Naraku looked mildly upset, as he watched the shards of the mirror fall to the ground. "There is still another way I can complete the second stage," he laughed, but with slight anger, and disappeared. Kagura sent Kohaku after him on a feather, and Kiara followed.
"I won't let you brats get in his way," Kagura declared and blasted Kiara with wind. The firecat managed to catch Shihai, but Byaku was too faraway. Shihai called out for her, but he told himself she was strong and would be fine, as he had to focus on the danger in front of him.
Kagura laughed, coaxing him into battle. He didn't know why, but he felt the urge to battle with her. He didn't have many memories of how their previous encounter had turned out, but he wanted to defeat her and prove that it was impossible to control the monster called wind.
Kiara charged, but she couldn't get close as a barrier of wind forced her away. Shihai knew Kagura would eventually create an opening, as she would have to drop the barrier in order to attack. Sensing a change in the wind, he foresaw the moment of lapse, and directed Kiara on where to fly. The firecat attacked through the opening and managed to do minor damage.
Kagura attacked with fuujin no mai, dance of the wind god, but with Shihai's intuition none of the wind blades were able to make contact. Kiara approached again, but this time Kagura erected a new and more formidable barrier, the soulless bodies of the villagers.
Seeing them disgusted Shihai, beyond simple disgust, but some sort of reminder of a hidden dark memory from long before. He halted Kiara's attack, and ended up being hit by a wind blade. Kiara caught him, but they were both pounded to the ground by the soulless bodies. Kiara fought back and was able to protect herself, but Shihai was disturbed and could not retaliate, as every time he tried an unwanted memory would try to force its way into his brain.
Kagura called her army back, and sighed, "Already down? What are you, a baby? Does that booboo on your left leg still hurt?"
He had almost forgotten about that wound on his left leg. He wished he had. It had been several days, and it wasn't a deep wound, but it still had not healed, but he didn't have time to worry about that. Kiara was still fighting with the army. Without her, he wouldn't be able to reach Kagura, who was safely floating on her feather. For now, he would have to endure.
She attacked fuujin no mai, but he dodged every single wind blade; however, she began sending the wind blades to his left, forcing him to put pressure on his left leg in order to dodge right. He found his energy drain from him more than two times normal, and began getting hit every now and then. He was doing fairly well, however.
Eventually, the wind blades stopped, and Shihai dropped onto his right knee, breathing heavily. Kagura, thinking it was time to finish him off, attacked with ryuujin no mai, dance of the dragon god. Monstrous typhoons appeared, but Shihai was ready, as he was able to ride the wind and ascend to Kagura's height. He held his wakazashi high over his head in both hands, but Kagura was smiling, as she too was ready.
"Did you think I'd fall for the exact same thing twice," she said as she formed her fan into a new pattern. "Dance of the sky goddess!"
It was a new attack, but for some reason he found it partly familiar. A large sphere of contained wind, swirling wildly in all directions blasted him, causing tears in his clothes and skin. He was planted into the ground, where the sphere of wind exploded and created a severe depression.
He remembered when he first experienced the attack. It was the same wind as the monster that had destroyed the village of his birth. He remembered when he first experienced the corpse dance. The dead bodies of his family rose and attacked him. He was revolted. He remembered seeing a merciless woman there, a woman as merciless as the wind.
He rose again, to Kagura's surprise. She had expected her last attack to subdue him. If she attacked again, she might actually kill him. She raised her soulless army, assuming he wouldn't attack; however, Shihai seemed different this time.
He hopped, from body to body, until he once again reached Kagura's height. This time he swung his sword with great speed, both wounding her and destroying the feather. Without thinking, she formed another dance of the sky goddess, and a great sphere of wind loomed above a falling Shihai. She tried to calm it, but it was too late, and she lost control.
"No one can control the wind," Shihai said as he fell, "not because it is a monster, but because it is our friend. The key to the wind rituals was not manipulating the wind, but asking the wind for help. The wind doesn't listen to us, nor do we listen to the wind. We help each other when we are in need."
Kiara saved Shihai, but Kagura found herself unable to avoid the giant sphere of wind she had created. As it approached her, she remembered the day when she betrayed Naraku and joined Kohaku. That day, he ordered her to attack an innocent village, all for a child that was some sort of genius. He ordered her to use a new dance, one she hadn't mastered yet. she had no choice but to obey his orders, as he held her heart and could destroy her at any time he pleased. She lost control of the attack, and ended up destroying the entire village. She tried to use the dead to gather the boy, but when she saw that young face, crying, revolted by the sight of the dancing dead bodies, she stopped. She ran away from Naraku with Kohaku, risking her life just because of that young boy. Naraku was defeated, temporarily, but she knew her heart was not yet free.
She closed her eyes, preparing for the impact, but someone suddenly saved her. She was surprised to see Sesshoumaru carry her in his arms, and bring her safely to the ground.
"Thank you," she said tearfully.
"You didn't ask for assistance," he reminded her.
"You're right, I didn't, but thank you anyway. I'm glad you came here. Thank you for saving me. Probably, once Naraku completes second stage, he will dispose of me, as he planned to do all along. Until then, I want to be free, like the wind."
"Your heart has always been free, to feel and go wherever you wished. You are free. Where will yo go?"
"I'll stay with you. It looks like you need help protecting your princess."
"I don't need your help, but I will thank you for when you do."