In the Beholders Eye

Written By Sarga

May/June 2006

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters, I'm just taking a theme and running with it...

Chapter 13: A Sacrifice

In the past week, Inuyasha and Kagome had gone through numerous stances and battle techniques. Kagome was a quick study, her childhood dance lessons having taught her the ability to pick up positioning and movement with ease.

Sparring had not become any more challenging for Kagome, despite the fact that Inuyasha no longer held back. She found herself avoiding his attacks with a stealthy grace, leaving him frustrated. She had started to lose some rounds on purpose, trying to allow Inuyasha to regain his broken pride.

Now, as she stood in front of him, ready to spar using wooden weapons, she realized that he was very close to loosing control, even with Tetsusaiga at his side. She had unwittingly pushed him to the edge of his limits and she knew she had to put a stop to this. Kagome lowered her weapon.

"I think I'm done for today," Kagome tried to remain nonchalant.

She saw a flash of red in his eye before he, too, lowered his weapon. He recognized his anger, although he was not entirely sure of its cause.

"Fine," he barked at her, turning and tossing his wooden sword to its resting place near Totosai's cave.

With a sigh, Kagome suppressed the urge to attack him, knowing no good could come of it from either of them. She could smell his agitation, and she knew hers was almost as strong. She needed release.

Throwing her head back, Kagome screamed with all her might. A great roar erupted from deep within her, startling her with its intensity.

Panting from her minor exertion, Kagome looked ahead to see Inuyasha staring at her, his look unreadable in its foreignness. She instinctively sniffed the air and found that he was a mixture of emotions. 'Fear,' she thought. 'Self loathing, guilt.' Kagome looked away, realizing that she had been staring at him. Turning, she walked out of sight, leaving Inuyasha near the cave with Totosai.

'What does he have to fear?' she pondered as she walked. 'My safety in this form?' Kagome scoffed. 'At this point I'm faster than most demons we've encountered. Does he fear me?' Kagome stopped at the thought. 'I am stronger than he is. If I were to change forms he wouldn't be able to stop me.' she looked to her hands. 'I could tear him apart and he wouldn't be able to stop me.' All of the colour drained from Kagome's face. 'There has to be a way for me to be kept from turning against my allies.'

Kagome turned and shuffled back towards the cave in a daze. 'There really is no other option,' she thought cryptically. 'I'll have to give him the same power over me that I hold over him.' She fingered her collar absentmindedly. 'I'll have to let him put a necklace on me.'

Kagome reached the cave. Weakened by the thought of being controlled in such a manner, she fell heavily against the wall. Sliding down it, Kagome felt sick to her stomach.

'For all of the times I've sat him, I could really be getting myself into trouble.' Kagome felt her stomach churn with the thought of being prone on a whim.

"Hey Kagome," she heard Inuyasha's tentative voice call softly from beside her. "You alright?" His previous anger absent, now replaced by worry.

Standing weakly, holding the wall for support, Kagome gave him a hesitant smile. "Yeah, I was just thinking." She wanted to talk to Myoga before letting Inuyasha know of her decision. She was a miko after all, meaning her inborn powers could overpower weak enchantments without her will behind it, perhaps even while she was a demon. "I do need to talk to Myoga, though," she added as the flea bounded towards the pair.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome curiously.

"Alone," she added when he made no motions to leave.

Inuyasha hesitated, and Kagome saw as annoyance, hurt, and finally guilt played across his face. Turning without a word, he left the cave dragging Totosai behind him.

Once the pair was finally out of earshot, Kagome looked to the flea before her.

"Myoga, what do you know about the enchantment on the necklace around Inuyasha's neck?"

Myoga placed a hand to his chin. "Hmmm," he started. "I know a fair bit about it actually. What do you need to know?"

Kagome sat on the floor in front of Myoga. "I need to know everything. Kaede enchanted the necklace and put it on Inuyasha before I even knew I had any powers. I don't know anything about the spell, other than that it's bound to my will."

Myoga mimicked Kagome, sitting like a mirror image of her. "Well then, I will start from the beginning. As you know, the necklace was given an enchantment. This enchantment is bound to a single person, one with magical ability. She is the only one who can activate the enchantment, however she is not the only one who can remove it." Kagome was startled by this declaration.

"I'm not the only one?"

"No. Any person with significant magical ability can remove it. That's why the target is almost always a non-human. Most humans have the ability to develop skills that will allow them to escape. Natural demons and half demons are more interested in developing their demon attributes and rarely have the power to escape."

Kagome nodded slowly, a thought crossing over her. "Then why hasn't Inuyasha gone to another miko and asked to be released?"

Myoga smirked. "He most likely does not know this fact. Also, I would imagine that any human with enough control over his or her powers would balk at the thought of releasing a half-demon." he paused with a chuckle. "They'd be more likely to put additional curses on him instead."

Kagome joined his laughter at the thought Inuyasha being 'sat' by two people at once. Realizing that she might be joining him in that fate, Kagome sobered up, her face going pale.

"I..." she began hesitantly. "I need one put on me, Myoga." He looked at her questioningly. "I don't have any control. I could kill him and I wouldn't even know it!" She lowered her head, as if in shame. In barely a whisper she continued. "I'm faster than him."

Myoga's eyes went wide. 'So I did see her lose on purpose!' The realization was unpleasant, at best.

"I know of a way."

Had Kagome not had such acute hearing, she might not have heard the admission. Myoga's eyes turned to the floor, refusing to meet Kagome's.

"And...?"

He glanced up, barely able to hold her curious gaze.

"It would involve sacrifice on your part, especially if you would not be willing to make it permanent."

Kagome swallowed hard. 'No, I'm not that committed, or desperate,' she thought to herself. 'At least, not yet.' Slowly, she nodded her head in ascent. "Tell me more."

Myoga sat taller, as if to steel himself against what he was about to tell her.

"First, you would have to have an object, like a necklace, to bind the enchantment to you. This would be only the first, and most minor of the steps involved."

'Most minor,' Kagome thought with apprehension. 'That was all it took for Inuyasha.'

"The second step would involve something personal from the controller, hair, fingernails, or body fluid."

Kagome wrinkled her nose. She would not draw his blood for this, as angry as she was at him. She believed that he hadn't done it on purpose. She had to or her world would never, could never return to normal when she was a human again.

"The final step would involve a sharp object that would also be imbued with a spell. This spell would dictate the duration of the curse."

Kagome looked sharply from where her gaze had drifted.

"Curse?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes, curse. You would have to curse yourself. Your powers are too strong to try something more...humane." Myoga watched as her eyes went wide. He also saw as her jaw tightened in resolve.

"Continue," she said sharply, her jaw still clenched.

"This sharp object, a knife, for example, would have to make a cut in your flesh, deep enough to scar. This wound would not bleed and would be kept open for the duration of the curse, closing on the last day and fully healing without any trace after the curse has dissipated."

Myoga and Kagome sat in silence for a few moments, Kagome's jaw and fists clenching and unclenching as if an internal battle were being waged beneath the surface of her skin. Seeing her hands finally come to a gentle rest in her lap, Myoga nodded, knowing she could never inflict such pain, especially on herself.

"Would it have to be visible?" Kagome asked a shocked flea demon.

"No," he whispered.

"How long would I need to prepare the spell?" She asked, almost as if she were asking about the weather, calm and almost disinterested.

"I could get you a necklace in a day," he offered. "But the spell itself would take as long as the curse is to last. During that time you would have to be completely alone or risk having to restart the whole process. And you would have to find a suitable object to be cursed."

"I could use the new dagger Totosai is making."

Myoga shook his head. "Anyone who you cut with it would be inflicted with the same bloodless wound until you placed the binding object on them. Then the curse would last as long as it does on you."

Kagome responded with a wry smile. "I won't be using my dagger, Myoga. If I get close enough, I'm pretty sure I'll be using my bare hands."

Myoga blinked at the admission. His heart was heavy at the thought of Kagome's plight; the physical pain from the curse or the emotional turmoil of killing without need.

He touched her foot gently. "Lady Kagome, you don't have to do this you know."

Kagome looked solidly into Myoga's eyes. "Yes, I do. I can't control this, even with the suppression that the new blade brings. What if I hurt someone?" Her voice hushed to a whisper. "What if I kill someone? I couldn't live with that."

Myoga nodded in ascent. Hanyous were rare. Even if the parents were accepting, even if they made it to adulthood, this inner conflict almost inevitably overcame the ones that remained. Perhaps that's what had caused Inuyasha's father to have Tetsusaiga created, to have his son live longer, in control of his own actions. "I'll be back in a day with the supplies." Myoga stood, knowing there was no use in talking her out of this decision. "I'll give you the full details of the ritual when I return."

That being said, Myoga bounced, albeit rather joylessly, out of the cave and out of sight.

End of Chapter

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Please review. I'm a glutton for praise (so let me know if I'm doing it right!), and somewhat of a perfectionist (so tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it!!)

- Sarga