InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Bind a Soul ❯ Life and Death ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10- Life and Death

Another second, minute, hour, day, week. They were on another shard hunt, nothing out of the ordinary. The sun was shining; there was a cool breeze, and not a single cloud in the sky. What could possibly go wrong?

Kagome was traveling on her bicycle, Shippou in the basket; her bag tied to the back. Sango was walking beside her, Kirara in her arms. Miroku was slightly ahead beside Inuyasha.

They had been traveling for two days, but unlike the last shard hunt, everyone was in a good mood. Kagome was still getting over her shock from the alterations to the subduing spell, but as more time past, the more she began to accept it. Its only fair, Kagome thought, After all, if it weren't for Inuyasha I would have died. And anyway, its not like he's being his usual obnoxious self. I still like all, well, most the changes the spell is creating. I just wonder when all the changes will be completed.

Shippou had begun to accept it as well. His relationship with Inuyasha had begun to slightly shift on an up note. Shippou had brought his teasing down to an affectionate level and Inuyasha had brought his beatings down to a rough game for the baby kitsune. Yes, things were good.

"Inuyasha," Miroku said.

"What?" he replied gruffly.

"Do you think we should stop at the next town? If we don't we'll be sleeping in the forest tonight."

"So? What's so wrong with sleeping in the forest?"

"Well, unlike you, my dear friend, I tend to prefer a warm meal and a roof over my head to sleeping in dirt and worrying about demons in the night sneaking up on me."

"Feh. We'll stop."

"Thank you, my friend," Miroku replied pleasantly.

"Whatever, I'm not doing it for you," Inuyasha dismissed, and discreetly looked back at Kagome.

"I know," Miroku said as he noticed the direction the hanyou's gaze.

Inuyasha turned back to Miroku and had the decency to blush. The monk smiled at the blushing hanyou. He could have so much fun with this. "The changes that are happening between you and Kagome-sama are truly remarkable."

Inuyasha didn't reply and turned his head to look at the ground. "May I ask what is so upsetting about going to Kagome-sama's school?" Miroku decided to comment from an earlier argument that had happened the day before.

"The clothes," he replied.

"What's wrong with the clothes?"

"They're awful. I have to wear these dark blue things Kagome called `pants.' They're so constricting. It would be impossible to fight in them without ripping."

"Why are you going to Kagome-sama's school then?"

"I have to. Kagome's ofukuro said so too. If I don't Kagome won't cook me Ramen anymore."

Miroku hid a smile at the threat. The dog-demon would do anything for his favorite meal. "Maybe Kagome-sama will change her mind after a while. Who knows? The school might not want you there."

Inuyasha instantly brightened up. "I'm sure Kagome will change her mind eventually," he agreed.

Oh no, just what thought did I plant in his mind? Miroku thought as he watched the hanyou walk on ahead.

^_^

They reached the village outskirts just as the sun was beginning to set. However, their small group didn't make it any further when they were attacked by their targeted demon.

"Dammit," Inuyasha muttered as he instinctively placed himself in front of Kagome. "Why do they always attack us before we attack them? For once I would like to see the Kamis weave fate in our favor."

"The jewel shard is in the tail," said Kagome.

The hanyou nodded. It was a snake youkai they were facing, and the one good thing about snake youkai was that they were vulnerable on many fronts. Inuyasha could already feel Kagome's miko energy begin to meld with his own. This would be a simple fight, Inuyasha decided, as he charged the youkai head on.

That's when things went bad.

^_^

"Inuyasha, dammit, Inuyasha please wake up," Kagome said from her kneeling position at Inuyasha's side.

He was hurt. Bad. This was worse than the second fight with Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha had suffered a hole in his stomach among other scrapes and cuts. This was much worse.

He had a gash running across his eyebrow, skipping his eye, then again running down the length of his cheek. Inuyasha haori was so soaked through with his own blood that she didn't know where the wounds began. And it was all her fault.

Inuyasha had been hurt protecting her. If she had just moved out of danger a little faster, Inuyasha wouldn't have had to place himself in front of the snake youkai like that. He was right. She was a weak human.

Shippou cautiously approached the pair. Kagome had fisted her hands in Inuyasha's haori and was silently crying into the hanyou's chest. The baby kitsune could hear the dog-demon's heart beat. It was choppy. The smell of death engulfed him.

Miroku came up behind Shippou solemnly, Sango by his side. It had all been a carefully laid trap. One large youkai to distract them while the others positioned themselves and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. How in all the hells had those youkai organized that? And how it had cost them dearly. Miroku was watching his best friend die before his eyes.

A tear slid down Shippou's cheek and landed on the ground below him. Inuyasha was dying. NO, THAT ISN'T RIGHT! The tiny kitsune screamed in his head. Inuyasha can't die. This couldn't be happening! After that incident with Kagome on the verge of death, Shippou had begun to think the pair were invincible. The jerk couldn't die. He just couldn't.

"Inuyasha," Shippou shook his shoulder, "Don't die. I promise I'll be good from now on. I won't tease you anymore or bite your ears. Just, please don't die!" he cried out as tears began to fall from his eyes like rain.

Sango stood by silently. It was happening again. People she cared about were beginning to die. And she was helpless to stop it. She turned to Miroku and buried her head in his robes as she began to sob uncontrollably.

Miroku brought his arms up and did his best to comfort Sango, but his heart wasn't in it. He was too shocked to do much of anything.

Kagome lifted her head up and placed her hands on either side of Inuyasha's head. "Please, open your eyes. Inuyasha, you can't leave me, I won't let you leave me!"

Against all hope, Inuyasha did manage to open his eyes. He smile briefly at Kagome, a wistful smirk, before his eyes closed shut and breath failed to come from his body.

Inuyasha was dead.

"Inuyasha! INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed.

Her friends looked over to her, trying to think of some way to comfort her, any way to comfort her. Before they could act though, Kagome did the most unlike-Kagome thing imaginable.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA," she wailed in utter pain and sadness. There is no way to accurately describe the sound of such utter grief, a sound that could consume one's soul.

Kagome took her hands from Inuyasha and curled them into fists. Inuyasha was taken from her. INUYASHA WAS TAKEN FROM HER. She began to fiercely beat her fist into the ground. The earth gave away, creating foot-sized craters. Kagome's miko energy spilled from her body, engulfing her and Inuyasha's body. The young miko threw her self on Inuyasha and continued screaming into his chest. His blood soaked into her clothes, smeared onto her skin, but this didn't faze her and she continued to scream.

Miroku and the others backed away from Kagome. They could feel the emotions coming from her, as well as the power, and they didn't want to come into any contact with it.

But quite suddenly, all the screaming stopped. The miko energy dissipated, and Shippou's ears twitched.

There was a sound coming from Inuyasha. Shippou concentrated as hard as he could and picked it up again.

Inuyasha's heart was beating.

Kagome lifted her head up only to come in contact with golden, amber eyes. She was a mess. Blood was smeared on her face, mixed with salty tears. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy.

Inuyasha thought it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said hesitantly.

The inuhanyou smirked.

Kagome smiled back at him. Then, before she could realize what was happening, Inuyasha took Kagome's face in his hands and kissed her.

It was over before she had a chance to respond. It was just a small brush of the lips; yet Kagome could have sworn she had died and gone to heaven.

The mood was spoiled however, when Miroku choose that moment to make a low whistle. "And I never thought you would have it in you, Inuyasha."

Kagome hid her head in the nook of Inuyasha head to cover up her smile. She could hear and feel the growl Inuyasha displayed. Before he could act, though, Sango brought her boomerang over he head and planted a well-aimed bump on the monk's head.

"Thank you, Sango," Inuyasha said cheerfully.

"Don't mention it," she replied.

Kagome lifted her face just as Shippou chose to launch himself in the air and land on Inuyasha.

"You stupid jerk!" yelled the baby kitsune, "You died! How could you die! You're so stupid and, and . . . Don't you ever do that again!"

Shippou had started crying again. Inuyasha sat up uneasily, cradling the kitsune awkwardly. "Uh, Shippou?" questioned Inuyasha.

"What?" he yelled, though the sound was muffled by Inuyasha haori, which Shippou had buried his head in.

"Did you actually miss me?"

"No!"

Inuyasha chuckled and attempted to stand up. Attempted. He fell back flat on his ass. "You're still hurt," Kagome pointed out and helped him stand. "You should ride on Kirara."

"I don't need to ride Kirara. I can walk on my own."

"Can not."

"Can to."

Sango interrupted before they could start fighting again. "Inuyasha, would you please ride on Kirara. We'll move faster that way. While you still might be able to move, you're still injured."

"Please Inuyasha," plead Kagome.

"Feh."

And silently, they all continued on towards the village, each contemplating just what the hell had happened back there.