A/N: I have not forgotten about this. Life hit, but I am back.

Chapter 19: Nightmare

Bankotsu couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face as the priestess did as she was told, her friends frantically screaming behind her. As she was at just arms reach, he grabbed her roughly by the forearm and he signaled Mukotsu to leave the girl. With a sneer, he touched the girl's hair and dropped her on the floor.

Lily growled, but as he took a step, Bankotsu had an arm around Kagome's neck, a knife pressing against it.

"Nah uh kitty cat. Stay put."

Kagome pleadingly looked at them. She could see the anger in them, as well as the fear in Wendy and Levy's eyes.

Wendy was trying to figure out what to do, looking around for a solution. Akira grabbed her hand, stopping her from coming up with a plan. She looked up at him, but his emerald eyes were not moving from the bandits up front who were retreating.

"Anyone follows and she's dead."

Mukotsu threw something on the ground, smoke quickly engulfing where they stood. Wendy snatched her arm from Akira, jumping in the air as the wind circled her arms.

"Sky Dragon Wind Attack!"

But when she landed on the ground and her arms let out her magic, there was no one there anymore.

"Kagome!" Koga screamed angrily. Fuck, Inuyasha is going to have my head in a silver platter now.

Wendy turned to Carla and Lily, "Let's go! We can still catch up with her!"

Ayame sadly shook her head, her hand going to her heart, "We can't. They will kill her. They only need her for her to give up the last piece."

"She's going to suffer if she gets handed to Naraku," Carla retorted angrily, "Wendy is right."

Levy went into her pant's pocket and pulled out a small metal box, "The jewel is in here…"

Koga was in front of her immediately, "How in the hell do you have it and they didn't notice?"

Levy swallowed the lump in her throat, "Protective rune. Miroku also placed a sutra."

"Even if we found Kagome," Ayame said, "We may do more harm than good. Her chances are higher if we don't follow. It is best for us to wait for the others."

Wendy, Carla, and Lily shared a look with Levy. All of them were thinking the same thing and were not looking forward to it.

After they had made it over the wall, there was a winged demon waiting for them. Bankotsu roughly pushed her inside the cart on top of it. She grunted, glaring at him. He went inside and so did Mukotsu. Upon looking at him, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand at the close proximity. Her back was rigid against the wood and her fists clenched on her sides.

"He's not going to do anything," Bankotsu said in a boring tone, "We are to give you to Naraku completely unharmed."

She bit the inside of her cheek but didn't say anything. What could she say? She was trapped with the two in the small cart, going to who knows where. She could use her powers, as she could feel the new demonic energy within them.

Maybe… just maybe…

Before she could formulate her plan, she felt something cold around her right wrist. She felt a strange jolt in her body as he grabbed her other wrist and cuffed it.

She felt dizzy, "What the hell is this?"

"Did you think I was going to let you ride with us and not seal your powers?" Bankotsu asked incredulously, "You gotta give us more credit than that. Say, what the hell is that on your arm?"

She hazily looked down at her right forearm where her green Fairy Tail symbol rested.

"It's a family symbol."

That's all she could remember before the world around her went black.

He was growing sick and tired of this. Something wasn't right. It had been too long for his liking since Sango left.

They had made incredible progress in that time. They had minimal casualties and now created a huge gap between the West and the East, which is what they needed.

But he didn't like it.

It wasn't until a horn was then sounded, that the forces of Naraku started to retreat. He could hear the cheers in the background, but it did not feel real. Something wasn't right.

"This doesn't feel like a celebration," Miroku murmured from his side. It seemed he was thinking the same.

"I can see the outline of his fucking castle," Inuyasha said triumphantly, "With these bastards running back, it's just a matter of time and we can kill that son of a bitch."

He was going to say something, but a spot of blue in the sky caught his attention.

"That's Wendy and Lily," Gajeel said, "Why is he here? He was supposed to be with Kagome!"

When Wendy landed with Lily, Wendy's brown eyes were filled with tears.

No.

When she finally woke up, her cheek was against a cold stone floor. Her hair was slightly damped as drops of the rain were coming through the ceiling. Her body felt heavy, and she could only blame to the stupid cuffs on her wrists that she was now remembering. She sat up, her eyes straining to see with the minimal light from the hallway. She could see the metal bars, so she knew she was inside a cell. With a grunt, she crawled over and with her hands, as weak as they felt, she tried shaking the cell.

"It's pointless," a raspy low voice said, "There's no way of getting out."

Kagome jumped, as she did not realize there was someone else in there with her. But as raspy as that voice was, she couldn't miss the sultry tone in it, and she only knew of one person with such a tone. With legs shaking, she got up and started walking towards the voice.

"Kagura? Kagura, is that you?"

Lightning lit the sky outside, but the small window provided just enough light for Kagome to see Kagura's current state. She let out a horrified gasp as her wobbly walk turned into a clumsy run.

The woman was held by two chains from the wall by her wrists. She could see something dark and wet, signaling blood. She was completely bare, bruises covering her whole body. Lightning struck again as Kagome reached her, using her hands to push away the bangs of the woman.

She wanted to throw up.

She was missing her left eye.

Fury went deep in her veins as she started yanking at the chains.

"Why did he do this to you?!" she cried out as she tugged. Kagura groaned, "The jewel… because of the jewel."

As the chains were so rusted, they broke with one of her hard tugs. Her body landed with a nasty flop on the ground. Kagome went to her, lifting her head and placing her on her lap.

"Why did you do that?" she whispered to her as she removed the sweater that was around her waist, placing it on the naked woman, "Knowing what he would do if he found out, why?"

She put the two and two together. It wasn't just luck that Happy had saved the last piece of the jewel. Kagura intentionally left it.

Kagura coughed, "Because I hate him…"

"Hate is such a strong word, don't you think?"

Kagome felt Kagura freeze as she mentally cursed. Right there, in front of the cell, Naraku stood.

The real Naraku.

He opened the door and motioned with his hand, "Why don't you follow me? We have lots to catch up on."

Kagura struggled to sit up, her hand clenching Kagome's bound wrists, "She's not going with you, you bastard!"

His cold red eyes landed on her, "We will speak later my dear, but for now, Kagome is coming with me. I really would hate to go in there and do so by force."

Kagura's red eyes were looking at her pleadingly as Kagome stood, "With one condition."

"You are in no position to give any demands."

"I will go with you, but let Kagura go. Give her her heart, and let her go."

He sneered, "You think I am stupid enough to let her go and risk her guiding the others here? I thought you held more respect for me Kagome."

"They know where your base is. Even if the others get here," she raised her cuffs, "I'm the only one that can finish you off and I'm useless with these on."

"Let's see how our talk goes first and then we can speak about my dear little traitor. Now, move Kagome. I won't repeat myself."

It was futile to argue with him, so without looking at the horrified face of Kagura, Kagome did as she was told. She followed him up the corridor and to another hall.

But her brain was acting quick. She realized that the corridors were not in the simple japanese form of the Feudal Era. They were not wooden. This was concrete and the doors were not sliding ones. She felt her heart drop when she saw it as soon as they went through the door.

A lightbulb.

Gajeel grunted as he landed on the ground, spitting blood from his mouth. He glared, but he got up again and tackled him.

He was a strong bastard.

"You need to stop and think!" He growled against the struggling man's ear, "You are not thinking!"

Lightning was wrapped around him like a thick blanket. He bit his lip as he tried not to scream. His whole body felt like fire.

Sesshomaru's gaze was hard as he looked at Jaken's head on the floor. He placed his hand on Tenseiga, but he knew he couldn't bring him back again.

"Lord Sesshomaru…"

His cold stare turned to the soft voice that was holding on to her tears.

"She did it… to save me… Rin is sorry…"

Carla heard the poor girl and yelled at the men that were still fighting, "Enough! We are losing time while you two are fighting! Laxus, get a hold of yourself!"

He threw Gajeel off of him at a great distance. He was panting, sweat dripping from his forehead. Everyone inside the fortress could only stand back, in fear of getting caught in the dragon's way. The demons around could understand his anger.

"I can't just stand here and not follow!" He yelled, "He is going to kill her as soon as he figures out she doesn't have the shard!"

Koga couldn't look at anyone, "I should have protected her better."

Wendy shook her head, "You saw what they did. They ambushed us."

Miroku cleared his throat, "I think by this point, we must do what Inuyasha always does first."

Sesshomaru looked at him with a raised brow, "And that is?"

"Rush in with no plan."

Inuyasha was growling angrily, "At least when that happens I know where I'm going. The scent of the beast is in the opposite direction of the castle. He played us! He is not where we've been thinking he is."

Sango turned to Kirara and Wendy, "We need to start heading to the direction where it went."

Lily was looking at Levy, who openly seemed like she was trying to say something but the angry shouting and yelling were overpowering her. He transformed, his booming voice echoing.

"Everyone needs to be quiet and listen to Levy! She's been trying to say something all this time!"

Laxus' head turned quickly to look at the young mage. He then remembered the reason why his grandfather picked her. Although physical strength wasn't her forte, she had one of the most brilliant minds in the guild. She was capable of re-writing Freed's runes, something he couldn't even do after knowing him for so many years. Her mind was filled with enchantments, spells, and tricks. She was damn smart. She was his only hope.

Gajeel questioningly looked at her, "Shrimp?"

She felt everyone's eyes on her, and in that moment, she truly felt like a shrimp as he called her. She could feel the raw desperation of everyone, the worry, the dread of the situation. Looking at Wendy, Gajeel, and especially Laxus, she gained the strength to speak out loud.

"The night before we left, the conversation of Kagome getting constantly kidnapped stuck in my brain. That same night, I met with Freed and the Master to formulate a plan. Erza and Bickslow also helped."

Her small hands reached over inside her bag, from there she brought out a small lacrima in the color green. Laxus walked over to her, clearly seeing the Fairy Tail symbol, but in the middle, a single strand of black hair.

Her hair.

She looked up at him, "It will vibrate if we are going the right direction and shine brightly once we are near."

Inuyasha's eyes were wide, "We can track her!"

"We need to go," Miroku said, "The more distance they put between us, the harder it will be."

Carla looked around, "But everyone here, we cannot leave them unprotected. Look at what happened."

"The Master gave me this!" Wendy said as she brought out a small piece of paper, "He gave it to me when he saw me the morning of the departure."

She stayed quiet for a moment as she finally read it. Inuyasha grew impatient, "Get on with it!"

Gajeel told him to shut it as Laxus grabbed the paper. He gasped as he read it over.

"That old man, he really thinks about everything."

Carla flew to him, "What spell is it?"

"Fairy Sphere," Wendy answered as Laxus stayed quiet.

Gajeel's eyes were wide in shock, "He really thinks that we can pull it off? Last time it took everyone in Tenrou!"

Sesshomaru was surprisingly the one to voice the question that those not part of their world were thinking, "What sort of spell is it?"

"It's a shield," Laxus finally answered, "Only those of us with the guild mark can cast it. It will only work if we have enough faith in one another. We can cast it over the fortress. However, time for those inside the sphere will stop. If it takes us weeks, months, or years to get her back and defeat Naraku, for them it may not even be a day."

Ayame stepped forward, "But will we be safe?"

He nodded, "Nothing will penetrate it."

Levy wanted to say they shouldn't have a problem in casting it, but she decided not to.

After all, Laxus was capable of casting Fairy Law. Last time it was not successful as he really did not perceive anyone in the guild as true enemies. But here, in this time and now having someone as important as Kagome, she wouldn't doubt that the lightning dragon would cast it.

Carla decided to speak up, "Let's start writing the incantation around the fortress then."

She felt nauseous. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to kill him.

"The well is such a mysterious artifact," he whispered against her ear, earning a disgusting shiver from her, "So many mysteries. The surprise I had when it could lead me here… the future."

She gasped as he was now in front of her suddenly, walking by the giant window that she had been staring out of.

The lights of downtown Tokyo were lighting his frame. She could hear the sirens, the honks. The busy state that her city always offered. She could remember all the times she walked there with her friends. She remembered their laughs.

She felt sick.

"How…"

He smirked, enjoying the terrified look in her eyes. That fire from earlier was gone.

He went up to her and placed a hard hand on the back of her neck. He gripped it, pushing her towards the window and pressed her cheek against the cold glass.

"My plan didn't go as exactly planned," he murmured, "The well was supposed to send you back to your time, with me following right after. I was supposed to have killed you here. Inuyasha would come, see your dead body, and I would kill him. The boy doesn't know how to act when something happens to you sweetheart. Then I would have simply ruled both eras, changing the outcome of the past for the future. A future where demons would rule and overpower you pathetic little humans. I've also come to find that the humans during this time are equally as selfish. Very emotional."

He let her go, letting her catch her breath.

"My family…"

"They're still alive. I could kill them. But I think it will be more dramatic when they see your dead body, don't you think?"

She screamed in her head.

An evil chuckle escaped his lips, "Why don't we go eat? I at least want you to have a good meal before I finish you off."

She felt hopeless then as he motioned for her to walk. Even if her powers were trapped, she could feel the immense strength of evil coming from him. She was not sure when he figured out that the well connected both points of time, but now, here he was. Her worst nightmare was a reality and she did not know what to do. The others won't know, as they were in the assumption he was residing in the castle 20 miles out from the fortress. Her family was in grave danger as well. Her friends in this time were in danger. How could she win against him?

As she followed him, she felt an unusual warmth coming from her guild mark. She stared at it as she followed, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But that warmth was the only thing that kept her from losing hope now.

Those with the guild mark were finishing up the incantation on the ground around the fortress. Once done, their plan was to use their magic energy and create the sphere. It could potentially drain them from magic, so Sesshomaru ensured that someone was with each guild member to watch their backs as they cast the spell.

Shippo was to be behind Levy, Miroku behind Gajeel and Lily, Sango behind Wendy and Carla, and to much surprise, Inuyasha behind Laxus.

As Wendy was just about done and being closest to the door, Akira shouted her name before the doors closed.

She smiled at him, "Hey, are you okay? Is your arm hurting?"

He swallowed and shook his head, "It's healed by now, thanks to you."

She blushed at the compliment, "Oh no, it wasn't just-"

"Will I see you again?" he abruptly asked. He realized how rude it was to cut her off so he cleared his throat, "My apologies."

She wasn't sure how to answer, "I am not sure. I don't know what's going to happen after this, but at least all of you will be safe. That's what matters."

Her tone was so gentle, that his eyes softened.

"Please, take this."

He reached with his right hand to the bandana wrapped around his neck. He undid it and gave it to her.

Her eyes were wide at the gesture, but Carla's nudging at her leg made her take it, "O-Of course! I will keep it until I see you again."

She smiled at him, and sure enough, she wrapped the green bandana around her neck. He clenched his jaw, and with a final smile, the doors closed between them. She carefully walked to her spot where they would cast it. Sango overheard the conversation.

"You think you will see him again?"

She wasn't sure, but her answer still was, "I will make sure of it."

There was a shot of lightning, indicating that they needed to start already.

Each guild member closed their eyes and focused their magical energy. The runes on the ground started to glow a golden light, making the feudal group to step back as the light continued to grow.

Miroku noticed that Gajeel's black guild mark on his left shoulder started to glow. Shippo noticed Levy's white guild mark on her left back shoulder was also glowing. Sango's eyes widened when Wendy's right shoulder started to glow. The two exceeds' marks were also glowing.

And even through the black shirt, Inuyasha saw a glow coming from Laxus' left side.

Laxus poured his faith of ending things and finding Kagome onto the spell. He trusted his friends and the allies he created. He trusted his own strength to find her and keep her safe.

His inner dragon, the voice that constantly gives him so much shit, was thrashing in desperation to find her. She wasn't just Kagome to them. She was part of their strength. In a matter of hours he was missing her laugh and her smile already. The way her dark blue eyes would shine when looking at him. That's how he knew he could never come to leave her. He couldn't.

He loved her enough to follow her anywhere.

Her happiness was genuine when he got reinstated into the guild. She was worried about him leaving to come with her and leave his family behind. He needed to see her happy here. He needed to see her smile knowing that there's no more Naraku tormenting her or any of those around her.

The golden glow around them increased more as each of them continued to focus, using their emotions and the faith of the union from being in the same guild. They were strong enough to help. They were smart enough to help.

We will succeed and get her back.

Slowly, the glow around them started to take shape into a giant golden sphere around the fortress. They all started to sweat as they voiced the last of the incantation.

"Gather wings of light, shine bright and protect against all evil."

With one last push of their magic power, the sphere finished forming. It sent a wave of power, pushing those in the guild on to the ground.

Shippo rushed to Levy, "Are you okay? You're pale!"

Levy winced, "I'm fine, it's just going to take a bit to restore my magic. I've only had to do this once before but I did not feel like this after. Maybe because it's less of us."

Her brown eyes moved to the sphere of light covering the fortress, "At least they'll be safe."

Laxus inwardly winced as he sat up. The spell was not easy with less members of the guild, it almost left him with no magic left. It was risky, as if someone were to attack right now he would not be of much help.

But everyone in that sphere meant something to Kagome.

A clawed hand appeared in front of him. His gray eyes followed it, just so he could stare right into Inuyasha's eyes.

They remained quiet, and after a pause, he gave him his hand so he could pull him up.

There was something different as they looked at one another.

"Let's find her."