Chapter 4

Naraku : Disaster

ATTN: Kikyo is with Sesshoumaru because my friend ... kind of requested it...

Sorry about the weird page break-things everywhere...

Inuyasha and Kagome were silent as they sat in Kagome's old room. Each was thinking his own thoughts. Kagome remembered a time when they were still collecting Shikon no kakera and the adventures they had, especially the events which had happened in her own world such as the soul-piper incident and the mask incident. She felt she belonged more in this world then in the feudal era, in Sengoku Jidai, but she supposed that she could make Inuyasha go to her world.

Inuyasha thought of all that had happened so far. He took a deep breath. He knew Kagome was thinking that she fit in more in her own world and he couldn't agree more. Kagome's over enthusiasm at getting 'normal' clothes to wear was too obvious. Heiwa hadn't cared for such things though and so had stayed in her kimono, of which Inuyasha was somewhat glad. He felt ashamed of these thoughts though. He loved Kagome. He knew that, he didn't want to give her up. She may belong in that world, yet he didn't want her to return to her true time because he… was…. SELFISH. 'At least I have Heiwa, right?' he thought, disgusted with himself. She settled down in the corner and fell asleep.

Midoriko and Kikyo's eyes widened as they looked at the bubble of fluid which floated above the tranquil lake. Inside was Naraku's head and a lump with the spider scar on it. It beat with a pulse gently.

There was a noise in the corner and they turned quickly, alert. Scuttling sounds, yet… suddenly the hoards of youkai attacked the two mikos. Kikyo readied her bow but Midorkio put up her hand, chanting.

"Unaharuna noigehisuhi chumajuhenda" The youkai froze in the air and began to deteriorate rapidly as they hit the ground, dead, their powers draining from their bodies.

There was a beat from Naraku and Midoriko and Kikyo turned around quickly.

"Midoriko-sama! Kikyo!" Shippo and Kirara yelled from the other side of the bubble. "I think he's waking up!"

Midoriko frowned as the head of Naraku stirred. What? She had a sudden thought.

"What if Naraku absorbed the powers which I just removed from those youkai?" she said aloud, somewhat ashamed.

"What?" Kikyo said, voice calm yet confusion showed on her face. "But that power was purified and dispelled wasn't it? I saw it!"

"I don't know what happened." Midoriko said eventually. "I should have been more careful though, I knew we weren't dealing with a normal youkai and I should have used a different spell."

Before Midoriko could say another word, the bubble began to rock. Limbs began to reform themselves and the bubble suddenly burst, spraying everyone with miasma. Miasma? Where did it come from? Shippo and Kirara whimpered in pain as Kikyo and Midoriko tried to keep up their barriers, trying to block out the miasma. As the miasma cleared, Naraku was gone.

As Midoriko and Kikyo trudged back to the village, quite beaten up and exhausted, on the backs of Kirara and Shippo, who were exhausted and injured themselves, they saw Kaede, Kikyo's sister, and Ran surrounded by townspeople. Ran turned when she sensed them come close and shook Kaede's shoulder.

"Kikyo-oneesama!" Kaede yelled. She stared at their beaten up state. "What happened?"

"Just a little bit of trouble with youkai." Kikyo said calmly, pushing herself upright and getting off the tired Shippo. At that moment, Sesshoumaru appeared. He frowned slightly.

"What happened?" he asked, echoing Kaede. "I feel a great evil aura again… similar to that of Naraku."

Kikyo grinned wryly, "You aren't half wrong…"

Inuyasha woke the next morning to find that Kagome was gone. He even fell asleep? He was somewhat amazed at that, he didn't think that he would have ever been able to fall asleep, but there you go…

He got up from where he sat and heard yelling from downstairs.

"Souta! That's not where I told you to put that pot!"

"Sorry, oneesan!"

Inuyasha smiled to himself. He suddenly felt something which he hadn't felt in along time though and frowned. He had to go somewhere. He had to find out something. Inuyasha opened the window and leapt outside, on his way to the well house as there was a knock on the door.

Kaede and Ran were horrified at their story. Naraku was possibly back? Their world would be chaos once more!

Sesshoumaru on the other hand did not seemed very concerned. Kikyo suspected however, like her, he had assumed he would be back anyway and so hadn't been very surprised. Kikyo wasn't surprised that he was back, but more surprised at how weak she had been that she hadn't been able to do anything to stop Naraku and had possibly even helped him.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she realized more townspeople were gathering around them.

"Midoriko-dono, Kikyo-sama, Please help us!"

Midoriko frowned. "What is wrong?"

"The south side of the village was attacked by youkai. As you were away, they came to me and Ran was able to chase them away." Kaede spoke up. Ran nodded in agreement, her hands tightened around her bow.

Midoriko took all this in and didn't react but instead closed her eyes and the cross shaped mark on her forehead began to glow softly. At once, she was dressed in her armour once more with Kirar beside her. The power within the miko flared into life and Kikyo, kaede and Ran all gasped at the sheer size of the power within her grasp.

Midoriko spread her arms to the skies and a bubble covered the village. It extended to the fields where farmers were still working and to the river also, where water seemed to be purified before passing through. The barrier wavered a little then held. Midoriko opened her eyes once again and the armour disappeared, changing back into her miko yukata and the mark on her forehead stopped glowing.

"That should be enough." Midoriko stood back to survey her handiwork and it was true, the barrier seemed to cover everything…

That is… everything except for Inuyasha's Forest… where the bone eater's well was…

Heiwa knocked on the door of her mother and father's room. Kagome had told her to go and tell her father that breakfast was ready and so she knew that only her father was in the room. There was no answer so she knocked again.

"To-sama?" Silence. "Chichue?" Heiwa tried again.

Again there was no answer.

Heiwa opened the door and looked around. The room was isolated and the window was open, the curtains billowing. Oh no, her father was gone.