AN: Hello everyone! So this is my first attempt at fanfiction. I have spent the last few years reading a bunch and thought I would give it a shot myself so please tell me what you think! Both positive and negative comments are fully accepted and regarded equally, I just want to get some feedback :) I am also currently a student so unfortunately I cannot guarantee update times or at what frequency I will be able to update, but stick with me and I promise that this will eventually be finished.
Warnings: So just a small warning, that I do write a lot of dark stuff, so if things like abuse, violence, sexual abuse, death and other things along those lines make you uncomfortable, then this story, or any of my stories in the future really, are probably not the ones for you. That being said, this wont just be a story full of suffering, so if you're up for the ride lets get started :)
Summary: So this story takes place after the end of the first series, not taking into account anything that happens in the Final Act series they have just started with. A few months have passed and Naraku's gone into hiding once more. All the jewel shards are accounted for, Naraku having all but two; the one Kagome carries and the one in Kohaku's back. The final battle is coming closer, and tensions are running higher than ever before. As InuYasha closes himself off from the group, Kagome especially, she finds solace in someone she never thought possible.
The Ties That Bind Us
Chapter 1:
Blades clashed together like a clap of thunder, filling the small clearing with the sounds of battle. Two lithe figures sprang apart, landing at opposite ends of the field, taking defensive stances. One was clothed in a bright red haori and hakama, the robe of the fire rat. The other was hidden under the white fur of a baboon pelt, only his hands showing from inside his disguise. InuYasha and Naraku faced off, the one white haired hanyo breathing heavily from the exertion of combat while the other seemed relatively unaffected, chuckling under his breath at the sight before him.
The Inu hanyo was bruised and battered looking, sweat dripping into his eyes as he breathed heavily from exhaustion. Blood dotted his hands from where he had cut himself with his own nails to fuel some of his attacks, as well as at the corner of his mouth where he had landed a solid blow earlier.
The rest of the group was watching from the sidelines, tense and unable to join in the melee. Monk and demon slayer clutched their weapons helplessly as they watched the two figures clash together once more, the sound of bodies coming together in harsh thuds making them flinch. Miroku gripped his staff harder, cursing under his breath as he once again glanced up into the air. Saimyosho filled the sky like a sick version of a spectator crowd, watching with little interest at the battle raging on below. They only had one purpose, and that was simply to be present in order to prevent the monk form engaging his most powerful weapon. He was useless in this battle because of it, and had no choice but to stay put, as much as he hated watching one of his closest friends and companions face their most hated enemy alone.
Sango was in the same boat as the monk. Although she was free to move as she wished without fear of the saimyosho, she needed to stay put. With Miroku unable to be much help, it was her duty to protect both him, but their most vulnerable companions as well. Kagome Higurashi stood at the back of the group, partially obscured by the giant two tailed neko in front of her. The black haired miko looked on worriedly as she gripped her bow. Shippo, the young kitsune perched on the top of her head, shaking softly has he watched the man he considered to be his idol fight the dreaded spider demon. Those with skill in close combat could not rush forwards, knowing they would only be in the way and possibly get InuYasha hurt, if not killed. Long rang attacks were out for that same reason, the risk too high of hitting their companion rather than their intended target. The group was useless in this fight, and they hated that.
Springing forwards with a rage filled cry InuYasha launched himself at the baboon cloaked figure, swinging tessaiga in a wide arc, sending large waves of destructive winds in his direction, scarring the land as the attack moved forwards. Almost without thought the other man dodged the attack, leaping up and into the air, almost as if he were weightless, and landing behind the other hanyo. Before InuYasha had time to react, dozens of tentacles burst out from Naraku's chest piercing his back and drawing a strangled cry from his throat as his blood splattered the ground and he was lifted into the air.
"InuYasha!" Kagome cried, gripping her bow in her hands, the wood almost cracking under the pressure of her grip. Tears sprang to her eyes as she saw her friend cruelly impaled.
"God damn it!" InuYasha screamed, reaching behind him to sever the gruesome limbs with his talons. "Why won't you die already?" Dropping to the ground he was able to land in a crouch, the tentacles he had managed to cut through fell beside him, smoking as they began to decompose.
Naraku's maniacal laughter filled the air as he began to levitate off the ground, the severed appendages re-growing right before their eyes. "Have you let to learn, InuYasha? Nothing you can do will have any effect on me now. And once I obtain the Shikon no Tama, I will become the true definition of an immortal."
"Like hell we'll let that happen," growled InuYasha, grabbing his sword tighter as he prepared to strike again.
Seeing this as her only chance, Kagome quickly cocked an arrow and took aim at the floating figure. A bright stream of pink cut through the setting light and illuminated the slowly darkening field, heading straight for the evil hanyo. The shaft embedded itself in his shoulder, creating an explosion of brilliant light has the top left portion of his body dissolved, consumed by her sacred light.
The force of the blow knocked back the hood of the baboon pelt, revealing a dark sneer on the demons face. Rage filled eyes sought out the young miko, killing intent pouring off of him in waves. "You damn insolent woman!"
Changing trajectories, Naraku made his way towards the five man group by the edge of the field, the younger dark haired woman his intended target. But before he had made it more than a few yards, a bright slashing arc came down from behind, the tip of a sword appearing from his chest. White hair appeared behind him as Naraku was brought down, InuYasha's sword cutting right through him, severing him in two.
The group watched on in dejection as the body of Naraku disappeared entirely, leaving only a small wooden puppet with a strand of black hair wrapped around its center. Miroku walked over to the fallen object, the end of his staff touching it gently, watching as it slowly turned to dust as his spiritual powers cleansed it.
"It would seem that we were tricked once again," he said, rubbing his head with his non-cursed hand. "The lead we were given was probably a set up for us as well."
"I've had it with these fucking puppets," growled InuYasha, stabbing the tip of tessaiga into the ground. "Every time we think were close to Naraku it ends up just being another dead end."
"Let's not give up hope, InuYasha," Sango said gently, picking up the now transformed Kirara in her arms. "Naraku's gone back into hiding ever since he failed to get the lasts shard from us once again. That probably means that he spent a great deal of his energy and is still in recovery. He cannot approach us directly, or else we would have come across him by now. We just need to be patient, and I'm sure we will be able to find him soon."
"Let's just hope that we find him before he regenerates to full power again," Shippo said from his perch still atop Kagome's head. "If he fully recovers with almost the entire shikon jewel in his power, it'll be even more dangerous than before."
"Keh," spat InuYasha sheathing his sword. "That doesn't worry me. The next time we find him will be the last. I'll be sure to kill him next time."
"InuYahsa," whispered Kagome, reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manor. Stepping out of her reach the white haired hanyo started off across the field towards the edge of the forest and back towards the pathway they had separated from earlier that day. Hurt flashed in the dark haired miko's eyes before she quickly pushed it away.
"We need to get going, we're just wasting time standing here."
"But InuYahsa, you're injured. We need to treat your wounds," Kagome argued, running after him, blocking his path as she stepped in front of him.
"I'm fine; it was barely a scratch by my standards. I'm not weak like you humans," he spat, stepping around her.
Kagome flinched at the venom in his voice but held her ground. "It's nearly full dark and the next town could be miles away. We are in no condition to fight if we come across anymore yoaki."
InuYasha turned around and opened his mouth to argue, but before he could say a word Miroku intervened, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder in support. "I believe Kagome is right, InuYasha. We need to find a safe place to camp tonight and none of us are in fighting condition, especially you. There is a small stream and cleaning not far from here that would offer the best protection over night until we can follow the road in the morning."
Miroku's words left no room for argument, and with a gentle squeeze to her Kagome's shoulder he turned around and started heading off in the opposite directions, Sango and Kirara following him. InuYasha grumbled under his breath but reluctantly started to follow, brushing past the young girl without a word.
Kagome stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where the puppet had fallen before following the others, lost in thought. She had thought that after their last encounter with Naraku, things would be better. It was true that he had managed to gather all the remaining shards except for two, the one that she still carried and the one implanted in Kohaku's back, but after breaking free of the stomach of the oni she had been optimistic about their chances of success.
Things had been different back then. They had all been filled with a new sense of purpose and determination, a feeling that things were close to ending. Even InuYasha seemed to be affected by these feelings of euphoria, and had even, dare she say it, affectionate towards her for a while. She had thought that maybe things would move forwards between them for a while, all thoughts of Kikyou and the hurt she normally felt when she was around had faded. But that feeling of determination quickly shattered, and things had become even more stressed between the travelers then it ever had been.
With no signs of Naraku in over six months, that feeling disappeared entirely, as did the progress she believed she had made with InuYasha. He had become even more irritable than before, lashing out not only at her but the others as well. He was being driven by a fierce determination to do something, and without having an appropriate output like Naraku to focus that drive on, he was pushing the group harder and harder, becoming even more cold and distant than when she had first met him.
It was agonizing to be looked at with those cold eyes, the eyes that she had though that she was beginning to love, but all she was now was just numb. She was tired of trying to chase after someone who by the looks of it, would never return her feelings, at least not in full. She was tired of feeling like she was holding the group back, only able to offer them smallest of aid for a safe distance. She was tired of feeling like a failure when she could not sense the shikon no tama that Naraku held, and seeing the disappointed looks not only in InuYasha's eyes, but the others as well. She was just tired of it all.
They were no closer to finding Naraku than they had been the first time he went into hiding. Even the small child that they knew contained his living heart was nowhere to be found, protected behind the barrier that he carried, along with Kana.
"Oi, wench! Hurry up or you're going to be left behind," InuYasha growled from ahead of them, walking with his hands behind his head, not even bothering to look at her as he addressed her.
"You don't need to be so mean, InuYasha," cried Shippo angrily, shaking his fist in the air at the hanyo's back.
"Its okay, Shippo," Kagome said gently, lifting the small Kitsune off her head to cradle him in her arms.
"But Kagome," he protested, looking up at her with a sad face. "You shouldn't be letting him talk to you like that. It's not right."
"Don't worry about it," she said, forcing a smile onto her face. Hoping to cheer him up she asked, "What would you like for dinner? I have some more of my ninja snacks if you would like some."
"Really? Yes!" Shippo threw her a genuinely happy face and started chattering about what he would like, and how he hoped InuYasha wouldn't steel any form him. He was suddenly so animated that Kagome couldn't help but chuckle at the small child. As much as things had changed for the worse, some things still remained the same, and she was glad that Shippo's unbreakable spirit was one of them.
A lone figure sat with their back against the wall, peering out of the low window set beside him. Long, black flowing hair was pulled over one shoulder with a few strands seemingly floating in the light breeze. Dark almost purple fog stretched out as far as could be seen from his perch, the occasional dark shape of a demon cutting across the sky the only movement to be seen.
At his feet sat a replica of the puppet destroyed by the Inu tatchi group, and he watched in detachment as it split in half, the top portion falling to the floor with a hollow thunk.
"It failed?" Asked a female voice emerging from the dark, bright red eyes glowed from the elfin face of Kagura, the wind demon.
"It would appear so," replied Naraku, not bothering to glance at his reincarnation.
"Why even bother with those antics of yours? As stupid as InuYasha and the others might be, your puppets are not much of a match for them anymore," she scolded, twirling her fan at her side.
"What I do or not do is no concern of yours, Kagura. You will do well to remember your place. Or was my punishment not sufficient for you?" Naraku couldn't help but feel immense satisfaction at the pure terror he saw in the woman's face as she recalled her weeks trapped in the basement of his hideout under the care of some of his most gruesome counterparts.
Pulling herself together, she let out a huff, snapping her fan closed and walking towards the door at the back of the room. "Do what you wish," she called over her shoulder before sliding the door shut behind her.
Naraku turned his attention back towards the puppet at his feet, picking up the top half and unwinding the hair that wrapped around its centre. The images of the battle his fake had fought was still fresh in his mind, so much so that his shoulder still felt the phantom pain of where he was struck by that girls arrow. Kagome, he thought reverently. How much she looked like his dear Kikyou, it was almost painful to look upon her.
Snapping the puppet piece in his hand, Naraku let the splinters fall to the floor before getting up. The armored spikes of his chest piece scraped gently against the wall as he came to full height, making his way towards the door Kagura had disappeared through earlier, determination clear in his gait.
If I cannot have Kikyou, he thought cruelly, then I will just have to make do with her reincarnation.
AN: So what do you think? Is this something I should continue with, or does it sound like crap? Please let me know! Any advice is greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to have the second chapter up in a few days, maybe sooner if I get some inspiring feed back, if you know what I mean ;)