InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Nightmares of the Soul ❯ Enter the Darkness ( Chapter 1 )

This story is dedicated to my wonderful, talented, awesome editor, Sue Sue Magoo.

Thank you for all your help!

 

 

Enter the Darkness

 

“Come on, Inuyasha!” Kagome said furiously.

 

“Keh! Forget it!”

 

Kagome watched, grinding her teeth, as the hanyou shot to his feet and leaped into a nearby tree. Why did he have to be so stubborn!

 

The group was once again camping out in a forest for the night in their search for jewel shards. They hadn't been having any luck lately in their search, and the whole group had been feeling downcast. Miroku, in an attempt to cheer them up, had launched into an entertaining story about his childhood. For the rest of the evening, they had all swapped fun stories of their early days, reminiscing about times past and people gone, but enjoying themselves nonetheless.

 

Inuyasha, however, had refused to participate. He had sat outside the circle of the light from the fire, leaning against the trunk of a tree, his face in shadow. He hadn't commented, hadn't laughed even once, and he had not told them a single story about himself. He'd flat out refused to have a thing to do with them.

 

Kagome didn't understand. The hanyou was notoriously reticent, but that didn't mean he couldn't listen to their stories, or at least sit near them. But the stubborn hanyou insisted on sitting by himself, doing nothing but pout in the dark.

 

“Inuyasha! There's no harm in telling us one story!” Kagome yelled at him as he disappeared into the shadows of the thick branches of the sprawling tree. “At least come down!”

 

“Forget it!” Inuyasha spat from his dark hideout. “I ain't coming down and you can't make me!”

 

Kagome briefly considered showing him just how wrong he was about that.

 

Miroku, who sat by the fire beside Sango, shook his head. “Just leave him alone, Kagome. When he gets in one of his moods, there's no reasoning with him.”

 

A loud snort came from the direction Inuyasha had disappeared. Kagome wanted to scream in frustration. Why couldn't Inuyasha ever just cooperate? Why did he have to be so stubbornly mysterious about his past? Did he think they would think less of him if he told them some childhood stories? Did he see it as a weakness?

 

She sighed in resignation. “All right, Inuyasha,” she called, “you don't have to tell a story. Just come back.”

 

There was a slight pause. “No way, wench!” came the snarly reply. “Just leave me alone!”

 

“Inuyasha,” she screamed in the hanyou's general direction, “you are such a jerk!” Stooping, she grabbed her bow and arrows. “I'm going for a walk.” She snapped at the others, who were staring at her in shock, not brave enough to argue with her.

 

Kagome stomped off into the dark forest, following a game trail. It wasn't so much that Inuyasha wouldn't share stories with them. That didn't upset her, she knew it wasn't really in his nature to be open like that. What angered her so much was that he was always distancing himself from her, always running away every time they started to get closer. He kept rebuilding the wall between them every time she got a little closer getting past it. She wanted him to open up to her, to trust her. But he was always backing away, always keeping his distance from her. Why did he do it? What was he afraid of?

 

She stomped through the trees, anger and frustration twisting inside her. It wasn't fair. All she wanted to do was get closer to him, and he kept pushing her away.

 

Kagome suddenly jerked to a stop. She could sense . . . something. A strange presence. She hesitated, wondering what to do. It didn't feel like a demon . . .

 

She slowly began to make her way towards the strange presence. She couldn't resist. It felt like it was calling her, drawing her towards it. She walked through the trees, peering ahead into the shadows and darkness.

 

Pushing a branch out of her way, she gasped as her eyes fell on the small shrine nestled in the trees at the edge of a small clearing. Simple and rustic, the shrine had an air of peace about it. Kagome moved to stand in the center of the clearing, staring at the shrine. The unfamiliar presence tugged at her, pulling her towards the door of the temple. She gave in to the pull and walked forwards.

 

Pushing open the doors, she peered into the dim interior of the shrine. It looked like a regular shrine to her. She stepped inside, looking around. It appeared to be empty. The tugging stopped, but Kagome could still feel the presence nearby. But the shrine was empty . . .

 

“Welcome, child.”

 

Kagome whirled towards the sound of the raspy voice.

 

An old woman materialized out of the shadows. Kagome gasped, stepping back. The wizened old woman wore the robes of a priestess, her face wrinkled, her long hair grey. But it was the woman's eyes that made a shiver run down Kagome's spine. Her eyes were pure white. No pupils or irises. Just pure, unnerving white.

 

The old woman took a step forward. “Yer heart be filled with anger and pain, young one.” The priestess croaked, her voice sounding as old as she appeared.

 

Kagome stepped to the side, inching towards the door, berating herself for her foolishness. She was in over her head. The woman's blank eyes followed her as she moved, even though Kagome was sure the woman was blind.

 

“Ye seek answers, child,” the old woman said softly, “about the one ye love, do ye not?”

 

Kagome stopped in mid-step. “What do you know about me?” she demanded.

 

“I know that ye are pained by the one ye love, that ye wish to see into his heart, into his soul.”

 

Kagome's heart pounded. What did this old woman know about Inuyasha? “What are you talking about?”

 

“The one yer heart seeks be out of yer reach, child.”

 

Kagome gasped. “What do you know?” she challenged angrily, refusing to believe what this priestess was telling her.

 

“How be it that ye think ye can love someone ye will never understand?”

 

“I understand Inuyasha!” Kagome yelled, upset by the woman's words. How dare she tell her these things! The woman didn't know anything about her and Inuyasha!

 

“But ye have asked him for something he cannot give ye, have ye not? And ye cause the both of ye pain by yer asking, nay?”

 

Kagome's breath hitched. “What?”

 

“This night, child, what did ye ask of him this night?”

 

Kagome's eyes widened as she realized what the old woman was talking about. “Why should I tell you?” She snapped, her mind racing.

 

“Ye wish to love him, do ye not?” She paused, considering, her white eyes gazing at Kagome unblinkingly. “Then I can help ye in that, if yer heart be willing and yer soul be strong.”

 

Kagome stared at the old woman, thinking. Was it a trap? Naraku's deceptions came in all shapes and sizes . . . but this woman did not appear to be a threat.

 

“How can you help me?” she asked cautiously.

 

“What did ye ask of him this night?”

 

“I . . . I asked him to tell me about his past.” Kagome answered reluctantly.

 

“And why, child, did ye ask this of him?”

 

Kagome thought about this. “Because I wanted to know everything about him. I want to understand him better.”

 

“Ye can never understand him, child. Ye can never know the pain in his heart, the nightmares of his soul.”

 

Kagome opened her mouth to deny it, but the old woman raised her gnarled hand, silencing Kagome's protest.

 

“And how, child, can ye truly love what ye do not understand?”

 

“I can love him!” Kagome said angrily, desperately, “I can understand!”

 

“Can ye?” the old woman asked softly. “Can ye be sure, child?”

 

Kagome stared, not knowing how to respond.

 

“And even so, young one, understanding and accepting are two very different things, are they not?”

 

Kagome nodded, confused and afraid. “What are you saying?”

 

“Ye wish to love him? He be the one yer heart desires, I can see it.”

 

“Yes.” Kagome said softly, admitting the truth aloud for the first time. “I love him.”

 

“To love, ye must understand, and ye must accept. Do ye believe ye can do this, child?”

 

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in her answer.

 

“Come.”

 

The old woman moved slowly towards the back of the shrine, Kagome followed hesitantly. Stopping at the back wall, the old woman moved behind a low table. She slowly sat, crossing her legs, and gesturing for Kagome to sit across the small table from her.

 

Sitting down, Kagome watched the old woman. She reached behind her with one gnarled hand and picked up a square box about two hand-lengths in width. Placing the box on the table between them, the old woman removed the sutras sealing the box. Pulling off the lid, she slowly drew out a circular object with a cloth draped over it. She placed the object in the round indentation in the box lid to keep it from rolling away. Putting the rest of the box back where she had gotten it from, the old woman finally turned her white eyes to gaze at Kagome.

 

“How be it that one gains understanding, child?”

 

Kagome frowned thoughtfully. “By learning.”

 

“And how be it that one learns?”

 

“. . . Experience?”

 

“Exactly. Only through experience can one understand. And that, child, be yer difficulty. How can ye understand the one ye love when ye have never experienced what he has?”

 

Kagome frowned. “I haven't experienced what he has, but if he told me, then I would be able to at least partially understand.”

 

“Nay, child. Some pain ye can never understand through words. But neither can ye experience the same as him, can ye?”

 

“. . . No.”

 

“Nay.” The old woman agreed. “Child, can ye accept what is in his heart, what is in his soul? Can ye face it? Do ye have the strength to fight through the pain and shadows to reach the beauty underneath?”

 

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but the old woman cut her off, her white eyes boring into Kagome's.

 

“Think well before ye speak, child. Ye must be certain. Yer heart must be certain.”

 

Kagome closed her eyes, thinking. Could she? Could she face what Inuyasha had faced in his life? Could she do it too? The image of Inuyasha's face flashed in her mind, and she knew she could. She could for him.

 

“Yes.”

 

A smile ghosted across the old woman's wrinkled lips. “Then so be it.”

 

Kagome frowned, wondering what that meant. The old woman suddenly leaned forward, snapping out a hand and plucking something off the front of Kagome's shirt.

 

Kagome stared in surprise at the silver hair clutched in the woman's bent fingers. Inuyasha's hair. It must have stuck to her clothes from the last time Inuyasha had carried her on his back.

 

The old woman held the hair up as she pulled the cloth off the object. Kagome stared at the black orb. It looked like a crystal ball, but it was so black it seemed to suck in the light. Darkness swirled in its ebony depths, dancing shadows swirling in a mesmerizing maelstrom.

 

“Only with understanding can come acceptance, and only with acceptance can come love.” The old woman whispered as the hair in her fingers began to glow.

 

“Shards of dreams, blades of pain . . .” the priestess chanted. “Take your daughter into the nightmares of the soul. Let her discover what lies beneath.”

 

Inuyasha's hair glowed bright white. Holding it over the orb, the old woman released it. The hair fell. The moment it touched the orb, it slid into the swirling darkness to become a glowing light in the center.

 

“Look into the orb, child.” she whispered, “Fall into the darkness . . .”

 

Kagome stared at the orb, but upon hearing the priestess' words, she tried to look away, to escape, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. The swirling ebony drew her in, the shadows filling her vision until she couldn't see anything else. The darkness spread through her, drawing her in, pulling her down, drowning her in eternal night.

 

Oblivion claimed her.

 

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with the anime/manga.