&&&&&&&
Kikyo stepped closer to InuYasha, her burning hatred for him growing with each step, and threatening to consume her before she completed her task. Being this close to him, the raging lust for revenge wanted to kill him now, to rip his body to shreds, to taste his blood. The part of her mind and the piece of the soul that was still hers struggled to regain control of the ash and clay body, however, and, succeeding, moved shaky hands up to caress his face.
That last small piece of her that had loved him completely, that had promised to give up her life as a priestess for him then opened a passageway through the rage and anger, creating a connection directly to his heart.
The magnitude of his pain reached across their connection, and she winced. Had she the ability, she would have shed tears.
"My dearest InuYasha. The pain of betrayal once again reverberates through your body."
She touched his face with her cold hands, and he stiffened slightly before allowing her to embrace him.
"Kikyo..."
"You have grown quite strong, InuYasha. Your strength has brought an end to many powerful, malevolent demons. Your heart, however, and your love, are so tender, that to be offered up to fools who could never hope to truly understand or appreciate them is indeed a crime."
She wrapped her arms about his neck and brought her cheek to his. He raised his arms to wrap about her waist. The memory of her taking a misstep on the dock and falling into his arms when she was alive now flashed into his mind, along with the intense feelings he discovered he had for her at that instant in time. He grasped at those warm feelings in order to alleviate the hurt.
"Thank you, my love, for not rejecting my touch. I despise this cold, dead body as much as I know you do, but it will not be much longer that we will be together, and you shall feel the warmth of my true love for you through eternity."
&&&&&&&
"Sango, do you think you can find him?"
Kagome's worry was evident in her voice, much as she tried to disguise it.
"Kilala can follow his scent, and her night vision is so much better than mine."
Kilala mewed her assent, then transformed to her full size outside of the hut. Sango went inside briefly in order to remove her kosode, coming back outside in her battle suit just in time to meet Miroku, who, standing at the entrance, was about to peek inside.
"Heh, heh... just, ahh, checking to make sure you're all right..." The monk grinned while rubbing the back of his neck.
Sango reached up and touched the part of his cheek that usually got a bright red hand-print for all his troubles. Miroku squinted and flinched, waiting expectantly.
"What am I going to do with you?" She asked wistfully, stroking his face exactly where she had slapped it dozens of times.
The monk was stunned and confused that he wasn't feeling a stinging pain right about now. He opened his eyes and found himself staring directly into hers.
"Sango, I..."
"Unfortunately, now is not the time, Houshi. We have a friend who's hurting and he needs us. But we certainly need to have a long talk, and soon. Let's go, Kilala."
She turned and leapt up onto the neko-youkai. Miroku rubbed his cheek, temporarily at a loss for words.
"Ahh, yes, of course... we're right behind you." He shouted.
The taijiya and her friend took to the sky and headed off after the hanyou. Kagome, astride her bike, followed as the monk ran along beside her. Shippo was in the basket, fretting.
"Kagome, you know I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. I was really going to let him have it. Is he going to be o.k?"
"I know you didn't mean it, Shippo, but InuYasha is a very complicated person, and sometimes what we think of as a simple word or a gesture is enough to make something come to the surface that he's trying very hard to keep to himself."
She sighed. Why was it so difficult to understand him? She hadn't meant to hurt him; they had always had arguments in the past. She fully expected him to rant about as he had often done, then cool off afterwards.
'Oh InuYasha, why do you make it so hard for me? I lo...'
She almost brought herself to think it.
'... I... have such strong feelings for you, and I thought you did for me, but are we really this incompatible? Just when I think I have a grip on who you really are, you go and...'
"That way!"
Miroku's voice snapped her out of her reverie as he pointed due east.
Through the clearing above the forest canopy, they could see light from the flames of Kilala's feet, and adjusted their direction accordingly.
&&&&&&&
Kikyo felt her control slipping. The rage would soon consume her once again, and she couldn't be certain what she would do to him if she completely lost it. She knew that he would give her his life, but she was determined that she would take it only through the feeling of the love they once shared.
He would not die by her hand out of blind hatred. She would simply not allow it.
She locked onto his golden eyes and focused, using all her will power to feel again for their connection, and concentrated upon it.
"Dearest InuYasha, are you ready?" She interlaced her fingers with his.
InuYasha thought once more of Kagome, and how he could have been so mistaken in his feelings for her.
'I'm just so stupid!'
He thought of the other companions he had met and roamed the countryside with this past year, looking for the shards, and all they had been through together. He thought of his dream of becoming a full demon, and after a moment of internal struggle, resigned himself that it was simply one more thing that was not to be in this life.
He next thought of his brother, Sesshomaru, and all of the conflict they had caused each other, and about what could have been, what should have been, an unbreakable bond of love and trust between blood brothers. That relationship too, was destined for failure.
He thought about his mother.
She had done everything in her power to guard him, to protect him physically as well as emotionally, knowing deep within her heart what his future held. She bore his pain for as long as she was in this world. It was so long ago. The feelings of her love were like wisps of smoke floating about within depth of his memory.
'Mother. I...'
Kikyo's hand tightened within his.
"Please, my love. We haven't much time."
InuYasha sighed.
"All right. I'm ready."
"You must remove your sword, as it may try to protect you, making it infinitely more difficult for me to take you."
InuYasha stepped away from the priestess for a moment, then pulled Tetsusaiga and its scabbard from his belt. He pulled the sword forged from his father's tooth and examined it one last time, then re-sheathed it. He closed his eyes as he remembered all the times the very same sword saved his life, and now he was giving it up so that it would not do so.
Once again he thought of Kagome, without whom the sword would not even be in his possession. Just the thought of her brought back all of those other conflicting, confusing thoughts and emotions. He had loved her with all his heart. Hadn't she loved him back?
Hadn't she?
He shook all of those thoughts from his head and regarded his sword once more. Saying a silent 'thank you' to Tetsusaiga, he replaced it in its sheath. Then, in a quick downward motion, he thrust both sword and sheath into the soft earth.
He walked back over to Kikyo, who now reached out to take his hand once again.
"Once more, my dearest, I ask you. Do you come with me of your free will?"
Oddly, although it hadn't mattered so much to her before, it was very important now that he express his desire to be with her without coercion. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling audibly.
"There is nothing more here for me, Kikyo. I am ready."
Kikyo summoned all the love she had left in her body and pulled him to her once more, wrapping her arms around him. She brought her face up to his and kissed him lightly upon his lips. She backed away to check his response, gazing into his eyes before pressing her lips to his once again. This time, her cold lips began to draw his life-force out of him through his breath as she did so.
Without Tetsusaiga, his demon blood would have taken over his body if it felt his life was threatened. He had, however, given himself to her freely; thus he felt no threat. Whatever future they found in Hell, they would find together. The winds began to pick up as a vortex formed about them. InuYasha was fast losing consciousness as his body slumped against hers, his life now almost gone. Kikyo continued to take him, and in doing so, experienced something she hadn't felt for a very long time, since she was alive.
Bliss.
This is all she ever really wanted.
The Shikon-no-Tama be damned.
&&&&&&&
ShortPoet: Thank you. I'm trying to examine the depths of Kikyo's persona. InuYasha taking off the way he did was to show that he still has a bit more maturing to go through. We'll see how that plays out.
Hamano Ayumi: Thanks for your comments. It's angsty, but I try to lighten it up a bit.
FluffyAstrael: Kikyo is being Kikyo. Kagome will try to get back what is hers. Classic love triangle stuff. I hope you like how it plays out.
Kingdomnite: Hope the story gets better to your satisfaction. Thanks for your comments.
kagegrl: Thanks. Hope you like this chap.
sunnykagome616: More sadness ahead, with a little humor. Thanks.
Blitzdreamer: Thanks for your comments. Hope you like this.
PaperTazuna: Your comments made my day. I am happy that I could get across the feelings of the participants. Thank you so much.
Yaminah: Thanks. Here's chapter 2. Hope you like.
mikomi bansiki: Both women want what they believe is "theirs". Hope you like this chapter. Thank you!
Kiyana Va Sala: When they are in hell, he won't have the rosary. Thanks for reviewing. What's CYHTM?
Inu miko: Thanks for your comments. Hope you like this as well.
JelloYasha: What a great name! Thanks for reviewing. Kagome will chase Kikyo to get back what's hers, as you will see in future chaps.
ramenloverGoten: Thanks. Hope you like this.
SkyeFire-Katana: Glad you like this one. I'm hoping it gets better. Thanks.
Supergrl26: IY promised Kikyo that he would go with her to hell. I just can't remember what episode it was right now. Thanks.
emalina: Thanks for the review... and the hug!