A/N: I got a review on chapter seven, which is cool, but I'm hoping for a bigger response from this chapter. I hope you all like it...I can't run a spelling or grammar check on notepad, so sorry about that in advance....but it goes without saying....please review!
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Manipulation
Chapter Eight
Kagome had heard Inuyasha's instructions, and rather than shoot one arrow, she sent several. Unfortunately, although her arrows hit their mark, she found that Naraku did not die. "Inuyasha....why didn't it work?" she yelped.
"I don't know! Try again!" he gasped, narrowly avoiding yet another tentacle.
Kagome aimed, shot, and watched her arrow soar towards the bright jewel fragment she could clearly see inside Naraku's body. The arrow was heading straight for its mark. She crossed her fingers. "Come on..." she whispered. The arrow hit its mark, cutting straight through Naraku and hitting the castle wall behind him. Kagome jumped in joy, until she realized that Naraku was still not dead, and shockingly enough, was actually laughing at them.
"Uh...Inuyasha...that can't be good..." she whispered.
"You're right. I don't think it is...." he replied.
Miroku smiled. "I think I know a way to get rid of him, but we'd have to get the jewel out of his body first..." he informed everyone.
"How?" asked Sango with interest.
"I'll tell you once we have our hands on the rest of the jewel, okay?" he promised.
"Miroku...what are you going to do? It's nothing crazy, is it?" Kagome worried. "Please don't do anything crazy...."
"It's not crazy, but I think it's the only way..." he assured them.
Kagome sighed and nodded. "Okay, next question: How do we get our hands on the rest of the jewel? It's inside his body, right? How are we supposed to get it when it's in there?"
"We distract him," yelped Sesshoumaru, dodging one tentacle and slicing another that was heading towards Sango. "And then we attack.I'll be the distraction...."
Kagome stepped forward. "Wait, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha turned, glancing questioningly at Kagome and then at his brother. Kagome continued. "What are you going to do?" she asked in a worried tone of voice.
"Inuyasha, get out of the way," Sesshoumaru ordered.
"What? No! I won't get out of your way! Naraku is mine!" he protested.
"Get out of his way, Inuyasha." whispered Kagome.
Naraku laughed. "Lord Sesshoumaru....since when have you been inclined to protect that half-breed brother of yours?" he chuckled. "Even if you try, nothing can save you now. You will die, and then he will die shortly after...."
"Who said I was protecting him?" sneered Sesshoumaru. "I have a business proposition for you. You absorb me...then you have one less opponent to worry about, and more power that you can use to beat my brother...."
Inuyasha's jaw dropped. "You son-of-a-!" he growled.
Surprisingly, Naraku smiled at Sesshoumaru, nodding his head with pleasure. "Sounds like a good idea to me...why so willing?" he asked, as if he was going to be suspicious of Sesshoumaru's intentions. When Sesshoumaru only smiled, Naraku seemed to take this as a plausible answer, and one of his tentacles shot out at Sesshoumaru. Naraku seemed to be directing all his attention to absorbing Sesshoumaru, just as he had earlier directed all his attention to the illusion he created for Inuyasha and Kagome earlier that day.
Kagome nodded. "I see...." God...Naraku is such an idiot!
"Why is he just letting him do that?" Inuyasha gasped in horror.
"Because he wants you to attack Naraku while he's busy. Lady Kagome, show Inuyasha where the jewel fragment is located, and then send out one of your arrows as he attacks. Inuyasha should be able to cut out the jewel, and if one of your purifying arrows were to go by at the right moment...I'm almost sure it would purify the shard...."
"Yes, but we can't let Sesshoumaru be absorbed by Naraku...." she frowned.
"I'm not going to let that idiot be absorbed by anybody. He's the only family I have left....even if I do want to kill him....."
"After you've released the jewel and Sesshoumaru, I will carry out my part of the plan." Miroku whispered.
"I'd still like to know what your part of the plan is," sighed Sango. "What are you planning, monk? You're making me really nervous...."
He shrugged. "Don't worry about me," he smiled. "Soon, everything is going to be all right...."
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"Kohaku!" Kagura called through the halls. Shippo clung tightly to her kimono, fully expecting to be attacked by Naraku at any moment. "Kohaku! Where are you, boy? You have nothing to worry about!" she yelled.
Finally, Kagura found Kohaku. He was crouched in the corner of one of the back rooms of the castle, rocking back and forth and looking worriedly at the small cracks in the wall that let in the only light in the room. He stood in fright when he saw Kagura enter the room. She smiled at him, and dropped to her knees. "It's all right," she nodded. "Everything will be fine. Your sister is outside. Naraku will lose this fight...."
Kohkau whimpered. "Sango...." He fell back to the floor and began to cry. "I didn't want to hurt anyone...." he sobbed.
"Calm down!" frowned Kagura. "You didn't mean to...your sister knows that....you're going to be free soon. Naraku can't make you do anything ever again. Don't you see?" she wrapped the small boy in a hug. "Everything will be fine. I have found my freedom, and soon, you shall have yours. Come on...we have to leave the castle...." she coaxed him, and slowly, he stood back up.
Both Kagura and Shippo smiled at him. "Thank you...." he whispered.
"Let's get out of here first. You can thank us later...." Shippo smirked.
He nodded. "Where is...my sister?" he asked quietly.
"She's beating the tar out of Naraku," Kagura laughed. "Now let's get going!"
Soon, they found the exit, and stepped outside. Despite the early time of day it was, the sky was ominously black, and full of large dark clouds. Kagura pulled the small feather from her hair, and it grew in front of their eyes. "Hop on," she smiled. The three of them sat on the feather, and it began to float away. Kagura took it high over the castle, where, below them, something very interesting was happening. "What the hell? Where's Sesshoumaru?" she wondered out loud. Of all the people fighting, Kagura could see that Sesshoumaru was no longer among them as he had been when she had left him. "What happened?"
"I don't know...." Shippo whispered. "His scent is still in the air. He's down there somewhere."
"He was when I left..." Kagura nodded.
"He still is....." Shippo repeated. "We just can't see him, for some reason...."
Kagura studied the battle for a moment. "What is...that?" she pointed questioningly. "Oh, god...he's trying to absorb him!" she realized. "He's going to absorb Sesshoumaru...." Kagura paled.
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Inuyasha lunged at Naraku with his sword drawn, slicing at the spot that Kagome had pointed out to him. He watched the jewel fall to the ground, and Narkau's eyes grew wide. Kagome's arrow soared past the jewel, but did not hit it. The jewel went from a nearly blood red color to its normal color. She smiled. Inuyasha smirked at Naraku, quickly snatching the jewel fragment and tossing it to Sango behind him. Almost immediately after this was done, the tentacle holding Sesshoumaru began to glow green, and quickly melted. Sesshoumaru emerged unharmed.
"Not nearly as strong without that big jewel fragment, are you?" he smirked. "You see, that's what we thought..."
Naraku smiled, despite his shock at having lost the jewel moments before. "I still have the upper hand. Even you are still aware of that...." he laughed.
"Yeah, we are...." nodded Miroku. He gulped. Hordes of Naraku's poisonous insects were surrounding him now, trying to protect him. He frowned, and finished his sentence, "which is why...I've made my own decision...." he pulled at the prayer beads wrapped around his kazaana.
Sango screamed in horror. "Miroku, no! What the hell are you doing?" she cried.
"Stay back!" he warned, pulling the cloth barrier off his hand. "I don't want you to get sucked in, too!"
Inuyasha stared in terror at his friend. All of Naraku's poisonous insects were disappearing into the black hole that was Miroku's hand. His friend was beginning to lose his footing, and was starting to look paler than Inuyasha had ever seen him. He screamed, desperately trying to hold on to his hand.
"Miroku..." Kagome choked. The last of Naraku's poisonous insects had disappeared into his wind tunnel, and Naraku himself was slowly beginning to slide toward the black hole. "Miroku...you idiot!" she screamed, letting herself cry.
"I can't...hold it much longer...." Miroku groaned. "Inuyasha!" Inuyasha turned, and Miroku smiled at him. "Hold me steady, my friend...." he whispered.
Inuyasha, his face almost expressionless, nodded to his friend's request, and braced himself behind the stubborn monk.
"Miroku!" Sango screamed. She was standing directly behind him. "Miroku, if you don't die, I'll kill you myself!" she yelled between sobs. Finally, Naraku was sucked into the hole, which had grown almost to the point of sucking him in. He fell backwards with a great amount of force, knocking Inuyasha into the group of people behind him. He laid on the ground, unconscious.
Sango screamed. "Kagome! Kagome! Please...tell me you have your medicine...."
"There were so many...." Kagome frowned. "I don't know if it will work...."
"Try it!" Sango ordered.
Kagome nodded, and opened the anidote. Sango sat Miroku up on her knee, proping his mouth open, and tilting his head back. Kagome gulped. "I'll give it all to him...and we'll have to hope for the best..."
Sango nodded, tilting Miroku's head back so he could swallow the liquid Kagome was pouring down his throat. She looked at his hand with great interest.
"What is it?" asked Inuyasha.
"The kazaana...." Sesshoumaru answered. "Notice none of us are dead yet..."
Sango gulped, and grabbed hold of Miroku's hand. Slowly turning it over, she smiled. "It's nothing more than an outline..." she smiled. "This must mean that Naraku is finally dead...." She paused. "He did it. He ended his curse..." Her eyes began to tear up.
There was a cough. "Pretty cool, wasn't it?" It was Miroku.
Sango screamed. "Oh, god! We thought you were dead! You took in all those insects! How did you...?" Sango began, but her expression quickly hardened. "You stupid moron! You almost died! I can't believe you did that! I could strangle you!"
Miroku looked flushed. "Please don't....I don't feel well...."
Kagome wasn't listening to much of anything. Inuyasha had handed her the jewel fragment. She added to it her pieces, and gasped. There was only a small sliver of the jewel missing...and she knew exactly who had the last piece. She looked up. Kagura and Kohaku were perched on Kagura's feather, which was coming closer and closer to the ground. Finally, they landed, and Kohaku stepped forward.
He pulled at the shard on his shoulder, and to his surprise, the shard came out easily. He smiled and handed the final shard of the jewel over to Kagome. "Thank you for everything...." he smiled. "All of you...."
Kagome placed the final piece of the jewel, and it glowed with a radiance that she had never seen before. Inuyasha placed a hand on her shoulder. "We did it. The jewel is whole...."
"Yeah..." smiled Kagome. But what is going to happen now?
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A/N: BWA HA HA! I know you all hate me right now, but I had to stop here. No, this is not the end, and yes, I do plan on continuing it. It's not going to drag on forever, but there is at least two more chapters, which I hope to have up soon! Please review! If you review, I will be in good spirits, and the better my mood, the quicker I update....(hint hint)