"…" – speech
'…' – thoughts
--- - change in scenery or time
-- Previously, on The Sealed Garden:
{He pointed through the doorway and they found all three entrances thrown open. There were the definite signs of a hurried entry, although it hadn't been forced.
He sniffed the air again and his eyes narrowed.
An ugly expression stole across his face and his fist tightened.
"I smell Kagura."}
x-x
Chapter FOURTEEN:
Naraku, Revealed
x-x
Before the other two could respond, Inuyasha was gone, racing through the northern door to the central chamber. Shooting anxious glances at each other, the two humans hurried forwards to join him and found the hanyou standing stock still in the middle of the room.
They glanced around.
"Shit…" Miroku sucked in a breath at the sight of the room. "What happened here?"
Everything was in tatters.
It seemed as though a tornado had literally swept through the entire room.
The book and scroll collection had been completely destroyed, millions of ancient writings having gone completely to waste. The shelves lay one on top of each other, some broken up so that nothing but splinters remained. Torn pages and scraps of paper lay scattered on the ground.
The weapons gallery and training area had fared no better. Whatever or whoever (and Inuyasha had a shrewd idea of who) had been here had wasted no time in destroying the place. The old blades were in horrible condition, some having been snapped cleanly in half. The bowstrings were cut and the arrows had been broken.
Sango glanced around, a chill running down her back and a morose expression on her face. "What a waste. This place… should have been so beautiful…"
"Who could have…" Miroku looked towards his friend who hadn't moved.
His eyes were slightly wide with shock and his fists were clenched so hard that his knuckles were white. He was staring straight ahead, north, into the shrine area. They couldn't quite make out the damage that had befallen the Shinto shrine and they were hesitant to try.
Slowly, his footsteps echoing in the noiseless room, the hanyou stepped forwards, eyebrows drawn in an angry frown. The humans followed behind, unsure what to do or say while the fire cat sniffed the air, red eyes narrowed in dislike.
The northern portion gradually came into view and they breathed a sigh of relief.
Nothing appeared to have happened to the shrine.
But there was a strange atmosphere about the area- a low humming pierced through the silence and there was a dark splatter on the ground just across from the line that separated the shrine floor from the rest of the house. Upon closer inspection, Inuyasha found that it was blood mixed with a strange substance.
A frown marred his face.
"What's up, Inuyasha?" Miroku didn't dare to speak louder than a whisper. "What is it?"
He stood up and fixed his friends with a stare. "It's blood and it carries Kagura's scent, but something's off. It's like her stink, but not exactly the same."
"Can't you tell if it's hers?" Sango gazed at him with a sympathetic air. "What can you get from it?"
Inuyasha shook his head. "You can't tell the sex of the person from the smell of blood- you have to taste it." An ugly expression stole across his face. "And there is no way in hell I'm tasting that."
The monk looked at him with a grave curiosity. "Well, what can you tell?"
"I don't know." The hanyou shook his head. "There's poison mixed in the blood, and that destroys a lot of the scent markings."
Sango slowly stepped across the boundary and into the shrine. "It doesn't look too bad here." The others joined her, but something was bothering Kirara. "Kirara?" She turned back to look at her.
The cat demon stayed at the edge of the marked boundary and mewed at her mistress. Something was wrong and it prevented her from crossing. In experimentation, she placed a paw delicately over the line, but a sudden angry pulse caused the fire cat to draw it back with haste.
"She can't cross because she's a demon." Inuyasha looked at the cat, which was now licking the paw. "There's some sort of holy barrier on this place, and that's probably why it wasn't broken into."
Sango looked at him with curiosity written on her face. "But how do you…?"
"Human blood." Miroku answered her. "He's half and half."
The hanyou grunted and walked around the perimeter, inspecting the place. "Everything looks okay." He glanced out, towards the southern region and shook his head. "Fucking bastards." A grimace twisted his face. "What were they doing here?"
"It depends on what they were looking for."
Inuyasha and Sango glanced at Miroku. "What do you mean?"
The monk shook his head at the damage. "I don't think somebody would just come in here and destroy all that they could. They were looking for something that was probably in this room." He bent down and looked at the dark blood splatter.
The half-demon stopped walking and inhaled a hissed breath, muttering to himself. "The scriptures. The scriptures… where are they?"
Not waiting to explain to the humans what he meant, Inuyasha rushed into the ruin of the library and tossed aside several bookshelves in search of the hole he had found so long ago.
"Shit… shit… Where…?" Before Sango and Miroku could join him, he had come out of the section, covered in dust and splinters. "They're gone."
"What are gone?" The girl raised her eyebrows. "What're you looking for?"
Miroku, however, had a clearer clue. "Those scraps of paper you found? And that journal?"
The half-demon nodded absently, eyes trained on something above the human's right shoulder. "The hell…?" Half in a trance, he walked forwards, approaching what appeared to be an empty frame on the wall of the shrine. "What the hell?"
There was a frame but nothing in it- just a black muddle of something. It was almost as if something had been melted to complete disfigurement.
The monk followed him and stopped at the wall. "Hey… wasn't this where that painting was?" He held out a hand, as if to touch the black space. "Of Kagome-sama?"
Inuyasha nodded dumbly. A clawed hand reached out a touched the mess, bringing back stained fingertips. He sniffed them gingerly.
"What is it?"
"Miasma." The answer came unbidden to the half-demon's lips. "It's the same as the stuff in the blood. Somebody melted the painting with miasma."
"What happened here?" Sango looked at what the men were staring at and frowned. "What did that used to be?"
Miroku turned around but Inuyasha continued to stare at his fingers, a dread growing in his chest. "It was a painting of Kagome-sama, but why somebody would go through the trouble of destroying the picture is beyond me…"
The hanyou shook his head as if clearing it. Miroku's voice was nothing more than background noise as an emotion he almost didn't recognise strayed into his mind…
Fear.
His hand strayed to his waist where Tetsusaiga should have been and Inuyasha froze.
"Fuck."
Drawn out of the explanation, Miroku looked at his friend and startled at the expression on his face. It looked like a mixture of shock, disbelief, anger- an entire myriad of emotions rolled into one. "What-?"
But Inuyasha seemed not to hear the man as he shook his head. "No… no… Tetsusaiga…" He glanced south and began walking, picking up speed as he went. "Kagome!"
The hanyou sprinted out of the room and through the doors, quickly leaving the couple behind. Giving a snarling mew, Kirara ran after the hanyou, fire at the tips of her paws.
"Kirara!" Wasting no time, Sango raced towards the exit, wishing that she had thought to bring her weapons. "Kirara, wait!"
Miroku had a pretty good idea of where the action was going to be and so quickly took hold of her hand, pulling the girl towards the eastern entrance, through the halls and out of the mansion, into the darkening outdoors. Quickly, the pair made their way towards the back of the yard, having no time to pause and wonder at the natural beauty. Sango had a split second to make a quick glance around before she was pulled back.
Soon, they had reached the back and the man helped his girlfriend cross the bridge and over to where Inuyasha was irritably and impatiently waiting for him. Kirara waited at his heels, the fire still burning on her feet. They paused and looked at each other, the two humans out of breath.
Sango glanced around in amazement. Although she had been told of the tall stone wall, seeing it for herself was a completely different business.
"Well?" The hanyou demanded, urgency laced in his voice. "Hurry up!"
Confused, Miroku looked at him. "Hurry what up? Why aren't you inside?"
Inuyasha closed his eyes, holding on to his frayed patience and pointed at various points on the garden wall. "Get the fucking scrolls of the damned walls!" He spread out a hand, the palm charred but quickly healing. "Your stupid barrier won't let me through."
Remembering, the monk hurried around the entrance and enlisting the help of Sango, had soon removed all of the ofuda spells. They rejoined the hanyou and demon at the front and nodded to show that everything was fine. Holding up a hand, Inuyasha made to open the door, but Miroku's voice gave him reason to pause.
"Wait-" The human shook his head. "If the scrolls are still in place, then nothing could have gotten through- nothing demon, at least."
Inuyasha stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell does it matter? We still have to get through." He shook his head and quickly pushed open the doors, hurrying through without waiting for his friends. Kirara bounded in after him and the last two soon followed them.
While the hanyou didn't stop until he had reached the centre of the clearing, the other three had stopped at the entrance. Sango and Kirara gazed around the area, appreciating the beauty and freshness of the place and Miroku carefully closed the door.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha called urgently into the silence. "Oi! Kagome!"
There wasn't a response.
He was soon joined by the others. They looked at him curiously. Miroku reached looked around and closed his eyes, trying to detect the presence of the spirit, but still, there was nothing.
The hanyou's shouts faltered. "Kagome?"
"What's all the shouting about?"
The three startled and turned around as one.
There she was.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Inuyasha rushed forwards and inspected the spirit. She appeared to be curious and slightly worried, but she was perfectly fine. An unbelievable weight lifted off of his chest at the mere sight of the girl, perfectly fine and healthy... apart from the fact that she was dead.
Kagome looked at the relieved expression on the hanyou's face and raised an eyebrow. "You took a long time coming back, you know. I got tired of waiting." She frowned. "What's wrong?"
But before the half-demon could respond, she had caught sight of the newcomer.
Her reaction startled everybody as she stumbled back with a look of surprise on her face. "Kanshou-chan?" A soft mew drew her attention away from the girl. "Kirara!" The demon was curled up at her feet, friendly eyes staring up at her.
The others stared at her in complete surprise. "How do… how do you know Kirara?" Sango drew forwards and picked up the fire cat. "And… who's Kanshou?"
Kagome passed a hand over her eyes and shook her head. "Sorry. I was… thinking about somebody else." She nodded and bowed politely. "You must be Sango. Miroku-sama… he has been… missing you." She gave the girl a look making sure she knew exactly what she meant. "Kirara was-is a friend of mine, you could say."
"And… you're Kagome… They've told me all about you." Sango shook her head, partially forgetting her manners in her shock. "I- I don't understand… how do you know…?" She was at a loss for words.
The spirit giggled and shrugged. "How old do you think Kirara is?"
The magenta-eyed girl shook her head. "I don't know… she's always been in out family…"
Smiling, Kagome nodded. "You come from the village of demon exterminators, right?"
"Right…"
"And one of your ancestors was named Kanshou." A sad smile spread across the miko's face. "She was one of the people who delivered the Shikon no Tama to my village, and she often came back to help me with my training." She sighed. "We were really good friends."
"But I still don't see…"
Kagome grinned, melancholy atmosphere gone. "She had a cat demon named Kirara. Your kitty is over five hundred years old, Sango-san."
Shocked, Sango gazed at the happily nestling Kirara in her arms. "What?"
"It was nice to meet you, Sango-san…"
She shook her head, a small smile spreading over her features. "Please, just Sango."
The spirit bowed again. "And I'm Kagome."
An impatient snort drew the girls' attention away from each other and onto a frowning half-demon. "Are you freaking done?"
"I guess." Kagome looked at him coolly. "Now what is it you wanted?"
Inuyasha held out his hand. "Katana."
"What do you say?" The spirit crossed her arms.
He scowled. "Give me my fucking Tetsusaiga."
She frowned at him. "Not until you remember your manners."
"Kagome-sama?" Miroku stepped up. "Could I please have my staff back?"
The girl grinned and retreated into the shade of the forest, soon returning with his golden staff in one hand and Tetsusaiga in the other. She handed over the jingling staff but held onto the sword, much to Inuyasha's displeasure.
"Come on, woman! Just give it over!"
She idly tossed the sword up and down, floating up higher when the hanyou tried to jump for it. "Just say 'please', Inuyasha. It's not going to kill you."
He grumbled under his breath, a pouting scowl on his face. Then, in a voice indistinguishable by human ears, he muttered something.
"What was that?"
"Please give me my fucking sword." The hanyou glared up at the pleased girl as she floated down and presented Tetsusaiga with grace. "Finally."
"That's all I needed."
Sango had watched the process with interest and amusement and grinned as Kagome looked at her. "I think we're going to get along just fine."
Satisfied that Tetsusaiga was in passable condition, Inuyasha strapped it on to his waist and faced the spirit, who was chatting animatedly with the exterminator. The two were getting along just fine and were apparently telling each other about… things he didn't want to know about, breaking into giggles here and there.
He rolled his eyes.
Typical females.
"Oi, Kagome."
She looked up and into his completely serious face and the grin vanished from hers. "Yes?"
His arms crossed, the hanyou breathed in deeply. "Did anything… happen while we were gone?" He gestured around the garden. "Anything weird? Did anybody come in?"
She shook her head. "It's been pretty quiet around here. I thought I sensed youki a few moments ago, but I guess that was just me."
Miroku nodded. "My ofuda spells purify any youki that they encounter. If I were to slap one on Inuyasha, he'd have black hair and purple eyes."
Inuyasha scowled.
Kagome looked at him in interest. "Your human form? I'd like to see that."
Her pure interest in how he would look as a human brought a strangely embarrassed feeling to the hanyou and he grunted. "Some other time… Maybe." He got back to business. "But you're sure that nothing happened? Because we found out some things from Sesshoumaru and my house was trashed."
Miroku nodded thoughtfully. "It's strange that they would leave the garden alone. After all, wouldn't this be the centre of curiosity? Why didn't they come in?"
He glanced around and suddenly stiffened as he felt a bone-chilling presence. From the alarmed looks on the others' faces and the growl coming from Kirara, they could feel it too.
Kagome placed a hand on her bow and Sango had a hand on her stomach. Inuyasha was gripping Tetsusaiga as Miroku held his staff anxiously. The flames around Kirara's ankles flared as the demon prepared to transform at any second. It seemed as though the sky itself had darkened, although that could have been due purely to the face that the sun had set.
They glanced around.
Inuyasha found the silence disturbing and far more foreboding than any other sign could have been. His nerves were stretched on end, muscles tight with tension.
It was almost like the calm before the raging storm.
"Why didn't I come in?" A bodiless voice echoed from nowhere, jolting each of the five people grouped on the ground with shock. Their eyes darted to and fro, trying to locate the source. "Because the monk's spells prevented me from doing so." It was low and oily with a sleek sort of slimy confidence. The voice seemed to be coming from all directions and at the same time, from nowhere at all. "I have to thank you for opening the way into this garden for me."
Inuyasha frowned. "Get the hell out here and face us!"
The voice seemed familiar, somehow, as if he had heard if before. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a face or name to match the voice. He looked up into the sky and found the rain clouds still hovering in the sky, but no rain fell.
"Looking for me?"
Everybody's gaze snapped forward as one to lock onto a solitary figure standing in front of the door.
Inuyasha and Miroku were taken back with surprise. "What the hell?"
Yellow eyes and short hair were the prominent features. A muscled and tattooed body also stood out.
"You're…" The monk jabbed his staff into the ground. "You're that taxi driver."
An ugly smile revealed chipped and blackened teeth. "Very perceptive, monk."
But then suddenly, his form shifted and seemed to melt into a shapeless blob. Inuyasha glanced at Kagome and found that wore a look of disgust on her face. Glancing back, he bit back a yell of surprise as another familiar face greeted him.
"Holy crap…"
Short, tousled brown hair and seemingly innocent eyes matched up with a scrawny body… of course… it was…
"Houjo-kun?!"
To his surprise, the shout hadn't come form his lips, although he had been about to say something more like 'Hono'. Looking to his right, he saw the look of complete and utter shock on Kagome's face, and indeed, it had been her who'd cried out.
"Houjo-kun… what are you…?"
The absolute confusion that seeped through Inuyasha's mind only doubled and he looked back to see that the guy's clothes had changed and that instead of modern clothes, he wore something that seemed straight out of feudal Japan. He longed to question Kagome on how she knew the wimp, but clearly, now was not the time.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
Miroku and Sango looked at their friends in mystification, not entirely understanding what was going on here.
Houjo's face twisted and his eyes held an evil gleam in them. "Right again." His shape twisted again, into a formless mass of flesh and this time, a female form emerged. "Recognise me?"
"Kagura?" Inuyasha shook his spinning head. Just what was going on? "What the hell?"
Indeed, it was the wind sorceress. Her ruby red eyes glittered maliciously and the fan fluttered in her hand. But then, for some reason, Inuyasha seemed to feel that this Kagura wasn't the same as the one he had fought. There was something wrong with her…
Miroku looked at the female demon with interest. "So that's… Kagura…"
Sango looked at her boyfriend in confusion, puzzlement, panic and fear coursing through her. What was going to happen? She couldn't get into any fights… not while she was in this condition…!
'Kagura' grinned and once again, the form contorted. Everybody held their breaths at whose familiar face would appear next and in a few seconds, a man emerged from the blob.
This one, however, was unknown to them and they merely stared at the man with a morbid curiosity. He wore expensive looking clothes with black hair streaming down his shoulders and back. The cunning look of a businessman was about him in abundance. He was moderately handsome though his looks were ruined by the evil expression on his face.
"Come now, you were doing so well… don't give up now." The voice was taunting. "Just one guess."
Suddenly, Miroku gave a start and sucked in a breath. "Kagewaki Hitomi."
A thin smile spread across the man's lips. "Very good."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha stepped forwards, half drawing Tetsusaiga. "Stop fucking playing games with us!"
He held up a finger. "Just one more round, I promise."
His body moulded into the mess that the group was quickly becoming accustomed to. In a few seconds, the blob had reshaped itself into another man who was also well dressed. His appearances were very similar to Kagewaki Hitomi, only this man's hair was pulled back and his eyes gleamed red.
"Well?" he smiled wickedly.
Inuyasha drew in a hissing breath. "Naraku!"
At this shout, everybody who had been informed of the shape-shifter were suddenly doubly on guard. Kagome, sensing her companions' absolute unrest, readied her bow.
The man laughed, a deep and sinister 'kukuku'. His eyes looked upon the ground and he smirked at their faces. "Very good. You got all the rounds right."
He took a step closer, and to the group's surprise and concern, where his feet touched, the grass shrivelled and died.
"What the hell do you want from us, you bastard?" Inuyasha still hesitated to draw Tetsusaiga, unsure what the demon would do.
The smile had disappeared from Naraku's face and he stared solidly at the hanyou. "What do I want?" his voice was soft, almost as though he were talking to himself. "What do I want?" He let out a derisive snort. "Haven't you figured it out?"
Miroku drew out a couple of scrolls from within his pockets and threw them at the demon. "You will never get the Shikon no Tama!"
Looking lazily at the approaching paper, Naraku held out a hand and the ofuda spells burst into blue flame. "I'm too powerful for your silly tricks, human." A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. "And what I want, I shall get."
"Who are you?" Kagome stepped up, an arrow notched in her bow and aimed for the demon. "Speak now or be purified. I assure you, that you won't be able to stop my arrow."
A flicker of amusement fired up in Naraku's eyes. "I would be more worried that you would hit the person standing next to me, miko." A look malevolent thoughtfulness crossed his face. "My, my. You seem no more different than the day you died, Kagome." Something strange entered his gaze. "So much like her."
Kagome frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about? How do you know my name?"
Naraku held out his arms in what could have been a sincere gesture, coming from anybody else. "Don't you recognise me? I'm sure my clothes have changed, but my face is the same… after all, I cannot age."
Lowering her bow, the miko could sense all eyes on her, but she just couldn't place the man in her mind. "What… I don't know you." She shook her head. "You saw me when I died-?"
He chuckled again and the sound struck fear into the others. "Perhaps you would recognise my former form, hmm? About five hundred years ago? When you were still alive? In the mountains… I was crippled and burned and dear Kikyou brought me to the village?" He grinned at the look of shock on her face. "Yes, I remember you didn't like me very much. Neither you nor that brat did."
Kagome stumbled back. "Onigumo…" she breathed. "But… but how…?"
The grin grew. "Oh, so you haven't forgotten. Yes, I was Onigumo, the wild thief who had stumbled across some hard times." He glanced at the people behind Kagome. "You may want to sit down. It's going to be a long story." To the speechless spirit, he continued talking. "Poor, poor Onigumo…" His voice was mocking. "He was stuck in a cave because the village people wouldn't suffer to have him in their midst."
"You were repulsive." She had found her voice again. "You leered at every woman who crossed your sight and you spat at the children."
"Ah, memories." Naraku shook his head before continuing the slow narration. "But always, there was one person who didn't seem to mind him. There was one person who seemed to care for him… raven hair, cold grey eyes… ah, the cold and beautiful priestess Kikyou."
Kagome shuddered in disgust at the look on the demon's face.
"Onigumo… the foolish human, he fell in love with her, if you would believe." He let out a laugh. "The love of a savage! Imagine, Kikyou… she cared for him and began to trust him. She began to share her stories and deepest feelings. After all, Onigumo wasn't going to live for much longer, was he? He didn't have anybody to whom to spread her secrets." His eyes glinted. "How she would lament to the paralysed man, about how she had mistreated her sister one day, or had been cold to her friend the other. It was always one thing or another.
"Onigumo… he listened to her patiently. He sympathised with her as best as he could without the use of his voice. And with each pain that had befallen his beloved Kikyou, he vowed to gain vengeance for her. One day, however, something extremely interesting came to his attention."
Naraku paused and savoured the look of horror on Kagome's face. The bow hung limply from her hand and she listened as though transfixed. Taking a glance behind her, he noted with extreme interest that, while everybody else was looking at himself, the hanyou was staring at the spirit.
He hid a devilish smile.
"One day. she came in to help him drink water, and this time, she had something to tell that she had never told anybody else. The miko, she even warned of Onigumo never to repeat her words- as if he could have. She said that she wasn't good enough to have been chosen as guardian of the Shikon no Tama. She confessed to him that she was so jealous of her friend who had been chosen, and not her. She had been so ashamed even though she hid it behind a stony face." Naraku paused again.
Kagome's eyes were wide and her breaths were coming in quickly even though she had no need for air.
"Oh, yes. Once, can you imagine, the perfect Kikyou, she…" He lowered his voice as if conveying a great secret. "She said that she even hated the girl called Kagome…"
The spirit's eyes were lowered and she was shaking. Through all those years, she had had absolutely no idea that Kikyou had felt that way…
"Oh yes. Shocking, isn't it, Kagome dear? That was why Kikyou couldn't have the jewel- she could bear grudges and was even… selfish. But there's more." Naraku grinned. "So much more. Of course, Kikyou took back that comment, but it remained in her heart and the hatred only made her all the more appealing to Onigumo. The prospect of having the Shikon no Tama was so alluring to the crippled man that he began to desire the woman and the jewel as one. Foolish human."
Kagome bent down and was now huddled over the grass eyes closed, lost in the past. Kirara mewed softly and Inuyasha's grip tightened on his katana.
He strode to stand beside the fallen spirit and he glared at Naraku. "Whatever you have to say, say it already. The quicker you finish, the quicker I can kill you."
The shape-shifter tutt-ed. "Come now, Inuyasha. I'm giving you a glance into the past… and we still have to get to best part. I'm sure you'll love it." His smirk widened into a grin at the enraged expression on the hanyou's face. "Onigumo began to plot his way to steal the jewel and the girl. He couldn't walk on his own, so what could he do? And then, he had never met this Kagome girl and only knew that she was several years younger than Kikyou although the two shared many physical aspects.
"What could her weaknesses be? Would she be even more powerful than Kikyou? Doubt entered his mind, but then the priestess gave him a piece of information that would spark his entire plan. Oh yes. You see, she had been very agitated for the entire day, because she was the sole witness to something unthinkable… something almost impossible." He paused and carelessly flicked his finger at a passing butterfly. A flash of miasma hit it and the insect melted.
A low growl started in the hanyou as anger spread through his form. He could feel his blood boiling and a curious light-headedness spread through him. He continued to grip Tetsusaiga, knowing that without direct contact with it, something corrupt would happen to him.
"Ah yes. The young guardian did have at least one weakness. Kikyou… she had no idea what she was doing as she whispered her latest secret to the burnt man. Just think… In the woods, while she was collecting herbs, Kikyou had heard talking coming in the direction of the great god tree." Naraku pointed up. "That one, in fact."
Everybody except for Kagome turned to look at the Goshinboku. The spirit meanwhile, had frozen, her eyes open in dread at what Naraku was about to say.
"And just when she reached the clearing where the tree stood, just picture her surprise when she saw her 'friend' the one who had received the jewel, the one who was to keep the jewel away from all demons… talking to one… a male wolf demons, if I remember correctly." Naraku grinned in satisfaction as the miko stiffened. "And they weren't shouting, either. They were speaking as though they had done so before… and they had. But still, Kikyou had faith in her friend. Perhaps she was just warning the demon to stay away?"
Inuyasha glanced down and found a strangely strained Kagome huddled on the ground.
She was shaking.
Naraku eyes flickered over the monk and the girl and grinned as he immediately recognised the girl's state. "But Kikyou… she was proven wrong as the demon leaned forwards… and the girl leaned forwards… their eyes closed… and you can guess what happened"
Inuyasha froze.
His blood no longer seemed to be boiling more than it had become as cold as ice. His grip slackened and a strange heaviness seemed to knock the wind out of him.
She…
She'd kissed…
Kissed!Another guy!
A hot jealousy began to boil in him before he realised what was happening.
Why was he jealous?
It wasn't as if he had any feelings for the girl!
Hell, she was a fucking spirit!
Inuyasha snapped himself out of it as he realised that Naraku had resumed his taunting.
"Then, everything became so simple for Onigumo. One day, when Kikyou was away, he called upon all the demons he could name. He summoned hundreds, perhaps even thousands of demons to take his body and make him powerful so that he could avenge Kikyou's sufferings and claim the Shikon no Tama. And demons came. They merged with his evil soul… Onigumo experienced pain beyond pain… and they emerged as one… the most powerful demon ever…" He grinned maliciously. "…Me."
Miroku and Sango looked at the demon in alarm. His eyes were closed and a sneer was on his face.
"This guy's… a madman." Miroku's voice was no higher than a whisper.
Sango nodded in agreement.
"The foolish human, he thought that he could control his new body, but he had thought incorrectly. His dark soul was buried beneath hundreds of others, and I remained above them all."
"So you're a damned freak." Inuyasha glared at him, not trusting himself to look at Kagome. "Get on with it already."
Naraku ignored the hanyou and took his time in continuing. "I felt nothing for the priestess called Kikyou. Onigumo's desire had no effect on me. My only goal was to gain the Shikon no Tama. It would guarantee my domination. So what to do next, but to hunt down the wolf demon that poor, young, naïve Kagome had fallen in love with?" He purposefully drew out the words, intent to make it as painful as possible.
The hanyou glared, his grip again tightening on his sword.
"It didn't take long to locate him. I found him with his pack, but it took quite a while to lure him out from the rest of the mongrels. However, once he was alone, he was all mine." Naraku smiled evilly at the lost expression on Kagome's face as she sneaked a torn look at the stiff hanyou. "I took his shape, and met the guardian at their meeting place on the day they had agreed to meet. It was easy, to get the information on the jewel from her own mouth."
"Oh gods…" Kagome covered her face. "Oh gods…"
"The next day, I kept the wolf's shape and broke into the town. It was a pleasure, to hear the screaming villagers as they discovered that their houses were on fire. I took the jewel from its resting place in the shrine house and I could feel the power it would grant me." For the first time, the cold amusement disappeared from Naraku's face. "And then she came. Kikyou came and tried to kill me. Of course, she couldn't do it, but while I wanted nothing more than to kill the stupid girl, Onigumo's will prevented me from doing so."
There was nothing but silence in the garden as the demon stopped speaking for a moment. All eyes were trained on the man and all faces held some look of horror as the reason for Kagome's death unfolded.
"Then, when I was about to leave, Kagome finally reached the shrine house and confronted me, who she thought of course, was her own beloved wolf demon. It was actually quite amusing- the words that came out of her mouth, but I don't have to repeat them, do I?" The smirk had returned. "She tried to kill me… and I thought she wouldn't have had the guts to do it. But the shrine house was burning and collapsing."
Kagome shook her head, forgotten memories flooding into her head. "The smoke… there was so much smoke…" She shuddered and coughed as if she were reliving the moment.
"Yes, there was, wasn't there?" mused Naraku. "I ran out, but the stupid girl followed me into the woods, but she was dying. Kikyou had never made it out of the shrine. The fire had spread to the forest and the trees were aflame. Kagome actually dared to fire an arrow with the last of her strength, and with some sort of dumb luck, she hit me."
His expression was ugly indeed. "The jewel flew out of my grasp and went to its guardian. When I went back for it and to finish the girl, I couldn't find her." He spit onto the ground, and smoke rose from where it hit the grass. "The forest was hiding her from me.
"I was weak from that damned arrow, but there no longer was a guardian left to protect and purify the jewel. I left to recover but when I came back, the damned villagers had built a wall around the remaining forest and the old shrine house." His eyes flashed with malice. "I've had to wait for five hundred years for somebody to come and unlock the seal." His lip curled. "I have you to thank, hanyou, but the years were not spent in waste as I-"
"Enough." Kagome stood up, bedraggled and weary, but a pale light of power surrounded her. "Enough." Her voice was rough and low. "You bastard."
Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise. He'd never heard her swear even once, and for a moment, he forgot about the 'wolf demon'.
Slowly, she notched an arrow and aimed it for the smiling demon. "Just shut up. Shut up! You are not going to make it out of here alive. Not with what you've done." She closed her eyes in pain before opening them and glaring at Naraku. "May your soul be punished in the deepest of the hells."
She pulled back on the bow.
Naraku narrowed his eyes and chuckled again. "Do you honestly think you will shoot me?" His form began to twist again, shaping into somebody else. "Do you have the willpower to kill me, considering who rests inside of my body, little Kagome?"
The flesh writhed, making disgusting noises as a shape emerged, followed by a face and clothes.
The transformation was complete:
Pupil-less cobalt eyes.
Long, black hair pulled back.
Bangs held back with a headband.
Sharp facial features.
Pointed ears.
A muscular body covered by armour and wolf fur.
A swishing tail…
Kagome dropped her bow and arrow and they fell to disappear before hitting the ground.
Her eyes grew wide and a chill ran down her spine.
Inuyasha looked at her curiously and found an extreme dislike for the demon Naraku had become.
The spirit stepped back in shock. "K-kouga…"
'Kouga' grinned wolfishly. "Hey, babe."
Review Responses:
-- WhiteDloud
Well, Kagura didn't exactly come back… no, the greater evil showed himself. Is she a slave? Perhaps. Sess/Rin or Sess/Kagu? For continuation fics, I prefer Sess/Kagu. There's something… strange about Sess/Rin, considering she's a little girl… even if she does grow up (sort of like marrying your father sort of thing), but since this is an alternate universe fic and Rin's already grown up…=)
-- hanyou-elf
Sango is pregnant. Normally, I'd keep the secret to the end, but since it really is kind of obvious… Higurashi-san wasn't in the building, I guess. Miroku was guessing at why the door was open… ;)
-- Izayoi
I suppose it did complicate the story a little, but it's just some background information… history. I couldn't resist putting that in there. =)
-- Mental Monkey
It's not mandatory that you review... it just makes me very... happy. Taxi driver: clearer now (who it is)? Well... not really.If she's been giving off any noticable signs, Miroku hasn't noticed them and Inuyasha and Kirara know because of their noses... Sesshoumaru: perhaps he will make another appearance before the ending chapter (which he is definitely a part of). Kouga... clearer in this chapter? More to be explained in chap.15. Kagura/Naraku garden entry- should have been clear in this chapter. And for Sango not wanting to shop with Inu and Mir-Shopping with men isn't easy...
x-x
Many Thanks to:Eloraya (Surgery? O.o)
Katami
sapphire pink (Domo arrigatou = Thank you very much =) )
Sarcasm Girl8 (Did you get the link?)
remix-69er
lady lilacks (It was rather sudden, wasn't it? Glad you enjoyed!)
Fiery Demon Fox
humble-bumble (Fluff… later… Drama, jealousy… now)
kagome fan
darkscorpio28 (eh heh...)
SkyWolf
[Big… biiiig, loooong narrative by Naraku. But, hey. At least you know how she died…
And if you're surprised at Kagura's short appearance despite Inuyasha saying that he smelled her… remember that in the series, Kagura and Naraku share the same scent, though maybe Kagura might smell… girlier? Also, her mystery will be solved later… in chapter fifteen… I hope.
Me: Been watching Olympics day in and day out, so I haven't been doing outstanding amounts of writing. For my other stories: on a short hiatus while I sort them out.
Okay.
One more thing:
The plot will get... slighty (slightly?) more complicated than it is with the next chapter and I'll be stepping into dangerous territory. There's the general plot and romantic progression. -.-;; So... I'm taking a pretty big risk of over-complexity with this plot and hopefully, I can make everything... right at the end.
Till next time… (and I hope you're there)
Ja!]