Disclaimer: Okay, for the eighth time, Inuyasha doesn't belong to me.
A/N: Here is Chapter 8. This is going to be mostly with Kagome and Naraku, since this is all about Naraku's devious plan. I can't thank my reviewers enough for all of their compliments and coaxing to update quickly. What would I do without you guys?
Isolde Eris - Yeah...I can't say Kouga's the happiest wolf in the world
InuyashaxKagome1994 - Please don't cry! It will all be better in the end...Who knows when that is, though?
kagvsinu - I've been so excited the whole time I was writing this chapter. Hopefully you can hold it all in until Friday!
Recap: Sango, Miroku, Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku made their way out of the dungeon. Inuyasha and Kagome found Naraku. By the time the others found Inuyasha, it was too late. Kagome's gone.
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Chapter 8 - Naraku's Plan
Kagome slowly lifted her heavy eyelids. The sudden light give her a headache. The room wasn't dark, as she thought it would be. She was laying on a futon in the corner of the room. In the center was a fire that cast light and warmth everywhere. Besides that the room was pretty large for just a futon, but besides that, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Kagome raised her head up to get a better look of the room. She expected pain to shoot through her back and straight to her head, but it didn't. Her back felt perfectly healed. There was no sign of her blood staining the futon. Confusion replaced fear as she scanned the room quizzically. What's going on? Where am I?
The rain had stopped falling and wind was causing the wood and roof to creak noisily. Though the fire was crackling, she began shivering. After deciding it was safe, Kagome stood up and walked to the center of the room in attempt to warm her cold and goose bump-covered skin. This was to no avail. The chill remained in her body, despite all of her attempts to get warm.
Trying to find the reason, she walked to the door and examined the frame. It was closed tightly on all sides. There was no other door or windows in the room. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to try and open the door. No luck. It was sealed shut.
Kagome returned to the futon and sat down, rubbing her arms absentmindedly. The last thing she remembered was being in a lot of pain, and then blacking out. Naraku had been there, and so had Inuyasha. Se also remembered trying to shoot Naraku with one of her arrows. Had Sango, Miroku, and the others found out what happened?
Her arrows! Kagome stood up again and walked the perimeter of the room. Her backpack wasn't there, nor her bow and arrows. Realization struck her and she groaned softly out loud. She sank slowly to the ground and onto her knees.
Naraku had gotten her jewel shards. They were inside her bag, and no doubt he had taken them. Try as she might, there was no sign of the shards being around.
Kagome snapped her head up at the sound of approaching footsteps. They were quiet, but since the only other source of noise was the fire, it wasn't very hard to hear. She jumped up quickly and clenched her fists at her side, just as the door started sliding open.
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Inuyasha returned the Tetsusaiga to its sheathe and started walking to the place where Kagome was sitting only moments before. He was furious at himself for letting Naraku take Kagome...right under his nose. What kind of protector was he?
Kouga growled loudly and brought a shaking fist right in front of Inuyasha's face. "How could you just let him go like that? And with Kagome?! I" the wolf youkai shouted. He crossed his arms and glared at the wall in front of him. "I don't know what she sees in a mutt face like you." Ginta and Hakkaku stood back, watching the scene hesitantly.
"It...it wasn't his fault, Kouga," Sango said firmly. "Naraku is a master of tricks. I'm pretty sure that if Inuyasha did attack Naraku...he was at risk of hurting Kagome-chan as well."
Miroku nodded and knelt down by the puddle of blood on the floor. "By the looks of it, Kagome-sama's wound has reopened. Naraku's doing, no doubt. Am I right, Inuyasha?" He laid his staff on the floor and brushed his hand gingerly across the wood surface.
Inuyasha ignored the wolf's incoherent words and stood up. "Kagome's wound reopened, probably after she was flung against the wall," he uttered, pointing to the spot where the wall caved in and bits of wood were scattered along the floor. "She shot at him with an arrow, but it didn't even touch him!" he growled and clenched his fists angrily at his sides. "Naraku placed a barrier around her and disappeared, just as she fell unconscious," he finished simply, bowing his head once again. "It was my fault. I wasn't there...to protect her."
Kouga kicked a random piece of wood out of frustration. "Damn right! Maybe if you actually did your job and watched over her, she would still be here!!" Ginta placed a hand on his shoulder in attempt to try and calm him down. He brushed it away swiftly and started pacing the floor. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to find her."
Sango stepped in front of Kouga, a scowl plastered on her face. "We're all going, Kouga-kun. Not just you." She turned her head towards Inuyasha and sighed. "I care for Kagome-chan just as much as you do. But that doesn't mean you can go barging in on Naraku by yourself!"
Kouga stared down at her in surprise, but soon covered it with a glare. He turned and stalked out the door, followed by Ginta and Hakkaku. Inuyasha ran after them. He wasn't about to let Kouga go off by himself. Miroku looked sideways at Sango and smiled knowingly. Sango smiled weakly back and started off to catch up with Inuyasha, Miroku close behind.
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Kagome stared into her own reflection in a mirror. Kanna's mirror. She scowled and growled somewhat, turning her back to the mysterious, yet freaky, dead-looking girl. Kanna had no emotion on her face...I doubt she had any emotions at all. Anyway, she tilted her head up to look at Kagome. "Naraku wants to speak with you," she said quietly.
Kagome clenched her fists in front of her, watching her knuckles turn white. "What does he want now? I don't want to talk to that bastard," she countered. Reverting her gaze from the wall, she turned her head to look at Kanna. "Not until I get my jewel shards back."
"As you wish." Kanna turned and started out the door. The only door that would lead Kagome out of this room. What other choice did she have?
Before the door was shut completely, Kagome grabbed hold of the edge. "Fine. I'll talk to him." Her head was bowed and she spoke to the floor, mostly. But Kanna heard her nonetheless, and turned to stare at Kagome with lifeless black eyes.
"Follow me." Kanna turned around to leave the room once more. She held the mirror close to her chest, arms wrapped around the top and bottom.
This girl definitely has something wrong with her...She's so freaky. Kagome impatiently shook these thoughts from her head as she followed the spooky white girl. She clasped and unclasped her hands. "So..what does Naraku want?"
Kanna didn't turn around. She just kept walking. "You'll see."
After they turned a few times, they came an elaborately decorated door. But this one was different from the one Kagome and Inuyasha came upon. This one had snakes running up and down the wood. What looked like purple and black smoke splayed painted across the surface. It wasn't a door that you see everyday.
Before Kagome could touch it, the door slid open. Kanna stepped inside and she did the same. What am I getting myself into? She stiffened her arms at her sides and glanced around the room. Candles...smoke filled pots...the whole Naraku decor thing going on.
As soon as Kagome stepped inside, the door slid closed. Then disappeared. Kagome turned back, a small gasp escaping her lips. She ran her hand along the surface where the door had been. "Naraku, what are you playing at? What happened to the door?" she asked vehemently.
A small chuckle rang from the far corner of the room. "What am I playing at? That door is just an illusion. Inuyasha won't be able to see through the spell, and even if he could, the door can't be opened." He stepped out of the shadows, staring straight at Kagome. Evil playfulness and merit danced in his red eyes.
"Couldn't he just destroy the wall?" Kagome asked dubiously. Her eyes kept wandering to her bottle of now black jewel shards...in his hand.
"The door is just a setback...a hindrance. I doubt he'll be able to figure out where you are before I'm through with you," Naraku stated matter-of-factly. He caught Kagome's eyes and held up the bottle of shards. A black glow emanated from them. They weren't pure anymore...they were tainted.
Kagome blinked. She forced the awed feeling away and replaced it with anger. "Give me back my jewel shards, Naraku," she demanded.
"Dear Kagome, these shards are all part of my plan. You can't have them back...yet." With swift movements, he punched Kagome in the gut, sending her flying backwards into the wall. When her head made contact, she fell unconscious. Exactly what Naraku wanted to happen. He handed the bottle of shards to Kanna. "I want you to place two of these shards deep in her neck. With the jewel shards tainted , she'll be under my control."
Kanna nodded and opened the bottle, taking out two of the jewel shards. Black jewel shards..filled with evil and hatred. She placed them on Kagome's neck, and watched as they slowly sank into her skin.
When the wench is conscious again, she won't be able to refuse me.
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Kouga ran his fist furiously through another wall. Miroku watched him curiously, showing no means to help the wolf. Sango, on the other hand, put a tentative hand on his shoulder. "We'll find Kagome soon enough, Kouga. But you can't destroy the whole castle...not while we're all still in it," she remarked.
Inuyasha grunted and crossed his arms. "Let the damn wolf do what he wants. He's not getting in my way." He walked through all the rubble, kicking random bits and pieces aside. "Are you guys coming?"
Miroku nodded and started following Inuyasha. Sango glanced quickly at Shippou on her shoulder, then down at Kirara. She, too, began following after Inuyasha, leaving Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku behind.
Kouga growled and balled his hands into fists. As much as he wanted to leave the mutt-face...he had a better chance of finding Kagome if he was with them. So he reluctantly started following them while Ginta examined the room Kouga's fist had smashed in to. Hakkaku nudged him in the ribs, and they both ran after Kouga.
"Can you sense any sign of Kagome, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked cautiously. He repeatedly let his staff slide through his hand, making little tapping noises on the wood floor.
Inuyasha growled and turned to glare at the houshi. "No! And would you stop doing that!" It was more of a demand than a question. When he turned his head around again, Miroku sighed and decided to stop. He resumed carry his staff tilted at his side. Nothing was worse than Inuyasha when he was extremely irritated. That, or when Kagome was taken away. But those two things were happening at the same time.
Everybody, including Kouga, was silent for a few moments. Shippou turned his head to Sango's ear and put a hand up to try and muffle his whisper from the others. "Do you think Kagome's okay, Sango?"
Sango stole a quick glance at Inuyasha. His ears flicked, which probably meant he could hear him. No doubt that Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku could hear as well. Miroku was the only one oblivious to what they were saying. "I'm sure she's okay, Shippou. Kagome's strong and strong-willed. I'm sure she won't give up," Sango whispered back.
Inuyasha's ears were flat against his head. He was thinking about what Sango said. We can only hope that's the case. He involuntarily clenched his fists at his side. Miroku, the oblivious one, took notice of this and frowned. "Is something wrong, Inuyasha?"
"Yeah. There's a lot of things wrong," he retorted, trying to relax his fists. "But the first thing we need to do is find Kagome and kill Naraku." He turned abruptly down the hall to his right, wandering in random directions.
Shippou groaned as Sango turned the corner. "Inuyasha...we've been at this forever. Don't you think we should have found Kagome by now?"
Sango shushed the kit, while Miroku rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Shippou's right. Surely you should've been able to sense Kagome. Maybe Naraku put up a spell...or something." Sango bowed her head and contemplated Miroku's words. It made sense, in a way. Naraku had put up spells and barriers before.
Inuyasha stopped and reached his arm out to the side, motioning for the others to wait. Nose raised, he began sniffing the air. "It's Kagome...and Naraku." Sango gasped, and since Kirara could tell there was something wrong, she jumped to the ground and transformed.
"But there's something different about her scent. It's...altered," Kouga implied. Now Hakkaku and Ginta were smelling the air as well, hoping to single out Kagome.
"Kouga's right. This isn't Kagome's normal scent. I can't say, but there's something different about it," Inuyasha stated. He started running. Kagome's presence was slowly getting closer. There was an...eerie sense about it. It almost seemed malicious.
Kouga soon caught up to Inuyasha...but they weren't running for long until they stopped dead in their tracks. Around the corner, they were greeted by...Kagome?
Inuyasha stared wide-eyed at the girl before him. She sure had Kagome's scent, except she seemed different...evil, almost. She wore a blood-red kimono, with a black sash wrapped around the waist. Red was painted on her lips as well. Her hair was now on top of her head in an almost formal up do. The bow and arrows usually carried on her shoulder was replaced with a sword and a sheathe, tied to her sash with leather. Behind her stood Naraku, a smirk plastered on his face and baboon pelt tied around his shoulders.
Inuyasha blinked a few times before reaching a tentative hand out to the girl. "Ka...Kagome?" This couldn't be Kagome. What happened to her uniform? Her black hair that hung loose? The smile?
Naraku watched Inuyasha, clearly humored. "What's wrong, Inuyasha? Not what you were expecting?" He put his hands on Kagome's shoulders. "I'm surprised, she almost resisted me. But after a while she gave in. She's under my control. I doubt she can even hear you."
Sango poised her Hiraikotsu. "What did you do to her, Naraku?" Kirara growled and hissed at him, while Shippou just stared on.
"Fools. Isn't it obvious? She's under the power of tainted jewel shards. The only way she'll return to normal is if you get the jewel shards out."
Inuyasha unsheathed his Tetsusaiga. "Is that all?" He was about ready to swing Naraku, planning to cut him and his stupid baboon pelt in half. That was, before Miroku grabbed onto his arm, holding the hanyou back.
"And what's the catch, Naraku? You would never make it that easy?" Miroku asked, violet eyes narrowed.
Anybody who knew Naraku well enough knew that none of his "games" were ever that simple. There was a catch to everything. This master of tricks always had everything planned out, down to everyone's last move. Obviously there was a catch now. He didn't take control of Kagome just to have Inuyasha take the jewel shards right away. That would be too easy.
"The catch?" Naraku laughed. The evil laugh that everyone hates. "The catch is, if you take the jewel shards out..." he took his hands off her shoulders and stepped beside her. "If you take the jewel shards, Kagome will die."
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A/N: Cliffie! Please don't hate me! I'll work on the next chapter ASAP! Please review and tell me what you think!