First off, Im sorry that for the past month or so I've been MIA, but the ideas just refused to come. No matter how long I stared at my computer screen, the only thing that would come were pounding headaches. (actually, I knew what I was gonna write, it just wasn't writing right.) But I managed to get ahold of some Inuyasha manga chapters; namely chapter 355, Kakera o Tsukau. YUMMY stuff~!!! v^^-
I pity those who havent yet read it!!! ITS AWESOME! Takahashi-sensei finally finally did what all of us have been wanting (I think I speak for everyone on that, anyway…) Mua hahaha~ Anyway, on to the fic…
NOTE : I revised chapter 40!!!! I hated the ending; I was in a slump when I wrote it and felt that you guys were getting screwed over because that was most certainly NOT my best ever. U.U;;; So the ending was revised (its basically the same though, so only go back and read it if you want to) On to the new chapter~~!
Disclaimer: Inuyasha wo shoyuu shitenai ze. Ba~~ka. ^_~V
____________________________
To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Ten :: Naraku's Soul
Chapter Forty-One :: Red
Kagome pushed her way through trees and bushes, mentally cursing when a thorny branch fought back her pushing and tore at her clothes. She had a few scratches on her legs to show for it, but she continued on, heedless of them. Nothing mattered except getting to him. Even the fact that Inuyasha was stronger than her and could very easily take care of himself mattered little to her.
*If something happened to him,* she began, then shook her head, using her bow to hack her way through a particularly argumentative bush. If she even thought of it, it would bring her down. And if somehow Uramiko DID manage to bring back Naraku, she would need all her strength.
She knew the others were coming, they had taken flight shortly after she broke for the shrine. But they still had Tama to worry about, and so she assumed they would not be able to travel as quickly. That was okay; they weren't THAT far behind, and she and Inuyasha would be able to hold off Naraku easily.
It was not only possible, but very probable even, that they could kill him again, considering that coming back from death might have the effect of leaving him disoriented and temporarily powerless.
*I'm being awfully optimistic about this,* she thought with a sudden bleakness. As she walked, the brush and trees began to thin out, and abruptly stopped completely. Manicured grass, paved walkways and statues of demons began to take their place.
Kagome looked up. Uramiko's enormous shrine loomed over her. She chewed her lip in disgust; how she had come to hate this place. She could almost say that she had never hated a place before. Naraku always moved from castle to castle, except when he'd sealed himself within Hakureizan. That was to this day the only place she could say she despised with all of her being.
Uramiko's little fortress was a very close second.
Kagome glanced over her shoulder, checked her arrow supply. Full. Then she took a deep breath and ran forward, throwing open the doors and beginning her search for which of the hundreds of rooms Uramiko had taken her hanyou lover.
~*~
His head was foggy. His temples throbbed with a minor headache that refused to back down, seeming to gain in strength. His body felt weak, as if he had been awakened during sleep, and wasn't ready to get up yet. He tried to lift his arm and discovered he couldn't.
His ears detected the sounds of rustling around the room, and he shifted on the ground, the heat of the room becoming unbearable. Beads of sweat sprung up on his skin underneath his clothes and it itched uncomfortably, as if tiny little bugs scampered around out of sight. His nose picked up burning candle wax --it would take hundreds to come up with that smell, not to mention the heat in the room-- and also various youkai scents.
Inuyasha's eyes flew open as the memory of what happened snapped back into focus just as swiftly, and he tried to sit up. Again he wasn't able to. Frustrated, he twisted his head down, looking down at his body. There was nothing holding him down, except his wrists and ankles were pinned down by sealing o-fuda.
He swore loudly, tugging against them. They didn't come up, didn't even budge. He laid his head back in defeat, cursing again to himself. She'd been ready. But why the hell had Uramiko taken him? What use was he to her?
He didn't hear the thump of bare feet against polished wood until Uramiko was staring down at him. "I'm glad you're awake," she said with the devious smirk only she and Naraku could pull off so well. She knelt by his side, smoothing the hair back from his face almost affectionately, "I want you to feel this as it happens."
Inuyasha pulled away from her as best he could, hindered greatly being tied down. "You bitch," he cursed her, "What are you planning to do with me?"
Uramiko turned her face towards the altar. It was in the same place as last time, Inuyasha noticed, realizing they were in the dojo where Uramiko had turned his friends against him. On the altar, surrounded by candles, was a set of bones. Inuyasha swallowed, unsure of what it was. Rather, who it had once been. He had a good idea, and it infuriated him.
"You're bringing that son of a bitch back…" he said lowly, and Uramiko smiled. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for."
"You seem to have that tendency, to fucking underestimate me," he told the youkai miko, cracking a smile. Uramiko let it slide, and it only worried at him more that she hadn't lashed out. At least if she had he would have known she could be cracked.
"What the hell do I have to do with it though," Inuyasha demanded and Uramiko smiled. "The spell that will breathe life into Naraku's body requires 3 essentials: his bones, and the blood of his killer and the presence of all those who were with him when he died."
The lump in Inuyasha's throat grew a little bigger. The presence of those who were with Naraku who were with him when he died..??
Miroku.
Sango.
Shippou.
Kagome.
"Oh shit," he muttered and Uramiko smiled, pleased with his discomfort. She reached out, running her fingers over the soft red fur of his haori. Her fingers found the ties easily and snapped them; gently she drew open his haori, baring his chest. Inuyasha watched her, growling threateningly, though fruitlessly, and both of them knew that.
The miko smirked at him, the wrinkles in her face tightening as she did so. "Inuyasha, don't tease yourself. You're going to do no damage pinned down like that."
Violently, Inuyasha thrust against the fuda, pulling and yanking at them in a desperate effort to free himself, but the strips of paper held a great deal of power. His wrists never left the polished wooden boards, and Uramiko ignored his struggles.
He paused when she gently ran her claws over his bare flesh, shuddering inwardly with disgust at the expression of almost-longing in her red eyes. In the time it took him to blink, she had cut a thin slash in his skin.
"Unh..." Inuyasha winced as she pressed her hand against the uncut skin, forcing more blood from the wound. It ran down his side, warm and wet. Uramiko drew an item from her sash, a small saucer like a sake cup. She held it at his side, allowing it to fill completely.
The miko stood then, taking special care of the blood she'd collected, and walked back to the altar. Inuyasha lifted his eyes, glaring up at the table. His most hated enemy would revive? Because of him?? There was no way he would stand for it. Not as long as he was alive.
"Don't think I thought of that, do you?" Uramiko suddenly said, replying to his unspoken thoughts. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Whaddaya mean?"
The miko turned her eyes to him, and said simply, "Your role in this act isn't yet finished." He raised an eyebrow. Uramiko turned away from him and retrieved a large group of herbs that she had tied together in a braid.
Next she trickled a drop of the blood she'd taken from him over it, coating the dried herbs very carefully. Then she lit the broken ends of the herbs, and reddish smoke billowed from them. As she did this, she chanted quietly.
As she muttered her silent mantra, Inuyasha felt his body growing hot, as hot as a summer day at its worst. The throbbing in his head worsened, becoming a maddening drum in his ears, and it was the only thing he could hear. He felt a strangled, pained sound come from himself, but couldn't hear it. Of their own volition his ears folded back against his hair, as if it would help to hold out the sounds.
Slowly he realized the drum he heard wasn't his head; it was his heart. His heart beat against his chest madly, as though he had run too fast for too long, and he couldn't breathe. He felt a pulse of energy emit from his body, and his formerly weak form was suddenly swelling with power.
But with this power came an unmistakable feeling of loss, and he understood what the witch was doing to him. *No,* his mind begged, *I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to lose to it!* But even as he said this, he could feel his youkai blood raging, and he was falling backwards, unable to stop his plummet into the dark abyss.
Uramiko watched the hanyou writhe in pain on the ground, her chant never dying down. She could already see the violet stripes forming on his cheekbones; the claws on his pinned hands were growing longer. She smirked, and finished the incantation, throwing the burning herb-braid out over Naraku's bones.
The pain and the heat in Inuyasha's body soared, and he screamed.
~*~
Kagome blanched, her heart skipping a beat as she heard the tell-tale thrum of Inuyasha's youki in the air, the unmistakable sensation of the gradually increasing strength. There was no wonder, no speculation. Only worry. She knew.
The young miko bit her lip and started running again, the frantic drum of Inuyasha's unsteady youki wavering ever more. He was struggling to stay a hanyou; she could sense it. She could feel him fighting it, and she could feel him failing. The endless stairway seeming even more unending in her panic. *Inuyasha... Inuyasha...!!!*
"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed his name as she burst through the doors, and took in the room with a quick scan. The high cathedral ceiling was littered with candles, as were as the walls and the floor. On the north end of the room was a huge open window with an altar, just as she remembered. Uramiko was standing there, watching a figure in the middle of the room.
And then her eyes fell on Inuyasha, and she caught her breath. The hanyou was lying on the floor in the middle of the room, surrounded by candles. Underneath his body were thousands of spells painted onto the floor itself.
He was pinned down by his wrists, writhing, crying out in pain. He snapped at the air with elongated teeth, and his hands hooked into claws, the fingers flexing. Kagome caught a glimpse of the faint red aura coating his body, much like a filmy layer of mist, but it didn't register.
To her horror, the fuda that were holding him down --the very literal cage for the beast-- tore abruptly, shredded flecks of paper spraying into the air. Instantly Inuyasha's hands went to his head, kept it from beating against the ground. With a final cry of pain, he shuddered and went still.
It was then Kagome tore herself from her stupefied staring and ran to his side, calling his name. He didn't reply, didn't even stir. She gently took his head into her lap, brushing his hair away from his face. The sight of the violet stripes on his cheeks didn't surprise her. What did surprise her was that they didn't frighten her either.
"Inuyasha," she said softly, shaking him. He winced, bringing himself back to consciousness. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "Inuyasha~" Abruptly, blazing red eyes snapped open. He whirled up, onto his knees and Kagome gasped, sitting back just in time for his long claws to go whizzing through air.
The front of her blouse slit horizontally, the fabric hanging loosely over her exposed chest. The white lace bra she wore had just barely been touched, and a thin line of blood sprang up on her skin.
Inuyasha leapt backwards several feet away from her, snarling fiercely. The miko looked down, drawing her arm up over her nearly-exposed breasts. She looked up, fear tight in her features.
Uramiko stepped down from the altar, taking a few steps forward. "Afraid, are we? I don't blame you. Dying by the hand of your lover is surely is frightening experience."
Kagome swallowed, looking at Inuyasha. Would he really be able to hurt her? Of course not. She did not doubt him. Even as a youkai, she was certain he wouldn't actually hurt her. But still, a prolonged period of time in the youkai's presence was dangerous, whether she trusted him or not. Inuyasha was mad in this form, unable to recongnize friend from foe. Perhaps even his woman.
"I thought you needed me," Kagome inquired, hoping to stall the witch, "You need me and the others to bring back Naraku. You would give that up just for the pleasure of watching Inuyasha kill me…?"
Uramiko snorted. "I never said you had to be alive to bring Naraku back." As she said this, Inuyasha's mouth broadened into a wicked smile, eyes glittering. He crept forward a step, and Kagome caught her breath, her fingers tightening in fright. "Inuyasha…"
Uramiko's own smile widened. "Kill her."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Sorry for the cliffie, those are my favorite writing devices. But 42 is already finished so it will be up soon. Please review!!! ^_^
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen
I pity those who havent yet read it!!! ITS AWESOME! Takahashi-sensei finally finally did what all of us have been wanting (I think I speak for everyone on that, anyway…) Mua hahaha~ Anyway, on to the fic…
NOTE : I revised chapter 40!!!! I hated the ending; I was in a slump when I wrote it and felt that you guys were getting screwed over because that was most certainly NOT my best ever. U.U;;; So the ending was revised (its basically the same though, so only go back and read it if you want to) On to the new chapter~~!
Disclaimer: Inuyasha wo shoyuu shitenai ze. Ba~~ka. ^_~V
____________________________
To Be With You Tomorrow
Part Ten :: Naraku's Soul
Chapter Forty-One :: Red
Kagome pushed her way through trees and bushes, mentally cursing when a thorny branch fought back her pushing and tore at her clothes. She had a few scratches on her legs to show for it, but she continued on, heedless of them. Nothing mattered except getting to him. Even the fact that Inuyasha was stronger than her and could very easily take care of himself mattered little to her.
*If something happened to him,* she began, then shook her head, using her bow to hack her way through a particularly argumentative bush. If she even thought of it, it would bring her down. And if somehow Uramiko DID manage to bring back Naraku, she would need all her strength.
She knew the others were coming, they had taken flight shortly after she broke for the shrine. But they still had Tama to worry about, and so she assumed they would not be able to travel as quickly. That was okay; they weren't THAT far behind, and she and Inuyasha would be able to hold off Naraku easily.
It was not only possible, but very probable even, that they could kill him again, considering that coming back from death might have the effect of leaving him disoriented and temporarily powerless.
*I'm being awfully optimistic about this,* she thought with a sudden bleakness. As she walked, the brush and trees began to thin out, and abruptly stopped completely. Manicured grass, paved walkways and statues of demons began to take their place.
Kagome looked up. Uramiko's enormous shrine loomed over her. She chewed her lip in disgust; how she had come to hate this place. She could almost say that she had never hated a place before. Naraku always moved from castle to castle, except when he'd sealed himself within Hakureizan. That was to this day the only place she could say she despised with all of her being.
Uramiko's little fortress was a very close second.
Kagome glanced over her shoulder, checked her arrow supply. Full. Then she took a deep breath and ran forward, throwing open the doors and beginning her search for which of the hundreds of rooms Uramiko had taken her hanyou lover.
~*~
His head was foggy. His temples throbbed with a minor headache that refused to back down, seeming to gain in strength. His body felt weak, as if he had been awakened during sleep, and wasn't ready to get up yet. He tried to lift his arm and discovered he couldn't.
His ears detected the sounds of rustling around the room, and he shifted on the ground, the heat of the room becoming unbearable. Beads of sweat sprung up on his skin underneath his clothes and it itched uncomfortably, as if tiny little bugs scampered around out of sight. His nose picked up burning candle wax --it would take hundreds to come up with that smell, not to mention the heat in the room-- and also various youkai scents.
Inuyasha's eyes flew open as the memory of what happened snapped back into focus just as swiftly, and he tried to sit up. Again he wasn't able to. Frustrated, he twisted his head down, looking down at his body. There was nothing holding him down, except his wrists and ankles were pinned down by sealing o-fuda.
He swore loudly, tugging against them. They didn't come up, didn't even budge. He laid his head back in defeat, cursing again to himself. She'd been ready. But why the hell had Uramiko taken him? What use was he to her?
He didn't hear the thump of bare feet against polished wood until Uramiko was staring down at him. "I'm glad you're awake," she said with the devious smirk only she and Naraku could pull off so well. She knelt by his side, smoothing the hair back from his face almost affectionately, "I want you to feel this as it happens."
Inuyasha pulled away from her as best he could, hindered greatly being tied down. "You bitch," he cursed her, "What are you planning to do with me?"
Uramiko turned her face towards the altar. It was in the same place as last time, Inuyasha noticed, realizing they were in the dojo where Uramiko had turned his friends against him. On the altar, surrounded by candles, was a set of bones. Inuyasha swallowed, unsure of what it was. Rather, who it had once been. He had a good idea, and it infuriated him.
"You're bringing that son of a bitch back…" he said lowly, and Uramiko smiled. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for."
"You seem to have that tendency, to fucking underestimate me," he told the youkai miko, cracking a smile. Uramiko let it slide, and it only worried at him more that she hadn't lashed out. At least if she had he would have known she could be cracked.
"What the hell do I have to do with it though," Inuyasha demanded and Uramiko smiled. "The spell that will breathe life into Naraku's body requires 3 essentials: his bones, and the blood of his killer and the presence of all those who were with him when he died."
The lump in Inuyasha's throat grew a little bigger. The presence of those who were with Naraku who were with him when he died..??
Miroku.
Sango.
Shippou.
Kagome.
"Oh shit," he muttered and Uramiko smiled, pleased with his discomfort. She reached out, running her fingers over the soft red fur of his haori. Her fingers found the ties easily and snapped them; gently she drew open his haori, baring his chest. Inuyasha watched her, growling threateningly, though fruitlessly, and both of them knew that.
The miko smirked at him, the wrinkles in her face tightening as she did so. "Inuyasha, don't tease yourself. You're going to do no damage pinned down like that."
Violently, Inuyasha thrust against the fuda, pulling and yanking at them in a desperate effort to free himself, but the strips of paper held a great deal of power. His wrists never left the polished wooden boards, and Uramiko ignored his struggles.
He paused when she gently ran her claws over his bare flesh, shuddering inwardly with disgust at the expression of almost-longing in her red eyes. In the time it took him to blink, she had cut a thin slash in his skin.
"Unh..." Inuyasha winced as she pressed her hand against the uncut skin, forcing more blood from the wound. It ran down his side, warm and wet. Uramiko drew an item from her sash, a small saucer like a sake cup. She held it at his side, allowing it to fill completely.
The miko stood then, taking special care of the blood she'd collected, and walked back to the altar. Inuyasha lifted his eyes, glaring up at the table. His most hated enemy would revive? Because of him?? There was no way he would stand for it. Not as long as he was alive.
"Don't think I thought of that, do you?" Uramiko suddenly said, replying to his unspoken thoughts. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Whaddaya mean?"
The miko turned her eyes to him, and said simply, "Your role in this act isn't yet finished." He raised an eyebrow. Uramiko turned away from him and retrieved a large group of herbs that she had tied together in a braid.
Next she trickled a drop of the blood she'd taken from him over it, coating the dried herbs very carefully. Then she lit the broken ends of the herbs, and reddish smoke billowed from them. As she did this, she chanted quietly.
As she muttered her silent mantra, Inuyasha felt his body growing hot, as hot as a summer day at its worst. The throbbing in his head worsened, becoming a maddening drum in his ears, and it was the only thing he could hear. He felt a strangled, pained sound come from himself, but couldn't hear it. Of their own volition his ears folded back against his hair, as if it would help to hold out the sounds.
Slowly he realized the drum he heard wasn't his head; it was his heart. His heart beat against his chest madly, as though he had run too fast for too long, and he couldn't breathe. He felt a pulse of energy emit from his body, and his formerly weak form was suddenly swelling with power.
But with this power came an unmistakable feeling of loss, and he understood what the witch was doing to him. *No,* his mind begged, *I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to lose to it!* But even as he said this, he could feel his youkai blood raging, and he was falling backwards, unable to stop his plummet into the dark abyss.
Uramiko watched the hanyou writhe in pain on the ground, her chant never dying down. She could already see the violet stripes forming on his cheekbones; the claws on his pinned hands were growing longer. She smirked, and finished the incantation, throwing the burning herb-braid out over Naraku's bones.
The pain and the heat in Inuyasha's body soared, and he screamed.
~*~
Kagome blanched, her heart skipping a beat as she heard the tell-tale thrum of Inuyasha's youki in the air, the unmistakable sensation of the gradually increasing strength. There was no wonder, no speculation. Only worry. She knew.
The young miko bit her lip and started running again, the frantic drum of Inuyasha's unsteady youki wavering ever more. He was struggling to stay a hanyou; she could sense it. She could feel him fighting it, and she could feel him failing. The endless stairway seeming even more unending in her panic. *Inuyasha... Inuyasha...!!!*
"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed his name as she burst through the doors, and took in the room with a quick scan. The high cathedral ceiling was littered with candles, as were as the walls and the floor. On the north end of the room was a huge open window with an altar, just as she remembered. Uramiko was standing there, watching a figure in the middle of the room.
And then her eyes fell on Inuyasha, and she caught her breath. The hanyou was lying on the floor in the middle of the room, surrounded by candles. Underneath his body were thousands of spells painted onto the floor itself.
He was pinned down by his wrists, writhing, crying out in pain. He snapped at the air with elongated teeth, and his hands hooked into claws, the fingers flexing. Kagome caught a glimpse of the faint red aura coating his body, much like a filmy layer of mist, but it didn't register.
To her horror, the fuda that were holding him down --the very literal cage for the beast-- tore abruptly, shredded flecks of paper spraying into the air. Instantly Inuyasha's hands went to his head, kept it from beating against the ground. With a final cry of pain, he shuddered and went still.
It was then Kagome tore herself from her stupefied staring and ran to his side, calling his name. He didn't reply, didn't even stir. She gently took his head into her lap, brushing his hair away from his face. The sight of the violet stripes on his cheeks didn't surprise her. What did surprise her was that they didn't frighten her either.
"Inuyasha," she said softly, shaking him. He winced, bringing himself back to consciousness. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "Inuyasha~" Abruptly, blazing red eyes snapped open. He whirled up, onto his knees and Kagome gasped, sitting back just in time for his long claws to go whizzing through air.
The front of her blouse slit horizontally, the fabric hanging loosely over her exposed chest. The white lace bra she wore had just barely been touched, and a thin line of blood sprang up on her skin.
Inuyasha leapt backwards several feet away from her, snarling fiercely. The miko looked down, drawing her arm up over her nearly-exposed breasts. She looked up, fear tight in her features.
Uramiko stepped down from the altar, taking a few steps forward. "Afraid, are we? I don't blame you. Dying by the hand of your lover is surely is frightening experience."
Kagome swallowed, looking at Inuyasha. Would he really be able to hurt her? Of course not. She did not doubt him. Even as a youkai, she was certain he wouldn't actually hurt her. But still, a prolonged period of time in the youkai's presence was dangerous, whether she trusted him or not. Inuyasha was mad in this form, unable to recongnize friend from foe. Perhaps even his woman.
"I thought you needed me," Kagome inquired, hoping to stall the witch, "You need me and the others to bring back Naraku. You would give that up just for the pleasure of watching Inuyasha kill me…?"
Uramiko snorted. "I never said you had to be alive to bring Naraku back." As she said this, Inuyasha's mouth broadened into a wicked smile, eyes glittering. He crept forward a step, and Kagome caught her breath, her fingers tightening in fright. "Inuyasha…"
Uramiko's own smile widened. "Kill her."
~*~ To be continued ~*~
a/n :: Sorry for the cliffie, those are my favorite writing devices. But 42 is already finished so it will be up soon. Please review!!! ^_^
~*~ V^-^V ~*~
~Tessen