Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are owned by Rumiko Takahashi, but this story belongs to me.

Chapter Nineteen: Breaking the Wind

I am the free.

I am powerful.

I am wild.

I am the wind.

Kagura lifted her face into the wind as she rode on her feather towards the group of fighters who were turning her game inside out. Well, okay, technically it was Naraku's game, but Kagura was one of the main developers and technicians. The game was her baby. And these players were messing with her game. She didn't know how they were bypassing the system to be able to operate outside of battle and to gain powers when they shouldn't. For that they will pay, regardless of what plans Naraku may have for them.

Hopping off of the feather, Kagura did a pirouette through the air before she landed lightly on her toes. She smiled, feeling giddy. This game is amazing! I feel light as air. I am the wind! She did another pirouette before snatching the now shrunken feather out of the air and tucked it behind her ear.

From behind a tree walked a small pale young woman with empty eyes. In her hands she held an ornate round mirror.

"Kanna, over here!"

Kagura walked over to her co-worker. The other woman had not been particularly keen on going into the game. She was a quiet woman who didn't like violence. But she was a genius when it came to character design. She seemed to give the characters heart and soul. Naraku had threatened to fire her if she didn't go in, so here she was. Kagura, the wind demon, whacked the pale woman over the head gently with her over sized fan.

"They are still miles away, but we need to get some jewel shards before we attack. Can you find us some?"

Kanna nodded before closing her eyes, holding the mirror in front of her. Kagura watched in fascination as the images in the mirror swirled until a large demon appeared. It was an ogre demon.

"I don't see the shard. Where is it?"

Kanna shrugged.

Sigh. "You can't see it can you?" Kanna shook her head slightly. "Well, if we can't find our own shard, then perhaps we can just steal the shards that those insidious brats have already collected and put them out of our misery."

Kanna shook her head again.

Kagura swore in frustration before turning back to her co-worker. "Why not?"

"Only the miko can fuse the jewel. Only the miko can complete it. Naraku wants it complete. She must live."

The women decided to wait until the group of travelers came closer. They watched in the mirror as they found the ogre demon. It was defeated fairly quickly. Kagura was disappointed. She had been hoping for a better show than that. It also unnerved her a little. They shouldn't be that strong yet.

"I am the wind." She whispered to herself, "I cannot be defeated."

They watched as the group continued on down a path that was leading away from them. They seemed to be playing a game of sorts. Rock, paper, scissors? Kagura watched as they played the game. Whoever won would go forward the same number of steps as syllables of the names of their weapons. It was a simple game, silly really, but they seemed to be having fun anyhow. They aren't taking the game seriously, Kagura fumed.

"They must have a weakness, Kanna. How can we defeat them?" Kagura wasn't expecting an answer, but she got one when Kanna's mirror began to glow.

In the mist of the mirror there was an image of a girl. In fact, it was the image of a young raven haired miko.

"Kagome? Are we supposed to dispose of her? Kidnap her? I thought you said that Naraku told us she must not die, that she has to be brought back alive."

Kanna shook her pale head. "Look closer."

The wind demon did as she was told. It took her a moment to realize that the young miko in the mirror was not Kagome after all, but the look alike priestess. It was the same girl who shot the dog demon through the heart at the beginning of the game.

"Divide and conquer," said Kanna softly.

With a smile, Kagura flicked her wrist and sent her feather flying. She grabbed Kanna by the scruff of her neck and pulled her onto her unusual form of transportation.

"Let's go find us a priestess."

It didn't take long to find the miko from the mirror, the girl had simply been wandering. Kanna told the wind demon the young woman's name was Kikyo, but the wind demon didn't really care. All she cared about was doing a little reprogramming on the non-playable character so that it would do what she wanted it to.

After an hour of playing with the codes of Kikyo, they had the priestess looking exactly like Kagome, right down to the school girl outfit.

"When they stop to bathe, find a way to get the dog demon alone with you and kill him. Then kill the slayer. Go after the monk next, then the fox demon. Make sure that you don't kill the miko, but you can maim her a little."

Kagura watched as Kikyo nodded and began walking in the direction the group was headed. Satisfied with the directions she gave, the wind demon went to find herself a nice comfortable spot to watch the show through Kanna's mirror. It was getting close to dusk, the time when the group usually stopped to find a suitable place to camp. She regretted that she didn't have a big bowl of popcorn in front of her for the show.

Predictably, the group found a spot with a hotspring nearby. Kagome and Sango left the males and went off alone to soak in the water. Kagura watched as Kikyo watched them leave. The doppelganger priestess walked back to camp. The dog demon questioned her about why she was there, but she gave him a smile and crooked her finger at him to beckon him to follow her. The monk made a perverted comment that had him kissing the ground and Shippo shaking his head sadly at him. Kikyo smiled again at the dog demon over her shoulder as she began walking away from the hotspring. Inuyasha followed.

They walked a good distance from the camp. All of Inuyasha's questions were silenced with a seductive smile.

"Aren't we getting a little far from the others, Kagome?"

Smile.

"Uh… what are you doing? Uh… what did you want to…."

Inuyasha's words died on his lips as Kikyo stood in front of him. His face turned red as she leaned in closer. He backed up nervously. But for every step he took backwards, Kikyo stepped towards him.

"What are you doing?"

She tilted her head slightly and raised her lips towards him. Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders. He held her just a breath away.

"INUYASHA!"

Kagura swore. She hadn't been paying attention to where the real Kagome was. And now the furious miko was spoiling everything.

"SIT!"

Crash!

"Kagome?"

"SIT SIT SIT!"

Kagura snarled as Kagome stormed into the clearing. As Kagome screamed her three letter word, Kagura screamed a very similar sounding four letter one as Kikyo raised her bow and took aim at Kagome. The young miko's eyes widened, her words dying on her lips. But Kikyo didn't shoot. Instead she slowly turned the point of her arrow towards the cursing dog demon laying helplessly on the ground, bound by the spell.

She let the arrow fly.

The sigh of relief was short lived for the wind demon as the young miko dove in front of arrow, sacrificing herself for her friend.

"NOOOOOOOoooooo!" The anguished scream of the dog demon could be heard for miles. The pain in his voice almost made Kagura regret sending Kikyo. She had to remind herself that it was their own stupid fault for messing with her game. As he screamed the girl's name over and over again Kagura had to keep reminding herself that the fault was theirs, chanting it silently like a mantra.

When Kagura looked back in the mirror she saw that there was only bits and pieces left of Kikyo around the clearing. Shreds.

The dog demon was pulling out the arrow and trying to stop the bleeding as the other three companions showed up with the magical yellow bag. Inuyasha let none of them come near the miko, instead he barked out commands of items for them to find in the bag. They were nearly crying in frustration at being unable to bring out any healing potions. Only Kagome could make it work.

"It's their fault," Kagura whispered.

Will the girl die? Will she die in real life? Will Naraku kill me for this or just fire me? Kagura bit her lip as she turned away from the mirror. She knew the answer to the last question… Naraku would surely kill her.

Kagura brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She closed her eyes and rested her head on her knees, rocking back and forth. She couldn't see what was going on in the clearing with the gamers, but she could still hear them. The dog demon blamed the slayer for not staying with her. The slayer blamed the demon for not knowing the doppelganger wasn't Kagome. The monk tried unsuccessfully to calm them down. The fox kit only wailed out the girl's name.

"Watch," commanded Kanna softly.

Reluctantly Kagura opened her eyes. She wiped at the tears threatening to fall before turning back to the mirror again. She blinked. Was it possible? Kanna almost smiled as she nodded her head to the unspoken question.

The dog demon had placed the girls hand over the wound, holding it there with his own, ordering her to fight. The miko's hand was starting to glow pink. Slowly the chest began to glow as well. Soon her entire body was covered in the warm pink light. She was actually healing herself.

One soft chuckle escaped Kagura's lips. Then another. With a burst of laughter the wind demon jumped to her feet and spun around in circles with her hands stretched to the sky. Eventually she grabbed Kanna and swung her around in her slightly mad dance of joy. After letting Kanna go she took the feather from behind her ear and tossed it high into the air, smiling as it transformed.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm the wind, dear Kanna. I am going to fly."

"The mission."

Kagura laughed at the slightly scolding reminder. "Let the girl heal herself a bit first, then we'll get back to the mission. We can't have her dying on us, now can we?"

With that, she jumped into the air, landing lightly on her feather. Holding on tightly she willed the feather to float higher and higher. She laughed again, suddenly feeling overjoyed. Leaning forward she got the feather to increase its speed.

Faster!

Must go faster!

I want to stay here forever!

I want to be free!

Then a voice whispered in her head, one that would not be ignored. She wasn't really free. She could only remain in the game as long as she did what Naraku told her to do. Once her mission was over she would be pulled out of the game.

"I want to stay," she said aloud.

But the voice told her it would be impossible. After all, her real body was in the real world. If Naraku chose, he could pull the plug and get her out at any time. Her eyes widened a bit in fear as another thought struck her. He could kill me! He could kill me and blame it on a malfunction of the game! She thought back to the release form she had signed, absolving him of all responsibility since the game was still in the testing phase.

Her feather slowed to a stop as she shuddered in fear. Her life was in his hands. Not only that, but he could see ever move she made through the monitor. Closing her eyes she tried to memorize the feel of the wind on her face as she floated in the air, the feeling of freedom.

Kagura watched the sky from her perch until the stars in the sky began to fade and dawn approached. With a heavy heart she turned back in the direction where she left Kanna. The would attack before the sun hit the sky. The group would be asleep and easy prey. Perhaps she could kill all but the miko in their sleep. That would save a lot of time and effort. Maybe then Naraku wouldn't be angry with her for waiting. She could say it was her strategy from the beginning. No one had to know she just wanted a little longer to feel free and alive.

As she suspected, Kanna was waiting patiently for her with vacant eyes. For a brief moment Kagura wondered what the woman was like out of the work setting. She chuckled as she pictured the pale woman out clubbing.

"Do you have any hobbies?" Kagura asked on a whim.

Kanna looked at her co-worker blankly. "Yes."

Silence.

More silence.

"Well? What are they?"

"Sky diving."

Kagura's jaw dropped. Sky diving? Kanna? Quiet no personality little Kanna? "Your kidding me, right?"

With curiously empty eyes and an unchanging expression Kanna looked at her before turning to walk towards the gamers' campsite. As they walked (or in Kagura's case, floated), the wind demon wondered which was more unlikely, Kanna being a thrill seeker and plummeting out of a plane or Kanna having a sense of humor and actually making a joke. It was a tough imagining either.

The soft glow of a dying campfire came into view. Kagura pulled Kanna on the feather with her so that no footsteps would be heard. Slowly the floated forward.

"What the…?" The sleeping rolls were there, but no sleepers. Kagura looked around confused. "Where are they?"

Before Kanna could open her mouth, an arrow flew out of the trees and pinned Kagura's sleeve to a tree. She turned to look at figures emerging from the shadows. I really hate them, she snarled silently.

"We could hear you coming a mile away," the kit laughed from his perch on the miko's shoulder.

"Never mind hearing anything, we could smell you!" Inuyasha stood confidently with his sword resting on his shoulder. "Rude to wake us up though. Guess we should teach you some manners."

Kagura hissed at him. "You stupid brat!" She ripped her sleeve to free herself and pulled out her fan. "Dance of Blades!"

With a sweep of her arm, the fan send blades of wind sharp enough to slice through a tree. The surprise on their faces was worth any price. Unfortunately they all managed to jump (or be carried) out of the path of the blades.

"She's not like the others," Kagome tells her companions.

"Smart girl," Kagura purred. "Too bad that won't save you. Kanna! The mirror!"

The pale woman faced the mirror towards Kagome and murmured a few words. The group gasped when the girl dropped to the ground clutching her chest.

Inuyasha roared and jumped to slice Kanna in half, but Kagura blew him back with a gust of wind. The demon slayer's boomerang was similarly taken care of. The fire cat demon was a little harder to fight. It kept jumping through the air and breathing fire at them between attacks with its large and pointy teeth.

While Kagura fought blew them back one by one, Kanna turned the mirror on Miroku next. Quickly he fell to the ground.

"Miroku!" screamed the demon slayer. She turned blazing eyes onto Kanna. "What have you done to him!"

"She has sucked out his soul into the mirror, joining the young miko." Kagura laughed. "But don't worry, you will be joining them soon. Kanna!"

Before Sango could say another word, her soul was being ripped from her body. The fox kit followed quickly. The dog demon was harder to pin down. He was quick. Not only that, but he seemed to have gone through some sort of transformation. His claws and teeth were longer and sharper and his eyes had turned red. Not to mention the stripes of purple on his cheeks. That was disorienting enough for the wind demon, but he also seemed faster and stronger.

Not only that, but the fire cat was a sprite of the game and the mirror was useless against it. All in all, things weren't going quite like Kagura had planned. On the plus side, the dog demon was covered in gashes and was losing blood at an impressive rate. There was no way his body would hold up for very long. Unfortunately so was she since he had gotten in several strikes.

"Die!" she yelled and she swung her fan. Luck was with her, and the gust took the dog demon and pinned him to a tree. "NOW!"

Kanna turned the mirror to the silver haired demon as he roared and snarled at him. The wind demon breathed a sigh of relief as she saw his soul literally being sucked from him. She was glad that this was finally over.

"NO!"

Startled, Kagura turned around. The miko was up! That's impossible! Kanna sucked out her soul, she shouldn't be able to move! She isn't even healed from nearly dying yesterday. It's impossible! Weak and staggering, but still standing. Too surprised to move quick enough, Kagura watched as the girl let an arrow fly at the mirror.

It shattered.

And when it shattered the souls immediately returned to their bodies. And those bodies were not happy once they got to their feet. Weakened by blood loss, Kagura knew that there was no way that she was going to win. She dropped to one knee. Die by their hands or die by Naraku's.

The group was gathering their weapons, getting ready to strike.

Kagura turned her eyes to the sky and smiled. So be it.

Quickly Kagura took the feather from behind her ear and let it fly into the air. With a graceful jump she landed on the now large floating feather. Laughing she let the feather carry her away as fast as she could manage, leaving behind a startled Kanna and confused game players.

She knew that she may not have much life left ahead of her, but the wind demon was determined to enjoy every last second that she had, for as long as she still had breath in her body.

I am the free.

I am powerful.

I am wild.

I am the wind.