"Upon sunrise, you will take Kagura with you to find and kill Kagome, as well as her friends. Do so, and I will reward you." Naraku said.
"Kagura?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow.
Naraku glanced towards the door, and the woman who spectated prior emerged in the doorway, holding up a fan to her lips. The boy who peeked in hid from the entryway, though his silhouette was still seen through the translucent walls.
"That would be me," she said, watching Inuyasha's face. Not a sign of recognition from him.
"You know what you must do," Naraku continued. "See that you get those jewel shards. Until then, feel free to roam about my castle." He stood to his feet, exiting the room and disappearing down a hall.
Kagura hummed in thought, observing Inuyasha as he left the room as well. His alliance with us could truly be beneficial with us- no, be beneficial for me. With him working on the inside, he could be my ticket to freedom.
The boy and Inuyasha did not meet eyes as the half demon passed, though they both acknowledged the other's presence.
"I think... you're just like me," Kohaku piped up.
Inuyasha froze in his tracks, almost offended by the boy's brief statement. "Like you? You don't know who I am."
Kohaku remained silent, looking down at the floorboards as he tried to think of a response. "We're... we're both bound to the jewel. Bound to Naraku," he said quietly.
Inuyasha scoffed, looking back at Kohaku, but the boy remained facing away. His shoulders were tense and raised up high, as if he feared physical backlash from his comment. The tension from the boy's stiffness made Inuyasha face forward again, making his way to the castle's exit.
His pace was slow, and his nerves were on fire. Everything he felt was heightened- his feet making every step of contact with the cold floor, his hair and clothes brushing against his skin, and more importantly, the jewel shard that gave him surges of energy in his heart. Every pump felt like his whole body rattled in response, his vision fading away but quickly coming back. Focusing was all he could do to make sure the jewel's energies didn't make him lose his grip on his own body.
Sliding the entrance door open, Inuyasha's body was met with a cold, refreshing breeze of wind. The sky was still dark, the full moon peering down and illuminating his whole body. He gazed up at the sky, hoping the beauty of the stars would distract him from his own frustration.
"Is this place. .. supposed to be my home now?" He asked himself.
Kagome couldn't sleep. No one could. She sat outside, fighting off her own urge to run back into that forest and scream Inuyasha's name til her voice got hoarse. She stayed with her friends because she knew it wouldn't get him back. She didn't even know where to start, they had no clues as to where Naraku may be hiding. Kagome was left with her ability to sense jewel shards to possibly find him, and it may not even be him with the jewel shard.
"Kagome, come inside, it's cold," Sango said, standing in the doorway. Her eyelids sagged over her eyes, it was obvious she wanted to go back to sleep.
Kagome faced away from her, sitting on the dusty and dirty ground in her pink pajamas, her legs curled in close to her. She rested on her knees, her cheek acting as her cushion.
"There's a huge hole in the wall, it can't be much different in there."
"It's definitely less cold inside..." Sango responded, almost sing-songy. Silence. Her weak attempt at a joke must've fallen flat, making Sango sigh.
"Sango... I'm overreacting aren't I?" She asked flatly.
Sango's eyes softened, looking at her friend sitting on the ground. "No. Not at all." She kneeled next to Kagome.
"You know how Naraku took Kohaku from me, you saw how I acted around you all when I first met you. In all honesty, you're handling this better than I did. You're strong," she said, mid-yawn, partially covering her mouth with her hand.
"I'm... strong?"
Sango hummed in approval, nodding her head to affirm her statement. "Mmm... Thanks.."
"Come and get your rest with us. We'll let you sleep as long as you want to so that we can start our journey again with all of your energy." Sango got back up onto her feet, going back inside to continue sleeping. She let Kagome come in of her own accord, let her mind settle before she rested.
Kagome went back inside, sleeping upright and leaned on a wall. She observed her fast asleep friends, and before she knew it, she was out too.
The dim presence of sun in the room shone through Kagome's eyelids, alerting her to wake up. Her eyes flashed open and she shot up, seeing 3 layers of blankets over her. Shippo who kept guard in front of her squealed, and hopped up to his paws.
"Kagome! You're awake!" he exclaimed, scrambling to pick up the tops that kept him occupied.
She took a second to get used to her surroundings and rubbed her eyes. "Mmm. Yep." She yawned and stretched, then looked back down on Shippo sleepily. "Where's Miroku and Sango?"
"They're outside, helping the villagers with the damage. Just us being here brings demons running after us, huh?"
She chuckled before yawning again. "Yeah. You can go and tell them I'm up. I'm gonna go and change." Kagome said, tugging on her pajama shirt playfully, showing how unprepared for a journey she was.
Shippo nodded, scampering out of the hole in the wall that Kagome made the night before. After affirming that Shippo was far enough away, she sighed loudly and leaned back onto the wall. She knocked the back of her head against it a few times, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to leave a faint sting. Her eyes burned and welled up, but she screwed her eyes closed to lock those tears back inside of her.
Inuyasha slept on the roof of Naraku's castle near its entrance, making his location obvious to anyone who exited it. The sun crawled up his body as he slept, the radiance of its light waking him up unapologetically. He groaned, brushing his hair over his eyes to try and get a bit more sleep before he had to leave with Kagura.
He heard the entrance slide open below him, hoping that it wasn't who he thought it was. "Wakey wakey, Inuyasha," Kagura said, almost condescendingly.
It wasn't who he thought it was, but this was hardly any better. He groaned. "Tired." Kagura scoffed. "Tired? We have work to do."
He didn't respond, still trying to get more rest. Kagura's patience waned at his lack of respect for anything. "Get..." Her fan snapped open. "UP!" She dragged the fan up, creating a heavy gust of wind that pulled Inuyasha from the roof of the castle, into the sky.
Kagura huffed, hearing Inuyasha's screams get closer as he crashed into the ground. "DAMN YOU!" Inuyasha hissed, snapping back up onto his feet.
"Disappointing, I expected a quicker reaction. If you're this weak, then we hardly have any use for you."
"I ain't weak! All you did was catch me off guard," he snapped, dusting off himself.
Kagura did not respond, letting her silence frustrate the half demon as she plucked a feather from her hairpiece.
It grew in size, scooping them both up and lifting them into the air. Inuyasha panicked, sitting down and peering over the edge of the huge feather. The ground quickly got farther and farther away. Before the castle itself was out of view, Inuyasha spotted Kohaku gazing up at them anxiously. Inuyasha squinted, then stopped looking over.
A boring hour passed, Inuyasha trying to guide Kagura to Kagome on only his sense of smell and recollection of the direction he traveled. The incarnation figured that she could manage on her own, ignoring any snide comment from Inuyasha afterwards. He looked over the edge again, and saw the forest he was in the night before.
"I smell her," he said, a crooked smile spreading on his face. Without hesitation, he leapt over the edge.
Kagome and the others headed back through the forest, hoping that they could eventually be led to Inuyasha had they followed in his direction.
"I.. I feel something," Kagome said. "Something?" Miroku asked.
"I think it's... a jewel shard? But it's above us," she said, craning her neck up to look to the sky, though the forest's thick foliage stopped her from seeing past it. She gasped, tensing up.
"Kagome?" Sango and Miroku asked simultaneously.
"It's coming down!" she shrieked, stepping far away from where she expected it to land. Her group followed suit, backing up, when they heard his voice.
"Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"
The light that trailed from Inuyasha's claws cut through the trees, burning up the leaves and branches he touched. The group ducked for cover, chunks of wood hitting them. Kagome sat up, paralyzed with fear.
Inuyasha cracked his hand, standing back on his feet from after his landing. His eyes made contact with Kagome's, savoring the terror in them. "Good to see you, Kagome. Just the girl I was looking for." Her name did not roll off his tongue right. It sounded condescending, and not the slightest bit friendly.
"Inuyasha?!" She asked, scrambling back onto her feet. "Do you remember us?" A wave of relief was so close to washing over her, but something was wrong. She knew this was too good to be true, she could even see the streaks of purple carved into his cheeks. Impulsively, she took a step forward. One step was all it took for Inuyasha to lunge at her.
Miroku grabbed her by her shirt collar and essentially threw her out of the way. He let out a sharp but genuine "Sorry!" before raising his staff to block Inuyasha's claws. Miroku's strength did not fend off Inuyasha, the half demon grabbing the pole and bending it inwards. The monk kept his arms outstretched, being pushed back.
Sango and Shippo rushed over to Kagome, who rolled onto her forearms. Sango grabbed her shoulders and helped her sit up. "Kagome."
She groaned in response, meaning to say, "Huh?"
"You said that you sensed a jewel shard. Do you think it's coming from Inuyasha?" "Definitely..."
"Can you spot where it is?"
Kagome nodded then looked at Inuyasha, focusing her gaze on him. A soft glow emitted from his chest, eliciting a gasp from Kagome.
"It's in his heart, and it's partially corrupted too!"
Miroku continued to struggle against Inuyasha's enhanced strength, the bend in his staff growing significantly more severe.
"You're a weak man, it's almost funny," Inuyasha laughed.
Miroku grunted. "I know you've got no memories of us, but this is quite out of character even for you, Inuyasha!"
"Quit yakking like you know me!" He ducked, then sent a hard punch with his free hand directly into Miroku's stomach. The monk gagged, the wind getting knocked out of him as he was sent toppling backwards far behind Kagome.
"No blood from you? Guess I must be holding back."
Sango wasted no time taking her own turn on Inuyasha, relentlessly smashing him in the face with her Hiraikotsu. He yelped, his head snapping to the side. He swiped at her without any aim on reflex, grazing her Hiraikotsu and leaving claw marks in it. Inuyasha shook off the pain, spitting up some blood. He held his jaw, shifting it around until it cracked. "You almost broke my jaw..." he growled. "You'll pay for that."
He snapped straight up and ran at Sango, pulling back his arm. The demon slayer raised her Hiraikotsu to use as a shield, but Inuyasha's fist connected with it, breaking it in half clean down the middle. His force was so strong, he connected with Sango in her nose. She gasped, the impact throwing her down onto the ground. Inuyasha grabbed her throat, raising her off the dirt with no time for her to recover.
Her mind was in a haze from the punch, blood dribbling from her nose. Panicked, she grabbed the hilt of her sword and yanked it from its sheath, stabbing Inuyasha clean through the arm. He screamed, letting go of her before he could really get a good grip around her neck. He kicked her in the stomach before she hit the ground, sending her flying back in Kagome's direction.
Kagome watched in horror, her hands inching towards her bow and arrows.
Inuyasha hissed, pulling out the blade stuck in his arm, dressed with his blood and tossed it aside like garbage. He eyed Kagome, frustration and impatience scrawled across his face as he made his way to her.
Kirara erupted into flames, her body and fangs growing in size. She roared, jumping at Inuyasha and sunk her teeth into his uninjured arm, using her weight to push him away from her friends. The half demon cursed, raising his fist and bringing it down onto Kirara's nose a few times. She did not falter, so Inuyasha grabbed her nose and forced her mouth open, freeing his arm from her bite.
He wasted no time punching the huge cat in her face, sending her rolling back in flames to her smaller form.
Shippo cowered behind Kagome, but sucked in a deep breath before charging at Inuyasha. He jumped up and yelled at him with the intent of sending a top into Inuyasha to deter him, but a quick swipe sent Shippo into a tree, silencing him immediately.
Her breath hitched, quickly coming more erratic and panicked. Tears welled up and rolled down her face as her mind went blank, the only thought consuming her mind being, He's really going to kill me! Kagome's eyes frantically darted around, seeing the status on her friends. Miroku lay on the ground, struggling to recover from the blow to his stomach. Sango, Kirara, and Shippo were unconscious and Sango bleed from her nose.
A slight crack of Inuyasha's smile snapped Kagome into a panicked flurry. She pulled out her bow and retrieved an arrow, aiming and pulling back the string. For a second, she hesitated, but a knew thought urged her to fire. I have to live.
She closed her eyes and let go, the arrow speeding towards Inuyasha, shrouded in a purple light.
That same sacred arrow...! Inuyasha thought, the quick distraction allowing the arrow to plant itself in his right shoulder. The energy from Kagome started to purify the jewel, Inuyasha's desire to kill her lessening. Kagome continued to fire, closing her eyes whenever she let go of the string. Many arrows grazed him, only one other arrow connected with him in his abdomen, making him step back.
She noticed him no longer advancing, looking up at him. His expression was completely different, his eyes looked brighter, and he looked almost remorseful. She wobbled to her feet, pulling out her last arrow as a precaution.
"Inu..."
Before she could finish, a strong gust of wind pushed Kagome away from Inuyasha, the distance between them getting larger again. She shielded her eyes from the dirt, trying to get a few glimpses of what was ensuing in front of her.
Kagura lowered herself to the ground, ushering Inuyasha onto her feather before taking off into the sky again. The wind died off, Kagome getting a clear view of their escape.
"Kagura!" She hissed in frustration. She aimed her bow at the sky, pulling back the string and letting her arrow fly.
The lit up arrow trailed into the sky, heading straight for Kagura, but Inuyasha's hand grabbed the arrow before reaching her. He looked back down on Kagome, the remorse in his eyes completely evaporated. He snapped the arrow in half and let it fall to the ground, the priestess watching in dismay.
Kagome watched until they were completely out of view, frozen in place. Intense feelings bubbled up within her again, rising from her feet to her head, but all she could do was let out a strangled cry before dropping everything and falling to her knees, face in her hands.
Kagura dropped them both at the front of Naraku's castle, immediately making her way inside. "Come on."
Inuyasha squinted and followed behind her. "Why did you stop me?" he snarled. "Naraku's orders. He wants to speak with you."
Probably gonna scold me for not getting the job done, Inuyasha thought to himself.
Kagura stood aside a door, leading to a room that Naraku sat inside. Inuyasha entered, still having the two arrows prior stuck within him.
"Inuyasha, you seem to have come back in one piece." Naraku started. Inuyasha scoffed. "You knew this would happen to me?"
"Oh... No. All you are is unprepared, and I sent you out far too soon. You've yet to truly understand the benefits that the sacred jewel has for you,"
Inuyasha pulled out the arrow stuck in his abs, still listening. "Unsheathe your Tessaiga. Perhaps I'll teach you how to use it."