Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha or any of the characters from the show. (All hail Rumiko Takahashi)! But I do own Serena and Iokji!
darkflame1516: WAHH! It's the final chapter!
Inu-Yasha: YAY!
darkflame1516: Kagome?
Kagome: Sit boy!
Inu-Yasha: slams into ground
darkflame1516: heh heh heh!
Kagome: giggles
darkflame1516: Yeah, that was great!
Also, my anonymous reviews have been turned on, so…
I would prefer if you left signed reviews, but I want reviews more, so…
See the bottom for the ending author notes!
darkflame1516: And, now, our Feature Presentation!
Chapter 16 – New Beginnings
"Catch me if you can, Inu-Yasha."
Red liquid flying through the air…screaming people fleeing from a demon…bright glowing red eyes…the taste of blood on her lips…bodies littering the ground…the scent of death strong in the air…
Serena sat up, panting and drenched in warm sweat. Was that really me? Did I really do all that? Am I really capable of such…slaughter? She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and stood up, shaking off the remnants of her dream. I remember it so vividly. But I know that I didn't want to kill all those people. She thought as she pulled off her sweat-soaked nightclothes and got dressed. It was all Iokji; he was the one enjoying all that death. She walked out the door of the village's guest house, blinking in the bright sunlight. Right?
She scanned the horizon, letting the nightmare slip from her mind. She spotted Shippo and Kirara playing in the distance, chasing a group of squirrels around a tree. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she turned back towards the village and glanced at Kaede's hut. I should probably apologize to Inu-Yasha. I kinda gutted him after all. She sighed deeply and began walking towards it.
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Miroku stared at Sango while she instructed the village children on some safety techniques to use during demon attacks. She's so beautiful. He sighed before spotting something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to find Serena walking towards Kaede's hut and he smiled. She looks very upset about something. Perhaps she could use a shoulder to cry on. Then he sighed lightly. She'd probably just hit me again. But I should go speak to her about what happened the day she transformed. He marched towards her and stepped into her path, halting her in her tracks.
"What?" She sighed. He cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to phrase his statement delicately.
"Do you love me?"
SMACK! He sighed deeply. Okay, that may not have been the smartest way to say it, but at least she didn't punch me.
"Why the hell would you say that?" She demanded.
"You kissed me," he said. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What are you talking about? I never kis…" She trailed off, remembering the day she had transformed and nearly got killed by Inu-Yasha. "Oh, crap."
"I guess you forgot, huh?"
"No shit, Dick Tracey," she spat. Then she groaned. "I'm sorry, Miroku. It's just…I didn't know that it meant anything to you. I-I-That wasn't me. I never wanted to kiss you Miroku, but Iokji made me. He was…kinda perverted."
"Oh," he said dejectedly, his head drooping. She shook her head and growled in frustration.
"Don't act like that, Miroku. It's just…I like you, but only as a friend. I just don't see you in that way. Okay?" She asked softly. His head shot back up and his eyes met her, twinkling happily.
"That's just fine, Serena. I'd rather have you as a friend too," he said, grinning. Especially now that Sango isn't hitting me with that boomerang any more.
"Great," she said, sighing in relief. "Can I go now?" She motioned towards Kaede's hut. He nodded and she walked around him. He followed her with his eyes until he saw Sango approach Serena. Then his gaze stayed on Sango, lingering over her silky hair and delicate face.
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"Hi, Sango," Serena said nervously, eyeing the demon slayer standing in front of her. I'm never gonna make it to that hut! She thought. The thought of apologizing to Inu-Yasha is getting harder with every passing minute! Why is the world doing this to me?
"Serena, I wanted to talk about what happened with Iokji," Sango said. Serena groaned inwardly. How did I know this was gonna happen? How can I possibly make amends for what I did? "I'm sorry" just doesn't seem to cover it.
"Sango, I'm sorry about what happened," she said. Just because it doesn't cover everything, doesn't mean it isn't a good place to start. "I really am very sorry that I tried to choke you." Sango waved her hand dismissively.
"I don't care about that. It was Iokji doing all that stuff, not you. What I mean is how you only told Kaede about your headaches and dreams," she said. Serena stared at her in disbelief. Is she really not mad? I hurt her and she doesn't care?
"What about it?"
"We're your friends, Serena. Next time something like this happens, I want you to come tell us about it, not hide it, okay?" Sango said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Serena nodded, still confused. Sango smiled. "Good."
She walked away from Serena, heading back to a group of kids waiting anxiously for her.
I can't believe she's not mad! She has to be mad, she's probably just pretending so that I don't feel mad. God, how patronizing! Then she shook her head vigorously. No, she's being my friend. I'm just being defensive. Let's see: Miroku hit on me, and Sango was nice and friendly. I wonder how Inu-Yasha is gonna act. He probably gonna be mad and yell at me. Last night Kagome just seemed worried about me. I hope she's not mad too.
Serena continued to Kaede's hut and was about to walk in when she heard the sounds of arguing. Some things never change. She sighed and walked in.
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"It's only for a few hours, Inu-Yasha. I need to get some more medical supplies to treat your wounds," Kagome said, sitting beside him on the floor of Kaede's hut and staring at him with pleading eyes.
"No," Inu-Yasha replied firmly. She stood up, swinging her backpack over her shoulders.
"Well, I'm going anyway," she said stubbornly. He started to rise from the floor, his mouth open to argue and she shot him a look.
"Don't think that I won't say it just because you're injured," she warned, wagging her finger at him. He sat back down and glared at her.
Serena snickered from over by the door. Kagome turned around and squealed when she saw her cousin. She ran over to her and wrapped Serena in a huge hug.
"You're…choking…me," Serena said and Kagome let go, her face turning her.
"Sorry," she said, smiling sheepishly. Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.
"So, where are you going, Kagome?" She asked, eyeing the backpack on her cousin's shoulder.
"Just back to the house for a little bit. I need to get some more bandages and things for Inu-Yasha's wound. I'll be back soon," she said, then she ran out the door, heading for the well.
Serena leaned on the wall by the door, arms crossed against her chest as Inu-Yasha grumbled about Kagome.
"Stupid wench."
"Don't call her that," Serena said and Inu-Yasha looked up, not realizing she was still in the hut.
"Thought you left. And why shouldn't I?" He asked. She pushed off from the wall and walked closer to him.
"Because she's not stupid. She's just worried about you."
"What, this?" He asked, motioning toward his wound. "This is nothing."
"But it's still bleeding," she said. His eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"How can you tell?"
"I just…can, okay?" She said, shrugging.
"I don't believe you."
"Why are you making this harder than it should be?" She moaned in aggravation. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.
"I'm trying to apologize to you, you…you…" She growled, unable to say exactly what she wanted to say. You retard!
"Apologize? For what?" He asked, surprised. She flopped down on the floor beside him, taking a deep breath before she continued.
"For nearly killing you and the others. Duh!"
"Feh. Why are you worried about that? That wasn't you," he sneered.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard this speech already. It wasn't me, it was Iokji. God, you'd think you guys practiced it!" She screeched.
"You're weird," he said. She didn't reply as he had expected; instead she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her hands. What is she doing? He thought as he looked at her in confusion for a moment, then became startled as he realized she was crying.
"Serena?" He asked, mildly worried. "What's wrong?" She cried even harder and kept her face covered while she replied.
"I hurt…I hurt all of you guys. I…I killed an entire village…I wounded you…And everyone keeps telling me that it's not my fault," she sobbed, her shoulders shaking. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.
"So what? We're telling you it's not your fault because it isn't. You weren't yourself."
"But it is my fault! Iokji may have been in my body, but I was fighting him. I was winning against him. I even got through to Koga while I was possessed," She paused, looking down at her lap. "But once Iokji started to kill those villagers…I stopped fighting." Serena put a hand to her mouth, her eyes spilling even more tears onto her cheeks.
"What are you saying?"
"I…I let him kill those villagers. The whole time he was inside me, I was fighting. But when the blood started to flow, I just…I sat back and let it happen. I enjoyed…!" She broke off as loud sobs began to wrack her body. Inu-Yasha grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. She buried her face in his cloak and he held her as she cried.
When her tears finally began to subside, she pulled away from him, but his arms still held her close. He looked down at her and smiled sadly.
"Serena, stop doing this to yourself." She looked up at him and sniffled, wiping her tears away with her hands.
"How can I? I killed all those…" She was interrupted as Inu-Yasha shook her gently and frowned down at her.
"Listen very carefully to what I am about to say and don't argue with me once I say it," he ordered. She opened her mouth to protest and he put a finger to her lips. "Shut up and listen, wench." She pouted and glared at him, but quieted.
"It…is…not…your…fault," he sounded out each word. "It was all Iokji. And the not fighting back part? We all give up sometimes. We all lose hope. But the thing that can make you different than everyone else, is to not let it bother you. If you let what you think you did affect what you actually do, then you are not the girl I thought you were when you first came here."
"And what kind of girl did you think I was?" She asked, a smile tugging at her mouth once more. He grinned back at her.
"I thought you were brave, confident, and born to be a pain in my ass," Inu-Yasha replied. She returned his grin with one of her own.
"Got that right, mutt." She giggled.
"Taking a page out of Koga's book, are you?" He asked, and she nodded, laughing even harder.
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She stepped from Kaede's hut, smiling happily, and leaving Inu-Yasha to his grumbling about Kagome. She looked around and saw Sango and Miroku talking quietly and Shippo still chasing squirrels. She giggled again, her hair spilling over her shoulders. Then she saw a shadow on the ground and whirled around to find Koga staring down at her. She smiled and looked up at him.
"Can I help you with something?" She asked and he laughed, his shoulders shaking and his hair waving in the wind. He's so…beautiful. Not many guys can be beautiful and still be attractive, but Koga pulls it off.
"Yeah, you probably could," he said, grinning widely.
"And what exactly can I do for you, Koga?" She smiled slyly at him. He reached a hand to her shoulder and played with her long blonde hair, wrapping it around his fingers.
"You can be my mate." Her eyes widened and she coughed in disbelief.
"I can be your-What?"
"My mate," he said, as if that explained everything.
"But…I thought you wanted Kagome as your mate." At least, that's what Kagome said last night when she was explaining everything in this crazy era.
"I did. But that was before I saw you. Your strength, and courage, and beauty. I want you to be with me."
"But…I don't even know you! I mean, you're cool, sure, but I don't know anything about you. I don't date people I don't know, let alone mate with them!"
"I will do anything to be yours, Serena. Even if that means I must 'date' you first," Koga said, grabbing her hand and kissing it.
"Okay. I can deal with dating," she replied.
"But what exactly is 'dating'?" He asked.
"Uh…" She stuttered. How do I phrase this in terms that a feudal-era wolf demon would understand? God, I never though I'd say that in my life! "It's…it's like…courting. Dating means courting in my time."
"Oh. You mean you want me to woo you first," he said, grinning happily. "I can do that."
"Well…I guess that means your my boyfriend, huh?" She smiled nervously.
"Does a boyfriend get to kiss you?" He asked. She hesitated, then nodded vigorously. He bent down to her, kissing her gently on the cheek and she blushed deeply. He started to pull away and she turned her face so their lips met.
Wow! He thought as Serena kissed him. This is much better than before. She's kissing me because she wants to, not because she's possessed. And its…sweet. Her lips taste so sweet.
She pulled back from him and giggled nervously. Koga grinned widely and wrapped her in a hug so fast that it startled her.
I guess everything worked out okay after all. She thought. Then she grinned widely. I can't wait to see what crazy adventure happens next!
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Okay, how'd u like it? And how'd u like the story overall? Please leave your final reviews after the beep.
I hope you all enjoyed the story and are looking forward to the sequel! Cause I know I am! I hope to have the first chapter of the next one up in about a month or so. Shouldn't be too long of a wait, I hope. It will be titled, "Serena's Story: Crescent Moon", so I hope you'll keep your eyes peeled!
I'd like to give a special thanks to all my CONSISTANT reviewers:
DarkRealm08
Ear-Tweak-Sama
AnimeNymph
kikwhorehater
slipknot4349
And a big round of applause to DarkRealm08, slipknot4349, and my friend Nikki for using cattle prods on me to get this chapter finished! YAYIES!
Thank you ALL for reviewing most of my chapters! I hope you will continue to read my stories and will also R&R Crescent Moon!
BEEP!