Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The story and characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. All I own is my character Asami/Miyako.
Chapter 21 -
"Oh, thank you, Asami-chan!" Rin squealed when Asami brought forth the Bo staff she'd been working on for the little girl. The wood gleamed in a polished red tinted hue. Wood grain and little imperfections swirled together, adding to the simplistic beauty of the weapon.
"The tree that gifted the branch for this weapon was a beautiful, old sakura tree." Asami explained as she held out the Bo staff on the palms of her two hands. "I thought it was fitting, given our daiyokai. Although it doesn't hold the same power as my staff from Bokuseno, this little piece of wood should serve you well. Treat your weapon with respect and strengthen yourself and together you will do well in battle."
The little girl's eyes widened and she held her breath as she ran her hand along it lovingly then reached out to take it. She hesitated, looking into Asami's eyes for confirmation. When the kodama smiled and nodded to her, she snatched the gift to herself and tried spinning it slowly. As she gained a little more confidence, she spun it around faster and in larger arcs until – WHAP! - she smashed herself in the leg and dropped the Bo staff. Big brown eyes turned to her teacher, shimmering with tears.
"Well, first off, if you aren't dropping your Bo staff during practice, you aren't trying hard enough. Second, you're going to smack yourself. That's okay," she smiled and patted Rin's arm, "The reason you hit yourself this time was because the angle was too sharp. Let's try that movement again, but this time dip and sweep the point of your staff so that it clears your left side, bring it up, and dip and sweep the point so that it clears your right side." Asami watched Rin slowly swish her Bo staff in a figure eight around her body. "Good! Keep working that motion for awhile; try to get it as fluid as possible. Once you have that down you can add in your other hand for a hand-off on each side and eventually I'll teach you how to throw a few strikes from that starting position."
Rin continued practicing slowly as the early morning mists cleared. Asami looked on with pride. She could tell by the way the child naturally flowed and moved her body with the movement of the Bo staff that Rin would have a particular affinity for staff fighting. She was about to show Rin her first strikes when a shadow passed overhead and a voice on the wind called out in a breathy whisper, "A-sa-mi".
"Kagura?" Asami searched the skies and saw Kagura further north, floating on her feather, but she could tell something was wrong. The wind sorceress suddenly fell from the sky. "Kagura!" She took off running, clearing the path before her with her power. She could hear the roaring of a rushing river and came to a stop on its banks. The morning mists, still thick here, swirled and clouded her vision a bit. Kagura lay face down in the water, her body bashed by the rocks as she was taken along by the current. Asami was about to wade in to get her when the rest of her pack caught up to her.
"Leave her," Sesshomaru huffed as he turned on his heel and started back towards camp. He was slightly annoyed that Kagura was the reason for the sudden excitement.
"We have to help her," Rin commented matter of factly as she began wadding in. Asami called her back, insisting the river was too deep and current too fast for her, but it was too late. Rin slipped on a rock and got swept up into the same current carrying Kagura. "Sesshomaru-sama! Help me!"
Asami was already waist deep in the water before Rin had even called for help, so it wasn't long before she had the child safely in her arms. "Next time leave the water rescues to me," she chided the little girl.
"Okay," Rin dropped her gaze as she was carried back to shore, "But I just wanted to help Kagura."
Asami sighed, "Yes, I know. I was going to save her myself. Now though," she turned and looked down the river but didn't see any sign of Kagura's body, "It seems it is too late." They reached the shore and shook off what excess water they could. Sesshomaru loomed through the mists, carrying Kagura. "Sesshomaru!" Asami gasped, "But, you told us to leave her."
"And you clearly listened to that command," he replied with a raised eyebrow, taking in their very wet appearance. They walked back to camp together, dripping along the way. Sesshomaru dumped Kagura's body at the edge of their camp and sat on a rock in the sun to dry himself.
Rin and Jaken peered at the huge hole in the woman's body. "Is she dead," Rin asked apprehensively.
"How could she not be," Jaken kept his distance, but looked on with horror at the inflicted wound.
"She's not dead," Asami confidently walked over with medicinal supplies and an extra kimono. "She told me last time we met that Naraku holds her heart." She began applying balms and bandages she hoped would help. "He controls her life because of it. If he knew she was betraying him, he could kill her instantly. Logically, that also means she will not die until he decides she should." Finishing with the bandages, Asami covered the half naked woman with the extra kimono to give her a bit of dignity. "Unless her heart is destroyed..." Asami stopped mid sentence, staring off into space as realization spread across her face. "Of course, unless the heart is destroyed the body will keep regenerating! Sesshomaru," she spun and faced her love, "you said that in the underworld Kagome's arrow obliterated Naraku's body but that he survived, correct?"
"That is correct," he shifted to look at his kodama, noticing the gleam in her eye.
"His heart is somewhere else! We have to find his heart and destroy it in order to destroy him! Otherwise, it is just like Kagura here, without his heart, the destroyed body will keep regenerating." Asami's wide, hopeful eyes searched his, looking for confirmation of her theory. Sesshomaru thought about it for a moment then smirked at his kodama's intelligence. He nodded in agreement. "Now, we just have to find out where his heart is located."
"I can help you there," Kagura sat up, holding the kimono around her. Asami turned back and examined the woman's body, but found that the wound had already completely healed. She stared at Kagura in shock. Kagura merely smiled coldly, "I know where Naraku has hidden his heart. But you will need this to find it." She took a small green crystal out of her kimono and tossed it to Jaken.
"What is this?" Jaken eyed the crystal suspiciously.
"Naraku has a crystal called the Fuyoheki that completely hides his aura. This crystal," Kagura held up her green crystal, "is infused with a demonic aura. It stops glowing when it approaches the Fuyoheki. When I attacked Goryomaru's temple, it stopped glowing, so that must be where Naraku's heart is."
Jaken closed his hand around the crystal, but glared at Kagura, "Don't believe a word she says my lord, this is surely a trap!"
"If this is all true, then Naraku knows you are after his heart," Sesshomaru gave a sidelong glance at Kagura, watching for her reaction. She gasped and her eyes widened in fear. So she speaks the truth, or at least as much as she knows of it. "It would be useless for you to take any further action."
"What about you?" Kagura turned more fully to the group. She looked at them with a cold confidence, but her voice took on an air of pleading.
"Are you trying to use this Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru's tone became icy cold as his eyes narrowed at her.
"No one is a match for your strength and power. Without you I cannot defeat Naraku." Her expression took on the pleading that had begun in her voice. A gentle hand reached out and grasped hers, squeezing it in comfort. Kagura looked down at Asami's hands in hers, unsure of how to react to such a clear show of friendship.
"I have already vowed to help you defeat Naraku," Asami looked into Kagura's red eyes with warmth, "I do no have my lord Sesshomaru's power, but I will not abandon you in your need."
Kagura's face dropped in sadness, "You waste your kindness upon me, Asami. Give your friendship to one more deserving." She pushed Asami's hands away and stood up, "Thank you for everything. I'm leaving now." With a quiet huff, she tossed her feather into the air and floated off into the sky.
Rin watched her go with curiosity. Turning to Jaken, she whispered, "I think she loves Sesshomaru-sama."
"What?!" Jaken's mouth fell open in surprise, "Whatever gave you such a silly idea?"
"Well," Rin pondered, "she was so openly complimentary to him. She must love him!" With a start, she turned to Asami, "Does that make you upset, Asami-chan?"
"No Rin." Asami watched as the feather began to fade from view. "Kagura and her admiration of Sesshomaru-sama does not bother me in the slightest. How could it when I admire those same qualities myself?" Rin asked her another question, but Asami didn't hear it because she was lost in thought. Suddenly decided, she turned her attention to Sesshomaru. His amber eyes watched her carefully, feeling the unease in her aura. Without a word to anyone in her pack, she quickly ran off in the direction Kagura had gone.
In a blur of movement, Sesshomaru was suddenly before her and she ran right into him. His arm snaked around her back, "Why do you go after her Kodama?"
"Don't you see. She is me, back at Mt. Hakurei, crying out for someone to help her," Asami clutched his kimono and tipped her face up to his. "I can't ignore that cry for help. I-I can't do nothing."
"How will charging in after her help her?" He angled his head to the side as he watched the desperation fill her eyes.
"They won't be expecting me," she countered, "perhaps I can learn more about the location of Naraku's heart if I'm on my own."
"Fine," he resigned with a sigh, "remember that I will be with you wherever you go, my soul-bond." He nuzzled her cheek then stepped out of her way. She took off running, the roots and brambles clearing away from her path. Sesshomaru watched until the glint of her auburn hair faded into the verdant shadows of the trees.
ooooooooo
"Hurry!" Inuyasha chased after the fading sent of Kanna, "We need to get to Naraku's heart before he hides it again!" Kagome held on tighter to his back as he picked up speed. They had just helped the children ascetics bury Goryomaru and he didn't want this latest hint of Naraku's whereabouts to be lost. From up above a flash appeared before them as Kagura's Dance of Blades briefly struck down, catching their attention. With a wicked grin, she flew away. "Kagura! You won't get away that easily." Inuyasha cried out as he prepared to grab Tessaiga.
"Inuyasha, wait!" A familiar voice called out, halting him in his tracks. The entire pack turned to see Asami running up to them out of the nearby treeline. "Kagura is not the enemy," she panted, catching her breath after her long run after Kagura. "She seeks to destroy Naraku and is attempting to show you the way."
"Asami, what are you doing here and how do you know?" Inuyasha looked at her skeptically.
"She came to us when she was wounded and I followed her here." Asami explained.
"Her logic seems right Inuyasha," Miroku chimed in. "Kagura attacked the temple where Naraku's heart was and she defied Hakudoshi's orders to fight us."
"Come on," Asami took off after Kagura again, "we're wasting time."
"Oi!" Inuyasha called out to her, quickly catching up. "If you're here, is that bastard coming too?"
With a glare aimed pointedly at Inuyasha, Asami sneered, "I'm here on my own, though Sesshomaru is likely to follow."
"Feh! As long as he doesn't get in our way," Inuyasha snarled back. The group ran along the cliffs until they came upon a giant stone demon.
"Demon's Crag," Miroku informed them. Asami climbed onto Kirara's back to be carried over to the stone demon's mouth. Once inside they began to look around. It looks like the real insides of a demon! Asami thought, looking at the intricacies of each tooth. Inuyasha stiffened and Kagome froze, sensing something from deep within the demon's belly. After only a moment's hesitation, they leapt down into the depths of a pit seeking their prey. Kirara followed with Miroku, Sango, and Shippo on her back.
Asami held back, wary of the place and looking over her shoulder for Kagura's feather outside the mouth. This feels like a trap. Then she sensed him, Naraku, deep within the stone demon. If he's here, then it's likely his heart isn't. She almost left. This isn't wasn't what she'd come for; she came looking for Naraku's heart and it clearly wasn't here anymore. Also, this place was made of solid stone; her powers would be of little use to her here. Then her better judgment got the best of her. If this is a trap as it seems, they will need all the help they can get to free themselves. With that, she jumped down into the pit.
"So, Asami," Naraku sneered, "You decided to join us."
"Naraku!" Asami growled through gritted teeth. "Are you here to actually fight? Or are you going to be a coward and hide behind another yet again?"
"Hn," he responded with an evil grin as he held out the Shikon no Tama in his hand. The jewel pulsed with the deep darkness of tainted souls within it, black as can be. Suddenly the stone demon came to life around them and they found themselves within it's stomach, acid dripping and pooling from the walls. It singed and sizzled wherever it dropped, burning skin and clothing alike.
"That won't be enough to stop me," Asami cried out, drawing her Bo staff before her. It pulsed with her green and red aura as she spun it around for a lethal strike. Naraku's barrier deflected her attack, repelling her back against the acidic wall.
"Take this you filthy spider," Inuyasha called forth Adamant Barrage and Tessaiga turned into a brilliant and deadly diamond. With a swing of his sword, shards as sharp as daggers were flung at Naraku. They breached the barrier and shredded Naraku's body, but as his heart was not there it did not kill him.
Kagome watched closely, keeping an eye out for the dark jewel enhancing the strength and power of the demon they were in. With Naraku's body shredded to pieces, she quickly spotted it. "If I can just hit it," she murmured, notching an arrow into her bow. It shot forth with a gleam of pink light, but Naraku and the Shikon no Tama simply disappeared. "No! He's gone!"
The acid and miasma within the demon's stomach became worse, choking and burning those within. Their human companions were especially vulnerable. Asami knew they would need to get out quickly if they were to survive. She held her Bo staff out, preparing for a spinning strike on the walls of the demon's stomach. "Miroku," she turned an eye over her shoulder, "put up a barrier to protect everyone." Red and green swirled around her as she closed her eyes and summoned more power.
Asami's aura has changed! A surprised Kagome noticed from within Miroku's protective barrier.
Slowly Asami spun her staff around, picking up speed and energy as she finally made a leaping strike at the walls, jabbing her staff deep within the stomach lining. Her aura pulsed through and rocked their surroundings, but no escape was made. Meanwhile, Inuyasha regrouped to try another Adamant Barrage strike, this time solely focused on the walls. The force of the attack rippled through the cavern, but the shards merely stuck into the demon's body. Panting with exertion, Inuyasha and Asami pulled back for another attempt. Asami was beginning to worry, her body could withstand the acid longer than a human's but even her feet were starting to burn. The pain was excruciating and she bit back a whimper. Suddenly a red glow encompassed her whole body and she was protected from the acid once again.
"What on earth?" Inuyasha stared in shock, "That is Sesshomaru's aura. But if that's coming from you, then that means that you're..." Inuyasha stopped, completely dumbfounded.
"Not the main concern at the moment Inuyasha," Asami eyed him, feeling confident once again with Sesshomaru's power protecting her. "Let's try again, this time combining attacks." He nodded, swinging his Adamant Barrage attack at the same time she struck with a wave of energy blasting forth from her staff. It was no use; neither attack was strong enough to overcome the darkness of the Shikon no Tama. Miroku, his energy spent, collapsed, dropping the barrier that was protecting everyone else from the acid. "I've got them," Asami nodded to Inuyasha. It was up to him now to free them.
Thinking fast, he asked Kagome for her shard, hoping it would strengthen Tessaiga enough. Asami meanwhile raised a barrier, deflecting the acid and miasma. She watched in horror and fascination as Inuyasha battled with his demonic energy for control. She had seen this occur once before, but that had been from up in the air on A-Un. Seeing it up close, the savage nature of it, she realized just how in control Sesshomaru was at all times. Before she had a chance to worry, Kagome ran forward and threw her arms around Inuyasha, her purity cleansing him enough to regain control of the shard's power. Moments later, Inuyasha was able to blast through the demon, completely shattering it as it turned back into stone. Asami lost her balance as everything crumbled around them and she fell into the rubble.
"Kagome-chan will be alright Inuyasha," Sango encouraged her friend who clutched a fainted Kagome to his chest, "but we should get her back to Kaede's quickly. Miroku also needs attending." The monk had regained consciousness, but was still weak from the battle.
Cradling Kagome gently, Inuyasha looked back over the group and froze, "Where did Asami go?"
"I think she fell as all the walls came crashing down," Sango looked around for likely places to search.
"Damn! We need to find her. If we leave her here and my bastard of a brother finds out I left his soul-bonded in a heap of rubble, he really will kill me!" Inuyasha started sniffing around.
"Soul-bonded?" Sango turned shocked eyes on Inuyasha, "That explains the change in her aura."
"Up there!" Shippo yelled, pointing to Kagura's feather. Draped across the woman's lap lay Asami, barely conscious.
"I will take her back to Sesshomaru," Kagura scanned the stone demon with a frown, "It seems we are done here." Without giving them time to react, Kagura raced off back towards the temple.