For those of you who'd prefer to read it on FFN, here's the link to it.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2051396/1/
Thanks so much to Andrea Sinisterra and Coley for being my life preservers. And thank you readers, for doing what you do best!
Penumbra
Grandpa and Mama had wanted to know why I had a strange child in the house, but Maro merely smiled and quickly fabricated a story. Kagome the heroine, rescuing lost children in the train station.
Yeah, heroine.
How did one go about killing a supernatural being anyway?
I left my window open that night. It was too cool really, the late summer air already chilling with the slow death of autumn, but there was no mansion or castle that was big enough to contain my mood tonight. Fingers dipped in pale moonlight rested on the chipped paint windowsill, and for an instant I wanted to leap out into the night and run away like the fairytale children I had loved so much.
The knowledge Maro imparted on me was suffocating in the silence and the darkness. I welcomed the heavy drooping of my eyelids, the sweet escape of sleep lulling me into a dreamless black. Lazily, one last thought whispered across my brain.
?Where was Peter Pan when you needed him??
It wasn?t Peter Pan who visited my window that night.
Jerking awake, it took a few seconds to blink away the sleep. A quick sweep of my room didn?t show anything misplaced, but there was a weight to the atmosphere that made me look twice.
The glint of quicksilver caught my eye, and before I knew it, Inuyasha was kneeling next to me. It was strange how his presence didn?t surprise me.
?What are you doing here?? I tried to get up, but his glare froze me in place. I was still wary that he?d take that clawed hand and plunge it through flesh and bone to grasp what he saw as his.
?I didn?t know where else to go.? His tone was angry, as if I had been the one who made him leave. Well...I hadn?t been expecting that one.
And yeah, I?ll admit it- in my na?vet? and sleep-hyped immortality I let that piss me off. ?You better leave.?
One strong brow arched in disbelief at my open contempt. ?You think you?re in any position to tell me what to do?? I noticed for the first time the fuzzy ears twitching madly on top of all that glowing hair. Somehow, those ears made a big difference in his appearance. He was no longer an ancient specter, all wild beauty and hazy night god, but rather a petulant teenager. Dog demon of old made me edgy. But grumpy bully who was looking younger and more human by the minute? That, I could relate to.
The insane urge to smile was crushed as Maro?s words echoed through my mind.
?...by slaying Inuyasha.?
?I was told I was meant to kill you.? His ears went still, and whatever respite I felt from the grim truth disappeared.
?Why would you warn your victim?? Some other place in my mind snorted, clearly unimpressed with the way I was handling the situation.
?He could hardly be called a victim.? I retorted, sulkily.
To his credit, he didn?t laugh. He definitely didn?t run away screaming either. ?You?re an arrogant bitch now, aren?t you?? He must?ve seen me bristle at the words because he suddenly went offensive, backing me across the window seat. ?Why don?t I just snap your pretty neck right now before she teaches you how to take me down? After all, you do have something I want.?
The expression on his face reminded me of his other selves. I blotted out the memory of the last time he had been that close, the name of another earning the curses on his lips. My back hit the wall as he leered at me, his aura radiating aggression.
I was sick of retreating, of being told what to do by people who had no right to dictate my actions. For the past three months, I had been running, hoping I could cheat my life from the debts it was demanding of me. And no, it wasn?t fair, but it wasn?t going to change. All I could do was deal with it. All I could do was act upon it. I was going to butt heads with fate, even if the price was my life.
I was surprised to realize I was angry. I hadn?t been angry, truly angry, for so long now.
My hands opened the collar of my night shirt, exposing the expanse of my neck and collar bone to his surprised gaze.
?If you want it, take it. I?ll let you.?
I hope I shook that bastard. I hope he was disturbed down to his dirty bare feet. Because right now, lashing out was the best idea I?ve ever had, and it felt good. I really was crazy, I thought as I tamped down the urge to giggle nervously. What kind of demented psycho would offer herself like a lamb to the slaughter?
Deep down inside was the fear that maybe I was looking for an easy way out.
He looked shocked at first, then anxiously determined. He drew his hand back, poised it for the killing blow. I shut my eyes, hindsight telling me I should?ve chosen a better place to die. Mama didn?t need to walk in tomorrow to find another loved one gone; insides ripped open in cold blooded gore. Had I really just been thinking about my friends seeing me as a horror film casualty?
Ironic.
I counted off the ticking seconds. Five, six, seven...His harsh breathing was the only thing I could register. Blood was rushing through me, pounding in my ears, and still those panting inhalations drowned it out.
Would I see Dad again?
I?m sorry Mama, so sorry...
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen...
?FUCK!?
I didn?t have to ask him to leave this time. When I opened my eyes, the curtains were swishing his goodbye.
~*~
?Kagome!?
I blinked up at the sound of my name.
?Oh my god...are you ill?!? Eri looked horrified, not the first person to notice the toll a day of shocks had had on my body.
?I?m fine, truly!? I smiled sheepishly, waving my arms around as if to brush the words aside.
?Seriously, Higurashi, you?re not looking too well.? Hojo crouched by my desk, his concern clearly displayed in his warm eyes.
I crossed my arms, aiming for nonchalance. ?I?m okay guys, I swear. I just had a rough night last night, that?s all.?
Eri?s concern melted into a relieved grin. ?Oh, I get it. You?re worried about that math exam, right??
I had forgotten completely about that math exam.
?Something like that.? I replied weakly.
Hojo brightened, straightening. ?In that case Higurashi, allow me to tutor you! Math is my best subject!?
Well, couldn?t say the boy lacked enthusiasm even if he was a bit off. ?Er...thank you Hojo. That won?t be necessary though.?
His face fell and I was immediately assailed with guilt.
?That is to say, not today! Now that you guys mention it, I actually am feeling a bit sick. I think I might go home and rest.?
I was recipient of several sympathetic nods and a handful of offers to call and help should I need it. A swing by the nurses? office revealed a low grade fever from stress rather than illness, but it was enough to get me excused from class.
Though they meant well, the last thing I could deal with today were the prying questions of my fellow students.
The thought of returning to an empty shrine made my throat close up. The sun was still high, but the streets of Tokyo were subdued, all its citizens working or schooling. The school ground passed by me unnoticed, followed by the ramen stall, the movie rental shop. Shops blurred and became sparse, while the trees grew denser.
Maybe Grandpa would skip the historical society fundraiser.
Maybe Mama would have a day off.
Souta could have the same bug as me- maybe he went home early too.
The shrine steps came into view. Leaves whispered in the breeze. It wasn?t anything unusual, but my skin began prickling...
I waaaaaaant iiiiiiiiiiiit...
?Look out!?
A razor sharp insect leg whizzed by my face before I could even react, a hairline cut oozing a thin line of red. Moments later I was bodily grabbed, seconds before the inhuman body scored another blow, but not without a parting one. An animal shriek ripped at my ears behind me, drawing my gaze upwards. Hovering over me, face twisted in a snarl-
?Inuyasha??
Crimson leaked through the material of a modern t-shirt where he had been hit. The price tag peeked out of the collar and it might?ve been funny, except his blood was dripping all over me. My nose, cheeks, the corner of my eye; it cooled instantly on my skin, slid down into my hair.
I knew then I really didn?t want to kill him.
?What are you, stupid?! I said look out!? He shouted right in my face, but I was still floored, eyes riveted to the stained material on his shoulder.
?You?re bleeding...? I almost reached out to touch it, but my hand seemed frozen to my side.
?Oh for fucks? sake.? He rolled his eyes before he drew his palm back and smacked me.
The crack of his palm brought sanity back, and I blinked, momentarily stunned by the force of the blow. My eyebrows drew together in annoyance. ?Did you just hit me?!?
?It?s about time you stopped looking like a spaced out zombie.? Inuyasha snorted.
?The Jewel of the Four Souls. I want it.? A distinctly female voice commanded from above us.
I looked past Inu Yasha to see a monstrous parody of humanity. Her upper torso was multi-limbed, the face of a woman contorted in fury. But her body was a twisting, clicking mess of legs and insect exoskeleton.
?I was so lonely here at this shrine.? She lamented, ?And then you came.?
Inuyasha curled two clawed fingers, cracking his wrist in an intimidating display of prowess. ?Listen old lady, you?re a few hundred years too late. The Shikon no Tama is mine.?
?You half-human brat.? She spat, appendages twitching in agitation. ?Let?s see what you can do with your dirty blood.?
Inuyasha?s pupils dilated and I could hear a crunch as he clenched his teeth. I thought he would curse, but instead, his lips curled back, and his eyes narrowed. The laughter bubbled out of his throat in sick guffaws until his mouth was wide and gaping with it, fangs bared and flashing.
?You?ve got a big mouth for such a weak demon.? His smirk was evil, menacing. All traces of the boy who had been before me last night were wiped off his face cleaner than a dry erase board. ?That?s okay though. It just makes it easier.?
He was off the ground then, so fast that I hadn?t detected the actual movement. He extended one hand, claws flashing before he plunged them right in the centipede woman?s mouth. He spun, following the line of her body, ripping her right in two. I shielded my head as bits of centipede demon rained over me. She hadn?t screamed once- he had ripped out her windpipe first.
I should?ve been shocked, horrified by the display of carnage. Inuyasha landed behind me in a crouch, flicking the guts off his fingers as he stood. The pieces of the centipede?s body dissolved into ash, scattering in the wind.
He wasn?t human. There was no way he could be, even if it was only half.
I was scared.
All of this- the jewel, my spiritual powers, and at times, Inuyasha himself- it frightened me.
I could admit that now.
He turned, stalking towards me, and my hands instinctively clutched my shirt front. Would he do the same to me as he did to the centipede demon? Would he mercilessly rip the jewel from my heart while I gaped down at the hole in my chest? I shuddered when his eyes met mine.
I flinched as he grabbed my collar when he reached me.
But, even if it scared me...
Resolutely, I met his gaze, willing myself not to look away.
?it didn?t mean that I would give into that fear.
?When I say look out, bitch, I don?t mean STAND THERE!?
I blinked in confusion. ?What??
?I didn?t warn you so you could just stand there with your mouth hanging open! Geez, is everyone in this time as useless as you?? He ranted, mere inches from my face. His point of focus moved down, suddenly zeroed-in on my cheekbone. He released my shirt more gently than he grabbed it. ?Damn, look at you, you still managed to get hurt.?
He brought a clawed hand up to the gash on my face. Before he could touch my skin, a sizzle of pink light reached out, zapping his fingers.
He yelped, sticking the abused digits in his mouth. His ears twitched madly as he shot me a dirty look. Taking his fingers out of his mouth, he stepped back. ?I see you still don?t trust me.?
I noticed for the second time his abused appearance- the stolen clothes, the dirt smudges and pavement scrapings- and his wounds still oozing blood.
It didn?t sit right with me, his beat-up appearance.
?Don?t trust you? I would be crazy to. Just last night you tried to kill me.? I retorted, shooting him a dubious look.
He growled. ?Listen, psycho, that was all your idea! And besides, I didn?t go through with it, did I!??
I felt calmer than I should?ve been as I drew nearer. He gave me a suspicious once over.
?Why didn?t you do it?? I asked, my eyes unwavering from his angry face. ?And furthermore, why did you protect me today? I am the reincarnation of the woman who sealed you. I have the jewel, and I have been sworn to kill you. But last night, you didn?t take the golden opportunity I presented you with. And today...? My fingers touched the sticky fabric of his shirt. ?You chose to protect me even at the cost of your own well-being.?
He wouldn?t look at me, face guarded, pissed off. I had definitely struck a nerve.
I was about to strike another, too.
?I?m not Kikyo.? I whispered, instinctively knowing that was the reason behind it all. How could he feel any attachment to a complete stranger? But to one who had the same face as his tragic lover...
?Who the hell said you were!? Kikyo was a hundred, no, a thousand times more beautiful! She never would have worn such indecent clothing, nor would she hesitate like you did back there! And she definitely would?ve thanked me for saving her sorry ass! You?re just a pale imitation.? Inuyasha sneered, but his fists were clenched so tight his claws were drawing blood.
?This is a warning. Even if you refuse to harm me...In order to put Kikyo?s soul to rest-? There was a catch in my voice and I knew I was close to tears. Why me? Why now? As if my plate wasn?t full of enough emotional challenges. ?I will kill you, Inuyasha.?
?You can try.? He flashed me the same grin he did at the centipede demon. ?But I?m warning you- I won?t just lie down in some ditch and die.?
I allowed the same smile to tug at my lips, forcing back my upset. ?And neither will I.?
?I?ll be waiting, whenever you want a fight-? He glanced back. ?...miko.?
With that, he left, bounding away to wherever it was he took shelter when not playing with my life.
Miko?
Was that what I was now? I didn?t feel like a miko. I didn?t even feel like killing Inu Yasha was the right course of action. The thought of doing to him what he did to the demoness sickened me. He may be an arrogant, dangerous and moody jerk, but he was still a person.
I didn?t want to do it.
?Stay the hell away from me, Inuyasha! Never come back here!? I screamed to his retreating back, but it was doubtful that he paid my words any heed.
He probably didn?t even see them for what they really were- a plea.