InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone ❯ Rude Awakening ( Chapter 21 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: RhiannonoftheMoon 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.21.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 3.9K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Hentai | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.21.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 3.9K | Status: Completed
A/N: Sorry about that link problem on my profile. Apparently, my mediaminer profile was broken for a few days. I replaced the link with one to the story itself. Always feel free to email me.
FFnet
InuyashaHanyouJajuama, Ayriel, Lauren1, Rubius, Tempus Mori, Tarren, wh00t, AkuTenshi13, InuPhoenix, Owari Nai Yumes, Tainted InuShemeeko, Toya's Gurl, Starlit333, inuyasha4ever1, InuyashaGirl-2610, Dark Inu Fan, GnomeInuyasha
Sangome - I don't know that Miroku is a virgin, though for all his trying, he doesn't get much action. Acuatlly, I left out a word - I meant constant bedmate. Oh well.
MMorg
Megan Consoer, starlit333
Chapter 21 - Rude Awakening
Inuyasha jerked awake to a familiar scent: herbs and graveyard soil. Kikyo’s soul collectors circled above like sad specters, casting a pale, ghostly glow on the trees. ‘Kikyo! What could she possible want?’ he gently lifted Kagome’s arm and carefully scooted away from her. She whimpered softly but didn’t wake, curling up tighter against the cool air. He pulled his fire-rat haori over her, tucking the edges under her body to keep her warm. Dressing quickly, he followed the soul collectors to a gnarly old tree in which Kikyo was sitting. One of the eel-like youkai swooped down to her, dropping a gleaming soul that was absorbed into her chest. Smiling softly and sliding out of the tree, she met his eyes. She could have passed as a normal priestess to anyone else, dressed in the white haori and red hakama of that station, her long straight hair tied back with a simple white ribbon. Inuyasha knew better; she hadn’t been a living woman for over fifty years.
The sight of her brought back a rush of memories, not all of them sweet: watching her from the boughs of a tree as she passed below him, poling her across the lake in a small boat, her delicate fingers trailing in the cool water, her face twisted in anger as she shot him with her sacred arrow, sealing him to Goshinbuko. They no longer had the sway on him that they used to, even the longing he had felt when he saw her face was gone, replaced by sadness for what had been lost.
She glided toward him, her light steps barely bending the grass beneath her feet. She stopped an arm’s length from him, her deep brown eyes soft and sad. ‘Kagome used to have those eyes. Is that why I could finally accept her as a mate, because she no longer resembled Kikyo?’ Her fingers extended, she raised her hand to his face. He backed up a step and she let her arm fall to her side, sighing.
“So, you’ve found love in another,” her voice was the rustle of wind through trees.
He nodded, “I still care for you, and I will keep my oath to avenge your death, but…” he trailed off as she pulled from her belt a small package wrapped in red silk and tied with a thin black cord, clasping it in her hands. “It wasn’t meant to be, not after what happened.”
She brought the package to her chest, holding it close to her heart. “You don’t have to explain, I understand. After all, what is a promise made between lovers separated by death?” He remained silent, refusing to rise to the bait. Didn’t he deserve the happiness denied him for so long? Did she really expect him to go to hell with her when there was so much to live for?
Kikyo watched him closely, hiding the malice she bore him behind her mournful mask. It was critical that he trust her for just a little longer, as he had done for the past two years, despite her obvious betrayals. She dropped her eyes demurely and extended the square of silk to him. “Please accept this as a wedding gift for your new…bride.”
He gingerly took the proffered package and weighed it in his hands. “What is it?”
“Nothing more than a small token to show my sincere wish for your happiness.” He seemed hesitant to accept it. “You don’t have to tell her who it’s from.”
He snorted, “Kagome’s not like that.” But he wasn’t really sure; he knew that Kagome’s mistrust and jealousy of his and Kikyo’s relationship ran deep.
Kikyo shrugged as her soul collectors began to swirl around her, “As you wish, Inuyasha.” Wrapped in their iridescent tails, Kikyo rose into the air and vanished.
“Thank you, Kikyo,” Inuyasha whispered to the empty night air, holding tightly to the silk in his hands. A hard, uneven object lay in its folds and he resisted the temptation to untie the cord and peek at the secret hidden within. Should he tell Kagome that the gift was from Kikyo? Suddenly missing her with a dull ache, he took off to where he had left her.
******
Kagome blinked at him sleepily from underneath his outer haori. She‘d woken up alone and shivering, the memory of their love making still sticky on her thighs. And had he told her he loved her? She smiled shyly, her heart fluttering in her chest. “Where’d you go?”
He snorted and refused to meet her eyes, “Just checking something out.”
Her smile dissolving and her silver eyes narrowing dangerously, Kagome sat up and glared at him, covering her chest with the red fabric. “Checking what out?”
“Nothing important.” Definitely, he wouldn’t tell her about the origin of the gift. Kagome’s temper regarding Kikyo had been bad enough as a human, but with demon blood and a mark in the mixture, Bad Things Would Happen. Attempting to distract her from what he knew she was thinking, he dropped into a squat in front of her and kissed her firmly. Her initial resistance melting as his lips moved over hers, she returned his kiss, her makeshift blanket slipping from her fingers. He broke the kiss and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go find the others.”
Her eyes widened, “Oh, I forgot! Shippo must be worried…”
“He‘s probably with Sango and Miroku.”
She groaned and covered her eyes, “We didn’t…not in front of that lech…”
Inuyasha chuckled at the color rising in her face. He shrugged on his red haori, watching her pull the form-fitting exterminator’s uniform over her gentle curves. He almost envied the garment that hugged every inch of her body. Cocking his head to the side, his silver ears twitching, he considered peeling it back off of her. “I’m sure Sango took care of him.”
“Inuyasha!” she shot him an exasperated look, lifting the small bottle of shards from underneath the tight garment.
“Keh! I didn’t mean it that way…” his flustered answer trailed off as a nasty thought occurred to him. “Uh, Kagome, you didn’t…”
“Didn’t what?”
“You didn’t get the shards, did you?”
Kagome gasped and shook her head slowly, her hand clutching the bottle to her chest. “I forgot all about them…”
Inuyasha spun on his heel and tore back to mole’s body, cursing his carelessness. Kagome snatched her chained scythe off of the ground and chased after him, almost running into his still back where he had stopped to stare at the carcass.
Kagome’s stomach rolled slowly; the corpse wasn’t far from where they had slept. ‘I can’t believe we…near…” She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, trying to quell the nausea that suddenly gripped her stomach. The thrill of the hunt, tearing into the mole with her claws, the passion and energy that flowed through her, all seemed like a surreal dream in the bright morning light. ’I enjoyed doing this,’ she couldn’t tear her eyes from the deep gashes in its sides, already black with flies. She moaned softly against her hand and backed away, bile rising in her throat. No longer able to hold it back, she dropped to her knees and retched.
“Kagome? You OK?” Inuyasha called to her.
She wiped her mouth and took a deep breath before answering in a futile attempt to hide the quaver in her voice. “…yeah.”
“The jewel shards are gone.” At his terse, quiet statement, Kagome pushed to her feet and staggered over to him, her stomach still roiling in protest.
“Are you sure? What happened to them?” She stopped behind him, letting his broad red back partially hide the carcass from view. The stench seemed to coat the insides of her nostrils; she whined and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m fucking sure,” he grouched but turned around and wrapped her in his arms, the folds of his voluminous sleeves surrounding her. “If only…”
“What?” she asked, her voice muffled by the fabric.
He sighed quietly and pulled her away, just far enough to see into her face. Now was not the time to bring up her suppressed miko powers. Maybe later he could find Kikyo and ask her if she‘d seen anything. He brushed off the pang of guild that hit him; it was just a simple question, not a romantic tryst. “Never mind. Are you sure you’re OK?”
“I’m fine, but that,” she waved vaguely at the body of the mole demon, “is making me sick.”
Nodding, he pulled her onto his back. “Let’s get you out of here”
*****
Miroku fixed Inuyasha with a stern glare, “Are you telling me that the shards are gone but the body of the mole is still there?”
“That’s what I said, ya stupid monk,” Inuyasha crossed his arms and his chest and glowered, trying to disguise his unease.
“And you didn’t see or smell anyone nearby?”
“Keh.”
“Indeed,“ the monk frowned at the indistinct answer and glanced at Kagome. She was sitting in the corner of Kaede’s hut, still as pale as when she’d slid off of Inuyasha’s back. Sango and Kaede had insisted that they rest until she was feeling better but Kaede had left them alone, stating that she had work to do elsewhere. Kagome had said that the sight and smell of the corpse had made her ill, but now he had to wonder. But if she had caught him sneaking off to see Kikyo, she would be upset, not nauseas. Regardless, it was pointless to press the hanyou when he didn’t want to talk; it only made him angry and more tight-lipped. He would discover the answer to this riddle eventually, hopefully before anything serious happened.
Sango wiped Kagome’s forehead with a damp cloth. “Feeling any better?”
Shadowed silver eyes met hers, “Yeah, but…”
“Tell me what’s wrong,” Sango insisted, dipping the cloth in the bowl of river water on the floor. “Does it have to do with the mole youkai?” Kagome nodded slowly. “You can’t let it bother you, Kagome. You simply did what is in your nature to do.” She brushed her fingers through the younger girl’s bangs, revealing the crimson star on her forehead.
“It’s so strange; I remember everything clearly but it seems like someone else did it,” her gaze was drawn to her claws and she flexed them slowly, feeling the mole’s flesh tear beneath them.
“Youkai instincts, Kagome. Give yourself time to get used to them.”
Kagome smiled wanly at her friend’s assurances. It wasn’t killing the demon that bothered her; she’d killed lots of demons. It was the pleasure and arousal that had accompanied it that had shaken her. Good girls didn’t do that near a freshly slain enemy. ‘You’re not a ‘girl’ anymore. You’re a demon, and that’s what demons do.’ But she couldn’t remember Inuyasha enjoying killing except when he transformed. ‘Because his mate wasn’t killing it with him. You kinda started it, remember.’ Yes, she had, and the memory of that youkai cry bursting out, her mate’s scent curling around her, sent a rush of adrenaline and delicious tightness through her body.
Shippo giggled and Inuyasha’s head snapped around, his nostrils flaring. Kagome flushed bright red and shrugged at her girlfriend’s questioning stare. “Will that always happen?” she whispered.
“Your instincts are very strong. I’m sure you’ll feel them whenever you fight,” Sango whispered back, wondering why they were speaking so quietly.
“No, I mean…after,” Kagome waved her hand vaguely, the last word barely audible.
“Oh,” Sango suddenly realized what was bothering the girl. “Ummm, very probably.”
“She’s right,” Shippo spoke up from his nest in her lap. “My mother and father would often go hunting together and leave me behind. They‘d come back all cuddly and grinning and…”
“Thank you, Shippo,” Sango warned. The little kit was just to worldly for his own good.
Inuyasha stomped over and scowled down at them suspiciously. “Oi, what are you three talking about?”
Batting her eyelashes innocently, Kagome smiled up at him, “Nothing important.”
He snapped his mouth shut. If she was well enough to play games, then she was well enough to move on. Drawing himself up straight and tucking his arms into his sleeves, he announced, “Let’s go. We‘ve wasted enough time here.”
FFnet
InuyashaHanyouJajuama, Ayriel, Lauren1, Rubius, Tempus Mori, Tarren, wh00t, AkuTenshi13, InuPhoenix, Owari Nai Yumes, Tainted InuShemeeko, Toya's Gurl, Starlit333, inuyasha4ever1, InuyashaGirl-2610, Dark Inu Fan, GnomeInuyasha
Sangome - I don't know that Miroku is a virgin, though for all his trying, he doesn't get much action. Acuatlly, I left out a word - I meant constant bedmate. Oh well.
MMorg
Megan Consoer, starlit333
Chapter 21 - Rude Awakening
Inuyasha jerked awake to a familiar scent: herbs and graveyard soil. Kikyo’s soul collectors circled above like sad specters, casting a pale, ghostly glow on the trees. ‘Kikyo! What could she possible want?’ he gently lifted Kagome’s arm and carefully scooted away from her. She whimpered softly but didn’t wake, curling up tighter against the cool air. He pulled his fire-rat haori over her, tucking the edges under her body to keep her warm. Dressing quickly, he followed the soul collectors to a gnarly old tree in which Kikyo was sitting. One of the eel-like youkai swooped down to her, dropping a gleaming soul that was absorbed into her chest. Smiling softly and sliding out of the tree, she met his eyes. She could have passed as a normal priestess to anyone else, dressed in the white haori and red hakama of that station, her long straight hair tied back with a simple white ribbon. Inuyasha knew better; she hadn’t been a living woman for over fifty years.
The sight of her brought back a rush of memories, not all of them sweet: watching her from the boughs of a tree as she passed below him, poling her across the lake in a small boat, her delicate fingers trailing in the cool water, her face twisted in anger as she shot him with her sacred arrow, sealing him to Goshinbuko. They no longer had the sway on him that they used to, even the longing he had felt when he saw her face was gone, replaced by sadness for what had been lost.
She glided toward him, her light steps barely bending the grass beneath her feet. She stopped an arm’s length from him, her deep brown eyes soft and sad. ‘Kagome used to have those eyes. Is that why I could finally accept her as a mate, because she no longer resembled Kikyo?’ Her fingers extended, she raised her hand to his face. He backed up a step and she let her arm fall to her side, sighing.
“So, you’ve found love in another,” her voice was the rustle of wind through trees.
He nodded, “I still care for you, and I will keep my oath to avenge your death, but…” he trailed off as she pulled from her belt a small package wrapped in red silk and tied with a thin black cord, clasping it in her hands. “It wasn’t meant to be, not after what happened.”
She brought the package to her chest, holding it close to her heart. “You don’t have to explain, I understand. After all, what is a promise made between lovers separated by death?” He remained silent, refusing to rise to the bait. Didn’t he deserve the happiness denied him for so long? Did she really expect him to go to hell with her when there was so much to live for?
Kikyo watched him closely, hiding the malice she bore him behind her mournful mask. It was critical that he trust her for just a little longer, as he had done for the past two years, despite her obvious betrayals. She dropped her eyes demurely and extended the square of silk to him. “Please accept this as a wedding gift for your new…bride.”
He gingerly took the proffered package and weighed it in his hands. “What is it?”
“Nothing more than a small token to show my sincere wish for your happiness.” He seemed hesitant to accept it. “You don’t have to tell her who it’s from.”
He snorted, “Kagome’s not like that.” But he wasn’t really sure; he knew that Kagome’s mistrust and jealousy of his and Kikyo’s relationship ran deep.
Kikyo shrugged as her soul collectors began to swirl around her, “As you wish, Inuyasha.” Wrapped in their iridescent tails, Kikyo rose into the air and vanished.
“Thank you, Kikyo,” Inuyasha whispered to the empty night air, holding tightly to the silk in his hands. A hard, uneven object lay in its folds and he resisted the temptation to untie the cord and peek at the secret hidden within. Should he tell Kagome that the gift was from Kikyo? Suddenly missing her with a dull ache, he took off to where he had left her.
******
Kagome blinked at him sleepily from underneath his outer haori. She‘d woken up alone and shivering, the memory of their love making still sticky on her thighs. And had he told her he loved her? She smiled shyly, her heart fluttering in her chest. “Where’d you go?”
He snorted and refused to meet her eyes, “Just checking something out.”
Her smile dissolving and her silver eyes narrowing dangerously, Kagome sat up and glared at him, covering her chest with the red fabric. “Checking what out?”
“Nothing important.” Definitely, he wouldn’t tell her about the origin of the gift. Kagome’s temper regarding Kikyo had been bad enough as a human, but with demon blood and a mark in the mixture, Bad Things Would Happen. Attempting to distract her from what he knew she was thinking, he dropped into a squat in front of her and kissed her firmly. Her initial resistance melting as his lips moved over hers, she returned his kiss, her makeshift blanket slipping from her fingers. He broke the kiss and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, let’s go find the others.”
Her eyes widened, “Oh, I forgot! Shippo must be worried…”
“He‘s probably with Sango and Miroku.”
She groaned and covered her eyes, “We didn’t…not in front of that lech…”
Inuyasha chuckled at the color rising in her face. He shrugged on his red haori, watching her pull the form-fitting exterminator’s uniform over her gentle curves. He almost envied the garment that hugged every inch of her body. Cocking his head to the side, his silver ears twitching, he considered peeling it back off of her. “I’m sure Sango took care of him.”
“Inuyasha!” she shot him an exasperated look, lifting the small bottle of shards from underneath the tight garment.
“Keh! I didn’t mean it that way…” his flustered answer trailed off as a nasty thought occurred to him. “Uh, Kagome, you didn’t…”
“Didn’t what?”
“You didn’t get the shards, did you?”
Kagome gasped and shook her head slowly, her hand clutching the bottle to her chest. “I forgot all about them…”
Inuyasha spun on his heel and tore back to mole’s body, cursing his carelessness. Kagome snatched her chained scythe off of the ground and chased after him, almost running into his still back where he had stopped to stare at the carcass.
Kagome’s stomach rolled slowly; the corpse wasn’t far from where they had slept. ‘I can’t believe we…near…” She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, trying to quell the nausea that suddenly gripped her stomach. The thrill of the hunt, tearing into the mole with her claws, the passion and energy that flowed through her, all seemed like a surreal dream in the bright morning light. ’I enjoyed doing this,’ she couldn’t tear her eyes from the deep gashes in its sides, already black with flies. She moaned softly against her hand and backed away, bile rising in her throat. No longer able to hold it back, she dropped to her knees and retched.
“Kagome? You OK?” Inuyasha called to her.
She wiped her mouth and took a deep breath before answering in a futile attempt to hide the quaver in her voice. “…yeah.”
“The jewel shards are gone.” At his terse, quiet statement, Kagome pushed to her feet and staggered over to him, her stomach still roiling in protest.
“Are you sure? What happened to them?” She stopped behind him, letting his broad red back partially hide the carcass from view. The stench seemed to coat the insides of her nostrils; she whined and rested her forehead against his shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m fucking sure,” he grouched but turned around and wrapped her in his arms, the folds of his voluminous sleeves surrounding her. “If only…”
“What?” she asked, her voice muffled by the fabric.
He sighed quietly and pulled her away, just far enough to see into her face. Now was not the time to bring up her suppressed miko powers. Maybe later he could find Kikyo and ask her if she‘d seen anything. He brushed off the pang of guild that hit him; it was just a simple question, not a romantic tryst. “Never mind. Are you sure you’re OK?”
“I’m fine, but that,” she waved vaguely at the body of the mole demon, “is making me sick.”
Nodding, he pulled her onto his back. “Let’s get you out of here”
*****
Miroku fixed Inuyasha with a stern glare, “Are you telling me that the shards are gone but the body of the mole is still there?”
“That’s what I said, ya stupid monk,” Inuyasha crossed his arms and his chest and glowered, trying to disguise his unease.
“And you didn’t see or smell anyone nearby?”
“Keh.”
“Indeed,“ the monk frowned at the indistinct answer and glanced at Kagome. She was sitting in the corner of Kaede’s hut, still as pale as when she’d slid off of Inuyasha’s back. Sango and Kaede had insisted that they rest until she was feeling better but Kaede had left them alone, stating that she had work to do elsewhere. Kagome had said that the sight and smell of the corpse had made her ill, but now he had to wonder. But if she had caught him sneaking off to see Kikyo, she would be upset, not nauseas. Regardless, it was pointless to press the hanyou when he didn’t want to talk; it only made him angry and more tight-lipped. He would discover the answer to this riddle eventually, hopefully before anything serious happened.
Sango wiped Kagome’s forehead with a damp cloth. “Feeling any better?”
Shadowed silver eyes met hers, “Yeah, but…”
“Tell me what’s wrong,” Sango insisted, dipping the cloth in the bowl of river water on the floor. “Does it have to do with the mole youkai?” Kagome nodded slowly. “You can’t let it bother you, Kagome. You simply did what is in your nature to do.” She brushed her fingers through the younger girl’s bangs, revealing the crimson star on her forehead.
“It’s so strange; I remember everything clearly but it seems like someone else did it,” her gaze was drawn to her claws and she flexed them slowly, feeling the mole’s flesh tear beneath them.
“Youkai instincts, Kagome. Give yourself time to get used to them.”
Kagome smiled wanly at her friend’s assurances. It wasn’t killing the demon that bothered her; she’d killed lots of demons. It was the pleasure and arousal that had accompanied it that had shaken her. Good girls didn’t do that near a freshly slain enemy. ‘You’re not a ‘girl’ anymore. You’re a demon, and that’s what demons do.’ But she couldn’t remember Inuyasha enjoying killing except when he transformed. ‘Because his mate wasn’t killing it with him. You kinda started it, remember.’ Yes, she had, and the memory of that youkai cry bursting out, her mate’s scent curling around her, sent a rush of adrenaline and delicious tightness through her body.
Shippo giggled and Inuyasha’s head snapped around, his nostrils flaring. Kagome flushed bright red and shrugged at her girlfriend’s questioning stare. “Will that always happen?” she whispered.
“Your instincts are very strong. I’m sure you’ll feel them whenever you fight,” Sango whispered back, wondering why they were speaking so quietly.
“No, I mean…after,” Kagome waved her hand vaguely, the last word barely audible.
“Oh,” Sango suddenly realized what was bothering the girl. “Ummm, very probably.”
“She’s right,” Shippo spoke up from his nest in her lap. “My mother and father would often go hunting together and leave me behind. They‘d come back all cuddly and grinning and…”
“Thank you, Shippo,” Sango warned. The little kit was just to worldly for his own good.
Inuyasha stomped over and scowled down at them suspiciously. “Oi, what are you three talking about?”
Batting her eyelashes innocently, Kagome smiled up at him, “Nothing important.”
He snapped his mouth shut. If she was well enough to play games, then she was well enough to move on. Drawing himself up straight and tucking his arms into his sleeves, he announced, “Let’s go. We‘ve wasted enough time here.”