Author's Note: Guess what? I'm back! So soon... yes I know. But I wanted to post this one up as soon as I could because I'm going to be working on my other story I just started so that I can evenly update on both at the same time and please my fans for both stories. So... get to reading.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha...
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Chapter 13: The Pain of It All
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The sky was littered with stars. Not a single puff of cloud remained in the blackened sky, the lights shinning down onto the Earth in a beautiful glow of dots. There was no moon out tonight but the heavens didn't need anymore help. The night singed to animals that waited for sleep to take a hold of them. As the stars moved their way across the sky, time seemed to become an endless journey.
Night was hastily moving but she had no where to go as her feet took her on blindly, wishing to follow the stars to the end of the Earth. Kikyo sighed heavily, her swollen bare feet walking along the cool grass of the evening. 'It's nearly midnight.' Sun had set a long time ago, and a long time ago Kikyo had believed that Inuyasha would return to her. Even now, as her chocolate orbs searched the dark land for answers, she still told herself that he was coming back. 'He's not here yet. Inuyasha… where are you?' Kikyo didn't know what to think about his non-return. If Inuyasha didn't return to her…
'No. Don't go there, Kikyo…' She couldn't believe that he wasn't coming back. She just couldn't. It tore at her heart to know that Inuyasha would leave her for her sister, that he would take Kazuki and go to be with Kagome in Ise. Kikyo's eyes fogged as she continued on, her white nightgown an eerie glow in the dark night with no moon. One hand was placed protectively over her swollen stomach as a tear fell down her cheek, her free hand wiping it away angrily. 'What's wrong with me?' She shouldn't be feeling this way, it must be the pregnancy that's making her mind think about stupid things. Inuyasha was coming back. He told her that he would return tonight, since he didn't know how long Kagome could remain out of the shrine, but he was coming back. His belongings were still here. His home that he had built for her was still here. She was still here. It was impossible for him to leave her when she carried their child within her, her body protecting it from this cruel world. But Kikyo hated herself for ever thinking that of Inuyasha. He would return, and she just needed to stop being so emotional about everything.
But everything was turning against her. Kikyo frowned, her eyes burning as it threatened her sanity again. She knew that she should be thinking about happier thoughts since she's already emotional, but she couldn't help the way her mind kept reminding her about things. 'Kagome…' Kagome. She loved her sister, dearly. The two had shared so much together in the past. Back then, they had talked about everything sisters should share with each other. They talked about boys, heartbreak, love, sex, pain, happiness, they talked about it all. They were as close as any sister should be, and back then, Kikyo had a beautiful relationship with Kagome. But now… now it all seemed to be going downhill between them. But Kikyo knew why.
Who was she fooling? Kikyo knew why she and Kagome barely talked anymore. She knew why Kagome always seemed to wear a smile on her face when she had come over to visit those few times. She knew why Kagome didn't want to see her as frequently as before, and why she felt the same way about seeing Kagome. As much as it hurts, Kikyo knew why, but she didn't care. She didn't stop to take in the whole picture and to see that her dear sister was truly hurting. And she was to blame.
Inuyasha and she were together. That is the plain, stark truth. And it hurt Kagome like no other. But Kagome never did tell her anything. Kagome never did speak a word to her about her true feelings, but Kikyo knew there was something beneath all those smiles and good wishes. But Kagome was never one to turn the attention to herself and express how she felt about things. Her sister was a silent one when it came to emotions, and she would always keep it within herself for no one else to bear the burden. But Kikyo knew. She knew. All this time, Kikyo knew that she was hurting her sister and she kept doing it. She kept doing it.
Tears streamed down Kikyo's face as a sob escaped her mouth, snapping her out of her thoughts as her eyes became focused, taking in her surroundings. Kikyo gazed around as she began to think about how long she had been walking. She turned around and could still see her home in the distance, though it was about a football field away. She sighed and frowned, gazing out in the distance at the forest that beckoned her to run into the darkness it provided. Clear darkness that offered her a place to lose herself in without anyone noticing. It would be her release, just like how Inuyasha would do it so many times.
There was a slight breeze as Kikyo felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Instinctively, she brought her free hand against her belly, feeling threatened and in danger all of a sudden. Kikyo's body tensed as she gazed in front of her, trying to find out what got her so spooked all of a sudden. But she saw nothing. Not taking it for an answer, she turned around slowly, looking all around her to find the source of danger. And then, she noticed him.
Standing behind her, Kikyo gasped and spun around, taking in the sight of the new demon standing in between her and the safety of her home. Which made her think about why she had left her home to begin with. But all thoughts flew out of her mind when she saw the demon smile at her.
"Good evening," the demon said, his voice dark and deep. Kikyo watched him warily, not recognizing him from anywhere, but seeing something familiar in him. The demon looked just like Inutaisho and Sesshomaru, which meant that he was an Inu-youkai. He had long, silver hair like the Takahashis, but he had blue eyes and there were purple, jagged marks on his cheeks, much like Inutaisho and Sesshomaru. His appearance seemed familiar, but she had never met him before.
Kikyo took a step back, her body tense and her heart beginning to pound in fear of being alone with this demon. She didn't know what he wanted, but he didn't seem to have a threatening stance. His body was hard and unmoving, but he seemed relaxed and even comfortable. She gulped. 'Inuyasha…'
Raige tilted his head to the side, waiting for an answer, but he never got one. He could hear the woman's heart beating faster and he could smell her fear, enticing his demon with bloodlust. But Raige beat down his demon's demands so that he could savor the feeling of this moment. He took a deep breath and sighed, trying to seem friendly, though it wasn't his true intention to be.
After a few silence moments, Raige decided to speak again when he realized that she wasn't going to offer him a welcome. "I assume that you are not happy about my presence here."
Kikyo raised her eyebrow but remained quiet, not knowing what to tell him.
Raige took a deep breath and sighed again. "Well, I can understand that." His eyes roamed over her figure, stopping to linger on her swollen stomach, and took in her figure in the white nightgown. Raige smiled inwardly, seeing the huge similarity in looks between this woman and Kagome. He had seen her before, especially on the covers of magazines with that hanyou, but he had never truly taken the time to compare Kagome and this woman, Kikyo. Now that he has a good look at her, this woman did look a lot like Kagome, but there were differences between them. The most distinct feature that he noticed was their eyes, since he loved Kagome's eyes so much. However, even though they looked almost exactly the same, he noticed a difference between their personalities. Kagome was a lot more courageous than this woman, as she seemed too scared to even speak to him. The Kagome he knew would have stood up to him, which turned him on.
With a sigh, Raige continued, feeling as though he was talking to himself but knowing that she could very well hear him. "Where is Inuyasha?" he asked, not sensing him within the home. He caught her walking around in the back when he had arrived, and told Kaya to fall back so that he could have his time with the woman, and the reason why he was here. He watched as sadness flew across Kikyo's face for a moment, which caught his attention. "Hmm… so he left you alone?"
Kikyo turned her face from him. "No…" she said softly. But Raige didn't believe her.
"Where'd he go, Kikyo?" Kikyo's eyes widened as she turned to look at him, shocked that he knew her name. But he just smiled at her, his eyes glittering with curiosity to satisfy his own questions.
Kikyo frowned at him, wondering where he was going with this. "Why? What do you want to do to him?"
Raige smirked, his eyes darkening as she asked. "Who said I wanted do anything to that hanyou?" As Kikyo let it sink in, her eyes began to widen and her hands against her belly clutched at the thin nightgown that protected her child. Even more, her heart sped up and fear clawed at her, fearing not for her safety but for her child's. Raige, however, remained unmoving and calm, seeming to feed off her fear.
"What do you want with me?" Kikyo asked, trying to find the courage to stand up to him when she felt weak and vulnerable. "Please don't hurt my baby," she pleaded, her eyes asking him.
The slight breeze seemed to drift towards her, making Kikyo tremble. Raige could only relax his face as determination set in and his blood began to pound in his ears. His demon clawed to get out underneath his skin, and Raige finally obliged. At once, his eyes turned to red and all color faded from Kikyo's face as she gasped, watching the sudden transformation. A small scream erupted from Kikyo's throat as she turned to run in the only direction she had left, away from her home, but she didn't get far. Raige gripped her right arm and yanked her around, making her stare right into his blood red eyes. Kikyo felt a sudden adrenaline rush as the fear for her child's life kicked in. With one surge, she lifted her left hand to strike him, but Raige was too quick and caught her arm. He swiftly moved behind her, locking both of her wrists in one hand behind her back as he slowly used his free hand to move the long, black hair away from Kikyo's neck.
"Feeling a sense of urgency, Kikyo?" Raige whispered from behind her. Kikyo began to breathe hard as she realized that she was at his mercy, totally confined in his hold and helpless. She tried to struggle out of his grip, but he only tightened his hold on her wrists, making her feel the bite of pain. Her mind totally went black as to what he wanted with her and what he was going to do. His breath teased against her neck as he kept his head next to her exposed throat and shoulders. Her nightgown had tank top straps, leaving most of her shoulders exposed in the night.
"Why do you fear me?" Raige asked, taking in her scent. Kikyo didn't smell as close as tantalizing as Kagome did, but she did have a feminine scent. He could hear her pulse pounding, making his demon surge with desire and bloodlust at the closeness he was with the woman. Everything within him changed instantly and Kikyo sensed it. Her body became rigid quickly, her chocolate orbs enormous on her white face as color drained from her cheeks. Raige took a deep breath of her scent and his red eyes dilated. "You shouldn't fear me," he whispered, his fangs already elongating with a light green venom leaking down the white fangs. "I only want fear from your sister." Without warning, Raige sunk his fangs into the jugular on Kikyo's neck, earning a gasp and a painful scream from her.
The pain felt like a knife stabbing into her neck, stinging beyond belief. She screamed and felt his hand tighten around her wrists, dragging her back against his body so that he could have a better angle, which only allowed him to go deeper. Kikyo struggled then, her eyes closing shut painfully as she sobbed and screamed, all to no avail. His grip was ruthlessly strong on her and he wasn't about to let her go. It only happened for a few seconds, but Kikyo felt like it dragged on for eternity. She could do nothing but stand there as he bit into her and it felt like her whole body was starting to get numb, starting from her neck. He was doing something to her, injecting something into her, and it was quickly working. Her first thought went for her child. 'No!'
Raige lifted his head once he felt satisfied that he had left enough venom in her system. His fangs were still elongated, his body trembling with the need to spill blood to satisfy his demon. But the venom would do its work, and he tried to take pleasure in that. But just in case his demon wanted a little more…
"Don't take this personal," he whispered, and then pushed her away.
Kikyo's body jerked forward harshly, her belly flying towards her home, and then she fell right onto the ground on her stomach. Kikyo screamed, her heart in her throat, as her whole upper body became numb and pain sliced its way in her stomach. She turned to the side and fell against her back, gazing up at the stars with disbelief. Tears clouded her eyes and streamed down the sides of her face as her whole body, now, felt numb. She couldn't bring her hand up to feel her stomach, she couldn't move her feet to call for help. She was helpless and in pain. But she could only think about her child, and what was happening to her child and her body.
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Kazuki ran into the house once Inuyasha opened the door, a smile lighting up his childish face. His eyes danced along the furniture of the living room as he made his way to the stairwell, still excited from the day's events with his mother.
"I'm going to bathe, Otou," he announced as his feet already took him up the flights of stairs.
Inuyasha smiled and watched Kazuki's back. "Okay." He waited until Kazuki was out of sight, then he shook his head. He walked into his home and glanced inside the kitchen, seeing that everything was made. He walked in and frowned, noting that there were no dishes in the sink. Usually, if Kikyo got hungry in the middle of the night, he would come down to make her something and leave the dishes for the morning. And since he wasn't here, she would have made herself something. But there were no dishes. 'Maybe she washed them already.' With a shrug, Inuyasha walked towards the stairs and began to climb them, tilting his head left and right to stretch the taut muscles in his neck from the long drive. It took them a few hours to get back, but since the roads were empty from the late hours, he had sped his way home faster than usual. Traveling from Tokyo to Ise would usually take half a day, with Japan's traffic and all.
Once Inuyasha got to the top, he headed straight for his room. Opening the door, he entered silently so as not to disturb Kikyo. But he was shocked when his eyes went to the empty bed. His eyebrows scrunched in confusion as he walked closer towards the bed, his eyes darting to check the bathroom only to see that the door was open and the light was off. The bed had been used, that was for sure. And Kikyo's side of the bed was ruffled with the comforter parted as if she had gotten out after she tried to sleep. But Inuyasha wondered where she was. 'Kikyo?'
Using his senses, Inuyasha lifted his nose into the air and flared out his aura to try and find her. He had become attuned to her, so he knew how her aura felt like. But his eyes instantly widened as he touched her aura and he ran out to the balcony so quickly, that as he opened the balcony doors, the curtains flew in roughly and the doors swung back on its hinges in protest. Inuyasha stood at the edge of the balcony, his eyes scanning the land for Kikyo, knowing that she was out there. He felt her aura, but what he felt was nothing like Kikyo's aura. 'She's hurt.' He could feel her aura and it was in pain, which made Inuyasha's heart skip a beat as he realized that Kikyo was alone and in pain. Maybe she was giving birth. But he was confused to all of this, especially why she had left their home to go out into the woods.
However, Inuyasha didn't need a lot of time to find her. For out in the distance, with the land blanketed in darkness, he spotted Kikyo's small figure cloaked in white against the land. His heart stopped as he jumped over the balcony, landing smoothly on the soft grass, and then sped along the land to Kikyo. He got to her in less than a few seconds and his eyes widened as he gazed down upon her. Kikyo looked like she was barely breathing as he dropped to his knees, dumbfounded. He placed his hands softly on her body, feeling the short rise and fall of her chest, and reassured it with the soft breathing that he heard come from her. But Inuyasha's senses went on full alert when he took in Kikyo's scent.
'Blood.' He could smell blood, and he didn't have to look to know where it was coming from. But a growl escaped his throat as another scent made itself known and Inuyasha had to stop himself from howling out his anger. 'Raige!' That fucking demon was here! His eyes scanned over Kikyo's body to check for injuries just as he was lifting her into his arms and he ran flat out into his home. The next events happened in a blur for him. He called for Kazuki and the child, luckily, had heard his father's scream and hadn't gotten into his bath yet. Kazuki was scared and frightened from his father's distress, and when he got to the top of the stairs, he stared down at his aunt in his father's arms. Aunt Kikyo looked pale and she looked sick. Inuyasha screamed at Kazuki to get in the car, and the child obliged without a single whine or noise. Inuyasha grabbed the car keys and the two headed into the garage, getting back into the red sports car and sped out of their home to the hospital.
For Inuyasha, it seemed like eternity for them to get to the hospital. Tokyo had cars out on the road every minute of every day, but there was a lot less now. He was able to speed his way to the hospital, his eyes once in a while turning to check on Kikyo's breathing in the front seat with him. Kazuki's worried face popped up between the seats once in a while to check on his aunt, but his face remained frightened to see her like that. Inuyasha, however, only had one thing in mind: get Kikyo to the hospital. Her breathing was labored and shallow, and she was still bleeding between her legs. Her nightgown was coated with blood, as if she had been bleeding for a long time, and he was worried that something had happened to their child.
Once they got to the hospital, Inuyasha left the car right in front of the emergency doors and jumped over the car to get to the passenger side. He nearly ripped the door off its hinges as he carefully picked up Kikyo and headed inside with his son trying to stay on his heels. The emergency doors swung open and he walked quickly to the nurse behind the front desk.
"I need help. My fiancé's barely breathing and she's pregnant." All of a sudden, chaos broke out. Three women nurses came to his aid and called for a doctor. Inuyasha had to place her on a stretcher as the nurses began to wheel her into the emergency ward.
"Sir, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait here," one of the nurses said as she placed her hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks. Inuyasha nearly ran the nurse over as his whole attention was focused on Kikyo as his eyes never left her. But he growled and glared down at the nurse stopping him.
"She's my fiancé. I'm going in with her."
The nurse shook her head, her face set firmly. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let you in. You'll have to wait here." When Inuyasha was going to fight with her about it again, she spoke. "Don't make me call security." At this, his instincts nearly took him over and he was about to tell her to bring on all the security guards the hospital had, but thought better of it. Once the nurse saw a slight change in his attitude, she nodded her head and began to back away. "We'll take good care of her. I'll come back to let you know about her status." And just like that, the nurse disappeared behind the emergency ward doors as it swung shut.
Inuyasha didn't know how long he was standing there, in the middle of the floor, until a nurse from behind the desk had to guide him to a chair in the huge waiting room near the entrance. Reluctantly, he let the nurse sit him down and only then did he notice Kazuki at his knees, staying close to him with fright. At once his body became protective and he brought Kazuki onto his lap, trying to soothe the young child. But he couldn't soothe Kazuki because he didn't know what had happened with Kikyo. He was still in a daze with all of this. It made no sense to what had happened to her.
'Raige…' The scent of the demon had been strong in his backyard, and he knew for sure that Raige had something to do with this. He had harmed Kikyo, and now he could only hope that Kikyo survived and their child as well. Inuyasha pulled out his cell phone in his pocket and began to make some calls to his family. This would be a long night for them.
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It was about four o'clock in the morning, a couple of hours after Inuyasha had brought Kikyo in, when the nurse that had taken Kikyo away had come back out into the waiting room. Inuyasha's nose scented her before she could find him among the crowd of people waiting in the waiting room. Her eyes were wide with shock as she glanced at all the new people, all with this hanyou. But her thoughts flew out of her mind once the hanyou got in her face and demanded to know what happened to his fiancé.
"Well… we finished the operation…"
"Operation?" Inuyasha asked, his eyebrows scrunching as to this news. "What operation?" Kira came up behind Inuyasha to hear the news of her daughter, her hands clasped in front of her chest as a plea to hear good news.
But the nurse looked apologetically at the both of them as she frowned. "I am sorry, but we couldn't save the child." As if the world had stopped for him, Inuyasha froze in place, his eyes staring above the woman's head in an attempt to stay sane and on this earth. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but didn't pay attention to it.
Kira sobbed, tears running down her face as she pleaded to the nurse. "What happened to my daughter?"
The nurse then turned her attention to Kira. "You are the mother?" Kira nodded her head as the nurse nodded her approval. "What is your daughter's name?"
"Kikyo Higurashi," Kira supplied hastily, wanting to know news of her daughter's welfare.
"Well, Mrs. Higurashi, I am sorry to inform you that your daughter had been poisoned." At this, Inuyasha's knees gave out and he slumped to the floor. At once, Inutaisho and Sesshomaru were at his side, Izayoi quickly running to her son as she placed worried hands on his shoulders. But he was unresponsive. The nurse looked down at him with worry, but then continued with her explanation, as now the whole crowd stood and walked behind Kira to hear the news. "It was some kind of demonic poisoning, so it wasn't made from any plants or concoctions. So we've given her IV fluids to wash it out of her system, but since it wasn't herbal or man-made, it will take some time for all of the venom to wash out." Kira placed a hand over her mouth to silence the sob that threatened to escape her. Souta came to her side immediately and placed his arms around his mother, giving her the strength to remain standing.
"The venom had gotten into her system. Apparently it had been about an hour or less that she had been poisoned, and so… the child had been poisoned as well." The women in the room all gasped and placed hands over their mouths to silence themselves, wanting to hear more but wishing that they didn't. The nurse looked around to see that they all were curious, and she wondered as to who they all might be. She recognized Mayonaka and their spouses, but that was about it. "We tried to find the baby's heart once we got her into the operating room, but there was no response. And as the doctor did a cesarean to try and get the baby out of Ms. Higurashi's stomach, the baby was pronounced a stillbirth, dead within the womb."
Kira shut her eyes tightly as tears fell down her cheeks and she leaned against her son's strength as he held her. Souta, too, choked on his own tears to learn that his sister had been poisoned and she had lost her child. Their family mourned as the nurse excused herself, telling them that only two people could visit for five minutes each. But Inuyasha was still on his knees, Sesshomaru looking down at his father and mother trying to get the boy to respond to them. Izayoi shook Inuyasha, knowing that he could hear her, but wondering where his mind was. His huge, golden eyes were staring at the front desk in front of them with a far-off expression.
"Inuyasha!" Inutaisho called, roughly shaking the boy out of his stupor. He watched as Inuyasha blinked, making Inutaisho feel a sense of urgency as he caught his son's attention. "Snap out of it! Wake up, Inuyasha."
Slowly, Inuyasha turned his head to see his father's worried face. He then turned to see his mother's tear-stricken face and knew that everything he had heard was true. He could feel the others behind him, could hear their tears and cries, but he tried to deny it all.
"Inuyasha… get up," Inutaisho said, trying to be strong for the boy, but he too felt like this was all a dream. "Kikyo needs to see you," he said, knowing that Inuyasha would want to see her. At the sound of her name, his ears flicked towards his father and his eyes, looking lost, gazed at his father's. There was a silence between father and son, and then, Inuyasha spoke with a softness that Inutaisho hadn't heard come from Inuyasha ever since he was a young boy.
"Father… we lost the baby…" he said, more like asked. Inutaisho pressed his lips together and nodded his head solemnly, wishing that Inuyasha didn't have to know that. Then, Inuyasha fell forward and went right into Inutaisho's arms. Everyone looked down at the two with sadness, not shock, as they watched Inuyasha find comfort in his father's arms. Izayoi sobbed with a choke and got to her knees, going to Rin in Sesshomaru's arms and the two women hugged each other, crying.
After a few moments that the families spent together, Inuyasha and Inutaisho released each other and spared each other a knowing look. Inuyasha got to his feet, his father following him, and the boy turned to look at Kira. He tried to be strong as he gazed at Kira, offering her his hand.
They didn't need to share any words to know what to do next. No one had the strength to speak anymore, as they were all left speechless and with raw, aching throats from the crying. Everyone else remained in the waiting room, finding comfort in each other, as Inuyasha and Kira walked through the ward doors. With the help of Inuyasha's nose, they found Kikyo's room and walked through the open doorway. The white curtain covered the bed from their sight as they walked deeper into the room and looked around the curtain to see Kikyo.
Dressed in a white hospital gown, Kikyo had tubes in her nose and down her throat. She had tubes and wires connected to her arms laid flat on the bed next to her. Her face was pale as snow and her dark, black hair was a stark contrast against the bed and her body. Her whole body color seemed pale, and as Inuyasha looked down at her body, his eyes settled on her small stomach. 'Kikyo…' He felt tears spring up into his eyes, but he hadn't cried yet. He almost cried in his father's arms, but he had held himself back, knowing that they were in the middle of the waiting room with eyes on them. So he held his tears for later.
Kira gasped and walked away from Inuyasha, going to the side of the bed next to the wires hooked up to the machines near Kikyo's head. Her heart lurched in her chest at the sight of her daughter with so many wires hooked onto her. "Kikyo…" she said, reaching down with hesitation as she wiped a few strands away from Kikyo's face. Tears streamed down Kira's face as she wept for her daughter. Kikyo looked terrible and it seemed like the venom had nearly killed her beautiful daughter. That alone brought on another onslaught of tears that choked Kira up.
Inuyasha went to the other side of the bed and placed his hand on the railing with hesitation. He didn't want to touch her, in fear of hurting her. She already looked too fragile with all those wires and tubes all over her body. But his eyes lingered on her flat stomach as he thought about the little life that they had lost. His face remained in pain the whole time he and Kira remained in the room. It was Kira who had to urge him out of the room, leaving so that the others could see Kikyo. Though he didn't want to leave her alone, he found comfort in knowing that he would be close to her in the waiting room.
The two walked back out into the waiting room and Izayoi and Souta went in next, both holding hands to give each other comfort. The families all waited out in the waiting room, each pair taking their turn to visit Kikyo. Koga's, Miroku's and Sango's family were here, all showing their support. Inuyasha had called everyone, wondering if some would have answered his call, but they all did after several rings. Kazuki remained huddled on one of the waiting room chairs, next to his Aunt Rin. His eyes were going down fast as Rin tended to the young child, knowing that Inuyasha was going through too much. Everyone sat in each other's silence as they let it all sink in. Inuyasha and Kikyo's child was gone. Kikyo was still unconscious and the venom was still in her system. None of the nurses knew when all of the venom would flush out, but they told the family that they believe it to be about a week or so. The venom was demonic and it would take longer with the human medicine they had. Kikyo would have to fight her way back to them to combat the venom.
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The sun was beginning to rise above the horizon, signaling that the night had gone by and the families were still in the emergency waiting room. No one had left the hospital, unable to go home and find comfort in their sleep after all that has happened. The sun's rays began to float through the hospital's glass doors as it slid open, a woman dressed in red and white miko robes rushing in, the sun glaring off her back.
At once, her eyes scanned the waiting room and it fell on the crowd in the furthest corner of the room. She recognized that everyone was here, and her heart only began to beat faster as she walked towards the seats. At once, Inuyasha's head went up and his golden eyes fell on her, making her stop in her attempt to get closer. She was hesitant to move, hesitant to show him any signs of emotions as he blankly looked at her as if she wasn't even there. And then, he stood up and everyone watched as to where he was going. She pressed her lips together and met him halfway, knowing that he wanted to seek comfort in her arms. The others remained in their chairs as their eyes watched the scene unfold.
Without hesitation, Inuyasha brought Kagome into his arms and breathed in her scent, deeply. His whole body began to relax with her in his arms as her scent uncoiled his muscles and relaxed his bones. Suddenly, he felt the need to cry. There, in Kagome's arms, Inuyasha cried. The sun's rays lit up on Kagome's back as she tightened her hold on Inuyasha's shirt, bringing him closer against her body to try and comfort him. And then, she felt his body tremble and knew that he was crying. His face was buried against her neck, hiding his tears from the world, but not from her, never from her. Kagome shut her eyes tightly and felt tears spring up in her eyes, nearly overcoming her with the need to cry with him. And she did. She felt some fall down her cheeks, shedding them for her sister, knowing that she had already cried on her way here. Her Brothers had comforted her then, and now she was comforting her hanyou. Inuyasha's body moved against her, bringing her more solidly against him, as he took more of what she offered him and she cradled his head against her. She felt his tears slide against her skin and down to her breasts beneath the miko robes she wore, but she didn't mind.
After a few moments, the two released each other and Kagome gazed up at Inuyasha's face, seeing the small puffs beneath his eyes. She could see that his eyes were a bit dazed and she could tell that he hadn't gotten any sleep. 'This must have all happened once he had gotten back.'
"Inuyasha…" Kagome called, catching his attention immediately. His golden eyes snapped to hers and the two gazed at each other as Kagome placed her palm against his cheek, wiping away his tears as he helped her. "What happened?" She still didn't know what happened.
Hours ago, Kagome had been doing her duties around the shrine grounds before she prepared for bed. Then, she had gotten an urgent call from her Brothers and Monk Kiyoshi told her that she had an urgent call from Tokyo. At once, Kagome was anxious to know who it was and what the news was. It was her mother. Kira had called her to let her know that her sister was in the hospital and her mother and brother were on their way to the hospital with Inutaisho and his family. Inuyasha had told Kira that Kikyo was in the hospital and she was in bad condition. At once, Kagome had ordered her Brothers to take her to Tokyo and she left the shrine in less than ten minutes with all five of her Brothers. They drove her here, stilling her fears and worries and comforting her tears when she couldn't take it anymore. Her sister was hurt, in the hospital, and all of her family was there with her. But Kagome was anxious to see her sister, wondering what had happened the whole time she journeyed to Tokyo.
"Kikyo was poisoned," Inuyasha informed her. Kagome's eyes widened as she listened to his explanation. "Apparently it was demonic venom…" She tried to take a step back out of shock but Inuyasha wouldn't let her go. He needed her just as much as she needed to hear this, maybe more. Inuyasha avoided her shocked gaze for a moment and then looked back, his face in stone. "We lost the baby."
Kagome gasped and her knees gave out, exactly what Inuyasha had done. But he had her already in his arms and he brought her against his chest, supporting her weight easily. He listened as Kagome cried against his chest, grabbing his shirt into her fists as she cried for their lost.
"The venom had spread to the child and the nurses declared the child dead in the womb." Kagome shook her head against his chest, unable to bear it, thinking about how her sister would have to bear with this loss. The loss of the child was one that Kagome knew all too well. But she cried for the two of them, knowing that it would be hard for the both of them. And then, Kagome felt Inuyasha's stiffness and she sniffed back her sob to gaze up at him, seeing his golden eyes look above her head.
"Inu… yasha?" she asked, her voice breaking between sobs. She waited until he could talk to her again, and she learned of why this had all happened.
"It was Raige." A growl erupted from his chest, and Kagome flattened her hands against his chest in pure shock and denial. Her chestnut orbs were wide with disbelief as she found her legs had strength again. She stood on her own, feeling Inuyasha's arms loosen their hold on her, but not letting her go completely. His eyes were still above her head, unable to look at her, but she could feel his rage. "I smelt him. I found Kikyo in our backyard, close to the timberline behind our home. Raige's scent was on her and in the air. He had been there, with her, and he had done this to Kikyo."
That fact alone only brought a heavy weight on Kagome's heart. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, all in just three minutes. Not only was her sister in the hospital, and had lost her child, but it was all because of Raige. 'Because of me…' Kagome's shocked gaze turned to view the paintings on the wall of the hospital as she thought about why Raige would have attacked her sister, going to their home to poison her. But she could only come up with one reason. 'He wanted me…' Of course he wanted her. And he promised to return for her. But she wasn't in Tokyo. So he had turned his attention to her loved ones, like so many of her enemies would usually do, and again, one of her family members got hurt because of her. First her grandfather, and now her only sister. All because she had ran away from her problems. Because she had ran away from Raige, from Inuyasha, from her emotions. 'It's all my fault.'
Kagome pushed against Inuyasha's chest, and this time, he let her go. She stumbled back, out of arm's reach, and her hand remained out in front of her in case he decided to close the gap between them. She gazed down at the carpet in shock and pain. 'Kikyo…' Tears sprung into her eyes as it threatened to swallow her up, bringing her into a place of darkness and a never-ending spiral of pain and hurt. But Kagome didn't realize that her mother had called her name until she felt small arms wrap around her and she was in her mother's embrace. At once, Kagome broke down in her mother's hold, crying for all the reasons she should be crying for.
"It's all my fault…" Kagome said between sobs, whispering into her mother's hair as Kira crooned to her and stroked her hair, telling Kagome that it truly wasn't. "It's all my fault…" she kept repeating, wanting her mother to accept the truth that she already did.
When Kagome had the strength to let go of her mother, she saw that the others had come out of the waiting room area and into the middle of the entrance floor with them. Their families took up most of the space, but it wasn't bustling with people, so they had most of the place to themselves. Kagome released her mother, seeing Kira's reassuring smile as Kira placed a kiss on Kagome's forehead, and the girl looked at everyone who was here. She smiled comfortingly at them all, seeing familiar faces that gave her comfort and support. She got the courage to turn and look at Inuyasha, seeing his worried eyes as he watched her.
"Can I see her?" she asked, looking at her mother as well. Kira smiled and nodded, sniffing back her tears.
"I'll go with you," she said.
"No," Inuyasha objected, making everyone turn to view him. He looked down at Kira apologetically. "I'll take her." After a silent moment, Kira smiled with a nod and pushed against Kagome's lower back to urge her to go with Inuyasha. Kagome followed him as he led the way to the emergency ward doors. She spared the three women behind the front desk a quick glance, noticing the way she caught their attention with her odd clothing, and then kept her eyes on Inuyasha's back as they walked through the ward doors.
Kagome kept her hands clasped in front of her chest the whole time they walked down the long, white hall. The hospital smell filled her lungs, making her feel nauseous, hoping that her sister was better than how she thought. But Kikyo was a fighter and she would come out of this poisonous sickness. Inuyasha slowed after a while and he turned into a small room. At once, the darkness of the room gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, as she didn't want to go any forward. To see her sister here, in a hospital, would tear at her soul.
Inuyasha stopped when he heard Kagome wasn't following him. He turned around in mid-stride and glanced at Kagome who was still standing right outside of the threshold. Her eyes were wide with fear and hesitation as her fingers trembled in front of her. And then, her eyes met his, and he felt his heart melt as he gazed into those broken orbs.
"It's all my fault, Inu…" she said, sobs controlling her body again. Kagome placed her face in her hands as Inuyasha hurried towards her, bringing her into his body. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her body tremble with each sob, and tried to calm her down.
"Shh, Kagome. It's not your fault…" he tried, but she only shook her head against his chest.
"No… it is. It is… don't you see?" she asked, willing him to listen to her. Her mother didn't think it was her fault as well, because this was her sister. Why would she put her sister into a hospital, fighting for her life? But that's exactly what she had done. "Inuyasha… Raige came back for me…" she made him realize. Inuyasha didn't say a word as he tried to comfort her, not putting any blame on her like he should have. "He came back for me… and when he found out I wasn't here… he took his anger out on someone I cared for… on my sister…" she wept, making Inuyasha's shirt wet with her tears. But he didn't care and could only listen to her words, denying it while she told him the truth, and it seemed like the reasonable truth in his eyes. But it just wasn't her fault.
"Kagome… it's not your fault…" Kagome shook her head against him but didn't say a word, unable to speak anymore, to fight against him. So Inuyasha tried again. "You didn't put Kikyo here. Raige did. And when I find him… when I get my hands on him… I'm going to kill him." Kagome quieted, sniffing back her sobs as she pushed back and gazed up into his eyes, seeing the seriousness within them. "I promise," he vowed, making sure that she understood him.
With reluctance, Kagome went out of his arms and looked to the ground. She wouldn't tell him that Raige was hers, and that only she could defeat him, but she would let him believe it. Because he had lost a child, and he deserved to find his revenge. Kagome took a deep breath and let it out, finding her center through this emotional storm. Inuyasha offered his hand and she grabbed it, drawing on his strength. The two walked into the room that was darkened by the drapes still hiding the sun's rays from the occupants inside. But Kagome only had eyes for her sister on the bed.
What Kagome saw only made her take a retreating step back, which was haltered by Inuyasha's yank on her hand. She only went closer because of him. He brought her near the side of Kikyo's bed and her eyes spilled over with tears at seeing her sister like this. The tubes and wires that hooked Kikyo up to the machines only made Kagome feel terrible for putting Kikyo here. 'It's all my fault…' Everyone was kidding themselves, Inuyasha was kidding himself. If he didn't believe this to be her fault, he was terribly mistaken. Kikyo suffered at the hands of Raige because she had run away from her emotions for Inuyasha and her duty to protect the jewel. She had run away from her confusion of it all. In stark, honest truth, she had completely run away and left her family for exposure.
Inuyasha brought Kagome back into his arms as she began to weep again, uncontrollably. He shushed her, hoping to still her cries, but to no avail. He couldn't understand why she would think this to be her fault, because it wasn't. It wasn't her fault. And whatever anyone else said, he would damn them to Hell for telling her that, because it wasn't her fault. Kagome had gone to Ise in hopes of Raige following her there, that was for certain. Knowing Kagome, she had gone to keep her family safe, thinking that he would leave them alone and go after her. But they were all wrong, she was wrong.
"Kagome… I know why you think it's your fault… but it isn't," he said, rubbing her back comfortingly. "Raige didn't follow you, and it isn't your fault. He chose to stay and not follow you. Don't blame yourself for something that you had no control over," he reprimanded, but he had the backfire of her anger.
"But I had every control over it!" Kagome nearly yelled, backing away from him as she yanked herself out of his arms. He remained with a frown and his arms hung loosely at his side as he listened to her, trying to offer her his comfort in anyway he could. "If I hadn't left… none of this would have happened." Inuyasha turned his head away, unable to fool them both.
The silence stretched on between them and the only sound they heard was the beeping of Kikyo's heart beat on the monitor. And then, Kagome sniffed back her tears and wiped her face clean of the mess.
"Inuyasha… close the door for me," she said, her eyes going to her sister on the white bed.
Inuyasha watched her curiously, arching his eyebrow questioningly. "Why?"
Kagome walked around to the other side of the bed, her eyes on her sister's face, pleading with her sister to forgive her. "Because I'm going to heal my sister."
Inuyasha's ears perked and for a moment he actually wondered if she could do it. But as time slipped on, and Kagome glanced up to meet his eyes, he knew then that Kagome would do it. She would heal Kikyo and get the venom out of her body, because it was her responsibility and her fault to bear. Feeling helpless, yet again, Inuyasha's ears drooped against his head and he walked towards the door, closing it softly so none of the nurses would be alarmed by it. He turned around and walked closer to the bed, keeping his eyes up on Kagome's figure as her eyes remained on Kikyo's body.
"What can I do to help?" he asked, feeling worthless just letting her do everything.
Kagome gazed up at him briefly, and then shook her head, her eyes going back to her sister's limp body. "Nothing. Just… don't let anyone in. I don't want them to see this." Inuyasha pressed his lips together but nodded, willing to let Kagome do all the work while he stood by and watched.
Getting closer to the bed, Kagome prepared herself mentally and spiritually for the task of ridding her sister's body of the poison. She was still tired from all the crying and lack of sleep, but she would do this. For her sister, and for Inuyasha. For it was her fault that she had hurt Inuyasha and Kikyo at losing a child like this. Pressing her lips together, Kagome brought her hands out in front of her and held them on top of Kikyo's body, one between the breasts and one above the abdomen. Kagome frowned at Kikyo's flat stomach, but then pushed all her thoughts aside. She needed to be clear of thoughts to be able to leave her body and heal her sister's.
"When this is over, I'm going to be weak and tired. I need you to catch me when I fall," Kagome said, gazing up to glance at Inuyasha's eyes. She watched as he nodded without any hesitation and she gulped, knowing that he would catch her if she needed him to.
Then, when her mind was cleared and she was focused on her sister's health, Kagome closed her eyes and reached down into herself to find that pure light that she held within. Without a single thought, Kagome let go of herself, becoming a white light as she went into her sister's body and worked on ridding Kikyo of Raige's venom. She remained a small, huddled light within her body, working as her aura that flowed from her palms into her sister's body. She worked hastily, wanting to clean her sister of all of Raige's touch and influence. She took her time when she found the venom and cleared it from her sister's system, making sure that none of the green liquid remained. Her aura was the pure light that she was as it worked in purifying the demonic venom from Kikyo's body.
What seemed like days was only hours as Inuyasha remained across the bed from Kagome with his arms crossed across his chest. He heard a knock on the door and then a rattle as the person found out that it was locked. He cursed and left the bedside to deal with the intruder. As he opened the door, a very angry nurse began to scold him for locking the door and told him that he had to leave. But he threatened the nurse with her job if she didn't leave him alone. He was doing something important with his fiancé and he didn't want any interruptions. After the last threat of his family's name, the nurse backed off and said her apologies, knowing full well who she was dealing with in the end. Closing the door and locking it, Inuyasha walked back into the room to see Kagome and Kikyo in the same position.
Inuyasha sighed. 'What are you doing, Kagome?' he wondered, trying to figure out how Kagome could heal Kikyo. But she was a miko, a very powerful miko, and she knew how to do many things that he would think impossible for anyone. So, he took his place on the other side of the bed and crossed his arms, getting comfortable in his stand as he watched Kagome.
After hours of being in the room, there was a stirring in the air. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall across the end of Kikyo's bed, and pushed off when he felt the slightest stir. His eyes darted back between Kagome and Kikyo, and waited. Then, the glow from Kagome's palms began to fade and her knees buckled. Inuyasha was there immediately, wrapping Kagome's weak body in his strong arms as he pulled her against him. Her hands hung loosely over his arms as he turned her so that he could see her face. Her lashes fluttered open, revealing her darkened orbs, tired from what she had done.
"It is done…" she whispered, taking in the sight of Inuyasha's face. She could feel his arms around her and knew that she was safe and secured. She wanted to stay there forever, knowing that the world was right in his arms. But then movement caught Inuyasha's attention and his eyes darted above her head.
"Kikyo…" Inuyasha whispered, and Kagome knew that she had healed her sister as the world of darkness engulfed her.
Time had slipped on and night had fallen. All of the families had now gone home for some sleep and replenishment. Kikyo had truly recovered, much to the hospital's amazement and disbelief. The nurses and doctors had to check Kikyo's vitals five times each to make sure that Kikyo was actually better. Her heart beat was normal, blood pressure fine, and all traces of the venom was out of her system. Kikyo had been wide-eyed the whole time the doctors hovered over her. She had been healed by her own sister, much to her thanks and appreciation, but she was broken on the inside. She had learned of her child's passing, and it was a stark evidence when her stomach was flat again. Kikyo had cried when the doctors left them alone and planned to move her to the recovery ward.
Once their family had settled in the new room, Kikyo cried with her mother. Kira sat on the bed with Kikyo and held her daughter as Kikyo cried out her pain and anguish at losing her only child. Inuyasha remained on her other side, offering his comfort when she would take it and letting her know that none of it was her fault and he didn't hate her for it, which was what she had thought he would do. Now, only Inuyasha, Kira, Souta, and Kagome remained in the room with Kikyo. Everyone else had gone home, and Izayoi had taken Kazuki with them for the night. Everyone was shocked and pleased to see that Kikyo was healed, but they also saw the heavy toll it had on Kagome's body. She had passed out for the whole day, exhausted from the sheer effort of healing someone. They all gave their support for Kagome's health as each of their friends left for the night.
Now, Inuyasha held Kikyo as she remained quiet in his arms, unable to cry anymore. She remained with her eyes gently closed against his chest, wishing that this was all a bad dream. But Kikyo was fooling herself with believing in that.
Kira asked the nurses for a rolling bed and they wheeled in one for Kagome, who was still asleep on the chair. Inuyasha had said that he would use the other chair and sleep on it, if he even could. He had the two women who he ever cared about in one room, and he was torn on which one to comfort and hold. Kikyo needed him now more than ever, though, so he would comfort her and himself first. They had lost their only child, and he knew that it was taking its toll on Kikyo. He could feel her energy drain from her body as she grew tired and gave into the call of dreams. He settled her back against the bed and brushed a few strands of hair from her face as peace finally took over her. Inuyasha frowned and stood up, stretching his muscles in the process as he had been sitting there for a few hours now. Walking around the rolling bed, Inuyasha's eyes took in Kagome's sleeping figure beneath the white sheet. She looked peaceful, much like her sister, but he also saw a troubled strain on her face. He frowned and got to his knees beside her, running the back of his knuckles against Kagome's cheek. 'Kagome…' She had done a lot for Kikyo today, and he saw what it did to her. But Kagome didn't care, wouldn't care, what toll it would have on her. And this, Inuyasha knew of Kagome's big heart to be true. With a final glance, he got to his feet and looked to Kira who was sleeping on the other chair. Souta had his back against the wall next to Kira's feet, his eyes closed as he tried to get some rest from the long day's event. With one final look down at Kagome, Inuyasha went back to his chair next to Kikyo's bedside and sat down, feeling the comfort of the cushion beneath him. He leaned back and gazed up at the ceiling, getting comfortable. He would try to get some sleep tonight, and if he could, then he would hope not to have any nightmares of any of this getting worse. How could it get any worse than this?
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
The sun began to rise above the land, but was unable to filter into the darkened room that was covered by the closed blinds of the hospital room. The room was dark as the occupants slept, still unaware that the sun was rising and shinning its first rays of light onto the land.
With a movement of her head, Kagome opened her eyes slowly, blinking back her sleep as she assessed where she was. The room was dark, or maybe it was her eyes, and she turned her head this way and that way to figure out where she was. She noticed her mother to her right, sleeping on a chair, and her brother was against the wall on the ground next to her mother's feet. A small smile lit her face in knowing that her family was here, and safe, she didn't have to worry about them. But then it only reminded her about her sister. Kagome turned her head in the other direction and saw that the white curtain had been pulled all the way back to the wall so that Kikyo's bed could be seen easily. And her eyes lay upon Inuyasha who was sleeping in the chair next to her bedside. Kagome smiled at the tender sight of Inuyasha sound asleep in the chair, any though it did look uncomfortable, he didn't show any sign that he was. Kagome turned and gazed back up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what she was going to do now. She had no clue as to what to do, but one thing was for sure, she had to stay. She would go back to Ise and bring the Shikon no Tama with her, here. She would find Raige, and bring all of this to an end.
It was a clear warning what Raige had done to her sister. Raige wanted her to know that he wasn't going to let her go, he wasn't going to let her run away. This was a challenge from him to let her know that she would have to play his way, or bear the guilt of watching her family suffer. Kagome closed her eyes briefly, thinking things through and what she had to do. 'Not anymore, Raige…' She wasn't going to play by his rules. It was time to bring this all to an end, and she would, even if she didn't know how it would all end.
Opening her eyes, Kagome's eyes found the ceiling with focus and determination. She needed to call her Brothers to come get her so that she could get the Shikon no Tama and bring it here. Then, she would start on finding Raige, which shouldn't be too hard because he was expecting her to go to him. Kagome sighed and sat up, holding her head in the process as her head felt like it split in two. 'I need food.' Her body felt like lead as she slowly stood, wishing that she had her Brothers to assist her to get food. The only times she had ever healed anyone was at the Naiku Shrine, where her Brothers were at her side constantly and supplying her with nourishment should she need it. Kagome bit her bottom lip and thought to leave, but had to check on her sister one last time to make sure that she had truly healed Kikyo. As Kagome walked to the end of Kikyo's bed, she looked at how comfortable her sister looked. There was only one wire connected to her now, which was recording her heartbeat, probably to assure the nurses that she truly was healed. Kagome smiled to herself. 'I wonder how they took it…' Her eyes took in Kikyo's figure and a frown settled upon her face, gazing down at her flat stomach. 'I'm so sorry, Kikyo… please forgive me…' she thought with sadness and regret.
Golden eyes lit the darkness of the room as Kagome's eyes met Inuyasha's and the two stared at each other for a few seconds, both understanding each other. Kagome then gazed back at her sister one last time and then turned towards the door, slowly making her way to it while trying not to seem weak. She knew Inuyasha would follow her. As she opened the door, the bright light of the hospital hallway blinded her for a moment as it poured into the dark room. Kagome hurried out with Inuyasha on her heels, both not wanting the others to wake up. And as the two got outside, Kagome gazed down the halls to see that a few nurses were on duty and starting with the morning rituals.
"Where are you going?" Inuyasha asked when his sensitive eyes finally adjusted to the bright light. He glanced at Kagome's back and waited for her to answer him as she refused to turn around and look at him.
"I'm going back to Ise," Kagome said, making no room for him to object. And because she wasn't looking at him, she missed the sadness on his face and the way his ears drooped on his head as she was leaving him again. "But… I'm coming back." At this, she turned around and saw that Inuyasha was looking at her with shock and confusion, mixing with happiness and hope. She smiled up at him, loving the way his eyes danced with his emotions, and tried not to seem overly excited. "I have to go back to retrieve the Shikon no Tama. The monks at the shrine are not capable of protecting it, and it is my duty to do so. After that, I will return and find Raige and finish what he has started."
Inuyasha felt a burst of happiness as he listened to Kagome's words. She was returning to Tokyo, to him. Although she was returning under different circumstances than he wanted, at least she was coming back and being closer to him. His demon nearly growled at the thought of his mate returning to him. But Inuyasha knew that Kagome's purpose for coming back was the same as his for revenge.
A growl ripped through his throat as anger took over him. "You're not fighting Raige without me," he said through clenched teeth. As she was about to object, Inuyasha shook his head and glared down at her. "I mean it Kagome. I have some unfinished business with him and I intend to get it."
Kagome frowned with a glare, looking away from him. He was too stubborn to realize that he wasn't capable of defeating Raige. So Kagome had to tell him, now, before Inuyasha got any ideas in his head. "Inuyasha… you can't defeat him," she said, looking back at him to see Inuyasha's jaw still set in stubbornness.
"I will…" he said, his eyes unyielding in his determination to find revenge for his child that didn't even have a chance in this world.
Kagome took a deep breath and understood why he was so adamant, so she wasn't going to object to his desire. With a nod, Kagome turned towards the elevators at the end of the long hall. "I'm going back to Ise," she said, walking forward as she expected him to stay with Kikyo.
Inuyasha, however, was torn as to who to stay with. He wanted to go with Kagome and take her to Ise, make sure that she was safe. He wanted to be with her a bit longer because with Kagome, he could put down his barriers and let go of how he was feeling. But then, he didn't want to leave Kikyo's bedside as he was worried for her. He was torn.
Walking away, Kagome could sense Inuyasha's aura, the confusion and turmoil that he was conflicted with. She stopped her steps and turned around, her eyes understanding as she looked at Inuyasha's conflicted ones, knowing that he must be beating himself up. "Stay here, Inu…" she said softly, encouragingly. "My sister needs you now more than ever." Inuyasha's ears drooped down on his head, knowing that she spoke the truth, and his eyes glanced to the ground in defeat. She frowned, and her eyes went to the ground as well. "I'm… so sorry…" she whispered, and then turned on her heels to quickly make her way towards the elevators. She wouldn't dare turn around to look at him, to see if there was blame in his eyes for what she had done to him, what she had cost him and Kikyo. Though they probably wouldn't ever blame her, it truly was her fault that their child was dead. And she would have to live with it forever, or until her end came with Raige.
As Inuyasha watched Kagome walk away, he frowned at her back. 'Kagome…' he thought, wondering why she kept insisting that it was her fault. He had tried to talk some sense into her, but she was so insistent about all of this being her fault. Then, his stomach dropped and he remembered what he had lost. With a deep sigh, Inuyasha made his way back into the hospital room, being quiet as to not disturb anyone as he closed the door behind him. As he walked over to the bedside to head back to his chair, Kikyo moved and he glanced to the bed to see she was awake. He smiled tenderly at her as he quietly brought his chair closer to her bed and sat down.
"How are you feeling, Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked softly, watching as she went to her side to gaze at him with a smile.
"I'm fine," Kikyo said, her eyes catching Inuyasha's beautiful golden orbs, lighted in the dark room. He was always so beautiful to her, such a beautiful hanyou, one that she never could truly call as hers. Kikyo closed her eyes for a brief moment and sighed, revealing her orbs to him again, filled with sadness. "I'm sorry…"
Inuyasha nearly growled his frustration, but tamped down his anger so that the others wouldn't wake. "It's not your fault." He was sick and tired of telling everyone that it wasn't their fault, sick of these two sisters believing that it really was their fault. Inuyasha's angered eyes gazed into Kikyo's shocked ones as he tried to hold his anger back from her. "I just… your sister said the same thing, and it's none of your faults."
Kikyo smiled and her eyes went to the empty bed behind Inuyasha. "She left, didn't she?" she asked, trying to keep her tone normal. Kikyo had wished that she would be able to have a word with her sister. Kagome had healed her, so everyone had said, and she hadn't even had a chance to thank her. Her sister had just come back from Ise for her, to heal her, and then she went back again to do her duties that took up most of her time. Kikyo frowned, avoiding her eyes from Inuyasha, and looked down, unsure of how to take her sister's sudden departure.
Inuyasha quickly tried to reassure Kikyo as he felt her aura. "Your sister went back because she had to get the Shikon no Tama." Kikyo gazed at him with confusion. "She's coming back to stay with us. Kagome said that she doesn't want the same thing to happen again so she's going to come back and wait for Raige to appear."
The sound of the demon's name only made her shiver, remembering what he had done to her two nights ago. Unconsciously, her hand settled over her flat stomach, a heavy reminder of what she had lost. A sob threatened to escape her, but she didn't want to cry anymore. Inuyasha, sensing Kikyo's discomfort, looked to where Kikyo's hand had moved and he frowned. He leaned forward so that his elbows were leaning against the edge of the bed and he was closer to Kikyo's face, seeing her orbs glisten with unshed tears. He spoke to her tenderly, showing to her how much he felt for her.
"Kikyo… we both lost our child, and it isn't your fault, or my fault, or Kagome's fault. It's no one's fault but Raige's. And I promise you, I'm going to find him, and when I do… I'm going to kill him for ever harming you and killing our baby," he said, his eyes hard as he spoke the truth. Kikyo smiled tenderly, her tears spilling over in happiness at his words. Inuyasha smiled tenderly at her, wondering why he had never felt the same feeling he felt for Kagome with Kikyo. With Kikyo, he stared into her eyes like a friend would, not a lover. And with Kagome back in his life to realize this… Inuyasha sighed and avoided Kikyo's gaze.
"Kikyo… I have to tell you something…"
At this, Kikyo watched him with confusion and wonder, thinking about what Inuyasha would want to talk to her about at a time like this. One minute they were talking about Raige and the next he was bringing up something else. But as Inuyasha took longer to tell her, Kikyo began to piece things together. She realized that he would never hold anything back from her unless it had something to do with a special someone. With a small sigh of her own, not out of sadness but out of weariness, Kikyo put on an encouraging smile as she placed her hand over one of Inuyasha's.
"I know." Was all she simply said, all she needed to say to let Inuyasha know that he really didn't have to tell her everything. She watched his ears droop on his head, making her frown.
"I… I didn't know how to tell you."
Kikyo shook her head. "I know… but it's also my fault…" At this, Inuyasha's head came up with shock, but she wanted to explain to him why. "Because I knew this the day Kagome came back into our lives."
There was a moment of silence between them as Kikyo stared into his eyes, seeing his confusion as he replayed those precious minutes when they had arrived at the shrine and met with her sister since three years. She remembered that day well, how Inuyasha looked. Kikyo sighed.
"Inuyasha… I love my sister dearly. But because I did this to her… and to you… I hope that you two can forgive."
Inuyasha shook his head back and forth, still in denial. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kikyo," he said, trying to figure it out.
"I know that you still love my sister. I knew it that first day she came back to us." Kikyo shrugged as his golden eyes burned on her, willing her to tell him everything, and she would because he deserved that much from her. "I guess it's a woman's intuition, you can say," she said with a humorous smile, but when Inuyasha didn't smile back, she sighed and continued. "Inuyasha… I remember how you had been that night we got home. For the first time in three years, I didn't feel like our home was actually our home. I felt foreign in my own house, and I knew why. But I didn't want to say anything. And as days went on, I watched as you tried to adjust with Kagome being back, and where you were without her, and I saw how it tore at you to be with me and not with her."
Inuyasha shook his head, not wanting Kikyo to think like this. "It's not like that, Kikyo…"
"But it is, Inuyasha," she said insistently, her eyes hard on his. Inuyasha frowned and turned from her gaze, unable to look at her with her strong features. "Let's not fool each other anymore." Kikyo rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her hand still on Inuyasha's as they both remained quiet, not knowing where to go from here. Kikyo smiled to herself as memories flew through her mind, reminding her of how things used to be before Kagome had come back. "Back then, we had both been naïve. We were still young, just out of high school, and yet we felt like we had lived a lifetime." She turned to look at the side of Inuyasha's face. "We had both lost someone dear to us, someone who was our other half, and so we tried to mend our broken hearts together."
Inuyasha's eyes went to Kikyo's as he began to let himself accept it, just as Kikyo was. He nodded solemnly, gazing into her beautiful, chocolate orbs. "We looked to each other for help, and we looked to each other for love."
Kikyo smiled with a nod of her own, knowing that he felt the same way she did. But the funny thing is, they just didn't know it until her sister came back into their lives. 'Kagome…' That girl was a miracle for many. "But it was never, truly there…" she said with a shake of her head. "It never really came back for us the same way it did with me and Onigumo and with you and Kagome." Inuyasha nodded his head, seeing her eyes sadden at saying his name.
Even though they both had an agreement on their different kind of love for each other, at least he had Kagome back in his life. But Kikyo… Onigumo was still gone and he wasn't coming back. Inuyasha's eyes saddened and he placed his other hand on top of hers, wanting to give her his comfort. "Kikyo… I'm so sorry…"
"Sorry for what? Loving me?" Kikyo asked with a funky grin. She sighed and shook her head with a smile. "Inuyasha… I don't regret these last few years we had together. Thanks to you, I found a different kind of love, one that wasn't as strong as I had with Onigumo, but a love nonetheless. And I thank you for healing my broken heart when I felt like I should have died with him," she said sadly, feeling that empty ache in her chest whenever she thought about Onigumo. As much as she tried, she just couldn't forget about her true love and it hurt to even think about him. Though Inuyasha was her first love, he had opened her heart to find a beautiful man who treated her with so much love that she had burst with happiness with Onigumo. And when he had died… she had gone back to her first love because he had lost his love as well. And because they both had lost someone precious, they looked to their first love for love and guidance in their struggle to stay sane in this world.
Kikyo and Inuyasha both looked at each other, no words being said, and both understood what each other said in their eyes. This was their goodbye as lovers. Though they had made a child together, they had to regrettably lose it, and Kikyo knew that Inuyasha would keep his promise and retaliate on Raige. But now that they knew what their feelings were for each other, they could at least move on and try to find happiness. But Kikyo knew that she would never be able to find happiness without Onigumo. He plagued her mind when she was with Inuyasha, and he would always be in her mind if she ever did find another lover.
"I want you to be happy, Kikyo," Inuyasha said, knowing that she was thinking about Onigumo. Her eyes had darkened and a frown settled on her face as she thought about her true love. Her eyes snapped back into focus and she smiled at him.
"Don't worry about me, Inuyasha…" Kikyo said, waving her free hand in the air. "Who knows, maybe I'll find another Inu-hanyou," she said with a small giggle, but her heart wasn't in it. No one would be able to heal her wounds, not even Inuyasha could do it, but he did distract her from them.
Inuyasha frowned, but still tried to smile, wanting to brighten up Kikyo's mood. There was a knock on the door and the two both looked towards the door expectantly. Slowly, the handle moved and the two released each other's holds, smiling in the process. A nurse popped her head in with a cheery smile on her face and asked if they wanted breakfast. Kira and Souta began to wake up from the new guest and Inuyasha told the nurse to bring a tray for Kikyo and he would get food from the cafeteria for everyone else. The nurse left with a smile and the family was left to open the blinds for the light of a new day to come spilling into their room.
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
"That was very cruel of you, Raige," Kaya said, her eyes dancing with laughter at her own words.
Kaya and Raige sat on a hill in Sakura Park, both of them wearing normal clothing as they tried to blend in with the modern day people. Kaya wore a long, white skirt with an orange spaghetti strap, highlighting her eyes while Raige wore a black jeans pants with a blue tank top. The two leaned back against a Sakura tree as the blossoms were still growing on the naked, green tree.
"You think so?" Raige asked, knowing that she was joking, but willing to go along with it. He heard her giggle and knew it to be true. Raige smirked and tilted his head up towards the sky, forgetting about the other occupants in the park. "So… now we wait."
Kaya sighed as her eyes roamed around the area. Raige closed his own and relaxed into the tree, wondering what it must have been like for Kikyo and her family. 'I wonder if the poison killed the child.'
"Raige… do you think she's really going to come back?" Kaya asked with uncertainty. She knew she shouldn't question him, but it has been a whole day since they had left that woman Kikyo poisoned, and they were still waiting. She, for one, didn't like waiting.
Raige opened his eyes and met the blue sky. "Kagome is going to come back," he said with certainty. A small smile lit on his face as clouds began to roll in. "You have to give it some time, Kaya. Kikyo is still in the hospital, I'm sure. My venom isn't that easy to get rid of," he promised, and then leaned his head back to close his eyes with content. Everything was going as planned, and Kagome should come rushing home soon to see her sister and to see what he had done to that precious child that Kikyo once held in her womb.
With much thought, Raige opened his eyes as it sparkled with interest. "Let us leave Tokyo and find us some raging demon spots." He turned to see Kaya's face was lit with interest as well, her eyes dancing with wonder and excitement. Raige smirked. "We'll need a hand in this."
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
The sky danced with purple and pink as it glowed in all of its triumph of ending another day safe and sound. The Ise Shrine was quiet, all work halted for a few minutes as everyone from the Naiku and Geku Shrine came outside to the entrance into the Ise Shrine. All the monks were lined up behind the priestesses, their different colors a stark contrast against each other, as their bodies were bowed against the ground.
Kagome and her Brothers remained near the road as they were ready to depart the Ise Shrine to head back to Tokyo. She needed to get back to her family as soon as possible, just in case Raige decided to make another move. She wouldn't take the chance, ever again. An innocent child's life was lost because of her stupidity and selfishness, and she wasn't going to lose another life again. Kagome's face was contrite as she gazed down at all the bowed heads, knowing that they couldn't see her and feeling better about showing her emotions to blind eyes.
The Shikon no Tama lay against her neck securely, the bright pink jewel shinning with purity for being with its guardian and owner. Her Brothers then stepped forward, breaking the silence that wrapped around the shrine grounds.
"Everyone, our Priestess is leaving us, but she will forever be in our hearts," Monk Kiyoshi said as he turned to look back at Kagome with a smile. She smiled thankfully at her Brother as she let him continue. "No one knows what the future may have in store for the High Priestess, but one thing is for certain. This demon, Raige, will pay for his actions he has done in this world. He will pay for taking so many lives, first our own brothers and sisters, and now an unborn child." Prayers were whispered against the ground as the monks and priestesses began to ask the Buddha for his guidance with the dead souls, feeling remorse for the child.
Monk Kiyoshi looked over at all their heads and then nodded, knowing they had to leave soon. He opened his free arm towards Kagome and she stepped up next to him, wearing a plain blue dress that went down to her knees, making her feel comfortable and relaxed. Kagome clasped her hands together in front of her as the crowd remained silent now, feeling their Priestess' aura stretching out and around them, blanketing them in a feeling of safety and love.
"I thank you all for your good nature in helping me get through my toughest times, and for the rebuilding of the Ise Shrine as it looks beautiful today." Kagome smiled, but knew that no one would speak a word to her even if they wanted to. "I will return to my family and repair the damage that has been done to us. And then, I will seek out this demon Raige and I will end this madness that he is causing." Her hand went up to the jewel and she fingered with the light crystal, marveling at its smoothness. "If I should have to give me life again to rid him of this Earth… then so be it. But know this… I am a child born of legend and prophecies. One can only live up to one's nature, and it is my nature to abide by these prophecies and legends. However, I want to thank you all for your support with the jewel and with myself. May Buddha watch over you all, as I may very well no longer be able to."
That said, Kagome turned around and headed for the minivan that her Brothers had rented earlier on this morning and went inside the backseat. Monk Kiyoshi faced the crowd again and heard some sniffling, but everyone knew better than to call for their Priestess or even approach her and say their goodbyes. He frowned, holding his sadness in check. 'Kagome…' She was ready to give up her life, if needed be, and this time, she wasn't fighting it. This time, she was willing to give up her life with no complaints at all, and that's what made him wonder what she had gone through to make her think that she had nothing more to live for. As Monk Kiyoshi turned around and walked towards the driver's side, his Brothers followed. Their footsteps could be heard as the doors closed behind them and the car ignited and went off down the streets of Ise.
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-
Night was falling fast and Inuyasha kept his hopes up, knowing that Kagome wouldn't have lied to him and that she will come back. The hospital had let Kikyo go after checking and then rechecking her vitals to confirm that she was perfectly healthy. All signs of the venom had been gone in just less than a day since she had arrived at the hospital. The doctors had asked Kikyo what had happened, but the woman responded with "faith". She said her family had been doing a lot of prayers for her and it had worked, finally showing that praying to the Gods wasn't useless. Although the doctors didn't believe her words, they had to go along with it because Kikyo, and her family, wasn't about to give in. Kikyo knew that if she told them it was Kagome, there would have been an overnight stir and the media would have got on the news immediately. She wouldn't know what would happen next since the world already knew she was the High Priestess and the High Priestess was known to heal people with her powers. But she wasn't about to let them feed off that knowledge and fact.
So this afternoon, the family had left the hospital and headed straight for the Higurashi shrine. Kikyo insisted on waiting for her sister's arrival, wanting to be with her sister now more than ever after what she has done for her. She still hadn't thanked Kagome for healing her, for keeping her alive. 'Alive… hm…' she thought to herself as she sat on the couch and looked outside through the living room window. Inuyasha was currently standing next to the window on one side, his arms crossed, leaning against the windowsill. She had to hold back her smile at his actions. 'He misses her dearly…' She was a fool to not have seen this coming, but she had wanted to tell herself that she was always going to have Inuyasha. She wanted someone to love her, someone who held her when her greatest fears and memories would threaten to swallow her alive, leaving her without a heart. She wanted to give someone her heart and know that it was safe, so that she didn't have to deal with her broken heart. But she had been lying to herself, to her own heart. She and Inuyasha were lying to each other when they said that they loved each other. Though they didn't know it then because they had both been blinded by pain and heartache, they knew it now that Inuyasha had his lover back. But she still didn't. 'Onigumo…'
Inuyasha turned his head around to stare at Kikyo, wondering why her aura had saddened so quickly. When she realized he was staring at her, Kikyo smiled at him and shook her head, avoiding his gaze as she looked back out the window. Inuyasha frowned, but decided not to speak up about it. Kikyo had gone through enough already to remember old memories. As Inuyasha turned around to look back out the window, a scent caught his nose through the window. Suddenly, his whole body grew tense as his arms fell to his sides and his eyes looked eagerly at the stairs. Kikyo watched his reaction and smiled, knowing that her sister was here.
Waiting, just waiting, Inuyasha watched for Kagome's head to pop over the shrine stairs. And just then, he saw a dark head peak over the stairs and he ran towards the shoji, sliding it open enthusiastically as his eyes lay on the person he had been waiting for. Inuyasha stood in the doorway, his eyes taking in Kagome's figure, and his eyes lit up. She was wearing a blue dress, the light material looking delicate on her body, as her orbs gazed at him in the doorway. Once his eyes met with hers, Inuyasha felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. 'Kagome…'
Kagome's eyes widened as she watched Inuyasha walk towards her, his whole focus on her and no one else. She noticed that more people had gone to stand in the doorway, watching them, but she didn't see who it was. She was caught by Inuyasha's gaze, so intent and serious. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't miss. As Inuyasha got closer, Kagome went towards him, wondering what it was that got him so enraptured.
"Inu?" she asked softly, watching as Inuyasha's ears twitched on his head. She stopped, placing her hands in front of her as she waited for him to speak. "Are you okay?"
Inuyasha finally stopped once he got into arm's length of Kagome, closing his eyes as he took in her scent. Immediately, all the tension from his body was gone and he was left with complete calm. From this one woman. Inuyasha shook his head, disbelieving that he could, had and always will, feel this way for one woman. Only Kagome gave him these feelings, and now that he and Kikyo had talked about their relationship, he understood now. Nothing can compare to the way he felt for Kagome. Nothing.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked again, this time more urgent. She was beginning to worry that something had happened, maybe to her sister, and she was eager to know.
Inuyasha snapped open his eyes and his golden orbs stared hard at her. Then, he had her in his arms, squeezing her against his hard frame as she melted against him. Kagome slowly wrapped her arms around him, unsure as to what he was doing. "Kagome…" Inuyasha said into her hair, putting all the warmth and love he felt inside for her into his voice. "I love you, Koi."
Tears sprang up in Kagome's eyes as she heard his confession. Without second thought, Kagome closed her eyes and breathed in Inuyasha's scent, letting her body relax completely as she gave herself up to him. "I love you too, Inuyasha…" She snuggled into his embrace as they held each other, both satisfied to be in each other's arms again. And this time, Kagome had come back. Inuyasha would get to see her again, and he would be able to be with her.
"Okaa?"
Kagome's eyes sprang open as she pushed back against Inuyasha to gaze down at her little boy that was at her feet. His golden eyes stared up at her with sadness and happiness, both mingled together with his fear. She smiled down sadly at him, picking up on his feelings. "Oh… sweetheart. What's wrong?" she asked, getting to her knees as she brought him into her arms. Kazuki stood in her embrace, making Kagome wonder what had happened.
"Are you staying, Okaa? You going to be with me?" Kazuki asked, unsure if he should even ask her.
The sadness and uncertainty in her son's voice tore at her soul and Kagome pushed him back to look into his eyes, letting him know that she meant it. "Yes, sweetheart. Mommy's staying with you." Kazuki's eyes lit up and he wrapped his arms around his mother's neck, taking in her scent. Kagome smiled and leaned her cheek against the top of his head, glad to have her son in her arms again. She sighed. Maybe things would go out smoothly for them this time.
Kagome's eyes went to her home and she saw the rest of her family there, waiting for them. She smiled and then looked up to Inuyasha, seeing him gaze down at them with love and understanding. Kagome got to her feet, bringing her son against her, and the two walked towards the family at the doorway. Kira walked a few feet out and embraced her daughter as much as she could with her grandson in Kagome's arms, kissing the top of her daughter's head. Kagome smiled tenderly at her mother, glad to be back home with her family. Souta came forward and the two shared a moment, looking into each other's eyes with understanding and love. And then Kagome's gaze met her sister's as she stood in the doorway, watching her with a smile. Kagome smiled back, encouraging her sister to come to her.
"Can we talk alone?" Kikyo asked, watching as Kagome nodded with her smile and then pulled Kazuki back. Kagome gave her son to Inuyasha and then the two sisters walked away from the family, both walking side by side as their silence drove them towards the Goshinboku.
Silently, Kikyo walked closer to Kagome's statue that stood before the Goshinboku, its magnificent white stone a light against the darkness of the night. Kikyo walked forward, touching the stone beneath the statue's feet, as Kagome stood behind her sister, giving Kikyo some space. Kikyo looked at the words that were engraved at the base of the statue, all the little things they had wanted to tell Kagome when she had lived her first life in this world. Now, it seemed like those times were so far away. She felt old, drawn and tired of this world that never seemed to end in its misery. She was weary of this endless existence of pain and evil, an all-consuming desire for more power and the demise of innocent lives. Kikyo glanced up at the face of the statue, seeing that though it was beautifully made to match Kagome's features, nothing could compare to the flesh and beauty of Kagome herself.
"I wanted to thank you," Kikyo said softly, breaking the silence between the sisters. It felt as though they were squaring off between each other with the silence that they shared. None of them wanted to say anything, maybe it was the fear of losing each other or admitting to each other their faults, but none wanted to start the conversation. "I know that you healed me of Raige's venom. But you had left so sudden when you recovered that I didn't get to thank you."
"Think nothing of it, my sister," Kagome said, her voice tender and full of love, as she gazed up at the same face Kikyo stared at.
Kikyo shook her head at Kagome's modest words. "No, Kagome. I have every reason to thank you. You saved my life," she said, turning around to gaze at her sister. There was no moon, but Kikyo knew that if there was, Kagome's features would have lit up just like the statue behind her. 'How could I have ever thought that I could compare to you, Kagome?' Kikyo smiled sadly. "I know that it took a lot from you to heal me, and you came back from Ise for me."
Kagome rose a questionably eyebrow, but held a humorous smile on her face. "Would you have expected anything else from me?" Kikyo chuckled and shook her head, knowing that Kagome would have come back in a second if she learned that she was hurt. And Kikyo would have done the same for her sister.
"Kikyo… truth be told, I should be apologizing to you," Kagome said, her face sincere and sad. Kikyo watched with wonder as Kagome continued. "The only reason why Raige had harmed you is because I had left Tokyo, knowing full well that he intended to return for me. And when he found that I had run away, he took out his anger on my family, on those that I truly care for." Kagome's eyes saddened as she admitted her failure to her sister, her heart aching in her chest. "I failed you, my sister. You have every right to hate me for what I have put you and Inuyasha through…"
Kikyo raised her hand, enough with hearing her sister's words when they didn't mean a thing to her. "Kagome… this isn't your fault." Kagome's eyes saddened and she looked away, unable to bear Kikyo's kindness or forgiveness. "And even if it was, I still would forgive you. You're my baby sister," Kikyo said with love, as her eyes glazed over with her emotions for her beloved sister. As much as they had fought when they were younger, she loved Kagome dearly, and nothing would ever change that. Not even a young man that they both fought for, even back then in high school. Kikyo moved forward then, taking Kagome's hands into her own as she willed Kagome to listen to her and believe her words. "Kagome… this is Raige's doing, and I don't want to hear you apologizing for something that he is to blame for. I know you think it's your fault, but if he had followed you, he still would have killed some innocent lives there, so what's the difference?"
Kagome's eyes snapped back to Kikyo's with shock and anger. "What's the difference? The difference is that you lost your baby, Kikyo. An innocent child was killed because I was too afraid to remain here."
Kikyo shook her head slowly. "Inuyasha and I have talked about it, and though we mourn the lost of our unborn child, there is nothing that can be done now." Kagome frowned, wondering why her sister was so forgiving about this. Kikyo's eyes saddened as she avoided her gaze from Kagome, looking at the ground as tears threatened to swamp her. "I loved my baby dearly. I would have loved to be a mother… to have a child that I can truly call my own," she said, her words tearing at Kagome's soul as she was only hit over and over with the stark reality that she had done this to her sister. "But… if the Gods would have my baby, then I will pray that they watch over my child." Kikyo closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her emotions as her hands shook with Kagome's hands in her own.
"Kagome…" Kikyo said, turning to gaze back into her sister's hurtful eyes. "I don't bear a grudge on you. Yes, I lost my baby, but… maybe it was for the better…"
Kagome gasped as she ripped her hands out of Kikyo's, her eyes demanding an answer from her sister. "What? What are you saying, Kikyo?"
Kikyo smiled sadly as her gaze went to the ground again. "I… I don't know. But I do know this… I don't love Inuyasha, Kagome," she said truthfully, finally understanding and believing her own words. "I never did love Inuyasha. Although he was like a brother to me, I had mistaken that for love, and I went on a desperate widow's desire to make him love me. And try as I might have, Inuyasha would have never grown to love me, or maybe, not to have loved me as much as he loves you."
Kagome frowned, her face in pure anguish and pain as she tried to understand what her sister was saying, where Kikyo was going with this.
"Listen… life goes on. But for me… I feel that life had stopped, and I am just running around in circles." Kikyo brought her hands in front of her, needing to feel like she was still together on this. "Ever since I lost Onigumo… it feels like I'm just going on a never-ending journey through this world. I don't feel the same anymore and I know that I will never find love in this world again. But… with Inuyasha, I had thought that he could have enveloped me with enough love and understanding to bury my broken heart." Kagome tilted her head to the side as tears sprang in her eyes for her sister. "I don't know why, but we had thought we had found love within each other because we had been going through the same thing at the time. And we turned to each other for comfort and healing. So I allowed him to heal my heart, and in return, I did the same for him. The child we made was out of comfort and pain, not out of love and commitment. So… maybe we would have never lasted together in love… but we were bound together by the child that we had made together."
Kagome's eyes watched as a tear slipped down Kikyo's cheek as the girl kept staring at the ground, unable to look into her eyes. There was no denying how the heart felt, it was the mind that brought on the justifications.
"I would have loved our child as I have loved Kazuki… but now that you are back, I don't know how Inuyasha and I would have survived together with a child." Kagome bit her bottom lip and looked away, already knowing that it was her fault for everything. If she hadn't come back, the two could have tried to live together in happiness, with a child bringing them closer together. Maybe, with a baby in the picture, they could have found the same love they felt for their true love. At least they would have been living.
Kikyo turned to gaze back at her sister, wiping the stray tear that wet her cheek. She smiled sadly at her sister, seeing the emotions fly across her sister's face. "Kagome… we can't change what happened… we can only try and move on from it. My mind is making up explanations for all of this… so let me go on believing that this is for the better, because that's all I'm left with now."
Kagome frowned and now it was her turn to grasp her sister's hands, bringing it to her chest as she placed Kikyo's hands above her heart. "Kikyo… my beloved sister… you know that you are never alone in this world. I will always be here with you…"
Kikyo smiled sadly and averted her gaze. "I'm quite sure that's what Onigumo would have said too."
The feel of Kagome's heart beneath Kikyo's hands was a comfort as it reminded her that she was still living and had others who cared about her as well. But they needed to move on from this and try to find happiness with what had happened in their lives. Kikyo smiled thankfully at her sister and brought her hands back to her sides.
"Now you know how I feel, and I am sorry that I had kept Inuyasha from you," Kikyo apologized. "I know that you had come back for him, and it must have been hard to see him with me."
Kagome shook her head, knowing that they both had their faults and now they were even. "If you will not forgive me for your baby's death, then I will not forgive you for taking Inuyasha… now we can call it even," she said, trying to put a light on their situation. Kikyo smiled at her sister and held back her chuckle, but nodded an understanding. Though they would have a lot against them in the future, Kikyo knew that Kagome would always remain by her side through it all, and she would do the same for Kagome.
-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'
The next day, everyone was at Inutaisho's home, just like before when they had planned for Kano Mitsuhada's destruction, only now, they were much wiser on how to approach this and they knew what to expect from a demon war. All the families were there to give their support to Kagome again, without holding any grudges or inhibitions.
Inutaisho sat behind his desk as everyone gathered in his study on the second floor. The sun shone from behind him through the glass windows, igniting the room into a frenzy. Inutaisho watched, his arms entwined together as he rested his chin on top of his fingers in front of him and leaned against his elbows on his desk. 'This is not going anywhere…' What they were trying to do was talk things through, but for the past hour it seemed like they could do nothing but yell, or at least Inuyasha and Koga were yelling while everyone else was exasperated.
Finally, Kagome stood up, making Inutaisho's eyes glance her way with wonder, and thankfulness for the interruption, but the boys kept bickering. "How about I go find Raige myself and then go from there?" she proposed, knowing that it would get the boys to stop. And it sure did. Kagome closed her eyes as the onslaught of Inuyasha's temper came flying her way.
"Are you insane?" Inuyasha said, barging his way towards Kagome. He glared at her, though she didn't look at him. "What are you going to do? Just call out for him and think that he'll appear right in front of you?"
Kagome shrugged her arms. "Maybe he might. You know how much he wants me…"
A vein on Inuyasha's forehead ticked and Izayoi had to hold back her laughter as she sat next to Kira on one of the couches. The two women held back their statements as they looked around to the other women to see that they, too, were on the verge of laughing. But for Inuyasha, it wasn't funny… at all. A growl came out of Inuyasha as he turned around and gave Kagome his back, fuming at her for that. "And then what? What are you going to do from there?"
Kagome opened her eyes slowly, seeing that his tone had changed a bit, and gazed at his back in wonder. 'Maybe I hurt him…' she wondered. "Well… then I'll let you guys know what's happening and then we can come together and fight Raige."
Koga snickered, placing one hand against the back of his neck. "Yeah right, Kagome. Like Raige will just let you make a phone call to us, for back up, while he has you right in front of him." Inuyasha nodded his agreement, but didn't say anything.
Kagome sighed and sat back down in her chair, her hands flying up in pure frustration. "Then what do you guys propose we do. We have been bickering about this for the past hour and we have gotten no where."
"Well… not exactly," Amaya said, Sango's mother, her eyes dancing with mischief as she had one hand placed on her husband's shoulder as she sat on the arm of the opposite end of the couch. All eyes turned her way as they waited for her explanation. "It's not like we haven't had any thoughts about this since we've started this conversation, and by listening to these two," she said with a nudge towards Koga and Inuyasha, "we definitely got something out of that." There were smiles around the room as they all agreed upon it.
Sesshomaru looked towards Amaya, his eyes hard as his face was set in stone. "Then what say you, Amaya?" Rin sat on the arm of his chair, her face set in a smile with her carefree nature, as she held his hand in her lap.
Amaya turned towards Sesshomaru, willing herself to look dead in his eyes. "I say that we should think about our option of having Kagome go in first as the bait."
A deadly growl silenced Amaya's explanation as eyes turned towards Inuyasha to see that the hanyou was glaring at Amaya, a clear challenge in his eyes. Inutaisho growled low, but enough for the hanyou to hear his demand as the leader of his family, the alpha. Inuyasha backed down, but he didn't give up his glare on Amaya as the woman continued, unafraid in a room full of demons.
"If Kagome is able to lure Raige out into the open… then we have the opportunity to kill him"
Kichiro, Miroku's grandfather, nodded his head as he sat next to Hideaki on the couch. Kira sat next to his side with Izayoi at the end of the couch, both turning to look at the old monk with wonder for his wise words. "I believe we might have a good chance at this, Inutaisho," he said sincerely, as his eyes went to the Inu-Taiyoukai behind the desk, listening to all of their words intently. "If Raige is hiding, then we can only hope for him to come out at Kagome's request. And if we make him think that we have given her up to him, then we might have the advantage."
"And what if that doesn't work?" Inuyasha asked, enraged that everyone was backing up Amaya on this plan. If they asked him, he thought it was ridiculous and foolish. "Raige doesn't seem like the kind of demon to fall for a stupid trick like that…"
"Inuyasha…" Kagome scolded, but didn't look at him to see his glare at her for not being on his side with this. She then looked towards Amaya with a smile and a nod, considering her words. "I like your idea, Aunt Amaya, only in the fact that Raige will only come to me and no one else." She shook her head after that statement as a sad smile lit her face. "However, I fear that he won't be alone in this. I have no doubts that he will round up some demons from Honshu and find himself an army."
Ichiro, Koga's father, sighed as he sat next to his mate, both on their own chairs. He grasped his mate's hand and squeezed it for reassurance and strength, and Kazuko squeezed his hand back in understanding. "Another war…" he said, almost weary with the word and the mere thought of it.
Kagome frowned and glanced towards the wolf demon, apology in her eyes. "I am dearly sorry, Uncle Ichiro. I do not mean to drag you into this…"
"If you do not like the prospect of fighting, then do no lend your aid for something that you do not want to pursue in the end," Sesshomaru said, his face cold as he gazed at Ichirio. He wasn't pleased that the wolf demon would turn his back on Kagome, and Sesshomaru wouldn't have it. Everyone here wanted to help her, and they would help her if they were here. But if they didn't want to, he wanted them gone… now.
Ichiro's eyes met Sesshomaru's and the two glared at each other, both not submitting to the other. "I did not say, or mean, such a thing as that. I am supporting Kagome until the very breath leaves my body and I will not have you telling me that my allegiance does not stand with her."
There was a shock in the air as everyone quieted from the demonic auras that began to make the room seem heavy. Inutaisho slammed his hand on the desk, nearly cracking the wooden thing in two, his face a mask of fury as his eyes burned red.
"Enough! This is not the time for meaningless fighting!" he reprimanded both of them, his eyes going between the two until they relaxed their bodies and the tension in the room was gone immediately. Inutaisho's eyes burned with frustration and fury, impossible to contain now that it seemed like they were getting no where with this deliberation. "While we are bickering about childish things, Raige is out there gathering an army of his own."
A thought flew into Kagome's mind as her hand came up to toy with the jewel around her neck, her eyes gazing down at the thing resting against her chest. "Papa…" she said softly, not wanting to interrupt him or disturb him. When he looked to her and gave her his silence, Kagome continued. "I think that Raige will get a lot of help." Inutaisho's eyes went to the jewel and his eyes went back to their golden hues, understanding within them making it all the more weary to deal with. He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, wondering how things were going to go for them now. There would be a lot of demons that would fight for the Shikon no Tama. All Raige had to do was tell the demons around the island that the Sacred Jewel had been born and there would be demons at his heels, all in it for themselves but fighting against Kagome nonetheless. Inutaisho's eyes turned from her as he regarded everyone in the room, enough with hearing their opinions.
"I say we gather some help of our own," he said, knowing that he could find some demons to help him in this war. Sesshomaru nodded his head, knowing that he and his father had many friends and loyal business partners who would help them with this. Ichiro nodded his head as well, liking the thought, and everyone seemed to agree with the need for more helping hands.
"My Brothers and my monks and priestesses will help as well," Kagome said, looking towards Inutaisho. "I only need to say it and they will follow me to the death," she said sincerely, knowing that her shrine guardians would do anything for her as it was their loyal duty and life privilege.
Kazuko nodded her head and crossed her legs at the knees, regarding Inutaisho. "First… we need to find out where Raige has gone to."
Inutaisho nodded his agreement. "If we know where he has gone, we can go to him. We must take this battle outside of Tokyo or any area where there are lives around." He remained silent for a moment as he thought about the battlefield they had with Kano.
"I doubt Raige would want to go back to that place," Kagome said, seeing the look in Inutaisho's eyes and already knowing what he was thinking about. He gazed at her with wonder and curiosity to her words as she shrugged. "I just don't think he wants to return to a place where he had been left in for years and a place that has been stained with blood already from the last battle with Kano." Inutaisho nodded his head with a shrug, seeing that Raige could want someplace else for this battle.
"In any case, first, we will train. I want to make sure that we are still in top notch since it has been three years since we have last fought against a demon," Inutaisho said with a small smile, seeing that everyone agreed with him. In this modern time, they just didn't fight things anymore. Life had become much more simpler than killing living beings to survive on an every day basis. "We will train here for a few days, and think about our tactics. And then, we will hunt down Raige. It might not be easy to find him, so it may be him that will come to us."
Inuyasha growled, his eyes going to the ground as he remained in front of his chair next to Kagome as everyone made a circle in his father's study. "Let him come."
Kagome gasped and her eyes flew to Inutaisho as her hands went to her chest. Everyone turned to look at her with wonder and worry. "Papa… my mother, Midoriko, would like to say something."
Inutaisho's eyes grew wide in shock as he realized that Priestess Midoriko would make an appearance in his home. He shook his shock off and nodded his head. "Of course."
Kagome smiled and nodded her head, gazing to Inuyasha with a smile. He smiled back encouragingly and stepped back closer to his chair to allow Midoriko the floor. "She'll seem transparent, but she is only visible through me," Kagome informed them as she got up and walked a bit away from her chair to stand more in the middle of everyone in the circle.
Kagome placed her hands over the center of her chest and called on her mother's spirit, feeling it respond in her soul. She and her mother were connected, so it was easy for her to feel what her mother felt and vice versa. There was a sudden shift in the air around them as everyone gazed at Kagome with awe, and then there was a shift in the air in front of the girl. They watched with shock as a small light grew in front of Kagome until it grew into the shape of a person and then died to show the figure of Priestess Midoriko. The priestess was dressed in her traditional miko robes without her armor, making her seem friendlier for the demons. Midoriko's figure seemed translucent, white and glowing, but she was solid enough for them to see. Her brown eyes glowed with welcome as she gazed around the room, her long black hair traveling down to her butt as her arms lay calmly at her sides.
Midoriko smiled at the occupants, her eyes landing on her daughter's figure as Kagome had her eyes closed in concentration in order for Midoriko to remain in the world of the living. Midoriko then turned her attention to Inutaisho in front of her, the room still silent as shock could be felt in everyone's aura. "Inutaisho… it is good to see that you are well."
Inutaisho blinked back his shock quickly and a huge smile came on his face as he stood, walking around his desk to stand right in front of it. "I am well, thank you, Priestess. It is good to see you again as well, Lady Midoriko," he said, bringing one hand against his chest as he bowed respectfully towards the priestess. Everyone watched with a quiet shock as Inutaisho went back to his full height, his eyes warm and tender. "What brings you to visit?"
Midoriko smiled and tilted her head to the side. "My daughter." Inutaisho's smile diminished as he realized the circumstances and he grew serious, his whole body changing from its warm welcome. Midoriko closed her eyes. "You see, Inutaisho, I do not have doubts that my daughter will be able to defeat Raige. However, it is the uncertainty of how many allies he will have that I worry for my daughter."
Inutaisho nodded his head. "We have talked about it today…"
Midoriko smiled and opened her eyes, revealing her understanding. "Yes, I know. I have heard it all. My daughter and I have a special connection that allows me to live in the world of the living through her. Her eyes are my own, as is her heart, and so I know what you all have talked about, which is the reason for my arrival."
Inutaisho remained silent, letting the priestess speak as freely as she needed. Midoriko took a step back, though she was still in front of Kagome, and looked around the room at all the lives who would gladly risk their own for her daughter's.
"You have all done this before, and I admire your strength and courage in trying to help my daughter again. However, this time, the war that Raige will create will not be like that of three years ago." Midoriko's eyes went to her daughter's figure as her eyes rested on the Shikon no Tama. "Now, Kagome has to protect the Shikon no Tama and all of you. Should Raige have more demons on his side, which I believe he will because of the jewel's birth, then I know that you all will have a lot to deal with."
"It should be like the last war," Ichirio said slowly, not wanting to disturb Midoriko's speech. Her eyes settled on him as she watched him seriously. "Even if Raige manages to get all of the demons on Honshu to back him up, there aren't enough demons in this world to make up for the amount of demons that Kano Mitsuhada had."
Midoriko nodded her head. "True. Kano had the help of the mirror and the volcano to create and give him thousands of demons for his army. However, the demons will be different this time in that they are true demons, those who have lived their lives from birth to adulthood. Knowledge is very dangerous for those who know how to use it, and these demons have lived their lives to learn things that Kano's demons didn't have the opportunity to."
Ichiro nodded his head in realization, bowing his head towards her as he felt a little embarrassed to have said that. Kazuko squeezed her mate's hand and felt him relax back into the chair as her eyes regarded the miko again. Midoriko turned towards Inutaisho again and her eyes were serious.
"I want you to protect my daughter," Midoriko said, her eyes mixing with sadness and pity. "The Fates have not said if this war will be the end of my daughter's life, so I have hope to believe that she will survive this thing and live out her life here in the world of the living. And I want you to protect her in this war. I feel that she is already accepting to give up her life in the end in order to defeat Raige."
Inuyasha's eyes widened as he listened to the miko's words, hurt that Kagome would choose to leave him. Midoriko spared the hanyou a quick glance, feeling his aura change immediately, and then went back to Inutaisho.
"The jewel must not lay into the hands of the enemy. If it does, then we will lose even if Kagome does give her life in the end. The jewel cannot touch a demon's flesh." She watched as Inutaisho nodded his understanding and she smiled thankfully at him. "I thank you, Inutaisho. You had been a great friend to me in the past."
Inutaisho smiled warmly with a nod. "And so have you to me, Lady Midoriko. I hope that you are at peace now."
Midoriko nodded her head and placed her hands over her heart, her eyes closing in relaxation. "I am. Thanks to this beautiful woman, I am able to experience life again. She is a treasure to me, and I am quite sure to you all as well, and all I ask is that you protect her as such." Inutaisho nodded his head seriously, knowing that he would give his life for Kagome any day if he had a chance to keep that smile of hers in this world just a bit longer.
Opening her eyes, Midoriko gazed at Inutaisho with thanks and farewell. "Then you all have my blessing." Midoriko's figure began to fade as her transparent figure began to dim until they could barely make out her figure. "May Buddha watch over you all."
Kagome's eyes opened slowly as her hands relaxed to her side, questions in her eyes as she looked to Inutaisho for answers as to what had just happened. He saw her confusion and smiled with a nod. "Let us go train for now and we will figure this out later," he said with determination.
Everyone nodded their heads as they began to reel back from their shock and stood up, all making small talk as to what they would be training with. Inuyasha walked towards the middle of the room and entwined his fingers with Kagome's as she turned to look up at him with a smile. He smiled down at her and gave her a quick kiss, the two walking hand in hand as everyone began to file out of Inutaisho's study to head to the dojo.
Well, I hope you liked this quick update and I'll get back as soon as I can with the next one. Tell me what you thought!
-Kaleialohalani
