Author's Notes: Back again, trucking along. I just want to finish a multi-chapter fic for once, dammit.
A special thanks to those reading and reviewing under 'guest'. I can't reply with my thanks personally, but I want you all to know that I appreciate your time and effort to write me a review.
Disclaimer: I wrote my first Inuyasha fanfiction thirteen years ago. And still, I own none of the Inuyasha series or its characters. So sad.
Please excuse any mistakes. My beta was not able to get to this chapter before I posted. :)
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Chapter 24: Not Like This
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Kagome
Wrong.
Wrong.
Everything was wrong.
Kagome felt it as soon as she stepped into the room. It was reinforced by the horrifying wind that tried to swallow her up, and confirmed by the realization that they meant to leave Inuyasha behind.
No.
No.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this. They had a plan. They'd all agreed! Get in, fight Kikyou, get Inuyasha out and keep her family safe all in one go. But it wasn't happening that way. Hojou and Sango had other plans. It was obvious they meant to leave him behind, and all Kagome could think about was that Inuyasha would truly think she betrayed him.
The anger she felt towards her friends consumed her insides. Hojou would not let go, his grip like iron, his pleads to stay with him pushing her desperation even further. She managed to twist in his grip and land a sharp blow with her elbow to his jaw.
The lessened pressure was just enough for her to slip free.
She ran past Sango, her focus set on the mirror. She had to tell him. She had to explain. She had to save him.
A sharp pain at her side, and she slammed hard onto the floor. By the time she looked up to see what had hit her, Sango was tossing the monk over her head by his hair, her eyes wild and sharp.
Ignoring the throbbing in her side and the fact that Sango had shoved her so roughly, Kagome moved towards the mirror, but Hojou was on her again, picking her up with that ridiculous strength of his and pulling her back.
"No!" She cried, struggling to break free.
"Kagome, stop. Don't get yourself killed for him." It was an order, harsh and angry. Hojou's arms wrapped around her torso, her hands pinned, his fingers gripped tightly at her wrists.
"You betrayed me!" Kagome cried. "How could you lie to me? I trusted you!"
"Kagome, he doesn't care about you, he's using you. You're under a spell, you-"
"I promised him! I promised!"
"Kagome, please don't make me-"
Sango yelled, and Kagome whipped around to see her friend run straight at the priestess, sword raised in a graceful, powerful arch.
"ENOUGH," Kikyou demanded.
Time stopped. No one moved. Kagome felt Hojou inhale sharply behind her, gripping her tighter to him.
Sango's sword slipped from her grasp.
"Ko… ha… ku…" The words spilled from Sango's lips, breathless and raw.
No. No more. Kagome couldn't take anymore. Dread swept through her as Sango called out to her brother, as she screamed at the priestess to release him.
And the monk was on her again, his attacks swift and deadly.
"Shit." Hojou cursed. He pushed Kagome back, and she fell, frozen in place. She watched Hojou throw himself at the monk, knocking him down and rolling across the floor, trading punches.
Kagome watched, trapped within the world that slowly fell apart around her. Sango went for her weapon again, as the monk won against Hojou with another solid punch, causing him to stumble back, dazed. It was like the monk had a sixth sense, he could always tell when Sango went in for Kikyou. He was suddenly between them, too quick to see. He managed to catch her this time. Squeezed until her back arched in pain. She called out to Hojou, who took his chance and went to grab Kohaku himself.
Sango's brother raised his weapon.
"HOJOU!" Kagome screamed. But it was too late.
Too late.
Hojou body went stiff. He fell to the ground, his head split open like a grape, blood spattering in an arc against the ceiling and wall.
And before Kagome could move, Kohaku was behind his sister, taking aim.
The sharp bone pierced her body.
Kagome snapped out of her stupor. She would not watch her friends die as she stood by helpless.
She ran. If she could just get to Inuyasha. Just free him from the mirror.
Kikyou lunged for her, she could see her out of the corner of her eye.
Quicker than she thought it possible, Kagome pushed her body to move faster.
Her fingers wrapped around the mirror's frame and looked straight into it, ignoring the wide eyes and wild hair of her reflection. "Inuyasha!" She gasped. "Please! Save them!" She was desperate to help her friends. If she could just get him to show himself; if she could just kiss him his freedom one more time... Anything. She would do anything.
Kagome opened her mouth to tell him so. She would go with him on his hunt for the jewel shards, she would leave her family and friends and her life and go with him without a fight if he would save them. She-
She caught movement in the glass; pale arms and deep black hair. She spun, her back pressed up against the mirror as Kikyou reached her. The urge to vomit surfaced and Kagome's chest burned, a faintly familiar heat that started in the center of her breastbone and blossomed outwards, as if her insides were boiling. Kikyou's fingers wrapped around her throat. Squeezed.
"No… NO!" Kagome screamed, throwing her hands up and wrapping her fingers around Kikyou's wrists. Light burst from her hands, blinding her, engulfing the room. And Kagome knew she was doing it again. Purifying. The heat rushed from her body. Like a volcano, it poured from her skin.
The grip on her neck tightened. Kikyou's face pushed through the light, eyes wild and inhuman, hair tumbling behind her by the force of Kagome's purification.
Her flesh stayed pristine.
"You stupid, little copy," she spat, the roar of the purification light rushing around them. "Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared for this? You think you can fool me with your cheap tricks?" She pushed her face closer, filling up Kagome's vision. "You received these powers because you are my doppelganger. Do not think for a moment that you can defeat me," she hissed.
Kagome couldn't breathe. Her mouth gaped open, desperately trying to suck air into her lungs.
And then she heard it, a growl in her ear. "Kagome… Let me out."
Kagome's world slowed to a crawl. Kikyou's cold hands wrapped around her throat, the purification like flames licking around her face and Inuyasha's voice in her ear. All she had to do was turn her head and press her lips to the glass and he would be free. But she couldn't move. Kikyou's fingers gripped her tight, held her in place.
"Kagome," his voice was louder this time, deeper. "Now, Kagome. Let me out now."
Her eyes widened. This was it. It was either get Inuyasha out or die. And she refused to die. She hadn't gone through everything, she hadn't dragged her best friend and boyfriend through hell just for her to let go at the end. They were down, but if she could get Inuyasha out, if he could just get them away from Kikyou and her monk, they might survive.
She raised her hand up and placed it over Kikyou's face, her palm pressing against her nose, her fingers spread out over her eyes. She felt it within her, the heat, still contained. There was more.
There was more.
Kagome screamed.
It exploded from her, the heat expanding, like a grenade she released it from inside her, and she was screaming, screaming, screaming….
No.
Kikyou was.
The cold hands disappeared, and Kagome whipped around and smashed her lips against the glass, immediately cutting off the heat from within her.
Hurry, hurry, hurry, HURRY! She screamed inside her head.
A different kind of heat this time, a searing against her lips as Inuyasha materialized from the mirror. Just like the other times, she felt it; a deep need, a pull towards him that she'd come to crave over such a short span of time. But this time… this time his kiss was different. It was inflexible, like iron.
And then he shoved her back. She fell on her backside, gaping up at him in shock.
He stood over her. A menacing grin spread across his face. His fangs, which Kagome had felt with her tongue many times before, had grown and were poking out over his bottom lip. His hair seemed thicker, as if the underside against his scalp stood on end, and his eyes…
His eyes….
A deep, crimson red had seeped over white, leaving his pupils swimming in blood.
He cracked his knuckles. Laughed. It was slow and thick, like molasses; a deep rumble from his chest.
"Fuck," he purred, "It's been a long time since I've felt like this." He stalked past Kagome, who stayed in her spot, awestruck at his change, and stopped as he neared Kikyou's side. She was sprawled out on her back, her arms spread, her legs awkward. Kagome couldn't see her face, but semi-translucent smoke sizzled up from where she could only guess it was. She watched as he nudged her with his foot. She groaned and rolled over. He chuckled and turned his head, his eyes peering gleefully at Kagome over his shoulder. "Gave the bitch a good one," he said. "She'll be weak for a while. It's now or never."
He raised his arm, his fingers outstretched, claws that had doubled in length were sharpened and ready to strike. His grin widened, his eyes hungry for his kill. Kagome didn't recognize him. He was different. Reckless. He was enjoying her pain. It made her stomach churn.
The dead air in the room instantly kicked up, pushing Kagome's hair up over her head. She felt her heart lurch up into her throat. Not again.
The monk had appeared between Inuyasha and Kikyou, and he kept the gaping wind tunnel in his hand mostly covered. Just enough whipped around Kagome to terrify her again.
Inuyasha stepped back against the pull, baring his teeth threateningly. "Fucking monk. You keep getting in my way."
The monk stood silent, his eyes locked on his target, his hand ready to release the full power of the wind. Kagome noted that he looked tired. Winded. A long scratch swept across his cheek, and an ugly bruise had blossomed blue and purple under his eye.
Pride flared up inside her at her best friend's abilities. Up against such a strong, otherworldly creature, she'd held her own. Hope blazed inside her. Inuyasha was out, and he would help them escape. Kagome would flee to safety with her family and forget about priestesses and magic. Sango and Hojou would survive.
Inuyasha gripped her arm, his claws pricking against her skin. She let out a whimper of surprise. He'd moved too fast for her to see. She tilted her head to look up at him.
Without warning he lifted her up and wrapped his arm around her torso, her arms and legs dangling free. "Hey!" She exclaimed, pushing against his leg. He ignored her though, grabbing his mirror while keeping his eyes on the monk and the fallen priestess.
"This isn't over, bastard." He growled.
Kagome kept silent, waiting patiently for him to pick up Sango and Hojou as well. She would not open her mouth and make things worse. Let Inuyasha take care of it. She tried to calm her beating heart. She just wanted out, away from the threat of the wind.
But then he stepped and turned in a way she'd felt him do so before. And she knew.
"NO!" She screamed as he whipped them around. Too fast.
She caught a glimpse of Sango and Hojou, still and bleeding on the floor.
Then they were gone.
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"No, Inuyasha, my friends! My friends!" She cried as he jumped again, each flight taking them further away from the house where Sango and Hojou lay bleeding out. They'd been jumping for hours, with Kagome screaming and cursing his name, and the hanyou completely ignoring her.
Center City had turned to suburbia, suburbia into farmland, and farmland into forest. Kagome watched the landscape change below her as she screamed and tried to kick and struggle despite the heights Inuyasha jumped to. Maybe I want him to drop me, she thought between the insults she hurled at her captor. Maybe it would be easier to die.
His grip tightened around her waist, and she winced at the sharp pressure against her hipbone where his fingers dug in. She tried to struggle again, but his grip was tight. Tighter than Hojou's had been as he'd kept her away from the mirror. Tighter than Kikyou's had been around her neck.
Kagome was exhausted. Her face felt swollen and wet. It was like all the blood in her body had run to her head. Her nose clogged, her body sore, she almost felt like she were outside herself. A third party separate from the events. In pain but numb, terrified but too fatigued to care, she just wanted it over. When would it be over?
As if he read her mind, he landed. They stayed this time on solid ground.
Kagome opened her mouth to shout at him again, but he didn't give her a chance. He dropped her on the hard, cold, grass-covered earth. She grunted against the impact and sat up to rub at her hip, finding the energy from somewhere deep to scowl up at him. His back was to her, his mirror still at his side. His shoulders shook.
She stood and stepped towards him. She wanted to hit him, the stupid mutt. She wanted to grip a handful of his hair and rip it out of his head. She wanted to kill him. She took another step, the rage inside her building. She felt…
The tears slipped from her lashes, covering her cheeks once again. She reached out towards him.
"Stay Back." He spat at her, his ears twitching in her direction. His whole body tensed up. She could see the muscles in his back tighten. "Don't come near me."
She froze, taken aback. Before she could reply he jumped again, disappearing into the line of trees.
"Wh- what…?" Kagome said, her voice trembling as it left her lips. How could he leave me here? Her body started to quiver, the coldness of the evening as the sun set slowly somewhere behind her in the mountains. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to release the sob that was surging up, threatening to break free. She fell to her knees, the damp grass soaking into her jeans. Her skin broke out in goosebumps, and she knelt forward.
Don't cry again. She instructed herself. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. She sat in the clearing, one small person in a very, very large world. For the first time in her life, Kagome felt truly alone.
Time moved by unaware. It could have been minutes. It felt like hours.
Then she heard it: a crack. It echoed through the forest and out into the clearing. A giant flock of birds took to the air far off in the distance to her right, cawing and squawking, a bleak smear across the darkening sky. Another, loud cracking sound, like a giant tree breaking in two, and then more birds thrusting themselves into the sky. Another crack. Slowly, Kagome stood to her feet again. Inuyasha had left her to die? Fine. She wasn't going to wait around and give him the satisfaction.
She turned and peered into the black woods, the last of the sunlight disappearing behind the horizon.
I should have paid attention to survival in gym class, she thought. Should she stay in the clearing through the night, and chance her luck with whatever was crunching trees into oblivion? Or should she head into the cover of the forest? Blind but covered, and possibly get more lost than she already was?
Kagome had once thought herself grownup and mature. But now… She felt nothing more than a little girl. She was 5 years old again, lost in the supermarket and crying for her mother.
The indecision froze her in place. She wanted someone to make the decision for her. If Sango was here, she'd know what to do.
If Sango….
Sango. The image of her friend, possibly dead and bleeding out onto the floor of the attic flashed into her mind. It didn't matter that she had Hojou had betrayed her, they didn't deserve such a gruesome death. It should have been her. It should have been.
She was on the brink of breaking down again. She was crumbling. A sob broke free.
And then he was there, at the edge of the trees, his white hair almost glowing in the darkness. He moved towards her, closer and closer, right up to her he walked, his eyes trained on her. His normal, golden eyes.
Kagome stepped back, angry. But she couldn't lie. She was a little relieved.
"Where did you go?" She asked, hating how timid her voice sounded.
The muscle in his jaw twitched. For a moment she didn't think he'd answer her.
"It… takes some time," he said, voice strained, "to get rid of my other half."
She wanted to ask about it, He had been so different before. But the words struggled to come. They stood in silence. Kagome could swear she heard her heart beating in her chest. It felt like it would thump out through her skin and flop onto the floor.
"You…" He finally said, his fists clenching and unclenching. "You betrayed me."
She tried to stop the sharp inhale signifying her surprise. Failed.
"Not only did you keep me trapped in that fucking cage," he continued, "but you left me in there. Kept me trapped. Just like Kikyou does."
"I-"
"Don't speak." He ordered, and she snapped her mouth shut. "I thought…" She watched him visibly struggle with himself. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but… But I thought…."
She held her breath.
"I thought I could trust you."
She opened her mouth.
"Don't. Speak." He growled. "I tried to tell you, Kagome. I tried to tell you that Kikyou would not harm your family. And still you fucking kept me shut up like an animal and handed me over to that bitch."
Kagome shook her head. "No, it wasn't supposed to happen that way. We were supposed to take Kikyou down for good and bring you back with us! I honestly thought that Sango and Hojou would-"
"You can't take down Kikyou," he sneered. "You think your pathetic, soft, human friends are a match? Your shitty friends hate me because I am hanyou. Because I am youkai! How many times will it take? How many times do you have to see them for what they really are for you to understand? They. Hate me."
"They don't understand, they-"
"Don't fucking talk to me about understanding!" He roared. "I told you what Kikyou makes me do, what sick acts she makes me carry out, and still you-"
"My family!" She screamed, her arms wrapping around her belly in an attempt to rid the pain that sat there. "My family could have been killed! She was threatening to kill them! I was only doing what I thought was the best way for everyone to stay alive and safe!"
"And look at what's come of it! Your friend and boyfriend practically dead. Your friends brother now one of Kikyou's slaves. Tell me again how fucking safe and alive everyone is. Tell me!"
Her mouth fell open to reply, but she choked on her words. She could barely make him out through the blur of the tears that kept falling, falling, falling. He was right, it was all her fault, thinking they would all come away scathe-free.
"That's right, you stupid girl, you have nothing," he hissed. "You pissed everyone's life away for nothing. Your family was never in any danger, Kagome. Most likely they were in their beds the whole time. Kikyou's magic is not is not small, she does things…" He trailed off, shook his head. "She does things you can't even imagine with her magic. But I know one thing for sure. She doesn't kill humans."
"How can you say that? She might have killed Sango and Hojou, and Sango's brother… That could easily have been Souta. So don't stand there and tell me that my fears for my family are for nothing!"
"No, your family are weak. And Small. And Soft. They hold no purpose for Kikyou, she has nothing to gain by using them like she uses Miroku, or Kohaku, or like she uses me. Your friends are not just human, Kagome, they are part of a world that you and your family know nothing about. Kohaku is of use. He's from hunter's blood. His family traces back to before I was born. Your silly little brother is not of use. Your brother is just that: Your brother."
"How- How dare you! If you think that-"
"Quiet." The voice was old. Tough. Shocked, Kagome jumped slightly, blown over by the fact that someone had snuck up on them; that there was another living soul this far out. She turned, eyes falling on a hunched form.
Her hair was silver-gray and tied back away from her face. The wrinkles in her skin ran deep; dark crevices giving away an age Kagome couldn't begin to guess. Yet despite the seasoned aura she gave off, her eyes shone bright and young.
"Inuyasha," She said, a frown carved permanently on her face.
Kagome's jaw dropped. "Uh…." She said smartly.
She was double shocked when Inuyasha replied.
"Kaede."
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Can't believe I made my deadline! It's a holiday miracle. Happy Holidays, everyone! See you in the new year.
Hope you enjoyed reading! Please let me know what you think. Your comments help me to keep writing, and to keep getting better as I go.
~SugarRos
