Ch. #11: A Sesshomaru and Kagura Love Story
Author's Notes: Hey guys! Well…it has definitely been a while, hasn't it? Okay, so maybe that's an understatement. I can't believe how time flies! Sorry for the super long wait. I really didn't expect it to take a couple of years to update. But I'm back again and ready to write. Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read and review this story! It really means a lot and it makes me happy to see that you guys are interested in this story.
So…without further ado, let's get Chapter #11 underway!
"Kagura." Kanna stated plainly, her face void of emotion. Shocked, Kagura immediately withdrew her weapon. She couldn't believe her sister was standing before her. 'Kanna...what's she doing here?' Kagura thought, her crimson eyes staring back at her sister. 'Why is she protecting Kohaku?' She took a step towards the mirror demon. She needed answers.
"Kanna…" she started, but stopped when the sound of three familiar insects caught her attention. 'Great, just what I need…' She thought, mildly irritated. She turned her attention back to her sister. 'She doesn't know...if Naraku sees...'
"Listen to me, Kanna. You cannot keep protecting Kohaku like this. Naraku wants Kohaku's shard. You will die if Naraku sees what you're doing," Kagura explained, hoping her sister would heed her warning.
Kanna's face held no reaction. "Die?" She questioned.
Kagura cursed at how distant her sister was. It was like talking to a freakin' wall. "Yes, you and I both know he holds your life in his hands. Killing Kohaku is the only way you can ever be free of him," She replied. "Now call your monster off."
Kanna didn't budge. Behind her sister, Kagura saw vines wind around three figures bodies, reacting to the gleam of Kohaku's shard. The vines pinned Kohaku, Rin, and Jaken to a tree. How tightly the vines were wrapped around them could be identified by the occasional crunching sound of bones being crushed. She knew she had to hurry. It was only a matter of time before the vines successfully squeezed the life out of its unsuspecting victims. She turned her attention back to Kanna. 'Fine then, if that's the way you want it…' She thought, taking out her fan. Clearly, reasoning with Kanna wouldn't get her anywhere.
"Move! You're in my way!" Kagura shouted, launching two of her wind blades at her. 'Sorry, Kanna, but this is for your own good...' she thought. Kanna and her mirror demon didn't move. The two wind blades were absorbed by a barrier protecting Kanna and the mirror demon.
"A barrier?!" Kagura said in confusion. She glared at her sibling. "Kanna, what the hell do you think you're doing?! This isn't a game, "she shouted.
"Game?" Kanna asked.
Kagura gave a frustrated groan at her sister's stubbornness. What would she have to do to convince her sister to move? She knew that her sister wasn't stupid. No matter how much of a complacent pawn she seemed to Kagura, she knew that there was always a method to Kanna's madness. If she was risking her life to protect Kohaku, she knew it was for good reason and no matter what she did to convince her sister that she was taking the wrong path, she would never be able to change her sister's mind once it was already made up. She knew that Kanna wanted Kohaku to live and she knew that Kanna was aware that she was betraying Naraku on her own accord. She couldn't wrap her mind as to why her sister would do such a thing.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Kanna and her monster's eyes began to glow with a blue aura. A loud crackling sound and smoke soon permeated her senses. Kagura's eyes immediately shifted to the tree behind the mirror demon. The tree that contained Kohaku and the others was on fire! Panic flashed through Kagura's eyes. "Kanna, what the hell are you doing?!" She demanded angrily. She received no response from Kanna. Her face betrayed no emotion as she continued to stare blankly back at Kagura.
Although Kohaku would inevitably die once she herself stole his shard, that didn't mean that she wanted all three of them to die in the process. Well, maybe Jaken, but she knew how much it would hurt Sesshomaru if she allowed Rin to die. Kagura attempted two more dance of blades, which failed to get past the barrier. She could only watch helplessly as the flames continued to burn through the vines. She knew it was only a matter of time before the fire consumed them. However, just when she thought it was over, she was surprised when the vines released Rin, Jaken, and Kohaku from the tree, causing their bodies to hit the dirt.
'What? She's saving them?' Kagura thought in shock.
As if sensing her confusion, Kanna chose to speak. "Protect….Kohaku. Naraku cannot have the last shard."
"Kanna, your life is at stake here. If you continue to defend Kohaku like this, you'll only be getting yourself killed. Are you saying that a human's life is more valuable than your own?" She argued. When Kanna didn't respond, Kagura sighed. This was going nowhere. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the Saimyosho hovering nearby, watching their interaction carefully.
'Naraku is probably getting his enjoyment out of this right now. I gather he's sitting back, just waiting for the right moment to sever the cord to Kanna's life,' she thought. She smirked, opening her fan. "I've had enough of your games!'
"Dance of Blades!" Kagura shouted, sending two of her wind blades towards the Saimyosho. The blades hit all three insects on point. They dissipated on contact.
"That'll take care of the pests," she stated. She looked back at Kanna and the mirror demon.
Kagura kept her crimson eyes locked on with Kanna's. "Kanna. Let's make a deal, you and I. Hand over Kohaku and I promise not to allow Naraku to have the last shard," she said.
She watched as Kanna slowly shook her head from side to side.
She gritted her teeth. "You're really starting to tick me off," Kagura bit back. However, her frustration was short-lived when a familiar voice behind her answered.
"Need help?" the voice asked in amusement.
She turned and found Byakuya causally leaning against a tree behind her. Kanna watched on silently.
"Tch. You again," Kagura scoffed, placing her fan back into her kimono.
Byakuya laughed. "You don't seem surprised. But then again, this whole thing with you betraying Naraku has started becoming redundant and, dare I say, a bit of a nuisance," he stated.
"Apparently Naraku doesn't know how to trust people very much," Kagura stated.
Byakuya smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "With people like you who can't seem to do a task right, I don't see why he would even want to bother."
"What can I say? Obeying people blindly has never come naturally to me," Kagura responded casually.
"Well, that's very typical for a person with half a brain," Byakuya said. "Do yourself a favor and don't betray Naraku this time. Don't forget that your life isn't the only one at stake here."
"I'm aware of that," Kagura replied. She pointed a thumb in the direction of Rin, Jaken, and Kohaku unconscious on the ground. "As you can see, I'm working on it."
"And so far, you've come up with nothing." He noted, walking up to her. "Naraku is growing impatient, which is why he sent me here to come babysit you."
Kagura frowned. "If you've got a better plan on getting past Kanna, I'm listening."
"Well, killing her is my idea, but I don't think you'd oblige." He remarked.
She turned away from him. "Forget I asked," she muttered.
"—But," he continued. "I do have one more idea that could work in both of our favors."
Her eyes shot back at him. "Alright, let's hear this plan of yours," she calmly demanded.
He smirked, noting her renewed interest. "That's a good girl. But first things first, hand over your fan."
…
"Was it from this direction that you sensed the jewel shard, Kagome?!" Inuyasha asked, running alongside of Miroku and Kirara while carrying Kagome on his back.
Kagome nodded. "Yes, it's faint, but I can definitely sense a shard up ahead and it's just one shard."
Both Miroku and Sango perked up at that. "One shard? That means Kohaku must be nearby." Miroku stated.
"Yeah, and that's not all. Up ahead reeks of Naraku's scent…" Inuyasha said.
"If Naraku's involved, it can't be good!" Kagome said. "Inuyasha, we have to hurry!"
"Already on it!" Inuyasha said, picking up the pace. Miroku sped up to meet his pace.
Sango remained silent as she rode on the back of Kirara with only the occasional instruction for Kirara to keep up with Inuyasha and the others. When Kagome mentioned that she sensed only one shard, her thoughts immediately flew to her brother with the hope that she would get to see him again and once and for all rid him of the control Naraku had over him. She couldn't help, but recall the time her brother slaughtered an entire village. She remembered that day very vividly. Her brother, standing in the midst of dead bodies, covered in their blood.
…
***FLASHBACK***
Sango looked on ahead as Kirara approached the village. She had told Inuyasha and the others to go on ahead while she searched for any traces of Naraku. She circled around the perimeter of the village. She wanted to cover as much ground as possible just in case Naraku tried to escape. She and the others had been tipped off by Kagura that Naraku had been hiding his heart somewhere in the village. As to why Kagura decided to provide this insider knowledge to the group remained a mystery. It could have been a trap set by Naraku for all they knew, but if there was even a chance that what she said was true…well, they weren't going to a look a gift horse in its mouth.
Searching around, she spotted a person standing off in the distance. Her first thought was to get that person's attention. If it was a villager, she could ask them if they had noticed anything strange in the village recently. Upon closer inspection, however, she realized that she knew the person very well.
As Kirara drew closer, what she saw next was engraved into her memory.
Bodies. Lying everywhere in pools of blood.
She made eye contact with one of them and saw that their eyeballs had rolled into the back of their skull. Sango covered her mouth in horror. This wasn't a village. It was a slaughter. Her eyes rose to the young boy standing in the midst of all the bodies, back turned, and his sickle raised in front of a young woman trembling and pleading for her baby's life as she cradled a small infant in her arms.
"Please…spare my baby. Don't hurt him, I beg of you. Take me instead," She pleaded, her eyes filling with tears. The boy's hand trembled as he held the sickle above them.
Sango instructed Kirara to land. As they descended to the ground, she quickly hopped off of Kirara and began to approach them.
"Kohaku…drop your weapon!" Sango commanded, throwing her boomerang at the boy. The sickle immediately clashed with the boomerang, knocking it out of his hands.
Kohaku turned around slowly so that she could see his face. His entire body was covered in blood. As she met eye contact with Kohaku's blank eyes, time seemed to freeze. She hardly noticed the young woman scurry off with the white-haired infant in her arms.
"Kohaku…you did this?!" Sango exclaimed, her voice quivering. She didn't want to believe that her kind-hearted brother was capable of committing an act so vile. She tried to reason with herself that this wasn't her brother's doing. It was Naraku's fault. He was the one who held control over her little brother. Kohaku had no idea what he was doing; no inkling to the gravity of the situation they were in.
She took a clumsy step towards him, her entire body suddenly feeling numb. No…this couldn't be happening, could it?
Kohaku didn't respond, but made no attempt to run away. She took another step forward, taking out her back up sword.
"Kohaku!" She called out desperately. "WHY?!"
Kohaku said nothing.
Why wasn't he answering?! Why was he just standing there staring at her? Why?! She took another step towards him so that she was only a couple of steps away from him. It soon dawned on her. Was he waiting for her to kill him?
That thought was too much to bear. She dropped her sword and collapsed to her knees on spot, in tears.
No…
There was no way she was going to kill her brother. She just couldn't bring herself to. That was her brother. Her fun-loving, clumsy little brother. She wasn't going to let anything happen to him. She would die before letting anyone take her brother's life. She knew it was selfish, keeping her brother alive after all he's put everyone through—after all the innocent lives he's taken. And just because Naraku prompted him to commit the heinous acts does not change the fact that it was Kohaku himself who committed the crimes and killed their father. Nothing would ever change that.
But…no matter what…nothing could ever change the fact that she loved him, with all her heart. He, like she, was the only surviving member left of their family and as long as she was able, she would keep it that way.
"Sango!"
She heard Inuyasha's voice call from a distance. He suddenly appeared before her.
"Sango, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.
Sango kept her head down, her bangs covering her eyes. "Kohaku…he—" She started, but Inuyasha cut her off.
"Kohaku was here?! How long ago?" he asked.
WAS here? Sango thought in confusion. She looked up and saw Inuyasha standing before her. Her eyes scanned around him, looking for any sign of her brother. He was gone.
***END FLASHBACK***
...
Sango shook her head of the memory, choosing to focus instead on the mission. 'Wait for me, Kohaku.' She thought.
As he ran, a familiar scent caught Inuyasha's nose. 'Sesshomaru…what's he doing here?' he thought. 'Well, he better not try to get in my way.'
"Something wrong, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Huh?" Inuyasha said, snapping out of it. He turned his head to look at Miroku's questioning face. He turned away. "Uh, nothing. Forget it."
Miroku nodded.
"Just a little further. I can feel the shard's presence getting stronger," Kagome said.
The four continued their pace through the forest.
…
Kagura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "My fan? How am I to defend myself?" She asked.
"You won't need to. That's why I'm here," Byakuya said. Then, he looked at her hair. "Oh, and while you're at it, I'll need those feathers too."
"Do you take me for a fool? I value my life," Kagura replied. She would never allow him the chance to attack her off guard.
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Byakuya stated. He held his hand out to reveal a glowing crystallized object in palm of his hand.
That stopped her. 'Kanna's heart...' she thought. "…how?" she whispered.
His grin grew. "It's funny all the things Naraku will loan you once he knows that he can trust you." He gave her a sideways glance. "Oh. I guess you wouldn't know."
He continued. "The choice is yours. Your fan and feathers. Or...your sister's life," he said, continuing to hold his palm with Kanna's heart out before her.
Kagura kept her eyes on Kanna's heart. 'Damn it…if I don't do as he says, Kanna will…' she thought. She sighed, pulling out a fan from her kimono and then unclipping two feathers from her hair. She handed him the two objects. She glared at the delighted man before her. She wished that she could wipe the smirk off of his face. The heart in the palm of his hand receded into his skin.
"A very wise decision," He said. Kagura silently watched the objects alight in flames in his hand. She cursed him bitterly.
"Well?" Kagura said, anxious to get his plan over with.
"Patience, my dear," he said, as he strode past her. He stopped before Kanna and the mirror demon, eying them up and down for a moment before turning back to Kagura.
"So, here's the plan," He said. "Inuyasha and his little followers will be coming here any minute now and will undoubtedly try to save the ninja twerp over there. Now, I don't know what Kanna's planning, whether she'll let them into the barrier her creature created or not, but I'm guessing that as long as we're here trying to steal Kohaku's shard, she'll continue protecting Kohaku. In that case, we are going to lie low and wait for Inuyasha to use his Tetsusaiga to do the work for us in getting through the barrier. He'll be too busy focusing on Kanna that he won't even notice us. Then I'll—"
"Hold it. What if the power of Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga kills Kanna?" Kagura cut in, recalling that she had almost fallen victim to Inuyasha's wind scar during her previous fight with the Wolf clan.
Byakuya opened his hand once more, revealing a blue crystallized orb. "Remember, so long as I possess Kanna's heart, she can't die," he answered. 'At least not by Inuyasha's hand…' he thought with a smirk. He closed his hand, causing Kann's heart to disappear. "As I was saying, I'll deal with Inuyasha and the others. While they're distracted, you go and retrieve Kohaku's shard."
"I've got a better plan. Return Kanna's heart and find someone else to do Naraku's dirty work," she answered.
"Do you really think Kanna values her life?"
"What?"
"Kanna isn't stupid. She's deliberately betraying Naraku by protecting Kohaku. In doing so, she took a risk knowing that Naraku could kill her at any moment. Her mind is set on her decision. If I were to return Kanna's heart now, she will undoubtedly continue protecting Kohaku. And even if Inuyasha was able to get through her barrier, I would venture to say that she would go as far as fighting to the death to prevent Naraku from obtaining the last shard. Thus, using another pawn would make no difference." he explained.
"So instead Naraku decides to use me because I'm much more invested in the matter than any other person," Kagura responded.
He shrugged. "You said it," he said. "You ready? Partner."
She frowned at his new description of her."Whatever. Let's just go," she said, walking off into the trees.
Byakuya followed, leaving Kanna and the mirror demon standing alone.
…
"Look! I think I see someone up ahead!" Sango shouted.
The gang continued on the path until they approached an clearing in the forest. When they arrived, they all stopped and stared at the enormous mirror creature and Kanna before them.
Inuyasha set Kagome down while Sango dismounted Kirara.
"Kanna…" Kagome said, her eyes drawn to the battered girl in white on the monster's shoulder. Her eyes traced the many nicks and scratches that were scattered across her body and her lack of a left arm and right leg. 'What happened to her?' She thought. "Inuyasha, we can't—"
"Alright, Kanna! Enough playing around! This time I'm taking your monster down with my Tetsusaiga!" Inuyasha cut in, taking a step forward and unsheathing his sword.
"KOHAKU!" Sango suddenly shouted, drawing his attention away from Kanna and the mirror demon.
His eyes followed hers until he found Kohaku lying unconscious on the ground between Rin and Jaken.
"KOHAKU!" Sango shouted once more, trying to get the boy's attention. The boy didn't wake. She reached for her boomerang. Miroku halted by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait," He said, his eyes analyzing the scene before him. "I sense a barrier."
"A barrier, huh? Leave it to me," Inuyasha said, raising his Tetsusaiga. The large fang became crimson.
"Hey, isn't that Rin and Jaken from Sesshomaru's group? Why isn't he here?" Kagome asked.
"That bastard's around here somewhere. I caught his scent a little while ago. He'll be here," Inuyasha answered.
"The real question here is why Kanna seems to be protecting those three," Miroku wondered aloud.
"Naraku probably just wants to make sure that no one gets their grubby hands on the last shard," Inuyasha theorized.
"If that's the case, why wouldn't he just have Kanna take the shard from Kohaku?" he questioned.
"Maybe because she can't," Kagome said. She received questioning looks from Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sango. "Think about it. Before Kikyo died, she mentioned that she had inserted some of her spiritual powers into Kohaku's shard as she was purifying it so that Naraku couldn't get a hold of it. So it stands to reason that Kanna can't touch the shard either because she's connected to him."
"And that means Byakuya can't touch the shard either. So what's Naraku waiting for exactly?" Sango questioned.
"And why would he purposely attack Kanna earlier? Something's not right here," Miroku added, recalling the mirror demon's sudden collapse during their fight with it earlier.
"Who cares?" Inuyasha chimed in. "The sooner we defeat this thing, the sooner we'll get answers." He raised his sword once more.
"Red Tetsusaiga!" He shouted, his sword unleashing a beam of red light towards Kanna and the mirror demon.
The beam of light struck the barrier head on, effectively slicing through and hitting the crystallized demon across its torso.
"That did it!" He exclaimed triumphantly, allowing his sword to fall to the ground.
Like the previous times, the scar soon disappeared on the demon. A long scar appeared across Kanna's torso. However, this time the young priestess noticed the injury.
"Inuyasha, don't fight anymore with the mirror demon," Kagome stated.
"Huh? What are you—" Inuyasha began.
Kagome pointed to Kanna's torso. "Look at what's happening to Kanna. I don't think that scar was there before," she explained.
Inuyasha looked to the young girl in white barely standing on the crystallized demon and then back to Kagome. "Are you sure? She's got a lot of scars already," he said.
"She's right. That scar wasn't there before. I think Kanna might be absorbing the blows," Sango reaffirmed.
"What do we do? We can't just continue to fight the demon. We might end up killing Kanna," Kagome worried.
Hearing Kagome's regard for her safety, a single tear fell from Kanna's eye. However, this went unnoticed by the group.
"Excuse me? Did I miss something here?!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "Your friend Kanna over there not only killed all the people in that village we visited, but tried to kill us too. Remember?"
"She was only following Naraku's orders," she argued.
"Oh great, then I suppose we should all just sit here and wait for her to slaughter us one by one so that Naraku won't be heartbroken that Kanna couldn't follow his orders," he countered.
She glared at him. "What if Kanna's not the bad guy? What if she's betraying Naraku and now he wants us to kill her?" she defended.
"What is it with you with all these 'what ifs?' ? I know for a fact that she'll try and kill us if we don't do something first," Inuyasha said, glaring back.
Miroku cut in. "Both of you, calm down. Arguing back and forth is not going to get us any closer to saving Sango's brother," he said, stepping in between the two of them.
"See, Miroku has sense. Let's ask him. What do you propose we do then?" Inuyasha questioned, turning to him.
"I could try using my wind tunnel once Kanna is away from the mirror demon, but I can't promise I won't suck up Kohaku and the others with it," Miroku stated.
"We could try reasoning with Kanna and see if that works," Sango suggested.
Kagome smiled. "I think we should give it a try," Kagome agreed. "Let's just see. Okay, Inuyasha?" She looked to him with hopeful eyes.
Inuyasha turned away, crossing his arms. "Whatever. No skin off my back," he relented.
Kagome smiled at him. "Thanks Inuyasha," she said.
Miroku nodded to Kagome. "Be careful," he said.
She turned to him and said, "I will."
She stepped forward, looking to the young girl on the mirror demon. "Kanna, we don't want to fight you anymore. You're hurt. I can help you," she said in a gentle voice. "Don't you want to feel better?"
"Bet…ter?" Kanna asked, tilting her head.
Kagome nodded. "Yes. We're not here to hurt you. We just want to save those two children and the imp behind you," she stated. She took a step forward. Kanna noticed. Instantly, she pointed a finger at Kagome. The mirror demon responded by raising its sword at Kagome.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted as he lunged forward, grabbed Kagome, and leaped out of the way as a flash of light whirled past them and shot down a couple trees. Kagome slowly opened her eyes, feeling Inuyasha's arms around her. Inuyasha looked down at her.
"You okay?" he asked in concern.
"Yeah. I just can't believe she attacked me. I thought I was getting through to her," Kagome replied sadly.
"You see? That's why you don't go trying to make friends with the people trying to kill you," he stated.
"I still think I can get through to her though," she argued.
Inuyasha was about to argue when the sound of clapping interrupted him. Everyone turned their heads to the source and saw Byakuya approaching from behind the trees "Aww, how touching. The royal pains in the asses have grown soft and don't want to harm poor wittle Kanna," he mocked.
"What's your purpose for being here, Byakuya?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha, Sango, and Kagome glared at Byakuya.
He grinned. "Oh, I'm just here to observe as always, but today is a special day. Today, I get a personal viewing of the deaths of Naraku's enemies," he said.
Inuyasha set down Kagome and stepped before him. "You're going to have to go through me first," he responded.
"If you insist…" Byakuya answered, extending his arms out. Vines shot out of the ground, wrapping around the bodies of Sango, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Miroku.
Inuyasha gritted his teeth as he struggled to get free. "Damn it! He caught me off guard!" he said.
"I can't get loose! It's so tight!" Kagome struggled.
"My blade won't cut through!" Sango complained.
"Rrgh! He got us!" Miroku said.
All four desperately tried wriggling free of their binds, but to no avail.
"The more you struggle, the tighter the vines will only get," Byakuya remarked joyfully.
Behind the trees, Kagura smirked. 'Looks like it's all going according to plan,' she thought.
"You bastard…let us go!" Inuyasha ordered.
"Uhhhh, let's think about that. Nope!" He replied with a laugh.
"Kirara!" Sango called out, looking around for the cat demon. The cat demon instantly came running and tried to use its teeth to bite through the vines. A thick purple miasma spewed out of the vines, causing Kirara to gag and revert back to a kitten. She fell to the ground, motionless
"Kirara!" Sango shouted.
The four continued to struggle for a few moments while Byakuya watched on in amusement. Eventually, he yawned.
"Okay, this has been fun enough, but now I'm afraid that now it's time for the big finale," Byakuya said with a clap. "Everyone, I request that you turn your attention upwards. You see that floating eyeball? I planted it up there a little while ago so that Naraku could also get a front row showing of your deaths. Wave to him, if you wish" He stopped' "Oh wait, I guess you can't. Very soon you'll be killed by the very person you tried to save."
Kanna, who had been standing idly by on the mirror demon, suddenly heard Naraku's voice penetrate her mind.
'Kill them…kill them all…leave no survivors…'
The strong voice played over and over inside her mind. A dark aura began to overtake Kanna's body. Kanna felt powerless to stop it. Her eyes began to shine with a dark aura.
…
Rin slowly opened her eyes. 'Where am I?' she thought in confusion as her brown eyes scanned her surroundings. Her brown eyes caught sight of an an enormous crystallized creature ahead of her. 'A demon?' she thought. Further along, she saw a dark hair man laughing and four familiar people tangled in vines, struggling to get free. They didn't seem to notice her. Looking beside her, she found Kohaku's still body. She immediately shot up in surprise.
"Kohaku!" She exclaimed, shaking him. He didn't respond. She looked over and saw Jaken also lying still on the other side of her. She went over to him and shook him too.
"Master Jaken! Wake up!" she exclaimed, but he didn't move either.
'Oh no! What do I do?' She thought.
Meanwhile, Kagura silently slipped past Kanna, managing to avoid detection from Kanna and the Inuyasha gang. She walked to where she had seen Kohaku and the others. However, she paused when she saw Rin crouched over Jaken and Kohaku's lifeless bodies.
Kagura frowned. 'Great. The girl's awake. Now what am I supposed to do?' she thought. She carefully approached them. Hearing footsteps, Rin turned around. When she recognized the person, her face instantly lit up.
"Lady Kagura!" Rin exclaimed in glee. She got up and raced to Kagura, hugging her legs. Kagura looked down at the girl's cheerful face. "I'm so happy to see you!" Then, her face dropped. She let go to Kagura's legs. "Kohaku and Master Jaken won't wake up and I'm worried about them," she said, glancing over at them worriedly.
Kagura tried her best to feign surprise. "Oh? Is that so? Well, why don't you let me take care of it?" She said gently.
Rin nodded. "Okay," she said, moving from her.
'That was easy. Maybe I can do this,' she thought as she crouched down in front of Kohaku. She flipped him over. She cast him one final glance. 'Sorry that it had to turn out this way, kid. But I just can't let my sister die. You understand. You'd do the same for your sister.' She thought. She slowly reached for his shard and felt the ridges of the shard when Rin's voice stopped her.
"Wait! Don't touch that!" she said. "Kohaku said that he'll die if his shard is ever removed."
Kagura said nothing. She couldn't bear to see the girl's agonized face. She took a breath. Again, she reached for the shard, but stopped when she felt two small hands grip her arm forcefully in an effort to stop her.
"No! Don't! Didn't you hear me?!' she exclaimed in confusion. She crawled in front of Kohaku's body, trying to block Kagura.
Kagura didn't move, but continued to stare down at the boy lying behind her. Rin kept her grounf. Without warning, Kagura slammed her arm hard into Rin's chest. Rin's eyes shot open in shock before she collapsed onto the ground with a thump her body motionless. "You're in my way," Kagura said.
With no distractions, she again reached for Kohaku's shard, only to by interrupted by Kagome's alarmed gasp.
"Sesshomaru!" She heard Kagome's voice call out in surprise. Her eyes widened. She glanced back and was shocked to meet the golden eyes of a tall, silver-haired demon.
"Sesshomaru…" she whispered. He was staring in her direction, his face void emotion on his face. His eyes shot to the motionless girl on the ground, then back to her. His face remained unreadable. However, he didn't have to say a word.
She already knew.
He saw.
…
Kanna raised her finger at Sesshomaru and the others. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed, shifting his focus to Kanna and her demon. He unsheathed his Tenseiga. The mirror demon obeyed Kanna's command, raising his sword and unleashing hundreds of blue crystals towards them. Sesshomaru stood before Inuyasha and the others and easily parried the flung crystals. He ran with superhuman speed and swung his sword at the mirror demon.
"Meido Zangetsuha!" He shouted as a crescent moon appeared by the monster's right arm, causing it to get sucked into the moon's black hole and disappear. The arm did not regenerate on the mirror demon's body. A bright light shone on the right side of Kanna's body as she sustained damage from the attack. Her right arm broke off. Kanna could no longer point towards them.
Watching this, Kagura walked from her spot near Kohaku to try to find some way to save her sister. 'Damn it! Kanna can't take much more of this…' she thought, looking around for a weapon. She walked towards the trees until her eyes caught sight of a fallen branch with a few leaves still on it from one of the destroyed trees of the mirror demon's attack. She grabbed it. 'The wind can work with anything,' she thought.
Sesshomaru was in the process of summoning another portal when Kagome's voice halted him.
"Wait, Sesshomaru! It's not Kanna you want to target! Attack Byakuya! He's the ringleader!" She shouted.
Sesshomaru's golden eyes shifted to Byakuya. Byakuya held out one hand, revealing a crystallized black orb. "You see this? This is Kanna's heart. You kill me and I'll crush her heart to pieces!"
Kagura glared at the man. She should've known better than to trust him. As far as she was concerned, the deal they had was off.
"Inuyasha, we have to do something!" Kagome said.
"A little tied up here," Inuyasha said, still struggling to break free of the vines.
Sesshomaru smirked. "If you think that will hold back this Sesshomaru, you are sadly mistaken," he said, launching a Meido at Byakuya.
Byakuya smirked. "I anticipated this," he said, throwing the black orb towards the Meido and quickly disappearing. He reappeared before Kohaku, pulling out his sword and holding it to his neck. "I bet killing you will make it easier to take the shard," Byakuya said.
"KOHAKU!" Sango screamed in horror.
Kagura witnessed the events in slow motion—Byakuya swinging his sword towards Kohaku's neck and Kanna's heart getting sucked into the Meido. Without thinking, she immediately acted on her instincts.
"Wind Gust!" she shouted, summoning a strong gust of wind towards Kanna's heart to redirect it away from the Meido. Kanna's eyes glowed with a blue aura and immediately, the wind was redirected in the opposite direction towards Kohaku and Byakuya. Within seconds, the wind hit Byakuya full force, right as he reached Kohaku's neck. Byakuya was sent flying backwards into a tree. Kanna's heart was absorbed into the Meido, causing Kanna's body to slowly shatter.
Kagura stuttered, her crimson eyes wide in disbelief. Kanna gave her a weak smile before her body exploded into a million pieces.'Kagura…be free…' Kanna's voice said lingered telekinetically in Kagura's mind before there was nothing. Two tears rolled down her cheeks. 'Kanna…'
A tiny glass piece flew straight into Kagome's right eye.
"Ow!" Kagome said, keeping her right eye closed in pain.
"What's wrong?" Miroku asked.
"I think a piece of glass just flew into my eye," she said.
"Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked.
Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I think so…" She replied.
The vines around Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome were released.
"I can move again," Kagome said in relief, stretching.
"It's about time," Inuyasha said, going straight to where he saw Byakuya hit a tree. His eyes scanned for Byakuya. He came back with a flower in his hands.
"The coward ran. Figures," Inuyasha said.
"Even so, it was a close call," Miroku said, shaking his head.
Sango immediately rushed over to Kirara and was relieved to find that the cat demon was still breathing. Then, she ran over to Kohaku, lifting him into her lap.
"Kohaku! Kohaku, wake up. It's Sango," she said, gently shaking him.
He slowly opened his brown eyes. "Sis…ter…" he said.
Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged him tightly. "Thank goodness you're alive! I'll never leave your side again," she cried.
"Sango?" came his muffled voice.
"Hm?" Sango replied.
"I can't breathe," he said.
Sango gave out a short laugh as she hugged him tighter. This was her brother again. She looked to the wind demon standing nearby. "Thank you…for saving my brother," she said gratefully.
Kagura glanced at her briefly, before her crimson eyes averted. "I'm not the one you need to thank," she said. Sango watched in confusion as Kagura walked off into the forest.
Sesshomaru knelt beside Rin as she opened her eyes. "Lord Sesshomaru…" she mumbled weakly. Then, she sat up. "Oh! What happened? Is Kohaku okay?" She asked as her memory slowly came back to her. She looked around and found Kohaku and rushed to him.
Sesshomaru regarded her for a moment before getting up. He spotted Jaken still lying unconscious with his mouth hanging open. Sesshomaru promptly kicked him, sending the poor imp flying into a tree. Upon impact, Jaken let out a cry of pain and sat up with tears in his eyes. He rubbed his head.
"Jaken. Let's go," Sesshomaru calmly stated, walking away.
"Oh! Yes, mi'lord! Right away!" Jaken complied, rushing after him.
Kagome spoke up. "Thanks Sesshomaru…for today. We wouldn't have made it without you there," she said gratefully.
Sesshomaru didn't turn around. "It wasn't for you," he stated before walking on.
"Asshole…" Inuyasha muttered.
Kagome shot him a sheepish grin.
Rin got up to follow after Sesshomaru. "Come on, Kohaku! We don't want to be left behind," she said, already skipping after Sesshomaru.
"Right," he said as he began to get up to go with her. Then, he noticed his sister. She gave him a weak smile.
"They're waiting for you, Kohaku. Please. Take care of yourself," she said sadly.
"Sango…" he said, looking sadly at her.
"Kohaku! Hurry up!" He heard Rin's anxious voice from a distance. But Kohaku continued to stare at Sango.
Sango shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. Kohaku, you should hurry up," she ushered him. One look on her face told him that she was only doing this for him.
He nodded. "Thank you." He said as he hurried on. Sango watched him go.
"That was a brave thing you did," Miroku remarked, sitting beside her.
"I'll just have to wait until he's ready to spend time with me again," she said. She looked at him with tearful eyes. "I really hope I don't have to wait long."
Miroku brought her to him in a hug. "You won't have to do it alone," he said.
...
Kagura was resting up in a tree deep in the woods. 'Kanna…' she thought. 'I'm going to miss that girl…' In her hands, she fiddled with a two blue bird feathers she found in an abandoned bird nest on the branch she was on. She blew on them before placing them in her hair.
'Hm…what to do now?' she pondered to herself. She sensed someone approach the tree she was in. She didn't even have to look down to tell who it was.
"If you've come to bring me back, Sesshomaru, don't bother. I think I've spent enough time travelling with you lot," Kagura said casually. She looked down at him.
Sesshomaru remained silent, looking on in disinterest.
She continued. "It's for the best anyways," She smiled sadly as she met his familiar golden eyes. "I finally understand it now. We, Naraku's slaves, will never be free of him. Death is our only means of freedom. Kanna knew the truth. It was only a matter of time. Our ties to this world are limited to the extent that we serve our means of existence. And after we've fulfilled it, death serves as our final recourse. It is our fate."
She looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath. "Even so..." she said, fire returning to her eyes. She looked back down at him. "Sesshomaru, only you have the power to take that bastard down. I want you to make sure Naraku suffers for everything he's done. Give him no mercy in the way that I know only you can. Only then will Kanna's death have meant something," she said. She rose from her spot, pulling out a blue feather from her hair.
"I, on the other hand, will be living up my freedom until that time comes. And then I—"
"Are you done?" Sesshomaru's voice cut in.
Kagura stopped, her eyes opening wide in surprise before a small smile traced her lips. She shook her head. "Right, I forgot. I'm rambling again," she said in embarrassment.
She choked back a surprise shout when Sesshomaru instantly appeared in front of her. "S-Sesshomaru…" she gasped, taking a small step back. He pulled her back to him.
"Don't speak," he merely stated, tilting her chin back.
She obeyed, silently watching him.
His face slowly moved to her lips. She felt her breath quicken when he suddenly stopped, hovering a few inches from her lips. She waited in anticipation for his next move. He smirked, instead moving to her ear. She felt a shiver run down her spine when she felt his breath against her ear. He whispered, "You're not leaving."
Her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth open to protest when his lips met hers. Upon feeling his lips move with hers, she immediately reciprocated, all thoughts of protesting, worries, and her sister temporarily put to rest.
...
"Ah!" Kagome complained as she entered the room where Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, and Inuyasha were having dinner. A white bandage now covered her right eye. The group had just made it to a village inn where they had left Shippo to recover from his injuries. She walked over to them and knelt down on a vacant square pillow beside Inuyasha and before a bowl of white rice and pork.
"Your eye still bothering you?" Inuyasha asked, pausing from devouring his meal for a moment to look at her. Shippo reached over with his chopsticks and stole a piece of pork while he was distracted.
She nodded. "Uh-huh. It still kinda stings," She answered. Then, her eyes widened, causing alarm to everyone. A brief flash of images passed before her eye.
"Kagome?" Sango asked, looking ahead at Kagome in concern.
"What's wrong?" Miroku said from his seat beside Sango.
Kagome shook her head, coming back to reality. She looked at everyone. "You guys…I think I know a way to defeat Naraku," Kagome responded. "You won't believe this, but I think Kanna just sent me her dying message!"
"What?!" Inuyasha exclaimed, now interested.
Everyone waited anxiously for what Kagome had to say next.
Author's Notes: 'What' is right, Inuyasha! I wonder what Kagome could've seen to make her believe that there's a way to defeating the sinister mastermind. Could they be one step closer to defeating Naraku?
And what of Rin and Kagura? Will Rin be willing to forgive Kagura for attempting to kill Kohaku?
Also, Magetsuhi makes his appearance known in the next chapter. He wants to play a game and a very dangerous one at that.
Stay tuned for Chapter #12!
Thanks again for reading! And a great BIG thank you to songfire15 for being my beta for this chapter!
As always, reviews are appreciated! Until next time...ciao! ;-)