Goshinki stared in manic rapture as their thoughts and fears flowed into him.
"What a tasty treat! Every tantalizing morsel of terror is enough to make me explode."
Kagome scrunched her face in disgust, "stop getting off on our fear, you pervert!"
Sliding his gaze to her, he smiled mischievously as he undressed her with his eyes.
"Much like Naraku got off on your pain; gained pleasure from your whimpers and screams…so will I, my pet. In fact, I think I'll just keep you as my play thing."
Growling, Inu bared his fangs at the demon.
"Your filthy hands won't have a chance to touch her!"
"Really?"
Moving faster than they could see, Goshinki was on Kagome's side and ripped the door off the hinges. She tried to blast him with purifying light, but he knew her plan and shifted out of the way before grabbing her wrist and twisting her into his chest.
"Kagome!"
As the two lovers locked eyes, the scenery warped and turned into Naraku's room. Flashbacks of the moment he saved her came back as he watched her struggle to break free of her red-eyed captor who transformed into Naraku, lustful sunken eyes hungrily staring at her.
"Stop this Goshinki!"
Goshinki and Kagome acted like he wasn't there as she screamed, "this isn't real! You can't hurt me because none of this exists!"
Smiling with Naraku's face, Goshinki pulled her close and forced her wrists into the cuffs of that machine which became the centerpiece of her nightmares.
"That's where you're wrong. I am real, and what I do to you will wrack your body with enough pain to last you years."
InuYasha struggled against the chains on his wrist as he pulled and tugged to break free from the floor.
"Kagome!"
Goshinki turned his head to glare at the hanyou.
"She can't hear you, because I won't let her. Your darkest and deepest fear is losing her, but second to that is watching her be tortured in front of you and not be able to stop it. I get to make both of you suffer at the same time."
"No! I'll do anything, just don't hurt her!"
"Sorry, but it's not up for negotiation."
The hanyou watched in outrage as Goshinki yanked Kagome's hair to tilt her head up and ravage her mouth.
'I have to stop this!'
That when he felt it, a rage, more powerful than anything he had ever felt, was rising to the surface.
Goshinki was busy ripping Kagome's clothes off and scratching her skin with his claws, when he heard the growl.
Turning around, he felt a chill up his spine as the hanyou radiated and surged with demonic power. It shook Goshinki so bad that he lost his concentration and Kagome could see her love.
"InuYasha!"
The hanyou stood up, breaking the chains with ease, and lifted his head to stare with glowing red eyes.
"Goshinki, prepare to die."
….
Sometime later, InuYasha awoke with a start as he looked in front of him at what was left of Goshinki. The demon had been torn to shreds and then decapitated, well his demon side really wanted to take vengeance out on him. Suddenly, he was aware of Kagome crying.
"Kagome?"
Lifting her head, he saw her torn clothes and blood pooled under her.
"How could you, InuYasha?!"
"What did I do?"
Tears rained down her face, "you forced yourself on me, and then you killed our friends!"
Looking to the side, he saw Sango and Miroku's lifeless bodies lying in their own blood.
"What did I do? WHAT DID I DO?!"
Getting up, Kagome glared with hatred, "Your DEMON killed Goshinki, and then went after me. Sango and Miroku tried to stop it, and that's when you turned on them. Once you were done slaughtering, you came back to finish with me!"
He moved to her side and tried to touch her, but she stood quickly and spat in his face, before limping away. InuYasha crumbled to the floor, staring at the blood on his hands.
"It's not possible. I could never do this!"
'Exactly! What makes you think I would do that, half-breed?!'
Shaking his head, he screamed at his demon side.
"Don't give me that! You hurt Kagome, Sango, and Miroku!"
'InuYasha, think! Use your demon senses! Do you smell their blood? Did you even smell Kagome's tears?!'
InuYasha stilled and looked in the direction Kagome left.
"I didn't, and it would be impossible not to smell all the blood. Could it be…"
'Bingo, hanyou! None of this is real, so stop wasting time! Now, wake up and save our mate!'
Blinking, InuYasha found himself back outside Kikyo's place, and turned around to see Goshinki holding a knife to Kagome's throat.
"How did you break free of my illusion?!"
Baring his fangs and claws, InuYasha growled.
"I thought my worst fear was watching Kagome being tortured and helpless to stop it, but you showed me my real fear was of myself; destroying everything and everyone I love and care about. I didn't fully trust my demon side, but he's the one that got me out of your world."
Goshinki was so pissed off, he couldn't focus on reading Inu's thoughts, which gave the hanyou an opportunity to punch him in the face and snatch Kagome. Holding her close, InuYasha never took his eyes off the demon as he kissed the side of her face.
"Are you, okay? I thought I lost you."
"I'm fine, but you sounded like you were in pain."
"I'll tell you about it later, but right now we need to get rid of this son-of-a-bitch."
Walking over to the knocked-out demon, InuYasha debated on what to do with him when Sango and Moriku finally pulled up. Getting out of the car, Sango ran up to Kagome and gave her a giant hug.
"Kagome! I was so worried!"
Kagome smiled and closed her eyes, "we were too."
Miroku walked up to the hanyou and looked down.
"We thought we might have been too late."
"Nope, you're right on time."
Grinning, Miroku gave the demon a shot of something.
"What was that?"
"An interesting concoction Kagome's dad come up with; it slows the mind and targets the left inferior frontal gyrus and makes Goshinki here powerless. With enough of it, we could permanently disable him."
"Good, because I think my father will have the say on what do to with him."
Walking over to their car, Miroku pulled out the rope and slapped enchantment seals on them so the demon couldn't break free as they tied him up and stuffed him in the trunk.
Kagome and InuYasha sat in the back while Miroku and Sango got in and started to drive off.
"Wait!"
Slamming on the breaks, Miroku turned around, "what is it, Kagome?"
"Inu and I still need to grab something before we leave."
Sango opened the door, "I'm going too. You're crazy if you think I'm letting either one of you out of my sight again."
Smiling, Kagome got out and could feel everyone following her. She walked the passageway they used to get in the maze and held her nose as the stench of blood and death hung heavy in the air. She crouched down to where the T.V. lay and grabbed the VCR.
"Okay, now we can go."
The other couple seemed confused, but thought best not to say anything as they got in the car and drove back to the mansion.
Kagome's mother, father, and brother ran down the steps to embrace her, fully aware of the dangerous situation with Goshinki.
A few tears fell as she felt the warmth and love from her family.
"I love you guys so much. I'm sorry for making you worry."
InuYasha watched them with a small smile, until he had his own family barreling over and knocking him down as they worried over him.
"Guys! I'm fine, okay?"
Izayoi kissed his cheek, "I thought I would never see my baby boy again."
Slapping him across the face, she pointed her finger at him.
"Don't you ever do something stupid like that again, you hear me?!"
Rubbing his sore cheek, he nodded.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good!"
She gave him one more hug before InuTaisho faced him.
"You knew Goshinki was out there, and yet you still chose to go off with Kagome, putting not just you, but your future mate in harm's way. I'm glad you're alright, but I'm very disappointed in you. How could you be so reckless, son?"
Inu was about to speak when Kagome pried herself from her family.
"Please, don't blame him! I'm the one that wanted to go."
Everyone stared, confused as to why she would risk being captured and tortured.
"InuYasha wouldn't let me go by myself, but I had to retrieve something from Kikyo's before anyone tipped off the police and they ransacked the place. So, it was my fault, Mr. Taisho. Please, don't yell at Inu or be disappointed in him. In fact, you should be proud of him; he is the only one to ever break free of Goshinki's mind torture…and he saved me."
InuTaisho walked up and cupped her cheek, "my dear, what was so important you had to risk your safety to get?"
Taking a deep breath, she felt her eyes water, but stopped the tears from falling.
"It was a video of Naraku…humiliating and hurting me. Kikyo thought it would be fun to play it over and over again, as her own personal brand of evil, while Inu was caged and forced to watch. Now, he looks at me differently, and I don't want anyone else to see what happened to me. I just want it to disappear forever and finally move forward with no reminders of it. I'm through being haunted by that man."
InuYasha moved to hold her from behind, "and I want to do the same. What do you say we have a bonfire in the backyard? We can even grill some hamburgers and hotdogs."
Grinning from ear to ear, Kagome nodded her head.
"A farewell party to our past."