A/N: It's a shame that Spring Break is coming to an end. I've had a fun week, from playing Final Fantasy VII to reading my newest manga kick FY Genbu Kaiden. (I like it much better than the original. Unlike Miaka, Takiko doesn't bug me. I do miss Tasuki, but Rimudo makes up for it!)
Chapter 24: Shattered Hopes
Someone was calling to her. "Kagome…Kagome!" they yelled, sounding worried. "Kagome!"
She looked frantically around, but saw nothing but the endless white void around her. "Who's there?" After a pause, she asked, "Inuyasha?"
"Kagome!" they called once more, much weaker, as if they were fading away. "Kagome…"
Kagome felt herself run towards the voice. "Inuyasha? Is that you? I'm here! Come back!"
"Kagome…" his voice said once more, soft enough to be a whisper.
Running frantically, she screamed, "Inuyasha!"
She stopped dead when she heard a chilling laugh. "Kagome!" Another, deeper voice chuckled, sounding happy. As she turned around to see this new voice, she was met only with a flash of claws and a yell of triumph…
Kagome snapped her eyes open, surprised to find herself on Kouga's back as they ran through the forest. She blinked a few times, adjusting herself to the light, as she thought, Did I fall asleep?
"You all right back there, Kagome?" the wolf asked, glancing back at her. "You fell asleep about ten minutes ago."
Rubbing her tired eyes, she yawned, "Yeah, I'm fine. I think its just all this traveling we've been doing lately. It's wearing me out."
"You think I should ask that monk friend of yours if we should stop?" Kouga asked, glancing over at Miroku, who was leading them in their search.
"No!" Kagome said at once, her determination wiping all sleep from her. "We can't stop now. We have to find Inuyasha, right away!"
Kouga gave a snort. "Whatever, Kagome, but I don't see what's so urgent about finding him right now. I mean, even if Dog Crap was stupid enough to face Naraku on his own, he'd be able to hold out for a little while against him, until we arrived. But he's not that stupid, is he?"
Grasping Inuyasha's haori in her hands while Inuyasha's face popped up in her mind, Kagome whispered, "I hope that's only it…"
Kouga could smell the tears in her eyes, and the wolf knew enough to know there was something that he was being kept in the dark about. He glanced back at her, about to ask what she was so worried about, when suddenly, Sango broke the silence.
"What is it, Kirara?" she asked the nekomata, who had turned to the right and sniffed the wind.
Kouga slowed to a stop and also sniffed the air. "I got it too." He told them. "There's blood nearby. Lots of it."
That one word was enough to make Kagome's skin crawl. "Blood…?" She held Inuyasha's haori tighter as the painful memories resurfaced once more…
She didn't understand the sudden, shocked looks on their faces. "What's going on?" she asked, looking back at the youkai in front of them. "Why aren't you figh—"
Her bow, and quiver of arrows, dropped to the ground with a clatter.
Kagome stared back in horror at who stood in front of her. A hand was placed over her mouth in shock. It can't be…no…It just can't be… "Inuyasha?" she said in horror.
Her mind pictured the loving figure he was the night they mated, amber eyes sparkling with love, his face set in gentle contentment. Now, Inuyasha had changed to his youkai form, eyes red, with blue pupils, purple stripes on each cheek, large, protruding fangs, and immensely sharp claws. Kagome couldn't help but notice his white undershirt was stained with blood.
Kagome was brought back to reality when Miroku said, "Let's go check it out." As they headed off towards that direction, Kagome held a hand to her fearful heart, while she tried to keep herself calm. They just said that there was blood…it doesn't mean that…
"It's just through here." Sango told them, jumping off Kirara and leading them out of the forests, towards a wide meadow.
They had just walked over a hill, looking down, when they suddenly gave a collective gasp, each person staring in horror.
Beneath them was the scene of a massacre. Many men, bandits by the look of them, had been slaughtered, most bodies showing that they died in pain. Blood was everywhere, the smell of it was enough to make even the humans queasy. The killer showed no mercy, and was overly thorough; not even the horses had survived.
"What…what is this?" Sango breathed, not daring to get closer. Miroku knelt down to the nearest dead man, Shippou coming beside him. "Miroku?" The youkai slayer asked, watching his eyes get wider as he inspected the body.
The monk didn't say anything, he only just stared at the body in disbelief, while tears began forming in Shippou's eyes. "Houshi-sama?" Sango ran up to him, falling to her knees beside him. She didn't even realize she was using his old name as she asked, "Houshi-sama, what is it?"
But she too, was speechless as she looked down at the body. The only sound that escaped her was, "No…"
It was enough for Kagome, who had been watching and waiting the entire time. "Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, making the three glance back at her, looking like they were ready to cry. Her hands began to tremble around Inuyasha's haori. "Sango-chan, what's wrong?"
They didn't answer, and tears filled Sango's eyes while she looked at her friend, while Shippou burst into tears. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Kagome stepped back, dread filling her with what was sure to come. "Answer me!" she screamed, unable to take it any longer. "What's wrong? Why won't you tell me?"
"Kagome-chan…" Sango whimpered, knowing it wouldn't be easy.
Miroku was the one to tell her. "Kagome-sama…these men…they were killed by a youkai…with sharp claws…" he said the last two words in barely a whisper "Inu claws…"
Kagome stared in disbelief back at her friends, almost daring them to laugh and tell her it was all a joke. But…time passed, and no one was confessing to tricking her. They all had the same look on their face as they watched reality sink in. "No…please no…" she whispered, tears leaking from her eyes with the seriousness in her friends voices. "No…You're wrong! It's not…it can't be him…" She shut her eyes and screamed, "Stop it! You're lying to me! Just stop it right now!"
"Kagome-chan…" Sango stood up to comfort her friend, but Kagome fell to her knees, trembling as she buried her teary face in Inuyasha's haori, succumbing to the wave of tears.
"Inuyasha…" she cried, "Why did you have to…I'm so sorry…why? Inuyasha…"
While Miroku and Shippou went to explain to Kouga and Kohaku, who were looking on in surprise at what was happening, Sango pulled Kagome into a supporting hug, while Kagome was unable to stop her crying. "It wasn't supposed to be this way…" she whimpered, "He…he promised me…He promised me that he'd never leave me…"
"Kagome-chan…"
"He promised…" Kagome repeated, trying to pull herself together, but failing. After a while, and she had cried as much as she would allow herself to, she tried walking over to her friends, but nearly tripped over her still sore ankle, having forgotten the pain. When she stood back up, it broke everyone's heart to see her barely containing her tears.
Miroku turned back to Kouga, who glanced back at Kagome with a look of pity. "So, what can we do about it?" the wolf asked in a whisper, not wanting her to hear. "We can't just let it stay this way."
"It's obvious what to do, isn't it?" Kagome murmured, standing up, not looking back at them as she picked up her bow and arrows, her face resolved, despite the heartbreak she had inside. She looked back at them all, tears once more falling from her eyes as she came to her decision. "I've killed him once…I can do it again!" She screamed the last words as the tears flew from her eyes, her own hands shaking as she gripped her bow and arrows, Inuyasha's haori in her other hand.
With one last whimper of her inner pain, Kagome turned and fled into the woods, not hearing the sound of the others calling her name as she ran, knowing what she had to do.
"Miroku…Why did Kouga leave with Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, as Miroku, Shippou, Kohaku and herself rode away on Kirara.
"Inuyasha told be before that he made him promise to keep Kagome-sama safe, if something were to happen to him." the monk told her, looking worried. "But…I'm not sure that'll be enough…Not even all three of us could stand up to him, in his youkai form."
The youkai slayer assured him, "It's different with Kagome-chan, you saw before how he couldn't kill her. And I doubt Kouga will let any harm come to her."
Shippou asked, "But…if Kagome has to purify Inuyasha again…Then do you think she might…" He didn't finish, but he didn't need to, Sango and Miroku exchanged looks of horror as they contemplated this.
"We need to go back, Sango!" Miroku shouted in alarm. "We can't just leave Kagome-sama to—"
"Miroku," Sango cut him off with a look, telling him it was all right. "We have to go ahead and fight Naraku. If we interfere, we may only make things worse. And…There's nothing we can do. Kagome-chan's fate is out of our hands now."
"Are you sure you have to do this?" Kouga asked, as he and Kagome followed the path of Inuyasha's scent through the woods.
"Yes." Kagome kept her head down as she spoke, her eyes on the verge of tears. "It was my fault that he became this way before…and it's my fault again." Kagome wore Inuyash's fire rat haori over her clothes, the only thing of his she had now.
The wolf youkai reached a hand out to her, unsure of what to do. "Kagome…"
"Please, Kouga-kun," She cut him off following the trail without stopping. "Let's just keep moving."
They continued following for an hour or two, both silent. With every step, it seemed that Kagome would get sadder and sadder, knowing what she would have to do. Finally, when she could barely take it any more, the memories of her anguish becoming too much, she collapsed on her knees, shaking while tears threatened to spill.
Kouga didn't waste a moment collecting her in his arms, trying to comfort her in her pain. "Kagome…I'm sorry…this wasn't supposed to happen…I know how much this is hurting you…"
"Kouga-kun…" she whispered, and in a surprising move by her, she hugged him back. Kouga instantly held her tighter, glad that she would give him this small happiness.
"Kagome…"
Suddenly, Kouga felt a sharp, painful jolt up his spine. Looking down while pain enveloped him from inside out, he saw a small pink light flash around him. Kagome let go of him, whispering, "I'm sorry…"
He reached for her, calling, "Kagome!" with his last breath before he fainted.
Collecting her bow, Kagome stood up over the unconscious Kouga. She had given him a small jolt of purification, just enough to knock him out for a little while. "I'm sorry, Kouga-kun." She turned away, to follow the trail. "But this is something I must do alone."
As she followed the trail, memories of a happy, smiling Inuyahsa were mixed with the image of his frightening youkai form. Kagome remembered the love in his kisses, his embrace, and the pain that she had when she had pushed him away all this time. Maybe it would have been better if we did mate last night, Inuyasha…she thought, barely containing her tears. At least we could have spent our last night together…
Her eyes were tragic once more as she continued, I guess our hopes and dreams are shattered now, Inuyasha…No little hut of our own…No family, someday…Our happiness that we should have had…its gone now…
You were brought back to life the first time, Inuyasha. Kagome recalled. But that won't happen again…You won't be able to come back to me, this time, Inuyasha. You'll leave me, and never come back…
She placed a hand over her shoulder, touching the spot where the small, oval shaped scar lay underneath. At least this time…I'll go with you…
You won't die alone…
A/N: Awww…so sad this time. We're in the angsty chapters now, folks!
Of course, we all know what's coming next. Battle time!
