InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Torrent ❯ Torrent ( Chapter 51 )

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

By: Sueric

~~Chapter 52~~

~Torrent~

InuYasha leaned back on his elbows in the pile of leaves that Tajiko and Kagome had managed to scrape together. Tajiko enjoyed trying to crawl through them, and Kagome didn't seem too concerned as the girl burrowed into them. “Oi! Wench!”

Kagome shot him a dark look but stepped over to him anyway. “Beg, InuYasha,” she said sweetly just before InuYasha ended up with a faceful of leaves. He came up sputtering---and grinning.

“Didn't we already talk about this before? How it's completely wrong to do that to your mate? The one you claim to love?”

Kagome sat down with her back against the Bone Eater's Well and pretended to think. “Hmm, maybe. Was that before or after you broke your promise about using Tajiko as a shield?”

InuYasha sighed and shook his head. “Damn, I think I lost that one.”

She nodded in agreement. “You did.”

Tajiko giggled. “Mama . . . Papa!” She lunged at InuYasha. He caught her and kissed her cheek. `Papa happy, Mama happy, Taji happy.'

“Why didn't the others join us?” Kagome asked.

InuYasha made a face as he lay back and lifted Tajiko into the air. “Sango was busy trying to knock Miroku's head off, and Shippou was keeping an eye on Kiyoshi.”

Kagome flinched and stretched out beside InuYasha. “She's still upset about that?”

InuYasha blinked innocently. “Well, I dunno. Having pups that close together? I guess I could see why Sango's upset.”

Kagome narrowed her gaze suspiciously. “That was almost sympathetic. All right. Where's the real InuYasha? What did you do with him?”

He flushed but grinned. “Shuddup, wench.”

“InuYasha . . . .”

“Tajiko,” he reminded her.

She sighed and got up to retrieve her child. “You're really going to pay for that.”

“Promise?”

She shook her head. “There is something wrong with you. I wasn't sure before, but I am now. There's got to be something wrong with you if you like when I say beg.”

She giggled as InuYasha smacked into the leaves again. “Wench!” he muttered, voice muffled by the ground. “You've got till this wears off before I make you regret saying that.”

Kagome didn't wait to hear more. She took off running, much to Tajiko's delight. She was nearly to the forest path that led to the village when Tajiko stiffened, and she stopped. `Stranger come. Taji smell stranger!' Kagome whirled around in time to see InuYasha sit up then slowly get to his feet.

She gasped as Sesshoumaru's energy form flashed, leaving the youkai standing between her and InuYasha. Even across the distance, she could hear InuYasha's warning growl. “Get Taji out of here, Kagome,” he called out to her.

“Stay, Miko,” Sesshoumaru countered. He stepped toward Kagome. She backed up a step. InuYasha shot forward. Sesshoumaru stopped him when he drew a single flower out of his sleeve. He extended it to Kagome. She stared at it with a frown. “Do you remember these blossoms? You should. It was under the influence of one of them that we . . . kissed.”

InuYasha's eyes widened as understanding dawned. “You fucking bastard! You drugged her with a delusion flower? I knew that smell! I couldn't remember what it was! Damn you!”

Sesshoumaru pinned InuYasha with a glare. “This Sesshoumaru would not stoop to such trickery, baka. I would have warned her against such a danger if I had known. I knew not where she had taken Rin to speak.”

“Like I'd believe you!” InuYasha snarled. “And you have the fucking nerve to come back here?”

“Leave us, Miko.”

“Inu---” Kagome began, unwilling to leave when the two brothers were staring at one another as though they were going to tear into each other.

“Go, Kagome. Take Tajiko home.”

Kagome bit back a sob and nodded once.

`Papa come!'

Kagome pulled the girl back. She was struggling to climb out of Kagome's arms. `No, angel. Papa will come soon.'

`Papa!'

She flinched as she heard the metallic clang, the clash of metal meeting metal. The reverberation of the impact echoed out around her. The trees bent away, as though they, too, were frightened.

Kagome broke into a sprint as Tajiko shrieked. `All of this because of me . . . because of that flower!' She sped out of the forest and into the village, headed straight for Sango's hut.

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InuYasha tightened his grip on Tetsusaiga as he tried to shove back the black rage that rose up to choke him. Sesshoumaru said nothing. “Tell me why, you bastard! Tell me why you're so interested in Kagome!”

“It matters not, InuYasha. The miko chose you.”

“Damn right she chose me! What the hell? Why her?” InuYasha didn't wait for an answer. Leaping forward, he lunged at his brother, cleaving a clean arc with Tetsusaiga. Sesshoumaru blocked the blade with Tokijin. The ring of the swords was deafening. InuYasha gritted his teeth, heaved Sesshoumaru back. Sesshoumaru stumbled but didn't fall, didn't falter in his defense.

“And you win once more. How does it feel, InuYasha, to be the golden one? The one who matters?” Sesshoumaru countered, lips tightening into a flat line as he shoved InuYasha back.

InuYasha lunged forward and swung Tetsusaiga again. Sesshoumaru hadn't been expecting the movement. InuYasha caught the spikes of his shoulder armor. They cracked and fell away. Sesshoumaru blocked the blade before InuYasha succeeded in taking his head off. “What the fuck are you babbling about? I've never mattered to a single person, not until Kagome! Now you tell me why you want her!”

“Haven't you?” Sesshoumaru hissed, knocking Tetsusaiga to the side and stepping back. “They've always cared more for you, and you have appreciated nothing!”

“'They?' `They', who?”

“Our father . . . the miko . . . .”

“Father?” InuYasha echoed. “I never even knew Father! You---”

Sesshoumaru unleashed a blast of energy from Tokijin, sending InuYasha flying backward. The hanyou landed on his feet, and he stood slowly, readying Tetsusaiga before him. He waited.

“You never needed to. You lived because of him.”

“I lived because I could run and fit into small places where youkai couldn't get to me!”

Sesshoumaru's cold eyes locked on him. “You lived because Father entrusted me with making certain that you did!”

“You went after Kagome because of Father?” InuYasha asked slowly as suspicion ebbed over him.

“Baka! I pursued the miko because of who she is! You had her yet you constantly ran behind the undead one. You chose the miko as your mate because you couldn't have the one you wanted.”

“You don't know shit!” InuYasha bellowed.

Sesshoumaru shot over, grabbing InuYasha by the throat, lifting him off the ground. “I know that everyone you claim to care for ends up dead, InuYasha. My father died for you, for your pathetic human mother! Your mother died for you! You killed the first miko with your carelessness. Will you now kill her reincarnation?”

InuYasha clawed Sesshoumaru's hand. It didn't bother the youkai in the least. “I'd never hurt Kagome, and I'll never let you touch her ever again!”

“Why does she matter to you?” Sesshoumaru asked quietly. “Because your youkai chose her to whelp your pup?”

“Fuck you!”

“Why?”

“None of your business!”

“Why?”

“Go to hell!”

“Why?”

“Because I love her!”

“Do you?”

Sesshoumaru let go of him so fast that InuYasha didn't have a chance to digest what Sesshoumaru had said as he fell to the ground.

“InuYasha!”

Both men's heads turned as Kagome's voice rang out in the clearing. “Stay back!” InuYasha ordered. She didn't listen as she sprinted to him. “Stubborn wench,” he growled as he stuck Tetsusaiga into the earth and used it to push himself back to his feet. “Where's Tajiko?”

“She's with Sango. What happened?”

“This Sesshoumaru has wasted enough time with the likes of you.”

“Damn it!” InuYasha bellowed as Sesshoumaru dissolved into his energy form and rose from the meadow. “Get back here!”

He glared at the sky for long minutes as Kagome looked him over for injuries. “He didn't hurt you, did he?”

“Feh! As if he could hurt me.”

She stared up at him with a thoughtful frown. He deliberately avoided her gaze. Much of his initial irritation was gone, and he really didn't want to understand why. “InuYasha?”

He shook his head, forced a smile to reassure her. After a moment she smiled back even though she didn't look as though she believed him. “I think he cared about you, however much he can care about anything.” Staring at her, he was unable to hold onto his anger at his brother. `How can anyone not love her?' She hugged him. He sighed.

He took her hand and started back toward the forest, sheathing Tetsusaiga as they walked. Tajiko was upset. It would be best to get her as soon as possible.

“What's bothering you? Really?” Kagome asked quietly when he didn't speak.

InuYasha stared down at her. “Something he said. He said that our father asked him to watch over me when I was small.”

Kagome digested that in silence. “It makes sense,” she finally allowed.

“How?”

She scrunched up her shoulders and stared at the ground as they continued on. “Well, he's always known where you are, hasn't he? How many times has he just showed up for no reason right when you needed his help?”

“Feh! I've never . . .” he sighed. “Yeah. That's what I thought, too.”

She stopped suddenly, turning toward him, pushing his hair out of his face with her gentle fingers. “I wish your childhood had been better. I wish your mother had lived long enough to show you how wonderful you are.”

He felt his face grow warm, and he pulled her into a hug, leaning his cheek against her head. “Promise you'll never leave me?”

“Why would I leave you? I love you.”

She was everything to him. She was the torrent of emotion, the wash of gentle awakening. She was the beginning for him, a new life. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, so many things she needed to hear. In the end, the only thing that mattered was that she was here, with him, and she wasn't going anywhere without him, ever. He tilted her chin up, stared into her eyes. His eyelashes fluttered down as she rose on her toes to meet him halfway, lost in a kiss that was backed by a lifetime of love that he promised her alone.

“I love you,” he whispered. Kagome smiled.

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A/N:

All right, y'all. It's done. I'll get the epilogue posted either tonight or tomorrow, but . . . yep, we're finished! I'll still edit this later. Be sure to check the A/N for the Epilogue for insight into my next project!

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Review Q & A

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Aitu-- possibly signed in? [MediaMiner Member]:
hehehehe. NOPE! Never sign in. Well, I just did sign in because you pointed out that I never sign in but now its showing that I'm not signed in when in all reality and actually went to the site so I could use the login just because I'm stubborn like that. So I went through all this work and now it won't show that I signed in? *tear*-- But, sometimes when it does that a person is really signed in and they don't even know it until they click the "submit" button... Have I lost you yet? LOL I'm good at that, talking in circles, confusing people, getting them to agree with me when in all actuality they don't have a clue what I just said, hehe. Anyway, great chapter. Liked the Italian Opera. ( which one was it? =P ) Cute chapter. Happiness= good. I'm starting to feel the end more and more. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm kind of anxious, hehe. Keep up the amazing work. -Aitu

SEE!!! I really did sign in. MM.org: You are weird.-- Don't worry, I probably won't be signing in for awhile-- I just wait for the e-mail to notify of the update and click on the link. So much easier. AND I just wanted to prove that I really do have an account! hehe. =)

Heh! I'm so honored! Logged in, just for me! HAHAHAHA!! I . . . errr . . . don't know. I didn't really think of which opera. I just figured they went to one . . . fill in your favorite!

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Flames101 (FFnet):

I guess I was wrong about Sesshoumaru. Oh well. The wedding was great! Update soon!

Sesshoumaru! Argh! LOL

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Akihanah (FFnet)

I was wondering, will Koga ever show up? Or Kagura and Kanna? I personally love Kagura. Well, update soon. By the way, I meant that in support, not as a derogitory comment, that you have no life.

Koga made a gratuitous showing in one chapter, along with Ayame and his twin cubbies. Kagura doesn't appear at all because I'm following manga on storyline up till then, and Kanna . . . well . . . she really just doesn't leave enough of an impression on me to do much for her. LOL… don't worry. I'm used to people thinking I have no life !!

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Blanket disclaimer for this fanfic (will apply to this and all other chapters in Torrent): I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al. I do offer my thanks to her for creating such vivid characters for me to terrorize.

~Sue~