Chapter Seventeen: Naraku's Plan
[68 days since the incident]
Finally, the time to meet Kagura at Sesshomaru's castle arrived. Sesshomaru had Koga's jewel shards on him and was ready to make a trade. Inuyasha and the rest stayed hidden for the time being. There was no guarantee that Kikyo would be brought here for trade as well, so revealing themselves may only cause problems. For now, the group waited impatiently for Kagura to show up with Rin.
The sky darkened and Naraku's scent filled the air. As lightning cracked above, Sesshomaru stood up from the broken stoop of his home to see Kagura, and Naraku himself, descend from the blackened clouds. Kagura was flying on her feather with an unconscious and bound Rin over her shoulder.
"Lord Sesshomaru." Naraku's menacing voice called out as the two lowered from the sky and landed on the grass about fifty feet away. "It seems you have succeeded in retrieving Koga's shards. Hand them over and the girl is yours."
"Why is it these shards are so important to you, Naraku?" Sesshomaru said as he held up three fingers, each shard between his knuckles. "Kidnapping a child in order to manipulate me into doing your dirty work… Is there no low that you won't sink to?"
"I will do what I need to in order to complete the Sacred Jewel." Naraku said and then eyed Kagura.
Kagura brought Rin from her shoulder and into her arms before walking over to Sesshomaru. Naraku instructed Sesshomaru to hand the shards to Kagura and then take Rin. Concerned for the child's safety, Sesshomaru did exactly as he was told and handed over the shards. Once he had Rin in his arms, he removed the bindings and lightly tapped her face until she was awake. It took a moment for Rin to open her eyes, but she did and Sesshomaru had to fight to not show the amount of relief he felt in front of Naraku. He looked from the child to his enemy and glared.
"You gave the same message to Inuyasha, did you not? Where is the one that they were meant to trade?" Sesshomaru asked.
"When your brother decides to show himself, he'll find out." Naraku smirked knowingly. "I hear you've been traveling with him for some time now. The great Lord Sesshomaru fallen so low as to travel with his half-demon brother and a band of humans. So, where are they hiding?"
Seeing as they had been caught, the onlooking group decided to make their appearance. Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku stepped out from the trees behind Naraku, sandwiching him and Kagura between them all. However, Kagome and Shippo stayed hidden. Neither of them could be of any help here, so staying hidden and safe was the best decision they could make. They even chose to go a few feet deeper into the forest to hide behind thicker trees.
"Inuyasha, have you brought what I asked for? If you want Kikyo returned to you, you better have." Naraku said and waved his hand over the air in front of him. Appearing from nowhere, inside a barrier of purple energy, an unconscious Kikyo was floating in front of Naraku.
"Yeah, I got 'em." Inuyasha held out a glass bottle with three jewel shards inside them.
"All of you, drop your weapons to the floor and bring them to me." Naraku demanded.
"All of us?" Miroku questioned.
"All of you. I will not risk fighting today." Naraku said with an evil smirk. "I have no intention of getting into battle with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, so let's keep this as peaceful as possible. Each of you will hand over a jewel shard after dropping your weapons."
The group hesitated, but decided to deal with Naraku's demands. Sesshomaru was still armed, so this would be okay, right? Inuyasha dropped Tetsusaiga and Sango dropped her Hiraikotsu and katana. Miroku set his staff against a tree and set his sutras under a rock so they wouldn't be blown away. After that, each of them took a shard and one by one stepped up to Naraku to hand over the shards. It was going exactly as Naraku planned.
Sango and Miroku walked back away from him, but Inuyasha chose to be last and wasn't moving until he got Kikyo back. Naraku realized this and waved a hand over Kikyo's floating body. The barrier disappeared and Kikyo dropped to the floor, still unconscious. Inuyasha grabbed her and picked her up, jumping back away from Naraku before the bastard could try anything sneaky. With that done, the group wondered what was happening next.
"That felt way too easy…" Miroku stated.
"It was easy because you listened." Naraku explained. "Instead of trying anything foolish, you did what was asked of you."
"Nothing you do is ever this straight forward." Miroku shouted back at Naraku. "What's your game here, Naraku?"
"My game was to collect these five jewel shards in exchange for people you care for." Naraku explained as he held out the mostly completed jewel and the five new shards he just got. He clenched his fist around them, waited a moment, and then opened them to see that maybe four or more shards were needed to finally complete the entire jewel. "I am so close to completing the jewel. Once I do, you're all done for."
"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin suddenly realized where she was and threw her arms around Sesshomaru. This excitement caught everyone's attention, even Kikyo, who could barely move. She pushed herself to sit up, but sweat immediately dripped down her face because of the difficulty.
"Kikyo, be careful." Inuyasha helped her sit up.
"Rin, are you alright?" Jaken stepped up beside Sesshomaru and asked the young girl.
"M'hm. I'm hungry." Rin said weakly and laid her head on Sesshomaru's chest like a daughter would her father.
"Wh-Where's… K-Kagome?" Kikyo forced out through heavy breaths.
"She's fine, but-…" Inuyasha began, but was cut off by Naraku.
"Good trade, Inuyasha." Naraku said and began chuckling as miasma began leaking out from his body.
After that, everyone heard it. Kagome screamed at the top of her lungs and before anyone had the time to react, Sesshomaru blew past all of them with his Tōkijin drawn.
Suddenly, Sesshomaru's demonic aura flared up like a bomb went off. Naraku's miasma was completely pushed off, as if it hadn't been there in the first place. Sesshomaru dropped Rin, the girl falling onto Jaken. Jaken grabbed Rin and pulled her off to safety as Sesshomaru disappeared from sight.
Sesshomaru broke through the trees to find Kagome shielding Shippo with her body. Standing there was Kohaku with a bloodied sickle and his chain wrapped around Kagome's body. Kohaku instantly pulled Kagome up to use her as a shield from Sesshomaru. When this happened, he hesitated in attacking and a black portal opened up behind Kohaku. The boy began dragging Kagome and Shippo into the portal.
"D-Don't hurt him." Kagome begged Sesshomaru, tears in her eyes. "It's not his fault. He's under Naraku's control."
"Kagome!" Sango shouted as she came through the trees with Miroku. Inuyasha followed as well, with Kikyo in his arms.
"Naraku fled." Inuyasha said, but was quickly proven wrong as a tentacle burst through the portal behind Kohaku and wrapped around him, Kagome, and Shippo. Sesshomaru rushed forward in the blink of an eye, cutting down the tentacle that restrained the three, but five more found their way through the portal and forced everyone in the group back, except Sesshomaru. Though he was struck, he didn't budge. His strength kept him still, but this was a new found strength that surprised everyone, even himself. He expected to be knocked back some with how much force was behind the attack.
Another tentacle coiled around Kagome's chained form, this time leaving Kohaku behind. As she began being dragged in, everyone tried to help, but Inuyasha and the rest were being held off by regenerating tentacle after tentacle. Half of Kagome's body was pulled through the portal and Sesshomaru chose to release the power of his sword. Tōkijin shined in a blue light and demonic energy fired from the blade to envelop the tentacles and rapidly destroy them. The flesh all fell to the floor in hundreds of pieces. Sesshomaru grabbed the chain that was wrapped around Kagome and pulled her behind him with ease, making sure both she and Shippo were safe. Kohaku took that moment to jump through the portal, still holding onto his weapon.
"Kohaku!" Sango called out for her brother. As the portal began closing, Sesshomaru yanked on the chain and jerked Kohaku back through. The boy went to let go, but Sesshomaru grabbed his wrist and made sure that he was left behind by Naraku. The portal closed and everyone was safe.
.
.
The moment that Naraku's miasma was blown away so easily by Sesshomaru's demonic aura, Naraku realized his plan was not as foolproof as he thought. He planned on using the miasma to separate the group from Kagome as Kohaku kidnapped her, but Sesshomaru's interference stopped that. As the group rushed to help Kagome, Inuyasha had turned to him, only to see that he and Kagura were fleeing through another portal. They vanished quickly, so Inuyasha picked up Kikyo and ran after the rest to make sure Kagome was okay. Naraku, on the other hand, was furious.
Naraku made it back to his castle and looked into a portal that was already summoned. Sesshomaru was protecting Kagome with an amount of power that the full-demon didn't normally have. Naraku could tell something changed within him and that this new power Sesshomaru had was going to be a problem for him. He attempted to retrieve Kohaku by sending in a few of his tentacles. Even though they were strong enough to hold off Inuyasha and his friends, Sesshomaru was too strong for him to hinder at all. He had to give in and called Kohaku back, but even Kohaku was taken from him.
"DAMN IT!" Naraku yelled angrily and looked around the room for the first thing to take his anger out on. Of course, it was Kagura. He wrapped a tentacle around her neck and threw her around the room until he was satisfied. "When did he get so powerful? He was never that strong."
"Damn you, Naraku." Kagura hissed at him in pain. She couldn't move. Bruises covered her body, but she had many broken bones.
"Silence yourself, Kagura." Naraku snapped at her. "I need to figure out a way to counter this new power of his, but how…"
.
.
Sesshomaru removed the chains from Kagome's body and checked on both her and Shippo before he could calm down. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to be able to calm down because she was hurt. Kagome noticed this worry and was flattered. There was something different about it this time. The last time she was in danger, he acted like a programmed robot. He did what he had to do and nothing more. As long as she wasn't harmed, he was fine. This time, Sesshomaru took the time to check on her and Shippo and even rescued Kohaku with little effort. It was an impressive display.
"He stabbed you." Sesshomaru stated accusingly as he checked out a wound on Kagome's back.
"I don't think it is as deep as it looks." Kagome said as she set Shippo down.
"You protected me… It was my fault." Shippo clung to Kagome so she couldn't let him go. "I'm sorry Momma."
"Shippo…" Kagome began, but was cut off.
"There is no need to apologize for a mother acting like a mother." Sesshomaru said, his hand gripping the hilt of Tōkijin tightly enough that it shook beneath his strength. "You're safe and that is what is important to her."
"Exactly what Sesshomaru said." Kagome nodded and showed Shippo a big smile.
"Then why are you so mad?" Shippo asked Sesshomaru, wiping tears from his own eyes. "You're so mad that you're shaking. I can tell."
"I was late." Sesshomaru admitted. "I didn't get to her on time."
"That wasn't your fault." Kagome said. "You can only sense it if I am aware of it myself. I didn't see Kohaku coming. It was a last second thing and you showed up like half a second later, so there was absolutely no way for you to be faster, unless you can see the future."
"Lord Sesshomaru?" a tiny voice called from beyond a tree. The group looked over to see Rin hiding behind Jaken.
"Rin." Sesshomaru felt himself fully calm down and slid Tōkijin back into the sash on his waist. "Are you alright?"
"M'hm." Rin walked over, but was having trouble. As she passed by, Kikyo reached out and helped the girl stand.
"You're weak, child. You haven't eaten in days. Sit down." Kikyo told the girl.
"Neither have you." Rin said with a small smile.
"That is true, so rest. We're safe now." Kikyo said and Rin suddenly collapsed. Kikyo tried keeping the girl from falling, but didn't have the strength. Inuyasha ended up being the one that kept them both up. Sesshomaru walked over and picked up Rin. Inuyasha picked up Kikyo.
"Where are we gonna go?" Kagome asked. "We can head back to Kaede's village, but that's pretty far."
"Can we not stay at my castle?" Sesshomaru asked. "A lot of it has been damaged, but much of it stands."
"If we do, we can only stay for a little while." Kagome said as she picked Shippo up. "We need a safe place and right now, I don't know if that's it."
Kilala suddenly jumped into Sango's arms and meowed at the group. Everyone turned to the small cat demon, wondering what she was wanting. It was a rare treat for Kilala to communicate. Miroku looked around at the group and realized something that he didn't like. Out of nowhere, Miroku swooped Sango up into his arms. The woman squealed in surprise at the sudden gesture and stared at the monk with a red face.
"Miroku, what are you doing?" Sango asked.
"There. Now I too am carrying someone important." Miroku stated matter-of-factly.
"Wh-What?" Sango questioned as she looked around. Kagome had Shippo, Sesshomaru had Rin, Inuyasha had Kikyo, and Kilala was in her arms.
"Hey, does my staff count?" Jaken asked, realizing he wasn't being counted in this.
"Yes." Sesshomaru answered instantly, knowing the imp wanted to fit in.
"Haha." Jaken smiled in delight.
"You've got a strange group of friends, Inuyasha." Kikyo said with a small smile, though her struggle to breathe was obvious for everyone.
"Kikyo, please rest. We'll make sure you're safe." Kagome told her, a gesture that surprised the weary priestess.
"Thank you." Was all Kikyo could muster the strength to say before falling unconscious in Inuyasha's arms.
"Now, what's the plan?" Inuyasha asked.
The plan ended up being simple. They knew they couldn't stay at Sesshomaru's castle for too long because of the danger. The walls had fallen and any security he once had was gone. There were a few too many openings at random spots of the castle because of the battle. Naraku knew exactly where this place was, so they weren't safe here. Of course, he knew where Kaede's village was too, but it was far enough away that it may have been safer. For now, the group was going to rest in a few of the rooms on the fourth floor of Sesshomaru's castle. It is where his room, a kitchen, and other guest rooms were. Rin's room was there too, but it had been mostly destroyed. The group used what resources they could find to cook up some food for Rin. A couple of hours later, Kikyo's soul collectors began showing up with a few fresh souls to restore her energy.
"How is it?" Sesshomaru asked Rin once she was close to being done.
"My tummy still hurts." Rin said sadly.
"That's okay, Rin. You haven't eaten in a while. It's something that our bodies do. Eat, take a nap, and you'll start feeling better soon." Kagome explained.
"How about you, Kikyo? Are you okay?" Inuyasha asked.
"I'm feeling much better. Naraku was draining my energy for some reason. I wasn't able to figure out his plan, but I do know that he's realized he needs Kagome for it." Kikyo pushed herself into a sitting position and took a deep breath. Another soul collector flew in and dropped a soul into her body.
"He needs me?" Kagome asked.
"Yes. I can guess that he originally thought I could complete whatever this task is, but a borrowed soul isn't as powerful as the original." Kikyo explained.
Silence fell over the group as they thought on what Naraku's plan might be. However, there was an awkwardness in the air that came from Kikyo constantly eyeing Kagome. Every time Kagome caught her, Kikyo wouldn't even look away. Sesshomaru and Jaken noticed this awkwardness and were waiting for drama to come out of it. Kagome kept averting her gaze, wondering what she had done wrong this time.
"Oh, Lady Kikyo." Miroku broke the awkward silence. "We actually need your help with something."
"Oh? What do you need me for?" Kikyo asked curiously, her eyes finally shifting away from Kagome.
"Well, um… Shippo, I need you to take Rin somewhere to play for a while, but take it easy." Kagome asked. Shippo was going to disagree. He wanted to hear the conversation too, but the look in his Momma's eyes told him that he needed to go.
"Alright, Momma." Shippo said and took Rin's hand. "The grown-ups gotta talk for a while. Let's go."
"O-Oh, okay." Rin stood up with a little more strength than before and began walking out with Shippo.
"Jaken." Sesshomaru said.
"Of course, milord." Jaken stood up and followed the children out. He had gotten used to babysitting Rin many times in the past.
"I take it this has to do with you being marked by a demon?" Kikyo asked Kagome bluntly once the children were gone.
"How is everyone else in this world able to tell?" Kagome asked in frustration and put her hands on her head.
"I take it by your reaction that this wasn't a willing marking either." Kikyo asked and Kagome shook her head. Kikyo stared at Kagome for a few more moments and then sighed. "If you're wondering whether there is a way to remove it, I only know of one possible answer."
"Ah. I knew if anyone would have an idea, it'd be you, Lady Kikyo." Miroku said in relief.
"Deep in the forests to the east, it is said that there is a lake so pure it could cleanse the soul of the foulest sins." Kikyo explained, "However, I have no proof that this place exists. I have no idea how you'd find it and if the legend is true, it's possible it could kill you."
"O-Oh." Kagome looked relieved for a few moments, but the idea of dying pulled any relief away.
"I'm sorry. I doubt that is the news you wanted to hear." Kikyo said as she took in another deep breath. Over time, six more soul collectors brought her the souls of dead women. She was feeling more and more energized as they were brought to her and her strength was returning.
"I'm never going to be able to use my powers again, am I?" Kagome asked, but the question seemed to take Kikyo by surprise.
"What do you mean?" Kikyo asked.
"I haven't been able to sense the jewel or fire the sacred arrow since it happened." Kagome said sadly. "We were told that my soul is in distress because of what happened. I thought I was getting better, but my powers not coming back tells me it's not true…"
"You haven't said it, but I've been assuming that the one who marked you is this demon here, correct?" Kikyo said in reference to Sesshomaru. "You're Inuyasha's older brother, aren't you?"
"I am and I am the one who marked her, yes." Sesshomaru explained.
"I've heard a lot about you and if what I've heard is true..." Kikyo accused him angrily. "Was it the lack of suitors or your demon pride that allowed this to happen? You frenzied, didn't you? Took her suddenly as your demon nature overwhelmed your personality and bestial instinct took over."
"I did." Sesshomaru replied honestly, but did not hide the anger.
"You… You can't sense it, can you?" Kikyo asked Sesshomaru and motioned toward Kagome.
"Sense what?" Sesshomaru asked, glancing worriedly to Kagome for a moment.
"Intriguing… I am sorry you all went through something like this. It is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. The fact that he is among your ranks without hostility tells me that Kagome has forgiven him." Kikyo took a moment to think and then turned back to Kagome. "I'm surprised you haven't realized it yet, Kagome. That mark isn't holding your powers back. There are times in the life of a priestess when we become weaker. For example, my powers weakened when my spirit wavered for falling in love with Inuyasha. I became confused with my place in the world and it caused problems within my own soul. This is only one of the examples of what happens when a priestess' soul has gone through changes. In your case, it isn't the mark or any sort of distress. Your powers have all been diverted to protect the growth of something more important… Kagome, you're pregnant."
"Wh-What?" Kagome choked out the word.
"Kagome, you're pregnant." Kikyo repeated in the exact same tone to confirm it for her. "All of your power has been diverted to protecting your unborn baby. It happens whether the father is demon or human. When a priestess becomes pregnant, we temporarily lose access to our powers because they shift to protecting our baby. It's why that wound on your back isn't that deep. Your powers will heal you quicker, prevent wounds, and shield the baby. You won't be able to use them until the baby is done using them itself."
"I'm pregnant?" Kagome asked again.
"… Yes. You are." Kikyo said again and then looked around.
Everyone was astonished by this news. Kikyo thought that one of them would have figured it out, but no one had. This information was like getting hit in the head with a brick for them. They were going to need time to process everything that this meant.
"But… I… I still, wait no. I haven't. I didn't realize that I hadn't..." Kagome was thinking about all the signs of being pregnant that she knew of. In the last couple of months, she hadn't dealt with her menstrual cycle. She had been so distracted with everything else, she hadn't noticed.
"I know there are normal signs of pregnancy you're trying to figure out right now." Kikyo broke the tension and Kagome looked at her. "You're not going to throw up like you'd expect. The periodic signs of womanhood will stop completely during a demonic pregnancy. Also, a half-demon takes between thirteen to fifteen months to be born. They age slower in the womb too. Luckily, their births are also less painful, if done right."
"Why can't I sense the child?" Sesshomaru asked in monotone.
"Probably because it's being protected by the powers of a human priestess." Kikyo explained.
"It's still half-demon, right?" Sesshomaru asked again, still monotoning.
"Yes. Kagome's abilities are surrounding it, not fusing with it." Kikyo explained. "And just because your powers are protecting it, does not make you immortal or anything like that. You can still die, easily. Without your normal ability to defend yourself, you'll have to figure something else out."
Kagome took in a deep, deep breath. She glanced back toward the beautiful blade Sesshomaru had given her. With that, she'll probably be okay, but she had to learn how to use it. Kagome finally took the time to look around the room. Sango and Miroku were stuck, dead silent, and watching her carefully to see if she was okay. Inuyasha refused to look up from the floor at anyone, which made Kagome feel even worse. Sesshomaru seemed to have chosen a spot on the wall and stared at it.
"Please…" Kagome whimpered and let a few tears fall into her lap. The crying caught everyone's attention and they snapped out of their trances. "Just say something. Someone say something."
"You'll be fine, Kagome." Inuyasha was the one who chose to speak up. He lifted his head and looked to Kagome with confidence. "Don't worry. You're already a great mother to Shippo, so adding a second child will be no problem for you… I promise you, Kagome. You'll be just fine."
