InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome's Boom Box ❯ Crawling in the Dark ( Chapter 11 )

Kagome's Boom Box

Part 11

Inu Yasha hurried along at his usual fast pace, the boombox still playing the CD within. For once, he actually liked the beat of the new song playing, as it complimented his speedy, agile movements.

I will dedicate and sacrifice my every--thing

for just a seconds worth of how my story's ending

"Fool…" Inu Yasha muttered, never slowing his pace. "I'll tell you the story's ending-you live, you die-that's it!"

I wish I could know if the directions that I take

and all the choices that I make won't end up all for nothing

The hanyou came to a stop by a small stream and set the boombox down. In solitude, he could be as pensive as he wanted without interruption from the rest of the group. Furthermore, they wouldn't see the constantly shifting expressions on his face while he was thinking, something he fought to keep private even when the rest of them were all sleeping.

"Just what the hell am I doing?" he uttered, spitting to the side and scooping up water to wipe some sweat off of his face. "Feh, bet I'll get smooshed for this one… ah well."

Show me what it's for

Make me understand it

I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer

Is there something more

than what I've been handed?

I've been crawling in the dark

looking for the answer

Inu Yasha paused in his splashing to look at his reflection in the flowing water. A droplet of water dripped off of his face. It distorted his reflection for only a moment and was gone.

Even with the moon above, his image on the water's surface was dark, save for the amber glint of his canine eyes. He moved his head a bit to look at his face at different angles. Two fuzzy, white ears twitched simultaneously with his mirror image on the water.

Help me carry on

Assure me it's ok to

use my heart and not my eyes

to navigate the darkness

Bored, and mildly disgusted by his appearance, he moved away from the stream to settle himself up against the base of a tree. His arms and legs were crossed, and as usual, with his hands tucked into the sleeves. The boombox sat close beside him, still playing to a now somewhat intrigued audience. Inu Yasha closed his eyes, but was far from sleep.

Will the ending be ever coming suddenly?

Will I ever get to see the ending to my story?

The hanyou's thoughts wandered to deciphering the lyrics. Images of past battles, particularly those with Naraku, filtered into his mind. Even though he and the others somehow managed to survive every encounter with that bastard, how easy was it for them all to wiped out, just like that? He himself had taken the worst of it all, but then again, his demon blood made even impalings seem trivial.

Ok, perhaps trivial was a bit too light for that, but all the same, he'd taken a beating and jumped right back on his feet. If one of the others, even little Shippo, had suffered anything remotely similar, they would've been dead before they had time to suffer.

But the question plaguing him was, why did he even think about them?

Show me what it's for

Make me understand it

I've been crawling in the dark

looking for the answer

Is there something more

than what I've been handed?

I've been crawling in the dark

looking for the answer

He thought about what it would be like to see any of his fellow travelers dying of wounds he had lived to tell about. Inu Yasha found himself surprised that he didn't like the idea at all, even as he went from Sango to Shippo to Miroku to…

"Kagome…" he whispered her name and his heart clenched. He reached up and rubbed the spot on his chest where Kikyou's arrow had pierced him so long ago. Out of all the deaths his mind had conjured up, Kagome's had disturbed him the most, the imagined sting of her blood in his nose was vivid enough to make him shake his head, as though to dispel it.

Another horrid thought caused him to stare down at his claws as though they could him apart at any given moment. The one real fear that frequently snapped at him like his transformed brother's jaws was of being responsible for killing Kagome. All it would take would be for him to transform and that would be it. The passage of time had not dimmed the memory of the slaughter ensuing the battle with Gatenmaru.

So when and how will I know?

He clenched his fists and tucked them hastily back into his sleeves. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of that nightmare and how easily it could be repeated with much more terrifying results.

How much further do I have to go?

How much longer until I finally know? (finally know)

'cause I am looking and I just can't see what's in front of me

in front of me

Unbeknownst to Inu Yasha, someone was approaching. If he hadn't been so deep in concentration, he would have heard the individual long before it had even come half as close as it currently was. His ears were tuned in to the music and the thoughts it caused to process through him, and he was certain that he'd be able to smell anything that tried to attack him.

Show me what it's for

Make me understand it

I've been crawling in the dark

looking for the answer

Is there something more

than what I've been handed?

I've been crawling in the dark

looking for the answer

A thought occurred to Inu Yasha as the song came to a close; aside from not wanting to wake his companions, why had he come all the way out here and stolen Kagome's boombox? A secluded place such as this could be found much closer to home, so why here? And why, of all things, with this damned contraption of Kagome's?

The sensation of running, of running away, and with something to compliment it, had just felt good. In fact, running at night put him at ease, with the cool night air and thick vegetation of the forest all around him, soothing him. What had he to be in need of comfort from? The past, which, though buried inside him, was like a wound that forever refused to heal. And it wasn't just one wound-countless abuses and bad memories layered one on another, kept locked away behind a nasty attitude.

The person following him stopped in place and laid low, downwind of Inu Yasha. She carefully moved a stay strand of hair from her face as she watched the hanyou sitting there and listening to music. Her music.

"That's odd…" thought Kagome as she observed him. "I'm surprised he hasn't destroyed it yet… could he actually be… listening to it?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know, I know... this update is overdue. WHOA! (ducks an incoming flying chair) But hey, at least I did it, ne? Been putting this fic off for way too long.

If you don't know or remember who Gatenmaru is, he was that moth demon Inu Yasha ripped apart after going youkai. As soon as Gatenmaru was dead, the transformed Inu Yasha went on a rampage and slaughtered alot of people. I forgot if that was the episode where Sesshoumaru came and stopped him or not, but I know that there's a scene of Inu Yasha furiously trying to wash all the blood and the smell of it off of his hands in a stream. (the old 'Lady Macbeth' bit)

If you're wondering what Inu Yasha has to be disgusted about when looking at his reflection, well, he's disgusted with being a hanyou. Figured I'd mention that in case anyone didn't understand it.

Like it? Hate it? Tell me!