"Master will see you now," Kanna said, so quietly that Kikyo had to strain to hear. The young incarnation turned around, her sandals tapping against the wood of the floor.
"I must escape from this place," Kikyo said when Kanna had gone. "I did not come this far to have myself imprisoned. I shall destroy Naraku, and take back his shards of the Shikon no Tama." Then, with slight shame in her heart, Kikyo began to cry. She sank back against the wall of the gloomy, dark room and let the tears overpower her for a brief moment.
"You pitiful priestess," a voice from the doorway said. Kikyo wiped her tears quickly with her sleeve, for Naraku stood there, rubbing his back where the spider-shaped scar was.
"Damn," he whispered. "The scar does not ache, but it is not merciful, either. It blocks my true power." Kikyo stood immediately, feeling around for a weapon on the old armor that hung on the dusty walls.
Naraku stood and laughed wickedly, entertained by Kikyo's acts of heroism. "Hmm...Kikyo, you have not changed." Kikyo still felt around, her angry eyes sharp on Naraku.
Finally, Kikyo picked an arrow from the old helmet on the wall. However, there was no bow to back it up with. She was truly in danger, should Naraku ever attack.
Just as Kikyo predicted, Naraku lunged at her. His long, claw-like fingernails scratched her skin as he grabbed her by the throat. Kikyo would have been surprised by Naraku's strength if he was not currently choking her.
Only with the hand that he grasped her with, Naraku lifted the young priestess into the air for a few inches, just enough to look her in the eye. Kikyo could see the malice in his eye, and could smell the stench of evil on his breath.
"How dare you think that you, Kikyo, can ambush and defeat the great Naraku." And with that, Naraku threw her across the room, smiling as her body landed on a table with a sickening thud. Kikyo sat up painfully, trying her hardest to prop herself up on her aching elbow.
Naraku walked forward slowly. Kikyo shut her eyes, trying to hide the image of his tall, slim figure as he walked over to her in his invisible cloud of callousness. Instead, she tried to picture her old life, walking by the lake and picking flowers with her younger sister, Kaede.
When Kikyo opened her eyes, she let out a small cry of surprise, and then pain. Naraku was standing right on top of her right hand, which was lying by her body a little ways to the side. His shiny, black boot stepped on the cartilage underneath her knuckle, and Kikyo felt all the blood in her hand go rushing directly to her head in absent, quick pain, which she could not feel any longer. "You are my property now, Kikyo. You will never leave the castle again, you foolish wench." Kikyo seemed to lose the ability to cry out, and was so lost in the disappearing pain that she almost forgot to breathe.
Kikyo saw a blinding, red sheet of light fold over Naraku's figure. Kikyo saw Naraku sway in and out of her vision, as though the red light was pushing him away from her. In her head, she cheered the red light on, as though it was her defense, but the light grew weaker, yet it grew ever brighter.
A soft, gentle ringing sounded in Kikyo's ears. The searing light nearly burned her eyes, and Kikyo began to hope that it would burn Naraku's as well. The ringing grew louder, and slowly began to pound faster onto her eardrums.
Then, Naraku began to disperse into a million bubbles. The bubbles slowly started to pop one by one in Kikyo's head. A small smile formed on her lips, and Kikyo could no longer feel the cold sweat that lingered on the back of her clammy neck. Then, while Kikyo still had feeling in her hands, she reached out to the bubbles, but could never reach them. Kikyo felt like a child, entertained by the bubbles. She would not stop until she popped one...she must.
Naraku removed his foot from her hand, and watched Kikyo lose herself to her head. The bubbles turned to stars, and glimmered in blue, red, and yellow lights that floated around gently in her mind. Kikyo's body felt heavy, and she could no longer feel her legs, arms, or chest move as she breathed. In fact, Kikyo was not even sure she was breathing. All that mattered was that the stars still danced, freeing Kikyo from the indescribable fear and pain that still lurked in her somewhat lifeless heart.
The ringing grew to a screech, as though a crow had tapped into her head and was making Kikyo's head its own territory. The screeching grew louder, and the bubbles and stars mixed together, forming an army with the red light. It seemed as though all three tried to repel Naraku from her, as though every strength Kikyo ever owned was being released from her.
Slowly, the bubbles and stars weakened. The screeching turned to wailing, and Kikyo lost all hope whatsoever. The red light turned to gold, and everything in the world seemed to stop. Kikyo was lost in a quiet, golden world of nothingness. Then, the bubbles and stars returned, and combined together to make a pink cloud that looked like shimmering snow.
Kikyo smiled at the pink glitter, for it reminded her of happy times. Then, Kikyo fell into a deep sleep, one so deep that she thought she would never awaken again.