Plea of a Fading Soul
Sorry I took a while to update, I really have got to get round to uploading chapters for my current fics instead of rushing along with new ones. I had this chapter fully planned out, but the one after this may be a bit difficult. Sweating a little…
Sorry if it sounds like Shadow Man is repeating tactics but that's the way he can get to them (and by them I mean Inu and Kags). He's working all angles and pushing the right buttons.
Enjoy and thank you for all of your comments!
Chapter Five
Losing the Will
"Apologise! Now!"
Sango and Miroku doggedly raised their heads to stare at Inuyasha with both sad and comforting eyes. The half-demon looked furious, his eyes narrowed and his claws balled up into fists. Kagome stood behind him, her hand lightly placed on his shoulder. She looked so frail and vulnerable – and a knot of sadness clenched in Sango's chest at the sight of her.
"Inuyasha…" Miroku sounded apologetic, but not for the reason he should have been. He didn't have any intention of telling Kagome-sama that he'd been wrong, that she wasn't crazy and the Shadow Man did exist. Because now he just thought that Inuyasha had a screw loose too.
He, Sango and Shippo had not yet seen the Shadow Man, and neither had Kaede. How were they to believe? Inuyasha was such a strong character and it was hard to imagine him succumbing to such a hallucination, but maybe he had started to believe in what Kagome saw if that would, to him, make her seem sane again. If the rest of them believed in the Shadow Man then Kagome wouldn't be crazy.
Inuyasha lunged at the monk, grabbing him by the collar of his kimono. His eyes were almost pleading, flashing jewel yellow in the sunlight. "I saw him! I saw him, damn you, this isn't a joke!" he screamed, shaking Miroku.
Sango tried to stop him but Shippo started wailing by her feet, halting her in her tracks. "Inuyasha's gone mad!" he whimpered, hitting the ground over and over. "Inuyasha and Kagome are crazy!"
Inuyasha dropped Miroku and wheeled around to face the kitsune, his face flushing pink in anger. "Shut up, brat! It's the truth! It's–" he stopped suddenly, his eyes widening. His mouth opened in fear.
He was there. In the distance. The Shadow Man was there, chuckling.
The half-demon turned his narrowed eyes on his three friends and pointed. "Look.Doyou see him?"
He drew Tessaiga from its sheath and scowled, then began running in the man's direction.
Miroku, Sango and Shippo all had turned to look – but they'd seen nothing. Neither had Kagome. "Inuyasha, he's not..." she didn't get to finish.
Inuyasha screamed and cut through the air, slashing the Shadow Man open on the spot. But when he turned to survey the damage there was no one there.He fell back a step confused.
Miroku turned to glance at Sango before bowing his head, his eyes flashing. "As much as it hurts to say this…" he began, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe it would be best if we left you two awhile,"
Inuyasha was still looking around for where his target had gone, sure he had seen the man wearing dark attire. His grip tightening on Tessaiga and he growled before slinging his sword back in its sheath.
He snapped around to face the monk. "You think this 'insanity' is contagious?" he hollered, his eyes dark.
Kagome's bottom lip wobbled and she understood then. Her friends were leaving her right when she needed help. Maybe it was for the best, maybe it would save them...
But why hadn't she seen the Shadow Man just now? Why was it just Inuyasha – was Kanuono taunting him?
"Inuyasha," She stepped forward, feeling afraid and separate from the world Inuyasha saw. He's so afraid… I can see it now… And I am too. My heart feels like its breaking. Was this how it was for him? Seeing me run around at thin air - at something he couldn't see? Her heart felt like it was splitting in two.
She tried to coax him over, smiling gently. "Inuyasha…"
"You saw him too! You saw him too, right?" Inuyasha cried, his eyes boring into hers. His face was so pale and he seemed uncertain. Kagome nodded, even though both of them knew it was a lie. She made her way closer to him before turning to Sango and Miroku. "You guys, you should do what's best." She said softly with a smile.
Sango felt tears come to her eyes.
"Kagome-chan–!"
"It's okay," Kagome reasoned. "W-We can look after ourselves. Right, Inuyasha?"
The half-demon just turned away, simmering. He folded his arms, his nails biting so hard into his skin that blood began welling up.
Miroku's eyes darkened. He nodded his head once in understanding, silently acknowledging Kagome's form of sacrifice, and ushered Sango and Shippo away.
The tajiya at his side let out a sob before allowing herself to be waved away. The clearing suddenly fell silent as the three disappeared into the bordering woods, Shippo sat crying on Miroku's shoulder.
Kagome watched them go. They're free… Shadow Man won't be able to get to them, they made it out!
A big grin was on her face now as she stood near Inuyasha. She made to wrap her arms around his own arm but he shrugged her off. He looked dazed. "You… You really didn't see him this time, did you?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kagome stared at him for a moment, before smiling. "I did, Inuyasha," she lied. "It's okay,"
The silver-haired hanyou looked bewildered for a moment before sagging, pulling Kagome into his arms. He looked hurt. "Thank you…" he whispered softly, shutting his eyes and burying his face in her hair. Kagome didn't know what he meant but she kept silent, enjoying the embrace.
And then there was silence as the two of them stood there, alone in a woodland clearing – at the mercy of the Shadow Man. Neither one wanted to let go of the other, and neither one wanted to accept the truth.
Kagome was with Kaede. Miroku and Sango had planned to desert she and Inuyasha for some time, and so had a deal set up with the priestess to care for them while they were gone. Inuyasha was still bitter, knowing they'd been abandoned. They weren't crazy – they weren't!
He was alone in the very hut he had first seen Kanuono, and he felt numb inside. That bastard… he thought, eyes narrowing to the point of slits. He wants everyone to think I'm crazy – turn everyone against me just the way he did for Kagome.
"And it's working, isn't it?" a voice said softly behind him.
Inuyasha wheeled around, his eyes like twin flames. He reached to draw Tessaiga, but his sword wasn't in the scabbard. Shadow Man was stood behind him, holding the fang easily with one hand.
"I knew you couldn't teach old dogs new tricks, but I still thought you'd have learned from your old mistakes. Well, even so, this way makes it more fun." Kanuono was still wearing a kimono much like Inuyasha's, but his attire was still dark. He still wore the breastplate and sandals, with his tilted dark eyes matching his cropped black hair. He was smiling evilly.
Inuyasha rose to his feet, strangely calm. "I'm not afraid of you," he hissed.
Shadow Man actually laughed. "Afraid? Of course you're not afraid – you're petrified,"
The half-demon snarled and clenched his fists. "I mean it!"
"Of course you mean it. Just like you 'mean it' when you tell Kagome you love her,"
That struck a chord somewhere deep inside the half-demon. "…What?" Inuyasha breathed, falling backwards with wide eyes.
Shadow Man narrowed his eyes and he lost his mischievous expression. He grew more serious. "Don't give me that crap, hanyou. You don't love her, you never have."
"Shut the hell up!" Inuyasha cried, trying to run at him. The Shadow Man was too fast and dodged the half-demon's attack, his eyes still dark. "You don't care about her. You wouldn't care if she dropped dead!"
"Shut up! You dare touch her and you're dead, you hear me?" Inuyasha screamed, again lunging for his enemy. Again, he missed.
"You wouldn't care if she died, would you? You'd be happy – you and your little lover Kikyo could go and run off together, right? Could start a happy family made out of clay, could rot in hell together–"
"I would care! I would care! I love Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled, hating the feeling of hopelessness rising up inside of him. He was being toyed with, but he didn't realise it – all he knew was that he was so angry… so confused… so upset…
"Then why don't you tell her properly? Why won't you admit it – are you ashamed of her? Ashamed of your feelings?"
"No! No, I'm not ashamed!" He fell to his knees, staring up at Kanuono – almost begging for mercy. Then he crawled backwards, away from him, and huddled against the wall, cowering. "Just... Just leave me- leave mealone…" he whimpered.
His last shred of pride was gone – torn from him. He'd been reduced to a snivelling wreck, mentally crushed to breaking-point. His lips wobbled and he couldn't believe he'd been made to be like this. Weak.
Shadow Man stepped forward, his footsteps resounding in the hut. His eyes were narrowed now, not in hatred, but in satisfaction. He grinned. "You do care? Why don't we see about that?" he whispered.
And then a liquid spattered across Inuyasha's face. It was warm and covered his skin in blotches. Repulsed, he tried to wipe it away. When he drew his hand away the liquid was red. Blood.
He stared up in horror but he saw that he was too late. Kanuono had Kagome by her hair... and her neck was slashed.
She was gurgling, gasping for air. Inuyasha didn't even try to question where she had come from. He let out a cry of fear, trying to grapple her out of Shadow Man's arms. The dark-clothed figure smirked once before dropping the miko and vanishing into thin air.
Kagome's eyes were wide and her hands clawed at the air as if she was trying to prise the oxygen from the atmosphere around her. She was drowning in her own blood.
Inuyasha hadn't even heard the sound of a knife, hadn't even seen…
"Kagome, Kagome, Kagome, Oh, Kagome…" he whispered, shaking her. He knew it wouldn't make things any better, but he was losing her – she was falling away from him...
A tear curved down his cheek and he found he couldn't stop shaking her. "Don't leave me, Kagome. Please – I'm begging you!"
He pressed his face against hers, kissing her cheek. She was turning cold in his arms, her breathing becoming raspy. He let out a tangled cry of grief, but there wasn't anything he could do.
She shuddered once, and then fell still. She was gone.
Inuyasha pulled away, staring at her body in disbelief before letting out a howl. He screamed at the top of his lungs and held onto her as tightly as possible. He knew he was hysterical. He knew he didn't normally act like this. Why did he feel so manipulated? Why did he feel so broken?
He was a shadow of his former self – a mere shell of what he had been. He'd changed so much and he'd been left to this. And now Kagome was gone and he was all alone.
"KAGOME!" He couldn't help but scream again.
It was all over. Kagome-his Kagome-was gone…
Kanuono was surprised at how good the hanyou's fear felt. He was standing outside the hut in the shadows, calmly absorbing the boy's fright and sadness like a soul. New life flooded into him. He was the vampire of emotions – reaping in the fear of others - but mostly Inuyasha and Kagome's fear. They were who he had been born from – their fears of the future and of each other.
It had all been... bizarre. One day he had simply woken up with a mature mind and a mature body. He'd been created out of other demons and they had informed him that his soul would be derived from two others. A hanyou and a miko. From that point on he would absorb their nightmares and become a whole new creature all together. Fear itself.
He would have to live from other's terror from that point on – but what really kept him alive was the nightmares of Inuyasha and Kagome. He didn't know what he felt when he looked at them. He saw Kagome as the reason for his being – his creator. And Inuyasha was more like the life-support, if ever there was such a thing. The bank of emotion. The one he could absorb from.
Kagome's fear was nothing compared to Inuyasha's. The half-demon was not easily crippled and now that he was, his terror was bittersweet. The finest.
Kanuono grinned and shut his eyes. Prolonging his life was not an errand. It was fun.
Inuyasha didn't know how long he'd been staring at Kagome's dead body before he realised that Shadow Man had left Tessaiga resting against the wall. His father's fang gleamed like moonshine. He craved to feel it in his hands; he needed it for some form of support.
Resting Kagome gently on the floor, he made his way over to his sword. He felt empty and moved like a zombie – except without a purpose for living. Everything felt suspended. He didn't feel like he could belong anywhere anymore. His future was over. Kagome was gone…
He grasped Tessaiga by the hilt and stared at it wordlessly, watching it convert to its true form. He wished he could be where Kagome was now. He wanted to be with her – he wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
He raised Tessaiga easily, the point of the fang aiming at the hollow of his throat.
He wanted to end it all. He wanted to be with her – he didn't want to be alone.
He shut his eyes, strangely calm all of a sudden. He pulled his hands back, prepared to use his own sword to end his life... But that was whenthe hut mat was thrown aside in a flurry. He opened one eye and swung his head to stare at the newcomer.
Kagome was standing in the doorway, illuminated by the dying sun. Her dark hair billowed around her, her brown eyes wide in a pale face.
The moment Inuyasha hesitated saved his life. "K-Kago–?"
She tackled him to the ground, Tessaiga flying out of his grip and burying itself in the wall before reverting back to its rusty form. She stared at him, incredulously. "What the hell were you–?"
He clutched her by the shoulders before he could finish. He stared at her with eyes filled with tears, frantic. "You're alive! Kagome, you're alive!" he cried, a smile painting across his face.
Kagome stared at him, confused. "What? Of course I'm–" She stopped suddenly,realisation dawning on her. She straightened, her face afraid.
She looked like an angel as she rose. Calm and yet afraid. Serene and beautiful. "He was here, wasn't he?" she asked quietly, head bowed.
Inuyasha stared up at her for a second before slowly nodding. He turned back to where he had laid her body and then saw there was nothing there. And then he too understood. The same trick that had been pulled on Kagome had been pulled on him.
He'd been so easily duped. So easily manipulated.
He felt raw.
Kagome was trembling, pacing back and forth. "Nowhere is safe anymore… nowhere. What can we do – where can we go?" She turned to glance at Inuyasha, her eyes soft. Then she dropped to her knees, staring into his eyes. "Inuyasha, you… you were really going to do it?" she asked quietly.
The half-demon averted his eyes, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Do what?"
"Kill your–"
He leapt forward, covering her mouth with his hand. "Why would I do a stupid thing like that?" he cried angrily.
Kagome blinked furiously before he pulled his hand away.
Inuyasha just glared. "That was not what I was going to…" he trailed off then, feeling herarms wrap around him. He looked down slowly to see her holding him. The last of some kind of trance had been removed from him and now he was himself again.
He could push her away. He could tell her to get a grip.
He didn't want to.
He held her there, smiling.
He closed his eyes and lowered his head so they were kneeling cheek-to-cheek.
"I was… I was so... I was so afraid, Kagome..." he stammered, his grip on her tightening.
Kagome bit her bottom lip delicately and tried to hide a smile. She nodded wordlessly.
Then they just stayed like that. The two of them once again unwilling to let the other go. Because they knew the next time the Shadow Man came back, the games would be over.
