Heart Broken Arrows-Ch. 5

Disclaimer: Not mine; it belongs to Takahashi Rumiko…I don't make a profit from it.

Rating: M for language, gore, adult themes, and the misery I feel when Fluffy tells me that he is actually not real…or is he?

BloodySakuraLeaves: Oh you made my day...er, even if it was months ago… This one's for you!

Last time:

Inuyasha lowered his sword in disgust. "Great! It'll just laugh itself to death." Kagome wished the ground would open up and swallow her right then and there. Something was very wrong with her…

Present:

Kagome could only stare in horror and shame. The arrow certainly wasn't going to end anything; it actually appeared to be slowing down, enjoying its lazy jaunt through the sky. This was one great big party for it...The rat demon picked itself up off the forest floor and managed to squeeze out two barely intelligible words.

"Stu-pid mi-ko." Its voice was incredibly high pitched and grating.

Miroku exchanged glances with a nearby Sango who was still sending rodent bodies flying. They both knew that for this demon to gain the ability of intelligent speech meant that it was still continuing to grow in strength.

"Lady Kagome," spoke Miroku, "can you sense where its jewel shards are?"

Kagome didn't even bother to answer Miroku. She reached back and cocked another arrow, throwing all her concentration inward. She felt the response of what she thought was her miko power and let loose the arrow. Again, her arrow became emerald and sapphire. This time it even threw out a shower of sparks that ignited the grass they fell upon. Kagome cocked another arrow. Her hand was shaking as she took aim. The rat demon didn't even try to avoid her. It just stood there in front of her, staring at her, fully secure in the knowledge that for somehow, some reason, she would fail.

Kagome let out a cry of frustration and let a third arrow loose. It was the same.

"KAGOME!" cried Inuyasha, ducking as one of her three arrows, flying about the clearing came dangerously close to shaving off the tip of a fuzzy ear, "STOP SHOOTING!" Kagome ignored him and grabbed another arrow. The world around her was slowly disappearing, until it became her and the enemy she saw before her. Her miko powers were all that she had here. She needed them to work. They had to work. Kagome could feel where her power was as it coursed throughout her body, but it was like she was grabbing for it through a thick soup. It kept swirling past her or breaking apart. She could only call upon the fragments of it she managed to hold onto, but the bits and pieces of it had no real ability to purify.

The rat youkai was moving closer to her, despite Inuyasha's attempts to keep it bay. His job was being made more difficult because of the fact that the arrows seemed attracted to the aura of Tetsusaiga and had begun to dive-bomb him during his attacks. Kagome held her fourth arrow as steady as she could, waiting for Inuyasha to get out of the way, but before she could get a clear shot, a distinctive cry shattered her concentration.

She whirled around to see Shippo being overwhelmed. His foxfire had been reduced to tiny puffs of blue smoke. Sango and Miroku started towards him, but a wall of rodents massed before them, blocking their path.

"Kit Die." The rat chattered at her. In great washing warmth, Kagome felt her miko powers spilling forth from all corners of her body. Long, pink runners of it stretched across the ground instantly vaporizing all the vermin that it touched. Breaking into a run towards the small kit, Kagome twisted her body sideways and let fly her arrow. This one had an emerald tip but a pink trail. It flew straight and true and with an oh-so satisfying

THUNK, embedded itself directly into the heart of the rat demon. Kagome smiled as she heard it scream and turned her attention back to Shippo. He was still standing, but he was covered in cuts and bruises and looked ready to collapse. Kagome scooped the kit up in her arms and pressed him into her chest.

"Shippo," she murmured softly. "Are you okay?"

"Kagome," he answered, his face muffled in her clothing, "You're squishing me."

Kagome let out a peal of laughter. Shippo wiggled in her arms, moving a little slower than usual due to his injuries. "Did you see how many I got with my fox-fire! I got at least fifty!"

"Stay still," she admonished. "We've gotta fix you up first."

"'Kay." He twisted around to face forward in her grip but then quieted.

"Kagome?" Sango's voice had an edge to it.

"Yes."

"You better come see this."

The rat demon was definitely dying, but it looked as it something was burning away at its flesh from the inside out. Large blisters had erupted all over its body, some ad already burst and those were oozing foul smelling pus. Its eyes had rolled back into its head, and its paws were twisted in agony. All six companions gathered around it, unable for a moment to look away from the awful sight of a creature melting before them from the inside out.

"Whaddya do to it Kagome?" Inuyasha had his ears pressed flat against his skull, obviously unnerved by what he saw.

"What did I do?"

"Yeah, it was your arrow that shot it."

Kagome looked around at the faces of her friends. Was she mistaken or was that disgust in Miroku's eyes? Kagome backed up slowly, holding her hands out in front of her.

"I didn't do that on purpose if that's what you think!"

Sango put a warm hand onto Kagome's shoulder, drawing her back into the circle.

"Of course we don't think that Kagome. It's just…your arrows were not normal."

"Yes, but…but…I don't know why or how?"

Shippo waved his paw in the air. "Kagome, remember how you were really cold? I said that you might be getting sick."

"Shippo, I'm not sick…" Kagome replied half-heartedly. She didn't think she was sick. She never got sick at home, but she was more than ready to come down with a bad case of the flue if that meant she could explain this away and get her powers back to normal.

Miroku stared down at the dying youkai. "We should take the jewel shards and return to Kaede's. Perhaps, she knows something of this malady that Kagome has. Inuyasha, if you will help the creature on-"

"Mi-ko de-ad."

The six companions jumped back at the sound of the rat's voice. Kagome drew another arrow, but Miroku held up his staff and pushed it down towards the ground. Embarrassment colored Kagome's cheeks. To hide it, she called out haughtily at the rat.

"I'm not dead yet."

Bloody spittle erupted onto the rats thin lips. Its effort to talk was obviously hastening it towards its death. "Will be soon."

Kagome stared down at it, feeling curiously devoid of pity for the suffering creature. She raised her arrow again, forcing Miroku to move to the side. She felt overcome with a cold emptiness.

"Na-ra-ku will eat your flesh." Kagome wanted to kill it, but with a single swipe of Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha took the rat's life.

"We need to get to Kaede's," he said looking into Kagome's eyes. "Now."

Till next time,

Aidyn

And as always review, I will graciously thank you in my next posting...which will be next week now that finals are wrapping up.