InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hanyou no kokoro no naka de; Within the Heart of the Half-Demon ❯ Death of the Shikon Priestess ( Chapter 19 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is © Rumiko Takahashi. Also - The song lyrics used in this chapter are from Ayumi Hamasaki's Forgiveness!! So those aren't mine either.

 

A/N: I've been so excited about this chapter ever since, like, I came up with the idea for the story. Many answers…many tears…much fluff. Here we goes!! Enjoy!

 

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åŠã‚ˆã† 㮠心ã®ä¸­ã§; Within the Heart of the Half-Demon

 

Chapter 19

 

Death of the Shikon Priestess

 

 

 

Night had fallen completely over the land once again. Naraku was walking sullenly through the forest alone, not even any demons at his side. A grim smirk had yet to leave his face as he thought about everything that was happening; all his plans were working out. Sesshomaru was on his side, Kikyou was on his side, and Miroku and Sango, the two humans he had captured, were on their way back to Inuyasha that very moment. It won't be long now, he thought, before I can exact my revenge on that half-breed, forever possess the Shikon Jewel, end the lives of all these miserable humans, and reign as the Great Youkai once again. He stopped his slow ambling and sat down against a tree, removing the large chest plate of the old armor from around him.

 

Setting it down on the ground next to him, he let out a heavy sigh. He was beginning to feel weak; it had been nearly four weeks since his last night as a human…

 

“I guess I'll get it over with now before it's time for me to face Inuyasha. I want to be at my best.” As he spoke, an enormous amount of energy fled from him as countless demon parts appeared in the immediate area surrounding him. He exhaled painfully, gripping tight to the Jewel in his hand. How he hated be human…it was such a pain. That, he thought, will be forever over once he became a full youkai. He dropped his arms over a nearby pulsing demon part, letting his body relax. Revenge on that half-breed… he repeated to himself as memories that he had forgotten while his youkai powers were inside of him began to find their way back into his heart…

 

Kikyou walked back toward her home on the edge of the forest where she lived with the old priestess Kaede. She carried with her an empty pail, her hair wet and she was wearing all white, obviously returning from a bath in the river. She set the pail down next to the front door of her home, ringing out her clothes a bit. A sound from the trees in the direction of the castle startled her, her eyes shooting up, glancing around for whatever it was that was nearby.

 

“Who's there?” her clear, beautiful voice called out.

 

A man on a brown mare emerged from the trees. He was wearing the armor of a soldier, his wavy black hair pulled back into a low pony tail. He smiled down at the young priestess. She blushed slightly, knowing that she was not dressed for the occasion of meeting someone, but smiled back at him nonetheless.

 

“Good day, m'lady,” the man said, dismounting his horse and walking toward her. His voice was deep and a bit scratchy, but very kind.

 

She bowed, one hand holding to a thick lock of black hair as it dripped onto the stone walkway in front of her house. She looked closer at the man, knowing that he was familiar, but she was unable to place him.

 

The man saw her expression, and reading it with a laugh. “I am Naraku, the king's royal advisor,” he said with a small bow.

 

Her eyes filled with surprise and a hint of embarrassment as she nodded. “Oh! Yes, my lord. What brings you out to a place like this?”

 

“I had a question for the lady Kaede,” he replied with a smile. “Is she in?”

 

Kikyou looked back in the house through a window. “I'm afraid she is not. She has already left this morning for the shrine. She might not return until later.”

 

He nodded. “Oh, okay then.”

 

“Can I pass the news on to her?”

 

Naraku watched her play with her wet hair for a moment, blinking his thoughts away as he began to shake his head. “Um - no, that's okay. I will speak with her some other time.”

 

Kikyou nodded, noticing the man's strange looks he was giving her. She threw the lock of hair behind her, backing to her door. “Shall I tell her you stopped by?”

 

“That won't be necessary,” he said quickly. Kikyou flinched at his odd tone. “I'll find her now. Thank you, m'lady.” He bowed politely. She nodded, pulling back the curtain that hung over the entrance. He turned back toward his horse, giving her another glance before she disappeared into her home.

 

Placing his foot in the straddle, he lifted himself back onto the horse and rode swiftly away. “Quite a beauty,” he mumbled with a smile.

 

Naraku smiled at the memory. That had been the first time he had ever talked to the girl since he'd become the king's advisor. She had, after all, been the reason he had first entered into service at the castle. Her deep, sad brown eyes and raven black hair…she had been so much of what he had looked for in a woman.

 

A mockingly sad smile spread over his tired face. “Hmph,” he half chuckled. “Too bad she was in love with that…half-demon.” The smile left his face as Inuyasha popped into his mind. He raised his clutched fist into the air, quivering. “And she could have been with me…I will be the most powerful youkai in the world once again. And her life would have been spared.”

 

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Inuyasha cracked a stick in half, throwing it into the fire that was burning ardently on the cleared ground between him and the princess. Unable to go without any more sleep, Kagome had insisted they stop and rest for the night; they were all exhausted, anyway. No one had spoken for some time, and the quietness of the evening Kagome found very comforting. After all the chaos that had abruptly entered her usually normal, peaceful life in the past few days, she was very grateful to be given at least one night of tranquility. Even the usually blabbering hanyou was showing signs of fatigue and had kept his mouth closed for a while.

 

Kirara had long fallen asleep in a ball next to the fire, worn out after so much flying that day. Shippo sat next to her, tossing small twigs into the fire and watching with fascination as they lit and disappeared. Kagome watched him, unable to keep a smile from forming on her face at his childish game. Inuyasha stared blankly into the flames, wishing that they could have kept going. It had taken the princess a lot of persuasion to make him stay, but he had. He was, after all, just as done in as everyone else. His blank stare had not changed, his head resting on his palm, his eyes half-closed in utter exhaustion. Every once in a while, he would shift his eyes up to Kagome's face then back at the fire. Something about her tonight…

 

It had only been a day an a half since they had left Miatsu's cave with many of the answers they had been searching for. A sudden remembrance of that fact popped into Kagome's mind as she lifted her eyes to Inuyasha's face. The quest to break the curse had seemingly come to a stand-still as they rested. Though worried about her friends that were absent, she knew that they all needed rest and that Sango and Miroku were big enough to take care of themselves. The curse did not hinder their ability to survive. The curse… Kagome thought sadly.

 

Inuyasha could feel the princess's gaze on him as he stared at the fire, but he chose not to meet her eyes and kept his concentrated on the lively flames.

 

We learned about a lot of stuff that day at Miatsu's cave, Kagome's thoughts continued. A lot of terrible facts about this curse. She was beginning to regret stopping for the night as she thought about Shippo, Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha's fate. As bad as she wanted to continue, however, she knew she needed to take a break. Yeah, too bad I can't fall asleep. Her eyes had not left Inuyasha's face. I wonder what it is about his part of the curse that he refuses to share with us...

 

Inuyasha began to get fidgety under Kagome's stare. Why won't she look away!?!

 

“Inuyasha?” she said suddenly, nearly scaring the hanyou out of his skin.

 

“Hm?” he mumbled, finally lifting his gaze to her. Amber met brown. The reflection of the fire in her eyes caught his attention and he could not help but notice how pretty her eyes were, his breath slightly hitching in his throat. It was strange how much the light of the fire changed her appearance. She looked down at her lap, then back at him, his eyes softening as their gazes remained locked.

 

“What is it about what's happened to you and the curse that you're not telling me?” she asked bluntly.

 

The affection and softness that he knew was showing on his face against his will immediately dissipated. He straighten his back, looking at her with a look that screamed `how could you ask me that?' cruelly, almost hurtfully. “What the hell kind of question is that!?!”

 

She drew back slightly at his harsh tone. She knew he wouldn't be ready and willing to share the information, but…

 

“I become a demon on the night of the full moon.” He dropped his voice, seeing her reaction, but not losing his anger. “That's all you need to know.” He turned his back to her suddenly, crossing his arms.

 

Kagome recovered from his outburst, lowering her eyebrows in frustration as she leaned toward him, careful not to forget about the fire, and thus burn herself. “You know, you should at least tell someone! We might be able to help you if you would stop closing yourself off from us all the time!” He did not flinch at her words. “Sango, Miroku and I are on your team! Why can't you just talk to me?”

 

His look turned from anger to sadness, but he did not turn around. The mention of the subject caused Kikyou's face faded in and out of his head. It's not that I don't want you to know… he admitted to himself. I trust that you'll be okay with it, but… images came back into his mind of that night…the last time he ever saw Kikyou. His heart began aching again. I don't think I could tell you. It would be too hard for me to…talk about it. About her…

 

Kagome waited patiently for several long minutes watching him, but he did not turn around to face her. She sighed, thinking that she would probably be wise to drop the whole topic before their peaceful night became yet another argument. No…I don't want to give up. I want to know what is hurting him so badly… She took a deep breath, trying to control herself and not give way for an outburst of anger. “Please, Inuyasha,” she pleaded sadly. “I really want you to talk to me.”

 

The hanyou closed his eyes as if to keep tears from falling, but he felt no need to cry. He hurt even more at her concern for him and that he knew he could not tell her. Is it because I'm afraid of what she'll think? What she'll do? What she'll say? He sighed again. “Kagome…”

 

She was surprised at his soft, tender voice. “Inu…”

 

His face tightened, and knowing that he could not share with her he resorted to the only way of settling things that he knew how. “Damn it, Kagome! Why can't you just drop it?! I don't want to tell you, so leave me alone!!” With a loud huff, he fell over to his side, laying his head on a rock as if to appear asleep. He exhaled heavily, trying his very best to sound as angry as he thought he was.

 

The change of tones shocked her, and she sat unmoving, watching him lay on the ground knowing that he would not talk to her. She raised a hand to her cheek and touched it absentmindedly. His yell had not only surprised her, but it hurt as well. Without another word to him or anyone, she too laid down where she sat, staring crossly up at the sky.

 

A few minutes passed, but the princess was still unable to fall asleep. She would ever so often glance at Inuyasha, who had yet to move from where he had so arrogantly laid. Shippo still sat awake, but had not opened his mouth or thrown any more twigs into the fire since the silence of the night had been broken. He hurt for both Inuyasha and Kagome, and thinking that the hanyou might be asleep, he knew he had to do something.

 

“He hasn't always been like that, you know,” the kitsune said softly.

 

Kagome snapped out of her thoughts and sat up, looking as Shippo through the flames of the fire. He was gazing sadly into them, taking notice that she had risen at his comment. “What do you mean, Shippo?” She looked over at Inuyasha, be sure that he was not also listening. He had not moved. He must have already fallen asleep, poor thing.

 

“He hasn't always been so angry all the time,” Shippo replied.

 

“Well, he isn't angry all the time. He's nice every once in a while.”

 

“Did you know he used to smile a lot?”

 

For some reason, the thought of seeing Inuyasha truly happy made Kagome grin. “No, I guess I didn't.”

 

Shippo nodded, smiling sadly, remembering obviously happier times. “One time, after he had first let me join him after my family died, I was swimming in the river, which was something I never got to do because it had been dangerous, but Inuyasha promised to protect me from the bigger youkai…so this one time I was swimming in the river and I got where it was too deep.” His sad tone had turned into one of a young child telling a story to a friend. Kagome smiled at his excitement. “And I knew how to swim, I really did, but for some reason I panicked and before my head even went under water Inuyasha scooped me out and set me on the shore. It scared me, but after he made sure I was okay he started…laughing. At first I thought he was laughing at me and I got mad, but when I looked closer, he was laughing because he was really happy.”

 

Inuyasha put his hands on his hips, lifting his head toward the sky in laughter.

 

“What's so funny!” Shippo demanded.

 

Inuyasha tried speaking though his laughing fits. “I'm sorry - Shippo, but that was - I really was worried about you for a second there.” He laughed again. “I haven't been worried about anyone as far back as I can remember!” He stopped his laughing, looking down at the kit with a huge smile. “It felt kind of good.”

 

Shippo smiled back at him, but was taken aback as the hanyou's arm suddenly swooped down, lifting him into the air. Almost in panic, he flailed his arms out wildly, but relaxed when he found he was sitting on Inuyasha's shoulder, his young amber eyes fixed on the child, a sincere smile on his face.

 

“I'm glad you're around, kid.”

 

Kagome listened to Shippo's story, beaming with delight at this sanguine version of Inuyasha. It sounded so strange, and giving the hanyou a quick look, she saw it nearly impossible that this boy in Shippo's story and the temperamental half-breed could be the same person. However impossible it sounded, though, it made her smile, a little bit of hope glimmering inside of her. But what kind of horrible thing would have to happen for someone to change like that?

 

“What…happened, Shippo? What made him change?”

 

Giving the girl another sad look, the fox looked back into the fire, still smiling a truly melancholy smile as the memories came back… “You…” he hesitated before continuing. “You've heard of the priestess called Kikyou, haven't you?”

 

Kagome was a bit stunned at the mention of her name. “Kikyou? Why, yes I've heard of her. She was a priestess of the Shikon Jewel. She died a few months back. Her tomb is inside the shrine.”

 

Shippo nodded. “Well, before her death she lived in a small house with Kaede-sama at the edge of the kingdom.”

 

“Yes!” Kagome said with a smile, “Kaede-sama still lives there now! Sango, Miroku, and I were only just there.”

 

The fox nodded again, as if signaling politely for her to stop interrupting. She seemed to have got the message as she dropped her hands into her lap and shut her mouth.

 

The kit looked up into the tree tops, the memories coming back. “It was about a year after Kirara and I had come under the protection of Inuyasha. For the longest time I did not even know what happened to him on the nights of the new moon, mostly because I was gone on those nights.” His voice trailed off a bit as he swallowed his last words, recalling the monster that he became. He tried to not let that get to him as he continued. “Well since he was a human, he would tend to drift his nightly wandering toward the kingdom. On several occasions he said that he had visited the village that he used to live in before the exile of all youkai. Well, on this night he had walked only as far as the edge of the forest. He had never seen it before, but there was Kaede-sama's house. It was then that he noticed the young lady Kikyou out, seeing her for the first time. He said he tried to get away without being seen by the priestess, but he was unsuccessful.”

 

“And that's when they met?” Kagome asked excitedly.

 

Shippo nodded. “He visited her on the nights of the new moon every month for a while so that she would not find out about him being a half-demon since it was against the law for any youkai to be within the kingdom boundaries. Even when Kikyou and Kaede-sama found out about him being a half-demon, they didn't really seem to care, so Inuyasha started going to see them more often. A few times, Kaede-sama and Kikyou would come out and talk to me and Kirara.”

 

Shippo and the small neko waited patiently near a tree on the edge of the forest. From where they sat, they could see Kaede-sama's house in the distance. Inuyasha had gone that night and left them waiting again. The kitsune's head popped up in attention as he heard the sound of movement from the house. He looked and saw Inuyasha coming back out only minutes after he had gone in, two priestesses following him.

 

Kikyou's laugh rang like bells through the night at a comment the hanyou made. The old priestess caught sight of the small youkai hiding in the forest, walking to them.

 

“Are these your friends, Inuyasha?” she asked, nearing them.

 

He nodded proudly, giving the girl at his side a quick glance. “Yup. Shippo and Kirara.”

 

Kaede smiled as she made eye contact with the fox. “My, you've gotten big.”

 

The comment puzzled Shippo, but he did not question her. Kikyou walked up to him too, kneeling beside Kaede, a warm smile showing from her pale face in the dark of the night.

 

“Shippo-chan?”

 

The nervous fox took a step toward her. “Lady Kikyou?”

 

She smiled bigger. “Hello. I've heard a lot about you from Inuyasha.”

 

Shippo seemed to beam with pride and happiness at that comment, puffing his small chest out just a little bit. “And I've heard a lot about you too, my lady.”

 

His politeness made her smile once again as she rose to her feet. Inuyasha had made his way slowly toward them until he stood right behind her, his silver hair gleaming in the moonlight. Kirara leaped from the ground, landing with a cheerful “Mew” on the young priestess's shoulder. She laughed in delight, rubbing her nails over the top of the cat's head.

 

“Nice to meet you, Kirara.”

 

Shippo decided that he really liked this girl that Inuyasha seemed to have such an infatuation for lately. She seemed to kind and happy; the only human girl he had ever met, and he liked her. Kaede-sama retired early that night, but Kikyou stayed out conversing with Shippo and Kirara much of the night. The fox had finally understood why Inuyasha was in such high spirits all the time. It was because of her.

 

“Did they fall in love?” Kagome asked.

 

A sudden sound off to the side of the fire jolted the princess and the fox out of the story as their heads shot toward Inuyasha. The hanyou had not moved at all, but Kagome could have sworn she heard him flinch.

 

Shippo blushed at the thought of Inuyasha and Kikyou having been in love…he was just a little kid after all. Kagome noticed his shyness and laughed quietly. Before the fox spoke again, however, the thought occurred to Kagome: Had they been in love? I guess if they had that would sort of explain Inuyasha's change in character…the girl he had been in love with died. How sad! She looked back over to him. The thought of Inuyasha being in love with someone gave her a weird feeling. It was just over all weird that he would fall in love in the first place…

 

“So what - happened, Shippo-chan?”

 

Shippo looked down at his lap. “There's lots of things that I never told Inuyasha that I heard from the other youkai. There was lots of talk about the king and stuff mostly because no one really liked him for exiling us…but anyway…Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older brother, had been talking once when I was around and he had said something about the King's advisor being in love with Kikyou too. Of course, Kikyou didn't love him because she - er - loved…Inuyasha.” Kagome nodded, trying to keep up with everything. “So I knew about it for the longest time, but I never suspected that anything was wrong between Kikyou and Inuyasha. But then…”

 

It was evening. The moon was only one night away from being full, so Inuyasha had left a little earlier so he and Kikyou could be together longer since it would be a couple more nights before he could come back. The sun had not completely set, so there was still plenty of light around. The hanyou made his way quickly and quietly toward Kaede-sama's house where Kikyou would be. Shippo and Kirara were holding tight to his back as he ran.

 

Upon reaching the edge of the forest, Inuyasha set the tiny youkai on the ground behind a tree, noticing some strange scents coming from ahead.

 

“You two stay here, I'm gonna go check it out and see what's going on.”

 

They nodded and he took off toward the hut. Before he even saw anything, he recognized the scent of many men. He looked around, seeing Kikyou standing on the porch of the small house, her fingers interlaced, resting under her chin. He could smell saline - she had been crying.

 

“Kikyou…” he said softly.

 

She dropped her eyes as the men Inuyasha had smelled emerged from around the grove of trees; one on the front on a horse. Shippo and Kirara had peeked around the tree where they were hiding in the darkness of the forest and watched the scene unfold. The man on the horse dismounted, a smirk on his face that gave Inuyasha the chills. He approached the hanyou, his long black, wavy hair blowing back in the chilling wind.

 

“Inuyasha…” his voice rang dark and cold, even giving Kikyou the creeps. She watched, a tear rolling down her cheek. On look into her eyes and Inuyasha saw the fear and sadness. What was going on?

 

He took a step back from the man that continued walking closer to him. “You know…I'm not a big fan of people who make a habit of breaking the law.”

 

The hanyou was too frazzled to even try and make a comeback. He continued stepping back until a log met his path and he fell backwards, landing on his rear. A roar of laughter rose from the men that surrounded him. The dark haired man reached down and grabbed Inuyasha by the front of his haori, lifting him back into the air.

 

“I'm so glad Lady Kikyou warned us about you sneaking into the kingdom…I don't know how long it would have gone on other wise.”

 

Inuyasha grimaced at the position he was in. He wanted to look at Kikyou, but he could not move his head in that direction. Was that the truth? Had Kikyou - Had she really told on him??

 

“Kikyou…” he said under his breath.

 

“Naraku! Let him go!!” Kikyou yelled, fighting back more tears. Inuyasha barely heard her as he tried to breathe.

 

He laughed, pulling Inuyasha's face closer to his own. “Time for you to meet the justice system of his Royal Highness. Which is it, mutt? The guillotine or the gallows?”

 

Inuyasha growled a low, almost inaudible growl, reaching his hand up. “Get your dirty hands off a me!” he yelled as best he could, lunging his open hand toward Naraku's throat. He struck, sending a scream from him, as both of them went tumbling to the ground. Naraku instantly released his hold of Inuyasha and the hanyou leaped to his feet, looking back at the man that lay on the ground. “Should I kick him the face or kill him on the spot?” he whispered to himself.

 

At Inuyasha's release, men from all around sprung forth, some with weapons some with ropes and nets. Kikyou, Shippo and Kirara watched in horror as Inuyasha was attacked by the king's royal guards. He ripped through some of the ropes and nets, only to be met with the brunt of the slayer's weapons. He had nearly escaped when, like a lasso, a rope caught his foot and he slammed hard to the cold ground. It hurt, and he had to freeze there to find his breath. He opened one eye to see Kikyou still standing there, only watching the hanyou's demise.

 

He muttered her name to himself. Why was she just standing there watching?? Had she really brought these men here? Before he could move, the dark haired man (whose name Inuyasha still did not know) approached him and knelt near his face, lifting his chin so that he could see his eyes - eyes full of despair.

 

“Just a worthless half-breed.” He helped Inuyasha stand up while the other men tied the ropes around his arms and body. Naraku looked back at Kikyou. “Thank you again for turning in this trouble maker, Lady Kikyou.”

 

Inuyasha kept his face downcast, his mind over flowing with confusion, questions, anger, and sadness. He lifted his head as a man behind tied the final knot around his arms. Catching Kikyou's eye for a mere second, he tried to ask “Why?” but the priestess's face grew somewhat cold and she turned and went into her house. Inuyasha lost all sense.

 

“Kikyou!!” he called angrily. “Get back here!”

 

A man behind him hit him hard in the back of the head, and he saw a bright flash of light, feeling as if he were going to pass out. He caught his footing, spinning around faster than lightning and kicking the man in the jaw with his still free legs, sending him flying backwards into some brush. Turning back around, he yelled into the hut again.

 

“Kikyou! Why!?!”

 

Naraku began to move to shut him up, but before he could do anything, Inuyasha ripped the ropes off his arms with ease, punching the man hard in the gut. A weapon flew at him, but he deflected it. Leaping into the air, he turned his head back to the hut once again. “You…traitor!” With that, he leaped into the forest and disappeared from everyone's sight.

 

Kagome sat on the ground, staring blankly at Shippo. “Did she really betray him like that? Just like…that?”

 

Shippo looked off to one side. “Inuyasha disappeared that night and left Kirara and I there. I guess he forgot about us because he never came back. When morning had come, all the men had cleared from Kaede-sama's place, and Kikyou had not come out of the hut since Inuyasha had left. We didn't know what to do so we just stayed there. I wanted to go and talk to Kikyou and see why she had done that to him, but I was afraid that she would turn me and Kirara in too, so I never did. We waited all day without a sign of him, and when the sun was about to set we knew he wouldn't be coming because it was the night of the full moon.”

 

“Did he come back?”

 

Shippo shook his head. “No. Night came and with it, the cold darkness. We knew that Inuyasha had gone far away so that in his youkai form he wouldn't kill anyone. That's what he always did. So it was dark, and Kirara and I were still sitting on the ground where we had been all day when we heard a sound for the first time. It was Kikyou. She had finally come out. I looked really close and could tell she had been crying. Her arms were folded in front of her like this,” he said, crossing his small arms over the front of his body, interlocking his fingers. “And she was looking up at the sky. I had seen her do that a million times when she was waiting for Inuyasha to come home. I wanted so badly to go to her and talk to her again, but I was still afraid.”

 

“What do you think she's doing, Kirara?” Shippo whispered.

 

Kirara shrugged as best as a cat could, keeping her eyes focused on the priestess who was wandering aimlessly to and fro in the clearing. She came to a stop, dropping her arms to her sides as she looked straight up, inhaling deeply.

 

“Oh, Inuyasha…” she said in a weak, tired voice. “I'm so sorry…”

 

Looking down she began humming, at first quietly and even the youkai watching her could not hear the words she was saying. But upon lifting her head again to the sky, the words became quite clear…

 

“kitto dare mo ga ai wo mamoru sono tame ni…kitto dare mo ga nanika wo shinjite itai…” her voice was so clear and beautiful that Shippo almost completely forgot what had been going on, losing himself in this lady's beautiful song.

 

Then the song ended, and Kikyou dropped her head into her hands, crying. She knew Inuyasha wasn't coming tonight…she knew he probably would never come again. She had…betrayed him.

 

Suddenly there was a loud crash of a tree falling from not very far from where Shippo and Kirara hid. Everyone looked to where a tree lay flat on the ground, leaves and dust still falling through the air. The tree was cleanly cut; cleaner than any lumberjack could ever cut it. The kitsune had no doubts on who was near - only one person he knew could cut a tree like that…

 

The forest fell silent for a few long seconds before a red streak burst from the tree tops into the sky, silver hair flailing wildly about after him. With a front flip, Inuyasha landed in the clearing between Kikyou and Shippo. His eyes glowed a red brighter than his haori, blood from an apparent previous killing still dropping from his claws. The priestess gasped in horror as the once kind, loving Inuyasha paced toward her ready to kill. Shippo, in a moment of courage leaped from his hiding spot, yelling the hanyou's name and running toward him. Kikyou noticed him, too stunned with fear to do anything, but Inuyasha did not seem to see or hear him at all…his eyes remained fixed on Kikyou.

 

The curtain that hung over the door to the hut flung open, Kaede-sama running out with a bow drawn.

 

“Kaede! Run inside!” Kikyou warned.

 

“Nonsense. I will not let you face that demon unarmed.”

 

The reference to her Inuyasha as “that demon” made her hurt even worse. Kaede suddenly fired a sacred arrow at him, he dodged the path, grabbing the arrow as it passed him, and threw it back at her. She moved aside and it landed on the ground near her house.

 

Inuyasha flicked his hand, slinging much of the blood off and onto the ground. He smirked, wiping his cheek with his other hand. “Well, bitch…aren't you gonna run?” His voice was scratchy and raw with a desire to kill.

 

Kikyou flinched at his words, taking a step backwards. She had never seen him this way before…he hadn't been joking when he said he was a monster. He really did intend to kill her! Before anyone else moved, Kikyou turned to the older priestess. With one more look at the monster that was once Inuyasha, she ran to her, grabbing the old lady by the upper arm and running into the hut.

 

Inuyasha smirked again. “Alright then…do it the easy way.”

 

He jumped up into the air again, drawing a hand into the air, ready to strike. He came down fast onto the hut, bursting through the roof, shattering it to bits. He heard both women scream, which only made him more excited to slaughter her. Even as a youkai, he had a goal…only to kill his betrayer. He looked around quickly, seeing the older lady in a corner, but she was not who he was after. Where had Kikyou gone?

 

A bowl of incense was knocked over in his madness, landing in the hearth and lighting the house in flames. He saw the old woman run out of the building. He was still looking for her…

 

A cry came from under a piece of the roof on which he stood. Stepping back, he pulled the plank back, an injured Kikyou laying on the floor, the fire now encircling them. She looked at him, tears pouring from her eyes from the physical pain, but even more the emotional pain. He began laughing, a cold, cruel laugh that made the priestess shudder. His laugh came to an end and he looked down at her, straight into her eyes.

 

“This has been fun, jajauma…traitor…”

 

She swore she heard a tinge of regret in his voice.

 

He threw the plank back that he had been holding up over her, taking a few steps toward her until he was standing directly over her. Giving her one last evil smirk…

 

Kagome gasped, her hands covering her gaping mouth.

 

“The burning house,” Shippo continued. “fell partly and Kirara and I saw him…” he paused, biting back tears, “saw him kill her. Her scream still echoes in my head sometimes when someone brings her up. Either that or the song she was singing. Both are sad.”

 

The princess didn't move, her hands still over her mouth. So that was the reason Inuyasha had been so reserved about his curse…it wasn't actually a part of the curse that hurt him…but what the curse did.

 

“Kirara and I didn't see Inuyasha for weeks after that,” Shippo continued. “We couldn't stay there anymore, so we went back to Goshinboku. We didn't know if he would ever come back. We began wondering if maybe he had been caught or killed…or maybe even -” The thought had occurred to them back then that he had killed himself, but it was something that was hard for the poor kit to say. “Finally he came back one day. He came back to us, but he was never the same.”

 

Unable to hold it back anymore, Kagome dropped her head into her hands and cried. “That's so…sad!” she managed to say. She looked back at Inuyasha, who she hadn't seen move at all the whole time. She didn't know what to do…how tragic.

 

“Kagome?” Shippo asked in concern. “Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry.”

 

Not wanting the poor kid to feel guilty, she scooped him up in her arms and hugged him. “No, Shippo-chan. It's okay. It's not your fault.” She knew that was true - it was her fault. No one else's. She began to wander why something like that had happened and she never heard about it. I guess they just wanted to keep the whole ordeal quite, she thought, still crying a bit. She looked down at Shippo, who was rubbing the last of his tears from under his eyes, followed by a huge yawn. She smiled. “You better get to sleep, little one. We're off early in the morning…we have to break the curse.”

 

Shippo nodded, laying down next to Kirara. “Okay. Good night, Kagome.”

 

He closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep before Kagome had even a chance to reply. She looked at the fire again, knowing she should follow her own advice and go to sleep, but she couldn't, especially now with all this new information on her mind. She kept picturing scenes from the stories that Shippo had told her.

 

Subconsciously, she began singing softly. “kitto dare mo ga ai wo mamoru sono tame ni…” She sighed, looking up through the trees at the sky beyond. “Oh, Inuyasha. I'm so sorry…” she said, looking over at him, his back still facing her. “All your pain…everything you went through with Kikyou…it's all because of me. Just like everything else bad that happens,” she said rather bitterly.

 

“It isn't your fault.”

 

Kagome jumped, staring wide-eyed at the hanyou as he sat up, turning to face her. “Inuyasha! You're awa—”

 

“Yeah. Seems like you're not the only one who can't go to sleep now…”

 

She gasped softly. “You heard everything…”

 

He smiled sadly and nodded. “It's not like it's a surprise…I was there when it happened. Hearing about it isn't near as bad, especially when it's coming from an eight-year-old.” As he spoke, he moved a little closer to her until they were sitting next to each other. But, he admitted to himself, Shippo did tell her a lot more things than I knew happened.

 

A comfortable silence followed, like the one that had been earlier that night before they had broken into an argument. Such petty fights…there really were more important things in this world, and Kagome was beginning to see that clearer than ever. Arguing with Inuyasha was the last thing on her mind.

 

“I'm so sorry, Inuya—”

 

“Don't apologize. It isn't your fault.”

 

“But…”

 

He quickly put a hand over her mouth, coming close to her face. She stared at him in surprise, he stared into her eyes studying them carefully. They stayed that way for a moment, neither of them saying a thing. Kagome had never seen his eyes this close up before, and she found herself drawn into them. They didn't seem as hard as the usually did. Perhaps the entire mood of the night had softened them, after all, she now knew more about him than most anyone else did. The fact that he hadn't removed his hand from her face occurred to her, and her stomach began fluttering. He felt the heat in her lips that he suddenly realized he was touching and slowly drew his hand back, their eye contact not breaking.

 

Her eyes look a lot like…Kikyou's… he thought, but quickly pushed that thought aside. They were still a bit moist from the tears that were quickly drying. He wanted to reach up and brush her tears away, but he kept himself from doing so… The deep brown was enchanting, but so much more alive than Kikyou's had ever been. Before he realized it, he was completely lost in her eyes.

 

“Inu-yasha?” Kagome said softly, her warm breath brushing across his lips. He found himself drawing closer to her in reply. Her cheeks were heating until she could have sworn they were on fire. “Inuyasha…” she said again, this time closing her eyes, unsure of what exactly what going on. Then Kagome felt something hit her shoulder and rest there. She opened her eyes, finding that Inuyasha had laid his head forward, resting his forehead on the edge of her shoulder. She breathed a sigh of relief.

 

The flames in the fire had died, leaving the forest very dark. She looked down at his silver hair, the only part of him she could see in the dark from her perspective. He inhaled, taking in her scent. “Kagome…” he said finally, his voice low and hoarse, sounding as if he was trying not to cry. For the first time in nearly a year, he felt he had someone he could truly trust and fully depend on. He didn't know what it was about her and her aura, but he felt safe there. Never had the story of him and Kikyou been shared with anyone. Now that he had someone that understood his pain and be there for him, he wasn't sure how he had gone so long without one…without her. Sure Shippo and Kirara had always stayed by him, but it was far different than her. Kirara, for one couldn't speak, and Shippo was only eight.

 

He flinched slightly as she placed a hand on the back of his head, lightly stocking his sliver hair. She leaned her head closer to his. She was not trying to be seductive, only comforting. And it worked. The tension that had long built in the hanyou's muscles seemed to evaporate at her touch. He whispered her name again.

 

“You don't have to be scared of your feelings, Inuyasha. I know what it's like to be hurt.” She smiled. “I hope that we can trust each other more from now on. I really do hope so.”

 

“Kagome,” He smiled, even though she couldn't see it. “Thank you.”