Sorry it's taken so long to get this bothersome chapter up. I personally find the number 7 to be the devil's curse when writing chapters. Now that I've graduated I'll have plenty of free time to work on more chapters. ^_^ Enjoy
CHAPTER 7
"I can't believe you're making me do this, Kagome."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb!" Inuyasha yelled over his shoulder, "You're forcing me to go see that other wench."
"Oh?" Kagome's grip tightened on the hanyou's shoulders, "That Other wench, huh?"
"Don't even think about sitting me, Kagome. If I go down I'm taking you with me." Inuyasha growled and ran ahead of the others, "I'll do this for you this time, just don't think I'm gonna keep going along with it. There's something about Maeve that's dangerous."
By the time Inuyasha made his last comment, Miroku and Sango had caught up to the pair. "What's wrong Inuyasha? Is there something you're not telling us?" Sango glanced worriedly at Miroku. Her trust in the strange woman they were going to visit was waning.
"I don't know Sango, just stay sharp when we're there."
Kagome frowned into his thick, white hair. She didn't get that feeling of unease when she was around Maeve, it had to be something else that Inuyasha was sensing. Maybe he was just letting his hatred for his jerk of a brother get the best of him.
"Oh no." Inuyasha cursed under his breath and started running faster the moment he caught that scent, "I smell Naraku! He's with Maeve!"
"Lie still and try your best to relax Kagura, this will hurt," Maeve leaned over and placed her right hand where the heart of the Wind Witch was missing, "considerably."
Maeve did her best to focus on the dimensional spell instead of Kagura's screams as she plunged her hand into the woman's empty chest cavity. Even though Maeve was partially ripping into her chest, she had a pretty good idea that most of the pain was caused by her opening a small portal that cut through various black hole dimensions to reach the location of her heart. Instead of walking around the building to go through the front door to enter, one just had to break a hole in the wall. Lucky for Maeve, breaking the walls between dimensions were like punching through rice paper, once you figure out how the seams lay of course.
Stretching her hand out slowly, Maeve began to search for the right seam to the dimension that would open inside the jar that Kagura described to be the one holding her heart. In theory, it shouldn't be too difficult since she had opened the dimensional space inside her body so there should be similarities to the dimensional space surrounding her heart. In theory - too bad she's never ripped a heart back into someone's body before.
In her mind's eye she flowed through the inter-dimensions until she found the seam that pulsed a faint grey and red in a steady heart-like rhythm. "There it is!" Maeve focused her energies to slowly pull the seam apart like a zipper, careful to avoid any tears in the dimensional fabric. To her slight, yet happy, relief upon opening this dimensional zipper her third eye beheld the Wind Witch's heart. Maeve gently cradled it and smiled as the heart pulsed with small puffs of warm air against her hand. She then began the slow process of pulling her hand and Kagura's heart through various mini dimensions and back into their own.
'Almost finished.' Maeve thought as she slowly sealed Kagura's dimensional seam while still holding onto her heart.
"That bastard even brought a horde of demons with him!" Inuyasha growled, "That wench better have that barrier of hers up."
"If her barrier is still at the level of what it was before then she should be alright at least until we get there." Miroku added reassuringly.
Kagome looked to the fast approaching tree line as the others discussed what possible dangers they were going to face once they arrived. "Hold on Maeve, we'll be there soon."
The return journey gave her a nagging feeling that there was something wrong. Maeve was sure she had pulled out successfully and left the area undamaged. Yet the heart seemed heavier than it should have been. Maeve did possess the unfortunate knowledge of what an actual heart should weigh in the hand and Kagura's was off. After closing the seam, Maeve decided to inspect Kagura's heart, with her own eyes, before restoring it to the witch.
In the haze of the receding pain, Kagura felt the weight of her heart fill her and then quickly dissipate. Opening her eyes, Kagura found the sight of Maeve holding her heart inches above her. 'What is she doing? That bitch! She's going to use me like Naraku!' However strong her hatred was for this new betrayal, a renewal of exploding pain forced her into unconsciousness once again.
Maeve felt the puffs of air flutter out faster as she continued to inspect the heart. She let out a gasp as the increased rate revealed what was weighing it down. At the same time Maeve heard Kagura give out a low groan of pain. Glancing down at the Wind Witch, Maeve saw her face contorting with pain. The heart continued to puff air that grew a darker purple with every beat. Maeve knew she had to work quickly now that the problem was evident and Kagura's agitation was increasing the difficulty of the task. Maeve put her entire focus onto the rhythmic beating and followed the paths of the dark puffs of air with her mind's eye to the source. She began to weave a spider spell that would snag and absorb all of the gases swirling through Kagura's heart. Though a simple spell, Maeve figured it would be the most effective in gathering all of the foreign substances as quickly as possible. As the white silky web stained black, she unraveled the web into a single strand and gently pulled out the saturated webbing, winding it like a ball of yarn. To Maeve's relief the heart began puffing clear, clean air once again and her heart rate was back to normal. With a glance down at the unconscious Kagura, Maeve once again moved to place the heart inside Kagura. This time without any complications.
Sesshoumaru's powerful demonic vision scanned the horde of Naraku's minions. He found it peculiar that none were attacking but rather watching whatever activity was happening within the center of their masses. He also glimpsed a small dot of red speeding towards the demonic commotion from the opposite direction, moments later the scent carried on the head wind reached his powerful senses and confirmed it was his bothersome half brother, Inuyasha.
The demon lord closed in on the horde faster than his younger sibling, quickly burning a hole through their ranks with Toukijin. The smoke cleared to reveal a small but sturdy barrier protecting his Rin and the others. Sesshoumaru however couldn't entirely suppress his surprise when he found Rin's nanny apparent tending to the sleeping incarnation that had previously kidnapped his pup inside the barrier as well. He decided he would hear the foolish woman's reasoning before he throttled her for endangering Rin. Sesshoumaru descended a few feet from the edge of the barrier just as Inuyasha's wind scar attack began its first assault against the outer rim of the horde.
"Lord Sesshoumaru you're back!" Rin bounced toward the edge of the barrier, "so much has happened since you left! And Kagura is here!"
Sesshoumaru suppressed his amusement at Rin's habit of pointing out the blatantly obvious whenever she became excited. His pup's reaction at least proved that Kagura had not tried to harm her in his absence. However he leveled a cold, golden gaze on Maeve as an opening in the barrier formed to allow his entry. Once again the bothersome woman lacked any scent of fear or apprehension. She was leaning against the side of Ah-Un calmly watching his approach, which irked him further. Jaken was squaking incoherently while Rin chased after his drunken circling trying to calm him down.
"Explain yourself, woman" Sesshoumaru demanded in a low, dangerous tone.
"She asked for my assistance." Maeve reached over and checked Kagura's pulse, "She should awake soon enough and from the sound of it, Inuyasha should be soon finished with cleaning up those pesky demons as well."
Ah-Un rumbled softly with worry for the human woman about to incur his master's wrath. Sesshoumaru was again unsatisfied with Maeve's vague explanation, yet he was unwilling to kill her for her insolence in front of Rin. He'd have to resort to Jaken's explanation of how this all came about.
"Jaken, are you that incompetent of a retainer that you would allow yourself and Rin to be surrounded by such lowly demons?" Jaken quailed in midstep at his lord's tone. This was the type of fear he wanted from the woman.
"I'm ss..so..sorry master! That insufferable woman wouldn't leave!" Jaken pointed an accusing claw at Maeve, "She saw the demon horde approaching and made us stay in her barrier! This was all her fault." despite his words, Jaken felt a twinge of relief that they had Maeve to save them. Ah-Un never would have been able to outrun the attack.
Sesshoumaru inclined his head back towards Maeve to indicate he would allow her to respond.
Maeve simply shrugged her shoulders, "This woman didn't want to fight us, so we had a little discussion as to what this whole fuss was about and we made a subsequent deal that would send everyone home happy." The demon lord narrowed his molten gold eyes at her weak response. To his surprise, though his years of experience in schooling his features only allowed for the slight and subtle movement of an eyebrow as a tell, Maeve relented with a sigh and began to tell what transpired in its entirety. Howeve, just as she got to the point of Kagura floating down for a 'cup of tea,' a burst of flames disintegrating the remaining demons revealed an angry looking hanyou and his entourage.
Spotting Maeve he shouted, "are you hurt, Mae… WHAT THE HELL IS NARAKU'S DAMN INCARNATION DOING NEXT TO YOU?"
"Oh hey, just in time. I was just about to tell your brother about it." Which prompted a fierce, nearly identical scowl from both brothers at Maeve. Who in return promptly ignored both as she lazily waved her hand in the air as if she was drawing a circle with a line through it. The barrier instantly dissipated allowing for everyone to approach the scene where the events had taken place.