Penumbra c.2

[Lauren]

AN: For those that don't know- Kagome's name is an unusual one. It was actually derived from an old children's rhyme whose origins are vague. It is still unknown as to what 'Kagome' actually means. Anywho, the rhyme you will see in the beginning of this chapter is the childhood rhyme that Kagome got her name from. The translation and explanation was found at Inuyasha Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi if you wanna check it out for yourself.
That being said, I?ll leave you to the fic ^_~ Shpanks for reading!


Penumbra

Kagome, kagome,

His deep baritone was still so familiar.

?And so Rose Red and Rose White went into the woods, where they discovered. . .?

When does the bird inside the cage come out?

?But as she gazed at his face, she accidentally spilled tallow on his linen nightclothes??

At dawns and evenings.

?Food would never pass his lips, water would never touch his tongue, for it would all turn to brilliant gold. Still he did not resent it, until finally, one day, his daughter fell to the curse of the touch as well??

Who is in front of the back?

?Even in eternal sleep, she was beautiful, and the prince bent down to place upon her rosy lips, a single kiss??

..where a crane and a turtle slipped and fell?

?And they lived happily ever after??

Happily ever after?

Kagome, Kagome?

~*~*~

?Kagome. Kagooooomeee? Hellooooo, earth to Higurashi!?

I blinked, startled out of my mental doze. ?I?m sorry, what were you saying??

?I was just asking you, when are you going to give Hojo a break, and start dating the poor boy?? Yuka grinned at me, a hint of mischief sparkling in her eyes.

?Yeah!? Eri piped in readily, ?Because if you don?t want him, I?ll gladly step in to ease his pain.?

The group of girls roared back into conversation, while I easily hung back, forgotten in the din of teenage bantering. My stomach felt heavy, sugary sick with too much milkshake.

Once upon a time, when I had been a normal girl with one annoying little brother, two happily married parents, and a crazy old grandpa, these girls had looked at me as one of them; one to tease, one to laugh with so hard we couldn?t keep our balance; one to whisper secrets to in the sleeping bags, rooftops, and fast food booths of our world. Now I was a normal girl with a tragic back story, one hesitant and terrified little brother, one struggling parent, and a grandpa who pulled me back from the edge when he found me, screaming, outside at 3 am. These girls now looked at me as if I was something fragile, an uncomfortable outsider in their otherwise carefree lives. Even tonight there was a vulnerability in the gazes they were shooting me that I still could not stop resenting. I was not a friend anymore, I knew. I was an obligation.

?I?m gonna go.? I stood quietly, and the girls flinched, the way they did at horror movies. A grim smile touched my lips at the thought of me being that first unexpected casualty.

?Okay Kagome. We?ll see you in school tomorrow.? Eri offered hesitantly, and I nodded, flashing a grin that I knew was stretched too thin to be believable. The door of Wacdonald?s jingled merrily as I exited.

In the streets, the light of dusk cast a supernatural glow on the people still bustling about. The humming of their collective energies had become commonplace to me, no longer so alien and frightening. Why I was noticing this phenomenon was still an unanswered question, and I chose not to ask it too often. Sighing, I turned, and began the long trek home. I knew what I wasn?t admitting to myself.

I haven?t been the same since I climbed down that well.

In fact, nothing has. Not Souta, not the shrine, not anything.

There was this expectation, this excitement that told me the worst was yet to come. And sitting here waiting was driving me crazy. Just thinking about it triggered memories of my nights filled with Kikyo?s mourning. I could still feel the cold ground on my knees if I thought hard enough about that first haunting. I pushed it all aside, keeping my eyes and thoughts on the pavement.

It might have been for that reason that when footsteps started echoing mine, I noticed. Fear welled in my throat as I felt those eyes on me, that presence at my back. I stopped, to see if the footsteps would still come, but they didn?t. Swallowing back my terror, I started walking again. The soft thud of shoes followed the clunking of my low heels. I sped up. The footsteps matched my pace. Then went faster. He wanted to catch up. I turned around without even thinking, my skirts whirling around my thighs, hair whipping across my cheek. The figure stopped, obviously surprised by my actions. Our eyes met briefly, his shadowed by the hood of a torn and dirtied sweatshirt, but despite the darkness, something was exchanged. He saw my fear, knew I was frozen with it, and I could see it excited him- tempted him. Motion seemed to slow as he smirked and it was unmistakable that now we both knew- the chase was on.

I dropped my school sack and flew, my legs kicking up gravel, my arms grasping desperately at empty air. The sidewalk blurred under me as breathing became torturous, each gasp burning down my lungs. Lights flew by, familiar landmarks- the cemetery, the woods, and finally, the steps to my shrine. I chanced a look behind me, and shrieked when he was closer than anticipated. I don?t know how I got up the steps- animal instinct pushed me past a point where I could think about what I was doing. Suddenly his weight collapsed on me from behind, his hot, rank breath fanning my neck. I screamed, my frame so weakened from terror my knees nearly gave out. Preservation made me ram my elbow into his stomach and he coughed and released me. I ran to the door, frantically trying to open it, but it was locked. Later I would remember that Souta, Mama, and Grandpa were at his Back To School night. But now, it just made me more desperate. I turned back to my attacker and froze- he wasn?t anywhere to be seen. I could still feel him though, the whisper of his menace through the leaves of the trees. My breathing was still hitched, jerky, as I swiped at the tear tracks on my face. I needed to find safety, before he decided to show himself again. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye- Kikyo. She glowed in a way that seemed new to me, though I knew it wasn?t.

?Follow.? She mouthed, and turned the corner. The swish of her robes led me past the house, the well house, and to the stone gate that hadn?t been opened since my ancestor?s generation. She turned and looked at me before passing through the wall. She?d led me to a dead end. My throat closed up.

?Kikyo!? My voice was raw against my throat as I banged my fists against the gate. My fingers tangled in the webs of ivy, and I grew maddened with my movements, tearing off chunks of vine. It was useless, and after a few moments of violent clawing, I ceased, barely swallowing the tears that threatened to come. ?Don?t just leave me here.? I whispered hoarsely, slumping against the gate in defeat. I heard a thick ?clack? from the other side before the stone gate slowly swung open under my weight.

I knew I must have stared for longer than I thought because I could hear Kikyo?s voice urging me, ?Now! Now!?

I rushed inside the courtyard, but my eyes were behind me the whole time. Which is why I didn?t see him at first.

The roots of the tree had taken a bizarre path of growth. Instead of sinking into the ground, they were curled around his body, centuries of neglect letting them go wild. His outfit was dirtied, frayed, and in the old style of dress. By all means, if it was as aged as it should have been, it would?ve disintegrated off his body by now. And yet, there it was. His hair was silvered white, longer than my own, and his fingertips ended in claws made for ripping flesh. And lodged in his heart, an ancient miko arrow.

Inuyasha.

I must have stepped forward, must have been so entranced I didn?t notice how close I was getting, because when my attacker came from behind, he slammed me against the sleeping boy on the tree.

?You knew this would happen to me, Kikyo! YOU KNEW!? His hands were strong, too strong, when they wrapped around my throat.

?I?I?? My vision was going black. Choking. A memory. Feet dangling in midair. That rope. Dad.

?You?ll pay for what I?ve suffered through, you little bitch!? He snarled, shaking me violently.

?Not?her?? Sirens. Whispers. Ashes. Dad.

A beautiful, impassive face, inches from my own. My fingers reached, touched the shaft of wood that sealed him there.

?Inuyasha??

And then I ripped the arrow out of his chest, going dizzy as it disintegrated in my hands. From behind me, those punishing hands went slack and I fell to the ground, gasping and coughing.

Inuyasha began to pulse with an eerie, sinister force. Waves of it poured off of him, visible to the naked eye. I could hear his joints start to crack, rusty laughter bubble in his throat, and suddenly there was a sharp movement, faster than my thoughts could track. Pieces of thick tree root rained down around me, but my gaze was locked with his as he floated to the ground, awed with his power. His eyes were inhuman, scarlet and cornflower, thirsting for carnage. The bottom dropped out of my stomach as his claws descended on me.

Suddenly, a body collided with Inuyasha?s, and both were thrown to the ground. I struggled to my feet when I realized it had been my attacker that had intercepted the killing blow. The filthy hood had been knocked off, revealing his features for the first time. He had the same face as the boy I had awakened but it echoed completely the one element the other had lacked- humanity.

The two were circling each other, snarling and snapping. They leapt and those claws drew blood, while those hands broke bones. They parted, gasping in pain, before meeting again in violent confrontation. Two identical men, different coloring, same bloodlust.

?Join with me!? Inuyasha?s humanity shouted, fending off another lethal attack.

His demon side cackled, a sickening smirk revealing his elongated incisors. ?A weak little human like you? Killing you will hardly bring me pleasure.?

?This is madness?? My eyes were wide, horrified, watching them cut away at each other, bit by bit. My hands pressed against my ears, trying to block out the wet thuds as they struck each other. ?Madness?? But I couldn?t look away.

The demon pinned the human to the ground, grinning as the other coughed up blood. He extended one hand into the air, poised for a killing blow. ?And now I?ll tear out your precious human heart.?

?STOP!?

The two figures froze as the courtyard blazed with pink light. Suddenly, one Inuyasha began sinking into the other, their points of contact sucking the other in. Primal screams were ripped from their throats, mine joining them as that overwhelming feeling of all-consuming awareness stretched my brain again, testing my limits. It was too much, that power, and unable to think of any other way to stop it, I rammed my knuckles into the stone ground. The pain was the shock my system needed, and I collapsed, cradling my bloodied and aching hand against me.

I was abruptly heaved up by the collar of my shirt, still whimpering with pain.

Inuyasha was glaring at me, but his eyes were not the dark thirsty ones of the form before. Now they were light, amber colored orbs. His irises stood out, pupils dilated almost like a cat?s.

?Hand over the jewel, Kikyo.?

?I?m...not Kikyo.? I groaned. ?Please?I?m Kagome.?

He snorted. ?What the hell are you talking about, wench??

I managed to point a shaking hand towards the gate and my house. ?It?s been?five hundred years. Kikyo is dead. My name is??

But I never finished, because Inuyasha dropped me abruptly to the ground. ?YOU LIE!? He snarled, before he grabbed a fistful of my hair. ?I don?t know what kind of devil you are, but I do know you have the Jewel. WHERE IS IT!??

?I don?t have it!? I yelled, hoping force would help convince him.

?Don?t you fucking say that! Its energy is crackling all around you! It?s?? He broke off suddenly, his eyes lowering to my shirt front, their stare wide and disbelieving.

?What is it!?? I shrieked, suddenly frightened by that look.

His eyes met mine again, still denying what he knew. ?How the hell did you manage that? How did you take Kikyo?s face? How did you lodge that jewel in your heart!??

?What!?? I gasped, hardly daring to breathe.

And then his attention was directed elsewhere, and he dropped me again. I watched his lips as he mouthed a now familiar name.

?Kikyo.?

And there she was, watching us, looking at him with such a pained longing. Her words came back to me.

?You will put right what I have wronged.?

All went dark.

[kyoki]

The violence...What is this world coming to?

I can't wait for the next chapter! Update soon

[Lara Winner]

OMG! OMG! OMG! So Good!!!!

See, you've turned me into a giddy fangirl.

[Lady Casper]

Must have more! Please? Pretty-please?

[wj]

Wow! I like it! Update soon, please!

wj

[ice princess]

@#$*&^(@)#(*(#@!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't want to cuss like a sailor with all of the enthusiam and heart-racing suspense kicking my nerve endings into high gear, so I'll just settle for a little dramatic wing-dings to emphasize my shear love and new-found devotion to this amazingly fabulous, darkly addictive and utterly twisted, imaginative fanfiction masterpiece.

Um, I like it a lot.

I beg of you, write more soon. The plot devices you conjured are so unique they've blown me away. What a take on the traditional story. The only word I can think of to summarize your twist is Wow.

You rock!

~ice princess

[Roa_Aoife]

Gah! You have me on the edge of my seat! I can picture what is happening so clearly. I was so into this story I was actually shocked when the chapter ended. Please continue this excellent work of art! And excuse me while my heart goes back to it's normal pace.