Thanks for the reviews from all of you, for those of you who wanted me to continue and try for longer chapters, here you go. Enjoy—or—bon appetite, lol. Love, animefreek89. :D
Chapter 4: Revelations
Kagura hadn't moved, hadn't breathed; in fact she hadn't shown any sign of life from when she had been dropped to the floor. When Sesshoumaru reached her he couldn't believe that this was the same girl he had remembered as cherries and freedom. He turned her over and searched for life in her vacant ruby eyes. He admired her ardour, her strange passion for him, her eyes, her lips, taste, scent; but she was gone. Tenseiga did not pulse; it did not show any signs of wanting to revive her.
Inuyasha and the rest had been stunned by the arrival of Sesshoumaru when they had cornered Naraku and their shock had only tripled when he turned back to enter the fading castle. They followed him at a careful distance remembering how dangerous he really was in battle and Inuyasha smelt a familiar scent mingled with blood. "Kagura," he whispered and Kagome looked up sharply. "She's here?" she whispered. "What's the matter?" Inuyasha grimaced, "I can smell her blood." Kagome increased her speed and turned sharply to find Sesshoumaru bent over her immobile form.
Kagome gasped when she saw Sesshoumaru gently kiss Kagura and lift her up. Inuyasha had caught up and was about to scold her when he saw Kagome glide forward. Sesshoumaru did not show any indication that he knew they were there but only shifted so Kagura's body was hidden from view. Kagome gently put her fingers on Sesshoumaru's armless shoulder and exhaled deeply.
"It was Naraku, wasn't it?" she whispered softly. Sesshoumaru barely moved his lips when he replied, "Hai," and gazed down at Kagura. A small tear fell from Kagome's face as the shikon no tama glowed from her breast bone. "I have an idea," Kagome told him, voice still soft and gently reassuring. "But first, do you want her back and will you take care of her?" Sesshoumaru fixed Kagome with a deadly glare as he replied again, "Hai."
Inuyasha and the rest were transfixed, lost in the powerful scene before them. "Lower her, onegai?" Kagome requested. Sesshoumaru obliged and tenderly lowered Kagura to the cold, stony floor again. Kagome bent over Kagura and placed the entire shikon no tama on Kagura's cherry red lips and blew on it carefully. The jewel brightened and shone with magnificent rays of untamed, majestic energy as Kagura's body soared up. She seemed suspended by the jewel on her lips as the winds collected around her.
Kagome stepped back but then threw herself forward and placed a single elegant finger on the jewel and stepped back. She cried out once and with a shaking hand gripped Sesshoumaru's shoulder again. He gritted his teeth and pulled back his lips in a silent hiss as the same energy supporting Kagura burned his shoulder.
Time was trapped in the castle even as it sank lower and lower upon them and only Inuyasha seemed to be able to move. He saw Kagome's frail body lurch forward after she released Sesshoumaru's shoulder and he reeled forward to catch her. Sesshoumaru threw back his head and opened his mouth to scream; his breath hitched though and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He slumped to his knees and fell forward, face smashing into the ground with an appalling crunch.
Sango rushed forward to help Inuyasha—who seemed to be stuck in an electrifying current—but fainted from the force of the murderous energy. Miroku watched as she fell and snarled with the ripping strength it took to brace her fall. They both fell back and Miroku could think no longer. Something had gone wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong and now—they were caught in the middle of it.
Inuyasha's knees turned to water and the air thickened with the unmistakable stench of death. Kagura's body convulsed as a rather large white mist rose from the ground and attached itself to her body; coating it with extreme patience. Her eyes snapped open fully and the ruby texture brightened with life. She screamed with a raw voice and her frame shook with even more vitality than before. Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open as well and he turned over to look at this floating red figure on a white—turning bloodstained—feather.
His golden eyes made contact with her ruby red ones and they both smiled slightly. Kagura fell forward and landed with a thump on his chest. All was silent. Shippo had closed his eyes and was whimpering with fear cuddled by the transformed Kirara. Both of them had witnessed something unearthly and were in no mood to approach the others. Shippo forced his feet to move when the atmosphere turned back to normal and launched himself to the semi-conscious Kagome.
Inuyasha growled and swiped at him with a slow, jarring movement but Shippo pushed his hand away. Inuyasha collapsed from taking in too much of the pressure and cradled Kagome with extreme delicacy. "Kagome," he murmured and kissed her cheek softly. Kagome struggled to keep his figure straight and blinked rapidly to clear her misty eyes. "Inuyasha," she called out in a mute voice and cried softly into his fire rat's robe.
Sango had awoken and was watchfully waiting for Miroku to open his eyes. He did not stir but breath he did, if a little shallowly. She saw a now small Kirara approach and crushed her in a hug with one hand while the other lovingly smoothed back his sweat soaked matted hair. She stood and roused everyone with extreme persistence and waited for Sesshoumaru to move.
Sesshoumaru was lost somewhere—his eyes were fully open and brimming with passion and life but he wasn't seeing anything. Kagura had an identical look on her dead face but colour and life were slowly seeping into her now white eyes. HE could see and not see her, he could smell and not smell her, she was there, but she was gone forever. He would not be shown as weak in front of his brother. With a swift movement he picked up Kagura and stood coolly before them all.
They all gaped because Sesshoumaru had just picked Kagura up with not one, but two fully healed arms. Kagome managed a small sad smile and whispered, "Watch over her, maybe her sister can help you..." They all began to leave, feeling the castle melt around them. Inuyasha lost patience and swiped the rest of the fragments away with tetsusaiga and pulled Kagome out. Sesshoumaru just radiated his youki and the castle evaporated around him then he saw the small white figure of a girl walk steadily towards him.
"Is she still alive?" her blank voice asked. Sesshoumaru looked at her. She had short white hair with large white lilies braided in and a small blank face, in her arms she held a mirror that glinted and streamed with souls and boundless youki. "Who are you?" he asked calmly. The girl's expression didn't change as she replied in the same monotone voice, "I am Kanna, Kagura's sister." Sesshoumaru studied her for a moment before starting to walk away.
Kanna followed him silently and they made there way out into the forest once again. Sesshoumaru did not answer Kanna's question because he himself was not sure. He did not know what to make of all the events that had taken place but forced himself to keep going. He looked down at the small silent Kanna and stated in an almost bored tone, "You'll be staying with me, do not hurt the creatures I am with or you will suffer."
He looked down at Kagura's slowly gaining colour face and opened one of her eyes cautiously. The red was returning, when she had fallen it seemed she still had it, but the red on the feather she'd been upon had shown it had seeped onto it rather than back into her. He held her more securely and wrapped her in the warmth of his tail.
"We'll be there soon. What can we do for Kagura?" Kanna kept walking and replied, "Nothing, wait and watch. You will find the answer soon enough." Sesshoumaru's anger did not leak onto his perfectly emotionless face as he picked up the pace. Kagura was in deep trouble now.
Ye gods I am tired. You will all be seeing less of my stories and I am sorry. For three weeks in July I will be babysitting from 9-3 everyday. I will explain why in a moment, just don't hate me. I need the money to pay for a trip to Chile—strip of land in South America by Argentina—and this is the only way. I wish there was another way, but, I refuse to work for a fast-food restaurant, EVER! Alright then, I'll try to keep up, but for the meantime, let's enjoy the time he have together. lol. I'll miss you guys; I hope this all works out. Ciao.