Love beyond the Western Lands
Chapter 7: Encounter with the Naraku Gumi
"Ever heard of saying excuse me, Kayorei?" Kikyou said, slinging an arrow on her bow and aiming it. "Yes, well…I'm on a tight schedule," Kayorei said stiffly. "So, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get going!" She leapt in the air and threw ninja stars at Kikyou and Sesshoumaru. They both dodged in time and Kikyou was able to shoot the arrow through Kayorei's tanto in her belt. She hissed with anger.
Kikyou felt something loose at her robes, so she felt her sides. Her Shikon jewel shards were gone! With a growl, she ran down the road after Kayorei. "Kikyou, wait!" Sesshoumaru called running along side with her. "That chi-wah!!!" Kikyou thought angrily. "Her aura is so similar to that of Naraku's! Is she another one of his detachments?"
She and Sesshoumaru leapt over the ledge, now in sight of Kayorei. "Sesshoumaru, go!" Kikyou cried. "Consider it done, Kikyou!" Sesshoumaru's whip of light appeared at the tips of his fingers. With a swift wave, his whip hit the ankles of Kayorei. She yelled in surprised and fell on her face. Kikyou caught up to her just in time to kick her in the face. Soon, they were engaged in martial arts combat. Kikyou made a roundhouse kick to Kayorei's stomach. Kikyou grasped her by the neck, holding her off from her feet. "Return my Shikon jewel shards," Kikyou said briskly. "And you may live." Kayorei reluctantly gave her the pouch of jewel shards. Kikyou felt the pouch to see for all of the shards are there and put them away. Then, holding Kayorei's neck even tighter, Kayorei fainted. Kikyou bounded Kayorei's entire body with hell chains.
"What now?" Sesshoumaru asked. Kikyou looked up. It was night already. "Let's rest here for the night," Kikyou said.
Sesshoumaru helped Kikyou set up camp. When Kikyou fell asleep, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but just stare at her. "She's so beautiful," Sesshoumaru thought. "I wonder why she smiled when I kissed her that night after fighting with Kagura."
Flashback
"Dragon's fury!" Kikyou cried. Her fan blasted out a gust of visible blue wind in the shape of a dragon. "Dance of the dragon!" Kagura cried. Her fan released a mist of gray wind in the shape of a dragon.
Kikyou and Kagura snapped their fans closed. Their dragons were battling. Sesshoumaru did not do anything; he merely watched. Suddenly, Kagura opened her fan again, sending out a wave of blades. Kikyou's dragon and she dodged it, but her dragon received a hit.
Kikyou landed. She decided to use her fan to control the dragon. She opened her fan. Her dragon dispersed into a formless haze. Kagura's dragon was still there. "Wench!" Kagura cried. "What are you up to?!?"
Kikyou smirked. "That shall be for you to find out," Kikyou said, as the gray dragon no longer lashed itself at the blue haze: It just floated there in the blue mist.
"Yes!" Kikyou thought triumphantly. She snapped her fan closed again. The blue haze quickly turned back into a dragon, with the gray dragon trapped in it. The blue dragon grew larger and larger. Light started to split out of it. Kikyou put her fan away and drew her bow with a blunt arrow and shot it. The arrow did not harm Kagura, but it just pushed her into the lake again. The arrow split into silver vines, holding Kagura down, until she was unconscious.
Suddenly, the dragon exploded, destroying almost everything around it.
Kikyou was fine, but her wounds reopened and the blast left more than ever.
Sesshoumaru walked out of the trees. He saw Kagura's motionless body being lifted by a few of the youkais. Sesshoumaru looked around and saw Kikyou's body lying on the mussed snow. "Kikyou!" Sesshoumaru cried, running towards her. He picked Kikyou up. "Sesshoumaru…" Kikyou said wearily. "Quiet, Kikyou, quiet. You need your rest," Sesshoumaru said.
Kikyou felt her side. "Probably checking if the shards are still there," Sesshoumaru thought. Kikyou nodded, but did not shut her eyes just yet. "What happened to Kagura?" Kikyou asked quietly. "She was brought back to Naraku most likely," Sesshoumaru said. "Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou said again. "Yes, Kikyou?" Sesshoumaru said. "Did you really mean what you said to Kagura about me?" Kikyou asked. Sesshoumaru did not have to ask what she meant. Sesshoumaru looked into her deep pools of black eyes, but did not say anything, but smiled. "That's for you to find out, dear Kikyou," Sesshoumaru said.
Kikyou smiled as well. "So, I'll be getting my answers in the morning?" "Perhaps, Kikyou, perhaps," Sesshoumaru said. Kikyou nodded and closed her eyes. Sesshoumaru got on to his cloud and set Kikyou on it, but still held her with one arm. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I love you, Kikyou." He said it so quietly, no one could hear it. Kikyou's lips slowly formed a smile.
End Flashback
Kikyou turned around from her sleeping bag. "Why was he staring at me like that?" Kikyou wondered. "Does he love me? I did feel his lips on my cheek after the fight with Kagura."
Kikyou felt Sesshoumaru's eyes on her back, so she sat up. As she did so, Sesshoumaru's eyes veered away now staring at the fire, but he was blushing at the same time. "Sesshoumaru?" Kikyou said, making him jump. She giggled at this. "Huh? Yes, Kikyou?" he said. "I'm going to be at the hot springs taking a bath," Kikyou said. "I won't be long." On her arms appeared an all purple miko outfit and a tanto and walked off.
"Wench!!!" Kayorei screamed. Kikyou walked back out and kneeled near Kayorei. "You should watch you're language and how you speak to me," Kikyou said menacingly and then slapped Kayorei. "I trust you will bring us to Naraku." And before Kayorei could retort, Kikyou walked off to the springs.
She took off her dirty miko outfit (It vanished) and slipped into the warm water. She still wondered why he was always staring at her. "Let's count how many times he stared at me," Kikyou thought. "1. When we first met. 2. When he saved me from the blast. 3. Just now…" Kikyou put on the -.- face now. "Ok, so he stared at me 3 times," Kikyou thought as she got dressed. "Let's hope he doesn't stare at me again when I get back!"
Kikyou got out of the water and dried herself. As she did so, she heard a rustling in the bushes. With a swift wave of her arm, she was in her fresh outfit of miko clothes. "Who goes?" She commanded. And out came a little squirrel. "…Oh wow," Kikyou said sarcastically, and walked back to Sesshoumaru.
As she did walked midway, she saw a ghostly white blur jet in front of her. "What?" Kikyou thought. Suddenly, the blur appeared in front of her. "Kanna!" Kikyou said. "Naraku wishes to see you, Miko Kikyou," Kanna said eerily. "Well, where is he then?" Kikyou said. "Look into my mirror," Kanna said. "No! No, I will not!" Kikyou cried, shielding her eyes. She ran back to Sesshoumaru.
"Sesshoumaru, we must go!" Kikyou screamed. Sesshoumaru was perplexed and was dazed at the same time. "Wha-whu-why?" Sesshoumaru stuttered. Kikyou wasn't confused at this; he was staring at her again! "Sesshoumaru, you can stare at me LATER, but can we leave right now?" Kikyou said.
Kanna emerged at that moment. "Look into my mirror," Kanna whispered eerily. Sesshoumaru's eyes locked onto the mirror. "No, Sesshoumaru, don't look in the mirror!" Kikyou screamed, trying to cover his eyes, but it was too late. His soul was already flowing out of his body. Kikyou racked her head for ideas to stop it, and then something snapped in her head. She got up and kissed Sesshoumaru on the cheek. His soul stopped flowing into the mirror, but was flowing back into his body.
Sesshoumaru blushed the deepest reds to find out that Kikyou was kissing him. Kanna hissed with anger. "How dare you interrupt me while I was consuming his soul?!" she growled, now focusing her mirror on Kikyou. Kikyou stopped kissing Sesshoumaru on the cheek and now slung an arrow. "Perhaps, you should ask lord Naraku for a better mirror!!!" Kikyou said, loosening the arrow. The arrow began to emit a vile red as it closed in on the mirror. Suddenly, something hit it, but it wasn't the mirror. A white sluggish thing with scythe like arms snarled with anger. Kikyou looked like she wanted to throw up. "Who, I mean, WHAT are you?" Kikyou asked rather rudely. The slug thing chuckled. "I am Kageroumaru," the thing said. "Meet my brother, Juroumaru." A white haired boy emerged from the shadows. His lips were purple-ish. "Attack the girl, Juroumaru!" Kageroumaru commanded. Juroumaru suddenly jumped on Kikyou, clawing at her.
Kikyou blushed at this and flipped him off. "HENTAI (I don't really have to explain what that means…)!" She screamed, using her magic to mend the torn cloth. Right after Kikyou finished mending her shirt, Juroumaru tried to jump on Kikyou again, but she used her spirit blast just in time. "What a louse!" Kikyou thought angrily. "Tut, tut," said a deep, drawling voice. Kikyou's eyes widened and spun around. There was Naraku, standing with his creations. "NARAKU!" Kikyou screamed, slinging an arrow.
Naraku looked at Sesshoumaru and Kikyou. "Have you both joined forces?" Naraku said, looking amused. "So what if we have!?!" Kikyou said, loosening the arrow.
Kanna stood in front of Naraku and raised her mirror. The arrow hit the mirror, and the arrow entered. Naraku looked at Kayorei and looked crestfallen. "You've caught Kayorei?" Naraku said slowly. "How dare you." "Lord Naraku, I… I'm sorry," Kayorei stuttered. "No need to apologize, Kayorei," Naraku said. "You're my latest creations." "So, she is one of his detachments!" Kikyou thought.
The chains that bounded Kayorei disappeared and appeared on Sesshoumaru. Kikyou destroyed them with a simple touch. "Arigato," Sesshoumaru said. "No problem."
"Naraku, what do you want?!!" Kikyou said. "Your jewel shards." "Never!" Kikyou said. "Oh well," Naraku said. "We'll have to get them the hard way. Kayorei, I leave this job to you." Kanna stepped back into the bushes and out of sight; Kageroumaru went back inside Juroumaru and vanished; Naraku disappeared.
Kayorei withdrew her katana. Kikyou made her bow and arrows disappear and withdrew her own katana. The blade was blue, the handle was black and the sheath was navy. "So, I suppose you're a youkai, then?" Kikyou asked. Kayorei leapt into the air, katana above her head, and attempted to slash Kikyou on the head, but she blocked it. "You can say that," grunted Kayorei.
"I can tell you're a youkai of stealth and psychic," Kikyou said, lunging towards Kayorei, cutting off a small part of her pants. "Rrrgh, you and your damned miko instincts!" Kayorei roared. Kikyou smirked and multiplied herself. "Which one is your true opponent, Kayorei?" the many Kikyous said. "After all, you ARE psychic."
Kayorei shut her eyes. "That one!" she yelled, and slashed her katana at one of the fake Kikyous. "Tsk, tsk. Wrong choice, Kayorei!" Kikyou said. Then all of them blasted at Kayorei. Kikyou grabbed all her multiples and returned them to her body.
But something was troubling her. Kikyou lightly tapped Kayorei with her fingers, paralyzing her. "Hey!!!" Kayorei cried. Kikyou dragged her to a tree and bound her there with more hell chains.
"Sesshoumaru?!?!" Kikyou yelled. No answer. "Sesshoumaru!?!?!" Kikyou screamed. Suddenly, she heard blasting. "The blasting noise of his Toukijin," Kikyou thought. She followed the noise, but it was too late when she reached him!
"SESSHOUMARU!!!!!!" Kikyou screamed. Sesshoumaru's Toukijin was on the ground. He was raised mid-air. His soul was coming out from his mouth. "KANNA, YOU WENCH!" Kikyou screamed. She ran towards Kanna, swinging her katana and rammed Kanna hard. "AIUGH!" Kanna screamed. She dropped her mirror, but Sesshoumaru's soul was still flowing in. Kikyou ran towards Sesshoumaru to intercept the contact with the mirror, but a barrier was put up around him. "That means I have to destroy the mirror!" Kikyou thought. Kikyou raised her katana point downwards. With a strong thrust, all of the souls trapped in the mirror were released. Sesshoumaru fell from the hold and his soul was restored, but he did not move.
Kikyou grabbed him by the shoulders and began to shake him. "WAKE UP, SESSHOUMARU, WAKE UP!" she screamed. Tears began to stream down her face.
She got up and had her bow in her hand. Kanna began to wake from that knock out. Kikyou ran towards her before she could get the mirror. Kikyou attacked Kanna with her bow alone, no arrows. "WENCH!" Kikyou screamed. "WHY DID YOU TRY TO TAKE HIS SOUL!?!?!?!?"
Kanna had shown something she has never done: Show emotion. She screamed from the whapping from the bow. "So, it's true!" she managed to choke out from her screaming. "What is!?!?" Kikyou snarled. "That you love him," Kanna said. Kikyou blushed at this and then slapped Kanna. Kanna yelped. Kikyou pulled out her katana and slashed Kanna at the arm. Screaming rang through out the entire forest. "Go back to your dear Naraku," Kikyou snarled. "Tell him that's a souvenir you received from me." Kanna vanished just like that. Kikyou went back over to Sesshoumaru, where he lay lifeless. "I love you Sesshoumaru…" Kikyou whispered.
To be continued…
