Chapter 2: Protect the Soul or Release the Beast

This shit is about to get realll I'm excited

(Author's POV)

What does he mean he wants me? What is he gonna do? Where's Inuyasha?

"Naraku, you won't get Kagome!" Sango shouted, waiting for the moment a part of him would leave the protection of his barrier.

"Kagura, I would ask for your assistance, but why engage in such a meaningless battle?" He looked at her, with nothing but confidence in his eyes.

Miroku was ready to use his wind tunnel, "What do you intend to do with Kagome?!"

"You will see, monk." He send out a tentacle to retrieve Kagome, but Sango sliced it with her Hiraikotsu. Again, Naraku did not seem intimidated in the lease bit, but rather entertained, as if their attempts at fighting him were funny. He sent out more and Sango continued to cut through until there were too many. Miroku began using his staff to attack, but both Sango and Miroku were hit by them.

Kagome, stunned, shot an arrow at the tentacles, but more just came shooting out from him. "He's made up of so many demons, so he can keep using them to continuously form these tentacles! Hitting him with my arrows will only save a little time. How can we at least break the barrier without Inuyasha?" She thought.

Sango immediately got up and threw Hiraikotsu again and Kirara began biting and tearing off his tentacles, but while it did destroy some of his tentacles, he still managed to grab Kagome with one and pull her into his barrier.

"Well, Kagome, are you ready?" He laughed.

"LET HER GO!" Inuyasha jumped out from the bushes, and with Red Tensaiga, he shattered the barrier around Naraku, Kagome, and Kagura.

"Nice of you to join us, Inuyasha, but I would watch where I attacked. You wouldn't want this human girl to be killed by your attacks...or mine." He snickered.

"Naraku! Don't you dare hurt her!" Inuyasha shouted, gripping tight to Tensaiga.

"What right do you have to be protective? I would not have gotten her so easily if you had been there to protect her." Naraku enjoyed the pained look on Inuyasha's face as he was met with the obvious truth.

"Naraku..." Kagome struggled within his grip.

"I have something for you." Naraku took out his glass jar, pulling out the red gas that was inside; it swirled around his left hand like he was controlling it, "The infant may have failed, but pureness can't survive in Hell." With his right hand, he lifted Kagome's chin up, and then placed his left hand with the mysterious red gas over her forehead. It sunk into right into her skin.

"Inu-Inu...INUYASHAAA!" She screamed as a terrible sensation took over her body. It wasn't exactly physical pain, but it hurt and drained her energy. Naraku let her go, and created a new barrier around just him and Kagura, and they both floated a little distance away from Kagome, who was on her hands and knees, struggling to stay conscious.

Inuyasha ran over to her, "What's wrong Kagome?!" He panicked, for as he looked at her, he could see blood dripping from her mouth. "NARAKU WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER, YOU BASTARD!"

Again, the demon just smiled, as if he was waiting for something.

"In-Inuyasha..." Kagome rose from the ground, and wiped the blood from her face. Her eyes were black and empty. "What is this overwhelming feeling I have..." She wondered out loud. I-I want to kill Inuyasha?

Kagura was amazed, immediately catching onto what was happening inside of Kagome. Naraku motioned for her to encourage that feeling she had. She nodded at him.

"Kagome, don't fight instinct. You're new. You're better. And he left you to die." Kagura's words snaked their way into Kagome's heart.

Inuyasha was speechless to what Kagura said about him and felt a sting of guilt and responsibility for whatever it was that was happening to the priestess. But he had no idea about what Kagura meant by Kagome's instinct.

"She's being corrupted!" Miroku called from behind them. He had been slammed hard into a tree, causing him to be unable to get up from the ground. Sango was tending to the wounds he had recieved but both were still being tentative to what was happening, while Shippo sat on Kirara's back.

"W-what does that mean?" Shippo asked with fear.

"It means hate is starting to swell deep within Kagome, controlling her emotions and making her vulnerable to the Naraku's influence and the infant's mind control. He had failed to grasp darkness within her the first time because she had none, but that gas that Naraku had, whatever it was, seems to have created darkness by itself inside Kagome." Miroku looked down.

"Inuyasha, do something!" Shippo called out.

"What the hell should I do?" He said angrily. I can't hurt Kagome and I don't know how to get that darkness out of her.

Kagome began to glare angrily at Inuyasha, "Y-you...I TRUSTED YOU TO PROTECT ME AND YOU DIDN'T! But Inuyasha, I can make you suffer. I want to make you suffer."

Grayness washed over the color of her skin and drained the blood from her cheeks. Kagome aimed an arrow at Inuyasha, who froze. "Ka-Kagome..."

"Does this remind you of something, Inuyasha?" She squared her eyes at him, who wouldn't defend himself against her.

Sango noticed how Kagome's hands were slightly shaking, and began to protest against the new hatred boiling in her blood, "Kagome, wake up! You aren't evil or hateful! This isn't your vengeful wish, it's Naraku's!" Kagome lower her arrow, but lowered her head, as if battling herself and her new instincts.

"Don't shoot, Kagome!" Shippo ran over to her and jumped on her, wrapping his arms around her neck, "I don't want you to be bad." She looked up, her eyes their original color.

"Shippo, you have to leave my side. I don't want to hurt you." Shippo did as told, a twinge of hope shining within him as he stared into her familiar eyes.

She turned to Inuyasha, "Please...Inuyasha forgive me...I don't know how long I can contain myself. Though I am not being influenced by Naraku right now, I still feel this burning sense of hate inside me, trying to take hold of every little part of me it can..."

Kagura looked surprised, "Still, with that powerful gas, she is able to withstand you, Naraku." He frowned, "Not for long."

Kagome, again, felt an overwhelming feeling of disgust towards Inuyasha, and her eyes again faded to black. This time, she also felt a surge of unknown power coursing through her. Her eyes fixated on Inuyasha, but instead of grabbing her bow and arrow, she immediately swung her left arm, and corrupted spiritual power was released from her hand and shot through the air towards Inuyasha. He quickly jumped up to avoid the attack, but she just swung again. He jumped up and down, left and right, to dodge her powers.

Sango left Miroku's side and ran to Kagome, who shoved her away.

"You have to overcome this, Kagome! Don't just be another one of Naraku's puppets!" She called out.

This angered Kagome. I will not be someone's puppet! Once again, she was able to recover from Naraku's influence on her emotions, and she turned towards him and Kagura. "You do not own me! I will not be controlled!" She swung her arms repeatedly at them, breaking the barrier. Kagura immediately flew off on her feather, but Naraku's lower body was destroyed. He floated over to Kagura, and he ordered her to retreat.

"...Don't think you have won, priestess. You may have new strengths, but you also have new weaknesses that I will use to my advantage." They flew away.

Inuyasha was at a standstill. He was scared for Kagome and how she felt about him. Could she hate me?

Miroku was still on the ground, "Kagome, we should go to Kaede if you're feeling yourself right now."

She looked over at him, "My emotions are pushing me to bad things...but I feel myself enough to stop me from doing something I'll soon regret." Miroku nodded.

"Inuyasha, go sit him on Kirara's back." She ordered. Inuyasha nodded, and while walking towards Miroku, he looked over at Kagome and softly apologized. She still couldn't help the hatred forming inside her. She was feeling so negatively towards him, which made her feel hate towards herself for bearing such feelings and not being strong enough to push them away.

They journeyed to Kaede's hut, where Miroku was treated for his strong, internal wounds. Whilst being treated, he told Kaede what had taken place. She looked terrified.

"Ye say Naraku possessed a red gas?" She asked. Miroku nodded.

Kagome sat on the other side of the hut, with Inuyasha sitting across from her.

"There have been legends of red poison. It is said that it is straight from the depths of Hell and can only be retrieved by a willing sacrifice who goes into Hell, retrieves the poison, and brings it back. The sacrifice does not escape Hell, though. It is brought back after the poison is delivered. If that is the poison you are referring to, Kagome was cursed with Satan's hatred for goodness, which is starting a conflict with Kagome's original pureness." Kaede looked over at Kagome, who was obviously in a lot of pain, "I know of no guarenteed way to rid her of Satan's hatred, unfortunately, but by the looks of it, it is having trouble consuming Kagome, which is why Naraku had trouble keeping his influence present in her emotions, which is what urged her to satisfy the anger that was created for Inuyasha."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. I deserve that hate Kagome has for me. I left her without my protection and wandered too far off in search of Kikyo, only to return when Naraku had already had her in his arms. I'm letting Naraku get his hands on her just like I did with Kikyo. But I will not lose Kagome, I swear!

"Why is Kagome so pure?" Shippo asked Kaede.

"Well, Shippo, when Kikyo died, she was also satisfying her desire to be free from her fate, but she had a small piece of her that knew she was needed to fight evil. That part of her was able to detach itself from her, leaving her in purgatory instead of at peace in heaven. It expanded and grew strong and Kagome was born from that. Kagome was formed by the need to fight evil."

"Wouldn't that make this Kikyo evil?" Shippo inched closer to Kaede, trying to make sense of everything.

"When Kikyo came back, she took back some of Kagome's soul, which included that which had left her." Kaede explained.

Kagome tried to deal with her feelings, which begged her to yell and scream at Inuyasha and blame the world for what had happened to her. She had never wanted to do something like that so bad, to just yell for the sake of making someone suffer. She had spoken out of anger before, but not to cause pain. And she has always regretted it. How will I rid myself of this?

"Kagome, can we go and talk..." Inuyasha really hated that possibility that Kagome was beginning to hate him, and wanted to apologize because if his stupid actions cause her to be consumed by darkness, he would never forgive himself.

"...sure!" She forced a smile, as they walked out and towards the Bone Eater's Well...

Chapter 1 and 2 finished on the same day. I would totally do 3 but it's late! I'll start it tomorrow though! Comment!