Hyo minna-san! I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE! Gomen ne for making you all wait so long for this one! (-bows-). A HUUUGGGEEEE "thank you" to everyone that reviewed chapter eight, and many thanks for your kind comments and compliments. Also, gratitude for your questions and criticisms: these help me see what I haven't explained clearly enough, or forgotten to fill in, and helps improve the overall quality of the fic. I'll keep trying to write at the standard of care and quality that you guys all deserve. Thank you all!
Note: to answer the question held by a few of you…yes, Gyuou is actually a character from the Inuyasha anime. He never makes an appearance in the manga, but is an interesting character nonetheless. One of the only hanyou that the Inutachi encounter who is actually searching for the Shikon no Tama in order to achieve the opposite goal of Inuyasha: become human. He appears in eps. 52 and 53: "The Night of the New Moon pt.1 & pt.2". Despite my interest in his personality, though, I had a completely shallower reason for choosing him, being the fact that his youkai side takes the form of a gigantic two-legged bull. Also, when Inuyasha defeats him, he dies in a half-transition stage between human and bull, which immediately evoked images of the Minotaur from Greek mythology in my mind.
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all related characters/weapons/merchandise/American-produced (unauthentic) merchandise/badly dubbed English episodes, etc. do not belong to me. (looks back at previous list)…and I'm starting to feel a little relieved that they don't. As much as I love the series…I'm thinking that if I were the owner, I wouldn't be sitting here writing this. Instead, I would be running for my life from all the North American/English-speaking fans that do not live in Japan and have been exposed to the scourge that is Richard Cox as our beloved inu-hanyou.
The Death Gate Cycle is property of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman…two of the greatest authors alive. Read their stuff. Now. points at you, the reader The chapter will still be here when you get back…forget about this and go read their books. This can DEFINITELY wait. shoos you away
…and the moving walls idea comes courtesy of Ravensburger, possibly the greatest board game makers in the world.
And now that all the boring legal stuff is out of the way, to the ficcy!
Labyrinth-An Inuyasha fanfiction presented by Jurei-
Chapter 9: Digging Deeper
-Taken from the Writings of Midoriko, first Miko of the Nameless Isle, during the Rule of Ryu Shirokiba, 110-
…The interesting thing about gods is that they can be killed.
Gods, unlike humans, posses an unlimited lifespan. Therefore, in the strictest terms, they are immortal. However, despite the fact that they technically created nature, they too have to abide to its rules. Even if their physical body is destroyed, a part of them will live on, similar to the human concept of a soul. This part is sustained through belief; if the belief dies, the god fades away completely.
Of course, even if they have to abide to the rules of the natural world (and the frustrating little concept of order and balance created between all things that comes with it), it doesn't mean that they can't bend these rules a little.
Thus the concept of god wars. Only gods can kill other gods, though a human or youkai can achieve the same goal with a god-made weapon. The definition of a weapon is completely up to the individual. This can mean anything from a sword like the legendary Tetsusaiga, to something as simple as a bamboo skewer executed with enough force. Such a weakness being so easy to exploit, the gods tend to be extremely careful in keeping this knowledge pretty well hidden, who they give gifts of any kind to, and knowing exactly where these people are when dinner time rolls around. Incidentally, there are only two major God weapons still in existence, the rest being destroyed by the Firesmith after the God War one hundred and ten years ago. The Demonblades Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga escaped destruction, presently thought to be in the possession of Itaisho, the Builder.
But the important point is that Gods can be killed…
This little-known fact was something that Sango planned to exploit to its full potential when the time was right.
It was becoming clearer and clearer to her that Naraku was no ordinary ambitious youkai. He seemed to have a specific goal in mind; every move he made was a calculated step forward towards something. What it was, she didn't know.
Complete control of the island he already had. There had to be something else he wanted…something he believed was unattainable through the power he currently held. Something that Sango could somehow help him obtain.
Not that she would actually help him willingly in any way shape or form. She had made a deal, and couldn't go back on her part of the bargain lest the dark youkai have Kohaku killed immediately. However, if there were the slightest chance for her to make things difficult short of openly breaking the rules to which she had herself agreed, she would seize it with both hands.
Something that Naraku no doubt knew.
Even now, as she climbed onto the provided horse with as much dignity as possible, she noted the twenty-plus demons and human servants in attendance, not to mention the archers posted on lookout atop the castle's outer walls. She very much doubted that the dark youkai summoned so many for a mere farewell.
She was effectively trapped, no doubt about that.
Behind the miko, Kagura and Kanna stood, watching her with impassive eyes. Sango noted, not without a tinge of envy, that Kagura was exceptionally good at hiding any emotion…and an incredible actress to boot. No doubt she had to be, what with Naraku as her master. So far, she didn't know what to make of Kanna…the girl-youkai hadn't uttered so much as a word since their first meeting.
At the fore of the group stood Naraku, already seated on his cobalt mount. His red gaze also followed the miko's movements, though a small smirk sat at the corner of his mouth, not quite stretching all the way across his lips.
Sango positively ached for the day that she could wipe that arrogant expression off his face.
"Let us go," he stated, seeing the miko effectively settled in the saddle. Without a word, the servants all backed away from the horses, and the mounts burst into a full canter, almost as if they had understood the command. The party was off.
Towards what, however, Sango couldn't even begin to guess.
The village was quiet; the kind of quiet that comes from being deathly afraid for one's life almost every moment of the day. The occupants, who might (under normal circumstances) have been friendly and somewhat rustic, wore the stone masks of defeat, and the heavy mantle of despair. The last almost-ten years of their lives had left them hardened, cold, worn. No child played in the streets, no laughter echoed through the dreary air. It seemed like nothing lived, except for the haunted figures that walked along the road, going through the motions of existence.
Souta watched the villagers from his shelter under the eaves of the inn, saw the broken spirits of the people. He sighed, the sound whistling quietly through the hissing of the rain though the air. Above him, it tapped against the roof, a wordless reminder of the time he was losing…the time that could mean his sister's life.
Despair spilled across his own face. Chances were that Naraku had already thrown her into the labyrinth…his mission was hopeless. She was already as good as dead to him. Her, Sango, Kohaku…all of them were gone, with little hope of return.
The young boy huddled further into the threadbare cloak. How many times had he had the same argument with himself…? It didn't matter. He had to try…even if it meant his own life. After all, without the other three members of the only family he had ever known, what was his life worth?
With determination and a conviction he hardly felt anymore, he slipped silently into the rain-drenched grayness and turned to the road. There would be no going back for him...
He stepped forward.
The dreams were back.
On the cold stone floor, Kagome stirred in her sleep, a light frown on her features. Through her troubled mind, images whirled like leaves in a gale. Images of people…memories…she knew that she should know some of them, but no recognition surfaced, other than a faint familiarity. One or two she could name, like Souta…he was the youth with her own dark hair, cropped short in a somewhat boyish way. His face was still slightly round with youth, but the leanness of hunger was beginning to wear through.
The girl with long, dark hair and warm brown eyes…woman, more like it. Sango…Nanase Sango, the White Miko. Kind almost to a fault, though her eyes could turn as unforgiving and cold as black ice when the need arose. It had been a long time since they hadn't found the need for such harshness.
Another youth…this one older, and with longer hair tied back at the top of his head. Part of a name whispered through her mind at the image…-haku. There was some connection, though she couldn't identify it. Only feel its edges, like a man groping a familiar face in the dark. So familiar…
And, finally, gleaming red eyes, shining through shadow out of a pale, fine face. As red and evil as the depths of hell. The shadows rose, flooding her, drowning her…
Kikyou—
She woke with a start.
Her breathing was harsh in her own ears at first, slowing gradually from the rapid gasps of her dreams to a regular, slower rate. Around her, the stone walls of the labyrinth were silent, still…dead.
Her unfocused gaze roamed her surroundings, disoriented, before coming to rest on a familiar shape. Roughly eight feet away from her, a red-clothed back was visible, the blood-like colour partly obscured by a curtain of long white hair. Inuyasha sat, facing the open passages leading away from the corner that they had chosen as a resting-place for the night. From his rigid posture, she was unable to tell whether he slept or not; the hanyou never seemed to relax, even in sleep.
The dark-haired girl got to her feet slowly, now beginning to feel the fresh batch of aches that only sleeping on a solid stone floor could bring. A white ear flicked in her direction, the only sign that her companion recognized her presence.
She took a breath, steeling herself for what was to come. Even if he was awake, she didn't think his first reaction to her voice would be a cheery "good morning!"
"Good—"
"It isn't morning, wench. You slept two hours more than normal; we've got to get moving if we expect to get anywhere."
She sighed. Whoever said getting to know a half demon better would bring added benefits?
Stretching out her back and legs, especially, she straightened her ruined skirts before hefting the all-too-light pack. He still didn't face her directly, so she addressed the back of his head. "I am ready."
Wordlessly, he got to his feet and began to move swiftly down the left-hand passage, making her jog to keep up. Life as usual, for the last week…she supposed. With no way of knowing whether it was night or day, their passage had blurred into a regular cycle of sleeping, travelling, few and infrequent drinks from the flask, and meals of whatever Inuyasha managed to catch.
"If I ever get out of here, the first thing I am going to do before finding Sango is find an inn and eat as much greasy, indiscernible, cooked food as I can."
The thought was enough to make her mouth water, and she cast a slightly guilty look at the hanyou. He was doing his best…and could probably tell from a mile away the direction that her thoughts were travelling. If he did notice, however, she was unable to see; he still kept ahead of her, his face turned away.
Now that she thought about it, he hadn't given her so much as a look since she had woken up…actually, almost since they had found the Firerat robe two cycles ago. She frowned; it appeared that he had something on his mind…something serious.
Her eyes turned towards him once again, taking in the rigid set of his body and his fast, efficient stride. She sighed once again; this time, the sound was almost imperceptible and slightly sad.
It appeared that trust would never be something that he would give her willingly…no matter how much she wished the opposite to be true.
However, she couldn't blame him. After all, she was keeping something from him…and if he were to trust her now, she would feel even worse than she did now. It made her stomach twist to deceive him…but so much depended on the lie.
Much more than she was willing to sacrifice…no matter what her own personal feelings were.
He had dreamed again.
Inuyasha gave a silent thanks to whatever higher force was usually held responsible for such things (not that he trusted the gods to listen). The girl hadn't pried yet, though she was probably suspicious by now. There was only so long that he could go without looking at her…without feeling the twisting in his gut. What it was, he couldn't even guess. Regret? Anger? Hatred?
None of those words described what he felt, leaving him confused and irritable. All he knew was that something had changed between them, and he was unable to change it back. He almost felt panic welling up inside; how could he know how to treat the girl, which mask to put on, if he didn't know where he stood with her? For the first time in a long time, he was vulnerable.
The feeling was only describable as a wrenching of his stomach…something he had only felt ten years ago. However, at that time, it had been different…more pleasant. He hadn't tasted a bitter sense of shame and betrayal then…Kikyou's image, while a source of guilt due to her miko status, had been mostly a good thing.
The hanyou resisted the urge to huff in self-disgust. He knew he should have let the girl die when he had the chance…but who was he kidding? He needed her to find the Shikon no Tama.
He was completely and totally stuck with her.
What annoyed him to the fullest, nagging at his senses, was that he was beginning not to mind as much as he should have. As long as she wasn't nosy and annoying, he actually didn't find her presence nauseating…which was almost enough for him to wish she would say something bothersome, just so that he could go back to disliking her in peace.
Finding Gyuou and his old haori had dredged up old memories that had been comfortably buried under a layer of numbness. It had all seemed so long ago…faded, almost, like an ancient woodprint. Finding that skeleton made it real again. Since then…since Kikyou…he had no real memories. Only flashes of images that he would rather forget altogether.
The dreams followed him into wakefulness, walking next to him, behind him…before him, blocking the way. Shadows of faceless humans, youkai…he could feel their hands reaching out to him, stained crimson with blood…
…Blood that stained his claws.
"Inuyasha…"
His head jerked up, turning towards the girl before he could stop himself. The pent-up frustration from the last two days was building up, and he was eager to let it loose…let it go on someone before it tore him apart.
All thoughts of ripping into her for no reason disappeared when he met her stormy grey eyes with his own. He saw concern reflected there…something which made him feel unexplainably angry and guilty at the same time. His stomach jolted uncomfortably again, and he was forced to tear his gaze away and turn his back on her once more before replying gruffly.
"What is it, wench?"
He heard her give a small huff of indignation at his choice of names, and he felt a strange relief in the fact that he could still make her angry with something as simple as an insult.
"How much longer until we reach the exit?"
Her question distressed him, for some strange reason. He dismissed the feeling as confused elation over being close to finally being at the end of his side of their bargain, and opted for anger in replying. "We'll get there when we damn well get there! Plus, in case you haven't noticed, there isn't a real reliable way of telling time in here," he finished with a muttered, "stupid bitch…" for good measure.
The girl (he refused to use her name if he could help it) just shook her head at his answer, and he felt slightly robbed of her reaction. The feeling quickly faded, however, as he went back to his previous hobby: moving at a speed that forced her to jog in order to keep up.
In his preoccupation, he didn't notice that she had managed to make the shadows disappear, caused him to forget his brooding thoughts…if only until the next time he dreamed.
Kagome's legs were beginning to feel numb by the time that the hanyou finally deigned to slow down. To her companion's surprise (and slight disappointment), however, she made no complaints. Any thoughts that he might giving her a break were banished, however, when she noticed the intense look of concentration on his face.
The bottom seemed to drop right out of her stomach. Inuyasha generally treated most of the labyrinth with an attitude that suggested that it posed as no real challenge for him. Most of the times he'd shown any kind of concern up till now had been due to her fragility as a human (as well as his absolute need to rub his physical superiority in her face at every possible moment). The feeling that she was getting from the hanyou now was disconcerting; he looked generally perturbed.
"This section…" he said, speaking in answer to her unvoiced question, "…I've never seen it before, and I don't like it."
She fought down shock at the fact that he was actually telling her something of his own free will. "What do you mean," she asked him quietly, "Is there something different about it?"
The look he gave her was searching, and gave her the urge to cover herself overtop of her clothing. Somehow, she felt exposed under those amber eyes and the fire that they held.
"…Yeah," he answered finally, "Can't you feel it? The place reeks of youki."
Kagome blinked, taken aback. Now that he mentioned it, she could feel a slightly oppressive quality in the air, almost like an invisible something was pushing down on her. However, if he hadn't said anything, she wouldn't have noticed…not immediately, anyway.
Beside her, the hanyou's body was taut like a coiled spring, a low growl emanating from his chest. His ears swivelled rapidly, twitching every now and then, surveying the area. The girl waited for him to act, hands clasped at her chest, her face in its own expression of apprehension.
Finally, he seemed satisfied that there was no immediate danger, though his body showed no signs of relaxing as he motioned her forward. "Just be quiet, bitch, and keep your eyes open," he growled.
She didn't even bother to frown at his choice of words, too preoccupied with trying to move normally while under the influence of his unease. If he, a hanyou, was worried, what chance did she stand?
The two continued onward, not noticing the slight glow of purple energy that faintly throbbed in the walls.
They also didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the stones, lifting itself to stand alone in their wake.
Several moments passed with no sound other than their footsteps on stone, and the short hissing of their breaths through the still air. Kagome walked roughly two steps behind Inuyasha; tense, straight-backed, eyes roaming the passage apprehensively. The hanyou hadn't relaxed in the least, and his tension fuelled her own uneasiness.
Suddenly, her companion stopped, his body stiffening completely as he sniffed the air. She looked at him, barely daring to speak. "What is it…?" she finally whispered, mentally shivering in mortification at the way that her words seemed to echo through the passage regardless.
"It's getting stronger…" Inuyasha answered, the words almost incomprehensible through the growl that underlined his words.
The girl turned her gaze completely on him. "What—"
Her words were cut off by an eerie rustling sound, made all the more noticeable by the stillness of the air. Through it, Kagome swore she heard a low moan; the sound of someone in torment.
She whirled back to face her companion when, next to her, Inuyasha suddenly gripped at his head in agony, his claws leaving red welts where they pressed against his skin. Desperately, he seemed to be trying to keep his head from splitting apart, and the girl watched in shock as he collapsed to his knees. He was shaking, white hair spilling down to cover his pained visage. However, though she could almost hear whimpers of pain escaping his usual iron self-control, the rustling was definitely not coming from her companion, and definitely getting louder.
Her eyes widened in horror as her gaze moved past the hanyou to the edges of the corridor. From the walls, out of the pools of shadow made by the torches, black masses detached themselves from the darkness into individual shapes. Dozens of the figures moved, water-like, to seep into the centre of the two companions' path.
The girl turned, seeking a way out, only to see their escape route blocked by dozens more of the strange shadow things. They were trapped.
"Inuyasha—" she began, then stopped, eyes widening as she noticed the hanyou's reaction to the figures for the first time.
All traces of the previous agony seemed to have disappeared. Instead, he stood, arms by his sides, head lowered in an air of defeat. His snowy-white bangs shadowed his usually expressive eyes, altogether adding to the air of dark emptiness that seemed to have descended upon him. The arrogance was gone, as was the usual confidence…in fact, all his emotion seemed to have disappeared completely.
The shadows seemed to solidify somewhat as she cast a glance back at them. They could now be identified as humanoid shapes…humans, youkai, men, women…
Children.
The rustling was louder now, as were the moans. Kagome looked around frantically, searching the approaching mass of shadows for an opening, a gap…anything that would allow them the space to run. Counting on the hanyou to get them out of danger this time didn't seem to be an option.
There. To the left…a gap in the shadows around one of the torches. The girl's eyes widened slightly as she took in the opportunity, the only warning she gave before seizing her companion's sleeve and dashing for the opening.
Inuyasha complied wordlessly, almost like a puppet. He didn't argue, or take charge, but let her lead him forward, the only sign of life or consciousness being the automatic movement of his feet. In many ways, his wordless cooperation was more frightening than the darkness that faced them.
They barely made it through the gap, narrowly avoiding the shadow-things on either side. Upon reaching the other side, Kagome didn't stop, but continued down the passage at top speed, tightening her hold on the hanyou's haori. Unable to defend herself, the girl recognized the only course of action available: running.
Not that the shadows seemed to pursue the two with any sense of urgency, however. Instead, more and more seemed to spring out of the stones on either side of the fleeing duo, leaking out of the darkness to stand in their path. Kagome dodged their outstretched arms as best she could, an action made no easier by the added mass of her hanyou companion. He, himself, did nothing to avoid the black tendrils, allowing them to snag and tear at his haori without reaction. His feet merely followed where Kagome led, the only indication that he lived.
Ahead, the passage twisted and turned sharply, adding the peril of unexpected corners to their flight. From out of the walls, the shadow hands grasped at them from every turn; ensnaring, scratching, clawing, pulling them down…
The girl hissed in pain as she was tugged back by her hair, moisture coming to her eyes as she desperately struggled, one-handed, to untangle herself from the shadow that held her prisoner. Panic began to well up within her when the strands remained snared in the shadow, refusing to come loose. In frenzied haste, she tore free, the adrenaline overpowering the pain, as she broke into a run again, leaving several long, raven locks behind.
The dash continued, not slowing for the twists, or the shadows, or the other passages that branched periodically out from the one they followed. They were becoming less frequent, the girl's frantic mind noted half-consciously. First and foremost was getting away from the shadows…
An escape halted by a solid wall.
The Runner barely managed to stop before running headlong into the stones, though she wasn't so lucky in keeping the hanyou from barrelling into her, his weight crushing her uncomfortably against the unyielding mass of the wall before the two of them fell to the ground. Torn between trying to breathe and touching a careful hand to her ribs, she managed to take in the situation before letting out a small moan.
She had run them into a dead end.
Turning back was not an option. Already, the labyrinth passage that they had just run through was turning black with the multiplying shadows…figures of youkai and humans of every variety and size. None attacked the duo directly, but advanced on them with at a slow, almost stately pace, oozing forward in a mass of tangled darkness, moans, hisses, and cries.
Kagome couldn't decide which was worse.
Next to her, the hanyou spoke for the first time since the shadows had appeared, his voice so low that the sound was almost lost amongst the restless cacophony of the approaching host.
"…Blood…"
The dark-haired girl turned her head sharply to look at her companion, her eyes noting the way that his eyes were still obscured by his snow-coloured bangs. However, instead of looking at the floor listlessly, his gaze was focused on his hands, upturned in his lap.
Again he spoke, and she saw, despite her fear and panicked state, that he was shaking as he looked at his claws and saw what wasn't there.
"…So much blood…"
The moment of sympathy that flashed through Kagome for her companion was cut off by sudden movement from the host approaching; almost faster than the eye could follow, the front row of shadows lunged, heading straight for the runner.
The girl didn't even have time to react, watching the red specks that seemed to fly everywhere as if in a dream. Belatedly, the pain came to her, spreading across her chest diagonally in a wave of sharp fire; she looked down to see a slash of crimson staining her dress, not quite taking in the fact that it the blood was hers.
The shadow retreated, joining the mass of darkness before the two companions. Around it, the others seemed to tense, preparing to attack. Kagome closed her eyes, breathing in the hopeless feeling of inevitability. She had tried everything in her power…
She and Inuyasha were going to die.
And for some odd reason, the second part of that thought really bothered her, making her helplessness even worse to bear.
Blood.
He could see it, dripping from his claws onto the stones below, scarlet on grey. Running down his fingers, staining his skin crimson, the liquid seemed to have no end. He could feel it, see it…
His eyes widened as he came to the realization, sudden as a thunderbolt.
He couldn't smell it.
The blood on his claws had no scent…it wasn't real. Not anymore.
The hanyou blinked, amber eyes snapping to attention, focusing so sharply on reality that it was almost painful. The shadows that had permeated his dreams were still there, but looked much less solid than they had; he almost snorted at his own lack of recognition. That was when he smelled it again, unmistakeable, with a metallic scent that was almost a taste. And it was fresh…
He looked down at his hands this time, and saw that he hadn't been completely mistaken. There was blood there, but not in the quantity of the nightmare. Not only that, it was clear that he hadn't been responsible for it, from the way it didn't originate from his claws but splattered from another direction…
A direction he turned his head to, only to see something that made the bottom of his stomach seem to drop to the floor.
Kagome was lying against the wall, eyes closed, with a dark crimson stain spreading slowly across her cloth of her dress. Her body was slack, almost relaxed, against the stones; in his ears, he didn't register the faint sound of her heartbeat.
"Shit!"
The hanyou felt the beginnings of panic well up inside of him. The wench couldn't die…he still needed the Shikon no Tama! And, as much as his conscious mind fought the fact, he'd miss the arguing, the teasing, the companionship…well, maybe the teasing her, anyway. He actually found it fun to make her angry…
His attention turned sharply away from the girl at his side to the host apparent, moments before they attacked. By then, however, he was ready; there was no way he was going to let those pathetic shadows win. Not after having damaged his Shikon no Tama detector!
A deep growl was the only warning he gave before he was among the shadows, claws tearing everywhere at once, shearing them down like a scythe through grain. They were helpless before his fury, seeming not to move as he sliced through their ranks as the demon he was. Clearly, they were nothing resembling living creatures: they made no attempts to save themselves, but stood before him and were cut down by the deadly blood-tainted claws.
The battle, if it could even be called that, was over in what felt like no time to the hanyou. Around him, the shadows lay on the floor stones as if dead, hundreds upon hundreds of shapes filling the passage like a sea of darkness. Then they were gone, melting into the ground like the dream they were, leaving no trace of their passing, confirming for the final time that they were nothing but figments of a troubled mind.
'My mind,' the hanyou admitted to himself, wincing slightly.
A sound caught his attention, and he turned back towards Kagome, only to see the girl he had thought on the brink of death moments before open her eyes. He was more astounded still when she stood up easily, wincing only slightly as the movement agitated the wound across her chest. "Inuyasha?" she asked, slight confusion colouring her voice as she turned her large grey-blue eyes on him, causing an uncomfortable jolt to pass through his stomach once again.
The hanyou found himself caught suddenly in a tangle of emotions before settling on the safest: anger.
"Stupid WENCH! Where do you get off making me think you were fucking DEAD?" he hissed at her, amber eyes blazing to their full fury.
"Uhh…" was his companion's oh-so-intelligent answer.
"—and making me worry about you…WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?" the youth continued, feeling the all-cleansing feeling of righteous anger flow through him. However, his partner (thought he had no idea when he had begun to think of her as such) had no intentions of letting him walk all over her.
"What was I thinking!?" she countered, blazing to life under his tirade, "What were you thinking!? I was just trying to keep up alive, since you decided to turn into a catatonic mute at precisely the opportune moment! We could have died!"
"Keh. As if I'd let that happen…" the hanyou replied, much more quietly than before. He was folding in front of her again…dammit.
"The fact is that is almost did happen!" the girl spat, before going to sit down once again. Her anger mostly spent, she began to viciously tear at the near-ruined hem of her dress (what remained, anyway), trying to cut a piece long enough to bind the new wound. It seemed impossible to stay mostly clothed in this place…
"…and don't you DARE peek!" she hissed at her companion, turning to face the wall before beginning to remove the cloth that was presently hiding the damage.
"Peek?—" the hanyou repeated almost intelligibly, before recognition dawned and he spun around to face the other way, the beginnings of a blush burning on his cheeks. "Stupid bitch…" he huffed quietly to himself, trying to squash out his embarrassment with annoyance, though the blush remained.
A few minutes later, Kagome turned around to face him once more. "Done!" she announced to the hanyou's back.
Inuyasha turned back with a grunt, trying violently to ignore the way that her skirt had shortened enough for him to see more of her bare legs. "Finally, wench!" he stated, "You led us at least five passages off where we're supposed to be."
The girl rolled her eyes. "And we are still alive because of it. Luckily the cut was shallow, or I definitely would not be walking now. Speaking of which…what were those things?"
The hanyou stiffened, turning away from the girl's questioning gaze, and Kagome's eyes narrowed. 'Straight back, tense shoulders, avoiding eye contact…this has something to do with him personally,' she processed mentally, only half realizing that she was beginning to understand her companion's body language as plainly as spoken words, 'Crap!'
"Keh."
Unfortunately for Inuyasha, the Runner had had quite enough and wasn't going to stand for his obscure answers anymore. With a fury and speed that both shocked and awed him, she spun the unsuspecting hanyou around and seized him by the dragon tails on either side of his face, drawing his eyes down violently to meet her own. "Don't you DARE give me that!" she seethed, boring into his surprised amber eyes with her own furious grey ones, "I think you owe me an explanation after all this! I am sick of you giving me these cryptic answers and hiding things from me until I either find out about them on my own or they come back to KILL us!"
It took the hanyou a moment to shake himself out of the shocked silence that her wrath had instilled, but when he did reply, his voice was an explosion of furious frustration. "Fine, bitch! If you REALLY want to know so badly, I'll fucking TELL you!"
She would never forget the hellfire in his eyes, or the shadow of pain in his voice as he spoke. "When a youkai kills someone in here, a piece of that person's soul gets trapped inside them! After a while, it's enough to make anyone go insane! So all those shadows back there are pieces of the people I've killed!"
Kagome was taken aback, her anger forgotten, but the inu-hanyou continued his ranting regardless.
"You think I LIKE remembering all that!? You think I ENJOY knowing that I could lose it at any minute!? That I actually find some kind of weird pleasure in feeling like my head's tearing apart whenever those bits of other people's personalities decide to make things hard for me!? But nooooo, the curious little wench can't possibly leave well enough alone; it never enters your head that I might actually LIKE not thinking and 'talking' about all this shit!"
There was a long silence, the air filled by the girl's sudden discomfort and Inuyasha's near-tangible anger. Neither one moved for what seemed like an eternity.
Then Inuyasha turned away suddenly, crossing his arms over his chest. He was angry, frustrated, relieved…he didn't know what he felt at that moment, and that in itself made him livid. He didn't like not knowing his own mind; that seemed to happen a lot around Kagome…
'-The bitch,' he corrected automatically. He couldn't afford to get attached in any way. Not with his dream of full-demon blood at stake; he couldn't allow himself to get distracted by anything as human as feeling or emotion this time around.
With the anger at both the girl and himself coursing through his veins, it was easier to block out everything else…so much so that he didn't hear his companion speak at first.
"—ry."
His back remained turned, though a twinge of curiosity managed to worm its way through the haze of anger that clouded his mind. He wouldn't deign to ask her to repeat her words, however…to do so felt like giving in, offering forgiveness.
The words came again, slightly muttered.
"Sorry."
He remained motionless and silent. He couldn't erase his anger so easily, couldn't forgive her for making him voice part of what haunted his dreams to someone who had no business prying into his private concerns, his fears.
'But you didn't have to tell her,' a part of his mind whispered, an admission in which he found little solace. He had just given possibly vital information to someone he didn't completely trust…a mistake which just might prove fatal if the girl ever had cause to betray him.
However, what made him angriest of all was that the statement wasn't exactly true. He did trust the girl, if only partially…something that he had sworn to himself never to do again.
Several minutes passed, in which he could almost feel her eyes fixed on his rigid back. And as the initial haze of rage began to fade, it made him feel uncomfortable. Dammit, couldn't she stare at something else? He still couldn't decide whether to change the subject or reply her apology. So he did neither.
"Keh."
He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. 'Why the hell didn't I hear her move?'
Kagome's voice came again, this time from close behind his shoulder blade. "Look, Inuyasha, I am really sorry. I had no way of knowing that it was such a delicate subject for you…you have to understand that up till now, you have kept everything to yourself until the last possible moment. Honestly, I thought that this was something like the warnings for the traps, otherwise I would not have pried."
The hanyou fought the urge to snort, though he did favour her by turning his head back to look at her. "Yeah…right. Face it, you're a nosy wench."
He was surprised to find that the statement didn't carry quite the derision he had intended, instead sounding more like he was teasing her. To his further mortification, she didn't get angry, but gave him a small smile. Shit…how was he supposed to keep her away if she thought he was joking?
"How about we make a deal?" she suggested, stepping around to face him directly, "You tell me about anything that affects us directly, here, before it becomes a major threat, and I will keep from prying into your past and personal affairs. Does that sound fair?"
Inuyasha crossed his arms and turned his head away, avoiding having to look at her directly. He never really could think clearly when he felt like he was under scrutiny. On the one hand, she would stop poking her nose into his private matters, which he definitely wanted. On the other, however, he would actually have to waste time explaining exactly why they could possibly die every time they encountered something dangerous…which happened more often than she probably knew. Until now, she had had it pretty easy for a Runner, seeing as most of the small-fry were discouraged from acting by his presence. Then again, she mentioned that it would only apply for the things that directly affected them, which would mean only the visible obstacles…
He sighed. It looked like he only really had one choice if he wanted any semblance of peace and solitude.
"Fine. Now let's get moving so that we can make up for all that distance we lost due to your little 'detour'," he replied, turning back to face the correct passage.
Once they were moving again, Kagome trotting to keep up with his ground-eating stride, the hanyou allowed himself to focus his thoughts on something that had been nagging at him, though the argument and his tangled emotions had pushed it to the back of his mind. Now he brought it to the forefront, puzzling over what it could mean.
Technically, the shadow-figures were bits of souls, shards of guilt, and pieces of bitterness solidified by magic when you came down to it. His claws shouldn't have had the kind of effect that they had. The only way to destroy constructs like they had been was through blessed weapons of magic, as far as he knew. He had neither.
So why had he been able to destroy them? In his anger, he had attacked blindly, unthinkingly. After the first was down, he had continued to decimate the entire mass without realizing exactly what he was doing, or what it meant.
Even now, that was the biggest question: what did it mean?
He glanced down at his hands, troubled. He didn't—
That's when he noticed the blood, now drying, that still tainted his claws. His eyes narrowed, as a thought came to him. It couldn't be…could it?
Lifting his right hand carefully towards his face, so that his companion might not notice, he cautiously sniffed. Then sniffed again…
…And let the appendage drop abruptly, almost as if it had stung his nose. Amidst the disconcerting scent of Kagome's blood, he could identify the singular and unforgettable tang of magic. But not the slight trace of the Shikon no Tama as he already knew. In her veins ran genuine miko blood. Nowhere near as strong as Kikyou's had been, but by no means weak.
Not quite like any he had encountered, either, though he didn't pretend to be an expert on the subject. He had only met two miko before Kikyou, and both had been old. For all he knew, age could affect things, though there had to be a reason why he couldn't smell any magic on Kagome except when he could smell her blood. Even now, if he closed his eyes and tried to sense his companion a few paces behind, he didn't register anything that suggested she was anything other than fully human and magic-less.
He fought the urge to sigh with exasperation. Why did the wench end up troubling him even when she didn't do or say anything? How did she find a way of lodging herself in his thoughts without even trying to?
Two more mysteries to add to the lengthening list. And here he thought he might actually get a little peace within his own mind now that a few of the truly haunting memories were gone. Keh.
Which, or course, led to irritation and stubborn pride. As if he was going to let her win…it was his mind, dammit! Well, he'd show her…he just wouldn't think about her, or anything relating to her, or any of the annoying reactions she evoked in him. Nothing easier, really…he would just focus on his own problems, and that was that. He had enough of them to keep him occupied for a long time.
Needless to say, it took him a long time to fall asleep at that cycle-end.
Yayness! That's chapter nine out of the way! (-grins-) Hopefully things will go a little more smoothly from this point on, though I make no promises about updates, as usual. I'm still trying to figure out the overall plot here, actually…it's amazing that the story's made it this far. Originally, all I had was a skeleton of an idea, as well as a scene from a much later point in the story to write on, so it's somewhat strange for me to see how things have progressed from there. In any case, I have a general idea of where things are going and whatnot, but you'll have to be patient with me as I figure out the details.
Music that influenced this chapter…wow…there's been quite a lot of it. Since I started writing it back almost a year ago now, a ton of different things found their way into my CD player. For those that don't care, as always, you know the drill: scroll down, covering your eyes and going "lalalalalalala…".
Most notable influences, I suppose, are:
All the Metallica albums in my collection, which now includes everything but Load and Re-load. Songs of note would be "Dyer's Eve", "Blackened", "Harvester of Sorrows", and "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" off of the "…And Justice For All" album…as well as just about everything off of "The Black Album" and "The Four Horsemen", "Whiplash", and "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)" off of "Kill 'Em All". Not that the others weren't listened to, you understand…just these are the newest ones, and so haven't been played as much yet. (-grins-)
System of a Down's "Toxicity" album, especially "Deer Dance", "ATWA", "Chop Suey", "Aerials", and "Prison Song". Also, "Peephole" and "P.L.U.C.K" from their self-titled debut album.
"Sober", "Undertow", "Intolerance", "Prison Sex", and "Bottom" off of Tool's wonderful "Undertow" album. Also, "Schism", "Lateralus", and "The Grudge" off of "Lateralus" have been in heavy rotation lately. Finally, "Eulogy" and "Stink Fist" from their "Anemia" album, Eulogy being probably my favourite Tool song after "Sober".
Finally, I'll cut this short by mentioning Nirvana in general. All of their albums currently in my possession (everything but "From the Muddy Banks of the Wiskah" and "Unplugged in New York") have been a huge part of my life since I last updated. I would probably spend the next three paragraphs proclaiming the praises of the band, but I know you guys have probably heard it all before, and aren't here to hear me ramble. I'll save that for some other day. (-sweatdrops-)
Well, that's everything for now! (-grins-) Hopefully it won't take me so long to update next time, though I make no promises. As always, C&C welcome! It keeps me on track, and tells me what I'm screwing up royally, as well as what I'm doing right.
Next chapter: Chapter 10 – "The Fourth Gate"
Ja ne!
--Jurei