Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Inuyasha.
Author's Note: Nearing the end now, folks. Sorry for the belated updates and such; I had a rather distressful summer.
Please review- reviews make me type faster. I swear.
Chapter 17, Leading Tone
It was a cold morning for summer. I hadn't thought to bring a sweater. I dug my hands into my jeans' pockets and waited.
"You're here early," he observed.
"And the fact that you're here at all means you still don't trust me," I pointed out. When had I gotten so fresh?
"Another set of eyes never hurt."
"Miroku's watching me. I'm fine."
"You don't know him," he tried.
"What's to know? He's a government official. Vice President of one of the Seven Sectors."
"Second sector, Kagome."
"Does it make all that much of a difference?" I blew hot breath into my cupped palms.
He grabbed my hands, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Yes. It does."
"Ok, ok," I say, flustered by the unexpected contact. "The second sector is rare weapons."
"Swords, Kagome. Rare weapons is the first sector."
"Ok. Got it."
He looked as though he wanted to say something more, but thought better of it and turned around. He was wearing a light jacket, and tugged the zipper up to his chin. He pulled his baseball cap lower over his eyes before murmuring, "Be careful." He disappeared around the corner.
I caught myself smiling and bit my lip to hide it.
Half an hour ticked by. Finally, he rounded the corner. He was tall. His coat was stylish, but too warm for the weather. Long white hair trailed behind him like a mane. He had strange markings on his face: a violet crescent on his forehead and long slits along either cheek. His eyes, the same magnificent gold, glimmered in the half-light.
He walked confidently, his eyes set ahead of him. He stopped in front of me, his eyes still trained ahead.
"You smell of him," he said.
"Sesshoumaru, I presume," I said.
"Is this area safe?" His golden eyes flashed.
"We swept it, if that's what you mean."
"What else could I mean?" he snapped.
I held out my hand. He passed a small envelope to me.
"You realize that the only reason I'm helping you is because I hate that bastard, right?" He looked at me, and I could feel his eyes burning twin holes through my head.
I stared back at him. "Understood."
"Before I go, I want a demonstration," he said. "Show me that you have the same power as your father, as your sister."
Miroku had warned me that Inuyasha's uptight older brother might ask for this. I pulled out my gun and aimed at the window across the street. I frowned as I poured my concentration into the fabric of the bullet. I fired.
The bullet flared violet as it cut the chill morning air. The window shattered, the glass crumbling upon the sidewalk. Sesshoumaru lifted an eyebrow and crossed the street. He peered through the window, where the opposite wall would be covered with seals that Miroku had planted and I had dispelled with a single bullet. When he was presumably satisfied with this display of my powers, he returned.
"Impressive," he said. "But real battle is different from dispelling a bunch of seals." He continued walking. Before he was out of earshot, he added, "Naraku will be looking for those. Watch your back."
He rounded the corner and I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Inuyasha had been right; the heads of the Seven Sectors were different from their minions.
That kind of power…was still completely out of my reach.
(-)(-)(-)
"Creep, isn't he?" Miroku asked when we reached the rendezvous point.
"That's one word for it," I said.
"Yeah. Bastard is another," Inuyasha said as I dumped the contents of the envelope on the table.
Eight shards shimmered in the weak, pale sunshine. I reached into my shirt and produced the string that bore our shard. They were the same, and my stomach turned slightly as I scooped up the eight new shards and held them to the stringed one. There was a bright flash of light, and the nine pieces fused together to form an almost complete orb.
"If Naraku finds out Sesshoumaru took those…" Miroku said, looking at Inuyasha.
"One less bastard for me to kill," Inuyasha shrugged.
"Hopefully," I interjected, "Naraku will find out that we have the shards first."
"That is the plan," Miroku said.
"And when he comes to collect, we kill him?" Inuyasha asked hopefully.
"Since when has Naraku ever done anything himself?" Sango asked, coming upon us so suddenly that I jumped. She glanced at the Shikon no Tama in my hand and looked away. "No, he'll send one of his minions."
"Who we capture and force to give us the location of the President," Miroku said.
"How do you know he won't just send us more ninjas?" I asked.
"He'll want those back," Miroku said. "He'll send someone important."
"The Shichi'nintai," Sango said softly.
I bit my lip and looked at Inuyasha. The name that caused my stomach turn had lit a fire in his eyes. The Shichi'nintai, the seven ruthless murderers who formed the heads of the Seven Sectors…the knowledge that a man…youkai like Sesshoumaru served under one of these terrible men was enough to make me shiver.
"Bankotsu owes me a rematch," Inuyasha said with a vicious smirk.
Somehow, this remark only made me feel worse.
(-)(-)(-)
I sat on the end of my bed, my knees tucked under my chin as I hugged them to my chest. It was a matter of waiting now, Miroku had told us. The idea set my teeth on edge; I didn't like that the cards were in their hands.
I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't hear the faint knock on the door. It opened a crack, and I looked up as a familiar pair of golden eyes peeked in. "Hey."
"Hi," I said, sitting up and blushing.
Inuyasha came in. He looked at the bed, and I made room for him. He hesitated a moment and then sat. He was so close, I could have let my head fall onto his shoulder. The silence came down and weighed heavily upon our chests, stifling the words that grew up there.
Finally, Inuyasha cleared his throat of the eerie silence. "You don't have to be afraid," he said.
"I'm not afraid!" I responded, too loudly.
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Then something went wrong. Time slipped out of its frame, and the image before my eyes melted down. Underneath was a raw frame. A warm sunset-crickets beginning to chirp-a great heave of my chest that came out as the smallest of sighs.
"Inuyasha…"
"Sh…" His firm lips stifled my protest.
I snapped from my reverie. Another one of Kikyo's memories…or my own desires? I shivered even though it wasn't cold.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Nothing…just a headache," I said, touching my temple, where a high-pitched tone cut through my thoughts.
"The Shinchi'nintai aren't something to worry about," Inuyasha continued, impervious as ever to my presence beside him. Always beside him… I bit my lip. He smiled at me. "They're nothing that I can't handle."
The air that I was breathing was choking me, and the walls of my esophagus were closing in. I clenched my hands together and tried to collect my entire person on the process of breathing in and out again.
Inuyasha grabbed my hand. The contact was like an ice cube down my back. "This time won't be like the last…" I sat straight up. "What I'm trying to say is…Kagome, I'll protect you."
Something clicked in my chest.
"TURN THE FUCK AROUND AND TELL ME THAT I MEAN NOTHING TO YOU!"
Shaking, I slowly turned around. Was he…crying?
No…those were my own tears. "Inuyasha…"
"Kikyo…" He kissed me once, twice. His warm lips brushed my jaw, and then he pushed me against the wall. His hands settled on my hips, pulling me into him. I shivered and wrapped my arms around his neck. I stopped his next words with a kiss.
'Please, please,' I pleaded mentally. 'Don't let this moment end.'
But my duty was too much to ignore. They would kill him. I could save him. I was the only one in the world that could save him. But I would have to break his heart to do it. The coming night was warm now, the dying sun pressing against my back, and somewhere crickets were chirping. The sigh that shattered my soul left my lips as nothing more than a light whisper.
"Inuyasha…" I breathed.
"Sh…" he said, kissing me. "We can get away, Kikyo. After tonight, Naraku will be dead. Then, you'll be free, and we'll be together." I trembled deep within myself, and I felt my shiver echo in his chest as I ran my hand down his back.
My hand was on my gun. He hadn't noticed yet. I kissed him, closing my eyes tight against the tears. I was going to lose him forever. "Inuyasha, they already know."
"What?"
"They know about the plan. I told them everything," I said.
Inuyasha jumped away from me. Cold air rushed into the space between us and I hugged myself. His warm eyes had turned to pinpricks. "What are you saying?"
It was taking all my training to keep from breaking down into sobs. "They know the plan. They've taken all precautions. The Shinchi'nintai are ready for us."
"What?" Inuyasha growled, baring his sharpened canines. "But Sango, Miroku-!"
I closed my eyes. "They're probably dead by now."
The space between us was closed in an instant. I gasped in spite of myself, but his hand stopped- suspended in the air a centimeter from my cheek. I couldn't meet his eyes…I was terrified of the betrayal I would see there. "You're lying," he said, half accusing, half pleading.
"I'm not," I managed. I closed my hand around the handle of my gun. "And I'm sorry, Inuyasha. So sorry." I whipped out my gun.
He was faster. He knocked the gun out of my hand even as I fired, and the bullet merely grazed his shoulder. I could feel his eyes burning into me. He grabbed my throat and pushed me against the wall.
I tapped into my core, into the immense, wild power there. I lifted my hands and pushed him away from me with a great blast of violet light. As he flew away from me, I grabbed my other gun and shot him once in the abdomen.
I blasted him again, and he tumbled backwards over the roof. I scrambled onto the fire escape, and slid down it, leaving violet streamers glowing in the fabric of the steel rods. In the alley, he was gone. I shot out tendrils of energy, searching for him, but I didn't feel him behind me until a moment too late. He grabbed me and threw me back into a dumpster.
I struggled to my feet. He was shouting things at me. I shot out wildly with the energy pouring forth from my agonized core. My ears hummed in warning- I was stretching myself too far. My soul creaked under the weight of emotion. I closed my eyes. 'One last time,' I told myself. 'A grand finale for the puppet of the Government; one last act of defiance.'
Inuyasha was dodging my shots, despite the wound in his abdomen. He was coming closer, weaving his way through my attempts to entangle him in my spiritual energy. I looked towards the sky. Just a few more moments, and the last ray of sunlight would be gone.
The distraction was all Inuyasha needed. He grabbed me around the neck and lifted me from my feet. I closed my eyes so that I wouldn't have to meet his. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.
I tore at his hands. "Inuyasha, did you forget…did you forget what…night it is?"
"Nani?" he asked.
The last ray of sunlight illuminated the alley, and then it was gone. Inuyasha's pure white hair stirred in a cold breeze, and then it was black. If I had the courage to meet his eyes, I knew that they would be flooding with steely blue. How ironic, I thought, that he should now take the form that he had promised to take when we were free to live the rest of our lives together. 'And now that will never happen.'
I lifted my gun, filled the bullet with all the energy left in my core, and shot him in the shoulder. Warm droplets of blood spattered across my face. He stumbled backwards, grabbing the wound. He hit the wall of the alley and crumbled against it.
I pitched forward and emptied my insides in the scattered rubbish. My head was spinning, and I felt as empty as a dry husk. Darkness swelled behind my eyes. I'd over-extended myself. But this was all part of the plan, of course. My task had been completed. Inuyasha and I would never be together, but I had made it so that he could have a second chance at happiness. Despite the temptation to fall into darkness, I met his steely eyes.
My soul shattered. Anyone else would have taken that look for loathing, but I knew it for what it was: that was the knowingly futile glare of a broken heart, filled with betrayal and unutterable pain.
"Inuyasha…" I breathed.
I fumbled through my shirt to find the Shikon no Tama. It was warm against my fingertips, sensing the looming wish. I closed my eyes.
Somewhere nearby, the sister I would never know was enjoying another uncomplicated evening in her uncomplicated life. She had no idea that her world was about to come crashing in around her. I had kept her safe for as long as I possibly could; I had done everything in my power to keep that fraction of our father's legacy from the Government's greedy, far-reaching grasp. Now there was only one more thing I could do to save her.
"Shikon no Tama," I whispered, pressing my lips to the jewel, "hear my wish, the wish of the miko who guards you." The violet jewel trembled in anticipation. "I wish for the ability to protect Kagome."
A gunshot sliced through the moment, throwing my thoughts into turmoil. The bullet cut through my shoulder. I exhaled sharply. The jewel trembled as my blood hit it, and then shattered, breaking into a hundred pieces and flying in every direction. Inuyasha was screaming. I fell forward, the darkness coming up around me, fighting with itself as it laid claim to my body. I was aware of Inuyasha's arms, and his warm scent: night, earth, forest, cigarette smoke…
I opened my eyes. Inuyasha was next to me, staring at me intently, his golden orbs sharp.
"Kagome?"
"…Inuyasha?"
"Where did you go?"
"She's sorry, Inuyasha. She's really sorry," I managed, fighting back tears.
I expected him to get up and leave. I expected him to say some sharp words, and blame me for the unbidden vision. But he grabbed my hand, looked into my eyes, and nodded.
(-)(-)(-)
The door opens and a tall figure enters, his long white braid waving behind him like a banner. His eyes cut into me, their peculiar hue a painful reminder. "So, you've sold your soul to the devil," he says, and his words are daggers.
"Sesshoumaru…" I whisper, rising from the bed.
The youkai struts across the room. "I don't know why I'm doing this," he mutters, just loud and clear enough for me to hear. He slaps me, knocking me to the ground. He turns on his heel and exits the room.
Rubbing my cheek, I prop myself up on my elbow. I open the tiny scrap of paper he slipped into my hand as I fell. My head starts to whirl as the familiar scribble unfolds before me.
I'm coming.
- Ichimu