Time
Summary:
Time, it connects all things. It is inescapable, inevitable and unrelenting. It is as incontestable as the very stars in the skies, sometimes time can be your greatest ally and others your gravest fears. Time brought together two unlikely people, but will it also tear them apart? An Inuyasha/Kagome fan fiction. Read and Review please xxxx
Disclaimer:
Kagome: Is Inuyasha still locked in that room?
Mandie: Yep.
Kagome: Right... Do you plan on letting him out??
Mandie: -sighs- I suppose... -opens the door-
-inuyasha falls through, wide eyed and afraid- FEAR THE PONIES!
Mandie: Learned the lesson yet Yashie?
Steffi: Hey Mandie, Hey Kagome!
Mandie: Yo!
Kagome: Uhhh.. hello.
Steffi: So we even??
Mandie: Yep. Did you break him?
Steffi: Of course, the addition of the My Little Ponies was genius.
Mandie: I know. -dusts off shoulders-
Kagome: You guys are evil... it is a good thing you dont own Inuyasha.
Inuyasha: ...ponies... spongebob... evil... O.O
Steffi & Mandie: -high five and walk away laughing-
Kagome: I did warn you... You never listen Inuyasha.
Inuyasha: ... Pink... cuddly... ponies!
Last Chapter:
"Inuyasha how could it have gotten so cold?" Kagome trembled, clasping onto his yakuta in desperation for warmth.
"I don't know…" Inuyasha growled, his eyes searched the area for signs of any youkai. He was met with unnatural darkness.
"What is going on, I can't see a thing." Kagome whispered fearfully.
"Me either." Inuyasha snarled, his senses were heightened by the loss of visibility. Something wasn't right.
Kirara hissed loudly and changed into her youkai form once more, the flames from her tail emitted light into the surroundings. Inuyasha and Kagome looked up to the sky and were met by pitch black. All light was veiled by an evil they both knew at once. This was confirmed by the smell that hit Inuyasha's nose, making him feel slightly ill.
"Kagome, we are surrounded." Inuyasha growled, clutching onto the miko even tighter.
"What…?" She whispered fearfully.
"Kagome we are surrounded by youkai…"
Chapter Twelve: Ensnared in Shadow and a Strength Within
Feudal Era, Inuyasha's forest
Kirara circled the couple protectively and Inuyasha unsheathed his Tetsussiaga, his sightless amber orbs shot from side to side as his hearing and sense of smell became his eyes. Inuyasha had never experienced anything like this; he had always been able to see, no matter how dark a place. The black of this night was no natural occurrence; he could smell youki all around him, suffocating, nauseating. The only thing that kept him rooted to the spot was the trembling girl that he held into his body, reserving what little heat she had left. Kagome was unarmed, helpless, and surrounded by dozens of youkai in the blackest of nights. If the hanyou were to let go, he feared he may lose her forever.
She concentrated; she concentrated so hard upon the beating of Inuyasha's heart. It was the only thing that kept Kagome from collapsing in this sudden artic cold. The miko could feel her fingers starting to stiffen and the muscles in her legs beginning to seize, there was nothing she could do to help Inuyasha, not even if she had the means to. Her fading coffee orbs followed the path of the protective Neko as she circled them, keeping all out with from entering. Inuyasha looked down at the miko; he could hear her breaths coming less and less frequently, each one becoming more painful than the last. The hanyou could feel her body growing slightly limp against his own; the cold was getting to the miko more than he had thought.
"Kirara," He said quietly, becoming more aware that the youkai hadn't chosen to attack yet. The fire-cat walked over to Inuyasha. "Get Kagome out of here."
Kirara nodded in understanding and ducked down to allow Kagome to climb on. The miko turned her sparkling eyes on to Inuyasha, concern shining through their misted depths.
"Where do you think you are going?" Snarled a voice from the impenetrable blackness. "The master has need for you girl."
"Is that so?" Inuyasha growled, menace flashed through his eyes like a sudden bolt of lightning, "Your master should try to do his own dirty work then shouldn't he?"
"Why should he when he has us?" With a malicious cackle, the youkai retorted.
"Get on Kirara now Kagome." Inuyasha whispered into the priestess' ear.
"What about you?" The miko breathed, clasping Inuyasha's yakuta in concern.
"Keh, I will be fine. This guy is a piece of cake." The hanyou answered, his trademark grin spreading over his handsome features.
"I told you! You aint goin' anywhere!" Roared the youkai, "Get that girl, and Kill the spares!"
"Get outta here now!" Inuyasha yelled, picking up the priestess and putting her on Kirara's back.
At once, Kirara pounced into the air and flew out of reach of the youkai. Kagome screamed out the hanyou's name as she heard his voice cry out into the night…
"SANKONTESSOU!!!!"
Kagome didn't care about the cold anymore; all she could do was pray for the hanyou. How could he defend himself without seeing his opponents? How could the hanyou win when fighting so many? The miko let tears fall from her eyes as she pleaded with Kirara to go back to the half-demon. It was clear that the fire-cat was under Inuyasha's orders that night.
Inuyasha closed his eyes and concentrated on all that was around him. Anything that dared move was caught by his senses. The hanyou could feel the youkai moving in; several were just metres from him. He would have to pull this one off, if he didn't, there would be no coming back. A twig snapped at the side of him and the attack began, Inuyasha swung the Tetsussiaga forcefully in the offending direction. His assault met with the torso of a demon, which was easily sliced into half. The hanyou swung again and again, his eyes remaining closed and his ears fixed to all that was in his surroundings. Inuyasha had to survive this, even if the odds were stacked against him, if he were to die, who would be there to protect Kagome?
"Kirara, Inuyasha will die if we don't go back to him!" Kagome pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion. "We can't let him die out there, alone, without his friends. Please Kirara…"
The fire-cat let out a low growl and turned back on her path. The miko's heart started to beat wildly, this was the time when she would save Inuyasha. She knew she could do it, the adrenaline flowing through her told her so. Kirara swooped down next to Kaede's hut and Kagome pounced off, running in to get her bow. Inside, Sango, Miroku and Shippo sat huddled around a small fire. The small group looked up at the frantic miko with confused eyes. Sango got to her feet and walked over to Kagome's fumbling form.
"Kagome what is going on?" Sango asked, feeling concerned about her friends strange frantic behaviour.
"Inuyasha is in trouble, we have to help him!" Kagome replied quickly, her eyes unmoved from their searching gaze.
"Where is he?" Miroku questioned, getting to his feet at once.
"He is still at the bone-eaters well; we were surrounded by cold and then blackness and then lots of youkai. He sent me away; now he is all alone out there. We need to…"
"Calm down, tell us on the way." Sango said, grabbing her hiraikotsu and heading to the door.
The four members of the Inu-taichi group rushed out the cabin and climbed onto Kirara's back. Sango had started to shiver as they reached the bone eaters well, the cold was much worse than before. Her mahogany eyes searched fruitlessly through the dark, trying to pin point the hanyou's location from above. All the group could hear was the clanging of a sword against metal and numerous voices yelling into the black of the night.
Inuyasha swung his heirloom blade, his limbs aching from countless attacks on them. He could feel warm blood running from the wound on his stomach, weakening each blow he fought to make. The hanyou continued to battle; even though there was no longer room for such hope. Only one thing kept strength flowing into Inuyasha's half-demon limbs, one thing gave him the will to endure. Eyes of shimmering chocolate brown glittered like the purest of diamonds, a smell of lingering water lily and sakura blossom on a spring morning, a songbird's voice haunting and so sweet. The one thing that kept the hanyou battling the relentless evil around him was the thought that he would go down fighting in protection of his innocent miko.
Kagome grasped her bow and arrow, preparing to make a shot. Somehow she could sense Inuyasha's movements, she couldn't explain why, but she could tell them apart from the youkai's attacks. Sango made to grab her arm but Kagome shook her head,
"I can tell where he is." The miko whispered, her eyes moving, seeing something the others could not.
"But how…?" Sango questioned, how could Kagome follow what was going on but they were as good as being blind?
"Just trust me."
Delicate fingers pulled back on the bowstring and the arrow started to glow an eerie white, highlighting the miko's silken face in its radiance. The arrows power grew until all was bathed in its intense shimmering light. The youkai halted their attacks in order to shield their eyes from such untainted energy, some even fled. The purity of Kagome's power was too potent for such evil to take. The hanyou looked up and gazed at the miko in sheer awe, as did his main opponent. Within a split second all was finished. As Kagome let the purified arrow slip through her pallid fingers, all was consumed by the intensity of her attack. Inuyasha suddenly came to his senses and pounced away from the area of impact.
With a massive explosion, Kirara and her passengers were forced out of the air. They all landed a little way into the forest, with a crack, they were knocked unconscious. After a couple of minutes, Miroku stirred and opened one hazy azure eye; he groaned and forced his body into a sitting position. Once his eyes had gained their focus, he looked around for his comrades. Sango laid a little way away from him, she too was stirring. Shippo had already sat up and Kirara growled with pain.
Inuyasha walked into the clearing, sword slung over his shoulder and an arrogant grin bound to his pale features. For all the bravado the hanyou tried to portray, he looked fairly beaten up. Inuyasha's yakuta was badly torn where a large bloody gash was revealed upon his stomach, several cuts and slashes laced the skin on the half-demon's arms and blood trickled from his mouth, causing a hindrance to the affect of his cocky grin.
Sango sat up and groaned, rubbing the back of her head. The blackness had lifted from their surrounds but the bitter cold remained, though not as severe as before. Inuyasha's eyes searched for Kagome, finding her sprawled across the ground a few yards away, she was still insentient. He rushed to her side, sliding one hand under her icy cheek to raise her to face him. Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Shippo all stared at the hanyou as he lifted the miko into his arms. His grin had faded and he looked at the girl with deep concern.
"Is she alright Inuyasha?" Sango asked quietly, her eyes quavered in apprehension for her fallen miko friend.
"I don't know. We need to get her to Kaede." The hanyou replied with a course voice. "I will meet you all there."
The three of them nodded and Inuyasha took off in the direction of Kaede's village. He ran through the area which Kagome's arrow had hit, the scene was that of utter destruction. The sheer force of Kagome's miko attack had wiped all of the youkai out in one blast. The fallen remains of Naraku's mercenaries littered the grass around them. Inuyasha's golden eyes fell upon the porcelain face of his unconscious priestess, he couldn't even begin to fathom where such a vulnerable, fragile, young woman kept all that power stored. The hanyou found that he felt even more stumped when he thought of why this power had not unleashed itself sooner. Inuyasha cleared his head of these questions, he would find out the answers when Kagome wakened.
It wasn't long before Inuyasha had reached lady Kaede's hut, he placed Kagome's limp figure gently on a futon and ran through to find the elderly priestess. She rushed through to the girl's side and frowned.
"It appears that Kagome-chan has no injuries. Tell me, what happened in the forest?" Kaede asked, curiosity flashed in her greying eye that had once mimicked the beauty of her older sister Kikyou's.
"Keh, meddlesome baba…" Inuyasha scorned the old woman unnecessarily.
"I mean what happened to ye that could have injured Kagome-chan." Kaede snapped with warranted impatience with the audacious hanyou.
"She eh… well she killed a whole bunch of youkai." Inuyasha answered uneasily.
"Aye… Go on." Kaede nodded in encouragement. It was rather like talking with a child, only Inuyasha was less responsive and much more impudent.
"She uh… killed them all with one arrow. She kind of blew up a chunk of the forest as well…" Inuyasha finished, scratching his head in confusion. He just didn't get it. Where did all that power come from?
"Did she now?" Kaede looked at Kagome with interest, "Do not fret about lady Kagome. She has just used up all her energy tonight."
"Keh, why would I fret?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes mockingly, exhibiting his usual immaturity towards displaying feelings.
"I find it would be more productive to question why Kagome-chan has chosen this battle to display such strength Inuyasha, rather than to roll your eyes like a spoiled five year old." Kaede scorned as she exited the room.
"Keh," Inuyasha stuck his tongue out at the priestess as she left him alone with Kagome. He sighed a little and leaned back against the wall, where he could keep a close eye on her. "Why did you choose tonight to release that kind of power?" Inuyasha questioned aloud.
"…because you were in trouble…" Whispered a small voice strained voice from Kagome's cracked lips.
"Kagome," Inuyasha breathed as he moved closer to the miko. "You need to rest. Kaede says so."
"…I was scared that you might die…" Kagome continued in a barely audible whisper.
Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise at Kagome's whispered confessions, she must have bumped her head or something. Then again, Kagome had never lied to him before. Had her power truly come from her fear of his death? It was just so hard to imagine Kagome feeling that way about him. Was it possible that her power had come from love for him? There was only one way to find out. Just as Inuyasha was about to ask Kagome spoke,
"Inuyasha," Kagome croaked, her voice was much stronger than before. "My strongest powers come from you."
"What…?" The hanyou coughed in disbelief and Kagome smiled. "Kagome do you lo-"
"Kagome!" Squealed a little voice from the doorway. "Are you okay?" Shrieked Shippo as he bounded in and sat beside the miko.
Kagome and Inuyasha continued to look at each other, refusing to acknowledge the fact that the kitsune had interrupted their moment.
"Do I what… Inuyasha?" Kagome breathed, gazing into those misted eyes of gold.
Inuyasha's eyes shot over to the doorway again as Sango, Miroku and Kirara all entered the room.
"Nothing…" The hanyou sighed and looked away from Kagome's intent stare. His eyes had found a new target…
WHACK!
"Owww what was that for? Kagomeeee! Inuyasha's being mean to me!" Shippo whined, a lump the size of a tennis ball was already forming on his head.
Authoress talking random stuff again...
Heh heh, well... chapter twelve... it was a bitch to write! It did come together quicker than I expected. Woo for me and my faster updating! Myes, anyhoo... I love the word skweegie!
Hi I'm Barry Scott, Something about Cillit Bang!
BANG AND THE DIRT IS GONE!
Ha ha ha ha ha, that advert is way cheese mobile. Okay so reviews, they are diminishing slightly. :o(
serenityrain2233: Thank you chikadee! I like to recap, it reminds the readers what happened in the last chapter. It is good if I havent been able to update quickly. So here is me providing relief like a sparkly loo when you have drank way too much water. Yesh, that... Heheh.
BlackParade: Update is here! Pee hee, evil cliffies are tha bollocks! In a good way... I LOVE YOOOOU! I thinks that this chapter was up pretty fast, considering it was just evil to write it! I am not sure why though... OKAY DIDDLES. Yesh, toight like a tiger! I have a Dutch accent, ishnt that funny? Can I paint his yoo hoo golllld? Ah.. I love Goldmember. Cest tres funny!
TrueBelle: Oh wowwies, another new reviewer! Hommage to ya dearest! Mwahahahaha, they never kiss! Just kidding, you will have to keep reading to find out -winks- hope your loving the update!
Tifa Sohma: TIFA GO MEGA MEGA MEGA MEGA MEGA HYPER! Waah! Pee hee, you are funny. For you my dearest, I would love to listen to your blabbing all month, lol, slap me, just slap me! Ta very much for the reviews. Love ya!
Okay... so I have offended peoples or somthing. Maybe my reviewing is going a little fast? People cant keep up? Who knows, thanks to those of you who said sich prettiful things. Next chapter will be up in a few days.
GO AWAY SEABUSCUIT, I DON'T HAVE ANY WAFFLES!
Righto, cheerio!
Mandie
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