Welps, here we are at chapter 30...its been a great story so far- I've enjoyed writing in every single twist! Well, guess we should get on with the story- Enjoy!
Chapter 30
"This necklace is much harder to break than that Kagome...it holds more power than you can imagine..." Kagome rose to her feet again- wiping the small smudges of dirt from her cheeks, and the trickle of blood from the side of her lips. Her stoic gaze fell on Nanashi hard and cold, waiting to see where this battle would take them.
"Are you so desperate to get to this place? This Shadou no Tsuki..." Kagome questioned angirly as she took up her previous fighting stance. Nanashi's gaze faultered, turning curious and questioning. "How do you know that miko!? I never told you that!" Kagome smirked, snatching at the chance to take a flustered Nanashi down. She quickly thrust her Kinjai at Nanashi- who was so off balanced by her comment she took the hit right in the chest, just below her shoulder where Inuyasha had injured her.
She cried out so loudly as the blade ripped into her that it echoed through the dark and misty forest. Miles away, Inuyasha, Kouga, & even Miroku's human ears picked up the loud sounds of agonizing pain. They weren't sure who it was, or where it was from- but it was clear that they needed to move at a quicker pace than they were. Soon enough they were tearing through the demons as quickly as possible- racing toward the village.
Kagome, now without her sword, picked up the bow and quiver nearby as Nanashi pulled out the sword- still sparkling with leftover energy and now tinted crimson along the blade. She angrily tossed the sword aside with such force that the reddened blade cut deeply into a forest tree, making it so the katana wouldn't be plucked from the trunk without a great amount of time and strength. "AJIKENAI JO!" Both stared daggers at each other.
Blood & dirt tainted both Kagome's & Nanashi's tattered and torn robes now, but neither seemed notice or care. Their breathing was harsh and vapid- their eyes cold from fierce and angry battling, but their wills were nowhere near breaking, and it seemed their bodies would give out long before either one of them would. Nanashi spoke clear & steady under her breath, with a defiant and crisp tone. "Does it still sting your mind Kagome? The sound of her name...The name your beloved hanyou, Inuyasha, whispers in his sleep."
Kagome never flinched- but spoke in a tone that she had become accustomed to in the past year- a tone that would send chills over a demon with its sleek wintery stoicness. "You're a year too late for that Nanashi- its pathetic..." Nanashi smirked. "Pathetic? Oh...but of course- it still burns doesn't it? Those old, unhealed wounds that never went away?" Kagome stared with the same blank and jagged look in her eyes. "No- these games are ridiculous- You see, I don't claim the scars are healed...but you are rubbing salt in the wounds that were stung so many times I have been numb for ages...and I don't feel a thing anymore."
Nanashi's smirk faded into an angry glare- feeling the heat and uncertainty of battle once again through her ragged breathes. "Enough toying- I'm am tired of playing games...It ends here miko." With that Nanashi poured her powers into the intricate necklace on her chest. Kagome readied herself for the final attacks-the battle that would end this war.
Inuyasha used his windscar to take out the last of the demons as they neared the village, running the last mile until they reached the outskirts of the quiet town. Miroku and Kouga followed as Inuyasha ran quickly to Kagome's hut, but stopped short as he saw Sango exiting the beaded door. A worried & rushed Sango stop as her eyes fell on Inuyasha- who instinctively knew what was going on. "Inuyasha- she's gone..." Sango spoke softly as her heart dropped. Miroku walked over to comfort her as Inuyasha growled low in his chest. Kouga looked around curiously. "I would guess by her scent she left several hours ago..." He looked around at the outskirts of the misty forest. "That must be her...those powers rising in the west- they both must have tricked us all into going on a wild goose chase..."
Everyone nodded- Inuyasha especially furious at himself and Kagome, clenched his fists-inwardly cursing at himself for falling into such deceitful games. But they wasted no time- Miroku told Sango to stay behind and watch the village, despite her protests, and all three men once again ran out at top speeds toward the western ends of the forest.
Kagome, however, wasn't in need of much assistance- she was holding her own against Nanashi as they began to battle it out. Nanashi lashed out with her energy, Kagome dodging as best she could and then retaliating with her own attacks. Nanashi was biding her time- waiting for the shield around Kagome's soul to weaken. Kagome had already figured this out, knowing that her borrowed time wouldn't last forever and Nanashi would most likely give in before she did. The barrier protecting her soul was strong- Nanashi's necklace was constantly sending a hidden stream of energy to capture it, but it was dispersing & rippling like rain on water's surfaces.
Kagome could win, she knew she could- it was only a matter of holding out until Nanashi completely weakened herself to the point where Kagome could finish her. 'I have to be careful- she is hiding something underneath that energy...she is waiting for something to happen, otherwise she would have realized her defeat and retreated by now...but what could possibly happen that would-' Kagome's thoughts were struck short as Nanashi's lips curled into a vicious smile. Her stance never faulted as she waited- watching Nanashi carefully.
"I'm truly sorry I must do this to you Kagome...but I must find my way to Shadou no Tsuki-it is the only way I will survive..." Kagome glared her down-wondering what it was she was stalling for, but she played along anyway. "Well Nanashi- you seem to have survived quite well in the last 50 years..." Nanashi sighed with a small chuckle under her breath. "My dear girl- I have grown tired of feeding off of petty demons and hiding in fading shadows for the last half-century...my full powers cannot be fully supported by the meager energy of these lower demon auras..." She clenched her fists tightly. "The nights are not nearly long enough anymore to suffice my need...I wish to be free of these chains- and YOU will not stand in my way any longer!"
With those words, Nanashi sent a blast of energy toward Kagome, she avoided it for the most part, but the aftershocks of the dispelling energy knocked her back into a nearby tree with a nasty shoulder wound. She stood, paying no mind to her injuries as she readied her attack on Nanashi- this one would surely destroy her. Nanashi foresaw this end- 'Kagome's powers and endurance surpass my own at this point...but so do her weaknesses...in the same form that Kikyo's weakness came- the love of a hanyou...'
Soon, Nanashi's pieces began to fall into place. Just as Kagome was ready to send her finishing blast at Nanashi-a confident and vicious smile wrapped her lips. "This is the end Nanashi..." Kagome's cold hard gaze never left her figure, until a new- red and silver figure caught her sight. "Oh...but it is only the beginning..." Nanashi chuckled slighty-lifting her hand as Kagome's arrow shot from her necklace- the same arrow that Nanashi had captured from their previous encounter. Kagome's eyes widened in fear as everything came together in her mind- she quickly revised her decision and withheld the attack, as did Nanashi.
Inuyasha, who had burst on the scene moments before- was now staring down a familiar arrow, inches away from his heart. He could feel Kagome's purifying aura pouring off of it, as if she herself had just released it. He wasn't sure what was happening as he swallowed hard-his eyes landing on Kagome's battered figure, who seemed to be clinging to life as she stood there, ready to attack the kijo. Her concerned and fearful eyes layed on him- asking questions she herself could easily answer. 'Why did he come...why did he have to- to-'
She bit her lower lip, knowing all the answers. This was Nanashi's plan- and in the end she had won her game, Kagome must give up her soul to save Inuyasha's life...but even if Kagome could return...she wasn't sure Inuyasha could let Kikyo go a third time.
Kagome sighed in defeat, a hard blink following as Miroku and Kouga ran from the clearing, but stopped just short of Inuyasha's figure. Nanashi's voice was clear and forceful-dripping with a smug tone. "Don't move...or you will all die..." Kouga and Inuyasha growled harshly as Miroku spoke in an unforgiving tone. "Kijo! What are you planning!? Let Kagome go!" Nanashi's lips curled into smirk. "Kagome knows her choices...she will choose- Choose now Kagome or they will all die...Touch the arrow and save your beloved's life or destroy me and kill your precious hanyou.." Kagome regretfully dropped her hands, looking toward her confused comrades.
She dispondently walked over to the group, Nanashi's smirk fading into an angered tone of protesting shouts that Kagome only ignored, but in the end she simply watched carefully as the young miko's eyes glassed over and her heart sank deep in her chest. She approached Inuyasha, the arrow flaring in front of his haori as she looked it over for a moment- then returned her gaze to his confused honey embers. She spoke softly- whispering as she leaned nearer, her fingertips caressing his cheek. "You are my only choice..." She caught his lips in a heartfelt, but short kiss that lasted only moments before she back away. "Love me when I'm gone..." A small smile fading as she pulled her fingers away and took hold of the arrow.
Inuyasha could only stand by and watch-he was too shocked and confused to speak or protest anything that was happening- he didn't understand what was going on, but his heart told him that Kagome was making a decision that would tear them apart.
Kagome's thoughts were racing- she could feel Nanashi's poisoning energy begin to rip through her defenses as her hand clutched the arrow. She could no longer tell if tears were falling down her cheeks or if it was raining. In fact- it had started to rain, thunder rolled in as a light summer shower began to drizzle down on the group, but no one payed any mind as they watch Kagome's body being pulled into the air, brightly shining through the silver sheets of rain-her hair soaking wet as the water rolled off her body tainted with crimson from her many open wounds that now bled freely as they escaped her energy. Wind seemed to encase her form as her hair flowed in ebony waves, her back arched as she sprawled limply out in the air.
Kagome's eyes were hollow, she was arguing with herself quietly in her mind as she began to lose cosciousness. 'I tried...but now I've lost everything...' 'Stop it! You haven't! Fight it!' 'NO...I saved Inuyasha...that's all that matters...' 'But you matter! You have to save yourself so you can be with him!' 'He...he won't miss me- he won't notice my absence when Kikyo is brought forth...' She began to close her eyes -her soul was beginning to turn as a small smile lapsed on her lips one last time, but quickly faded. 'Part of me is fighting this...but- part of me is gone...'
Nanashi let out one last cry of laughter as Miroku and Kouga called Kagome's name in worried fear. Inuyasha watched, crying out her name as the soul was sucked from her body in a brilliant but blinding light. Inuyasha growled in his chest, pulling his Tetsusiaga as he snapped back to his senses. "WITCH! I will kill you!" Kagome's soul was held up in her necklace now, which glowed with a new hue- a brilliant red and blue aura.
Nanashi backed away. "If you want your miko so badly- have her! I have all I require!" Nanashi then stepped back into the shadows, disappearing as Kagome's body fell from air, landing with a large thump on the wet ground. Her body was soaked in crimson water and blood as she layed lifelessly before Inuyasha. He was afraid to approach her, until he finally picked her up in his arms as Miroku and Kouga ran up beside him. Inuyasha pushed the wet laces of her hair from her face. The blood and dirt still smeering her cheeks as they all started back toward the village.
Miroku and Kouga were the first to arrive as Sango rushed out to meet them. She searched Miroku's eyes, but not for long before Inuyasha's figure became apparent in the downpour and Sango broke out in tears. A heartbroken hanyou carried the body into the hut, laying her by the fire as Kaede began to bandage the wounds carefully. Everyone was in a silent state of shock as they watched the body before them. The rain could be heard, dropping steadily on the roof as the depressing weather made things even worse-as if it were reflecting everyone's sorrow.
»--------------------------«
Oh...this is certainly depressing...well- next chappy is going to get complex and rather twisty. So hope you like the turn out! translations below... R&R!
Ajikenai- wretched; irksome
jo- woman; girl
shiisu- sword sheath
Shadou no Tsuki- (if I'm right it means "Moon's Shadow" or "Shadow of the Moon")
Matte- wait
Gomen ne- I'm sorry
Kijo- demoness; she-devil; witch
Un- Yeah
Chapter 30
"This necklace is much harder to break than that Kagome...it holds more power than you can imagine..." Kagome rose to her feet again- wiping the small smudges of dirt from her cheeks, and the trickle of blood from the side of her lips. Her stoic gaze fell on Nanashi hard and cold, waiting to see where this battle would take them.
"Are you so desperate to get to this place? This Shadou no Tsuki..." Kagome questioned angirly as she took up her previous fighting stance. Nanashi's gaze faultered, turning curious and questioning. "How do you know that miko!? I never told you that!" Kagome smirked, snatching at the chance to take a flustered Nanashi down. She quickly thrust her Kinjai at Nanashi- who was so off balanced by her comment she took the hit right in the chest, just below her shoulder where Inuyasha had injured her.
She cried out so loudly as the blade ripped into her that it echoed through the dark and misty forest. Miles away, Inuyasha, Kouga, & even Miroku's human ears picked up the loud sounds of agonizing pain. They weren't sure who it was, or where it was from- but it was clear that they needed to move at a quicker pace than they were. Soon enough they were tearing through the demons as quickly as possible- racing toward the village.
Kagome, now without her sword, picked up the bow and quiver nearby as Nanashi pulled out the sword- still sparkling with leftover energy and now tinted crimson along the blade. She angrily tossed the sword aside with such force that the reddened blade cut deeply into a forest tree, making it so the katana wouldn't be plucked from the trunk without a great amount of time and strength. "AJIKENAI JO!" Both stared daggers at each other.
Blood & dirt tainted both Kagome's & Nanashi's tattered and torn robes now, but neither seemed notice or care. Their breathing was harsh and vapid- their eyes cold from fierce and angry battling, but their wills were nowhere near breaking, and it seemed their bodies would give out long before either one of them would. Nanashi spoke clear & steady under her breath, with a defiant and crisp tone. "Does it still sting your mind Kagome? The sound of her name...The name your beloved hanyou, Inuyasha, whispers in his sleep."
Kagome never flinched- but spoke in a tone that she had become accustomed to in the past year- a tone that would send chills over a demon with its sleek wintery stoicness. "You're a year too late for that Nanashi- its pathetic..." Nanashi smirked. "Pathetic? Oh...but of course- it still burns doesn't it? Those old, unhealed wounds that never went away?" Kagome stared with the same blank and jagged look in her eyes. "No- these games are ridiculous- You see, I don't claim the scars are healed...but you are rubbing salt in the wounds that were stung so many times I have been numb for ages...and I don't feel a thing anymore."
Nanashi's smirk faded into an angry glare- feeling the heat and uncertainty of battle once again through her ragged breathes. "Enough toying- I'm am tired of playing games...It ends here miko." With that Nanashi poured her powers into the intricate necklace on her chest. Kagome readied herself for the final attacks-the battle that would end this war.
Inuyasha used his windscar to take out the last of the demons as they neared the village, running the last mile until they reached the outskirts of the quiet town. Miroku and Kouga followed as Inuyasha ran quickly to Kagome's hut, but stopped short as he saw Sango exiting the beaded door. A worried & rushed Sango stop as her eyes fell on Inuyasha- who instinctively knew what was going on. "Inuyasha- she's gone..." Sango spoke softly as her heart dropped. Miroku walked over to comfort her as Inuyasha growled low in his chest. Kouga looked around curiously. "I would guess by her scent she left several hours ago..." He looked around at the outskirts of the misty forest. "That must be her...those powers rising in the west- they both must have tricked us all into going on a wild goose chase..."
Everyone nodded- Inuyasha especially furious at himself and Kagome, clenched his fists-inwardly cursing at himself for falling into such deceitful games. But they wasted no time- Miroku told Sango to stay behind and watch the village, despite her protests, and all three men once again ran out at top speeds toward the western ends of the forest.
Kagome, however, wasn't in need of much assistance- she was holding her own against Nanashi as they began to battle it out. Nanashi lashed out with her energy, Kagome dodging as best she could and then retaliating with her own attacks. Nanashi was biding her time- waiting for the shield around Kagome's soul to weaken. Kagome had already figured this out, knowing that her borrowed time wouldn't last forever and Nanashi would most likely give in before she did. The barrier protecting her soul was strong- Nanashi's necklace was constantly sending a hidden stream of energy to capture it, but it was dispersing & rippling like rain on water's surfaces.
Kagome could win, she knew she could- it was only a matter of holding out until Nanashi completely weakened herself to the point where Kagome could finish her. 'I have to be careful- she is hiding something underneath that energy...she is waiting for something to happen, otherwise she would have realized her defeat and retreated by now...but what could possibly happen that would-' Kagome's thoughts were struck short as Nanashi's lips curled into a vicious smile. Her stance never faulted as she waited- watching Nanashi carefully.
"I'm truly sorry I must do this to you Kagome...but I must find my way to Shadou no Tsuki-it is the only way I will survive..." Kagome glared her down-wondering what it was she was stalling for, but she played along anyway. "Well Nanashi- you seem to have survived quite well in the last 50 years..." Nanashi sighed with a small chuckle under her breath. "My dear girl- I have grown tired of feeding off of petty demons and hiding in fading shadows for the last half-century...my full powers cannot be fully supported by the meager energy of these lower demon auras..." She clenched her fists tightly. "The nights are not nearly long enough anymore to suffice my need...I wish to be free of these chains- and YOU will not stand in my way any longer!"
With those words, Nanashi sent a blast of energy toward Kagome, she avoided it for the most part, but the aftershocks of the dispelling energy knocked her back into a nearby tree with a nasty shoulder wound. She stood, paying no mind to her injuries as she readied her attack on Nanashi- this one would surely destroy her. Nanashi foresaw this end- 'Kagome's powers and endurance surpass my own at this point...but so do her weaknesses...in the same form that Kikyo's weakness came- the love of a hanyou...'
Soon, Nanashi's pieces began to fall into place. Just as Kagome was ready to send her finishing blast at Nanashi-a confident and vicious smile wrapped her lips. "This is the end Nanashi..." Kagome's cold hard gaze never left her figure, until a new- red and silver figure caught her sight. "Oh...but it is only the beginning..." Nanashi chuckled slighty-lifting her hand as Kagome's arrow shot from her necklace- the same arrow that Nanashi had captured from their previous encounter. Kagome's eyes widened in fear as everything came together in her mind- she quickly revised her decision and withheld the attack, as did Nanashi.
Inuyasha, who had burst on the scene moments before- was now staring down a familiar arrow, inches away from his heart. He could feel Kagome's purifying aura pouring off of it, as if she herself had just released it. He wasn't sure what was happening as he swallowed hard-his eyes landing on Kagome's battered figure, who seemed to be clinging to life as she stood there, ready to attack the kijo. Her concerned and fearful eyes layed on him- asking questions she herself could easily answer. 'Why did he come...why did he have to- to-'
She bit her lower lip, knowing all the answers. This was Nanashi's plan- and in the end she had won her game, Kagome must give up her soul to save Inuyasha's life...but even if Kagome could return...she wasn't sure Inuyasha could let Kikyo go a third time.
Kagome sighed in defeat, a hard blink following as Miroku and Kouga ran from the clearing, but stopped just short of Inuyasha's figure. Nanashi's voice was clear and forceful-dripping with a smug tone. "Don't move...or you will all die..." Kouga and Inuyasha growled harshly as Miroku spoke in an unforgiving tone. "Kijo! What are you planning!? Let Kagome go!" Nanashi's lips curled into smirk. "Kagome knows her choices...she will choose- Choose now Kagome or they will all die...Touch the arrow and save your beloved's life or destroy me and kill your precious hanyou.." Kagome regretfully dropped her hands, looking toward her confused comrades.
She dispondently walked over to the group, Nanashi's smirk fading into an angered tone of protesting shouts that Kagome only ignored, but in the end she simply watched carefully as the young miko's eyes glassed over and her heart sank deep in her chest. She approached Inuyasha, the arrow flaring in front of his haori as she looked it over for a moment- then returned her gaze to his confused honey embers. She spoke softly- whispering as she leaned nearer, her fingertips caressing his cheek. "You are my only choice..." She caught his lips in a heartfelt, but short kiss that lasted only moments before she back away. "Love me when I'm gone..." A small smile fading as she pulled her fingers away and took hold of the arrow.
Inuyasha could only stand by and watch-he was too shocked and confused to speak or protest anything that was happening- he didn't understand what was going on, but his heart told him that Kagome was making a decision that would tear them apart.
Kagome's thoughts were racing- she could feel Nanashi's poisoning energy begin to rip through her defenses as her hand clutched the arrow. She could no longer tell if tears were falling down her cheeks or if it was raining. In fact- it had started to rain, thunder rolled in as a light summer shower began to drizzle down on the group, but no one payed any mind as they watch Kagome's body being pulled into the air, brightly shining through the silver sheets of rain-her hair soaking wet as the water rolled off her body tainted with crimson from her many open wounds that now bled freely as they escaped her energy. Wind seemed to encase her form as her hair flowed in ebony waves, her back arched as she sprawled limply out in the air.
Kagome's eyes were hollow, she was arguing with herself quietly in her mind as she began to lose cosciousness. 'I tried...but now I've lost everything...' 'Stop it! You haven't! Fight it!' 'NO...I saved Inuyasha...that's all that matters...' 'But you matter! You have to save yourself so you can be with him!' 'He...he won't miss me- he won't notice my absence when Kikyo is brought forth...' She began to close her eyes -her soul was beginning to turn as a small smile lapsed on her lips one last time, but quickly faded. 'Part of me is fighting this...but- part of me is gone...'
Nanashi let out one last cry of laughter as Miroku and Kouga called Kagome's name in worried fear. Inuyasha watched, crying out her name as the soul was sucked from her body in a brilliant but blinding light. Inuyasha growled in his chest, pulling his Tetsusiaga as he snapped back to his senses. "WITCH! I will kill you!" Kagome's soul was held up in her necklace now, which glowed with a new hue- a brilliant red and blue aura.
Nanashi backed away. "If you want your miko so badly- have her! I have all I require!" Nanashi then stepped back into the shadows, disappearing as Kagome's body fell from air, landing with a large thump on the wet ground. Her body was soaked in crimson water and blood as she layed lifelessly before Inuyasha. He was afraid to approach her, until he finally picked her up in his arms as Miroku and Kouga ran up beside him. Inuyasha pushed the wet laces of her hair from her face. The blood and dirt still smeering her cheeks as they all started back toward the village.
Miroku and Kouga were the first to arrive as Sango rushed out to meet them. She searched Miroku's eyes, but not for long before Inuyasha's figure became apparent in the downpour and Sango broke out in tears. A heartbroken hanyou carried the body into the hut, laying her by the fire as Kaede began to bandage the wounds carefully. Everyone was in a silent state of shock as they watched the body before them. The rain could be heard, dropping steadily on the roof as the depressing weather made things even worse-as if it were reflecting everyone's sorrow.
»--------------------------«
Oh...this is certainly depressing...well- next chappy is going to get complex and rather twisty. So hope you like the turn out! translations below... R&R!
Ajikenai- wretched; irksome
jo- woman; girl
shiisu- sword sheath
Shadou no Tsuki- (if I'm right it means "Moon's Shadow" or "Shadow of the Moon")
Matte- wait
Gomen ne- I'm sorry
Kijo- demoness; she-devil; witch
Un- Yeah