Author's Notes: Hello, everyone! How was your week? Mine was okay...my shoulder has finally progressed to a point where I can start strengthening my rotator cuff and shoulder muscles. That's a major step! And my physical therapist says that I'm progressing faster then most people she's ever worked with after that kind of surgery...so I guess that means all my hard work with my pulleys and thera-bands is starting to finally pay off! Yay for persistence!
Oh, and in other news, the mountain (or should I say volcano) near my home erupted today! Yeah, it spouted some ash and steam and all that good stuff and created a huge crater in its side. And they're saying it's not over yet...the earthquakes have started again, so we should be prepared for another eruption at any time. It's Mount St. Helens, in case anyone was wondering, and I live about a five or six hour drive away from it. So that's certainly interesting. But now on to the story...
We're starting to move forward again with the plot, so there will be some more action again, rather then just conversation and fillers. And watch for what happens at the end of this chapter...I'm sure all of you will figure it out...I'm hoping you'll all be happy about what (or should I say who?) shows up!
I'd better shut up or I'm just going to give away the whole chapter. I'm glad you all liked the romance in the last chapter. Remember, we need to move slowly, but at the same time I'm not going to drag things out between the couple as much as Rumiko Takahashi seems so inclined to do because, as I've stated before, I wouldn't wait for months and months to tell someone I had feelings for them! But keep in mind that Kagome tends to come to her revelations before our beloved hanyou, since he can be a little dense at times...ehm...
Thanks as always for all your wonderful reviews, both with compliments and suggestions, I really appreciate them, and honestly read every single one. Enjoy chapter fifteen!
Charmed18: AP US History? I feel your pain. Last year I had that class, and all I can remember is reading at least one chapter every week out of the book, with a multiple choice exam every Monday, a ninety minute lecture on Tuesday, and a practice essay exam on Thursday. Ugh...that was overwhelming at times. But cheer up, at least the material is interesting...most of the time (except for all the stuff about Jacksonian Democracy...I never really got into that). And by the way, what musical is your school doing?
Crystal Rose2: Thank you for the feedback...I appreciate you taking the time to make suggestions. I'll try to work on not using flashbacks so much, and as for the grammar, I'll be honest when I say that I've always had a problem with keeping 'then' and 'than' in proper context. But I'll maybe start asking someone else to read my stuff and edit it so that they can catch it. Thanks again!
Miko Sakura-sama: clears throat and sings in lovely mezzo-soprano opera voice Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear reader, happy birthday to you! bows Now tell me how old you are, and have a great day!
Orange-Inuyasha: I had no idea that's what that meant...it gives a whole new meaning to the many different promises Inuyasha has made to both Kikyou and Kagome in the series. In that context he's even worse then just a two-timer! Thanks for the tidbit, and for the review!
Title: Impossible Dreams
Author: dolphingirl0113
Chapter: Fifteen
Rating: PG-13 (rated for language, violence, and implied sexual situations)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
DEDICATION: For Ted Dorsey, the greatest coach I will ever have, the most wonderful and patient mentor I will ever know, and the best friend I could have asked for. Thank you for everything you did for me in my life.
The tops of the trees flew by beneath her, and Kagura tilted her head back to savor the feeling of the wind combing through her hair, pulling a few loose strands free from the clasp that held it away from her neck. She closed her eyes and sighed, inhaling the smell of fresh rain from the day before.
She had never been good at appreciating nature, not even when she had been free to choose what she did with her life. It had always been Kanna, sweet little Kanna, who had loved to roll around in the grass after a rain storm, saying, even at her young age, that there was something special about getting the smell of fresh air on your body. It had all made the older woman laugh back then, but now all it did was make Kagura melancholy, reminding her of what she'd lost.
A branch below snapped, and she quickly came out of her trance, swooping down on her white feather to inspect the source of the noise. What she found was a squirrel, happily munching on a fallen acorn, and huffed in exasperation as she took to the sky once more, continuing her search.
Kanna had told her, just before she left, that she would not find Inuyasha or Kagome at the demon exterminator hide out, but that she would find them on the road to the west...heading, unknowingly, towards where Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older half brother, currently lived. Naraku had, for once, actually looked visibly surprised, and cut his plan for attack in half, sending Kagura to deal with the hanyou and the girl before he ran the risk of having the sons of Inutaisho reunited.
"Hn," she grunted, leaning back on her knees as her feather continued to move through the air. "Are you afraid, Naraku? Is that what you fear?"
He had explained to her, many times, the power of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, and feared the older demon brother being freed from his restrictive diamond shard. That is why he didn't want to risk Kagome Higurashi getting anywhere near the demon prince, but at the same time, he also didn't want the brothers to get any wild ideas about uniting their forces and marching against Naraku himself.
"If I could only assure myself that Kanna would be safe," Kagura muttered aloud, "I would lead them right to that cruel bastard." Unfortunately, she added silently, she didn't know how that damnable mirror worked. For all she knew, if Naraku died, Kanna would die too...or worse, be a soulless zombie for the rest of her life.
"Damn him!" She swore under her breath, wishing desperately to hit something with her pale hand, currently clenched into a tight fist.
Kill Kagome Higurashi, he had said. Kill her and incapacitate Inuyasha and bring the hanyou to his castle. Those had been Naraku's exact orders.
And what had Kagome done to deserve such a fate? She had done nothing more then be born in a time when evil reigned supreme. And Kagura, stupidly, had allowed that little girl with black hair and dangerous eyes to live all those years ago.
A flash of red caught her attention, and as Kagura sped by she watched a group of four moving down a small road beneath her. Glancing over her shoulder she knew there was no mistaking that silver hair...it was Inuyasha. She had found her targets.
"Another few dead won't make any difference," She muttered to herself with a sigh of regret. "You're already going to hell for what you've done, Kagura."
But then she thought about the fact that there were two others with Inuyasha and Kagome...no doubt that monk with the cursed hand and the former demon exterminator. What should she do with them? She knew what Naraku would have her do...but, did she really want to kill them too, and add two more innocent victims to her growing list? Was it worth the blood that would stain her hands?
Realizing that she was still speeding along in the opposite direction of her prey, the wind sorceress finally made her decision. She could take no chances...they would all have to die. And Inuyasha would go to Naraku. She couldn't risk Kanna's life by sparing anyone else like she had Kagome all those years ago.
With that thought in mind, she lowered her head in a moment of regret as she turned the feather around and pointed it back in the direction of the four unsuspecting people. And as she started to move faster, she lifted her face directly into the wind and smirked. Kagura was gone, replaced now by the wind sorceress who was Naraku's deadliest assassin...just as he'd taught her to be.
It was the only way she survived from day to day.
Kagome felt as though she were walking on air, her heart thumping happily as she hummed some tune she'd heard from a long ago waltz. A smile was plastered on her face, and her feet were almost skipping along the ground.
He had held her all night. She could still feel Inuyasha's arms around her, as though the night had never ended and he had never woken her up to get her back inside the cave before anyone noticed they were gone. His smell seemed permanently ingrained in her nose, and now that she knew what he smelled like, the fresh air around her paled in comparison.
Never in her entire life had she felt so safe.
Never.
Not even when her mother had held her, or her father had sat with her in her bedroom until she fell asleep, had she felt quite so secure and, frankly, invulnerable. He was like a shield...a living, breathing shield that kept her protected from all the dangers of the world.
"Hey woman, do you mind not humming like that?" Inuyasha called out, and she turned around to smile at him, surprising everyone. Since when did Kagome ever smile at Inuyasha like that?
"Why?"
The hanyou didn't take long to recover. "Because I have sensitive ears, and I can't stand you singing out of tune like that."
It was like the world came crashing down around her ears, and Kagome suddenly looked like the sun had gone out of her life and the rain clouds had moved in. "I..." Anger quickly replaced her confused heartbreak, and she hardened her eyes. "What would you know baka? It's not like you're musical!"
"What did you say wench?"
"I said you're probably tone deaf, so your opinion doesn't matter!" And with that she started humming again, this time louder...and purposefully off key.
The hanyou thrust his hands over his ears as though in horrific pain, and in all honesty he was. He'd learned how to play the piano thanks to his mother while living at his old home, so he knew quite well what good music was. In all honesty, Kagome hadn't been singing off key before, she'd sounded quite lovely, but now...now she just sounded like fingernails scraping over a rock.
Finally, he just couldn't take it any more. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
Kagome stopped humming and looked at him in surprise. Was it really bothering him that much? "Inuyasha? I...I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were that serious about it."
"Keh," he shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to get into another uncomfortable conversation with Kagome. "Shows what you know."
She huffed and turned back around, her good mood completely ruined. Why had he done that? It had been so wonderful the night before, so why...? He'd offered her his red jacket, which was once more on his shoulders, after she'd washed the raggedy dress that was again on her own body. And he'd held her close and promised to always protect her, his voice tender, like he...
Kagome shook her head, suddenly feeling very nervous and afraid of what she had been about to say in her head. There was no way. No way at all. She didn't even want to think about the possibility that he loved her.
"Ah, why did I say it?!" She shrieked aloud, and her three companions all stopped to look at her in confusion.
"Um, Kagome?" It was Sango who spoke, coming forward.
Kagome turned and looked at her friend, blushing. Sango was now wearing her exterminator armor, and looked like a completely changed woman. The armor, unlike her gowns, revealed every curve of her body; her shapely thighs, curvaceous hips, and long, lean arms (Miroku had already been drooling since the moment he first saw her in her new garb). Her hair was pulled back behind her head in a tight ponytail that allowed the brown curls to fall down her back, and slung across her chest was her large weapon, the boomerang like object that she called Hiraikotsu.
"Sorry," Kagome blushed again.
"Are you okay? I mean, you didn't say anything, you know."
"What? Oh, yeah, I know...I meant what I'd said in my head."
Sango nodded. "What was that? Something bad?"
Without meaning to, Kagome snuck a glance in Inuyasha's direction, and the hanyou met her gaze steadily, their eyes locking. "Um, not really...I mean," Kagome blinked and looked away, "I don't know."
But the demon exterminator now had a look of pure glee in her eyes, and she sent a meaningful glance towards Miroku, who nodded in understanding and looked at Inuyasha. "I understand Kagome," She finally replied, patting her friend on the shoulder.
"Wait!" Kagome moved so that she was in front of Sango and looking directly into her brown eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"
She shrugged. "I know that you were thinking about Inuyasha."
"What?!" She sputtered. "I...I was not!"
Sango laughed again. "Please, it's obvious that you were. And I don't know why that bothers you so much."
"I wasn't thinking about Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped back...a little too loudly. Inuyasha turned with a stunned expression on his face, while Miroku just looked positively stupid with a grin spread all across his face.
Her cheeks now burning, Kagome turned around and started walking down the road again. "Let's get going," she muttered.
"Hey Kagome, wait!" It was Inuyasha who spoke, running up to her side. Sango just stepped back in a suspiciously generous act, moving to Miroku's side.
"What, Inuyasha?" Kagome now just sounded tired.
"What were you and Sango talking about?"
"Nothing."
"Then why did you say my name?"
"I didn't." Now that was stupid, and she knew it. Of course she'd said his name. She'd said it loud enough for everyone within ten miles to hear it. And now, her face was so transparent he would have no trouble seeing the fact that she was falling...
Oh god! What was she thinking? She absolutely refused to go down that road. She refused to follow that thought process to its end, because to do so would make it more real then she wanted it to be.
"I'm not in love with you!" She snapped, as though he had just been arguing that he was.
Inuyasha, for his part, stepped back an inch, blushing like a fool. "I...never said you were." Exactly how was he supposed to respond to that?
"Well, don't ever think that I am!" She continued, now more embarrassed then ever. "I mean, just because of what happened last night doesn't mean I have any major feelings for you." Good lord, could she possibly stick her foot any further in her mouth at that point?
"Last night?" Now Inuyasha was angry because he didn't like how everything coming out of her mouth was confusing. He also didn't like how she kept snapping at him like he'd done something wrong. "Who said last night meant anything? I sure as hell didn't!"
"What happened last night?" Sango and Miroku both asked in unison.
"Shut up!" Kagome and Inuyasha yelled back, and their friends took a few steps back in surprise.
Kagome whirled around to face Inuyasha. "What do you mean last night meant nothing to you? Was what you said a lie too?"
The hanyou blinked in extreme confusion. Now she was contradicting herself. A moment ago she'd said the night before had meant nothing...now she was acting hurt when he agreed with her? "What the hell do you want from me, wench? I said I would always protect you, didn't I? What more do you want?"
"Why did you say that?"
Now he was really getting pissed off by her questions. And what did Inuyasha do when he was pissed off? He said something stupid. "Because somebody's got to save your butt when you get in trouble! You certainly can't defend yourself!"
"What?" Kagome all but screeched, refusing to allow him to see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes at what he'd just said.
"Keh, you can't hit the broad side of a barn with your arrows. Frankly, I don't know why you even bothered to bring them with you!" He indicated the bow and quiver full of arrows slung over her back, looking somewhat out of place next to her dress, which was falling apart at the seams after over three weeks straight of wearing it.
Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, and she turned around before he could see the tears spill down over her cheeks. Looking down at her rags, at her hands, which were dirty, and feeling her stringy hair falling down out of the braid she'd put it into that morning, she couldn't help but agree with him. She must look absolutely pathetic at that moment. And she really wasn't getting any better with her arrows, and now that the shock of the fact that she could shoot purity arrows had worn off, people were shaking their heads in exasperation at her apparently slow ability to learn.
She started stomping off, but not before the scent of salt caught Inuyasha's attention, and his jaw dropped open as he realized Kagome was crying.
"Damn," he swore softly. He'd never meant to say anything like that. But she was making him so nervous with all her talk about love and interpreting what he'd said the night before. He didn't know what he'd meant by that...and as such he didn't need the likes of her pushing him to understand.
Distracted as he was by Kagome's crying, Inuyasha didn't catch the scent of Kagura until they were all blown over by a forceful gust of wind, flattening everyone save the hanyou to the ground. When they all looked up they found the wind sorceress standing before them, her fan up and hiding the lower half of her face, just as it had before.
"You should be nicer to the woman who set you free, Inuyasha," Kagura muttered, clucking her tongue as though she were his mother and scolding him for being naughty.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha snapped back, his body going rigid. "Did you not get enough of a beating last time?" He flexed his fingers, his knuckles cracking and his sharp nails looking like dangerous knife edges.
Kagura just laughed. "Don't insult me, Inuyasha....as I recall, it was your friend the monk over there who saved your sorry butt before. I would have killed you and that wolf man if he hadn't gotten in the way." She looked up thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, where is wolf-boy?"
"He's not here," Inuyasha ground out, thinking of Kouga back at the cave protecting all the people inside. He'd been furious when they'd all decided that he would be the one to stay behind that time, but in the end Kagome, with a few sweet words that had caused the hanyou's skin to boil, had managed to calm him down and get him to agree to the task.
Kagura shrugged as though she didn't care and turned her deadly gaze on Kagome, who was slowly rising to her feet. "Arrows?" She chuckled again. "How noble of you, Kagome...don't tell me you have a skill with archery now too? What a combination that would be: the woman who can purify the shards and shoot arrows at the same time."
Kagome glared at Kagura once she had her feet solidly planted on the ground once more. "I don't need to listen to you," she hissed, pulling an arrow out of her quiver and notching it in the bow. Pulling back like Sango had shown her, she let the arrow fly, the string snapping her cheek yet again with a harsh sting.
The arrow was immediately engulfed in an impressive pink light, and Kagura opened her eyes wide in shock. "What...? It can't be!" But in truth she didn't have to do anything since Kagome's aim was off, and the arrow flew right by her.
Still, the wind sorceress felt her body shake slightly from the shock of what she'd just seen. It couldn't be, there was no way that puny little girl of a woman could fire off a purity arrow!
Suddenly there was a new reason why Kagome Higurashi had to die.
"Enough of these games," she snapped, drawing her fan above her head. "It's time for you to die, Kagome Higurashi!" And with that she swept her hand in front of her face, launching several blades of light towards the ebony-haired woman who had no chance of moving in time.
Inuyasha watched in horror as Kagome screamed and fell to her knees, large cuts appearing on her arms and legs, oozing blood. Thankfully none of the blades seemed to have cut her throat, heart, or stomach, but all the same she was now in danger.
"Bitch!" Inuyasha launched himself into the air and swept at Kagura with his claws before she knew what was happening, and was satisfied when he heard her cry out in pain, claw marks appearing on her back. "Keh, that will teach you to attack Kagome."
But the wind sorceress was not so easily fazed and, turning around, she smiled again. "What's she to you, Inuyasha? Could it be the mighty prince has fallen in love? That he's gone soft?"
"Shut up!" Inuyasha charged again, but this time was forced to jump out of the way as Kagura launched another attack. He was unharmed, but barely, and now there was no one standing in between Kagome and her attacker. At least, he hadn't thought there was...
"Hiraikotsu!" The boomerang came flying out of nowhere, and Kagura threw herself to the ground at the last moment to avoid being sliced in half as the great weapon circled around to be caught easily by Sango, who had run up beside Kagome and was now bending over and seeing to her wounds.
"Stand back, Inuyasha," Miroku commanded, "I'll take care of her!" And with that he started to open his kazaana.
Seeing this, Kagura smirked and reached into a pocket at her waist to pull forth a large yellowish ball. Making sure she was secure on the ground, she released it into the air just as the monk freed his hand, so that it went spiraling into the dark tunnel. Seconds later he was falling to the ground, resealing his hand.
"Miroku!" Sango shrieked, for a moment forgetting about Kagome as she stumbled over to check on the man, who was fast going pale, sweat beading up on his forehead.
"God, I..." He felt his breath coming out of him in gasps. "I feel so cold, Sango...I don't know what went wrong..."
Sango took his hand and shuddered as she realized how clammy it was. "You're alright, Miroku, just hold on to my hand."
Kagura stood up once more, feeling proud of herself for taking care of that particular threat. "You didn't think I would just let him use his curse on me again, did you?" She laughed as the demon exterminator sent her a hateful glare. "You needn't worry," She teased, "The poison will wear off eventually...so long as he doesn't die first."
"Poison!" Sango looked back down at the fallen man and felt her body shake in fear. Poison that acted that fast would surely kill him...wouldn't it? "Hold on, Miroku! Just keep squeezing my hand!"
He nodded, though his face was tight. "I'll...try...Sango..."
"How touching," Kagura mocked, raising her fan above her head again. "How about I be kind and send you two to the afterlife together? That way you'll never be apart."
But just as she was about to sweep her fan down she felt something brush past her cheek, leaving a line of blood and a horrific stinging sensation, like her skin was being burned from the inside. Whirling around in anger, Kagura saw, of all people, Kagome, on her feet, breathing hard, her dress soiled with her own blood, her bow at the ready from where she had just launched an arrow.
"Don't you dare hurt them!" She hissed, though her voice was weak, every drop of blood that she lost draining more of her life away.
"I'd forgotten about you," Kagura replied, trying not to sound as shaken up as she felt. Her skin was still burning on her left cheek...
"Don't even think about touching her!" Inuyasha shouted, reentering the battle with his claws outstretched, and he and the wind sorceress went at it in a fierce duel of martial arts since she couldn't get far enough away to use one of her attacks.
Kagome slowly moved toward her friends, her legs shaking with fatigue, and collapsed beside Sango, seeing Miroku's face turn towards her from where it rested in Sango's lap.
"Hey Miroku," she murmured, and he tried to smile. "We didn't see any of this coming, did we?"
"No," he replied, still trying to act light hearted, even in his current situation.
"Kagome," Sango turned to her, "Can you watch over him? I have to go and help Inuyasha."
Kagome nodded. "Of course."
Unfortunately, before they could make the switch, they saw Inuyasha go flying back towards one of the trees, his head knocking against the trunk hard enough that he was left rolling his neck from side to side as he tried to clear his hazy vision.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed, wanting to move toward him, but found that she couldn't when Kagura stepped in her way. "You..." She spat, to which the deadly assassin only smiled in contempt.
"Come now, Kagome, you know I can't let you live. I'm under orders." A flash of regret passed over her face. "We all do what we must to survive." Her expression once more returned to normal. "And I have to thank you for making it so easy to kill all three of you at once."
Sango opened her eyes wide, clearly trying to figure out what she could do to save them, but her weapon was just out of her reach, and she currently had a very sick Miroku in her lap. There was nothing she could do...
"I never thought I'd die this way," Miroku murmured. "I always thought...the curse would kill me first..."
"We're not going to die, Miroku," Sango insisted, clutching his hand tighter, but he just shook his head.
"A warrior mentality to the end, eh Sango?"
The way he said her name caused the demon exterminator to go warm, her fingers tingling where they were resting in his black hair. Her eyes softened, and a genuine smile came to her face. "Miroku..."
Kagura drew her fan back to cause the final blow, and Kagome watched as though in another place, as though her body was not her own. She wasn't sorry her own life was ending, but more she was sorry her friends had to die as well. She felt it was her fault, that once again someone was dying because they had tried to protect her, just like...her mother.
And then, in that moment, something happened...
She felt something tingling at her wrist, and Kagome glanced down to see the large shard glowing a bright pink, a lot like the pink light that always surrounded her arrows.
The pain in her body vaporized, as though it had never been there, even though the metallic smell of her blood was still in her nose, and without thinking Kagome threw herself to her feet, crossing her arms in front of her, her bow in her right hand...the hand that held the shard.
"Don't you hurt them!" She screamed. "I won't let you kill them like you killed my mother!"
"There's nothing you can do about it!" Kagura shouted back, and swept her fan down, her blades shooting towards Kagome and the others.
Kagome closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that would come, but it never did. Instead, she felt something warm surround her, calming her, taking all her fears away. Was she dying? Was this how it felt to die? To have no fear, and no anger in your heart?
"Kagome..." It was Sango who let out a gasp of surprise, causing her to realize she wasn't dead.
Cracking her eyes open slightly, Kagome was met with the sight of a pink barrier separating her from the wind sorceress, who was now on the ground, her own blood spilling out of several small wounds on her body. How had that happened?
Kagura stared up at the girl before her in shock, taking in the sight of her bow that was glowing a bright pink, the shard at her wrist glowing too, the pink barrier forming a circle around her and her friends, keeping them safe. Wincing, she looked down at her wounded leg, where one of the blades from her attack had hit her after it bounced off the barrier.
She couldn't stay, for she would surely die now. She had to get away...
Without thinking any more, she drew the feather from her hair and allowed it to carry her into the sky once more, where she knew she would be safe. She might have failed Naraku again, but at least this way she was still alive. She had to stay alive, to protect Kanna...
Kagome watched her go, her strength slowing leaving her, until finally, without warning, the pain that had vanished came back and hit her full force, and she became painfully aware of how much blood she had lost as her vision started going dark. Her bow dropped from her hands, her arrows spilling out of their quiver, and she toppled forward, waiting to hit the ground.
Instead she fell against something hard and strong, something that smelled like pine trees and fresh air...
"Inuyasha," she whispered, and felt a pair of strong arms circle around her body. "I...tried..."
"You did your best, Kagome," she vaguely heard him saying. "And you saved all of us."
"We have to get her back to the cave," Sango stated, and Kagome rolled her head (why did it suddenly feel so heavy?) to see her friend, who looked worried. "She and Miroku both need help."
Inuyasha nodded, and Kagome felt herself rise off the ground as the hanyou lifted her into his strong arms, cradling her to his chest tenderly. "I'll hurry, and then come back for you and the monk." Sango nodded, and Inuyasha turned to run.
"Wait, don't go that way," A deep, unfamiliar voice suddenly called out from somewhere, and Kagome forced her eyes to open to see who had just arrived. It wasn't Kouga...the sound was too low. But her vision was failing her, and all she saw, before her eyes went completely dark and she passed out, was a flash of long silver hair...just like Inuyasha's...
