Alpha by Lyra

Regrets

Drabble Collection Alpha

CXX

Prompt From Priestess Skye’s Bi-Weekly Challenge

Regrets

Inuyasha had waited in silence, in stillness, in darkness; he had no choice, no control of this place or in it. When a figure appeared in his vision, approaching slowly, familiar but not immediately identifiable, he wondered who it was that had come to continue his instruction. Who else did he know that had died; who else cared about a worthless hanyou?

The scent he encountered even as he had the thought brought him knowledge and fury as one thing.

“Naraku!”

He leapt immediately at his old enemy, only to fly right through him. Naraku laughed, and Inuyasha crouched, growling, fangs bared, at that hated and familiar sound.

“Now, now, Inuyasha. That is a rude way to greet someone who has come to help you – and also pointless, since we are between and therefore invulnerable.”

Inuyasha’s growl did not diminish.

“You bastard! You better watch it, or I will figure out a way to kill you here, too. Hell is too good for scum like you!”

He was gratified to see Naraku’s smile falter.

“You may feel that way; certainly I think nothing better of you. Perhaps your father agrees with me; he is, after all, the one who occasioned my presence here.”

Inuyasha’s only answer was a snarl; with his enemy, this enemy in front of him, he felt the absence of Tetsusaiga at his side like an itch, a heavy ache.

Naraku’s presence, his powerlessness, the thought of his father – his father – sending this bastard to help him - ! Many things swarmed together in his awareness, and for a moment, Inuyasha felt a pulse of fury like only one other he had ever known, and quailed from the feeling. Again, that terrible memory flashed before his eyes – Kagome on the ground, the sword in his hands – the sword! - again, as they had for his mother, images played out before him in the void.

But this time there was no comfort, no words encouraging repentance; only laughter, cruel and terrible laughter – and a glimmer more terrible still in the red and glowing eyes behind it.

“Ahh, love...how shallow the feeling, how slow it is to tame the raging beast! If only you had found this enlightenment before, Inuyasha, what good friends we would have been...”

Bile crawled up Inuyasha’s throat, made his mouth sour. He stared at the image of Kagome, her wide-open eyes, a frozen moment of horror, of betrayal, of such fear, such fear -

“I never wanted you to be afraid of me, Kagome. Not you.”

Resolve strengthened within him. He would see this through; he had no choice. If he stayed here forever; if he died – what would happen then, to his chance for forgiveness?

He did not truly believe he would win it, but if he couldn’t even try -

That would be worse than anything in Hell.

“All right, Naraku! What are you here to show me?”

~~~

A/N: 500 words! Mwaha...someone...I honestly can’t remember who...was it r0o? Suggested Naraku as someone to continue Inuyasha’s...education. All sorts of evil sprouted from the thought of that...so a good choice, ne?

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