Fallen Souls 12/25 by Cassandra

[paxbanana]

Fallen

Chapter 12



?And Inuyasha?? Kaede asked grumpily.

Miroku shook his head, shifting a bit as Sango crouched behind him. The smell of alcohol was powerful and he grimaced as she swabbed the area around his wound, cleansing away the dried blood. ?It?s already evening and there?s no sign of him. I dread even thinking about Kagome-sama.?

Sango nodded faintly behind him, her ministrations slowing.

Shippo?s tail twitched. ?Was it a bad thing, then?? he asked quietly, Kirara small and looking about with big, wide eyes. ?To have returned the Shikon no Tama to her??

Miroku sighed, face thoughtful. ?Quite truthfully, I don?t know what to think,? he replied. ?I want nothing more than to believe the Shikon no Tama is safe in Kagome-sama?s hands.? And his voice lowered. ?But we all know that some thing isn?t right with her??

Kaede straightened and looked at them all in confusion.

Sango reached over to the small first aid kit and pulled out gauze pads. ?Kagome-chan?has been different. For a while now.?

Kaede came closer, listening intently.

The exterminator placed the gauze pads to Miroku?s wound and then reached for strips of cloth and bandages, expertly setting to wind them around his lean frame. ?Lately, she?s distant. A bit?off. Ever since??

?The youkai that wounded her,? Kaede said for her and her face was thoughtful.

Sango nodded and murmured an apology as Miroku grimaced. ?But she?s keeping whatever it is to herself. Inuyasha knows something?s wrong but it seems she won?t tell him anything-?

?And she seems a bit more?flirty,? Miroku murmured and his face was the perfect picture of worry. ?I?m not sure it?s such a bad thing, actually-?

Sango glowered and tightened the bandage with one hard yank.

?Itai!?

?Is that why Inuyasha took the Shikon no Tama from her, then?? Kaede asked and she slowly sat on the hard wood floor, head bowed.

?He did it for her sake?? Sango said quietly and Miroku glanced at her quickly. She returned his gaze. ?You know it?s true. Inuyasha would never force Kagome-chan to part with the jewel. Even if in the beginning it was like that, it isn?t like that now.?

He gazed at her, silent for a moment. And then he nodded, eyes dropping away. ?I know,? he said softly. And he looked toward the doorway where the sun had just finished setting behind the trees. He stared for a long while, quietly, as Sango finished fixing him up and then he sat like that, still staring.

Shippo sighed and plopped down on his back, eyes worried. ?He?ll find her,? he murmured, to reassure the group as well as himself. ?He always does.?





She was cold.

All around her, the wind was freezing, her body shaking furiously from it. And she was wet, drenched through. She made a small muffled sound, hearing water all around her, lapping gently. And under her fingers was loose dirt and pebbles, rolling under her as her hand jerked in a sudden shiver. Icy water splashed over her waist, her legs, and as her lower body swayed she found there to be a dim pain in her chest, and a strange pull as if something on her dragged against the ground. Grimacing, she reached out blindly with stiff fingers.

And she heard something approach.

Her eyes came open, sudden clarity washing over her, and she saw long, lean legs wrapped in fur. Her eyes moved upward slowly and the person crouched before her, a male.

?Kouga-kun?? she whispered.

The man took hold of her and yanked her up onto the ground the rest of the way, his eyes fixed on the arrow that protruded from her chest. ?Kagome?? he murmured in disbelief, his hand hovering over the arrow shaft. ?N..nani-?

Kagome smiled at him faintly, resting her head against his chest armor. ?Yo?katta??

Kouga nodded thoughtlessly and he suddenly looked over his shoulder as another came up behind him.

?Kagome nee-san??

?Go back,? Kouga barked angrily, ?and get some herbs ready.? And with a furious rumbling growl, one that ran through her as she floated dimly, he hissed, ?And where the hell is Inuyasha??







Sango stared as the sky lightened, her heart cold. The night had passed and neither Inuyasha nor Kagome-chan had returned. She gazed outward, her back sore from the hard floor, and she had kicked away the blanket in the night, having found no use for it.

Beside her, Miroku exhaled, coming out of fitful sleep and he rolled onto his side grimacing.

She watched him, a worried frown crossing his face. ?Hoshi-sama??

His eyes came open and caught on hers, blinking awake fully. ?You didn?t sleep,? he murmured quietly and his eyes darted over quickly to where Shippo slept on Kirara?s belly. His eyes returned to hers.

She shook her head. ?I watched the night pass and the sun is slowly coming up, and still nothing.? She hesitated for a moment before whispering, ?I?m worried.?

He nodded to her in understanding, falling into silence. She returned his stare and there was no awkwardness between them, not the way she always felt when she was caught gazing at him, or when their skin brushed together. She reached out and her fingers passed over his bandages lightly, eyes shifting to examine her work. ?How do you feel??

He shrugged a bit, exhaling once more. ?Sore. I think the Kazaana only made it harder to recover. But it will pass. It always does.?

And she nodded. ?Yes, it does. Doesn?t it??

He looked at her questioningly.

She dropped her eyes away, saddened. So many things to go wrong and now this. She wanted to believe deep inside that everyone was safe but something was telling her different. If so much time had passed and Inuyasha had not returned it could only mean that Kagome was wounded, dead even. Or Inuyasha was. It shouldn?t have taken so long for them to return.

?She is different?? Miroku murmured and his voice turned quizzical. ?Isn?t she??

Sango didn?t answer for a moment. There were times when Kagome got an eerily familiar look on her face, one of complete and total blankness. And it reminded her of Kohaku. Kohaku, under the madness of Naraku, alive only for the sole reason of hurting her and her group.

Kohaku?

She slowly lifted her eyes once more to the morning outside. ?The day the youkai attacked?? she whispered slowly, reluctantly, ?I was sure that was it. She was wounded and it felt as if those were the last few moments, for all of us. But Inuyasha appeared and I questioned myself. What had I been thinking? Of course Inuyasha would handle everything. It?s what he always did, especially for Kagome-chan??

He stared at her wordlessly as she spoke, as she broke off. And then, very quietly and very slowly, he said, ?Something passed between all of us.?

Sango frowned.

Wincing, he sat up, clutching his chest with a trembling hand. She watched him worriedly but once he was upright he merely sat, his arms holding him up. ?I don?t know if you feel it, if you felt it, but that youkai did something. To all of us. But I think it hit Kagome-sama the most, the hardest. And I think now she?s feeling the effect.?

Sango sat up as well, not understanding.

His eyes shifted toward her, his face dark . ?Since the youkai attack, I?ve felt?different. More?worried. There are moments when I don?t believe in my ability, when I feel as if the Kazaana will somehow turn on me and swallow me instead. And I?m filled with such anger, it?s a strain to keep in control.?

Sango stared at him, lips parted.

?And then there are moments when I look at you?? he gazed at her, although a fearful look came into his eyes, ?and I?m filled with?thoughts that will not?? he broke off, grimacing, searching for the words, ?lead me in the right path.?

She blinked. ?I?don?t understand??

His lips pressed together and he hesitated momentarily, eyes shifting to the floor between them. To her hand. And he lifted his own and clasped her hand with his, merely staring at their grasp. She also looked down, her frown deepening, and then slowly she pulled her eyes back to his in confusion.

?I can?t bear to look at you,? he said softly, eyes still focused on their hands. ?Since the youkai attack, I haven?t been able to look at you without thinking??

She swallowed almost audibly. ?Thinking?what?? she asked in a shaky voice.

He paused, thoughts racing. ?Thinking that?to be with you would be like being taken in by my Kazaana.?

She stared. ?What..??

He shook his head, seeming angry with himself. ?You would consume me, entirely. And I wouldn?t care, I would want it. And it is that thought that makes me understand that I am not myself. That I haven?t been myself for a long time, now.? He lifted his eyes then, looking at her finally. ?I could look at you before and see you. Think you beautiful. Think you innocent. But now I can?t bear to even look in your direction for fear that my thoughts would be twisted.?

Sango gazed at him for a moment, lips parted. ?Twisted how?? she uttered faintly.

He returned her gaze. For a long moment there was only silence between them, the faint breath of air that passed through the room. And then he turned his head away, eyes squeezing shut. ?It doesn?t matter. Suffice to say that only years of training are helping me at the moment. You as well, although your anger comes out in battle. Inuyasha, I suspect, isn?t affected because of his half demon blood. Perhaps because of the Tetsusaiga as well. But Kagome-sama?? he shook his head. ?She has nothing but herself and her anger will only further corrupt the Shikon no Tama-?

Sango stared, listening to him murmur quietly. And as he continued on mumbling, ?Hoshi-sama!?

He broke off but did not look at her.

?I don?t understand,? she whispered painfully. And she looked down as he pulled his hand out of her grasp, clenching it into a fist and propping it up behind himself.

?Neither did I?? he said quietly. ?But I?m beginning to. And that means we?re running out of time.?







There had been four sides to the youkai?s face. Four. The Anger, with the narrowed eyes, and the set mouth. The Misery, with the ever flowing tears and the weeping mouth twisted. The Lust, with the seductively hooded eyes and the upturned edges to the lips. And The Evil, with his wide maniacal eyes and the mouth open in a laughing howl. Four faces. And four parts to the Shikon no Tama. Four.

What am I not understanding..?

Up ahead the youkai jumped about like a marionette whose strings had been cut and had been left up to its own machinations. It danced and giggled, and sometimes it wept when its face suddenly shifted. And other times it beckoned sensuously, with long slender limbs. But always its face shifted to darkness and that was when it would attack, lunging about and clawing at everything in sight, breathing flame and acid.

Sango?s boomerang flew through the air but the youkai latched onto it and bit into it, giggling eerily, laughing. The exterminator stiffened, a growl coming from her as the youkai spit the boomerang aside, still dancing.

To the side Inuyasha was down, clutching his chest, which had been sprayed with acid. His hand had dropped Tetsusaiga and as they hesitated, they felt the pulse of the demon itching to be released from the hanyou?s form.

?Get the sword to him!? Miroku shouted and he hopped forward, holding his staff out protectively.

Kagome looked toward Tetsusaiga and she dove for it, her hand swiping it up. It had returned to its original form, a torn blade, nicked and useless. With a cry she flung it toward Inuyasha.

Before them the youkai shrieked with loud laughter, and his form exploded in black wind, similar to the Kazaana. A pure blast of heat flew and everything was suddenly blurred, wind roaring in their ears. Before her she could barely make out Miroku as he threw up his arm to block the wind, his eyes narrowed. Sango, to the side, went down on one knee, her head turned from the dust that blew into her face. And the youkai was no longer where he had been standing, his form gone.

Miroku looked about quickly, straining to see through his flying bangs, and he suddenly whirled, his eyes wide. ?Kagome-sama!?

And from behind something tore into her shoulder, ripping clear up her back, shredding flesh from her body. Even if she had wanted to scream she couldn?t have, it was so sudden. Breathtaking. She was flung to her knees roughly, thrust down, and all she saw was the world spin as she crashed to the ground.

?Kagome!?

That was his voice. It was always his voice, crying out to her. In fear, in anger. And it floated around her, in the darkness and the white streaks that she associated with her pain for it pulsed at the same moments her heart pounded. Black and white. Black and white.

Something took hold of her head by the hair, yanking her head up, and she looked into the eyes of The Misery, watched as it shifted into The Lust, and then The Anger. Until it settled on The Evil and she stared in horror, as her blood widened in a pool below her.

Miroku swung his staff angrily and where his staff would have connected perfectly with the revolving faces it phased through as the youkai once more melted into powerful winds, gusting darkly. She was released and she settled once more, reaching in agony across the grass.

Ahead of them it reappeared, all the winds racing back to the one spot and it had a moment to laugh malevolently before Inuyasha flew at it, swinging Tetsusaiga with a raging growl. The Tetsusaiga easily bit into the youkai?s neck, separating head from body, and the head flew into the air, still shifting faces. It fell before her, rolling onto a cheekbone, that of The Evil, and she stared in wide-eyed terror, her fingers pulling back a bit.

Inuyasha appeared before her, taking hold of the hand she had out and he dragged her across the grass into his embrace, his body shaking against her, his hand hovering over her wound as he gazed at it.

Not again. Not again. It?s what you were thinking then, wasn?t it? What you were afraid of. That it had happened again?

And before her, as she looked passed Inuyasha, the decapitated head smiled and something flew from its eyes, blinding them all. Enveloping them all.

Not again?







She awoke suddenly, eyes snapping open, and she found her face pressed against fur. The skin of an animal. She turned her head fearfully, looking about, and from above came a hand, gently touching down upon her temple.

?Kagome.?

She looked up passed the hand, her face pressed to the fur and she saw Kouga. She lay on a rug of animal skin, upon the hard ground of a cave. And Kouga beside her sat with his legs crossed, his hand pressed to her temple.

?You?ve been asleep for a few hours,? he murmured to her and his face was dark with anger.

She blinked, not understanding for a long moment and lying in silence. And then she shifted a bit, her face lifting into his hand, and pain swept through her, concentrated on her torso. With a cry she settled once more, her hands clenching into fists at her side.

?Easy! Easy-? Kouga snapped although she knew he was not angry with her. Kouga never could seem to convey worry the proper way.

?Where am I? What happened?? she gasped, her frame stiff at the pain that burned when she spoke, when she breathed. ?Inuyasha??

Kouga growled under his breath. ?I was hoping you could answer those questions for me, seeing as how I found you like this in the river. Where is Inuyasha??

Kagome stopped for another long moment, not understanding. And then it all came back to her.

Kikyo. The Shikon no Tama that fell back into my side of the well. Inuyasha. With Kikyo. The arrow. The cliff?

?I left him?? Kagome whispered, eyes wide and unseeing.

Kouga came to a sudden stop, staring at her. ?What?? he asked in disbelief.

Kagome moved a hand over to search her shirt pocket. And it was then she realized she was lying face down on animal skin, with no shirt. She paused, stiffening, and she lowered her head along the rug to actually take a look and make sure she wasn?t just confused.

Definitely half nude.

?My shirt?? she said immediately, and she looked at Kouga as he pulled his hand away. ?Where is my shirt??

Kouga gave her a patient look as if he had been expecting her question. ?Hanging to dry. We washed it because it was soaked in blood. Now what the hell is going on??

Kagome hesitated before answering, wishing she had something on so she could sit up. ?Nothing is going on. I had a run in with an old?acquaintance. And she shot me with an arrow.? She broke off into silence, her hands fisting and opening at her sides.

Kouga stared at her for a moment, wordless. And then he asked, ?And Inuyasha??

Kagome made a small, irritated sound. ?What about him?? she retorted, and she instantly felt bad as he sat in silence once more. With a shake to her head she said quietly, ?I?m sorry, Kouga-kun. It?s just not?? and she exhaled sadly. ?He was involved in the fight between myself and?her. And he loves her. He wants her. And I couldn?t stand to be there, I didn?t want to be there anymore. I needed to escape.?

And she realized only then how frightening everything had been there, for a moment. With Inuyasha and Kikyo. How she had fled from them, from Inuyasha, because somehow she had known he would be furious. To the point of killing her for coming back. For getting in between him and Kikyo. For coming back for the Shikon no Tama. How frightened-

And she suddenly remembered what she had been searching for in her pocket before the rude awakening at finding herself half naked. She looked at him quickly. ?Kouga-kun, the jewel-? she said and she lifted herself a bit off the floor in panic, ignoring the pain that flared with her movement.

He pulled it out, the Shikon no Tama dangling from the broken chain. And she stared at first it and then at Kouga, for it as he who held it. It was Kouga, who had Shikon no kakera in his body, in his legs. Her eyes shifted from the jewel, to the man, and back again, and she hesitated as his eyes ran over her form in one quick glance. She had half a mind to cover herself with one arm but he couldn?t have gotten that well a look with the way she was positioned. ?Give me the Shikon no Tama, Kouga-kun??

He hesitated, a smile slowly working its way over his face. ?But?you do know the kind of power I would have with this jewel?? he questioned, although it sounded more like a statement.

She stared at him, wide-eyed. ?Yes,? she whispered.

He gazed at her, at her face, and for that she was grateful. And then, wordlessly, he held out the jewel to her, his face becoming blank. Fighting the trembling that had threatened to come over her, she took the jewel from him, feeling its weight in her hand as he allowed her to take it.

?You?re bleeding again,? he said quietly, and he reached out with the same hand that head held the jewel, his fingers sliding across the skin of her back and hesitating close to the origin of her pain. With a grimace she bowed her head, her hair falling down the sides of her face, her eyes closing.

?I sat up quickly, I didn?t think-? she began. And her eyes snapped open, widening, as he leaned into her. His hand slid away from the wound and instead she felt his breath, warm on the bare skin of her back. She hesitated for a moment, her entire figure stiff, her head still bowed, as his lips brushed her flesh. And then his lips parted and his tongue tasted her, lapping at the blood that stained her wound and her pale skin. She trembled then, no longer even thinking, and as if to acknowledge that he lifted his other hand to her back, sliding them across her skin to her shoulders. His fingers wound around the edges of her shoulders and he pulled himself closer to her, licking at the blood, brushing his lips against her flesh and her wound.

She couldn?t think. She lay there, goose bumps rising on her form, wanting the world to suddenly stop spinning. And wanting herself not to desire the feel of his mouth, of his breath, on her naked skin. He made a small sound in the back of his throat, a small rumbling growl, and she closed her eyes slowly, wanting him to growl again. She loved that rumble that floated against the inside of her skin. She wanted to feel it always, passing from him to her.

One hand slid from her shoulders to her hair, pulling it from the side closest to him and flipping it about to the other side, giving him access to her. And his mouth moved upward, tracing her tender flesh to the nape of her neck, the pad of his tongue wet against her skin. Kagome turned her head, no longer thinking, and her lips parted in a soundless sigh as he nuzzled her neck, her cheek.

His other hand slid from her shoulders down, under her arm, and brushed the side of her breast. She grimaced at the contact, her hands clenching into fists once more, her weight resting on her elbows.

He hesitated for a moment, his other hand hovering still around her shoulders. And then, slowly, he lowered that hand as well, down her opposite side and under, and he cupped her with both hands, gently nipping at her shoulders, at her neck. She cried out softly, her head falling back, toward him, and he used the moment, turning his head to her and claiming her lips in a hungry kiss. She returned the kiss, whimpering, feeling him knead her flesh, and she realized she wanted to feel his hair in her hands, the soft silver silkiness. And to see his amber eyes gazing into hers when he claimed her fully as his, his body above hers.

Inuyasha?

A low, dark growl echoed about the cave, lifting the tiny hairs from her arms and the back of her neck. Kouga pulled back only a split second before Inuyasha?s voice reached her ears, low in fury.

?I hope I?m not interrupting anything.?

And she whirled to look over her shoulder to the mouth of the cave where the hanyou stood, outlined in the sun, his face cold. And Tetsusaiga in his hand.

To be continued...

[Kaili Charmer]

WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I've begun to understand!!!!!! HAPPY DAYS!!! :o

WHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! It's a cliffhanger with dramatic irony and kagome half naked kissing kouga!!! AAAAHH!! Inuyasha, don't kill him! Just...i don't know!!!

~sniffle~ you're evil, doing this to me, you know.

[Winged~Trinity]

omg!!! wow thats all i can say, besides please write more soon!!!!!
i hope everything will be ok omgwrite more!