My fellow Americans…oh wait, wait…wrong speech –digs around computer files- AHA! –Ahem- A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far…no, no, no…-digs around on computer files more- Okay, let's try this AGAIN…Here's chappie 5 of Two Souls, One Heart…yep, that's the one!
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"But I don't understand any of it, Naraku…" The cloaked figure paced around the small wooden hut, its arms linked behind it.
"If we had simply taken him as well, we wouldn't have to worry about the nuisance in the first place, so why only take the girl?" The hanyou directly opposite of the figure simply waved his hand to silence the cloaked being.
"Had we taken the half-demon as well, the connection between him and the priestess would have been strong enough to barrel out of the darkness…" He paused a moment, waving his hand horizontally at the waist level slowly. A foggy black smoke trailed sluggishly in the air after his hand.
"…and in turn, our own vengeance and greed would come back to haunt us in full circle." The fog that had materialized revealed a six inch tall premonition of both Inuyasha and Kagome separated about two inches apart. This was how the beings of darkness observed and kept a close eye on their enemy.
It showed Inuyasha leaning nearly all of his body weight against the door frame of Kaede's hut as he knees buckled and shook visibly underneath him. His face contorted in genuine pain yet he still pushed on to try and stand on his own. Sango, Miroku and Kaede all tried to pull him back into the hut, hell, even Shippo jumped on his shoulder to try and reason with him, but he shrugged them off. Though the two villains could not hear what they were saying, it was clear that Inuyasha was not going to give up his search for Kagome very easily.
The said miko's premonition was a much more broken, weaker sight, if that may seem at all possible. She was lying down on her back, her school sailor fuku torn across the stomach and on the left side of her skirt. Burn marks adorned the outfit in random spots, her socks and shoes absent from her feet. Bruises and cuts covered every inch of exposed skin on her body as she lay there unconscious. Wisps of dark raven hair were strewn across her face and spread out wildly around her head, which was turned to her right so that her cheek was touching the floor. One arm was bent upward at the elbows so that her hand was level with her face, the other bend at her side so that her hand was just close enough so that her fingertips could barely touch her hip.
Naraku waved his hand in the opposite direction than before, and the two images disappeared the same way they were created. His blood red irises glinted dangerously, greedily wanting the death of both the hanyou and the miko. His black hair swayed mischievously behind him in a nonexistent wind as he walked over to a cellar door with a tiny four-by-four barred window. He gripped the rusty handle tightly jerking it enough for the door to open an inch.
"And besides, you have seen how broken the two are without each other. Why not make them suffer for everything they have done to you, Kikyo?" (Like you didn't see that one coming .) The hooded figure lifted its hands to grip either side of its hood and pull it away from its face to reveal a woman with jet black hair with straight bangs. Two thick strands of hair looped past her ears, but then returned behind her head to meet with the rest of her hair in a white ribbon. Her skin was a pale sheet white hue, giving a sort of haunting, empty appearance about her. Her cold brown eyes were filled with hatred and pain.
"I can never forget what they have done to me. My copy…the miko…she stole Inuyasha from me. He was supposed to follow me into death, as I had done for him, but instead, he betrays me once again and chooses to stay diligently with my reincarnation." Her fists clenched at her sides, though her face remained stoic.
"They shall both pay for what they've done." The dark hanyou before her nodded, opening the cell door to reveal Kagome just as her premonition had portrayed her, though the display had failed to show the chains that were locked onto her wrists. Naraku turned back toward Kikyo, signaling to her that he would be a while, so it was her duty to guard the portal leading to their realm of darkness before he walked into the dark cell and shut the door behind him to the point where he had privacy though didn't lock it.
He stalked over to Kagome's limp form, kicking her sharply in the side with his boot. She cringed before weakly opening her hollow hazel eyes a quarter of the way
"Nnn…" she moaned painfully, feeling the raw scratching and burning in her throat from being abused so much in such a short time.
"Time to wake up, wench." Naraku spat at the battered girl lying helplessly on the floor.
Kagome blinked, opening her eyes half way turning her empty gaze to look at the evil hanyou. The said villain's stare burned painfully into the poor miko as she tried her best to stay awake. She didn't even try moving her body for fear of the pain that followed such actions.
"You have something that I want, but before I can have that, I must take something of yours that I need to complete the door." Her eyes widened in horror. She knew exactly what he was planning to take from her. He wanted her pure heart to add to his collection of the purest of heart- only seven priestesses wield such pure hearts as Naraku and his cohorts desired to reveal the door to everlasting, ever powerful darkness- a realm so sinister, the seven trials of hell would be a blessing in contrast.
"N-no…" She wheezed as she desperately tried to move, to fight so that she could keep her powers away from Naraku. Her body writhed in pain though didn't actually move anywhere partly because of the chains, partly because of her weak state of body and mind.
"Aka, I leave this to you." (Aka means red) A black orb materialized beside Naraku, widening into a swirling vortex portal of darkness. The portal dissipated to reveal a man with short spiky crimson hair and deep violet eyes. He was adorned in a dark grey kimono with a blade strapped at his side. Gothic incantations were painted in black onto the bronze sheath of the sword.
The young man nodded, sliding his blade out of its sheath. The whistle-like sound of the sword against the sides of the scabbard made Kagome's blood run cold. Her fearful gaze slid down the weapon. The blade itself looked very much like Sesshomaru's Tenseiga- thin and sleek, about three feet long, only instead of being a fang, it was made of pure silver with deep gothic incantations etched onto the blade, similar to the ones on its sheath.
Naraku watched Aka as he brought the blade's tip to rest on Kagome's neck, sending shivers coursing through her whole body. The tip of the sword was cold, numbing almost.
"…Such fine ivory skin…she has to be the prettiest one we've caught so far, ne?" Aka mused as Kagome continued to shiver, not from the coldness of the blade, but the coldness of that same blade's wielder- so much darker, so much more real.
The red headed villain suddenly drew the blade back fully, but the plunged it into Kagome's heart. It did no physical damage, nor had its wielder intended to…at least…not yet. The miko's eyes grew wide as she inhaled sharply, her body going absolutely numb. Vines of pure white light crept up the blade from Kagome's chest and were absorbed into the bronze hilt, causing the blade to give off a soft white glow that also encased Kagome.
Not even a moment later, the glow disappeared and Kagome was pushed back forcefully to the ground, where she whimpered once as she fell into the same position as before. Naraku nodded to Aka, signaling him to take his leave. Naraku got on one knee beside Kagome, smirking at her smugly.
"Now that that's been taken care of, there are only two more things I need from you." She gingerly nudged herself away from him.
"No…you have my powers…you can't have that…not my heart…" She whimpered, clutching a hand over her heart as if to protect it. Naraku lunged at her, picking her up by the throat and pinning her against the wall.
"I will get that from you just after I have your innocence." Her eyes widened in horror. She shook her head desperately against his grip on her neck.
"N-no…no…no…" She sobbed as tears streaked her face. She hadn't enough strength to defend herself, and her priestess powers couldn't regenerate fast enough to push him away. His free hand reached up to stroke her hair. His very touch burned with greed and hatred, causing Kagome to wince once again. This wasn't supposed to happen, not like this!
"Don't worry, this won't last very long."
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyznowiknowmyabclet'sseeifinuwillbefree(though most likely he wont be...)
"For the last time I don't need to rest! I'm perfectly fine!" Inuyasha stalked out the hut door, determination practically radiating off of his body. Two days…two WHOLE days he lied there in the hut wondering, worrying about Kagome. He felt no darkness left over in his body, no more physical pain, had free range of motion in his entire body, so he couldn't see why Kaede had wanted the four of them to be held back from looking for Kagome.
"Lady Kaede, I must agree with Inuyasha- he appears perfectly fine, and I don't detect any outside darkness still lingering in his body, so there's nothing stopping us from finding Kagome-sama." Miroku assured Kaede as he, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara walked out after Inuyasha. Kaede hurried out the door after the five.
"Wait just a moment, everyone- you must receive this before you go!" Everyone stopped and turned around. Miroku bowed politely to the aged miko.
"You're very generous, though we need nothing more, Lady Kaede." She shook her head sternly in response.
"You all need the armor I am going to give you so that you may fight the darkness that I am certain you will encounter. Come in just for a moment, all of you." Inuyasha cringed at the very though of going back into the hut that he considered his prison for the past two days. Not only that, but he really didn't want to be stalled any longer in his search for Kagome.
Normally, he would have argued that he didn't need any damned armor, that the robe of the fire rat would do just fine, but after the hell he was put through with that damn darkness in his body, he wasn't about to leave anything to chance. So, he reluctantly followed everyone else back inside the hut.
Once everyone was inside, Kaede walked over to a dust-covered wooden trunk with sacred incantations drawn all across the lid and lock. Pulling a rustic key from her kimono top, she inserted it into the lock, turning it with some difficulty due to the rust that had formed upon both the key and the lock over the years.
Everyone watched with curiosity as the miko began to rummage around the aged trunk, pulling out tiny trinkets whilst mumbling to herself incoherently. After a few moments of this, she rose again with five small wrapped up bundles of cloth in her arms.
"Sango, this armor was once owned by a fierce taijia that had slain thousands of demons in her lifetime, so if anyone deserves this, it would be ye." She handed Sango a bundle as everyone watched with curiosity as she unwrapped the item.
The cloth revealed a silver band with a tiny pink jewel at its center. She slid the bracelet on her wrist, curiosity and confusion evident across her features.
"What is this supposed to do…?" No sooner had she spoken, the band glowed, wrapping around her arm and slowly spreading to encase her body.
When the light dissipated, Sango's new armor was pretty much the same, only instead of black and pink, it was silver and had navy blue elfin protection spells carved and painted all along the armor, and her pink loin cloth looking thing wasn't there anymore. Her katana was replaced with a sturdy silver sheathed blade at her side to better fight off demons, and her Hiraikotsu was now a navy blue with silver straps for handles. She smiled approvingly at her new armor, bowing in thanks to Kaede.
Kaede smiled, handing Miroku his wrapped trinket. He eagerly unwrapped it to reveal what appeared to be a sleek silver dagger with a sapphire colored handle. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands curiously watching the sun catch the blade, giving it a mischievous glint.
Just as Sango's band had done to her, Miroku's dagger encased him in a blinding light for a moment, but when the light subsided, a certain taijia had to turn her head to hide the blush that found its way across her cheeks. Miroku wore a black tank top with a matching long sleeved cloak over it, his pants also a matching black. The dagger had grown to a full sword that was now in a silver sheath at his side. Black shoes with silver straps and studs replaced his bamboo sandals, and his tiny gold hoop earrings were replaced with silver studs.
"That armor was owned by a powerful houshi-sama long ago who had over powered many evils. May it protect you in your time of need." Miroku nodded, pulling out his sword and inspecting it. It looked as it did when it was a dagger, only it was now the size of a regular sword.
Kaede bent down and handed Shippo and Kirara both their packages, which Shippo had to untie both of them due to the fact that Kirara had no hands to aid her with the task. Shippo's was a katana his size with an emerald green sheath, and Kirara's was a red collar with a silver stud in the middle. Shippo yelped in glee as he put his katana at his side and Kirara's collar around her neck. After a moment, Shippo's katana encased him in light, disappearing to reveal a barbarian outfit, his pelt still there, but he now sported metal shoulder pads and boots, along with his katana and a dark brown shirt.
Kirara's collar glowed as well, revealing that she also now sported new red anklets that matched her collar. Kaede petted the two tailed cat youkai in between the ears playfully as it danced around with the kitsune, both cheering about their new armor and how kawaii (cute, pretty, etc) they looked.
"Shippo, your armor once protected the son of a great demon, may it also protect you. Kirara, your armor was once your descendant's from years past, may its powers be bestowed upon you."
Finally, Kaede turned to Inuyasha solemnly, handing him the last of the wrapped trinkets. He took it into his hands, gingerly opening the cloth mindful that he didn't snag it with his claws. His eyes widened in confusion and wonder at the item cradled in his hands.
It appeared to be a broach for a male, made of pure silver in the shape of a lion's head with the mouth open, a silver ring jutting out from inside of its gaping jaws. It glowed a white light, just as everyone else's had, and encased him in the glow.
He suddenly felt an unexplainable surge power coursing through him, as if he were a full youkai. For a moment, he feared he was, but a quick inventory of his claws and his lack of rage and desire for blood confirmed he was still very much a hanyou. The light faded, though the sense of power stayed. His eyes swept over the new armor, his eyes widening at the new look.
His fire rat haori and red hakama pants were gone, instead he now sported black pants that were not nearly as baggy as his hakama pants, black boots with silver studs lining them, a tight black tank top that showed his muscles rather well, and a navy blue cloak that flowed to his ankles, though he noted how his right arm lacked a sleeve, its shoulder only being covered by a navy blue shoulder plate and his left arm sported a long sleeve with not even half as long of a flowing sleeve as his haori. A single black belt was strapped from his right shoulder plate to wrap around his left side and up his back to the plate again. He looked to his left pectoral, seeing the lion's head broach pinned to his cloak over his heart, as if to protect it. He also noted the high collar of the cloak, either side of it a few inches below chin level, but never touched his skin. Two black belts with silver buckles criss-crossed at his waist, and he noted how his Tetsusaiga was still thankfully at his side. He raised a hand to eye level, seeing how they were both now covered in black leather gloves. (Basically, he stole Cloud's outfit from Final Fantasy VII)
"And that, Inuyasha, was the armor of a great warrior from years past that had stopped at nothing to protect everything he had cherished and battled victoriously over many trials of evil. May it protect you from the darkness you will undoubtedly encounter, and reveal the light you seek." He nodded, catching the hidden meaning of his armor. The one who had last inhabited this armor did anything for that of which he had cherished, very much like himself. Also, when Kaede had said let it reveal the light that he sought, he knew she was talking about Kagome.
Five orbs flittered over to Kaede's awaiting arms, turning into the four peoples' outfits they had originally always worn- Sango's taijia suit, Miroku's houshi-sama robes, Shippo's little bright blue top and dark blue hakama, and Inuyasha's fire rate haori and hakama pants were all in Kaede's arms.
"I shall hold on to these for you, until ye return." With a last nod of understanding and thanks, they all set out once again in search of Kagome, Inuyasha taking lead of the group.
"Inuyasha, how are we going to find Kagome? We don't even know where she's been taken!" Shippo wailed, hopping on Inuyasha's shoulder plate. The hanyou snorted, still keeping his gaze set ahead of him.
"I'll follow wherever I can feel her-"
"Whoa…I knew you've been getting tips from Miroku on how to pick up Kagome and all, but…"
"Wha…no not like that, Shippo; I'm definitely not Miroku." Inuyasha snapped irritably, then adding as a side note,
"And I have NOT been getting tips off of him, got it? It's not his fault he likes to talk about women...all the time…okay, so maybe he has an obsession with women that must be taken care of, but I still haven't been getting tips from him, alright?" For the first time that morning, Inuyasha actually tore his gaze from the path ahead of him to look at Shippo irritably; he hadn't been all too keen on making eye contact with anyone since Kaede had forced him to rest at the hut.
"Anyway, what I meant was I can sense her; I can tell where she is, that's all." The kitsune gave a nod as a reply before he hopped off of Inuyasha's shoulder and skipped along beside Kirara, humming a tune.
Inuyasha swore he almost stopped breathing when he heard Shippo hum that tune. Kagome had sung that song to Shippo whenever the little kit couldn't sleep. Though Inuyasha would never admit it to anyone, he always swiveled his ears in the direction of her beautiful voice and let it soothe him into sleep. She had called the song "A Thousand Miles," once or twice, whenever Shippo asked her the next morning.
The more Inuyasha listened to Shippo humming, he almost swore he heard Kagome whisper the lyrics into his ear as the wind blew gently.
"…Inuyasha…hey, Inuyasha, are you sure you're feeling okay…?"
"Huh?" He turned his head to see Miroku looking at him curiously, one brow raised.
"I asked you if you were feeling alright, you seemed to be in a deep trance of some sort."
"Oh…y-yeah, I'm fine, you should worry more about yourself, being a human and all." Miroku simply laughed and shook his head in response, falling back to walk beside Sango. No one said anything else for at least an hour, each individual .wallowed in their own, separate thoughts.
Inuyasha suddenly felt a tug at his heart strings. Not like a bad sort of tug, but more like a pull in a certain direction, like a lead line attached to a horse, guiding him to a certain destination that he knew without a doubt was where Kagome was.
"I found her." His voice shattered the silence in a hoarse, crackly whisper as his legs halted due to a heavier-than-lead sensation he was experiencing.
"Nani, Inuyasha…?" Sango asked in a low, disbelieving voice.
"I found her…I found Kagome."
"Where is she, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked urgently beside Sango. Inuyasha pointed to a mountain northeast from their position.
"There- at Yama no Kurai, that's where Kagome is; I'm sure of it." (Yama no Kurai means Dark Mountain) Kirara took that as her signal to transform and burst into flames that encased her entire body, starting out as a tiny fire but widened to a fireball the size of a boulder. When the flames dissipated, she stood five feet tall, about the same in length from her head to her two tails. Her front two K-9 fangs jutted out from her lips to curve down three inches, almost to her chin.
Without another word, Miroku and Sango mounted Kirara as Shippo hopped on Inuyasha's shoulder plate, as he had done before. Kirara crouched her knees a moment before springing into the air, galloping through the wind to push herself further while small bursts of fire ringed around her ankles. Inuyasha followed beneath her on the ground, using his demonic speed to keep up with the fire cat youkai.
!Commercial Break!
I just wanted to mention how much I love Ramen! Ramen noodles is the best food in the world that is available in many flavors and varieties, and thanks to Rumiko Takahashi and her awesomeness with le animeishness, Ramen is now available at an affordable price at any grocery store in America! Ahem, on with the story then (I just had to get that off of my chest!)
Inuyasha wasn't sure exactly how long he had been running, but before he knew it, darkness had encased the sky, the sun being replaced by the moon, the clouds by the stars.
"Inuyasha, Kirara's getting tired; what do you say we rest for the night?" Sango called down to the hanyou and the kitsune youkai.
"Yeah, we might as well; we're making good progress as it is." He really didn't want to stop, but he also had to keep in mind that he was traveling with humans- they couldn't keep going nearly as long as he could, and without Kirara to carry them, they wouldn't be getting anywhere fast.
Miroku started a fire while Inuyasha went out to get enough firewood to keep it burning until they all fell asleep. Sango pulled out blankets for everyone and kept watch over Shippo and Kirara until the two men were done with their tasks.
Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Kirara all fell asleep within ten minutes of their arrival. Inuyasha, on the other hand, simply stared into the dying embers of the campfire with a sad, longing expression. Albeit the crackle of the flames, silence ensued throughout the night, which left him completely to his thoughts without a single disruption.
All he could think about was Kagome; every thought, every memory was driven by her and her alone. The wind picked up to tease his hair and the collar of his cloak, carrying with it a familiar, angelic voice that he would know all too well anywhere he went.
"Makin' my way downtown
walking fast
faces pass and I'm homebound,"
He was taken back at the sound…she was here…she was here-! He stood and waited for her to continue so that he could trace her voice to its source, turning slowly around to see if he could spot her. How did she escape? How badly was she hurt? So many questions swam through his head as he searched the landscape for her, but once his rationality and logic took over, then it occurred to him…
"staring blankly ahead
just makin' my way
I'm makin' a way
Through the crowd"
He sank back to his seat in agony. It wasn't her; it was just their connection again that made it so he could hear her. He buried his face in his gloved hands, closing his eyes in defeat. So…he really was no closer to her than he was when they stopped…she's still at the mountain and he's still here.
"and I need you
and I miss you
and now I wonder…"
He opened his eyes lifting his head slightly out of his hands as he felt a sudden warmth wrap around his shoulders from behind him, as if to offer him comfort, shelter from his pain. The sensation was all too familiar, and then…he understood…
"…Kagome…"
"if I could fall into the sky
do you think time would pass me by
cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
if I could just see you…tonight"
"I feel the same way…" He whispered to himself as he felt the warmth spread across his chest and back, like someone was holding him from behind while they leaned into his back.
"it's always times like these
when I think of you
and wonder if you ever think of me"
'I'm always thinking of you, Kagome.' He secretly thought, the invisible warmth soothing him, as if to say that everything was going to be alright. 'Everything had better be alright once this is all said and done.' He tensed a moment, though couldn't remain so as he felt the warmth intensify, but in a pleasant way, as if someone you care about was holding you closely.
"Cause everything's so wrong
and I don't belong
livin' in your precious memory"
Inuyasha would have objected, said that he was the one undeserving of having her in his memory, but that was a little too out of character for him. That and he was afraid if he interrupted the song, it would end as quickly as it came. What he wouldn't give to have this be real…that it was truly Kagome sitting there beside him, singing and not just listening through their ties, holding him like this only should she have been here, he would have turned around andheld her tightly as if to never let go.
"Cause I need you
and I miss you
and now I wonder…"
Now he wondered, too- he wondered if she was alright. If she wasn't, he would rip apart every bastard and/or bitch that dared to touch her. That, and…and he needed her, too…though he would never admit it! What would everyone think of him if he ever said that? They would most likely think him weak, timid even!
"If I could fall into the sky
do you think time would pass me by
cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
if I could just see you…tonight"
"No-!" The warmth around his shoulders began to lessen slightly, began to lift itself from hismuscular frameas if to warn him of its farewell. He couldn't let that happen, not yet. He stood, desperately trying to follow the warmth wherever it was going.
"WAIT-!…Wait…"
"And I, I don't want to let you know
I, I drown in your memory
I, I don't want to let this go
I, I don't…"
"Then don't…if you don't want to let go…then don't…" He pleaded, sinking back to his seat desperately. The warmth followed him, encased him once more. He sighed in relief, his tension dissipating through Kagome's distant comfort.
"Makin' my way downtown
walking fast
faces pass and I'm homebound"
Thank the gods that he was allowed this small time to connect with Kagome, to feel her heartbeat, hear her voice, to feel her warmth. No matter how small a feeling he may get or how little time it lasts, it was enough to satisfy a small bit of him. It assured him that she was alive and her heart strong enough to find his. That in and of itself was just enough for him to get by with, if only for a little while, until he could actually hold Kagome in his arms again, or at least have the option of doing so open to him.
"And I still need you,
and I still miss you,
and now I wonder…"
Her voice was growing quiet, much to Inuyasha's disappointment. He knew the song was almost over, and once that happened it was likely that their connection would be broken again. Kami-sama how he didn't want this to end, not now and not ever, though he knew it would have to; it still broke his heart that it had to end so suddenly.
"If I could fall into the sky
do you think time would pass us by
cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
if I could just see you…
if I could just…hold you…tonight…"
His shoulders suddenly felt cold, lonely, empty as the warmth lifted from his shoulders and completely dissipated without a trace. He stood trying to retrace Kagome's spiritual hold on him, but the attempt was futile; their connection was broken. He fell on his hands and knees, feeling an unfamiliar prickly feeling behind his eyes. He shook his head roughly, refusing to let any tears to be shed; he had to be strong, not only for himself, but for Kagome as well.
He needed to be strong for Kagome.
He stood up tall and proud, his shoulders pulled back, head held up high. His eyes burned with determination and pride;Kagome was always there for him when he was weak, or on the verge of giving up. She was always helping him stand spiritually and emotionally, giving him a reason to fight, to be strong. Then he did something that he thought he wouldn't be doing for a long time.
He grinned.
For he knew that Kagome had done all of these things for him, and now it was his turn. His turn to show her how much he cared, how much he supported her, had faith in her, trusted her. Now it was his turn to be her emotional and physical pillar.
And he was going to rise up to the occasion, just as they always had. Together.
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LONGEST CHAPTER IN THE STORY! YAH –throws confetti- okay, party time over. I apologize to the reader (keyword: READER) of this story, but unless I get some more people to review, I'm deleting the story. Well, maybe not, but I'm seriously considering it.