Sorry about the wait, I've been busy lately. But sadly, I still don't own Inuyasha.
Chapter 10: The Wicked Witch and the West
The wind swept through Kagura's crow-black hair as she flew on her fluffy white feather. She couldn't unglue the smile from her face. She'd finally done it. After all this time, she had finally freed herself from Naraku. Too bad for Kikyo that it was at her expense. The scary dead priestess was finally gone too. Neither of them could have survived the pressure from the depths when she escaped through her windy portal. They should both look like pancakes now, frying on the on the black lava furnace.
It was too bad that her wind had not finished Naraku off. Kagura had initially tried to hit him with her dance of blades, but only succeeded in ripping the roof open. Still it had been a hard guess as to where Naraku was lurking up there with the dead priestess. The fact that she had almost hit Kikyo just made it look more like she was helping Naraku. But it didn't matter now. They were both finished. Kagura relished the thought.
The ocean waves shimmered in the starlight far below her. It was a beautiful crisp night. Only a small salty breeze accompanied her. Kagura lifted one hand to meet the left side of her chest. The ends of her lips curled up, relieved. Her finger tips pulsed under the lub dup of her heart beat. Her flesh was warm in the calm atmosphere. The world was at peace, as it should be now that Naraku was gone. She gazed behind her. The remnants of her burst of freedom were being smudged away by the gentle breeze. It saddened her to see her symbol of liberation erased forever. She sighed.
Her attention returned to the future; Kagura looked ahead of her. Land was below her. A vast green plain unfolded from past the morning sea mist. Kagura swept down to the grassy floor and hopped off her feather. It floated into her outstretched hand and she inserted it into her hair.
She was in a beautiful field of flowers. Their heads playfully bobbed backward and forward, knocking delicately against her thighs. She paced forward, shifting her gaze this way and that. Her eyes probed and searched. I saw them here. They are not far off.
This was her secret, one of many that she happily hid from Naraku. She knew that at one point, there had been sacred jewel shards hidden in a rock somewhere in this field. She had chanced witnessing a great rocky demon battle another. The idiot's combined forces had broken them to bits, leaving the jewel shards buried in one of them. At the time, Kagura decided not to linger. If Naraku ever found out what she had seen or discovered her hoarding jewel shards, she didn't want to think of what would have happened. But now she was free. Now it was time to reap the rewards of all too painfully sown patience.
Kagura cautiously proceeded forward, still searching for the crumpled rock formation. The rock should have stifled the jewels powers for a while. Hopefully they would be where she left them.
Suddenly sifting through the ubiquitous layers of green stems, lavender petals, and sunny pollen, Kagura's eyes fell upon something that was not a plant at all. She froze. Her cinnamon eyes locked on a small human girl. Apparently the child had not expected to see her either because she exchanged the same surprised stare.
Silence buzzed through the pasture as the honey bees carried on with their duties. An irritated nasal male voice broke through the women's awkward situation.
"RIN!" Jaken's staff jutted through the floral undergrowth as he blazed a trail through the vegetation. He was headed straight for them.
"Rin! Where are you, you meandering fool?" Jaken's voice was annoyed and anxious, "Lord Sesshomaru will have my head if you get lost. And it will be all your fault!" The wrinkled old toad paused and muttered to himself angrily as he decided which way to go next. However, upon catching a glimpse Rin's own path through the brush, rushed onto the scene.
"Rin! How dare you run off on me like that. Don't you know it's not safe? I could get in serious trouble. What on earth is the matter with y—" Jaken's scolding ended abruptly. He gasped as he finally realized what, or more like who, Rin was gaping at.
"Master Jaken," Rin peeped, "what do we..."
"Stand behind me quickly Rin! Hurry!" Jaken yelled. Kagura's thin brows slanted down in exasperation.
"Ugh," Kagura groaned absently while rolling her eyes, "Look, I didn't—" But her words were cut off by a blast of flame that issued from Jaken's staff. She scampered clumsily aside. Her attire wisped smoke, but was not afire.
"Oh you pathetic little worm," she hissed venomously, "you'll regret your foolishness." Her red eyes blazed sinisterly. Her petite lips curled down in malice. Kagura was thoroughly provoked.
"Run away Rin. Run to safety!" Jaken ordered desperately. Rin whimpered in fear as Kagura stood to her full height. Kagura collected herself and tried to replace her dignity. She strutted menacingly toward Jaken.
"Run you fool," Jaken instructed Rin. Rin pulled herself up, gave a last sad glance to her imp protector, and started to dart back where she came.
"Begone witch!" Jaken cried, "Staff of two heads!" But Kagura, with a graceful wave of her fan, banished the flames and they died midair. Her eyes were seething as she sneered at him.
"You're quite a nuisance." Kagura's voice was dangerously calm. She snapped her fan open before her mouth. Jaken's mouth was agape. His only weapon had failed. He stepped back and tripped, falling on his butt.
"Master Jaken!" Rin called as she turned to return to the helpless old man. Jaken couldn't manage to say anything. Rin reached Jaken's side and she tried futilely to drag him away. Jaken, roused by the tugging and shoving jerks from Rin, pushed her back with one arm and stood up.
He glared at Kagura angrily. She condescendingly sneered down her nose at him. His eyebrows furrowed determinedly. He gripped his staff tightly. It was parallel with the ground. A mischievous look, crawled up his face.
"Take this! Hahahaha!" Jaken's cockiness echoed in his voice. Another burst of flame rippled out of his strategically placed, horizontal staff and lauched at the ground before Kagura's feet.
"Ha," Kagura huffed. She batted it back at him, barbequing him where he stood. His swampy amphibious form was reduced to a charred black coal with little fried appendages, grasping a large shish kabob staff. Kagura laughed to herself. He looked like something one might find in a very dingy outdoor Chinese market; he smelled like one too. She lifted her fan to her face, protecting her petite nose.
Rin screamed. Master Jaken had just been roasted to a crisp with his own flames. The blaze had almost scorched her too, in fact, she didn't know why it missed. She lifted a finger to poke Jaken. He was sizzling. She cringed. Ewwww.
Jaken, who was first too shocked to express his pain and then too proud to, let out a wail when Rin prodded him.His yellow ostrich egg eyes were the only not smoldered surface on his toasted body. He cried and howled, waving his arms, then screaming at the pain caused by moving his baked flesh. Rin watched as he ran in circles, a small grey trail of smoke trailing him.
Kagura was amused by Jaken's pathetic antics. She just stood there with her body relaxed while she watched him drag his butt through the flowers, trying to extinguish the flame he aroused from running, his still flammable body, in circles.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Hot, hot, HOT!" Jaken screamed. The small flames jumped excitedly from his behind to his shoulders, one even pounced on his head. Jaken got up and started running blindly for water.
Kagura gazed at him with a subtle entertained grin as he fled from the flames and galloped straight toward her. He flew at her like a rampaging pigmy. She batted him straight backwards with her fan, then tapped it thoughtfully to her chin. Jaken hurtled into the ground. Dirt flew everywhere as he plummeted to earth like a comet. He slowly raised himself on his elbows. He wearily opened his eyes. He was smoking, but the flames were vanquished. Rin ran giggling over to him. He glared at her as she plunked next to him. She looked at him with her animated chocolate eyes and thoughtfully licked her thumb and pointer finger. She pinched out a flame on his forehead and giggled at him.
"You alright now, Master Jaken?" Rin stated more than asked. The resentment never left Jaken's eyes. He growled a "yes" and struggled up on his haunches. Rin helped him sweep the soot off his incinerated garments. He'd live.
"I don't think Kagura's here to fight, Master Jaken. She just startled me that's all." Jaken gave Rin an are-you-an-idiot look. She smiled understandingly back at him. "I know what you think, but I don't think she would have done anything if you hadn't attacked her first." Jaken just grumbled at her. He decided she was beyond his reasoning. Poor little fool. No wonder Lord Sesshomaru had to have someone watch over her all the time.
Kagura stood and stared blankly at the two underlings for a minute. So this is what she did with the first few minutes of her freedom. She hoped the little toad had finally learned his lesson about barking at and challenging her. So what if had spared him a few more agonizing minutes of consuming flames. He owed her.
It had boggled her before why Sesshomaru kept such worthless beings around him, but she thought she understood now. The world gets awful tiresome if all you do is keep company with the same kind of people as you. Perhaps that is why she despised Naraku so much, beyond his maniacal and controlling influence over her.
Kagura made to leave, but as she turned she came face to face with Sesshomaru. He was within an arms length. She gasped and clutched her heart as she retreated a step backwards.
"Sesshomaru!" Kagura's eyes were wide. He had scared her so bad that she thought her heart stopped. He just stood there staring at her indifferently with the breeze tugging gently at his hair and clothes. She couldn't think of anything to do but breathe.
"Lord Sesshomaru!" An exhilarated child cried. She dumped Jaken and sped over to her lord. He eyed her as she approached, grinning fiercely. "You've returned! Jaken is a bit crisp today, my Lord." Sesshomaru did not react, but only gazed vacantly at the girl. Jaken came teetering over and bowed.
"I am glad you are back, my Lord." Jaken greeted his master.
Kagura observed the exchange, but was not fooled by Sesshomaru's serene appearance. She had witnessed the demon lord change moods as fast as a manic depressant, though he didn't usually shift from true extremes. There weren't many extreme emotions when it came to Sesshomaru, or so she had seen.
She still had her fan close to her face. She opened it only a tiny bit. One feather, from the arrangement in her hair, fell inconspicuously down into her other hand that was waiting behind her back. She twirled it between her fingers.
"Tell me what is your purpose here?" Kagura's eyes slid up to Sesshomaru's emotionless expression.
"Freedom" She grinned releasing some anxiety. He just stared at her.
"I already told you, if you don't have the nerve to fight Naraku on your own, don't ask for help." His voice was cold. It was the same as last time. Except the rant that boiled her head over last time did not even contort her face. Her grin merely widened as she looked down at the flowers. Her eyes slowly traced up to his face.
"Precisely..." She savored the word. She revealed the feather and brought it up before her. The breeze picked up and she combed through her hair and the feather. "See you later, Sesshomaru." She let the feather sweep up into the air. With a gentle salty gust, Kagura was soaring off again. Sesshomaru watched her leave. His saffron eyes showing the slightest hint of interest.
Sesshomaru considered the implications of Kagura's words. She was not capable of defeating Naraku, but judging by what she just said, did she try? More imporantly, was Naraku dead? Sesshomaru's trip to the beach suggested that Naraku had either changed castles or was on the move. Naraku only ever let his aura linger in such inconspicuous ways when he really didn't want to be noticed. Whatever he was plotting was unfolding. Even if Kagura's visit was just a trap to get Sesshomaru to come, he was going to uproot Naraku's plans.
"Umm... Milord?" Jaken tried to reach his distant master.
"Take a bath, Jaken." Sesshomaru trekked through the field. Rin giggled and quickly jumped instep with her guardian.
"Uhh...Yes, milord." Jaken trailed the two sullenly.