Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all related characters are quite obviously owned by Rumiko Takahashi.
A/N: I'm so, so sorry for the late chapter! Just as I was almost finished, we had to reboot our computer. And me, being as forgetful as I am, never loaded the chapter onto my documents. So I had to start all over. ::sigh:: But I'll try to get Chapter 13 up in a few days.
And a little side note: It's hard to control so many characters at once. I'm just not used to it. Let's see...I have Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, Kouga, Hakkaku, Ginta, Naraku, Shiori, Kagura, and Kanna. So forgive me if it seems like I'm leaving any characters out at certain moments. I apologize.
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Chapter 12 - Battle Inside
Kagome opened her eyes carefully, not knowing what to expect when someone roughly opened the door. She immediately sat up straight as her eyes locked on the girl youkai standing in the doorway. The sword being her only source of weaponry, Kagome grabbed its hilt and held it slanted in front of her. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she queried, words slurring as she trembled slightly.
Shiori stepped forward as pretended to examine her claws, feigning boredom. "Naraku asked me personally to come and retrieve you. He wishes to talk to you, and he couldn't let his pride and joy get away, now could he?" She smirked as her eyes glowed with a certain tinge of mischief.
Kagome, found with no other way to go, started inching off the futon slowly. She shuddered when her hand met the cold floor, sending a foreboding chill throughout her whole body. "You're sick! I will never go to Naraku! Last time I did, I had tainted jewel shards lodged in my neck!" Soon Kagome found her arm tangled within her own kimono. She had to take the few extra moments to free herself. 'Time's running out,' she thought to herself flatly.
A flicker of uncertainty passed through Kagome's eyes, and Shiori decided to use that to her advantage. "If Inuyasha was coming, don't you think he should be here already?" she asked gently, almost soothingly, as if she could read Kagome's mind. "Naraku merely wishes to speak with you." She reached her hand out to touch her arm, but Kagome feverishly snapped it away.
The prospect of that was unnerving. 'This is all so complicated. What am I supposed to do? I could go to Naraku, but I may as well be walking into a trap. Kami, why does this have to be so frustrating?!' Kagome sighed deeply and turned her head to the floor. "I'll go," she decided firmly. There was no point in trying to run.
Shiori smiled snidely. "Good. I expect he's awaiting you." She reached her hand out again to grab hold of Kagome's arm. She was completely shocked when her hand began to heat painfully. The miko's aura was swirling defensively around her in a tornado-like fashion. She immediately drew her hand away with a hiss, cradling it gently against her chest. "Wench, what'd you do?!"
Kagome blinked in confused at her arm, searching for a good explanation. Before she found one, a fierce pain exploded her head and traveled down to her toes. She crumpled in a heap to the ground, dropping the sword and furtively reaching towards her neck. The jewel shards were pulsing to the exact time of her heart. The pain was now focused there, burning with every throb. Her aura fluctuated wildly, surrounding her in a protective dome. "Th-the jewel shards," she managed to stammer, black dots dancing in front of her eyes.
But as soon as it came, the pain was gone. Kagome closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. The dots disappeared and left her vision a bit blurred. Nevertheless, she used the wall for support and drew herself to her feet. "I...I don't know what just happened." She raised her eyes to meet Shiori's stunned glare.
Shiori blinked as the burning pain in her hand subsided. 'Hell, she could have purified me.' She smirked dryly to herself, amusing her mind when she thought about how much power the miko had. 'She'll be of great use to Naraku.' With those thoughts lodged in the back of her mind for a later time, she waved her hand in the air. "Let's move it already," she commanded, urging Kagome to follow in her wake. They were headed straight for Naraku.
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Inuyasha rounded another corner, Kouga a few steps ahead of them. Kirara followed close behind with Miroku, Sango, and Shippou on her back. Last, of course, was Ginta and Hakkaku, clearly tired after all the running.
As soon as they came to the next corner, Inuyasha and Kouga were soon in a face-off about which way to go next. Sango sighed heavily as she watched the arguing pair. "Look, you guys, I think we might be lost..."
"WE'RE NOT LOST!" Both dog and wolf shouted in unison. Miroku stared at them blankly, frowning regretfully as they returned to their brawl.
Shippou glared at them. After a few minutes, he jumped off of Kirara and smacked them both upside the head. "If you two don't quit arguing, Naraku's going to find Kagome before we do!" he explained, backing away nervously when Inuyasha started growling.
"Inuyasha, that's enough!" Sango exclaimed, coming to the kit's rescue. She scooped him in her arms and only raised her head to glare at Inuyasha and Kouga. "Shippou's right. For all we know, Naraku may have already found Kagome-chan. And all you can do is sit here and argue about which way to turn!" Once satisfied, she stomped over to Kirara and climbed on her back, settling Shippou down in front of her. Miroku scratched his head, offering a mere shrug when Kouga and Inuyasha turned to him.
Inuyasha raised his nose in the air, frowning when he caught a familiar scent. "Hey, wolf, can you smell that?" He made a face, turning his head this way and that. The stench was mixing with Kagome's...but even her scent was slightly altered. 'Kagome's afraid...dammit, where are you?!'
Kouga nodded, eyes shifting down each of the halls. "It's that damn Shiori," he snarled, hands clenching into fists. Hakkaku and Ginta watched Kouga curiously and began talking quietly with each other.
Realization snapped. Sango turned grim-faced to Kouga, eyes flickering with worry instead of frustration. "We need to find Shiori. Now." Her expression hardened even more when Inuyasha faced her, about to protest. "Naraku most likely sent Shiori after Kagome-chan...so if we find Shiori, she'll lead us straight to Kagome and Naraku."
Miroku nodded his head agreement. "Sango's right. Inuyasha, can you tell where their scents are coming from?" He, too, could sense a disturbing change in the air around them.
Inuyasha gestured down the hallway to the right, which Kouga nodded in approval. They both began running, Kirara along with Sango, Miroku, and Shippou very close behind.
It was eerie. The closer they got to Kagome's scent, the more it seemed to fade. The group turned corner after corner, Inuyasha and Kouga in the lead, of course. Kirara followed them faithfully, being sure to stay very close behind. Sango and Miroku watched carefully ahead on the lookout for anything strange or suspicious. Not until coming before a very large double-doorway do they stop and observe it. From what they could tell, Kagome was inside...but no one moved. "What the hell are we waiting for?" Inuyasha demanded, before gripping the door handle tightly and thrusting it open.
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Kagome watched the only door expectantly, absentmindedly stroking her neck. The pain had long since died down until it had disappeared completely, leaving her very disoriented and slightly agitated.
Naraku had exclaimed that, on instinct, Kagome's miko powers were constantly trying to purify the shards. Alas, when anyone touched her, human and youkai alike, her powers would fluctuate and have her aura swirling protectively around her.
She had remained in this kneeling position quietly, deciding if it was wise to give into Naraku's demand. He had promised that he would do nothing, so she was a bit addled. If he didn't want anything other than to annoy her royally, then why had he summoned her so urgently? But more important yet, why did she actually obey?
'It...it was as if the shards were urging me here, lifting me off my feet and dragging me to Naraku. It felt like he was calling to me, and I had no say in what I was doing.' She couldn't remember what she was thinking earlier when her instincts told her to follow Shiori. Regretfully, she buried her face in her hands and sighed deeply. 'I hope Inuyasha's here soon. He won't be happy, I can say that much.'
Kagome snapped back to attention when she felt the presence of other jewel shards. Not Naraku's, because this presence was outside the room. There were two...After a few moments of contemplation, she let a small smile form on her face. The smile only got wider as the door was thrust open, and Inuyasha and Kouga stepped in.
She leapt joyously to her feet, about to go and greet her friends. She was, however, held back. Naraku had grabbed onto her wrist, reluctantly forcing her to stay in that spot. "How come...why aren't the shards reacting?"
Naraku laughed, all but tightening his grip on her wrist. "Kagome, I hold the larger portion of the jewel. Since I am controlling the shards in your neck, I am clearly not affected by your powers," he explained flatly, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
Inuyasha frowned, eyes shifting from Kagome to Naraku. "Let go of her right now, Naraku, before I have to cut your arm off," he demanded cooly, lowering his sword only slightly.
The moment the grip on her wrist was released, Kagome ran towards her missed companions. She stopped in front of Inuyasha, glancing expectantly up at him. "Inuyasha...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run..." She lowered her head, ashamed but at the same time overjoyed that they finally came.
Sango stepped forward as she reached her hand out, before Kagome abruptly swatted her hand away. "Kagome-chan, what's going on?" Even Inuyasha and Kouga were staring with genuine interest at Kagome's change in behavior.
"It...it's the jewel shards. My body's trying to purify them, so whenever someone touches me...they sort of...get shocked," Kagome explained hastily. "I-I don't know what to do." A single tear rolled down her face as she turned to glare fiercly at Naraku, attitude brusquely changing. "Take the jewel shards out this minute, Naraku. I'm sick of playing your little games."
Naraku snickered, snidely rising to his feet. "Why? I don't feel the need. You don't have your bow and arrows, and Inuyasha is not able to beat me using the Tetsusaiga." He smirked as he caught the outraged expression pass on many of their faces, driving Kagome off the deep end.
"You're a coward, Naraku! Hiding behind your closed doors and refusing to fight anyone." Kagome took a tentative step forward, her actions hidden under the long skirt of her kimono. "You're a coward and you know it," she concluded. Her voice was tinged with anger and hidden hurt.
Before anyone could blink, Naraku had appeared in front of Kagome. The front of her kimono was bunched in his grasp, lifting her off of her feet. She struggled valiantly, tearing at his hands with her nails. "Let...go of me!" she demanded furiously. As she said this, her own pinkish aura had forced Naraku to the ground, and she was immediately returned to her feet. She gazed downwards, frowning at what she had just done. When she turned to the group, they were staring at her blankly. "D-did I do that?"
Sango and Miroku nodded blankly, but Inuyasha had snapped out of his awed state. He held the blade of the Tetsusaiga inches from Naraku's throat. "That's what you get, Naraku. Now take the shards out before I slit open your throat."
Naraku chuckled while he sat up, much to Inuyasha's annoyance. "What's so damn funny?" he demanded, jetting his sword out another inch forward.
"You forget so easily. I have a hold on Kagome that you cannot reach," Naraku chided, drawing himself to a standing position. His hand clenched to a fist, and instantaneously there was a scream behind him.
Kagome had fallen to her knees, clawing at her neck madly. "I-Inuyasha..." That was all she managed to choke out as Sango kneeled by her, trying to figure how to calm her down if she couldn't touch her. Inuyasha pushed her aside, crouching down by Kagome's distressed form. His hands wandered aimlessly as Kouga snapped threats at Naraku, none of which seemed to intimidate him in the least. "It-it's the shards. Naraku's doing this..."
Inuyasha backed away as her aura began to fluctuate. Tears were flowing down her face, making Inuyasha feel worse than before. He wanted so desperately to calm her, hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright. But he couldn't even get close without being shocked painfully. He turned his contorted face back to Naraku. If not for the Tetsusaiga, he would have transformed into a full-blooded youkai.
"You did this, you bastard!" He motioned for Sango to kneel by her side and started wondering if there was a way they could coax her out of her current state... "I've had just about of this, Naraku. I'm sick of you toying with Kagome like this. You'd better take the damn jewel shards out before I rip you to shreds." His claws flexed dangerously and knuckles cracked responsively.
Naraku waved his hand lazily in the air. "You're empty threats mean nothing to me. I suggest you pay more attention to the girl if you don't want her to die." He smirked at the concerned look passing across the hanyou's face as he turned to glance at Kagome.
She was pressing the heels of her hands to her temples, bending over in her kneeling position. He could barely catch the sound of her incoherent words. She seemed so...helpless and pained. That was what drove them all up the wall.
Sango continuously tried speaking to her friend, as did Shippou and Miroku. But they doubted she could hear them. She was doubled over in pain now, rhythmically rocking back and forth on her knees. She became so distressed and eventually stopped talking to her, merely sinking into Miroku's arms. "I don't know what else to do...it's like she's shut us out."
Eventually, Kagome's aura faded. They had thought the pain had finally stopped, before she slumped forward on the cold floor. Her face had turned a ghostly white, accenting greatly with her raven-black hair. Inuyasha forgot Naraku for the moment, spinning around again to find her unconscious on the floor. He refrained from touching her, however.
Naraku turned around, smirking as she finally backed down. "Kagome's been fighting over control of the shards, but as you can see, she failed." He began walking back to the place he was sitting when Inuyasha had first arrived. He said no more.
Inuyasha slammed his fist through the floor, right out of frustration. "Dammit, Naraku!" He leaned forward, tempted greatly to pull Kagome into his lap. "You can fight this Kagome. You can't let Naraku win," he urged quietly.
Kouga paced the room aimlessly, growling lowly to himself and making death threats to Naraku. Hakkaku and Ginta kneeled down a ways from Kagome, waiting patiently for her to wake up. Miroku and Sango did that same, and Shippou was running around before Sango pulled him into her lap. "Kagome-chan's going to be fine, Shippou."
Inuyasha scowled, turning his face away from Kagome's still and lifeless form. 'She has to be. I just hope...it's not too late.'
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A/N: I hoped you liked that chapter. Personally, I didn't think it was that great. I'll update as soon as I can (promise this time). ::heavy sigh:: Ah, well, now that that's finished, I'll go.Please review and tell me what you think!
Hmm, I don't know what the next chapter's going to be called. Guess it'll be a surprise.