(The Dark Priestess)
"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."
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The dead of night in the Feudal Era.
An elderly woman by the name of Tsubaki was in the middle of performing a ritual within a secluded clearing, in which she tossed a paper shikigami into a fire, causing another man far away to cry out in pain and agony, and then eventually die. This ritual was promptly interrupted when Kagura appeared before Tsubaki, revealing that her master (that being Naraku) wished to see her . When Tsubaki questioned what a demon would want from her, Kagura in turn took the chance to ask about the grudge she bore against Kikyo, which peaked Tsubaki's interest.
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The sun was shining brightly over the skies above Tokyo.
'Okay, so the pythagorean theore, A-squared + B-squared makes C-squared.' Tatsu glanced down at the notebook in front of him 'And as far as algebra problems go, do what your brother said to do. Just do to one side what you do to the other, take the bottom number and multiply, just like that. That means, X = 8. Yes! Thank you Kazuma.'
"Tatsu." this was when the teacher directed his attention to the writing on the board "I want you to read the next line out loud."
"On it." he bolted to his feet and studied the board for a few seconds "And the tranquil waterway, leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under the overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."
"Excellent, well done."
"I do what I can." it was then that he noticed the look Kagome was giving him "What?"
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About an hour passed, and the school day had come to an end.
Kagome was making her way down the street, her expression downcast 'Well that couldn't have been any more humiliating, how did I let myself fall so far behind?'
"Hey Kagome, wait up!" this was when Ayumi came rushing up to her "Hi."
"Oh, hey Ayumi. Where are Eri and Yuka?"
"They had to do a lab for chemistry. What about Tatsu?"
"He's off doing his daily training regimen at the dojo with Arashi and Raidou. Probably for the best too, I… I just needed some time alone to think."
"Yeah, I noticed the way you were looking at him in class earlier."
"I know I shouldn't feel so jealous of him, but it's hard not to be when you're struggling with something like I am and you look over and see the person you care about most being so good at all of it. It makes it so hard at times, especially when you feel that way about him."
"Feel what way?"
Kagome's head snapped up as she realized her mistake 'Crap that's right, with everything that's happened in the past month or so, I never told her or the rest of my friends about how I finally figured out how I feel.'
"...You realized it didn't you? That you're in love with Tatsu."
"Yeah I- Wait, you knew?!"
"Arashi told me, and pretty much everyone. I think he's making t-shirts about it."
"Of course he is." Kagome let out a sigh as she slumped down onto a nearby bench "But you're not wrong. I am in love with Tatsu. I realized it around the time his brother got engaged, but I haven't said anything yet."
"But you want to, don't you?"
"Yeah, more than anything. The thing is, I kind of overheard a conversation he and Sota were having awhile back. He wants to wait to do anything like that, he said he has something else he needs to do, and I can't blame him for it."
"So you're going to wait, for how long?"
"I don't know exactly. It could be a few months, it could be a few years." she gave a small sad smile "But he's spent years waiting for it, so I should be able to do the same right?"
"Kagome…"
"But enough about that, let's try a change of topic. Please."
"...Okay, so what else did you want to talk about?"
"Well for starters, I never got a chance to talk to you about the dance the other day. So how did things go between you and Raidou?"
"Oh, that." Ayumi's face lit up at this "He's so incredible, there's no other way I can think of to describe him! I mean for starters, the night of the dance he saved my life when those creatures came after us. He's cultured, he's sophisticated, he knows martial arts. He's just so different than anyone else I know."
"To be fair, Tatsu does know martial arts too. He thinks pretty highly of Raidou too, and I have to admit I do owe him for… something he did that really helped me awhile ago."
"Yeah, Tatsu does seem to be pretty trust of people. Oh yeah, did Raidou ever tell you that he's travelled all around the world?"
"I heard something about that. Looking back, I have been kind of hard on him and untrusting towards him. I probably owe him an apology."
"I don't think he's the sort of person to hold grudges, and even if he doesn't open up very often, I know he has a good heart."
"You guys talking about Raidou?"
Both Ayumi and Kagome glanced over to see Tatsu drop down next to them "Yeah, we've actually been hanging out a lot since the dance a few days ago."
"Yeah it's like I've been saying, Raidou is a good guy."
"I know, it's just…" Kagome let out a sigh "I'm being paranoid about him aren't I?"
"In all honesty, I've seen you be a lot worse than you've been with Raidou. Just try talking to him when you get the chance, get to know him and you'll see there's nothing to worry about. If you want an example then take a look at Arashi, he actually thought Raidou was related to some kind international criminal mastermind and didn't want us to have anything to do with him, and now they're basically BFFs."
"Yeah, that is true."
"Raidou might be a bit closed off but I know he's a good person, and when you think about it he's not that different from Inuyasha. Speaking of which we should probably get going, if we take too long then chances are he's gonna lose his shit again."
"Yeah, you're probably right. We should go." the two of them prepared to depart in the direction of the Higurashi shrine, only to stop when she felt a hand grab her by the wrist "Ayumi, what are you-"
"You're going to be gone for awhile aren't you?" Ayumi's voice was quiet, but she didn't receive a response "You don't have to explain it to me, whatever the real reason might be."
"What do you mean? Is she talking about…'
"I don't know what it is you two are doing when you're gone for so long, but whatever it is, just know that you can count on me. I'm here for you." she gripped Kagome by the shoulders and gave a reassuring smile "I've got your back."
"...Tatsu?"
"How much time do you need?" was all he said.
"About an hour or so."
"I'll meet you at the shrine." and so he gave them a two-finger salute and promptly departed from the scene.
"You're right Ayumi, I know I can trust you. There's something I have to tell you." so with a deep breath, she began her story "It started on my 15th birthday…"
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Meanwhile, in the Feudal Era…
After finding Tsubaki, Kagura took her to Naraku's hideout, in which they took the time to discuss how Tsubaki had once faced Kikyo in battle 50 years ago, prior to her death, in her attempt to steal the Shikon Jewel from her. Narkau then went on to offer to Tsubaki the Shikon Jewel itself, in exchange for her services. Tsubaki then proceeded to morph her appearance so that she would looked younger, which prompted Naraku to reflect on how Tsubaki had sold her soul to a demon in return for eternal youth. However, the demon in question only had minor standing, so Tsubaki would continue to seek out more power.
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Meanwhile, in the modern era…
'Well that was a waste of an hour.' Tatsu found himself brooding as he stood outside the wellhouse of the shrine, his mind reflecting on recent events 'You go in to say goodbye to your brother and future sister-in-law, and then you have to spend the next hour disinfecting the floor of the apartment.'
"Sorry to keep you waiting." this was when Kagome made her way out of the house, being forced to drag her oversized backpack with her "This took a little bit longer than I thought it would."
"Better than how I spent the last hour and a half." Tatsu let out a sigh as he took the bag from her and studied it for a moment "So how did things go with Ayumi? You tell her everything."
"Yeah pretty much, and she was pretty surprised about it, but she was really okay with all of it too. She even said that she'd make notes and study guides for me to use. That probably works out for the best, I mean you of all people know that I never find time to study over there, even though I always mean to."
"Yeah, tell me about it. So then what's with the comically oversized bag?"
"It's a few sets of clothes in there, but food for the most part. I've got a few different types of candy and treats for Shippo, some chips and ramen and stuff for the others, but most of it is sets of box lunches that my mom had packed away in the fridge. She had a lot in there too."
"How long are those gonna last us for?"
"A week at least, and that's if each of us only eat one per day. So what did you do while I was packing up?"
"The usual, said my goodbyes to Arashi and Akira, told Raidou that I had some things to take care of and I'd be gone for awhile."
"And he didn't ask for more details?"
"It's part of that unspoken agreement we have. He doesn't pry into my secrets, I don't pry into his, but we still respect each other and have each other's backs."
"So does that mean… you want to tell him about the Feudal Era?"
"...Before I get into anything like that, I do have one other thing I want to talk to him about. If he's honest with me about, then I'll see about telling him. Anyway we should get moving, the jewel shards aren't going to find themselves."
"Right."
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Meanwhile, in the Feudal Era…
The sun was setting over the skies above the Feudal Era.
Inuyasha sat on the roof of Kaede's hut, with Shippo by his side, and the two of them were growing restless 'Shit, what the hell are those two doing? They should've been back yesterday, they better not be screwing around or anything.'
"What's taking them so long?" this was when Shippo's whining reached his ears "They said they'd be back yesterday, what are they doing?" he was met with a fist to the head, leaving a comical bump as a result "Hey, what the heck did you do that for you jerk?!"
"Shut your trap you little runt, I'm out of here." and so he promptly took off in the direction of the forest.
"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" it was then that Shippo felt an ominous wind rush through him, causing him to shiver, leaving his tail quivering in fear "What was that?"
"You felt that too didn't you Shippo?" this was when Sango made her way out of the hut and glanced up at him.
"Yeah it felt really creepy, what was it?"
"I'm not sure, but I have a bad feeling about this."
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As it turns out, it wasn't just Shippo and Sango sensing something ominous. Everyone else that was present in the village and surrounding forest (at least those that actually have some sort of purpose in the story), from Inuyasha to Miroku and Kaede, could sense the presence of a source of evil lurking nearby, but none of them knew what it was.
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Meanwhile, with the future lovers…
"There we go." with one hand, Tatsu thrusted the backpack over the side of the well and onto the grass before pulling himself and Kagome out of the well "How is it that carrying that thing is more of a workout than weight training at the dojo?"
"Because school is so much more exhausting than training could ever be." Kagomed pointed out dryly.
"Yep, that sounds about right." Tatsu was about to say something else, only to stop when his gaze hardened and he drew one of his swords "You sense that?"
"What, I'm not sensing any demonic auras."
"Not that, some kind of Ki I'm sensing."
"I'm not sensing any-" Kagome cut herself off with a yelp of pain as she grabbed her leg "What the heck was that?"
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure, it feels like something just bit me."
"Hold on." Tatsu knelt down and glanced at where she was rubbing her leg "I'm not seeing any bite marks, you think it was just a mosquito or something?"
"I know I felt something bit me, but I don't see or sense anything."
"I can still sense something from over there, just give me a-"
"Well it's about fucking time." this was when Inuyasha showed up on the scene "What the hell took you two so long?"
"Two things mainly. First of all we had to stick around for a little while longer to make sure that everything was okay, especially considering it was pretty much our fault that an army of lizard demons from another dimension broke through to our world and attacked everyone. Second of all, apparently something bit Kagome that I can't see but I can sense, in which direction?"
"I think it came from over there." Kagome pointed in the direction in question."
"Then that's all I need to know." to that end, Tatsu summoned some iron dragon scales on his left arm and fired a single iron spear into the forest, and then he retracted it, revealing a large paper figure a paper figure attached to the spear, only for it to end up shredded into pieces "What the hell?"
"You can pull those things back?" Inuyasha shot a raised eyebrow at him "When the hell did you learn how to do that?"
"You think I just sit on my ass whenever we go back to our time? Aside from school, training and my friends and family, I like to try and experiment with my powers, see if I can broaden my skillset in any way I can. But getting back to the point, this is just paper. I know it's not what I was sensing, so what gives."
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Meanwhile, with what Tatsu was sensing…
As it turns out, the culprit was a snake demon that Tsubaki was manipulating, which she had used to collect some of Kagome's blood for the sake of a ritual, and once she had it she quickly gave the order to Kagura to take her back to Naraku.
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Nightfall came, and the moon was shining in the skies above.
"I know what you're saying Kags, we all believe you." Tatsu glanced over Kagome's ankle, in the spot where she claimed to have been bitten "But there's no bite mark or anything, not even a sign of bleeding. The only other thing we've got to go on is whatever this is." he held up the shredded bits of paper he pulled off his iron spear "Anyone got any leads?"
"Perhaps I do Tatsu, let me see that paper." Kaede was promptly handed the paper in question, and she frowned slightly when she saw it.
"Well while she's doing that, who got what stuff? Most of the stuff we brought back here is food anyway, so you might as well get it now."
"Way ahead of you, I brought Shippo some of his goodies." Kagome promptly handed Shippo a box of cookies, and then a bag of chips for Inuyasha "I brought you those chips you like too, and I even got a bunch of lunchboxes my mom made, so we're gonna be set for food for at least a little while."
"Yeah I'm gonna say it, that woman needs a hobby of some kind. Speaking of which, what have you got on the paper?"
"I recognize this." Kaede glanced up at them "This is the work of Shikigami."
"Assuming we know what that means."
"I think my grandpa might have said something about-" Kagome let out a gasp as she cut herself short, her blood running cold at the sensation 'What was that, the shards of the jewel…'
"What's the matter?"
"Hold on a second, I need to check something." Kagome pulled out the bottle containing her jewel shards, only to let out a gasp at what she saw "The shards are turned black, something must have defiled them or-" it was then that the bottle suddenly shattered, and the shards flew into her body 'The shards are… are they trying to merge with my body…'
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Meanwhile, with the dark priestess…
"Yes that's it, just like this." Tsubaki gave a malicious smirk as she dropped Kagome's blood onto the Shikon Jewel sitting in front of her "Shards that enter her flesh, then synchronize with this Shikon Jewel that has been defiled with your evil, and will slowly come to fester within her body and mind, and then this young woman will be little more than a puppet for me to control in any way I please. I take this pleases you Naraku?"
Sure enough, a silhouette of Naraku appeared behind her, clad in his typical baboon pelt "You should be cautious Tsubaki, the girl Kagome is not someone to underestimate."
"Don't make me laugh, she hasn't even realize that she's been placed under my curse. I would've expected the reincarnation of Kikyo to me much more formidable than this. Now then, what shall I do with her? Should I go ahead and kill her right away, or perhaps… You mentioned before this human boy with the power of a demon, his name was Tatsu correct?"
"Yes that's him, he sent a message to me some time ago, claiming that while I was growing more powerful, he was as well. Let us see if that truly is the case, by forcing him to suffer through the same nightmare that Inuyasha had, a painful dream about the woman that he loves using her powers to end his life."
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Meanwhile, with the group…
"Kagome!" Tatsu quickly caught her as she fell back 'What the hell is going on? Kags come on say something, stay with me. Dammit, what the hell is going on?"
"I should have realized this sooner." Kaede muttered "The evil presence we sensed earlier, that was someone placing a curse on Kagome."
"So we find the demon and kill it and the curse gets lifted, problem solved."
"I fear it is not a demon we are dealing with, I fear the dark priestess is the one responsible for this. Kagome was bitten at the well bitten by a shikigami that the dark priestess had sent."
'So that's what I was sensing. So going back to this whole thing about the dark priestess…"
"I'm sure that Inuyash has heard of them, this is a wicked priestess with a heart black as night, that specializes in curses. It was her dark enchantment that defiled the jewel shards, and caused them to enter Kagome's flesh."
"So to sum up, cramming defiled jewel shards into her body basically means that she's being poisoned."
"Then there's only one thing to do." Miroku quickly bolted to his feet "We'll find this dark priestess and destroy her, that's the only way to break this curse."
"Then you guys go, I think it's for the best if I stay with Kagome. Inuyasha, you and the others should go track her down. I know you can handle it."
"You're damn right we can, I've got this." Inuyasha bolted to his feet and took off out of the hut without a second thought."
"...Does he even know where he's going?"
"Whether he does or not, we can't let him go alone." to that end, Miroku grabbed his staff and made his way to the entrance of the hut, scanning the area "I can sense a strong source of evil coming from this direction."
"Then that's where we need to go." Sango bolted to her feet and rushed outside as she quickly mounted Kirara's back "Get on."
"Right, let's go." so he mounted Kirara's back and the two of them took off into the forest.
'Good luck guys, just do whatever has to be done soon.' Tatsu glanced down at where he was still gently cradling Kagome in his arms 'I know you're fighting this Kags, please just hang in there for a little while.'
'This feeling…' Kagome started clutching at Tatsu's gi with one hand, her teeth grinding despite her being unconscious 'It feels like my body is on fire…'
"Kill him…"
'Who?'
"You have to kill him!"
'Who do you want me to kill?'
"Kill Tatsu… You have to kill Tatsu…'
'No, I won't! I won't hurt him! Stop it! Get out of my mind!'
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Meanwhile, with the dark priestess…
Tsubaki was less than pleased to find that Kagome was resisting her, to which Naraku told her that Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo, so taming her would require more than a little effort on her part. Tsubaki took some time to reflect on certain events taking place 50 years ago, in which she and Kikyo had engaged in a duel and she attempted to hurl a curse at Kikyo, only for it to be reflected back at her. This led to Tsubaki holding a grudge against her for the past 50 years, even after Kikyo's death. She also noted that it wouldn't take much longer for Kagome to give in to the effects of the curse.
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Meanwhile, back at the hut…
'Dammit, this is fucking ridiculous!' Tatsu could only grit his teeth as he held out his hand over a basin, and water materialized in it "There, that should be good enough for her."
"This will work well, thank you." Kaede placed a wet cloth on Kagome's head, and then she left to get another cloth, with Shippo tagging along with her.
Now alone in the hut, Tatsu glanced down at where Kagome was lying on the floor, and he gently brushed some hair away from her face 'I know you Kagome, and whether you realize it or not, right now you're fighting against that curse with everything you've got. You hate fighting, I know that much, but the fact is that you've always had a heart stronger than a lion, and three times bigger than one too. Whatever this curse is doing to you, I know you're stronger than it. I just wish there was something I could do to help you.' he pulled himself to his feet and glanced out the window of the hut, feeling rather anxious 'Dammit, what the hell is taking Inuyasha and the others so long? I figured they would've found this Dark Priestess by now. Dammit, she's lying here suffering in pain and I can't do anything to help her!' it was then that he glanced back just in time to avoid an arrow being shot at him, and he whipped around to see Kagome, physically straining and her eyes glazed and lifeless, drawing her sword from its sheath, pointing the blade in his direction "Kagome… do we seriously have to go through this crap again? Seriously, we just went through this crap with Hyoga less than a month ago, and at least with him it was still kind of original."
'Kill Tatsu… drive your sword through his heart…' this kept repeating in Kagome's mind over and over again, though despite it her voice managed to break through "Get away… You have to run Tatsu…"
'Yep just like I thought, we're dealing with mind control again. Dammit Inuyasha, if there was ever a time I would need you to pull a save out of your ass, it would be now!'
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Meanwhile, with the dark priestess…
"Dammit." Tsubaki scowled as she watched the events unfolding "I have taken control of this girl's body, but even now her mind continues to resist me. This is unexpected."
"Perhaps, but it is becoming even more entertaining." Naraku let out a chuckle "But we cannot allow ourselves to become complacent. Now then Tsubaki, if Tatsu should make the choice to flee from her, then do not hesitate to kill Kagome."
"I'll remember that. Whatever the case may be, I can kill this girl with my curse at any time you wish for it."
"Which raises the question, what will Tatsu do now? Will he allow Kagome to kill him, or will he flee for his life and have Kagome killed as a result?"
"Either one should prove to be entertaining."
"On that we can agree. I have to wonder Tatsu, how does it feel to experience what Inuyasha did so long ago, to have the women you hold so dear aim their weapon at you? Now you can come to experience that exact moment from 50 years ago, when Kikyo shot Inuyasha and killed him with her Sacred Arrow, and now you and Kagome shall follow that same path. Relish in the pain you suffer Tatsu, for it won't last nearly long enough."
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Meanwhile, with the others…
At the same time, Inuyasha was bolting through the forest at full speed, with the others following him on Kirara's back, only for his head to snap up "Are you guys sensing what I'm smelling right now?"
"There's no doubt about it, the demonic aura is getting stronger." Miroku noted "We need to hurry, lead the way."
"Got it." so he lead the way until they came across what they were tracking, which happened to be in the form of a barrier "This is it, get back and I'll blast it wide open! Wind SCAR!" so he drew Tessaiga from its sheath and summoned a Wind Scar, engulfing the barrier within the explosion that followed, but when the smoke cleared, it was revealed to still be standing "What the fuck?!"
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Meanwhile, with another priestess…
As it turns out, like the others, Kikyo had come face to face with the barrier Tsubaki had put up in order to prevent anyone from entering while she performed the ritual, and it was at this moment that Kikyo realized she knew the one responsible.
It was time for a reunion 50 years in the making.
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Meanwhile, with the others…
"Wind Scar! Wind Scar! WIND SCAR!" growing frustrated, Inuyasha continued his attempts to break through the barrier by firing one Wind Scar after another, only for this to eventually come to an end when he was met with a staff to the head, courtesy of Miroku "What the fuck did you do that for?!"
"It's mostly based on something Tatsu told me once." Miroku told him calmly "The actual literal definition of insanity is when you repeat the same action multiple times and expect to receive a different result. As much as we appreciate your valiant attempts, the fact is that they aren't yielding any results."
"You expect me to just sit on my ass and do nothing?"
"Of course not, but we have to think about this. Clearly none of us have the power to break through this barrier, but at the same time it does prove something."
"What?"
"If there's a barrier this powerful barring our way, it's more than likely where the dark priestess is hiding."
"So then what the fuck do we-" Inuyasha cut himself off when he sniffed the air, and he froze in place.
"What's the matter?"
"I smell her… Kikyo…"
Sure enough, Kikyo had made her way out from within the forest and towards the barrier, stopping for only a moment when she spotted Inuyasha and the others 'Inuyasha… so he's come, along with two of his human companions. What reason do they have to be here? What could be happening beyond this barrier?' to that end, she promptly walked forward and passed through the barrier with ease.
"What the fuck- How did she-"
"She was able to walk in so easily." Sango muttered.
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Meanwhile, with the future lovers…
"Get… away… from me…" still unable to control her body, Kagome couldn't stop herself as she advanced forward and unleashed a stroke of her sword.
'Yep, here we go again.' with a sigh, Tatsu promptly started dodging and weaving his way around each strike, throwing his swords to the side of the hut as he did so 'Great, first Hyoga possesses her with a defiled jewel shard and makes her turn my body into swiss cheese, now apparently some dark priestess is cotrolling her and trying to make her rip my body to shreds and/or purify me on the spot. It was disturbing the first time it happened, now it just feels like the bad guys are running out of ideas they can use to torture me. Well before anytihng else, there's something I have to make sure of. Can you hear me Kags, are you still conscious in there?"
"Tatsu… run…" Kagome could barely get out a whisper as she was forced to continue her series of attacks against him, forcing him to dodge and weave around every strike, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she did so "I can't control my body… I can't stop myself… I don't want to hurt you again… you have to-"
"Yeah okay, let me stop you right there Kags. I know what's upsetting you the most, you're afraid that this whole cycle is gonna end up repeating itself. We meet someone evil who wants to kill me, they think they can get to me by using you, you can't control yourself and as a result you end up attacking me. That sound about right?"
"Tatsu please, I don't want to-"
"Don't bother Kags, we've already gone over this. I said it before and I'll say it again, there's gonna be a cold day in hell before I abandon you."
"Tatsu…"
"It's the same mistake again, they think they can use you to hurt me. They're wrong. They think you're my weakness, but you're not. The bond that you and I share, the burning desire I hold to protect you…" he covered his arm in iron dragon scales, and with a single swift movement he knocked Kagome's sword right out of her hand, gripping her by the shoulders "That's the source of what makes me strong."
"I… I'm sorry…" Kagome could only shut her eyes as she grabbed both of Tatsu's forearms and unleashed a wave of spiritual energy, sending Tatsu staggering backwards with some burns on both of his arms, but she suddenly collapsed forward.
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Meanwhile, with the dark priestess…
In the shrine she was hiding in, Tsubaki noted to Naraku about how evil he truly was, with his plan to force the reincarnation of Kikyo to kill the man she was in love with. However, this was when Naraku's demon puppet was ripped to shreds and Tsubaki suddenly found herself alone and face to face with Kikyo…
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Meanwhile, with the future lovers…
"I… I'm sorry…" Kagome could only shut her eyes as she grabbed both of Tatsu's forearms and unleashed a wave of spiritual energy, sending Tatsu staggering backwards with some burns on both of his arms, but she suddenly collapsed forward.
Tatsu was quick to catch her as she slumped to the ground "Easy Kags I've got you, it's gonna be alright."
"Tatsu… the voice in my head is gone… it stopped… It was telling me to kill you… but I didn't want too…" this was when her head suddenly snapped up "I can sense it… I need you to take me there…"
"You're gonna to be a lot more specific."
"I can sense the Shikon Jewel… the real jewel itself…"
"...Are you sure you're up for this? Don't forget that you basically got poisoned by this curse you were put under, and in all honesty you look pretty pale. If you're not well enough to go through with this then-"
"No Tatsu, I need to do this. We need to do this, and do it now. The voice in my head is gone, this might be the only chance we have."
"Kagome…" Tatsu let out a sigh "I'm not gonna be able to talk you out of this am I?"
"No."
"That figures, I just had to be sure. Alright come on, if we're gonna do this then we're gonna have to move fast." to that end, he grabbed all three of their swords, hoisted Kagome onto his back, and the two of them took off in the direction of the forest "Chances are Shippo is gonna be mad we left him behind again."
"I know, but he's just a little kid. He can't defend himself properly yet, and he can't contribute when we fight Naraku or other demons."
"I wasn't much better when this started, it took training with my dad and you to be able to defend myself, and even then I still have a ways to go. Are you thinking of trying to train him too?" she cringed slightly at the thought
"He's still pretty young so I would't say he's ready for full on training just yet, but teaching him one or two things to defend himself isn't the worst idea in the world."
"Yeah I guess, it's just… I don't want him to learn how to fight. A big part of me was hoping he wouldn't have to, that we'd always be there to protect him. You said it yourself, he's only a little kid of maybe 5 or 6."
"I know how you feel, or at least my brother would. He and I actually had a talk like that back when I first started training with Akira. You don't want to have to see the little ones grow up so fast, but you know they have to. We're not gonna be able to protect him forever, and the day is gonna come when he has to be able to fend for himself. Sure we want him to enjoy being a kid for as long as he can, but right now what's wrong with just teaching him a little bit of self defense stuff?"
"...You're right, I know you are. And Tatsu…"
"Don't even think about apologizing to me for what happened in there. I didn't blame you for it the last time it happened, I don't blame you now. You're not the one who attacked me, it was this dark priestess who guided that stroke. That explains why it was so shoddy." he was met with a rather annoyed look "That was a jab at her, not you. Speaking of which, Kaede said something about how the longer she's under this curse, the weaker she'll get. What the hell is taking the others so long?'
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Meanwhile, with the two priestess rivals…
At the shrine within the barrier, Kikyo and Tsubaki took the opportunity to size each other up during their first meeting in 50 years. Kikyo took the opportunity to mock Tsubaki for having sold her soul to a demon for the sake of youth and beauty, while Tsubaki mocked Kikyo over how she was judging her when Kikyo herself was dead and consuming the souls of other dead humans just to sustain her body. Kikyo warned Tsubaki that she might as well just give up, seeing how she was no match for Kagome. Tsubaki simply laughed off warning, and went on to claim that if Kagome could be cursed like that to begin with, then she was nothing special.
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Meanwhile, with the others…
'Come on, come on!' with Kagome on his back, Tatsu continued bolting through the forest at full speed, only to be forced to screeched to a halt when they came across the barrier "Well that's just typical, nothing can ever come easy can it?"
"I can sense it…" Kagome muttered quietly "The Shikon Jewel is inside that barrier… Set me down…"
"Unfortunately I was gonna have to either way." so he gently slid Kagome off his back and took a few steps toward the barrier "This barrier is coming down in the here and now. Sea Dragon's ROAR!" with a wave of his hand he unleashed a powerful water dragon that slammed directly into the barrier, but it failed to bring it down "Dammit. Well as the old saying goes, I guess the second time is the charm."
"Don't bother wasting your time on it." this was when Inuyasha dropped down next to them, now sporting a massive bruise on his forehead "I've been hurling Wind Scars at that thing for an hour and I haven't gotten any luck."
"And what about the gigantic bruise on your head?"
"Wait what?" he looked up at the large bruise on his head and his scowl deepend "That bastard monk is gonna pay for this."
"Not even gonna ask, just try hitting it with a Wind Scar at the same time I hit it with a Sea Dragon's Roar and that might do something."
"No, don't…" Kagome took a few shaky steps forward, her sword drawn "If the Shikon Jewel is inside that barrier, then the Dark Priestess should be too. This barrier is coming down, right here and right now." and so she brought down the blade of her Seishin Rozu on the barrier, a wave of spiritual energy being emitted by the blade, causing the barrier to dissolve without a trace, revealing the presence of the shrine where the barrier once stood "Yes, it worked."
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Meanwhile, inside the shrine…
The collapse of the barrier drew Tsubaki's attention to the door, and she looked outside the shrine to see Kagome and the others arrive on the scene, which lead to her cursing Kagome for failing in her attack. This led to two arrows being shot at her from behind, one of them pinning her to the doorway, which led her to mock Kikyo over her loss of composure and asked if her actions struck a nerve. Kikyo retaliated by threatening to do what she wanted with Kagome, but if she were to harm Inuyasha then she would kill her. Greatly angrered by Kikyo's attempt to intimidate her, Tsubaki freed herself and tried to attack Kikyo with the arrow from the doorway. Kikyo was able to avoid this attack, and warned Tsubaki that her threat was not an idle one, before fading away. Now alone again, Tsubaki quickly composed herself and prepared to confront the group outside.
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Meanwhile, with the main group…
"Okay, here it is." Tatsu (once again carrying Kagome on his back) and the others ventured forward until they came across the shrine, screeching to a halt outside of it "Looks like we found the place."
"Tatsu! Kagome!" this was when Sango and the others dropped down onto the scene "I'm glad to see you're both okay."
"Good thing you guys showed up when you did. You'd better get ready, I think we're about to have a fight on our hands. Well how about it, is this the place Kags?"
"Yeah, it's inside…" Kagome muttered quietly "I can sense the Shikon Jewel, I'm sure that it's just inside…"
'Then what about this Dark Priestess, does that mean she and Naraku are in league? I guess it wouldn't surprise me, Naraku never did have any problems with letting others do his dirty work for him.'
The doors to the shrine opened, and Tsubaki emerged with the snake demon coiling itself around her shoulders "So you've come."
"I take it you're this Dark Priestess I've been hearing so much about?"
"I am known as Tsubaki, are you this Tatsu that I've been hearing so much about?"
"Screw the smalltalk wench, what the hell did you do with Kikyo?" Inuyasha butted in and let out a snarl "We all saw her go in, so what the hell did you do with her?"
"Oh yes, that wench. It was actually quite interesting Inuyasha, you see she came here to ask me to spare your life. She can't allow herself to face death because she loves you, so she takes the spirit of the dead for herself. And then there's you Tatsu."
"What about me?" Tatsu gripped the hilt of one of his swords "What's it to you?"
"I have to say, when I heard about you I was fairly intrigued. There aren't many men I know of that are willing to hurl such slurs at a priestess, as you yourself have done."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tatsu's gaze hardened, and then it dawned on him 'Is she talking about the time I cursed out Kikyo? You guys stay back and watch over Kagome, make sure she's alright." he gently slid Kagome off his back and onto the ground and drew both of his swords as he made his way forward "So what about you then, you seem to be pretty well informed about me and my friends, and then there's the fact that you possessed Kagome and made her try to kill me, which isn't even original by the way. Seriously, another demon did that less than a month ago. You're working with Naraku aren't you?"
"And so what if I did?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary for Naraku really, he always gets one pathetic pawn after another to do his dirty work."
"Pawn you say?" Tsubaki's gaze hardened "You think I'm nothing more than a common pawn he can manipulate?"
"You haven't give me any reason to think you're not."
"Well how's this for a reason, both you and Inuyasha sheath your swords now or Kagome will die before either of you unleash a single stroke. You have yet to realize that the curse I placed on her has yet to be broken, and so long as I hold the Shikon Jewel in the palm of my hand, I hold her life as well."
'...Shit, me and my big stupid mouth!' gritting his teeth, Tatsu reluctantly placed both of his swords back in their sheaths, just in time to hear Kagome cry out in agony "Kagome!"
'Good, so the defilement within the jewel has returned. That poor pathetic girl, not even she is able to thwart the powers within the jewel. How ludicrous, the jewel was purified and my barrier was shattered not by whatever strength this girl is supposed to possess, but because Kikyo had to interfere and distracted my concentration on the curse. Kikyo certainly thought highly of the abilities this girl was supposed to possess.'
"You're gonna pay for this, I'll make sure of it."
"You seem very confident in yourself despite the situation."
"As if I'd give you the satisfaction of making me squirm. I don't need my swords to pry that jewel out of your cold, dead hands." to that end, he promptly removed his swords from his back and threw them to the side.
"So you claim, but I will do whatever is necessary to keep my hold on the jewel and possess it as a whole. You will be the first of your friends to perish, and Inuyasha will follow shortly after your death." a dark marking appeared around her right eye, and from it emerged a massive horde of demons that she sent hurtling forward towards them.
'Shit!' Tatsu was forced to evade the barrage of demons, covering his body in iron dragon scales as he dealt one of them a kick in the face, causing it to evaporate.
"Remember that neither of you are to draw your swords, or Kagome shall be cursed to death within a matter of seconds. Fight your worthless battle and both of you can die at the hands of the demons under my control."
"Here's something you don't understand, I don't need my swords to rip through any trap you set for me. Cascade Destroyer!" Tatsu waved his hand and summoned multiple streams of water that ripped through numerous demons in their path "Iron Spear Storm!" he then launched a barrage of iron spears from his fingertips, ripping through even more demons "I can take anything and everything you throw at me and then come back for more."
"Oh can you now?"
"Yeah he can, but he doesn't have to." Kagome stumbled slightly as she pulled herself back to her feet, her eyes blazing with determination 'I can't take this anymore, and I refuse to stand by and do nothing anymore. I have to do something about this curse. Tatsu, Inuyasha, whatever happens you waste those demons with everything you've got."
"You waste your time you pathetic wench, your words are meaningless."
"You're right. Actions speak louder than words." to that end, Kagome drew her own sword from its sheath and made her way toward Tsubaki, stumbling as she did so, but she wouldn't let herself be deterred.
"Do you really believe you can overcome me with a simple sword?" Tsubaki let out a scoff as she dodged Kagome's attacks with ease "You fail to realize that the main reason why I have those two fools bound to me is because I hold your very life in the palm of my hand."
"I won't… let you hurt them!" gritting her teeth, Kagome unleashed another series of strokes from her sword, each one unleashing a wave of spiritual energy that caused a pure light to appear within the jewel.
"You little-" gritting her teeth, Tsubaki ducked underneath Kagome's next attack and grabbed her by the throat before throwing her away "I was going to try and provide some entertainment for myself, watch your friends squirm under my grip in a desperate bid to save you. But would you like to know a secret? I was going to kill you either way. Not right away of course. I would gladly end your life both quickly and painfully, but Naraku wanted to torture you, which I do respect. So after I had my demon serpent bite you at that well, I decided to go along with it, have you kill that human over there and have you agonize over the shame of it for awhile, before I finally decided to put you out of your misery. But it seems the plan has changed." she
"You're… going to kill me?" Kagome's gaze hardened as she dropped into a stance, gripping her sword with both hands "You can do whatever you want to me… but I won't let you hurt any of my friends."
"Oh is that so?" Tsubaki let out a chuckle full of malice and disdain "You claim that you won't let me hurt your friends? From what I've learned about you up until now, there's one thing that you don't seem to understand. You've already done that plenty. As penance for that, I shall make you bear witness to all the pain you've caused before I send you to your death." and she further defiled the jewel in her hand, causing the light within it to disappear.
Kagome barely managed to take another step before the black light within her started shining, causing her to cry out in pain as she fell to the ground.
"Kagome!" Tatsu quickly blitzed over to her side, and that was the last thing Kagome was able to see before she lost consciousness and blacked out "Come on Kags stay with me, I know you can hear me so please just say something. Kagome!"
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Meanwhile, with Kagome…
'I hear you Tatsu… just hang on… I need to…' Kagome's eyes slowly fluttered open, only to end up horrified by what she was seeing 'What… What is this…'
In front of her was a forest setting, but the skies were a deep shade of red, the trees bare, the grass all dead as far as she could see, with blood splattered all over the ground, surrounding blackened and charred bones and rotting body parts.
'What is this… Is this part of the curse? It has to be… Guys are you there? Tatsu, Sango, anyone at all?!"
"They're far beyond your reach Kagome." this was when Tsubaki appeared before her, smirking as usual.
"What is this place, what did you do to me?"
"I would've thought you'd be able to figure it out by now."
"Figure what out? You're the one doing this to me, I know that much!"
"I haven't done anything to you in here that you didn't do to yourself, or to those who claim to be your friends. You'll see for yourself soon enough." Tsubaki's smirk widened, before she suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.
'What is she talking about? What is this place? Is this whole thing real or… or is it something that my mind conjured up?"
"I don't see why it can't be both."
Kagome's head snapped up and she looked ahead to see a certain figure materialize in front of her, and her eyes widened at the sight of it "Sango!"
Sure enough, the figure of Sango was standing before her, clad in her regular kimono rather than her Demon Slayer attire, and she gave a small sad smile "These are just the hallucinations being caused by the curse, you can get through this Kagome."
"Sango, you…"
"I'm sorry Kagome, I have to go." and then she was suddenly engulfed in a ball of white light that started to fly away through the forest.
"She looks and sounds so happy, so genuine, that's what you want to say right?" a familiar voice echoed throughout the void, thought Kagome didn't recognize it "Like she truly is genuinely happy… like she was before Naraku had slaughtered her village?"
"She seemed… happy." Kagome frowned at this as she continued chasing after the light "Like she was happier than I've ever seen her, except for once or twice."
"Naraku ripped that happiness away from her, and doomed her dear little brother into being a mindless servant… and you gave him the power to do so."
"I what?!" Kagome screeched to a halt and looked around in disbelief "What are you talking about?! I never gave him anything, he did everything all on his own!"
"Of course he did, but if you had never shattered the Shikon Jewel, then he would never have been able to claim as many of its shards as he has. Your actions have lead him to become as powerful as he is now."
"But I… I'm working to fix it. I'm working to find all of the shards so that they can't be used to hurt people. I swear I will!" her tone was a mixture of desperation and uncertainty, and she took off running again.
"Dear Kagome, always acting as if you have all the answers, always acting as if there's nothing wrong with the world."
"No I don't!"
"Again with such deulisions. You always act as if you don't have a care in the world, always filling your so-called friends with false hope. I can see all of your memories while we are in this place, and in truth, it absolutely sickens me. No wonder they hold such hate for you."
"They don't hate me, stop lying like that!" Kagome stopped for a moment to catch her breath, panting slightly as she did so, her thoughts drifting as he did so 'Was that voice right… am I the one to blame for Sango losing her family? I… I'm sorry…"
"Of course you're sorry, you're always sorry, but you keep doing it anyway. You hurt the people you hold dearest, over and over again… It makes people wonder where your priorities are, or whether you're as pure as people say you are. After all, if they're as important to you as you seem to think they are, then why would you go out of your way to hurt them? You hurt Tatsu so easily after all, when you ran him through with your own hands and shot him with an arrow."
Kagome froze in place as this thought went through her mind, her face turning pale as she reflected on the events with Hyoga "But that… Hyoga was controlling me… I didn't have any control over my body…"
"Maybe you didn't, but it was still your body, your hands that ran him through. You were the one that almost killed him, and you were the one who shattered the jewel, which led to so many people dying. The fact of the matter, the truth that you refuse to accept or acknowledge, is that you are the one responsible. If it wasn't for your actions, Naraku would never have been able to do so many terrible things, kill so many people."
Kagome said nothing, trying to force her to choke down a sob, but this was when the ground beneath her suddenly gave way, sending her hurtling into a dark abyss below.
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Meanwhile, back in the real world…
"Come on Kags, I need you to stay with me." Tatsu held Kagome in his arms, trying to snap her out of it as he dodged the advances of one demon after another, though he failed in rousing her back to reality "Kagome…"
"You're wasting your time trying to wake her." Tsubaki drew his attention back towards her as her smirk widened "She won't be able to escape from my curse, it's tearing her mind apart as we speak. I just wish I could hear her screams of anguish in person."
"What the hell are you doing to her?"
"I'm simply showing her what she truly is and the impact she's had. Once she realizes the truth, it will tear her mind apart piece by piece, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
"...Guys, stay with her." Tatsu blitzed over to Miroku and Sango and gently set Kagome down next to them, then set his sights on Tsubaki "You say there's nothing I can do to stop your curse, but I can think of one thing."
"And what would that be?"
"This. Sea Dragon's ROAR!" Tatsu unleashed a massive water dragon and sent it hurtling towards Tsubaki in a rage, only for a swarm of demons to appear in front of Tsubaki and use themselves to shield her, killing all of them in one shot but leaving her unharmed 'Shit, of course she can make them do that.'
"I wish I could hear it now, the fevered screams coming from her dying soul."
"Not on your fucking life, just wait until I get my hands on you. I don't need my swords to rip you apart."
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Meanwhile, in Kagome's mind…
A loud crash sounded as Kagome hit the ground (or what was supposed to be the ground), which left her lying in a small crater, a few tears falling down her cheesks She laid there for a few moments before pulling herself back to her feet, coughing up a small amount of blood as she did so "Ow…my head… it feels like it's on fire…" then she looked ahead and was again horrified by what she saw.
Rather than just a forest covered in multiple different (and somewhat unsettling) colors, now it looked as if everything was falling apart, rubble and debris and various trees and parts of the forest flying everywhere, leaving only small patches of land floating above what appeared to be a bottomless abyss.
"Oh god, not again… Why does this keep happening?"
"Because you let it keep happening."
Kagome's head snapped up as she saw the figure of a young boy with red hair and pointed ears standing in front of her, but his back was to her "Shippo, you're here!" she rushed forward to try and wrap her arms around him, only for her to end up phasing through him, but when she turned around to face him she again found his back to her "Shippo what are you-" she was cut off when the figure suddenly disappeared in a white light that flew over her head and through the forest, or what was left of it, so she started chasing after it, leaping across one floating patch of land after another as she did so "Shippo wait, what are you doing? Why are you running from me?"
"You're wasting your time." the familiar voice echoed throughout the forest "That cute little fox boy has turned his back on you, because he knows what you did."
"Stop lying to me, I would never do anything to hurt Shippo!"
"So you claim, but it's like with the Demon Slayer girl. That poor little boy lost his real family because of what you did, you're responsible for his father's death."
"No I'm not, Shippo's father was killed by the Thunder Brothers, and even then they were only able to do it because…" Kagome stumbled in the middle of jumping across one of the islands and fell flat on her face as she hit land, but it didn't hurt as bad as the horrible realization "They were able to do it because…"
"Becuase you were the one who shattered the jewel and gave them the power to do such terrible things. You are responsible for that poor boy's suffering. It's the truth you refuse to accept!"
"No, this… That isn't true! None of this is real!"
"Oh it's very real, and you know it all too well! This is the truth that your heart and soul have come to understand, the truth that your mind refuses to accept. The reason I brought you here is so that you can finally understand the truth."
"No that's… I didn't…"
"Spare me the excuses, you are a murdered with more blood on your hands than Naraku could ever dream of having."
"No that's not true, I just want to help my friends and stand by them!" her tone was filled with pleading and desperation, and crushing amounts of guilt.
"Stop lying to yourself, you've never helped anyone! All you do is lie to yourself and others and bring pain everywhere you go! You're not under a curse, you ARE the curse! Everyone you come into contact with suffers!"
"Please just stop, I just want to help them!"
"They need help from you like they need to be stabbed through the heart! You Kagome, you are nothing more than a miserable failure. You've failed at life and at love, and you drain the life and happiness out of everyone you come across! You bring nothing but pain and suffering to everyone you come into contact with!"
"No you're wrong, none of this is real, it's all just in my head!" she clutched at her head in pain and agony, in a desperate attempt to block out what she was hearing, but it was no use "I just… I just want to be with them, with my friends… with the boy I love."
"And do what, force them to suffer with your boot pressed against their necks? Containing them, suffocating them, forcing them to be with you like some kind of servants? I haven't even begun to mention the one you hurt most… What about poor Tatsu?"
Kagome froze as this rang through her ears, her skin turning pale "Tatsu…"
"Yes that's right, the boy that you claim to love, but whom you make suffer more than anyone else in your life. He spent years taking care of you, protecting you, being there for you, loving you with every fiber of his being. And you never deserved any of it."
"You think I don't know that?!"
"You never seemed to care before, don't think I don't know. Even after you found out about how he feels about you, you chose to stay quiet. You strung him along all that time, and you still do it even now. You hurt him, you watch, and you don't even care!"
"That's not true, none of it is!"
"Stop lying to yourself!"
"I'm not lying, not to myself and not to you! I do love Tatsu, and I'm going to stand by him in any way I can!"
"And how have you done that, you've stood by and watched as he put his life on the line time and again, watched as he was nearly killed in one battle after another… and then you almost killed himself, when you ran him through with your own hands."
Kagome's skin turned even paler than it already was, her face frozen in an expression filled with unyielding horror.
"It's such a shame too, all of them had such high hopes for you Kagome. You could've turned out to be something truly great. But in the end, you're nothing but a bitter disappointment."
Kagome said nothing, she just sat there, looking almost catonic, not even reacting as the ground beneath her, leaving her to fall into the abyss below 'It's all my fault… Shippo, Sango, their friends and families… who knows how many lives I've ruined? Maybe… Maybe it's better if I just went ahead and-'
"Do you believe that will solve anything?"
Kagome looked down at where she was plummeting into the abyss, and her eyes widened at what she was seeing "Kikyo…"
Sure enough, a silhouette of Kikyo was floating in front of her, her gaze hard and emotionless as it ever was "Who are you? Are you me?"
"What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me something?"
"Watch yourself, or you'll end up losing the one you love… just like how Inuyasha and I had lost each other so long ago, and then the cycle will begin again. Would Tatsu wish for that?"
"Tatsu…" Kagome's head snapped up as she heard his name, and then she began grabbing at her throat in pain 'He's fighting right now… fighting because he wants to protect me… He keeps hurting himself, because of me…'
"Do not allow yourself to be overcome by such feelings." Kikyo's voice snapped Kagome out of her momentary stupor, and she held out a hand to her "He made his choices on his own. It is his choice to fight, his choice to put your life before his, and by grovelling in self pity and shame, you bring shame to the sacrifices he has made, and bring shame to yourself."
"No, I… I don't want that…" Kagome reached out to grab Kikyo's hand, only for her to pass right through it.
"Tell me who you are."
"That… That's not important right now."
"It is important. The world you find yourself in is one of your own making, and you have decided who you are. Now tell me, tell me who you are."
"I… I am."
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Now back to the world of the living…
Sango glanced down at where Kagome was lying in her arms, only to see her eyes suddenly snap open "Kagome, you're awake!"
"Iron Gauntlet!" with his arms coated in iron dragon scales, Tatsu dealt a large wolf demon a smash attack to the head, causing it to evaporate, and then he blitzed down to the ground and landed by Kagome's side "Are you okay?"
"Just… Just stand back." Kagome slowly pulled herself to her feet, locked and loaded an arrowasi as it began flowing with her spiritual energy, and then she hurled it forward, sending it bursting through a volley of demons, and even then it still kept going.
"What the-" Tsubaki was forced to jump out of the way to avoid the Sacred Arrow, and then she shot a glare at her "You pathetic wench, how is it that are you still able to move?"
"Maybe you're just… just not as good as you think you are…" Kagome's gaze was hardened with fury and other emotions that left the others taken aback.
"So you were able to endure my spell, it would seem that you truly are Kikyo in the next life after all. But then again, if you actually were Kikyo then that Sacred Arrow of yours would've been able to actually hit me, so that alone is proof enough that you're nothing but a pathetic imitation."
"I… I don't care." gritting her teeth, Kagome took a few shaky steps forward as she drew her Seishin Rozu from its sheath "I don't care what you say… or what you think… Kikyo and I, the two of us… we're both different people… I am Kagome… nothing more, nothing less…" she raised her sword and brought down the blade, unleashing a wave of spiritual energy that once again forced Tsubaki to dodge, resulting in a large hole being left in the middle of the hut.
"You truly are nothing but a pathetic fool, to rush to your death so easily." Tsubaki grabbed the head of her demon serpent and had it drip some of its venom onto the defiled Shikon Jewel in her hand.
The dark light in Kagome's neck (caused by the shards entering her body) suddenly grew more visible, causing her to clutch at her throat in agony as she fell back to the ground.
"Kagome!" Tatsu quickly blitzed over to her side and caught her as she fell, only to look back and see a large wolf demon lunging at them "You really think a surprise attack like that is gonna work on me? I only need one hand to rip that thing to shreds. The only problem is, if things keep up like this then Kagome isn't gonna be able to last much longer.'
"Tatsu… get back…" Kagome slowly stood back up and held out one hand, her eyes blazing with a multitude of different emotions.
"Kags don't push yourself too hard, whatever she did to you it's still-"
"I know." her tone was firm, and harsher than she intended, and she breathed a sigh "Just… let me do this…"
"I've had enough of you, die you pathetic wench!" Tsubaki waved her hand and sent another barrage of demons towards them.
'Maybe I do bring them pain… Maybe I do make them suffer… But I refuse to let them suffer any longer than they already have! I won't… let you touch them!" Kagome held up a hand and from her palm came a burst of spiritual energy that purified the demons in front of her in an instant, and while it was diminished after this it still carried on, hitting the demon on Tsubkai's shoulder and ripping its head from the rest of its body "That's it… it's over."
"If you truly believe that, then you're more naive than I thought. Do you honestly believe that the curse has been broken? The spell still holds over you, the destruction of my Shikigami will not change anything. Your death is inevitable, and the same goes for the rest of those you call friends." a set of dark markings appeared around her right eye as it began glowing with power, and she unleashed another horde of demons.
'She had more of them?'
"And she had more of them, why am I not surprised? Dragon BURST!" Tatsu stuck out one hand in front of him and unleashed a blue wave of demonic energy, obliterating at least almost all of the demons in front of them in an instant "Like I told you before witch, I don't need my swords to rip apart anything you can throw at me. Sango!"
"I'm on it! Hiraikotsu!" Sango grabbed hold of Hiraikotsu and hurled it forward, decapitating seven demons in a single motion, with Kirara, Miroku and Inuyasha both ripping through a number of demons themselves.
"Iron GAUNTLET!" Tatsu brought down his Iron Gauntlet on the head of another demon hurtling towards him, only to catch sight of the demon serpent slithering across the ground towards them as it regenerated itself "So the other demons are just a diversion."
"You are correct you filthy wretch, but now it's far too late." Tsubaki barked out a laugh "Now heed my command Shikikami, bite off the head of that women and steal the shards of the Shikon Jewel from her rotting corpse."
"If you think there's a chance in hell I'm gonna let that happen, then you're living in a goddamn fantasy." Tatsu prepared to unleash another blast of demonic energy.
"No… stand back Tatsu…" Kagome forced herself to stay standing, gritting her teeth has her grip on her sword tightened "Not this time… Not again… What Tsubaki said to me… Even if all of it is true… I won't let you touch them! Not this time!" so with a roar that sounded almost inhuman to those who could hear it, she slashed at the serpent demon, ripping it in half and leaving one half to be purified, and sending the other half hurtling away from her.
"No, I won't let it-" Tsubaki didn't have time to react before the remains of her demon serpent were sent hurtling back at her, leaving her to scream in agony as it was forced back into her body, leaving her to fall to the ground with a loud thud 'I don't believe it… She sent my curse hurtling back at me, just like Kikyo did the last time I faced her… and not only that, but she actually ripped it in half first! What is this girl… Is it possible that she has even greater spiritual power than Kikyo did?! Why do I have to be done in by that young wench?!' she hit the ground with a loud thud, and then she was horrified to discover something else, as in the darkness within the jewel beginning to emerge and evaporate 'The jewel is being purified, but that means-' she glanced over to see the jewel shards emerge from Kagome's throat, no longer defiled "Dammit, how could this have happened?"
"How is of little importance as of now."
Tsubaki's head snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice, and her eyes widened at the sight of the figure before her "Naraku…"
Sure enough, the figure of Naraku stood looming over her, clad in his typical white baboon pelt, though that didn't make him any less intimidating "It would seem that you've outlived whatever usefulness to me you possessed Tsubaki. I have to say I am disappointed."
"Don't talk to me like I'm sort of worthless pawn, I still have the jewel in my hand and I will never-" she was promptly silenced by Naraku sticking one of his hands through her chest, causing her to cough up blood as she dropped the Shikon Jewel to the ground.
"Given your desire to claim your revenge, as well as the Shikon Jewel for yourself, I had assumed you would be more careful and put forth more effort than this."
"Damn… you…" that was all Tsubaki had the strength to say before she fell to the ground and her body evaporated from Naraku's miasma.
"Such a disappointment she was." with a sigh, Naraku picked up the Shikon Jewel, spared only a glance back at Kagome and the others, and then he was surrounded by a horde of demons "So it seems that I've underestimated you, a mistake I won't make again."
"That's assuming you'll live long enough to learn from this! Wind SCAR!" Inuyasha didn't waste a second as he drew Tessaiga and unleashed a full power Wind Scar, obliterating the demons in front of them in an instant, but when the smoke cleared, Naraku was nowhere to be seen "Dammit, he got away! Again!"
"Don't let it get you so worked up, it won't do any good." Tatsu told him calmly as his metal dragon scales dematerialized "We may not have gotten the jewel but we proved a point, even if he's getting stronger so are the rest of us."
"I thought you made that point to him already." Sango pointed out "You said that the first time we fought Kagura."
"I made the point that I was growing stronger, but now he knows I'm not the only one, case and point." to that end, he glanced back at Kagome and gave a small smile "You did an awesome job out there Kags, you're improving by leaps and bounds every day."
"Yeah, sure…" Kagome's tone was filled with uncertainty, but there wasn't time to dwell on that since she fell over from sheer exhaustion, passing out before Tatsu had even caught her in his arms.
'She put up an amazing fight against Tsubaki and her demons, but that look in her eyes… She looked so exhausted, more mentally than phyiscally.'
"Is she alright?" Sango glanced down at Kagome, noticing how while she was asleep, she looked to be far from restful.
"I wish I could say for sure. Whatever Tsubaki did to her while she was under the curse, there's a pretty fair chance it messed with her head."
"In any case, we won't know for certain until she awakens." Miroku noted "For now we should return to the village to recuperate and inform Shippo and Kaede about what happened."
"Right. Everybody grab onto me, I'll take us back with the Dragon Warp." so once they all placed a hand on him, they all disappeared from the scene in a white flash.
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Meanwhile, at Naraku's castle…
"So that's it then?" Kagura glanced over at Naraku with a raised eyebrow "Rather disappointing I have to say."
"I agree." Naraku's gaze hardened "I have to say that I did expect more of Tsubaki. Given her desire for the Shikon Jewel and revenge against Kikyo, I had expected her to work harder than she did."
"Whatever, it's not as if you had any intention of handing over the jewel to her, no matter how things would've turned out."
"It doesn't matter now anyway. Even if she still had the jewel with her, her own powers had waned by then, and thanks to Inuyasha and his companions, all of the demons under her control had perished as well. She would be of no use to me either way." Naraku's frown deepend as he gazed out the window of his castle 'I can't affort to make any more carless moves, not with the time that's approaching.'
"So what's your next move?"
"I suppose… we'll just have to wait and see."
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Hours passed, and the sun was just beginning to on a new day, but not everything was well.
'This is for the best. I don't want to hurt them anymore.' with nothing other than the clothes on her back, Kagome made her way out of the hut and through the village, only to soon end up finding Tatsu standing in front of her "I… I thought you were still asleep with the others back in the village."
"You of all people should know that I'm a light sleeper." Tatsu told her flatly "And you keep forgetting that I can teleport."
"Oh. Right. Well, I'll see you later." she made a move to leave only to find her way being barred by him "What are you doing?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. You weren't just gonna up and leave us without saying anything, I know you're better than that."
"I know, it's just… You don't have to force yourself to let me stay, and the same goes with the others too."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying, you guys could do a lot better without me here."
"Come on Kags, don't be like that. We'd never be able to get anywhere without you. Keep in mind that you're the only one of us who can track down the jewel shards, and you've been getting so much stronger since this whole thing started. Last night was all the proof I need of that point."
"...It doesn't make a difference."
"What?"
"It doesn't matter how much stronger you say I'm getting. It doesn't undo any of the mistakes I've made, or any of the failures or pain I caused."
"And again I ask, what the hell are you talking about? You're the one that took down Tsubaki last night, you overcame her curse and everything."
"It doesn't even matter." she let out a sigh "I didn't realize it until last night, but Tsubaki's curse took me into my own mind, and she said things to me… Things that I didn't realize were so true until then." she turned away from him, unable to look him in the eye "You were there too, you saw what I did that day."
"Kagome enough, what the hell are you-"
"I'm the one who shattered the jewel you idiot!" her head snapped forward to look straight at him, revealing the tears streaming down her face "Don't you get it? So many people have died because of the jewel shards, because I shattered the jewel into those shards! If it wasn't for me then those people would still be alive, Naraku wouldn't have his hands on almost all of the jewel shards, and the lives of our friends wouldn't have been ruined!"
"What are you-"
"Sango and Shippo! If it wasn't for me shattering the stupid jewel, they would still have their families, they wouldn't have had to suffer! It's my fault… It's my fault…" this was when her outburst finally came to an end as she finally fell to her knees and broke down sobbing, the despair evident as she showed no signs of stopping.
Tatsu didn't hesitate in taking her into his arms, gently rubbing her back as he tried to calm her down, all the while letting her sob into his chest "Kagome, listen to me very carefully. You are not to blame for anything that's happened."
"How… How can you say that? I was the one who fired that arrow at the jewel, I was the one who shattered it. Because of the jewel shards, Shippo ended up losing his father to the Thunder Brothers, Sango's entire village was slaughtered by demons that wanted the shards, and even the members of Koga's clan looking for shards got slaughtered, and that's only the things that we know about. Who knows how… how many people died because of my screwups?"
"...Tell me something Kags. Are you the one who gave the Thunder Brothers the jewel shards and told them to go after Shippo and his dad?"
"N-No, but-"
"Were you the one who told the demons that the Demon Slayers was gonna be almost defenseless because most of their warriors were away at that castle."
"No, that was Naraku. But-"
"Were you the one that took the jewel shards we had and gave them to Naraku?"
"No, Kikyo did that, but… But even if I wasn't directly to blame for all of those things, they still happened." she finally stopped sobbing, but the tears kept flowing "And now because those things happened, Sango and Shippo, their families are…" she buried her face in the crook of his neck again.
"Then tell me something else. After we helped Shippo avenge his father by taking down the Thunder Brothers, whose idea was it to add him to the group because they couldn't bare to leave a little kid, demon or not, to fend for himself in a world like this?"
"It… It was me."
"When we met Sango after she lost her entire village, even though she was out for blood and being manipulated by Naraku, who offered her a place in our group?"
"I did."
"Whose kept our group together through nothing but her sheer kindness and determination, and has not only been getting stronger, but is gonna keep getting stronger?" he was met with silence, and so he breathed a sigh "You're supposed to say you again, because it's all true. You're not to blame for anyone dying, Naraku and the other demons are."
"But-"
"No buts. Besides, if you didn't shatter the jewel, we wouldn't have what we do right now. All of us, we're like a little family of our own, and there's a chance that they're all waiting inside wondering where you are." to that end, he took her into his arms bridal style, earning a yelp as her face turned red, and he carried her back into the hut, only to find everyone else fast asleep, sprawled out across the floor of the hut "Or they're all dead to the world and I'm the only one who even noticed you were gone."
"Huh." Kagome blinked at the sight, and then glanced over at where Inuyasha was (supposedly) sleeping against a wall "I thought he would've noticed we were gone."
"Truth be told, chances are he did and he just didn't wanna bother getting up. God only knows how many times I've had that mindset in the morning."
"I can't argue with that." then the two of them glanced down at where Shippo was fast asleep, curled up in Kagome's sleeping bag "He looks so adorable like that."
"He was pretty freaked out when we brought you back unconscious, he was so scared he refused to sleep until he saw that you were okay. He finally crashed about an hour ago, exhaustion finally got to him."
"Poor thing… I didn't mean to upset him, or any of you. I just…"
"Nope, we're not starting that again. You're not at fault for any of this Kags, so don't even think about blaming yourself for it. Nobody does, and nobody will."
"...Okay." Kagome a small, weak smile as she laid back down on her sleeping bag, then glanced over at where Shippo lay curled up in a ball, and she promptly pulled him into a gentle embrace and kissed him on the forehead as he snuggled further into her 'I know Tatsu's right about what he said, I really do, but I can't stop feeling bad about it now. Still though, while a lot of horrible things have happened since then, sitting around crying and feeling sorry for myself isn't going to change anything or undo any of it. I can't undo what happened, but what I can do is make sure that nothing like that ever happens again.' she gently brushed some hair from Shippo's face as he nuzzled into her stomach 'Besides, some good did come out of it. We do have our own little second family together now, and that's all the more reason not to sit around moping about it. From here on out, I have to work even harder. I have to get even stronger, so that I can protect all of my friends. My family, on either side of the well. And stand by the man I love, no matter what might come our way.'
A/N:
Now we see the first (and final) act of the dark priestess Tsubaki, as she allies herself with Naraku in exchange for getting her hands on the Shikon Jewel, and she ends up trying to take out Kagome, which proves to be her biggest mistake. However, even in her defeat, it would appear that her actions have a lasting effect, and she needs reassurance from those she holds dearest to snap her out of it.
As interesting as it was to see what happened to Kagome in the anime, with her being trapped in the illusionary world with no memory of Inuyasha or her time in the Feudal Era, I decided to go a different route. That is to say, I decided that I would have Tsubaki torment Kagome by showing her images of those she holds dearest hating her over what she believes deep down to be her greatest sin in life: the fact that she was the one who shattered the jewel into god only knows how many shards, and brought about so much bloodshed and suffering. I know it might seem a little bit harsh, but it's for the sake of character development, forcing her to admit her greatest shame and overcome it. That's going to be a big part of something I have planned for her in a later chapter, but at the right time. It's gonna be awhile before we get there, but it will be important, so bear with me.