Heeeyyyy guyyys
First off I wanna apologize for taking 5 months to update this story. No I didn't forget about y'all but life seems to get in the way when you start a new job, break your laptop and experience a world wide pandemic LOL. But any who here's the new chapter approx. 8 pages give or take. Thank you for those following and I hope you enjoy!
Oh yeah and:
I do not own any of these wonderful characters created by the best Rumiko Takahashi
Several days had passed since the attack, and whereas her scrapes and bruises were slowly healing, Kagome's internal wounds tormented her with a haunting severity.
He was dead. Yet the remnants of the demon's attack lingered firmly in her mind.
Kagome saw him in the shadows she passed by on her way home. His vermilion eyes followed her in the faces of those she briefly glimpsed. Alone in her home, his voice was in the creaks and groans she heard while she was sleeping. He was everywhere, the spirit of his anguish doing all in its power to spite her.
Reflecting on that night, Kagome had come to realize that she had no familiarity with what she had done, yet at the same time, something within her had called her to it;
Purification.
She needed to know what she had done, so pulling up a web page on google, Kagome had decided that tonight she'd summon whatever powers had saved her.
Twelve candles, representing the twelve points of harmony, were placed intricately on Kagome's floorboards. Tarp laden windows sealed in any and all light that threatened to escape her room. Sutras she had spent hours designing, covered all cardinal directions, serving as a barrier between her powers and the outside world.
Kagome ticked off each item on the checklist she had written down. There was no assuring this would work, but maybe it could give some insight on the beast dwelling inside her.
She sat in the middle of her candle made circle, careful to follow the rhythm of her breathing as she began her incantation.
She could see the light of the candles piercing through her eyelids, yet felt nothing that resembled the power she had experienced mere days before.
Please. Kagome murmured in her mind. She was searching for something, anything that she could grasp onto, but all she found was darkness. A deep murkiness that covered all corners of her mind as though she was trapped inside a bottomless lagoon.
A flutter of pink, so brief yet lucid flew past her like an ember. She reached out for it, but the light faded as quickly as it had appeared.
Dejected she remained in the darkness before small pink wisps speckled around her.
One by one the embers stuck to her until Kagome was enveloped in a blanket of pink light. It was warm and soft and ever so welcoming. But then it began to burn.
Kagome screamed, desperately attempting to rub off the light that encapsulated her. Her body was pricked by the pain of a million needles until it all focused on her heart. Each heartbeat was agonizing as the light berate her again and again. Grasping her chest, Kagome did all she could to continue breathing. Anything to keep herself from suffocating.
She was dying.
She was really dying, and her powers were to blame.
Who do you hate me! She shrieked out, fighting the very thing that had once saved her. Suddenly, the light faded and Kagome found herself free falling in a black abyss. Her eyes shot open in panic.
Her hands were trembling and her heart pumped heavily in her chest. Nothing in her room had changed except the ever present light of a single candle. Kagome's brows furrowed as she snuffed out the final light.
Kagome hurled the candle into the adjacent wall and watched as the wax shattered. She had had enough of these fairy tales and there was nothing more her powers could do for her. All they had ever brought was fear, pain and anguish and Kagome saw herself a fool for thinking that that had all changed.
This power had never been protecting her but merely keeping itself alive. It was a parasite, leaching off her life force from the moment she had been born.
Kagome tore up the sutras, throwing them in her trash can along with her store bought tarp and candles.
She went to her bathroom, looking long and hard in the mirror.
"Idiot."
Kagome whispered to herself, tears pricking at her eyes.
What a pathetic miko you turned out to be.
Kagome's pink satin dress shimmered in the light of her bathroom as she added the finishing touches to her makeup. Tonight she would be celebrating her best friend's 22nd birthday and Kagome was more than ecstatic to go see all of her friends.
It had been a month since that night, and Kagome found herself forgetting the recollections of it through work, friends and social outings.
Her powers too, had faded.
After her failed attempt at conjuring, Kagome no longer felt the twinges of her powers nor the repercussions they brought along. She was happy.
Half an hour passed and Kagome rushed out of her apartment door, shoes and wallet in hand. She quickly scrambled into the back of her cab, giving the driver details as to where he should take her.
The lights of downtown sparkled in her big amber eyes as the cab slowly made its way through the city. Since quitting her server job a few weeks ago, Kagome had hardly any reason to be in the area. Her time was mainly now spent at the local library where she worked part time, mostly setting up fundraisers and figuring out her future plans for school.
Kagome tipped the driver as she stepped out and in front of a well known bar she frequented. Her inky black curls sashayed down her back as she approached the bouncer, ID in hand. When he let her in, Kagome peaked her head through the entryway, searching for her friends until she found them nestled comfortably in the back.
"Happy Birthday Sango!"
Kagome shrieked, pulling her best friend into a tight hug.
"It took you long enough to get here!" The feisty brunette said,
"Everyone's been waiting for you! Now let's take a shot."
Kagome made her rounds saying hi to their friends while Sango ordered a round of drinks. It had been sometime since she'd been together with everyone, and it was nice to know that all the girls had been doing well.
She had especially missed Sango, but after graduating, her best friend had landed a job with a successful business firm leaving little time for the two to hangout.
They still made an effort to talk though, but there were times Kagome missed the physical affection.
After a few rounds of bar hopping, Kagome found herself entering one of the most exclusive nightclubs in Tokyo. It was no surprise however considering Sango was hot, popular and equipped with an insane social media following. Kagome's best friend was truly a walking goddess among them.
"Sango, are you sure we'll be okay." Kagome said, eyeing the bouncer as he ID'd a group of girls before him.
"Yeah why do you ask?" Sango said a little too loudly. The alcohol was beginning to creep up on her.
Kagome looked around shifting uncomfortably,
"There are a lot of yōkai here…" She whispered. Her eyes remained on the 7 foot bouncer ahead of them and she watched meticulously as his glowing eyes glided over ID cards and faces.
Sango rolled her eyes.
"Yuka's half demon remember?" She said, nudging towards their long time friend.
"That's different." Kagome tried to interject, but before she could continue, it was their turn to head in.
Kagome found herself struggling to hand her ID to the giant man towering above them. But he merely gave her a quick glance before waving them in with a clawed hand.
In her entire life, Kagome only really knew a handful of demons, and even then she had never been especially close to them. It was rare for humans and demons to occupy similar spaces, even with hundreds of years of "peaceful" coexistence.
More so, her miko status made it especially hard for Kagome to get close to any. Just being within a similar vicinity would set her powers off in a way that urged her to flee every time. But that rarely happened considering demons kept to their own establishments and side of town.
However tonight was different.
As Kagome eyed the dance floor from their own private section, she felt no apprehension or uneasiness. Her powers really had faded, so maybe it was time for her to stop living in fear of detection. With no powers, there was nothing she could be accused of being.
Ordering a shot from a bartender with sleek fangs and crimson hair, Kagome downed it in a single gulp and followed her friends out onto the dance floor. Her nerves had somewhat calmed, and frankly, Kagome found herself captivated by the demons around her.
Most of them blended in with the humans, and whether that was due to glamour or magic, she didn't really care. Kagome watched marvelously as the winged ones glided by the tall ceilings, revealing a rooftop deck accessible only to them. Demoness gogo dancers captivated the crowds with displays of smoke and lighting. It was all magical.
Kagome returned to their section, a little wobbly but in good spirits. She giggled as she watched a drunken Sango dancing provocatively among their friends and was only happy the brunette was thoroughly enjoying herself.
She pulled her cell phone out from her clutch. Scrolling mindlessly as the digital clock changed from 12:49 to 12:50. Kagome looked up from her phone, eyeing the crowd until an all familiar face headed into view.
Seated across the room amid a group of demons sat Yura. The demoness Kagome encountered only a month prior. She was chatting and laughing, completely unaware that not too far away sat the human she'd tried and failed at capturing.
Kagome's heart dropped in a panic. She had completely forgotten about the girl, and in fact wiped her from her memory. But seeing the demon now quelled a rage within Kagome that she thought had been buried away.
What was Yura's purpose in luring her that night? And had the demoness seen her destroy that male?
Kagome watched carefully as Yura collected her things, heading towards the club's exit.
"Sango," Kagome said approaching her drunk group of friends, "I have work early tomorrow so I'm heading home now okay!"
She scurried away quickly before the birthday girl could protest and followed in pursuit of Yura.
She searched the crowded streets, moving past groups of humans and demons alike, making sure to keep a safe distance from the girl.
However, the closer Yura encroached into demon territory, the less humans Kagome saw and the more she stood out.
Lanterns lit up the road as the urban landscape faded into a more traditional one. Red shōji doors did little to obstruct the drunken laughter that escaped yōkai taverns and maroon colored noren blew softly in the wind, allowing Kagome to see small glimpses of the establishments inside.
The two were alone now, illuminated softly by the wooden lamp posts lining the streets. As the glow of the red lanterns lit up her view, Kagome stumbled when she saw Yura come to a careful stop.
"You've wandered too off course ningen." Yura said, turning to face her, "Better run along before a big scary yōkai comes around."
Kagome clenched her fists at her side.
"I have questions for you." She uttered thankful that her wavering voice reached the demon a few feet away.
Yura scoffed, proceeding to her route once more, "I don't banter with humans."
"Then why did you attack me?"
Yura stopped then, turning quickly to stare at Kagome. Her magenta eyes seemed to glow brighter then, unparalleled to the lanterns around them. She eyed Kagome for a small eternity before fully acknowledging her.
"You're the human I lost track of the night Koji went missing." She murmured softly, turning her body to face Kagome completely.
Yura took quick strides towards her as Kagome stood there, frozen by fear and anger.
"What happened to him?" Yura asked, her magenta eye's peering into Kagome's, searching for any small traces of deceit.
"I killed him."
Yura's eyes remained unwavering. There was no emotion, only an eerie stillness that seemed to pierce through Kagome's very being.
Even without her powers, Kagome could still feel the tension flowing from Yura. She could see the thick shroud of dark aura that spilled out around her.
A few moments of silence passed.
"Serves him right if he could be taken down by a weakling like you." The demon said, eyes still trained on her.
"Why did you let him attack me?"
"I was doing my job."
"I tried to save you." Kagome stuttered, the fear and shame of that night spilling into her voice.
Yura cocked her head to the side.
"Save me?" she seemed confused. Her eyes lit up then.
"Oh that's right. Empathy! It's that empathy you human's possess that make you all so vulnerable!"
She began cackling, "I never needed any saving."
Her expression turned dark then.
"Feigning innocence is just the easiest way to lure stupid humans for the taking."
Kagome's anger quelled in her chest as the shame from that night possessed her. She could still feel the tongue on her skin, the rough pads of his hands as she meekly stood by unable to fight. All of her shame, terror and anguish, were responsible by this one girl who took her good nature for granted.
The anger was too much for her.
Kagome lunged at the demon before her, wrapping her fingers around Yura's slender neck sending both of them tumbling to the ground.
Kagome crushed the girl's windpipe, digging her nails into the soft firm skin hoping to cause damage to no avail.
Yura choked out a laugh.
"Stupid human." She wheezed "You don't have the strength to kill me." She smiled, fangs glinting in the light.
But Kagome didn't care, she saw red and her hands gripped Yura's throat tighter. Her palms tingled, emitting a soft heat.
Yura wretched quietly then and squirmed against Kagome's grasp.
"What are you doing?" She croaked, but Kagome didn't hear her. She couldn't hear anything and was instead enraptured by the soft pink glow of her hands.
The demoness was shrieking, quietly now, as Kagome's hands singed the tender flesh of her throat. It was as though an iron had been placed directly on her and every-time she tried prying the human's fingers away, it was as though she was dipping her hands into pure fire.
Kagome struggled against the squirming demon as she refused to let up from her assault. She was oblivious to the screams leaving Yura's mouth and to the power she had been carelessly unleashing.
POP
She felt a quick sharp pain and looked down at her forearm.
A wooden dart, a few inches in length stuck out of her arm, effectively pulling Kagome from her daze.
Kagome grabbed it, pulling the dart out roughly as she cast it to the side. Her vision faltered.
Kagome stumbled off the limp demon, rising to her feet but failing as she collapsed to the ground. Her body felt heavy, like lead, and a harsh ringing went off in her ears.
Kagome went limp on the floor.
Her vision faded quickly and once again Kagome found herself shrouded in darkness, no wisps of pink this time.
The last thing she heard was the soft murmur of voices before she lost consciousness entirely, completely unaware of the danger she'd led herself into.
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