The Glass Path

Seven

The air whistled sharply as they fell swiftly down, and down…never able to see anything about them but complete blackness, and never seeming to be able to see the bottom of this endless fall. The emptiness resounded to Kagome's screams of terror; Inuyasha closed his eyes as he held Kagome, his hazel orbs watering with the force of the air. Suddenly the blackness was full of dazzling, star-like lights, hovering still in the emptiness, and Inuyasha opened his eyes. He pulled his hand over Kagome's mouth, and she looked up to where he was looking.

'Wh…what are they?' she asked hesitantly. Inuyasha shook his head, having no idea. All of a sudden the shimmering lights vibrated menacingly, and charged towards them. They encircled them, spinning wildly about, making Inuyasha and Kagome dizzy, before they dropped downwards, and as Inuyasha and Kagome followed the lights with their eyes, they saw what was below them.

Inuyasha flinched as his body hit the hard surface full force, and Kagome sat up, getting up off him shakily.

'Shit! That bloody hurt!' screamed Inuyasha, getting to his feet, only to fall back over on his front again, uttering a chain of swear words that Kagome wouldn't have approved of, if she were listening. She stood gazing about her, realising that there was nothing about them again but blackness, however, below them was quite a different story. It was not stone ground that they had landed on, not earth, but glass. The surface beneath them was thick glass, the shimmering lights gathered beneath it, lighting all the way along the glass path. She turned back to Inuyasha with a smile on her face, as he picked himself off the floor, steadying himself before throwing her a glare. 'what the hell you grinning at?' he barked at her though she still smiled.

'It's really pretty,' she answered. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

'Whatever, trust you to say somethin' as stupid as that when we're in this situation.'

'What do you mean, trust me?' Inuyasha ignored her question, walking to her side, staring about them, and then at the glass beneath their feet. 'Where are we?' she asked, seeing that he wasn't going to answer her other question.

'I have no idea.' He knelt down, running his human fingers over the layer of glass. 'But it's really…really weird…'

Inuyasha tapped slightly with his finger on the glass after tracing over it a little while, and the lights beneath his finger shifting slightly. 'And those things are…alive.'

'Alive? But what are they?'

'I think they are...spirits,' he told her quietly, not looking up from the glass.

'Spirits, of what?' she asked, only barely realising she must be annoying him by now.

'I have no idea, all I know is they must have been pretty bad people when they were alive, to be sent here.' Kagome fell really quiet suddenly and just stared sadly at the spirits through the glass. 'They're in the Temple of Lost Souls, souls that were so evil that they strayed from the path and came here, for all eternity, Kazuya must have been one of these.' He then turned as he realised how quiet she had gone, and looked up at her. 'Kagome?'

'I think it's really…really sad, to be here, for all eternity. It's dark, and lonely, and…horrible.' Inuyasha smiled slightly.

'It only happens to evil spirits.'

'No one deserves this,' she said quietly, as Inuyasha stood up, she broke her gaze away from the shimmering lights, and looked into his dark eyes.

'I'm afraid, that some people do deserve this, and you can't tell me that there is no one you think deserves this for eternity.' Kagome knew he was right, Naraku, after all the malicious, cruel things he did, deserved to be here, like so many of the other demons they had fought over the last few years. She realised how silly she had just been, and felt rather stupid.

Inuyasha bent down, and picked up Tetsusaiga from where it had fallen beside them, sliding it back into its sheath. 'I don't like this place though; I think we should keep moving.'

'But, how can we find Sango, Miroku and the others,?'

'Something tells me they won't just be waiting up there, they will have gone by now, and they'll be looking for us.'

'But they'll never find us!' exclaimed Kagome hysterically, 'We're trapped here forever, and we'll never see them again!'

'Hey!' he shouted, grabbing her attention. 'We are not going to be here forever, we're getting out of here, and we're taking the others with us, that I promise you.' Kagome still said nothing, and her face was filled with worry. 'Hey,' he said softly, tilting her head to look up at him, 'have I ever broken a promise to you?' Kagome said nothing, but she smiled weakly in reply. 'Now come on, we've got to keep moving,' he said, turning and walking onward, Kagome running to his side, not wanting to be alone in the dark.

'But, why this way, the path leads off into darkness both ways, why this way?'

'The lights are going this way,' he explained, still walking.

'You just said they were evil, why are you trusting them?'

'They're evil, but I think they're showing us the way.'

'What if they're lying?'

'They probably are, but it's dangerous to think too much about your decisions, especially when you're in one of these places.'

'Why?' she asked, looking warily at the lights below their feet.

'In ancient times, evil used to trick you into making decisions involving their path, their decisions, and people that did that often stopped, thinking about what if the evil were lying, if they weren't, if they expected you to know they were lying. In the end, the good guys always used to loose themselves, and break away from their group, making them weak, and getting lost.' He paused here, leaving Kagome feeling a little freaked out, thinking the lights anything but pretty. 'They use their tricks to separate you, and drive you to madness and despair, they don't even have to use up their energy, one simple decision of theirs could lead us to driving ourselves to our fate; you see what I mean?'

Kagome understood, only now she wished she didn't, and she slid her arm into Inuyasha's, trying to make herself feel better.

'Don't you have any better stories?' she asked, her voice shaking, 'ones that don't involve freaky souls, mad people, demons and death.'

'Heh, sorry, not exactly the right person to ask,' he muttered his voice also shaking, though with a false confidence. 'My life's pretty much been one big demon based story. Even when I was a kid I-' he broke off, realising what he was talking about, and fell silent. Kagome looked up at him sorrowfully. It seemed so sad that someone like him had to grow up without anyone, and to have everyone hate him and push him away because he was a hanyou, it was no wonder he acted as he did. Kagome thought of her own family back in her era, she didn't know how she would have managed to grow up on her own like he had, he may have been part demon, but he was still part human as well. He must have been really scared, and confused, and lonely, she thought, still looking up at him as they walked. Inuyasha looked back at her, realising she was staring at him. 'What're you looking at?' he asked quietly.

'Nothing,' she replied distantly, 'I just…I wish I could let you know…' she muttered the last part, only just aware that she had said it aloud.

'Let me know what?' he asked, stopping and looking at her confusedly.

Kagome hadn't realised he had heard her, and continued into her pensive state, not hearing him. 'Kagome?' he asked, and she looked at him, 'let me know what?' Kagome looked at the ground, hesitantly opening her mouth to reply.

'You know…you know you're not alone, right?' she asked, her voice quieter than usual.

'What?' he asked in bewilderment.

'Well, do you?' Inuyasha flushed, and scratched the back of his neck.

'Well I…guess so.'

'Because, I want you to know that…' she stopped, unable to say what she wanted to, unable to let him know what she felt. 'I'm not going to leave you, no matter what happens, no matter the choices you make; I'll be by your side…' Inuyasha was getting more and more confused by the moment.

'But why – why are you telling me this?'

'Because you don't seem to understand,' she replied, even more quietly.

'Understand what?'

'How I feel.'

'Am I supposed to understand that?' he asked.

'No,' she replied, slightly sad, 'I don't suppose so.'

She started walking again, hating herself in her mind. She had the perfect chance to tell him then, and she blew it. Kagome sighed; she knew she would never have the courage to tell him. Inuyasha quickened his pace to catch up to her, and then walked at her side.

'Umm, Kagome?' he asked, and she looked up at him once more. 'I think that I…I know what you meant, and umm, I feel a lot better – knowing that you'll never leave me, that you'll…And I know I don't understand what you feel, but I…I think I want to, understand.' Kagome smiled at him, still walking.

'Does that mean that you want me to tell you?' she asked, and he looked down as he walked, a flush growing on his cheeks, his black hair hanging into his eyes, as he nodded slightly. 'Okay…' she muttered, blushing. 'Inuyasha, I-' She cut off as the glass path shuddered, causing Inuyasha and her to nearly collapse. Inuyasha looked about wildly, the spirits were zooming about insanely through the blackness, and the path glowed with a dim, white light. 'Umm, Inu…Inuyasha,' said Kagome, tugging on the sleeve of his red kimono.

He turned to face her, and saw what she had seen; a gigantic silhouette, almost as dark as the blackness around them, was steeping closer and closer with every moment.

'Kagome, how many arrows you got left?' he asked nervously

'None, I used them all on the dragon.'

'Shit, I thought you were gonna say that,' Inuyasha stepped backwards slightly.

'This is all my fault, if I had focused on the dragon properly it would have only needed one arrow, I'm such a-' Inuyasha looked at her sharply.

'Don't give me that, I told you to shoot, and you hit the damn lizard that's enough, now stop it okay?' Kagome nodded, swallowing hard as the monster stepped closer. 'What are we gonna do now?'

'I have an idea,' stuttered Kagome.

'What's that?'

'Run!' she snatched Inuyasha's hand, and sped along the glass path in the opposite direction to the shadow.

'Kagome, what the hell are you doing?' he yelled, never one to want to run away from a fight, even when the odds were stacked against him.

'Staying alive, do you mind?' Inuyasha didn't argue, seeing she would probably sit him if he protested.

They seemed to have been running forever, Kagome's sides ached from lack of breath, and Inuyasha even seemed to be tired out.

'I would rather be eaten, I can't run anymore,' he whined in a pathetic voice, collapsing to his knees, Kagome kneeling beside him. The path trembled as the creature stepped after them, only yards away from them, though it was still partially obscured, and all that could be seen was its menacing outline and burning red eyes. The glass shook more and more violently underneath them, and Kagome wondered if it would shatter under the weight. Suddenly she had an idea, shatter. She leant forward on Inuyasha, making him look at her in confusion. She pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath, and held it up. 'Kagome, what are you doing?' he asked nervously, not liking the look of this. The sword glimmered in the light from the spirits and the path, as Kagome swung it with all her might, towards the ground. The blade struck the glass, and at first nothing happened, then, cracks split across the path, just where Kagome stood, and it shattered. Inuyasha leapt forward, pulling her back. The break was not big enough for the creature, and Inuyasha got to his feet, snatching the sword away from her. 'Ya wanna tell me before you do something like that again?' he asked angrily, as he pulled her to her feet. He was annoyed at her for doing such a stupid thing, although he had to admit, it was a good idea, if only she'd done it right.

Inuyasha grabbed her hand, and ran the opposite direction from their relentless pursuer. He threw Kagome to the floor, dropping to her side. Kagome looked at him in surprise as he slid his hand into hers.

'Whatever happens, promise me you'll get yourself out of here.'

'What? Inuyasha-'

'No, promise me,' he insisted, looking firmly into her eyes.

'But you'll come back?'

'Kagome please, promise me.'

'I…I promise, but you'll come back?' Inuyasha smiled weakly, getting to his feet, and releasing her hand from his, at the last possible moment.

The creature had stepped past the break Kagome had made in the glass, and with one look back at Kagome, he charged forward. Tetsusaiga rang as it sliced through the glass, even though it wasn't transformed the glass couldn't withstand it, and it cracked, with Inuyasha still on it. Inuyasha looked up, and to his horror, the creature was translucent, the only corporeal part to it, its hideous blood red orbs; it was an illusion, a trick to get him to fall off the path. Inuyasha tried to turn back, but the glass shattered under his feet. 'INUYASHA!' He clawed with his human fingers to snatch at the path's edge as the creature faded from view, transforming into millions of the spirits, they had tricked him. As he snatched at the path's edge, his hand snagged a sharp point, and he released it, his hand dripping with blood. He closed his eyes, feeling the air pass over him, waiting to fall, and he did.

Suddenly, he felt his hand jerked upwards, and he looked up, to see Kagome hanging dangerously far over the edge, both hands tight round his wrist.

'Kagome what are you doing?'

'You think I'd let you fall idiot? You're always saving me.' She replied, trying to pull him up. The glass beneath her was cracked from Tetsusaiga, it was going to shatter.

'Kagome let go!'

'What?'

'You're gonna fall if you don't, the glass is breaking!' Kagome smiled, pulling him up a little more.

'Then I guess we'll both fall.'

'Idiot, don't be stupid, let go of me!'

'I promised I would always be by your side,' she said, her voice becoming stronger as she heaved him up higher. 'And if you fall, then I guess I have to follow you.'

'It's not a game Kagome, let go of me or you'll die! I'm too heavy for you to pull up!'

'Oh yeah,' she said, pulling him up a little more, her arms being dug into by the shattered edge, her blood dripping onto Inuyasha's face.

'Kagome, let go of me dammit!' she ignored him, and with all her might heaved him up, and he landed on top of her. Inuyasha got hastily to his feet, pulling her back off the edge as it crumbled beneath them, and dropping down beside her as they reached a safe distance from the shattered edge.

After a moment of fighting to get his breath back, he turned to look angrily at her. 'You stupid! Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Stupid, girl! You could have died and it would have been all my fault! Don't you ever do that again – and what the hell are you smiling at?' he shouted. She continued to smile at him, it was annoying him slightly, he was trying to be angry with her and she was smiling.

'I'm just happy you're okay,' she replied, grabbing the wrist of his wounded hand, and pulling it towards her.

'What are you doing?' he asked nervously.

'You're hand's bleeding,' she replied casually, tearing the bottom of her green school skirt, and wrapping it carefully round his wounded palm. Inuyasha tried not to blush as she did so, and he looked at the jagged tears in her shirt's sleeves, and the blood dripping from the wound.

'And what about you?' he asked stroking along her arm with his free hand. She shook her head, a smile still on her face.

'Stop being such an idiot and let someone look after you for once,' she said firmly, though with the remnants of a smile twitching at her lips. Inuyasha smiled back at her, trying to make her give him a full smile back, though she avoided his eye. He eventually caught her eye, and she smiled back, tying the cloth round his hand.

Inuyasha tightened his hand, testing the tightness, and he looked back to her. 'Okay?' she asked. He nodded.

'I thought I was the one who was supposed to look after you.'

'You are.'

'Funny, seems to be the other way round a lot of the time,' he said, smiling still.

'Are you complaining?'

'No,' he replied, 'I guess, it's kind of different, besides my mother, you're the only one who looked after me at all, though I guess my father must have when he was alive, can't remember him much though, Sesshomaru knew him more than I did, I was still a baby when he was killed as you know, so…' Kagome thought nothing of his unfinished sentence; most sentences in the conversations about his past were incomplete.

'Inuyasha, do you ever…I mean, do you ever wish that Sesshomaru had done as your father asked? Do you ever wish he had taken care of you as he had asked?' Inuyasha looked into her hazel orbs, a thoughtful expression on his face.

'I guess, I hate him, more than anything, and I would kill him in an instant, but…a small part of me, wishes that when my mother died, I would have had someone to look after me. Maybe then I wouldn't be so screwed up.' Kagome smiled at him, and he looked oddly at her. 'What?'

'Nothing I'm just…I'm grateful that you would share something like that with me, that's all.' Inuyasha smiled slightly back.

'Well, you know everything else about me,' he replied. Not everything, she thought, if I asked you about her, you'd never answer...I know you too well to even think you'd answer. Then she thought, since he was being so open, there was a slight chance, and she wanted to take it, but she wondered if it was a good idea…

'Inuyasha?' she asked, and he looked back at her. 'If I asked you a question, would you promise to answer it?' Inuyasha looked at her oddly.

'I guess so, what's wrong?'

'Nothing I just...' she stopped, Kikyo was a delicate situation between her and Inuyasha, and anything about the priestess could turn either one of them nasty. 'I know that you were in love with Kikyo before Naraku tricked you both, but I…I think that…do you still love her?' Inuyasha looked shocked to hear her ask this question, as Kagome was to find herself able to ask it, but she felt she needed to hear it, whether she would like his answer or not.

'That's a hell of a question, huh?' he asked his voice nervous slightly. 'Kagome, I d-' Inuyasha's sentence broke off, as he looked over Kagome, and his eyes widened as he saw what was lurking in the blackness. 'Kagome look-' but it was too late the swirling, raging shadow smacked her across her jaw, and she flew off the edge. Inuyasha leapt to the edge, snatching her hand up in his uninjured one, and holding her tightly. 'Hang on Kagome!' he shouted going to pull her up.

'Inuyasha!' the glowing spirits swirled around him, and leapt onto his hand, burning him.

'Aaaah! Get off me!' he shouted, closing his eyes at the searing pain.

'Inuyasha!' screamed Kagome again, as her fingers slipped; only holding onto Inuyasha's fingertips. Then she slipped, he snatched violently in the air for her fingers, but she fell, the darkness swallowing her up within moments.

Inuyasha growled angrily, and leapt up, smacking the spirits violently away from him. Readying to jump after Kagome, but he couldn't. The shimmering lights grabbed Inuyasha, burning his skin as they held him up into the air.

'Get off me you fucking fireflies!' he screamed, trying to wrench himself from their grip. They flung him away from them, sending him soaring through the air, and downwards, plummeting into the darkness beneath the path, the opposite side to where Kagome had fallen moments before.

TBC

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A/N: The next chapter contains what happened to Sango, Miroku and the others after Kagome and Inuyasha fell. As I've stated, I wrote it ages ago, and the next chapter is really crap, but I am known to be overly critical and you guya are the readers, so, votes on who wants it up and who doesn't please, otherwise, I'll skip to the next chapter. R&R.

Luv

Shigure

x chuu x