InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ 'life' and 'death' ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything regarding Inuyasha.

Previously:

He threw the remains of his smoke onto the sidewalk while contemplating smoking his last one. In an easy decision he took the last cigarette out of its case and lit it while standing up, making his way back to his car. Tonight, or this morning, what ever you wanted to call it was going to be a long one indeed. Now he needed to find a place with a fax machine open at this hour. `Where the fuck am I supposed to go?' `Well I guess that it is almost sunrise, maybe businesses will be opening up for the morning.' Hopefully tomorrow things would go more towards his way and everybody would stop being completely against him.

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Chapter Eleven

/*Dream*/

"Rinny baby, you stay in the playroom okay? There are bad guys out there. I want you to hide and not come out until I come get you, okay sweetie?"

Rin looked up at her older sister and smiled. "Hide n' seek?" she asked questioningly with the same brown, bright sparkling, innocent eyes that Kagome once possessed.

"Yes baby, you stay right here. No coming out until I say, okay?" Kagome explained as Rin chose her hiding spot.

"Tay' ah-ome!" Rin replied while she opened the door on her fisher-price yellow and pink plastic house. Rin shut the door as well as the two windows to the house. She covered her eyes with the mentality that if she could not see Kagome then Kagome could not see her.

Kagome made sure that Rin had successfully hid herself before running out of the playroom and shutting the door quietly as she left.

She ran thought the short hallway that leads to the living room. She stealthily crept through the living room towards one of the broken windows, pulling her knee up on the windowsill. Quietly, she pulled her body through the shattered glass that had been broken when the people in black raided the house.

Kagome crept outside, staying close to the house until she was sure that she was outside of her own bedroom window. She crept low and looked through the glass sliding doors of her ground floor patio to make sure no one was keeping guard. `The security system is obviously off if they all stormed though the house before without even a single alarm going off,' she thought to herself.

Kagome was thankful that she hadn't locked the doors, and that her bedroom in this house was on the first floor. Silently, she opened the doors and went straight to the treasure chest shaped box in which she kept many things and started digging through her possessions, looking for something to defend her family with.

"Where the fuck are they?" she growled. Frustration, fury, and pure disbelief flooded her mind. She couldn't quite comprehend everything that had just occurred. It was like she was living an untold nightmare. She wished she was dreaming; she would have given anything for this to be a horrible, horrible nightmare.

After searching for a few minutes Kagome finally pulled out the set of ornate daggers that her mother had bestowed upon her when she had turned sixteen from the large chest that sat at the end of her bed.

After securing the items in the back of her pants, hidden behind her shirt, she took off running carelessly through the hall way. Adrenaline had taken over. She no longer cared about surprising anyone with her sudden appearance. All she wanted to do was to save the last person that she thought she still had left. She knew her mothers fate, but was not sure how severely her brother had been hurt.

*************

Everything was slow motion.

Kagome's feet hit against the carpet in a rhythmic pattern as she desperately tried to stop what she knew were going to happen. She saw the scene unfold and play before her very eyes as she frantically ran and dove into the kitchen. Little Rinny was running at a lethargic pace into the kitchen shouting, "ready r not, here Rin come." The only assailant left in the kitchen, brought his gun level to his face and with no hesitation towards the little girl, released an entire clip upon Rin. The bullets made contact with her pale childish skin as her body absorbed them and released them within a second. Rin's mouth opened in obvious pain as the bullets tore through all of her vital organs, sucking the life out of her. Kagome came crashing into Rin, seconds too late, and pulled Rin's little body, which was still suffering from shock, onto the cold, bloodied floor.

Her mind was screaming. She was unable to physically make a noise. She was so far beyond sadness that tears would not fall. And then her world went blank.

The assailant had assumed that since Kagome was lying motionless on the floor, covered in blood, he had killed two people when his intentions were only to kill the little girl. He had no other clips with him to empty into Kagome's body just to be sure so he turned and left though the front door, keeping it open, waiting for Ryo's instructions.

************

Kagome could feel that her surroundings had changed. She wasn't sure how, but she just knew that something was different. She tried to open her eyes but for some reason, not matter how hard she tried, she was not able to force them open. Kagome felt an invisible force holding her in place. She tried to move, but found her body to be limp, and without life.

And then she heard it: the faint sound of music. It was very powerful, but at the same time very far away and became muffled against a voice that spoke out to her. It was soft and light at first; a harmonic voice calling out to her, willing her to arise.

"Awake little one," it said with the utmost tenderness.

Kagome was able to successfully open her eyes after the voice had told her to do so. She looked around to see grayness surrounding her. It looked like 4 gray walls, a gray ceiling, and a gray floor. There were no windows, no doors, no anything except the nothingness that surrounded her and the angelic voice that was calling out to her.

"W-who are you?" she asked, feeling a little bit of fear.

"I am here little one."

"I cannot see you," Kagome replied shakily, realizing that all of her blood was gone, and there were no harmful marks adorning her body.

"Seeing is not always believing, sweet child."

Kagome took a few seconds to think. She thought of the last memory that she had in her head and determined what must be true. "Am I dead?"

"No Kagome, this is your dream. You live on."

Kagome lowered her head and spat towards the voice with bitterness upon realization that she was not granted the same fate as her family: she was forced to live on knowing that she was supposed to be dead. "I do not dream anymore."

The voice, ever so patient, answered back, "Of course you dream, everybody dreams dear child. What then, pry tell, do you call this?"

"Reminiscing, an illusion, a hoax; fates cruel way at punishing my mind by making me live through unwanted memories," she answered back with a crack in her throat towards the end of her sentence.

Silence encompassed them for several minutes before the voice spoke another word.

"They love you Kagome. They are happy. They wish that you would find your own happiness as well. Do not wish to be dead sweet child; choose life, choose life like you did once upon that night. They wish for you to live."

"But I do not want to!" Emotions flowed off of Kagome in waves. The tears easily fell from her face. She subconsciously noticed that they disintegrated before ever hitting the ground. She allowed herself to openly weep and release pent up feelings.

Kagome felt a warm embrace around her entire body. It soothed and calmed her. When she looked around she saw nothing but could not deny that there was a presence surrounding her. She wanted to speak but found her self unable to move again.

"With death will come life," the voice stated in a soothing tone.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"All will be clear with time my sweet Kaggie. Sleep in restful peace my baby, and wake with happy calmness. Look to him for comfort."

Kagome's eyes sprung open. The tone of the voice had changed. It was now very familiar and recognizable. Her body shivered with anticipation and surprise all at once.

"Mom?"

There was no answer, but she could still feel the warm embrace upon her skin.

"Mom?" she called out again, this time a little but quieter. There was still no reply.

"Mommy?" she choked out, barely above a whisper.

Kagome felt the embrace leave, but did not whimper out at its loss for she heard the most soothing words at her ears.

"I love you," it whispered as the words began to fade away off into the distance.

"I love you too," Kagome whispered back. She smiled, a small but genuine smile, just enough to bring the corners of her mouth upwards to form a small arc of happiness.

`I finally got to tell her something I had meant to a long time ago.'

She felt herself fading away into some other realm.

/*End Dream*/

*************

Kagome woke up. For once, her nightmares had given away to dreams. She didn't fully comprehend everything, but weren't dreams always like that? She didn't remember. She felt rested. She felt a strange calming peace that seemed to soothe her broken soul. She felt awake for once. She felt… someone's arms tangled around her waist? Her momentary peace that she had woken up with left her body like water rushing through opened floodgates as she began to remember what had happened earlier, but the calmness remained.

`I can fix this.' `I've been in worse situations before.' `I need to get out of here.' `I need to…' Her thoughts stopped thinking and turned her head towards the man who had been keeping her warm all night. Kagome had lived in her own little world for so long that she had forgotten what it must be like to live as Inuyasha did: carefree. She couldn't deny that he was strikingly handsome, not to mention amazing in bed. He looked so peaceful, so content, so happy, and so much like… Sesshoumaru???

`Where the fuck did that come from?' she asked her self before comparing them mentally for a few seconds longer.

"No fucking way," she said out loud. Her eyes widened in shock as she tried to take a better look at him. Bits and pieces fell together while others fell apart. `But they have different last names…' `I guess that it doesn't necessarily mean that they cannot be related.' She remembered that they shared the same eyes, the same unnatural hair, the same facial structure, and the same physique. The only thing that was different was there character. Sesshoumaru was calm and reserved while Inuyasha was very blunt and acted openly without thinking.

`I need to fix this mess that I've allowed myself to create.'

She looked at Inuyasha again, while removing his arms from around her body. He grumbled under his breath while his hands were being moved but it did not wake him from his sleep.

Kagome went into her closet and threw on some sweats and a hoodie to cover her naked body while slipping on a pair of flip flops. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to erase the signs of "bed head" while making her way to the hall way.

Kagome decided that she needed to leave and set a few things straight before things spread too far.

*************

Kagome pushed the elevator button to go back up. In her hand she clutched tightly her "Death" dagger that she had left in Inuyasha's car the night before. Sure he had locked the doors, and armed the security system, but Kagome had her ways of doing even the impossible…even if she did not have this mentality one-hundred percent of the time. She smirked when thinking what she had done. `Wouldn't he be thrilled?' `I'm sure his car is his `baby'.' `To most guys it is anyway.'

The elevator rang its opening tone as the doors slide open, allowing her to enter. Kagome pushed the button for Sango's floor while humming along with the elevator that she had never noticed to be present before this day. The fact that she was humming along with a cheery tune would have shocked anyone that even slightly knew her.

The elevator came to a halt and Kagome made her way to Sango's door. She was a bit apprehensive to knock on the door or ring the doorbell, but knew that she would have to face the truth eventually.

With a courage unknown to her at the time she choose to rang the doorbell with the ground that maybe Sango might still be in bed. `I wonder what time it actually is.' She hadn't actually been outside to see if there was any light, nor did she bother to look out the windows.

The door opened and Sango appeared behind it. Sango was shocked to see Kagome. In fact, Kagome was the last person that she would have expected to see today.

"Hey," Sango said softly.

"Hi," Kagome answered with a smile.

`Was that just a smile I saw on Kagome's face?' Sango wasn't sure what to say, everything was so awkward. "I'm sorry Kagome, this is so awkward, and I don't really know what to say. I shouldn't have let myself in, I was just worried, and I didn't know where you were, so I let everyone in and…"

"It's okay Sango." Kagome said, interrupting her rambling friend while smiling again.

Sango smiled back at her. "You're…you're not mad?"

"No," Kagome simply stated.

"Are you?"

"No. I have no right to be mad. You can make your own choices and you shouldn't need my consent--"

Another voice joined into the private conversation that was being held between the two girls. "Aww, Sango, now you take my advise but last night when I said that we should-"

Sango quickly interrupted Miroku and was turning red in the face. "Finish that sentence and you'll never stay over here again."

Kagome let out a small laugh as Miroku stepped towards the door, seeing that Kagome was the other female who was keeping conversation with his Sango. His face paled and his body instantly went stiff with shock. This was not the Kagome that he knew. Kagome didn't smile, well, if she did, you knew that you were going to die. Kagome didn't laugh either; once again, if you heard her laugh that meant you had signed your death contract with her.

Kagome noticed his tenseness but grinned at her cousin. She finally knew who exactly the mystery man was. She knew that Sango had been seeing someone, but she had no idea that it was someone within the Family.

"Don't worry Miroku, I'm not going to kill you…" she grinned at him, "yet."

He took gulped heavily and looked at Sango for help.

"Oh for god's sake Miroku, she's only kidding. Aren't you Kagome?"

Kagome leaned her head to the side, as if in deep thought. She looked at Miroku and leaned it to the other side. "I guess so."

Sango invited Kagome in and shut the door behind her. As Kagome walked past the still stiff Miroku she looked over and spoke to him. "Didn't you mom ever tell you not to believe every rumor that you heard?" She raised a questioning eyebrow towards him as he began to relax. He smiled a little towards her and was shocked when she smiled back.

`That did not just happen.' `THE Kagome Hiragarshi just smiled at me.' `She smiled at me and ISN'T going to kill me.' `What have the god's done?' Miroku's mind began to lead him down into the gutter as he remembered the compromising position that he had seen her and Inuyasha in the night before. `If a god can arrange for all of this to happen, then perhaps he could arrange for a Sango, Miroku, Kagome sandwich.'

Miroku was pulled out of his thoughts by Sango who had been calling his name at least six times.

"Yes dear?" he answered back trying to play it cool.

"I said would you care to join Kagome and me for tea?"

"No thank you Sango my dear."

Sango turned her attention back to Kagome who was currently a small kitchen table with her. Kagome had set her dagger on the table and Sango had retrieved the other one for her. They were whole again, they were a pair, a team, both the knives and Kagome and Sango.

"I'm going to be blunt here Sango. Are Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru related?"

By knowing Kagome since they were little, Sango knew that Kagome was not going to like this answer but it was the truth so she was going to tell it straight forward.

"Yea…brothers…Sesshoumaru is the older one," Sango stated while sipping her tea. "And by the way, thank you `misses information' for telling me that he is practically your partner!"

`Shit.' `Why the fuck I have to be right.' `Why couldn't I have been wrong once and they could have been just mere coincidences?'

"Didn't really seem important?" Kagome gritted nervously though her teeth. `Sesshoumaru will never hear any of this.'

Sango shook her head at Kagome while they both sipped on there tea in silence for a few minutes.

Sango decided to break the quietness. "So, about you and Inuyasha…what's, umm, what's going to happen?"

Kagome's unusually emotion-filled face fell back into its protective mask. "Nothing. He was there, stuff happened, and now we can get over it." Kagome set her tea cup back onto the table and picked up her twin blades, signifying that this conversation was over.

`But can you get over it?' `And will he?' The same questions plagued both Sango and Kagome's mind.

"I'm sorry to take off so soon but there is obviously much to do," her voice softened greatly with her next words, "with everything that's happened and all."

Sango saw the hurt that temporarily ran across Kagome's face with the mere thought of Ryo. "I understand, Kagome. Please, keep in touch, let me know how you are doing, don't leave me here to worry."

Kagome hugged Sango and turned to walk back out into the hallway. She stopped as she met Miroku in the living room and turned to him with a serious look on her face. "Miroku, I don't think that you are a bad person, but I swear to god, if you hurt Sango, even in the littlest way, I will torture you in ways that you cannot even dream of."

Miroku paled. `This is the Kagome that we all know and fear.'

Sango had heard Kagome and followed her voice into the living room. She looked at Kagome and Miroku and started laughing out loud. "Oh loosen up Miroku, she's only kidding," Sango said while turned to Kagome who was now grinning herself.

"Maybe I'm not… and maybe I'm NOT," Kagome jokingly said, now laughing along with Sango.

`I don't see what's so damn funny.' Miroku wanted to scowl but was afraid that if Kagome saw it, she would try to do something horrible, like chop his balls off. He shuddered at the thought. `That's the second worst thing that could happen apart from her pulling a Bobbit!'

Kagome walked through the entry way and opened the door, almost ready to walk out. Before she left she yelled back to Miroku. "And the same goes for if you tell anyone what you saw last night, Miroku. I will not hesitate to personally call Sango's mother."

Before Sango could yell "hey now!" Kagome had already closed the door and left for her floor.

Sango looked at Miroku who was already looking at her. She both exchanged puzzled looks.

"I wasn't expecting that at all," Miroku said in reference to the somewhat cheerful, nice, and oddly upbeat Kagome.

"Neither was I. Actually, I didn't think I'd be seeing her for an awful long time." Sango paused for a bit. "I know that I took her knife but I kind of thought she would have snuck in to get it instead of confronting me." Sango smiled.

`They've both changed,' she thought to self.

*************

Kagome walked into her kitchen. She ran a sink full of sudsy water and placed her daggers into the water before walking back out into her classics room. Her fingers stumbled as they flipped though literally hundreds upon hundreds of CDs and other recordings. When she found what she was looking for she took the CD into the living room and placed the CD into her stereo. She pushed play and went back into the kitchen.

Soft piano music filled her ears. `It's been so long since I've listened to this.' After several measures of the lone piano an all female choir began to sing. It had been one of her mothers many passions. `Mother loved music; she said music is a way to communicate without words. And when words were used it only made that expression stronger' Kagome closed her eyes, taking in the rich angelic melodies of the women voices. She scrubbed off any remnants of filth from her daggers. `This was the last concert we attended together.' `It was in the United States at Carnegie Hall.' The songs were entirely in English but Kagome was fluent in the language. In fact, she was fluent in several foreign languages such as English, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Latin, French, and Italian.

As she took the daggers out of the water and began to hand dry them with a towel, Kagome began to sing along with the CD her mother had purchased.

"Who will dance barefoot in the grass,

spinning and twirling,

and spinning and twirling to welcome the warmth of day,

who will dance?

When I dance no more,

when I sing no more,

when I am silent,

silent,

who will cry for me,

who will cry for me,

who will cry for me,

who will cry…

Who will cry?"

*************

Kagome was unaware that she had awoken Inuyasha with her music. She was unaware that he had been standing in the frame of the door, with a towel wrapped around his waist, listening to her sing every single word from the line "who will dance?" and on, understanding every bit of it.

Kagome slowly turned around and was somewhat startled to see Inuyasha watching her. She didn't know what to say.

"I would cry for you." He answered her in English.

Kagome was shocked that Inuyasha spoke and understood English. He just didn't come off as that type, but then again was full of surprises.

"I didn't see you there," Kagome said, speaking in Japanese.

"I know." Inuyasha stated the obvious a little rudely, his personality shining through.

Seeing each other again hadn't been awkward like usual drunken flings turned out to be in the morning. Sure she wasn't in bed with him when he woke up, but she speaking nicely to him. `What the fuck is she smiling at?' he thought while looking at her.

"What the fuck are you smiling about?" Once again, thought and speech went hand in hand.

"Death."

Her answer startled him. He thought back to her song: she was singing happily about death. `The bitch isn't yelling at me for once, or yelling at me to leave.' `She's gunna fucking kill herself!'

"You gunna fucking kill your self or something?"

She looked at him and looked at the worry on his face. "No."

"Then why are you thinking about death, you crazy bitc…" he caught himself before finishing the last word.

"Because she said with death comes life. I guess it's my answer, my gift."

"Who the fuck said that?!"

"My mother."

"Well she's fucking crazy!! Do you want to die or something?" He couldn't believe the things Kagome was saying. Confusion burned through his blood.

"I'm not afraid of it, if that's what you mean," Kagome stated matter-of-factly.

The kitchen became thick with silence. The CD had stopped playing, and they had stopped talking.

Inuyasha's thoughts raced through everything she had said and paused on the fact that he remembered what he was wearing, or lack therefore of.

"Feh. My clothes aren't dry. I'm going back up to my place and I'll bring your towel back later."

"Okay."

`She didn't say not to come back.' `Feh, she wants me.' Inuyasha's tender side faded as his widely known, characteristic one took its place.

He left without saying goodbye heading up towards his own apartment.

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