A/N: Hello people! Gomen for taking so long with this chap... I got...
well, sidetracked. Two exams a day every other day would be enough to
sidetrack anyone, right? And don't think I was idle during the interspersed
days... I had oral reports, too. Along with a few case studies... I hate
college. And, I just had someone very close to me die from a terrible
accident. I just couldn't concentrate on writing so soon after his death.
So, as my heartfelt apology for leaving such a horrid cliffhanger then daring to update so late, here's an extra long chapter, just for you guys! With some explanations, for those who have emailed me with questions and stuff over the long period I was "idle".
Anyway, arigatou to all those who reviewed my previous chaps. Here's the next one! I hope you enjoy this, and please, read and review!
Disclaimer: I own a white Labrador named Inuyasha, a black one named Kagome, and a fox plushy named Shippou, along with plushies of the IY gumi, but I do not own the hanyou in the oversized red robes. Damn. Maybe I should go and dress my dog in a red haori...
-----/---@
SEVEN WEEKS
Pain
-----/---@
Inuyasha stared gloomily at the night sky, desperation slowly welling up inside him as he watched the moon. It was in its last quarter... meaning that a new moon may be up in a few days...
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called, distracting him from his thoughts, as she lay a few feet away from him, getting ready for bed. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Miroku, who lay tangled in one of her sleeping sheets, his shoulders rigid and fists slightly clenched. Kirara lay by the opening of the cave, fast asleep.
"Nani?" Inuyasha answered, facing her squarely. He momentarily turned his ears to the monk, relieved at finding his breathing calm and even. He was asleep. "You're worried about Sango and Miroku, aren't you?" he asked her softly, hoping to not wake the sleeping monk.
"Ee. Is Miroku-sama... asleep?" she asked uneasily, and upon Inuyasha's nod, she crawled over to him, taking her blankets with her, and snuggled close to his chest. "Do you think she's alright, Inuyasha?" she asked softly as the pair wound their arms around each other.
Inuyasha stared ahead. "Wakaranai. But I know one thing," he whispered, looking over to the sleeping houshi. "If we don't find her soon, that guy will crack."
Kagome looked ready to cry. "They are in love, I'm sure of it. The way they acted towards each other before all this happened... Oh, Inuyasha, we have to hurry. You only have five days left in Crystallia!" she said, tears spilling as she said the last sentence.
"Four, come sunrise," Inuyasha replied. "We'll get Sango back, Kagome. I promise you that. We will get her and the Shikon no Tama back before I have to leave for my world, I swear to the gods we will."
Kagome then looked solemnly back at his face. "Only five days left, then... before you leave... I still can't bear to think about it. Only five days..." she mused softly, lifting a hand to hold his face as she spoke. "I can't live without you."
Inuyasha smiled softly down at her, wiping the rapidly pooling moisture on her cheeks. "Yes you can. You're very strong, Kag-chan. It hurts, but we both know that we will have to move on."
Kagome smiled sadly up at him. "I'm not sure if I can move on... if I can ever forget..."
"But you must. WE must," Inuyasha said. "And though I know I can never ever forget you... we'll both have to live with it."
"I don't think I can bear to think of you being with another woman."
"It will never happen, so don't worry."
"What are you talking about?! You're young! Inuyasha, I won't want you to forever be lonely just because of me!" Kagome cried softly, nearly forgetting about the sleeping monk who lay but a few feet away.
Inuyasha stared rather sharply at her. "And did you honestly think that I could ever fall in love again after I fell in love with you?! That I could kiss any other after I've kissed you?"
Kagome looked down at her hands that had slightly curled up between her and Inuyasha. "You have to forget about me. You still have your whole life ahead of you. I'll have to go back to my duties, but you... you're a free man..."
"My oyaji once told me," Inuyasha interrupted, "That all people only possess half a soul. It's a curse sent by the gods, for our bad ways, and that we all have to find the other half of our soul for us to ever be complete. My soul has only one partner, Kagome. And that's you. There can be no one else... you only find true love once..."
Kagome snuggled into his chest, wrapping one arm around him. "I love you... I'll treasure the memory of our night together for the rest of my life."
"So will I, Kagome. So will I."
And with that, the couple fell asleep...
And so did the monk a few feet away... who had done a very impressive job at faking sleep.
-----/---@
"So, how's the taijiya?" Kagura asked of her sister. She was bored stiff, and wanted nothing more than a good fight. "Did she agree to Naraku's terms?"
Kanna simply nodded, before turning her mirror to Kagura. Kagura grinned at what she saw, already anticipating a good battle. 'Oh yeah... this should be very good indeed.'
"I think that the three others will be here soon," Kanna suddenly mused, her wispy soft voice flowing calmly from her lips. "They will be here for the exterminator."
"And we'll be ready for them, ne Kanna?" Kagura smirked even as her sister turned solemnly to face her. Kagura was surprised to find a single tear fall from the white clad youkai's eyes.
"I want out of this, Kagura," Kanna suddenly said, startling Kagura even more. "I don't want to be doing this all of my life... will we ever be free of Naraku?"
Kagura stood stiffly at her sister's question. "I don't know. But I don't exactly enjoy putting myself in danger for that bastard. But as of now, you know we have to... we have no choice. If we don't fight, we will die."
"I'm tired of placing Crystallia and myself in danger... I'm tired of bringing pain. I wish... I wish I had never been 'born', Kagura," Kanna spoke so softly now that Kagura had to strain to hear her.
"Yamete! Stop saying that, Kanna! We'll find a way out of this, and you know it! But for now..." she paused from her depressed speech. "I just want something to get my claws on," Kagura said to her sister jokingly.
Kanna smiled up at her. "Ee."
-----/---@
"Inuyasha! Hayaku! We have to make the most of the time!" Miroku yelled from somewhere outside the cave, where Kagome and Inuyasha were presently still getting ready to leave. "Aza-sama! Let's go!"
The day had dawned bright and early, just cheerful enough to lift the spirits of the distressed monk, but glum enough to keep him worried. He was terribly worried about Sango, but he knew that with Azalea and Inuyasha's help, he could save Sango. He was also determined not to entirely ruin their day by being a sulky, lovesick whacko about it...
He would smile and laugh if need be, but he would NOT break down like yesterday!
"Shut up! We're coming monk!" Inuyasha yelled back.
"Inuyasha! Gomen, Miroku-sama, we'll be out in a bit!"
Inuyasha grumpily packed Kagome's things back into her bag. He had jumped away from the palate that they had shared for the night as the sun slowly peeped over the horizon, so as not to give the monk any ideas.
Miroku had stayed 'asleep' through it all. No sense in letting Inuyasha know what he heard, now, was there?
"There! All done! Shall we, Inu-chan?" Kagome asked cheerfully, in complete contrast with Inuyasha's foul morning mood. Kirara sat perched on her shoulder, her right ear wrapped in Kagome's wrist bandages. "And you, Kirara-chan... I want you to go back to the palace, and alert them of Sango's kidnap. Have them increase security. And get yourself healed, while you are at it. You took in a dose of poison at that attack. Then, when you are all done, come back and find us, alright?"
Kirara nodded, before jumping off Kagome's shoulder and heading outside the cave to leave. Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "We have to get to Sango-chan. And Naraku."
Inuyasha suddenly tensed at the mention of the name. He instinctively clutched the hilt of Tetsusaiga, his mind coming up with different ways to kill the bastard. Oh, how he wanted to mince the ass into tiny little pieces...
The monk waiting outside was thinking almost exactly the same thing, dreaming up various ways to mutilate the evil youkai. 'I would suck that bastard with my Kazaana, every single bit of him, starting with his genitals. If he even *dares* to lay a hand on my Sango... I don't know if even Crystallia would survive my fury!'
So lost was he in his grim thoughts that he didn't notice as Kirara transformed and flew off back to the palace right in front of him, nor the odd looks he was receiving from his two new companions.
"Miroku-sama?" Kagome's voice broke into his "merry" musings. "Is something wrong? Let's go. We still have to beat the heck out of Naraku, ne?"
Miroku nodded solemnly. "Ah, yes. And I shall greatly enjoy it, too."
"Oi! You do what you want to the tower and everything else, but that sick bastard is MINE!" Inuyasha rallied, much to Kagome's amusement.
"And you believe that we will let you have all the fun? I think not!" Kagome smiled as they begin walking towards the direction in which the Garnet Tower stood. "We all want a piece of that monster, ne, Miroku-sama?"
"I believe we all have a score to settle with him, yes indeed," Miroku answered. "Let us work out a compromise - Let us chop him up! That way, Inuyasha can have his head, Azalea-sama can have his torso, and I can have his hips and legs. Fair enough?" he added with an air of one suggesting what the trio would be having for dinner.
Both Kagome and Inuyasha had to laugh at that.
"Miroku-sama! That would be so brutal!" Kagome laughed.
"Yeah, but I like the idea," Inuyasha nodded enthusiastically after calming down from his laughter. "I'd love to take out his eyeballs, one at a time, then carve his irises out to feed to Kagura and Kanna."
"And I would feed his balls to the scorpions along the Lalim Ravine," Miroku agreed, slapping Inuyasha a high five.
"You go, man!"
"Eew! Is THAT why you wanted his hips?"
"Do you not like my idea, Aza-sama?"
"It's disgusting, Miroku-sama! And onegai, call me Kagome. I don't deserve the name Azalea, not when I don't have the Shikon," Kagome said, which had Miroku looking confused, but he nodded anyway.
"About that, Aza- I mean, Kagome-sama... what will we do about your holy powers?" Miroku asked skeptically. "Don't you think that perhaps... if Naraku managed to control the powers of the Garnet Tower, don't you think he may have had the ability to control the Shikon no Tama as well?"
Inuyasha interrupted at that. "Let's not think about that for now, Miroku. I doubt he'd be able to use the Shikon properly, seeing as how evil that fucking bastard is. But what I want to know... what the hell exactly is this "forbidden power" shit that Naraku is supposed to be controlling?"
"Inuyasha, watch your language..." Kagome softly admonished.
"It's quite alright, Kagome-sama! I have gotten used to his mouth ages ago... I believe you were with him when he was informed about the glitch in the portal? Inuyasha had practically made an alphabetized list of cusses," Miroku said airily.
"Oh, yes! I have never realized before then exactly how many profanities existed in our conscious plane," Kagome said laughingly, at the same time noticing that the monk was greatly evading talking about Sango. He chose his words well enough... he didn't even mention that it was he and the taijiya who broke the news to him. 'He must be really upset.' It was also obvious, especially to Kagome who had known him for years, that his smiles were fake...
"Oi! You guys haven't answered me yet! What exactly is that power in the Garnet Tower?!"
Miroku sighed softly. "It's rather complicated. Kagome-sama? I believe you had best explain this to Inuyasha. After all, you know more about everything about Crystallia than I do. Besides, you're the princess."
"As much as I would love to kill you for that reminder," Kagome said, "You may be right. I'll try to explain this as simply as I possibly could."
Both men looked expectantly at her.
She took a deep breath. She began speaking, in a slightly hushed voice, as the trio continued walking northward. "Ok... First thing you need to know, Inuyasha, is that I, as Azalea," she cringed, "am not the very first ruler. The first ruler of this land, the goddess who created Crystallia millennia ago, is the original Azalea. She had wanted to make a land that was free of all evil. As she created Crystallia though, evil elements still managed to get through. Once she had established her rule, she had, in a way, compacted all evil, both evil magic and malice in people's hearts, and stored it into the topmost tower of the Garnet Tower, a tower that she had solely made to protect her people and the youkai of this land from the evil. A very tiny amount of evil was left though, and that tiny amount alone made its way into people's hearts, and thus, nobody is completely good in Crystallia, but hardly anyone is completely evil, since there is so little malice."
"So... she basically imprisoned all evil? In that tower?" Inuyasha inquired.
"Sort of," she agreed, while Miroku nodded. "That Garnet Tower cannot be opened, cannot be entered. It has a magic seal on it, a powerful seal, cast by Azalea Primera herself," she shook her head. "Until now, I cannot understand how Naraku had managed to open the Tower. But I do know that once the tower has been opened... then the evil power will be unleashed. The evil may make its way into the people's hearts, polluting them... that is why so many horrible things have been happening since Naraku opened the tower. Before all this, all that the Crystallian army had to worry about was invaders from other realms, but now, we have to defend ourselves from each other."
Inuyasha was silent, walking beside Kagome with his gaze intent on her. "If the power is THAT serious, how could Naraku have managed to control it?"
"That, I do not know, Inuyasha," Kagome said, before Miroku interrupted.
"I might," At his friends' questioning gazes, he continued. "Perhaps Naraku's heart had been so full of malice that the tower's forbidden evil had somehow reacted to him... I am not sure, but it's a possible theory."
Kagome considered. "Maybe..."
"It definitely makes sense," Inuyasha agreed. "He could have been so evil, he was evil enough to summon the power, like a magnet, I guess."
"Magnet?" Kagome looked confused.
"A sort of bit of metal that attracts other metals. I don't know too much chemistry and geology, so I'm not sure, but that's basically it."
"Metal? Chemistry?" Kagome asked, even more confused.
"From your world, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Yeah."
"You know what," Kagome said suddenly. "We barely talk about your world, Inuyasha. What is it like?"
Inuyasha thought about it, before looking at both Miroku and Kagome. "Definitely not the same as Crystallia. My world was like Crystallia once, though. Probably about five or four hundred years ago."
Miroku and Kagome were astounded, and so the friends then began to dwell on the wonders of Inuyasha's world.
-----/---@
The sun was beginning to set, and the three friends were getting tired and hungry. They had not stopped for lunch, thinking that they would make better time if they did not keep stopping for "unnecessary things". Now they were starving, sweaty, and irritable.
"Inuyasha! Miroku-sama! Mou, I want to REST! Scratch that... I want to eat! Onegai, let's stop for just a few moments! I'm about to collapse here!" Kagome whined at the two men who were steadily walking to the Northern part of the land.
Inuyasha looked concernedly back at her. "You should have said something, Kag. Come on," he said with finality, fixing Miroku, who had just opened his mouth to complain, with a dark look. "We won't do any good if we get there sooner, but exhausted to death. It's better to stop and rest every once in a while."
Miroku grudgingly sat down on a tree stump, surveying the area they were in. It was a barren wasteland, as usual, not quite unusual for the present Crystallia. But something was amiss.
He stood as he watched the sky shift and darken rapidly right before his eyes. He can almost feel the darkness as it filled the clouds before him. "Inuyasha, look..." he said, pointing upwards.
"Nani?" Inuyasha asked, turning to look in the direction the monk was pointing, and felt his jaw drop. The blue sky was practically turning dark gray inch per inch, and he cautiously stepped before Kagome, as if to shield her from any possible threat.
"Miroku-sama, Inuyasha, I feel a strong amount of jaki in the air," Kagome said. Just as she said that, all heads turned as a strong clap of thunder resounded in the distance, barely preceded by a bolt of lightning that split the now gray sky.
Inuyasha took a hold of Tetsusaiga, brandishing it before him. Kagome unconsciously pressed against his back as she took the thin bandages off her right wrist, revealing the golden star that she carefully hid.
"What the fuck is happening?" Inuyasha asked Kagome softly, and she shook her head behind him. He took a cautious look behind him, regarding Kagome, before turning back to look at Miroku.
Good thing he did.
"Miroku! Look out!" Inuyasha yelled as a gigantic bolt of lightning rushed toward his friend from behind.
Startled at the outburst, Miroku instinctively jumped away from his current place, landing a few feet away from Inuyasha and Kagome. He looked at the spot he had been standing in but a couple of seconds ago, shuddering as he noted the burnt patch of land that would have been toasted with him right on top.
"Miroku-sama, daijobu?!" Kagome shouted from her place beside Inuyasha, but she wasn't looking at him. She was staring at a dark spot in the sky that was slowly growing, indicating that whatever it was, it was coming towards them at a rapid pace.
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome as he saw a long bolt of lightning coming at them from the two large dots in the sky. He leapt up towards Miroku, holding onto Kagome's legs as she was slung over his right shoulder.
"What the fuck was that?" he yelled at Miroku, who was clutching at a rosary wrapped around his hand. He looked back at the growing dot, and thought he could see the silhouette of a couple of forms coming at them, but he couldn't be sure...
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted from her place on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I think I know who they are!"
"Who?" Inuyasha and Miroku asked at the same time.
"The Thunder brothers," Kagome said, her arms pressed right above his butt as she fought to keep her balance on his back.
"Nani? The thunder brothers? I thought they were dead!" Miroku exclaimed.
"Well, apparently you thought wrong," Inuyasha said as he set Kagome back on her feet. "Who the hell are the thunder brothers?"
"They are a notorious duo of youkai bandits from the Western quadrant of Crystallia," Kagome explained. "Hiten and Manten... they are known for killing young women, thought I never did know why they did so."
"If they kill off young women," Inuyasha said. "Then you stay the fuck out of their way! Miroku and I will handle this!"
The two had now come into their line of sight. There were two of them, and neither resembled the other in even the smallest of ways, except if you counted their identical ancient Japanese armor. One of them was a rather large, pale, monstrous being, with only two strands of hair on the very top of his head. The other was quite good-looking, with long thick black hair pulled back into a braid. The large one sat on a small thundercloud, while the other flew on a strange large contraption by his feet. He was holding a long staff, with the edges crackling slightly from its last attack.
The human-looking youkai floated above the trio, but just out of their reach, making Inuyasha hold on tighter to his katana. The large one began to speak from right behind them.
"Hiten oniisan, here's the girl! You were right, it is them!"
"Of course I'm right Manten, you oaf," the elder youkai glared at Inuyasha. "And you must be the worthless hanyou trash Naraku sent us to kill."
Inuyasha seethed. "Naraku sent you, huh? Well you'd better turn right around and tell that asshole to fuck off, he's not gonna get anything from us."
"What are you talking about? He just managed to capture that monk's wench," Hiten remarked airily, regarding Miroku who had begun to fume at his words.
"He tricked me... and don't you dare call Sango that!" Miroku shouted, clenching his shakujou tightly. "Come down here and fight like a man!"
"He's baiting you, Miroku-sama," Kagome said, warily eyeing Manten, who was staring shamelessly at her.
"Ah... Azalea. If Naraku had not sent us here after you, I would take you for myself. I never noticed how lovely you looked before," Manten remarked, making Kagome wrinkle her nose in disgust.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, you pathetic excuse of a bald youkai," Kagome said, making the youkai go silent in shock.
"You called me bald..."
"Geez, ya think?" Hiten said from above them. "Anyway, I came for the hanyou and the princess," he continued, pointing his staff down at Inuyasha. "Prepare to die!" he yelled as he shot a bolt of lightning at Inuyasha from the tip of his staff.
Inuyasha once again pulled Kagome with him as he leapt away from the attack. He brought her to the top of an old tree, instructing her to hang on and stay there until he says otherwise, before leaping off to face Hiten, who was rapidly flying towards the tree. He took a swipe at Hiten with Tetsusaiga, slowly but strategically leading him away from Kagome by a silent dare to battle on the ground. "Miroku!" he yelled as he pushed away from the tree. "Take care of the ugly youkai, and leave this shithead to me."
Manten seems to have developed a fetish for killing Kagome, and he immediately headed for her when Inuyasha leapt away. Kagome saw this and was stringing up an arrow when Miroku jumped up to intercept Manten.
"Kagome-sama! Keep safe up there!" he yelled, taking a swipe at the Manten with his shakujou, catching the youkai off guard. He used this opportunity to open up his air rip, pointing it at the monster. "Kazaana!"
Manten was not uninformed though, as he swiftly flew up and away from the void. He swooped down again, opening his wide mouth to reveal a bright ball of light coming from within it. The ball grew in size as he came closer to the monk, and Kagome realized what it was about a second before he released it.
In a rush of adrenaline, Kagome notched up an arrow and shot it at Manten as he released the ball of electric power. Miroku dodged the ball of light easily, but the large Manten was not as lucky with Kagome's arrow.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was in a tight lock, his Tetsusaiga against Hiten's weapon. The thunder youkai was physically an equal to Inuyasha, and he just knew that given the chance, his Kaze no Kizu can definitely defeat Hiten.
Both pulled back at the same time, only to dive back into the battle at the exact same time. Inuyasha can distantly hear a strangled shout of pain, but did not dare turn around. As long as the shouting wasn't coming from Kagome, he didn't give a damn.
Hiten was distracted though, and turned at the sound of the shout. "Manten!" he yelled in shock, running towards his brother, leaving his opponent, at the sight. Manten had been impaled through the right side of his chest with Kagome's arrow, and had fallen off his cloud to land on the ground beneath Kagome's tree. Hiten saw red as he looked up at the princess, and before she could even blink, he leapt up towards her.
Both Miroku and Inuyasha leapt into action, but Inuyasha got there first. With a furious growl at anyone daring to harm his Kagome, he lunged at Hiten, knocking him to the ground, before he leapt up and raised Tetsusaiga.
"In your dreams, hanyou," Hiten yelled as he managed to dodge Inuyasha's blade. Snarling, Inuyasha ran after his opponent.
Miroku watched from a short distance, keeping his eyes trained on Manten in case he woke up. He did, right after Inuyasha turned towards Hiten, and rushed at Kagome. Kagome was ready for him though, and fired another arrow at him. She missed this time, but Manten had already jumped a few meters away from her, Giving Kagome a chance to leap off the branch to face him.
Miroku started to run over there and interfere. However, a strong gust of wind from right behind him made him turn around, and he found himself staring into a couple of fiery, scarlet eyes.
"Kagura!" he shouted, raising his shakujou to strike her.
Kagura gave an inaudible yip, before leaping up into the branches of a taller dead tree. "Watch it, houshi. I may be able to help you."
"There is nothing that a minion of Naraku could possibly do for me," Miroku snapped, taking hold of the beads on his right hand.
"I can take you to the taijiya, you idiotic prick! Don't want to see her?"
That made Miroku pause. "You won't do that... you work for Naraku," he said suspiciously, but still lowered his hand, as Kagura came down from the branches and walked towards him.
"I do," she began. "But I don't enjoy it. And besides..." Kagura hesitated, before pulling a small piece of stained pink cloth from her robes and holding it out for Miroku to see.
He recognized it instantly. It was part of Sango's kimono... and it was stained with blood.
"Sango..." he said, taking a small step towards Kagura, holding out one of his hands to the piece of her clothing. He turned stormy purple eyes to the female youkai. "Is she hurt?"
Kagura nodded. Miroku knew that he was in a dangerous state, and that trusting this woman could be perilous, but if there was a tiny possibility that Sango was hurt...
"Take me to her."
-----/---@
Inuyasha took another wild swing at Hiten. He was slightly panicked. He just saw Manten stand and head towards Kagome, and he had to protect her... and he couldn't gut that big blob of ugliness if his brother was making an ass of himself and took a long time getting defeated!
With great effort, Inuyasha struck down Hiten's flying aids as the man swung a kick his way. The youkai, in surprise, fell back, landing painfully on his tailbone on the ground. Inuyasha took the chance to slam the sword down into the fallen youkai's stomach, impaling him thoroughly with his sword. Not even bothering to make sure if the guy was dead, Inuyasha pulled his katana out and turned to run towards Kagome.
He turned just in time to see Kagome release an arrow at Manten, catching him on the other side of his chest. It had been the third arrow to hit home, and Inuyasha watched as Manten seemingly dissolved into a cloud of pink reiryoku, before completely disappearing.
Kagome grinned tiredly at him across the plain, and Inuyasha gave a thumbs up sign, before turning back to look at Hiten.
Only, the guy wasn't there.
His eyes full of horror, he turned to look back towards Kagome, finding just what he feared. Hiten, his eyes ablaze and the sharp end of his staff pointed at Kagome, was rushing towards the girl. With a speed and force he didn't know he possessed, Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga, gathering the winds about him in the process, and brought it down with a fierce shout.
"KAZE NO KIZU!!!"
The winds and the blaze of his fury and panic raced across the plain, reaching the youkai as he brought his weapon down on the princess. The Kaze no Kizu's winds hit at the exactly right time, right before the tip of his staff made contact with Kagome's chest.
Kagome ducked down as the winds came her way, and when she looked up, all that was left of Hiten was his chest plate and a few scorched strands of black hair.
"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled as he bounded up to her. "Kagome! Daijobu? Are you hurt? Are you injured?" he asked rapidly, holding Kagome by the shoulders as he turned her this way and that, checking for injuries.
"Inuyasha, I'm fine! Don't be silly," Kagome said laughingly. "Are YOU alright?"
"Yeah. Hiten got my arm with that staff thing, but I'm fine," Inuyasha said, absently noticing that the sky was beginning to clear up again. "Where's Miroku?"
"Huh? I thought he was with you?"
"No, I thought he..." Inuyasha trailed off as a familiar, highly unwanted scent reached him.
"Inuyasha, nani o?" Kagome asked in concern at the sudden anger in Inuyasha's face.
"Naraku... I smell Naraku."
-----/---@
Everything had raced past Miroku in a blur, and before he knew it, he was standing right in front of the Garnet Tower. He shuddered as the realization that he was in front of THE most evil structure in all of Crystallia.
"Where is she?" Miroku asked, but the only answer he got was from Kagura turning and walking towards the entrance of the tower. Miroku looked around cautiously as they entered. He followed Kagura as she stepped inside, but was totally shocked when she suddenly leapt up and disappeared in the thick blackness of the hall.
"Hiraikotsu!" Miroku turned abruptly as he heard this, his heart pounding in relief.
"Sango!" he turned towards the sound of her voice, but his heart caught in his throat when he suddenly saw Hiraikotsu heading straight for him. He ducked madly, watching its progress through the air until it finally sailed back to its wielder.
"SANGO!" he yelled happily, already imagining her as she ran into his arms in relief that he was here as he bade his worries about her being injured and dying a good riddance, but all his thoughts froze over when he finally saw her.
Sango stood, half hidden by shadows, her hands on hiraikotsu as she got ready to throw it once again.
At him.
"Hiraikotsu!" she yelled almost angrily, shocking Miroku and nearly making him forget to leap out of the way of the gigantic boomerang. She watched as the weapon sailed back to her, caught it, then stepped out of the shadows.
Miroku was in shock. Sango was there, her eyes overflowing with tears, her hands keeping a tight, determined hold on her weapon. Her lips were pulled back in an anguished frown as she once again raised her weapon and threw it at him.
He dodged once again, before finally finding his tongue. "Sango! What are you doing?!" he yelled. 'What is going on? Is she under a spell?'
She didn't answer, didn't even look into his eyes as she caught her boomerang and once again threw it at him with a vengeance. Her eyes were pained and haunted, and Miroku knew from the sound of her breathing that she was sobbing heavily as she continued to attack him.
"Sango! Why are you doing this?" Miroku tried again after dodging another attack from her weapon.
Sango caught hiraikotsu, then with an anguished cry, yelled, "I have no choice!"
"Nani?"
"Hiraikotsu!" she all but screamed as she threw her weapon once more, obviously intending to do some serious bodily harm to Miroku.
"What are you talking about, Sango?" Miroku demanded as Sango seemingly gave up on trying to hit him from afar, and came charging at him, swinging her Hiraikotsu like a warrior goddess.
"Hiya!" Sango cried as she swung hiraikotsu at Miroku, who ducked and dodged her every blow. Miroku was getting exhausted, and it took several more dodges before he thought of blocking hiraikotsu with his shakujou.
"Sango! Tell me what's wrong!" he said in panic, noticing that she had not stopped crying since she stepped into the room.
Sango gave another furious attempt, and Miroku ended up blocking her and trying to push her away, their weapons holding strong against the other. Miroku's confused face, and Sango's anguished one, were inches apart as they pushed furiously at the other's weapon.
"I have no choice. Forgive me..." she said so softly, Miroku almost didn't catch it. After speaking, Sango backflipped away from the disgruntled monk before delivering another crushing blow upon him, which he once again blocked with shakujou.
"What do you mean? Tell me, onegai!" he begged her desperately. He didn't want to fight her...
Sango once again pulled furiously away from him, swung her weapon around and released it, and Miroku ducked as Hiraikotsu came straight at him. Its rapid flight took it immediately back to Sango, who once again released it, aiming for his head.
Miroku leapt back. He couldn't take this anymore!
"Sango!" he pleaded. "Don't do this to me, onegai! I don't want to fight you!"
Sango gave a loud shout as she released hiraikotsu again, this time, aiming for his torso.
"Sango, listen to me, please!"
"Shut up! Hiraikotsu!" she shouted as Miroku felt tears of frustration welling up in his eyes.
Sango's eyes were still overflowing with tears, but she was throwing Hiraikotsu with expert precision. Miroku was having a hard time keeping his head.
"Sango... STOP! I can't fight you!"
Sango continued her relentless assault as Miroku's confused mind went over all the possibilities. But nothing made sense...
"Sango, onegai!" He pleaded again. "I can't fight you... I can't hurt you...
I...
I love you, Sango..."
Sango paused from her furious actions, halting hiraikotsu just as she was about to release it Then she stared at him, as the tears started to flow more quickly down her pallid cheeks.
She smiled a cheerless smile, holding her hiraikotsu in both hands. "Miroku..." she began.
"I love you too..." she said miserably, before her eyes once again hardened with determination. "But I have no choice."
Her words had caught Miroku so off guard, that he had reacted a second too late from Sango's newest attack. He tried to dodge the Hiraikotsu, but the boomerang still caught his side, slamming into him painfully, breaking his right arm.
He was exhausted... both mentally and physically from this fight with Sango, and his fight with Manten, and he still hadn't been fully recovered from the wounds he had received when Sango was abducted. He cried out and dropped shakujou, slumping on the floor against a wall, and Sango took that chance to throw Hiraikotsu over his lap, trapping his arms between his body and the weapon. She then ran over and sat on his legs.
A small glint off to the side momentarily caught Miroku's attention, but Sango caught it right back when he saw her pulling her sword out of its scabbard from where it was attached to her belt. She raised it up and aimed it at his chest, right above his heart, with her right hand shakily grasping the hilt.
She reached out to touch his cheek with her left hand, stroking it reverently as she smiled bitterly at him. Then, almost as if she had suddenly caught herself, she pulled her hand back, and let it hold her sword's hilt along with her right. She pressed it to his chest, leaning down so that her face was close to his as she spoke.
"I love you... gomen..." she said tearfully, as she watched her sword slowly pierce his chest, drawing a few drops of blood in the process. She looked deep into his pained purple eyes, then brushed her lips over his for a fleeting moment.
She let out a breathy whisper as she pulled away, her eyes pained and angry at the same time. "Please..." she whispered to him. "Forgive me..."
-----/---@
A/N: I am sooo gonna get flamed. Oh well, I hope not. But I just know you guys are hating me right now! Gomen! But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the long chapter. My fingers aren't exactly my number one fans at the moment. *Looks at swelling fingers* Eew...
And gomen if the fighting scene with the thunder brothers was kinda rushed... I was getting sleepy, and the emphasis in this chap was on the Mir/San scene, not on the freaky thunder freaks. No offense to those who find Hiten cute. I personally think the guy's a hunk, but I'm a total Inuyasha fangirl. ^_^.
And wow, you guys are the greatest! I absolutely regret not updating sooner! You left me... *counts very carefully*... 26 reviews?! My god, I'm so happy! *Gives donuts and cookies to reviewers*
Responses!!!
Kinara: Ehehe... I don't really like killing off characters... but I do love tormenting them! *Evil laugh*.I couldn't kill Sango, I like her too much!
V.I.: I guess I get carried away with the swearing all the time. *sweatdrops* I'll minimize them if you feel uncomfortable. Anyway, gomen for the delay in the update. Hehe... and thanks! I'm glad you like it!
Fetchboy69: I'd kill Kikyo, but I'd never kill Sango. She's a great character! And... ahaha... gomen again for the delay... Glad you liked it!
Taijiya-Sango88: I didn't! I didn't kill her!
Chevere: Oh, you were in Venezuela? Wicked! I hope you had a lot of fun there, and thanks for the vote of confidence!
Kittymui: Glad you liked it! Japanese guides, eh? Hmm... Taeko Kamiya's "Speak Japanese Today" is a good choice if you wanna learn some fast Japanese quick. But it's almost only limited to the basics. And getting a Japanese dictionary could help a lot, too. ^_^
ShadowStar666: Glad you liked it! And gomen for the late update. ^_^
Litwolf689: Thanks! Glad you liked it. I hope you got enough rest after that trip. Five hours?! Damn, that oughta be exhausting!
EternalDemoness: Yep, the Philippines. A cute exchange guy? You should go talk to him. We're naturally friendly people, actually! ^_^ Glad you liked it!
Asha3: I'm on your author alert? Gee, thanks! I'm flattered! Gomen, I don't play RPGs. Ehehe... I suck at anything that has controllers. I swear to God, I can't even get to the third level of Mario Bros. I'm glad you like my story. Thanks!
Jagged-Heart: Ahahaha... I've got to admit, sometimes I read chaps and forget to review. T_T Damn internet curfew of mine. Don't cry, it's ok! And... gomen for the late update.
Dragonstar03: Here's the update!
KrysTheAngel: Roaches up Naraku's sleeve? I don't think so... Not even roaches would come near him. ^_^ Yeah, if I were Miroku I would rip Naraku limb from limb. And about Sango... please don't kill me. *Cowers in fright* Glad you liked the chap, and gomen for the late update!
Guardian Angel of ALL Anime: He didn't... but now I'm starting to wish he did. *sweatdrops* Gomen for the late update. Here's the next chap!
KawaiiKitten11: I'm glad you like the fic! ^_^ I didn't have the heart to make him mad at her. Gomen for the late update!
Sukuri: Oh, oh, oh! Belated Happy Birthday! Maligayang bati kaibigan (that was tagalog)! You wear glasses? I guess we both have bad vision, then? I have 250/20 vision, so I wear contacts. I'm chubby, and if I wear glasses, I'd end up looking like the college dean. T_T Anyway, "itai" means "ouch", you were right! Oh, and arigatou for the carol! I'd sing you one now, but it's almost Valentine's day. *sweatdrops* Arigatou for the review!
UnholyDragoon: You know, I really love your reviews because you tell me just what you like in the chap, and what I can improve! Arigatou! Glad you liked it, and gomen for the delay in update. Ja!
Paulina: Ok lang yun! Hindi rin ako nakakaupdate e! Sorry!
InuyashaGirlie: Oh, Naraku will get what's coming for him! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Gomen for the late update! Ja!
Midoriko-sama: Glad you liked it! Well, glad you didn't get linched, coz in MY case, I've had some pretty furious emails... eh, I don't blame them. Arigatou!
EvilDarkness25: Thanks!
The Literary Dragon: My thoughts exactly. And like I said, he'll get what's coming to him. Arigatou! Gomen for the late update.
Yami Yuugi Lover AKA Kiyo: Um... thanks for the review!
Ryngrl5: Here's the update! Gomen for taking so long. T_T Arigatou, glad you liked!
Yamiyumetenshi: Yeah well, I still don't like her. She's getting in Kagome's way!!! Hehe! No prob about the name, I share my blessings. ^_^ Tell me when your fic is posted! I'd like to read it! Arigatou!
AnimeObsessionFantasy: Oh, they found her, alright. ^_^ Gomen for the delay!
Well, that's it! And yeah, special thanks to DRAKE220 (aff.net) for your unbelievably long review! You've been quite inspiring, probably the most flattering review I ever got too! ^_^ Arigatou!
So, that's all! Again, gomen for the delay, and arigatou to everybody who reviewed, and even those who read and didn't review, thanks a lot for reading! I'll be updating sooner than this last one, I promise! God bless you all! ^_^
Please R and R!
ScarletRaven1001
So, as my heartfelt apology for leaving such a horrid cliffhanger then daring to update so late, here's an extra long chapter, just for you guys! With some explanations, for those who have emailed me with questions and stuff over the long period I was "idle".
Anyway, arigatou to all those who reviewed my previous chaps. Here's the next one! I hope you enjoy this, and please, read and review!
Disclaimer: I own a white Labrador named Inuyasha, a black one named Kagome, and a fox plushy named Shippou, along with plushies of the IY gumi, but I do not own the hanyou in the oversized red robes. Damn. Maybe I should go and dress my dog in a red haori...
-----/---@
SEVEN WEEKS
Pain
-----/---@
Inuyasha stared gloomily at the night sky, desperation slowly welling up inside him as he watched the moon. It was in its last quarter... meaning that a new moon may be up in a few days...
"Inuyasha?" Kagome called, distracting him from his thoughts, as she lay a few feet away from him, getting ready for bed. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Miroku, who lay tangled in one of her sleeping sheets, his shoulders rigid and fists slightly clenched. Kirara lay by the opening of the cave, fast asleep.
"Nani?" Inuyasha answered, facing her squarely. He momentarily turned his ears to the monk, relieved at finding his breathing calm and even. He was asleep. "You're worried about Sango and Miroku, aren't you?" he asked her softly, hoping to not wake the sleeping monk.
"Ee. Is Miroku-sama... asleep?" she asked uneasily, and upon Inuyasha's nod, she crawled over to him, taking her blankets with her, and snuggled close to his chest. "Do you think she's alright, Inuyasha?" she asked softly as the pair wound their arms around each other.
Inuyasha stared ahead. "Wakaranai. But I know one thing," he whispered, looking over to the sleeping houshi. "If we don't find her soon, that guy will crack."
Kagome looked ready to cry. "They are in love, I'm sure of it. The way they acted towards each other before all this happened... Oh, Inuyasha, we have to hurry. You only have five days left in Crystallia!" she said, tears spilling as she said the last sentence.
"Four, come sunrise," Inuyasha replied. "We'll get Sango back, Kagome. I promise you that. We will get her and the Shikon no Tama back before I have to leave for my world, I swear to the gods we will."
Kagome then looked solemnly back at his face. "Only five days left, then... before you leave... I still can't bear to think about it. Only five days..." she mused softly, lifting a hand to hold his face as she spoke. "I can't live without you."
Inuyasha smiled softly down at her, wiping the rapidly pooling moisture on her cheeks. "Yes you can. You're very strong, Kag-chan. It hurts, but we both know that we will have to move on."
Kagome smiled sadly up at him. "I'm not sure if I can move on... if I can ever forget..."
"But you must. WE must," Inuyasha said. "And though I know I can never ever forget you... we'll both have to live with it."
"I don't think I can bear to think of you being with another woman."
"It will never happen, so don't worry."
"What are you talking about?! You're young! Inuyasha, I won't want you to forever be lonely just because of me!" Kagome cried softly, nearly forgetting about the sleeping monk who lay but a few feet away.
Inuyasha stared rather sharply at her. "And did you honestly think that I could ever fall in love again after I fell in love with you?! That I could kiss any other after I've kissed you?"
Kagome looked down at her hands that had slightly curled up between her and Inuyasha. "You have to forget about me. You still have your whole life ahead of you. I'll have to go back to my duties, but you... you're a free man..."
"My oyaji once told me," Inuyasha interrupted, "That all people only possess half a soul. It's a curse sent by the gods, for our bad ways, and that we all have to find the other half of our soul for us to ever be complete. My soul has only one partner, Kagome. And that's you. There can be no one else... you only find true love once..."
Kagome snuggled into his chest, wrapping one arm around him. "I love you... I'll treasure the memory of our night together for the rest of my life."
"So will I, Kagome. So will I."
And with that, the couple fell asleep...
And so did the monk a few feet away... who had done a very impressive job at faking sleep.
-----/---@
"So, how's the taijiya?" Kagura asked of her sister. She was bored stiff, and wanted nothing more than a good fight. "Did she agree to Naraku's terms?"
Kanna simply nodded, before turning her mirror to Kagura. Kagura grinned at what she saw, already anticipating a good battle. 'Oh yeah... this should be very good indeed.'
"I think that the three others will be here soon," Kanna suddenly mused, her wispy soft voice flowing calmly from her lips. "They will be here for the exterminator."
"And we'll be ready for them, ne Kanna?" Kagura smirked even as her sister turned solemnly to face her. Kagura was surprised to find a single tear fall from the white clad youkai's eyes.
"I want out of this, Kagura," Kanna suddenly said, startling Kagura even more. "I don't want to be doing this all of my life... will we ever be free of Naraku?"
Kagura stood stiffly at her sister's question. "I don't know. But I don't exactly enjoy putting myself in danger for that bastard. But as of now, you know we have to... we have no choice. If we don't fight, we will die."
"I'm tired of placing Crystallia and myself in danger... I'm tired of bringing pain. I wish... I wish I had never been 'born', Kagura," Kanna spoke so softly now that Kagura had to strain to hear her.
"Yamete! Stop saying that, Kanna! We'll find a way out of this, and you know it! But for now..." she paused from her depressed speech. "I just want something to get my claws on," Kagura said to her sister jokingly.
Kanna smiled up at her. "Ee."
-----/---@
"Inuyasha! Hayaku! We have to make the most of the time!" Miroku yelled from somewhere outside the cave, where Kagome and Inuyasha were presently still getting ready to leave. "Aza-sama! Let's go!"
The day had dawned bright and early, just cheerful enough to lift the spirits of the distressed monk, but glum enough to keep him worried. He was terribly worried about Sango, but he knew that with Azalea and Inuyasha's help, he could save Sango. He was also determined not to entirely ruin their day by being a sulky, lovesick whacko about it...
He would smile and laugh if need be, but he would NOT break down like yesterday!
"Shut up! We're coming monk!" Inuyasha yelled back.
"Inuyasha! Gomen, Miroku-sama, we'll be out in a bit!"
Inuyasha grumpily packed Kagome's things back into her bag. He had jumped away from the palate that they had shared for the night as the sun slowly peeped over the horizon, so as not to give the monk any ideas.
Miroku had stayed 'asleep' through it all. No sense in letting Inuyasha know what he heard, now, was there?
"There! All done! Shall we, Inu-chan?" Kagome asked cheerfully, in complete contrast with Inuyasha's foul morning mood. Kirara sat perched on her shoulder, her right ear wrapped in Kagome's wrist bandages. "And you, Kirara-chan... I want you to go back to the palace, and alert them of Sango's kidnap. Have them increase security. And get yourself healed, while you are at it. You took in a dose of poison at that attack. Then, when you are all done, come back and find us, alright?"
Kirara nodded, before jumping off Kagome's shoulder and heading outside the cave to leave. Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "We have to get to Sango-chan. And Naraku."
Inuyasha suddenly tensed at the mention of the name. He instinctively clutched the hilt of Tetsusaiga, his mind coming up with different ways to kill the bastard. Oh, how he wanted to mince the ass into tiny little pieces...
The monk waiting outside was thinking almost exactly the same thing, dreaming up various ways to mutilate the evil youkai. 'I would suck that bastard with my Kazaana, every single bit of him, starting with his genitals. If he even *dares* to lay a hand on my Sango... I don't know if even Crystallia would survive my fury!'
So lost was he in his grim thoughts that he didn't notice as Kirara transformed and flew off back to the palace right in front of him, nor the odd looks he was receiving from his two new companions.
"Miroku-sama?" Kagome's voice broke into his "merry" musings. "Is something wrong? Let's go. We still have to beat the heck out of Naraku, ne?"
Miroku nodded solemnly. "Ah, yes. And I shall greatly enjoy it, too."
"Oi! You do what you want to the tower and everything else, but that sick bastard is MINE!" Inuyasha rallied, much to Kagome's amusement.
"And you believe that we will let you have all the fun? I think not!" Kagome smiled as they begin walking towards the direction in which the Garnet Tower stood. "We all want a piece of that monster, ne, Miroku-sama?"
"I believe we all have a score to settle with him, yes indeed," Miroku answered. "Let us work out a compromise - Let us chop him up! That way, Inuyasha can have his head, Azalea-sama can have his torso, and I can have his hips and legs. Fair enough?" he added with an air of one suggesting what the trio would be having for dinner.
Both Kagome and Inuyasha had to laugh at that.
"Miroku-sama! That would be so brutal!" Kagome laughed.
"Yeah, but I like the idea," Inuyasha nodded enthusiastically after calming down from his laughter. "I'd love to take out his eyeballs, one at a time, then carve his irises out to feed to Kagura and Kanna."
"And I would feed his balls to the scorpions along the Lalim Ravine," Miroku agreed, slapping Inuyasha a high five.
"You go, man!"
"Eew! Is THAT why you wanted his hips?"
"Do you not like my idea, Aza-sama?"
"It's disgusting, Miroku-sama! And onegai, call me Kagome. I don't deserve the name Azalea, not when I don't have the Shikon," Kagome said, which had Miroku looking confused, but he nodded anyway.
"About that, Aza- I mean, Kagome-sama... what will we do about your holy powers?" Miroku asked skeptically. "Don't you think that perhaps... if Naraku managed to control the powers of the Garnet Tower, don't you think he may have had the ability to control the Shikon no Tama as well?"
Inuyasha interrupted at that. "Let's not think about that for now, Miroku. I doubt he'd be able to use the Shikon properly, seeing as how evil that fucking bastard is. But what I want to know... what the hell exactly is this "forbidden power" shit that Naraku is supposed to be controlling?"
"Inuyasha, watch your language..." Kagome softly admonished.
"It's quite alright, Kagome-sama! I have gotten used to his mouth ages ago... I believe you were with him when he was informed about the glitch in the portal? Inuyasha had practically made an alphabetized list of cusses," Miroku said airily.
"Oh, yes! I have never realized before then exactly how many profanities existed in our conscious plane," Kagome said laughingly, at the same time noticing that the monk was greatly evading talking about Sango. He chose his words well enough... he didn't even mention that it was he and the taijiya who broke the news to him. 'He must be really upset.' It was also obvious, especially to Kagome who had known him for years, that his smiles were fake...
"Oi! You guys haven't answered me yet! What exactly is that power in the Garnet Tower?!"
Miroku sighed softly. "It's rather complicated. Kagome-sama? I believe you had best explain this to Inuyasha. After all, you know more about everything about Crystallia than I do. Besides, you're the princess."
"As much as I would love to kill you for that reminder," Kagome said, "You may be right. I'll try to explain this as simply as I possibly could."
Both men looked expectantly at her.
She took a deep breath. She began speaking, in a slightly hushed voice, as the trio continued walking northward. "Ok... First thing you need to know, Inuyasha, is that I, as Azalea," she cringed, "am not the very first ruler. The first ruler of this land, the goddess who created Crystallia millennia ago, is the original Azalea. She had wanted to make a land that was free of all evil. As she created Crystallia though, evil elements still managed to get through. Once she had established her rule, she had, in a way, compacted all evil, both evil magic and malice in people's hearts, and stored it into the topmost tower of the Garnet Tower, a tower that she had solely made to protect her people and the youkai of this land from the evil. A very tiny amount of evil was left though, and that tiny amount alone made its way into people's hearts, and thus, nobody is completely good in Crystallia, but hardly anyone is completely evil, since there is so little malice."
"So... she basically imprisoned all evil? In that tower?" Inuyasha inquired.
"Sort of," she agreed, while Miroku nodded. "That Garnet Tower cannot be opened, cannot be entered. It has a magic seal on it, a powerful seal, cast by Azalea Primera herself," she shook her head. "Until now, I cannot understand how Naraku had managed to open the Tower. But I do know that once the tower has been opened... then the evil power will be unleashed. The evil may make its way into the people's hearts, polluting them... that is why so many horrible things have been happening since Naraku opened the tower. Before all this, all that the Crystallian army had to worry about was invaders from other realms, but now, we have to defend ourselves from each other."
Inuyasha was silent, walking beside Kagome with his gaze intent on her. "If the power is THAT serious, how could Naraku have managed to control it?"
"That, I do not know, Inuyasha," Kagome said, before Miroku interrupted.
"I might," At his friends' questioning gazes, he continued. "Perhaps Naraku's heart had been so full of malice that the tower's forbidden evil had somehow reacted to him... I am not sure, but it's a possible theory."
Kagome considered. "Maybe..."
"It definitely makes sense," Inuyasha agreed. "He could have been so evil, he was evil enough to summon the power, like a magnet, I guess."
"Magnet?" Kagome looked confused.
"A sort of bit of metal that attracts other metals. I don't know too much chemistry and geology, so I'm not sure, but that's basically it."
"Metal? Chemistry?" Kagome asked, even more confused.
"From your world, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.
"Yeah."
"You know what," Kagome said suddenly. "We barely talk about your world, Inuyasha. What is it like?"
Inuyasha thought about it, before looking at both Miroku and Kagome. "Definitely not the same as Crystallia. My world was like Crystallia once, though. Probably about five or four hundred years ago."
Miroku and Kagome were astounded, and so the friends then began to dwell on the wonders of Inuyasha's world.
-----/---@
The sun was beginning to set, and the three friends were getting tired and hungry. They had not stopped for lunch, thinking that they would make better time if they did not keep stopping for "unnecessary things". Now they were starving, sweaty, and irritable.
"Inuyasha! Miroku-sama! Mou, I want to REST! Scratch that... I want to eat! Onegai, let's stop for just a few moments! I'm about to collapse here!" Kagome whined at the two men who were steadily walking to the Northern part of the land.
Inuyasha looked concernedly back at her. "You should have said something, Kag. Come on," he said with finality, fixing Miroku, who had just opened his mouth to complain, with a dark look. "We won't do any good if we get there sooner, but exhausted to death. It's better to stop and rest every once in a while."
Miroku grudgingly sat down on a tree stump, surveying the area they were in. It was a barren wasteland, as usual, not quite unusual for the present Crystallia. But something was amiss.
He stood as he watched the sky shift and darken rapidly right before his eyes. He can almost feel the darkness as it filled the clouds before him. "Inuyasha, look..." he said, pointing upwards.
"Nani?" Inuyasha asked, turning to look in the direction the monk was pointing, and felt his jaw drop. The blue sky was practically turning dark gray inch per inch, and he cautiously stepped before Kagome, as if to shield her from any possible threat.
"Miroku-sama, Inuyasha, I feel a strong amount of jaki in the air," Kagome said. Just as she said that, all heads turned as a strong clap of thunder resounded in the distance, barely preceded by a bolt of lightning that split the now gray sky.
Inuyasha took a hold of Tetsusaiga, brandishing it before him. Kagome unconsciously pressed against his back as she took the thin bandages off her right wrist, revealing the golden star that she carefully hid.
"What the fuck is happening?" Inuyasha asked Kagome softly, and she shook her head behind him. He took a cautious look behind him, regarding Kagome, before turning back to look at Miroku.
Good thing he did.
"Miroku! Look out!" Inuyasha yelled as a gigantic bolt of lightning rushed toward his friend from behind.
Startled at the outburst, Miroku instinctively jumped away from his current place, landing a few feet away from Inuyasha and Kagome. He looked at the spot he had been standing in but a couple of seconds ago, shuddering as he noted the burnt patch of land that would have been toasted with him right on top.
"Miroku-sama, daijobu?!" Kagome shouted from her place beside Inuyasha, but she wasn't looking at him. She was staring at a dark spot in the sky that was slowly growing, indicating that whatever it was, it was coming towards them at a rapid pace.
Inuyasha grabbed Kagome as he saw a long bolt of lightning coming at them from the two large dots in the sky. He leapt up towards Miroku, holding onto Kagome's legs as she was slung over his right shoulder.
"What the fuck was that?" he yelled at Miroku, who was clutching at a rosary wrapped around his hand. He looked back at the growing dot, and thought he could see the silhouette of a couple of forms coming at them, but he couldn't be sure...
"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted from her place on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I think I know who they are!"
"Who?" Inuyasha and Miroku asked at the same time.
"The Thunder brothers," Kagome said, her arms pressed right above his butt as she fought to keep her balance on his back.
"Nani? The thunder brothers? I thought they were dead!" Miroku exclaimed.
"Well, apparently you thought wrong," Inuyasha said as he set Kagome back on her feet. "Who the hell are the thunder brothers?"
"They are a notorious duo of youkai bandits from the Western quadrant of Crystallia," Kagome explained. "Hiten and Manten... they are known for killing young women, thought I never did know why they did so."
"If they kill off young women," Inuyasha said. "Then you stay the fuck out of their way! Miroku and I will handle this!"
The two had now come into their line of sight. There were two of them, and neither resembled the other in even the smallest of ways, except if you counted their identical ancient Japanese armor. One of them was a rather large, pale, monstrous being, with only two strands of hair on the very top of his head. The other was quite good-looking, with long thick black hair pulled back into a braid. The large one sat on a small thundercloud, while the other flew on a strange large contraption by his feet. He was holding a long staff, with the edges crackling slightly from its last attack.
The human-looking youkai floated above the trio, but just out of their reach, making Inuyasha hold on tighter to his katana. The large one began to speak from right behind them.
"Hiten oniisan, here's the girl! You were right, it is them!"
"Of course I'm right Manten, you oaf," the elder youkai glared at Inuyasha. "And you must be the worthless hanyou trash Naraku sent us to kill."
Inuyasha seethed. "Naraku sent you, huh? Well you'd better turn right around and tell that asshole to fuck off, he's not gonna get anything from us."
"What are you talking about? He just managed to capture that monk's wench," Hiten remarked airily, regarding Miroku who had begun to fume at his words.
"He tricked me... and don't you dare call Sango that!" Miroku shouted, clenching his shakujou tightly. "Come down here and fight like a man!"
"He's baiting you, Miroku-sama," Kagome said, warily eyeing Manten, who was staring shamelessly at her.
"Ah... Azalea. If Naraku had not sent us here after you, I would take you for myself. I never noticed how lovely you looked before," Manten remarked, making Kagome wrinkle her nose in disgust.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, you pathetic excuse of a bald youkai," Kagome said, making the youkai go silent in shock.
"You called me bald..."
"Geez, ya think?" Hiten said from above them. "Anyway, I came for the hanyou and the princess," he continued, pointing his staff down at Inuyasha. "Prepare to die!" he yelled as he shot a bolt of lightning at Inuyasha from the tip of his staff.
Inuyasha once again pulled Kagome with him as he leapt away from the attack. He brought her to the top of an old tree, instructing her to hang on and stay there until he says otherwise, before leaping off to face Hiten, who was rapidly flying towards the tree. He took a swipe at Hiten with Tetsusaiga, slowly but strategically leading him away from Kagome by a silent dare to battle on the ground. "Miroku!" he yelled as he pushed away from the tree. "Take care of the ugly youkai, and leave this shithead to me."
Manten seems to have developed a fetish for killing Kagome, and he immediately headed for her when Inuyasha leapt away. Kagome saw this and was stringing up an arrow when Miroku jumped up to intercept Manten.
"Kagome-sama! Keep safe up there!" he yelled, taking a swipe at the Manten with his shakujou, catching the youkai off guard. He used this opportunity to open up his air rip, pointing it at the monster. "Kazaana!"
Manten was not uninformed though, as he swiftly flew up and away from the void. He swooped down again, opening his wide mouth to reveal a bright ball of light coming from within it. The ball grew in size as he came closer to the monk, and Kagome realized what it was about a second before he released it.
In a rush of adrenaline, Kagome notched up an arrow and shot it at Manten as he released the ball of electric power. Miroku dodged the ball of light easily, but the large Manten was not as lucky with Kagome's arrow.
Meanwhile, Inuyasha was in a tight lock, his Tetsusaiga against Hiten's weapon. The thunder youkai was physically an equal to Inuyasha, and he just knew that given the chance, his Kaze no Kizu can definitely defeat Hiten.
Both pulled back at the same time, only to dive back into the battle at the exact same time. Inuyasha can distantly hear a strangled shout of pain, but did not dare turn around. As long as the shouting wasn't coming from Kagome, he didn't give a damn.
Hiten was distracted though, and turned at the sound of the shout. "Manten!" he yelled in shock, running towards his brother, leaving his opponent, at the sight. Manten had been impaled through the right side of his chest with Kagome's arrow, and had fallen off his cloud to land on the ground beneath Kagome's tree. Hiten saw red as he looked up at the princess, and before she could even blink, he leapt up towards her.
Both Miroku and Inuyasha leapt into action, but Inuyasha got there first. With a furious growl at anyone daring to harm his Kagome, he lunged at Hiten, knocking him to the ground, before he leapt up and raised Tetsusaiga.
"In your dreams, hanyou," Hiten yelled as he managed to dodge Inuyasha's blade. Snarling, Inuyasha ran after his opponent.
Miroku watched from a short distance, keeping his eyes trained on Manten in case he woke up. He did, right after Inuyasha turned towards Hiten, and rushed at Kagome. Kagome was ready for him though, and fired another arrow at him. She missed this time, but Manten had already jumped a few meters away from her, Giving Kagome a chance to leap off the branch to face him.
Miroku started to run over there and interfere. However, a strong gust of wind from right behind him made him turn around, and he found himself staring into a couple of fiery, scarlet eyes.
"Kagura!" he shouted, raising his shakujou to strike her.
Kagura gave an inaudible yip, before leaping up into the branches of a taller dead tree. "Watch it, houshi. I may be able to help you."
"There is nothing that a minion of Naraku could possibly do for me," Miroku snapped, taking hold of the beads on his right hand.
"I can take you to the taijiya, you idiotic prick! Don't want to see her?"
That made Miroku pause. "You won't do that... you work for Naraku," he said suspiciously, but still lowered his hand, as Kagura came down from the branches and walked towards him.
"I do," she began. "But I don't enjoy it. And besides..." Kagura hesitated, before pulling a small piece of stained pink cloth from her robes and holding it out for Miroku to see.
He recognized it instantly. It was part of Sango's kimono... and it was stained with blood.
"Sango..." he said, taking a small step towards Kagura, holding out one of his hands to the piece of her clothing. He turned stormy purple eyes to the female youkai. "Is she hurt?"
Kagura nodded. Miroku knew that he was in a dangerous state, and that trusting this woman could be perilous, but if there was a tiny possibility that Sango was hurt...
"Take me to her."
-----/---@
Inuyasha took another wild swing at Hiten. He was slightly panicked. He just saw Manten stand and head towards Kagome, and he had to protect her... and he couldn't gut that big blob of ugliness if his brother was making an ass of himself and took a long time getting defeated!
With great effort, Inuyasha struck down Hiten's flying aids as the man swung a kick his way. The youkai, in surprise, fell back, landing painfully on his tailbone on the ground. Inuyasha took the chance to slam the sword down into the fallen youkai's stomach, impaling him thoroughly with his sword. Not even bothering to make sure if the guy was dead, Inuyasha pulled his katana out and turned to run towards Kagome.
He turned just in time to see Kagome release an arrow at Manten, catching him on the other side of his chest. It had been the third arrow to hit home, and Inuyasha watched as Manten seemingly dissolved into a cloud of pink reiryoku, before completely disappearing.
Kagome grinned tiredly at him across the plain, and Inuyasha gave a thumbs up sign, before turning back to look at Hiten.
Only, the guy wasn't there.
His eyes full of horror, he turned to look back towards Kagome, finding just what he feared. Hiten, his eyes ablaze and the sharp end of his staff pointed at Kagome, was rushing towards the girl. With a speed and force he didn't know he possessed, Inuyasha raised Tetsusaiga, gathering the winds about him in the process, and brought it down with a fierce shout.
"KAZE NO KIZU!!!"
The winds and the blaze of his fury and panic raced across the plain, reaching the youkai as he brought his weapon down on the princess. The Kaze no Kizu's winds hit at the exactly right time, right before the tip of his staff made contact with Kagome's chest.
Kagome ducked down as the winds came her way, and when she looked up, all that was left of Hiten was his chest plate and a few scorched strands of black hair.
"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled as he bounded up to her. "Kagome! Daijobu? Are you hurt? Are you injured?" he asked rapidly, holding Kagome by the shoulders as he turned her this way and that, checking for injuries.
"Inuyasha, I'm fine! Don't be silly," Kagome said laughingly. "Are YOU alright?"
"Yeah. Hiten got my arm with that staff thing, but I'm fine," Inuyasha said, absently noticing that the sky was beginning to clear up again. "Where's Miroku?"
"Huh? I thought he was with you?"
"No, I thought he..." Inuyasha trailed off as a familiar, highly unwanted scent reached him.
"Inuyasha, nani o?" Kagome asked in concern at the sudden anger in Inuyasha's face.
"Naraku... I smell Naraku."
-----/---@
Everything had raced past Miroku in a blur, and before he knew it, he was standing right in front of the Garnet Tower. He shuddered as the realization that he was in front of THE most evil structure in all of Crystallia.
"Where is she?" Miroku asked, but the only answer he got was from Kagura turning and walking towards the entrance of the tower. Miroku looked around cautiously as they entered. He followed Kagura as she stepped inside, but was totally shocked when she suddenly leapt up and disappeared in the thick blackness of the hall.
"Hiraikotsu!" Miroku turned abruptly as he heard this, his heart pounding in relief.
"Sango!" he turned towards the sound of her voice, but his heart caught in his throat when he suddenly saw Hiraikotsu heading straight for him. He ducked madly, watching its progress through the air until it finally sailed back to its wielder.
"SANGO!" he yelled happily, already imagining her as she ran into his arms in relief that he was here as he bade his worries about her being injured and dying a good riddance, but all his thoughts froze over when he finally saw her.
Sango stood, half hidden by shadows, her hands on hiraikotsu as she got ready to throw it once again.
At him.
"Hiraikotsu!" she yelled almost angrily, shocking Miroku and nearly making him forget to leap out of the way of the gigantic boomerang. She watched as the weapon sailed back to her, caught it, then stepped out of the shadows.
Miroku was in shock. Sango was there, her eyes overflowing with tears, her hands keeping a tight, determined hold on her weapon. Her lips were pulled back in an anguished frown as she once again raised her weapon and threw it at him.
He dodged once again, before finally finding his tongue. "Sango! What are you doing?!" he yelled. 'What is going on? Is she under a spell?'
She didn't answer, didn't even look into his eyes as she caught her boomerang and once again threw it at him with a vengeance. Her eyes were pained and haunted, and Miroku knew from the sound of her breathing that she was sobbing heavily as she continued to attack him.
"Sango! Why are you doing this?" Miroku tried again after dodging another attack from her weapon.
Sango caught hiraikotsu, then with an anguished cry, yelled, "I have no choice!"
"Nani?"
"Hiraikotsu!" she all but screamed as she threw her weapon once more, obviously intending to do some serious bodily harm to Miroku.
"What are you talking about, Sango?" Miroku demanded as Sango seemingly gave up on trying to hit him from afar, and came charging at him, swinging her Hiraikotsu like a warrior goddess.
"Hiya!" Sango cried as she swung hiraikotsu at Miroku, who ducked and dodged her every blow. Miroku was getting exhausted, and it took several more dodges before he thought of blocking hiraikotsu with his shakujou.
"Sango! Tell me what's wrong!" he said in panic, noticing that she had not stopped crying since she stepped into the room.
Sango gave another furious attempt, and Miroku ended up blocking her and trying to push her away, their weapons holding strong against the other. Miroku's confused face, and Sango's anguished one, were inches apart as they pushed furiously at the other's weapon.
"I have no choice. Forgive me..." she said so softly, Miroku almost didn't catch it. After speaking, Sango backflipped away from the disgruntled monk before delivering another crushing blow upon him, which he once again blocked with shakujou.
"What do you mean? Tell me, onegai!" he begged her desperately. He didn't want to fight her...
Sango once again pulled furiously away from him, swung her weapon around and released it, and Miroku ducked as Hiraikotsu came straight at him. Its rapid flight took it immediately back to Sango, who once again released it, aiming for his head.
Miroku leapt back. He couldn't take this anymore!
"Sango!" he pleaded. "Don't do this to me, onegai! I don't want to fight you!"
Sango gave a loud shout as she released hiraikotsu again, this time, aiming for his torso.
"Sango, listen to me, please!"
"Shut up! Hiraikotsu!" she shouted as Miroku felt tears of frustration welling up in his eyes.
Sango's eyes were still overflowing with tears, but she was throwing Hiraikotsu with expert precision. Miroku was having a hard time keeping his head.
"Sango... STOP! I can't fight you!"
Sango continued her relentless assault as Miroku's confused mind went over all the possibilities. But nothing made sense...
"Sango, onegai!" He pleaded again. "I can't fight you... I can't hurt you...
I...
I love you, Sango..."
Sango paused from her furious actions, halting hiraikotsu just as she was about to release it Then she stared at him, as the tears started to flow more quickly down her pallid cheeks.
She smiled a cheerless smile, holding her hiraikotsu in both hands. "Miroku..." she began.
"I love you too..." she said miserably, before her eyes once again hardened with determination. "But I have no choice."
Her words had caught Miroku so off guard, that he had reacted a second too late from Sango's newest attack. He tried to dodge the Hiraikotsu, but the boomerang still caught his side, slamming into him painfully, breaking his right arm.
He was exhausted... both mentally and physically from this fight with Sango, and his fight with Manten, and he still hadn't been fully recovered from the wounds he had received when Sango was abducted. He cried out and dropped shakujou, slumping on the floor against a wall, and Sango took that chance to throw Hiraikotsu over his lap, trapping his arms between his body and the weapon. She then ran over and sat on his legs.
A small glint off to the side momentarily caught Miroku's attention, but Sango caught it right back when he saw her pulling her sword out of its scabbard from where it was attached to her belt. She raised it up and aimed it at his chest, right above his heart, with her right hand shakily grasping the hilt.
She reached out to touch his cheek with her left hand, stroking it reverently as she smiled bitterly at him. Then, almost as if she had suddenly caught herself, she pulled her hand back, and let it hold her sword's hilt along with her right. She pressed it to his chest, leaning down so that her face was close to his as she spoke.
"I love you... gomen..." she said tearfully, as she watched her sword slowly pierce his chest, drawing a few drops of blood in the process. She looked deep into his pained purple eyes, then brushed her lips over his for a fleeting moment.
She let out a breathy whisper as she pulled away, her eyes pained and angry at the same time. "Please..." she whispered to him. "Forgive me..."
-----/---@
A/N: I am sooo gonna get flamed. Oh well, I hope not. But I just know you guys are hating me right now! Gomen! But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the long chapter. My fingers aren't exactly my number one fans at the moment. *Looks at swelling fingers* Eew...
And gomen if the fighting scene with the thunder brothers was kinda rushed... I was getting sleepy, and the emphasis in this chap was on the Mir/San scene, not on the freaky thunder freaks. No offense to those who find Hiten cute. I personally think the guy's a hunk, but I'm a total Inuyasha fangirl. ^_^.
And wow, you guys are the greatest! I absolutely regret not updating sooner! You left me... *counts very carefully*... 26 reviews?! My god, I'm so happy! *Gives donuts and cookies to reviewers*
Responses!!!
Kinara: Ehehe... I don't really like killing off characters... but I do love tormenting them! *Evil laugh*.I couldn't kill Sango, I like her too much!
V.I.: I guess I get carried away with the swearing all the time. *sweatdrops* I'll minimize them if you feel uncomfortable. Anyway, gomen for the delay in the update. Hehe... and thanks! I'm glad you like it!
Fetchboy69: I'd kill Kikyo, but I'd never kill Sango. She's a great character! And... ahaha... gomen again for the delay... Glad you liked it!
Taijiya-Sango88: I didn't! I didn't kill her!
Chevere: Oh, you were in Venezuela? Wicked! I hope you had a lot of fun there, and thanks for the vote of confidence!
Kittymui: Glad you liked it! Japanese guides, eh? Hmm... Taeko Kamiya's "Speak Japanese Today" is a good choice if you wanna learn some fast Japanese quick. But it's almost only limited to the basics. And getting a Japanese dictionary could help a lot, too. ^_^
ShadowStar666: Glad you liked it! And gomen for the late update. ^_^
Litwolf689: Thanks! Glad you liked it. I hope you got enough rest after that trip. Five hours?! Damn, that oughta be exhausting!
EternalDemoness: Yep, the Philippines. A cute exchange guy? You should go talk to him. We're naturally friendly people, actually! ^_^ Glad you liked it!
Asha3: I'm on your author alert? Gee, thanks! I'm flattered! Gomen, I don't play RPGs. Ehehe... I suck at anything that has controllers. I swear to God, I can't even get to the third level of Mario Bros. I'm glad you like my story. Thanks!
Jagged-Heart: Ahahaha... I've got to admit, sometimes I read chaps and forget to review. T_T Damn internet curfew of mine. Don't cry, it's ok! And... gomen for the late update.
Dragonstar03: Here's the update!
KrysTheAngel: Roaches up Naraku's sleeve? I don't think so... Not even roaches would come near him. ^_^ Yeah, if I were Miroku I would rip Naraku limb from limb. And about Sango... please don't kill me. *Cowers in fright* Glad you liked the chap, and gomen for the late update!
Guardian Angel of ALL Anime: He didn't... but now I'm starting to wish he did. *sweatdrops* Gomen for the late update. Here's the next chap!
KawaiiKitten11: I'm glad you like the fic! ^_^ I didn't have the heart to make him mad at her. Gomen for the late update!
Sukuri: Oh, oh, oh! Belated Happy Birthday! Maligayang bati kaibigan (that was tagalog)! You wear glasses? I guess we both have bad vision, then? I have 250/20 vision, so I wear contacts. I'm chubby, and if I wear glasses, I'd end up looking like the college dean. T_T Anyway, "itai" means "ouch", you were right! Oh, and arigatou for the carol! I'd sing you one now, but it's almost Valentine's day. *sweatdrops* Arigatou for the review!
UnholyDragoon: You know, I really love your reviews because you tell me just what you like in the chap, and what I can improve! Arigatou! Glad you liked it, and gomen for the delay in update. Ja!
Paulina: Ok lang yun! Hindi rin ako nakakaupdate e! Sorry!
InuyashaGirlie: Oh, Naraku will get what's coming for him! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Gomen for the late update! Ja!
Midoriko-sama: Glad you liked it! Well, glad you didn't get linched, coz in MY case, I've had some pretty furious emails... eh, I don't blame them. Arigatou!
EvilDarkness25: Thanks!
The Literary Dragon: My thoughts exactly. And like I said, he'll get what's coming to him. Arigatou! Gomen for the late update.
Yami Yuugi Lover AKA Kiyo: Um... thanks for the review!
Ryngrl5: Here's the update! Gomen for taking so long. T_T Arigatou, glad you liked!
Yamiyumetenshi: Yeah well, I still don't like her. She's getting in Kagome's way!!! Hehe! No prob about the name, I share my blessings. ^_^ Tell me when your fic is posted! I'd like to read it! Arigatou!
AnimeObsessionFantasy: Oh, they found her, alright. ^_^ Gomen for the delay!
Well, that's it! And yeah, special thanks to DRAKE220 (aff.net) for your unbelievably long review! You've been quite inspiring, probably the most flattering review I ever got too! ^_^ Arigatou!
So, that's all! Again, gomen for the delay, and arigatou to everybody who reviewed, and even those who read and didn't review, thanks a lot for reading! I'll be updating sooner than this last one, I promise! God bless you all! ^_^
Please R and R!
ScarletRaven1001
