Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale
The Ringenkai Plant
Chapter 4: Kagome Poisoned!! The Anger Empowered Wind Scar
The stampeding of Inuyasha and his friends' footsteps quaked the dirt road path with stunning haste and precision, as a weakened Kagome leaned against Sango's back, riding on Kirara. Kirara and Inuyasha both ran side by side together at a blinding pace, going straight back to the village from where they originally came. Within a few minutes, they reached the entrance of the village once again, where they ran straight into another crowd of locals.
"Hey, its those young fellows again! They've actually come back! For a moment there I thought they weren't going to make it from that spider cave..." one of the locals pointed to the approaching six fighters.
"Well if you ask me, anyone who came back alive from that death trap surely must have done the job right!" one of the old men said.
Kirara soon put herself to a stop, and Miroku and Sango climbed off, with the monk holding Kagome on his back. Inuyasha followed up right behind, his face heated with pure desperation. "Listen, we don't have much time to talk about how we saved your useless asses, you got that? Now you mind telling us if there's some sort of a medicine specialist living around here?" Inuyasha demanded, his angry voice putting a chill down the locals' spines. One of them quietly stepped forward, his eyes bulging with nervousness.
"Saved us!? You... you mean all of you actually managed to slay all of the spider demons? The entire nest, no doubt?" the man asked.
Inuyasha nearly turned red and grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him into the air. "Hey! Are you deaf, you retard!? I'm only gonna ask you this once... Where is your town medicine specialist???"
"Aaaahhh! D... don't hurt me!!! Please, all I asked..." the man sputtered. Sango came over and held Inuyasha back.
"Stop that, Inuyasha! That's no reason for you to start and trouble!" Sango said.
"Hmph! Whatever! Whenever you see someone clearly hurt and bleeding, I don't think the first thing you should ask if the bounty has been hunted." Inuyasha said, letting go of the man. The man stumbled back into a woman's arms, and an old man came forward.
"Excuse me, but please forgive us for being so frugal on our thanks... We didn't mean to cause any trouble. From what you say, we can gather that you've already taken care of the problems from the spider demon cave, and we're quite surprised at your strength and bravery. If you hadn't came along, none of us wouldn't have known what to do in case our original fire plan had failed. We greatly thank you, and we are very appreciative." the old man said.
"The situation did not pose too much of a problem for us at all, sir. But there's not much of a need for thanks, however, we do require immediate attention. During our battle with the demons, our friend has gotten badly hurt and we need to know if there is anyone who could treat the wound as quickly as possible." Miroku said. Kagome moaned a little, her eyes closed.
"Why yes, of course! Anything for the ones who saved our village! There's a doctor's hut just a few houses down, you can't miss it. Hopefully the doctor there can help your injured friend." a woman replied, pointing a ways down to the hut.
"Thank you so much, miss." Sango nodded.
"Come on, let's hurry up and see this guy. Kagome can't afford to lose any more blood." Inuyasha said, grinding his teeth.
"Right!" Miroku said, following the others down to the doctor's hut.
----------------------------------------
"Oh, my... this the most serious and deepest wound I have run into the longest while..." the old doctor sighed to himself, his frail fingers gently gripping the medical tongs he used to treat Kagome's open wound on the left side of her stomach. His forehead glistened with a light coat of nervous sweat, the large candle on the table nearby flickering as almost in a synchronized motion each time the doctor stitched up Kagome's wound.
After halfway of finishing up the stitches, he then ground up some herbs in a pot and used it to sprinkle the bits inside of the wound. A nerve wracking hour and a half passed by as Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara impatiently waited in the next room, the ticking of the sundial in the middle of the room moving slowly. Ever since they had brought Kagome into the doctor's two room hut, every minute that passed by since the doctor had begun his treatment had seemed like an eternity.
While Inuyasha and the others waited, the doctor was still hard at work intent on healing his patient. However, he soon grew weary when he noticed some oddities. The first thing he took note of was that the purple shaded area on Kagome's side has not seemed to disappear.
"It is quite strange, indeed... this discoloration refuses to go away, and not only that, she appears to have struck with a high fever and can barely muster the strength to speak as well." the doctor thought, his own pulse racing. "I can't seem to figure it out. Even with the healing herbs I have used, she still doesn't show any signs of recovery. I was never one to be pessimistic for all the patients I've had before, but I already fear the worst for Kagome." the old man thought, shaking his head sadly. Before he could make another analysis, Inuyasha and the others brushed their way into the small room.
"Hey, old quack! Is Kagome going to be alright? She will be okay now, won't she?" Inuyasha asked eagerly with a slight tremble in his voice. The doctor had just finished the stitching procedure and stood up to face the others, clearing his throat.
"Well, while I was able to close the wound up and stop the internal bleeding altogether, I'm afraid to say that..." his voice trailed off.
"What is it??? Isn't Kagome feeling any better?" an anxious Shippo asked.
"... I'd hate to be the one to say this, but I shall. While Kagome does appear to be still conscious, apparently her condition remains unchanged. She hasn't been able to say a single word yet, and her breathing is rather short handed. I don't have any more knowledge on what action to take from this point on." the doctor said in hesitation.
"What!?!?" Inuyasha asked, raising his fist. He grabbed the doctor's garb and pushed him against the clay wall, the half demon's face twisted in an unbelievable frustrated rage. "Listen, you old coot, I don't have any more time to waste sitting around worrying myself to death in that claustrophobic piece of shit you call you a living room!!! You had better do your job as a doctor and help Kagome, or else....." Inuyasha stopped himself in time to avoid letting the others in on his true feelings for Kagome.
Inuyasha was already embarrassed to show the rare side of his human sympathy for the first time back in the cave, but he figured now was not the right place or time to be so adamant about his actions. But somewhere deep down inside him, he might have already knew that Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were oblivious to the fact that he loved Kagome, due the various ways he had reacted should the mere subject be brought up.
This time, however, Inuyasha could not hide it as easily as he hoped. From the way he had reacted when it seemed that Kagome was in serious risk of getting killed during a battle, his intentions were no longer a secret. And here he was now, primed with the utmost of concern for the one girl he loved - and he was deathly scared of the fact that he might lose her... just as he was afraid when he had thought he'd lost Kikyo a long time ago.
The doctor did not falter nor show any fright from Inuyasha's sudden outburst. The doctor knew what to expect, and he knew the white haired young man was only reacting this way out of worry for his friend. He looked right back into Inuyasha's yellow eyes, and he felt himself being lowered back to the floor. Miroku had put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, giving the doctor a serious expression. "Doctor, please... Isn't there anything you can do to help Kagome? Surely you must know something with all your experience in herbal medicines." the monk queried. The doctor closed his eyes while folding his arms.
"Believe me, my friend, if had any clue related to this most strange sickness, I would have gladly taken upon the task the first moment it entered my mind. But no matter how many possible kind of remedies I could recommend to myself, I am still baffled at these type of symptoms. Normally I have never had a patient whose undergone rapid short breathing and nearly a loss of voice, and discoloration of the skin. Myself alone is frustrated at the inability to cure it." the doctor responded. Miroku raised an eyebrow upon hearing the man's words.
"Wait a moment... did you say discoloration of the skin? Do you mind if we take a look at Kagome?" Miroku asked, his interested peaked.
"Why, yes. I don't see why not." the doctor nodded, stepping out of the way as the others came up to the hay bed Kagome lie on.
Sango placed her hand on Kagome's red shaded forehead, her voice filled with sadness. "She really is burning up. It almost feels as if her face was burned." she said as she looked down into the beautiful school girl's innocent face. Kagome groaned a little as Miroku lifted her hand into his.
"I still find it strange how none of the herbs that were used did not help improve her condition, nor at least help her feel better." Miroku said.
"Even though I guarantee you that the bleeding has stopped, the growth of the purple area on her side does not seem to fade." the doctor said, as Miroku raised Kagome's shirt to reveal the dark purple area of her skin. Sango and Shippo gasped upon seeing this sight, and Inuyasha bent down and examined the spot.
"Hmm..." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Something isn't right here." he leaned even closer, putting his hand on Kagome's side.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked.
"While I'm not too sure about it... I think I can sense and even feel some sort of a small vibrating pulse... something seems to be pulsating inside Kagome. Sango, can you sense it too?" Inuyasha looked at his friend. Sango closed her eyes and put her hand over the same area. A moment of silence passed, then she spoke.
"I feel it too! The pulse is very faint, but its there. It can't be mistaken for any of Kagome's organs. This pulse... has a different feel to it. It sounds weird, but it feels so heavy... almost in a dark way." Sango said lightly.
"Just as I thought too. But I wonder what could be the cause of this?" Miroku questioned.
"Yeah, I mean, could it have been possible that the spider demon secreted some sort of disease into Kagome?" Shippo asked.
"Hmm, not any type of disease, but perhaps...---" Suddenly, a loud ground shaking eruption was heard outside of the hut, followed up by a dozen screams. "Wait a minute, what the hell was that?!" Inuyasha said, spinning around. Miroku and the others stood up, alerted.
"It sounds like the villagers are being attacked!" Miroku said.
"Let's go check it out!" Sango urged, and everyone piled out of the small room. Inuyasha was the last to leave, and he turned to Shippo and the doctor.
"Shippo, Doc, the both of you stay here, okay? We're going out to see what's going on." he ordered.
"Right, Inuyasha! We'll keep an eye on Kagome!" Shippo saluted.
"Be careful out there, now!" the doctor warned. Inuyasha said no more, as he nodded and ran outside after his friends in the blink of an eye.
Behind Shippo, Kagome's eyes opened a little, her point of view just barely missing the red of Inuyasha's outfit disappearing from the drape of the door. Her reddened face brightened with such helplessness and her eyes were nearly dead to the world. She strained her own vocal cords, the young girl only having the littlest bit of energy to murmur the name of one boy. "Inu... yas... ha..." Kagome's eyes then fell heavy and closed shut, the image of Inuyasha's warm smiling face burned into the endless black pigment her conscious could only see.
----------------------------------------
All of the villagers scattered like tiny insects through wide open crop fields, screaming and running for the safety of their homes, as the colossal hulking figure of a three eyed dual horned demon made its crashing entrance upon the area from the accompanying forest from where it came, which was caught in smoldering inferno of white hot flames.
"Ahhhh!!! Its some sort of a fire demon! Run for your lives!!!" a man said, running along with several others and dashing straight past Inuyasha and his friends, who had just arrived on time to see the fire breathing demon spew out a big ball of fire right onto a handful of locals, incinerating them in an instant.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! HELLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!" the locals screamed at the top of their lungs, but it only just a mere amount of seconds before nothing but charred bones lay behind where they collapsed onto the ground. Inuyasha and the others rushed ahead, seeing the crop fields littered with the dead bodies of the villagers set aflame. Miroku looked up the demon, not faltering very much as he's seen many demons this size before.
"Its a large demon! So this is what's been causing all the commotion!" the monk said. Inuyasha scoffed as usual, his left hand lowering to the hilt of his sheathed Tetsusaiga.
"Well, that's your call, monk. But if you ask me, I think its about to be a dead demon. Hyaaaahhh!!!" and with that, Inuyasha drew out the Tetsusaiga, the sword seamlessly transforming into its true form. The demon's grotesque face reflected right off the edge of the Tetsusaiga, its wielder poised to kill his target with the least of sympathy. "I guess we have no choice but to save these humans for a second time! Well, this thing is going down either way, and I bet I won't even break much of a sweat!!!" Inuyasha declared, taking a grand leap up into the air.
"Grrrrryaaaaaaahhhh!!!" the demon roared as he conjured up another ball of fire to spit at the approaching half demon. But the demon barely had the time to attack, as Inuyasha sliced off its right arm with fierce vigor. A long yellowish trail of energy flowed from the Tetsusaiga, arcing itself out through the attack. The severed right arm plummeted down onto the ground in front of Miroku and Sango, and the demon didn't even seemed fazed by Inuyasha's attack.
"What the!? That's weird, shouldn't the demon be hollering like a baby now that I gave it an official handicap!?" Inuyasha said to himself, pushing his body off of the demon's chest and bounced backwards. "Well, I guess there's no time to worry about that. Better just go straight for the kill--- Ahhhhh!!!" Inuyasha yelled, being caught off guard from behind by the demon's left claw. Inuyasha was smacked hard down onto the dirt surface, the back of his red robes having three slash marks.
"Nnnghh... Damn it, as big as it may be, it sure is unusually fast!" Inuyasha groaned, using the Tetsusaiga as a brace to stand himself back up. But as soon as he did that, he could see the demon pulling off another counter attack, its claw was swiping right for him. "Oh no!!!" Inuyasha said, realizing that he didn't have enough time to dodge getting hit.
"HIRAIKOTSU!!!!!!!" Sango's voice rang into Inuyasha's ears, as her boomerang came swinging in and impaling itself deep into the demon's wrist, sending out gallons of its blood flying out like a geyser. Inuyasha turned around to see Sango riding in on Kirara, waving her hand. "Inuyasha! Are you okay!?" she shouted.
"Sango! Heh, that's twice I owe you for saving my ass on the same day. Thanks, but I'm alright! This big son of a bitch is pretty quick with its attacks, though, I'll grant you that!" Inuyasha replied. Miroku ran up from behind Sango.
"Then this means we're better off attacking it simultaneously. Now that both of its arms are pretty much useless, we can finish it off without too much difficulty." Miroku said, dashing at the demon and jumping off its foot and onto its leg.
The demon breathed another hot stream of fire, but Miroku dodged it by jumping towards its stomach. Miroku twirled its staff and plunged it directly into its stomach. Miroku then followed up by taking a talisman out of his robe and exerting some energy into it. He placed the talisman above the wound and then jumped away, making some motions with his hand. "Haaaaaa!!!" Miroku then summoned the talisman to paralyze the demon in place, making it unable to attack.
"There! I couldn't do much damage to the demon initially, but the spell I just used causes paralysis upon its target. But since this is demon that's much bigger than normal, the spell will only last a few seconds." Miroku said, landing back beside Inuyasha. Inuyasha gripped his sword and posed, wiping his face his with sleeve.
"Then those few seconds will be put to good use once I finish the bastard off for good before it kills anymore people. Haaaaaaaaa!!!!!" Inuyasha swung his sword around his head in full circle, a bright bluish light forming around his body like an aura. Inuyasha then swung his Tetsusaiga twice vertically, sending out a powerful jagged cross shaped energy blast directly at the paralyzed demon's head, blowing it to pieces in bloody explosion and killing it instantly. The demon's remaining body fell to the ground with a surface shaking thud, trails of smoke rising from the stump that was its neck.
When the light from the attack cleared, Inuyasha opened his eyes and watched the demon's entire body whither away into bones and eventually crumbling dust. "Now that was rather easy. Far easier than those pesky spider demons. He never even stood a chance in the beginning." Inuyasha said, weighing the Tetsusaiga on his back and putting his free hand against his side. Inuyasha's proud victory was interrupted by the overbearing cheers of the crowd of villagers, who were now out in the open from their hiding places.
"They saved us again!!! My, what fine heroes they are!" a woman said excitedly.
"Yes, thank the heavens they came to our aid. Fate must have been on our side for such brave warriors to come ward off the evil that threatens our home!" a man joined in, sounding relieved. Miroku sighed lightly, putting his hands inside the sleeves of his robes while balancing the staff against his left arm.
"My, it seems that we are already making quite a name for ourselves around here. First the spider demons, then having the town doctor help Kagome, and now the slaying of a fire breathing demon. Let's hope this will be the last of our fifteen minutes of fame." Miroku commented, his eyes closed.
"True, but don't you guys sense that something strange is going on here? I can't exactly pinpoint it, but doesn't it seem odd that if Naraku were to set up a trap for us back in the spider demon cave, then surely he must have created this demon to come and attack the village in order to draw our attention?" said Sango thoughtfully.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, sticking the Tetsusaiga into the dirt below. "I do agree that it seems unnatural for Naraku to think these weak traps do the work of getting rid of us for him, but then again, when you truly think about it, that bastard will do anything he can in his power to make sure he sees our heads on spikes." Inuyasha agreed.
"Yes, and these small mischievous acts of Naraku's usually have a tendency to lead up to much bigger things. Considering all knowledge about him and his ways, we'll have to be cautious as to what he has planned next." Miroku said, his eyes overlooking the same spot where the former demon's dead body used to lie. "Oh, we'll be ready alright..." Inuyasha said over the loud cheers of the villagers.
Just then, out of nowhere, the skies had started to change from blue to purple, and black clouds loomed above the village. What was once the normal symphonic melody of birds tweeting on a normal day was now replaced with the darkest of night, the clouds threatening to drown the crop fields with a menacing thunderstorm. A sharp crackle of a thunderbolt crashed down around the fields, and the villagers all slowly backed up with fear, looking up at the sky. "Wh... what's going on!?" a man asked. "Oh no!!! It can't be another demon coming to attack us, can it? Its an apocalypse!!!" another man said.
"Grrr, I really wish those idiots would shut the hell up. Apocalypse my ass!" Inuyasha said as Miroku, Sango, and Kirara became tense. "I know that scent all too well to mistake this for anything else..." Inuyasha said sniffing the air, an infuriating smell invading his sensitive nostrils.
"Then that could only mean..." Miroku murmured, as a purple whirlwind stormed onto the plains, directly in front of everyone.
Inuyasha yanked his sword up, his eyes darting in all the directions. "I knew as much..." he said to himself, fixing his eyes on the whirlwind.
Meanwhile, Shippo was looking at the scene outside from the window of the doctor's hut. "Whoa, now what's going on? I've got a bad feeling about this dark storm..." Shippo said. Back at the crop fields, the whirlwind had dissipated with the transparent image of a hunched figure. Inuyasha squinted his eyes, and they opened wide when he saw Naraku, dressed in his white baboon outfit.
Naraku silently strode forward in a less than chalant entrance, making his appearance known to his enemies. The onlooking villagers cowardly retreated back into their homes again, all hoping that this wasn't another catastrophe about to begin. Inuyasha pointed his Tetsusaiga at Naraku, his demonic blood inside him boiling at the very sight of the man he hated with all of his heart and soul.
"NARAKU!!! I expected that you'd show your ugly face here once that stupid wind of yours appeared." Inuyasha said, his face taut with anger. Naraku only responded with a low unemotional laughter.
"Naraku was definitely the one sent the fire demon here! It all comes together now. We weren't wrong after all!" Miroku accused. Naraku ceased his laugh and remained in place, his red eyes pale from the eyes of the baboon mask.
"Hmm, how very perceptive. You are correct, young monk. I merely created the fire demon as a ruse to predecess my arrival. And as expected, the weakling was not much of a decent match for the likes the half demon Inuyasha and his allies. What an impressive show of tenacity and strength. Might I also confirm that indeed it was I who set the trap inside the spider demon cave, a plan that all of you have seemingly foiled. Whilst fueling the mother spider with shards of the sacred Shikon Jewel of the Four Souls, whereas I have taken the liberty of corrupting with my evil power, I had hoped that all of you would fall prey to its rage." Naraku said.
"Ha! Sorry to break the news to you, pal, but your oh-so-well-thought-out plan all fell to shit. Once again I completely underestimated you, Naraku. You truly are an idiot if you thought an armada of spider demons would stop us dead in our tracks, let alone take me down especially. Seeing as your role as the big bad guy here, I would think you would know better than that." Inuyasha scoffed.
"While you may have gotten away with murdering a handful of innocent people in the process of your sick scheming, you're going to pay here and now for all of the destruction you've caused over the months." Sango said angrily. Naraku laughed again, shrugging off their words of attack.
"Hmph, you utter fools! Did you truly think that for someone so powerful of my own stature would put so much total reliable faith in a lesser demon to kill off my enemies? What a ridiculous conclusion to abhor in your limited minds. I have already concocted my true plan to fall back on far ahead to begin with, and with none of you being the wiser, I have indefinitely succeeded." Naraku replied.
Miroku was confused. "What!? What do you mean by that?"
An evil smile slowly unfurled under the baboon's upper teeth. "Do you so desperately want to know the truth? Please, allow me to explain it slowly." Naraku said. "I want to savor the expressions of despair on your faces for as long as possible."
----------------------------------------
Inside the doctor's hut, Shippo was still watching the scene from the window, his furry little tail wiggling. "Oh no, just as I thought! Naraku's shown up, and Inuyasha and the others are most likely getting ready to do battle with him!" Shippo said. Just in back of the young fox boy, Kagome was lying on the hay bed, overhearing all of his words and the commotion from outside.
"Na... ra... ku..." Kagome moaned, attempting to gather up what little strength she had left inside her. "I have... I have to help Inuyasha... to stop Naraku. If I'm not there..." Kagome thought, slowly rising herself up from the hay that served as her bed. Then, with the thought of Inuyasha and her friends being in the worst of danger, with an amazing sudden strength she rose up to her feet, grabbing the bow and arrow that leaned against the wall beside her. The doctor had just came back inside the room, and he nearly jumped from seeing his patient standing. He rushed to Kagome's side, holding her arm.
"Kagome! Please, lay back down immediately! You're absolutely in no condition to do anything, and I yet to determine an analysis for your sickness. Kagome, do not do this! My job is to make sure you remain here where it is safe!" the old man pleaded.
Shippo turned around and heard this, running over to Kagome's side. "Kagome!!! What are you doing up? You weren't planning to go outside, where you!? Naraku is out there, and Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku are facing him right now!" Shippo told her.
Kagome shook her head, her vision still a little cloudy. She stared back at the doctor, her brown eyes glazed with a fiery sadness. "Doctor, please. I thank you for helping me with my wounds, and I don't mean any disrespect. But my friends are out there and are about to fight a very terrible and powerful demon, and I can't just sit idly by and do nothing. I have to do my part... because I'm a member of the team. If something should happen to any of my friends, I'd never forgive myself knowing if I was out there on the battlefield with them, I could have changed the outcome. Please, sir. I have to go out there!" Kagome confided in the doctor.
Although the man could perfectly understand her disposition, what he feared more was the fact that he would be going against what he promised Inuyasha - that he would keep Kagome here in the hut where she would be safe. And now that this new commotion had broken out, he couldn't afford to let his patient leave his care... only to risk being killed by god knows what.
"Kagome, I am sorry, but nothing can cause me to release you from this room. If your friend, Inuyasha is capable of handling the means of whatever is going on out there right now, then it would be for the better if you stayed out of harm's way. As a doctor, it is my duty to ensure that you receive the proper treatment for your wound. You are still not up to par, and..." the doctor seemed to be verbally fighting a losing battle, as he witnessed Kagome drag herself outside of the room and towards the front door.
Shippo ran ahead and pulled on Kagome's leg, his eyes explaining more than would he could actually say. "Kagome!!! Listen to us! Inuyasha will be really upset if you end up exerting yourself like this when you should be still in bed! And... I don't want to see you get hurt, either! Kagomeeeee!!!" Shippo wailed.
Kagome paused, holding the blood caked dried side of her torn school outfit. She bent down and picked Shippo up in her arms, a weak, but meaningful smile on her face. "Shippo... listen. I'll admit that I may not have the physical strength right now, but something within me is giving me that same strength to carry on... perhaps its the holy energy inside me reacting to my desperation... but in any event whether anyone likes it or not, Inuyasha needs my help. Now that Naraku has shown himself, I swore to my own heart that I refuse to let him escape our reach no matter how badly injured I may be. Naraku will die... and I'll see to it that that happens." Kagome said.
Shippo fought back to keep from crying out of concern, but he knew exactly what she meant. The doctor stood there, unsure of what to do. Kagome lifted up the shade to the front door, stopping to face him.
"Not to worry. I assure you that I'll be okay. I can at least walk. It won't be your fault, doctor." Kagome said, and the doctor reluctantly nodded in response. She looked down at Shippo. "Alright, Shippo! Let's go get Naraku!" she said.
"Yeah! I'm right along with you!!!" Shippo agreed, ready to do battle.
----------------------------------------
Naraku remained there, appearing not to move an inch of a muscle. Inuyasha was now five times as tense than before, a fit feeling of rage he could never shake whenever he laid eyes on Naraku's disgusting appearance. At any rate, he was ready to make his first move as soon as Naraku moved... but that was a situation that never seemed to come to light anytime soon.
"As you know, I have been in dire search for the last few remaining shards of the jewel, and need I remind you that in my hand lies the jewel almost completely reassembled." Naraku held up the jewel for Inuyasha and the others to see. "And thanks to Kikyo, the one and only woman your heart is so dedicated to, I now possess the jewel for own personal purposes. Inuyasha, you do have the right to feel betrayed by whom you thought was loyal to... but clearly as the facts point to the truth, Kikyo's intention was only to fuel my hunger for ultimate power."
"Shut up! We already know you have the jewel, idiot. And don't you dare ever speak of Kikyo like that! What makes you think she would actually want to help the likes of you? You might as well stop peddling your nonsensical lies, because anything you say from now on, we refuse to believe..." Inuyasha said, his eyes twitching. His mind couldn't help but wander when he heard Kikyo's name mentioned.
"My heart doesn't want to believe it, but my mind keeps repeating it over and over... it drives me crazy! It... it can't be true. Kikyo told me not too long ago that she only gave Naraku the jewel in her planned attempt to eliminate him once and for all... but Naraku refuses to understand that. Unless..." Inuyasha's thoughts faded away as he brought himself back to reality.
"Do not count on getting any of the other shards, Naraku. For you forget, we still have a considerable amount of our own. You know deep down you're too cowardly to straight out take them from our hands without facing heavy resistance, so you resort to trickery and traps in order to get lucky." Miroku said, his left hand slowly reaching for the beads that blocked off his Wind Tunnel, which was contained underneath the fabric of his sleeve. "I know I would be taking a risk... but at the same time he holds the jewel in his hands... Damn it..." Miroku thought, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head.
"Oh, not to worry, monk. In due time I shall gain what I need. Even if it means a direct or indirect means of taking the shards from the lot of you. But of course, I will only be able to take the task of removing those shards after you are all dead." Naraku said, his calm voice never wavering.
"You hellish monster!!!" Sango yelled, grabbing her Hiraikotsu from her back, reading to throw it. Inuyasha and Miroku also readied their weapons, mentally trying to decide if they should attack or wait Naraku to move first.
"Go on ahead, Naraku. The very first step you take will be your last, because I'd have already sliced your head off." Inuyasha beckoned.
"Hmph. It clearly shows that you are ready to do battle, but are you certain that you would want to kill me before I could even reveal what I've done to your young female friend?" Naraku asked.
Inuyasha's eyebrows raised. "What? You mean... Kagome? What are you talking about?! What have you done to her??" Inuyasha said with anger. Right there and then, Kagome could be seen limping a little onto the scene from behind, with Shippo at her side.
Miroku sensed her and turned around, surprised to see her. "Inuyasha! Kagome is here, along with Shippo!"
Kagome held onto her bow, her quiver of arrows slung onto her back. Inuyasha spun around in disbelief, wondering why Kagome was here. "Damn that doctor! I clearly told his ass to keep Kagome in the hut! Why the hell is she here? Damn it, Shippo! Why did you let her out?" Inuyasha cursed.
Sango ran ahead and helped Kagome, putting the girl's arm around her back. "Shippo! You knew Kagome was still hurt! Why didn't you stop her from leaving the hut?" Sango asked him in a rush.
"Ohhh, I'm sorry, you guys!!! But I had no choice! Kagome was far too willing to come out here to help you guys!" Shippo explained.
"No... don't blame Shippo. It wasn't his fault. I wanted to... Nnnghh... come here on my own..." Kagome groaned, nearly keeling over. Sango caught her from falling.
"We understand, but you shouldn't be on your feet. You're still in too much of a bad condition to do anything. You're using up energy just trying to talk alone." Sango said.
"Nnnghhh.... don't worry about me, Sango. I'll... I'll be alright. F... Fighting Naraku... is the utmost of importance here... not me." Kagome said, letting go of Sango's hold and rebalancing herself on her own. She stared ahead at Inuyasha forlornly, and Inuyasha exchanged glances with her, his eyes filled with anger, but at the same time happiness at the sight of seeing her.
"Kagome... even while sick, you still somehow had the strength to come all the way out here... just to help us fight. You weren't even concerned about your own well being, but for us... Goddamn it, this is why I have to protect you... because if you put out so much strength protecting others... then who, in the end, is going to protect you?" Inuyasha thought. Naraku laughed at the scene, bringing Inuyasha's full attention back.
"Ha ha ha ha ha..... Oh, how touching it is to see the young girl battle against her own ailments in order to arrive here upon her own accord to help her friends... and to also see them suffer at the hands of such a demon of my own caliber. Logic plays its part here." Naraku said mockingly.
"Hey, shut the hell up! No one asked for any of your bullshit input!" Inuyasha shot back.
"Hmm... instead of expressing so much bouts of hate, Inuyasha... you should concentrate on focusing your energies toward yourself for letting your dear friend getting hurt by something you could have easily prevented... am I right?" Naraku was playing mind games at this point with his foes, because toying with his enemies was one of the many sick joys he found in his quest for power.
"What!? What are you saying?" Inuyasha asked.
"You heard me. Using my own evil demonic energy I had created a deadly poisonous seed, which I had implanted in the mouth of the mother spider demon far before you and your troupe had came to this village. It was a fairly easy thing to do, after learning that you and your friends were headed in the direction of this place, and knowing that you bound to eradicate the spider demons, the chances of my plan working were vastly self assured. You would have thought that for insects causing trouble amongst the people, the first thing that entered your little minds was the presented opportunity of finding any jewel shards in the cave. You thought correctly, hence empowering the mother spider with six shards of my own - which was more than enough to carry out my misdeed." Naraku revealed.
"A poisonous seed?" Miroku said in a low voice.
"That seed Naraku claims to have created must have been the explanation for Kagome's injury, and that it was responsible for poisoning her." Inuyasha said.
"Of course! The purple discoloration that the doctor had mentioned earlier. Hmph, it makes sense now." Miroku said. Inuyasha ground his teeth and shook his head out of impending frustration.
"Damn you, Naraku!!!" Inuyasha said, raising his fist in the air.
"Heh heh heh... yes... It was I who has made it so that the girl would be poisoned by the mother spider. I personally knew that once that it was slayed, my own corrupt will inside the shard in its head made it target the girl in order to implant the shard inside her once she was wounded. The mystified power of my own superior manipulation has its beneficial merits, you could say.
Kagome gasped upon hearing everything Naraku said, her body shaking. "S... so this is all true! That was the... sole reason why the... spider's head attacked me..." Kagome breathed. "It was the jewel shard inside its head that still kept it alive even after I destroyed its body with a sacred arrow. The poison seed was transferred into me when it had bit down onto my side... and now..." Kagome thought, looking down at the torn part of her outfit. She briefly caught a glimpse of the purple region of her side before she started to feel a little weak. "Uhhhhhh...." Kagome started to collapse, but then Sango caught her again.
"Kagome..." Sango said, upset at seeing her friend struggling to bear so much pain.
"But wait! There's a chance we could still save Kagome! I mean, can't we just simply remove the seed from within her? Its not too late, is it?" Shippo suggested, the idea hitting him.
"Hm? Hey, Shippo, you have a point..." Inuyasha said thoughtfully.
"Heh, try as you might. But such a stupid action would result in the instant death of her. The seed would magically grow into a blood sucking carnivorous plant, feasting on her internal organs while at the same time devouring every last bit of her life essence and very soul. If you would be smart you'd advise against it." Naraku said.
"Shit... Grrrrrrr!!!" Inuyasha was too upset for words, trying to control his own rage. But he wasn't the only one, as he could easily tell Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara were all ready to join in on a grand battle the moment Naraku moved.
"While the seed has had its time of dormancy only for a little while, it is now in the process of slowly spreading its secreted poison throughout the girl's body, until she is too numb to move an inch. The overdose of poison will surely grant her a slow and painful death, as her brain will stop functioning but yet she can still feel the stinging pain internally. And all you can do Inuyasha, is helplessly watch her die before your very eyes, the sheer amount of guilt riding on your shoulders for as long as you live." Naraku said.
Inuyasha's eyes were wide with shock, as he turned to Kagome. Kagome couldn't believe this was happening, and she wished it just a bad dream ready to disappear if she pinched herself so she could wake up. But she couldn't fight the fact that this was reality, and everything felt real - to what she heard, what she felt, what she wanted... her life had seemed like one confusing mess to her, as she could no longer think straight. Her eyes fluttered closed... but she still could see that same image of the young man she cared for... she kept seeing Inuyasha standing there, his white hair flowing freely in the breeze, his yellow eyes flashing with an innocent but prideful demeanor. She almost felt free when he turned around to smile at her... extending his hand out to hers...
"Inuya...sha...." Kagome then briefly lost conscious, falling back into Sango's arms, just before a shooting pain racked through her stomach. Sango and Shippo kept calling out her name, but she didn't open her eyes to respond. Upon seeing this, something inside Inuyasha had snapped.
He couldn't tell what it was, but felt like the demon blood flowing through his veins brought out a brand new level of rage inside him... like a firecracker ready to explode if it wasn't extinguished. But this was one firecracker that need not to be put out - for it was about to crackle directly in the heart of its most hated, evil foe. Naraku himself. An energy line coursed through Inuyasha's head, and he gritted his teeth. He lifted up the Tetsusaiga letting out an excited yell, his body becoming encircled in a bluish like energy field.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!!!!!!!!" Inuyasha yelled. Naraku appeared to be unfazed by the half demon's increase of strength.
"Yes, that is it. Let your anger fuel your hatred towards me. But it will never change the fact that you failed to save the girl. No matter how many times you try to convince yourself, you can never ignore the truth. Placing the blame upon yourself would only ease the conscious by little." Naraku said.
Even though she seemed to be unconscious, somehow Kagome was able to respond to Naraku in a voice under a dream like state. "You... don't even DARE place false... accusations on Inuyasha... it was NEVER his fault to begin with... only YOU are but to blame for... what you've done... you... demonic creep..." Kagome suddenly stopped, her voice fading.
Inuyasha took a few steps forward, keeping his Tetsusaiga pointed at Naraku. But before he could speak, Miroku stepped up in front of Inuyasha. "Enough is enough!!! Everyone! Stand back!" Miroku reached for the beads on his sleeve. "Naraku, even though may have the majority of the Shikon jewel, nothing is worth it for all the damage you've done to us all. You are going to die right here and now!" Miroku said.
"Oh, I beg to differ monk..." Naraku replied.
Before Miroku could pull back the beads and unleash the Wind Tunnel from his right hand, everyone looked up to see a swarm of the Saimyoushou poison insects arrive onto the scene, surrounding Naraku as if they were forming a protective barrier around him. "Tch!!! Curses!" Miroku said to himself, lowering his hand.
"It would be best not to be so hasty in making such a mistake. Of course, who would I be not to come prepared with the proper defenses." Naraku said.
"Blast it. If it wasn't for those damned insects he would have been finished." Miroku said. Inuyasha then took the reigns of the situation and held out his hand, motioning for Miroku and the others to move away.
"Miroku's Wind Tunnel can't be used because of those insects and I don't want Sango to take a chance and leave Kagome vulnerable in case Naraku has something dirty up his sleeve, so everyone just hang back and let me take care of this. And please... watch over Kagome and make sure she doesn't get harmed in any of this." Inuyasha pleaded.
"Alright... Understood..." Miroku nodded, and he and the others backed up, helping Kagome along the way. Kirara stayed beside Inuyasha, and ran at full speed toward Naraku. Inuyasha hopped onto Kirara's back, ready to do battle.
"Grrrryaaaaahh!!!" Kirara roared, and Inuyasha leapt right off her back and plummeted down towards Naraku. "Hyaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Inuyasha yelled about to take a slash. But Naraku was still stationary, forming some sort of transparent energy barrier around his body, which sent out large tendrils of electrical energy upon contact. Inuyasha was zapped with a big jolt of electricity, and was sent sprawling onto his back. However, the dog demon's rage kept him going strong, and Inuyasha had gotten right back onto his feet and dashed back at Naraku.
Inuyasha swung the Tetsusaiga, where the blade slammed right into the energy barrier, causing thousands of sparks to fly out in all sorts of directions. Inuyasha pressed deeper, exerting more energy into the sword and not giving up until he broke through the shield.
Naraku shook his head. "And after all of this time, is that all the strength you can conjure up? I am far from shaken. I expected a greater show of power...."
"What!?" Inuyasha said, and Naraku expanded the barrier into one big ball of electricity, blowing away both Inuyasha and Kirara away in one violent explosion. They hit the ground hard, a few burn marks on their bodies.
"INUYASHA!!! KIRARA!!!" Sango called out.
"Are you alright???" Miroku asked.
"Get up, Inuyasha!!! Don't let that Naraku win!!!" Shippo yelled.
Inuyasha dug his sword into the ground and pulled himself up, looking over to Kirara, who was a little shaky, but okay. "Nnnnghhh... we're fine..." Inuyasha called back. He let out an annoyed sigh, his eyes fixated on Naraku.
"I was hoping I could have just finished him off with that first attack, but Naraku is getting much stronger in terms of repelling any type of normal attack from the Tetsusaiga... so that leaves me with no choice. If I want to end this battle as fast as it started, then I'll have to use the Wind Scar." Inuyasha thought, back onto his feet.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, focusing all of his mental power. Out of nowhere, he could see two gigantic winds forming around both himself and Naraku. "When the two winds between myself and my opponent collides, the middle point of the winds form a fissure where I must swing the Tetsusaiga in order to release its full power." Inuyasha stood still, sensing Naraku's side of the wind, seeing the collision point as a vertical ray of light in front of him.
"There's the fissure! Here's goes nothing!!!!! Kyaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!" Inuyasha quickly swung the Tetsusaiga, slashing the fissure and creating five powerful streaks of hot white energy which drove deep into the ground, making its way toward Naraku. However, Naraku countered by forming another energy shield, even twice as strong than the first, automatically negating the Wind Scar attack. Inuyasha nearly dropped his sword in reaction to what just happened.
"WHAT!? But how in the world could he have cancelled out all of that power all at once!?!?" Inuyasha thought, completely baffled. Miroku and the others looked on in desperation, unable to comprehend Naraku's sudden boost of strength.
"This is impossible! Ever since Naraku has holding the Shikon jewel, his strength has gotten much stronger over time! Even the Tetsusaiga's full power was not enough to break through the barrier!" Miroku commented, holding his hand over his face from the debris that the fierce winds blew at him and the others.
"Had this been an earlier confrontation with Naraku, then there would be no chance that he could have withstood the Wind Scar attack at all." Shippo added.
"Its all because of him having the jewel is to blame for all of this... and I feel so powerless for the fact that we can never stand a favorable chance against him no matter what the circumstances are." Sango said, supporting Kagome on her side.
Naraku laughed as the barrier protecting him had started to grow even bigger, pushing Inuyasha and everyone else back from the blinding winds alone. "Ha ha ha! You are all fools to make a foolish bravado in order to defy me." Naraku then released the barrier, the energy driving into the ground beneath him to form a powerful electrical shockwave, which barreled at his enemies with an amazing bout of sheer unparalleled force, blasting Inuyasha and everyone away into a massive explosion. Dirt and debris covered the area in a smoking heap of dust, masking the painful screams of the young warriors.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!" Inuyasha screamed, crashing through the walls of some houses and creating a deep trench along the ground, his robes torn and ripped apart.
"Ayaahhhhhhhh!!!!!" Miroku and Kirara were knocked sky high into the air and the both of them slammed into a pile of stones. Kirara's weakened state caused her to transform back into her smaller form, her little legs twitching helplessly. Miroku's right arm was twisted from the impact, blood seeping out from a gash through his ripped sleeve.
"INUYASHA!!!!!!!!" Kagome screamed, her eyes faintly opening and reaching out for him the moment he flew past her sight, but could say no more as she, Sango and Shippo were also caught up in the explosive blast. Their bloodied bodies flew directly into a parked carriage, with Sango hitting her head hard, nearly having a concussion. She was able to keep Kagome from not taking too much damage, however, as she held her close just before they landed.
Shippo landed hard on his back, also unable to get up. Some blood tricked down from the corner of his mouth. The villagers that were witnessing this event had all taken cover inside their hopes, stricken with the grandest of fear of Naraku.
Inuyasha had taken the most firsthand of the blast, coughing up blood continuously. The Tetsusaiga he held in his hand had dropped to the ground, returning back into its original old and brittle form.
"Nnnnghhh..... *cough* Na... raku..... *cough*" Inuyasha slowly raised his hand, desperate to pick his sword up. He didn't want Naraku to escape again, not after coming all this way to finally end everything. Inuyasha himself sought nothing more than to slay Naraku by his own blade and to obtain the Shikon jewel so he could become a full fledged demon.
But Naraku constantly kept escaping like the silhouette of a shadow just when the midst of a final battle presented itself. It was a constant cycle that Inuyasha was getting sick and tired of, and he knew his friends shared the same ideology. But no matter how much Inuyasha mentally wanted to continue on fighting, his willpower was far too weakened by the last blow Naraku delivered.
With the Tetsusaiga just inches out of his reach, Inuyasha gave in to his lowered fatigue, his hand softly lowering to the moist soil. A wide wave of dust billowed upon the fallen heroes, marking their fast defeat at the hands of Naraku.
"Ha ha ha... another short victory. This is a scene that I could only wish to see much more often. The feeling of triumph and the looks of suffering on your pitiful faces. I could watch this endlessly without a touch of boredom. But soon there will come a time where I will be eventually forced to kill you all when the perfect chance presents itself." said Naraku, his last words most likely falling on the deaf ears on his enemies.
Whether they heard it or not, he could have cared less. Naraku simply turned around and disappeared into the midst of the purple wind that whisked his white baboon fur away into the depths of the sky, leaving nothing but a dead silence upon the crop fields.
The skies had not even reverted back their normal morning blue color, but to a heavy cloudy climate that gave way to a light drizzle of rain. The falling water drops splashed down onto Inuyasha's face and washing off some of the blood, as he stared right back into the bleak gray skies. A crackle of lightning could be heard far away in the distance, and at that moment, a few of the villagers came out of their homes, surveying what had happened.
"H... has the demon gone, mommy?" a little girl asked her mother
"Yes... but the ones that were protecting us have fallen. That strange demon had taken them all down." the girl's mother replied, holding her daughter close to her side.
"Those guys need our help! Look at them! None of them look like they can even get up. None of them can, especially after getting hit by what seemed like a really brutal tremor." a middle aged man pointed out, walking towards the defeated Inuyasha.
"Hey, come and help me out here! Are all of you just gonna stand there like scaredy cats?" the man asked the other locals, as he helped Inuyasha up on one arm.
The other villagers reluctantly remained stationary, unsure of what to do. "Well? Why not? He's got a point. They saved us twice, and we can't just leave any of them here. That would just be plain selfish." a younger man said, walking over and lifting up Miroku. Soon enough, everyone nodded in agreement and joined in, and soon the small group of locals were carrying Inuyasha and his friends back to the doctor's house.
As Inuyasha was being assisted along by a woman and a young teenage boy, the only thing he could think about was killing Naraku. Inuyasha was furious with himself at this point, as Kagome showing a warm smile flashed through his mind.
"Kagome... I... I'm so sorry. Please forgive me... forgive me for not being able to protect you again. To make matters worse, Naraku escaped again, after we had him cornered. After all that we've done, I still can't beat him in a fair fight. But what angers me is the most is, he intentionally aimed to hurt you when we all had our guard down." Inuyasha thought, the doctor's house coming into view. "Kagome... I... don't want to lose you. Please don't die..."
Inuyasha had never felt so powerless in his entire life. The one girl whom he's come to terms in falling in love with, even though he wouldn't admit it, is now being threatened to be taken away from him by the harbinger of death itself. Because of Naraku's insidious planning, Kagome was implanted with a demon seed that will very well take her life, and there not a single thing he could do to remove it.
"Kagome... I heard her words. She knows its not my fault but... what if in reality it is? What if I'm just ignoring the facts? Is it all just to ease my mind? No... I vowed to protect her always. And I'm not going to give up. Not until... Naraku is slayed. And I'll draw out every single last remnant of energy from my Tetsusaiga to do it!"
Inuyasha's heart and soul burned with determination. However, his eyes were stung with the need to shed tears for the feeling of the inevitable. Kagome might die and be gone forever. But the only thing that kept Inuyasha from shedding his tears of sorrow, was for the fact that all of his energy was lost. Just as lost as the impossible chance of saving his loved one.
The End of Chapter 4.