Disclaimer: ::kicks and screams as they drag her off the Crackpot Academy again:: No, really, Inuyasha IS mine~!! No, I'm serious!! What?! What?! You dun believe me?! It's the straitjacket, isn't it?! That's not fair! How dare you judge me by my clothing~!!!
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Six :: Illusions
Chapter Twenty :: Battle to the Death
Inside the dojo hall, Tama was still trapped within her barrier, pacing, cracking her neck and popping her knuckles every so often in anticipation. The candles flickered with the thrum of her youki as she smirked towards the door, getting ever more excited with each passing moment. More impatient as well.
She let out a loud roar, scratching angrily at the barrier. "Let me out of here, I want to kill~!!"
Tanpopo was sitting on the altar, still staring at her friend. The hanyou was... different than usual. She was more like a real youkai. Tanpopo couldn't help but feel fear at Tama's new appearance; she was frightening.
Her youki had increased, as if she were a true demon and not only half. Her eyes, once gold, were now light youkai blue, the rest of her eyes bright red against them. One violet stripe painted either cheek, and even her claws had become longer. Her very presence had changed, one from that of a sweet mother, best friend, older sister figure to a mindless monster.
"Are you scared...?" Tanpopo jumped at the sudden spoken thought. Tama was grinning, eyeing her. "Don't worry, since you're a child I'll make your death as quick and painless as I can. If that's even possible..."
The door opened suddenly and Tanpopo looked up. She squeaked in suppressed happiness at the tiny figure in the doorway. "SHIPPOU!!"
The other kit looked up at the sound of her voice, and Tanpopo gasped in confusion. His blue eyes were blank of anything. There was no emotion, no acknowledgment, there was nothing. Like a doll. Tama grinned. "Aaaah, my first ally. Come here, Shippou."
The kit scampered forward, the action empty of the usual emotions. No anger, no excitement, nothing. He hopped up to the altar and turned, facing the door again, the empty expression never wavering.
Tanpopo stared in horror, before pulling herself together and fidgeting on the altar next to him. "Shippou! Shippou, wake up!! What's the matter!?!"
"He can't hear you," Tama snarled, as she scratched against the barrier, said barrier crackling in protest when she did. Out of them she saw only two people remaining on Terith's web. "I need to kill......"
Tanpopo stared. *What... what's going on?!!*
She flinched then, as Shippou unexpectedly appeared in front of her. He was shaking. "Tan... I don't... wantcha t'see..." And then he reached back and landed a solid chop to the back of her neck, and Tanpopo gasped.
"Shi..."
As she collapsed against the smaller kit, her mind crossed one last thought. *For just a moment... that was the real.. Shippou...*
~*~
"Terith, are you watching this...?"
Terrace lowered herself to the ground on a set of threads, smiling triumphantly as she viewed the dream she had inflicted on Inuyasha. The hanyou's body was bound with the same kind of threads the youkai woman was on, and she had them tied to her fingers, like marionette strings.
"No, I'm casting kugutsu spells over here. You're so lucky you got Hanyou-chan," said Terith enviously. Terrace floated over gracefully, gently touching Inuyasha's face, eyeing him almost lovingly as she giggled at her sister's comment.
"Yes, I am lucky! Hanyou-chan's as fun to play with as I had imagined! He has such a beautiful heart... So many fears to play with, I had trouble choosing! I so wish I could kill him!" She smirked, "But I will just have to be pleased with Haha-ue's plans for his death. "
"Mhm," Terith agreed, "His death will haunt me from now to eternity I think!"
"Mhm. There's nothing like watching a young man break." Terrace said, "Watching him live out the fear that is most deeply rooted in his heart... and watching it tear him apart."
The sisters laughed as Terith completed the final spell and cut Kagome from her strings. Then she looked at Terrace as soon as the miko had disappeared into the mists. "Sister, release Inuyasha; all is prepared." Terrace nodded and pulled her kodachi, slicing the threads instantly and disappearing into the mists.
After a few moments Inuyasha stirred, dark brown eyes opening weakly. They were blank for a moment as he woke completely. For a moment he looked around, trying to assess the situation, and his confusion was obvious by the expression on his face. "What the hell..." He turned within the gray fog, wisps of the cloud clinging to his clothes as he looked around. "Kagome?! Miroku?? Sango!!! Shippou!"
"Mew!"
The hanyou-human looked down. Kirara was sitting at his feet. "Kirara..." He swallowed thickly. Just Kirara? Where were the others?? Had they been captured? Before Inuyasha even had a moment to run, the miniature cat was engulfed in flames and she transformed to her larger form, nudging the hanyou onto her back and bounding through the blinding fog.
The twins watched from above the mist until Inuyasha entered the shrine, and then more ladylike sister smiled wickedly. "Now... Let's go watch the death of Inuyasha."
SLICE~!
Something whizzed past Terrace's hand and she yelped, clutching her hand as her kodachi went flying. Terith looked up and then turned. Both sisters stopped suddenly when they saw their attacker. "Y-You!"
Sesshoumaru came from the foggy clearing, narrowing his eyes. He looked around. The scent of his brother and his humans friends were thick in the air. He had been there until recently. The signs of Terith and Terrace's illusions lay on the ground in the form of their youkai marionette thread.
"You made puppets out of them?" he asked and Terith snorted. "What is it to you?! You came to save that scum?? I had heard you couldn't stand your little brother--"
The demon lord focused on Terith and Terrace. "I do. But I need not explain myself to you. However, I make clear to you one thing-- I came to kill you." He narrowed his eyes. "Especially you Terith, you bitch. I was certain I had killed you."
"Bastard, now you know that you haven't." she growled, drawing her katana and he nodded. His eyes turned to yellow ice before her eyes. "Yes, I do. And do you know.. how much it infuriates me... to be proven wrong?"
~*~
Inuyasha cursed as he ran down the halls of the huge demon shrine, the pounding of Kirara's paws alongside him. Every so often he would come across doors and bang them open, searching the rooms for marginal seconds before flitting back down the hall, calling everyone's names all the while.
And so far, to no avail. Inuyasha knew if the six of them were still alive they would've answered, so they were either not even close, or maybe they had already been killed.
Suddenly there was pounding through the air, like a near-visible sound reverberation, and Inuyasha stopped so suddenly he almost fell. "Goddamn!" Kirara stopped also, mewing a bit, confusion present even in her animal eyes.
Then there was a second one, just like the first, and Inuyasha realized it was youki. *Someone is concentrating on me...* he wondered to himself. He didn't recognize the person; it was too strong to be either of the kits, or Tama. In the back of his mind he wondered if this creature was the one that had captured his friends, and the same beast he may have to fight to win them back.
*Minna...* Inuyasha turned back down the hall, heading up a flight of stairs he had passed earlier. *I'll get all of you back! Just please be safe when I get there...*
The illusionary dream he had borne witness to had not, for a moment, left his mind. All he could think about was following this youki up into whatever room it beckoned, only to find his dear friends dead.
But whatever subliminal message those two blonde youkai had been trying to get across to him, that he would be the one to kill his friends, plagued him. What the hell did that mean, he would kill them? He would never hurt them, no matter what. He knew that even in the very depths of his soul.
*Even if my heart was gone... I don't think I could ever hurt them...*
The hanyou-human followed the youki towards a wide corridor in the west wing after having gone up several flights of stairs. At the end of the hall was a large set of double doors, and the glow from flickering candles shone through the shoji.
Inuyasha swallowed and went forward, throwing open the doors quickly. The room was very dim, but he could make out a thick square shape far into the room, almost like a table. Something was on it.
In the middle of the room was one small figure, a woman. But the room was still to dark to tell who it was, and Inuyasha hesitated.
From within the room there was an excited, maniac giggle. "What's the matter?" asked a female voice, "Don't you want to save your friends...?" Inuyasha jerked in surprise at the snarl. The voice was familiar, the owner's name on the tip of his tongue, but it was different somehow. Different from his memory. Kirara growled beside him.
"Who the hell are you?!" Inuyasha demanded of the dim room and the voice seemed to laugh even more. "Just a youkai who was given the chance to be freed."
"Where're my friends!?!" Inuyasha demanded, and at that moment, the room brightened, the flames of the hundreds of candles seeming to swell, turning the room from a dim black to a bright orange.
It was a huge room, the ceiling high and crossed with rafters. A perfect hiding spot for youkai. The candles were all over the place, warranting the brightness of the room. They were on the floor, in the ceiling, on the walls.
At the far end was a large altar, and several sticks of incense were lit. Tanpopo was lying in the middle, hands and feet bound and sealed with ofuda, either dead or unconscious. The black figure in the middle of the room he had noticed before came into view and Inuyasha swallowed thickly, relieved beyond words.
She stood unwaveringly, her head down, but otherwise she seemed fine, and instantly Inuyasha rushed in, ignoring the fact that the doors slammed shut behind him of their own volition. "Kagome! Are you alright??"
The moment he spoke, Kagome flinched, as if she had been asleep and hearing his voice had woken her. One hand reached back to slide her bow off her back, and pull an arrow. She set the tip to the bow, raising it until the arrowhead was pointed at his chest. Inuyasha halted in his tracks, skidding across the smoothly polished wood floor, not comprehending the action. "Kagome..."
The miko looked up then, the bow shaking uncontrollably, and her blank eyes locked with his, filling with huge tears. Inuyasha reeled. *Wh-what...?!!*
"..Inu.. ya.. Run... away..." she forced out, and Inuyasha took a few steps back. "Kagome..." Just as it seemed she would release the arrow, Inuyasha felt something big and heavy --Kirara-- slam into him and he fell to the floor, the big cat still looming over him protectively. Kagome still had enough control over her body to release the arrow harmlessly into the nearby wall, but she collapsed to her knees immediately, still shaking.
Inuyasha rolled back to his feet when he heard Kirara mew. The big cat sounded terribly sad. He heard the padding of sandals against the hardwood flooring and looked up to see Sango, holding Hiraikotsu defensively, her brown eyes were unfocussed and blank. And then, she raised the boomerang up over her head.
"Sango!" he gasped, dodging the strike. The bone weapon slammed down into the floor, missing him entirely, and Inuyasha swept his leg at her feet, knocking the taijiya to the ground. Sango didn't moan or utter a word, she simply looked annoyed and worked herself back to her feet, following back after Inuyasha with the same blank look as before.
As he got to his feet, Inuyasha felt a painful jab at his injured shoulder, and twisted to see Miroku glaring at him blindly, the monk not recognizing him at all. Shippou was sitting on his shoulder, the fox's young face also detached. Miroku twisted his shakujou deeper into the hanyou's shoulder and Inuyasha yelped, swinging his arm horizontally and catching the side of Miroku's own shoulder. "Miroku, what the hell are you doing!?!"
At the disruption of his fragile balance on Miroku's shoulder, Shippou bounced off, taking slight air to throw out his hand and catch the side of Inuyasha's face with kitsunebi and Inuyasha grabbed the front of Shippou's shirt, carefully throwing him to the side. The kit crumpled momentarily, but like Sango was up again and trudging after him.
The hanyou yelped as he turned only to find Miroku at his throat, literally. The houshi had dropped his shakujou and now both hands were wrapped around Inuyasha's neck, squeezing ever so slowly.
Inuyasha grasped his friend's hands, tugging at them in an attempt to pull him off, but the monk seemed physically stronger than his typical self. So strong that even Kirara, who was tugging on the back of the monk's robes, was having trouble pulling him off.
*They're being controlled! Someone's making them fight me for their own amusement~ I gotta get him off me!* He looked up at Miroku's blank face. "Mi.. Miroku.. you bastard, don't let yourself be... controlled! Wake...Wake up, Miroku~!"
Inuyasha saw something flash across Miroku's face; his eyes wavered in shock for only a moment. The hands that threatened to strangle the life from him were loosened and Inuyasha fought one thumb underneath Miroku's hands, grabbing for air and brought his knee up against Miroku's stomach, pushing the other man off. The houshi clung loosely to him, but overall the intent to kill was gone. Inuyasha blinked. "Miroku...?"
"You.. stupid idiot... you should have... run away..." the houshi growled before the stupefied expression reappeared and Miroku relaxed, his hands tightening around Inuyasha's throat again. Inuyasha struggled against him again, this time breaking free before the monk had a chance to really get serious.
He pushed himself back, bounding a few steps to put some distance between himself and his attackers. During Miroku's assault, Sango and Shippou had hung back, as if patiently waiting, but now seeing that Miroku had failed, the two of them were back to the fight, joined by Miroku and advancing on him like mindless pawns.
Kirara leapt forward, trying to fight off Sango without hurting her, but the taijiya simply swung the boomerang and Kirara flew, rolling on the ground and sliding to stop a little later. Inuyasha yelped her name, dodging Miroku's shakujou all the while.
Then, as if suddenly remembering, Inuyasha glanced at the middle of the room to Kagome. The miko was still on the floor, trembling as she reached for the bow she had dropped. Inuyasha knew it wasn't Kagome reaching for the bow, it was whoever was controlling her, the same way the others were being manipulated.
He pulled out Tessaiga, still in its sheathe, and used it as leverage, sweeping beneath Sango and Miroku's feet. The move sent the pair crashing to the floor on top of each other, and Inuyasha leapt over them, landing next to Kagome.
He grabbed her shoulder, trying to make her look up at him. "Kagome! Kagome, it's me! Wake up!"
"Run.. away..." she pleaded, "They.. don't know it's you..! They'll kill you...!" Inuyasha grit his teeth. "I can't run away! I can't just fucking leave you guys here!"
"Please..." her voice broke as she closed her hand around the bow shaft, "I'm losing control again..."
"Kagome, hang in there!!!" He gasped in pain suddenly, the crunch of bone echoing against his eardrum. He lifted his left hand, the fingers making contact with his right arm and sending zings of pain throughout the broken limb, which hung limply at his side. Blood soaked through his shirt to his haori from the broken skin and Sango narrowed her eyes as she pulled Hiraikotsu away from his arm, lifting it over his head to bring it down again.
Inuyasha yelped as Kirara timed it perfectly, grabbing the back of his clothes in her teeth and leaping backwards. Again, the boomerang slammed into the floor harmlessly, but this time Sango had done some damage. His right arm was broken. His right shoulder had already been banged up before, making the use of his arm difficult, but now it was impossible.
As he watched Miroku and Sango turn towards him like zombies, Kagome stood, her movements smooth and unhindered, and she lifted the bow and set another arrow to it. Inuyasha cursed silently. He couldn't fight them. They were being controlled, directed like life-size puppets, and commanded to kill him like a trained animal, but it was still Miroku, still Sango, and still Shippou. It was still Kagome.
From another room, Uramiko watched the events unfold in a water mirror. "What will you do, Inuyasha? If you do not fight, you will be killed by your friends. But if you do, you will have to kill them. So what will you choose?"
Inuyasha leaned against Kirara to pull himself to his feet. *Damn... what the hell do I do now??*
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: This was such a fun chapter to write, and if not for a splash page in volume 11 it never would've happened. The splash for chapter 6, "Kokochuu" in volume 11 features Inuyasha and a particularly drugged-looking Miroku, and I thought "He looked possessed" thus the image of possessed everyone came to mind and this chapter was born. ::does best impression of Mandark from Dexter's Lab:: Bwa haha, bwa haha haha! Bwa haha, bwa haha haha! ;p
Please review, it encourages the writing of more chapters. 'specially since we're only about halfway through now. ^_________________________^ Yeah you heard me, 20 chapters and about 1/2 through. I toldja, this is my epic.
Okie ja~!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen
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To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Six :: Illusions
Chapter Twenty :: Battle to the Death
Inside the dojo hall, Tama was still trapped within her barrier, pacing, cracking her neck and popping her knuckles every so often in anticipation. The candles flickered with the thrum of her youki as she smirked towards the door, getting ever more excited with each passing moment. More impatient as well.
She let out a loud roar, scratching angrily at the barrier. "Let me out of here, I want to kill~!!"
Tanpopo was sitting on the altar, still staring at her friend. The hanyou was... different than usual. She was more like a real youkai. Tanpopo couldn't help but feel fear at Tama's new appearance; she was frightening.
Her youki had increased, as if she were a true demon and not only half. Her eyes, once gold, were now light youkai blue, the rest of her eyes bright red against them. One violet stripe painted either cheek, and even her claws had become longer. Her very presence had changed, one from that of a sweet mother, best friend, older sister figure to a mindless monster.
"Are you scared...?" Tanpopo jumped at the sudden spoken thought. Tama was grinning, eyeing her. "Don't worry, since you're a child I'll make your death as quick and painless as I can. If that's even possible..."
The door opened suddenly and Tanpopo looked up. She squeaked in suppressed happiness at the tiny figure in the doorway. "SHIPPOU!!"
The other kit looked up at the sound of her voice, and Tanpopo gasped in confusion. His blue eyes were blank of anything. There was no emotion, no acknowledgment, there was nothing. Like a doll. Tama grinned. "Aaaah, my first ally. Come here, Shippou."
The kit scampered forward, the action empty of the usual emotions. No anger, no excitement, nothing. He hopped up to the altar and turned, facing the door again, the empty expression never wavering.
Tanpopo stared in horror, before pulling herself together and fidgeting on the altar next to him. "Shippou! Shippou, wake up!! What's the matter!?!"
"He can't hear you," Tama snarled, as she scratched against the barrier, said barrier crackling in protest when she did. Out of them she saw only two people remaining on Terith's web. "I need to kill......"
Tanpopo stared. *What... what's going on?!!*
She flinched then, as Shippou unexpectedly appeared in front of her. He was shaking. "Tan... I don't... wantcha t'see..." And then he reached back and landed a solid chop to the back of her neck, and Tanpopo gasped.
"Shi..."
As she collapsed against the smaller kit, her mind crossed one last thought. *For just a moment... that was the real.. Shippou...*
~*~
"Terith, are you watching this...?"
Terrace lowered herself to the ground on a set of threads, smiling triumphantly as she viewed the dream she had inflicted on Inuyasha. The hanyou's body was bound with the same kind of threads the youkai woman was on, and she had them tied to her fingers, like marionette strings.
"No, I'm casting kugutsu spells over here. You're so lucky you got Hanyou-chan," said Terith enviously. Terrace floated over gracefully, gently touching Inuyasha's face, eyeing him almost lovingly as she giggled at her sister's comment.
"Yes, I am lucky! Hanyou-chan's as fun to play with as I had imagined! He has such a beautiful heart... So many fears to play with, I had trouble choosing! I so wish I could kill him!" She smirked, "But I will just have to be pleased with Haha-ue's plans for his death. "
"Mhm," Terith agreed, "His death will haunt me from now to eternity I think!"
"Mhm. There's nothing like watching a young man break." Terrace said, "Watching him live out the fear that is most deeply rooted in his heart... and watching it tear him apart."
The sisters laughed as Terith completed the final spell and cut Kagome from her strings. Then she looked at Terrace as soon as the miko had disappeared into the mists. "Sister, release Inuyasha; all is prepared." Terrace nodded and pulled her kodachi, slicing the threads instantly and disappearing into the mists.
After a few moments Inuyasha stirred, dark brown eyes opening weakly. They were blank for a moment as he woke completely. For a moment he looked around, trying to assess the situation, and his confusion was obvious by the expression on his face. "What the hell..." He turned within the gray fog, wisps of the cloud clinging to his clothes as he looked around. "Kagome?! Miroku?? Sango!!! Shippou!"
"Mew!"
The hanyou-human looked down. Kirara was sitting at his feet. "Kirara..." He swallowed thickly. Just Kirara? Where were the others?? Had they been captured? Before Inuyasha even had a moment to run, the miniature cat was engulfed in flames and she transformed to her larger form, nudging the hanyou onto her back and bounding through the blinding fog.
The twins watched from above the mist until Inuyasha entered the shrine, and then more ladylike sister smiled wickedly. "Now... Let's go watch the death of Inuyasha."
SLICE~!
Something whizzed past Terrace's hand and she yelped, clutching her hand as her kodachi went flying. Terith looked up and then turned. Both sisters stopped suddenly when they saw their attacker. "Y-You!"
Sesshoumaru came from the foggy clearing, narrowing his eyes. He looked around. The scent of his brother and his humans friends were thick in the air. He had been there until recently. The signs of Terith and Terrace's illusions lay on the ground in the form of their youkai marionette thread.
"You made puppets out of them?" he asked and Terith snorted. "What is it to you?! You came to save that scum?? I had heard you couldn't stand your little brother--"
The demon lord focused on Terith and Terrace. "I do. But I need not explain myself to you. However, I make clear to you one thing-- I came to kill you." He narrowed his eyes. "Especially you Terith, you bitch. I was certain I had killed you."
"Bastard, now you know that you haven't." she growled, drawing her katana and he nodded. His eyes turned to yellow ice before her eyes. "Yes, I do. And do you know.. how much it infuriates me... to be proven wrong?"
~*~
Inuyasha cursed as he ran down the halls of the huge demon shrine, the pounding of Kirara's paws alongside him. Every so often he would come across doors and bang them open, searching the rooms for marginal seconds before flitting back down the hall, calling everyone's names all the while.
And so far, to no avail. Inuyasha knew if the six of them were still alive they would've answered, so they were either not even close, or maybe they had already been killed.
Suddenly there was pounding through the air, like a near-visible sound reverberation, and Inuyasha stopped so suddenly he almost fell. "Goddamn!" Kirara stopped also, mewing a bit, confusion present even in her animal eyes.
Then there was a second one, just like the first, and Inuyasha realized it was youki. *Someone is concentrating on me...* he wondered to himself. He didn't recognize the person; it was too strong to be either of the kits, or Tama. In the back of his mind he wondered if this creature was the one that had captured his friends, and the same beast he may have to fight to win them back.
*Minna...* Inuyasha turned back down the hall, heading up a flight of stairs he had passed earlier. *I'll get all of you back! Just please be safe when I get there...*
The illusionary dream he had borne witness to had not, for a moment, left his mind. All he could think about was following this youki up into whatever room it beckoned, only to find his dear friends dead.
But whatever subliminal message those two blonde youkai had been trying to get across to him, that he would be the one to kill his friends, plagued him. What the hell did that mean, he would kill them? He would never hurt them, no matter what. He knew that even in the very depths of his soul.
*Even if my heart was gone... I don't think I could ever hurt them...*
The hanyou-human followed the youki towards a wide corridor in the west wing after having gone up several flights of stairs. At the end of the hall was a large set of double doors, and the glow from flickering candles shone through the shoji.
Inuyasha swallowed and went forward, throwing open the doors quickly. The room was very dim, but he could make out a thick square shape far into the room, almost like a table. Something was on it.
In the middle of the room was one small figure, a woman. But the room was still to dark to tell who it was, and Inuyasha hesitated.
From within the room there was an excited, maniac giggle. "What's the matter?" asked a female voice, "Don't you want to save your friends...?" Inuyasha jerked in surprise at the snarl. The voice was familiar, the owner's name on the tip of his tongue, but it was different somehow. Different from his memory. Kirara growled beside him.
"Who the hell are you?!" Inuyasha demanded of the dim room and the voice seemed to laugh even more. "Just a youkai who was given the chance to be freed."
"Where're my friends!?!" Inuyasha demanded, and at that moment, the room brightened, the flames of the hundreds of candles seeming to swell, turning the room from a dim black to a bright orange.
It was a huge room, the ceiling high and crossed with rafters. A perfect hiding spot for youkai. The candles were all over the place, warranting the brightness of the room. They were on the floor, in the ceiling, on the walls.
At the far end was a large altar, and several sticks of incense were lit. Tanpopo was lying in the middle, hands and feet bound and sealed with ofuda, either dead or unconscious. The black figure in the middle of the room he had noticed before came into view and Inuyasha swallowed thickly, relieved beyond words.
She stood unwaveringly, her head down, but otherwise she seemed fine, and instantly Inuyasha rushed in, ignoring the fact that the doors slammed shut behind him of their own volition. "Kagome! Are you alright??"
The moment he spoke, Kagome flinched, as if she had been asleep and hearing his voice had woken her. One hand reached back to slide her bow off her back, and pull an arrow. She set the tip to the bow, raising it until the arrowhead was pointed at his chest. Inuyasha halted in his tracks, skidding across the smoothly polished wood floor, not comprehending the action. "Kagome..."
The miko looked up then, the bow shaking uncontrollably, and her blank eyes locked with his, filling with huge tears. Inuyasha reeled. *Wh-what...?!!*
"..Inu.. ya.. Run... away..." she forced out, and Inuyasha took a few steps back. "Kagome..." Just as it seemed she would release the arrow, Inuyasha felt something big and heavy --Kirara-- slam into him and he fell to the floor, the big cat still looming over him protectively. Kagome still had enough control over her body to release the arrow harmlessly into the nearby wall, but she collapsed to her knees immediately, still shaking.
Inuyasha rolled back to his feet when he heard Kirara mew. The big cat sounded terribly sad. He heard the padding of sandals against the hardwood flooring and looked up to see Sango, holding Hiraikotsu defensively, her brown eyes were unfocussed and blank. And then, she raised the boomerang up over her head.
"Sango!" he gasped, dodging the strike. The bone weapon slammed down into the floor, missing him entirely, and Inuyasha swept his leg at her feet, knocking the taijiya to the ground. Sango didn't moan or utter a word, she simply looked annoyed and worked herself back to her feet, following back after Inuyasha with the same blank look as before.
As he got to his feet, Inuyasha felt a painful jab at his injured shoulder, and twisted to see Miroku glaring at him blindly, the monk not recognizing him at all. Shippou was sitting on his shoulder, the fox's young face also detached. Miroku twisted his shakujou deeper into the hanyou's shoulder and Inuyasha yelped, swinging his arm horizontally and catching the side of Miroku's own shoulder. "Miroku, what the hell are you doing!?!"
At the disruption of his fragile balance on Miroku's shoulder, Shippou bounced off, taking slight air to throw out his hand and catch the side of Inuyasha's face with kitsunebi and Inuyasha grabbed the front of Shippou's shirt, carefully throwing him to the side. The kit crumpled momentarily, but like Sango was up again and trudging after him.
The hanyou yelped as he turned only to find Miroku at his throat, literally. The houshi had dropped his shakujou and now both hands were wrapped around Inuyasha's neck, squeezing ever so slowly.
Inuyasha grasped his friend's hands, tugging at them in an attempt to pull him off, but the monk seemed physically stronger than his typical self. So strong that even Kirara, who was tugging on the back of the monk's robes, was having trouble pulling him off.
*They're being controlled! Someone's making them fight me for their own amusement~ I gotta get him off me!* He looked up at Miroku's blank face. "Mi.. Miroku.. you bastard, don't let yourself be... controlled! Wake...Wake up, Miroku~!"
Inuyasha saw something flash across Miroku's face; his eyes wavered in shock for only a moment. The hands that threatened to strangle the life from him were loosened and Inuyasha fought one thumb underneath Miroku's hands, grabbing for air and brought his knee up against Miroku's stomach, pushing the other man off. The houshi clung loosely to him, but overall the intent to kill was gone. Inuyasha blinked. "Miroku...?"
"You.. stupid idiot... you should have... run away..." the houshi growled before the stupefied expression reappeared and Miroku relaxed, his hands tightening around Inuyasha's throat again. Inuyasha struggled against him again, this time breaking free before the monk had a chance to really get serious.
He pushed himself back, bounding a few steps to put some distance between himself and his attackers. During Miroku's assault, Sango and Shippou had hung back, as if patiently waiting, but now seeing that Miroku had failed, the two of them were back to the fight, joined by Miroku and advancing on him like mindless pawns.
Kirara leapt forward, trying to fight off Sango without hurting her, but the taijiya simply swung the boomerang and Kirara flew, rolling on the ground and sliding to stop a little later. Inuyasha yelped her name, dodging Miroku's shakujou all the while.
Then, as if suddenly remembering, Inuyasha glanced at the middle of the room to Kagome. The miko was still on the floor, trembling as she reached for the bow she had dropped. Inuyasha knew it wasn't Kagome reaching for the bow, it was whoever was controlling her, the same way the others were being manipulated.
He pulled out Tessaiga, still in its sheathe, and used it as leverage, sweeping beneath Sango and Miroku's feet. The move sent the pair crashing to the floor on top of each other, and Inuyasha leapt over them, landing next to Kagome.
He grabbed her shoulder, trying to make her look up at him. "Kagome! Kagome, it's me! Wake up!"
"Run.. away..." she pleaded, "They.. don't know it's you..! They'll kill you...!" Inuyasha grit his teeth. "I can't run away! I can't just fucking leave you guys here!"
"Please..." her voice broke as she closed her hand around the bow shaft, "I'm losing control again..."
"Kagome, hang in there!!!" He gasped in pain suddenly, the crunch of bone echoing against his eardrum. He lifted his left hand, the fingers making contact with his right arm and sending zings of pain throughout the broken limb, which hung limply at his side. Blood soaked through his shirt to his haori from the broken skin and Sango narrowed her eyes as she pulled Hiraikotsu away from his arm, lifting it over his head to bring it down again.
Inuyasha yelped as Kirara timed it perfectly, grabbing the back of his clothes in her teeth and leaping backwards. Again, the boomerang slammed into the floor harmlessly, but this time Sango had done some damage. His right arm was broken. His right shoulder had already been banged up before, making the use of his arm difficult, but now it was impossible.
As he watched Miroku and Sango turn towards him like zombies, Kagome stood, her movements smooth and unhindered, and she lifted the bow and set another arrow to it. Inuyasha cursed silently. He couldn't fight them. They were being controlled, directed like life-size puppets, and commanded to kill him like a trained animal, but it was still Miroku, still Sango, and still Shippou. It was still Kagome.
From another room, Uramiko watched the events unfold in a water mirror. "What will you do, Inuyasha? If you do not fight, you will be killed by your friends. But if you do, you will have to kill them. So what will you choose?"
Inuyasha leaned against Kirara to pull himself to his feet. *Damn... what the hell do I do now??*
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: This was such a fun chapter to write, and if not for a splash page in volume 11 it never would've happened. The splash for chapter 6, "Kokochuu" in volume 11 features Inuyasha and a particularly drugged-looking Miroku, and I thought "He looked possessed" thus the image of possessed everyone came to mind and this chapter was born. ::does best impression of Mandark from Dexter's Lab:: Bwa haha, bwa haha haha! Bwa haha, bwa haha haha! ;p
Please review, it encourages the writing of more chapters. 'specially since we're only about halfway through now. ^_________________________^ Yeah you heard me, 20 chapters and about 1/2 through. I toldja, this is my epic.
Okie ja~!
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen