Title: Crown Jewels
Chapter seven: Morganite and Black Onyx
"Talking" 'Thinking'
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Naraku's voice was not as irritating as it normally was. Kikyou had just climbed down off my back when Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kilala touched down. They jumped into fighting stances preparing to defend any on coming attacks, but he was unnaturally still today. A cold chill crept up my spine and I couldn't help the shiver that racked my body. The group was on high alert, and it was a good thing with any encounter with this bastard. He chuckled and I quickly grabbed the hilt of my sword preparing to fight.
"What exactly is so funny Bastard?" I shouted more and more nervous of the answer as his laughter came stronger.
"You didn't answer the question Inuyasha. I'll give you one more chance- Have you lost something important?" His laughter died off a bit, but his eyes held a cunning truth of something I wasn't aware of and I didn't like it one bit. I growled.
"What did you do?!" I couldn't remember losing anything, Kagome was safely on her side of the well. When she hadn't returned all those weeks ago, we had deemed it safer to prevent her return and once again put a tree down the entrance so she couldn't get through and everyone else, save Sesshoumaru, was standing right here. What devious scheme did he have up his sleeve? I narrowed my eyes at him suspicious. His peeling laughter serving to set us further on edge.
"Are you so willing to forget the Miko?" He chuckled. I jumped in front of Kikyou defensively, drawing my sword.
"You'll never get Kikyou ya bastard!" I shouted preparing to swing tessaiga should he even twitch the wrong way. He threw back his head and laughed out right. I raised my sword preparing to swing.
"Don't be so hasty!" he shouted. A smirk plastered to his face.
"Why not?! Ya damn puppet it won't matter if I gut you like a pig!" I growled back. Kikyous' hand landed on my shoulder a clear message to wait. I looked over my shoulder at her in question.
"That isn't a puppet, Inuyasha, that's the real one." Her voice was strained but clear all the same. Shock burst into life inside my nerves. I chuckled.
"All the more reason to hack you into bits right here and now!" I wouldn't let this opportunity go to waist. I was preparing to jump and launch an attack.
"Inuyasha WAIT!" It was Miroku, but too late I was already midair. Naraku's smirked grew to a full out crazed smile. I had a horrible feeling he was about to play his master card. I was going to beat him to it though.
"WIND-" I chocked halfway through the shouted attack. Naraku held out his left hand, palm up as if waiting for someone to take his hand. A pitch-black boot stepped out from behind him followed by ruby red hakimas, a hand placed its self delicately into his and a woman stepped around him. I couldn't see her face or the rest of her because she was covered in a deep red cloak covering the rest of her. I hastily jumped back. I didn't want to hurt an innocent woman. She stood tall and proud beside him. dread poured down my spine and a sick feeling made its self-known. A sudden whirlwind tore into the clearing to my left and as it cleared Koga stood there angry and confused.
"Naraku! You Killed my men! Prepare to DIE!" his rage blinded him.
"Koga wait! There's' a woman with him! we know not if she's friend, foe, or a captive. I know you wish to avenge your brethren, but for the sake of an innocent life I beg you wait." Miroku ever quick to defend a pretty woman. Koga clamed long enough to see the truth of it.
"Where's my woman mutt face?" Miroku sighed thankful Koga was redirecting his anger to a seemingly more pressing topic.
"She ain't here ya mangy wolf, now get lost I've got bigger fish to fry!" I snarled right back at him.
"Don't lie to me flea bag! I CAN smell her here! Now, where is she?" Naraku's' laughter set the hairs on my arms standing on end. Chilling terror grew and I had a horrible feeling.
"Inuyasha surely you haven't forgotten so easily?" Naraku again fueled my rage, if only there was a way to get the hooded figure away from him safely, I'd cut him to shreds. A sickly acid green whip shot out of the forest from my right and struck the ground near Naraku. He jumped back taking the hooded girl with him. Sesshoumaru stepped out of the forest and came to a stop a short distance away.
"Ah Lord Sesshoumaru, now that your all here we can begin." His voice was a deep pit of inky hate and deception.
"What do you want bastard?!" I shouted again trying to get his attention back to me and off the others I wanted, no needed to know who that figure was and what she was doing.
"Inuyasha you haven't answered," His voice going flat his amusement waning quickly. "Do you really not know what your missing?" He hissed dangerously, a dark grin spreading across his fac again.
"Bastard I'm not missing anyone!" irritation at his games starting to wear my nerves out.
"Fool." Sesshoumaru this time.
"You got something to say or are you going to help?" I snarled at him. His sharp eyes cut into before refocusing on Naraku.
"Darling, should we show them who you are?" Naraku purred at the girl. I studied her a bit closer. The only things I could see were the black boots and red hakimas as well as the gold bands on her wrists and upper arms. The rest was hidden by the tightly closed red cloak.
"Inuyasha, whoever she is she has three shards imbedded into her forehead." Kikyou's panicked voiced called.
"Jewel shards in her forehead, your sure?" I groaned I didn't want to have to fight a girl or injure her getting them either but if I had to then so be it. Something glittered in the sun under her hood. The hood turned toward Naraku I caught a glimpse of a gold looking headband through the darkness. The figure appeared to shrug its shoulders. But leaned up toward him. his hand disappeared into the hood, an absurdly tender look crossed his features and he leaned down temporarily disappearing into the hood. A sick feeling struck me- He was KISSING this person. a sense of revulsion passed through me as I knew id have to either help the poor girl out by removing her head.
"Yuck!" Shippo piped up. "How could anyone want to kiss him?!" Shippo was so thoroughly distraught at the idea.
"Remember when he had a mind control over Kohaku using the Jewel shards? Well I think it's the same case here! Kikyou did mention the poor girl had three shards in her forehead! Kohaku only had one shard in his back, I can only speculate the difference in control between the previous one shard to the now three and the difference in control with the placement. Last time it was strong but shaky with one shard in the back but with strong emotions he could regain control over himself, think now to this poor woman- three shard directly to the forehead! He's surely got a death grip on control over her! The only way to free her would probably be death." Sango was quick was an answer drawing on previous experiences with Naraku's mind control techniques. The whole time the red hood refused to budge from the girls' head.
"Now dear Sango, surely if we were to capture the poor girl, we could try to remove the shards and allow her time to breath so to speak to allow the effects to wear off to see if she's able to come back to herself before jumping off the deep end and ending her on the spot?" Miroku once again out to aid any woman that could be of use to him later.
I growled at the knowledge. So, either knock her head off to cut out the shards and hope she returns to her normal self and if not then knock her head off her shoulders. I rolled my shoulders preparing myself.
"Oh." The soft moan of the girl sent a shock wave through all of us and Naraku chuckled, slowly pulling back still gazing at the girl but finally pulling back. The damned hood finally started to fall away. She turned her back to us. I knew that voice, but it wasn't possible, there just wasn't any way it was possible. None. Black hair hung in a high ponytail long enough to reach down her neck and sweep forward sitting on her right shoulder and go half past her breast. What appeared to be a gold band wrapped around her head. Naraku pulled off the cloak and threw it away. Gold bands sat on her upper arms and wrists. She turned agonizingly slow and I fell to my knees. Her black boots and hakimas were matched with a red bra with black lining like shirt that kept her breasts in place but showed her tanned, perfectly toned stomach. Two small rubies on either side of one large diamond sat in the center of a thick gold choker, they subdued her powers, mostly. Her forehead also had a diamond crescent moon and two smaller rubies on either side of it, they all pulsed gold and settled again. So, it was a double layer of mind control. She stepped forward once, just to be slightly in between us and Naraku while the terrified part of me was praying she was wanting to get away from him the sickened part of me knew she was ready to defend him. her steps looked calm, measured and tense, wrong.
"NO! KAGOME!" I was dumbfounded, how did I proceed from here. She put a hand on the hilt of a sword and suddenly I knew why she looked wrong. Twin swords lay on either hip, one black the other blood red, a fan lay partly concealed in the black sash around her hips holding her swords. Her eyes were lined black, shadowed red and her lips were red. Hell even her nails had been painted red. She looked like shed been bathed in blood and death and made clothes of it even going to far as to paint herself in it. She looked otherworldly, a goddess of every dark unimaginable thing rumbling in the dark of night. I didn't know how to go forward from here. Her beautiful blue eyes were several shades darker, they were striking but terrifying. Worst of all they held no recognition of any of us. Even Kogas incessant shouting seemed to have no effect on her. She simply stood staring blankly like an ever-vigilant guard prepared for fighting and killing and all the things that shouldn't ever be associated with the pureness of Kagome. Naraku planted a hand on her exposed hip and the tension left her shoulders, she honest to god relaxed and rocked back into his arms against his chest. My world crumbled and my heart shattered. A deafening howl broke tearing the sky from my left.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Koga's control was rapidly slipping. He was torn between ripping into me and tearing into Naraku. I knew he thought I must be responsible, I was the last one who was around her before she disappeared in his mind after all.
"Lord Koga its not his fault I swear it by the heavens!" a rumbling growl tore from Koga.
"LIES WON'T SAVE HIS SKIN MONK!" his eyes bled red his control steadily slipping. The air fluctuated in front of us and my attention snapped to Kagome.
"Koga? Inuyasha? Sesshoumaru?" The dazed look in her eyes the only hint she may be in there still. "Help." Her trembling voice had me on my knees, Koga snapped back into control at the sound of her voice. Panic tore into him and I knew it wouldn't be long before he lost what little control he had.
"KAGOME! I'LL SAVE YOU!" he attention went to him and she shrank back. Whimpering as if hurt.
"Kagome didn't he hurt you?" Naraku was just above her ear gently coaxing an answer from her. She sniffed and nodded.
"LIES! I'D NEVER HURT MY WOMAN!" Koga was indignant, outraged even, but how could he possibly have hurt her? She whimpered again as if struck and started to turn into Naraku.
"What a shame Kagome, but didn't Inuyasha hurt you to?" She sobbed and nodded burying her head into his shoulder. Icy coldness swept up my spine.
"Bastard! Stop putting lies in her head!" I yelled furious but suddenly aware of Kogas true innocents. He chuckled and his eyes knowingly met ours.
"And Kagome, Hasn't Lord Sesshoumaru wronged you even?" he pressed, and she sobbed hysterically nodding furiously. She clung to him like a lifeline. Horror filled my gut and I couldn't help glancing to Sesshoumaru who looked stoic but ever so slightly puzzled. We all knew he was innocent in all this.
"Kagome, darling, do you hear their denial? They claim innocence against your claim that they hurt you." He was talking to her but closely watching us waiting for the response. Her back stiffened, it almost looked as if someone had replaced her spine with a rod it was so straight. Her shoulders quit quivering, her hands dropped to her sides, her aura shifted violently, and I knew she was once again going back to the shell of a self we'd been presented so shortly ago.
"Sister Kana showed me the truth. She showed me everyone because she knew I missed them, but she knew they were traitorous and unfaithful in their friendship to me." Her breathing while ragged at the start quickly steadied and came to heel.
"What did Koga do in the images Kana showed you?" Naraku was fighting his laughter.
"He was celebrating." Kagomes sweet voice was quickly losing warmth.
"What was he celebrating?" Naraku questioned. Knowing smile in place.
"He was celebrating his union with Ayame. I saw them embraced and she kissed him, and the entire den was so happy at their joining. Even Ginta and Hakaku were happy." She looked stricken. "Koga said I was his woman and that he would always love me, but he LIED." The last word came hissing out in pure pain and heartbreak. I glanced at Koga flabbergasted, he was pale as a sheet, mouth open and unsure how to defend himself. He drew a breath and was about to try when Naraku started again.
"What a horrible thing to do, my dear Kagome I'm sorry that happened. What did kind sister Kana show your next?" The heavy question hung limply in the air and dread pooled in the pit of my stomach knowing it was my turn next. She drew a semi shaky breath and started again.
"Inuyasha was with Kikyou. They mated so long ago and he lied to me about it stringing me along making me believe he truly loved me when in reality he was just plotting for my absence so he could bring Kikyou into the group and even the rest of the group took to her so well and they just forgot me, even my own child forgot me." Her eyes were glossed over, and I knew she wasn't really seeing us here in front of her. It was a truly terrifying thing what was happening. I was starting to understand.
"What about Lord Sesshoumaru?" Naraku prodded, "He also wronged you, didn't he?" his grin grew, and we all looked at Sesshoumaru curious as to what exactly she had seen from him. what could he possibly be guilty of?
"Sesshoumaru-sama, he abandoned me." Naraku frowned at the honorific. Her Jewels pulsed onyx black and settled.
"Sesshoumaru left me defenseless. He abandoned his honor bound duty to alert Inuyasha of my capture by the slave trading bandits upon taking his leave of the auction after buying himself a woman who shared intimacy with him, on his desk." My right eyebrow hitched up and her tone went ice cold. Her eyes refocused and went back to the deadness of the control.
"My, My. How horribly all three of these men have treated you dear Kagome. Shall I remove you from them? Or would you rather return to them, and sort things out yourself? If you come with me, you'll never feel the pain they inflicted on you again. But if you go with them, I'll completely leave you defenseless to their inflicted pain." He laid out options for her, she seemed ready to burst into tears at the thought of him opening the full force of the perceived wrongs the three of us had inflicted on her.
"DON'T LEAVE ME!" Kagome wailed. "I don't want to hurt and feel all the pain again. I can't take it." She started tot cry and he pressed his hand over her eyes her gems glowed as did the jewel shards. She stilled very suddenly and then relaxed against him.
"KAGOME!" Koga, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and I were all yelling for her. Sesshoumaru just seemed furious. She stirred in his arms. Tear stained eyes looked up at him.
"Master Naraku? Where are we?" Her voice was light and lilting, calm.
"KAGOME!" Again, we tried for her attention. Sesshoumaru grew silently angry. She jumped and grabbed his arm. She gave us a quick glance and pressed into him.
"Master, who are these people?" Her voice was concerned but fully at attention. She straightened and gripped both swords. Pure rage filling her lithe form. He laughed. Hard.
"It's time to go Kagome. These people are nothing to us. They irritate me. Take us home." He announced to her placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded not taking her eyes off any of us. She drew her fan and just like Kagura she flung a quick attack and suddenly they were high up out of reach on a giant fan soaring away.
"DAMN YOU NARAKU! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" I yelled as they disappeared.
