment. "You win this one, but I still oppose it." "Yeah yeah"
"Alright, gas station." InuYasha stopped. "You find food or shelter or something, I'll fill up, run back to the bike and bring it up here."
InuYasha sauntered over to the gas station and took up position on the side of the pump opposite the station and filled up the gas can. Then walked off with out paying.
Kagome shook her head. "Do you pay for anything?" "All I've got, I've had to steal." "Do you have any morales at all?" "Hey, at least I don't have to beg or borrow." Kagome just shook her head. "Go get the damn bike."
InuYasha turned to leave. "Wait!" Kagome called. "Where are we going to meet up?" "Don't worry, I'll look around when I get back, then hunt you out." InuYasha said, taping his nose. "And when you DO find me.." Kagome began seriously. "Yeah?" "You better not be drunk, here me? I'm tired of watching you fall down." InuYasha smirked and turned back to the road.
It was sunset when InuYasha stared walking. It had all worked out perfectly. He'd be out of town and away from everyone when the sun went down. He'd stay at the Harley until day break, and not be back till morning. No one would see. He'd run when he couldn't see the town anymore. For now he walked along the side of the road. He stuck a smoke in his mouth and searched for his lighter. An old Ford passed him by, heading the way they had walked in.
They must be close to a city, that was the first piece of traffic he'd seen between towns in a long while. It began to cool down a lot. Behind him the town was alive with people.
He took off his jacket for the first time in a long while. He let the air cool off his arms as the sun went down. The hunger didn't bother him anymore. Hell, he almost relaxed.
Soon the world had turned back. InuYasha looked back. The lights of the town were in a cluster a way off. There was no moon that night.
There was the sound of an engine ahead of him. He turned back to the road. The silver hair youth was illuminated by a pair of headlights. The Ford was coming back. InuYasha watched it pass. Looked like an early '70s Mustang. InuYasha whistled. The tail lights disappeared, and the world was black. If the driver had looked in his rear view mirror, he would of seen a black haired young man watch him.
InuYasha started running. He took the bandanna off his head. It was so dark he couldn't see what was ahead of him, couldn't see what was coming up behind. He made his way through the darkness. He made his way onto the road, guided only by the feel of asphalt under his heels.
Fires appeared in the distance. InuYasha ran faster. Several small fires on the road. There was the sound of thunder. The sky had been clear during the day.
InuYasha stood alone in the middle of the fires. The highway was crammed with broken wrecks. A group of humans had been traveling together when something got them. 'Strange, that what got these poor bastards hasn't destroyed that town'
InuYasha looked around, his face carrying an orange glow from the fires that lit the night. He shifted through some wreckage. He found something to amuse him self while he waited for day break.
InuYasha had found a bottle of whiskey and a guitar. He strapped the Telecaster on his back and took a swig.
InuYasha started running again. He had lost track of how far he'd gone. The road began to slope upward. InuYasha ran harder. His jacket was draped across his arm and both his hands were full. The guitar, the cross of his calling, bounced on his back. He didn't care. He was sweating but couldn't feel any of it.
All he could feel was the chains that bound him to his obligations. The gas can that bound him to the girl and to finding the jewel. The guitar and the history behind it that bound him to Kikyo. The bottle that bound him to his own demons. The jacket that symbolized in his mind his connected him to his family affairs, to settling the score with his brother. He ran faster, trying to break the chains, trying to be rid off all this shit. Trying to be free.
Something glinted on the side of the road ahead of him. The bike. 'Keep running, drop all this shit and keep running.' Part of his mind told him. 'Just drop it and walk away. Leave this land and start over. Who cares what happens to everyone? You'll be gone and never hear of them again'
The bike was growing closer. InuYasha stopped in front of it. The world was still totally dark. Nothing else seemed to be alive. 'That's right. Nothing. It's about you. Not them. Fuck 'em. Run.'
InuYasha tossed his jacket and gas can at the bike. He set the bottle down and took the guitar off his back. He slumped down against the side of the bike and angrily hit a chord.
"God fucking dammit.." He swore. "Fucking hate being human! I end up being so fucking melodramatic and can't keep my head level and can't drink worth a shit!" He took a swig.
He started into a song and continued to swear to himself. "Godamn it, what am I doing here. These are my fucking glory days, I shouldn't be stuck on this stupid fucking quest, hell not even fuckin' Kagome should, she should be at home, I should be wandering around with Kikyo still. Fuck"
"I fucking waste my life with this shit, and the glory days'll pass me by, in a wink of a young girl's eye.." InuYasha chuckled.
By the end of the song, InuYasha was half way through the label on the bottle. He picked a new song. He continued drinking. Soon he looked up, and for a split second second he thought he saw a familiar pair of black eyes looking at him.
He sighed. "Where are ya babe? Where are ya Kik'?" InuYasha closed his eyes and let his head slump forward. Ghosts of his past began dancing around him. InuYasha had no idea what the affect of that much liquor would be on human body, but felt him self losing control of where his mind went. He satred up at the sky. 'Sky of blackness and sorrow, sky of tears and sadness. Sky of blackness and sorrow.'
InuYasha finger's were moving of there own accord along the fret board. Something in his brain gave him the impression that Kikyo was in front of him. Something also told him she wasn't. He didn't know.
"I hated you, when you were away." He told the ghost in front of him. There was a flash of light behind Kikyo's eyes. He couldn't tell if he hallucinating or if he was thinking of Kikyo.
The ghost faded. InuYasha got a better look at the flash of light. It was two people, riding a storm cloud, shooting lighting from there hands. And they were headed toward the town he had left Kagome in.
InuYasha chuckled. He was proud of him self. That was a damn good hallucination. Most people couldn't do that with just liquor, not to mention make it look so real.
InuYasha stuck his legs out, one slightly bent. He leaned over the guitar and smiled. 'One last line for Kikyo, even if she can't hear.' "Come on up, lay your hands in mine.." InuYasha sang and blacked out.
Kagome watched the black muscle car slam to a stop. Someone scrambled out. The driver ran for a nearby house, yelling. "We gotta leave! We gotta get outta here! Something's coming!" He disappeared down an alley and Kagome saw no more of him.
The town was huge by comparison to the rest of the towns they had been in. The size of one of the suburbs back home. Big enough to have paved back streets and street lights. Kagome guessed it was home to a couple thousand people.
It was past midnight. There were only a couple night hawks wandering the street. None of them looked like good news, but they all ignored her.
That was all the life there was on the streets. Occasionally the glow of a gas station's sign was visible before the harsh light of a convience store. There was no where to get food, even if she knew what to do.
Kagome stopped walking. She was tired, she was hungry. Her stomach no longer hurt, but she felt weak. She became away how much dirt was caked on to her. The rips and tears in her clothes became more apparent. No way she was going to charm her way into any food.
She looked around at the people who were still awake. She sighed. Hopeless set in. She was in over her head. Broke, defenseless, starving, and alone in a strange part of the world.
She had no idea what to do. Her feet carried her into a back street. She found a shadowed corner, and with out dignity laid down and fell asleep hungry and sore on the hard concrete.
For some reason InuYasha dreamed that night. He had a dream of life. Of Kikyo. Of everything he hadn't felt in years. Being human, it took him back. Almost raised him up from the dead.
Kagome woke up. The first thing she saw was a figure sitting across the alley from her. It was late in the morning. The figure cleared up. It was InuYasha but Kagome barely recognized him with out his jacket. His jacket was draped over something hidden under a collapsed cardboard box. The bike stood at the entrance into the alleyway.
"Yo." "Yo." The two exchanged greetings. "Tough night?" Kagome inquired, seeing InuYasha's tired gaze. "Same for you apparently. No food?" "No.."
InuYasha stood up. "I'm going to get some extra gas. I'll be back in a few. Don't let anyone steal ya." He grabbed the now empty gas can and walked away.
Kagome got up. The smell of food came from the street. Hunger returned with a vengeance. Her feet led her toward the street.
She found her self in a street market. Carts held all sorts of fruits and vegetables. There was a cart of apples directly in front of her.
'One apple won't matter. You're starving. You have to do it.' Her conscious put up no fight.
It wasn't smooth. She walked by the cart, jammed her hand into the pile, grabbed something, put it in her pocket and kept walking.
One apple turned into anything that would fit in her pockets. Five minutes later she was back in the alley. She slumped down against the wall where she had been sleeping and pulled out the apple.
The light was blocked as InuYasha returned. Kagome looked up at him. He just looked back. Kagome looked down at the street and bit into the apple.
InuYasha set the can down and sat down next to her. He brought up his right hand and offered her half a loaf of bread. Kagome took it with out question of where it came from. She emptied her pockets and the two divided their stolen meal.
They ate mostly in silence. "Been through this a lot?" Kagome asked. InuYasha only nodded.
The food finished, InuYasha pushed him self to his feet. "I just thought of something, be right back." Kagome watched him disappear onto the street.
Kagome felt a lot better. The meager meal has done wonders to improve her spirits. She stood up and stretched her legs. Bells were ringing somewhere.
InuYasha walked out of the gun store with some ammo for the revolvers. He headed back to the bike and Kagome. As he was walking through a busy street, there was the sound of thunder. InuYasha stopped dead in his tracks and looked up. The sky was clear blue except for a single black cloud. "What the hell"
A bolt of lighting slammed into the ground a block ahead of him. Dust filled the air. InuYasha searched for the cloud. It was now just above the buildings, and there were two people in it. InuYasha swore out loud. "FUCK! That was real"
He ran as fast as he could toward Kagome. A blast of lighting came down and knocked him on his face. He pushed him self up. Through the smoke of the destruction he caught site of Kagome. She saw him and ran towards him.
She never made it. The cloud was suddenly there, and when it left, Kagome was gone. InuYasha could smell her getting farther away. He swore louder and tore ass toward the bike.