InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Walking Through Fire ❯ My Enigma ( Chapter 2 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha, but if you want to think I do then be my guest.

 

Walking Through Fire

by: Lara Winner

 

 

Chapter 2: My Enigma

 

 

Inuyasha blinked in shell-shocked wonder at the woman before him.

 

There she stood, so close he could hear her heart beat. The scent of grave dirt and bones no longer clung to clay flesh. What filled his keen nose now was rich and heady, just the way he remembered her over half a century ago. It was a scent he'd sough out because it had once been synonymous with comfort. Now it made him back up a step as the puzzle pieces began to fall into place.

 

If Kikyo discerned his mounting unease she masked it with an impish grin. “I was wondering how long it would take you to notice me.”

 

She advanced and he continued to back away until he was stopped by the rough bark of a tree trunk at his back. He didn't want to know the truth that his mind was screaming rather loudly. But it was all there for him to see. Her entire countenance was glowing as if she was hard pressed to contain her inner-light. Like a shoe one size to small… he supposed the same applied for souls and the bodies that contained them.

 

This was not Kikyo. The girl he loved was serene and somber even at the best of times. It had been her habit to practice rigid discipline. Kikyo was not prone to smiles and teases.

 

That was Kagome's forte. Her lust for life and good nature made it hard for a smile to leave her face. She was too free and open with her trust and her heart.

 

What Inuyasha was seeing now should not exist. It was a blasphemy of everything he held dear. He could only sallow against the bile rising in the back of his throat as Kikyo leaned closer pressing the soft swell of her bare bosom into his chest. Her arms slipped about his neck as she moved to kiss him. He flinched away and turned his head causing her to pout prettily.

 

“Inuyasha, “ she whispered softly, her voice sounding eerily like Kagome's. “My love, have you not longed for this moment when we could be together again?”

 

“Ki… Kikyo…” he stammered.

 

“I'm alive. Is that not what you wanted?”

 

“Yes but… this…” he tugged her arms from about his neck more than eager to put distance between them, “This is not right. You died…”

 

“But that was then and this is now,” she cocked her head curiously, “Or perhaps you've wanted someone else all along?” Kikyo smiled and her face shimmered like a rippling pond and then it wasn't Kikyo's face looking back at him, it was Kagome's.

 

“Shit!” He pushed her away and stumbled from his cornered position against the tree. “What the fuck?”

 

“Inuyasha you're such a silly puppy.” Kagome chided.

 

“No way! There's no fucking way that's possible!”

 

“Oh but it is. I'm here aren't I? You see me.” she stepped closer causing the hanyou to stumble away again only this time he landed on his backside. Like a cat she pounced and using his surprise to her advantage, she straddled his waist. Running her fingers up and down the fire rat fur, she purred. “You can feel me Inuyasha. Isn't this what you really wanted?”

 

He slapped her hands away angrily. “You're not Kagome. I don't what the fuck you are but you've taken her soul and I'm gonna make you give it back!”

 

Seeing that her method was failing, the girl sighed. “And just how are you going to do that? Once her body dies this form will become permanent. You must decide whom you like better Inuyasha and do so quickly. You've only got until daybreak.”

 

“Daybreak!” His heart lurched fearfully.

 

Kagome leaned closer and smiled. “Yes love. Daybreak. Tomorrow morning. Sunrise. I'm sure you get the picture. Of course you couldn't decide for two years, I suppose a few hours more won't change that. How about I compromise ne?”

 

Once again her features began to shift sliding into an entirely new image, one that was a prefect balance of Kagome and Kikyo. Inuyasha growled, his anger spiking to a dangerous level as a tingle youki made its presence known.

 

Whatever the fuck this creature was it was at least part demon. That was all he needed to know.

 

“Feh,” he snorted. “Impressive tricks but I'm not falling for it. Not that it matters `cuz you won't live to see tomorrow anyway.”

 

“You're so cute when you're angry.” She giggled.

 

He readied his claws, “And you make me sick!” he snarled taking a well-aimed swipe.

 

It was easier to strike the creature while it wore the face of both his loves, but it still hurt to see the illusion contort into a painful grimace as she went flying backward clutching at her middle. Blood began to seep through her laced fingers as she landed on her back and slid across the damp grass several feet away.

 

A sinister chuckle lit the air as the creature's face shifted back into that of Kagome's. “Stupid hanyou.” she rasped sitting up as Inuyasha leapt to his feet unsheathing tetsusaiga. “So you like it rough. Then let's see how well you play on my turf.”

 

Quite abruptly the forest fell way in a dizzying wave of light.

__________________

 

Sango gasped as a choked gurgling noise erupted from Kagome's throat. The young miko's body arched off of the ground, her hands clawing at the mat upon which she laid. On her dirt smudged school blouse blossomed a small pearl of crimson that continued to grow quite steadily over her stomach. With trembling fingers the she lifted the stained material, her eyes widening at the five lacerations furrowed deep into the miko's skin.

 

“Oh Gods…” she breathed in horror.

 

__________________

 

 

It took a short eternity for the moving landscape to stop its off-kilter spinning. Inuyasha clung to tetsusaiga using the transformed blade imbedded into the ground as an anchor to counter his disrupted equilibrium. When all stilled he found himself standing in a vast plain that spread as far as his youkai eyes could see.

 

Gray earth upon black sky blurred where they met on the horizon and a chill crept up the hanyou's spine as he felt the barren terrain tremble beneath his feet. There was nothing, no grass, no trees, no sound or scents of life that he could detect. It was a still wasteland, cold and dead save for the creature bearing Kagome's face.

 

It laughed, rising to its feet with regained strength. One hand lifted imploringly toward Inuyasha and he swallowed thickly watching the bloody fingers glisten sickly. But his revulsion shifted to anger as he noted that the wounds he had inflicted on the Kagome look-alike were completely healed leaving the previously shredded flesh of her stomach unblemished.

 

“My love,” she giggled. “Don't be so cross. We can go at this all night if you wish but would it not be better to make this as easy as possible and choose?”

 

The thought sickened him.

 

“Not fucking likely.” He snarled brandishing tetsusaiga. “You may look like Kagome but you're not her.”

 

“Am I not? I have her soul, her memories, and her love for you. I know that she wanted you. She was willing to taint herself because of her impure desires for you. And she was eager to die for you.” The Kagome doppelganger shook her head in mock sympathy. “She handed me her soul on a sliver platter because she knew that was what you secretly wanted. You wanted Kikyo to return to you.”

 

Each revelation was a hot knife in Inuyasha's chest. He was not certain he could trust the creature's words and he knew it could easily be a web of lies spun to make him doubt. But this time the taunting hit a nerve and no amount of reasoning could shake his sinking guilt.

 

After all, it was a twisted version the truth.

 

The face rippled and changed into that of Kikyo. “All you have to do is ask it of me and I will be yours once again for eternity.”

 

Never in Inuyasha's life had the desire to cry been so strong. It burned at the back of his throat choking his voice and making it difficult to draw in a breath. He gripped tetsusaiga's hilt willing his focus to return. He needed the anger. It helped keep his human heart at bay.

 

“Inuyasha…” she stepped closer.

 

The hanyou's temper snapped.

 

“Stay the fuck away from me you worthless piece of shit! Why would I settle for your illusions when I could have the real thing, huh? Did you ever think of that?”

 

The creature flinched and he sensed the hint of youki once again. Then it flared as Kikyo's familiar face contorted into an enraged grimace. “It will save you a lot of heartache to obey me and make your choice.”

 

“Feh. I obey no one but myself! I'm nobody's lapdog!”

 

The creature's eyes narrowed in displeasure at his casual disregard. “You will obey me.” she warned.

 

“First try this on for size.” Inuyasha smirked as he assumed his fighting stance. “Kaze No Kizu!”

 

The roar of the wind scar ripped through the barren space. The doppelganger reacted quickly throwing up a protective barrier that deflected the intended attack. From behind the invisible wall she laughed clearly amused at his failed attempt on her life.

 

“I suppose now would be a good time to mention that the harm you inflict upon me is reciprocated on your precious little miko. Should you kill me you will kill her as well.” She warned playfully.

 

“You lie!”

 

“I matters not if you believe me. Use your sword again and you will find out for yourself.” Her face changed to that of Kagome's as she let the barrier drop and held out her arms tauntingly. "Come on hanyou, what are you waiting for? Kill me already. It will certainly put an end to the confusion in your heart."

 

Inuyasha's grip tightened on tetsusaiga but he could not bring himself to strike again for fear that her cryptic warning would prove true. There had to be some way to bring this creature down without damaging Kagome's soul in the process. He just needed to know what the fuck he was up against.

 

Faking a confident smirk that he didn't feel he forced himself to compliment the creature. "I'm impressed. A youkai that can use the soul of a miko to disguise her youki... I never would have thought that was possible. How do you do it without getting purified?"

 

As she assessed his sincerity a cold glint entered the Kagome-look-a-like's eyes, one that turned the lucent gray orbs a steely silver. It was look he had never seen on Kagome's face and he vowed to never see again if he could just get her soul back where it belonged.

 

"How foolish do you think I am? I'm not going to let you lure me into giving you the necessary information to destroy me. Although at this point it would take nothing short of a miracle for you to overcome me and get that little bitch's soul back. You see, I was absorbed that half-breed abomination Naraku and his accumulated power has infused my own to an unimaginable level. I was lucky I am a Shinidama-chuu or else when he was destroyed I would have been destroyed with him." At Inuyasha's gasp of disbelief she cocked her head to the side curiously. "Are you surprised? Surely you knew that we Shinidama-chuu could take human form, like most youkai. Only my kind are an exception to every rule since we are not only bound to the mortal world but also to all realms beyond."

 

Inuyasha blinked. "I still don't understand why you need Kagome-"

 

"Because I want to be human!" She interrupted with an angry hiss. "I lived my entire existence till now with the empathy to feel human souls and their emotions but always lacking the ability to have such emotions myself. Even Naraku had felt immensely. His rage and lust for your precious Kikyo... it was all consuming for as long as he had kept his human heart. But even after he discarded that part of Onigumo the hatred still remained. So I waited all the while wondering why he felt that way. And through his eyes I saw those two miko's you covet. The dead one was cold and not as pure of heart as you like to think, after all she was only a clay shell with a stolen piece of a soul. She no longer possessed a heart, human or otherwise."

 

At the mention of Kikyo, Inuyasha saw red. "You're not fit to speak of her that way! She had more of heart than you ever will. She was good and kind, until the end. And that is something you will never understand!"

 

"Is that so? Then tell me why she gave me the opening I needed by trying to take your little miko's soul first?"

 

A shout of denial choked in his throat and he griped tetsusaiga for dear life. No... Kikyo would never... But even his anger couldn't kill the sick feeling of dread that filled him as doubt surfaced. He had never trusted Kikyo, even when she was alive. To say she held his complete faith in death was a lie that he couldn't tell himself. Not that he trusted the creature before him but... a part of him was not surprised. After all Kikyo had made attempts on Kagome's life before, why not do it again?

 

Hating the way his vision seemed to blur around the edges, Inuyasha looked away. Dragging in a ragged breath he struggled for composure as his heart was once again burdened by the sting of betrayal. "So why Kagome?" he whispered softly. "There are thousands of other souls that you could take. Why hers?"

 

"I wanted to know love. I wanted to know why her feelings for you were the only thing Naraku feared. Why it was the only thing he couldn't destroy..." seeing his stricken expression, cruel delight filled her voice. "At that final moment she heard you call Kikyo's name, you know. There she was nearly being torn apart from the amount of power pouring out of her and she still tried to save Kikyo because it would make you happy. Stupid fool should have saved herself. She is obviously weak and deserves her fate." the creature spat!

 

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He snarled as anger unlike anything he'd ever felt roared to life at the youkai's insults. His eyes flashed red, purple stripes appeared on his cheeks and only his grip on his sword kept his youki from taking full control and ripping the creature into tiny pieces.

 

Nobody talks about Kagome that way. Nobody...

 

“You will never understand her you pathetic son-of-a-bitch! Kagome doesn't belong here dealing with all this shit. She's too good for it. You can call her weak all you want but Kagome don't need to be anything more than what she is because she's my strength. As long as there is breath in my body I will find a way to get her soul back no matter what it takes!"

 

The soul-stealer laughed, her face changing to that of Kikyo. "You sound desperate hanyou. And don't forget you're running out of time."

 

Knowing she was right, panic flashed in his ruby-tinged eyes. "Then take my soul instead. I'll take her place if that's what you want."

 

"I'm touched... but no. Even if I did want hanyou powers, which I don't, I could never use them because you're still youkai like me. And I'm looking for a new mate... one strong and handsome like you."

 

"Not interested asshole!"

 

"Too bad." she sighed, raising her arms above her head as she stretched idly. Her face shifted back to that of Kagome. "Since you can't choose I think I'll take this form. Time is not linear here so best I am prepared. It will become permanent at any moment."

 

Inuyasha gritted his teeth in angry frustration as another wave of complete helplessness crashed over him. He had no idea what to do. There was nothing he could come up with short of trying to kill the creature and that would kill Kagome. He could never bring himself to hurt Kagome willingly... He winced. All he seemed to do was hurt her. Whether by words or by his actions, or in this case lack thereof, she always ended up in a bad situation. For once he had to do the right thing. It was more important now than ever. If only he knew what the right thing was because he was wasting precious time trying to figure it out.

 

I wish I knew what the hell to do.

 

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when a fizzle of power, heady and quite familiar, shot across his chest. He reached a hand to the spot feeling the power surge where the Shikon no Tama resided tucked securely in his haori.

 

Inuyasha pulled out the glowing jewel and held it the palm of his hand looking at it as if he'd never seen it before. In the flash of a second every fantasy he ever had containing the jewel and its power ran through his mind and in that moment he had an epiphany. Everything was suddenly so crystal clear that he was overcome by a feeling of calm. His youkai blood receded. He was focused. And for the first time in his life he knew exactly what he wanted, and it wasn't acceptance, or vengeance, or even unlimited power...

 

It was Kagome. Nothing more and nothing less.

 

Closing his fist around the jewel he poured every ounce of emotion he could muster into his thoughts as he whispered softly, "I whish for Kagome to live, for her to be happy and for her to have her soul back so she can live the life she wants..." The jewel flared and the sensation became increasingly painful, as if rejecting his wish. Inuyasha clutched it all the more tighter. "Damn it! Don't deny me this!"

 

A voice as cool as a winter gust blew across his mind. 'Is this what your heart truly desires?'

 

"More than anything." The answer poured from his lips in a fervent whisper without hesitation.

 

The jewel flared again and the pain increased ten-fold traveling up Inuyasha's arm and into his shoulder. In the far reaches of his mind he was aware of the Soul-stealer coming closer demanding to know what he was doing and who he was talking to, yet he couldn't concentrate on anything but the need to hold onto the Shikon-no-Tama no matter what.

 

'As you wish.' The voice replied.

 

A soft cry escaped his lips as pain exploded in an array of reds and golds engulfing his body, overtaking his vision and drowning out his hearing as the roar of undiluted power broke free of its glass restraints sweeping everything away in a bright vortex of gray and violet.

 

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A.N. - So before I get any questions… I have no idea if Kikyo's soul-stealers are truly that powerful. But I was trying to come up with something original and as far as I've seen this hasn't been done before (please correct me if I'm wrong) and I thought the idea was kind of interesting when it came to me.

 

Not to mention I was extremely bored…

 

I'm going to let you know that this isn't going to be a big epic, probably six or seven chapters at most. This is sort of my condensed conclusion to the anime. I'm sorry if I've ticked off any die hard Kikyo fans. And on that note I'm off to put some finishing touches on the rest of the fic and actually write the last chapter(s).

 

Thanks for reading!