DEPTHS OF THE DAMNED
...Fight For Freedom...
Disclaimer: Don't own them, never will.
A/N: I'd like to especially thank Demon-Slayer13 for helping me with this chapter, since I had writer's block. Thank you! And thank you, my faithful reviewers! I'm really grateful for you people!!
Sango stared sadly at Kagome, who was still linked to the cave wall. She was shaking her head and mumbling constantly.
"No...Sango-chan... No, you don't have to do this...please...I don't want you ending up hurt...again..." Kagome mumbled softly as she gazed up into her best friend's eyes. Sango glared at Naraku.
"Kagome, I have to do this! I am choosing to fight him—for your freedom. Trust me on this one, Kagome-chan. Please...trust me..." Sango growled. Kagome finally nodded solemnly and closed her eyes and prayed for the best.
Sango turned to Naraku, picked up Hiraikotsu, and pulled it over her shoulder. As she turned around to walk away, she stepped on some cloth material. She glanced down and saw a black cat suit (demon slayer suit) and picked it up. It had a gas mask and gas bombs with it, and on the collar of the sleeves, a hidden blade. The chestnut-haired girl smirked and stepped into the shadows to put it on. This suit would come in handy...
InuYasha took the sheathed sword and Miroku took the ofudas/sutras and the staff. As InuYasha was looking at his new sword, he felt something poking him on his leg. He rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Stop it, Miroku. I know you like to touch people, but seriously. Quit it."
Miroku stared and his jaw twitched.
"InuYasha, I'm not touching anyone. Plus, that was a rude comment."
"Who's doing it then?"
"Search me." Miroku glanced down and stared. "InuYasha, I think I found your answer... Look down at your leg."
InuYasha frowned and looked down. Standing by his leg was a child kitsune who came up to the hanyou's knee. The kitsune had bright orange hair and blue eyes and was wearing a furry brown vest, a light blue shirt, and dark blue pants that puffed out. He cowered under InuYasha's gaze and hid behind Miroku.
"P-p-please, d-d-don't h-h-hurt m-m-me!" he whimpered.
"And just who are you anyway?" InuYasha scowled.
"I'm Shippou," the kitsune replied as he continued to sink behind Miroku even more.
"What are you doing down here? You're not Naraku's slave or something, are you?" Shippou nodded fearfully.
"Yes, Naraku made me his servant! He said that I didn't want him to be my foe and that he would kill me if I didn't become his slave! Believe me, I don't wanna be his slave!!" Shippou fell on his knees and stared into InuYasha's blank expression. The hanyou bent over and lifted the kitsune up by his big fluffy tail. "Hey! Let me go!"
"Let him go, InuYasha." Kagome said from across the room. InuYasha scowled and dropped Shippou, who transformed into a pink balloon-like creature and floated around the white-haired boy's head, snickering. InuYasha flicked a talon into Shippou and the kitsune turned back to normal.
"I don't have all day, you know." Naraku sighed as he crossed his arms. He was wearing a white baboon pelt and was walking over to Sango. He lifted a hand and tilted Sango's head upwards.
"Don't touch her!" Miroku hissed and swung at Naraku with the staff, while Kirara jumped and pounced on him, but missed; Naraku snapped his fingers and Kirara went flying towards the wall and transformed back into her normal state. Sango cried and ran over to her cat and cradled her in her arms. Naraku smirked.
"Protective of her, aren't you?"
"SHUT UP!"
Naraku leaned in closer to Sango and her eyes widened. She flicked her wrist and the hidden blade popped out. Sango slashed at Naraku across the cheek while he trailed a finger on the cut; his finger was stained red. He lunged at her and Sango leapt backwards and forced Hiraikotsu in front of her.
InuYasha and Miroku jumped in battle to help. The fight for Kagome's freedom from Naraku began. InuYasha flew high in the air and raised his sword, the Testsusaiga, up above his head and brought hit down, and missed. Naraku backed away and tentacles flew out from underneath his pelt and wrapped themselves around InuYasha, squeezing him. Sango saw InuYasha and threw Hiraikotsu, which sliced through the tentacles, and InuYasha fell to the ground on his feet; Sango caught Hiraikotsu and jumped at Naraku, slashing at him constantly.
"You can't beat me—no one can beat me!" Naraku boasted.
"Shut up and we'll prove you wrong," Sango hissed at him.
Meanwhile, InuYasha was trying to get Shippou help to fight...
"Get out there, you stupid little kitsune or I'll have to make you get out there!"
"No! I don't wanna—don't make me—nooooooo! Leggo of my leg! InuYasha!" InuYasha had picked Shippou up in the air by his tail and the kitsune was flailing around and finally transformed into his pink balloon state again. Shippou floated around and Miroku pushed him away from his head, sending him to hit Naraku on the head. For a moment, Naraku was distracted and Sango took advantage of it and swung Hiraikotsu at him. His left arm fell and the chestnut-haired girl expected he would grow tentacles to form an arm there, but nothing happened.
"Watch out, Sango!" Miroku yelled as he come running towards her and struck Naraku in the chest with the staff. He threw sutras/ofudas onto him and Naraku still howled in pain from Sango's hit and Miroku's staff hitting him in the chest.
InuYasha had been in the background, practicing attacks on his sword, and found one very useful.
"Now it's my turn..." InuYasha mumbled and came running behind Naraku. "Where the wind collides, there's an opening...I see it! WIND SCAR!"
Naraku slowly turned around to see a humongous blast of energy come rushing towards him. He had no time to react and was swallowed up by the attack. The room flashed white and nobody could see for a moment. The light then subsided and a very large crater was formed around where Naraku lay crumpled. He was hurt very badly and would not be able to fight anymore.
"Your promise, Naraku." Miroku growled as he prodded the demon with his foot. "Let Kagome go free. You don't possess her anymore, Kojigoku,"
Naraku growled and tried to stand up, but couldn't and found that his legs were broken. He sat back down and glared at everyone else and said nothing. InuYasha was getting tired.
"Just let her go, dammit! It's not that hard!" Naraku flashed a cold stare in the hanyou's direction and snapped his fingers. The chains holding Kagome to the wall snapped in half and she was free! Kagome ran up to Sango and embraced her. Sango held her like that for a long time and Kagome kept on crying, "Free...I'm free! Wow...freedom..." Sango smiled at Kagome and whispered, "Yes, Kagome, freedom at last..."
"You're just a bitch, you know that?" Naraku growled at Kagome. She stared at him hard and released herself from Sango's grasp and walked straight up to him and stomped on his face.
"Sorry, what was that? I didn't catch what you said...wanna repeat yourself? No? You don't want to? Oh, poor baby...afraid big, mean, old Kagome is gonna beat him up! Yeah, well, I got news for you pal. You ain't possessin' nobody these days—ever again!" Kagome grinned and 'accidentally' kicked him again.
"Kagome..." Kagome looked over and saw her dear hanyou's face. She grinned and ran up to him and jumped into his arms. "Finally, you're free. I have you all to myself." He mumbled in her ear as he noticed Miroku trying to eavesdrop.
"Say, Sango, why don't you ever jump into my arms like that? It could be fun, you know..." he flashed her a playful grin.
"Well, maybe because you're a pervert and I can't trust where your hands are plotting to go next?" She walked over to him and gave him a quick peck on the forehead and whispered in his ear, "But you're my little perv..." Miroku smiled broadly. "Just don't tell anyone I said that..." she added dryly.
"So...what should we do with this guy?" Kagome asked. "Personally, I was thinking we could take him to 'the fluffy room'..." she grinned at Sango—carrying Kirara on her shoulder—who, like everyone else, had a questioning face.
"Well, I call the mental asylum the fluffy room..." she laughed into Sango's ear, and Sango, too, burst out laughing.
"Sounds good to me!" InuYasha said and he glanced over at Naraku, still moaning in pain and was touching his face tenderly.
"By node...I dink you boke by node! (My nose...I think you broke my nose!)" He howled.
"Shut up." InuYasha hissed as he picked up Naraku's legs—the demon howled in even more pain—and dragged him back to the entrance where they had come from. Miroku looked back as he heard Shippou shouting for them to wait for him. The kitsune scurried over to Miroku and hopped on his shoulder.
Kagome sighed and rubbed Shippou's head as she rested her legs on the coffee table in Miroku's house and Sango glanced over at her and laughed as she stroked Kirara's head.
"Feels good to be free from that jerk, doesn't it, Kagome-chan?"
"Definitely!" Kagome agreed and she leaned her head on InuYasha's shoulder
"I wonder how the fluffy room suits him..." Sango wondered aloud and looked at Miroku, who was grinning at the thought.
"Some time, we should check up on that old friend of ours." Kagome grinned evilly.
"School should be starting pretty soon, and everyone's gonna be so surprised to see you back in school!" Sango reminded. Kagome stared at Sango.
"Why? What did everyone say? Sango-chan..."
"Um..."
"Sango..."
"Okay, okay! Well, they said, uh... 'I heard that that Higurashi chick went crazy and had to go to rehab. I mean, did you see the way how she'd stand up in the middle of class while sensei was teaching, and yell out some guy's name how she'd never forgive him? Some weird name, like InuYasha. I think his parents must've been dropped on their heads to name him that.'"
InuYasha cracked his knuckles, and growled, "Some weird name, huh? Well, I'm gonna teach them a lesson!"
Kagome said nothing and flopped her head back against the couch.
"Well, I don't care; it's nothing to get all worked up about, now is it?" she finally replied.
"You're right, Kagome, it isn't something to worry about." Sango smiled.
Suddenly the doorbell rang. Everyone looked at each other and Sango shrugged and got up to answer it. InuYasha sank in his chair, hoping it wouldn't be Kikyou. Sango opened the door and a blur of orange jumped into her arms.
"Ayame-chan! Oh, my gosh! How are you? It's been forever since I last saw you! I—oh, this is Kagome, I've told you about her before." Sango chirped happily and pulled Ayame over to Kagome, when behind Ayame, another girl stepped inside the house. "Kikyou? Oh, hi! Err, what a surprise! It's been, err, a while since we, uh, saw each other! Uh, where've you been?" Sango fidgeted nervously on the fact that Kikyou and Kagome were rivals for InuYasha's affections.
Kagome saw Kikyou and sunk lower in her seat next to InuYasha, who was lowering himself as well. Luckily, Kikyou didn't 'notice' them. Ayame sat next to Kagome and introduced herself.
"Hi, I'm Ayame, Sango's friend. Hee. So...you're Kagome, huh? Cool, I've been dying to meet you, ya know? Yeah... Oh, and who's your little friend?" Ayame bent down and scooped up Shippou in her arms. "Oh, you're so adorable! I could just squeeze you to death!"
"AAH! No—please—don't squeeze me!" Shippou whined and leapt on Miroku's shoulders.
"So...Kikyou..." Kagome began with an icy tone. The two girls glared at each other.
"Higurashi...I finally get to see you... InuYasha..." Kikyou nodded at him; InuYasha frowned at Kikyou and put on a fake smile and nervously laughed.
"Uhh...we'll be over...there!" Sango said nervously and she, Miroku, Ayame, Shippou, and Kirara, all ran from the room—anime style—as Kagome and Kikyou began a cat fight.
"InuYasha is mine! I had him first, not you!" The group heard Kagome screech.
"Well, I had him, too!" Kikyou growled.
InuYasha watched the argument warily, he didn't want Kikyou getting hurt but he loved Kagome.
"COME ON KIKYOU! HE'S MINE! I..." Kagome had just about let slip that she had been possessed, but swallowed and said, "I lost him once and I'm not going to lose him again!"
"Well, he should have been mine in the first place!" Kikyou screamed.
InuYasha was wondering if he should stop this before it got physical. He then thought of how much he had missed Kagome when she was gone, and he wanted Kikyou to be happy, but Kagome was the most important thing right now. He sighed and stood up. Walking over to the tug-of-war between him, he quickly shouted over the girls' screeching.
"LISTEN TO ME! NOW, SHUT UP, THE BOTH OF YOU!"
Immediately, the two girls' comments ended, but Kagome had a question. "InuYasha, it's up to you now. So...who do you choose?"InuYasha had feared that question it was up to him, he had an answer but it would break Kikyou's heart. He took a deep breath.
"I hate to say this, Kikyou, but I love Kagome. I know this may be hard for you to accept it, I always have and I always will,"
Everyone anxiously paused, waiting for Kikyou's response.
Instead, she huffed and crossed her shoulders, daring to not look the hanyou in the eye. She made a low rumbling in her throat to show she was very upset and she began to speak in a hoarse voice.
"Fine, then...if that's what you want...I can't make you change your mind, although, if you did choose me, you would've been very happy..." she sighed. "But...you didn't, so...goodbye, InuYasha," Kikyou then walked over to Ayame and said goodbye sorrowfully and then headed toward Sango and threw her arms around her friend. "Goodbye to you, too, Sango, I'm moving out of town anyway with my parents. I don't think we'll be able to see each other again. I'm sorry..." She let go of Sango slowly and turned to face the door, her back to everyone. Kagome stuck her tongue out. Kikyou turned the doorknob, stepped outside Miroku's house, and the door closed shut behind her. Kikyou was gone...gone forever.
And Sango, nor Ayame, would ever see their friend again.
"Well, that's that." Ayame sighed painfully. "So, who's up for a movie?" Everyone stared at her and she blushed embarrassedly.
"I'm glad she's gone..." Kagome admitted softly. She then turned to InuYasha and gazed up at him. "Did you truly had some feelings for her, InuYasha?"
InuYasha didn't respond.
"I-InuYasha...?"
"...Yes, actually, I did...it was while you weren't at school. I-I'm sorry, Kagome..." InuYasha finally answered.
"Well, as long as you promise to stay by my side, it's okay." Kagome said and tweaked his ears.
"I promise, Kagome," InuYasha mumbled as he pulled her into his arms. She rested her hands on his torso and let her head lean against his. Sango stared intently at them and saw Ayame blushing as she turned away. Miroku pulled Sango closer to him and motioned for Ayame that they should go into a different room. Ayame nodded and followed the couple.
Miroku closed his bedroom door and Sango and Ayame sat down on his bed and he sat on his swindly chair.
"Ay-Ayame-chan...how's...things...between you and Kouga-kun?" Sango asked. Ayame stared at her and burst into a grin.
"GREAT! He promised that he would come pick me up at my house tomorrow and take me somewhere secluded..." Her grin continued to widen and Sango stifled a laugh. She had a sort of idea where Ayame meant 'secluded', but chose to say nothing, mostly for not encouraging Miroku to speak of that certain topic...
"Hey, I think we can go back in the living room now...they stopped being so mushy." Miroku said as he poked his head around the corner in the hallway. Sango and Ayame stood up and walked after him and entered the living room. They were watching television as they sat on the carpeted floor.
A slim shady figure wearing a white cloak stepped into the room and the metal door slammed shut. The walls were covered in soft, cushiony material, and there was another shady figure sitting in a dark corner. The cloaked figure pulled off her white cloak to reveal her face. It was Kikyou. She smirked as she saw Naraku in his straight jacket, and he was glaring at her moodily.
"Naraku, I see you've grown accustomed to your room?" she mocked. Naraku growled and made sure not to catch her eye. He hadn't forgotten that she had beaten him that one day in the school cafeteria. Kikyou was sitting with Sango and Ayame and he had come over, teasing Sango about Kagome, and Kikyou easily knocked him to the floor. "You haven't forgotten that I knocked you to the floor that day...at school. You still remember...don't you?" Kikyou said in a soft voice and sat down in a corner opposite from Naraku. He growled again and said nothing. "Well, I really should be going now. And...oh, wait, what's this? You can't leave, but I can! Oh, it's so good to be free. Anyways, ciao..." Kikyou grinned and slammed the metal door shut behind her.
Naraku looked up and saw she had left. He kicked the wall, and, losing his balance, fell flat on his face. He struggled to get up, but since his hands were secured behind his back, it was difficult. The demon just decided to lay there until he fell asleep. Through the window in the metal door, Kikyou stared through and laughed, then left the building of the asylum.
Kikyou pulled her cloak closer to her, being a cold, windy day, and hurried along the sidewalk. She stopped at an intersection, waiting for the stop light to turn red. Finally, it changed, and she stuffed her hands into her pockets as she ran across the street. Blinding lights suddenly came into view and Kikyou stopped where she was. She couldn't see and she didn't know if she was standing in the road, or safely on the other side. The lights came closer and closer and a truck horn blared. Kikyou screamed as the lights came right on top of her.
"Hey, you guys, get a load of this. Some truck driver hit some woman, I don't know if she's alright or not, though. I kinda hope she is..." Kagome shouted to Sango, Ayame, and Miroku, who were all in the kitchen. They poked their heads out and settled themselves next to Kagome and InuYasha.
"We're live here today in the middle of Tokyo, where a truck driver hit an unsuspecting woman. We're not exactly sure if she's fine, but hopefully, she will make it... I'm Miya Tamaguchi with Tokyo Live." The news reporter said on the television.
"Wait, don't change it yet, InuYasha! I want to find out if she's alright or not!" Kagome complained and grabbed the remote from stubborn InuYasha.
The television showed a couple of men carrying the injured woman on a stretcher and the camera zoomed up, only to show Kikyou's pale face, which now had many bruises and large cuts. She opened her eyes and moaned softly, "InuYasha...if you're...watching this...I'm sorry for everything...and...I...love you..." Everyone stared from the TV screen to InuYasha, who was turning white and his golden eyes were brimming with tears. Kagome stared in shock as InuYasha muttered something incoherent.
"Kikyou...no...Kikyou, I'm so sorry..." he whispered and clutched his chest, which was knotting in pain. He stood up abruptly and said he was going somewhere. Miroku knew 'somewhere' meant that InuYasha was going to find Kikyou. Even though Kagome hated Kikyou with everything she had, deep inside her, she felt truly sorry for Kikyou. But she wouldn't be too happy with the idea of InuYasha comforting Kikyou, if she found out.
Sango and Ayame held each other and tears were spilling from their eyes. Their friend, their dear friend, Kikyou, was hurt, probably close to death, and here they were, sitting here and watching TV. They, too, got up and announced they were leaving 'somewhere'. They left Miroku with Kagome, and Shippou and Kilala. Kagome said nothing and Miroku watched the door shut close behind his girlfriend and her friend.
Was Kikyou going to make it...?
Is Kikyou going to make it? I'm not sure myself, her being one of my favorite characters. Anyways, here is a shout-out to Demon-Slayer13 for helping me with part of this chapter. Thank you so much!
