-1Chapter 7
Kikyo's eyes narrowed. She has just sensed Naraku's aura as if his protective barrier had been suddenly broken by force. She picked up her bow from the ground and began walking in Naraku's direction, her soul collectors drifting around her.
O0o.o0O
"Naraku," gasped the group in one collective breath.
Naraku sounded playful as he said, "I'm so glad we could meet here today, though I will admit to being a little surprised that you were able to break the barrier without Kikyo's help. I'm sure she'll be here soon anyway. It's amazing how one little destroyed village can attract my enemies just as a flame can a moth. And just as that flame licks at the body of the moth, torturing it and killing it, so will I kill you, Inuyasha!"
As if Inuyasha's name were a signal, all the demons hovering on the ceiling on the cavern suddenly sped at the group. At the same time, Kagura and Kanna appeared from nowhere and stepped in front of the tunnel to the cave entrance, cutting off any retreat. Inuyasha pulled out his sword, preparing to use the windscar.
"Inuyasha, don't!" yelled Miroku, purifying demons with sutras and with his staff, "You could destroy this cavern with your windscar and kill all of us!"
Inuyasha spat at the ground, lopping the head of an attacking low-level demon. "That bastard, Naraku. He brought us down here just so I couldn't use my sword's windscar. Coward!"
Inuyasha continued killing the demons, but at a slower rate than he was accustomed too. It was slowly wearing him out, just like it was the rest of the gang. Sango was now using her Hiraikotsu as a club, swinging it around at any nearby demons. She was too tired to throw it. Miroku was out of sutras and was doing what damage he could with his staff. He could not use his wind tunnel as there were Saimyosho along with the demons and the situation was not yet desperate enough to sacrifice himself…yet. Kagome seemed to be the only one not feeling the fatigue. She was shooting arrow after arrow. The rest of the group was too busy to notice that these arrows were so much more powerful than her normal ones. They were purifying whole sections of the demons, reducing their numbers greatly. Naraku ordered Kanna and Kagura to move in and attack. Distract Kagome with her friends having their souls sucked so that Naraku could kill her in front of Inuyasha, who was being held back by Kagura- that was the plan.
Kanna held her mirror forward, drawing Miroku and Sango's souls from their bodies forcibly. They began to fall to their knees, Shippo slapping their faces trying to get them to wake up. Kagome tried to make her way over to them, but a horde of demons got in her way, momentarily blocking the pair from sight as she purified them. When she was able to see them again, it was just in time to see a pink streak of a purification arrow, hitting Kanna's mirror and causing it to break.
"Oh..." was all Kanna said before disappearing- she was no use in battle without her mirror, so she had probably returned to Naraku's castle.
Everyone's head turned to see Kikyo arriving in the room, bow still drawn and held up from shooting the arrow. Sango and Miroku's souls returned and they stood to resume the fight, panting heavily.
Inuyasha jumped back from where his sword was locked with Kagura's fan. He had been attempting to get to Kanna and kill her when Kagura had attacked him with her blades of wind.
"Kikyo, so glad you could make it," said Naraku, smiling evilly.
"Do not waste your pleasantries with me, Naraku," Kikyo returned, coldly and bitterly.
"Very well, I shall just kill you!" With that, three sharp tentacles flew forward faster than anyone could react to and buried themselves in Kikyo's clay body. Inuyasha tried to run towards her, but more tentacles flashed out, driving themselves all the way through Inuyasha's mid section and pinning him to the cavern wall. Kagura stepped in front of Kagome, keeping her from Kikyo as well. The group could only watch as the tentacles dug deeper into her body, widening the hole in the clay. Kikyo finally found the strength and concentration to purify Naraku's tentacles, but it was too late. Her body still crumbled as her collected souls rushed out of her body. The last soul to leave was part of Kagome's. Kikyo's final breath was, "Inuyasha..." before her body turned to dust and was blown away by an unseen wind. Inuyasha screamed, "Kikyo!" at the spot where she had been only moment before. Kagome's face was illuminated as the part of her soul that had originally been stolen by Kikyo flew at her and entered her body. Kagome felt more complete than she had been in years. Her senses seemed to sharpen as she saw past Naraku's barrier constantly around his being. She saw the almost complete jewel shard in the left side of his chest. With Inuyasha so injured, it was her turn to use her new powers to destroy Naraku.
"Naraku! Your battle is with me now!" she called out boldly in uncharacteristic anger.
"Pathetic, human priestess. You were never as strong as Kikyo, and look what I did to her."
"Maybe you just have misjudged my power," retorted Kagome, finally revealing the hidden power within her like taking a basket from off the flame of a candle.
Only Miroku could tell that she had done such, feeling her near palpable powers coming to the surface within easy reach of the priestess before him. He had never realized she held such power. Naraku gave smile, meaning he could feel her dramatic increase in power. If he had felt Kagome's power, Miroku thought, he would surely be retreating, not trading vicious taunts with this seemingly weak individual.
Naraku turned to Inuyasha, still pinned to the wall, his eyes out of focus from the loss of blood and Kikyo. "Inuyasha, see what you get? I made you watch Kikyo die by my hands and now you must watch Kagome do the same. You're too weak Inuyasha, to have found either of their love. You can't protect them from me." Inuyasha's eyes suddenly focused from hearing Naraku's taunts, finding a second wind from the need to protect Kagome. He began fighting at the tentacles pinning him and the one holding his sword from doing any damage. His broke his sword free from the tentacles' grasp and used it to cut Naraku's tentacles holding him to the cavern wall.
He landed on the ground just in time to see Naraku's tentacles shoot out at Kagome.
"Ah, too late Inuyasha. You'll just have to watch her die," taunted Naraku
"You bastard-!" shouted Inuyasha, preparing to use his windscar, even if it would kill them all.
He was stopped by Kagome's voice, "Don't Inuyasha! I can take care of myself."
Inuyasha watched with baited breathe as Naraku's tentacles headed straight for Kagome's heart. Inches before they connected with her flesh, Kagome erected a barrier around herself, destroying the tentacles.
Naraku now turned to face this girl. "A barrier," he said in surprise. Then his evil smile returned, "So you can protect yourself. Can you protect your friends?" With that, a gust of miasma along with pointed tentacle's stretched out and headed at Kagome's friends.
It was moving too fast to draw an arrow so Kagome quickly focus her purification powers on her hand, flicking her wrist in the direction that would intersect Naraku's attack. Naraku's eyes grew wide as he saw this, but had no time to stare in wonder as Kagome notched an arrow to her bow. The arrow was already glowing with purification powers before it had left the bowstring. Kagome shot it straight at Naraku's nearly complete jewel, hoping to purify it and Naraku's being. The arrow struck Naraku's barrier, shattering it and Naraku had just enough time to straighten his form up so that the arrow could only strike his abdomen, not the Shikon jewel. His body swirled in the air as it was purified, and then Naraku disappeared. Kagura watched in amusement as her despised master retreated. She followed suit, yet still hoping that this Kagome could finally put an end to Naraku. She disappeared as well.
"Is he dead?" asked Shippo uncertainly.
"No," answered Kagome turning to her surprised friends. She was already forcing her power back deep down inside her so that the outside world couldn't sense it. "He has just retreated."
"How do you know?" asked Miroku.
"Check your hand. The hole is still there," answered Kagome. She seemed sad.
"What's wrong?" Sango asked, worry in her voice.
"I just...couldn't save her. I may not have liked her, Kikyo, but I never wanted her to die."
The group passed into silence as they made their way out into the sunshine at the caves entrance. Inuyasha seemed even moodier than usual.
Finally, Inuyasha broke tee silence. "Fine, if no one else is going to ask. I will: What the hell was that back there?"
"What?" asked Kagome confused? She looked Inuyasha in the eyes and could see that he was on the verge of crying, he had just lost his Kikyo. But there was something else there. Feelings for her?
"That barrier and that thing you did with your hand. And your arrow. It was much stronger than usual."
"I guess my cover's blown. I've been secretly training my abilities. Here, watch." She placed a hand on the wound on his chest and he watched in wonder as if healed before his very eyes.
"Where are we going now?" asked Miroku.
"Kaeda's village, then to Naraku's castle. I can sense past his barrier now. We might be able to catch him before he fully heals."
Kagome started walking in the direction to Kaeda's village, but the rest of the group was still frozen in shock.
"Come on, then," Kagome ushered when she saw no one was following her.
A/N: Yeah, I suck at battle scenes. Oh, and sorry to those of you who like Kikyo. I hate her character, so she was written in and out of this one chapter. And just remember, I didn't really kill her, as she was never really alive. I'll get the next chapter up soon.