Warnings for this chapter: threats of death and violence, trauma and post-trauma responses, and oh look, more angst
Sango collapsed against the trunk of a tree, struggling to keep her breathing even. The morning spent on horseback had left her shaking and sweating as pain radiated from her back. When Naraku drew their horses to a stop, saying their mounts would be able to go no further, she had slid to the ground and stumbled away before collapsing, leaving Naraku to tend to the horses alone. She closed her eyes, Hiraikotsu clutched under her arm, and focused on driving the fuzziness from her vision.
"Is Sango dead?" she heard a murmur from nearby.
Her eyes snapped open and she glared at him. "I will not die. Not until I kill Inuyasha!"
She could imagine his eyes boring into her from behind his mask, the hollowed-out head of a baboon demon. "Good, but can you fight decently in that condition?"
Sango ground her teeth and pushed to her feet, bracing herself on Hiraikotsu. "Slaying demons is what I do."
It's what had convinced the young lord back at the castle to allow her to go. He could see her determination, and instructed his advisor Naraku to help her. He had offered her a home as well, telling her to come back to his castle. She was fairly certain that wouldn't happen. Even if by some miracle she survived long enough to find, fight, and kill Inuyasha, there was no reason to go. There was nothing left for her there but the bodies of her family.
As she followed Naraku along the mountain path, she could sense her strength failing. Hiraikotsu weighed her down to the point where she could barely even hold the weapon. She wouldn't last long at this rate. She prayed it would be long enough. But as they walked, her breath came in increasingly sharp gasped and her back was sticky with a combination of sweat and blood. Her knees gave out and she fell to the ground, bracing herself with her hands. Naraku stopped in front of her and turned to survey her coolly.
"Are you in pain, Sango?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she ground out, not looking at him.
"Poor thing. You couldn't die even if you wanted to, could you?" He held up a hand, a Jewel shard held between his thumb and forefinger. "Would you care to try this?"
"How did you get that?" she asked as he came to kneel in front of her.
"I've had it for some time," he said dismissively. "I'm willing to lend it to you. It can help to heal your wounds and give you the strength you need to fight properly."
Sango frowned and shared at the tiny shard. She had heard so much from the elders in her village, of the Jewel's corrupting power and dangerous nature. But she'd also heard of the power it granted, of the wondrous things it could do to even the lowliest of demon. She was doomed to die no matter what. There was no harm in doing what needed to be done so she could complete her final mission.
They stood at the entrance to the village, contemplating their next mood. They had spent the night outside the village walls, feeling uneasy sleeping inside. Inuyasha hadn't slept much, and knew Miroku hadn't either. At least Shippo had been able to drift off, curled around Kirara. Inuyasha couldn't muster any distain for the fact that they'd adopted a new member into their group without discussion. Whatever. She was cute and could take care of herself, and Shippo seemed quite taken with her. Myoga also seemed to trust her, which was interesting. He seemed to have more of a history with the slayers than he was letting on.
Even with all the villagers buried, it seemed wrong to simply leave. Inuyasha began sorting through the demon carcasses he'd piled together the previous day, while Miroku cleaned up the various youkai body parts lying around. Some of the demons had already turned to bones, while others remained slowly rotting masses.
"There is a cave at the edge of the village where the slayers dump the demon parts they don't use," Myoga said, jumping on Inuyasha's shoulder. "We should put this there."
Inuyasha exchanged a glance with Miroku. "Use?"
"Indeed. The slayers used the bones and hides of demons in their weapons and armour. Whatever couldn't be used was discarded."
"And how do you know about the cave?" Miroku asked, piling demon parts onto a wagon he'd brought over. "I thought you'd never been to this village before?"
"I haven't, but I've heard of the cave many times before and sought it out upon my arrival," Myoga said. "It's where the Shikon Jewel was created."
"Do you know how it was made?" Miroku asked, but the flea shook his head.
They followed his instructions to the edge of the village and the mouth of a large cavern. The cave ran deep, far enough that Inuyasha couldn't make out the end of it. They dumped the demon parts in and watched as they slid down a slight incline. Inuyasha pushed the wagon to the side and surveyed the tunnel, his ears flicking as a damp breeze flowed from within.
"Good work, Myoga."
"Thank you, Master," Myoga bowed. "Anything to help. I'm more than just a parasite!"
"Yeah, I'm actually surprised you stuck around. Seems a little dangerous for your taste."
Myoga scoffed in indignation. "Master, how could you doubt my loyalty?"
"Right – how could I?"
Miroku frowned. He had an uneasy feeling about this cave, but important answers lay within. "Do you think we should venture in?"
"Yeah, let's go."
They all started forward, but Myoga instantly cried out "Wait, hold on, Master Inuyasha!"
Miroku instantly stopped, surprised that Inuyasha didn't.
"What now?" the hanyou asked, irritated. He was stopped in his tracks when a strong barrier sprung to life at the mouth of the cave, painfully knocking him off his feet.
"A barrier has been placed to prevent trespassers like us from wandering in," Myoga supplied helpfully.
"By quicker with that kind of information next time!" Inuyasha snapped, climbing to his feet. He shot a dirty look over his shoulder at Miroku. "And where were you?"
"Don't look at me. I'm watching the children!" Miroku insisted, indicating Shippo on his shoulder and Kirara in his arms.
"Heh, some useless monk you are," Inuyasha huffed, drawing Tessaiga. "Alright, stand back. I'm gonna break through this barrier!"
He charged, he swung, and he bounced off the barrier like a fly. He was flung to the ground hard and wheezed slightly at the impact.
"You alright?" Miroku asked, leaning over him.
"Damnit!" Inuyasha swore. "So forcing our way in is a no-go, and any villagers who could tell us how to get past the barrier are dead. Great."
"Not all of them were killed," Miroku reminded him. "Myoga said the best of their slayers were at some castle during the attack."
"Right!" Myoga chimed in. "The demons were only successful here because it lacked their most talented slayers."
"Okay, so we gotta track down this castle and the surviving slayers," Inuyasha sighed and turned to go. "Come on, we don't have all day."
Miroku stared into the cave for a moment, oddly feeling as though the darkness were pulling him in. He shook his head and followed Inuyasha. They made their way down the mountain path, deeper into the forest. It wasn't until Inuyasha asked where to go next that they realized that none of them, in fact, knew where they were going.
"You're the one who knew about the castle!" Inuyasha accused Myoga.
"I assumed you knew where you were going," Myoga countered.
"Can you smell any hint of a human settlement?" Miroku asked, then Kirara chirped in his arms.
He glanced at the twin-tail then followed her gaze deeper into the forest. On his shoulder, Shippo stiffened and peered into the trees as well. One of Inuyasha's ears angled in the direction they both were looking, and Miroku was reminded how painfully human his own senses were. However, even with his human limitations, the sound of splitting wood and crashing trees was unmistakable. Miroku ducked instinctually, and Inuyasha just as instinctually crammed the monk's head even further down with his hand. A large weapon flew over their heads, cutting clean through the trees. It spun and turned in the air, its kinked shape sending it flying back in the direction it originally came from.
It was caught easily by the young woman who threw it.
Miroku stared in shock. He recognized her clothing as the unique armour he'd only ever seen in a few of the bodies from the village. It was a strange style more reminiscent of paintings he'd seen from the mainland. Her weapon was unusual as well, a thick bent slab of demon bone with a sharp outer-edge. But it wasn't just the strange attire that surprised him. Though the lower half of her face was obscured by an iron mask, there was no mistaking that she was also very young, maybe a few years younger than himself.
"Are you Inuyasha?" she asked, levelling a stony gaze at the hanyou. "I've come to gain my revenge."
Inuyasha growled, stepping in front of Miroku. "Yeah? And who are you?"
"Sango!" Myoga exclaimed on his shoulder. "Master, trust me, you must not fight her!"
Inuyasha glanced from the flea to the deranged slayer who lifted her weapon in preparation to strike. Just great. She threw the strange weapon, sending it flying at him. He pulled Tessaiga from its sheath and used it to block the spinning hunk of bone, giving Miroku enough time to run to the side behind him. The force of the impact sent him sliding back, feet digging into the ground. He deflected the weapon with a shout, sending it flying to the side, but the slayer ran after it and caught it deftly.
"What're you coming after me for?" Inuyasha called out to her. Not that he was strictly complaining, but it would be nice to know.
"Silence!" the slayer spat. "I'm here to avenge my people!"
Sango seethed as she threw Hiraikotsu again, this time swinging low enough that the hanyou wouldn't be able to block it. How dare he? How dare he act so nonchalant after what he'd done? How dare he feign ignorance- Feign innocence!
Inuyasha jumped back from the strike, the earth shattering beneath his feet. He had to do something about her weapon. There was no way to figure out what this crazed slayer was on about while she was trying to kill him! There was movement from his left then Miroku was standing in front of him, opening the wind tunnel. The weapon hovered in midair before slowly spinning back towards them, being sucked in by the void. He almost had it, but a buzzing filled Inuyasha's ears. He looked over the treetops to see a swarm of Naraku's venomous insects flying at them.
"Look out!" he warned, grabbing the monk by the collar of his koromo and pulling him back. Miroku wrapped the mala beads around his hand and looked over his shoulder, eyes wide. The fear in those violet eyes prompted Inuyasha's own realization – Naraku! The insects hovered around the slayer, and behind her, a figure came into view draped in the pelt of a white baboon. He couldn't believe it.
He ran, swinging Tessaiga above his head. The slayer threw her weapon and he jumped over it, leaping over her dead to destroy Naraku- But a chain wrapped around his ankle, jerking him back, and he went crashing to the ground.
"I am your opponent, not him!" Sango challenged. Cowardly hanyou, going after a defenseless advisor! He wouldn't kill anyone else. She would make sure of it.
He snarled and turned on her, kicking off the chain as he did so. "You keep interfering and I'm gonna have to take care of you!"
"Just try it!" she hissed. "Maybe my defenseless village was quick for you to slaughter, but I won't die so easily!"
His eyes widened and his ears flattened on his head. Suddenly everything made sense. Naraku had played another deceitful trick, with the cost of even more lives. He watched the slayer grab her weapon, throwing it at him with more power than a human should have. Especially a human that reeked of blood.
"Inuyasha," Miroku called out from behind him. "She has a Jewel shard in her back!"
Inuyasha blocked her weapon with Tessaiga and deflected it to the side. With it gone, he finally had a chance to take her down. Then he could focus on Naraku, and worry about explaining everything to her later. He ran for her but she dropped to a crouch, one hand reaching into the hollow inside of the armour at her shoulder. She threw a handful of green powder at him, which quickly spread into a thick cloud. He gasped and coughed as the substance entered his lungs, the powder stinging his eyes. The slayer let out a short, humourless laugh.
"It's easy to overwhelm the delicate senses of a dog-eared mongrel like you."
Miroku was loathed to leave Inuyasha to the slayer, but Naraku was still close by. He ran around the edge of the poison cloud, easily finding the white of Naraku's pelt. The baboon mask slowly turned to face him, and he could feel Naraku's eyes on him.
"Naraku," he growled, holding his staff out like a sword.
"My apologies, but I have more important things to focus on right now," Naraku's silken voice replied.
"It's over," he said, rushing at the demon.
Naraku pulled a thin sword from under the baboon pelt, blocking Miroku's strike with his staff. But he wouldn't be so easily deterred. Driven by a ferocity he had never before known from himself, he struck again and again, driving Naraku further back. He saw his opening and he took it mercilessly, swinging the sharp head of his staff through Naraku's sword-wielding hand and severing it clean from his body. Naraku stumbled and fell. He levelled his staff at the demon, trying to control his racing heart. He couldn't use the wind tunnel, not with the insects still hovering all around them, but that wasn't his only weapon. It wasn't all he could use to hurt him.
"Miroku!" a warning shout came from behind, and he turned just in time to see Naraku's severed hand flying at him.
The severed limb grasped the front of his robes, pulling him from his feet. For a moment he thought Naraku was trying to drag him to his body. Then he realized that he was grasping the Jewel shard around his neck. He struggled and tried to break free, but the hand snagged a finger around the rope from which the shard hung. The thin twine snapped, and the hand returned to Naraku's arm clutching its prize. The appendage reattached with a faint pink glow.
"This shard is not for the likes of you," Naraku chuckled. "Now that I possess it, there's no reason to linger. I bid you farewell."
Miroku sensed Inuyasha running at them from behind him, rushed forward in kind. A purple-black miasma burst from Naraku's body, stopping them both in their tracks. The smog rushed into his lungs, instantly making him dizzy and nauseous. He could hear Inuyasha hacking beside him. Damnit, Naraku was getting away again! Even as he watched helplessly, a whirlwind of miasma surrounded the demon and lifted him into the air, surrounded by his swarm of insects.
"Sango," his voice called out to the slayer. "I will await you at the castle! I trust you will not fail to kill Inuyasha."
Sango watched him go, unease burning in her gut. She hadn't sensed any youki presence from Naraku the entire time they were travelling together, but that was clearly not a human. What was going on? What else had he been hiding from her?
A familiar chirp came from behind her, and to her utter amazement, she saw Kirara running towards her. She knelt down and opened her arms, the twin-tail instantly jumping into them. She took a brief moment just to hug her close, relishing her warmth and life. Then she narrowed her eyes at Naraku's form flying in the distance.
"Kirara, I want you to follow him," she instructed earnestly. "And if he does anything strange, kill him."
With a growl, Kirara jumped out of her arms and transformed, rising into the air in pursuit.
As the miasma cleared, Miroku rushed forward again, Inuyasha by his side. But the slayer's weapon struck the ground between them, forcing Inuyasha to jump back.
"Prepare to fight, Inuyasha," the slayer called. "Or die on the spot."
Inuyasha huffed and shot a glare at Miroku.
"Don't kill her!" the monk instructed before resuming his chase after Naraku.
"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha muttered, turning to face the slayer. "Listen, why don't you back off? I'm not interested."
Sango ran and threw Hiraikotsu again. She knew she didn't have long left. The initial rush of battle was fading, leaving her feeling weak and drained. She had to finish this while she still could.
Inuyasha dodged the weapon, the strike having much less force than usual. The stupid slayer was killing herself. He threw Tessaiga at her like a spear, the sword connecting with the earth at her feet and sending her careening back. It was barely enough to distract her, but it meant she couldn't grab her weapon as it returned to her. She ran for it but he was faster. He'd almost reached her when she threw another fistful of poison powder at him. He jumped, swiped, and his claws connected with her iron face mask. Her eyes widened and her face went pale, her hand instantly coming to cover her mouth. Humans. Grabbing her arm, Inuyasha jumped, bringing them both safely out of the poison cloud that formed.
She couldn't believe it. What was this idiot trying to do- He wasn't trying to save her, was he? What kind of move was that? They landed on the ground, and though he wasn't looking at her, he hadn't yet let go of her arm. Well, if he thought she was some defenseless prey, he had another thing coming. She drew her sword and, before he could react, stabbed him clean through the upper arm. His reaction was…not what she expected.
"You idiot," he grumbled, looking down at her with more annoyance than anything else. "Haven't you realized that maybe Naraku has been tricking you?" He ripped the sword from her hands and pulled it from his arm, unflinchingly. "Give it up! I haven't even gotten started and you're covered in blood."
Her hand instinctively reached around to her back. It came away red. She hadn't even realized she'd been bleeding, let alone lost that much blood. Her leather tunic was soaked. The Jewel shard must have been blocking her pain. She had no doubt that without its power, she wouldn't just be unconscious – she'd be dead. She'd have died without completing her mission – but what even was her mission? The hanyou was right. He wasn't acting at all the way a murderer should. He'd had dozens of chances to kill her, yet he chose to save her life. And Naraku… She was so confused. So tired. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing mattered anymore.
Inuyasha stared down at the dazed slayer. Despite his better judgement, he almost felt sorry for her. He couldn't imagine what Naraku had put her through. He glanced up to see Shippo running toward him.
"You alright?" the kit asked, glancing between him and the injured slayer.
"I'll live."
He watched as the slayer keeled over, finally unconscious. Took her long enough.
"Is she dead?" Shippo asked nervously, scuttling closer.
"Nope, not yet," Inuyasha sighed, reaching to sling the slayer over his back. "Come on, let's go after Miroku. That bastard Naraku isn't getting away again."
Miroku ran like he'd never run before. Each step was a step closer to Naraku. There was no way that he would get away so easily- Cliff. There was a cliff. A deep ravine. A far-away edge. No, nononono- Miroku stood back, preparing for a jump he didn't think he could make, when he heard something behind him. Kirara was flying at him, lowering her head as she approached. He instantly understood, jumping into the air so she could duck under him. He flattened himself against her back, winding his hand into the scruff around her neck.
"Thanks! I appreciate the ride."
With Kirara's speed they quickly approached Naraku and his swarm. She flew up alongside him, giving Miroku a clear shot with his staff. He swung at Naraku, catching the demon across the face of his baboon mask. Naraku tumbled through the air before righting himself, then a dozen root-like arms sprang from his body. They shot through the air, most of them splitting into grasping hands at their tips. Kirara dodged and weaved through the air and Miroku clung on for dear life, batting away at the arms that came too close to grabbing the twin-tail. But there were too many. As one closed around her throat, he didn't notice another reaching for him from the side. He was thrown to the ground, the breath knocked from his lungs. He barely managed to roll to the side before Kirara's body slammed down where he had been lying a heartbeat earlier.
"Do not take me lightly, monk," Naraku warned, looming over them before attacking again.
Inuyasha followed Miroku's scent, hoping against hope that the monk hadn't done anything stupid. He almost missed the change in the slayer's heartbeat as she woke. This was followed by a spike in the beats as she gained awareness, clutching to his shoulders with strong fingers and pressing herself almost imperceptibly against his back. He could smell a tinge of fear in her scent, knew that she was probably formulating an escape plan. Riding on his back as she was, he guessed whatever she came up with wouldn't go to well for either of them.
"Awake, are you?" he asked over his shoulder, saving her the trouble of trying to hide from him.
"Put me down!" she demanded instantly. "What're you up to?"
"It's okay," Shippo informed her cheerily from his perch beside her. "We're going after Naraku because he stole our Jewel shard."
Sango stared at the tiny fox demon – the one wearing her mask on his head like a hat. They were both being carried by the hanyou, who had also brought along Hiraikotsu. There was a stiffness around her middle when she breathed, and she looked down to see the hanyou's red suikan hastily tied around her torso, staunching the flow of blood. What the hell was going on? Was she being abducted? It certainly didn't feel like she had a choice in the matter, but why bother bringing her weapon along with her? And the hanyou… He had said Naraku tricked her. Was that true? She only had Naraku's word for what Inuyasha had done, and the hanyou and his strange companions didn't act as she'd anticipated.
"He called you Sango, right?" the hanyou asked. "Well Sango, keep bothering me and I'll dump you off right here."
"Inuyasha, you're so rude!" the fox chided instantly before turning to her and whispering conspiratorially. "He's actually pretty nice, but don't tell him I said that. He's just worried about Miroku. He really seems to like you humans."
"Sango," a voice came from her other side, and she turned to see a flea demon on her shoulder. "Inuyasha and the rest of us didn't want to leave you behind. Your wounds are deep!"
She couldn't believe it. Everything just kept on getting stranger and stranger. She knew this flea! "You're Myoga!"
Inuyasha ignored them and quickened his pace. He could hear noises coming from up ahead, and it didn't sound good.
Miroku stuck as close to Kirara as he could, trusting her to watch his back as he watched hers. But the root-like appendages just kept coming, reforming again and again after being struck apart with each blow. Even if Naraku didn't have their Jewel shard, Miroku wouldn't have had time to even open the wind tunnel. First one job and then another struck right where he had been standing, forcing him away from Kirara as he jumped back. A clawed hand grabbed his foot and another shot out, striking him in the abdomen. With the hand on his foot holding him in place, the root which pierced him began burrowing its way into his body. He was going to die.
Inuyasha unceremoniously dumped the slayer and the others as soon as he saw what was going on. He leapt forward, unsheathing Tessaiga just in time to slash through the root about to sever Miroku in half. The monk flew back from the root's momentum, sending him crashing to the ground.
"You alright?" Inuyasha asked.
"Not dead!" Miroku reported back instantly, not bothering to investigate further than that. "Behind you!"
Inuyasha spun around to see several more appendages shooting at him. He hacked away at them, soon joined by both Miroku and Kirara. Slowly, Naraku began to laugh.
"So, you're still alive, Inuyasha?"
"You think a mere human can kill me, think again!" he growled back.
"The last time I looked, you were losing to a wounded slayer," Naraku taunted.
Inuyasha's ears flicked, seeing his chance to resolve this once and for all. "Admit it, Naraku. You're the one who set that pack of demons onto the village."
The demon chuckled. "All I did was mention to the demons that the village guard happened to be thin that day."
Miroku clenched his teeth. "And let them destroy each other so you could take the Jewel shards there."
"You're not as slow as you look, monk. The villagers should've been prepared to defend such a valuable bounty."
"You could've just taken them," Inuyasha growled. "You didn't have to kill everybody!"
"Naraku!" the slayer shouted from the edge of the battlefield, propping herself up on her weapon. "The demons at the castle were also part of your trap, weren't they?!"
"Trap?" Naraku mused. "Is that what you call my simple diversion? I thought the slayers of your village could handle any sort of demon. They literally did not live up to their boasts."
Sango snarled and ran for him, lifting Hiraikotsu over her head and preparing to strike. She felt a sharp tug at her shoulder blades and suddenly pain exploded across her back, sending her tumbling to the ground. She watched in horror as one of Naraku's root appendages slithered up to her and grasped the Jewel shard which had flown from her back.
"Fool!" he scoffed. "No use in having this if all you do is choose to defy me. It would've been easier for you to die believing that Inuyasha was your sworn enemy, not me."
"You really like to mess with people's feelings, dontcha?" Inuyasha growled as he ran at Naraku, leaping up to bring Tessaiga swinging down on his head. To his vexation, Naraku dodged the blow.
"Are you thinking about Kikyo when you say that?" Naraku smirked. "Or perhaps the impending death of the monk?"
Inuyasha yelled in fury as he struck the demon's head from his body. He stared at the severed head in shock. Was it really over? Was it really that easy? He heard Miroku rushing to his side and shot an uneasy look at the monk.
"Too easy," he said, settling Tessaiga over his shoulder. "He couldn't have had the power to make all those people suffer so much."
Miroku nodded in agreement, involuntarily clenching his right hand. He glanced to his companion, only to catch movement in the corner of his eye. "Watch out!" he shouted, barrelling into Inuyasha and knocking him out of the way of one of Naraku's shooting arms. They watched in horror as the previously lifeless body of the demon began reanimating. Then the head began to laugh.
"I will not die so easily," Naraku's head informed them, rolling upright of its own accord.
Miroku startled at the sudden movement and, acting on pure instinct, kicked the head as hard as he could. It flew through the air and landed on the other side of Naraku's body, slowly rolling to a stop. Inuyasha stared at him in wild disbelief, only snapping out of it when the dozen arms began reaching for them again. They stuck close together, slicing through each appendage as it struck at them. The limbs continued to regenerate, giving them no chance for respite. Kirara helped as much as she could, but she had positioned herself in front of Sango and Shippo and couldn't stray far or risk exposing them.
Unable to wield Hiraikotsu, Sango knelt on the ground feeling utterly useless. How had she been so blind? How could she have been so easily deceived by Naraku? How could she have been traveling with a demon for so long and not- Wait. There was no way she couldn't have noticed. Not unless- She reached out with her senses, but still found no trace of youki within him. That didn't make sense, unless-
"Inuyasha, that's not him! It's a puppet!" she shouted at the hanyou. "It's being controlled by something buried inside its body – his heart! Aim straight for his heart!"
The hanyou and the monk looked at her but quickly nodded. Through some unspoken agreement, the monk slashed his staff along the various limbs supporting the puppet's body, knocking it off balance. The hanyou jumped, bringing his sword slicing straight down through the puppet. Both the body and the head shuddered and began crumbling to dust.
Miroku approached the tattered remains of the baboon pelt, clearing it away to reveal a simple wooden statue underneath wound with a long black hair. He picked it up and examined it, Inuyasha coming to peer over his shoulder.
"What is that?"
"This is demon puppetry," he explained, turning the thing over in his hands. "The hair wrapped around this doll belongs to Naraku, allowing him to control it from afar."
"That was more than a doll we just fought!" Inuyasha huffed incredulously.
Miroku picked up their shard of the Jewel and the much smaller fragment that had previously been in Sango's back. As he did so, the remaining venomous insects began to fly away. He shot them a glare for good measure. He knew little about demon puppetry, but he knew enough not to trust Naraku. He placed a sutra on the wooden doll then took the agate and striker from his robes and set the wood alight. Once it was sufficiently burned, he ground the ashes under his foot.
Inuyasha nodded in satisfaction, turning back to the others before freezing. The slayer did not look good. She was pale and sweating, and reeked of pain and blood. She was barely keeping upright. He groaned and walked over to her.
"You're not looking so good," he sighed. "Look, why don't you let us take you somewhere safe? You won't survive out here on your own."
She glared back at him, eyes burning brightly. "I need to find Naraku."
"Yeah, well, get in line. We all want to destroy him for one reason or another, but you're not gonna get anywhere near him while you're bleeding out."
"There are some villages nearby we could take you," Miroku offered, walking over as well. "Though the nearest place would be your home."
She looked away, biting her lip. Home. She hadn't thought she would ever see it again. Somehow, going back would make it all real. She didn't know if she could face an empty village full of ghosts. Then again, she wouldn't find peace with herself if she didn't go back. She owed it to her people to lay them to rest, to restore their legacy as much as possible. And practically speaking, it was a good place to lay low while she recovered. It had food, water, and weapons. She could stay there while she got stronger. Because she had to. She had to recover enough to hunt down Naraku. And kill him.
She turned back to the odd pair, giving them a piercing look. "Take me home."
I will say that when I had the idea for a certain deviation from the original episode, I was sitting on my bed for a good five minutes, cackling. It's probably a very stupid addition. You can't convince me to go back and write it out. All I can say in my defense is, if the evil head of an enemy I just decapitated started talking to me, I would do the same.
Since summer classes are getting into full-swing, I'm probably going to have to go back to once-a-week updates for a while. Since our main crew is together now, chapters are also going to be a bit looser with the canon material, especially in mostly filler episodes. Prepare for tender moments, character development, and family bonding!