InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Flower Girl ❯ Heartless ( Chapter 28 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

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Kagome stood protectively over Inuyasha's fallen body, covering them both with a barrier... to defend them from Naraku.

They'd been ambushed by the spider and many of his minions - and she and Inuyasha had been separated from the others very quickly. It seemed that the spider had determined a weakness, and was using it to get rid of Inuyasha.

Kagome would not allow this, no matter what.

"Why do you protect this hanyou so desperately, Kagome? he whispered sibilantly. "Did he not betray you unto death for a clay construct that had no true life in her?"

"Is that your game, Naraku? Try to make me betray him over something like that?" Kagome was not amused - and it showed. As if she would leave him to be killed.

"Something like that? Is that how you view your death, priestess? Tell me, if I killed you and the oh, so gracious Sesshoumaru brought you back, would you defend me to the death as you do this pathetic fool?" Naraku raised a brow and stared at her, his hot red eyes running over her form slowly, consideringly.

"No, Naraku, I'd help whoever was trying to kill you. Inuyasha isn't you - and there's no comparison there."

"Is that what you think?" He chuckled wickedly at her, and she shivered atavistically. There was so much hatred in that sound.

She eyed him as he stalked a bit closer, hoping that her friends finished their own battles soon - or that Sesshoumaru would. He was going to be very angry about this...

"I would think you'd be happy to get rid of one who was so heartless and cruel to you, little woman." He suddenly sprouted several limbs from his sides, and watched with a smirk as they sprouted into clusters of purple and blue flowers - and then looked at Kagome.

"I've watched you fools for months now, and quickly picked up your little game with flowers, miko," he said, false sweetness in his voice. "Do you know what these flowers are?" His eyes narrowed on her as she paled. "I see that you do. So... hydrangeas... for heartlessness. They fit what the half-breed did to you."

"Shut up, Naraku," she said, hurt beginning to manifest in her voice, hard as she tried to hide it.

His eyes flared triumphantly as he noted her struggle to contain her pain.

"Ah, but why should I? 'Tis only the simple truth, after all. Think about it: he was willing, even eager, from the sound of it, to let you stay dead at the hands of an evil woman, one who was nothing more than hatred and rage rolled up in grave soil. There was nothing of Kikyou in that body - even I was aware of that. And yet," he mused, looking down at Inuyasha consideringly, "the fool laying on the ground before me could not see it."

Kagome's eyes shimmered with tears - after all, what he was saying was strictly the truth, and she refused to hide from it, no matter how painful.

It changed nothing, however.

"That doesn't matter, Naraku. No matter what, I will not abandon him to you," she said with anger feathering the gentle tones of her voice. "What he did to me may be heartless, but I will not return like with like."

"Abandon him," he howled with spite. "That's what he did to you! And it wasn't even for Kikyou - it was for nothing! All that clay shell contained was hatred - and malice for you, who did no wrong to her. She hated you, despised you beyond anything. She was willing to send herself to the depths of hell for her own depravity so long as you would also suffer... and this is what he would defend - what he would have abandoned you to."

Kagome stood up from her crouch and faced Naraku fully, anger lending her strength as she pulled an arrow and set her stance.

"Begone, Naraku. You will not win this battle." Tears ran down her cheeks for the memory of the pain Inuyasha's callous disregard for her life had caused, but she stood firm above him.

"Inuyasha cares about me, in his own way, but he could never fight against even the image of Kikyou - and I finally understood that. I have let his heart go from me. But I will not leave him to face you injured and alone - I do not abandon my friends - and he will always be that. It's called loyalty, Naraku, and it's something you will never understand."

Before Naraku could answer her, as he chewed impotently on his rage at his inability to break the priestess that stood so strongly against him, another voice broke in.

"Indeed, Naraku, you should have listened to her and left. You have learned nothing if you have watched this miko all this time as you have claimed, and yet still expect her to fall to your blatant manipulations. She is too pure to be swayed by the likes of you."

Sesshoumaru didn't look her way, keeping his gaze trained on their enemy, but Kagome blushed at his words. Compliments from the stoic lord were rare, after all.

He raised a brow mockingly as he looked at the spider. "Flowers, Naraku? How... quaint."

Naraku snarled in rage, and called his tentacles back, the illusion of the pretty flowers melting back into his flesh, and Kagome shivered. That could so easily have been Inuyasha.

"I will be back, priestess," he spat, then twisting into his miasma, he disappeared, and Sesshoumaru sheathed his sword, angered, but refusing to show it.

Kagome sagged then, letting her bow and the arrow she'd held so tautly fall to the ground as the barrier went down, and Sesshoumaru moved to assist her. She looked down at Inuyasha to begin to assess his injuries, and was startled to find him awake, and looking at her.

The pain and sorrow... and shame in his gaze hurt her.

"I'm so sorry, Kagome... I never meant..." his voice choked off with grief, and he couldn't finish.

She put a fingertip to his lips and shook her head. "Hush, Inu - I know. We'll speak of this later, once you've recovered, okay?"

Inuyasha nodded, and glanced at his brother, who, oddly enough, had a neutral expression on his face. Something passed between them, then, and Sesshoumaru bowed his head in acceptance of his brother's trust.

His head fell back, then, and his eyes closed wearily.

I may have seemed heartless, Naraku, but I'm not. Those flowers better suit you - since you literally are heartless.

I still have mine - its just battered and broken. Still, that's better than not having one at all.

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A/N: Pretty self-explanatory, ne?

Amber