Chapter 8: The Test
Kagome followed Sesshomaru and the rest of the demon council to the very edge of the demon city. A giant door stood against the wall and as they approached, the door opened widely. It was bright on the other side and Kagome looked over the surroundings.
"You'll be okay, love. It's safe until you get to the mountains," Sesshomaru said quietly to only Kagome. She nodded and stepped over the threshold. There was no turning back now, not that she wanted to. She saw the outline of the mountains in the distance and ran. It would take a day to get there on foot. The surrounding area was all forest and wilderness. Animals jumped out of her way, as well as weaker demons. Kagome had never seen anything like this before.
She was having a lot fun just running through the vegetation. She had never seen so much wildlife in one area before. As she ran she practiced going over obstacles by jumping in trees and jumping over creeks. She ran for the whole day and as the sunset she had reached the bottom of the mountain. She found a small clearing at the base and wanted to make camp there.
Kagome set down her pack of supplies and built a small fire. She waited for nightfall before she went hunting. She was getting very hungry by the time she was ready to hunt. Her eyes gave her clear night vision and she quietly crept through the trees trying to find something to eat. She stopped by a creek and spotted a deer drinking.
Kagome closed her eyes and sniffed the air. Her instincts began to take over, smelling her food source a few yards away. She darted out from her hiding place and latched on to the deer. It didn't even realize what was happening until it happened. By that time Kagome had sunk her teeth into its neck and was drinking her meal. After she was satisfied she left the dead deer for the other animals to pick at.
Kagome returned to her campsite and sighed. "How am I going to find this bird in the mountains?" she asked herself. Was it even possible to find this one bird in this big land?
"I can't lost hope," Kagome said to herself. She had to have hope. She had to prove herself to everyone. This was for the man she loved and this was all he asked from her. It was the least she could do for Sesshomaru.
As she thought of Sesshomaru, she began to miss him. She wished he was here with her on this journey, but she knew she had to do this alone. Thoughts of Sesshomaru filled her mind as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
…
Kagome panted as she finally reached the very top of the mountain. It had taken her two days to climb the mountain and she was exhausted. She couldn't hunt because no animals lived on the side of the massive piece of land. She barely slept because there wasn't any comfortable flat spot that she found to sleep on.
Once she made it to the top she gasped at the beauty of the view. Everything was green and distant. She wanted Sesshomaru to be here to see this, but she pushed the thought away so she wouldn't become sad or distracted.
Kagome wandered around the forest that covered the mountain. She didn't see any animals for hunting. She kept searching until she came across a giant cave. She was confused because this cave looked man-made. Who would make a cave up here?
Kagome then spotted a fire-red bird flying out of the cave. The bird had to be as big as a vehicle and its massive wings caused dirt to fly everywhere. Kagome watched it mesmerized by its beautiful grace. She had found the Phoenix.
The Phoenix opened its massive beak and let out an ear-piercing screech. Kagome covered her ears to protect her sensitive hearing and then figured out that the bird had noticed her. Suddenly men in cloaks were surrounding her.
She stood, grabbing her short sword, but not fully knowing how to use it. She figured it was better than having nothing at all.
"What business do you have here demon?" One man asked with a deep booming voice.
Kagome's heart began to race with fear. She had no idea what she was doing. Could she really do this? Was she really worthy of Sesshomaru?
"I am here to collect a feature from the Phoenix. I mean it no harm," Kagome stated.
"That is forbidden. You must leave or we shall attack."
Kagome studied the men in cloaks and took a deep breath. She was getting ready to make a run for the cave. She took off, darting between trees and stumbling, but she made it to the opening of the cave. One of the men appeared in front of her and she smacked into him. She went flying back and hit her head on a rock.
Kagome winced in pain as she stood up. She pointed her sword at the man she ran into. She charged at him. She swung her sword and it sliced through the man. She gasped at how easy it was to kill him. The cloak fell off of the man and she realized it was one of the old demons from the demon council. He was not dead, just slightly injured.
"What? What's going on?" Kagome asked confused. Why was the demon council here? Why were they protecting the Phoenix?
"There are three of us that you need to get through to get inside the cave. The last one is your mate Sesshomaru. If you can beat us then we permit you to get the feather. For now, fight me."
Kagome nodded in determination and watched the demon get up. He charged at her and she easily dodged and struck him again. While he was down Kagome struck him again and he held his hand up in surrender.
"I'm done. There is only so much an old demon can take," the demon said and stood up. "Your next opponent will be harder."
Kagome got ready for the next demon. He appeared and vines shot out at her. They grazed her skin, causing small cuts to appear all over her body. Kagome hissed in pain, but didn't show it. She was concentrating on the demon.
Her instincts began to take over when her body sensed danger. She dropped her sword and charged the demon with her bare claws. The demon threw more vines at her, but she cut through them making her way closer to him. Just as she was going to attack the demon, there was a sudden black cloud that covered the sky.
Everyone stopped and looked up at the sky. Kagome felt the familiar presence of Naraku and tensed up. Sure enough Naraku appeared smirking at Kagome.
"I've missed you Kagome," Naraku smiled.
"How did you get here?" Kagome asked shocked. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked behind her. Sesshomaru was standing beside her.
"This task will have to wait. Naraku needs to be brought to justice," Sesshomaru stated. The demons from the council nodded. "Kagome, will you fight with me?"
"Of course," Kagome said.
Naraku disappeared and reappeared in front of Kagome. "My darling. Time to go," Naraku smiled. He grabbed Kagome and pulled her to him. She struggled against his hold, but he kept her with him as leverage.
Naraku knew Sesshomaru was powerful, but he had Kagome as his trump card. Kagome kicked and hit him, trying to get away. She had wished that she learned more self-defense and how to fight.
"Quit moving," Naraku snapped.
"Let her go," Sesshomaru ordered.
Naraku laughed and turned Kagome's head so her neck was exposed. "She's my mate, Sesshomaru. I can do with her as I please."
Naraku sunk his fangs into Kagome and something inside of her snapped. She screamed as a tingling sensation filled her. A blinding light erupted from her body and Naraku cried out in pain. Kagome had no idea what was going on, but the light burst suddenly and she fell to the ground.
Kagome looked around, seeing the crater the light caused in the mountain. She saw Naraku lying on the ground and he looked to be in pain. A couple other demons were in the same condition. When she spotted Sesshomaru she immediately ran over to him.
He was lying on the ground, injured. Kagome's powers had hit him too, but not as badly as Naraku. The uninjured demons grabbed Naraku and placed him under demon arrest.
"We shall take him to the courts," one demon said.
"No! You must kill him!" Kagome demanded. There was no way she was going to let Naraku leave here alive.
"Kagome is right. I will kill him," Sesshomaru said sitting up. He was still injured, but he didn't show any sign of pain. He grabbed his sword and pointed it at Naraku. "Any last words Naraku?"
Naraku smirked at Sesshomaru. "This is not over. Even if you kill me, Kagome will be forever marked by me."
"I remove your mark from her by eliminating you and taking your place. I hope this is painful," Sesshomaru said and swung his sword. Electricity seemed to shoot out of the sword and tore Naraku to pieces. Kagome watched in awe as everything came to an end. Naraku was dead. Sesshomaru slumped forward and Kagome rushed to his side.
"You accomplished your task Kagome," Sesshomaru stated.
"What? I didn't get the feather though," Kagome said.
"It wasn't about that. It was to prove you are strong and you are. You brought me to my knees with your powers. Naraku's mark should be fully gone form you now. How do you feel?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I feel a lot better than before. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Kagome questioned.
"I'm fine."
"Congratulations Kagome. You are worthy of mating Sesshomaru. We will allow him to take you home and will not interfere with you two anymore."
Kagome smiled brightly and Sesshomaru picked her up. A bright light surrounded them and Kagome felt like she was floating. The light disappeared and they were back in Sesshomaru's house.
"You're mine now, Kagome," Sesshomaru said looking down at Kagome.
"I'm glad. I've always wanted to be yours. Can you make it official?" Kagome asked.
"Later. For now, I need some rest. Your powers are far too great for me to handle." Sesshomaru lay back on to his bed and sighed. He hated being vulnerable, but at this point he didn't care. He needed to recover from the huge blast that Kagome caused.
Kagome crawled in to the bed beside him and snuggled into his side. Sesshomaru smiled slightly and held her as they rested from their recent journey.
…
A/N: It has been such a long time! Over a year! I'm very sorry to all the readers who were expecting this story to continue quickly. I was just inspired to update by the recent review from Rainfire of Riverclan, so thank her! I really hope I can finish this story. Please let me know what you think and if you have any ideas to put it. Thank you for the support everyone!
