It takes forever to write when school starts... I am now a freshman and I got four major projects assigned to me... ON THE FIRST DAY! I've been so busy writing essays and research papers. It sucks. But now we have a four day weekend so I finally found time last night to write the next chapter. YAY
Chapter 36: The Arrow
"It's Naraku's castle, I'm sure of it!" Inuyasha said, running as fast as he could with Kagome on his back. He followed the foul scent of Naraku coming from straight ahead.
"But that doesn't make any sense," Sango said, riding on Kirara with Miroku behind her, "Why would he just show up all of a sudden?"
"It's not like he's never done this before," Miroku said. He placed his hand on Sango, and began making his way down to her rump. "But you know… if you are scared, you can always come to me and-"
Sango slapped him across the face. "No chance of it!"
Shippo rolled his eyes. He perched himself on Miroku's shoulder to keep a good watch over him for Sango.
"I can sense jewel shards…" Kagome said, sitting up on Inuyasha's back, "And they are really close…" She felt the air get thicker and thicker, and it became harder to breathe. She became tired and leaned in closer to Inuyasha's back, trying to stay awake.
Soon they were faced with Naraku's castle, towering in front of them, no barriers, no protectors. Nothing surrounded it except the many corpses of demons. Inuyasha stopped in mid step.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Shippo asked.
"Something's not right…" Inuyasha said suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes and sniffed the dead air around him. "Every barrier is gone. Nothing is hiding it at all…"
"You're right," Sango said, getting off of Kirara, "And nothing has attacked us yet… Usually even by now Kagura or someone would have come at us…"
Inuyasha began to walk forward to the castle. He looked behind him. No one was following him.
"Well…? Come on already!"
Miroku shook his head. "We cannot go any further than this, Inuyasha. We are only mortals, and would not be able to handle the evil aura inside the castle."
"Yeah?" Inuyasha said, "Well then what about Shippo?"
"He is just too scared."
"Hey!" Shippo yelled. He glared at Miroku.
Inuyasha growled. "Then what are we supposed to do? Just sit out here and just wait for something to pop out at us and-"
The walls of the far left of Naraku's castle suddenly collapsed. Hanako stood in the middle of the wreckage, light surrounding her body. Everyone stared.
"Is that… Hanako?" Kagome said with a puzzled look.
Inuyasha observed the scene before him with widened eyes. His gaze landed on Sesshomaru. He was there as well, which was expected.
"Very good…" Naraku said, pleased with what was happening. It was just as he had thought. His name did bring back some sort of memory to her.
Jaken backed away from Hanako, completely in awe of the frail girl who now possessed an aura of great power and evil.
Sesshomaru watched her, a bit confused at what was happening. Because of the name that she had been calling him, her power had once more been reawakened. Who was this "Riyu" and what did he have to do with her?
She rose off the ground, her body going aglow. Naraku watched her face closely. A glimmer of frustration and fear danced upon her eyes. It was as if there were tow people staring back at him.
"So, you still remain conscious in your mind, do you?" He took the bead out of his pocket, to try to detect her thoughts.
What have you done to me?
He smirked. "How amusing…" He came up closer to her. She tried to move away, but her body would not obey her.
"Give in, Hanako," he said with a cruel expression, "There is no use fighting your true self."
I won't give in…not this time… she meant to think, but Naraku could hear all of her thoughts.
The barrier dissipated into the air as Hanako went more and more of the ground. Sesshomaru watched her. He had seen a similar site before, only now she looked different. Her eyes showed some emotion. He knew that Hanako was still alive somewhere inside of her own body.
"Sesshomaru! What the hell is she doing now?"
Sesshomaru shifted his eyes to his right. Inuyasha and his mortal companions were running toward him. He did not respond to him.
"What is going on?" he asked again.
Sesshomaru looked away from him, once more attempting to hide his worry. "It seems that… Naraku knows Hanako…somehow."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Wouldn't she have told you that she knew him?"
"It's not that simple," he said, in no mood to explain himself, but did anyway, "Hanako does not remember any more than two years of her life." He looked over to his brother's face. His reaction was as expected: confused. He went on speaking anyway. "I now believe that Naraku had something to do with that…"
Kagome got off of Inuyasha, feeling the dark aura slide away into the atmosphere. "You mean… Hanako had amnesia?" Here eyes closed slightly from all the light. She had remembered Inuyasha telling her that Hanako had don't this once before. It had been the reason she had passed out that day…
Inuyasha looked at his brother's face. He looked as if he was trying to remain calm, but was once more worried for Hanako, just as he had been that other time she had done this.
Above us next to the sun
There lies the child of shame…
Kagome felt the same weight lower itself on her as she did when Hanako had sang last time. She wobbled a bit. "I'm… so tired…"
Sango and Miroku and Shippo all looked tired as well.
Let you hear his name, in heaven and our hearts…
"It's just as before," Inuyasha commented, catching Kagome as she fell, "That stupid song makes everyone fall asleep, and then she steals their souls…" Her narrowed his eyes at her. He had to stop her again somehow. She had mysteriously stopped the last time she had done this. If only he knew why she had…
Sesshomaru looked at Jaken next to him, collapsed on the ground. He was positive now. Naraku had something to do with her last activation, and he had been the cause of this one. Naraku and Hanako were linked.
Suddenly, a strange feeling overcame him. He felt as if someone was pulling on him. He nearly fell over. He felt as if invisible hands were grasping inside of his chest.
Inuyasha fell over and then staggered upward, wiping sweat off of his forehead. "What… what in all the hells…?"
Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly. Her power… it is effecting me now…and him…
Naraku cackled, walking under Hanako and over to Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, tossing the bead up and down in his hand. It protected him from all effects of her power.
"I see you are both feeling a bit light-headed…" he said, laughing to himself.
Sesshomaru drew his sword. His hand shook violently, and his eyes would barely stay open, but he had to get rid of Naraku. He had gone far enough with his patience.
"Sesshomaru…" Inuyasha stammered, "You better not kill him… he's mine to kill… stay out of my battle!"
"I will do as I please," he grumbled, narrowing his tired eyes.
Naraku laughed at them both. They looked so pathetic threatening to kill him, as they were both about to die themselves at Hanako's hands.
"Naraku…" Inuyasha growled, "Why is it… that you are not effected…as well?"
"Me?" he said, holding the bead out in front of him, "You would like this, wouldn't you? It keeps me immune."
Hanako watched everything through her eyes, which were also being used by someone, or something, else. I… I have to… find a way to get out of this… or else they could end up dead…dead because of me…!
A brilliant idea suddenly struck her: The knife in her shirt.
If I could just… She struggled to get her own body back, but the being stopped her. She felt arms grab at her, arms everywhere squeezing her, keeping her still. But she could not see these arms.
Sleep, a voice said, sleep like everyone else is…
Huh? Who are you?
The voice did not answer.
Get out, Hanako said, This is my body, not yours. Get away… and stop hurting my lord!
Actually, this is my body. You are the one invading it. The voice sounded hauntingly similar to hers, only colder, and lonelier, and emptier.
She felt another strength rise up inside of her, one that felt different than she had ever felt before. I said…
She broke through the invisible arms.
GET OUT!
The voice laughed, sounding horridly amused. It continued to laugh coldly, its empty voice echoing through her entire body. Suddenly, her vision left. She stared into the darkest darkness she had ever seen.
You disgust me, it said, You don't even know your purpose… no, our purpose. You know nothing.
Well you disgust me! She shouted out in front of her, You are trying to kill everyone!
The voice faded. Kill… everyone… that's what they said too...
Hanako listened to what sounded like weeping inside of her head. It sounded just as she sounded when she cried…
I… I just wanted… to finish… so I could see you, Riyu…
Hanako watched as her vision began to come back, little by little, with a confused face. That name, Riyu… And whom had she been speaking with? It was a girl… but why would some demon-girl want to possess her?
Wait! She called to it, Who… who are you? Who am I?
The voice took a deep breath. That is nothing you should know… it's my burden. It exhaled slowly, before her vision blurred and went back to normal.
She felt normal. She could see. She could move her arms, and all the rest of her. She stared down at Naraku. She didn't care about him anymore. She just wanted him to leave her alone. He had been watching her, and knew too much about her. He tricked her and Sesshomaru, and who knows how many others.
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru both noticed that Hanako had stopped singing. Naraku had obviously not. He continued to laugh at them. Sesshomaru felt his strength returning to him. Him and Inuyasha watched Hanako behind him, her eyes normal again. She descended from the air, the tips of her toes touching the ground. She strode over behind Naraku, her eyes never leaving the back of his head.
"Soon, Sesshomaru," Naraku said, "Soon you and Inuyasha will both be dead…"
Hanako reached in between her breasts and pulled out her knife. Sesshomaru's eyes widened. Where had that come from?
Naraku became aware of the dead silence from Hanako. He stopped laughing and turned around. Hanako stared back at him.
Hanako stabbed his chest with the knife.
Naraku's eyes widened slightly, looking at the knife lodged into him. He looked down at Hanako. She pulled it out, a bit disgusted and surprised at herself. Crimson blood gathered around the bottom of it, and dripped to the ground slowly.
Kagome, Miroku, and Sango and Shippo all awoke from their slumbers.
Naraku smirked and shook his head. "Your will power is almost amusing… do you not know that a stab could never defeat me?" He stood up straight again. His bangs covered his face. He smirked.
His body began to morph into something terrible: with many legs and arms of all kinds of demons. His clothes ripped off of him and he grew taller and taller, limbs of demons giving him height. The ground began to shake. Hanako fell over onto the ground, and backed away on all fours.
"I am the second man you have stabbed in the chest, eh Hanako? I recall you doing the same to Sesshomaru…" Naraku narrowed his eyes at her. Somehow she had escaped the fate he had given to her. He had underestimated her.
"Wh-what?" she stuttered, her hands shaking. That had been so long ago. He had seen it all. Had he even watched each of those men force themselves on her that day before Sesshomaru came? Pervert…
Kagome got up and ran to Hanako, helping her up. "Are you okay?"
Hanako turned her head. "Kagome-san… I should be the one who is asking you that! I did not mean to hurt anyone… I'm so sorry!"
"Shh…" Kagome said, helping her to her feet, "We know it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. Right Inuyasha?"
"Yeah, whatever…" He looked at her curiously. When had she stabbed Sesshomaru?
Hanako immediately ran over to Sesshomaru. He felt relief wash over him as he saw her smile.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" she said, bowing to him. "I am SO sorry… I should have listened to you! If I had obeyed your wise decision, then none of this would have happened…"
Sesshomaru looked away from her and kept his focus on Naraku. "I will deal with you later." He pushed her away. Her eyes widened slightly. She lowered her head in sadness. He pushed her away…
Sesshomaru drew his sword. "This is the day, Naraku. I have finally ran out of patience."
"Have you now?" he laughed while looking down at him.
Kagome watched Hanako carefully, observing her reaction. That's so mean… she thought, she really loves him, but he only pushes her away…
She remembered back when she and Sango had seen them in the rain kissing…
Then what was that all about?
Jaken finally woke up from sleeping. He rubbed his eyes and looked around.
That's right… Hanako was singing and… what happened to me?
He saw Hanako looking sadly at the ground. He got onto his feet and whacked her over the head with his staff.
"You have caused us a lot of trouble!" he yelled at her. She groveled to him.
"I'm so sorry, Master Jaken! It was wrong of me not to listen to you and Lord Sesshomaru… I swear that I'll never do it again-"
He hit her again. She whimpered and covered her head with her hands.
"And you better not think you are to stay with us any longer! Tomorrow, I will make sure that you are sent back to that slave traders where you will be starved and beaten to death like a wretched wench like you deserves!"
She looked at his face, scanning it over and over again. He was serious. Her eyes quivered, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She lowered her head and cried quietly on the ground.
Jaken's anger left his face. He lowered his staff. Aw… I made her cry?
"Um…" he said, feeling guilty, "How about a rich slave traders?"
She was still crying.
"A nice family in a peaceful village?"
The crying did not cease. He rolled his eyes.
"Perhaps… I will let you get away with it…" His anger returned. "Only this once though! Pull anything like that again, and I will have you beheaded!"
She looked up and nodded quickly. Kagome helped her up to comfort her.
Inuyasha drew his Tetsusaiga. He would never let Sesshomaru fight Naraku. He would be the one to send him to hell.
"Sesshomaru, back down!" he yelled, charging to Naraku. He sliced off one of his limbs. Naraku stared at him, his face not at all troubled. The limb that Inuyasha had cut off grew back immediately afterward.
"Do you understand now?" Naraku cackled, "I am invincible."
Hanako watched Sesshomaru and Inuyasha cut at Naraku, their efforts completely futile. Every part of him just kept on growing back. Hanako felt their anger, and her own anger. She began to understand why Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both despised Naraku. She was also angered by the fact that she could not fight. She looked around her, becoming frustrated with just sitting on the sidelines of the fight. This man had done something to her, and she was having other people fight for her. She wanted to fight him as well.
She looked at Kagome next to her. She had a bow and arrow with her, and yet she only stood and watched them fight with a worried expression. Why didn't she help?
"Kagome-san," she said to her.
Kagome turned to her. "What?"
"Can I borrow you're bow and arrow?"
Kagome narrowed her eyes at Hanako. "…you are not planning on shooting them at Naraku, are you?"
Hanako suddenly became serious. "I want to help Lord Sesshomaru and Inuyasha."
"I don't think Sesshomaru would want any help from you…"
"I don't care!" she shouted, "I don't want to just sit here and watch! Naraku did something to me, so I should be doing something about it!"
Before Kagome could refuse any longer, Hanako had grabbed them from her and ran up closer to Naraku.
"Hanako!" she shouted, "Come back! You'll be killed!"
Sango watched her run off. "What… what is she doing!"
Miroku observed her strange actions. "It looks as if she wants to help them…"
Shippo popped up on Miroku's shoulder. "But that's stupid! A bow and arrow would do nothing to Naraku!"
"Hanako!" Jaken shrieked, "GET BACK HERE NOW!"
Hanako lifted up the bow slowly and loaded the arrow onto it. Luckily, Naraku, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha were all too distracted to notice her. She pulled back the string of the bow, hearing it creak. She kept her hand still and the arrow in place.
Here goes nothing…
She let go of the arrow. A blinding pale pink light followed its release. It pierced Naraku's lower stomach.
Inuyasha's head snapped around. "Kagome! What the hell are you thinking-"
Kagome's mouth fell open. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all gaped at Hanako, the bow in hand. She lowered it slowly, in awe of her own actions.
"It… wasn't me…" Kagome said quietly.
Sesshomaru's gaze fell upon Hanako with the bow and arrow. That was… the arrow of a priestess…
Hanako looked around at all of the shocked faces. She looked down at the bow and arrows. "Kagome-san… what kind of magic bow is this?"
Naraku cackled, his skin melting off of him where the arrow had hit. "So… you have chosen to reveal even more about yourself, have you?" He shook his head slowly. "Now they will never leave you alone…"
A dark gas became the air. No one could see two feet in front of them.
"That is all for now… I will let you be, for now… Hanako… but know that you cannot escape again… and you won't…"
A cold wind blew by. The smoke cleared, and revealed a blank field. The castle had vanished.
"…Huh?" Hanako said, looking for the castle walls.
"Hanako!" Shippo said, leaping to her shoulder from Miroku, "You never said that you were a priestess!"
"…A what?"
"Yes," Miroku said, looking at her closely, "It is true. You are a priestess, much like young Kagome here."
Kagome stared at Hanako. She still had no idea what they were talking about. She only remembered two years of her life. In her previous years, could Hanako have been a priestess in a village?
Sesshomaru came closer to her. The power she possessed was not that of a priestess. Now that he had experienced it himself, he was sure of it. She harbored some sort of unearthly power. But in her past life, she had been a priestess. He could only imagine the kind of things she must be able to do. And she belonged to him and him only, he owned her. He could do whatever he wanted with her.
"Lord Sesshomaru," she said meekly, "I am willing to accept any sort of punishment you wish to bestow upon me. Whether it be a beating, being sold, or even death, I will do what you say with no complaint."
Sesshomaru looked down at her. How could she be so powerful?
Everyone waited.
"Just… never do it again." He smirked at her, a sort of kind smirk, like a smile. He turned away and began to walk. Jaken followed.
Hanako stood dumfounded in the middle of the dry grass. Had he just smiled at her? She blushed. She began to run after him.