InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Paradigm Shift ❯ Breaking point ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Paradigm Shift

Chapter Eleven: Breaking Point

… … …

Shippou was bored. His mama wasn’t back from the world in the well yet. Inuyasha was picking on him, and Kaede’s hut smelled like dead plants. Which it was full of. Which was starting to really bother him. So he was sitting in the meadow that surrounded the well. ‘I bet Rin would like this one.’ The thought cheered him up a little bit, and he hoped that Rin would come back to see him soon. It was fun with her around.

Since his father had died, it had been all blood and fighting and people crying. There were lots of other children in some of the villages who didn’t have parents anymore, either. But he had Kagome. So it was okay.

He touched the petal of the little flower that he wanted to show Rin, hoping with all of his heart that she would be here before it curled up that afternoon.

It was just a morning asagao. They were the first ones of the summer, and once the morning dew had dried up on them all, they would close up for the day. This one was special though.

On the winding vine of purple-speckled white flowers… there was this one. It wasn’t the biggest or the brightest, but it was different.

It didn’t have any little purple speckles on it, it was just plain and white and medium-sized… but inside… there was a miniature asagao. A little one that was bright red and had white stripes shooting out from its center. It was special.

“Ah. Shippou.”

Miroku had come through the tree line, into the little meadow, and was smiling at Shippou as he made his way very slowly toward the kitsune.

“Hi, Miroku. You look tired.”

“That I am, my little friend.” He replied as he readied himself to sit by Shippou.

“Hey! Be careful!” Shippou hunched over the special little flower and bowed his head over it.

Miroku peered over.

“What do you have there?”

Shippou turned his head and glared at the monk.

“I won’t bother it, Shippou.”

He slowly moved away from his precious little plant. He kept one little arm between it and Miroku.

“Don’t touch it! I don’t want it to get ruined.”

“Ooooh.” Miroku sighed. “That’s very beautiful. I’ve never seen one like it before.”

“Me either.”

“Are you protecting it for Kagome?”

Shippou thought about the question for a few seconds. ‘I can keep it for Rin and mama.” He nodded.

“Is she here?” He straightened up and turned his head in the direction of Kaede’s village, as if his violet eyes could somehow find her past the trees and all the way down the path, into the village.

“Not yet.”

“Ah. I had wondered.”

“It’s been so long.”

“Not that long, Shippou. Two weeks, today.”

“I know. It’s still a long time, though.”

Miroku didn’t say anything. He understood what it felt like for the little kit. He missed his parents, too, at times. All of these years later and that feeling never quite went away. He wondered if it ever would.

“She’ll be here soon. Don’t worry.”

“I know.”

“Are any of the others back yet?”

Shippou scowled at his little flower-in-a-flower.

“Inuyasha hasn’t left at all. He’s either been picking on me or fighting with Kouga or bothering Kaede.”

“Kouga is here already?”

Miroku hadn’t expected Kouga to be any earlier to arrive than Sesshomaru. He had heard rumors of tensions in the western lands on his way to and from Mushin’s temple. They had made him worry that neither of the leaders would be joining their caravan any time soon.

“Sort of. He comes and goes every few days.”

“Ah, the luxury of being able to travel so quickly.”

As the morning hours crawled by, Miroku napped and Shippou blasted him with foxfire every time he threatened to roll over too close to the flower. They were eventually joined by Sango; who had a fancy new slayer suit and armor. Shippou told her that he liked the new colors. Miroku snored at her. Kirara laid on his face.

Kaede brought them all a picnic of roasted fish that some of the village men had delivered to her. She stayed with them for a while but she eventually excused herself to attend to her duties as the only resident Miko. There were blessings to give, dog hanyou and wolf youkai to separate, and a new baby was threatening to greet them all soon.

When the sun has risen high above their heads, Sango headed into the forest with Kirara to try and replace Kaede’s supply of fish with some game meat. They had eaten what fish the old woman had been given, after all, and Kaede’s supply of salted, dried meats was always too low.

Miroku was content to meditate under the shade of a low-hanging tree branch that stuck out of the tree line near the well.

Shippou watched his flower.

… … …

“Will we be there soon, Lord Sesshomaru?”

“Rin.”

“Sorry, Lord Sesshomaru.”

She looked thoughtfully into the pile of wineberries that were cradled tenderly in the fabric of her yukata.

“Would you like some berries, Lord Sesshomaru?”

“Stop bothering Lord Sesshomaru, girl!”

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and tried to block out the sounds of their bickering. Between Rin asking constantly how close they were to Kagome’s home, and Jaken’s shrill scoldings; he was nursing a headache. He would be glad once they arrived and he could separate them. Though he reconsidered his chances of gaining relief when Rin squealed in happiness, crawling up Ah-Un’s heads to tug at his pelt as the village of Edo appeared in the distance.

Sesshomaru’s mood only darkened further as they approached. The aerial view provided him with the positions of everyone. Everyone except his willful, new ward. His eyes narrowed. He couldn’t find and fresh traces of her scent either.

As they came nearer and the scattered make-up of the unusual contingent began to head toward the outskirts of Edo, in his direction, he took Ah-Un down. They landed in a meadow where the fading traces of her scent were strongest. He peered curiously into an empty, dry well as he passed it, and left Rin to Shippou’s attentions.

To say that Miroku was… surprised… might just fall short of the situation. He was pulled from his peaceful meditations by a pressure originating from the center of his throat.

When he opened his eyes, he became very very still. The point of an extremely powerful, extremely sharp sword, with an extremely pissed off Sesshomaru on its other end was making him very uncomfortable.

“Ah… hah..ha..” He forced a very strained smile onto his face. “Good afternoon, Lord Sesshomaru. Is there something that you need from me? I would be delighted to assist you.”

The point pressed a little closer. He tried to lean a little bit further away.

“Where. Is. She?” The words were snarled at him and punctuated with tiny circular twists of the blade.

“Ah. I assume that you are inquiring after Kagome?” He tried to inch away from that very very sharp point again. “I’m afraid that she has not returned from her home just yet.” When Sesshomaru’s eyes narrowed and his grip on the hilt tightened, Miroku threw his hands into the air in surrender and he hastily added. “We expect her back any time now.”

“When did she leave and where did she go?”

Miroku suddenly remembered that Kouga and Sesshomaru hadn’t been informed of Kagome’s time-traveling abilities. His eyes widened and his face paled.

“Well, you see..” He pointed at the well. Sesshomaru turned to look at it, and then growled deep in his chest.

“Explain.”

“Well, Kagome’s home is here, Lord Sesshomaru. On the other side of that dry well.”

“You expect me to believe that the girl lives at the bottom of a well?”

The smallest bead of red blossomed at Miroku’s neck.

“Ah..hah…”

“Am I to dig?”

Now, normally Miroku was all for sarcasm, but right about now he felt that it was about to be the death of him.

When the red-clad figure came through the trees, Miroku wondered whether he should have insulted Inuyasha quite so much over the years.

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing?”

Miroku sighed with relief, only mentally of course; that sword was still very near and very sharp. He supposed that he should be thankful for the intervention. He would have preferred to be defended a little more enthusiastically, perhaps with Tetsusaiga drawn, but he would take what he was offered.

He really did sigh in relief when Tokijin was removed from his person and directed at Inuyasha.

“Where. Is. Kagome?”

“She’s not here, stupid.”

The space began to close between the two.

Sango and Kouga came into the meadow, talking amiably with one another. Their smiles faded instantly as they took in the agitated dog youkai.

“Inuyasha! What did you do!?”

“I didn’t do nothin’! He wants Kagome!”

“Oh. She’s not here yet, Lord Sesshomaru.”

The pounding in his head doubled and his remarkable restraint began to fade as he was presented, again, with something that he already knew.

“You didn’t tell him?” Sango hissed through her teeth at the sheepish Kouga.

“Well… he was busy.” He coughed into his fist and his eyebrow twitched. “And it’s not got anything to do with the western lands, anyway.”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Kouga wasn’t nearly as concerned with Sango’s incredulous tone as he was with the fact that Sesshomaru was now growling. Loudly. And walking toward him. Slowly. And his eyes were beginning to take on a red tint.

And then the well began to glow with a burst of rainbow light. Then there was a groan, followed by some quiet muttering. And some scrambling noises.

Sesshomaru stared at the well. Tokijin dropped a few inches. Kagome’s hand came up over the lip. Sesshomaru blinked. Repeatedly.

Big blue eyes took in the surrounding chaos.

“Uh. Hi. I’m back?”

“Kouga didn’t tell Sesshomaru about the well.” Sango explained.

“Kouga! You promised!” He refused to meet her eyes. Or Sesshomaru’s.

Sesshomaru put Tokijin back in its place at his side and strode to meet Kagome at the well. She handed him her new purple backpack and lifted herself out, hopping neatly onto the grass.

“Look!” She stuck her leg out toward the annoyed taiyoukai. “I got better battle wear.” She grinned at him unabashedly. He looked down at her jean-covered appendage and turned away. They all watched as he tied the lavender bag to its now customary place on Ah-Un’s saddle and walked calmly into the forest.

“Well!” Miroku said loudly from behind her. “I would say that, overall, that went rather well.” He smiled winningly at them all.

Kagome lifted her fingers to his throat. They came away with a smudge of blood.

“It’s nothing to concern yourself with. Just a small prick.”

“So this is your definition of things going well?”

… … …

After Kagome had admired Sango’s new white suit and sky blue armor pieces, scolded Kouga, inspected Shippou and Rin’s little treasure, given Kaede a big glass jar of salt, scolded Kouga some more, argued with Inuyasha, ignored Jaken, hugged everyone, ignored Jaken some more, and scratched Kirara and Ah-Un’s ears, the sun was setting.

… … …

“Aye, child. This should hold most of ye. I’m afraid my own humble home would be far too small to hold so many.”

“I’m sorry, Kaede. I know we sort of invade you on a regular basis.”

“Think naught of it, Kagome. I only fear that it would burst at the stitching if ye all were to stay.”

Kagome peered into the freshly built hut. Kaede had asked her for salt before she had gone back home, but Kagome hadn’t realized that the fist-sized pouch the old woman had already possessed would buy everything it took to build a house. And people to build it, apparently. Maybe she should bring salt back more often.

They all fit inside, though Shippou insisted on staying with Kaede that night before the set out again.

“”So she doesn’t get lonely, Kagome! We’ll all be gone tomorrow!””

So they all settled in and bedded down for the night, intent on getting an early start when the sun rose.

Kagome, though, drifted in and out of sleep. Her mind was still racing the way it had been before she left and while she was at home. Seeing her family in the future hadn’t helped. Seeing her family here hadn’t helped.

‘It’s no use. I just feel… useless.’ Her thoughts spun around her, only serving to drive her into herself and her doubts. ‘What if I’m not good enough for anyone? I can’t even help in fights that much. Most of the time someone ends up having to come rescue me’

She carefully sat up in the darkness and made her way to the door. If she couldn’t sleep, fine. She’d go sit under the summer stars and try not to think at all.

Except that when she made her way toward the little clearing that held Goshinboku, Inuyasha was already there. He was sitting in front of it, staring at the mark from the arrow that had held him for fifty years.

“Inuyasha?” She sat next to him. He didn’t look at her.

“Hey Kagome.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Me too.”

Kagome picked at the inseam of her jeans.

“Kagome?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.”

Inuyasha stood up and walked to the big tree, placing his hand flat against the bark. Kagome couldn’t bring herself to ask what he was apologizing for. There were just too many things that it could be about. Too many things that she knew would make him leave her there if she said anything about them. So she just shrugged.

“Inuyasha?” Her voice was quiet, barely more than a breath, and it wavered with uncertainty.

She wanted to ask… wanted to know…

Probably would never had worked up the courage to even think about the words of her question if she had known that other sleepless people were watching from the trees.

“Will I…” She drew her bottom lip into her mouth as he turned to face her, his face blank. “I mean… will you ever-” The tears welled up in her eyes and she stood, walking to his side and cupping his face in her palms. They warmed as he covered them with his own. “Could you ever… if she…-” And then Inuyasha jerked his hands away as a lone shinidamachu wrapped around them on its way past the Goshinboku.

She was left there with her arms outstretched, hands cupping air in the shape of his face, as he backed away from her and turned.

Dread, deep and heavy, settled through her being. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears. Her hands were cold again.

As she watched him bend to jump into the treetops, to go to her, her body moved instinctively. She ran to him and caught a fist full of his rough haori. Inuyasha turned back to her, something in his eyes that she couldn’t read. Her hand moved to lay on his chest, atop the subjugation beads that he had worn for so long.

When Sesshomaru settled on a branch above her, she didn’t hear. When Miroku stepped around from behind the far side of Goshinboku, he wasn’t seen.

“Please stay.” Kagome whispered against his chest. Her hand curled on his chest, the beads caught up with the fabric and digging painfully against her palm.

“Kagome… ”

“Could you ever pick me, Inuyasha?” She finally asked her question and Inuyasha’s hand came up to cover hers.

The spark of hope that she had held for so long in her heart flared at his touch.

Then he started to move her hand away from him. Her grip slackened for a moment, his haori slipping away, then it tightened even harder than before, clutching only the necklace.

“No! Please! Inuyasha! Please just stay!” Her head shook back and forth on his chest before he lifted that away from him too. When she looked up into his face, she knew that her words were in vain.

“Kagome… I can’t.”

‘Can’t stay… can’t pick me.’

He pushed her shoulders away from him and she stumbled. As she fell, he reached out to her with one hand but only air was caught as his fingers closed.

The necklace snapped.

Beads scattered around them.

Her eyes closed and he ran.

Kagome reached her hand up to wipe away the tears that she couldn’t stem, but when she opened her hand and three pieces of her first connection to Inuyasha fell from her palm and left behind deep imprints, she could only stare.

Leaves rustled as Sesshomaru came to her side, but she curled away from him, turning onto her hands and knees. Her back straightened and she just sat there, eyes closed, kneeling, with her fists pressing hard into her thighs.

Sesshomaru looked over her into Miroku’s eyes. Should they leave her? Should they carry her back into the village? Should they comfort her here? Did she want her friends surrounding her? Did she want them to see her like this?

A loud sob tore from her throat. The two men startled at the sound. It sounded wrong. Like an echo, bouncing around a room full of brass chimes.

Then she opened her eyes and Sesshomaru took a step back. Miroku stepped forward.

He reached a hand out toward her, eyes wide.

“No.” He breathed.

Sesshomaru's head snapped to him.

“No!” He took another step forward before locking hard eyes to Sesshomaru.

“Go! You have to go!” The panic in those violet eyes urged him to move, and for once the Lord of the West was afraid; because the vivid blue was gone from Kagome’s eyes as she stared at the Goshinboku. A pink light flared around her, and through the haze, her eyes were a glimmering amethyst; tinged with her aura and shining with an ethereal light.

“Sesshomaru! You have to leave! Get Shippou and get as far away from here as you can!”

A pulse of iridescent pink light pushed outward from Kagome’s skin and Sesshomaru hissed in pain. His worried gold eyes met Miroku’s and when her heart beat again, another, bigger, brighter pulse left her. Sesshomaru jumped back to the other side of the small clearing. His skin stung.

“Shippou! And go!”

And he was gone in a burst of pale yellow light that condensed itself down into a sphere.

Kagome finally tore her eyes from the tree and looked after him. Those strange eyes flipped back and to Miroku and he dropped his Shakujo to the forest floor. He took a step toward her, and one of her hands flew out in front of her, palm up, halting him even as his own hand reached out in a reflection of her. The fingers of her other hand clawed into the cold soil.

The pulses were coming faster, stronger now; keeping pace with her increasing heart rate.

Another sob was ripped from her core and her voice was lost to that eerie chime.

He didn’t care. He ran to her and fell to his knees before her. The shimmering pink flames that encased her didn’t hurt him- couldn’t hurt him. He had his own holy energies to protect him. Even as they licked at his skin and grew, he didn’t move. He lifted one hand and very cautiously pressed his palm to hers.

She screamed.

It was loud and unearthly. He thought that if all of the metallic chimes in the world burst into a million shards of glass, then this is what it would sound like.

And as he threaded his fingers into hers and leaned down to look into her terrifying eyes, he heard an echoing crack sound through the night air.

Her back arched and her head flew backward all at once and her heart, and the half of the Shikon Jewel on its chain around her neck...

Shattered.

Her heart stopped, missed a beat as it fell apart, and shards of the jewel were propelled into the air around them. They left behind shallow cuts on his arms and face as they flew outward, carried on a massive wave of spiritual power.

As her eyes closed and she fell into Miroku’s arms, he could feel the energy settle around them. It shimmered on the dirt and leaves like snow, before sinking down into the earth and left behind an overwhelming sensation of purity.