CHAPTER 17
Rise and Fall of the False God
There was no sign of Rimiku for nearly three weeks. Where ever he had gone, he was definitely needing to lick some wounds. Kagome healed quickly with her care at the House of the Moon. Sesshomaru was very busy reorganizing the troops, overseeing rebuilding and getting the defenses back in place. But he always joined her at night to sleep. Seshomaru sent her to Li for training. The half dragon was skilled at fighting, understanding the unseen came naturally, and it would keep Kagome busy while Li made sure she didn't overdo it. When they were not training her body, they were working on her meditations to understand the Shikon No Tama and how to use her abilities tied to it.
After taking hours of training of her powers, Kagome spent the better part of the day recovering, reading quietly beneath a tree that Sesshomaru frequently rested against. She read aloud to Li, going over the information on several of the scrolls regarding the Beast Gods, and other stories. Many were dismissed outright by youkai society as fantasies and bedtime stories, but Kagome picked over them anyway.
"This story is a myth, Kagome," Li said. "Trust me, Suzaku never raised an army from the dead. That is just out of her character."
"No it isn't," she countered. "Suzaku raised an entire legion against Rimiku, just on the last battle. The story is twisted, but there is a serious kernel of truth here."
"Is that what you are looking for? Kernels of truth is ancient myths about a boy who comes from even your future?" he canted his head.
"Yes," she said rolling up the scroll she had in her hand and setting it aside and picking up the next one and opening it. Her eyes scanned over the scroll. Li sat up properly before standing and bowing.
"Lord Sesshomaru," he greeted to her mate as he approached. Kagome put her finger down on her spot where she was reading and looked up from the scroll. She smiled as he approached.
"Do you think looking at pictures will assist you in finding answers to this war?" he said to her. Kagome quirked a brow. Did he forget that she went to school and could read?
"Probably not," she said flatly, her smiling face falling into a glare.
"Then why does this Priestess look over youkai written scrolls?" he said.
"Because what the youkai wrote, instead of what they painted might have an answer," she said simply. "What did you think I was doing when I sat with my books during our travels against Naraku?" she said.
"Daydreaming," he said simply.
"Well, you might be right there, but I can read and write in several languages, actually," she said. "Including..." she put her eyes back to her scroll "fire youkai of Mount Fuji."
"And who taught you this language?" he said, arching a brow.
"Naraku," she said simply.
"And other youkai languages?"
"Naraku."
"Human languages?" he said a smirk on his lips.
"My grandfather, school and Naraku," she said simply.
"Hn. How fare's your training?" he said.
"Well," she said. "I have to be careful not to burn too much energy at once, which I did today. So I am resting and researching at the same time," she said. "Would you care to join us?"
"This one cannot," he said. "A meeting of the warlords is at high sun. This one came to tell you so you could make yourself presentable." She smiled up to him.
"I will, shall I meet you there, or do you wish to escort me?" she asked.
"This one will escort you," he said. She nodded and began to gather her things. Li rose to his feet. "This one would have a discussion with Kagome, in private," he said to Li. Li bowed and left. Kagome rose to her feet, the scrolls in a bag over her shoulder as she looked to her mate beside her. He turned, walking with her back to the main entrance to the House. As they entered one of his attendants came forth.
"Take the Lady's scrolls, put them in my study," he said. The servant did, taking the bag from Kagome as they continued walking to his private rooms. She was aghast at the condition of the room, the bed was unmade, the blankets strewn about the room. Then it hit her. The room reeked of sex. Her glare set on his back as he kept walking. He had done this on purpose, wanting her to see the room.
'Play stupid, he doesn't realize if you can smell that or not,' Naraku's voice rang in her head. 'He is baiting you, don't take the bait.' Kagome forced herself to calm and schooled her features before walking behind him out of the room.
Once inside, he moved to a room she had not seen before. It seemed like a den of sorts.
He gestured to a small table set, Kagome moved to the table and moved to sit seiza with him at the table. She kept her hands in her lap as she awaited him to sit with her.
"Miko.."
"Mate," she corrected.
"Your scent has changed," he said honestly. "What have you learned today to change it so?"
"What Inu children learn at a very, very young age. I have mastered my darkness within," she said softly. His eyes widened a bit. "Suzaku was not wrong when he said he had to take my summons from me. And he did. Almost all of them," she said softly. "I cannot feel your parents anymore. I cannot feel the others anymore. And Naraku has been consumed," she said softly.
"He submitted to you," he wasn't asking.
"Yes," she said. She said lowering her eyes to the table. "I guess I would be similar to a hanyou now."
"That title is not befitting the situation," Sesshomaru said dismissively. "You have grown, you have become enlightened."
"Do not make a living Buddha of me yet," she said. "I am flawed, but I am balanced."
"And what else have you learned?" he asked.
"I know all from the those that touched the shards of the Tama," she said softly. His eyes turned to her sharply.
"All... things," he said his tone bored, but his eyes were alight in curiosity.
"All... things." She repeated. "Up to the time the shards were removed. Including how they were removed, by whom, and the death of the creatures who had them in most cases. Your case, you removed it yourself."
He canted his head just slightly. "So you know all things of this one," he stated.
"Until you removed the shard," she said. "Which was long ago for both of us."
He sat a long moment, not saying anything. She kept her eyes downcast to her hands in her lap as she awaited his judgement.
"So this one is mated to a pink problematic, wish granting, rock," he said boredly.
She smiled, looking up through her bangs at him. "This One is more talkative than a rock."
"Hn."
She waited a long moment, when he said nothing more, she moved to get up. "I should..." his hand caught both of hers, pulling her back to her seat with a yank making her bang her knees on the table as he pulled her down roughly. She winced, but sat back down and lifted her gaze to his with a glare in her eye but said nothing.
"This one is displeased with the changes happening to you," he said plainly.
"This one," she said with a sigh. "Is not displeased, but is confused by them. And because I am your mate, albeit forced upon you, you find it displeasing. Do I have that correctly?"
"Hn."
Kagome gently moved to pull her hands from him, and when he did not let go, going so far as to curl his thumb claw into her palm making her hiss in discomfort. Her lavender power lifted up, snapping and popping against his hands, but not harming him. He curled the nail tighter into her palm, the skin popping as she let out a whimper, her blood dripping onto the table. Her power did attack him then, searing a line in his palm where his claw was hurting hers.
"Let go," she said softly. "I have done nothing to earn your ire."
"This one will decide that for himself," he said.
"This one will let go, and decide for himself without causing this Kagome harm," she said.
"You dare think you have caused no harm?" Sesshomaru said blandly.
"If you wish revenge against this Kagome, you may have it in battle, not in the privacy of your study and expect me to take your abuse," she hissed. His hand came up over his shoulder, like he was going to put it through his hair still holding her hands with the other hand, but at the last moment it flew to her face smacking her hard across the mouth, turning her head and leaving four deep wounds across her face.
"You will remind yourself who your betters are," he said.
"Very well," she said. Her hands still pinned, blood dripped down her face onto her kimono ruining it. Her hand was burning. But she did not move. Her eyes met his, with a lavender flash and her wounds closed, and opened on him. His hand pinning hers flew to his face, coming away with his black blood coating his fingers. She rose from her seat, turning from him and walking away to her rooms. "I will not be needing your escort to the meeting after all. And when you decide to talk, rather than try to beat on me, I will see if I have time to talk to you." She gave a dismissive wave of her hand as she walked away.
In a flash Sesshomaru was in front of her, he moved to backhand her only to find his wrist locked in her hand. Her eyes flashed again and he found himself embedded in the stone wall as she had thrown him. He looked up to see her holding Miroku's beads in her hand. She had removed them in that moment when she had thrown him. She slipped them casually into her sleeve. Again, he moved in front of her and she looked to him coldly. She made no move against him. Her mind was whirling trying to figure out why he was attacking her. His attack on her seemed to come in slow motion, she had reacted as fast as she could but throwing him was not her intent. She had only wanted to remove the beads. The beads had thrown him in the force of their removal.
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru said passively.
"You don't think I am Kagome?" she said arching a brow. That was the puzzle piece she was missing. Her scent must have completely changed. "You think I am some shapeshifter that took over your mate? My mark is right here," she said pulling aside the ruined kimono. "Sniff away if it makes you feel better." She turned her head so he could have access to the mark on her. Sesshomaru looked at the rough mark on her neck and turned his head away from it. "Perhaps you want to be free of it? Free of me?"
"Foolishness," he spat.
"For you, perhaps this is," she said. "I must get ready for the meeting."
"Perhaps you misheard me, it is a war 'Lord' meeting," he said. "You will not be attending."
"Perhaps you misunderstood me," she turned, her eyes on his once more refusing to back down. "I will be in attendance. You will not escort me."
He stalked up directly in front of her, keeping her eyes boring into her own. "Do not challenge me, Kagome."
"Or what? You'll beat me again?" she hissed. "Cut my face up? Inject poison into my hand again? No. You want to challenge me for dominance, then do it. Do not play my emotions against me. Just as I will not have the beads giving me an unfair advantage on you," she said simply. "You have something you want to resolve, then speak your mind."
"The hanyou," he hissed.
"Which one?" she said blandly.
"The dragon one," he hissed as if talking about it was unpleasant.
"The one you sent me to train me? Yes, what of him?" she said.
"How did he train you to bend the will of the darkness?" he said, finally believing her to get his point.
"First, he had me bathe. Then acupuncture. Then a verbal lesson. Then meditation," she said. "The rest I did myself with the darkness within, as you put it."
"He did not guide you through it?" Sesshomaru seemed confused by that.
"No," she said. "Children have to make their peace with their darkness in different ways that adults do. I used a more adult method, but to the same effect. The darkness hovering within the Tama merged with me," she sneered leaning forward as she put up a barrier around them both, silencing them from eager servant ears. "Who told you that?" she said.
"It is of no consequence," he said running his fingers through his long silver locks. When he saw her flinch at the motion, he stopped.
"You're right, it isn't. And whomever it is that deemed to lay their eyes on this one in such a state of undress needs their eyes plucked out. Then to try and tell you that I was using Li to tame my own darkness? Li has more honor in his little finger than whomever told you such a thing," she said. She paused, her eyes narrowing. "But that begs the question, who came through my barrier and saw me bathing? That eliminates most of the household. If they were listening in, they would have told you that I wanted Li's help to find a suitable bitch to carry your heir," she snarled. "With war on the horizon, it is truly the only responsibility I have as your mate to see that you have an heir before this battle comes," she snarled. "Your jealousy is unwarranted, had you just asked, and not laid claw and poison on me, I would have told you anything you wanted to know. Now, not so much." She walked around him without a glance back leaving a confused Taiyoukai in her wake.
She managed to make it into her rooms before she broke down completely.
At the meeting of the warlords, Kagome arrived in one of the open kimono and hakuma outfits she had made so she could move in battle. Her hair in a tight bun on her head as she moved into the room.
She seated herself in the far corner of the room, away from the main table and listened to the men discuss the various things going on within the different kingdoms. Disappearances had stopped for the moment, there were many found in chains that the Miko were able to release that were near to death in starvation. They couldn't even fight off the weakest of the Miko who found them. A ogre had been attacking in the Northern region, but had been quelled.
After listening for the better portion of an hour, it was apparent none of them knew where Rimiku was. Or that he had abandoned the youkai slaves he had made, leaving them to die, unable to even disobey his order long enough to feed themselves. She rose, walking from the room without saying a single word to any of them, and not waiting for anyone to acknowledge or dismiss her. Sesshomaru paid her no heed either way.
She made her way to the training dojo, she needed to put her new knowledge to use and commit it into muscle memory. The only way to do that, was to train. She walked along the wall of weapons, looking them over trying to decide which one to take up. She was good with her bow but had nothing for when the battle got too close. As her eyes went over the various weapons at her disposal, thoughts of the enemies they had fought that used them went with them. She stopped before one she had only seen used once, it was similar to other weapons used, and would not be hard to master quickly.
Her fingers lifted the naginata from the wall, testing its weight in her hands, tossing it from hand to hand. She stopped, sensing someone come in. She did not turn to whomever entered, she began to turn the weapon in her hand, twirling it, getting a feel for it. It was not very different than Bankotsu's weapon, the halberd, just the weight was different.
"The naginata is a bladed weapon, woman," the voice came from behind her. Kyo. General of Sesshomaru's army.
"This one is glad Dono Kyo's eyes are doing so well," she said flatly.
"It is forbidden for demoness to carry such blades," he said.
"Then it is good I am not a demon," she said.
"It is forbidden for human woman to carry such things," he said.
"Then it is good I am not human," she said plainly. She began a kata, spinning the weapon around her slowly, still getting to feel where her hands needed to be on the weapon as it moved. The weapon had a ring at the end of it to balance its weight. She began to move it in a two arm kata, tossing it back and forth and spinning it once per arm.
"Is there something I can do for you Dono Kyo, or do you intend to stare at me all day, not that I care either way," she said moving to the test dummy to practice her strikes with it. This was a simple practice weapon, so she wouldn't put it through too much but it was perfect for pulling on Bankotsu's knowledge and getting her muscles to work.
"You are angry," he said.
"You are observant," she said blandly. Her body spun hitting her target behind her in the throat before moving again in practice katas.
"Why?" he said.
"This one does not see how it concerns you," she said continuing her workout.
"Has my lord offended you?" he crooned.
She turned, staring the eagle dead in the eyes. "Do not assume such familiarity with this one. Do not assume this one would confide anything to you. You have earned no such thing. You want confessions, go to your master. Oh wait, you already did," she said stabbing the naginata in the floor and walking past him. The eagle reached out and went to grab her arm, she spun away, grabbing a fist full of his flight feathers. "Touch me and I will purify you into your next three molts." She released him, picking up the naginata and walking from the room. "Try to stop me and I will make a scrying mirror of your all seeing eye and give it to a human woman to use."
She moved to the armory, retrieving a true naginata from the arsenal and walking out to a training arena. She set a barrier on top of the ofudas that protected the area from damage from the youkai's powerful attacks. She did not know what her powers would or would not do. It was time to test them out.
Sesshomaru watched over the arena. Unable to see into her barrier, but he could see the flashes of light emitted from her attacks and use of her power. Kyo walked up behind him and knelt down.
"Rise," he said plainly. "This one has told you before not to bow."
"She is angry," he said as he rose. "She threatened this eagle with her anger against me."
"The woman has no right to threaten you," he said boredly. "Ignore her."
"As you command," he said turning to leave.
"What was her threat?"
Kyo turned back. "To make a divining tool of my eye for a human to use."
"Hnn." Sesshomaru said.
"What have you done to her to make her fume so?" Kyo said.
"I have put her in her place," the Inu said blandly, flatly.
"Have you? Seems to me that practicing with a naginata is hardly her place," he said with a chirp.
"It would seem the lesson was not learned," Sesshomaru said simply. "It shall have to be reinforced."
"And where was she out of line?" he said.
"The dragon," he said.
"Ah, I see. And you rutting the cat was in line with your role, I'm sure," he said. "Your jealousy is unbecoming a Lord."
"She is not a demon," he said plainly. "She will know her place."
"Beneath you."
"Hnn."
"Good luck with that, she may just prove to you that she is able to hold her own. Was it truly the dragon? Or is it her knowledge and training that worries you?"
"She is no warrior," he said plainly.
"She is the defeater of Naraku, she is training in a youkai arena right now, and she is the reason you have your House. Without her on the battlefield, Rimiku would have won," Kyo countered. "She fought by your brother's side time and again. So please tell me what you are punishing her for, preferably before she takes one of my eyes?" Kyo said. "I think you are afraid of what she knows. Yet her honesty with you was punished. I doubt she will make the same mistake twice."
Kyo turned and walked away. Sesshomaru flew down to the barrier, attempting to push through it. It was like the one around Mount Hakurai, but not nearly so thin. It was condensed tightly in a small space, making it much more difficult to pass through. The burning was more intense, before he could get all the way through, he found a glowing blade at his throat pushing him back out of her barrier. No harm was done, it was not even a threat. It just moved him back beyond the barrier. Once outside, it solidified again. The flashes and streaks moving throughout the inner circle began again. It was more than probable that Kagome couldn't see who it was trying to get in, and just pushed them out harmlessly before they did more damage than necessary to themselves.
After a few more minutes, the part of the barrier he tried to enter opened. Kagome looked outside and left the opening in the barrier, but went back to her form katas. Sesshomaru walked into the circle space. The practice targets were in shattered pieces, the mock fighting targets shaped like different youkai were in shattered bits around the arena. She swung the naginata around as if she had been born with it in her hand. The form she used was familiar, he had seen this style before. Yes, Bankotsu, the leader of the band of seven. The halberd would have been too heavy for her to use effectively. The naginata, however, was a much lighter weight weapon and obeyed her far better. It suited her. Other than give him entrance to the arena, she ignored him continuing her training. She repeated the same routines over and over, he found it odd. Why project your intent in such a way? For the better part of two hours she did this. Similar routines, different and effective motion. Patiently he waited. After the two hours, she stuck the training naginata in the ground and picked up the one sharper than any human sword. She began the routine again. She began to employ the use of the ring at the end to get wide swings, then choked up on the long handle for shorter range combat. Her reiki began to funnel through her body, moving fast she used the training tool as a leaping point, spiking her reiki in her foot as she jumped up from it to force her body into the air, she flipped back twice, and missed the landing, tumbling backwards. She rose, dusted herself off, and did it again, and again, and again until she was able to nail the landing without losing herself in the tumbling. Once she had the landing, she did it 21 more times in a row. After the last one, she rose shakily to her feet, and took the training tool and the true naginata and lowered the barrier. She began to leave the arena.
"You project your intention," he said dully.
"How so?" she said patiently and more calmly than he thought she would be.
"The same routine, you fail to learn how to modify your movements," he said.
"I already know how to modify, but I need my muscles to know what my mind does," she said. "That only comes with practice and repetition. At least that is the only way I know to teach muscle memory."
"You threatened my General," he said.
"I threatened your snitch," she said plainly.
"You forget your place," he said.
"I forget nothing. You forget I don't have one," she said. "I will never be a delicate hime like Izoai. I will never expect you to come to my rescue. And I most certainly won't expect you to understand anything I say or do. You have already moved on, or is your room such a mess and stinking of sex because I need to speak to the staff about your self gratifying prowess?"
'Yikes Kagome, remind me to never double cross you. That was harsh even for you, out here, in front of his men?' Naraku said in her head.
'He isn't the only one that can lay bait,' she reminded the hanyou in her head.
Sesshomaru let out a low growl, a warning to watch her tongue.
She turned, eyes narrowing, her power flushing through her body then ebbing away. "No. I will not," she said answering him. "Oh, did I forget to mention that I understand you now? All that passive gazes I thought was you thinking to yourself was you trying to figure a way out of this mating. All of the times I was left in agony alone in my room, while you rutted with a neko in our shared room. All the times you were betraying me, you thought I was too stupid to ever figure it out. You no longer dishonor me, mate. You dishonor yourself. Do not make it worse on yourself."
He burst forward, arm raised to attack her. She just stood perfectly still, looking him in the eye the entire time as his hand pushed through her shoulder, every bone fracturing, blood spraying out the back of her shoulder. Her eyes never left his, but her face did contort in pain.
His pulled his hand back, letting her blood trickle down his arm before her face. Pained, she looked to his face.
"Your cruelty knows no bounds," she said as her eyes flashed. The wound and bones reknitting together as they opened on him, crushing his shoulder as he had done to her. He growled. "Shame, you just got that arm back too. But we already know you don't need it." She turned to go again.
"Witch! What have you done?" he growled.
"More name calling?" she said shaking her head before picking up her dropped weapon and walking away. Setsujin jumped out infront of her.
"Witch! You dare harm our Lord!" her eyes passively looked to the fire demon before her.
"Your lord harmed himself," she said plainly. Kyo came out from another door, walking up and crossing his arms. Three more higher youkai walked out taking places around the wide arena area. She moved to walk past Setsujin, and he shoved her back.
"I am warning you. Do not touch me again," she said. She moved to walk past him again, this time when he went to push her back he found his own hand knowing something fire demons never did… he knew what it felt like to burn as his hand met with a protective reiki barrier burning his hand severely. She walked past the fire demon cradling his hand. Kyo was the next one in her way.
She moved to walk around him, Kyo did not try to stop her, letting her pass unhindered as the others that had come forward lunged at her from behind. The three of them together enough to put significant pressure on the barrier around her, reiki hissed and popped, sparking and igniting around her. She spun the naginata in her hand, a lavender glow coming over the blade.
"Please do not make me do this," she said.
Kyo gave a sharp chirp, the men backing off. The flow of energy faded from the weapon and she walked away once more. She moved to her room, packed her bag with essentials only. She closed her eyes, a bright purifying aura pushed through the wing of the house where she lived, sending youkai running from the wing screaming.
Putting on her bow, quiver and taking her naginata she slipped out to the stable and flew out on the back of the dragon of the House of the Moon. She had a very good idea where Rimiku was, and she only hoped she could get there before more of the people of the House decided she was a witch needing destruction. Afterall, their Lord had called her one. Surely he could not be mistaken, or so they would think. Feudal era Japan was not ready to handle one very independent woman.
She would find Rimiku, and make sure that the little bastard was never born.
"Where's Kagome?" InuYasha asked the toad.
"You mean the witch! Gone, good riddance to that scum! How the Mighty Lord Sesshomaru could be swayed by that filthy human woman! Hmph!" he said.
"What? Wait.. What!?" InuYasha hit the toad over the head. "Where is she!?"
"GONE!" the toad screamed back. "My poor Lord! She attacked him unjustly! Speared him clean through!"
Rin screamed. "You Liar!" The little girl was almost always sweet. "She is not a witch! She did not hurt Lord Sesshomaru! You Lie!" tears rolled down her face.
InuYasha turned and stormed off to the west wing of the House. Rin followed him. The toad just stood there, before promptly falling over.
Kagura took off on her feather determined to find the Miko before something else happened. She was followed by the dragon hanyou. "Do not think to stop me," she said to the dragon.
"I would not dream of such a thing," his tongue lashed out at the wind. "She is headed East."
"Probably headed for Edo," she said. "But there is nothing there for her."
"Except the Bone Eater's Well," he said. "And if we do not move faster, that two headed beast will beat us there." He jetted past her.
"Wait, if you are here, fine with no injuries…. Who did Kagome just spear clean through?" InuYasha said.
"Speak plainly," Sesshomaru said, turning to face his half brother.
"Jakken is telling everyone that Kagome is a witch, and she speared you clean through," he said.
"Foolishness," Sesshomaru said. "I have been here, dealing with these documents all day."
"Sesshomaru, if you are lying I'll kill you myself," InuYasha growled. "Kagome just left on your stupid dragon, Kagura and Li are going after her," Sesshomaru dropped his paperwork and rose, moving into his study he could smell her blood and acid, and something else. Magic, fox magic. There was a bag full of scrolls sitting at his small table.
"Kyo!" he barked out. The eagle demon landed on the balcony. "What has happened here!"
"The witch has released you from her spell!" he said. "You are whole once more."
"Find whoever has the wound you saw and lock them up, bound and gagged," he demanded.
"My Lord?"
"It is a Fox," he snarled. Kyo stopped short.
"My lord, when was the last time we spoke?" he said.
"Dinner, last evening," he said.
"Oh. I will do as you command immediately," he turned to leave, flying out the way he came. He stormed through his home, Jakken was the first one he went to, lifting the toad by the front of his brown robes, snarling at him.
"Sesshomaru, My Lord! You are whole!" he said brightly. "Oh it is so good to see your truly powerful self able to heal such wounds inflicted by the witch upon your body healed so quickly! Your power is…" Sesshomaru snarled, eyes bleeding red.
"What have you done," he snarled.
"N… Nothing! My Lord!" he said. He threw the toad at Setsujin, who caught him hissing in pain as he did so.
"You raised your hand at my mate," he accused Setsujin. "How many more have betrayed this one."
"InuYasha, take any who have attacked my mate, betrayed her trust, and lock them in the cells," he growled.
He made ready to leave and InuYasha stopped him, grabbing his arm. "Don't do it. Stay and settle this, it is a trap and you are following her right into it. This stinks. But I guarantee you they'll attack as soon as you are too far to turn back."
"Who will go, if not this one?" he said.
"Kagura and Li have already gone," he said. "I know I ain't the smartest one on this, but this is how Naraku used to work too." Sesshomaru stared at his half brother for a long moment. "Get the traitors locked down. Assist Kyo in doing so," he said before turning to Rin.
"Get the children to the underground rooms," she nodded and ran. "Kouga!"
The wolf turned the corner running down the hallway.
"Get the House locked down, get the defenses at the ready," he called. Kouga ran outside.
Kagome arrived at her destination. The ruins of the old shrine where Kikyo and Kaede were young Miko, where the Shikon No Tama was guarded for ages untold. The wars had not been kind to the ruins.
"I understand why you retreated into the jewel Midoriko," she spoke to herself. "But I will not."
She moved into the temple, its roof long gone and sat down in the place where the Tama was once held in reverence.
It took no time for her enemy to appear. Kagura stopped on her feather, seeing the Miko through the destroyed roof of the temple.
"I cannot enter there," Kagura said. "It brims with purity."
"I too cannot," Li said. "So we watch." Li said in his sing song voice.
"You are strange, how do you watch?" she said snidely with a scoff at the blind hanyou.
"Watching the enemy fall into his own trap is pretty humorous, I watch it through your eyes," he purred softly.
Kagome looked up to the boy walking casually into the ruined temple.
"Give up, witch," the boy said. "My puppy will be mine in a matter of hours."
"If you can take me, you can have me," she said. "But first you must remove me from this place. And the Kami may have something to say about that," she said simply. Her eyes flashed a dark violet.
"Oh you have been corrupted," Rimiku said with a laugh. "Couldn't handle the darkness! Oh how very sweet. I have no need for this garbage now," two youkai brought a mostly unconscious Shippou forward, but not entering the temple with him. Just in her line of sight.
"This is war, Rimiku. People die in war," she said simply. "Like you, for example."
"You cannot kill me Grandmother," he laughed maniacally.
"No, but I can make sure you are never born," she said. "What you hold over me, that which is mine, will be taken from you now." Her whole body vibrated, the air around her shimmering. Rimiku's eyes widened.
"Hey! That's mine!" he cried out. "Not fair!" She just smirked. The vibration increased.
Kagura didn't miss the hint. Get Shippou out of there. She dove down, attacking the two weakened youkai, and Li swept down and snagged Shippou. Kagome released the attack that Rimiku was known for on Rimiku, he released his own countering it, sending debris and dust in all directions.
"You die now!" Rimiku said harshly, angrily like a child on the verge of a temper tantrum. He raised his hand, as her own came up. Energy coalesced in his hand blasting forward, only to raise debris and dust into the air. When the air cleared, she was still sitting there, untouched.
Kagome snapped her fingers, and Rimiku screamed, grasping his chest.
"Suzaku!" he screamed. "Don't leave me!" His little body shook and trembled. Another snap and he screamed. "Nooooooooo! Sariyu!"
"Do you see?" Kagome said. "The Kami have decided."
"BITCH!" he snarled, another blast, this one appearing more like a meteor than energy flew from his hands at her. Again, she sat untouched when the dust settled.
Another snap of the fingers and Rimiku fell forward, grabbing the ground. "Genbu…" he cried. "Why are you all leaving me!"
"Stupid boy, they are not your pets. They are not your parents. They are gods," she said. "They owe you no explanations of their actions," Kagome hissed. Her violet eyes glowing a deep, dark purple.
Kagura looked to Li. "What is she doing? She isn't even casting anything!"
"No, I don't see her at all," Li agreed. Kagura turned her wide red eyes back to the temple.
Kagome raised her hand once more. "Do you know what happens when time must correct itself, Rimiku? When a paradox is created?" she crooned. "Time must correct itself."
"Oh dear," Li said. "We should go now."
"What? Why?"
"Because when time fixes itself, it doesn't care about collateral damage," Li said in his way too happy sing song voice. Kagura turned on the feather, carrying Shippou away as fast as her feather would carry her.
Kagome snapped her fingers once more. Rimiku fell to the floor panting for air, his wheezing breath heaving for breath as Kagome slid down from her perch on the stand for the Tama. "Goodbye Rimiku."
"No… no no no!" he screamed out. His tearfilled eyes looked up in pure hatred at the woman in front of him who wavered, rippling in the air, before a loud pop was heard and nothing was in front of him. Rimiku looked up at the empty space in front of him. "NOOOOooooooo!"
The kitsune holding the mirage, fell forward, exhausted from maintaining such an intricate illusion for so long on all fours just outside the temple.
"Where do we go?" Kagura said. "That is an army heading for the House of the Moon."
"Cave of the Beast Gods!" he called out. "Shippou will be safe there for now."
The attack on the House of the Moon had been vicious, grounds torn up, dead youkai and hanyou were in heaps around the grounds. Chained youkai fought with all they had, until suddenly they all stopped, the youkai seemed confused, lost…looking around as if they didn't know where they were.
Sesshomaru turned to the Mikos on the field. "Quickly! Before the chains reawaken, remove them!" Kyo reached over, and found he could not only grab the chains, but snap them like twigs. The hanyou all swarmed pulling and cutting the chains off of the others.
Kyo felt a searing pain in his chest, Banyuu, Kouga and Aryu all swayed on their feet.
Sesshomaru looked at the four priests of the beast gods, suffering some unknown ailment. With the failing chains on the youkai, something was happening with the Beast Gods. Sesshomaru swooped down, to Kyo.
"Byaaku…." He gasped. "He is … gone…" Kyo shuddered. "Go… quickly…"
Sesshomaru took off again. The light surrounding him as he became nothing more than a ball of light. Landing on the outside of the cave, he felt no power emanating from it. Kagura sat with Shippou, feeding him water from the now still fountain. Li stood outside the cave.
"Dragon," Sesshomaru said.
"My Lord," he said bowing. Ah Un landed, carrying an unconscious kitsune laying over its necks. "You might want to take that one inside with you. You'll find your mate inside." He rose and stepped aside. Sesshomaru looked at the 8 tail Kitsune before turning and going inside without the fox.
Inside he found Kagome, sobbing, leaning against the foot of Byaaku's statue. His eyes scanned over the four statues, that were just still, lifeless stone. There was no magic, no power here.
"What have you done?" he said before he realized his tone. She just sobbed harder. Li brought in the kitsune, laying him at Kagome's feet. Kagome looked at the fox, the tears became a wail of agonized grief as she touched the cold body of the kitsune.
"Wake up…" she wailed. Shaking the fox. "Please… no! Wake up!" she screamed. "Naraku wake up! Don't go… don't leave…" Sesshomaru moved to Kagome, pulling her away from the dead fox. "No! Naraku! Wake Up!"
Kagura ran into the room hearing Naraku's name called. Seeing the Miko in a shattered state over the fox, calling it Naraku she carefully approached the dead fox. She peeled the lid of his eye open and jumped back as if burnt.
"It is Naraku…" she whispered. "But he is dead. There is no youki left. No life left."
Kagome collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, shaking and trembling beyond control. Sesshomaru pulled her in against him.
"Li, what happened here?" Kagura's voice was shaking.
"There was a fox on the loose in the House of the Moon. He had been impersonating Sesshomaru for weeks. He disrupted the tie between Kagome and Sesshomaru, and used it against them both. By keeping Sesshomaru busy, and by sending Kagome to me for training. All the while, the fox, in Sesshomaru's face began sewing seeds of doubt and cruelty against Kagome. Turning the House of the Moon against her hoping she would flee," he said.
"What kind of cruelty?"
"Fucking the Neko in their shared bed, cruel twisted words, name calling," he said. "But during her training, Kagome learned something that showed that traitor for what he was. But half of the house had turned on her, who would have believed her?" he said.
"Kagome released Naraku, she gave him shape as a kitsune of 8 tails. It was her last ditch effort to lure out Rimiku to the shikon temple near Edo. Once Naraku was there, and convinced him that not only was Kagome there, but she was tainted and impure, Kagome was here. Sealing the Beast Gods, leaving Rimiku powerless."
"The boy is incomplete without the Gods, but so are we. Many will die if they remain sealed." Sesshomaru looked down to the mass of a frail woman in his arms, shaking and crying, so very lost.
"And thus, without the Beast Gods, Rimiku cannot be born. Without the Beast Gods, he cannot come to this time. Without the Beast Gods, he has no power, but without the Beast Gods, Kagome wouldn't come here either," Li said in his sing song voice. "If Rimiku dies here, then the Gods can be released, and this will always happen. If he doesn't die here, the timelines will fix themselves. And none of this would have happened, and Kagome will be back stuck in her own time and Sesshomaru will never have really met her." Li said in his usual sing song voice.
It was then that Sesshomaru realized that all of the statues had one thing in common. They all had one arrow, with red feathers sticking out from their chests. Kagome trembled and shuddered. She looked up to Sesshomaru. "The choice is yours. But our hands cannot be the ones to kill him. Kill him, or dump him in the well. B.. b.. before… he does it … himself."
Sesshomaru looked to Kyo, who turned and left without a word.
Kagome shuddered, everything seemed to be spinning… memories that were elastic, misty, snapped into vivid focus. Then there was this bright light, so bright it blinded her, she heard screams. She couldn't tell who they belonged to.. her or those around her… and it all went black.