Sorry about this second late update, but its that time of year. I had a HUGE concepts of art history project to finish and then a week sick followed by a week to play catch up! So, this weekend I was out of town to see A Perfect Circle and it was an awesome concert! Now, I am back to writing and updating and I have some free time to type and post. Well, there is only one chapters here because it is so much longer then normal, so enjoy! And for you Youko lovers...this is leading to where Kagome finds out that her guy is, in fact, three guys...Go Kagome! Anyway, after this update, the Spirit Detectives are off to the Spirit Realm to look for the last free Shikon Shard and...Kagome gets Sword lessons. Hn. There will be another update this weekend of at least two more chapters IF I have time between school assignments. Finals are approaching....and teachers are cramming the last minute assignments now.
Well, anyway, here is the first of two...
Sylvannastar
Youko's Rampage
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Boton landed in the deserted center of a familiar village. The streets and homes were eerily silent. The weight of the stillness was oppressive and even effected Boton's cheerful spirit.
"Where is everyone?"
"Naraku..." Inuyasha growled.
"What!? Here?" Boton was quick to hide behind the figure in red. The kittenish Kirara transformed into her larger form and scoured the area for traps and danger.
"No, but he was here. I can smell him everywhere..."
"But why would he be here?"
"He wants the jewel shards..." Inuyasha replied.
"But Kagome has...oh, no!"
Inuyasha didn't wait for the oar. He tore out of town as a pace that could rival Kouga, and set a path for the old Bone Eater's Well. Boton was fast on his heels, with Kirara watching their unguarded backs.
Unknown to them, approaching from a slightly different direction, the heroes of the battle with the hanyou Naraku were speeding toward the same destination, where they were all fated to meet again...
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"We're almost there," Sango gasped. "Just a bit more, Kohaku."
"Okay..." the young boy panted.
Sesshoumaru put on one more desperate burst of speed and landed in a crouch just outside the tree line. He scanned the area quickly, and finding no immediate danger, jumped over to the well in one bound.
What he found there made him hang his head, chin touching chest, while he waited for the others to catch up. His senses told his tired mind that they were close, but another form, approaching from the east intruded upon his silent thoughts. Unsure of the origins of the huge ki approaching very quickly sent the taiyoukai to his feet. It almost reminded him of his brother, but this feeling...was huge.
Sango, Miroku and Kohaku stumbled out of the brush, panting heavily but with weapons raised, prepared for trouble. They followed the alert gaze of the dog demon and without a word, turned to match him.
A blur of red and silver shot right past their upraised arms and came to a skidded halt mere inches from the old wooden well. "Kagome!"
"I-Inuyasha?" Sango asked wide-eyed.
Sesshoumaru stared in shocked surprise at the hanyou frantically searching the clearing for his woman. His pale features were twisted in lines of worry and concern. Here, the whelp he had previously discarded from his thoughts as weak had transformed into a creature with a power that could likely rival his own. He narrowed his own golden eyes at the half-breed and wondered what had changed. Could his love for a human girl have caused this jump in his powers? Can emotions intensify one's power when all this time I've hidden my feelings away?
Inuyasha's eyes slid right over them, still searching for the miko. "Where's Kagome?!" he demanded.
"Gone," Sesshoumaru finally spoke. "She is gone."
"What?" Inuyasha whispered.
"We were too late..." Sango breathed and turned into Miroku's comforting arms.
"What?!" he asked again with more force.
"Naraku," Miroku explained it all in that one hateful word.
Inuyasha stared down at the crushed grass around the well. He could see her footprints, a wider patch where something large had been, and the slight hint of blood at one corner of the area. He launched himself closer to it, sniffing determinedly. "He hurt her..." he growled.
"Yes," Sesshoumaru agreed. He had been able to smell the faint trace of blood as soon as he had arrived in the clearing. It was a small amount, but still, it was not a good sign.
Boton crashed through the trees ans tumbled off her oar and into Sesshoumaru's solid form. She smacked her nose on the plate armor and winced. "Oh...hi," she said lamely and took two small steps back. "Sorry about that."
Inuyasha found himself temporarily distracted by Boton's close contact with Sesshoumaru and discovered that his emotions were skipping painfully between panicked worry for Kagome and raging possessiveness for Boton.
"Boton!" he snapped.
"Huh?" she turned her innocent eyes on the half dog.
"I-You-Feh!" he got her attention, now he didn't know what to say.
"As amusing as this may be," Sesshoumaru snarled at his brother, "now is not the time to be concerned about your potential mate. Your other wench is in danger," he reminded the wide eyed hanyou.
"Mate!?" Boton squeaked and stared at Inuyasha's flaming face. "Wait...other WENCH?!" She turned a heated glare at the older dog demon and hissed a warning he ignored. "What has happened to Kagome, as I assume that is who you are referring to?" she demanded, ignoring the verbal insult the inu youkai had uttered so easily. Boton quickly took in the others, Miroku and Sango wrapped in each other's arms. "She's gone, isn't she?"
Miroku nodded, his pale face scrunched with worry. Here he was, the woman of his dreams cradled in his arms, and all he had to do to get her was to die and be brought to life...and tell her that he loved her. Somehow, Kagome's story didn't seem to be ending quite so happily.
"We have to find her!" Sango said in a hard voice. "We can't just stand around here! Besides," she announced, looking Inuyasha in the eye, "if he took Kagome, he'll have most of the jewel now too. We have to stop him before he puts the new shards to use and gets even stronger."
Boton listened with growing apprehension. "What will you do?"
"We'll find her. We have to." Inuyasha exclaimed loudly.
"There is no guarantee that we will discover his whereabouts before he permanently damages the girl," Sesshoumaru stated coldly. "Once you leave this clearing, the amount of maisma cancels out the scent of their trail."
"We still have to try!" Miroku took the liberty to snap at the pessimistic youkai.
"I wasn't suggesting otherwise. I was implying that it would be best if we do not run out and randomly hope that fate puts us on the right path."
"I can do something," Boton announced quietly.
"How?" Sango demanded of the strange girl who was standing close to Inuyasha's side.
"Well, ah, not me, really..." she stammered under the four assessing looks she was receiving. "Ah, Koenma-sama may be able to help. He has lots of tools and things....If anyone would be able to find a fast way to discover this Naraku's hideout, he would."
"Fine. Let's go," Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the well. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" he assured them.
Boton could feel the hanyou's frustration and worry rolling off of him in waves of energy. She wisely offered no protest to his rough handling and forgave the hurried treatment, but tried to give him hope that the girl would be found.
He tossed her into the well, waiting for the blue light to envelope them both and carry them across time. As soon as he hopped back out of the well, Boton opened another portal and they found themselves in Koenma's office.
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Kagome fought her body, doing what she could to keep from allowing herself to slip back into consciousness. The darkness, unfortunately slipped away on shadowed feet, leaving her once again aware of her aches and pains and her surroundings.
"Up again?"
Kagome tried to remain still, but her buzzing senses and the deep twinges of pain from her bruised flesh made it impossible.
"Shall we resume where we left off, Kagome?"
"Feh!" she snapped the Inuyasha-ish expletive out of reflexive anger.
"I see..."
Kagome tensed, waiting for a new assault against her body. After a few minutes, she realized that he wasn't going to retaliate. At least not physically.
The shuffling of feet on stone and clothing rustling warned her of impending contact with her captor. To her surprise, the blind fold was roughly torn from her head, taking several strands of dark hair with it. For the first time since her abduction, she was able to look upon her surroundings and at the evil form of Naraku himself.
She jerked back in surprise. That bastard is grinning at me! Looking at me as if I were his best friend! The cold pull of the chains testified otherwise to her tired mind.
"My dear child," his smooth voice rang out," there really is no need for us to be enemies."
The gall! Kagome knew she was close to going into shock. Lack of food, water, blood loss, and emotional stress could really drain you. That he could say such a thing when she knew what he had done to her friends...to the people of this time...Sango's tear streaked face and Kohaku's shocked expression was followed by the anguished face of Miroku clutching his wind tunnel in despair. Inuyasha flashed by behind her eyes with Kikyo standing silently behind the dejected looking dog. They were not to have suffered for nothing. She knew that she would die before she revealed the location of the jewel.
With the thought of the jewel came the regret of not being able to see Kurama again. A small smile flitted across her swollen lips. The thought of him could make her smile even now...she knew then, that she loved the man waiting for her in future...she loved him, and she would never be given the chance to tell him. But, he would be safe. That thought alone would give her the strength to resist Naraku and his tortures.
Kagome suddenly wondered if she could purify Naraku from her spread eagle position against one stone wall. As soon as she allowed her energy to pool in her hands, she felt it sucked away from her.
Eyes widened in shock, she stared at her shaking fingers. My miko powers were...
"I don't suggest you do that again." Naraku laughed. "With as much energy as you have already lost, Kagome, it would be unwise to push your limits. Every time your powers flare, which I must admit the persistence with which you attack, especially when you are not even conscious to direct an assault, surprises me. Kanna has been ever ready to insure that you are little threat to me."
Naraku gestured to the side and Kagome followed his movement with her eyes until they rested on the pale albino apparition, Kanna, One of Naraku's first detachments. The girl with the mirror that steals souls, and now, Miko powers as well.
Kagome couldn't contain the swift spike of despair that rippled through her aura. Kana's mirror flamed brightly in response.
"The more you struggle, the more energy you lose." Naraku informed her. His eyes narrowed when she smiled.
"Really?" she said in a soft voice. "Then you have provided me with a way out after all."
"How is that, my dear?"
She grinned like a fool and called on all the depths of her strength and yanked them to the surface.
The energy rise in the room was so great, everything was shoved outward, away from the glowing Miko. Ominous cracks appeared in the walls and ceiling.
"Kanna!" Naraku yelled, furious over the girl's sudden attack. The child like youkai held out her mirror and sucked in the growing swirl of energy peaking in waves around the room.
"That's right!" Kagome laughed bitterly, knowing that she would rather die then allow anyone else to be hurt by this monster. "Take it all in, and when I'm gone, the Jewel will be forever lost to you!"
Naraku then realized that Kagome wasn't attacking. She was committing spiritual suicide! He lunged at her, knocking her out again with an overly enthusiastic blow to her stomach before he raced over to the youkai girl. The miko's powers were still being consumed.
"Naraku-sama," her quiet voice whispered. "The mirror will not hold much mo-" she was cut off as Naraku came up behind her and swallowed her back into his body. The mirror fell to the floor where it sparkled and glowed in the dim room. Naraku glared at the object and then at the source of all this trouble. He had not had any intentions of reabsorbing Kanna so soon...He stalked over to Kagome's unconscious form, lifted her head up by her long dark hair and smacked her hard with his other hand. In his rage, he hit her twice more before a tiny random spark of her remaining purifying energy burned into his skin.
With his energy still low from her arrow strike a few days before, he knew these new burns would be slow to heal. So, he retreated to the other side of the room and glared his hatred at the woman child dangling limply from her bonds....
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Boton's portal dumped her and the hanyou on Koenma's desk.
Stamp!
Thunk!
Inuyasha looked cross-eyed at the red mark marring his nose and read the upside down kanji for "Rejected" "Why you-" he hissed in anger.
"Boton! You're back!" Koenma cheered and hugged the disheveled ferry girl that was lying on her back under Inuyasha's tense form, with her head hanging off her bosses desk.
"Koenma-sama!" she said desperately and tried to push the stiff dog demon off of her. "We need help!"
Just then, the door swung open and the four spirit detectives strolled in. Yusuke and Kuwabara were bickering in the lead with the calm and placid faces of Kurama and Hiei right behind them.
"You've never beat me before! What makes you think-Boton!" Yusuke gasped at the tangled mess of limbs piled on the desk top.
"What in the-" Kuwabara blinked dumbly.
"Koenma!" Yusuke dragged the toddler off of his employee's arm where he had been keeping a death grip on the girls hand.
"Boton's back!" the spirit ruler chirped happily. "Now I can rest and relax again!"
"B-but, Sir!" Boton cried out.
"Did the mission go well?" Koenma turned to Yusuke and ignored the girl who was getting dizzy from having all the blood in her body rushing to her head.
"No." Yusuke answered.
"Didn't catch him, huh?"
"No."
"Hmmmm..."
"Sir!" Boton struggled under the hanyou's weight while he continues to scrub furiously at the red mark on his nose.
"Were you able to find out anything?"
"Only that he's good at covering his trail."
"SIR!
"Oy!" Inuyasha suddenly snarled. "Shut up about all that stupid stuff!"
"Huh?"
"SIR!" Boton's loud ringing yell finally got his attention. "Get off me!" she hissed at Inuyasha.
"Feh!" he sat up and pulled her tousled form with him.
"Sir," she began again. "We need help."
"Kagome's been stolen," Inuyasha butted in, eyes blazing angrily.
"What?! By who?!" Koenma jumped back on the desk and looked the dog demon in the eye.
"Stolen?" a deep voice spoke, it's low tones focused and dangerous.
"Naraku took her." Inuyasha ignored the others and focused on the kitsune spirit who's youki had just jumped over ten times its original power. He recognized the possessive aggression as that of a mate protecting its own and respected that bond and claim above even the station that Koenma had.
Youko consumed Kurama's form with his own bestial take over, revealing the full grown silver fox in all his glory. His eyes blazed a deadly red and his fangs were bared. "Why aren't you out looking for her!?" he shouted at the dog.
"Because we don't know where he took her!" Boton insisted with frustration. "Koenma, you must have something that we can use to track her!"
"No, not since the orb broke...unless Yusuke's demon compass can be set to find Miko energy..."
Youko grabbed the compass from Yusuke's wrist, tearing the strap in the process.
"Ow..." Yusuke rubbed his wrist and stared at his friend's transformation in a state bordering on awe.
"Fix it now," the fox's dangerous tone never changed.
"Y-yes!" Koenma hurried to comply and exited the room and ran in fear from the explosive fox.
"Hurry!" Boton urged the child ruler.
As soon as the door swung shut, Youko snapped his eyes back at the hanyou. "Tell me."
Inuyasha hesitated, wondering where to start. He wasn't sure what the fox already knew...
Youko took the hesitation as a personal insult and grabbed the hanyou by the shirt front. "Tell me!" he snarled.
"Despite current appearances," Hiei said quietly, though you could see his own rage was barely held in check, "Youko can be trusted. I'd stake my life on that."
Inuyasha snarled back at the fire demon and the fox gripping his collar tightly in one solid fist. "I know that! Kagome's trust in you is proof enough of that! I just wasn't sure where to start from!"
Youko dropped the dog and backed away. After all, the mut had recognized his claim and his right to know to about his future mate's predicament.
"Well?"
"What did she last tell you, and I'll start form there," Inuyasha offered as Boton fussed with his clothes and straightened the non existent wrinkles.
"She was mourning the death of her friends, the exterminator and monk."
"Mourning them?" Boton paused in her concerned pampering. "What ever for?"
"Because they died, stupid!" Hiei ignored Inuyasha's warning growl.
"But they aren't dead! We saw them less then ten minutes ago!" Inuyasha exclaimed.
"Are you calling Kagome a liar?" Youko asked softly.
"No! I am just saying that they are not dead!" Inuyasha counted aggressively.
"They must have been brought back to life," Yusuke offered wisely. "After all, it is what happened to me..and to the corpse woman that you guys went after, but in a different way..."
"Back to life?" Inuyasha blinked. "That's right! They were with Sesshoumaru!"
"So?" Hiei demanded.
"So, he has Tenseiga! The healing sword..."
"That's right!" Boton said relieved, "He must have revived them."
"And then what happened, dog?" Youko grew impatient.
"We got back to the village after tracking my brother's scent back form the battle grounds and found Naraku's scent everywhere. We knew that he would be after the shards, which meant after Kagome, so we ran to the well."
"She does not have the shards," Youko said in a deadly calm voice.
"What?"
"I have them. She left them with me."
"What!?!"
"Continue, dog. What do you know about her capture?"
"We reached the well at the same time as my brother and the others." Here, he hesitated again.
"And?"
Inuyasha continued to hesitate.
"You best answer, fool," Hiei growled his own warning.
"I could...smell her blood..."Inuyasha whispered.
Youko felt his heart pain him and drop down into his stomach. This news made him feel physically ill and he found himself holding his breath in panic.
Oh, god! Shuuichi's voice whispered in his thoughts.
Youko! Kurama added his plea to the human's silent suffering.
Bring her back! The voices melded and begged him. Bring Kagome back to us! We love her...we can't lose her now!
Youko saw red and his raging energies cracked around him. In a silent snarl, he ripped his own hole in the barrier and departed without waiting for Koenma's return. Hiei was swift on the fox's heals.
"Shit," Yusuke sighed as the makeshift portal closed. "There is no stopping them now."
Koenma rushed in and threw the device to Boton. "Well," he hissed, "Hurry up and save her before Youko destroys everything!"
"Yes, sir!" Boton opened another portal and she and the dog demon quickly disappeared.
"Wait! I'm coming too!" Yusuke shouted.
"No you are not! I need you here!" Koenma yelled back, effectively halting Yusuke's lurch forwards.
"Ah, Damn it!" He watched the empty space regretfully and hung his head. "Good luck, guys..." he whispered to the air. "Good luck..."
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well that's all till this weekend! I know that it is only one chapter but I have a night class on mondays and didn't get to start typing until after ten, so ....till later!
I will address the reviews this weekends, but thank you for reviewing anyways! Thank you!
Sylvannastar