Hey readers I am Lynn of RoseLynnTama and I am also known as ElementalHanyou on my own personal account. This is my competitive fanfic for the competition between Rose and I. I hope you like it:) Please read and review. If you have any questions and want me to answer them please put LYNN in the review. Thank you
Hey, sorry for the long update people, but things got a little crazy. Anyway, I hope you may enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. No I own nothing.
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Chapter 5: Unveiling A Trickster's Web
Inuyasha managed to roof hop all the way to Arrow Street from the park in a matter of moments. Landing on the roof of the Higurashi house, Inuyasha knelt by the edge to try and see if Kagome's light was on. If he had been human, he would never have dared in fear of falling off, but as a demon or whatever he now was, it didn't bother him.
Nope, no light came from her bedroom window, at least he hoped it was her bedroom window and not some new person's room.
'I hope that she still lives here. Feh, that's all I need. For Kagome to have moved' he snorted. Ok, so maybe he could come back tomorrow morning before she left for school.
Growling with some annoyance for having missed seeing Kagome tonight, Inuyasha jumped down to walk over to a tree beside the house that divided the Higurashi's from their neighbors the Kitsunes. In his periphal vision he saw the porch light at the front of the house turned on. He wondered if perhaps Kagome was sitting on the old porch swing like she always used to. Careful to keep his distance and stay clear of the lit lawn, Inuyasha caught sight of his old girlfriend sitting on the rocking bench. Someone was right beside her, sitting very close to her. It was none other than Naraku.
Naraku? What was he doing here? It was really too late to be just hanging out.
He looked on with slight confuzzlement at why they were together at this time. A thought dawned on him and it was one he wasn't practically fond off. Was Kagome dating Naraku? Nah, it couldn't be, could it?
Naraku gripped her hand drawing enough of Kagome's attention to turn and face Inuyasha's old friend. The close proximity of the couples' mouths triggered figurative alarms bells in the observers' ears.
'Oh hell no' Inuyasha denied mentally. No one. No one kissed Kagome Higurashi except him! Inuyasha imagined himself stomping over to the cozy little scene and proceeding to beat the crap out of Naraku, smashing his face in. A snarl ripped through his throat as the lips of the couple met with a kiss (AN: EWWWWWWWWWWW).
A clawed hand dug into the branches of the tree, cracking the wood easily. The loud sound snapped him out of his jealous thoughts and he looked down at the lethal weapons adorning his fingertips. No, he couldn't do that. He would probably end up killing him and that wouldn't be a good thing to do in front of Kagome. He was already scary as it was, as any freak would be. Murder would not make him any more approachable than he was as a demon. He could almost see the look of horror on Kagome's face if she saw him.
His anger slowly fell away, but the jealously had yet to burn out. He was about to turn from the scene, when he saw Kagome pull away and look down. With his amazing new eye sight he was actually able to make out a hint of sadness and regret reflect briefly in those beautiful brown orbs. Naraku stood up, bade her a good night and gestured to her doorway. Kagome smiled and stood up as well, passing Naraku to go and enter her home. Unexpectantly, Naraku grabbed her waist and dipped her, kissing her once again. Kagome gasped in shock and frightened surprise.
Inuyasha scowled at the scene. Why was she letting Naraku do that? Inuyasha would neverhave done that when they were dating simply because she had a fear of falling. The Kagome he knew would have made a fuss at anyone who even tried to push her backwards playfully. His head dropped as he recalled something he had heard Sango tell Miroku;
"No! He's the one who took advantage of her grief over Inuyasha and made it seem like we didn't care about her! It's all that bastard's fault Kagome doesn't talk to us anymore! It's his fault that she's so different! Argh!"
Naraku was the one they were talking about! Naraku was the one who had turned Kagome against two of her best friends. Why through? Why would he want to do that? They had all been friends, or at least, Inuyasha had believed that Naraku wanted to be included in the group. Golden eyes narrowed.
'Is Naraku up to something?' he wondered vaguely.
Of course I am, Inuyasha
Startled, Inuyasha's head snapped up and his eyes met head on with the reddish orbs of Naraku Koto, who was staring directly at him from where he stood next to Kagome's door, a smug and arrogant smirk twisting his face.
I always am
Inuyasha felt his body grow numb and cold. Naraku knew he was there, knew he was alive, knew what he was thinking and Naraku hadn't said anything to Kagome. How was any of that possible?
Naraku, as causally as you pleased, walked down the pathway and onto the street, not even so much as giving a backwards glance to the disturbed and confused demon lurking in the tree. It took only a few minutes for Inuyasha to hastily follow the bastard. He was going find out what the hell was going on.
"Naraku, stop right there" Inuyasha commanded from behind said person when they turned down a more secluded street where it was mostly homes up for sale.
"Good to see you again, Inuyasha. How long has it been? About a year?" inquired Naraku, turning to face Inuyasha.
"A year in hell and for some reason I have a feeling you have something to do with that now" as soon as Inuyasha said this, he realized how true it sounded. Looking back he realized that it was too much of a set up.
"How right you are. It didn't actually take a lot of planning either, although I wish I had done it sooner"
"Why, though Naraku?" Inuyasha demanded.
"I've always hated you Tetsagia. You always win, just because you were always stronger physically and got whatever you wanted. Well, I was sick of it and I wanted it to end. It wasn't until a year and a half ago, that I was actually able to do something that would break you" Naraku smirked smugly, sinisterly.
"So you hoped that I would die in the woods and then what?" inquired Inuyasha.
"Take the things you cared about the most and either destroy them or take them as my own. It wasn't hard, especially when I have this in my procession" Naraku tossed a small object into the sir and caught it between his two fingers. Holding it up, Inuyasha could see a dark purple sphere glint in the light of the street lamps.
"And what's that suppose to be?"
"The witch Kikyou's power source. With it, I command her and am able to harness magical energies from her. With this jewel I am the most powerful human in this town" Naraku sneered.
Inuyasha eyed the tiny ball, calculating. If Naraku was able to use the jewel, then maybe he could as well. He could make everything right again. He had to get that jewel!
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that Naraku!" he roared and with lightening speed lunged at the reddish eyed teen. Naraku thrust a hand in front of himself and a dark barrier formed around his being. Inuyasha was shocked and thrown backwards from his target.
'What the hell?'
"You can't touch me, Tetsagia. I hold the power. You may be a demon, but I have nothing to fear of you. So I suggest you stay out of my way" Naraku said smugly, "As well as Kagome's"
"Like the hell I'm gonna listen to you" growled Inuyasha kneeling up from the grass, a vicious glare directed at Naraku. He cried out as a sharp pain pierced through his shoulder and a green tentacle protruded from the wound.
"Face it Tetsagia, you lost, I win. I have all the cards and you have run out. The sooner you realize this the better. My magic has overcome your strength"
"Quit rambling Koto. I ain't giving up yet", he snapped and cut the tentacle with his claws, "Magic can't affect someone forever. I'll get my life back and Kagome. She can't be influenced forever either"
Naraku had a feeling what Inuyasha was saying was true. For the last few months Kagome had been slipping through his fingers more and more often, questioning everything he did. Suddenly his smirk wasn't so smug.
"That'll never happen, Tetsagia. Look at you, you're nothing but a beast. Now, you'll know what it's like to be out casted"
Inuyasha watched as Naraku continued to walk down the street and away from his sight.
"Now what?" he wondered as he jumped into the tree he had meant to reside in for the night.
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Sango sighed for the thousandth time that day as she sat on her mattress. She loved Miroku, she really did, but he had a nasty habit of annoying her at inconvient times. He had constantly been asking since she had met up with him before school what had frightened her so bad the night before. Getting frustrated, Sango had told him that she had gotten dizzy from not eating dinner and had fainted shortly after ranting so long. The only reason she had not told him the full truth was because she was still confused about it herself. After all, how many people can say they saw an animal hybrid that looked like a dead family relative who had possibly unfinished business and had visited her home the night before?
There could have been a very logical solution to whatever she had seen, but Sango wasn't one to disbelieve the unexplainable. Although Sango prided herself in her academic prowess she was not one to say that everything could be explained by science or mathematics, anything was possible and those who argued with that notion were foolish or stubborn.
At the time when she had witnessed the 'reappearance' of her cousin she had been shocked and very frightened. However, when she had come around she was at first confused. It wasn't until the next day that she was curious and thoughtful. Wanting a possible answer as to what may have transpired Sango went to the one source that would help her reach her goal.
The internet.
To be more specific, she went to Goggle.
'What to type? Ummmm, what about death apparitions?' (AN: no I didn't look it up, just bare with me, not actual information. This is a fanfic, so I can do what I want)
A screen of websites appeared and after a few clicks and a lot of scrolling, Sango came across a tidbit of information that sounded interesting and relative to her situation.
Many accounts of paranormal encounters usually occur between deceived family members or close friends, some even happen outside of these relations because the ghost or apparition has an earthy connection with a living being. When a soul is restless, the ghost will search out anyone who may be able help it complete it's unfinished business.
'Maybe, Inuyasha has some unfinished business and he came to see if I could help him? But I don't know what I can do. I'm going to need some help'
Picking up the hand held phone, Sango hit the speed dial and waited patiently for her boyfriend to pick up his own phone.
"Hello?" answered a voice.
"Hey, Miroku, it's Sango" she said, "Listen about today, sorry I was a little snappy, but I was feeling a little stressed. You see", Sango hurriedly relayed her story to her boyfriend, whose interest was immediately attained.
"So, what you're saying is that we have to find Inuyasha's ghost and see what he wants to get done? Ok, so how are we going to do that?" he inquired.
"I'm not sure, that's why I need your help. I can't do this alone and you're the only one who I can turn to at the moment"
"Sango, you should know by now, that there isn't anything that I wouldn't do for you. You want to find Inuyasha, done. I help you look"
'I knew I could count on you, Miroku' Sango smiled.
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Naraku stared around the small wooden hut, and tapped his fingers on the cluttered table as he waited somewhat impatiently for the witch to finish mediating. He needed to speak with her about the small problem of his magic's weakening. Kikyou's eyes slid open and her head slowly turned to face Naraku, an annoyed scowl alighting her features at the loud and uneeded tapping.
"What troubles you Naraku?" she inquired cooly.
"You damn well know what. Tetsagia is back and for some reason the jewel's power is draining" he snapped.
"Perhaps it is because it is my jewel and doesn't belong to you. It maybe a sign that you must give it back to me" she suggested the hint heavy in her voice. She wished more than anything that she could simply pluck it from his hand, but she couldn't. There were rules and she could not touch the jewel without it being offered back to her willingly.
"I don't think so, witch. I want to know the reason and I want to know how to kill Inuyasha more. I tried to control him and really hurt him, but I couldn't. All my efforts might has well have gone unnoticed by the vermin. How is this possible?" questioned the teenager.
Slowly Kikyou stood and wondered over to her workbench to sit down and stare at the many scrolls that littered the wooden surface. A tired, calculating expression dominated her visage as she considered the possibilities of Naraku's inquiry.
"While during his imprisonment, Inuyasha was never truly prone to any of the spells and curses, I wished to try. It always seemed like there was a strange barrier that prevented my magic from affecting him. I knew that it was not because of me, I had not lost my magic, it just didn't work on him. Right before he escaped I finally understood how he could be unaffected. It was a mistake I had over looked and at the time I had been blinded to the full meaning of it" she said in a resigned manner. It was difficult for anyone, especially a magical being to admit that they were wrong.
"And what, pray tell was that?"
"Love" she answered with a flicker of jealousy and regret that barely lasted a second.
"Love? Are you serious? What, like that kissing nonsense that happens in stories? What a bunch of crap!" he exclaimed, disgusted. That was so corny.
"You are a simple fool to not understand", Kikyou snapped, "Love has it's own power that can rival even the most powerful of magics! When in the presence of a true and pure love, the jewel's powers weaken because it can have a counter affect when wielded by one who has never, experienced it or understands it's worth"
Naraku sobered up momentarily as he digested this information. When having done research on magic and anything supernatural, he had never come across such a statement. It bothered him greatly. He was never one to like something that escaped his knowledge and he hated how his 'servant' Kikyou had kept such a thing from him. He needed to learn more about her and her power source, the jewel.
"How is this your ultimate power source when it has such a big weakness?" he asked in what could sound as an innocent curiosity. Kikyou stared at him for a long moment before answering.
"I was once a normal woman many centuries ago. I lived in a small village with my parents not far from here, but they grew sick and died when I was quite young. I had to work a lot to find housing and food and yet it did not bother me because I was proud to do things on my own. One day, a wanderer came to our village and was terribly wounded from battle. At the time I was an apprentice to the village healer and it became my new duty to heal the stranger. It was wearisome at first, his wounds were so great, but within the span of a few days it was some of the best times of my life," Kikyou paused as she reminisced those wonderful days,"His name was Suikotsu and he was a doctor who had been forced to participate in war. After he had healed completely he made his home in my village. Suikotsu spend a great deal of time with me and he asked for my hand in marriage. Before we married, however, tragedy struck again... Suikotsu developed the same sickness as my parents had. There was no cure for it and it was a ruthless disease that destroyed the body from the inside, out. There was nothing I could do to save him"
A gauzy film filled her stone grey eyes, but vanished when she blinked.
"In his death, I made the decision that would change my life. I would become a full fledged witch so that nothing would stand against me!"
Naraku's interest peaked when he heard that Kikyou had to make herself a witch. Perhaps he could weasel it out of her how to get his own power.
"How was such a thing possible?" he asked.
"It is a process that is complicated and coincidental. I cannot speak of it because it is different for every person. I had to figure it out for myself and I will not tell you, human" she smirked not fooled by the badly concealed hunger in Naraku's voice, "One of the things I had to do, among a number of things, was to give up the thing that was most important to me. My love for Suikotsu"
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Please R&R