DISCLAIMER: I don't own InuYasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.
NOTE: This chapter goes a bit further back in time than I usually go. In the beginning scenes of this chapter you'll be getting a glimpse of what happened the day Kenshin's mother died. Everybody will be much younger and you'll get to see how Kagome, InuYasha, Ahiko and Kenshin's life are all connected. I won't explain everything in this chapter but there will be some vital information revealed. Other reflections of the past will be revealed in upcoming chapters as there's a lot that still needs to be explained.
NOTE: Please remember that all italicized paragraphs at the beginning of the chapters refer to past events. That's how most chapters in my story will begin. Afterwards I will revert back to current present events. I did make a few changes to the previous chapter at the beginning. So, if you've followed this story from the beginning, you may want to go back and re-read it. Sorry for updating late. Please ENJOY!
CHAPTER 8: REMEMBERING AHIKO
The winds of the world were gently blowing across the horizon. The birds were chirping and cooing in their nests as they sat perched high amongst the grounds in the sakura trees. The sun would be setting in a few hours and the abundance of rain could be heard from the heavens above. The thrill of summer heat beat down slowly upon all the inhabitants of Daigon County as the seasons of change propelled onto all those strong enough to face it. Today would change lives permanently in the most unimaginable way.
It was 5:00 in the evening. Nine year old Kagome Higurashi sat upon a long tan bench beside her father Sanoske Higurashi. Asleep in Sanoske's lap sat his three year old son Sota, Kagome's younger brother. The Higurashi's were all gathered together in the waiting area of the Koshikawa Medical Center, except for the oldest Higurashi child, 17 year old Kikyo. She was gone away to Tokyo Japan to complete a summer internship at Yamamoto Enterprises. Her mother Kaoru Higurashi was inside room 351 of the Koshikawa Medical Center preparing for the arrival of her fourth child. Her family had yet to hear word from her doctor.
Kagome pulled the helm of the pink tee shirt she was wearing and stared down at her baby blue and white Adidas. She was starting to get agitated. Her family had been at the hospital for over three hours and her mother hadn't given birth yet, and she was tired of waiting. With a nervous hand she tapped her father on his arm. "What is it now Kagome?" Sanoske asked his impatient daughter. "What's taking so long?" She asked her father. "Why hasn't mom had the baby yet?"
"Honey, having babies take time. The only thing we can do is wait here patiently for their arrival."
"I hate waiting!" She pouted.
"Well I don't know what you expect me to do about it. I'm not a magic man."
Kagome folded her arms across her chest and stared at the floor. "I'm bored dad."
"There are magazines on the coffee table in the corner by the television. Go get one and entertain yourself."
"I've already looked at all the magazines."
"Then take a nap!" Her father snapped at her.
"I'm not sleepy!" She mumbled. "Can I call Uncle Na-Na?"
"No."
"Can I go to the bathroom then?"
"Do you really have to go?"
She nodded innocently, knowing full well that she was lying to her father.
"You've got five minutes and five minutes only. If you're not back by that time you're gonna have a difficult time sitting down." He warned her.
"Okay dad." Kagome replied with a mischievous smile.
She stepped out of her chair and walked away from her father and entered the ladies restroom farthest away from the waiting area that her family was sitting in. She turned on one of the three sinks in the bathroom and washed her small hands. That way she wouldn't be lying about using the bathroom. She then grabbed a few pieces of the coarse brown paper towel next to the sink and dried her hands off. Afterwards she discarded the used paper towel and slowly crept to the bathroom door and opened it.
She glanced around the hallway briefly and saw no signs of her father looking for her. Now she could make her escape. She slipped out of the bathroom and swiftly walked away from the waiting area until she was at the west end of the first floor.
Spotting an elevator at the end of the hall that was unoccupied; she skipped inside and hit the button for the third floor. The elevator doors quickly closed. She had no idea where she was going, but she was gonna find something to do. Perhaps if she looked around long enough, she'd find her mother's hospital room.
The loud buzz of the elevator and the opening of its doors signaled Kagome's arrival to the third floor. She stepped out slowly and looked around quickly taking notice that there were fewer people on the third floor than on the first one. She looked to her left and right until her eyes caught sight of a glowing green sign that read Maternity Ward. Her mother had to be in one of the rooms on this floor.
She began walking around, looking at the various room numbers. Most of the rooms were occupied by expectant mothers, groaning and moaning in preparation of their newborn babies. Some of the sounds they made freaked Kagome out. Others made her cringe, but most just downright cracked her up.
She wiped her eyes as tears of laughter threatened to spew from them and then she continued walking until she came to the end of the hallway. She glanced around and even peeked into a few birthing rooms unbeknownst to the room occupants, but was still unsuccessful in finding her mother. She thought of asking a few of the nurses that passed her in the hall but was scared that she'd end up getting escorted back to her father, and she didn't want to face him just yet.
The sound of jingling keys caught Kagome's attention and she quickly looked straight ahead and spotted a security guard talking to a nurse. Afraid that her father possibly sent the man to look for her, Kagome quietly turned the corner and snuck inside of the first room on her left.
She placed a hand over her heart to calm herself. Sneaking around was quite dangerous, but she didn't care. She lived for the thrill of it.
"Can I help you?" A familiar voice said from behind her.
Kagome swiftly turned around so that her back now faced the door of the hospital room. There sitting up in the bed sat a youthful, teen-aged girl. She had very long jet black hair that fell down around her shoulders, framing the porcelain skin of her face. She was dressed in one of the thin white hospital gowns that all the patients wore and she had a tiny, little baby cradled in her arms.
Kagome stared at the girl a long time in disbelief before slowly turning her lips up in a jubilant smile. The girl warmly smiled back at her. Within seconds intense emotions tugged at her nine year old heart. The girl reached out a hand to Kagome as her notable, furry-black appendages twitched about playfully on top of her thick coat of black hair.
"Ahiko! Oh my God!" Kagome said before blinking back tears.
"Hey kiddo!"
Kagome ran to the older girl and stared at her again before carefully laying her head against the girl's shoulder.
Aki patted Kagome's small face softly and wiped her tears from her eyes. "What's the matter kiddo?"
Kagome trembled as more tears fell from her eyes. "I missed you Aki!"
"I missed you too Kagome."
Kagome trembled against Ahiko for awhile as she tried to get her emotions under control. She hadn't seen her in months and she terribly missed the older girl. Sometimes at night she'd cry whenever she thought of her because she was really hurt when she walked out of her life. She loved Aki like she did Kikyo and saw them both as her older sisters. She couldn't understand why she stopped being her babysitter. The only thing her parents told her regarding Aki's disappearance was that she couldn't be her babysitter anymore. They never gave a reason why.
"Why? Why did you leave?" Kagome managed to ask her in between sobs.
"I didn't want to Kagome."
"Then why did you? I thought you liked being my sitter."
"I did like being your babysitter honey."
"Then what happened?"
"I couldn't anymore."
"Why not?"
"I'm sick Kagome."
Kagome carelessly wiped her eyes and eased back a bit to look at her former babysitter.
"You're sick?"
Aki nodded slowly. "Didn't your mom tell you? That's why I had to quit being your sitter."
"Really?" Kagome asked before pressing her trembling lips together.
"Yes. I've been sick for a very long time. I just never knew it."
"Are you gonna be okay?"
Aki's face took on a rather grim expression. She slowly nodded no.
"You're not?"
"I'm not gonna get better Kagome."
Kagome released a shaky breath. She could feel her emotions slipping out of control again. She hoped what Aki had wasn't fatal because she was nice and she was too young to leave this world.
"Of course you'll get better. You're young. Young girls don't get sick and die."
"If it were only that simple little Lin. Young girls get sick every day. I'm no different."
Kagome's eyes grew wide. "But you look healthy."
"I know and that's why nobody would've ever guessed I was sick. I look healthy, but I found out I had some problems with my heart a couple of months ago."
"You have a heart condition?"
Ahiko nodded slowly.
"Then you'll have to get it fixed. You're a nice a person Aki with a good heart. Good heart people live a long time."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence but apparently I wasn't gifted with a good heart. If I was, I guess some kind of way it turned bad because it's damaging and contaminating everything in my body.
"Are you gonna die?" Kagome asked in nearly a whisper, afraid of the answer to her question.
Ahiko pressed her lips together tightly as her words became constricted within her throat. She didn't want to answer the little girl's question because she knew that it would break her heart. She didn't want to break little Lin's heart. Heck, she didn't want her own heartbroken but it was anyway. It was breaking at this very moment as it had been for a long time. With unshed tears in her eyes and with a heavy heart she tilted her head to the side before slowly nodding yes.
Kagome's lower lip trembled and her shoulders shook. "What? Stop joking Aki! That's not funny!" Kagome nearly shouted. She didn't like it when people joked about death.
Aki sighed sadly and blinked her eyes. She wished she was joking but she wasn't.
"Ahiko?"
"I'm not joking Kagome. I wouldn't, especially about something as serious as death."
"But…I don't want you to die. I just found you again. You can't die Aki."
"I'm sorry little Lin."
"No Aki!"
"There's not really anything I can do to prevent my death, Kagome."
Kagome shook her head vigorously, refusing to accept what the older girl was telling her. Her small hand began to tremble and before she could utter another word she broke down and began to cry softly.
"Oh honey! Don't cry!" Aki said to the broken-hearted little girl.
"No! I don't want you to die Aki! Please!"
"I don't want to die Kagome! Believe me, but the doctors can't help me anymore."
"No! No! NO! NO! NO!"
"Kagome, I'm living on borrowed time. I was supposed be dead years ago."
"Why are you giving up?"
"I'm not giving up Kagome!" Aki said harsher than she intended to. "I've tried to fight off whatever this is that I have but I can't anymore. My body is too weak."
Kagome pointed her little finger at the small bundle in Aki's arms. "What about your baby? If you die he won't have a mother."
Ahiko smiled bitterly as a single tear slid down her face. "I don't want to leave my little boy motherless but I don't have a choice now. So, I'm grateful that he'll at least have his father when I'm gone. That's more than what I had as a child. I grew up in a group home. I never knew my parents. At least he won't have to grow up the way I did."
Kagome looked away from Aki and glanced down at her baby boy nestling quietly in her embrace. She smiled at the small hanyou as bitter tears continued to fall from her eyes and tumble down her cheeks. "He's so tiny." She managed to say. Her voice was sad and thick with strange emotions. It was nearly too difficult for her to stand here with her former babysitter and talk with her, knowing that she wouldn't be a part of this world much longer.
"Yeah, he is. He's my little guy."
Kagome absentmindedly wiped her eyes with her small hands.
"Would you like to hold him Lin?" Ahiko said to her former charge.
Kagome replied with a quiet nod. If Aki wanted her to hold her little boy, then she'd hold him for her. She opened her hands as the young mother shifted her tired body and carefully placed the sleeping hanyou into the nine year old girl's awaiting arms.
Aki patted the thick coat of black hair upon her son's head as Kagome stared at him warmly. They both looked upon him lovingly and smiled when his tiny hanyou ears began to flicker about curiously.
"He's beautiful." Kagome said after staring at him for so long.
"Thank you. I'd like to think me and his dad had something to do with that."
Kagome blushed and produced a small giggle. "Is his dad a half demon too?"
Aki nodded. "Yeah, except he has silver hair."
"Wow! Is he old?" The young girl asked in wonder.
Ahiko blushed. "No silly! He's not old. He's seventeen like I am."
"I've never seen a guy with silver hair before."
"He's one of the few demons with silver hair and he has the cutest pair of ears."
"I wish I was a hanyou."
"Trust me Lin, you're better off as a human."
Kagome pouted and continued to look at the baby, watching his ears as they flickered about. His mouth came open slightly and she blushed at the small smile that began to tug at his lips. He was such a handsome little guy. Kagome thought as his eyes blinked before fully opening upon her.
"Oh wow! He has golden eyes. I've never seen eyes this color before."
"He got them from his dad."
"Your boyfriend has golden eyes. That's so cool."
Aki smiled at the young girl and briefly looked over towards the door. She wondered what was taking Inuyasha so long. He was supposed to be back at the hospital nearly an hour ago and she was starting to get worried.
After she'd given birth to their son, her body slowly began its descent into darkness. She felt a familiar sensation seize her chest tightly and her tired body threatened to shut down. She released a shaky and labored breath which caused Kagome to quickly glance at her.
"Are you okay Aki?"
Aki pressed a hand to her chest.
"Oh no! Aki! Don't go! Don't leave yet!"
The older girl released a groan as her heart began to beat erratically in her chest. She choked down a sob as tears quickly refilled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She didn't have much time left. As she sat in her hospital bed, she could feel herself slipping away.
"Kagome?"
"NO! Please Aki!"
"KAGOME! I need you to listen to me."
The young girl trembled and squeezed Aki's baby close to her chest and then nodded her head.
"I need you to do something for me."
"Okay." She replied brokenly.
Ahiko slipped her hand underneath the pillow on her bed and pulled out two red envelopes and lifted them towards Kagome. "I need you to give something away for me."
Kagome moved closer to Ahiko and stared down at the two rectangular objects.
"These are letters that I've written for the two most important men in my life. One is for my boyfriend and the other is for my baby boy. I need you to give them to my boyfriend when he gets here."
"I don't know if I can."
"Please Kagome! Please do this for me." The older girl pleaded.
Kagome nodded her head slowly as painful tears slipped down her face one after another.
"Thank you Lin."
"You're welcome."
Aki smiled at Kagome as another wave of intense pains seized her chest. It felt like her heart was going to burst. Her eyes glazed over with more tears as her emotions began to pour out heavily.
Kagome stared at the girl as her hands began to shake. She didn't want her to die. She loved Aki to pieces, always had. It didn't seem fair that she was going to be gone from her life again after she'd just been briefly reunited with her.
"Ahiko!"
"Take…care…of him…for me…Kagome."
"Aki!"
"Please…promise me…you'll take care of him…for…me."
"Okay!"
Ahiko forced a weak smile onto her lips and spread her arms open wide.
Kagome leaned into the girl's arms and embraced her all the while still holding the baby.
Ahiko pressed a warm and loving kiss upon the young girl's forehead and then placed the two red envelopes into her hand. She then carefully gathered her baby boy back into her arms.
Kagome stepped away from her as she cradled the small boy to her chest. She watched as the girl's smile slowly faded away. Her body began to tremble and her skin became paler. The girl fell back against her bed and uttered out brokenly a name that Kagome had never heard before.
"INUYASHA!"
Kagome eyes grew immense as the girl's eyes grew heavy and her hands began to slip away from her son. She shook her head and backed away from Ahiko's bed as a loud beeping sound erupted into her ears. The next thing she knew the door to Aki's room was quickly flung open.
A woman with long, dark hair rushed into the room and practically shoved her out of the way. She shrieked and ran up to Aki's bed and pulled the small baby away from its mother flailing arms. Then two doctors followed by four nurses rushed into the room.
Before Kagome could move another inch she felt someone tug upon her hand and pull her from the hospital room. She didn't know who it was nor did she care because her eyes were glued onto Aki's lifeless form. She had stopped breathing and the doctors were preparing to resuscitate her.
Whatever happened next she never found out. She'd been taken by the same security guard she'd seen earlier upon entering the third floor of the hospital and brought back down to the first floor where she'd last seen her father and brother.
The security guard escorted her over to her father who was clutching Sota tightly and trembling. Kagome wiped at the tears that hadn't stopped falling since she entered Aki's bedroom and stared at her father. He trembled so hard with her little brother in his arms that Kagome grabbed at his shirt. He turned to look down upon her and it was then that she noticed the tears rolling aimlessly down his cheeks.
"Daddy?"
Sanoske opened his mouth to speak to his daughter but got so choked up that he ended up snapping it shut and shuddering like the leaves on a withering tree in late autumn.
Kagome stared at her father in confusion. "Daddy? What's wrong?"
Her father didn't respond to her. He just continued to hold onto Sota and cry as if there was nothing else for him to do.
Kagome tugged on her father's shirt again before a loud sound sprang to life near the entrance of the hospital. Her eyes immediately skittered over to the large door as a tall, slim figure quickly ran pass carrying white tulip flowers in his hand. She only caught a brief glimpse of his face as he passed and when he did she saw a trail of long, silver, untamed hair that flowed behind him.
Could that be Ahiko's boyfriend?
Before she had a chance to think anymore on it she was lifted off of her feet and into the arms of a very strong and powerful man. Kagome turned to look upon the male that now held her. It was her mother's brother, an individual she referred to as Uncle Na-Na.
"Uncle? What are you doing here? What's the matter with my father?"
Kagome's uncle peered into her face and gave her a serious look. "It's my sister."
"Mama? Did she have the baby already?"
"Yes."
"Can we go see him?" Kagome asked as a bright and teary smile lit up her face.
"I'm afraid not little one."
"What? Why not?" Kagome asked her uncle, almost afraid to actually know the reason why.
"I don't know how to tell you this Kagome."
"Tell me what!" Kagome yelled, her sadness quickly turning into anger.
"About your mother."
"Stop stalling Uncle Na-Na and just tell me the truth."
"Your mother lost the baby."
"What?" Kagome asked in disbelief.
"Your baby brother died."
"Don't joke like that uncle. It's not funny."
"I'm not. I just came from my sister's hospital room and little Sanoske Jr. didn't make it out alive. He was stillborn."
Kagome nodded her head in disagreement refusing to accept what her uncle said to her. She couldn't believe it. There was just no way fate was this cruel, losing her former babysitter and her own little brother on the same day and minutes apart from each other.
"I'm sorry honey."
"No! No!"
"It's true Kagome."
"No! You're a liar!"
"Kagome I'm not lying to you."
"Yes you are! My brother isn't dead!"
"Yes he is."
"No! Stop saying that! You're lying!"
"Kagome!"
"NO! Daddy? Tell Uncle to stop lying. My little brother isn't dead."
Kagome was grasping for straws. She was both sad and angry and hoping against hope that some way her baby brother was alive. Although, deep down inside she knew that her uncle wasn't lying to her. He never had before. Why would he start now? She turned her gaze away from her uncle and shot her father a questioning look.
He looked right back at her and slowly nodded his head no and when he did he saw something break inside of his daughter. She went stiff in her uncle's embrace and began to push against his chest.
"No! No! NO!" Kagome fought her uncle and tried hard to get away from him.
Sanoske gazed at his broken daughter as another wave of heart wrenching tears exploded down his face. Nothing in the world had come close to the pain that now shot around profusely throughout his heart.
"NO! NO! Not baby Sanoske too. Oh God! Mama! I want my mom! I want mama! I WANT MY MOM!" Kagome wailed and yelled and pushed against her uncle, screaming into his ear until she was physically drained.
Once she'd finally calmed down her uncle allowed her to stand on her own two feet. He placed an arm around her small shoulders as she leaned heavily against him. She pressed the fingers of her left hand together and it was then that she realized she was still holding the two envelopes that Ahiko had given her. She ran her index finger around the edges of them and before she could conjure her next thought she erupted into tears again.
She clutched the two red envelopes to her chest with a trembling hand and shifted her gaze towards the elevator. She stared at it and watched as the doors practically jumped open and a teenaged male sprung from it trembling and shaking so bad that she thought he was gonna fall to the ground. Right behind him was an older girl trying to reach for the boy but he pushed past her.
He stumbled across the floor carelessly. His thick, silver, long hair flew around him like a halo. Kagome pressed her left hand to her mouth. It was the boy she'd barely got a glimpse of moments ago. The one she believed to be Aki's boyfriend. She watched him wipe at his eyes with the back of his hand before lifting his feet and running like crazy away from the girl behind him and out of the hospital.
Kagome stared after him silently, never getting a chance to actually see his face or give him the letters his girlfriend had given her. She groaned and continued to cry. The guy was now gone and she probably would never see him again.
She closed her eyes and sighed. If she didn't see him again she couldn't fulfill her dying friend's wish and if that happened it would make her even more heartbroken. No! She had to do this. She had to do it for Ahiko and her little boy. She had to do it for them.
She would see him.
She didn't know how or when.
But she would see him again.
With a heavy heart and a shuddering breath she quickly wiped her tears away with her fingers and refused to shed anymore. She made a promise to her dying friend and she wanted to keep that promise, and if it was the last thing she ever did in her life, then it was this promise that she was determined to keep.
The sound of birds chirping about happily in the atmosphere flowed around in abundance. The rain from last night had finally cleared away with a small trail of dew upon the sod in its aftermath. The sun seemed to shine brighter and warmer than it had in years. All seemed to be right in the world at that very moment.
Kagome stared out the window of her best friend's home looking out into the distance. It had been three whole days since the incident at the hospital and those three days seemed like three of the longest days of her life.
InuYasha and Miroku fought. Sango's baby died and things just went from bad to worst. Everything and everyone had gotten out of control. Things were said in the heat of the moment and she deemed herself the voice of reason but nobody was interested in hearing anything she had to say. Their world was chaotically turning and just when it felt like there would be no light at the end of the tunnel, they were granted a miracle.
With much prayer and an intense embrace from an innocent and pure hearted miko Sango's baby sprang to life inside of her womb once again. She'd been released from the hospital yesterday and was currently on her way with her family to Koga's house, where Kagome herself and InuYasha's children had been staying since they left the hospital three days ago.
Koga was sitting down on the couch watching Kagome as she trembled and gazed out of the window every ten minutes. She was worried about his worthless best friend. The guy practically ripped her heart out of her chest and stomped all over it every chance he got, and she was waiting for him to make an appearance. He cast a sad glance at her that she never saw and his heart thundered loudly in his chest. Who ever made up the quote Love Is Blind had to have Kagome in mind because she was blind to any and everything when it came to InuYasha.
He didn't deserve her. He might've been his best friend, but he didn't deserve to have someone as kind and compassionate as Kagome loving him. She would've been better off if she'd never gotten tangled up inside Inuyasha's life but the girl fell for the guy almost from the very second she laid eyes upon on him. They'd never dated but anybody could see the blatant desire they felt for one another, although Inuyasha's was far from innocent. Kagome's was more like a school girl crush that just developed into deeper feelings as she grew older.
Kagome turned away from the window to glance at her watch. It was five o' clock in the evening and the sky was already growing dark. She wondered what time Ayame would arrive with the children. They couldn't stay at the beach forever. She could just imagine how much sand Kara and Kay would have in their hair. The mischievous pair tended to go overboard when playing with sand. A hand to her shoulder shook her from her thoughts and she turned around in time to see Koga standing behind her.
"Hey Koga. Do you want something? Do you need me to fix you something to eat?"
Koga shook his head and grinned. "This is my house Kagome. If I wanted something to eat I could get it myself. You should sit down and rest awhile."
"That's okay. I'm not tired."
"Yes you are."
"I'm fine Koga."
"If you say so superwoman."
Kagome huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm fine Koga. I really am."
"Yeah. I'm sure you are but your body still needs rest."
"My body has had enough rest."
"Really? How many hours of sleep have you had in the past three days."
Kagome opened her mouth for a second and then snapped it shut within the next breath. She had no idea when she last lay down to sleep and truth be told could go for a nice, long nap.
"Don't do that to yourself."
"Do what? I'm not doing anything and before you get started, I don't want to hear it."
"Look Kagome, I'm worried about him too but you don't see me staring out of the window or glancing at my watch every five seconds. You need to relax for awhile."
"I can't!"
"Sure you can."
"No, I can't. I've tried sleeping. It's not working."
"So, you're just gonna stand here and look out of the window every day?"
"I'm just waiting to hear from him."
"He's not gonna call Kagome. You know that. He's too stubborn."
"I never said I was waiting on him to call me, Koga."
"But you are and you know he's not gonna call you, especially you."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad Kagome, honestly I'm not but you know how InuYasha is. He doesn't like to accept help from anyone even when he needs it."
"What am I supposed to do then, Koga? I can't just sit around here and not do anything. I have to remain hopeful or I'll drive myself crazy. I just want him to be okay for the children."
"And for you." Koga said, noticing the faraway look in Kagome's eyes.
"No, I honestly want him to be okay because his children need him. He also needs to make up with Sango."
"What about you?"
"He doesn't need to make up with me. I'm not a part of his family."
"You are a part of his family and he does owe you an apology."
"Well you and I both know that will never happen. So, there's no point in even discussing it."
"Then why do you drive yourself crazy worrying about him Kagome?"
"I could ask you the same thing Koga."
"And I'd tell you he was the closest thing I have to a brother."
"So. You also love Ginta and Hakkaku like brothers but you don't worry about them like you do Inuyasha."
"That's because Ginta and Hakkaku aren't stubborn, brash and impulsive. They know how to handle themselves in tough situations. InuYasha doesn't. He has a temper that's out of this world."
"Your point is?"
"My point is I've known InuYasha a whole lot longer than you have. There's plenty about him that you know nothing about. You have no idea how horrible his life was growing up."
"Well if his life is so messed up Koga, why are you friends with him?"
"Because back when we met my life was just as screwed up as his. The only difference is InuYasha never learned how to accept help from others. That cocky attitude of his is just a front because he doesn't like to let his guard down. He thinks it makes him weak. I understand why he is the way he is but he's still wrong for treating you the way that he does."
"How bad was it?" Kagome asked, ignoring the latter part of Koga's statement.
"That's not for me tell Kagome."
"I thought you wanted to help him Koga."
"I do."
"Then tell me about him."
"That's not my place to do that Kagome and it's not yours to ask me about it. If I tell you it'll only fuel his anger and resentment towards you and drive a wedge between the three of us. I won't betray him like that."
"But he's out of control Koga. You should've seen him at the hospital. He and Miroku were fighting like wild animals. I thought they were gonna kill each other. I've never seen them so angry like that."
"What do you want me to do Kagome?"
"Help me find him!"
"Don't you think I've been looking for him? As soon as you told me that he transformed before leaving the hospital I went everywhere searching for him."
"And you still came up short."
"I'm trying Kagome. That's got to count for something. I have a feeling he doesn't want to be found."
"I hope you're wrong."
Koga nodded and stood up from the couch to walk next to Kagome. "InuYasha's lucky to have a person like you fighting for him Kagome, even if he doesn't deserve it."
Kagome flashed Koga a bittersweet smile before turning back towards the window. Koga patted her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then he turned to look out of the window with her. They both watched as a black pick-up truck pulled into the driveway of Koga's home and an extremely tall individual emerged from the truck and practically raced up the stairs that led to his front door.
Koga and Kagome quickly came away from the window and had the front door to his home opened in seconds.
"Jinenji?" Kagome called out to their visitor.
"I found him."
Once Koga, Kagome, and Jinenji arrived at the forbidden woods it was already nightfall. There was no way they could drive Koga's truck through the woods, so they opted for running. Kagome knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with the horse hanyou and wolf demon, so Koga offered to let her ride on his back. It felt kind of strange doing it now because the last time she climbed upon his back, she was a teenager, and even then it was a rarity. Though he ended up married to her sister, InuYasha always had a problem with her riding Koga's back. She was never uncomfortable with it before but she was now and that was only because he was now married to her best friend. However, under the circumstances, she didn't have a choice at the moment. They needed to find InuYasha.
Kagome tightened her legs around Koga's waist as he bounded through the thick foliage covering the grounds of the forbidden woods. There were trees, broken pieces of woods, stones, streams, and an abundance of wild flora covering the entire area. There was a reason why this place was called forbidden. It was an unstable place for just about any species to inhabit. It was filled with poisonous plant growth; even the grounds were dangerous to walk upon. If it wasn't for Koga and Jinenji's heightened sense of smell, even they'd succumb to the poisonous wildlife.
They were nearing InuYasha. She could tell by the way Koga's legs increased in speed. Jinenji wasn't far behind as he trailed after the two of them. Kagome felt her heart tighten inside of her chest as an odd feeling overshadowed her. She didn't know if the feeling was because of anticipation or fear. She hadn't seen InuYasha in three days. Nobody had. When he went full demon and stormed out of the hospital she was more worried about him than she'd ever been in her 22 years of living.
She feared that in his demonic state he'd hurt someone or get himself hurt. Just thinking about that caused her hands to tremble against Koga's moving form. She released a tormented breath and pressed her lips together. What if he died?
Koga frowned and squeezed her knee. He could feel the girl's anguish as her worrisome thoughts coiled around them and it was depressing. He had to get her spirits lifted.
"He's going to be okay." Koga reassured her.
Kagome nodded her head slowly and tightened her grip around Koga's neck.
The three of them ran around for a bit longer in pursuit of their impulsive friend. They had to tear their way across trees that had been uprooted from the ground and tossed into their path. It was as if someone or something intentionally blocked it so that nobody could enter this particular part of the forest. One look of the intentional clawed prints upon the bark and they knew indeed that InuYasha had been the one to destroy the trees. They weren't sure however, if he was the one that piled them together to block entry to the forest.
"We're here." Koga whispered to Kagome.
He made a complete stop and waited a few seconds for Jinenji to catch up with them. Once he arrived next to Koga they both took a moment to catch their breath before surveying the area.
They easily spotted InuYasha. He had one clawed hand upon a thin oak tree and another wrapped around his stomach. He was tired, angry and still in demonic state and he wasn't alone.
Not far away from him stood his fearsome and much revered older brother Sesshomaru. Behind him stood at least ten other demons. They were all dressed in black from head to toe with guns on both sides of their hips and swords across their backs. They were in perfect synchronization and waiting for Sesshomaru to urge them into battle against the single hanyou. He prohibited them from interfering in this battle with his brother.
"Let me down Koga. I can't see anything." Kagome urged him but he tightened his grip on her.
"You have to stay back. These aren't ordinary demons we're dealing with." Koga said to her.
"I don't care. I need to help InuYasha."
"Listen to him Kagome-sama." Jinenji finally spoke. "It's too dangerous for you to enter the battle zone."
"So what am I supposed to do? I can't just stand here. He needs me."
"I know that." Koga whispered. "But there are a lot of demons in line to get a piece of him. We have to strategize before we go rushing in or all of us we'll be meeting our maker sooner than we intended."
"There's not enough time to strategize. We need to move now."
As quickly as the words fell from Kagome's lips, the three friends were surrounded by the very same men dressed in black that they'd glimpsed a mere moment ago. She was grabbed behind by a single demon while Koga and Jinenji both were attacked by over a dozen other demons.
"No! Let me go!" Kagome screamed and kicked her legs as she was lifted into the arms of an unknown dog demon.
The demon moved away from Koga and Jinenji and began to run as the sound of grunts, moans and the scent of fresh blood spilled down upon the forest floor. The sounds of ferocious growls and muffled voices roared throughout the area. With so many youkai in the vicinity, it was difficult to determine whether friends or foes were the givers or receivers of the pain being passed from one youkai to the next.
As Kagome scratched and clawed at her abductor, the vision of her beloved hanyou came into view and her heart nearly stopped beating inside her chest. Her eyes locked upon InuYasha's ragged form. He was shirtless and his chest was spattered with blood, both dried and fresh. His jeans were so tattered that he was nearly naked. He was barefoot and his hair was covered with drops of blood and forest debris. His eyes were the scariest part. They were as crimson as the blood that roared to life inside of his veins.
He looked tired, excited, afraid and dangerous. He'd lost weight. Kagome could tell by the ways his tattered jeans hung low on his hips and at that moment she released a sharp gasp. Reality now donning on her, she was now aware that he'd been this way every since he left the hospital three days ago.
How was it even possible for him to still be able to function when he'd been in this state for over 72 hours?
All eyes flew towards her as she covered her mouth before uttering InuYasha's name. Her heart was breaking just looking at him and before she knew it her hands began to glow faintly. She folded them together and shook violently inside of her abductor's embrace as she was carried over to InuYasha's brother.
"Lord Sesshomaru, look who I found trespassing inside the forest." The unidentified male announced holding up an emotionally distraught Kagome as she struggled to get away from him.
"What did you did you find Ryura?" The tall, slim taiyoukai asked as the girl was brought closer to him.
"I found this human wench spying on us along with a wolf demon and a horse hanyou. It seems they're acquaintances of your half demon brother."
Sesshomaru's eyebrow lifted as he gazed upon the human girl being suppressed by Ryura. She looked familiar and without a doubt a member of his brother's pack. She smelled of him but judging by her scent they were only friends but the feelings and emotions being emitted from her spoke volumes.
Before he had a chance to observe the mysterious girl thoroughly, an ominous roar erupted from the throat of his half demon brother. He turned his eyes in his direction and realized that he was running towards them, growling, and screaming and glaring at the human woman inside Ryura's embrace.
"Get back Ryura." Sesshomaru announced before getting into his battle stance.
"What do you want me to do with her?" Ryura asked him.
"She's of no concern to me."
Ryura smirked and stared at the girl fighting to get away from him. He began walking away from Sesshomaru at the same time that Sesshomaru began to run towards InuYasha. He cast his right hand outward as his claws lengthened and began to lighten with a poisonous green glow. He flung his hand towards InuYasha, ready to take down his rebellious hanyou little brother.
Inuyasha's ears twitched as the crimson inside his eyes seem to grow darker. He was tired and his body was threatening to shut down. He was so out of control that he was having a difficult time focusing on his enemy. Physically, he knew he wasn't prepared for another encounter with his brother. He hadn't eaten or slept in three days. Any second he could drop to the ground and die. He knew that, but something inside of him was propelling him to push himself forward.
That something was dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a thin, yellow tank top. Her hair hung around her shoulders and cascaded down her back. She was being held against her will by one of his cold-hearted brother's lackeys. He'd been prepared to surrender until he laid eyes upon her. After he saw her he couldn't back down. His youkai was drawn to her like a moth to a flame and he knew he had to protect her, even if it meant dying in the process.
The whip from Sesshomaru's poisonous fingers latched onto Inuyasha's arm and burned into his skin. InuYasha painfully shook the poisonous whip away as he jumped up from the ground and leaped over his brother's head. He landed in front of Ryura and a trembling Kagome. His red-rimmed eyes fell upon the girl as she and both Ryura stood still.
"InuYasha!"
Ryura clamped a hand over Kagome's mouth and glared at the hanyou. "You wanna piece of me?" The evil youkai questioned him.
InuYasha growled and raised a clawed hand to strike the full demon.
Ryura smirked and squeezed Kagome and just as he did he felt her teeth roughly biting down on his hand. He growled and slapped her hard across her cheek with his free hand. Then he tossed her onto the ground and spat in her face. Whatever he might've done next could never to be determined.
Before he could move again InuYasha was on him. He lifted him into the air before silencing him with a clawed hand. The hanyou struck his fist straight through Ryura's throat. His hand could be seen from the back of the full demon's neck. He permanently silenced him before completely decapitating the dog demon, his eyes glaring at the deceased youkai as a hunger for more bloodshed threatened to take over him.
He dropped the lifeless demon to the ground before shifting his gaze to the young woman trembling on the ground not far away from him. He moved towards her and out of fear she inched backwards a small space. The predatory look in his eyes unnerved her and she wasn't sure what to expect next from him.
He stared at her before stretching a clawed and bloodied hand out towards her. She sat on the ground frozen in place as he dropped to his knees in front of her, forgetting that his murderous brother was still on the battlefield not far behind him. He grabbed Kagome roughly and smashed her against his bloody chest, wrapping his arms around her small form.
Kagome released a sharp gasp as his clawed hands sunk into her body, pricking her skin. She embraced him back as much as she could, which wasn't easy to do considering the fact that he was practically smothering the girl. She felt a tear slip down her cheek as a feeling of relief washed over her. She'd finally got to him and he was okay. Well, he was okay for now.
She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again she felt Inuyasha's nose in the crook of her neck. He was sniffing her. She blushed as another tear slid down her face. Under different circumstances she might've enjoyed this attention, but they were in the middle of a battlefield with a decapitated body next to them. They needed to get up and face his older brother.
Slowly, she dropped her hands from his back and as she did she felt something warm and wet upon neck. Her face turned as least thirty different shades of red and her belly tightened with an unidentified sensation. He was licking her and not with little innocent licks, but with long sensual licks. Her breath hitched in her throat as her heart thrummed against her ribs. His tongue wasn't the only thing wet and warm now. She pressed her lips together and became incredibly still in his embrace. She was more than a little turned on right now but now was neither the time nor the place for such an intimate moment.
InuYasha slowly released his hold on her a bit before peering down into her blushing face. She stared up at him before flashing him a nervous smile. His nose and ears twitched in perfect synchronization as he inhaled the undeniable shift in her scent. Her heart beat lovingly against his chest and caused his own heart to hum wildly inside of his body. His youkai became instantly intoxicated off of the pungent aroma emanating from her body. No other male could stir such feelings within her but himself alone. He growled appreciatively before sinking his face back into the crook of her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed. Within seconds he was dragging his tongue down her neck again.
"InuYasha."
His name emerged from her throat in a husky whisper. She barely recognized her own voice as she surrendered to the feeling overwhelming her. This man was her undoing. He was her heart, her soul, her sun, her moon and any and everything else that existed. Her world began and would end with him because beside him there could be no other. She loved him so much that the sheer magnitude of the intensely pure emotion frightened her to her core. It was love from the first moment she laid eyes upon him. She had no idea why she loved him as much as she did. That was something that always puzzled her and it hurt her just the same because she knew that the love she felt for him was unrequited. The single thought brought a bittersweet grin to her lips.
Sensing the change in her emotions, InuYasha squeezed her tighter and began purring low in his throat. The sound caused her bittersweet grin to widen as his warm breath soothed her troubled mind. She lifted a hand from his back and brought it up to his left ear, rubbing the furry appendage between her fingers. It felt good to be in his embrace. She sank deeper into his arms feeling warm, content and protected. The feeling didn't last long.
The sound of skin being forcefully ripped open tore through the night air. A flashing glow of lights soon followed afterwards. All at once the intimate moment was chased away. InuYasha's fangs clumsily came down heavily upon Kagome's neck and sunk deeply into her skin. His sharp canines pricked the fragile skin of her neck and she released and ear-splitting scream. Blood flowed from his mouth in dark crimson rivulets and stained her yellow tank top. She trembled under the pressure of his mouth, more afraid of him than she cared to ever admit. Her eyes slowly came open and she watched as Inuyasha's body fell forwards toppling her.
"InuYasha!" She shrieked half in shock and half in fear.
He didn't reply. She glimpsed his agonizing face before lifting her eyes to the culprit. He hadn't tried to bite her. His brother had attacked him from behind and the force of the impact caused him to roughly slam into Kagome's body. She felt blood coating her midsection and eased from under Inuyasha's body with as much strength as she could. She saw a hole the size of a large clawed hand on Inuyasha's lower back. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears quickly spilled over her eyes.
"NO!" Kagome screamed.
InuYasha slowly staggered to his feet, trembling and shaking like a fig tree shedding its untimely leaves. There was a hole from his back that went straight through his stomach. Blood dripped from his body like a fountain of water and parts of his intestines looked about ready to fall out. He was already weak before his brother struck him. He was certain when he fell down the next time, he might not be getting up again. He reached a hand up before the blackness overwhelmed his body, suffocating him. Down to the ground he fell and this time he couldn't stand up again.
"NO! INUYSHA!"
Kagome moved closer to him and pulled his head into her lap. She felt for his pulse and knew before checking it that he was barely breathing. She had to save him and in order to do that she had to get him away from his brother. She lifted her eyes and glared at his cold-hearted brother. He stood mere inches away from her glaring down at her and InuYasha. He released a satisfied growl before moving closer.
"STAY BACK!" Kagome shouted at him. Tears of pain and frustration rolled down her cheeks. She didn't come this close to finding her beloved hanyou to have him ripped away from her by the hands of his evil older brother.
Sesshomaru ignored the young miko and proceeded to walk towards her. She threw up her right hand in aggravation as if to hold him back but he wouldn't heed her. He continued walking until he was mere inches away from Kagome and his damaged brother.
Kagome's breath hitched inside her throat as her insides ignited with a roaring fire. Her fingers trembled as the power she held within her threatened to surge from her body. She pressed a hand over her heart trying to calm herself because she was afraid of the damage that she would do if she lost control. She glared at the menacing taiyoukai warningly.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
He smirked before replying. "Let go of the half-breed."
"NO!"
"I'm in no mood to play games with you, foolish girl. Hand him over or suffer the consequences."
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM!"
Sesshomaru smirked again before leaning down towards the trembling girl. She bit down on her bottom lip as his henchmen dressed in black emerged and surrounded her. Her eyes went wild counting all the demons in the vicinity. She could only imagine what they'd done to Koga and Jinenji. Tears wouldn't stop falling from her eyes. They'd reached a dead end and there was nobody left to defend her and her friends except herself. As much as she was afraid of unleashing the power that threatened to consume her, she knew now, that she didn't have a choice.
"Please!" Kagome begged. "Please just leave us alone!" She cradled InuYasha's head in her lap and rocked back and forth. She knew they weren't going to back down but she had to try.
"This ends now." The cold demon lord muttered and reached down to grab InuYasha's bruised body.
"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?" Kagome shouted at the taiyoukai.
Her eyes became a misty shade of grey. A fire began to burn on the inside of her belly that shot up to her chest and past her throat. Her body was no longer faintly growing pink. It was now a deep shade of purple that shimmered around her and InuYasha like a halo. Her heart began to beat erratically inside of her chest sending spasmodic tremors throughout her core.
Sesshomaru glared at the young girl surprised at the amount of power flowing through her veins. He wouldn't back down though. He would not be bested by a mere human. He submitted to no one. Nobody brought him to his knees and nobody ever would. His brother was out of control and needed to be put in check and he was just the demon to do so. He shifted closer to his brother and quickly realized that he wasn't going to win this battle today. His fingers burned from the close contact.
He couldn't touch InuYasha. The girl had erected a small barrier around the two of them and it was impenetrable. He watched her as she leaned over his brother's limp form. Waves of unimaginable and unprecedented power rolled off of her like great drops of blood and she shook at the magnitude of it. She was channeling her miko magic into her hands and she was moving her body back and forth in a circular motion. She was preparing an attack against him and his henchmen. He quickly moved away from her already knowing that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her blasts.
"Fall back!" He ordered his men before lifting his tall form off the ground and taking flight.
"Sesshomaru-sama!" One of his men known as Muteki called out to him. "Why are we leaving the hanyou?"
"I said fall back!" The taiyoukai growled.
"But Lord Sesshomaru!" The young inu-youkai pleaded.
"Muteki! You and the others get away from these grounds now!"
The all black dressed demons briefly glanced at the glowing miko and finally realized why they were forced to surrender. The barrier around Kagome fell down quickly as deep purple light surrounding her body exploded. Pure bright light flowed from Kagome's hands and chased after the demons.
Immediately, several inu-youkai bodies disintegrated upon contact. They were thrown all over the grounds of the forbidden forest. The stench of burning flesh filled the air as one by one members of Sesshomaru's army dropped like flies. Their bodies quickly became dust.
Kagome's aura cracked all around her as her eyes shimmered in the night. She could feel her strength leaving her body. Channeling large amounts of energy always left her physically drained especially when her powers slipped out of control as they were now. She stared around in the distance trying to calm herself but nothing worked. Her powers continued to flow from her body.
A long while later she eased down beside InuYasha and peered into his face. His eyes were closed and she could feel his ragged breath barely brushing lightly against her face. Something seemed different about him. She closed her eyes for a moment wondering how she was going to get them away from the battleground before reaching for the top of InuYasha's head. She smoothed her fingers through his thick coat of her hair searching for his ears. When her fingers never managed to locate one triangular appendage she cringed and immediately snapped her eyes open. InuYasha was no longer a hanyou.
"Oh my GOD! Oh my GOD!"
Kagome quickly eased her body up and turned InuYasha's body over. There was blood still flowing from his stomach which only meant one thing. When she released her magic, not only did she purify the youkai in black, she'd also purified InuYasha. Her magic caused him to revert to his human form but the damage he received while in his full youkai state hadn't been reversed. InuYasha needed help and he needed help fast.
"Koga! Jinenji! Somebody help me! Please! Please!"
She pulled InuYasha's head back into her lap cradling him tightly. Salty tears burned the back of her eyes and spilled down her dirty pale cheeks. She rocked him against her body silently as despair wound itself around her.
Please don't die InuYasha! Please! Don't leave me! I love you! Come back to me! Please! Please!
I don't usually do cliffhangers but I couldn't resist this time. I had to torture my favorite couple one last time….LOL! No, InuYasha didn't make Kagome his mate. The neck biting thing is a bit overused. So, mating rituals will be done differently in this story. Yes, Kagome and InuYasha connected on the battlefield but they've always had a connection. Things won't be totally healed between them by the next chapter but eventually they will begin to make progress. I can't tell you everything. Hope everyone has enjoyed reading this chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review. Thanks for the love and support. You ladies and gents are awesome.
BIG THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!
~ASIAN*DELICACY~