Author's note: This chapter takes place after chapter 294 in original manga
- In your arms, all my pain inside is washed right through -
Chapter 26
If this keeps going, my plan will completely be ruined.
Naraku frowns, staying on guard and calculating for the next move.
While Sora's starting to feel even more uncomfortable as time goes by. If I stay for too long, this human body will end up succumbs to that bastard's Shouki…
"Kanna! Release!"
Following Naraku's order, Kanna holds up the round mirror at Sora and release everything that she has captured, back to their owner.
Sora's eyes widened at the huge source of light flying directly at her, seconds later she begins to tumble and her eyes colors change back into brown. Losing all of her strength, Sora collapses onto the floor below, unconscious.
Finally safe, Naraku turns back to his human form. In order to keep the other one in check, we need Shiomi to be back to her own body.
When everything has yet to cool down, Kanna alerts him.
"Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are here."
He hears a loud crash from the other side of the room, following a familiar voice calling for his name. "Naraku!"
"Has anyone told you that it's really impolite to destroy other people's property?"
Having expected for his arrival from the beginning, Naraku greets him with open arms. Watching the door is sent flying to the wall next to him by no one else but a not-too-happy Sesshomaru, with Tokijin in his hand.
"Sesshomaru?"
The silver haired man charges forward to strike at Naraku. To protect himself, he jumps backward and activates his barrier. "Fast as always."
Once secured his spot, Sesshomaru glances at Shiomi for a quick check and Naraku chuckles.
"Don't worry, the girl is fine. Though I'm worried that if she sleeps in this room for too long, my Shouki may leave bad effects on her."
Irritated by Naraku's taunting voice and scheme for dragging Shiomi into this unnecessary mess, Sesshomaru fixes his attention back to the long black haired guy ahead.
"Hmph! The one you should be worried about right now is your own head, vermin." He growls and steps forward, tighten his grips on Tokijin.
"There you are, Naraku! Prepare to die!"
Before their battle's able to start, Inuyasha appears by the door with Tessaga in his hands.
Heh! You want to kill me? Dream on. As long as *it* is being hidden, you won't have a slightest chance to defeat me… (It: The infant/Akago)
Naraku smirks as the sight of the Hanyou. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Inuyasha."
"F*cking bastard! You're not getting away from me this time!"
"Are you sure about that? Somehow my instinct is telling me the otherwise."
Kagome finally arrives to the room with the other members. She gasps in shock once seeing Shiomi's lying lifelessly on the floor next to Sesshomaru.
"Senpai!"
"It's Shouki! Be careful!"
Notices the poisonous cloud up ahead, Miroku alerts them and Sango puts on her mask. Scared to be affected by the poisonous cloud, Shippou and Kirara retreat further outside.
Immediately Kagome shoots her arrow to clear up the whole room. Once done, she dashes to Shiomi's side to wake her up.
"Senpai, are you okay?!"
However Shiomi doesn't respond and Kagome frowns. "Strange. There's no sight of Naraku's shouki within her."
Angered, she gets up and draws out her bow to aim at Naraku, questioning him.
"Naraku! What happened to her?! What have you done to senpai?!"
*Flash back*
"Inuyasha, are you sure that you catch senpai's scent at Naraku's place?!"
Inuyasha's group was traveling through the forest to Naraku's hideout.
"I'm positive."
Only then Kagome was able to figure out what was truly going on. "So that's why Sesshomaru was looking for her the other day! Naraku had gotten her captured!"
"Talk about Sesshomaru, that bastard is there too."
"Of course he is, let's hurry!"
Once almost reaching to Naraku's place, they saw Sesshomaru appeared from the sky and landed in front of the magical barrier.
Tempting to show off his skill to the elder brother, Inuyasha put Kagome down and stepped forward. "Heh! Step aside, Sesshomaru! Destroying Naraku's barrier is my job!"
Rolling up his right arm sleeve, he drew out Tessaiga. Waiting for it to turn red and swing.
"Kaze no Kizu!"
His energy waves easily broke through the barrier and created an entrance big enough for everyone to get in. The Hanyou smirked viciously, tapping Tessaiga on his shoulder.
"How ya like that!"
Yet Sesshomaru ignored his effort and rushed straight inside.
"H-Hey!"
*End flashback*
"Nothing much. We were just having a little fun before you all decided to show up and interrupted us."
His shameless words enrages her even more and she shoots an arrow at him, however it's instantly neutralized once reaching to Naraku's barrier.
Miroku tries to open his Kazaana's seal to attack him but is stopped by the sight of Saimyousho flying around. "Samiyousho!"
"Don't open the air rip, Houshi-sama! Hiraikotshu!"
Sango throws the giant boomerang toward Naraku and Inuyasha adds up the attack by summoning energy waves with Red Tessaiga. While at it, Sesshomaru swings Tokijin.
Nothing can go through Naraku's magical barrier, however. "Heh heh, it's all futile. My shield is unbreakable!"
Pushing all the fun aside, his objective is now right next to Sesshomaru. And Naraku knows that he cannot lay his hand on her as long as he's here.
Figures his plan's failed, Naraku decides to escape. "As much as I want to stay and play with you all. It's already time for me to take my leave."
"What?! Bastard! You're not going anywhere!"
Inuyasha dashes forward to stop him, but to no avail as he's already vanished together with Kanna off the spot.
"…Till we meet again. Sesshomaru, Inuyasha…"
He growls as his chance to kill Naraku has once again slipped away.
Quietly Sesshomaru approaches Shiomi on the floor to pick her up into his arm. Standing right beside them, Kagome notices that the lord's expression soften soon after checking her condition.
I wonder if there's other reasons for Naraku to capture her besides luring Sesshomaru here.
As Sesshomaru's about to walks off from the scene. Kagome reminds him.
"Sesshomaru, take a good care of senpai. Okay? I don't want things like today to happen to her again."
She emphasis every word with a serious face and Sesshomaru simply reply with a *Hn* before flying away…
.
..
…It feels warm... Am i home?
No... I remembered being kidnapped by Naraku, then Kanna showed me her mirror…
Multiples broken memories flowing through my mind while dazing off.
But what happened after that? Don't tell me Naraku have already absorbed me like he say he would?
...
I-It can't be, can it?!
My eyes snap open and greeting me from above is nothing but absolute darkness.
Another dream?
I try to sit up, but it's not possible. Why can't I move? What's going on?
After spending a while struggling and still cannot move a single finger. An important figure instantly comes into my mind, Sora.
If Sora's here, perhaps she will be able to help me out of here. And with that in mind, I try to call out for her, however…
What?! My voice isn't coming out!
Sadly, the word A from the alphabet is the best result I can give. What the hell? first I can't move and now can't even speak?!
"Did you have a good sleep?"
Suddenly Naraku's scary head pops out of nowhere within the darkness and scares the heck out of me.
"Naraku?!"
"Heh heh, you cannot escape no matter how much you try. Because you have already become a part of me, Shiomi."
His tentacles are now revealed to be warping all over my body and I gasp in terror, finally figure out that this is the reason I cannot move from the very beginning.
This can't be happening!
I struggle stronger to break free, only to have his grips around me tightened.
"Your effort is futile. Give in to me, little girl…"
No! I cannot die like this! Let go of me! You jerk!
Meanwhile…
Shiomi to stir within Sesshomaru's embrace. Notices a slight movement from the girl, he call softly to wake her up.
"Shiomi…"
Instead of opening her eyes to greet him, Shiomi's looks like she's in pain, having her hands holding up to her throat. Trying to say something but cannot.
"N-Naraku…!"
She shifts her body around violently, freeing herself from his embrace. To calm her down Sesshomaru holds her tighter, however his action scares her even more.
"No! Let go of me! You jerk!"
She screams for him to release her.
"Shiomi! Wake up!"
Its not until Sesshomaru raises his voice that Shiomi jolts up from her nightmare.
The moment waking up from the depth of hell, I find myself sweating and panting heavily within Sesshomaru's arm.
"S-Sesshomaru? Is that you?!"
Cannot believe in my own eyes, I try touching his face, all over and over to feel his warmth.
"Who else do you think I am?"
He stares at my dumbfounded face as I pinch my cheeks hard to make sure that this is not another illusion.
It hurts! That's mean I'm not dreaming! That means Naraku has yet to absorbed me! Thanks god! I'm alive!
Finally be able to see his face again after so long, I burst out into tears and hug him tightly. Burying my face into his chest and crying like no tomorrow.
"Waahh! It was so scary! You had no idea how much I had gone through! I thought I was going to die for real!"
Sesshomaru leans closer and caresses my head. "I'm here. No one is going to hurt you anymore."
"Do you really mean it?"
I ask and he nods, using his kimono sleeve to wipe the tears and mucus off my face. While waiting to calm down, I hear Rin's voice calling for me from behind.
"Onee-chan!"
"Rin!"
"Are you okay, onee-chan? You was unconscious when Sesshomaru-sama brought you back here. I was really worried!"
Rin holds onto my right arm as I hug the girl's head. "Yes, I'm fine. I miss you so much!"
"Rin misses you too! I'm glad that you've come back to us, onee-chan!"
My eyes then dart around, only to find Jaken and Ah-Un sitting together at one spot waiting for us to be done with our dramatic reunion.
"By the way Rin, do you know where Nanase is? Is she still here with us?"
"Yeah, she's standing over there."
Rin points at the big tree from afar and I notice the red color of her kimono, hiding behind it.
I maybe too hasty to confront Nanase when just getting back to the group. However this matter cannot be delayed when involving my own life in it.
"Alright. Would you please excuse me for a bit."
I free myself from Sesshomaru and attempts to stand up. However it's impossible to do so when his arm is still clinging onto my hips, not showing any sign of letting go.
"Don't worry, I'm totally okay. Really."
Figures that he worries about my health, I assure him. And after a bit of thinking, Sesshomaru obliges.
Then I approach the female Inu youkai and she flinches, refusing to look at me in the eyes
"W-What do you want?!"
"We need to talk, in private."
I speak in a serious tone and she hesitates. Glancing back at Sesshomaru for a while before agreeing to leave with me.
10 minutes later…
"So? What do you want to talk about?"
Nanase spat, folding her arms across the chest as we make a stop at an empty spot not too far away from Sesshomaru's group.
"You know exactly what I want to talk about!"
Irritated by her arrogant attitude after what she has done to me, I raise my voice to the point almost yelling and she clicks her tongue, acting as if nothing has happened.
"Yeah? So what? Are you expecting me to say sorry and admit what I did to you right here? Or you want me to kneel down crying and begging for my life?"
"Hey, I haven't said anything about-"
As I'm trying to talk some sense into her, Nanase shouts to cut me off. "Heh! If so then you've mistaken! Because I will never lower my head to the likes of you!"
"Would you stop it!"
I yell for her to shut up in order to get back to the main point. And when Nanase finally calms down a bit, I continue.
"I know that you are irritated because of Sesshomaru's poor treatment, okay? But did you really have to kill me? Was that really necessary?!"
"Of course it was necessary! Who had given you the permission to act so intimate with him, huh?"
She answers loud and clear while pointing her finger at me.
"You only reap what you sow, for acting like a slut! The only one who can be close to him is me! You got that?! Me! I shall not allow a lowly human like you to steal my rightful place, not ever!"
This bitch, just how much more shameless can she be?! Fuming by her unapologetic attitude, my hand clenches into fist. Trying to hold back from hitting her in the face.
After all this time, she seriously thinks that it's only her who has to suffer from these dramas. And using them as excuse to take it all on me, almost making my life miserable.
"It disgusts me, knowing how selfish you can be!"
"So what if I'm selfish?! What are you going to do? Go and tell Sesshomaru about it? Go on ahead! Just so you know I'm not afraid of him!"
Nanase snarls back after being insulted.
"How unforgivable! We have to kill her!"
Irritated by Nanase's speech as well, Sora's voice echoes in my mind.
Killing her? Right here and now?
"There's no reason for her not to die!"
Sora urges me as I glance at Nanase. For a short moment imagining about her dying under my very own hands doesn't seem so bad.
But is that really the right thing to do? Me? Ending someone's life as revenge? That sounds like someone who comes out of a history book would be doing, not a seventeen years old high school student.
No...I…I can't…
"Why not?!"
It's not surprising that she's frustrated.
Because I don't want to kill people. Sora. In my place this is not how people solving their problems.
"Then how are they going to solve this case, huh? There's no suitable punishment for her other than death!"
Well, there is police and strict law for this kind of stuff. Anyway the point is, I have never harm anyone in my life and I want to remain that way.
I want to spend the rest of my life living in peace. Not full of regret having done such brutal act knowing that it can be completely prevented.
"So you're just going to let her live like that?"
Maybe there's another way...
"No, there's no other way, Shiomi."
Meanwhile, watching the girl spacing out all of the sudden after all the outburst. Nanase's raises her eyebrow in confusion.
"Hmph! The one you should be afraid of isn't him, Nanase…"
As if having her soul returned, Shiomi speaks up again, but she seems different somehow. As Nanase's about to ask what is wrong with her, an arm appears and grabs Nanase by her throat. Lifting her up into the air.
"…But me!"
Nanase to gasp in terror once she loses both of her voice and balance.
What's happening?! My body is moving on its own! This power…Is it your doing, Sora?!
From inside, I'm struggling to stop myself from harming Nanase any further and unbeknown to me, my left eye color has turned red.
"If you cannot kill her then I shall be the one to do it!"
No doubt about it, Sora's trying to take over my body to kill Nanase. By seconds, my grip on Nanase's neck is getting stronger and the female inu youkai is running out of air.
"Damn it, Sora! She's going to die!"
Since my other hand is free from Sora's control, I hit and slap my face as hard as possible. As my body begins to stagger, Sora also becomes weaker. Taking that chance I grab my left wrist and squeezes till it releases Nanase.
As soon as Nanase's free from my grip, she crawls away to gasp for some air. Before Sora is able to take over again, I shout to Nanase to chase her off.
"Leave! And never come back! I will kill you if you ever show your face to me again! You got that?!"
My left eye, it's burning!
Covering half of my face, I groan in pain and try to subdue Sora's rage. But I won't be able to withstand for long when she's too powerful.
Nanase, you better run now if you still value your life…!
Nanase's face turns pale and quickly, she gets up on her feet and flees from the scene without looking back. Once she's finally gone out of sight, I let go and fall on my knees, still holding to my head in pain.
"How naive, too naive. You won't be able to last long in this cruel world if you continue being soft on your enemy, Shiomi."
Sora's voice's fades away as my left eye gradually changes back to its normal color.