While reading: I recommend listening to "The Plagues – Prince of Egypt" on YouTube. This is not my channel/movie nor do I have any rights to song but I love this work and I think it adds a great atmosphere while reading.
Warning: Violence in the chapter
The Heart of the Nile: This Means War
Sesshomaru and his family were sitting around the dinning table enjoying the last few rays of sunshine left when Rin suddenly screamed and dropt her cup to the floor.
"Rin! Why did you scream?" Kikyo cried as she rubbed her hands over her sore ears.
"There was a bug in my cup!" she cried.
Just then more bugs began to appear on the table coming out of their food and drinks until the table was crawling with them. Seeing this Kikyo runs over to the side of the room and vomits into a vase. Inuyasha rushed to her side and runs his hand in circles along her back.
"What the hell? Sesshomaru! Who purchased this food? It's riddled with bugs!" Inuyasha yelled.
Sesshomaru just stared at the table as the bugs continue to devour their meal. He laid his hand over the leather bag feeling the box in side but he had a bad feeling about this…
About 5 minuets later a servant ran into the room with a scroll listing strange activities occurring all over the city. A fire was raining down from the sky over the slave community on the southern side of the city and was spreading fast. Swarms of bugs and frogs were all over the streets, in people's homes and in the temple. A swarm of locus had flown into the eastern crop fields eating everything piece of vegetation in site. Animals along the Nile were falling ill to a bazar disease and their bodies were being dragged off into the river by the crocodiles along the banks spreading their festering blood into the water.
Realizing what was happening Sesshomaru pulled out the box from the bag only to find it holding a common rock. His heart stopped.
"No…" he whispered before yelling, "NOOOO!"
He ran out of the dinning hall as fast as his legs could carry him. Kikyo and Inuyasha not understanding what was happening quickly followed after him. The servants where dogging them this way and that trying to get out of their path as quickly as possible. When they reached his chambers Sesshomaru began pulling his room apart, yanking the sheets off of the bed, ripped out the drawers in the desk, papyrus flying off of the table and clothing all over the floor.
"Where is it!" he yelled to himself.
"Sesshomaru! What the hell is going on? What's the matter with you?" Inuyasha yelled as he and Kikyo watched their brother frantically run about the room mumbling to himself.
"It's gone! The wishing stone is gone! Someone made a dark wish and they have Kagome!" he screamed at them. They did not move out of fear from Sesshomaru and from fear of the outcome of what he had just said. They continued to watch him until he collapsed into a chair with his hands covering his face as he continued to play out his panic attach.
"Its gone… it cant be… no it cant be true! I put her right there!" he exclaimed.
As the sun set a blast of freezing wind blew over the city hushing it into an eerie silence. Then horrible screaming could be heard all over as one by one the firstborn of every home died where they stood. A loud scream was heard from the dinning hall where they were just at minuets before. Running back to the dinning hall they saw Rin collapsed unresponsive lying next to lady Sango on the floor. Dead servants and soldiers lay all over the home as the other members tried desperately to revive them. The same efforts were seen all over the kingdom.
Miroku came bursting through the dinning hall doorways and sees Sango lying on the floor dead like many of the temple worships he had seen. He had came to see Pharaoh in response to this recent epidemic and was praying that Sango would be ok. Rushing over to her he picks her up off of the floor to where her head was lying against his chest, holding her desperately. Tears began running down his face as she refused to answer to him crying out her name. The past couple of days he had been sneaking into the palace wooing Sango and they had finally begun to become serious in their relationship.
Sesshomaru ran over to Rin and put her in his lap. Her body was limp and growing cold. She was dead. He screamed in agony against the silence of the night like a crying wolf to the moon. All of a sudden the blue crescent moon and magenta striped markings of the guardian of the Wishing Stone appeared on his face and body. She had awakened from her slumber in the stone and was calling him to find her. It was then Inuyasha remembered the swords of the Wishing Stone and the gift Kagome had given his brother.
"Quick! Pull out your sword! See if it will save her in time!" Inuyasha shouted as he held the crying Kikyo against his shoulder.
Pulling the sword from its sheath it began to pulse in his hand. Seeing a soft blue light begin to glow from the blade he looked to his daughter and saw the ghostly henchmen of Anubis trying to take her soul to the underworld. Slicing them through Rin takes a gasping breath and flutters her eyes open once more before crying in her father's arms. He held her tightly before giving her to one of the servants in the room. Sesshomaru begins to revive all the members of his household starting with Sango. Opening her eyes she sees the tear streaked face of the priest she has fallen in love with and brings his face down to meet hers into a passionate kiss. After breaking away to breath they look into each others misty eyes.
"I take that as a yes?" Miroku asked light heartedly.
"Yes, now just shut up and kiss me!" Sango snapped before kissing his lips once more.
Once Sesshomaru was finished reviving all the members of his home he then gallivants through the town reviving anyone who's soul responded. Some did not reawaken as Kagome had said but many where saved against the plague of death. The fires were put out and the frogs, bugs, and locusts were exterminated. Water was brought in from neighboring villages and near by wells and stored in temporary barrel drums. There was only one person who could have accomplished this monstrosity. As soon as everything was taken care of Sesshomaru prepared his men to march out towards the south to collect his bride. They already had almost an entire day ahead of them. They would reach the Southern Kingdom by nightfall the next day and now that Kagome had awaken from the stone in the moonlight she only has until the morning after tomorrow's sunrise to survive. He prayed to the gods that he would make it in time.
[Back to Narakututmote - Warning Violence]
"I wish to be all powerful ruler of Egypt, as Lord Pharaoh and for my brother's sons to suffer an agonizingly slow death before meeting their doom," Narakututmote said. The stone grew dark purple and a dark light expanded out into the air encircling his entire caravan. Then the stone began to burn in his hand causing him to drop it to the floor of his chariot.
His hand began to fester with boils and open wounds that pussed and oozed. They began to burn and itch in irritation so he scratched at them causing them to bleed. These wounds began to show on his children as well and on all of the other members of his caravan until they were all infected. He would soon find out that he had cursed the entire land of Egypt and his palace was in the same state as his nephew's. His selfish wish would be his undoing. Pulling up into the palace gates he quickly uses his robe to pick up the stone and then laid it out onto a dais near his thrown where it begins to soak in the moonlight. There before his angry eyes he sees the naked maiden of Kagome form. She was beautiful but he was too angry and confused as to what had just happened to take advantage of her body. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. Her eyes begin to flutter open when her hair was suddenly pulled violently from behind. She was lifted off of the floor forcing her to stand and cry out in pain. She reopened her eyes despite the pain on her scalp and looks into the face of the devil, Narakututmote. He was wearing his baboon mask and his dark soulless eyes were staring at her through the teeth in its mouth.
"What is the meaning of this?!" he shouted in her face. "I have made my wish and now my city is falling apart and I am covered in these disgusting boils!" He then brought his other hand up and slapping her across the face forcing her hair to pull in his hand and her face to go limp on one side. Choking on blood in her mouth she then turns and spits in his face before he slaps her again and throws her to the cold tile floor in a heep.
"You made a selfish wish on the stone so now you along with your people will suffer. Plagues will cover your lands until there is nothing left but sand. You will suffer the same fate of my master before I came under the possession of your nephew," Kagome spat.
Before he could answer a cold breeze blew through the room causing a few of the servants and soldiers that were standing there to collapse to the floor dead. Eerie silence hovered over the room as Narakututmote took in his situation.
"UUUUAAAAHHHHHHHH! He yelled as he picked up a vase near him and threw it into the wall causing it to break.
He then walked over to Kagome, pulled her hair back and punching her in the face cracking her nose and giving her a black eye. He then kicked her in the stomach over and over before kicking her in the back. After about 5 minuets of beating her he then stood up and began walking out the door. As he walked out the door he called for a servant to put her in the dungeons and to find her some rags for her to wear. After he left slamming the doors behind him Kagome curled into a ball on the floor crying quietly.
"Where is my Lord?" she thought to herself. "How did this happen?"
As the servants began to drag her from the room she silently said a spell under her breath awakening the markings of her guardian.
"Please come save me..." she whispered before darkness took her once more.
[Sesshomaru / Narakututmote]
As Sesshomaru, Inuhotep and his men continued to make their way towards the south the land began to die before their very eyes. The ground dried up under the intense sun causing it to crack, all plant life became brown and blew away with the wind. The ground began to become bare in places as sand began to take its place. The last of the plagues had official taken hold of the land. Now the last part of Kagome's vision had begun. This was war.
Narakutumote was looking out his window in his room watching the rainclouds fill the afternoon sky. By now his nephew would know of the missing stone and would be on his way. War was coming. With his men sick and his city in shambles he was beginning to grow nervous. However, they had the numbers and he would do whatever it took to take the thrown. He would use the girl against Sesshomaru and force him to surrender. Thunder cracked in the sky as it began to rain down upon the city and now on Sesshomaru and his men many miles away. They would be there by sundown.
(*** The Plagues – Prince of Egypt ***)
[Chorus – Hades Lord of the Underworld, creator of curse]
Thus saith the Lord: - repeats 4 times
Since you refuse to listen to my my warning
All through the land of Egypt...
I send a pestilence and plague
Into your house, into your bed
Into your streams, into your streets
Into your drink, into your bread
Upon your cattle, on your sheep
Upon your oxen in your field
Into your dreams, into your sleep
Until you break, until you yield
I send the swarm, I send the horde
Thus saith the Lord
[Sesshomaru] - speaking to Narakututmote
Once I called you family
Once I thought the chance to make you laugh
Was all I ever wanted...
[Hades]
I send the thunder from the sky
I send the fire raining down
[Sesshomaru]
And even now I wish that the gods had chose another
Serving as your foe on their behalf
Is the last thing that I wanted...
[Hades]
I send a hail of burning ice
On ev'ry field, on ev'ry town
[Sesshomaru]
This is our home
All this pain and devastation
How it tortures me inside
All the innocent who suffer
From your stubbornness and pride...
[Hades]
I send the locusts on a wind
Such as the world has never seen
On ev'ry leaf, on ev'ry stalk
Until there's nothing left of green
I send my scourge, I send my sword
Thus saith the Lord!
[Sesshomaru]
You who I called family
Why must you call down another blow?
[Hades]
I send my scourge, I send my sword
[Sesshomaru]
Let Ka-go-me go
[Sesshomaru and Hades]
Thus saith the Lord
[Narakututmote] – talking about Kagome/Wishing Stone
You who I onced longed for
How could you have come to hate me so?
Is this what you wanted?
[Hades]
I send the swarm, I send the horde...
[Narakututmote]
Then let my heart be hardened
And never mind how high the cost may grow
This will still be so:
I will never let your power go...
[Hades]
Thus saith the Lord:
[Sesshomaru]
Thus saith the Lord:
[Narakututmote]
I will not...
[Sesshomaru] - Let Ka-go-me go!
[Narakututmote] - Let your power go!
[Hades] - Let your people go!