Hi everyone! I updated the cover photo for the story. I really liked that photo as a representation of Koyoko and her tattoo more than the other one, I hope you all agree.
I had this chapter in one part but decided to split it into two, so the second half will be coming out within a few days. I just felt that it was better this way, and I hope you all can agree! Enjoy.
Chapter 20 - Facing Kaguya Pt. 1
The group headed North toward Hokkaido, where Koga had originally told them to go to find Koyoko.
Miroku and Sango were looking at Miroku's hand. He still couldn't believe the hole was just... gone. "It's really gone..." He sighed, somewhat still unnerved, but looked ahead in the direction they were walking.
InuYasha slowly grew irritated. Since when had Sesshomaru become such an expert on Kaguya and her whereabouts? Last he checked, Sesshomaru knew about as much about Kaguya as he did.
"How can you be so sure that this is even the right way? We don't exactly have a lot of time to get this all figured out." Miroku asked.
"Kaguya believes that everyone on Earth is frozen in time. She will not have her guard up for us. This is the way that the time stopping spell came from." Sesshomaru looked back at them. "Do you not trust that I know what I am doing? Do you have any better ideas?"
"No, we're stuck followin' you until we get any better ideas." InuYasha grumbled, crossing his arms.
"You are more than welcome to try and figure this out on your own. I will gladly do this by myself."
"Can you guys just stop arguing for five minutes?! You're giving me a headache!" Kagome covered her eyes with her hands and groaned.
"H-h...hey!" The group heard an unfamiliar voice and all looked to the forest nearby. A younger man ran over to them, and everyone looked at each other confused. "Finally! Do you all know what is going on? I woke up yesterday and everyone was frozen, like a statue. My name is Akitoki Hojo." The man bowed to them. Kagome took a step forward.
"...? Hojo? How are you still...?" Kagome shook her head. "I'm Kagome." Hojo sort of stared at her in awe as she continued to point out everyone. "This is InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, and the big scary demon is Sesshomaru... but he won't bite as long as long as you leave him alone." Hojo laughed nervously as Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the young man.
"Eh..heh... I can ummm... only assume this is the work of Kaguya. This seems like something she would do. My very distant grandfather is the one who locked her away in the mirror she uses, I assume that's why I'm still free."
"Ah, he used a protection spell." Miroku nodded. "It makes sense. Your grandfather must have been very powerful for it to work this long after."
"Monk Asahi." The man nodded. "He was the most powerful monk of his generation... me," Hojo laughed nervously. "not so much."
"So how do we kill Kaguya, then? You must know." Sesshomaru asked bluntly. Hojo looked around awkwardly and cleared his throat.
"Destroy the mirror," Hojo said it so nonchalantly, you would have thought it was obvious.
"Ummm.." Kagome looked around between her friends.
"Yeah, destroying the mirror isn't really an option for us." InuYasha grabbed Akitoki by the back collar of his top. He started dragging him down the road. "You're comin' with us to figure out another way."
"There is no other way." Hojo wiggled out of his grasp. "But I will go with you. Shinshinotsu is where we need to head."
Sesshomaru started silently moving forward again. Kagome and Sango exchanged glances.
Well, this certainly wasn't good news.
Traveling to their destination took a few days. If Sesshomaru had gone alone as he had wanted, he would have been there already. These wretched humans had to stop every night and rest. He scoffed silently to himself...but then an image of Koyoko walking beside him, smiling, saying something to Rin flashed in his head.
He couldn't be rash with this. If he messed up, it was Koyoko's life on the line and he couldn't...wouldn't risk not being able to get her back. Sesshomaru had waited this long already... he needed to get her back.
The mirror... he thought. The mirror was the only way to permanently kill Kaguya.. but how could he retrieve Koyoko without killing her, too? He didn't have any sort of magic to retrieve her. Koyoko certainly didn't know how to escape. He had hoped that killing Kaguya in her physical form would release Koyoko, but obviously that wasn't going to work. His brows furred. What if at the end of this she didn't come back? What if he had lost her to the universe? No...that just wasn't acceptable.
"There's the village now." Hojo pointed ahead, and they could all see it coming into view. "You know, when there was talk of Lady Kaguya returning to the village, I thought everyone was crazy. But with the mirror being stolen a few months ago, and then she was spotted by one of the head monks, Ryu." They walked inside, and every single person was frozen. "And then Sara told me she helped capture the Kaguya reborn, so we were all so ecstatic when she helped get rid of her."
"She..." Kagome looked around before speaking. "The person that entered the village was not Kaguya. The Kaguya you all know is a demon. The person you all saw, wasn't the evil demon you thought she was."
"Did you say Sara?" Sesshomaru asked icily, speaking over her. Hojo looked nervous as Sesshomaru spoke to him, especially in that tone.
"Y-yes... the leader of the village's daughter. She helps protect us." Hojo looked between them. "If she is not Kaguya, why would Sara say she is?"
"There is a good chance that your friend Sara got tricked by a demon named Naraku. The Kaguya you all thought she was is actually our friend Koyoko." Miroku explained. "She looks like Kaguya, but I can promise you she is nothing like her."
"Yeah and she's trapped in that Kami-damned mirror that you mentioned we have to destroy, so any other ideas?" InuYasha grumbled, glaring at the young monk.
"Well.. the first step is finding Kaguya herself." Sango said quietly as they continued walking toward a small reflective lake. Sesshomaru's eyes slightly shifted to red as he lightly growled.
"She was here..."
"How... are you all still alive?!" The group heard a shrill voice from behind them and they all turned in shock. It was Kaguya in the flesh. Her face was darkened with anger as she hovered over the ground near them. Her eyes moved over the group until she centered on Kagome. "It's you... just like your friend, you can somehow control time."
"Don't even fuckin' think about it." InuYasha's eyes narrowed as he pulled out the Tessaiga. Kaguya chuckled darkly.
"You really think you can stand against me?" Kaguya held two fingers in front of her mouth and began to quietly chant. "Well go ahead and try it."
"Give us back KOYOKO!" InuYasha slammed the Tessaiga down to the ground and let out an attack but as soon as it was close to her, his attack vanished."Wha-?!"
"You fool." Kaguya smirked, and directed her attention to Kagome. "You.." She held her hand up in the direction of InuYasha and tree roots started to grow as they pulled him roughly against a tree behind him.
"Gah!"
"InuYasha!" Kagome pulled out her bow and arrow and shot it at Kaguya.
"You will regret that, wench." Kaguya glared. She quickly started to chant, forming a small portal in front of her in which the arrow went into, and then straight back out, flying at InuYasha. The arrow got caught in the celestial robe and Kagome gasped, jumping in front of the arrow which hit her directly in her chest.
"Kagome!" Sango and Miroku cried out as Kagome fell to the ground. Kaguya started to chant again as Kagome's body lifted off the ground and floated over to her.
"Kagome! NO! Sesshomaru what the hell!? DO SOMETHING." InuYasha tried to get away from the roots but he was magically bound to them. But Sesshomaru just stood there...
"No!" Sango jumped up and threw her Hiraikotsu at Kaguya who smirked before disappearing into the lake with Kagome. The Hiraikotsu flew past the spot where Kaguya was, and thrust back towards it's owner.
"KAGOME! NO!" InuYasha struggled against the roots of the tree, but couldn't get away. "No.."
Miroku and Hojo hurried over to the tree and threw a few sutras onto the tree, dispelling it. InuYasha jumped forward, growling and immediately lunged into Sesshomaru's face with his fist. "The fuck is wrong with you!? She needed your help!" Hojo paced back and forth as Sesshomaru stared at the lake where the girls disappeared. Hojo looked up, and at InuYasha who looked like he was going to punch Sesshomaru again.
"No, this is good. I know how we can get your friend back now. The fact that she took Kagome means she needs more power. But we need to get where they are now."
"And how the hell do you expect we do that?!" InuYasha looked at Hojo, growling.
"The lake," Sesshomaru spoke as he started walking towards the lake. As soon as he set a foot in, it was as though a portal opened. Sesshomaru disappeared before everyone's eyes and they all looked at each other before following him into the lake.
Everything was upside down, backwards, and gravity felt extra heavy to them.
Looking back, InuYasha could count on one hand how many times Kagome had been taken from him and he had been actively worried about her wellbeing. Sure, he was always worried.. but this was different. He didn't know what the hell Kaguya wanted with her. It wasn't exactly a secret that Kagome was a strong priestess, and any demon, especially as strong as Kaguya could sense that about her.
The group ran out of the village and towards a huge castle on the edge of Hokkaido. It looked like a large temple, the two moons directly behind it, reflecting onto the water.
"So how do we go about this?" Sango asked nervously. "How do we free Koyoko?"
"I believe you can free her if-" Hojo started to speak but a huge monster came screeching out of the lake. At first, only one head came out but soon after, multiple heads surfaced."Wh-whoa!" Hojo jumped back and ran behind a large rock sitting nearby, peeking over the edge.
"So this is how it's going to go down?" InuYasha growled, jumping up and pulling out his Tessaiga as he raced towards the monster.
Sesshomaru quickly pulled the Bakusaiga out of the sheath. "Go get your wench. Save her. I will take care of this." Sesshomaru spoke loudly enough so InuYasha could hear him.
"Huh?" InuYasha turned to look at him as he flew through the air, and grunted as one of the long heads grabbed onto him and threw him into the water. "Kami..." He growled and swam straight back up and flew out of the water. He jumped and went on a slicing spree, chopping off as many heads as he could before landing on the pier of the castle. He tucked the Tessaiga back away and darted into the castle.
"If you two do not go, I will use you as bait." Sesshomaru's eyes darted over to Sango and Miroku who were already hopping onto Kirara as he spoke.
"You better not betray us..." Sango spoke quietly before looking at him before Kirara took off.
"Good luck.." Miroku gave Sesshomaru an awkward grin as he flew off. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu at the monster as a few more heads popped up, and the flew past it, following InuYasha.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Hojo cried out, waving his hands. Sesshomaru looked back towards Hojo.
"After I defeat this monster, you will tell me how to save Koyoko."
Kagome blinked, opening her eyes and groaning. She noticed that she was hanging, and her arms hung up on the wall behind her. There was a strange symbol glowing behind her. It seemed to be what attached her to the wall, she noted. As she gained her consciousness back, she noticed Kaguya standing not too far away from where she was, staring into the mirror.
"Whatever you're planning won't work," Kagome called out. She winced, noticing that the arrow was still in her chest. She wasn't exactly sure how she was still alive, but maybe it had something to do with the strange Celestial Robe. Kaguya chuckled.
"But it will. I already consumed Koyoko's spirit, next will be the two demons traveling with you, and finally," Kaguya walked over to Kagome and ran her hand down the side of her face. "I will consume your spirit. Then I will not be bound to this mirror anymore and I will have this amazing body to rule in."
"So that's your plan, then.." Kagome sighed. "Why us? Why Koyoko?"
"Koyoko is a celestial being, as you know. She is the only one on the planet at this time... and gaining her power would mean that I could help Daisuke."
"Daisuke? You mean the one in the-"
"The legend? Yes. I met him once, long long ago.." Kaguya looked off wistfully into the distance, smiling. As she was distracted, Kagome did what she could to try to get free, but she was stuck. "He told me that if I could get Kaguya's powers we could rule everything together... I will do whatever it takes."
A huge wave of sharp wind burst into the room as Kaguya finished speaking, but as she waved her hand the attack merely disappeared again. "You may only be a half demon, but you will make a good addition to my powers...although, I could always make you full demon." InuYasha scoffed as he ran in.
"Tch, like hell you will! Let her go or I will kill you. We'll figure out another way to save Koyoko." Kaguya smirked, holding two fingers in front of her mouth, smirking.
"On bodi bodi, jin sitsu wa." InuYasha grunted as he was stuck in place.
"Wah?! What's going on?!" Kaguya walked over to him, staring into his eyes.
"What are you doing?! Kaguya stop it!" Kagome gritted her teeth, struggling against the restraints.
"Come forth ye demon." Kaguya said in a mystical voice. InuYasha struggled against her gaze before his eyes turned red and he started growling.
"Inu..." Kagome felt a tear come to her eye. "No!"
"Kagome!" Sango and Miroku ran in, and Miroku gasped at the sight of InuYasha. He instantly threw a sutra at Kagome, and then a few more, releasing her from the binds. Kagome fell to the ground and immediately ran to InuYasha.
Koyoko paced back and forth in the Celestial dimension. The good Kaguya had informed her that her friends were going to battle to fight the bad Kaguya to restore her to her body. How would they even figure out how to do that? Why would they risk dying just to save her? She bit her lip and looked at Kaguya.
"There has to be a way that I can help them. We're in this whole predicament because of me. I can't just sit here and wait, Kaguya." Knowing that they were so close to finishing all of this was killing her. Well, Kaguya was... anyways.
"There is a way that we can help. We just need to wait for the right moment. I have been watching your friends, and it is almost the right time." Kaguya spoke softly. "The demon's power mimics ours, which is an ancient chant that has been around as long as the Earth itself. Since she is inhabiting your body, I need you to work hard to break through her mind again. If you can, we can weaken her to make it easier for your friends to take her down."
"I'll do whatever I have to do, just tell me and it will be done." Koyoko looked at Kaguya with her eyes pleading for help. Kaguya nodded.
"This is going to take a lot of power, so I'm going to gather everyone... I will be back." Kaguya faded away, and Koyoko sat back against the tree. She leaned back and closed her eyes, quietly chanting something Kaguya had taught her.
"Ji ha san shi i shu fi. Shi son bu sa mo ko sa. Mo ko ho ja ho ro mi." She repeated the words over and over, starting slowly and then speeding up until everything around her faded to black again, and when she opened her eyes, she gasped.
'I'm in her head...' Koyoko quietly thought to herself.
Sesshomaru sped through the air slicing and dicing the monster, but the heads kept reappearing. "Damnit... this is a waste of my time.." He growled and dove swiftly into the ocean. 'That's where I need to attack..' He effortlessly sped through the water, his eyes glowing red. "This is it." He growled as he used his clawed hand and sword and ripped a giant hole into the hydra, making all the remaining heads slam into the water with him. He gritted his teeth as the started to block his path and made it near impossible to see. Within seconds, he had cleared the heads out of his way and swam to the top, taking in a breath of air. He looked over to the shore but didn't see the young monk anywhere.
After getting onto the shoreline, Sesshomaru scanned the area and spotted Hojo laying on the beach, impaled. There were demons sprawled along the beach next to him. He whisked over to him, narrowing his eyes.
"Who did this to you?" Hojo weakly pointed behind Sesshomaru.
"Demons..." Sesshomaru stared at him blankly as he pulled out the object stuck inside Hojo.
"How do I save her?" Hojo choked on his blood, laughing silently and ironically.
"So this is my fate? This is where it ends...?" Sesshomaru's eyes locked with Hojo's. "I will only tell you because she is to defeat Daisuke. You must destroy the mirror and the body. Make sure to destroy the mirror first so Kaguya cannot escape to it." Hojo coughed again, and Sesshomaru could see the life draining from his eyes. Sesshomaru swiftly turned and sliced through a demon coming towards them. "She will come back to you, if you follow these instructions." One last cough and Sesshomaru heard his breathing slowly come to a stop. Sesshomaru's eyes closed.
Could he trust this advice? It sure didn't sound like it would work... Sesshomaru opened his eyes, and slashed through the monk with the Tenseiga... If this worked, his debt to the man would be repaid for saving his mate's life. He looked to the castle, and within seconds he flashed to the deck and made his way inside as a horde of demons followed behind him.
I want to note, that I know in the movie originally that Miroku's grandfather was the one who sealed Kaguya into the mirror. But all intents and purposes of the story, it's Hojo's grandfather, so please don't come at me for that.
I also wanted to add, I'm sure a few of you are annoyed or confused that Sesshomaru didn't really attack Naraku when he saw him, and he didn't really help InuYasha with Kaguya when she took Kagome. I thought long and hard to approach all this, and wanted you guys to know my thought process. So basically, yeah Sesshomaru was pissed about everything. Normally if Koyoko wasn't in danger of dying for good, he would have helped. But putting her safety at risk over getting revenge on Naraku (who had info about Koyoko), as well as injuring Kaguya (AKA Koyoko's body) to help save Kagome of all people... Sesshomaru just doesn't care and isn't that kind lol. So, hopefully that explains my decision a little bit better. But as I've said you're more than welcome to tell me if you think I handled it wrong!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and remember the second half will be coming soon!
Don't forget to leave a review and/or favorite and follow!
Thank you for reading.
