Putting the Damage On
Chapter 12 :: Those Who Get In Naraku's Way
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Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! I was very glad to read them! Your feedback is encouraging. I also wanted to mention something about the title of this story that I intended to from the beginning. ::sweat drop:: Anyway, I got the title from a song by Tori Amos. The song is about a man who continuously hurts the woman who loves him, and he's still beautiful to her. Just thought you might like to know!
Warnings: Violence. Profanity. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
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A knock on the door. Naraku sat up from his bed. Sango turned over, her eyes landing on the door. Naraku spoke, "Come in Kanna."
Kanna stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "They have broken the barrier, master." Her mirror appeared before her and flashed. Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Kouga, and Kirara appeared.
Naraku looked at Sango. She cocked her eye brow at the images, "Are they the enemy, Naraku-sama?" She blinked at him curiously.
A smirk had settled across his face. His plans had worked out just as he had intended. The altercations of her mind and soul pleased him. She had awoken only to fall asleep beside him in his bed.
"Naraku-sama," Sango persisted.
"Yes, Sango. They are the enemy. Suit up girl. Lets see what you are made of…" Naraku stared at her as she stood, her body completely uncovered. Kanna looked away, and Sango dressed into a black outfit very similar to her original uniform. She looked back at Naraku.
"Should I kill them?" She asked quietly, the words seeming to stick in her throat. She blinked, "I do not know how to kill…"
Naraku stood up beside her, "You will remember that…" He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his breath tickling her ear.
Sango's eyes were blank and she nodded. "But should I?"
"No." Naraku said confidently. "I want them to suffer."
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Kagura met up with Inuyasha and the others at the edge of the barrier. The sorceress was healed of her injuries, though she still felt a little under the weather. Inuyasha was the first to say anything, "Where's Sango? She was supposed to come with you…"
"I haven't seen Sango since this morning." Kagura said in a worried tone. "Come, we don't have any time to waste."
Kouga snarled, "Wait bitch. I have something to finish with you!"
Kagura cut her eyes at the wolf, "Shove off wolf. Our differences must be settled another day. I have to save Sango." Kagura narrowed her eyes fiercely.
Kouga growled, but Kagome touched his shoulder. "Please, we have to save Sango-chan." Kouga looked at Kagome, and then he looked away. A temporary truce. Kagome then looked at Kagura in surprise. Perhaps she had really changed…Kirara growled in impatience. Kagome petted her soothingly.
Miroku stared into the distance, his eyes narrowed. "Something isn't right."
"What do you mean?" Inuyasha growled. Kagura and Kouga both turned to Miroku expectantly.
"This is too easy.." Miroku said shaking his head, "Terribly too easy…"
"Regardless if it is or not, we have to go and kill that bastard!" Inuyasha growled, sheathing his sword. "Lead us there, Kagura."
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Sango stood outside with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall of the main building of the castle. Kanna stood beside her, the little youkai silent. Sango glanced at her and said, "Kanna, why does Naraku-sama have so many enemies?"
The girl-child shook her head slowly, "These people have all gotten in the way of our master's plans."
Sango stared at Kanna for a long moment. Something deep inside of her stirred, tugging on the edge of her mind and heart. The feeling vanished as she saw her enemies coming up over the horizon.
"Just between us," Sango said quietly, "I'm sort of glad I don't have to kill anyone."
Kanna blinked as the taijiya sprang forward to meet her adversaries. Kanna slowly came behind her, wielding her mirror before her chest. She'd take the girl down, hold her down with the mirror's magic.
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Inuyasha slid to a halt as Sango stopped in front of them. The taijiya looked well enough. He smirked, "You're late-"
Kagome's eyes widened, "I feel the jewel shard… its…" Kagome stared at Sango, "She's has Naraku's jewel shards in her back! All of them!"
Kagura frowned and studied Sango's face. Sango stared at them blankly.
"What the hell do you mean!?" Inuyasha growled. He looked at Kagome, and then back at Sango.
Miroku stepped forward, "Sango, do you know who we are?"
"You are Naraku-sama's enemies." Sango replied, "What else is there to know?" She jumped into the sky, higher than any had ever seen and quicker than a bullet purple miasma shot down towards them. Inuyasha threw his sword before him, grabbing Kagome as he did so. Kagura used her winds to try and deflect the poison. Miroku held his cursed hand in the air and began sucking the miasma from the sky.
Kouga cursed, his arm over his nose and mouth, "Where did she get power like that!?"
"Must be from the shards…" Miroku called back.
Kagura narrowed her eyes and grabbed her feather and hopped into it. She flew above the miasma and saw Sango sitting on the roof of the main building, watching them in silence.
"Sango, what the hell did you get yourself into!" Kagura shouted, flying towards the girl.
Sango stood to her feet as Kagura neared her, "I sense that you are of Naraku. Why do fight against our master?"
Kagura stopped short. "Our… master?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "He is not our master, Sango. You hate Naraku! He killed-"
Kagura was suddenly knocked from the sky as Sango leaped into the air and round-house kicked the feather out from beneath the sorceress, "Enough!"
Kagura cried out as Kohaku's chain wrapped around her neck and arms, pinning them to her sides. She hit the ground painfully, dust unsettling all around her. Kohaku walked out of the shadows of the castle and tightened his chain. He looked up at Sango. The taijiya stared at him for all of a minute, her mind seemingly disconnected. And then she smirked.
"Thanks kid."
Inuyasha broke free of the poison and raced towards Sango, sheathing his sword as he did so. He caught her, but it sent the two of them falling hard to the ground. He landed on top of her and he quickly held her hands down at her sides, trying to stop her from struggling, "Wake up you idiot! Naraku is not your master!"
Sango's heart skipped a beat and she snarled, "Get off of me!!" She kicked him as hard as she could, missing him between the legs by inches. Inuyasha flipped off of her and to his feet, the pain in his leg swelling. He stared at her. And then he slipped to one knee. His leg felt paralyzed, stunned from the blow.
Sango sneered, "Don't lay your hands on me,"
Inuyasha was about to reply when Sango suddenly jumped back and landed onto the roof once more. Inuyasha followed her movements and let out a growl as he saw Naraku standing beside her. Kanna was floating behind them and Kohaku was crouched on the ground, holding Kagura in his chains.
"Do you like it?" Naraku asked pleasantly.
Inuyasha growled, "What?"
"Do you like what I've done to Sango? I must say so far she's my masterpiece. Everything a man could wish for…" He smirked. "Much better than my previous works..."
"You're sick." Inuyasha glared at him. The others ran up behind him, Kagome aiming her arrow at Naraku.
"Return Sango to us Naraku!" Kagome shouted, her hands shaking in anger.
Naraku chuckled. He looked at Sango, "Do you wish to leave me, pet?"
"Never my Naraku-sama." Sango said, her eyes dimming. Naraku pulled a sword out from mid air. "Use this and make them suffer."
Sango took the sword in her hand. She closed her eyes for an instant, allowing her energy and power to fill the blade. It began to shimmer in tints of lavender and blue. And then it burst into full violet and Sango opened her eyes and set them on Inuyasha.
Inuyasha barely had enough time to unsheathe his sword as Sango came upon him. The others scattered out from behind him as he slid back, the force of her blow knocking him off of his feet. Kanna shot forward then, her soul mirror showing the image of Kagome's shocked face. Kohaku tightened his chains, gaining a cry from Kagura. A burst of miasma surrounded Miroku and the houshi released the kazaana. Kirara shot after Naraku, but he swatted her away instantly. Kouga stood alone, staring hatefully at Naraku.
Sango slammed her sword against Inuyasha's. "Stop it Sango! We're comrades!"
"Stop telling me these lies!" Sango growled, "I serve Naraku-sama and no one else!" The taijiya swirled around and swung her sword at him.
"You don't serve him Sango!" Inuyasha countered her attack and bounced away, "Naraku is a murder! He killed your entire village! How can you forget them!" Inuyasha shouted.
Sango's eyes widened and she stopped short. Her breath quickened and she clutched her chest, "STOP IT!" She lunged forward, her sword recklessly hitting his. Inuyasha clenched his teeth. It seemed he might actually be getting through to her.
"I'm not going to stop! What about your father and Kohaku! What about Kohaku! You have to remember what happened! What that bastard did to him!" Inuyasha shouted, planting his feet in the ground as their swords hit. Sango continued to push against his, her eyes blank. Then her feet slipped and she fell back, dropping her sword in the process. Inuyasha caught her then and held her against him so she couldn't move.
She was still for an instant and he thought he heard a sob, and then she growled, "I told you never to touch me again!" And she punched him hard in the gut. Inuyasha released her and fell to his knees.
Miroku grabbed her then, from behind. Sango cursed herself a fool for letting herself get distracted. Miroku looked at Inuyasha. "You okay!"
A quick snap of the head. Inuyasha then got to his feet. He was about to say something when he heard Kagome's cries.
"Shit!" He cursed, "Kouga! I'm counting on you to protect Kagome!"
Kouga dodged Kohaku's chain, "I'm trying!" He grabbed Kohaku as the boy got in hands reach and kneed him in the stomach. He raced towards Kagome and Kanna and stopped short as Naraku flashed beside him and hit the wolf so hard that he flew into one of the near by buildings. Naraku sneered. He disliked getting his hands dirty…
Naraku was knocked forward as a powerful blast of power hit him. He turned over his shoulder to see Kagura sitting up on her knees, her throat beginning to bruise from Kohaku's previous hold. He smirked, "So you plan to take me on, do you Kagura?"
She coughed, her eye sight dimming.
"Foolish little wench… with one flick of my wrist I could destroy your heart…"
Kagura's eyes widened. How could she … forget?
"Hahahaa!" Naraku laughed, pointing a finger at her, "Seems when one starts to care about others they forget what is so precious to them. In your haste to find Sango you forgot about stealing your own key to freedom. How pathetic." He sneered at her.
Kagura growled, "You're pathetic Naraku. Not me." She laughed, her voice regaining its clear, arrogant tone. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Don't make me kill you Kagura…"
"Why not?! Death would be better than this petty existence! Biding by your every wish! Murdering and destroying everything in sight! I'll have no more of it! Kill me if you wish, but I'll never serve you again!"
Naraku stared at her. Then he smirked, "Fine. I do not need you anymore." He raised his hand and began to slowly squeeze it shut. Kagura's eyes went wide with pain and she clutched her kimono, falling to the ground.
Sango slid between his view of Kagura's fallen form. Her eyes were wide, "You said we wouldn't kill anyone…"
"I said you wouldn't, pet." Naraku replied, shutting his hand a little more. A barrier of miasma surrounded them, blocking Inuyasha and the other's attempts to come near, "This bitch belongs to me and now she wishes for death. So I will end her foolishness now."
Sango looked back at Kagura, who had her eyes shut tightly, clutching her chest in agony. And for a moment, she thought she could hear something in the distance… something that sounded suspiciously like laughter… hers and someone else's… and tears came to Sango's eyes and she didn't understand why.
"I don't want you to kill her…" Sango said, staring at Kagura, "Can she be mine?"
"Yours?" Naraku asked surprised.
"If you no longer want her and she no longer wishes to serve you… then I'll take her… I could use… a sparring partner…" Sango said slowly, barely looking at Naraku.
"She is a traitor." Naraku growled out.
"She can stay in a cell when I'm not… using her." The taijiya replied, "She wont be able to escape, trust me Naraku-sama…"
Naraku considered this. It would improve her skills and hopefully she'd accidentally kill the sorceress. He glanced at Sango, who was staring at him in a very determined way. He did not wish to cause tension between himself and his masterpiece, and it wasn't like he wasn't used to Kagura's rebellion…
"Fine." He opened his hand and let it fall to his side. Kagura let out a sharp gasp of breath and then blacked out. The miasma began to spread then, pushing Inuyasha and the other back. It allowed Kohaku and Kanna to enter.
Inuyasha snarled, "He's trying to run away!"
"What are we going to do!" Kagome shouted. Kouga had gotten Kanna away from Kagome, and he was supporting her. She was exhausted from the attack.
"There is nothing that we can do!" Miroku shouted, "The barrier of miasma will only continue to push us away and soon will most likely engulf the entire castle… fighting it will only endanger ourselves of being poisoned…"
Kouga lifted Kagome into his arms and jumped back, "Its over. We failed…"
Inuyasha slammed his sword against the barrier. "Damn it!" He shouted, hitting it once more. And again. Kagome got out of Kouga's arms and watched Inuyasha sadly. But there was nothing she could do.
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Alright. I rarely write actions scenes (although I enjoyed it very much), so tell me, does it flow or should I revise it? I'm willing to revise it…
Sango's powerful now, huh? I'm glad to say that she's not evil. She's just completely devoted to Naraku… eh.
You know, I had originally planned to have Naraku kill Kagura at the battle, but I decided against it at the last minute. She's a good character and easy to fit into the plot and well, the main reason is… I like her too much. ::bows head:: Hehe.
Below is some shot outs to my wonderful reviewers! Until the next chapter!
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Dirt Bag:
Hello. How are you! You're reviews were very kind, but there is no reason to bash AzureTigress. Her opinion did not offend me whatsoever.
Maybe we do have a connection. I hope to see more of you. You don't have to review each chapter, but if you want then you may. Hehe. Well, I'm glad that you like my story and the way I write. I know I'm working with a delicate subject, so I try my best to make it work…
And um, yes Kagome didn't say bye to Sango… but you know… lol…
Well, thank you so much for all of your reviews (posted and to come). They were incredibly nice to read. Good day Dirt Bag the Sprocket.
-Taijiya
AzureTigress:
Hello. I want to go ahead and say that I'm not offended by what you had to say. I find your opinion to be interesting. But I do not agree with you.
That's fine that you do not like the content of the story. I'm not really concerned about that. I do not expect everyone to enjoy my work. And thank you for you compliments concerning my writing. Hehe. I was pleased to read that.
But I am going to argue with you. I have not 'bashed' Sango. Sango is also my favorite anime character of all time. I write drama, AzureTigress. That's what I'm best at. And this is a rape/drama fan fiction. And she's the victim. ::shrugs:: I suppose it could be looked at as bashing, but I do not think so, since bashing usually has to also mean the author can't stand the character. And that's not the case here. I think more than anything, I'm showing her strength. It takes a person made of the strongest stuff to go through what she's going through, and to stick it out for the sake of others. A kind person, a compassionate person, a strong person, and perhaps a foolish person.
I want to slap you for not realizing that. )
And as for your personal preference for the couplings… I have to admit I couldn't really care less. I do not like Miroku or Kagome. They both make me gag. Tee hee.
Yes Kagura is an awesome character. She's my second favorite female from Inuyasha. Kikyo's an enigma, what can I say? I don't understand her myself.
Anyway though, if you wish to continue to read this story, then that's cool. I'll be waiting to see what you have to say. And, if you like, you may read my other two stories which both center about Sango (though neither are quite as dark as PtDo (or as well written, I think)). You may be offended by the first chapter of Journey Anew, but it gets… happier, I guess. ::shrugs::
Forgive me if I offended you. Later.
- Taijiya
AddictedtoInuyasha:
You're welcome! And I'm so happy to hear you'll be updating once more. Us writers have to stick together for encouragement, right? Hehe. ::hugs:: Thank YOU for you're complex and well written characters.
Oh and you just updated! Yeah! Tee hee. I'll be reading that next! ::hugs again::
- Taijiya
Tearsofregret:
Uumm.. please don't send me spam! ::cries:: I can't rush myself… sorry. ::bows head:: But I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
- Taijiya
Thank you to everyone else who reviewed as well! M-X, Jayman, Robot Killah, Team Rocket Sapphire, Deity of Death-3, Sweet-thing-88 and everyone else! I'd list you all but I don't have enough time. Thank you so much! Bye!