Chapter Four: Broken
The following week was normal. The group traveled wherever they needed to go in order to follow leads on Naraku's Castle. The last lead they received was from the Prince of one of the villages. A woman with black hair and a fan had approached him on behalf of someone named Naraku. They tried making a deal for the jewel shard that the Prince had in his possession, but would offer nothing that the village needed or wanted. They rejected the woman's deal, but she left with threats of returning for them. The Prince feared the demon woman's return and is taking her threats very seriously.
"So, you're asking us to stay and guard the castle?" Miroku asked, sitting up front with the rest of the group sitting behind him. The Prince offered them a feast and the ability to stay in his finest rooms if they'd stay with them. "I must say that this method is strange for Naraku. He'd usually send Kagura to slaughter everyone in the castle, not leave because his offer was rejected."
"Yes, agreed. This sounds like a trap." Sango added.
"I think so too, but what kind of trap? You think it's a trap for us?" Kagome asked.
"It is possible. If Naraku knew that we were heading this way, he may have left the jewel shard to lure us here for some reason. We have to be on our toes." Miroku cautioned them before turning back to the Prince, "We will stay, but if anything happens, you must keep your people inside where it is safe. The villagers living at the bottom of the hill will be vulnerable to attack if a fight starts out."
"I will inform them of the possibility of battle." The Prince said and nodded to his assistant, who hurried off quickly to inform the rest of the village, "Until then, you have our thanks."
Night fell and the silence was as thick as Naraku's miasma. Fear gripped the villagers as everyone waited for the anticipated attack. Inuyasha and the rest were all positioned at different sides of the castle for the broadest view of the surrounding areas. Inuyasha stood on the roof, looking out over the vast landscape that surrounded them. Kilala and Sango flew above the castle walls. Miroku stood in the back gardens, watching over the Prince and his younger sister. Luckily for the group and the girl, the younger sister was too young for Miroku to be flirtatious with, so they could leave him with her. Kagome and Shippo stood at the front gates, looking out over the forests and down the long stone staircase that led up to the castle from the village. The poor villagers were all in their houses, too fearful to dare leave the safety of their homes after the Prince gave them his warning.
The breeze picked up over the castle grounds and Inuyasha was the first to catch the scent. Coming from the east, a massive pack of demons were flooding in like insects leaving the hive. Inuyasha called out the sight and everyone turned their attention to the east, ready for battle. The castle guard was told to stay put while their group did what they could to hold the swarm of demons away from the castle. As they got closer, they could see Kagura leading the pack on her feather.
"Of course, Naraku'd never show himself here!" Inuyasha shouted as he pulled Tetsusaiga from the sheath, the small dull katana quickly transforming into a massive blade. Inuyasha bellowed as he let out his first attack, a well-aimed Windscar that was soon to overtake Kagura's feather. However, seeing the attack incoming, Kagura jumped away from the incoming blast and landed safely on the ground in front of Inuyasha. "Hey, Kagura. Long time no see. Where's Naraku? Tell me and I may let you live."
"Inuyasha, we'll take care of the demons!" Sango shouted from on top of Kilala's back.
"That's right. Wind Tunn-…" Miroku was ready to suck in the thousands of demons that flew above the land, but quickly caught sight of Naraku's poisonous insects. He covered his hand and sealed the Wind Tunnel before taking anything in. "Damn it. Always with those insects."
"You can't blame him, can you?" Kagura said from behind her open fan, "It is the one sure way to prevent you from sucking up his entire army."
"Shut up, Kagura!" Inuyasha yelled and went on the attack while Kagura was forced to once again on the defensive. Sango went flying into the cloud of demons while Miroku did what he can to take out the few that dared fly lower to the ground. Sango was able to take out a lot of them, but it was like an endless wave of demons leaking out from the clouds in the sky. They couldn't take them all.
Back at the castle, Kagome stayed behind with Shippo in order to protect the Prince and anyone else that she could. She had her bow at the ready, but so far none of the demons had made it close. As she watched from the distance, Kagome felt this strange pressure on her neck and began rubbing at it. She had felt the pain a few times before, but always pushed it off, just like she did here. A large worm-like demon dashed down from the sky and went to attack the village houses. Kagome aimed and fired her bow, but something was off. The normal energy that surrounded her arrow didn't fire with it. The arrow struck the side of the demon, but as a regular old arrow and did little damage.
"What?" Kagome asked herself as the worm brought its attention to her. She notched another arrow and aimed. "This time, for sure." she reassured herself and let the arrow fly, expecting the purification energy to strike the demon, but nothing happened. "I don't understand…" Kagome said as she froze on the spot. The worm went to charge and strike her, causing Kagome to brace herself. Instead, she was suddenly pushed out of the way and the worm flew passed her, into the Prince's castle gardens. She looked over to see Shippo rolling along the floor, now unconscious after saving her. "NO!" Kagome rushed to Shippo's side and picked the boy up. The worm returned its attention to the two, but then something else caught its attention. The demon and Kagome both looked to see the Prince.
"What are you doing?! Run!" Kagome yelled as the worm charged.
"Give me the Sacred Jewel Shard!" the worm demon shrieked in its horribly raspy voice and flew at the Prince. The Prince ducked on time and ran over to Kagome. His men tried detaining the demon, but it fought hard against them. "The jewel shard! Give me the jewel shard and I will be rewarded!"
"Give it to me." Kagome demanded of the Prince.
"Why would I do that?" he replied, spitefully.
"You don't want your men hurt, right? It's after the shards. Give it to me and I can lead it away!" Kagome said and held out her hand. The Prince hesitated and that moment of hesitation allowed the beast to get free of the ropes that his men were trying to restrain the demon with. Out of fear, he handed Kagome the shard and she handed him Shippo. "Protect him. I'll lead the demon away." Kagome said and ran off as the demon's attention was focused on her. She ran down the stairs as quickly as she could, the long staircase proving to be a huge problem for her. The demon caught up and struck her in the back, but she did not let go of the shards. She we sent flying into a pile of hay belonging to one of the villagers. She winced from the pain of being struck, but hearing the demon continue its charge gave her the strength to get up and run again. She allowed it to chase her through the village and toward Inuyasha and the rest. She fell once as the demon flew over her and she was forced to take a different way. She ended up at the edge of the village and heading toward a long valley.
"Oh no. What now?" Kagome looked around for any sign of her friends, but they were pretty far away, at least much farther than the incoming worm demon. Now that she was on the edges of the village away from the army, a few other demons caught wind of the Sacred Jewel Shards and began rushing her way. Once again, Kagome tried firing her arrows, but all they did was stick in the heads of the four demons now chasing her. She barely got out of the way of the praying mantis demon that was ready to slice her in half. Dodging him left her wide open for the small ape demon to grab onto her hair.
"Give us the Sacred Jewel Shards you carry!" the ape demon demanded.
Kagome fought against the ape demon's grasp, only to be forced to the ground. Kagome's instant reaction was more than even the demons were expecting. They expected fear, yelling, or begging for help, but they did not expect the hysteria that came from her. Kagome didn't just scream, but shrieked in utter terror. The scream itself echoed over the battlefield, catching the attention of most.
"What is that girl screaming about?" Kagura asked, obviously put off by the scream.
"K-Kagome?" Inuyasha stopped fighting and rushed off to Kagome, leaving his back open to Kagura's next attack. She took advantage of the distracted half-demon and sent a multitude of her wind blades at Inuyasha's back. By the time he noticed, they were too close to counter and his body was torn through by the attack. Inuyasha fell to the ground, still not looking back to Kagura. He watched Kagome helplessly panicking as the demons surrounded her. He tried pushing himself to his feet, only to hear Kagura let out a second attack. He turned to use his Tetsusaiga as a shield, the wind blades being blocked by his own iron fang. "Damn it! Back off, Kagura!" he yelled, hearing Kagome shriek once more.
Sango attempted to get to her friend as well, but the hundreds of demons blocked her path. When Miroku attempted to move toward Kagome, the demons created a wall between them. All the group could do was fight through, listening to Kagome's unnaturally terrifying panic, her cry piercing the air.
Kagome struggled against the grasp of the demon, "NO. LET ME GO. LET ME GO. STOP IT."
"What the hell…" the ape demon tightened his grip, "Shut up, human wench! Give me the Sacred Jewel Shards and I will let you go." He reached down and grabbed the front of Kagome's shirt. She panicked even more, a feat they didn't think was possible, so the ape demon pushed her to the ground, crushing her ribs with his demonic strength. She stopped shrieking, barely able to breathe. Kagome felt her chest being crushed and knew that any second her ribs were going to snap underneath this pressure.
"Someone… help me." she thought, praying for someone to come.
Right as Kagome's body was about to give to the enormous pressure crushing her chest, a burst of heavy energy flew over her body, enveloping each of the demons that surrounded her. Kagome gasped for air, her lungs re-inflating quickly as her chest went back to normal. She rolled over into the fetal position, doing what she could to catch her breath. She opened her eyes upon hearing the incoming footsteps. She looked up to see Sesshomaru standing over her with his Tōkijin drawn.
"Sesshomaru…?" Kagome called his name with wide eyes. Why was he here? Was he… protecting her?
"Stand up." Sesshomaru demanded of her, but did not give her the time to do it herself. He grabbed her shirt and lifted her to her feet. Kagome instantly put her hands on his wrist, trying to push hand away. He set her down on her feet, allowing Kagome to calm down and look at him. He didn't look to her, however. Instead, he looked off toward the battlefield to see what was going on. "What is the story here?" he asked and looked down to her, "Why is Kagura here?"
"I-… Uh…" Kagome looked off toward the battlefield as well, seeing Kagura relentlessly fire off attacks at an already hurt Inuyasha, "My powers… aren't working. I can't help." She said and Sesshomaru watched the devastation in her eyes. "Kagura is after a Sacred Jewel Shard the Prince of this castle had." she explained and opened up the palm of her hand. She had it now, giving her a total of four.
"I see." Sesshomaru said and raised Tokijin toward the mass of demons in the sky. The energy at the tip of his sword began to flow before shooting out in a massive bolt of lightning. The attack left over half of the demons annihilated in a show of power that Sesshomaru did not usually let known.
"That… power." Kagura's attention was caught by the display and the fighting halted.
Everyone looked back to Kagome and Sesshomaru, realizing that he had been the one who destroyed the demons. Sango very quickly got defensive and flew down to Kagome and Sesshomaru, jumping off Kilala and running to Kagome's side. Kilala stood behind Sango, watching the three on full alert.
"Kagome, are you okay?" Sango quickly embraced her.
"I'm okay. Sesshomaru… Uh-… He saved me." Kagome said nervously, glancing to the demon lord.
"Sesshomaru, you've been showing up a lot more that normal." Sango asked curiously, "Is there a reason for that? I appreciate you saving Kagome for the second time, but this is odd."
"I'm sure it's just coincidence." Kagome nodded to reassure herself more than Sango.
"Damn it. Why did he show up?" Kagura asked herself as she ordered the demons to back off. It didn't take the demons long to flee the battlefield. Sesshomaru was an unexpected obstacle here and her rushing off made that clear to the entire group. The castle guard could be heard celebrating what they'd call a win all the way down in the village. Inuyasha and Miroku quickly returned to Kagome and Sango's side. Inuyasha was ready to fight, being sure to keep his sword out just in case.
"What are you doing here, Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked his brother suspiciously.
"Did you want her to die, Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru retorted in annoyance, "I was passing by when I smelled Kagura. When I arrived, the demons were close to taking those shards from her and I stopped that. I have no interest in allowing Naraku to gain a single ounce of power. Since you obviously were unable to do the job, I protected the shards and therefore they're still in your possession."
"Shut up, Sesshomaru! We didn't need your help!" Inuyasha shouted.
"STOP IT!" Kagome shouted angrily, her voice shaking, as she stared at the shards in her hand. "Just stop… Please. Something's wrong…"
"What, Kagome?" Sango asked.
"I can't use my powers… My arrows did nothing, I can't sense the damn shards!"
"Kagome, what do you mean?" Miroku asked, shocked and confused.
"What does it mean? Exactly what I said!" Kagome grabbed up the bow of a nearby fallen warrior and notched an arrow. She aimed it at Sesshomaru, who only raised an eyebrow. As Kagome let the arrow fly, it struck Sesshomaru on the shoulder and did nothing more. She aimed again, fired, and nothing. She kept doing this until Sango noticed Sesshomaru becoming more and more angry at the scene.
"Kagome, enough!" Sango warned her, wrapping her arms around her friend and holding her back from firing another arrow. Kagome dropped the bow and fell to her knees, bringing Sango down with her.
"It's gone…" she said, staring at her shaky hands in a panic, "My powers are gone."
"They're not gone." Sesshomaru spoke up and the group looked to him. He stared expressionlessly at Kagome before sighing and pulling the four arrows she fired at him from his body. "Your recent trauma has your mind and soul in distress and therefore your powers are as well."
"My soul is… in distress?" Kagome asked, barely able to get the words out.
"Yes." Sesshomaru gave a curt nod.
The group stayed silent and watched Kagome contemplate what Sesshomaru explained. There was no answer for this now. She did her best to remember Sango's words. Time. Time was what she needed and she could take as long as she wanted, right? There was no need to rush to heal such a wound. Those words were something Kagome desperately wanted to believe, but Shippo had to save her life. If her powers weren't working, she couldn't protect him.
"My son!" Kagome gasped as a new phrase to the group slipped from her mouth. She stood up, all other thoughts lost and darted back toward the castle they had come here to protect.
"Her son?" Sesshomaru looked questioningly to Inuyasha.
"I dunno." Inuyasha shrugged, honestly as surprised as his brother.
"She's talking about Shippo." Miroku spoke up, walking with his staff up to Sesshomaru. Miroku stared at the dog demon intensely for a few moments and then looked to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, do not allow Kagome to travel back alone. We do not know what demons may still be lurking about."
"Right." Inuyasha moved like a soldier under orders and ran after Kagome.
"Sango, I need to speak with Sesshomaru for a moment. Would you mind leaving us for a bit?" Miroku asked Sango, who looked suspiciously at him. She assumed he had to talk to Sesshomaru about Kagome, so since Sesshomaru wasn't a beautiful young woman, Sango nodded and flew of on Kilala.
"Why would you want to speak with me?" Sesshomaru asked the monk once they were alone.
"Inuyasha is an idiot." Miroku said.
"Agreed."
"Sango is in denial, Shippo is a child, and Kagome is in shock while trying to get her life back to some semblance of normal." Miroku continued, his eyes narrowing to glare at Sesshomaru.
"What are you getting at, monk?" Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at Miroku.
"I doubt it was intentional, but I am aware of a time in the lives of demons that your minds become clouded with rage and the intense desire to claim a mate." Miroku said bluntly, the implications quickly catching on. Sesshomaru, for the first time since Miroku knew him, looked uneasy.
"Your point?"
"You get my point, Lord Sesshomaru. Kagome would not be fearful of someone that rescued her from such a fate. She'd thank them profusely, grateful every time she saw them."
Sesshomaru took in a deep breath and held it, his eyes not shifting from the monks.
"You raped her, didn't you?"
Sesshomaru's eyes instantly flashed red and he rushed forward with Tōkijin in hand, striking down at Miroku with his demonic speed and strength behind him. Miroku, having expected such a reaction after accusing a proud and high-ranking demon like Sesshomaru of such a heinous act, immediately brought his staff up to block the strike. However, neither of their weapons actually met. Tōkijin hovered about an inch above Miroku's staff, Sesshomaru's demonic energy cracked like electricity out from the sword, a piece of that power cutting Miroku on the cheek. Sesshomaru's demonic aura instantly calmed down and he backed away from Miroku.
"Well, it seems my suspicions were right." Miroku wiped the trickle of blood from his cheek.
"It would be smart to keep such accusations to yourself." Sesshomaru said, his tone threatening.
"I only needed to see if what I thought was true. I can see now that it is."
"Silence yourself, monk." Sesshomaru hissed angrily, trying to control his rage this time.
"Do not worry, Sesshomaru." Miroku sighed and lowered his head, "No good can come of revealing this. It would only harm Kagome and I cannot fathom the reaction Inuyasha would have. Keeping this a secret is the only way anyone can get on with their lives, however, I do demand an answer for one piece of this puzzle that I have not figured out."
"You demand?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Yes, demand." Miroku said as he dropped his staff and pulled the prayer beads from his wrist, "While I cannot fight you head on, the power of my wind tunnel is not something even you can easily fight. So, unless you want to be sucked into this void, you will answer this: Did you mark her?"
