Andrea's POV
Naraku smiled at the two of us wickedly. We had no desire to accompany him, but what choice did we have? I turned my head towards Kikyo's body, which was beginning to dissolve, the miasma slowly engulfing her entire body. Then I turned to look at Shippo's still form. I noticed Renee doing the same. Not wishing a similar fate to befall us, we reluctantly agreed. The both of us slowly nodded our heads, averting our eyes from his.
"Look at me!" Naraku demanded.
Renee complied, shivering with fear, but I refused. I have been well known for my stubbornness. I continued to stare at the ground, shivering as well. Naraku grew furious. With lightening speed, he grasped both our throats and squeezed. "If but one of you defies me, you both shall perish!" he threatened. "You will do as you are told!"
The two of us fought viciously against his grip, desperately trying to get oxygen. Upon looking into Naraku's eyes, to our horror, were filled with demented pleasure. The sick bastard was enjoying seeing us suffer! I wished we had our sticks back! I so wanted to jab it into that creepy eye on his chest! Naraku smiled at our distress. Naraku then roughly released his grip. "Now, do we understand each other?"
We coughed, put our hands to our bruised throats, and stared at him with anger. We despised him. We were not going to give him the satisfaction of an answer. Naraku smiled. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Follow me. If you make any attempt to escape, or if you call for help, I will kill the both of you instantly, and without mercy."
We hesitantly nodded as Naraku walked past us and towards the old well. I felt a sense of terror and dread as his tentacles touched me as brushed past us. We seriously doubted we could outrun this jerk, so we fell in step closely behind him. Within moments, the well was within our sight. As we neared the well, a chance for escape rushed through my mind. I flashed a smile. There is a chance! We were going to escape! Renee seemed to be thinking the same thing, as I saw her grin as well. The well was now in front of us, with Naraku blocking it from our view. Naraku bent down to retrieve something from the well's exterior. Now's our chance! We can jump back into the well and return to the present! My eyes met Renee's. She knew exactly what was on my mind. I would run to the right, Renee to the left, and into the well while he's focused on something else! We nodded to each other, "Now!". We bolted. I ran around Naraku's right, Renee to his left. We never reached the well. Instead, I felt a cold, slimly tentacle suddenly wrap itself around my neck, yanking me off my feet. Falling with a thud, I instantly gripped the tentacle. It seemed to have come from his arm. Did he just morph his arm into this disgusting thing? His other arm was a tentacle that appeared to have caught something as well. Or someone. Renee. Gasping for breath, I knew we had made a fatal mistake. I couldn't see Renee. She must be on the other side of the well, most likely in the same predicament as I. As my eyesight began to blacken, I knew unconsciousness, or worse, death, was immanent for the both of us. I struggled to apologize for our attempted escape.
Naraku chuckled. The tentacle suddenly released itself from my throat, changing back to his arm. Coughing violently, I looked at Naraku with rage. Renee's coughing informed me that she, too, was still alive! Thank goodness!
"I shall give the both of you one more chance!" Suddenly, the two of us were each surrounded by the same type of barrier that Naraku had used when he was attacking Kikyo. Then to our great surprise, we were lifted into the air. Tears welled up in our eyes. We barely even knew Shippo, and he was now gone. The two of us stared at Shippo's body as we continued to gain altitude until he was too small for us to see him. The both of us hated heights, especially when there was nothing solid underneath us. We both screamed as we both continued to soar into the air and eventually stopped when we were well above the trees. To our right was Naraku hovering in the air as well, surrounded by his own barrier. We absolutely hated that 'holier than thou' look on his face. Then Naraku, Renee, and I flew away in a northeasterly direction. Our thoughts were filled with fear and despair, not knowing if we would ever be able to get home. I looked over to Renee, whose face was first filled with fear, which quickly turned to anger. I heard her mutter, "That bastard! He'd better not make me miss my sweet sixteen birthday party!" Naraku's hawk-like ears heard Renee's remark. "So sorry to inconvenience you," said Naraku sarcastically, "If you wish, I could let you go, but it is a long way to the ground, and I doubt your weak human body would survive the fall." Renee fell silent. I held my breath, waiting for Renee's barrier to disappear and for her to fall to her death, but to my great relief, it did not. I had forgotten about Renee's party. My demeanor had suddenly changed as well. How dare that bastard make my best friend miss her sweet sixteen birthday! He obviously knows nothing about what is important to teenage girls. He's going to pay for this! My mind began to formulate an escape plan. After he sends us on his damned mission, we'll simply run away and return to our own time, assuming that well works both ways. We began to wonder if Kagome was able to travel to this time period. We silently hoped she would figure out what had happened in case my plan did not work.
Inuyasha woke up suddenly from his nap just outside Kaede's hut on a tree branch high in the air, his Tetsusaiga gently resting against his chest with his arms around it. The smell of blood filled his nostrils. He recognized it immediately. It was Shippo's. The smell was mixed with Naraku's scent as well. "That little rascal," thought Inuyasha, "He went and got himself in trouble again! He should have come here and told us first!" Inuyasha immediately leaped down to the ground and hurried inside the hut. Miroku and Sango were sitting across from each other discussing their next plan to destroy Naraku. Miniature Kirara was curled in a ball, sleeping peacefully in Sango's lap. The sight of Inuyasha's quick and desperate entrance put their conversation on hold. Kirara woke up as well, sensing something was wrong. "What's the matter, Inuyasha?" asked Sango.
"There's no time to explain! We all have to go right now! I just smelled Shippo's blood mixed with Naraku's stench! The little guy's in trouble! There's no time to waste! Hurry!" he said as he turned back and rushed out of the hut, running as fast as he could. A look of panic rushed across Sango's face, Miroku's face was filled with great concern for Shippo's safety, and Kirara mewed worriedly. Sango and Miroku immediately got to their feet. Miroku grabbed his staff, Sango her Hirakotsu. The three of them ran out of the hut and followed Inuyasha. Kirara suddenly became engulfed in flames, small at first, and suddenly grew in size. The fire dissipated as quickly as it started, revealing a ferocious, large lion sized demon cat. Fire began to emanate from her paws and two tails. Miroku and Sango quickly mounted the giant cat, and they continued to follow Inuyasha deep in the forest.
Kagome ran home from school as fast as she could. She was late and she felt horrible. She looked at her watch. The time showed 2:45. She had said her "good-byes" to her friends Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, saying she was in a hurry and couldn't eat out with them as she usually did at WacDonalds. Her friends immediately understood and wished her to have fun with her pen pals. They reminded her to not forget to introduce them to her boyfriend, Inuyasha. Her friends absolutely loved him when they first met him. Her three friends were to meet up with their pen pals later that evening, and couldn't wait. As Kagome reflected on their conversation, she thought, "Darn it! I told them I would be there at around 2:00! I should have told them 3:00! My math test took longer than expected. Why does math have to be the last class of the day?" Her pen pals, Renee and Andrea must be waiting for her at her home, and no one was there. Her mother and Sota took Grandpa out to go shopping. It was going to be just her and her new friends with the whole house to themselves. She continued running and finally reached the steps that lead to her house. Ignoring her aching knees, she bolted up the steps as fast as her legs would allow her, trying to ignore the heavy backpack on her back. Upon reaching the top, she immediately looked around for Renee and Andrea. She saw no sight of them. She was confused. Didn't they know she would be there as soon as she could? Did they get lost and are still on their way? She called out Renee's and Andrea's names but got no answer. She decided the two of us must be exploring the area. She let out a sigh. "This place isn't that great," she thought to herself. "I suppose I should track them down, now" she said out loud to herself, and began her searching. Her search brought her to the well house. The doors were open and she knew she always closed it. She wondered if Inuyasha came to visit her, but he would have shown up by now. She walked inside the well house and spotted a couple hand bags that were not there before. Upon looking inside them, she found American passports belonging to Renee and Andrea! "Oh, no!" she thought, walking up to the well and peering inside, "Did they go into the well? They shouldn't have been able to get there on their own! Heck! I wasn't even sure if I could get them there at all! How would they have known about it, anyways? They could be in great danger! They know nothing about the Feudal Era. I had not even thought of the possibility of them wandering there all alone!" She grabbed her bow and quiver full of arrows, which were resting on the ground on the other side of the well. She took a deep breath, silently hoping her friends would be all right, and jumped in. A brilliant blue light shot up from the well as she disappeared.
Inuyasha reached the grisly site first. He first spotted Shippo, dead in a pool of his own blood. Inuyasha gasped at the horrible site before him. He knew immediately who was responsible for this, and he wasn't about to let him get away with it. Kirara, Sango, and Miroku arrived moments later. The two of them dismounted Kirara and rushed over to Shippo's side. Sango and Miroku gasped as well. Sango ran up to Shippo and picked him. Upon turning him around, they saw the extent of the damage inflicted on him. It was brutal. Several large puncture wounds lined the entire length of his body. Sango cradled him, holding him close to her chest. Tears began to well up in her eyes, making it difficult for her to see. Blood began to stain her clothes, but she did not care. Miroku's face was filled with rage, as was Inuyasha's. While using his staff to support his weight, Miroku looked to the side and spotted a bow on the ground with miasma bubbling from the ground nearby. A lump formed in his throat. He did not spot it before, for his full attention was focused on Shippo. "Inuyasha! Look over there!" he said, pointing in the direction of the miasma. Inuyasha turned his attention to where Miroku was pointing. Inuyasha's world seemed to crash around him. He stared in disbelief at the sight. All he saw were remnants of red and white clothing disintegrating under the harsh purple colored substance. He immediately knew who it was. "Kikyo!" he shouted as he ran over to Kikyo's remains and collapsed to the ground in grief. He picked up the bow and held it tightly in his hands. He felt like crying, but no tears came to his eyes. He was enraged. This was the third and final time Naraku had "killed" her and he was not there to protect her. It was his fault for not detecting Naraku's stench soon enough. Kagome would be unable to help her this time. There was nothing left of Kikyo. His mind swarmed with anguish. "Naraku's gonna pay for what he's done!" Inuyasha shouted.
Kagome climbed out of the well and began to look around for Renee and Andrea. Just a few short minutes after she emerged from the well, she heard Inuyasha's voice cry out in anguish. She froze. Something was wrong! She immediately ran towards Inuyasha's voice. Upon reaching the site, she dropped her backpack and fell to her knees in disbelief. Sango was cradling a very still Shippo, and Inuyasha was on his hands and knees gripping Kikyo's bow. "What happened?" she asked to no one in particular.
"Oh, Kagome", said Sango as she got up and walked over to Kagome and knelt down next to her. She held out Shippo's body over to her. Kagome gasped at the horrible sight. She accepted Shippo from Sango and hugged him, not caring that her school uniform was being stained with his blood. She held him close for a full minute, tears flowing down her face in buckets. Her friend was brutally murdered and no one had been able to save him. She slowly and gently handed Shippo back to Sango. Kagome got up slowly and walked over to Inuyasha, who did not seem to notice her approaching him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. She knew full well what the sight meant. Kikyo was dead once again, and there was no way of helping her now. "Kikyo's really dead this time," choked Inuyasha. "I really screwed up this time! I should have been there for her! I'm always failing somebody! Damn it!" he shouted as he pounded his fist into the ground, his mouth quivering in rage.
"No one's blaming you, Inuyasha" said Kagome.
"Tell that to Kikyo, why don'cha?" he retorted. Then suddenly realizing his tone, he changed it to a soft voice. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I just…. I just keep failing those close to me. I'm afraid I'll fail you, too."
Kagome nodded, accepting Inuyasha's apology. She turned her head over to Sango, who was still cradling Shippo. Miroku was now comforting her. She sighed. They would have to bury Shippo soon. "The poor guy" she thought.
The sound of bushes being disturbed interrupted her thoughts. She turned around to come face to face with Sesshomaru. Inuyasha didn't turn around. He knew who it was. Sesshomaru spoke first. "Well, well, little brother, I see you once again have failed to save that woman Kikyo."
"Shut the hell up, you bastard!" Inuyasha shouted as he shot up to his feet, dropping Kikyo's bow. He grasped onto the handle of his Tetsusaiga, preparing himself for battle. Inuyasha's stance did not faze Sesshomaru. He stood there and stared his younger brother down. He then turned his head to face Inuyasha's friends, grieving over Shippo's body. "And I see you've failed to protect one of your friends, Inuyasha. You are so pathetic!"
"What would you know about it, you bastard?"
"Hmph. You are weak, Inuyasha--"
"Lord Sesshomaru, Lord Sesshomaru!" a small voice called out, interrupting his speech. He turned around and looked down at the owner of the voice. It was a young girl, no more than 7 years of age. "What is it, Rin?" he asked. Rin had wandered over to Sango and Miroku. She was staring at Shippo, grief filled her face.
"Lord Sesshomaru, can't you help him? He's my friend. He's hurt real bad. Please?"
Sesshomaru sighed. Suddenly, his Tenseiga began to pulsate and shake. He looked down at his sword. "So, Tenseiga, you wish to be used?" he asked the sword quietly. He took one more glance at Inuyasha and turned around and walked over to the group that surrounded Shippo. He looked into Rin's eyes, which were filled with tears. He sighed and nodded. "Move and leave the fox" he commanded. Miroku and Sango looked at Sesshomaru briefly. Both were a bit surprised, but complied. The two of them, along with Rin and Kirara left Shippo's side and joined Inuyasha and Kagome. They all watched at what unfolded next.
Sesshomaru drew out his Tenseiga and held it out. Upon staring at Shippo, he spotted the messangers from the underworld hovering over his body. Sesshomaru closed his eyes for a moment. He suddenly opened them and swung the sword, slaughtering the demons. Color suddenly returned to Shippo's face. His wounds healed themselves. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at his savior. Sesshomaru was the last person he would expect to see. Sesshomaru sheathed his sword and turned to Rin. "Let's go. There is nothing more to accomplish here."
"Yes, m'lord!" replied Rin as she followed him, away from Inuyasha and his friends.
"Sesshomaru, wait!" shouted Kagome. Sesshomaru stopped walking, but did not turn around. "Thank you!" she said. Sesshomaru did not turn around. He simply nodded and continued on his way. Shippo shot up to his feet and ran over to Sesshomaru and stood directly in front of him. He looked up into Sesshomaru's eyes and thanked him as well. Tears were welling up in Shippo's eyes. Sesshomaru nodded once again and walked around Shippo, continuing on his way, Rin closely behind him.
Shippo ran over to his friends and embraced each an every one of them. Kagome had never been happier in her life. She almost forgot about Renee and Andrea. "Umm.. Inuyasha?" she began.
"What is it?"
"You remember I spoke with you guys about my friends from the States? I think they might have found their way over here…"
"Oh, Kagome! That reminds me!" interrupted Shippo. "I ran into two girls from your era….Right before Naraku… you know…" his voice trailed off.
"Were they beautiful?" inquired Miroku with a grin.
Sango gave him a cold stare. She calmly repositioned her hiraikotsu on her shoulder and "accidentally" wacked Miroku against the side of his head. "Ouch," he yelled as he tenderly rubbed the newly formed lump on his head.
Kagome gasped at what Shippo had said, ignoring Miroku's comment. "Did they tell you their names?"
"Yeah, they did. They're Andrea and Renee." Shippo responded.
"You mean Kagome's friends could be in Naraku's clutches at this very moment?" asked Inuyasha, his tone of voice indicating great concern. "Damn it! This is why they shouldn't have come here!"
"I don't know! I told them to run away… I really don't know if they got away or not," said Shippo.
"We must help them! I can't stand by when two beautiful women are in trouble!" shouted Miroku with a tone of authority.
"This is bad! We have no idea where Naraku's castle is! Those poor girls know nothing about Naraku. They have no idea what he is even capable of…" thought Kagome.
Naraku, Renee, and I finally reached what appeared to be a dark and creepy ancient castle surrounded by purple clouds. Our barriers gently set us on the ground. Naraku's barrier disappeared, but ours remained on. Naraku motioned for us to follow him, and we complied. He stopped at the entrance and motioned with one hand stretched out for us to enter before him. "The barriers that surround you protect the both you from the miasma that surrounds this castle. Upon entering my castle, they will disappear. If you attempt to escape, the miasma outside will kill you." The two of us entered the castle and Naraku followed us inside, the doors to the castle closing behind us. Our barriers immediately disappeared just as Naraku promised. We stopped a few feet inside. Naraku walked around us and stopped a few more feet in front of us. He turned around to face us and grinned.
The two of us stared at him in defiance. "What the hell you want from us, you sick bastard!" I shouted. Renee elbowed me hard. "You wanna get us both killed, you moron?" she whispered.
Naraku simply chuckled. "I like you. You've got spirit! Do not worry; I won't kill either of you just yet! To think, if you had any idea who I was or what I am capable of, you would not be speaking to me in that manner!" He walked a short distance away from us and turned around to face us. "This is what I want you to do… I want you to retrieve the remaining sacred jewel shards from my enemies. Succeed, and I just might let you live. Fail me, and you will not enjoy the consequences."
"We don't even know what those are! How do you expect--" Renee began.
"Shut up, you wench!" Naraku shouted. I saw Renee shrink back. Naraku continued "The Sacred Jewel bestows great power to it's wielder." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small black sphere. It seemed to be missing a few pieces. "The jewel has been shattered, and a single shard gives its user unimaginable powers. Just one of these shards enabled you two to travel to this time. Ordinarily, only that hanyou Inuyasha and that wench Kagome have been able to do so. I was curious to see if a single shard embedded in the side of the well would enable some poor, unsuspecting soul to travel here so that I may use them. I want them all to restore the jewel to its former glory!" he smiled and chuckled evilly. "And you two are going to assist me."
"No way in hell!" I shouted at the deranged man. "Go to hell you bastard!"
"Yeah!" Renee agreed with me. She had no desire to help a sick and demented man like Naraku.
Naraku frowned at our refusal to cooperate. "You young ladies obviously have a short memory, so let me refresh it," he said as he walked over to us. With great speed, his hands were once again gripped around our throats. This time, he squeezed even harder. Upon looking into his face once again, was filled with sick, demented pleasure. I thought we would pass out for sure this time. When Naraku was satisfied with our terrified expressions, he roughly let go, and we coughed and greedily sucked in our precious oxygen. "I am feeling generous today. I shall grant you one more chance. Next time, I won't let go and you both shall perish!" he said as he grinned.
"Now, then where were we?" continued Naraku, "Oh, yes! The Sacred Jewel!" He stepped back a few steps. The long spikes of armor shooting out of his back grew in size. He removed them, more armor growing back in its place. He held out the two long spikes, and they morphed into swords, each with a purple hue. He tossed them on the ground in front of our feet. "These swords I am entrusting you with are made from my bones. They shall help you in your mission. They are each filled with my miasma, a very powerful poison. I believe you witnessed its effects on that miko. Don't even think of using these blades against me. They will have no effect due to the fact they were made from a part of me."
We nodded slowly, but refusing to pick up the swords.
"And one more thing," he continued. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out two black shards. "These are sacred jewel shards. I am going to entrust each of you with one. It will make your strength much more powerful, and increases your chance for success. They are filled with my miasma and if there is any attempt to remove or in any way tamper with them, including Kagome's purifying powers, they will instantly release the miasma into your bodies, instantly killing you!"
The both of us gulped. This did not sound good. Naraku smiled at our terrified expressions. "Turn around!" he commanded. "These will be embedded in each of your brainstems! Once they have been implanted, I shall call you my daughters. Like good children, you will obey each and every command."
"Yuck!" I thought, but we had no choice. While shaking in fear for our lives, the two of us complied. He roughly grabbed onto Renee's right shoulder and forced it into the back of head. Her screams echoed throughout the castle. She fell to the ground writhing in pain. He then turned to me and did the same. I too fell to the ground and screamed. The pain was immense. Now it was both of our screams that echoed throughout the castle. Naraku smiled and closed his eyes. It was music to his ears. After a few minutes of screaming, the pain subsided and the two of us sat up. We stared at Naraku with hatred. We slowly rose to our feet, picking up our swords.
"Now on to business…my children," said Naraku, "You are to retrieve the two sacred jewel shards from the young wolf demon leader Koga, and the single shard that Kagome possesses. The order in which you collect these shards matters not. After these shards are in my possession, I shall have the completed Shikon no Tama, and no force will be able to oppose me! There will be other tasks I will request of you as well. You will do well to complete them." He lowered his voice and continued. "And then, my daughters, I shall free you from your services." His maniacal laughter echoed throughout the castle…
A/N: This chappie was once again written by Inuyashafangirl. Tell us what think!