Chapter XVIII

Nobara, the Dark Youkai

"Nobara!"

"Nobara-san!"

Sango and Kagome call out as they search for her. She never returned that morning and this time it felt different from the last times. She had left her bow and quiver at the campsite. Inuyasha scoured the area with his nose until he found a faint trace of her scent. He runs following it, the others shadow him. Inuyasha then enters the small clearing with the pool and freezes.

"What is it Inuyasha?" Kagome asks as she climbs off of Kirara and walks towards him.

"Naraku was here."

"Naraku?" the others gasp as they look around. Inuyasha kneels down to where some blood lightly splattered the ground. It was Nobara's. The young hanyou looks up into the surrounding trees.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asks as he walks forward.

"The scent ends here," Inuyasha responds quietly. He looks around worried. He had nothing to follow. Like so many times before, Naraku's scent started and ended there, he could not follow it. He clenched his fists as he realizes there was nothing more they could do. "Nobara-oba."

"Inuyasha," Kagome says unsure of what to say but senses his worry.

""Hrm?" Inuyasha says as he jerks slightly and slaps the back of his neck.

"Inuyasha-sama!"

"Myouga-jichan!" Kagome exclaims as the small flea-youkai regains his composure from being slapped and bounces to Inuyasha's shoulder.

"What are you doing here, Myouga-jiji?" Inuyasha asks, slight annoyance in his voice.

"Where is Nobara-sama?" Myouga asks looking around.

Inuyasha sighs and looks down.

"Naraku has her."

"Ga!" Myouga gasps. "That is not good, not good!"

"Hmm? What do you mean Myouga-jichan?" Sango asks.

"If Naraku uses-" Myouga starts to explain.

"Hm?" Inuyasha suddenly jerks up and leaps away. The sudden motion knocks Myouga off. "There! Her scent is back!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome calls after him.

"Wait, Inuyasha-sama!"

Inuyasha leaps up above the trees and searches for her. He then sees a figure in a large clearing near some cliffs.

"Nobara-oba!"

He quickly leaps and lands in the clearing. She was continuing to walk as he lands some distance behind her. She does not acknowledge his presence.

"Nobara-oba!" he calls and she stops walking. "Where have you been?" he says some concern in his voice. He takes one step towards her then stops. His nose senses danger. Nobara slowly turns and faces him.

"Nobara-oba!" Inuyasha exclaims alarmed. Nobara was different. Her eyes were a fiery crimson red and her fangs poked out of the corners of her lips. Her claws were longer than before and two horns prominently poked from her head. Her hair was loose around her and looked like a mane encircling her now garish features. Hisuibara was held lazily in her right hand. She gazes at him with an empty yet dangerous gaze. "Nobara-oba?"

Her red eyes narrow. She suddenly jerks her gaze away form him when the others caught up and burst from the trees.

"Nobara?"

"Nobara-san?"

"Nobara-sama?"

"What happened to her?" Kagome wonders when she suddenly senses it. "Shikon shard! Inuyasha she has a Shikon shard! It's on Hisuibara!"

Inuyasha looks over at Kagome then looks at Nobara alarmed.

"Her jyaki is tremendous," Miroku adds. As the youkai who looked so much like their dear friend smirks evilly. She raises Hisuibara and her eyes narrow as they focus on Inuyasha.

"No," Inuyasha gasps as she suddenly lunges toward him. She was as fast as Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha was thankful that the toxin had left his blood stream entirely. He dodges her first strike and pulls out Tessaiga. "What do I do?" he wonders as he watches Nobara stand there and slowly turn around preparing for another attack.

"I was afraid of this," Myouga suddenly says, folding his arms and looking down as he stood on Kagome's shoulder.

"What do you mean, Myouga-jichan?" Kagome asks.

"I had just come from Toutousai and we were discussing that Nobara had been unsealed and what that meant for Hisuibara. Toutousai said that Hisuibara is a youkai katana that was forged for the sole purpose of revenge. Whoever forged it made sure that it would use its wielder's jyaki in order to unlock the blades power, especially if the wielder was stabbed with the blade. If the blade tasted the wielders blood the two would be connected. For Nobara that would mean that if she tried to use the blade, since she is a hanyou it would be similar to when Inuyasha-sama does not have Tessaiga. She would become a full youkai at the cost of her heart. Yet if Hisuibara was to obtain a shard from the Shikon no Tama the katana would then use its growing jyaki-"

"And transfer it to the wielder!" Miroku exclaims as he watches Nobara and Inuyasha standoff.

"Look, her kimono!" Sango says pointing. They all could see that the blood on the right shoulder. "I bet Naraku sensed the evil jyaki from Hisuibara and stabbed Nobara with it."

Nobara cracks her long claws and faces Inuyasha again. Inuyasha holds Tessaiga ready, unsure of what to do. Nobara suddenly runs forward and lunges quickly towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha tries to block with Tessaiga. She swings with Hisuibara and the fangs clang and then she quickly swipes a free hand at Inuyasha, tearing into his haori and his blood explodes from his chest as he flies back.

"Inuyasha!"

Nobara lands and smiles sinisterly, her large fangs exposed as her dark red eyes search around for other adversaries. Kagome starts to run towards Inuyasha and Miroku holds her arm.

"No Kagome-sama," he warns. "She will kill you if you go out there."

Kagome gasps and looks out at Nobara. She was standing there holding her bloodied left claw before her, studying it. A sickening smile covers her face and her body quivers slightly.

"She's laughing!" Kagome realizes.

Inuyasha, still holding Tessaiga, uses the blade to rise off the ground. Blood dripping from the gash on his chest as he uses his left hand to cover the wound. He looks at her pained, again not knowing what to do. He didn't want to fight her.

"You have become what Inutaisho wanted you to be, Inuyasha," warmth brimming Nobara's dark eyes as she lovingly gazed into his. She smiles slightly. "Just as I always knew you would."

Inuyasha remembers that night by the stream when they were both human. Remembers her. He looks back up at the youkai before him. Those empty red eyes that had not yet acknowledged that he was standing again, the large fangs, the horns. He knew the hanyou was in there, the first person he had ever opened his heart up to after his mother. The hanyou that he knew...loved him. He couldn't fight her.

Nobara suddenly saw him standing and removes the hand away from her face to focus on him again. She lunges towards him again. Despite the pain Inuyasha raises Tessaiga to block her strike. But as she ran towards him Hisuibara became ablaze with red shouki. Inuyasha uses all his available strength to swing Tessaiga towards her and push her back. The two fangs clash and as they do Tessaiga shines brightly and then reverts back to the rusted blade Inuyasha retrieved from his father's grave.

"No!" he cries as Nobara slashes down with Hisuibara and Inuyasha goes flying and lands without moving.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screams as she breaks away from Miroku and runs out there and kneels by him. Nobara watches her like an animal watching a prey. The burning shouki on Hisuibara burning off the new blood it tasted. "Inuyasha!" Kagome says as she turns him over gently. His haori was sliced up entirely in the front and was soaked with blood. He sighs quietly assuring her that he was still alive.

"How is it that Tessaiga failed?" Sango asks. Myouga sat on Miroku's shoulder.

"When Inu no Taisho-sama had Tessaiga and Tenseiga forged they were forged from his fang. It is Inutaisho's will to protect those he cared he for. That same will is in Tessaiga even now. So the blade will not harm Nobara-sama."

"So Tessaiga senses Nobara's jyaki and reverts since Nobara uses her jyaki to unlock Hisuibara's power," Sango says, remembering how Tessaiga was transformed back when she and Inuyasha fought the snake that Nobara controlled. "It hit the arrowhead with Nobara's shouki on it then, that's why it transformed!"

Kagome looks up at Nobara, pain and anger in her eyes at what happened to her. Kagome rises to her feet as Nobara studies her.

"Nobara! Stop this!" Kagome pleads to her as Nobara continues to watch her with empty red eyes. "You are not like this! I know you are in there Nobara! It's me, Kagome and Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the child you wanted to have with Inutaisho! I know you don't want to hurt him! Remember!"

Nobara continues to watch Kagome, her empty eyes only reflecting the young girl standing over the badly injured Inuyasha. Kagome stops and sees her reflection in Nobara's red eyes.

"I can't reach her!" she realizes, her heart freezing as she gazes into those dead red eyes.

Nobara smirks as she looks at Kagome; she cracks her gored claws and lunges towards her.

"Hiraikotsu!"

Nobara suddenly leaps back as Hiraikotsu just misses her and returns to Sango. Nobara focuses on this new adversary and lunges towards her.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome calls to her as Sango catches Hiraikotsu and prepares to fight Nobara. She was use to situations like this. She throws Hiraikotsu again as Nobara came towards her. With one swing of Hisuibara, Nobara slices Hiraikotsu in two. Sango quickly pulls out her katana and blocks the oncoming youkai. The blades clash and Sango is pushed down.

Kirara leaps in to aid her mistress grabbing her and flying above Nobara before she could strike again.

"Arigatou, Kirara," Sango says feeling they are safely out of Nobara's reach.

Nobara then swings Hisuibara and flaming shouki shards of jade go flying after them.

"Sango!" Miroku cries out but Kirara is unable to move out of the blast in time. The burning shards of jade cut into the white fur of Kirara as she screams.

"Kirara!" Sango exclaims as Kirara rears back and falls, throwing off Sango. Miroku and Shippou go to save the two falling figures as Nobara stands there wickedly, Hisuibara in hand.

Kagome watches in horror as both fall. She quickly positions her bow and strings an arrow, tears forming in her eyes. "Nobara," Kagome remembers her how she was as she releases the arrow. The arrow stays on its mark and glows pink with holy aura. Nobara turns just as the hamaya is about to strike.

"Nobara, forgive me."

...End Chapter