Author's Notes: I finally got my website up, and it has not only my Inuyasha fanart, but also my series and a link for Kazaa Lite for those who don't have it do you can download my music videos! As for the story, our villain had been eyeing Miroku as his next pawn, frighteningly similar to Naraku, ne? Anyways, as the plot unfolds, will he succeed in getting to Kagome? Or will Inuyasha prevail again?
Beauty Is Only Skin DeepKagome and Sango sat in Kaede's hut with Miroku asleep in the next room. He was still healing from Sango's barrage and needed to rest. Kagome levitated Shippo between her hands, showing the taijiya what she had managed to do with hiraikotsu the day before. Sango had awakened from her trance, not knowing what she had done. Inuyasha and Kagome had been very careful to explain that they didn't blame anyone for what happened except for the real culprit behind it. After much counseling, Sango had agreed not to feel guilty over it, even though inside she still felt responsible.
Shippo giggled as Kagome slowly spun him upside and right side up again, practicing her abilities so if she needed to use them again she could. In the back of her mind, Kagome thought about Inuyasha and where he was. It was close to the new moon and she knew he was fretting it. Without his youkai powers, he would be unable to protect Kagome if their mysterious enemy decided to show up.
* * *
High in Goshinboku, Inuyasha stared at what was left of the moon that was still visible in the new dawn light. There were days when he was young and he would stare at the moon for hours on end, fearing the night when it would disappear completely. Inuyasha once told Miroku, "I have a lot of enemies and if they were to show up now, I'd be helpless to stop them." The same was true now except that it wasn't only his life on the line now.
That guy wants Kagome and if I revert to my human form, there won't be shit I could do to stop it. Damn it! Inuyasha punched the trunk of Goshinboku in anger. This guy is really starting to piss me off. Why can't he just show himself so I can kick his ass! I hate all this senseless worrying!
Sighing, Inuyasha stood up and looked back towards the village. I guess I should start to head back. Sango and Miroku are there, along with Shippo, but I'll feel better if I can see Kagome and know she's all right.
* * *
Miroku ran away from Naraku as the manipulator, dressed in his baboon outfit, chased after the helpless monk who now had no Kazaana to save him. Miroku felt more fear now than when he fought the demon back when they had destroyed him.
But we didn't destroy him. He went into hiding and now he's coming after us one by one! Miroku looked back to see if Naraku was still there and skidded to a halt when he was nowhere to be found.
"Miroku!"
The monk spun around and saw Sango standing before him. "Sango…" His lecherous hand went towards her chest longingly.
Then all of a sudden, her form shifted into Naraku and lifted into the air. In a lightning fast move, Naraku pierced Miroku's hand, recreating the air void and dooming the monk to certain death.
"NO!" He shouted, pulling back his hand in pain. "NOOOO!!!!"
* * *
"NO!" Miroku was now thrashing around in his sleep, not yet having woken up.
"Miroku!"
"Miroku-sama!" Both Sango and Kagome came running into the room, trying to aide their hurting friend.
"It's back! Kazaana has reformed!" As soon as the girls fell to their knees next to him, his eyes flashed open and he jumped to his feet. "Get away from me! It's out of control!!" Before they could stop him, Miroku ran from the hut and outside.
"Wait!" They shouted, chasing after him.
Miroku stared down at his hand in growing and uncontrolled fear as his eyes told him a large black hole was indeed forming, but when Sango and Kagome got to him, they saw his hand was perfectly normal.
"It was a dream! You don't have kazaana anymore!" Kagome shouted.
Sango grabbed a hold of his shoulders worriedly. "Snap out of it, please! Miroku!"
"NO!" He pushed her to the side and ran away again, this time running into someone and crashing to the ground. He was still holding onto his hand, so tight you'd think it was a wild animal he was trying to choke to death.
Then from above him, a soft and gentle hand came down and caressed his once cursed hand. The touch seemed to snap him out of it and when he looked up, he was met with the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
She had bright green eyes and long dark blue hair. She smiled at him and continued to touch his hand. "Are you all right now?"
Both Kagome and Sango were stunned that this person would approach someone in Miroku's condition with the power to heal him so quickly.
S-she's beautiful! Miroku thought. Horrid dream aside, Miroku wrapped both of his hands around the woman's and looked deep into her eyes. "May I ask the name of the beautiful woman that's saved my life?"
Sango gritted her teeth in mounting anger at the display. Kagome saw this and looked worriedly at Miroku. You better stop while you have the chance Miroku, or you're gonna lose her one of these days.
"My name is Kiari. I'm just glad I was able to help you." She replied in a song sweet voice.
Miroku was almost besides himself with lecherous thoughts. "Your actions today will forever be engraved in my heart." He said with full conviction. "But, may I ask one more thing of you?"
"That's it! I've had enough of this!" Sango shouted, immediately leaving the couple to whatever they wanted to do. Kirara trotted besides her mistress, sending one glare over her shoulder at the monk before disappearing around the corner.
"Oh my, I think we upset her." Kiari held a hand over her mouth.
Miroku stood up, still refusing to let go of his savior's hand. "Never mind her, I'm sure she'll be fine in a little bit. But back to us…"
"Um, Miroku…" Kagome spoke up. "I don't think…" Her words were immediately caught in her throat when she examined the woman Kiari more closely. Behind her almost perfect body, wrapped up in a tight traditional kimono, the woman had six pink, tentacle-like creatures with mouths at the end of each one. The creatures had no eyes but their open mouths had three rows of small but sharp and deadly teeth.
Kiari looked at Kagome with a cool glance and Kagome immediately felt like she was without air.
"You don't think what Kagome-sama?" Miroku asked casually. His eyes were dull as one of the creatures seemed to attach to the back of his neck, rendering any common sense useless.
"Maybe you should go after her." Kagome said. Gasping, she held a hand to her throat. I didn't say that! Looking at Kiari with a glare, Kagome got angry inside. You, you're working for him aren't you! She accused.
Instead of answering her, Kiari looked at Miroku and continued her act. "Maybe she's right. You should go see if you're girlfriend's alright."
"Okay." He agreed and started off in the direction Sango had disappeared.
"Wow, she seems nice!" Shippo exclaimed from Kagome's shoulder. Obviously his little demon eyes weren't picking up what Kagome's were.
Smiling, Kiari turned towards Kagome. "Now that they're out of the way, all I need to worry about is…"
"Kagome!" Inuyasha jumped out of the forest and landed next to the miko. "What are you doing out here so early?" He asked.
Kagome wanted to tell him, warn him, anything, but looking down at her wrist, she saw that the woman called Kiari had one of her tactical creatures wrapped around Kagome's wrist, which would explain why she was able to talk through Kagome. One of those same creatures was latched onto Shippo's neck and the kitsune cub acted like nothing was unusual, even after what Kiari had said before.
"Kagome?" Inuyasha questioned, turning towards her with his back to Kiari.
Seeing one of the tentacles dive towards Inuyasha's neck, Kagome wanted to scream but as it latched on to the unaware hanyou, she replied. "Sango and Miroku had another fight and they've gone to work it out." Stop it! Let go of me! Kagome shouted to the creature on her arm. Inuyasha open your eyes and see what she really is! These creatures…they keep people from seeing her true form. She probably isn't able to use them on me like she does you because of the Shikon no Tama inside me. Kagome thought. What am I going to do!?
* * *
As soon as Miroku came up behind Sango, who was sitting on a log by the river, he snapped out of Kiari's influence, the demon witch being too far away to have complete control of him, and finally noticed Sango. "What's wrong?" He asked.
Quickly wiping her tears away, Sango scoffed. "You ask it as if you didn't know." She replied bitterly.
"I don't." He sat down next to her. "Tell me."
Crossing her arms, Sango looked away. "Every time you see a woman, you can't help but ask them to bare your children. Even after every thing we've said to each other and committed to each other, it seems none of that matters."
"Of course it matters, but some habits are harder to break than others."
"Yeah, well you may not know it, but I see the look in your eye and every time you hold onto their hands, every time you seem to propose to them and commit your life to them, I hurt a little more. I used to be able to overlook it, but after everything we've been through, I can't help but get upset and jealous."
Miroku was shocked and slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Most of the women I ask never take me seriously and even if they were to, there's no one else out there that I see more fit to be the mother of my children than the woman before me now."
Gasping, Sango raised a hand to her cheek in an attempt to hide her blush. "B-but if that's true, then why ask?"
"Like I said before, some habits die hard, but I promise that I will try harder in the future to behave myself. Because no one else can own my heart."
"No one?" She asked.
"No one, and do you know why?" Sango shook her head. "Because it already belongs to you."
Sango was stunned for a moment, but then threw her arms around Miroku and cried into his chest. "I'm sorry!"
"Shh." He soothed her as he rubbed her back. "I should apologize. Will you forgive me?"
Nodding, Sango continued to cry. "U-un."
* * *
"And what is your name?" Kiari asked.
"Inuyasha." The hanyou replied. For some reason, he suddenly felt really tired.
Kagome watched as Inuyasha's red aura seemed to be getting fainter and fainter by the minute. She's sucking out his youki! Pretty soon he won't be able to stay up on his own two feet!
Kagome looked at Shippo and saw the same faint orange aura, except by now the fox demon was already asleep on her shoulder. Kagome tried to pull her wrist free from the creature, but it wouldn't let go. I will not let you take over my friends trying to get through to me. You want me? Come and get me! She thought towards Kiari. Kagome was getting angrier and angrier by the minute. This was what she had been fearing, but with the woman standing no more than four feet in front of her, she wasn't going to let this Kiari succeed without a fight.
The woman seemed to pick it up her thought because her confident smirk grew. "But it's so much more fun this way." She said aloud.
Gasping, Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and saw he was barely keeping his eyes open. Already they were half shut in slumber.
Glaring at Kiari, Kagome gathered up her miko powers and summoned them to her hand, like when she was in the cave with Onigumo. "It may be more fun, but you're gonna wish you left them out of it." Her growing anger made the energy rush to her hand quicker. "Because I don't take kindly to people messing with my friends."
"Oh?" Kiari seemed unfazed.
"And I really don't like it when another girl messes with my boyfriend! Take this!" Kagome released the attack and aimed it straight at the woman's stomach.
With her creatures attached to the two youkai, along with Kagome's wrist, Kiari was unable to move away in time and the attack hit her straight on. Screaming, she was thrown back a good ten feet, her creatures releasing their hold of all three.
"Eh?" Inuyasha blinked his eyes, snapping out of his daze.
"What happened?" Shippo rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"You bitch!" Kagome shouted. Throwing her hand forward, Kagome wrapped an invisible force around Kiari's neck.
The demon was obviously caught off guard and didn't know what to do as Kagome angrily raised her off the ground, still holding on to her neck.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted in surprise. Looking over at Kagome, he finally saw the tentacles coming from the woman's back as she scratched at her throat, trying to get released.
"I warned you!" Kagome shouted. With a wave of her hand, which now was clenched in a fist, she slammed the demon into the unforgiving earth.
Inuyasha pulled Tetsusaiga from its sheath and it immediately grew into the demon fang. He jumped in front of Kagome and was ready for any kind of retaliation.
"I still don't trust her." Sango said as Miroku and she returned to the village. Kirara growled when she saw what was happening and Sango gasped at the sight. Kiari was down on the ground and little farther away, Kagome wore the angriest expression the demon exterminator had ever seen her with. "Kagome-chan!" She shouted in worry.
"Kiari-san!" Miroku raced to the woman's side, her influence on him still apparent because one of her detached tentacles had traveled with him before and still had a grasp of his mind.
"Miroku, get away from her!" Shippo warned.
Sango had been so upset earlier, she hadn't noticed the woman's true form and now gasped at the side. "What is she!?"
"Doesn't matter, because I'm going to destroy her before she can make another run at Kagome!" Inuyasha pulled back and readied Kazu no Kizu.
"No!" Miroku got in the way, blocking Inuyasha's path with his body, his arms out to the sides. "Have you all gone out of your minds!? She's human! Can't you see that!?"
"Miroku…" Kagome said sadly.
Smirking, Kiari recovered off the floor and all five of her remaining tentacles wrapped around Miroku from behind.
"Miroku!" Sango shouted.
"You want him back?" Kiari asked. "Return to your own world or more than just your friend will fall to my creatures!" Then she faded from view.
"NO!" Sango shouted, running at them hoping to stop them from leaving, but it was too late. When she finally reached them, they were gone and she fell to her hands and knees in the dirt. Miroku…
"Let's go, Sango." Inuyasha said, sheathing his sword. "We can still save him."
Nodding, the taijiya got to her feet and turned to face the hanyou. Then she noticed. "Where's Kagome-chan?"
Spinning around, Inuyasha cursed and ran off towards the well. Sango grabbed hiraikotsu and quickly followed, jumping onto Kirara as she transformed besides her mistress.
Inuyasha easily caught up to her as Kagome and Shippo reached the clearing leading to the well. He jumped in front of the miko and glared at her. "Planning on taking her on by yourself?"
Kagome shouted back, "I have to hurry! It's my family that's in danger! Not yours!"
Scoffing, Inuyasha refused to budge. "You're wrong. Do you actually think after so long, I would want anything bad to happen to them?"
"Eh?"
"Would I really have helped your brother with his girl problems if I didn't care? I've practically fallen in love with your mother's steaks and your grandfather's good for a laugh now and then too."
Kagome was surprised. "Inuyasha…"
Sango came up behind Kagome and nodded. "Your mother was very kind to us when we visited. I want to help save them too."
"U-un." Kagome agreed.
Inuyasha turned around and offered her his back, which she slowly got on as Shippo jumped over with Kirara and Sango. "Let's go!"
* * *
They ran to the house, but Kagome skidded to a halt when she saw Kiari there, each of her family members, along with Miroku, wrapped up in her creatures.
"Sis!" Souta yelled.
"It seems you are too late!" Kiari laughed.
"NO!" Kagome shouted. She took the bow and arrow off her back, which she quickly retrieved from the hut before running off, and released an arrow towards Kiari.
The demon witch laughed as Miroku came out from behind her and created one of his shields that blocked Kagome's arrow and deflected to the side.
"Miroku-sama!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Miroku, what are you doing!?" Sango shouted, dismounting Kirara.
Behind him, Kiari answered for him. "The power of the mind is a force to be reckoned with. Even though he is a monk, he fell to my beauty and his defenses were down. Give me the Shikon no Tama or lose your family!"
"NO!" Kagome shouted, taking a step forward, only to be stopped by Inuyasha's outstretched arm.
Inuyasha glared at Kiari and held Tetsusaiga ready on his shoulder. "Don't listen to her, Kagome. Even if you were to give her the stone, she would still kill them." He said. Pulling his sword in front of him in two hands, Inuyasha addressed the youkai. "Isn't that right?"
"Hmmm, it seems your protector is more than just your brawn, miko." Kiari replied. "He has brains too." Looking at the hanyou with a growing smile, she continued, "My master wishes for the stone. What happens to you afterwards is entirely up to me."
"Well, I hope you have a plan B cause you ain't getting the stone by threatening innocent humans. If you're so powerful, leave them out of it and take me on."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Oh? And if I win?" Kiari seemed intrigued.
"You win and there won't be anyone to stop you from getting to Kagome will there?"
"But if you win, there won't be much reward will there?"
Smirking, Inuyasha widened his stance. "I get the satisfaction of kicking your ass and pissing off your boss, sounds fair to me."
"Indeed. You have a deal, half-breed." Kiari said. Her creatures detached from her body and wrapped themselves entirely around Kagome's mother, little brother, and grandfather. Then the one around Miroku tightened its grasp and brought the monk to his knees.
Slowly they rose into the air and floated off to the side, where they were kept protectively behind the female youkai. "If you can get through me, the family lives. But I assure you, that will not be an easy task!" The woman rose into the air and dove towards Inuyasha.
"Yeah? Well I ain't a pushover either!" He shouted in retaliation and he jumped towards her. I'm gonna let this bitch have it and when I'm done, I'm going to do the same to the one that sent her. Nobody messes with my friends and lives.
Author's Notes: Well, this is my first cliffhanger in a while. Is it getting good? I hope so. Keeping watching for updates! And as for my website, it's:
