Blanket Disclaimer: The writer does not own any characters created by Rumiko Takahashi but like everyone else wishes she did. All original characters or concepts are the author Inuma Asahi De's (with the exception of historical figures).
Chapter Ninety
Love
Kagura jerked awake, a distant sound barely registering in her mind as her eyes snapped opened so quickly she almost felt dizzy. Startled, the wind demon looked around herself trying to remember where she was and what had happened to her before she fell asleep but her mind was blank. The feel of someone warm on her chest made her blink and the sound of a groan as another person came awake made her tense. Hastily looking downwards, she sighed in relief as she saw just the top of Hiten's smooth, straight black hair.
"Hiten-sama." She whispered fondly as she moved his hair to the side, looking down into his still peaceful sleeping face. Sighing, she leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling, the Shinigami widening before she could stop it taking in an image on the other side of the floor boards against her will.
She could see Naraku as he leaned over grabbing his head between his knees. The man was biting his lip so hard to keep from screaming that his own blood was pouring down his face. His eyes opened, looking straight down at the ground, looking straight into her own without true sight. It was almost as if he could see he and couldn't see her all at once, his normally blackened irises becoming even darker as he looked down at the ground. The hands grabbing at his hair yanked down even firmer, pulling some of the strands out of his head by the roots. He opened his mouth, blood splattered and she winced half expecting it to hit her in the face but it didn't, instead, it hit some unseen floor and Naraky screamed.
The scream echoed down the hall causing Kagura to jump nearly sending Hiten flying off of her. "Nani?" She gasped as the image fell away, the Shinigami eye seeming to magically turn off.
"Who the hell," Hiten mumbled sleepily, the concussion still having not completely healed, something a bit worrying considering his demon heritage. "Is screaming?" He pushed himself away from Kagura and looked towards the ladder a few feet away from them his dark eyes studying the individual wooden steps, confused and exhausted.
Kagura moved to her knees just beside him as she too tried to process the sound coming at them from all directions. A shudder ran down her spine from the pure intensity of it. It almost sounded like whoever was screaming was ready to rip someone apart. Her hands shook as she looked up at the ceiling, waiting for the Shinigami eye to take control once more but it didn't. "It's—." She whispered to herself as her mind began to process the images from before.
Beside her, Hiten growled low in his throat and shakily managed to push himself to his feet. "Damn bastard," He grumbled to himself and rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other steadied himself against the wall. "Probably someone got drunk and hurt himself."
Kagura shook her head in disagreement, the earlier image of Naraku holding his head between his knees, blood dripping from his face, assaulted her every sense. "No," She told Hiten who turned and finally looked at her in surprise, as if he hadn't noticed she was there. "It-to not a drunk." She pushed herself to her feet as her heart began to beat wildly in her chest, knowing exactly who was screaming.
Surprised by her words, Hiten pushed himself to his feet as well, feeling only slightly dizzy from his earlier ordeal. "Then who the hell is it?"
Before Kagura could answer, the scream turned from barbaric unintelligence to true, pure words—words which answered for her. "That bitch!"
Hiten's eyes widened and his mouth dropped opened. "Naraku—." He managed to say just as Kagura darted passed him running towards the ladder without another word. "Kagura!" Hiten yelled after her but she had no time to stop, not now, not with what she knew shooting through her veins, red and hot and unbelievable.
-break-
Kagome fell forward before she could stop herself, her knees hitting the dirt hard tearing the fabric of her pants and scraping her knees underneath. The pain of it was lost on herself however as her hands fell forward into the dirt, her fingers digging into the soft soil without a single thought. Tears flooded her eyes dripping blindly down her cheeks and onto the back of her knuckles. Only vaguely did she recognize the feel of the moisture on her skin as hot and mocking. A great sob stuck itself half way into her throat and she gasped in an attempt to breathe.
"Inuyasha." The name flooded her brain and she grabbed at the dirt, pulling at it with her nails. Blood pooled underneath her fingertips as rocks and twigs embedded themselves inside her skin but she didn't release even one whimper from the pain. "Inuyasha." The name sounded somehow foreign to her as she lifted her head the world seeming to move slowly and unnaturally as her eyes took it in.
It was almost like she was disconnected from it somehow, maybe even no longer a part of it but a part of a word that existed somehow just beside it. She felt as if she wasn't even in her body as she looked out across the field her blurry vision trying to spot the familiar twinge of red and silver. Hazily, her eyes began to focus, the tears that clouded them dissipating as time held still all around her. She could see the shape just in the distance, the hue of red clothe surrounding it and the essence of black, pure black. Her body jerked and her heart stopped, she tried to move but her limbs felt heavy, too heavy for her to shift even slightly.
"Stand up." A voice commanded inside of her and she felt her heart skip a beat in fear before she realized it was her own. "You have to stand up." It repeated more forcefully and Kagome, shaking, drew one knee up to her chest. "I have to," She told herself as her foot pressed into the ground underneath her and her ears seemed to twitch towards the sound of shifting dirt. "Stand up." Her fingers twisted in the dirt and with great force she pushed herself to her feet grunting loudly.
Her body swayed as she finally came to stand on her shaky legs and the world around her seemed to swing and tilt all at once. Suddenly, her limbs that had seemed so heavy and immovable became as easy to lift as they had always been. It was as if she had just now come back into the world and been reawakened or, truthfully, she had just now come out of the shock. Placing one foot in front of the other she began to walk, her eyes never leaving the still figure of red cloth.
"Inuyasha." She whispered and her feet moved a little faster. "Inuyasha." She repeated and she was already moving at a light jog. "Inuyasha!" She rasped out the tears forming once again against her eyelashes as she sprinted. All she could see in that moment was the body laying motionless upon the ground, a terrifying prospect that felt like ice as it consumed her. "He can't be—no—it can't." The thoughts jumped in and out of her head as she practically threw herself down on the ground beside him.
She felt her knees burn as the scraps which had already been on her kneecaps opened wider from the brutal treatment. Her eyes widened as she got a better look at his body, seeing first only the little wisps of smoke drifting upwards from his clothes. Closer inspection revealed that the smoke was coming from sections of his clothes that had been burned all the way through leaving sections of blackened skin. Her hands shook and she tried to reach for him but something deep inside of her stopped them from moving farther forward. It was almost as if she didn't want to touch him for fear of either hurting him further or for fear of finding out he was no longer, in fact, alive.
Off to her left, she barely registered the sound of Sango's pitiful cry as she too took in the charred flesh of a man she considered to be a father. "No." Sango whispered as she fell on the ground next to Kagome, practically tripping as she made it to her hands and knees. "Oh dear lord no." She brought a hand to her mouth and began to cry as she turned her eyes towards her husband coming up beside her. "Miroku he's—."
The man didn't say a word as he slowly sank to the ground, his ashen face staring down at his father in horror. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind shot threw all three of them and they shivered violently from a combination of the cold and the sight before them. It seemed to them somehow appropriate, however, that a freezing wind accompanied a moment such as this.
Bringing her hands back towards herself, Kagome shook her body feeling frozen not just because of the cold. Her grey eyes, as beautiful as they ever were, watched as the wind took the smoke from around Inuyasha's body away, the sight as depressing as a funeral. A slight movement from the crown of Inuyasha's head caught her attention and she blinked as she raised her eyes towards the normally silver strands. "Black hair?" She whispered the words, surprised that she had just now realized the strange change; a change she had only seen once before. Trembling violently she gasped for air as her mind finally processed the picture in front of her fully; the part of it she had yet to acknowledge. "He's human!"
Shocked at her outburst, Miroku finally came back into reality, the sight of his father leaving him for only a moment. "Human?" He whispered and his brow furrowed as he looked down at the body, finally seeing the blackened hair. "But—."
"How?" Sango finished the strange sentence for him, her own chestnut eyes huge as they stared at the weird body before her. She had never in her life, unlike Kagome and Miroku, seen Inuyasha in his human form nor did she know that such a thing was actually possible.
Ignoring both Miroku and Sango, Kagome finally found the nerve to reach forward, a strange thought motivating her every move. "Why would he turn human?" The question seemed to echo in her soul as her hands found his head, the soft black strands of hair teasing her fingers. "Why would he turn human?" She grabbed his shoulders, yanking him towards her, watching as his head lopped sideways, limp. Trying not to cry, trying to hold onto a singular hope that was overwhelming her, she pulled his head into her lap looking down into his expressionless face. He looked neither peaceful nor in pain and in that moment she would have preferred either over nothing. "Maybe—Maybe."
Tears dripped down her face as she touched the cooling skin, the possibility seeming so slim that she felt utterly hopeless. There had to be a chance that the human transformation meant something but what could it mean? Had she purified him, turned him human? That had been the evil creature's intention when it shot the arrow towards the other demon. Inuyasha had only been a bystander who got in the way. So, could the creator's original intention have saved him? Did that mean he was somehow alive? Was it even possible or was it a fools dream?
Holding his head in her lap, not knowing what to do, Kagome closed her eyes unable to look at the pale face any longer. "Please." She whispered the word over and over again as she cradled him to herself. "Please—please—you can't—you have to be—." She begged as she pulled him closer, encircling his head in her tight grip. "Inuyasha, please wake up." She pleaded, not even registering the other two humans beside her as they too cried.
"Please." Sango whispered as she stared at the dog demon, her heart breaking at the very sight. "You can't do this." She shook her head adamantly and turned towards Miroku at her side. "He can't do this." Her face split into a deep mangled frown of sorrow and pain.
The boy's expression was completely devoid of any other emotion except grief. "Otou-san." He whispered the word unable to even recognize that Sango was sitting beside him. Tears formed in his eyes overflowing as he looked down at the only father he had ever known. "I can't lose you." He felt the thought form in his mind more than heard it as he watched Kagome cry into the side of his father's head. His own tears became more predominant as his heart broke in two. "Ot—." He started to say again as his face contorted into a desperate sob. "Otou-san!" He sobbed one hand coming up towards his face covering it as he cried like a small child.
Kagome heard Miroku's grief stricken cry and all the hope left her body. "He's dead." The words were like stones being thrown at her head. Miroku's strangled sob rang out beside her along with Sango's gut wrenching sobs. "He's dead." Her voice squeaked as she spoke her face growing hot and red with her tears. Desperately, she pulled him closer cocooning his head in her arms as she rocked back and forth cradling the Captain of the mightiest pirate ship on earth to her body. "What have I—I—done?" The words fell out of her mouth, shattering in the ears of everyone around her. Nearly, wailing she lifted her head up and away from him tilting her chin back as she let her anguish wash over her.
The nearly hidden sun warmed her face barely as it touched her skin. The warmth only made her cry harder, hatred for herself building within her. The tears gathered at her chin dropping down, falling like raindrops onto a nearly lifeless face. Inuyasha winced from the feel of the hot wetness and weakly tried to open his eyes. His whole body was racked with pain, even the hairs on his head felt painful as he tried to pull himself out of unconsciousness.
"Where—?" His mind felt hazy as he tried to open his eyes despite the pounding pain in his skull. "Was I shot?" He wondered as he felt another drop of wetness hit his skin, warm and somehow sweet. "Tears." He realized quickly and forced himself to open his eyes. Instantly, the sight of Kagome flooded them, the graceful curve of her neck leading up to her chin making him inhale sharply.
A flood of emotions overwhelmed him as his memory came back in a vibrant flash of recollections. He remembered her look as she released the arrow, sadistic amusement on her face that had quickly turned to complete horror. He remembered the sound of her scream as pain flooded his entire body, he remembered thinking that she had to finally be free, and he remembered the very moment he had slipped into unconsciousness just seconds after he had hit the hard ground.
The very idea gripped him and besieged him and unable to stop himself he forced his hand to move at his side. Pain shot up his arm but he ignored it as he looked directly at her, needing to see her, needing to touch her, needing to show himself that she was truly back, that she was herself again. "Open," He forced the sound out as hard as he could but it was barely a whisper. "Eyes."
Still crying desperately, Kagome nearly jumped as she felt the warmth of fingertips upon her cheek. Her frazzled mind just registered the words that had accompanied the touch and she opened them, the liquid of her tears making it nearly impossible to see.
"There, I can see." His voice was heavy and tired as it penetrated the clearing, hitting it with such great force that it made the air rush from her lungs.
Her heart stopped in her chest at his words and she felt as if she might tip over at any minute as his voice flooded her ears. She looked downwards and instantly her eyes were filled with the sight of brilliant chestnut brown staring up at her. Her heart stopped as little flecks of distant gold were reflected into the light, the only evidence of his demon blood left within him at that moment. "Inu—." She started to say just as his fingers moved away from her cheek and shifted allowing his palm, affectionate and loving, to rest against her delicate, red skin.
"Grey." His voice was deep and raspy as if he hadn't spoken in several years and was just now breaking a vow of silence. "Beautiful—." He continued and she blinked rapidly in order to continue seeing him, she had to see him. "—even with tears."
"Inu—," The name died on her lips as she blinked and blinked and blinked, pushing the tears from her eyes the best she could without her hands. "Your," She tried to speak but it seemed so impossible in that moment as her heart became so overcome that her mind couldn't possibly work. "Your—." She shook her head back and forth the tears clearing from her vision just enough that she could take in those brown irises even further truly seeing them.
Gorgeous brown eyes stared back into her own, looking at her with love and happiness that could never be expressed with any words. She felt her face contort into a watery smile at the sight of his mother's irises, deep and striking. Black hairs from his bangs blew in front of them contrasting sensationally with the chestnut color. She opened her mouth to speak, to form the thoughts swirling around in her mind into words but she closed it before she could, unable to actually even try. There were simply no words in that moment to express the feelings in her heart.
Before she knew what she was doing, before she even realized that Sango and Miroku were sitting right there, before she even thought for one moment about the dangerous implications of her actions, Kagome Dresmont dipped her head forward and pressed her lips to his own. She felt his surprise as he jerked ever so slightly his lips moving just a fraction of a centimeter away from her own and his fingers jumping away from her warm cheek. The surprise lasted only a few brief seconds, however, before the hand returned accompanied by its mate, both of them cupping her skin desperately, pulling her down into a firmer and fuller kiss. His lips pressed urgently against her own the sensation deliciously hot and full of every ounce of love he could bring from himself and into her.
Kagome's heart pounded in the chest from the sensation as she felt his body lift slightly off her lap. The lack of weight from his head was barely noticed however as the pressure on her lips increased, becoming more and more delicious. She felt the wetness of his tongue before she even realized she had opened her mouth, the taste of salt from her own tears sweet as they flooded her senses.
Sitting on the ground just beside the couple, Sango and Miroku's faces both turned deep shades of red as they watched the once bashful and shy Kagome Dresmont kiss Inuyasha so deeply. The twinges of color on their skin didn't last long, however, as the realization that the man they both called 'father' was alive consumed them. Tears of joy began to gather in the eyes of both Miroku and Sango blurring the image of Inuyasha and Kagome before them.
"Otou-san." The word left Miroku's mouth without his consent, the fact his father was indeed alive making the ache in his heart lessen instantly.
Surprised by the sudden sound, Kagome abruptly pulled back away from Inuyasha, her face going bright red as she looked down into his mirthful eyes. They seemed to sparkle slightly as the hint of leftover gold began to grow more prominent within the brown. It was almost as if he enjoyed her embarrassment or perhaps, he just enjoyed her. She sniffled both from crying and from embarrassment before the hands that were pressed to her cheeks finally fell away.
Inuyasha lowered his head back to her lap and sighed softly. The ache he had awoken with was growing stronger. Each movement he made revealed another part of him that was burned, the twanging and stinging bits of flesh telling him that he was alive. "We fight to live," He had to stop talking for a second surprised that he actually had to catch his breath. "And I'm truly alive." He winced slightly in pain before sending Kagome a smile as she looked down at him confused. "Death couldn't be this painful."
Beside her, Miroku sighed and fell back onto his ass exhausted. Reaching a hand upwards, he brushed at his hair shaking, all the fear that had so overwhelmed him only moments before finally beginning to dissipate. "I've never been so scared in my life." He admitted not really realizing he had spoken out loud.
"Neither have I." Sango agreed softly even as her mind turned to her brother, the small boy who was slowly dying in her bed.
Inuyasha turned towards the sound of their voices and blinked once as he took in the taunt faces and the shaky expressions. "Pup." He called softly and Miroku raised his head looking at his father as if he couldn't believe that the man was really there, his head in Kagome's lap, alive.
"Don't," He gulped down the fear that was already creeping into his voice. "Ever scare me—," He faltered and shifted somewhat uncomfortably. "Us—," He managed to say, not wanting to single himself out in that moment. "Don't ever scare us like that again."
"Believe me," Inuyasha commented trying to reassure his pup. "I don't plan on it." He nodded his head firmly before lowering a hand to the ground, prepared to push himself up. "Although," He thought with a bit of a wicked grin. "Her lap is a comfortable spot." Shaking the thought from his head, he placed his hand on the soft ground and tried to push himself upwards. Instantly, pain shot through his body starting from his once dislocated shoulder and traveling down throughout all of his smoldering skin. He groaned and hissed the sound making those around him begin to panic.
"Are you okay?" Kagome asked desperately, her hands already on his shoulder's easing him back down.
"Don't move," Sango chastised her voice shaky as she held back her hand, part of her wanting to hit him but a major part of her knowing better. "We don't know how badly hurt you are."
"It's okay." Inuyasha whispered as he took a shaky breath. He thought about trying to move again but decided against it, at least for just a moment. He allowed the dead weight of his head to sink back on Kagome's lap with a moan. "I've been shot before you know," He managed to say as his eyes closed for just a moment before opening once more. He looked up at her with a smile on his blackened face. "This hurts worse." It was a joke but the moment it left his mouth he regretted it.
Kagome's bottom lip quivered and her face grimaced as a regretful sob filled her throat. "I'm so sorry." She whispered the words desperately between each and every hiccup and cry. "I tried—I tried—I just—I," She closed her eyes and the tears began to fall again. "Sorry."
"Sh," Inuyasha instantly shushed her bringing a hand up and cupping her cheek again. "It was a compliment."
Kagome's eyes sprang opened in surprise and she looked down at him as if he were crazy. "What?"
"A compliment." He repeated and laughed slightly but the effort to laugh made his body ache even more so. "Ow."
"Are you okay?" Kagome began to panic but Inuyasha simply shook his head and sent her a smile he knew would make her mind ease, her favorite smile, boyish and charming.
"I'm fine." He reassured and looked over at Miroku quickly, looking for the boy to agree with him. "Right?" He nodded his head but Miroku was giving him a look that said plainly he was not convinced.
"You don't look fine." The younger man said bluntly and Inuyasha glared back at him, his eyes narrowed in a look that normally could kill. Licking his lips in response to the glare, Miroku pushed down the anger that began to build in him. "How can you sit here like nothing happened?" He gulped down the words so they wouldn't actually be said out loud, mainly because he already knew the answer. "That's just who you are." He sighed and brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck as he glanced at his father, his every feature looking strange in its human form. "That's so strange."
Inuyasha raised one eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to the side, as best he could laying on his back with his head in Kagome's lap. "Huh?"
Miroku shrugged and tried to laugh, waving his hand towards Inuyasha to reiterate his point. "Seeing you human in the daylight."
Beside him Sango nodded her head in agreement as she looked at her father-in-law oddly. "I've never seen you human," She commented not noticing the changing expression on the man's face as he took in their words. "It's really—bizarre."
Inuyasha's eyes went wide and his heart stopped in his chest. He had never once in his entire life been human in the daylight, it was a petrifying thought. In disbelief he raised the only thing he could see immediately towards his face: his hands. His breath caught in his throat as human eyes looked at clawless nails and rounded fingertips. "Human." The thought rampaged in his mind making him feel extraordinarily dizzy. "My hands are human." The pain that surrounded his body was completely forgotten as he shot up out of Kagome's lap the girl gasping in response.
"What are you doing?" Sango commanded but Inuyasha barely heard the words come out of her mouth.
Already he was standing on his feet, his balance surprisingly agile as he grabbed for his hair the black strands making him almost hyperventilate. "I'm human." The words practically shot out of his mouth, the panicked sound of his voice hitting home to the three humans on the ground.
Panicked herself by the sound of his voice, Kagome pushed herself up off the ground, her hands shaking. "I don—." She started to say but Inuyasha's panicked eyes turned towards her the moment the first syllable left her mouth. The look of them, distressed and horrified made her heart sink in her chest as the knowledge that she had done this to him ate at her.
"My eyes." He asked quickly, desperately as he let go of his hair and subconsciously brought a hand to his face. "Color—," He shook his head quickly realizing that wasn't a sentence. "What color are they?"
Kagome opened her mouth to speak but no sound actually emerged. Realizing she was unable to speak Miroku jumped up beside her, his body tense as he took in the sight of those panic-stricken brown eyes. "Brown." He answered for the girl as he stood at her left shoulder, Sango materializing out of nowhere beside her other one.
The color seemed to drain from Inuyasha's face as the information sank into him. It was almost as if he had hoped his eyes had still remained normal, as if their normalcy could save his demonity somehow. "Brown." He repeated the word as his knees went weak underneath him. "Shit."
Guilt ate at Kagome's body and she held a hand to her face trying not to cry. She wanted to apologize again, to beg for forgiveness, to tell him over and over that it was okay even though it wasn't. She wanted to say all of those things but in the end, the only thing she could say had nothing to do with any of those thoughts at all. The wind blew about Inuyasha's head, sunlight hitting his hair causing it to shimmer and shine for just a second before the wind died down, dropping it. She blinked, not sure if she had seen the change in color clearly or not, either way the words left her mouth before she could stop them. "It's changing."
"What?" Inuyasha raised his head quickly as his human ears took in her words the sound of her voice muffled compared to normal.
At her right shoulder, Sango frowned also listening closely to Kagome. She took a step forward, the sun catching Inuyasha's hair as she moved, turning it from black back to its natural color. Her eyes grew huge and she nodded her head hastily. "It's changing, your hair—real slow but the silvers coming back" She looked right into his eyes just in time to see the gold begin to wash over the brown. "And your eyes too." She said matter of factly as she watched him nod in understanding.
"It's just—," Kagome spoke carefully as she looked at him the guilt making her head droop. "Slow."
Inuyasha nodded his head in understanding and took a deep breath. "Slow." He raised a hand to his face and touched his cheek bones slightly: only he knew that they too changed during his human times, becoming a little less high: a little less like his father's. His cheek bones felt normal however, signaling to him that the change really was happening albeit slowly. "I can handle slowly as long as I do change back." He told himself as he dropped his hand down and tried to smile at the people across from him, their worried faces making him feel stupid for having panicked. "Well, that's a relief." He looked towards Kagome waiting for her to smile at him but the smile never came.
The poor girl's lip trembled and she looked away from him quickly as the guilt overwhelmed her. "I'm so sorry." Her voice broke as she spoke, Sango and Miroku both turning towards her quickly at the sound. "This is all my fault."
"No one blames you." Miroku was the first to speak even though his father was already crossing the short distance between his mate and himself.
"Miroku's right." The man said quickly as he neared her, not stopping until he was right in front of her. "Without you—," He bent his knees slightly and tilted his head downwards, trying to catch a glimpse of her face but she had already covered it with her hands. "We'd probably all be dead."
Kagome ripped her hands from her face and looked up at him with imploring eyes. "And with me you almost were!" She spoke rapidly, the words leaving her mouth in a violent torrent of self hatred.
Inuyasha didn't seem fazed at all by her hasty words, instead he seemed almost amused. "But I'm not."
Kagome blinked at the matter of factness of his statement and unable to think of anything else to do looked towards the other two people beside her as if she were asking them some silent question; a question they both heard loudly and clearly.
"He's right." Sango whispered gently as she looked at the girl, allowing her mind to turn once more towards the brother she had left behind on the ship. "You've done so much." She whispered the words and finally looked away from Kagome's tear streaked eyes. "Without you Kagome—I—I," She hiccupped as the emotion consumed her, the pain coming back full force. "I never would have seen—Kohaku again." She finally managed to say raising her head in time to see Kagome's stricken face. "And—I know now you probably disagree but," She looked over Kagome's shoulder towards the spot where instead of a body lay a pile of ash. "Without you—that bastard could still hurt people."
Miroku nodded beside his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder in order to comfort her. "It may be hard to accept." He spoke calmly as he looked over at the woman, seeing Kagome as no longer a defenseless girl but instead a powerful woman. "But—you, in spite of everything, have done more for us than you will ever know."
Kagome blinked in surprise, not quite believing what she was hearing as she looked at the couple taking in their heartfelt words. The feel of a hand touching the tip of her chin made her jump, her head snapping around to look directly into brownish gold eyes, "They're changing, they're more gold than before." She thought absently as he looked down at her, an emotion she knew all too well welling within them: love.
"You saved us." He told her and opened his mouth slightly as if to add one more thing but it stuck on his tongue.
Slowly, he glanced over at Sango and Miroku their presence making him hold back just enough that the real words he wanted to say didn't leave his mouth. Resolved to stay quiet, he turned back towards her prepared to joke or release some sarcastic comment but the sight that greeted him stilled his tongue before a single word could be uttered. Turning her grey eyes shimmered in the light, white and black swirling within them once more, equal partners dancing together in an endless waltz. It was the same exact dance he had seen the first time he saw her, standing on the dock, watching him as the boat Miroku had been rowing glided on the water. He remembered the way his heart had sped up at the sight, falling in love with those eyes helplessly.
"I never stood a chance." Inuyasha whispered unable to stop the words as that distant memory consumed him, mixing with the sight of her now until his whole being was inundated.
"What?" Kagome whispered confused, her grey eyes searching his own watching as they became just a little light minute by minute, his demon blood returning slowly.
"I'm just hopeless." He laughed and turned his eyes away, a slight blush forming on his cheeks as he realized what he was saying and in front of his own son.
Miroku couldn't help but laugh from the sidelines his happiness at seeing his father alive outweighing the strangeness of hearing sentimental words come from his mouth. "You are Otou-san."
Sango nodded as well the sweetness of the moment making her own feelings ebb for just the briefest of seconds. The sudden sound of a cannon being fired in the distance made all four people jump, demon and human alike. Their heads shot towards the general direction searching for the telltale signs of smoke on the air.
"What was that?" Kagome whispered as her heart raced in her chest unable to take much more violence before it finally gave out.
"The signal." Miroku explained as he looked out across the forest glancing at his father for confirmation.
Inuyasha nodded in response and his eyes narrowed. "Kouga must have the humans out."
"That fast?" Sango mumbled surprised as she too looked out across the forest, a tiny trail of smoke hitting the air. "Smoke?"
The dog demon, currently more human than dog demon, narrowed his eyes at the trickle of smoke that was steadily becoming darker and thicker. "That's not a cannon." He whispered as the wind picked up around them throwing his hair in his face. He growled slightly at the distraction, barely noticing that his hair was lightening, becoming more grey than black but not quite silver. "That's wood smoke—Kouga set the place on fire."
Miroku's head snapped around to look at his father completely surprised. "But we were—."
Inuyasha held up his hands as if to assert his innocence. "Don't look at me."
"We should go look." Sango took a step forward, looking out across the tree line as the smoke grey a deeper black and the smell of burning wood finally reached them.
"Couldn't hurt." Inuyasha mumbled as he looked down at his hands, noticing that his claws were just now beginning to extend. "Besides, I can't go to the ship like this." He looked at them feeling highly self-conscious in that moment.
"Right." Miroku agreed taking in the changing strands of his father's hair and the somewhat lighter brown eyes. There was no telling how long it would take before he was fully himself again, only time could really tell.
-break-
Kagura shoved the hatch above the ladder opened with one great gust of wind not bothering to use her strength; strength would only take too long. Using the same gust of wind to propel herself out of the tight entrance, Kagura practically flew through the air landing on her feet with all the grace of her breed. Her bright blue Shinigami eye and the white one of her heritage looked out across the deck quickly, taking in the sight of certain chaos.
Although it was no longer raining, the storm that the Phoenix demon's had created was still ragging around them to some extent. There were large waves hitting the side of the ship without quite enough height to jump over the railings any longer. It was a good sign but it still made for an unstable and constantly shifting deck. The wind demon barely managed to gain her footing as a particularly forceful wave hit the bow, sending the ship spinning off course only slightly.
Using the powers of the wind, she pushed herself momentarily into the air, turning herself in a tight, quick circle to survey the ship more clearly. Men were running in every direction, dodging something that she could not quite see but it seemed they were all headed away from the same general location, the helm's deck. Not the least bit surprised, Kagura dropped her feet to the ground and hurried along the deck, moving as if she was the wind and not just a commander of it.
Just now coming out of the hatch, Hiten barely caught sight of her as she started towards the staircase that led up to the helm. "Kagura!" He yelled after her but she didn't flinch, or turn to look at him, merely kept going as if she had not heard a word. "Damn it." He growled and using only his upper body strength pushed himself onto the deck. His dark eyes took in his men rushing away from the helm and he narrowed his eyebrows in confusion as they hastily went by him ignoring their Captain in order to save their lives. "Hey!" He yelled to catch their attention but not one man stopped. "They're scared shitless."
The scream that had awakened him earlier cut into his brain once more at the thought and he grimaced from the sound. The demon crewmen around him howled and covered their ears, some of the more sensitive ones not even able to move another inch. Luckily, as a thunder demon, Hiten had never been too terribly affected by sounds such as these. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he forced himself to look up at the helm's deck and blinked in surprise as he saw Kagura mount the first stair. Whatever was screaming, whoever it was, even if it was Naraku, they had to be there. Gritting his teeth, he darted after her, the image of her back, dressed in some of his clothes keeping his footsteps even.
Up ahead of him, her Shinigami eye directing her, Kagura hit the last stair step leading to the helm. Instantly, both her demonic and Shinigami eye were filled with the same sight she had taken in earlier, straight through the floorboards. There was Naraku, hunched forward, gagging on his own blood as he held his head in his hands.
"That bitch!" He wailed and somehow the voice didn't even seem to sound like his own. "She—she—how could she?" He screamed, his normally white teeth coated in red blood.
Startled by the sight, Kagura actually took a step back, her eyes widening as she watched him thrash from side to side, growling. "Naraku." Her body trembled as a strange feeling she had never had before regarding the man sunk into her heart: pity."
"How could she." He gasped out every word as he looked down at the ground, his whole body shaking violently. "That damn—I knew—I knew—I knew." He growled and spat, practically foaming at the mouth as he said each and every word. "I should have killed her!" He snarled and pulled his hands down away from his head taking clumps of hair straight out of his scalp. The black strands sank into his fingers as he looked right at Kagura, hated so dark, deep and deadly in his eyes, that he made her normal confidence dissipate into absolute terror. "You knew."
She shook her head and took a step back away from him, her back only inches from the railing leading down to the Quarterdeck below. "No." She told him honestly, her mind racing as regrets flooded her. "I shouldn't have-e com-u here." She thought but her words came far too late to make any difference.
"You knew." He accused again, his voice raspy as if his throat had been damaged by his screams. "You knew what she was." He took another step forward and Kagura took another one back, the base of her spin coming in contact with the railing instantly.
Shock seized her body and she shook violently as the sounds of footsteps hitting the staircase below echoed in her head. "Hiten-sama." She realized and part of her felt relieved while the other part felt terrified for his very life. "Who?" She asked Naraku as the demon's deadly eyes glared at her. "Who did I know-u?"
"You know." He whispered the words, venom in his voice as his eyes darted towards the top of the staircase where Hiten just now stood.
The thunder demon panted as he stood on the top of the stairs, his eyes staring at Naraku's bloody face in shock. "Leave her alone!" He commanded as he looked straight at the man, not caring about his well being at all but only for the woman backed against the railing.
Naraku bared his bloody teeth, the hole in his lip actually big enough to see all the way through to his gums. "You," He bit out the word with all the malice in his heart. "You knew too." He clutched his fist at his sides, bits of his own hair and the hair's roots wrapped around his fingers. "You all knew!" He screamed and his body began to glow, a darkness setting around it that was indescribable.
Every instincts in Hiten's body jumped and he involuntarily stepped backwards barely managing to balance as the back of his heel nearly fell off the top stair. His eyes darted towards Kagura who was just beside him her back still to the rail. He could just see the look of dread in her eyes as she stared straight at Naraku watching him as the glow around him grew darker, a deadly purple. "What's happening?" He wanted to ask but there was no time to speak even one word.
"Everyone knew." Naraky shouted again, the darkness around him blossoming into something deathly toxic. "And now—she's done it." He snapped and looked straight at Kagura, the sight of the gifted eye in her head making his blood boil further. "You let her—it was you."
"No." Kagura immediately told him even as fear overwhelmed her every sense. "I don't-to even know who-o-o," The word seemed impossible to say, the shaking in her body making her understanding of English diminish greatly. "Yuu talk about-to."
"You know, don't lie." Naraku screamed again as he nearly closed the gap between them.
Ignoring the instincts to run within him, Hiten jumped in front of Kagura growling loudly as he stared Naraku down. "Back off." He commanded even as his palms grey sweaty and his knees began to shake. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end and his head was pounding from his earlier injuries as each passing second lead him closer and closer to death.
The blackness that was surrounding Naraku seemed to thicken in that moment, growing denser as he stared at Hiten. His eyes were sharp as he leaned forward, the blood from his lip dripping down his chin, landing on the floor between himself and the thunder demon. "Move." Was all he said before the toxin blew straight into Hiten's face.
"Ah!" Hiten screamed as his eyes and mouth and throat were burned instantly upon contact. He gasped in an attempt to breathe but that only allowed more of the toxin inside his lungs.
"Hiten-sama!" Kagura brought her hands up around her face, unleashing a gust of wind just strong enough to blow the purple toxin away from the thunder demon.
Hiten gasped in the air and Naraku in front of him openly laughed before raising his hand. The back of his fist connected with the side of Hiten's face, sending the demon flying to the side. The man hit the railing only seconds later, the wood snapping as his back made contact with it. Barely breathing, his mind going hazy from the toxin, Hiten;s body crumbled to the ground. "Shit." He managed to whisper as his vision went blank from the combination of the concussion and the toxin in his system.
Watching his body fall to the side like a ragdoll Kagura began to panic. "Hiten-sama!" She yelled prepared to jump to his side.
Before she could, however, Naraku's hand closed around her neck and he yanked her upwards off her feet. "You knew," He began again, the toxin wandering down his arm almost like a vine heading straight for her face. "Kaede knew and she had to tell you," His words barely hit the wind demon's ears as he began to chock his grip on her throat tightening. "Didn't she?"
Kagura tried to breathe as the hand pushed down on her wind pipe, her eyes growing huge as she watched the toxin creeping towards her. She barely managed to flick one finger, sending the purple substance just a little farther away from her, barely an inch.
"It's hopeless." Naraku told her as he tightened his grip even further. "I won't let you go until you answer me." He bit out every single word, the toxin moving slowly down his arm once more. "You knew about the girl, you knew what she was capable of."
She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. "No." She shook her head to answer his question, her fingers coming up to grab at his hands, yanking down on them but it was helpless.
Only semi conscious on the ground, Hiten opened his eyes, the burning sensation making him gasp with pain but he ignored it. Pushing himself up to his feet, Hiten tried to focus on Kagura but his vision was blurry causing him to see double, triple even. Feeling nauseous and weak and barely able to see, he glared the best he could. "Let her go." He forced the words out of his mouth watching as the twin images of Naraku turned to look at him.
"Never," The demon said although he did loosen his grip just enough so that the wind demon could breathe albeit shallow. "Not until she admits it."
"Admits what?" Hiten pushed out the words as his mind started to stabilize the double image of Naraku beginning to solidify, becoming one instead of two.
"That she knew," Naraku's grip began to tighten again as his hatred filled him to the core. "That she knew Kagome Dresmont was a fucking witch!" He yelled and turned away from Hiten staring right at Kagura instead, his black eyes huge and accusing, as the toxin seemed to jump down his arm heading right for her face. "You knew." He shook her violently, the girl gagging as her throat was finally filled with the vile purple substance burning as it went down. "You knew about her powers, so you gave her the other pieces of me!" He increased the pressure of his grip until it was almost at the point of breaking her neck inadvertently stopping any more toxin from entering her lungs. "And she destroyed them!"
Hiten jumped from his spot not caring if his vision was blurry or if he couldn't tell exactly where Naraku was. He raced across the deck floor, the wood slamming against his bare feet. He grabbed for the edge of what he thought was Naraku's jacket sleeve but just as his fingers touched the edge of something a powerful blow of an elbow hitting his chin knocked him straight backwards. His head swam and his mind went completely haywire, unable to concentrate or see anything as his body fell in a heap on the ground.
Kagura's mind barely registered the words as her eyes opened wide, her brain starting to shut off as she prepared to die. "No," She thought obstinance and determination fueling her every movement. Her mouth wide opened, gasping for breath that was not there, Kagura brought her hands up. Using the last of her strength, she grabbed for the finger of his left hand, gripping it as he shook her and in one last desperate move, snapped it in two.
Naraku howled with pain and let her go immediately as his finger dangled, broken.
Kagura breathed in deeply, gulping down lungful after lungful of precious air as her oxygen deprived mind congratulated her on her freedom. The congratulations only lasted the barest of seconds however as she realized the damage she had done. She had proven in a matter of seconds that she could not be trusted and in this game, knowing what she knew, that meant death. Her head snapped upwards as she watched the weasel demon cradle his hand.
Suddenly, his eyes raised and Kagura felt her heart stop from the surprise of his expression. He looked almost shocked and filled with disbelief. He looked young in that moment, every bit only fourteen years old; a child masquerading as a man. As quickly as the expression had over taken his face, however, it disappeared, replaced with the blackness she could now identify. The face twisted into a sinister but amused smile and the man stood up once more looking down at her as if she was nothing more than dirt on the ground.
He took a step forward, his body moving with a grace even she could not hope to achieve. Frightened by the sudden change she pushed herself onto her hands and knees and scooted backwards hastily.
"Don't move." He commanded as he watched her and Kagura was unable to deny the command.
She froze in place as a surprisingly calm washed over his every feature. It was as if he was a different person, a different man all of the sudden and she knew exactly why.
He smiled at her stillness and sent her a well controlled smile. "I forget how—," The man paused and searched his brain as if for the right word. "Resourceful," He decided on and tilted his head to the side as he looked at her, amused. "You are."
He straightened up and placed a hand at his waist, fixing the bottom of his jacket until it was straight. It was almost as if nothing had happened at all or he had changed to the extent that he no longer remembered what had happened but that was impossible. He remembered everything, every thought, every feeling, every mindless action; Naraku remembered them all. Kagura felt her whole body shake far more terrified of that unnerving calm than his uncontrolled rage.
"From this moment on," He began as he straightened his cufflinks, locking them back in place as if it were nothing. "You are going to take Kaede's place and perform your job as well." He explained as he adjusted the small ruffle under his jacket, which was stained with his own blood. "I expect you to find exactly what I need."
Completely bewildered by the change in atmosphere, Kagura nodded her head unable to think.
"You must find someone for me," He turned and looked at her, his eyes peering into her very soul. "You know who it is, don't you?"
Kagura nodded her head, she knew exactly in that moment who he needed her to find.
"Tell me, my sweet." He whispered, the sound of his voice absolutely sickening as he looked down at her, blood still washing over his smile.
"Kagome Dresmont." She confirmed easily, the image of the girl somehow already in her mind and the English version of another name hidden deeply within her.
"Yes," Naraku tilted his head back and placed his hands behind himself. "She will die for what she did." The words were blunt, dangerously blunt. "And then," He lowered smiled once more, the expression so devious that it made Kagura feel sick. "So will you." He looked at her, that smile still on his face as he licked his lips dangerously. "And if you ever pull a stunt like that again." The smile finally left his features and he glared down at her with all the hatred in his entire soul on his face. "You will die before her."
Kagura felt as if she were being chocked once more as he smiled once more at her, the look sweet and charming. Without another word, he turned away and started towards the stairs. He paused only momentarily to take in Hiten's still form, the man momentarily unable to move from the earlier attack.
"Remember that pain Hiten," The man explained slowly as he lowered himself down looking straight into the Thunder demon's eyes. "And never defy me again."
Every instinct inside Hiten told him to not say one word and the thunder demon listened for once. He nodded his head once slowly, pushing his back into the broken railing, wanting to disappear.
"Good." Naraku smiled and turned towards the stairs, walking down them as he whistled a mocking tune.
Neither Kagura nor Hiten looked at each other as Naraku's footsteps echoed down the stairs. Neither one of them could quite bring themselves to even more, the fear surrounding them paralyzing. Finally, the footsteps disappeared and the sound of a door gingerly closing took their place. Both demons involuntarily let out twin sighs of relief, their bodies going limp to the ground.
"What," Hiten just managed to say, his throat raw from the poison that had flowed down it. "What the hell?" He looked over at Kagura who barely managed to raise her head to look at him.
Tears running down her cheeks and her throat burning, Kagura fell to the ground in a heap of trembling nerves. "It's—," She tried to say, to explain as her whole body was rocked with terror.
He leaned back away from her waiting for her to continue but the wind demon didn't make another sound. Narrowing his eyes, he pushed himself forward moving towards her on his hands and knees. "Kagura?" He called but she only stared at him blankly as he made his way towards her. "Kagura-hime?" He tried again and this time his words caused her eyes to spark and come back to life.
"Hiten," She whispered as she watched him approach her, practically dragging himself across the floor. "—sama?"
He nodded his head and tried to smile but pain was over taking his every nerve. Groaning, he stopped moving and allowed his body to rest as he managed to look up at her. "What was that?" He asked his breathing somewhat labored as he looked at her imploringly.
She raised her head and looked directly at Hiten, her beautiful eyes consumed by tears. "Shikon no Tama." She spoke in Nihon-go not able to actually use the English words at the moment.
Hiten narrowed his eyes but understood none the less. "The Shikon, the jewel," He filled in the blanks and shook his head as if completely baffled still. "What about it?"
"It's—." She stumbled over the words again before she was able to turn her head away from him and look down the stairs where Naraku had disappeared. "I can see-e it now." She whispered instead as her new blue Shinigami eye sparkled, seeing things she had never seen before with her red ones. "I couldn't-to see-e it with my," She shook as she spoke, her hands trembling violently. "Other eyes."
"See what?" Hiten whispered as he reached for her grabbing her hands to still them..
She jumped from the contact and turned to look at Hiten directly, the look on her face telling him that she was completely and wholly disturbed by what she knew. "Inside of Naraku." She whispered and her white skin became even paler. "Shikon no Tama—a piece izu inside Naraku." She watched as his face paled along with hers. "It-to so black—I couldn't-to see it until now."
Hiten's eyes grew wide from the words, disbelief mounting in his heart as he looked around towards the stairs, straight down them to where Naraku had disappeared. Somewhere deep within him was a piece of the jewel, so blackened by hate that even with Shinigami eyes Kagura hadn't been able to see it. "Are you sure?" He whispered not wanting to believe the truth.
"Hai." Kagura whispered as her whole body continued to shake, fear for her life she had thought was gone coming back tenfold. "Kaede-sama eye doesn't-to lie."
-break-
The scene that came to them when they finally climbed the last few inches of the hill that disguised the prison from the sea was nearly breathtaking. Giant flames were already leaping from the large stone structure, red and orange and in some places a more deep and deadly blue. A paned window shattered as the heat of the flames destroyed the delicate and expensive glass. Dark smoke rose high above the prison, a sure sign to anyone within at least a hundred miles that something was terribly wrong.
"It won't be long before they come." Inuyasha commented softly as his still brownish eyes looked out over the prison.
Miroku looked over at his father and nodded his head in agreement. "People from the mainland, you mean?" It was more of a statement than a question but Inuyasha still responded with a curt nod.
"We should go." He told them as he flicked his wrist towards the prison as if he were dismissing it, forgetting about it.
"No," Sango said softly, the addition of her voice in the air making everyone freeze. "Not—," She gulped, the movement of her throat actually visible to the three people watching her. "Not yet, I just need—."
"To take it in a little longer," Kagome offered as she looked at Sango, true pity in her bright grey eyes. "So you can," She paused and glanced at the prison watching as the flames shot up through the top of the roof, the hissing and groaning of wood about to burst into flames apparent to even her human ears. "Let it go—let it die?"
Sango nodded her head but didn't take her eyes off the building as another window suddenly shattered, the sound like a gunshot to their ears. "Just a little—just a little more time, please." She whispered and without turning, raised up her hand behind herself, reaching for something or better yet someone.
Knowing exactly what she wanted, Miroku came to her side and took her hand without a word. She laced her fingers with his own but didn't lean towards him or bend her body for support. No, Sango lifted her chin and tightened her face into a straight and confident line. The flames of the prison's destruction reflected in her eyes making the dark brown irises appear suddenly stronger and more certain than they had in over a week. It was as if in that moment Sango was finally herself once more just as the woman behind her was herself once more.
Watching Sango's shoulders become broader as she straightened her back confidently, Kagome sighed. Everything seemed to come back to her now that she stood still and was no longer moving. She remembered the demons she had killed, the mongoose men. She remembered their faces and the looks of horror that had crossed each and every one as they died in front of her.
It tore into her heart even now and yet, "It's okay." She smiled slightly, the look painfully strained. "I did it for them." She raised her head and looked at the imaginary faces of Kouga and Ayame. "I did it to protect. It wasn't really hate—just like the snake demon." The memory was painful but she forced herself to relive that moment for just a second: the sight of the snake demon as she shot her arrow and the image of Inuyasha stepping up to grab the snake demon. She trembled but forced herself to let it go. "That wasn't me." She told herself even as another haunting thought took over her mind. "But I could have stopped it—I should have stopped it."
Kagome took a deep breath, her thoughts making her whole body feel exhausted and her heart ache in her chest. Suddenly, a hand touched down on her shoulder and she jumped, turning just in time to see Inuyasha's strange humanish face. She opened her mouth to question him but he shook his head and nodded his chin towards their right away from Sango and Miroku. Realization dawning on her Kagome nodded in response and turned with him, the two starting down the hill, leaving Sango and Miroku behind.
"We should give them a moment." Inuyasha told her when they were a few more feet away, glancing over his shoulder towards the couple. "I think—this will be healing for Sango."
Kagome looked over her shoulder as well as they continued to walk slowly down the path. "I think so too, she needs it." The girl bit her lip, memories that were both hers and not hers assaulting her mind. "After everything that happened—the boy—Kohaku," A wave of sadness nestled in her heart and she sighed. "She needs some sort of catharsis."
"Yeah." Inuyasha inhaled deeply before letting out a long, low sigh. "He's not going to make it." He whispered to her as he brought a hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed at the tired aching muscles.
Kagome looked down at the ground, remembering how she had behaved when Sango had been told. She wrapped her arms around herself and bit the inside of her cheek, hating what the Shikon jewel had made her say. "Poor Sango." She mumbled softly as she lifted her head and looked out across the island. The trees were swaying quickly because of the strong winds brought on by the distant storm. It almost looked as if they were dancing to the unknown sound.
"Yeah." Inuyasha whispered and turned and looked behind himself once more. Absently, he scented the air but his nose was still more human than demon in his current state. He grimaced but let the impending frustration go even as a strange almost stinging thought in the back of his mind told him that he shouldn't. "That scent." He narrowed his eyes slightly before grunting to himself. "No sense worrying about it now."
"Huh?" Kagome looked up at him confused. "Worry about what, Kohaku?"
"No, no," Inuyasha quickly recovered and sent her a bit of a smile. "I was talking about this." He pointed at himself as if to answer the question even if it was a lie. Lie or not, however, it worked well enough.
"Oh," Kagome looked away from him instantly and bit down hard on her lip as quilt once more washed over her. "I'm so sorry."
"Not this again." Inuyasha thought and leaned his head back with an internal groan. "Kagome I told you don't worry—you were protecting us," He looked back down at the ground as he rethought his words. "Well, kind of but—," He looked directly at her taking in her hunching posture and her ducking chin: she didn't even want to look at him. "That wasn't you—it wasn't you who shot that arrow."
Something in his words made Kagome snap, her head popping up and her grey eyes flashing with self hatred. "I could have stopped it." She told him bluntly as her anger with herself grew. "If I just would have been quicker," She began to explain, stress coming off of her in waves. "Or stronger, I could have broken free before it did anything!" She growled on the last words, closing her eyes as she brought her hand up to grasp the jewel around her neck, to yank on it, to hit it, to make it suffer but her hand came back empty.
"It doesn't matter," Inuyasha began unaware of Kagome's discovery. "I'm alive, the bastard's not so don't—." He stopped and looked down at her, the stunned expression on her face confusing him. "Kagome?"
Kagome looked down at her chest the best she could, searching for the familiar half gem she wore around her neck but it wasn't there. Desperately, she grabbed for the top of her shirt, pulling it back so she could reach easily inside her clothes. She grasped for the jewel within desperately, waiting for her hand to touch the familiar jagged edge but she came back empty. "The jewel's gone." She realized and instantly looked up at Inuyasha her grey eyes huge. "The jewel's gone!"
"What?" Inuyasha bit out the word in amazement as he looked automatically at her neck where the jewel normally rested only to see it wasn't there. "Where is it—?"
Panicked Kagome looked around herself as if expecting to see it on the ground at her feet somewhere. "The clearing." She realized as she looked out across the landscape her feet already starting to move. "I have to go look." She called over her shoulder as she started towards the clearing in question, Inuyasha already hot on her heels.
"It is your destiny Kagome to destroy the jewel."
The sound of a voice she had once known stopped Kagome dead in her tracks, Inuyasha nearly running into her. Memories that almost seemed to be disconnected from her, like they weren't her own, flashed in front of her eyes. "Wait." She breathed in heavily as the words seemed to jump in and out of her head of Kaede and the small tavern in New Orleans. "These are my memories." She realized as she saw herself standing with the compass in her hands. "When I got the compass, at Kaede's—it said—I'd find the jewel shards and destroy them." It was in that moment that Kagome knew exactly what had happened. "I destroyed it." She whispered the words in disbelief as she tried to comprehend what she had done.
Completely confounded by what she had said Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "What?" He just barely managed to ask the one word question as he looked at her with growing awe. "You—destroyed it?"
Kagome nodded at him, the gesture slow and almost confused as she looked upwards at him. "Just like the compass said, you remember?" She turned towards him quickly her eyes imploring.
Inuyasha narrowed his own gaze a bit confused but after a moment, the memory jumped into his head as well. "The writing," He nodded slowly as the Nihon-go came back to him, assaulting him mentally. "Yuiitsu kanojo no te," He muttered slowly, the memory of the words a little fuzzy but still just close enough to the surface of his mind that they came forward willingly. "O motsu watashi wa hidari no isan o mitsuke." He lifted his head and looked at her, the two making eye contact as he translated the phrase. "Only with her hands will you be able to find the legacy I left—."
"And destroy it," She finished for him carefully as she nodded her head in acceptance. "I destroyed the jewel fragment."
"You destroyed it." The statement left Inuyasha's mouth, not even one sound of disbelief following it. He knew that Kagome was an amazing person with amazing powers. Hell, he had seen some of them first hand: barriers, purification, destroying the very hate from people, destroying people. But in that instant, as he took in her words and accepted them as truth he truly realized just how powerful she had become. "You're amazing." He didn't think as he spoke but he meant every word.
"What?" Kagome looked at him completely surprised by his words, her whole face blushing.
"You're amazing Kagome." He told her as he looked straight into her grey eyes, the power that hid behind them making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "I just—," He shook his head and smiled, pride forming in his heart as he took her in. "You never cease to amaze me."
She blushed from the words and looked away from him, her eyes turning back towards the sea uncomfortably. "Um—thank you." She told him and smiled happily, secretly loving the praise. The look didn't last long however as another thought jumped into her mind. "The jewel," she began slowly as the thought swirled within her brain taunting her. "I destroyed that part of it then, what now—do we look for the rest?" She looked towards him not sure if she had made sense at all.
Inuyasha frowned in thought and sighed. "I don't know but," He licked his lips slightly and sent her a reassuring smile. "Sesshoumaru will." The name bit at him and he hated himself for putting any faith in a man he hated more than anything in the world. Still, he knew it was true, if there was anyone in the world who would know what to do it would be his brother. "We'll see him," He reassured her as he tried to send her a slight smile but it came across as a pitiful grin. "And he'll tell us everything."
Kagome nodded her head in acceptance and looked away once more knowing the painful grin on his face was because of Sesshoumaru and not his words. "How long till we get there?"
"At least six," Inuyasha shrugged apologetically, knowing that having answers sooner rather than later would have been preferred by both her and himself. "Seven months."
Kagome frowned and bit her lip once more, chewing on it thoughtfully. "That long?"
"Yeah." Inuyasha confirmed not willing to tell her that it would probably be even longer than that since they were traveling in winter. "It's a long journey but it should be safer." He offered the slightly reassuring thought. "There are less empires and pirates in that part of the sea."
"Good." Kagome nodded her head simply as she looked out at the world before them and exhausted let the subject drop away. She knew the jewel was important and that she should focus on what had happened longer but in that moment she just couldn't even think, not for another minute. Everything for the past few days had been exhausting, killing her slowly, and now she felt nothing but tired. Looking out at the vast sea before them she allowed herself to enjoy a moment of comfort as she took in the distant clouds and gently lapping waves. "It's pretty."
"It is." He agreed and looked down at the top of her head for just a second an old memory jumping to the forefront of his mind. "It's not quite a cliff in Greece," Inuyasha whispered to her the crackling of the prison as it was destroyed hitting his ears. "But it still is just as stunning."
Kagome blinked rapidly and turned towards the dog demon in surprise, her ears not quite actually believing what she had heard. Instantly her mind flashed to the past seeing him as he had been that very first day, the very first time they had ever had a conversation.
He was walking at her side, his arm intertwined with her own as he described an indescribable sight. "Once, while we were on land, my mate and I," He pointed back at Miroku, or really a man she had known as Peter at the time. "Climbed all the way to a monastery that's perched on top a giant ledge in Greece." He moved his free hand in a horizontal motion over the floor, showing her with his fingers the shape of the cliff before opening them wide as if to show her the view above it. "The sight was absolutely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life."
"What did it look like?" She whispered as she looked at his hand trying to envision the beauty he was recounting.
Inuyasha smiled at her his eyes sparkling with childlike innocence thrilled to even be speaking to her. Anyone who would have known him would have thought that he looked strange. "The water was below us," He brought his hand parallel to the ground motioning in small circles to show the water. "It looked like a mirror and in its depths we could see all the way to the bottom of the sea." He rushed his hand down towards the ground only stopping the motion to look back up at her excitedly.
Her grey eyes sparkled at his words and her mouth opened hungrily requesting more. "The bottom?"
"All the way to the sea floor." His eyes lit up even brighter as he brought his hand up to his face before pushing it out as wide as he could. "And we could see nothing but that clear water and those small fish for over a hundred leagues."
The memory faded but the warm feeling it had brought remained. Gently, a smile formed on her face, the corners of her lips upturning slowly as she looked out across that ocean seeing the truth in exactly what he had said on the very first day they had met. "You exaggerated a little bit." She told him as she took in the sight of the distant waves revealing clear cool water. She squinted slightly and tried her hardest to see all the way to the bottom by it seemed that her sight just wasn't good enough.
Inuyasha glanced at her smiling, his fangs pocking out from underneath his lip. "I'm sorry," His voice was light and playful, the evidence of his contentment. "It took you this long to find out I'm a liar."
"I knew all along." She laughed, her heart feeling light in her chest for the first time in days. They grew quiet in that moment the only sounds the wind and the prison burning to the ground behind them. Inuyasha stepped up a bit closer to Kagome's side, the sound of his boots in the dirt adding to the melody around them. Kagome smiled as she felt his shoulder brush her own and before she knew it she intertwined her arm with his pulling him closer to herself.
"Forgive me?" He asked her playfully as he looked down at the tip of her nose, seeing the frown that had formed on her face from his words immediately. "Kagome?"
The girl inhaled shakily as the guilt in her heart jumped back to the surface of her consciousness once more. "Um—." The sound was soft, so soft that Inuyasha could barely hear it. "Do you," She glanced up at him hastily before looking quickly away. "Forgive me?"
"Kagome," Inuyasha spoke truthfully, looking down at her with all the love he had in his heart pouring through his almost golden eyes. "I will always forgive you, there's nothing you can do I wouldn't forgive." He told her bluntly, not holding the words back, not afraid to speak them in that moment, when they were finally alone. "I just want to—I," He cleared his throat and paused for a second as he tried to collect his thoughts. Finally after several seconds, he sighed and carefully brought his freehand up to her cheek, touching it with slightly elongated nails. She didn't flinch or wince from the gesture, her bright grey eyes staring into him, wide and doe like. "I just want to stay with you." He actually blushed as he spoke, the words so honest that it made him feel exposed. "Forever." He finished softly as he finally looked away from her but didn't remove his hand on her cheek, needing to keep himself connected to her, fully.
Kagome felt her breath hitch in her throat, his words shaking her to her very core. There was something about them, something about their honesty that finally awakened a dangerous thought within her soul. "This is meant to be." The words echoed within her and there was no denying them. This moment in time had always been meant to happen, it was destiny and fate and it was—everything.
A strange urge overwhelmed her as she lifted her head up to look at him, studying the outline of his cheek as it was highlighted by the barely visible sun on the horizon. He looked almost angelic. His hair was shimmering as it slowly regained its demonic qualities, a ring of silver around the crown of his head. His eyes, deep and penetrating, looked away from her staring at the ground as if it could take away his embarrassment. The slight blush on his cheeks was endearing, peppering his normally tan skin, and the hopeful quirk of his lips told her that he hoped she had understood what he meant.
Needing to feel him closer to herself she leaned into the hand on her cheek, the sensation of his calloused fingers on her skin a safe security she had never before known in the entirety of her life. She smiled as he finally turned to look at her, nearly gold eyes meeting her own grey ones. And, for just a moment, it was as if she was looking at him for the very first time. It was as if he was on that boat again staring at her, trying to discern her most intimate of secrets. Or really, she now realized, he was not discerning her but falling in love with her just as she was falling in love with him.
Words jumped into her mind, daring words she knew weren't proper, ones she knew were probably even insulting to say to a man, and yet, in that moment propriety didn't matter. Nothing mattered to Kagome Dresmont except the man in front of her, the life ahead of them, and the happiness she knew improper words might bring. "Inuyasha?" His name was sweet on her lips, a soft verbalization of love unspoken.
He drew in a shaky breath as if he almost knew what was coming. "Kagome, I—." He started to say but she interrupted him, raising her hand up to touch his cheek just as he was touching hers. He stared down at her, watching as she looked at him, her lip quivering with a slight, strange apprehension that passed quicker than it was created.
She closed her eyes off to him for a moment, unleashing all the bravery she felt in her heart. "I want to stay with you forever too." The words slipped from her lips and straight into Inuyasha's still human ears.
His eyes went wide and his heart skipped a beat. "Really?" He whispered the word, more words forming on his tongue but before he could say them she jumped in again, stopping him.
"I—I—." She interrupted, her upbringing not hindering her for even a moment. "I know it's not proper," She rushed through the words refusing to look at him as she continued on. "It's not even decent for me to say but—but," She hesitated for only a moment as her heart began to race in her chest. "Will you," She raised her head, forcing herself to look at him as she finally said the words. "Marry me?" Her grey eyes meet his own in that moment; just in time to see the gold finally consume them once more.
Inuyasha felt his breath catch in his throat at her words, words he had wanted to say. He gasped as a familiar tingling sensation jumped into his hands and feet. He could feel his claws as they scraped against his skin and he could feel his ears as they traveled painfully from the side of his head back to the top. He was nearly blinded as everything came into sharper focus, his eyes changing back to their demonic quality. And lastly, magnificently, he was inundated by smells as the gift of scent his father's blood had given him came back to life.
He was instantly overwhelmed by the scent of Kagome, by the smell of salt and the sea and lilies. The scent consumed him until he almost felt dizzy, Kagome's words echoing throughout his head. He looked down at her as that scent penetrated him, seeming to overtake his every thought and feeling. And before he knew what he was doing he had closed the short distance between them, pressed his hand more firmly against her cheek, and pulled her into a searing kiss.
Without a second thought, Kagome brought her hand away from his cheek towards his neck, grabbing hold of him so as to pull him forward. She felt his free arm encircle her waist more firmly, turning into her, their bodies melding against one another tightly. The warmth of his body pressing against her own was tantalizing and she moaned, his tongue jumping at the opportunity to invade her opened mouth. Desperately, she moved her own tongue against his own, pressing herself closer to him, her breast pushing against his chest.
He growled and his hair brushed against her cheek as his warm lips pressed just a little harder against her own. From somewhere deep in his throat he moaned, the hand on her cheek rubbing her skin feeling the feverous heat of it before he forced himself to pull away from her. They both were breathing heavily not because they had held their breath during the short kiss but because they both had felt the undeniable urge the kiss had created.
He cleared his throat, his golden eyes hazy, washed with lust and love. His fingers gripped her clothes, pressing himself more fully against her, the sensation delicious as he warmed her skin. "How dare you," He managed to smirk as he spoke, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. "Steal my words."
"Sorry." She whispered breathlessly, a smile already forming on her lips that she couldn't hold back. "I was never one for propriety."
He laughed, openly laughed as he looked down into her eyes, the sparkling grey as beautiful as the day they had first met. "Tomorrow." He told her as he pulled her a little closer (if it was at all possible), her feet nearly leaving the ground as he kissed her again. She gasped into his mouth and his tongue gently found her own just barely caressing it before he pulled away. "Will you marry me tomorrow?" He stole back the proposal already knowing the answer.
"Tomorrow?" Kagome felt her heart skip a beat in her chest but she couldn't help but feel unimaginably excited. Staring into those bright golden eyes she leaned forward and gently, sweetly pressed her lips against his own. It was a chaste kiss that promised more than any of the ones that came before it: it promised the world. Pulling back, she looked at him once more, his face calm and loving as he stared down at her. "Yes." She answered and he leaned forward pressing his lips against hers in a kiss just as promising.
End of Chapter
Please Review
A/N: I told you there'd be fan service didn't I? But we're not quite done with the drama, we still have to deal with Kohaku and the ramifications of what happened to him. It won't be the most pleasant thing but it has to be done. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and is ready for the great things to come!
Bonus Point:
When does Inuyasha call Kagome by her name for the first time?
Last Chapter's Bonus Point:
Kagome cried for Inuyasha the very first time during his first human instant. He was probably about to die and Kagome leap towards him with Tetsuaiga crying as she save him. Congrats to the winners!
Team D0bby, Aiydan Warrior, Cagome, Asian Delicacy, Glon Morski, Ai2000
Next Chapter:
For the Sake of Each Other
See you then!
UNEDITED
POSTED 12/8/2013