The Pixies Guardian: This Means War
"Ugh…" Kagome moaned as she struggled to open her eyes.
"Easy child… do not rush yourself." Lady Midoriko soothed as she and half a dozen fairies huddled around her in the tiny cottage. "The poison has only just been removed from your body."
"Poison?" Kagome questioned as she tried to remember what happened. "(GASP) Inuyasha! I have to go back! Kikyo shot him with an arrow!"
"Do not fret child. Your hanyu lives." Lady Midoriko soothed as she tucked her back into bed. "In fact, he is on his way here."
"Here?" Kagome asked in confusion. "But he already used my wish! How can he get here without my pixie dust?"
"From an unlikely source." Midoriko chuckled. "They will arrive by noon tomorrow. We must ready the island for the attack."
"Attack?" Sango gasped as the other gathered fairies began to panic.
"Yes, my children." Midoriko nodded as she got to her feet and looked around her tiny home to speak. "Kagome was able to keep our jewel safe, however her pixie dust was not so fortunate. With the enemies eyes now opened they will spot us long before the island has moved on. We must ready our shores and secure the tree from invaders. If we can keep them distracted, Inuyasha and his warrior companion will succeed in their quest. Now go my children! Do what you have been trained to do."
"Yes, Lady Midoriko!" the fairies cheered as they began buzzing in every direction to get their tasks completed.
"How can I help Lady Midoriko?" Kagome asked as she stiffly sat up on the bed made from an old walnut shell.
"You will take up your place as my successor and guard the jewel." Midoriko said as she placed the jewel in Kagome's body once more.
"Are you sure?" Kagome asked as her newly restored pixie dust cloaked its magic inside. "I'm the reason the island's in danger."
"You are not the first fairy to accidently mishandle their pixie dust. Nor dare I say are you the last to bring pirates and wayward sailors to our shores. Accidents happen everyday. What matters is how you respond to those accidents. You insured the jewel made it back to the island before you sacrificed your life." Midoriko smiled proudly. "You could have blindly went to save the hanyo and risked the balance of good and evil but you entrusted your friends to carry on your mission so you could save an innocent from being murdered. You understand the responsibility and the need to protect others. You are more than ready my child to become the fairy guardian."
"Thank you Lady Midoriko." Kagome bowed humbly. "What do I need to do to protect the island?"
"The priestess Kikyo holds great power." Midoriko cautioned as she looked towards the coast. "You must secure a barrier around the Tree of Ages too keep her and the spider out. If she discovers any weakness in the barrier our entire existence will fall. I do not mean to add weight on your shoulders child but my time on this world is limited. Since I handed the jewel over to you the kami's have slowly been pulling my spirit back to the heavens. I will aid you with as much of my remaining strength as I can."
"Then I should get working on that barrier now." Kagome said as she pushed herself up onto her wobbly legs. "The more I meditate and focus my powers into the island the harder it will be for Kikyo to bring it down."
"Precisely." Midorkio agreed as she offered her palm for Kagome to hitch a ride on. Once Kagome was safely nestled in her hand they walked out her door and made their way towards the heart of the island.
As Midoriko predicted the pirate ship was spotted half an hour before noon the following day. To their relief everything they needed to get done to prepare the island for the attack was finished. The jewel was safely hidden deep in Kagome's body, the beach was set with bait and snares were scattered all around the island. To make sure no fairy were captured and drained of their pixie dust they were safely hidden behind the barrier around the sacred tree.
Now all they had to do was wait. If they did manage to get past their traps they were ready to fight. When The Black Spider landed at their shore they felt the island pulse with displeasure. The energies and natural forces of Horai did not like the wicked hearts of the crew aboard. Sensing the need to protect itself the once bright waters and vibrant colors grew dark with shadow. Mist covered the island stirring confusion and uneasiness in the mind.
The animals that inhabited the island hid away in their homes making the once tropical paradise become eerily quiet. The winds were so still you could hear your own breath, the beat of your heart and the crunch of the sand under your feet. With pirates already being superstitious in nature the members of The Black Spider instantly recognized the island's warning for what it was. They were not welcome and needed to leave or else misfortune would fall upon them.
Seeing there was treasure scattered carelessly upon the shores they quickly gathered as much as they could onto the ship. If the island or its natives tried to destroy them they would not be leaving Horai empty handed. As the men were busy collecting the treasure Kikyo and Naraku scanned the dark jungle for danger. They could feel the negative energies trying to scare them away but they could not ignore their true objective. They needed to find the jewel and collect the remaining pixie dust. The problem was… where to start?
"I sense a single power source on the island." Kikyo said as she scanned the dark jungle before them. "It is coming from the middle."
"That's probably were the jewel is." Naraku agreed. "We must tread carefully my sweet. Pixies are known for their tricks. They have likely covered the island with traps."
"Dually noted. What do you want us to do should we encounter any pixies blocking our way?" Kikyo asked as they cautiously began to walk into the jungle with their motley crew close behind them.
"If we can keep them alive, capture them. If they fight, kill them and take their pixie dust." Naraku said as he and his men used their swords to slice through the thick vegetation.
"As you wish." Kikyo nodded as she followed right behind him.
As expected their path was riddled with danger. They had to treed carefully or risk stepping on snares. They'd already set off three that had massive boulders rolling down the hill, spikes from shooting out of trees and scythes nearly cutting them in half. By the time they'd made it a quarter of the way through the island they'd lost at least half of their crew. The mists made it difficult to see the path and avoid danger before it was too late. It had their hearts racing with anxiety and their minds plagued with paranoia.
A few of the pirates had tried to go back to the ship but there were just as many traps going back as there were forwards. All of them died before they made it to the beach. Only their cries of pained agony were heard as the island took them out one by one. If things kept going the way they were they'd be dead long before they reached the jewel. All seemed lost until the ocean breeze blew the mists away. Now with their vales removed they avoided most of the remaining traps. When they reached the center of the island they were greeted by a magical barrier.
"Fools…" Kikyo scowled a she readied her bow. "No barrier has been able to keep me from what I want."
"Show them whose boss my sweet!" Naraku chuckled making her smirk. "Bring them to their knees and bend them to your will!"
Not needing to be told twice Kikyo readied her arrow and shot. When it hit the barrier it caused a ripple to flow out. It then used the arrow's momentum to reflect it back at them. Everyone ducked to avoid being struck.
"Well, that's a first." Kikyo frowned as she got off of the ground and readied another arrow.
Not deterred she fired another, and then another. To her annoyance no matter how many arrows she shot at the barrier it would not come down. Growing angry she yelled for her arrows to be retrieved. Once she had her arrows back in hand she began to walk around the barrier trying and find a weak spot. It took a while but she eventually found one. It started off small but as she continued to slowly chip away at the spot the barrier reflected less and less.
"Almost there!" Naraku cheered as he and his men waited on baited breath for the barrier to crack. "Just one more shot and the power will be ours!"
"Not if I can help it!" yelled a familiar angry voice from above. Seeing Kikyo readying her last arrow he jumped down from the tree. Just as she let her arrow fly he cut in two with his sword.
"Inuyasha!" Kikyo gasped as he stood to his full height and radiated anger and hate. "How did you…"
"Get here?" Inuyasha spat as an equally clad warrior floated down from the sky and came to stand by his side. "After you failed to kill me three fucking times I hitched a ride from him."
"Prepare to die Naraku." The warrior challenged as he drew his blade from his side and stared down the spider with cold amber eyes. "You're interference in the West and the Fairy Kingdom is over."
"Sesshomaru…" Naraku grinned as he and his crew readied their swords for battle. "Still upset over me killing off your beloved Kagura are we?"
"My mate was revived." Sesshomaru stated cooly causing the half-demon's smile to turn sour. "You on the other hand will not be so lucky."
"Your threat is meaningless oh great and powerful Lord of the West!" Naraku mocked making Sesshomaru's eyes narrow at the insult. "Soon I will have the jewel and all the power Horai Island can give! Once I obtain my true potential I will never die!"
"Like hell you are!" Inuyasha yelled as he charged and Kikyo readied her bow for the defense. While the battle commenced on the outside of the barrier the fairies and Lady Midoriko watched helplessly on the other side.
"My children!" Midoriko called as Kikyo managed to escape the fight and run towards the barrier. "When the priestess hits the barrier you must help Kagome get to the volcano. The jewel cannot be taken or we will be doomed! Those who are able to defend the sacred tree stay and fight!"
"Yes Lady Midoriko!" the fairies shouted just as Kikyo stabbed the arrow into the barrier with all her might. Everything stood at a stand still as the barrier erupted outwards. The force of its energy knocked everyone to the ground.
"GO!" Midoriko yelled causing the fairies to vacate the tree in a blur of color.
The swarm of pixies was like being consumed in a horde of locusts. The pirates were quickly overwhelmed by them and were being taken down one after the other. They tried swatting them away but with the endless attacks of tiny blades, sharp claws and teeth they didn't stand a chance. Some even chanted they didn't believe in fairies but even that didn't take them down fast enough. Kikyo sensing the jewel's power moving away from the fight ran as fast as she could out of the swarm. As she ran she crushed and shot any fairy that got in her way. She was covered in tiny cuts and bite marks but she was not deterred. She had a mission to complete and no one was going to stand in her way.
Since Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were fighting for the pixies they were not touched by the hordes furry. They flew around them and helped to create a wall of death. As Inuyasha was fighting against a pirate trying to get a drink of the pixie magic he saw Kikyo dash off into the jungle. Smelling that Kagome's scent was coming from that direction he quickly killed the greedy pirate and made chase. As Kikyo ran she caused dozens of snares and traps to trigger. Lucky for her with her priestess training she was able to dodge most of them. By the time she'd reached the base of the volcano her shoulder had been sliced near her collarbone by a sharp blade and her hair had been singed from a flame torch.
They were not fatal wounds but did manage to slow her down. Seeing Kagome being escorted by a group of pixies up the hillside she pushed her tired legs forward. She was nearly to the top when she heard her name being called from behind. She growled in frustration when the familiar red robes and silver hair came to her eyes. He appeared unharmed letting her know that he'd managed to avoid setting off any traps. The lucky dog must have traveled in her exact footsteps to avoid getting hurt or being slowed down. It was only a matter of time that he'd catch up with her.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha yelled as he climbed up the steep slope. "Kikyo stop!"
"Go away Inuyasha!" Kikyo hisses as she ignored the pain in her shoulder as she pulled herself on top of the ledge.
"Why are you doing this?" Inuyasha yelled as he continued to climb up the hillside. "Why are you with Naraku? Why are you trying to get the jewel?"
"I am Naraku's slave Inuyasha." Kikyo growled as she stared down at him with bitterness. "He has owned me since I was 11 years old. Once I have the jewel I will be free to live as I wish."
"You could have had that freedom with me!" Inuyasha yelled as he looked up at her with hurt eyes. "You could have told me about him and we could have moved somewhere he could never find you again."
"He controls my soul Inuyasha." Kikyo snapped making his eyes wided in shock. "That mark on my hip is not a birthmark. It is a branding so he can find me and make sure I do as he wishes. We could have never mated or been together as husband and wife. I'm Naraku's pet no matter what. The jewel is the only way I can become an ordinary woman."
"Why didn't you purify him?" Inuyasha yelled as Kikyo turned away from him and walking into the tunnel leading deeper into the volcano. "Why didn't you kill him? Why didn't you tell me so I could kill him? I would have done it. You know I would have done anything to protect you."
"My soul is tied to his Inuyasha." Kikyo said as she climbed over a fallen volcano rock in the path. "If he dies, so do I."
"So was our time together truly a lie?" Inuyasha asked as he cautiously followed after her. "Was you wanting to be with me all fake?"
"No." Kikyo stopped as she looked at him over her shoulder. "My love for you is real. I told you last night before I drugged your tea. Don't you remember? I told you I was sorry and that my love for you would not change no matter what happened."
"Then why kill me?" Inuyasha asked as his amber eyes misted with pain. "Why shoot me with your arrow? Why betray me?"
"Because I knew you would never give Kagome to me willingly." Kikyo said as she walked into the main cavern of the volcano. "Besides, I did not shoot you so you would die."
"What?" Inuyasha gaped in astonishment.
"I knew your beast would rise up and save you with my poison. It wasn't nearly strong enough to be fatal." Kikyo shrugged as she looked around the cavern for Kagome. "The same applied with my arrow. I made sure to shoot you just above your heart. I just didn't expect your beast to rise up so quickly. If I wanted you dead Inuyasha I would have done it many moons ago."
"Then why did you blow up our hut? Its seems to me you were being awfully thorough in trying to take me out." Inuyasha argued.
"That was Naraku's doing. He gets off of seeing his enemies being blown to bits." Kikyo said. "Now go. I must retrieve the jewel and your interference is only slowing me down."
"I can't let you do that." Inuyasha growled as he jumped in front of her. "If you make a wish on the jewel the balance between good and evil will break and the realm of fairies will be destroyed."
"It is the only way for me to be free Inuyasha." Kikyo sighed as she looked at him with apologetic eyes. "Besides, if I don't use it, Naraku will use the power to take over the world and force me to be his mate for all eternity. I cannot let that happen."
"Is your only reason for the jewel to regain your freedom?" Hojo asked as he cautiously came out of his hiding place along the volcano's inner wall.
"It is." Kikyo nodded as she looked at Kagome and the other fairies as they peaked out of their hiding holes with hesitancy.
"Then allow me to grant you a wish." Hojo said as he hovered in front of Kikyo's face. "Each fairy has the power to grant one wish in their life. I haven't used mine yet. I'd be happy to free you from the pirate."
"You'd do that?" Kikyo stared in astonishment as the other fairies watched.
"Of course!" Hojo smiled. "Your wish will need to be specific however. I can't grant multiple wishes in one wish."
"Understandable." Kikyo nodded. "What do I need to do?"
"All I need you do to is close your eyes." Hojo said as he hovered in front of her face.
"Alright?" Kikyo said as she hesitantly fluttered her eyes closed. When she felt Hojo's tiny lips on hers she wiped open her eyes in surprise.
[End of Chapter 15]