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-Chapter Fifty-Five-
.:The Jewel's Shadow:.
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Clara
Pain.
There was nothing but pain as the raging fires roared around me. I held my arms in front of me, trying to protect the rest of my body. I could smell burning cloth, burning hair, burning skin.
Someone, please help me!
And then through the roar of the flames, I heard it. A small chuckle, filled with nothing but malice.
"Help!" I screamed.
And then, as if a mighty wind roared through, the flames vanished, and I was left in nothing but pure darkness.
What?
"Isn't this pitiful." I lowered my arms. This voice…so familiar and at once filled with a venom that made my skin crawl. "Look at you, Midoriko, reduced to a groveling wretch."
I looked up.
Where…was I?
I was floating in a void of darkness. All around me, I could see nothing but an infinite void of black that threatened to swallow me whole. I don't understand…what happened to the car accident? To my parents? What happened to me?
"Pathetic."
I spun around, and my eyes widened. Before me stood a man with jet black hair that fell to his waist in waves, and his eyes…
Blood-red eyes that were filled with nothing but contempt and animosity.
For a moment, I felt lost. Who was this man? What was he doing here? A million questions raced through my mind at breakneck speed. And then he laughed. Low and dangerous, it snapped a cord of familiarity in me.
"Naraku…" I said as realization hit me. I took a step back and glanced around me. Nothing but darkness stretching on and on for miles. What happened? Where was I? The last thing I remembered was…running after a little girl on a field of white. Rin. Snow. Ice. Freezing cold…and black.
"Did you enjoy your dreams, Clara?" Naraku said pleasantly, as though he was talking about the weather.
I stared at him. "Dreams?" My parents…Manhattan…The movie…The car accident…My father's death…and flames. My eyes widened. "That was you," I said, both bewildered and enraged. "That was your illusion!" Kagome had once warned me that Naraku often immersed his victims in illusions designed to corrupt and to despair. She wasn't kidding.
Naraku chuckled as though I'd told a joke. I clenched my fists. "How…how dare you," I said. "That memory…how dare you look at that memory."
"Human memories are so frail, aren't they?" Naraku said. He took a step towards me and I stepped back. "Why cling to them, I wonder?"
"Where have you taken me?" I snapped. My hand immediately went to my waist. I froze.
Shinsei wasn't there.
Naraku tilted his head at me. "You haven't figured it out yet, have you?"
I raised my hand, willing spiritual energy to come to me. But before I could even summon it, Naraku's tentacles whipped out of the darkness. I gasped as they wound themselves around my wrists and my ankles, holding me in place.
"Let me go!" I snarled. I gathered my spiritual energy in my hands, but before I could blast the tentacles that bound me, another tentacle shot out and wrapped itself tightly around my waist and my chest. I gasped as it squeezed, limiting my air.
"Oh dear," Naraku said, striding towards me until he stood a foot away. "Haven't you realized it yet?"
I glanced at around us, at the darkness, then back towards Naraku. I stopped struggling. I froze as realization hit me.
Naraku had imprisoned himself within the Jewel, the last time I remembered.
If I was with Naraku…did that mean I was…
"It took you long enough," the hanyou said, smirking at me.
"You…bastard," I gasped. How did I get here? What happened? Where were Sesshoumaru and the others? Where they in the Jewel as well?
"How sad," Naraku said. "To think that Lord Sesshoumaru would abandon you to this fate."
I clenched my fists. "You liar," I snapped. "Sesshoumaru would never—"
Before I could finish, Naraku suddenly reached out and grasped my chin in his clawed hand. I froze as he brought his face close to mine, and it was then that I noticed something—his features were changing. One moment, I found myself staring into bloodred eyes, and the next, his eyes narrowed, and his lips had taken on a bluish hue.
His smile was manic.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord Sesshoumaru," he said mockingly. "You couldn't have picked a more bloodthirsty demon to corrupt you, Midoriko."
It was as though his eyes triggered a memory in me. The man standing before me was not Naraku—but I knew him. Or did Midoriko know him?
"Magatsuhi," I said slowly. "Don't you dare say that about Sesshoumaru! Where is he? If you've hurt him—"
"Shall we make her believe, Naraku?" Magatsuhi said to no one in particular. "I like how you think."
Reaching out with both hands, he grasped my face. I tried to pull away from him, but the tentacles held me fast. All at once, images flooded my mind.
Sesshomaru held the neck of a human soldier in his grasp. There was an audible snap as he tossed the man aside...
His whip of light whizzed through the air as Sesshoumaru cut down one human samurai after another. Behind him loomed a castle high on a hilltop…
"Stop it," I breathed, trying to pull away.
Sessshoumaru held out his hand and Kagome screamed as he bombarded her with his poison. She held a rusty Tessaiga in front of her to protect herself to no avail…
Two demonesses stared up at a moonlit sky, their swords useless beside them as Sesshomaru retracted his whip…
Inuyasha gasped in pain as Sesshoumaru's poison claws tore through his chest, a wicked gleam in his eyes…
"Stop it!" Was I screaming at Sesshoumaru to stop, or Magatsuhi?
Sesshoumaru sat atop the shoulders of a giant oni as he stared imperiously down at Inuyasha and his friends. I struggled against Naraku's tentacles as the image of a child Inuyasha flashed through my mind. Sesshoumaru grasped him by the throat, intent on snapping Inuyasha's neck.
"ENOUGH!"
Magatsuhi pulled away and smirked at me. I gasped as I hung my head, trying to clear it from all the images he had shown me.
Was that demon…Was that demon my Sesshoumaru? The man with the ruthless and cold eyes? The man who killed so indiscriminately? Was he the same person who held me in is arms, protected me and Rin, and told me he loved me…?
It was Naraku chuckling now. "I can imagine the conflict you must be feeling. Lord Sesshoumaru's ruthlessness knows no bounds, does it not, Clara?"
Ruthless…
Cold…
Bloodthirsty…
Just few of the words people had used to describe Sesshoumaru. And yet…
An image of him tucking my hair behind my ear flashed through my mind. Sesshoumaru protecting me and Rin…Sesshoumaru holding me in his arms as he said he loved me…The warmth in his golden eyes as we'd given ourselves to each other, body and soul.
"He is," I said quietly. I glanced up at Naraku, who smirked at me. "He is my Sesshoumaru! I know what he once was, and I don't care. That's not who he is anymore! And no matter how many images of the past you show me, that will never stop me from loving him!"
Focusing, I willed my spiritual energy outwards, and into Magatsuhi's tentacles. The demon screamed as white light enveloped him before fading away. The tentacles retracted and I fell onto the dark ground with a grunt.
"Well, well," Magatsuhi said pleasantly as I stood. "It seems you do still have some fight left in you, Midoriko."
"Where are Sesshoumaru and my friends?" I demanded, as I instinctively held out a hand in front of me. Light pooled on my palm, and it slowly lengthened, the end tapering until I held a sword made out of my spiritual energy.
My spiritual energy felt strong. Stronger than it had been in months. Was it because I was in close proximity to the other half of my soul?
Magatsuhi's expression shifted until I found myself looking into Naraku's face again. He chuckled. "Didn't you feel it, Clara?" he said. "Your precious Lord Sesshoumaru is lost to the darkness of the Sacred Jewel."
My eyes widened. Sesshoumaru?
"He was so easy to corrupt," Naraku went on. "People with weak hearts and feeble minds make quick fodder for the darkness of the Jewel."
"Shut up!" I lunged towards Naraku, sword aimed towards this throat. A tentacle suddenly wheezed from the darkness, parrying my sword. Another followed and I lunged backward. "What have you done to Sesshoumaru and the others?" I demanded. I willed spiritual energy into the sword and it glowed even brighter.
Naraku chuckled. "I think I'll leave you to be acquainted with your old friends, Clara," he said as he slowly faded into the darkness that surrounded us.
"Get back here!" I shouted as I rushed towards him. The tentacles blocking him suddenly vanished. Naraku was gone. The bastard.
I took in a deep breath as I glanced around me, at the endless darkness. Naraku mentioned that Sesshoumaru was in here with us…I didn't have time to ponder how it had happened. I had to find him quickly. I knew Naraku was bluffing about the darkness corrupting him. Sesshoumaru may have been a demon, but I knew without a doubt that the shadow of the Shikon could not turn him.
Now, how do I find him? Were Inuyasha and the others here as well? "Questions later, Clara," I said to myself. I froze.
I glanced around me.
Was it just me, or…No. My mind wasn't tricking me. I could feel it.
The aura of thousands and thousands of demons, all headed towards me.
I willed more of my spiritual energy into the sword, amazed at how much stronger it felt. Did this mean Midoriko was close by?
From the darkness, a thousand glowing eyes suddenly peered at me, followed by furious roars, and overwhelming demonic auras. I closed my eyes as they came from the black void. These were the ancient enemies that Midoriko had fought alone for five hundred years.
I pitied her. What was that like? To be alone, to fight for all eternity for your soul…
I felt like I understood her more.
I opened my eyes. But no—I needed to clear my head. I willed myself not to panic as I faced the hoard of demons that surrounded me. I could feel their overwhelming bloodlust, and their ancient malevolence.
There were many.
So many of them.
How could I possibly survive this? How could I not be overwhelmed by this?
"Don't be foolish."
My eyes widened as the memory of Sesshoumaru's voice reverberated through my mind. I smiled thinly. Yes…I was being foolish.
Sesshoumaru, wait for me. I'll find you.
Tightening my grip on my sword, I rushed towards the demons as they raged towards me. "And you guys aren't going to stop me!"
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Kagome
"Get down, Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.
I ducked as Inuyasha leapt over me, his claws slashing a demon behind me in two. It let out a piercing wail as it disintegrated into black ashes.
I nocked my arrow and fired it towards a demon headed straight for Inuyasha. It vanished in a cloud of black ash. I let out a breath as I glanced around me. We were surrounded by an endless sea of demons. The moment we took one down, more came rushing towards us.
Up ahead, Miroku and Sango were dispatching demons left and right. Behind us, Midoriko purified demons by the dozen, her spiritual energy flaring brightly in the darkness. I watched as she fought. She was every bit as fearless as the stories about her said.
She may have been in Clara's body, but her fighting style was different from the one Sesshoumaru had taught Clara. Midoriko's twin swords arced amidst the darkness, trailing holy light behind them as she charged towards the never-ending hoard of demons around us.
"They just keep on coming!" Sango shouted as she and Kirara flew past. She threw Hiraikotsu, and several demons screamed in fury as they disintegrated.
"Enough is enough! Everyone, get back!" Miroku shouted, as he held out his hand. "Wind Tunnel!"
I held on to Inuyasha as Midoriko leapt towards us. Demons screamed with fury as they were drawn into Miroku's Wind Tunnel.
Wind rushed past me as I clung to Inuyasha. Miroku held the Wind Tunnel open for so long, I was starting to panic.
"Miroku!" Sango shouted as the howling wind died down.
Miroku had fallen to his knees, grasping his right hand against his chest. He was breathing heavily and beads of sweat dotted his brow. "He did it," Inuyasha said as we ran towards him. "The demons are gone."
"Miroku, are you all right?" Sango and I knelt in front of him.
Miroku slowly lowered his hand, and we gasped. His right hand had blackened, with lines of black running towards the Wind Tunnel. "It's the miasma," Midoriko said as she knelt beside him. She gently reached towards Miroku's arm, but Sango grasped her wrist.
"What do you think you're doing?" she snapped.
Midoriko narrowed her eyes at her. "I intend to purify the miasma from his arm," she said softly. "He drew too many of the demons to his Wind Tunnel. Their miasma stems from Magatsuhi himself. I don't need to tell you that it is lethal to humans."
"You could have told us that before," Inuyasha snapped.
"We needed the demons gone," Midoriko said simply, as she grasped Miroku's right arm.
Sango and Inuyasha glared at her. In the stories about Midoriko, she had always been fearless, gentle and considerate of other people. She willingly put others ahead of herself. The stories failed to mention one thing. She was pragmatic to a fault. She didn't care about sacrificing others so as long as it ensured it would be best for all.
Was she always like that, or was that because of her endless battle within the Jewel?
Midoriko gently pushed up Miroku's sleeve and placed her palm on his blackened skin. "Please do not resist, monk," she said as her hand glowed with a pure white light.
Miroku's eyes widened, and pain flashed through his features. He made a move to pull his arm away from her grip, but she held him fast. "Calm down," Midoriko murmured. She opened her eyes and her spiritual energy surged.
Miroku let out a cry of pain, and Sango clenched her jaw. Midoriko suddenly let go of his arm, and he gasped. "I'm sorry," Midoriko said simply. "You took too much miasma. I needed to purify them all."
We looked down at Miroku's arm. The skin was no longer black, and now had the color of a light bruise. "Do not use your Wind Tunnel for a while," Midoriko said as she stood. "I do not have my full strength. I could not purify all of Magastuhi's miasma. If you over-use the Wind Tunnel again, the miasma might stop your heart."
"Thank you," Miroku said as Sango helped him to his feet.
"What do you mean you don't have your full strength yet?" I asked. "You had no trouble dealing with all those demons earlier."
She stared at me. "My soul is not one with Clara's yet," she said simply. "As such, she has the other half of my spiritual energy."
"And what are you going to do once we find Clara's soul?" Sango said, narrowing her eyes.
"If I am to defeat the combined power of Magastuhi and Naraku, I need my full power," she said. "Naraku…he is a most clever demon. He sealed his own soul within the Jewel, and became one with Magatsuhi's darkness. If they had overwhelmed me, he would have used the power of the dark Jewel to wreck havoc." She shook her head.
"But what will happen to Clara?" I snapped, angry. "You can't just wipe her out! She deserves to live as much as you deserve to find peace."
Was that regret in her eyes? "I need my power to stop the Jewel," she said simply as she took out Shinsei.
I was starting to get frustrated with her. I wanted to smack her. "We keep telling you, we're going to defeat Naraku and Magastuhi!" Inuyasha snapped.
Midoriko tilted her head at him, and when she spoke, there was anger in her apathetic voice. "You've had many a chance to defeat Naraku, and yet time and again, you have all failed. I will take matters into my own hands and—" She stopped, and her eyes widened in surprise, and then she did something that took me by surprise.
She smiled.
Midoriko glanced behind her just as another wave of tremendous demonic aura came over us. Oh no…were there more demons? Was there no end to them? Had Midoriko really had to fight this endless wave of demons for centuries?
"Looks like we've got company again," Inuyasha said as he held out the Tessaiga.
"Clara is awake," Midoriko said as she held Shinsei. "I can sense her spiritual energy." I didn't know if I had imagined the sound of awe in her voice.
"Is Sesshoumaru with her?" I asked as I nocked another arrow to my bow.
"I do not know," Midoriko said. "Neither do I care as to the fate of that demon."
At that moment, thousands of eyes flashed from the darkness. A moment later, a hoard of demons swarmed towards us, their shrieks piercing the darkness of the jewel.
"Let's get rid of them quickly and find Clara and Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha said as adamant covered Tessaiga.
"Adamant Barrage!"
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Clara
I felt strong.
I sent another wave holy energy towards the demons, and their screeching filled the air as they were purified. Another wave emerged from the darkness and I leapt back as they struck the ground at my feet. The sword glowed brightly in my hand, spiritual energy swirling around me. The demons charged towards me, and I sent another wave of holy energy towards them. I wasn't sure how long I had been going through this cycle—once I'd purified a wave of demons, more would come and take their places. It was like battling a hydra…
Which meant I needed to find its body, the source of all these demons.
A demon lunged towards me, and I spun around to avoid it, bringing my sword down on its head. It screamed in rage as it disintegrated in a flash of white light. Strange…no matter how many demons I cut down, no matter how many times they came for me, I didn't feel out of breath. My muscles didn't ache, and I wasn't even sweating.
"Do you realize now, Midoriko?"
I spun around, my sword held in front of me. The demons surrounding me suddenly retreated into the darkness, their red eyes glinting with restrained malice. Magatsuhi's face leered at me from the black void and I pointed the sword at him.
"Get out of my way!" I snapped.
He chuckled. "Surely, you must have realized by now? Your fate?" He paused, and his smile turned nasty. "This is your fate, Clara. You aren't here to destroy the Sacred Jewel. Fate brought you here for one reason only—to be united with Midoriko's soul, and battle this hoard of evil until the end of time."
I glared at him. "What?"
Magatsuhi's chuckle turned into a full laugh. "This is your eternity, girl! An eternity of this!"
The demons suddenly screeched as they rushed from the darkness. I parried one, and cut down another, and another, and another…
There was no end to them.
I glanced over my shoulder, to where Magatsuhi's face had been earlier, but he was gone. I turned back to the demons, and dodged as one lunged towards me, followed by more. No end to them…
Was Magatsuhi telling the truth? Was this how I would spend forever? Battling this endless hoard of evil in the heart of the jewel? This couldn't be my fate. This couldn't be my destiny.
Was it?
As a demon rushed towards me, I thrust my sword between its eyes and it shrieked as it vanished in a flash of light. For five hundred years, Midoriko had fought the darkness—the demons—within the jewel. For five hundred years, Midoriko had been alone in the shadow of the jewel, with no friends to be with her, no lover to comfort her, and most importantly, no end to her limbo. For five hundred years, she had watched as the victims of the jewel cried out in anguish, watched as the jewel claimed lives with no end…
Would that be my fate?
Magatsuhi was lying…wasn't he?
I tried to clear my head, but Magatsuhi's words echoed through my mind and my heart like poison…
"…an eternity of this!"
Alone.
All alone in this endless darkness.
The sword in my hand trembled as several demons came rushing towards me. I leapt back, and pointed the sword towards them. Holy energy burst from the sword, purifying the demons before they could even screech.
Landing on my feet, I glanced around me. The demons' red eyes glittered with malice as they stared at me from the darkness. Sizing me up, I realized. There were so many of them…
Were they really endless?
Would I really be alone with them for all eternity?
Would I have to fight them forever, as what Midoriko had been doing all this time?
Alone.
The sword in my hand shook as despair threatened to take hold of me. I clenched my hand, trying to keep myself steady, trying not to let the despair drown me.
Alone, alone, alone, alone.
I didn't know if it was Magatsuhi's words echoing through my mind or my own thoughts.
"Isn't it ironic?" A voice behind me said.
Startled, I spun around to find Naraku's face leering at me from where Magatsuhi's had been earlier. The demons around me watched, their eyes glittering.
I pointed the sword at Naraku's head. "What's ironic?"
"You come from a different world, Clara," Naraku said. "And yet here you are. Journeyed together with Kikyo, gained all this new power, and even managed to find yourself a mate along the way. I find it ironic that after all of that, you're only meant to be here with me. Forever."
I glared at him. "Liar."
Naraku chuckled. "Oh, I do lie often, my dear," he said, smirking. "But why would I lie about this? Haven't you been paying attention? Events unfold as the Jewel wills it. The wheels of fate turn because of the Jewel. Everything starts and ends with the Sacred Jewel. And this—this is your destiny." He smirked.
"Shut up!" I lunged towards Naraku, sword flashing as I aimed it towards his head. He smirked and faded away before I could reach him. Behind me, I could hear the loud keening of the demons as they rushed towards me again.
"Enough!" I closed my eyes and focused all my energy into the sword. Bright light filled the darkness around me, expanding until I could see nothing but blinding white. I could hear the demons screeching as they were purified.
I opened my eyes to find myself hovering in darkness again. At once, I could feel a rise in demonic aura around me as a thousand red eyes flashed.
No…
They were still here…
I could feel my knees shaking, and it took a great deal to keep myself steady.
Even after all that holy energy…
They were still here…
Was this…really my destiny?
"I…I can't," I whispered. To be alone for all eternity, battling this endless darkness…
I couldn't.
"Don't be foolish!"
My eyes widened in surprise and I spun around as bright light burst from behind me. That voice…!
"Sesshoumaru!"
Time seemed to slow around me as Sesshoumaru emerged from the burst of light. He was holding the Tenseiga in his hand, his eyes locked on mine as he landed in front of me.
"Found you," he said.
My eyes felt hot. I realized how stupid I was to believe Naraku and Magatsuhi. I would never be alone. Not with Sesshoumaru by my side.
"It's…it's really you," I breathed. Before I could even think, I threw myself into the warmth of his arms. I held him tightly, afraid that he would vanish. He was here. I couldn't bring myself to ask how, but he was here, beside me, holding me.
I looked up at him, and he leaned down to press his lips against mine. I pulled away from him. "I thought…I thought something bad had happened to you and the others. I can't remember what happened, Sesshoumaru. The last thing I remember was Rin on a frozen lake." I was so happy I was babbling, I realized.
"Let's save the questions for later," he said as he gently pulled away from me. He stood protectively in front of me, just as the aura of a thousand demons flared around us. He glanced behind me. "You fought well."
I smiled. "I had a good teacher." I shook my head. Holding my sword tightly in my hand, I stepped in beside him. He glanced down at me, a questioning eyebrow raised.
"I told you before, didn't I?" I said, holding my sword out in front of me. It glowed with a bright light, and Sesshomaru slowly smiled. "I want to fight by your side."
He held his Bakusaiga in front of him as the demons closed in around us. "Indeed," he said.
"Together," I said, suddenly feeling a renewed strength coursing through me. "We'll beat them all together."
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Author's Note:
Hello everyone! Yes, I am still alive and kicking. Life has been very busy for me. In short, I'm officially a licensed physician now, which is why I haven't really updated in FOREVER. I want to apologize for that. It really pained me to see so many people sending me PMs as to when I would update. I did my best to reply to them all. Updating had been so hard because the medical life is busy as hell. But now that the most stressful phase of that life is over, I hope I might be able to update regularly (or as regularly as can be anyway).
Anyway, this story is almost coming to it's close. I'd originally intended to make this a superlong chapter, but I would be able to update faster if I kept it at medium length.
Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed in the time that I had my hiatus! Your reviews really kept me going. Again, I'm sorry for the late (LATE) update.
Ja Ne!
A1969