The Trap of Horrors
Miroku, Sango, Kaiba, and Joey continued walking, but weren't really getting anywhere. Kaiba heard the sound of the breeze again, coming from Miroku's right hand. Sango heard it too and was worried about the monk using the wind tunnel again, fearing it would kill him for sure.
Suddenly, a strange mist surrounded the group. When it cleared, they all found themselves standing in a grassy field. Miroku saw a temple and recognized it. This was where he lived with the monk who raised him. The heroes saw what looked like a younger Miroku standing between two men. One was his father and the other was his master. Miroku's father distanced himself from the temple when suddenly, a powerful force surrounded him.
Miroku knew what this was. This was a memory of when he witnessed his father's death, how he was pulled in by his own wind tunnel. He was used to this scene, but this was the first time any of his friends witnessed it. Sango was too overwhelmed. She held Miroku, knowing if nothing was done soon, he would meet the same fate.
Kaiba and Joey continued staring with the same horrified expressions. "Is that really how your father died?" the brunette lad asked.
"My God," Joey muttered.
Everyone's surroundings changed and they all found themselves back inside Naraku's body. "How awful," Sango whimpered. "It was such a terrible death."
"Everyone, we must be strong," Miroku warned his friends.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha continued to wander by himself not just in Naraku's body, but in his thoughts. He harbored incredible guilt for not realizing that he and Kikyo had fallen victim to Naraku's trap from the very beginning; being forced to hate and hurt one another. Then after promising to always protect her, he ended up losing her again.
He heard Kagome's voice in his head, begging him to let her stay by his side. He came to his senses as he smelled her blood on his hand. Finally, his demon nature was suppressed once again. "Did I do this? Did I kill her?"
"That's right, Inuyasha," Naraku's voice answered. "You changed into your demon form. You lost your human heart and tore the girl apart. Yugi and the princess are gone too. You killed your beloved and your companions with your very own hands."
Inuyasha didn't want to believe him. "What?"
"It happened just like before," continued Naraku. "Instead of protecting your loved ones, you hurt them with your weak heart."
"Shut up!" Inuyasha snarled, and began slashing the flesh with his claws. He didn't want to believe that he had slaughtered his friends.
Naraku continued to take advantage of Inuyasha's pain. "Forget everything, Inuyasha, your human heart and Kagome. Know only the joy of tearing apart your prey." And Inuyasha's demon nature began to take over him again.
It wasn't true. Yugi and the girls weren't killed. After Inuyasha's demon nature took over, they ran from him. Now they found themselves in another part of Naraku's body. Having gotten far away from him enough, they stopped to catch their breath. Emily also started healing the wound on Kagome's arm. She also used Moon Energy on her friends again since the spell was starting to wear off.
Kaiba and Joey and their friends weren't faring any better. No matter how many times they fought the demons created from Naraku's flesh, many more would come and attack. Escape was impossible. Naraku wasn't going to let them avoid fighting. He caught Kirara in his tentacles to keep her from flying away.
Kaiba saw the tentacles coming for him and the others as well. He told everyone to gather around and began creating a barrier. "My barrier isn't as strong as Briar's, but it should stop these tentacles from reaching us," he told them. And it was just as he said. Now Naraku couldn't touch them.
"This won't hold forever," said Joey. "In either case, we're trapped."
Miroku knew if he were to use his wind tunnel, it would expand and kill not only the monk, but the rest of his friends. "We must part ways," he immediately said. He left the protection of the barrier and began fighting his way past the tentacles.
"Miroku, no," Joey shouted. "We have to stay together!" But the monk didn't stop or look back. He didn't want any of his friends to die with him. After setting Kirara free from Naraku's grip, Sango and the boys began searching for Miroku.
Hoping to reunite with Inuyasha, Yugi and the girls met up with Max and Sesshomaru. Rather, the scent of the wound Inuyasha inflicted on Kagome drew Sesshomaru to the group. It was a small detour, but he was willing to stop. Max advised them to stay with her and the dog demon for the moment.
After walking for a few minutes, Max and Sesshomaru detected Rin's scent. They could also smell Inuyasha's scent. At first, Yugi and Emily were surprised that Max had a keen sense of smell, but then they remembered that she was part fox. Still, Inuyasha's demon nature had still taken over him, meaning Rin was in danger.
They had arrived too late. Rin was swallowed inside Naraku's flesh and Inuyasha was now possessed by Magatsuhi. Under his control, Inuyasha unleashed his Meido Zangetsuha, but failed to hit his opponents. It was clear to Sesshomaru that his brother was trying to fight Magatsuhi's control and avoid hurting the others. "Stand back," Sesshomaru demanded the others. "Do not interfere." He managed to get Inuyasha to lose his grip on Tetsusaiga. To Magatsuhi, that made it easier for him to control the half-breed.
Yugi came up with an idea. "We must get Inuyasha his sword back. That will limit Magatsuhi's control over him and maybe even suppress his demon nature again."
"It's worth a try," said Kagome. Emily carried her in her arms and flew in after Yugi.
For once, Sesshomaru was impressed with Inuyasha. "Now that your mind and body are in demon form, you're a bit tougher than usual." Of course, not that Inuyasha was ever going easy on his older brother, but Sesshomaru still deemed his younger brother weak and pathetic.
"Showing no mercy to your own brother," Magatsuhi said, speaking through the half-breed. "You must really hate Inuyasha."
"I feel nothing towards him," Sesshomaru remarked. "I never considered that lowly half-demon to be my brother." He drew Tenseiga, but Inuyasha caught the sword with his hand.
"You are weak, Sesshomaru," Magatsuhi tormented. "If you had drawn Baksaiga, Inuyasha would have been obliterated in an instant. But instead you chose to draw Tenseiga, a blade that cannot cut through anything in this world. You should know that Tenseiga is useless as long as I am possessing his body."
Yugi and the girls managed to reach Tetsusaiga. Kagome placed her hands on the hilt, straining as she was trying to pull the sword. "Be careful not to strain yourself, Kagome," Emily warned, "or you'll open the wound in your arm again."
"Don't worry, Emily," she assured her, but the wound was already reopening. Kagome finally pulled the sword free, but stumbled back and slipped. Emily flew in to her rescue and saved her from falling.
Though Inuyasha was still under Magatsuhi's control, he could still smell Kagome's blood and tell she was nearby. Trying to resist, Inuyasha let go of Tenseiga and punched himself in the face. "Kagome, Tetsusaiga," he cried out. "Give me Tetsusaiga!"
"Right," she answered. She held on to Emily and together they flew down to Inuyasha.
"Well, well, Magatsuhi, what will you do now?" Max wondered. "It appears the half-demon is more difficult to control than you thought."
"But if Magatsuhi tries to leave Inuyasha's body, he may try to take control of one of us," said Yugi.
"He can't control me or Emily," said Max. "Not while we're protected by the Stars. However, he can try to control you or Kagome."
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha realized that and knew that they would each have only one chance. Tetsusaiga took on its Dragon-Scaled form and a demon vortex appeared, forcing Magatsuhi out of the half-demon. It was Inuyasha's own demon vortex and it was keeping Magatsuhi from escaping and trying to possess another body. With him being forced out into the open, Sesshomaru was free to attack. He slashed the entity with his Tenseiga.
Now that Magatsuhi was finally defeated, Kagome's spiritual power had returned to her. Inuyasha was back to normal as well. With that being taken care of, Sesshomaru and Max were able to resume their search for Rin. They also noticed that the scent in the area had changed and wondered if Kagome's spiritual power was purging Naraku's scent.
Everyone's surroundings began shaking and more and more pieces of flesh were emerging to attack. This could only mean that Naraku was threatened about the return of Kagome's spiritual power and he was done tormenting his victims.
Inuyasha and the others kept moving until they found themselves standing in a ray of light. Naraku's voice echoed once again. "So you've noticed. Light has returned to the Shikon Jewel."
"That can't be," said Emily. "You said the Jewel was completely defiled."
"I did say that, didn't I," Naraku taunted. "Well, apparently, as Magatsuhi was destroyed, the light of the Great Goddess began to shine again."
"Millennia's light," Emily asked. "It couldn't be." The light that was surrounding her and her friends felt impure. This was how she knew Naraku was lying.
"Princess, I'm sure the rest of your friends have already noticed this light as well," Naraku told her. "What do you suppose they're doing right now? Also, what will they think upon seeing this light?"
"What are you saying?" Yugi demanded.
Naraku continued to torment them. "I shall give you a small hint: Miroku's wind tunnel has almost reached its limit. Do you know what will happen the next time he uses it?"
Inuyasha and his friends did know and that was what was scaring them right now.
"Miroku has parted ways with Sango, Joey, and Kaiba," Naraku explained. "He doesn't want any of them to get too close when his wind tunnel finally destroys him. As we speak, your friends have already begun to follow the light, but there's no guarantee that they'll find me, isn't that right?"
"You despicable creature!" Emily shouted.
Naraku laughed wickedly. "Ironic, isn't it, that a pure light can lead to destruction?"
Yugi and Inuyasha agreed that they couldn't delay any longer. They told the girls that they had to hurry and find the rest of their friends.
Just as Naraku had explained, the rest of the heroes began following the light they saw. Sango and the boys found Naraku, but before any of them could attack, they saw their enemy holding Rin in his arms. None of them could risk attacking the poor girl. However, they were warned that Miroku would soon encounter an illusion of Naraku and be forced to use his wind tunnel again.
"What does this girl mean to the three of you," Naraku asked. "You barely even know her."
"She's a friend of a friend," Joey snapped. "That makes her our friend too."
Naraku chuckled in amusement. "Well, Joey, you certainly live up to the title hero of friendship, don't you? I suppose that's because of your feelings for Max. You don't want to hurt her, so you show mercy to her pungent friend. However, if you let the monk die for the sake of this child, you're not really being a loyal friend to him."
Joey gritted his teeth. He wanted to save Miroku, but not at the cost of Rin's life. She was an innocent girl and Joey also knew that she was special to Max. That made him think about Max and Fiore.
"What's wrong, Joey?" Naraku asked. "Are you afraid of failing Max like you did before when you fought against Fiore? You wanted to save him for her, but you couldn't. You instead allowed the Dark Lord to recall him to the Shadow Realm."
"Shut up!" Joey shouted, trying to hold back his tears. "I won't let Max down again!"
"Why even bother for her?" Naraku asked. "You try so hard, but you get no appreciation from her. You risk your life for someone you love knowing she doesn't even love you. Even after all she put you through trying to sell you to your enemies."
"That's all the more reason for me to stick my neck out for Max!" Joey protested. "You're right, Naraku, I do have feelings for Max and I want her to be safe and happy. But I can't think about my own feelings. Max has people who are special to her too and that's why I have to look out for them too. That's why I also believe I can be friends with them too. Rin is no exception. Fiore wasn't any exception either. I don't know where he is, but I believe that one day he and Max will be together again and he and I can be friends. But right now, I have to keep fighting for Max because I don't want to lose her. If I just give up, that'll only mean I don't care."
"Very touching," said Naraku. "But does Sango feel the same way? Does she think she can be friends with Rin even though the monk comes first for her?"
Sango raised her weapon, but Kaiba held it down. "It won't accomplish anything but more amusement for Naraku," he told her.
"Let go, Kaiba," she demanded. "If I don't, the wind tunnel will reach its limit and Miroku will end up like his father."
"Sango, Kaiba and I want to save Miroku as badly as you do, but we can't sacrifice Rin," Joey declared.
Finally, Inuyasha and his group found Miroku. The monk was about to unveil his wind tunnel before an illusion of Naraku, but his friends were able to stop him. "That was way too close," said the half-demon. "If we hadn't gotten to him in time, we would have all been sucked in."
"We have to stop the illusion," said Emily. She struck him with her Lucent Beam, but nothing happened.
Kagome looked around, trying to detect the Shikon Jewel. She managed to see it along with the real Naraku behind another wall of flesh. "It's all right, Emily, I've got this." She drew her bow and shot her arrow. Like before with Lady Hitomiko, the arrow disappeared and reappeared in front of its real target.
The illusion holding Rin disappeared and the girl began falling. Suddenlly, Kohaku appeared riding on A and Un and caught her. "It's okay, you guys," he cried out. "Rin's going to be fine."
"Kohaku, we told you to stay behind!" Kaiba shouted.
"Never mind that," said Joey. "Try to get Rin out of here." The boy nodded and fled away. "Damn," Joey grunted. "That was all just an illusion."
"I told you he wanted us to kill the girl for his own amusement," Kaiba snapped.
"That he did," said Byakuya. Everyone turned around and saw him standing behind them. "It seems nothing gets past you, Kaiba. I'd say you're just about as clever as Lady Max."
"Did someone say my name?" Max asked, and everyone saw her and Sesshomaru. Not wanting to get involved in a nasty confrontation, Byakuya turned around to leave, but Max attacked and killed him with her Dark Force spell.
"Max, did you and Sesshomaru just witness the whole thing?" Joey asked nervously.
They did. "I suppose I should thank you for not hurting Rin," said Max. "After hearing what you said and realizing how you felt about what happened in our last battle, I could tell you were serious." She turns her attention to Sango. "It's okay, Sango. I can't be mad at you for your resolve to save Miroku. A human heart is easy to hurt and take advantage of. When that happens, that person becomes frail and can't listen to reason. You felt like you had no choice."
"But there's no excuse for what I was about to do," said Sango. "I was about to kill Rin. If you and Sesshomaru wish to kill me, I will not resist."
Sesshomaru wasn't going to. "You should thank Joey and Kaiba for stopping you," he told her. He seemed to understand as much as Max did and was willing to let it go.
"We should also count our blessings that Rin is still alive," said Joey.
"But not safe," said Max. "None of us will be as long as we're inside Naraku."
Kaiba agreed. "Let's try to find the rest of our friends and regroup." He faces Kohaku and tells him, "Kohaku, you and Rin should stay close to us as well. We can worry about getting out of here later."
"Yes, Master Kaiba," Kohaku said respectfully.
Meanwhile, Miroku started coming back to his senses. "Inuyasha, please leave me behind."
He wouldn't. "If we do that, there's a good chance that Naraku may trick you with another one of his illusions."
"My wind tunnel will tear open," he said in alert. "When it does, you'll all be sucked in with me."
"We just got you back," said Emily. "We didn't do that just to abandon you again. We're going to get through this together."
"Emily's right," said Yugi. "Besides, you promised Sango that when this was all over, you would take her as your wife. You should keep fighting to survive. We all will."
