CHAPTER NINETEEN
*
A cold wind had blown clouds over the mountaintop full of broken stones, and blotted out the sun. The trees rustled in the breeze, the only sound that could be heard.
A huddled figure in a white fur robe was staring down off of a precipice. Below, he could see two figures darting through the trees. A figure in red, with a girl clinging to his back. Inuyasha and Kagome, two of the sharpest thorns in Naraku's side. They yet lived -- and what was more, they were not fleeing back to that flimsy village.
"So they are hunting Mihaka and Marako," Naraku murmured. "A foolish decision. My offspring are more than a match for them...
"Inuyasha... what a pity that you did not give in quickly enough to your base desires and succumb to Mihaka. If you had not hesitated so long, then you could have died more peacefully in the arms of the woman you care for." He smiled slightly. "Or so you would have believed... that Kikyo reincarnated was again your doom. And, of course, Kagome would have been left to Marako's mercy. He would have tormented her with the hints I have learned of your life, forcing her to believe that he was the true Inuyasha. Her fate would have been sealed, and the jewel shards she carried would have been in my possession." He paused, pulling the tiny jar from inside his baboon cloak. "As it is... that has happened. And while your deaths may not have the sense of poetry that I wished for, Mihaka and Marako will yet complete their task."
*
"Inuyasha...."
"What?"
"That... that guy took my jewel shards. He... um, he kissed me, and he took the shards," Kagome said, feeling oddly embarrassed by the admission.
She felt Inuyasha stiffen under her for a moment, as if he were about to blow his top. But then he just said tightly, "Don't worry about it, Kagome. We'll find him and get the shards back." As he leaped up onto a precipice, he suddenly stopped, wobbling a little.
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, clutching at his sleeves.
"I left Tetsusaiga back at the hut," Inuyasha said tonelessly. "I was in such a rush that I forgot to take it with me."
"Why were you in a rush?" Kagome asked. She felt Inuyasha stiffen again, and was pretty sure that if she saw his face, he would be blushing. "Can we focus here?" he asked crabbily. "I can fight Naraku without Tetsusaiga, but... dammit!" He clenched his fists, wondering if that offspring of Naraku's had been trying to separate him from his sword. "We gotta keep going. If we go back now, we'll risk losing them. And if we don't kill 'em off now, we'll only end up getting trapped later. They even smell like you and me -- there's a spell or somethin' on them."
Suddenly Kagome poked the back of Inuyasha's head. "I can sense jewel shards nearby..." she whispered. "A bunch of them..."
Inuyasha sniffed the air, and growled softly. "I know. He's here."
"You mean your double."
"No. Naraku."
Kagome's breath caught. She clung to Inuyasha as he took a flying leap over the trees, and landed lightly in the steep mountain path fringed with pines. The air was chilly and damp.
"How pleasant to see you both again," a deep, velvety voice said. It sent a shiver down Kagome's spine. A dark shape appeared in the mist -- a hunched figure, hidden under a white robe and a baboon mask. "I see that Mihaka and Marako were not quite able to defeat you. Yet." Two dark shapes seemed to flit in and out of the mist, as if they weren't quite real.
"I take it those are your spawn who impersonated Kagome and me!" Inuyasha shouted, pointing at Naraku. "You tried to make us think that we were being betrayed and trapped by the other. You think I'm gonna let you get away with that, you bastard?!"
"You hardly have a choice," Naraku said, with a hint of a purr in his voice. "And I think that there have been worse torments for you... than being trapped by my little Mihaka." Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock. Naraku continued softly, "Tell me, are you sorry now that you prevented her... betrayal?"
Kagome frowned. Before she could ask what Naraku meant, Inuyasha snarled, "Shut up! I've had enough of your mouth!"
He sprang forward and slashed downward at Naraku's head, shearing down through his chest. Kagome flinched as the baboon cloak was shredded -- and disintegrated into a pile of dirt, splinters, and soiled fur. "Just another damn puppet," Inuyasha said, fishing the jewel shards from inside it.
Then one of his ears twitched. "KAGOME! Look out!" He raced toward her and knocked her to the ground, as a red-clad shape hurtled through the air toward her. In a moment, the two dog-eared boys were facing off, snarling and ready to slash at one another.
As Kagome started to stand up, she found herself looking at a girl's legs. As she slowly looked up, she felt a chill. She was looking at herself -- at her own face, cold and smiling.
TO BE CONTINUED
*
A cold wind had blown clouds over the mountaintop full of broken stones, and blotted out the sun. The trees rustled in the breeze, the only sound that could be heard.
A huddled figure in a white fur robe was staring down off of a precipice. Below, he could see two figures darting through the trees. A figure in red, with a girl clinging to his back. Inuyasha and Kagome, two of the sharpest thorns in Naraku's side. They yet lived -- and what was more, they were not fleeing back to that flimsy village.
"So they are hunting Mihaka and Marako," Naraku murmured. "A foolish decision. My offspring are more than a match for them...
"Inuyasha... what a pity that you did not give in quickly enough to your base desires and succumb to Mihaka. If you had not hesitated so long, then you could have died more peacefully in the arms of the woman you care for." He smiled slightly. "Or so you would have believed... that Kikyo reincarnated was again your doom. And, of course, Kagome would have been left to Marako's mercy. He would have tormented her with the hints I have learned of your life, forcing her to believe that he was the true Inuyasha. Her fate would have been sealed, and the jewel shards she carried would have been in my possession." He paused, pulling the tiny jar from inside his baboon cloak. "As it is... that has happened. And while your deaths may not have the sense of poetry that I wished for, Mihaka and Marako will yet complete their task."
*
"Inuyasha...."
"What?"
"That... that guy took my jewel shards. He... um, he kissed me, and he took the shards," Kagome said, feeling oddly embarrassed by the admission.
She felt Inuyasha stiffen under her for a moment, as if he were about to blow his top. But then he just said tightly, "Don't worry about it, Kagome. We'll find him and get the shards back." As he leaped up onto a precipice, he suddenly stopped, wobbling a little.
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, clutching at his sleeves.
"I left Tetsusaiga back at the hut," Inuyasha said tonelessly. "I was in such a rush that I forgot to take it with me."
"Why were you in a rush?" Kagome asked. She felt Inuyasha stiffen again, and was pretty sure that if she saw his face, he would be blushing. "Can we focus here?" he asked crabbily. "I can fight Naraku without Tetsusaiga, but... dammit!" He clenched his fists, wondering if that offspring of Naraku's had been trying to separate him from his sword. "We gotta keep going. If we go back now, we'll risk losing them. And if we don't kill 'em off now, we'll only end up getting trapped later. They even smell like you and me -- there's a spell or somethin' on them."
Suddenly Kagome poked the back of Inuyasha's head. "I can sense jewel shards nearby..." she whispered. "A bunch of them..."
Inuyasha sniffed the air, and growled softly. "I know. He's here."
"You mean your double."
"No. Naraku."
Kagome's breath caught. She clung to Inuyasha as he took a flying leap over the trees, and landed lightly in the steep mountain path fringed with pines. The air was chilly and damp.
"How pleasant to see you both again," a deep, velvety voice said. It sent a shiver down Kagome's spine. A dark shape appeared in the mist -- a hunched figure, hidden under a white robe and a baboon mask. "I see that Mihaka and Marako were not quite able to defeat you. Yet." Two dark shapes seemed to flit in and out of the mist, as if they weren't quite real.
"I take it those are your spawn who impersonated Kagome and me!" Inuyasha shouted, pointing at Naraku. "You tried to make us think that we were being betrayed and trapped by the other. You think I'm gonna let you get away with that, you bastard?!"
"You hardly have a choice," Naraku said, with a hint of a purr in his voice. "And I think that there have been worse torments for you... than being trapped by my little Mihaka." Inuyasha's eyes widened in shock. Naraku continued softly, "Tell me, are you sorry now that you prevented her... betrayal?"
Kagome frowned. Before she could ask what Naraku meant, Inuyasha snarled, "Shut up! I've had enough of your mouth!"
He sprang forward and slashed downward at Naraku's head, shearing down through his chest. Kagome flinched as the baboon cloak was shredded -- and disintegrated into a pile of dirt, splinters, and soiled fur. "Just another damn puppet," Inuyasha said, fishing the jewel shards from inside it.
Then one of his ears twitched. "KAGOME! Look out!" He raced toward her and knocked her to the ground, as a red-clad shape hurtled through the air toward her. In a moment, the two dog-eared boys were facing off, snarling and ready to slash at one another.
As Kagome started to stand up, she found herself looking at a girl's legs. As she slowly looked up, she felt a chill. She was looking at herself -- at her own face, cold and smiling.
TO BE CONTINUED