Sorry this is late folks, I lost the disc with my chapters on it!!! That sucked and I looked everywhere for it, but anyway here's the chapter:
Chapter 12: The Dark Cathedral/ Story of the False Priestess Midoriko
Inuyasha couldn't sleep and quickly stood up. His haori was dirty and ragged from their adventures as he stared at the waterfall. Then at that moment he decided to go after her. He could wait no longer, and then he stuck one foot through the cool, biting water when Shippo appeared beside him.
"Inuyasha, I know now that you won't stay. Here, take this scroll. I just made it. This is a detailed map of the Dark Cathedral," Shippo said, stuffing a scroll into Inuyasha's hands.
"Shippo…what are you doing this for? Why have you changed?" asked Inuyasha, his voice teasing but deep down awestruck. Shippo walked away from him without answering, leaving only a shadow behind.
Sango stood up, fully healed, and holding Kirara in her arms. Miroku leaned in a sitting position against the cavern wall, cloak covering his bandages from the dampness. She walked up to the thinking Inuyasha and told him,
"Inuyasha, save Kagome, please. If I hear you failed, I'll…castrate you…slowly," she said dangerously, eyes looking into his, knowing well that Kikyo probably was there.
"Keh. Of course I'll save her," Inuyasha grumbled, angry at the plain fact that Sango made clear. Face set in determination and feet damp with water Inuyasha walked through the waterfall, never looking back…
"Shippo, tell us about this…Dark Cathedral?" asked Miroku, eyes looking up at him with a searing gaze that his question would not be ignored.
"What? Do you think you will be able to stop it?" questioned Shippo, blue eyes calculating the monk's gaze and turning stone. "Only those two can."
"Shippo, you may be able to refuse Hayasa, but not us," Sango piped up behind him, eyes also hard and angered at his sudden refusal, "Do not bid us away like them. We are your friends."
"Fine, I will tell you about the Black Cathedral, but I don't know that much," Shippo said, his old youthful faith returning to a brief moment as Kirara brushed against his leg. Sitting Indian style Shippo closed his eyes.
"The Dark Cathedral is where they used to sacrifice priestesses a long time ago," begain Shippo, "It was a sort of small cult of grand power that bathed the cathedral in the water bloodied by pure priestesses. Sometimes an impure or no longer virgin priestess would be tortured before being turned into a horrific statue as decoration for the cathedral. Most likely Naraku and/or Kikyo have taken her, because one of the participants in a certain ceremony will receive power over the priestess and bend her to their will. Or else, the priestess will be removed of her powers and the powers will be handed to the participant. Worst case is that the priestess dies and they use her blood to awaken the angel of death. But, there are many exceptions and infinite possibilities."
"What is this "certain" ceremony?" questioned Miroku.
"The ceremony of Lost Innocence," stated Shippo.
"Lost Innocence?" asked Sango, sitting by Miroku as Kirara leapt into Shippo's open arms.
"It is when a pure heart and mind are poisoned with the truth of those surrounding the person. This results in an awakening of their inner soul, but also makes them self-destructive, or simply, suicidal," Shippo remarked as a dark film seemed to cover Shippo's eyes. "Anyway, right now we can't help their decisions now. Yet, in case they make the right ones, we need to fight so the others will survive."
"What?" asked Sango sitting up abruptly knocking aside Miroku accidentally as he leaned on her shoulder.
"While Naraku and Kikyo focus on Inuyasha and Kagome, they will undoubtedly send minions to attack other demons. We must protect them at all costs," said Shippo standing up, knocking Kirara gently out of his arms.
"You don't have to fight, but I would like you to. Would both of you mind being leaders of the army?" asked Shippo.
"What?" shouted Miroku suddenly standing as well, head forward as if surprised.
"Well, Lord Shesshomaru's daughter it seems has returned using her powers. When Inuyasha received the Tetsiaga, Shesshomaru's daughter, Lirael, asked her mother to allow her here. Now, she has alliance with all the demons against Naraku. I shall lead the battle in the South, Miroku I hope will lead the western battle, Sango the east, and Lirael to the North which is the worst. You can pick your own soldiers to come along with you. She shall be here soon. So, what do you say?" he continued.
"Yes," said Sango nodding her head quickly without a doubt.
"What…" moaned Miroku softly. This was a big responsibility, he thought. "Of, course," was Miroku's final response.
"Thank you all. She's only a few feet away from here, so I want both of you to prepare. Sango…would you mind allowing me to borrow Kirara?" asked Shippo.
"No. Kirara, go with Shippo," Sango said, allowing her dress to fall and reveal the tight, aero-dynamic demon exterminator suit. Miroku tapped his staff against his head gently to calm himself from the nervous feeling coming to mind at the thought of leading an army.
"Shippo," asked a sing-song alluring voice from behind the waterfall.
Shippo's pack of wolves mixed with foxes snarled to attention as did the other demons including an irritated Hayasa whom stood and yawned in her hand.
"Pack, calm down," order Shippo striding forward to the waterfall. He touched the necklace hanging down his chest and the waterfall moved backward. After a moment the water disappeared up, as if it was never there. Looking ahead Miroku and Sango saw that a young woman stood there... being followed by hordes of her army. Her hair was a long, white flowing veil down her shoulders and sharp golden eyes, her ears were like her mother's though. She was an even more feminine version of Shesshomaru. Even though Shesshomaru had died with his same clothes she had somehow found an exact match for her curving body. The only missing subject was a small demon like Jaken following her.
"Shippo."
"Lirael, welcome," remarked Shippo bowing to her.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"Soon, but just a moment," said Shippo.
"Of course," said Lirael emotionless. Shippo walked toward Sango and lifted the necklace of his neck, over his head and handed it to her.
"Tell Kagome I'll miss her," said Shippo, "We'll leave half of the army here. Goodbye." He walked away before turning back and giving his lost Cheshire cat smile to them, "Don't worry, Kirara will come back." Quickly he sprint away, leaving with the leader Lirael whose eyes matched her father's.
Moments later after watching the whole precision of splitting the army equally, Sango and Miroku realized what he had meant. Shippo wasn't coming back.
Inuyasha walked as the scroll instructed, past the torn village they had stayed in just days before happily. Bodies were still laid with bugs buzzing on them to feast. Past that massacre he walked through the forest where Kagome and Kikyo first had their brief confrontation alone. Finally, after a day of running endlessly almost burning away his lungs completely Inuyasha saw the end of the forest. There ahead of him was Naraku's laboratory…no longer in ruins.
The metallic pieces no longer lay upon each other like thrown toys, but intricately placed together, going straight up. Almost like a straight metal pillar with no entrance, but at the top was another story. Almost white pink fire fought against the purple-veined pink fire sprouting at top. The whitish pink seemed to complete and protect the atmosphere of the jewel's world.
"Kagome," echoed Inuyasha running up to the foreboding pillar. Once reaching the tall structure he unsheathed the Tetsiaga and twirled the sword to show off before slamming the full blade into the side of the metal. It screamed which hurt Inuyasha's ears to an almost impossible extent. Quickly he leapt onto the blade himself, arched his claws and struck into the metal hanging on. Finally he used his feet to grab the blade and toss it up to his free hand. Thus, he continued the switch off until sweat dripped in large, squat drops into his face causing his eyes to burn. Suddenly he slipped.
Flipping his lower body up as he fell backwards, Inuyasha grabbed the sword with his feet, clasping it tightly. Crunching his upper body up, Inuyasha managed to grab the blade and almost cut his hands with it. Then he pushed his body up and onto the wide blade. There he lay, arms and legs hanging off the sides of the Tetsiaga's blade. Yet, he only rested for a few moments before starting his old routine.
Sango stood in front of her quarter of the army, surveying the demons that smirked at her in a crude way as well as an irritated way that a human girl was ordering them, but Lirael had told them to follow her, so here they were. Suddenly she began to talk.
"My name is Sango of the demon exterminator ancestors, but lets forget about my ancestors. At this moment there are demons of Naraku attacking all four directions of this underground world, and we are to fight the eastern side. I want all of you to try your hardest to protect your future, not necessarily this world, the way things look, but your future…perhaps in the true world," Sango announced, eyes hard, like when she hides her feelings. This caused the demons to stir with uneasiness; most had only lived in this jeweled world under the ground, even if some were over a thousand years old. Naraku had ruled for so long over them all. Beside them Miroku gave his speech while adding a little joke that he kept from Sango to them, causing his army to begin laughing. Sango glared in his direction, she didn't want to be soft during war, the demon exterminator blood began to broil within her to make her almost invulnerable. The look made him gulp before he became serious as well, and without even a goodbye to weaken herself, Sango left with the army to the east.
"Almost there," Inuyasha said to himself as he looked up into the fire that threatened to purify him ahead. He didn't admit to himself that the thought scared him, but he clenched his teeth before leaping up into the fire and loosing the Tetsiaga out of the structure in one fluid movement.
Suddenly he smelled fire and opened his eyes to see the fire eating away at the Fire Rat protection he wore. Quickly in a panic he placed the blade underneath his feet and bounded hard off the blade to push himself up as he fell into a darkness ahead.
"Ohhh……." Inuyasha moaned grabbing his head, then looked up to see light ahead. Terribly weak, Inuyasha leaned against the sword and crawled up using the vines. Finally he reached the top and pulled himself up and over the edge before realizing he had been in a well and was now…in paradise.
Around him were beautiful weeping willows of young, a sea of Anna roses swaying in a slight breeze by a gentle lapping pond of water. In the pond was a small cove he saw were someone could sit and hide near the edge of the circle of weeping willows. Gently he walked forward and washed his face in the pond before he realized he could smell…blood and Kikyo. The first thought diminished his objective, 'Kikyo.'
Grabbing his sword with new purpose he ran towards the smell, leaving the scroll behind and didn't even realize that if he had the scroll, he would have been going in the same direction it showed. Branches slapped and scratched across his face making unfelt burns. He ran harder than ever towards her, towards Kikyo whom he thought was injured. Then as he began to worry even more he reached a large cathedral, black stone as if charred by a fire. Statues outside were horrific of women being tortured, the windows were bare of glass. Last to adorn the cathedral was a women turned to stone as a man 'hurt' her. As if the cathedral was proud of this, it was placed on the peak. At the moment Inuyasha smelled so much blood it was hard to tell if it was Kikyo's or someone else's. He walked forward, suddenly scared of what he would find, and afraid that he might be too late. Grunting gently he pushed the heavy iron doors apart and found he stood in a room with few pews and two aqueducts running together and up into a tiny circle. Ahead was an iron crucifix, and beside him was Kikyo.
"Kikyo," Inuyasha almost gasped amazed she was there, her arm was bleeding profusely he saw and leaned forward to hold her.
"Oh, Inuyasha, I'm so sorry! Naraku made me attack you two, I'm so sorry! Can you forgive me?" she sobbed, hair falling forward onto his haori like a cascade of black river.
"Of course," he responded holding her tight, gently holding the wound that began to bleed less.
"Inuyasha…I always loved you, you know that, right?" she asked looking up into his golden eyes that began to shine at her question. She leaned closer and kissed him, grinning deep down, one eye opened to see Naraku invisible to Inuyasha, standing by a conscious, barely living Kagome.
Naraku smiled up at her as they kissed enjoying the immense pain splayed on her face watching Kikyo and Inuyasha. Gently he rubbed a side of her cheek touching the warm blood as she turned to look at him, eyes uncaring anymore. Sneering in his evil way he saw they had won, she had lost her innocence. Happily he lifted his head up to kiss her bloodied lips before ending the spell that had kept her alive and diminished their invisibility.
"Oh, Inuyasha," sneered Naraku out of the side of his lips as they smashed painfully against Kagome's whose were lifeless. Inuyasha looked up suddenly and saw Naraku. And Kagome. 'She's…bleeding!' Inuyasha realized and Kikyo began to laugh, placing her hand in front of her mouth.
"You fool, Inuyasha! Hahaha," she laughed as Naraku drew away from Kagome whose blood remained on his lips as Inuyasha began to die inside from realization of what had just happened.
"Kagome, NO!" Inuyasha leapt forward to slash at Naraku as he began to join Kikyo's insane laughing. Then he stopped as Naraku held out a hand an inch underneath her drooping chin.
"Inuyasha, I'll give you a deal. Give me Tetsiaga, and she'll live again, I'll bring her back. I wouldn't double-cross my own cousin, now," Naraku said almost laughing at Inuyasha's anger. Inuyasha wanted to scream and send Naraku to Hell, but knew that Kagome's life rested in that bastard's hands. Shaking with fury he held the blade out to Naraku watching the asshole's hands turn a red color before Kagome's head shot back up and she cried in pain. Naraku grabbed his prize and said, "Inuyasha, now that I have my prize, what do you want to give my love, Kikyo?"
Kikyo stood beside Kagome and grabbed her palm, etching a new bloody scar down the miko's worn left arm. "Inuyasha, I want you to come to Hell with me, now!" she screamed, her voice hideous. She didn't hold back her smoldering eyes of revenge as Kagome gently whimpered, trying to bite her lip to hold back her outburst.
Inuyasha looked at Kagome, and then Kikyo before he walked forward to take Kikyo's hand. Kagome's head shot up, "NO!! Inuyasha! NO!!!" she screamed which surprised him as Kikyo glared at Kagome and slapped her face hard enough to make her head turn to the other direction. Suddenly Inuyasha leapt forward and slammed Kikyo into the wall, destroying the brick wall. Kikyo lay motionless on the dry, dead grass, unconscious.
"Hmm, Inuyasha I would strike you, but I did promise my cousin," remarked Naraku looking up at the red-eyed Inuyasha. Suddenly Inuyasha realized Naraku kept calling Kagome, 'cousin'. His eyes turned gold again as he asked Naraku,
"Cousin?"
"Yes, Kagome is my cousin."
"But, she's only sixteen, and you're like almost a millennium."
"Shippo told you my story about my leading demon father Ryu and my legendary miko mother Midoriko, but he never told you about Anna did he?"
"Anna?"
"Anna was Kagome's mother a long time ago, Kagome's first life. Anna was also my aunt, Midoriko's sister. You see, Kagome is an old soul who died before she was suppose to."
"How?" Inuyasha asked suddenly intrigued, but cautiously watching both Kikyo and Naraku.
"Midoriko, plainly, was a fake. She asked help from her younger sister Anna constantly and even in the beginning took praise from what actually was Anna's work. In the beginning it was a mistake, but the family began to praise her endlessly so it continued. Then the family decided to refuse acknowledgement of Anna because she was 'lazy' and believed humans and demons should live together in peace. So Anna left, with Midoriko following her. Soon Midoriko became infatuated with Ryu and slept with him; it was nothing but lust really. Which surprises me because it is said Anna was also the beauty, then again I believe that may have been the night she married Kagome's father Ian. Ian had no special powers at all; he was the best samurai in the land though. But, as I said their family disliked the idea of their family becoming relative to any demons so Midoriko asked Anna to keep the secret, so no one really knows much about what happened between them. My mother was a wimp when it came to truth and refused to kill Ryu, because truth be told, she knew he was stronger than her and begged her sister to come.
So, Anna came to her forlorn sister and aided her, killing Ryu, but then as she turned to strike me with tears in her eyes my mother stabbed her in the back. It was beautiful, to see the unbelief on such blue innocent eyes and red splaying across her pink kimono. Ian completed the chain of death by striking my mother as well. I began to reach for my power than, because I didn't care that my mother had died, but I wanted to kill someone myself to see how it felt. So I did. That is when Kagome came running out of the bushes where she had followed her parents and hid. Her tears meant nothing to me, but then she began to rock back and forth, chin touching her chest, and she was silent. However, her lips trembled from holding back the pain as she held her mother's raven hair, blood falling onto her hands. Yet, when she touched her father's strong hands she felt the cold, dead skin, and screamed. That's when she killed me. Her scream sent me to Hell, but killed her as well, much before she was suppose to die. But, before my parents died their souls gave me the red jewel which rescued me from Hell and Kagome's gave her a white jewel which resurrected her soul to be reborn. Still, she'll never be what Anna was," finished Naraku walking past Inuyasha, tapping his fingers on his newly acquired Tetsiaga. Gently he picked up the unconscious Kikyo and looked up at Inuyasha.
"This is not over Inuyasha. Just because I let her live, doesn't mean Kikyo will have to. And I never said I would let you live," remarked Naraku walking into a deserted, dark forest away from the cathedral. Inuyasha watched them go, contemplating what Naraku just said as he first untied the wire around Kagome's neck and cringed at the whimper and red line go across. Next came the wrists and then under the chest, which at some point he would have concentrated on a little longer if she hadn't been so hurt. Then the hips before finally ripping away the wire across her ankles which caused her to fall forward, but he caught her lightly. Quickly he wrapped his haori around her before they left, catching the scent of salt water in the air mixing with her blood.