Chapter 14 The Transfer

The sea of blinding light subsided to reveal a room of amethyst crystal. Kagome and Kimaryu stood in the center of the glowing room bathed in its glow.

"Rin!", screamed Kagome as she ran to a nearby wall.

There lay Rin, lifeless and frozen in behind a wall of crystal.

"Rin! Wake up! Why isn't she moving?"

Kimaryu walked passed her, entranced by the demonic aura that resonated across the room.

"Forget about the girl. She's as good as gone."

He reached out to touch a nearby wall of glowing crystal.

"Can you feel it, Kagome? The power flowing behind these walls-it's incredible."

Suddenly a blast of lighting shot out from the wall and struck Kimaryu before he could touch it.

"What's going on?", Kagome asked, as the room began to quake around them.

Several black spheres appeared and began to circle around Kagome and Kimaryu.

"What are these things?"

Kimaryu's eyes widened and a devilish smile appeared on his face.

"The souls of the dead. All the memories and powers of my ancestors will be mine."

The spheres stopped without warning and shot out beams of lighting that seared through Kimaryu's body.

He screamed in pain as the energy tore through him. The skin on his hands and face began to burn and peel away as demonic lighting clawed at his being. He drew Tetsusaiga from his obi and used its blade to shield himself from the heat and light.

"They're furious. I can feel their hatred for me. They sense that I don't belong in this world and they want to destroy me," he said as the flesh burned off his face to reveal skeletons, "However . . . I will not fall so easily!"

He raised Tetsusaiga and unleashed a pulse wave of power, dispersing the bolts of lightning. The black spheres stopped circling them and suddenly began to glow.

Kagome gasped as she and Kimaryu began to float in midair.

"What have you done?"

"I've reversed the flow of the demonic auras in this room using the sword. Their raging spirits have been made docile and I can manipulate them as I wish. But first . . ."

Kimaryu pointed at Kagome.

"I must cast away the darkness housed in this shell before I can receive their absolution. You are the vessel that will house this power, and through you, I will be bestowed with unimaginable strength."

"No. I won't allow you to . . . "-"You don't have a choice. It has already begun!"

The room seemed to vanish from around them and their was a surging light that replaced it.

The spheres surrounded Kagome and began to orbit around her.

Kimaryu roared as a great darkness exited his body and entered Kagome.

"What is this? This pain is unbearable!", she screamed.

Light poured out from the spheres into her body and soared into Kimaryu.

Hundreds of images flashed before Kagome's eyes as the energy was transferred out of her. She could see flashes of the great war. Sights of the Dog demons fighting ferociously with the Panther demon tribe whirled around her. She saw a battlefield littered with bodies of the dead and dying. She saw the leader of the demon panther tribe battling with a young silver haired warrior and a woman. The female demon was struck down and the young demon was mortally wounded. As the Panther king prepared kill the demon, a larger dog demon leaped in bringing with him several more troops.

These images shattered before Kagome's eyes and she was given another vision. This time, it was of the young demon from before doing battle with another silver haired warrior. This man was strangely familiar. He fought like Sesshomaru, but his eyes held a certain softness, even for his enemy.

"Why did you choose this path, Kimaryu?"

"You left us to die, old man! You let my father, your brother die! . Sinoriko . . ."

Kimaryu rushed in and struck at his uncle in hatred, but he merely shielded with the Tetsusaiga and used it to throw Kimaryu back.

"You have allowed yourself to be consumed by your delusions. Your hatred for me has devoured your soul. You cannot be allowed to harm anyone else."

"I'll kill you!"

Kimaryu transformed into his true demonic form and lunged forth across the temple room.

"Begone!"

The enormous doors behind Kimaryu opened to reveal a dark void. Inutaisho leaped up to meet his attacker and sliced him along the length of his face. Kimaryu was hurled into the void by the force of the blow and then all Kagome saw was darkness.

Just then Inuyasha and Sesshomaru came crashing through the portal of light and Kimaryu turned to them in delight.

Inuyasha looked up in terror as he saw Kagome's body floating above their heads.

"What have you done to her?!"

"It's not what I've done. She's been made apart of this place. Kagome has become the link between me and the power housed in these walls. Can you not feel it?"

Sesshomaru looked on to see Rin sealed in behind the crystal.

Kimaryu smiled.

"You want to save her. I can sense it. I can also sense your fear. The fear that you won't be able to do anything to help her. That's good. It's the first step to your defeat."

"Must you always spew such nonsense?", Sesshomaru roared, "This ends here and now!"

He flew forward, drawing Tensaiga as he did.

Kimaryu reared back and struck the blade with his bare fists knocking Sesshomaru back in surprise.

"What?!"

"That sword no longer has any power over me."

"You bastard!", Inuyasha roared.

He struck Kimaryu in face with all his might, but was horrified to find he had no effect.

Kimaryu delivered a swift and unforgiving blow to his side, sending him crashing into the wall of crystal.

"Now Sesshomaru . . . it's your turn!"

Kimaryu moved forward, grasping Sesshomaru by the face and morphed through the wall of crystal.

Inuyasha stumbled out from the crater in the wall and looked up at Kagome's comatose body.

"Iron Reaver!"

Bolts of lighting exploded from the spheres that surrounded Kagome and smashed Inuyasha back to the ground.

He coughed up blood as he struggled to get back up.

" Damn it! This place is . . . sapping my strength. Kagome, you've got to wake up!"