The Prophecy
By: Demonsaya
6
She couldn't do it anymore...
Kagome took a shuddering breath and then wrenched herself away from the child. It's mouth open and it began to scream. She was so weak. She was so tired..."Inuyasha..." She whispered, feeling her consciousness slip away from her.
Red eyes watched the girl collapse. Kazumi stepped from the shadows, his eyes narrowed in contempt. "Emma-o may have found it within himself to allow you to live...but I'll see to it that you still suffer..."
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The ground shook violently and Inuyasha reached out, steadying Kagome's brother. "Souta, you okay?" He asked, glancing down at the boy. Kagome would never forgive him if her little brother got hurt.
"How did Kagome get pulled into hell?" Souta let the older boy steady him and glanced towards his hero. "You can save her, right?"
"I don't have time-"
"I want to know what happened." Souta said, walking beside Inuyasha across the dry earth. The clouds were dark, like just before a bad storm. "I want to know why Kagome-nee-chan's in hell." He looked up at the hanyou, his face serious.
Inuyasha looked at the ground. The wound in his chest was still very raw. "Kagome can tell you when she gets back." He said evenly. He could see the park from where they were and he knew he had to hurry.
"I deserve to know what happened." The boy snapped.
A deep breath. "Kagome went into the hellmouth. Isn't that enough!" Inuyasha couldn't take remembering. He needed to go find her. He needed to jump into the hellmouth and find her, if he didn't he was going to lose it. "Look, Souta, it's only been about a week for me, but for Kagome, it's been five hundred years, okay! She's waited long enough, right!"
Souta frowned. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to bring her back." Inuyasha said, walking into the park, towards the hellmouth. "Stay back, kid. If there's a quake, you could fall in." There were people gathered around the gaping whole, staring into it, their eyes wide with fear. Among them, Inuyasha identified Kagome's friend, and that boy 'Hojo'. He glanced back at Souta and gave a wry grin. "Don't look so worried, kid, I'll bring her back." He said.
Then, in front of everybody, he let himself fall forward into the hellmouth.
It didn't hurt as bad as he thought it would. It was distressingly similar to the new moon, when he'd become human. The hellmouth sapped his powers, and he knew that it would stay sealed for another hundred years, at least. He watched as blackness rapidly approached him and he adjusted himself so the fall wouldn't hurt him. He was human now and if he wasn't careful...then-
He hit the ground surprisingly softly. He turned around, his nose involuntarily twitching, trying to sniff out Kagome, when he realized that his demon senses were gone. "Kagome!" Inuyasha whispered, tense.
"I see you finally made it."
The voice caused him to slip into a defensive posture. "Who's there! Where's Kagome!"
"So many questions, Inuyasha..."
That voice sounded SO familiar. Well, he was five hundred years in the future, so for all he knew, it was Sesshoumaru. As he watched, the figure stepped into the light and Inuyasha's legs almost gave out. "D-dad..." He stared at the demon who stood there with a rather odd smirk on his face. "You're here...but..."
"I think you're overlooking something more important." He smiled. "Your mate."
Inuyasha turned purple. "She's not my mate! She's just-" Inuyasha saw the smile on the man's face widen. "Me and Kagome haven't even talked about..." He turned away from the knowing smile, hiding the dark blush covering his cheeks.
Inutaishou chuckled. "Inuyasha...how on earth are you going to mate with the girl if you can't even admit that you love her?" He wondered idly. "Speaking of whom..." He gestured for his son to follow him. "I'll bring you to where she should be." 'Provided that bastard Kazumi didn't...no, even Kazumi knows better than to go against Emma-o...'
He hoped.
Inuyasha glanced towards his dad. "Is...is she okay?" His voice broke just a bit. He fought the tears that had been itching to fall since he'd obtained the jewel. He was going to get her back? Just like that? Wasn't he supposed to be tried and punished? Wouldn't they make him stay in her place?
Inutaisho glanced towards him. "Relax, Inuyasha. She's fine."
"What about..."
"Look," The great demon was getting impatient. "I took care of all that five hundred years ago. I kept an eye on her for you." 'Geeze, was I this unconfident about Izayoi?' He wondered idly. "It would appear Kagome-san was not exagerating about your lack of confidence..." He shook his head. "I spoke for Kagome at her trial."
"What about...what about my trial?"
"You're not having one. I spoke on your behalf at her trial as well. I suppose you brought it?" He glanced pointedly at his son. "The Shikon no Tama?"
Inuyasha was startled by this. "How did you..."
"Did you really think I wasn't watching over you and my mate?" He asked evenly. "Why do you think your mother lived to be fifty?"
"Then why did she die then! I was just a kid!"
"Don't yell at me, pup." Inutaisho glared at the boy. "I was dead, and she wasn't your mate. I couldn't do anything to prevent a death from old age!" His hand clenched into a fist. "If I'd sealed that stupid dragon to begin with...rather than fucking around for so long..."
"You mean Ryokotsusei?" Inuyasha arched an eyebrow. This was wierd. Here he was, talking to a person he'd only seen once before and knew almost less than shit about, but his dad knew way more about him...Then again, wierd defined his life since Kagome came to his world.
"No shit, I mean Ryokotsusei!" The great demon snapped.
Inuyasha stared at him, then a chuckle escaped him. "I kinda figured you'd be more like Sesshoumaru..." He said with a wry grin.
"Funny..." Inutaisho glanced towards his son, continuing to walk through the darkness. "Your mate said the same thing..." He saw his son turn dark red once again at the word and rolled his eyes. "Speaking of whom...Kagome-san?" His eyes narrowed. "SHIT!"
Inuyasha jumped. "What is it?"
"Fucking Kazumi..." He snarled. "Runt is more stupid than I thought. Disobeying Emma-o's orders...He's going to be sent to the hell of being skinned alive for this one..." He glanced towards his son, seeing the worried look on his face. "I guess we better go save your mate." He mused, tilting his head to the side.
"Damn right we need to go find her!" Inuyasha snapped. "Where would that fucker be taking her?"
"The pit of hell, of course..." Inutaisho grabbed his son by the collar. "We'll move faster if you're not stumbling through the darkness here." He teased, before breaking into a dead sprint.
Inuyasha's eyes widened. He was FAST! Faster than Inuyasha was! Inuyasha glared up at his father's face and grudgingly admitted that his father really was the legend that everyone always made him out to be. The jerk.
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Kazumi looked into the pit of hell, and expression of disdain upon his face. Only the most despicable beings were cast down into this part of hell. For him, that meant hanyou's and their mates as well. He shook the girl he'd dropped so carelessly on the ground. "Wake up, dumb bitch. It's time to fucking get punished..." That last part was said much more quietly.
Kagome's eyes fluttered open and she saw Kazumi staring down at her, his face a mask of sheer loathing. Her face flushed and she tried to scoot back away from him. She heard bits of rock fall down a cliff wall and glanced behind herself in fear. 'NO!' This wasn't how it was supposed to end! Inuyasha was coming to save her! Inutaisho had left to meet him! Where was he! Tears filled her eyes and she looked up at the other demon in fear.
"Die, bitch." His foot sent her top half off the pit.
She let out a shriek, clinging to the cliff wall, digging her fingers in as she felt the boot connect with her ankle, which caused her to whimper softly in pain. She HAD to hold on! Inuyasha would be there soon! The boot began to grind into her fingers and she cried out. "INUYASHA!"
"He's not here, stupid bitch!"
"That's where you're wrong!"
Kazumi turned in shock to see a human boy barrelling down on him. Without warning, pain exploded in his face and he staggered away from the cliff.
Her hand was starting to slip! "Inuyasha!" She cried, then let out a brief scream when she started to fall. It barely had time to leave her lips, because a strong hand wrapped around hers and she found herself looking up into frightened violet eyes. "Inuyasha...? You're...?"
He gave her a grin, but it was weak, tired. "Yeah, I am, huh..." Then, a shadow of the old Inuyasha passed over his lips. "Guess you can't play with my ears anymore, huh..."
Her hands were slick with sweat and she could see Inuyasha was having trouble holding on. She looked up at him, terrified they'd both fall and she would have let go of his hand, but his other came down, grabbing her other hand.
"Don't give up..." He whispered down to her. "I lost you once, I'm not going to lose you again..." He searched her eyes and saw the five hundred years of lonliness shining in her eyes. "Kagome, don't you get it?" He bit his lip hard, struggling to pull her up. "I didn't just come down here to have you slip through my fingers again..." He gave a wry grin. "So don't give up...I didn't give up on you."
Her eyes widened and tears fell down her face. "Inuyasha..." She found a purchase in the rock and forced her toes into it. "I found a place to rest..." She said. She smiled up at him. "I'll see if I can find some more..."
Relief filled him. She wasn't going to give up! She was coming back to him! He shook from the raw emotion and felt her move up the wall just a little bit. He could hear the voices of his father and the demon who had tried to destroy Kagome and he knew he had to hurry. "Kagome..." He caught her bicep, and pulled up as hard as he could. "Put your arms around me..." He whispered.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide with trust and she wound her arms around his neck, bringing her face close to his. She felt his ragged breath fanning across her face and closed her eyes, burying her face into his neck as he finished pulling her up the cliff. Then, they stared at each other for a long moment. She blushed under his scrutiny, as she was still naked.
He saw her blush and blushed as well, quickly removing his fire rat cloak and wrapping it around her, then he turned towards the demon who had taken her. Slowly, he stood, but he felt a hand reach out and grab his, and that stilled him. He turned to Kagome and helped her stand. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately on the lips. When he pulled away, there were tears dancing in her eyes. He turned towards the arguing demon's. "Dad...look after Kagome for a minute..." He said firmly.
Kagome watched the great demon cross the distance and put a hand against her back. He looked towards his son, nodding. "Go ahead, Inuyasha."
Kagome opened her mouth to object, but Inutaisho shook his head.
"This is something he needs to do."
Helplessly, she watched the boy she loved stalk towards the demon. The next words out of the boy's mouth caused her eyes to widen.
"You tried to hurt her..." He said softly. His face was a mask of fury now that his eyes no longer rested on Kagome. "You tried to hurt my mate..." He began to circle the demon, his posture agressive.
"What are you going to do about it, HUMAN." The demon scoffed. He kept his front to the human boy, knowing now the depth of his mistake. A demon who tried to kill the mate of another was often put through a world of hurt. "What could your weak mortal body do to me!"
Inuyasha growled deep in his chest. Without a word, he spun, aiming a well-placed, powerful kick to the demon's chest.
Kagome gasped in shock. She had never seen Inuyasha look so focused before. She saw the demon catch his foot and would have run towards him, but Inutaisho's hand on her shoulder prevented that. "Inuyasha!" She cried.
He stared at the demon and used the leverage to bring his other foot up to the side of the demon's face.
Kazumi's eyes flew wide at the sudden feeling of a bare foot hitting him with far more force than the mortal boy should have been able to muster. 'What...is this...?' He reached up, touching something trickling down the side of his mouth. He looked down at it and saw blood. His eyes widened. It was his own blood!
"I have enough strength for this..." Inuyasha said, his chest heaving with anger. He saw the demon come towards him to attack him, but it was a careless attack and easy to dodge. He kicked him again in the chest, this time connecting. A moment later, a clawed hand punched him in the face and he winced, staggering back a bit. A small grin turned up the corners of his mouth. "Good...you're actually going to try to fight back...that should make things more interesting..."
Kazumi was livid. Here this human boy was insulting him. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, as Inuyasha lunged at him, catching him around the waist, spilling him to the ground, where a fist began to repeatedly slam into his face.
"Don't! Ever! Touch! My! Kagome! AGAIN!" He hissed between punches. He stared down at the demon, meeting his eyes intentionally. He gave him a death glare that caused the demon to pale and swallow hard. Without another word, he drug Kazumi to his feet.
"That's quite enough..."
Everyone in the area froze, and all the eyes shot towards the demon who was approaching.
"Emma-o-sama..." Inutaisho dropped to a knee and as Kagome watched, Inuyasha and Kazumi were quick to follow suit.
She looked at the demon who had interrupted the fight and saw that he wasn't big, or scarry looking as he was always portrayed in mythology. In fact, he was very beautiful, much like Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho were beautiful. But it was deffinately a man, if it even had a sex.
He looked from Inuyasha to the girl, then to Kazumi, and finally, his eyes moved back to Inutaisho. "Inutaisho...what has happened here?" His gaze moved between them and settled on Kagome.
"Kazumi attempted to destroy Kagome against your orders, Emma-o-sama." Inutaisho shot Kazumi a dirty look.
Emma-o looked towards Kazumi. "Is this so?"
Kazumi slowly nodded. "She does not deserve to live when so many other, better beings-
"Silence."
Kagome blinked. The demon, or god, as it were, called Emma-o had a soft, strangely musical voice. His delicate features became more visible as he stepped from the darkness.
"I have suspected that you would be more difficult to control...Kazumi..." The figure walked towards the demon who knelt before him and with a rough hand, grabbed his head, jerking his face up. "I did not, however think you were so out of control...that you would directly disobey me, demon..."
"I didn't, that is...I only thought..." Kazumi stuttered, trying to explain himself. He opened his mouth to try again, but he was silenced by a hand going through his mouth and coming out the back of his head.
Emma-o watched the demon fall and drew a cloth from his haori, wiping the gore from it carefully.
"Kowai..." Kagome whispered, wide-eyed.
"Inuyasha..." Emma-o looked down at the hanyou-turned-human. "Your father tells me that you intend to barter...for the girl..." Those eerily calm eyes moved back towards her.
Inuyasha nodded, reaching into his yukatta. "I bring you the Shikon no Tama...If you wish, I will remain in hell, but Kagome...she doesn't belong here." He heard Kagome's soft objection and turned to look at her. "Kagome, if it comes down to it, it's better if it's me down here than you." He looked at the ground. "As long as you're okay-"
"I have no use for this bauble..."
They looked back at Emma-o in shock. 'He wasn't going to free Kagome!' Inuyasha opened his mouth to object. "But-"
Emma-o looked the boy square in the eye. "Do you love her?"
Inuyasha turned bright red. "Y-yes." He stuttered. 'I wanted to tell her some place private, jerk!' He mentally shouted.
"Do you love him?"
Kagome found Emma-o's gaze upon her and her eyes widened. "Of course I do." She said evenly. She looked towards Inuyasha and saw him smiling at her a bit with a blush on his face. She smiled back and looked down shyly.
Emma-o looked at Inutaisho. "Take them out."
"WHAT!"
"Out of hell." He said evenly. "Inuyasha's power is more than enough to sustain the hellmouth for the next five hundred years, and if they wish to put that rediculous bauble to good use, they should use it to make sure he keeps that loud mouth of his shut..." He looked towards the human children. "Permanently."
Inuyasha stared at Emma-o and bowed formally in thanks. A moment later, a soft body threw itself at him and wrapped it's arms around his neck. He turned, looking down at Kagome, his eyes wide. He gathered her into a tight embrace, his heart pounding. It was over? Just like that? They were free?
Free...
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AN: Hey! Don't just give up! There's still one more chapter! You have to find out what happens at the very end, right! Stay tuned! Epilogue is coming up next!