Summary: Her Purity revised! Knowing the end was near, Naraku kidnaps and rapes Kagome, leaving her terrified of men, including Inuyasha. With this knowledge, Inuyasha tries to help her, but what happens when her condition only gets worse?
Notes: Her Purity revised.
Chapter Seven: Fury
Rating: M

The Crown Jewel

"Split up! Search the outer premises of the castle, but don't enter it! If you find Naraku, do not try to take him on yourself—wait for the rest of the pack!" Koga's orders rang loudly around the huge mass of wolves and demons, all of whom nodded in agreement before setting off. Koga himself watched them scatter, his eyes narrowing considerably as the warriors scaled the huge desolate land. Beside him, Ayame sniffed about, her tail between her legs. He heaved a loud breath as he glanced at her. "Are you ready for this?"

Ayame jumped at the sound of his voice. She hesitated, but said firmly, "Yes."

Koga turned away, but continued to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "We'll lose many members of the pack," he said softly. He felt her shudder beside him.

"I know," she whispered. Her posture straightened out and her voice hardened. "But so do they. They know what they're getting themselves into."

"You might die, too," Koga warned. Ayame didn't answer for a minute and continued to gaze at their comrades.

"Naraku is your enemy," she stated. "Therefore, he's my enemy, too."

Koga's expression became one akin to surprise, but he nodded his head and took off. His pack knew what to do, and if there was any trouble, Ayame would lead them in his place. He smirked grimly. He came to the destroyed corridor where he saw Inuyasha and his pack disappear and hurriedly ran inside, his intent on finding Kagome growing by the minute. He paused to try and catch her scent and frowned when he couldn't. Instead, he smelt the distinct scent of the two humans that the mutt traveled with, along with the cat demon and a new scent that he quickly recognized as the fox cub. He continued forward, following their scents until they nearly collided around the corner of a hall.

"Koga!" Sango gasped. She subconsciously hugged Shippo tighter to her, not noticing as he tried to curl around her upper body. Koga opened his mouth, but closed it, a confused expression on his face. He took a step closer and sniffed them, his nose lingering a bit on Shippo before pulling away.

"You were with Sesshomaru?" he asked questioningly.

"He just left to find Inuyasha, I think," Miroku said. Koga felt slightly relieved. Inuyasha's scent was already fading, so it would be harder for him to track. If Sesshomaru went to look for him, then his scent would be fresh and easy to follow. Miroku seemed to read what was going through the wolf's mind, for he said, "He didn't want us to follow him. I'm not sure why, but he indicated that we stay behind while he looked for them."

Sango felt her breath hitch. She had also known what Sesshomaru had hinted when he looked at them, but hearing it in words—the way Miroku said it made the situation seem much more real to her. Why did Sesshomaru not want them to go along with him? Why did he not want them to follow the path that they knew Kagome was on? Sango wondered if something terrible had happened. Though Shippo had said earlier that Kagome was screaming when she was with Naraku, the fact didn't register in her brain until now. Something happened to Kagome—something that Sesshomaru didn't want them to know about—at least, not now. But Inuyasha—if he found her, he would be able to take care of her, right? Sango looked around to Miroku and realized that the same thoughts must have been running through his head, for the expression he wore was one of worry and bitterness.

"Should we go back?" Sango asked hurriedly. Before Miroku could answer, she spun around, Hiraikotsu already clutched in her hands, but Miroku held her arm tightly.

"No," he said strongly. "Whatever happened to Kagome, Inuyasha will be able to take care of it. For now, we should find a way to lure Naraku out of the castle—"

"I've already told my pack to expect you," Koga informed. He turned tail and was about to head down the rest of the corridor, but Sango's voice held him back.

"Sesshomaru didn't want us to go down there, Koga! I think you should stay with us for now."

But Koga snarled at her. "Kagome is my woman," he spat suddenly. "And I'll be damned if I leave her with the weak mutt! He's the reason she's here in the first place!" And with that, Koga took off down the hall, leaving Sango and Miroku in the dust. Kirara growled at them and nudged Sango's thigh. She jumped, but patted Kirara on the nose before making her way out of the castle with Miroku and Shippo trailing behind her.

When Koga came to the fork in the middle of the corridor, he stopped and sniffed as he had never sniffed before. He pulled back, confusion and anger evident on his face as he realized that Sesshomaru's scent was trailing down both hallways. He scented again, making sure to check both halls before coming to a decision; the dog demons scent was stronger down the left path, so Koga hurried down the hall, his feet pounding loudly on the wooden floors. It was then that he came to another obstacle. The hall split in two again, but Koga quickly deduced that Sesshomaru's scent was stronger in the hall that curved to the left and followed it, hoping that the older demon wouldn't lead him in a giant circle. He ran for a long while after that, a snarl pulling on his face in his impatience until he finally came to a long set of stairs aligned with tall pillars. He realized that Sesshomaru's scent was strongest around here and treaded softly, a frown appearing on his features when he could not smell Kagome or Inuyasha. Instead, a scent so familiar in its wickedness wafted by his nose and Koga's rage suddenly reared on end. He skipped the stairs and jumped, landing behind the Lord of the West, who was shielding none other than the murderer of half of his tribe.

oOo

Kagura sat panting on the ground, a dark purple gas flowing from a large hole in her chest. Sesshomaru eyed her, the stoic expression on his face never changing as her blood soaked the floor around her and pooled around his feet. His hand rested thoughtfully over Tenseiga, but the sword gave no indication that it could save the demon. Sesshomaru's hand clenched tightly around the hilt as the realization hit him. Kagura would die, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He pointedly ignored the wolf demon as he arrived behind him, but he could smell the rage seeping off the wolf; it filled the room, changing the atmosphere into one of preparation for battle. Sesshomaru's hand lifted, ghosting over Tenseiga before resting lightly on Tokijin, but he did not pull the powerful sword from its sheath. He turned slowly to face the raging demon, his expression of indifference changing into one of great annoyance. Kagura needed his attention and he did not want her death to be more painful than it had to be.

However, before either demon could say a word, a loud ruckus from outside the castle disrupted their silent dispute. There was suddenly a lot of screaming and cries of pain; the sounds of destruction caught Koga's attention immediately. He took a step towards the door and paused as Kagura came back within his line of sight. He growled and redirected his path towards her, but Sesshomaru stood as a shield in front of the wounded female. Koga paused, his eyes shifting from Kagura to Sesshomaru, a conflicted expression on his face. A growl forced itself from his throat, the thought of his fallen comrades tugging at the back of his mind; he still had to avenge them. His mind set, Koga stepped forward threateningly, but before he knew what had happened, Sesshomaru drew Tokijin and the sword shot powerful, dark energy at him in the form of long, sharp needles. He was thrown against the opposite wall with a grunt of pain as the needles dug deeply into his limbs. They disintegrated before he could register where they had hit him and he quickly crouched to the ground to regain his composure, not realizing that the jewel shard in his right arm had popped out.

Koga assessed the demon, debating whether he should help his comrades outside or stay and fight, but his decision became painfully clear in the end. Sesshomaru was much too powerful for the wolf prince to handle. Averting his eyes, Koga wiped the snarl from his lips and bound away down the corridor and back out of the castle as Sesshomaru sheathed Tokijin. The dog demon let his eyes linger briefly on the wolf's exit before they shifted downward toward the shiny, pink shard on the ground. He picked it up and examined it closely before looking at Kagura, whose head had fallen back to the wall so she could gaze up at him. The jewel shard was clenched tightly within his fist, but remained the color of a bright pink; untainted.

"Why?" Her voice came out hoarse and she soon coughed up blood after her question. Sesshomaru remained silent as he stalked towards her and bent to his knees. Ever so slowly, he curved Kagura over his arms and picked her up, his chest tightening as her last breath gave way to the wind.

oOo

Inuyasha was beginning to pant. After he had left Miroku and Sango to find Shippo, he had been sprinting all around the castle to try and find Kagome, but he felt like he had been running around in circles. He had picked up Naraku's scent more than once, but refrained from following it, wanting to find Kagome first and not knowing that the stench of the foul half-demon could lead straight to her. He also came across Sesshomaru's scent multiple times. He had followed it briefly, but stopped when he realized that he was backtracking down to the fork where he left his companions. Getting frustrated, Inuyasha had to resist the urge to pull out Tetsusaiga and blow the castle to pieces, but he couldn't risk Kagome getting hurt. He wondered down a corridor and thought briefly if he had been down this one before, but assumed he had as Naraku's stench was trailing faintly down it. Inuyasha gave up then and decided to follow the scent, hoping that it would somehow lead to Kagome and not knowing that his worst nightmare lied at the end of the hall.

It wasn't long before he finally began to smell her; Kagome. Inuyasha breathed deeply, something in his chest seeming to lift until he caught something in her scent that had his eyes snap open in complete shock. He paused, wondering if what he had smelt was true before trudging onward, the scent of death growing and growing with each step. His breath quickened as the scent became stronger; there was something about the air around him that screamed for him to turn around and walk away, but his denial got the best of him and pushed him forward until he came to a set of sliding shoji doors. His breathing now painfully fast, Inuyasha's hand rested over the handle, but fell back to his side as he pressed his back against the opposite wall. Kagome's scent, mingled with the scent of death, was filtering powerfully through the cracks of the door, but along with it was a scent that Inuyasha didn't recognize until he identified it as lust. A powerful feeling surged in Inuyasha; he felt his eyes begin to turn red, and the jagged stripes burn onto his cheeks, and his fangs and claws lengthened. He gripped Tetsusaiga with one hand, the other, shaky and hesitant, slid the door open before he could even register what it was doing. The odor of death hit him head on and Inuyasha fell to the floor, his eyes resting solely on the face of his deceased mate.

Inuyasha held his breath, his eyes not blinking as disbelief flooded his system. He was dreaming. He had to be. Multiple times he had nightmares of where he had not arrived in time and Kagome had been killed; in the end, when he woke up, she was perfectly fine and healthy. This was just another one of those dreams. Now all he had to do was wake up.

But nothing had smelled more like death in this moment; nothing had felt so real. Not having the strength to get to his feet, Inuyasha crawled on his hands and knees into the dark room, his eyes never leaving Kagome's face, nor ever blinking. When he reached her, his hand automatically preceded him to caress her face, but he hesitated. His hand was shaking violently by the time that he decided to press it to her skin, but he withdrew it quickly; her skin, what was once so warm and colored, was now pale and cool, the warmth just leaving her body. He sat back on his haunches, staring at his hand before Kagome, and then to the robe that he was vaguely familiar to him. His hand twitched, and his nose suddenly reminded him of the lust, the taint, that he had smelled before. That particular scent was more powerful than ever, a standing reminder that he had failed. Gulping, Inuyasha slowly lifted the robe away from Kagome's body, his eyes widening in horror at the multiple bruises, cuts and slashes he found adorning her naked body. He dropped the cloth as his breathing became labored again. He drew back his hands to frame his face, covering his eyes just slightly so he couldn't see her before his head fell back and he howled, his claws decimating the wooden floor under him. He bent over her, his body curling into hers as his screams of emotional pain overcame him.

Tetsusaiga pulsed wildly by his side and Inuyasha's hands sought it out, clenching the hilt as if it were a lifeline that he could use to call back Kagome. His eyes bled red in his agony, his fangs lengthening to the point that they cut into his lower lip painfully, but Tetsusaiga only pulsed in his hands, doing nothing to prevent his transformation. His pain was too great for the sword to control, but it seemed to understand that his transformation was not a result of his threatened life, but for justice; vengeance of a lover. Still clutching Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha's transformation exceeded that of just a full demon, and he welcomed it, hoping—pleading that his rage would overcome the pain, that his conscience would slip away and he would become a mindless killer. But nothing ever worked out the way he wanted it. The aroma of Kagome's death was imprinted into his memory and he fed off of it, using his pain as a catalyst to fuel his rage.

Hunching over, he wailed as he felt his bones shift underneath his skin. His body slowly grew larger and larger until the wooden floors creaked and moaned under his weight. Fur sprouted from his body, a silky silver of thick tresses that covered him entirely. His fangs lengthened, his claws sharpened and his eyes, once a determined gold, were now blood red and held the promise of death. His clothes had melded into his body during the transformation, but Inuyasha still held Tetsusaiga between his teeth; the sword was so tiny that he could have crushed it with his fangs easily, but Inuyasha set it down next to his mates head and stood to his full height, his true demon easily tearing the roof above him to pieces.

With his mind set and head clear, Inuyasha roared.

oOo

"Something's… off." Sango's voiced trembled slightly as she spoke, her hands gripping Hiraikotsu tightly. Beside her, Miroku nodded in agreement, his hands clenching his staff. Something waved over his face and he grumbled in irritation; his bandages had been loose ever since they arrived at the castle. Reaching up, he pulled at them, ripping them from his head. Sango gasped and reprimanded him; his head wound wasn't completely healed yet, but Miroku waved her aside and threw the bandages to the ground before looking up. The wrappings had concealed one of his eyes and he could now see with both. Koga's wolves were scattered all over the horizon. Miroku wondered briefly how many there were, but it looked like too many to count.

"W—What do you mean?" Shippo asked. They both turned to face the young demon, who was situated on Kirara's back. Sango bit her lip in worry; she didn't want Shippo to be anywhere the fight today, but looking around, there was absolutely no safe place to hide him. They were on Naraku's territory now, and any place could be dangerous. Miroku seemed to read her mind, for he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Neither of them answered his question but turned back around, their eyes scanning the desolate land.

"It's just that something feels different," Sango continued in a whispered voice. "Where's Naraku? Why is this taking so long?"

"I don't know, but I feel it, too," Miroku admitted. His eyebrows contracted. The only thing they've been hearing for what felt like hours were the howls and yelps of the many wolves that were circling the land, but other than that, everything had been too quiet. Miroku lifted his eyes and scanned the horizon again; they narrowed as he caught something peculiar in the distance. What looked like large, oddly colored storm clouds were floating over the distant mountains towards them. Sango noticed them too, he realized, but she also seemed to observe something about them that had her pulling Hiraikotsu in front of her. Before Miroku could say a word, Sango sprinted away towards the clouds, her hair whipping around as she searched for Ayame. He was set to follow her, but stopped; a massive aura of negative energy warped around the land and Miroku realized quickly that what he thought to be storm clouds was actually a huge mass of demons that he deduced Naraku had spawned. Feeling his muscles tighten, Miroku sprinted after Sango, one hand clenched tightly around his staff and the other around his prayer beads. Looking around, he noticed that there were no Saimyoushou to disrupt his Wind Tunnel, and hurriedly prepared himself for battle.

When Sango reached Ayame, she didn't hesitate to point out the thousands of demons headed their way. Ayame looked shocked at how many there were, but nodded to Sango, a set expression on her face. In a flurry of howls and yips, she pointed out to the rest of her pack the demons and they gathered around each other, waiting. When Sango returned to Miroku's side, she couldn't help but feel anxious, yet strangely excited.

"This is it," she whispered, a frown pulling on the small smirk she wore. "I can feel it, Miroku." But instead of agreeing, Miroku slowly took his hand in hers. Surprised, Sango turned to him, temporarily ignoring the mass of demons to look him in the eye.

"Be careful, Sango," Miroku said softly. He had a very serious expression on his face. Sango stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide. The circumstances had suddenly become much more real to her. This is it; their final chance—the last moment to avenge their loved ones and make things right again. This would be the toughest battle they would ever fight; she could die at any moment, and that was a startling realization. Her face grim, Sango nodded. Just like always, she would fight without any fears or regrets.

When the demons arrived, Sango and Miroku charged them together, their hands still intertwined.

Ah, Sango and Miroku; probably the most passionate couple of the series, haha. I was seriously debating whether I should have made Inuyasha just transform into his regular full demon, and not the giant dog; I think it's kind of weird—but what do you think? It kinda makes the story more dramatic, yeah? So I did it anyway :D.

Kagura died! Nooo! But what is Sesshomaru up to? Just have to wait until next time! Sorry this took so long. I don't even know why I'm posting this right now, since I have finals this week and need to cram, but I guess I need something to take my mind off of things… help me relax. Well, not to mention I had a lot of time yesterday since I was supremely sick and had to stay home from school! Oh well!

Thanks for reading! Review please!

~Miyopiyo