Disclaimer: Here goes. I'll move to an ancient shrine in Japan and jump down a well, traveling back to the Feudal Era. When I find Inuyasha, I'll put sleeping powder in his food or whatever. Then I can drag him back to my time and put a super-sticky sticker on his forehead that says "Inuyasha is MINE!" It's perfect! Then we can go live happily in the Insane Asylum together!
A/N: Here goes Chapter 9! Ok, I decided that I'm going to update whenever I feel like it. Done with the Friday thing. Since school's over, I have much more time and finish the chapters much faster than usual. I'm so excited about how this story's playing out. This chapter's a little more...humorous than the other ones. I didn't want the whole story to be all sentimental and stuff.
Once again, my faithful reviewers have come through!
japanesegirl101 - He's psycho, all right. Inuyasha and co. are certainly going to be surprised after this chapter
Taeniaea - Another pleased reviewer, I'm so happy!
Isolde Eris - So many twists and turns, I'm starting to get a headache...not really. ; )
Recap: Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, etc., etc., have finally found Kagome. But she's been possessed by the tainted jewel shards, and is under Naraku's control. That, and she's hardly recognizable with her totally "new look."
Ok, I'm not going to babble anymore. On with Chapter 9!
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Chapter 9 - Kagome's Will
Inuyasha darted his glance from the transformed Kagome to the devious Naraku. He growled loudly. Anger boiled inside him. "How could you do this? Sick bastard!" Inuyasha raised his Tetsusaiga, and was prepared to attack before Naraku spoke again.
"Kagome, kill him," Naraku commanded menacingly. She nodded slowly and raised her sword. Inuyasha seemed to stop in mid-air as he watched Kagome, wide-eyed. But she didn't bring the sword down. It seemed to shake in her hands. What was she doing?
Naraku frowned and leaned in close to her ear. "Don't resist me, Kagome. Kill Inuyasha!" he hissed. Inuyasha stared straight at Kagome's lifeless eyes. She was still resisting. Somehow, it seemed a small part of her knew what was going on. That she could still see through her lifeless eyes, and even though Naraku had control of most of her body, she still controlled a small portion of it.
Kagome blinked, and her hands stopped shaking. Everyone watched as her pale hands slowly released their grip on the sword, and it let out a metallic clang as it clattered to the floor. She stood there, arms held above her head, staring straight at Inuyasha.
Naraku watched Kagome carefully as her knees gave out and she collapsed on the floor. "Kagome, remember what I told you," he sneered. After a few moments, he waved a lazy 'farewell' to everyone and disappeared.
"Dammit, where'd that bastard go now?" It wasn't Inuyasha speaking this time, it was Kouga. He sniffed the air, then turned to check the hallways. "He's gone. Not a trace left of 'im," he concluded.
Sango kneeled by Kagome's side and placed the Hiraikotsu on the floor. "Kagome-chan...can you hear me?"
Kagome's eyes snapped open at the sound of her name. Sango sighed in relief as she watched her. The usual chocolate brown eyes were bright, not lifeless and dull like they were a few minutes ago. She sat up warily and raised her head to stare at Inuyasha, then Sango and Shippou, Miroku, Kouga, Ginta, and Hakkaku. Basically, she turned to stare at everyone in pure confusion "Wh...what happened? Everything's a blur.."
Miroku kneeled on one knee by her side. He was deciding how to break this nicely. "Naraku had you under his control. He wanted you to kill Inuyasha." So much for breaking it nicely.
Kagome blinked once. Twice. Then she touched her hand to her neck. "He...he used the jewel shards." Her dull cry echoed through the hall. "It hurts. And I don't know how to take them out..."
"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."
"We'll be able to take the jewel shards out...right?" Kagome asked hesitantly. "If we remove them then Naraku won't be able to control me anymore," she said, almost hopeful. But inside she fell apart.
Inuyasha cast his head down to stare at the floor. He wasn't about to say anything. Maybe he felt guilty. Kagome looked at the floor, crestfallen. But Sango decided she'd have to be the one to say this.
"Do you remember what Naraku said, Kagome?" Sango asked hesitantly. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and tried to hide her despair.
"If you take the jewel shards, Kagome will die."
Kagome jumped up with such force that Sango fell backwards. Her hands were clenched at her sides. Obviously she remembered. "He's not telling the truth! I won't die! All we need to do is take the shards out..." Realization struck the poor miko. How were they going to take the shards out, when they were burrowed deep in her neck? "There has to be a way. Something we can do..."
Shippou chose this time to jump on Kagome's shoulder instead. "Kagome, maybe you can purify the shards. That way, Naraku wouldn't be able to control you anymore!"
The tension in the air seemed to lighten at this, Kagome's face brightened especially. "Then I might be able to take them out," she whispered excitedly to herself. "Shippou, you're a genius!" She scooped the kit into her arms and danced with him across the hallway.
Inuyasha scoffed and grabbed hold of Kagome's arm. "I think the tainted aura has gone to your head. Stop, before you crash into something!" he shouted at her. He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "And what's a geen-ee-us?" A faint pink had crept to his face, and he turned away to hide it.
Kagome watched Inuyasha quizzically for a few minutes before she started laughing. "It's someone who's really, really, smart, basically. They figure out complicated things that others usually can't." She waved her hand in the air nonchalantly and let Shippou jump back on her shoulder.
"So I'm a geen-ee-us, Kagome?" Shippou asked innocently. Apparently, he liked the thought that he was smarter than the rest of the group.
Inuyasha scoffed again and grabbed the kit by his tail. "Feh. In your dreams, Shippou." He released his tail and Shippou fell to the ground. Soon, they were having one of their famous arguments, except this time it was about who was smarter.
Kagome glanced around the hall before walking towards the wolf youkai, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Is something wrong, Kouga? You've been unusually quiet." She paused and crossed her arms, mimicking him. "I thought by now you and Inuyasha would be at each other's throats."
Kouga shook his head. "I'm glad you're okay, Kagome." Like always, he grasped her hands firmly and stared her straight in her eyes. "I promise, I'll destroy that bastard Naraku if it's the last thing I do."
"KOUGA! GET YOUR FILTHY PAWS OFF OF HER!" Metal scraping could be heard, and soon Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga was jabbed right under Kouga's nose. He'd pushed Kagome aside, of course, so he could glare straight at the wolf.
"Why should I?" Kouga asked, lips pulled back in a sneer.
Soon they were at each other like children. Shouting, pulling each other's hair, a few death threats..those kinds of things. Kagome stood in the background and watched as the two of them fought. Sango patted Kagome's back sympathetically as Inuyasha scratched Kouga's cheek, and soon after the wolf grabbed onto Inuyasha's two silver tresses and tried yanking them off his head. It looked similar to the way Kagome sometimes grabbed onto his hair, usually when she was angry.
Kagome buried her head in her hands and sighed, exasperated. "Here we go again." Miroku simply watched as they fought, a hint of a smirk on his face. Sango glared at him, sending him a warning, probably...
"Cut it, Miroku!" Sango yelled. She knew that look...his oh-so-famous lecherous look. Then there was a loud thud. Inuyasha stopped in the middle of biting Kouga's arm to stare at the two of them curiously. The wolf stopped raking his claws across Inuyasha's haori to follow Inuyasha's gaze. Hakkaku was holding onto Kouga's arm, and Ginta was holding Inuyasha, both trying to restrain them from ripping each other's eyes out. They, too, had their eyes turned towards Sango, who was now fuming. Miroku stood there, now with a large..and rather painful looking...bump on his head. He tried pleading innocently to Sango's back. Kagome sighed again and patted Shippou's head absentmindedly.
"Shouldn't we be focusing on the shards?" Kagome asked quietly. Shippou nodded in agreement. She turned swiftly and started walking down the hall. The protests of Inuyasha and Kouga were heard, and the whole group was soon chasing after Kagome, who was now a ways ahead of them. It wasn't long before she broke out into a run...which was pretty hard with a long kimono instead of her school uniform.
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Naraku watched Kagome carefully in Kanna's mirror. She was certainly stronger and more stubborn than he let on. Well then, he'd just have to make sure the jewel shards weren't purified...
Kagura tapped her fan absentmindedly in her opposite palm. She was purposely staying out of Naraku's way...she didn't particularly want anything to do with his plan, as usual. The only thing she wanted was to get the hell out of there.
She opened and closed her fan once as she watched Naraku stand to retrieve something in the corner of the room. When he came back to the light, he was holding the much larger portion of the Sacred jewel. She could only guess what he was planning to do...
As if he read her mind, Naraku turned, the jewel enclosed tightly in his fist. "As long as I hold the larger half of the jewel...she can't resist me. I have control over her." He smirked in the dimmed light, making him seem all the more menacing and sinister.
Kagura sauntered over to Kanna's mirror and bent down to peer into it. "It doesn't look like you've overpowered her yet," she retorted haughtily. "She seems to be resisting you quite well." At this moment, Kagome was running down the hall with that kit on her shoulder, being chased by Inuyasha and everyone else. Apparently she decided the sword would be somewhat useful, because she was carrying it with her.
Naraku snickered and tossed the jewel from one hand to the other. "Not yet. It's too early," he snapped. "Kagome will be of great use to me, when the time is right." He sat down and crossed his legs.
Kagura sighed and tapped her fan on her shoulder, somewhat impatient. When would the time be right? Naraku was so secretive...
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Kagome closed her eyes to shut out everyone's stares. But they didn't move. She opened one eye and peaked out at Inuyasha. "I can't concentrate...it's not working." Since Naraku held the jewel shard, she only managed to lighten it's aura a shade. She rearranged the long kimono and groaned, irritated. "And it doesn't help that this kimono's so long." Her fingers began tapping on the wood floor, trying to come up with another plan. She blew a strand of hair out of her face that had fallen from the up do. "Anybody have an idea?"
The group had found an empty room and decided to rest there. They all sat on the floor, cross legged, watching Kagome intently. But no one knew what to do, since the jewel shards weren't being purified.
Inuyasha slammed his hands on the floor, making everyone else jump, (even Kouga, though he would never admit it). "This is just great! We can't leave the castle until the jewel shards are removed, so would you hurry it up already?"
Kagome stomped up and clenched her fists at her side. "I've been trying!!!" She started pacing the floor, letting her anger and annoyance flow. "Don't you know that? If you have any smart ideas, I'LL BE GLAD TO HEAR THEM!" Kouga covered his ears and Inuyasha flattened his against his head. Shippou, Miroku and Sango plugged theirs. Kirara curled up in a ball and buried her ears under her paws and tail. Hakkaku and Ginta hid for cover in the corner. Kagome could be really scary sometimes...
Miroku leaned into Sango and used his hand to muffle their whispering. "Maybe the tainted aura of the jewel shards is making her more open to anger." Sango nodded in agreement, and turned to watch Kagome wear a hole in the floor.
Kagome frowned and sat back on the ground. "Inuyasha, sit." A nerve by her mouth twitched and she returned to tapping her fingers on the floor. "Trust you to not have faith in someone," she retorted as Inuyasha crashed face first to the ground.
Miroku winced. "Kagome, maybe you should lower your voice. We're in Naraku's castle, after all, and..."
"I will NOT quiet down!" Kagome jumped up again and crossed her arms. Maybe the jewel shards were affecting her attitude... "Why should I quiet down? Naraku probably knows where we are at this moment anyway!" She began pacing the floor again.
Sango stood up and put an arm around Kagome's shoulder. "We know this is hard on you. But if Naraku doesn't know where we are, shouldn't we should try and keep it a secret?" She mentally sighed in relief when Kagome took a deep breath and sat back on the floor.
Kagome rested her chin in her hand. "We need a new plan..."
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A/N: Yay! Chapter 9 is done! And yes, I admit, Kagome's a little out of character in this chapter, but that's because of the jewel shard's power. I hope you guys don't hate me for that... I'll be sure to update soon, but please review and tell me what you think!
Chapter 10 - A New Plan