"The End to the Feudal Fairy Tale"
Chapter 4
Author's Notes: I'm trying to write this fic in the way that I think the story would progress after the conclusion of the anime. I'm not sure if these events will actually happen, but this is my version of what would happen. Also, I'm graduating this week! Yay! So I will be disconnected from my precious Ethernet and my updates will likely be slow for a while. Please be patient. Oh! Special thanks to my reviewers. You guys are great! Please REVIEW, I really appreciate it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, though I would like to. Sadly, I am not allowed. All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. The story is mine though, so please respect it.
Sango stood up and grabbed her Hiraikotsu. Kirara had already woken up from her nap in the corner and dragged Shippo towards the girls. Kagome shakily stood up and walked towards the entrance of the cave. Everyone knew what she was going to say.
"It's Naraku."
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Inuyasha froze. Dropping his catch, he sniffed the air and growled. It was a familiar scent. His hand settled on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "What do you want, Kagura?"
The wind sorceress walked around a nearby tree. "Is that any way to greet me, Inuyasha?" With a cold smirk, she flipped open her fan.
"What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Kagura drew her arm back in preparation.
"Keh. If you're gonna fight, then just get on with it already."
"Very well" Her hand swung forward in a sweeping motion, releasing a great gust of wind.
Inuyasha expertly dodged the initial blast thanks to his lighting reflexes. He landed a few feet back without a sound and drew the Tetsusaiga. It transformed and he grinned with approval. Noting the loose grouping of trees, and lack of other cover, he flashed Kagura a smile. This was going to be a head-on fight, his favorite kind.
"You'll have to do better than that!" He yelled, raising the blade in front of him.
"Don't worry." She smiled. "I intend to."
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"Kagome-chan, stay here." Sango started to leave the cave.
Kagome frowned in disapproval, there was no way that Sango was just going to leave her here. She quickly stood and tried to object. "But-"
"Just stay here, Kirara and Shippo will be with you. I need to go check this out."
"Please be careful. It's Naraku, I can feel it." Said Kagome.
"I will. Besides, someone's got to look out for that pervert." She chuckled. "Kirara, you and Shippo protect Kagome, alright?"
The fire cat mewed her agreement and transformed into her larger self. Shippo bravely puffed out his chest and stood on Kirara's back. "Don't worry Kagome! I'll protect you!"
She gently tousled his hair. "Thank you Shippo. I know you will."
Sango carefully slipped out of the cave. Trying her best to be silent, she crept in the direction that she'd sent Miroku. This was a horrible time to be attacked and she knew that despite Kagome's strength, she'd be helpless if Naraku himself showed up. She needed to find Miroku or Inuyasha fast. Inuyasha was probably on his way back anyway and he would definitely catch Naraku's scent. Miroku, on the other hand, may have come across some poor woman who he would have to ask to bear his children. Sango clenched her fist and shook it. Who did Miroku think he was? He was just a big pervert, right? Well, she wouldn't have minded that so much if he was solely HER pervert. She blushed.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she caught a glimpse of something black moving to her right. There weren't many trees along the streambed, so it was difficult for anything to hide well. Sango stood on her guard, whatever it was, it was going to attack.
The figure from the shadows just waited, watching. He knew that Sango would see him. He really didn't want to fight her, but if his plan was going to work, he had to. Suddenly, Sango turned in his direction and seemed to calculate for a moment before she launched her Hiraikotsu. It whipped through the air and would have connected with its target, had said target not deflected it with his chain.
"Kohaku-" Sango gasped.
He silently prayed for forgiveness and launched his sickle at Sango. She was just a little off her guard at the moment and the weapon nearly connected. Kohaku caught it as it returned and prepared for another missing strike. All he had to do was make Naraku believe that he was still a puppet. Naraku only had to believe it until the moment that Kohaku killed him.
"Kohaku! Please, remember me! It's Sango!" she dodged another strike. Jumping back and launching herself off of a rock, she attempted to knock out Kohaku with her boomerang. Silently, Kohaku rolled forward, avoiding the blow and preparing to attack again. Sango used the boomerang to cushion her fall, and she vaulted over it to face Kohaku again. He always marveled at Sango's combat ability.
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"Is that all you got?" Inuyasha smirked as Kagura missed again.
"No, but it is all I needed." She whispered.
"Eh? What was that?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." She launched another volley at him.
Inuyasha jumped high to avoid the slashing winds. Then he realized that was not the best idea when Kagura sent another wave at his falling form. "Damn." Inuyasha held Tetsusaiga before him to lessen the blow, but the wave still knocked him to the ground.
"Tsk, tsk, Inuyasha. The last time I fought you, you did much better." She teased. Kagura looked around and guessed that she'd been fighting for probably a good ten minutes. That was plenty for what Naraku was doing. Deciding that she'd done her part, she drew a feather from her hair.
"Oy! What are you doing? We're not through yet!"
"But I think we are." She floated skyward. "And if you care, you may want to hurry back."
"What?" He yelled.
Kagura sped away on her feather without another word. Inuyasha stood stiff for a moment, putting together her last words. Panic blazed across his eyes for a split second. "Dammit! Kagome!" He raced off towards the cave, completely forgetting about dinner.
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Kagome was growing increasingly unsettled. Nervousness built as she waited. Naraku was getting closer, she could feel the overwhelming aura approaching. Why was she always so helpless? Somehow, it always seemed that she was waiting around for someone to save her. She wasn't some damsel in distress! Steeling her nerves and sidling past her bodyguards, Kagome walked outside. Kirara followed with Shippo still on her back. She nudged Kagome's elbow.
"I know, Kirara, I'm supposed to stay inside. I just wanted to check things out for myself."
"It'll be alright! Kagome is brave and strong!" Shippo boasted.
"Shippo is very brave too." She smiled.
"That's touching."
Kagome turned slowly to see her worst enemy glaring down at her from about fifty yards away. Shippo jumped down and ran behind Kagome's leg while Kirara stood growling in front of her. Naraku moved forward.
"You will give me the Shikon shard."
"Never!" She held the tiny bottle tight against her chest.
"Very well, then I shall have to take it from your corpse." He chuckled.
A chill ran down Kagome's spine. Here she was talking about how she didn't want to be rescued all the time, and now she really did need to be rescued. There was no way she could launch arrows with her shoulder still in bad condition. Kirara and Shippo were brave, but they really didn't stand a chance against Naraku. Kagome hoped that Inuyasha would arrive in the knick of time, just like always.
"Foolish girl. Do you think that your precious hanyou will be here to save you?" Naraku stopped moving and raised his tentacle in a mocking gesture. "He won't be here. He's too busy."
"Inuyasha-" She whispered.
"And I don't think that anyone else will come to save you either. I've ensured their," he paused, "entertainment?"
"What did you do to them?" Kagome shouted, silently hoping Inuyasha would hear.
"That's none of your concern. Now, the shard- give it to me and I may reconsider killing you now."
"No way! I would never give it to you."
Kirara rushed forward and collided with a barrier. She hit with a sickening thud and drew back, shaking her head slightly. Naraku laughed and launched a few tentacles at the fire cat, grappling her. Kirara bit and clawed at the tangling mass only to release a purple-hued mist.
"No! Kirara, don't!" Kagome screamed. "It's poisonous!"
She kept biting until the poison got to her. Kirara then fell over and shrunk back to her usual form. Shippo was ready to cry. He winced when Kirara slumped to the ground, but knew that he still had a duty to protect Kagome. "Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you!" He forced a smile, and then spread his arms wide in a protective gesture.
"Shippo-"
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Miroku suddenly stiffened. That had to have been Sango's scream, he was sure of it. The girl whose hand he was currently holding looked up with a puzzled expression. "Miroku-sama? What is the matter?"
"I am afraid I must go." He looked away.
"But-" He was gone. The girl watched as he ran, faster than any man she'd ever seen. She blushed and held a hand to her heart. "But I promised to bear your children." She swooned for a minute and then headed slowly back to her berry basket. Picking it up, she sighed. "No one's ever going to believe me when I tell them about my day."
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Another attack connected with dirt as Sango deftly flipped away. She was nevertheless getting tired, and Kohaku didn't seem affected. Sango had been doing most of the dodging while Kohaku attacked. There was something wrong though. It was almost as if Kohaku had slowed down to let her catch her breath.
"Kohaku-"
He threw his sickle again, hoping that she still had the strength to dodge. Sango prepared to move, when a purple blur ran in front of her and stopped the incoming weapon. She blinked. "Houshi-sama?"
Kohaku grabbed his sickle and jumped back. He could see that if Miroku fought, he wouldn't hold back. There was no time for a fight like that. Luckily, Kagura floated into view. He held up his sickle to catch the fading sunlight. It flashed brightly. Before Miroku could attack, Kohaku had leapt into the air and onto Kagura's feather.
"Houshi-sama." Sango started.
"Are you alright, my dear Sango?" He took her hand.
"I'm fine." She stood and brushed away the dirt from her clothes. "If Kohaku was here, then Naraku can't be far behind."
Miroku nodded. "Where is Kagome-sama?"
"Oh no." Sango drew her hand up to her face. "I left her back at the cave."
"Let's go." They started running.
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Kagome was shaking. After Kirara had fallen, Shippo bravely tried to defend her, only to be knocked aside. Now she was ten feet from Naraku, who would not hesitate to kill her for the Shikon shard she possessed.
"Now, I'll ask you again. You can either give me the shard and live a little longer, or you can resist and die now. Which do you choose?"
"I won't give you the shard." She spat, surprised that she could still hold onto her bravado.
"Very well. Then I see you have chosen the latter." Naraku grinned and raised an arm that morphed into a sword. "It has been fun." The sword slashed forward and Kagome tensed, waiting for the blow. But it never came.
"What the-" She looked up. Kagome was shocked to see a man standing over her with long flowing white robes and silvery blue hair. He was currently blocking Naraku's sword with one of his own. Another sword was tucked into his sash. She fumbled for words. "Sesshoumaru?"
"Why do you interfere?" Naraku hissed.
"I have my reasons. But this Sesshoumaru has no reason to explain himself to one of your type."
Naraku backed up. He glanced to the side and sensed that the others were returning. His minions hadn't distracted them long enough. Not that he expected much from Kagura. "Another time." A dark mist formed around Naraku and he disappeared without a trace.
"Why did you save me?" Kagome asked.
Sesshoumaru simply sheathed his sword and turned away. It was at this moment that a red blur came into view. A blur that, judging by the cursing, could only be Inuyasha.
"Sesshoumaru, you bastard! Get away from Kagome!" he yelled.
"I almost pity you." Sesshoumaru stated.
Kagome blinked, "What do you mean?" She stared for a moment and had to rub her eyes. She thought she'd seen Sesshoumaru smile. It must have been a hallucination.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha rushed to her side and looked for any injuries. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to-" she paused, "Sesshoumaru?"
He stopped and turned his upper body towards her.
"Thank you."
Sesshoumaru continued walking.
"I wonder why he helped me."
"With my bastard of a brother, who knows?" Inuyasha retorted.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome caught sight of Rin coming out from behind a boulder to join Sesshoumaru. She smiled brightly and waved. "I think I might know why, but that's not important right now. Where are Sango and Miroku?"
"Kagome-chan!" Sango yelled, coming into view.
"Sango-chan! Are you alright?" Kagome ran towards her friend, leaving a grumpy Inuyasha behind.
"Kagome-sama, it is good to see you unhurt." Miroku started.
Kagome hugged Sango close. "We need to care for Kirara. She was hurt by Naraku's poison." She gestured towards the fallen cat. "And Shippo-" Kagome bolted again, this time to Shippo's side. To her surprise, Inuyasha had already picked up the little fox.
"Is he okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, he's pretty tough. Still needs to be cared for, here-" He handed Shippo to Kagome.
Sango walked up to Kirara and picked her up carefully. "You'll be alright, Kirara. We'll make sure you're okay." She petted Kirara's head and the cat mewed slightly.
"It's too late to get to a village." Inuyasha spoke up.
"He's right. Okay, Sango-chan and Miroku," Kagome began, "Please stay at the cave with Shippo and Kirara. I'll go with Inuyasha and get some herbs for the poison."
"Will you be alright?" Miroku asked.
"Sure, I'll have Inuyasha with me and we'll be back before you know it."
"Oy, wench."
Fully expecting some sort of snide remark, Kagome put her hands on her hips. "What?"
"Are you ready to go or not?" He knelt down and motioned for her to get on his back.
Instantly, her expression softened. "Yes. Let's hurry."
Inuyasha smirked, he'd won that one.
They dashed away towards the woods that Inuyasha'd been in earlier to search for a few herbs that could ease the pain of the poison. Kagome was really worried about Shippo, he could sense it. She always got worried when Shippo was involved. He was just a bit jealous.
"Inuyasha?"
"Yeah?"
"What happened to that dinner you were supposed to be catching?"
He gulped audibly. "Uh- well you see,"
"And why did it take you so long to get to me?"
"Well, that was-"
"Inuyasha?"
"I was fighting Kagura, okay? And, I dropped the meat because I had to fight her. Then I got distracted because I had to go save you. I forgot about it okay?" He grumbled.
"Oh." She bit her lip.
"Kagome?"
"Yes?"
"It's just that, while you're hurt, Naraku's going to keep coming after you." Clearly, he had thought this out. "And you can't really fight back like that. And there's no way to be sure that I'd be able to protect you if something like this happened again."
She tensed, what was he trying to say? Would he insist that she never come back to the Feudal Era? That couldn't be it; they'd been through that argument before. Maybe he just wanted to protect the last piece of the jewel.
"Kagome?"
"Hmmm? Sorry, I am listening." She replied.
"Would you go back to your time for a while? Just for a little while, to heal?" He inquired, preparing himself for the onslaught.
"That's probably for the best." She conceded.
"Huh?"
"I said it's probably for the best." Kagome noticed that his ears perked up when she replied positively. "I mean, I can't fight in this state. I miss Mama and Souta and I've got schoolwork to do." She listed all of the excuses that she could manage, remembering her promise to keep her emotions from him.
"Good. I'll take you to the well tomorrow. We need to head for Kaede's anyway with Kirara." He said.
"That's fine."
They quickly gathered the herbs and Inuyasha insisted on passing by where he'd dropped their dinner. To Kagome's surprise, the meat was still there, though one of the rabbit's legs had been chewed off by some other creature. She giggled at Inuyasha's slight frustration. He picked up the remaining two whole rabbits and started back towards their camp.
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After about half and hour, Inuyasha and Kagome returned to the cave. Miroku had actually built a small fire and Sango was petting a sleeping Kirara. Kagome approached her and sat down. "Let me see her please, Sango-chan-"
Sango handed Kirara to her friend and watched with concern as she tended to her pet. Miroku and Shippo cleaned and cooked their dinner, though it was mostly Miroku. Shippo kept looking at him with watery eyes, big as saucers, requesting that he "try" more of the meat. Had Inuyasha not interfered, Shippo might have eaten all of it.
Once Kirara was taken care of and left to sleep next to Sango, the rest of them ate. Shippo had a surprisingly small portion. He kept looking at the food and holding his stomach. After a while, he gave up. For the remainder of the night, Kagome slept soundly snuggled next to Shippo, Kirara, and Sango. Miroku was isolated and restricted to the deeper part of the cave and Inuyasha kept watch at the entrance. He stole a glance inside at Kagome, sleeping soundly, as though she hadn't almost died today. Silently, he resolved to protect her no matter what, even if it meant returning her to her own time.
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Elsewhere, a silent figure walked in the dim moonlight. She had followed Naraku here and suddenly he had disappeared yet again. She knew that he would have to come for Kagome's shard sooner or later. Perhaps she would follow Inuyasha for a while. She'd have to keep her distance, though there was no reason to let Inuyasha know she was near. After all, she had bigger problems to deal with.
A thin white creature, holding a brilliant white ball, flew towards the woman. It dropped the ball into her hand and Kikyo absorbed it with a deep breath. "It seems that I require more and more souls to hold myself together lately." She glanced down and slowly flexed her hand. "This body of clay and dirt will not last much longer. We will have to end this soon."
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A/N: Please let me know what you think, I've gotten a surprisingly small number of reviews and it saddnes me ;; PLEASE REVIEW! It means a lot! Thanks-