Onto the next chapter! Here's where things start to get exciting…or so I hope. Enjoy.
Rain pattered over the dark castle. The drops slid down the walls like blood, forming large, brown puddles. The sound of the rain echoed everywhere.
Drip. The quiet sound was heard once. It was dark, so very dark. Kagome opened her eyes, feeling cold, afraid. She sat up, and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Everything was hazy, mixed up, memories a messed up jumble in her head. InuYasha, the well, the Sacred Tree, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, the Shikon no Tama…pictures ran through her mind, yet she couldn't make sense of them. She couldn't understand her feelings; she only saw death, loneliness, darkness. She closed her eyes, trying to tell herself this was just a nightmare, just a…
She felt something pulse from inside her heart. Once, twice. Suddenly she felt as if something had injected a poison inside her, pain coursed through her body. Its venom spread through every inch of her veins, killing her, yet she was not dying. She felt as if all her powers, her very soul was being ripped from her body. She tried to yell out to scream, but nothing came out. She didn't move. She couldn't feel her heart. Her body was not being controlled by her; it was being controlled by someone else. A different kind of cold settled over her bones, a numb kind of cold.
She felt someone touch her face, and lift up her chin slightly. Kanaye's cold voice spoke. "It's too late, you are no longer in control of your own body. You are my puppet now, all your powers being transferred to me. I shall still give you life, for you can be proved as useful. InuYasha would never dare try to fight against you, even if you were to try and take his life."
He curled his lips up in a sick smile, and pulled his hand away from Kagome's face. There was no reaction now from the reincarnated miko. "The corrupted shard that I injected into Kagome's body has taken full control. There is nothing she can do to purify it, for I have already drained her of her powers, and added it to the Shikon no Tama. It's amazing, the powers of this woman. They were enough to create two new shards, just out of nothing. That only leaves two more…
Kanaye was well pleased with his plan.
Suddenly, his spear started pulsating violently. Kanaye scowled, knowing that this meant nothing good. "Come, Kagome." he said. The girl stood up, and followed Kanaye out of the dark room, down a long, stone corridor, and out the door.
Kohaku followed Kikyo across the ravaged courtyard. Dead demon bodies lay everywhere, their chests ripped open, as if someone had been searching for something deep inside their hearts. Kohaku gave an involuntary shudder, hoping that Kikyo wouldn't notice. Kikyo marched onward, not even showing the slightest reaction at the garden of death surrounding her.
Suddenly she stopped, and took a step back, stringing an arrow onto her bow. Kohaku grabbed his sickle, pulling it out of his belt-like sash, and prepared himself for a fight. He didn't have to wait long.
Kanaye appeared before them, a strange light of amusement in his eyes. "It was about time you came, Kikyo. I've heard much about you, and your spiritual powers. They're twice as powerful as Kagome's, aren't they? Heh, I think we should test that." He smirked, and Kagome walked to his side. Kikyo's heart quickened. "I came too late!" she thought. The light that had been in Kagome's eyes before were gone, there was a deadness in them. In Kagome's hands a bow and an arrow materialized, and she quickly strung the arrow onto the bow, and aimed. A dark smoke surrounded the arrow, reflecting the power of the corrupted jewel in Kagome's body.
"You've managed to infect Kagome with a jewel shard, therefore controlling her mind and body completely, but what you don't realize is that Kagome's power can never be controlled completely, you won't be able to control her actions for long." said Kikyo, her hand trembling slightly on the handle of the bow. "You say my power is greater than hers, but how can you know what has never been shown before? Kagome does not know the true extent of her power, and when she does come to realize it, it will overcome you, and you will be destroyed."
Kanaye laughed, and said, "Well, let's help her 'realize' that power then." He pointed his spear at Kikyo. Kagome tightened her grip on the arrow, and released. It flew straight towards Kikyo, the black light shimmering around it. Kikyo didn't even show a flicker of fear, and just before the arrow reached her, she raised her bow, creating a force field between her and Kagome's arrow. But instead of being hindered by the force field, the arrow began pushing against it, and started to crack through. Kikyo grimaced, using all her power to keep the force field blocking Kikyo's arrow. Kohaku saw that Kikyo's efforts were waning, and just before the arrow managed to break entirely Kikyo's barrier, he rushed towards her and pulled her quickly out of the way, causing the barrier to disappear. The arrow flew onwards, cutting across Kikyo's arm, drawing blood, but not completing its original purpose.
Kikyo grasped her hurt arm for a second, and then picked up her bow, and strung an arrow onto it. She took aim for Kanaye, and let go. The arrow shot furiously in Kanaye's direction, but was broken halfway by another arrow shot by Kagome. Kanaye laughed.
"Heh, you can't fight against her, the shard has incremented her powers too much, and has turned them against you. You can't protect yourself anymore. Tonight Kikyo, you will die!"
Ooooh, another cliff hanger! Well, you'll have to wait until tomorrow, to see what happens, but don't worry, I won't leave you 'hanging' for too long…haha. Until then buh-bye for now!