Demon's Heart

Chapter 3

Inuyasha felt as though the world had just crashed all around him, as he stared back at Kagome. He glanced across her frail body; she looked horrible. Dirt smeared all over her body, dried blood on her hands and knees, her hair was mangled with twigs and all knotted. She looked as though she did not see the outdoors in years.

He felt responsible for this happening to her, he should have been keeping a closer eye on her, should have been more alert and than she would not have gone through this. As he shook his head, he started to walk to her. "Oh, Kagome." he whispered, opening his arms to her.

His sudden advancement towards her caused her to step backwards, pushing her good hand out in front of her to stop him from coming any closer. "Don't." she shouted at him, her eyes slowly narrowing.

Inuyasha stopped where he was. At first, he was a bit taken back at her not letting him near her, but realized what she must have gone through. Raising his arms in defense, he slowly took a step back, as he watched her. "Kagome, I'm so sorry we didn't get here sooner." He said, beginning to step again to her.

Kagome clenched her fists and shut her eyes. "I said don't!" she hollared at him, and as the words left her mouth, she felt his warm arms wrap around her and pull her tightly to him, and she immediately opened her eyes to see only white hair in her vision.

She could feel his warm skin against her cheek, and his comforting arms holding on for dear life. She melted in to him, everything around her disappeared and it was just the two of them in the warm embrace.

Her eyes managed to slowly close over, as she could feel his breath rushing by her cheek, she could hear his heart pounding against his chest. She breathed in his scent and eased more in to him. Opening her eyes, she could see Naraku watching them.

As Inuyasha stroked her head, Kagome stared toward Naraku as he winked at her. When Kagome realized that she was in Inuyasha's arms, she pushed herself off of his chest and out of his embrace, freeing herself.

Kagome choked back tears as she tried to find the words she wanted to say to him, but nothing came. She needed to know the truth, she needed to know if what she was told was him. "I want you to tell me the truth, Inuyasha."

She stared at him but it was like she was looking at someone other than Inuyasha. He did not look like himself to her, anymore. He looked different. She could not recognize this version of him. This version that was consumed with power and blood. He looked like a monster.

He was shocked that she was worried about something so irrelevant when he was simply trying to save her from their enemy. She would rather argue and question him on his past. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. "Come on, Kagome." he begged her. "This is ridiculous."

She was offended. He took this as a joke. He did not take this as seriously as she did. Kagome laughed to herself as she stared at him. "I don't think it is ridiculous, Inuyasha. I am not going anywhere until you tell me the truth."

Inuyasha could not believe this.

He had come to her rescue and all she was worried about what something that happened over fifty years ago, that was in the past, when all he wanted to do was to save her now.

Why did it matter? No matter what he did then was behind them. Why dwell on what has happened? Inuyasha knew that Naraku must have said something to her, to try to get her against him, but he knew it would not work. He knew Kagome was not that gullible to believe any lie Naraku could come up with about him.

Inuyasha tried to reach out a hand to her. "Please, Kagome," he softly whispered.

She pulled her hand away from him. "Tell me, Inuyasha!" she demanded.

Inuyasha was taken back by her scream. He looked back at Naraku who was enjoying every second of them arguing, which he caused, and was waiting to see how things would play out.

Inuyasha could tell that he was not going to get her out of there unless he told her the truth. He was cornered

Inuyasha let out a loud sigh as he turned back to Kagome and shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Fine, Kagome. I'll tell you the truth." he started.

He did not want to say it. He did not want to be the one to have to tell Kagome the worst regret he had, but Naraku left him no choice in the matter. He wasn't able to leave this alone. He stared in to her eyes as he took a deep breath in. "I was the one who killed Kikyo."

"Miroku!" Sango hollered after him down the long narrow corridor. They had to be running for what seemed like hours and they were lost. Each hallway they went down simply looked like the one before it and the one before that. For all they knew, they were running in circles trying to find where Inuyasha and Kagome may be.

Miroku was coming up to another left and right turn in the hallways, and he stopped, allowing for her to catch up to him. Shippo was not too far behind them. He gasped as he tried to catch his breathe, finally catching up to them. "Guys," he exhaled, inhaling and exhaling heavily. "are you sure you are going the right way?"

Miroku was offended that he doubted his sense of direction. He took hold of the small fox demon in one quick swoop and raised him to eye level. "Are you doubting me, Shippo?" he asked in a calm voice, smiling at him.

As Shippo dangled upside down he stared up at the monk. "We've been running these hallways forever, clearly we're lost or just taking the long way." he muttered under his breath.

Miroku raised him to be eye level. "What was that?" he asked.

Sango laughed as she walked over and took Shippo from Miroku's grasp, setting him on her shoulder. "Of course he isn't, Miroku." she reassured him. "He's just double checking, right Shippo?"

Shippo patted himself off as he looked at her, confused. "No, I-" he started then Sango interrupted him by clearing her throat and glaring at him. He took his hint to not continue any further. Shippo rolled his eyes and sighed. "That's right, just checking."

Miroku smiled and nodded to them. "Right. Now, which way?" he asked, as he stared down what seemed to be endless hallways.

Shippo ran over and stood between the different hallways and tried to focus and see if he would tell which way they were, Sango and Miroku both separated and began walking down different hallways.

He could hear sounds of birds outsides and the sound of Miroku and Sango pacing down the hallway.

After a few short moments, he picked up the sound of muffled tears. He would hear the sounds of Inuyasha and Kagome's voice and knew that they had to be close. He looked down the corridor and pointed. "That way."

Miroku ran over to Shippo and looked back at Sango. "Let's go!"

It was silent.

No one said a word. Kagome stared at Inuyasha, Inuyasha stared back at her, and Naraku watched as the two started to crumble.

Kagome could not believe what she was hearing, could not believe she had let him fool her in such a way as this. She didn't understand how she could defend him and pretend as if he wasn't the monster everyone knew he was all along. She didn't get how he could lie to her about this for so long and not feel the need to say anything to her about it.

Inuyasha had stopped explaining himself to her and reached a hand out in an attempt to reason with her. "Kagome." he whispered softly.

"No!" Kagome screamed, hitting his hand away. She was disgusted with him. She did not want him to touch her. "Do not say my name, Inuyasha," she warned him as tears started to build up in her eyes. "Continue." she encouraged him.

He cringed at the thought of continuing. Inuyasha knew that this would just torture and push her farther away from him, but he had no choice now but to explain.

"After the fifth village I destroyed, Naraku came to me and told me that he was able to help me control the craving for blood, but I did not want to control it, I wanted to become the blood. Become a full demon for the simple reason of power. He began telling me about the Shikon Jewel and how it could grant you your deepest desires."

Inuyasha sighed. "I became obsessed with the idea. The thought of not being a weak half-breed anymore was too good to be true. And when Naraku told me that the way to become a full demon was guarded by a simple priestess, I almost laughed at how easy it would be to get." As he replayed the thoughts in his head, Inuyasha could not help but smile. He had buried his past so far that he forgot the fine details.

"I did not want to kill Kikyo to get the Shikon Jewel, so I decided to befriend her, become close with her, and then she would give it to me willingly." Inuyasha stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts.

"And then things changed. When I was with her, I did not feel the need to become something else other than myself. I did not want to become a full demon, anymore. She did not want me to have the jewel, for fear of me being consumed by the darkness of my inner full demon, and she was right to worry. And for a time, I was fine with it."

Inuyasha then hesitated. He did not want to continue, to say it out loud to Kagome. She stared at him, waiting to him to hurt her.

He feared this. He knew the moment she heard the truth from him, that will be it, she would give up on him. She would abandon him for good.

Naraku cleared his throat, breaking the silence between them. "Until?" he insisted.

Inuyasha stared back at her trying to find some justifying reason for his actions. Tried to come up with some underlying purpose as to why he had to do what he had done, but he couldn't.

He took a deep breathe in, and prepared for what would be the worst moment in his life. "Until I was injured in a battle and my full demon side took over, slaughtering once again another village and then, shortly after, I went for the Shikon Jewel." he paused, not knowing if he needed to state the obvious.

Kagome was holding back the tears, as she stared at him, shaking her head and trying to hold herself together. "Say it, Inuyasha," she demanded him. "Say it."

She needed him to say it. She needed to hear him say it. This was all just words and build up to the already known climax, but she needed him to say it. He had to be the one to tell her the truth.

And for a brief moment, her eyes locked with his, and she thought that he would say it was all a lie. That he had no part in the death of Kikyo and that he could live without being a full demon. That he could be with her and not be a full demon. And then Inuyasha broke their gaze as he turned away from her.

"I killed Kikyo to get the Shikon Jewel." he said, and it all came rushing out. "I choose blood and power and myself over her." he admitted, as he sighed. "And I would do it all over again if it meant I would become a full demon." Inuyasha instantly lowered his head, he did not want to see the look of disgust that was sure to be on her face.

Kagome couldn't breathe; it felt as if her chest was caving in on her. She gasped for air to fill her lungs. Pools of buildup tears swelled over her lids, rolling down on to her cheeks as her knees buckled, as she slowly sinked to the floor. Her whole body went numb as she pulled her face in to her hands, and began quietly sobbing.

She felt overwhelmed; she could not believe what she had heard. She could not understand how she allowed herself to be tricked so easily; how was she able to be fooled by such a lie. To believe that he may actually want to be with her and be who he is.

She felt used; after all this time, helping him and being strung along his side in all of their journeys, he was only using her to complete the Shikon Jewel and then to use it's powers for himself. For his selfish advantages.

She felt betrayed; she trusted him, she had put her life in his hands time and time again for nothing. She believed him to be honest and faithful to them.

It was always about becoming a full demon and nothing more, no matter how hard she tried to fight that idea. The only thing that he cared about was to no longer be a half-demon, and that would never change, and she was an idiot to think otherwise. It did not matter to him who or what he had to go through to get what he wanted, he would do it and at any cost.

"Kagome." she heard her name slip through Inuyasha's lips and it stung to hear it. To hear him say her name in that lying voice was sickening to her.

She sniffled as she whipped her eyes clear of tears and gathered herself before trying to stand. She raised to her feet, as she took a deep breathe in and stared at Inuyasha.

Everything that she thought was true about him was nothing more than a fantasy. He was not the person that she thought he was. He wasn't as horrible as Naraku. He was worse.

She searched to find what she once saw in him, but it wasn't there. Anything good that she had thought about him had been destroyed from the realization of who he was.

Those hands that once held her tightly were now claws that could rip her apart.

Those gorgeous golden eyes that she fell in love with was just a cover for the devilish red eyes beneath.

And those lips, that kissed her so lovingly, were just a shield to hide his sharp, menacing fangs of his. She did not see him anymore, just a pathetic half-demon longing to be a full demon.

And if he wanted to be one, he should be able to.

She finally exhaled, as she looked past Inuyasha towards Naraku. They locked eyes as a smile crept on to Kagome's face. "And what exactly was your plan for him, Naraku?"