Disclaimer: I don't Own Inuyasha, only my OC
Kohaku stood alone in the spot where Shiori's portal was. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next. Should he go back to the castle? Was Kana still there? Kohaku turned around when he heard someone coming up behind him. Sesshomaru and Jaken soundly walked up the hill.
Sesshomaru regrouped with Jaken sometime before Kagura came to seek him out. Jaken was ecstatic to accompany his lord again. It was a good thing Shiori was gone. She would've had a fit if she found out Rin was left alone—again! Sesshomaru picked up on Inuyasha's scent as well as the rest of the group.
"Wow, what happened here?" Jaken wondered. "Do you feel that evil energy my lord?"
"Have they already gone through?" Sesshomaru asked Kohaku.
"Yes," he answered. "Everyone's gone through."
"Then I was too late," he thought. "She's already gone."
"It looks like the portal has already closed," said Kagura swooping down on her feather.
"What? You again?" said Jaken sourly. "You've been showing up a lately. Stop stalking my lord you she-devil!"
"Are you here to taunt me again?" Sesshomaru calmly questioned.
"No, I'm here to tell you of another way to the boarder of this world and the next," she said.
"Another way?"
"Yes," she said. "I know you're not interested in saving that girl. But don't you at least want to defeat Naraku?"
"Tell me about this path," he demanded.
"Of course," she nodded. "But just know….it will be dangerous. You might even be killed."
"Hmph," he sighed. "Just tell me where to find it."
…...
Shiori floated through the dark tunnel. Swirls of grey surrounded her body as she traveled through the portal. She could sense nothing but completely raw demonic energy. Up head, was a sharp light at the end of the tunnel.
"Almost there," she thought.
At that moment, she felt something grabbing at her leg. She looked back and saw Naraku clamping down on her ankle. He managed to catch up to her! She twirled around in an effort to shake him off.
"Did you think you could escape me?" he asked her.
"No," she admitted. "But I was certainly hoping to. Let go of me!"
"Not until we make it to the other side," he said with a smirk.
"This portal….it's not only weakened me, but it's weakened him as well. I wonder…"
Shiori drew her sword and plunged it into Naraku's chest. His eyes widened as he moaned in pain.
"You little witch," he cringed.
"I figured out what you did," she darkly whispered. "You told me that no matter how many times your body is destroyed, you can't die. It's because you separated your heart when you reconstructed your body at Mount Hakurei, isn't it?"
He angrily glared at her.
"I originally thought you destroyed your heart, but now I see that's not the case. Because destroying your heart would also destroy you. So you kept it. That's what you did before you released me from the barrier. You had your heart moved to a safe location before I could track it down."
"Clever," he spat.
"And you said you had nothing to prove to me," she smirked. "I know you won't die from this injury, but at least you can feel the pain."
They fell closer and closer to the end of the tunnel. It turned out there were actually 2 portal exits straight ahead. Shiori removed her sword from Naraku's chest and expelled him forward into one of the exits. His body disappeared into the swirling light.
"Shiori!" she heard someone call out to her.
Inuyasha, Emi, and the rest were gliding into view. Emi jumped from Kirara's back and floated towards her. She held her hand out to her sister.
"Shiori!" she called again.
"What are you doing here?" Shiori demanded to know.
She hopped the portal would've closed after she and Naraku jumped through. Though Naraku invited them to come along, Shiori never expected them to actually do it! Now her sister was flying straight towards her.
"I'm not gonna let you do this alone!" Emi yelled.
"No, you fools! Without me, you'll never be able to return to our world!" shouted Shiori.
"Without you?" questioned Inuyasha. "What the hell do you mean by that?"
She closed her eyes as she prepared to phase through the portal exit in the middle.
"I never said anything about coming back alive from this mission,"
Emi's eyes widen with complete terror. Shiori's body was pulled through the portal right before her eyes. Emi flew into the portal after her.
"Inuyasha!" cried Kagome.
She was pulled from his back through the same portal as Shiori and Emi.
"Kagome!" he screamed.
He tried to make his way over to the portal, but was pulled through a different one. Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara were also pulled through it along with Inuyasha. The group was split up in the mass chaos.
…...
"Where….am I?" Emi wondered as she regained consciousness.
The last thing she remembered was being pulled through the portal's exit. She remembered hurling towards Shiori. Then….there was a flash of light. She examined her surroundings. She was lying on a grey river bank, next to a completely black river. Above her, flew strange skeletal creatures across a twilight sky.
"Shiori!" she called out. "Are you here?"
An eerie silence was her only greeting. Emi rose to her feet and looked around. Where had Shiori gone? Emi went through the portal shortly after Shiori did. So why wasn't she anywhere to be found now? Emi wandered around the river bank in search of her sister. She was absolutely terrified of these new surroundings. She had to find someone!
"This place…..is it hell?" she wondered.
"No my dear," said a voice from behind her. "This isn't hell. If it were, it would be much worse."
She turned and found herself staring at a terrifying old hag. Her dark sunken eyes lured over Emi's petite body. Emi recoiled back.
"Wh-who are you?" she stammered.
The woman reached out and grabbed a lock of Emi's hair. She rubbed it against her aging flesh. Emi struggled to get free, but the woman clamped onto her neck.
"Such wonderfully soft hair," she darkly. "It feels so….alive and healthy. You're still alive!"
"Stop this, get away from me!" Emi ordered.
She attempted to purify the old hag, but it was no use. She began pulling at the sleeve of Emi's kimono. The hag examined the vibrant lavender color she was wearing.
"I've never seen anything like this before," said the woman. "Give it to me. Give me this kimono."
"What?" Emi chocked. "No! Get your hands off me!"
"That's the trouble with the living," said the woman, ripping at Emi's fabric. "Too much live in them. No matter, soon your will shall be broken."
"No!" Emi screamed.
"That's enough, Datesu-ba," called a voice from the distance. "Leave her."
A tall young man of muscular in a grey and black kimono was standing before them.
"Yes, Lord Orochi," said Datesu-ba, dropping Emi to her knees. "Of course."
The old hag disappeared into the black river.
"Lord…Orochi?" Emi gasped. "You…you're one of the Lords of the Netherworld."
"Yes I am," he smirked. "I'm pleased to know that our reputation is known even in the tennin world."
Emi realized that Orochi was carrying something, or rather someone, in his arms. As the fog began to go away, she realized who it was.
"Kagome!" shouted Emi.
Orochi was cradling Kagome's unconscious body in his arms. He grinned down at the girl.
"Quite a beauty, huh?" he said to Emi. "I'm sure Goro will love her. "
"Release her, this instance!" snapped Emi.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said. "I've just been informed that this girl is the only one who can sense shikon jewel fragments. Releasing her wouldn't be very smart of me."
"Informed by who?"
He laughed. "We have our sources. Just as you have yours."
Emi's heart skipped a beat. Naraku may have gone through a different portal and got to netherworld first. Was he the one who informed the lords?
"Brother, how are things?"
Emi looked up to see another man coming from the sky. He landed right next to Orochi.
"Goro, there you are," said Orochi smiling. "We were talking about you no less than 5 minutes ago."
"Speak of the devil right?" laughed Goro darkly.
"Yes, I suppose so," he answered. "Tell me, what do you think of this one?"
Orochi showed Kagome to his brother. His eyes lit up with an evil delight.
"A remarkable looking young woman," he said stroking her cheek. "Just look at that gorgeous face."
"She's a real prize too, isn't she," said Orochi looking at Emi.
"Yes," said Goro. "Just look at that delicate silver hair of her's. So beautiful. I want this one as well."
He moved in and grabbed Emi's shoulder. But she managed to knee him in the stomach.
"So the wench likes to play rough," Goro barked, while smacking Emi to the ground.
Kagome began to stir around in Orochi's arms when she heard Emi's screams. She opened her eyes in fright.
"What's going on?" she demanded. "Who are you? Where's Inuyasha?"
"Ah, the one with the eyes is awake," said Orochi tightening his grip on Kagome.
She struggled to free herself, but it was to no avail.
"This one is lively as well," Orochi laughed.
"Are you two quite finished?" bellowed a voice. "I would like to get back to our objectives."
A puff of black smoke materialized in front of them all, revealing the oldest son, Hisoka. He had short spiky hair with a dark blue headband. His long cape marched his headband. Unlike his younger brothers, he had a completely serious demeanor. His face was as expressionless as a mask.
"We can't afford to waste any time," he said, looking at Emi.
Emi was hanging limp in Goro's hands. She twitched when Hisoka leaned in close to her face. He was so close, she could see her frighten reflection in his crimson eyes.
"Where's Shiori?" he asked her.
She glared at him, "I don't know."
"Are you sure about that, girl?" he asked flatly.
His frightening gaze seemed to captivate her very soul. There was nowhere for her to run or turn. Emi trembled in fear and broke out into a cold sweat.
"Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you! I would never!" she shouted.
"You will regret that answer," said Hisoka morbidly.
"She's a tennin. We can just force her locate Shiori using her sacred water abilities," said Goro.
"It won't work. The waters here are too tainted," he replied.
Hisoka narrowed his eyes at Emi and turned to Kagome.
"And is this the one with the ability to sense the shards?" he asked.
Orochi nodded, "Yes, brother. This is the one."
Hisoka turned back to Emi and grabbed her from Goro.
"We shall bring them to the castle," he said. "I imagine that fool Naraku is somewhere nearby. He will most likely come for the girl. And she'll sense him coming since he has jewel shards with him."
"But brother, the women didn't come alone," said Orochi. "They had other companions. I'm sure they will try to rescue them as well. Shall we hunt them down and kill them?"
"No," said Hisoka sharply. "They'll be killed by the creatures of this realm before they even make it to the castle. There's no need."
"No!" thought Kagome. "Inuyasha!"
"What about Shiori?" asked Goro.
"We will focus on finding the jewel shard before that half demon Naraku," said Hisoka, "Goro, I want you to hunt the girl down—and kill her. Once you've done that, bring me her body. I want it tossed into the depths of hell."
Both Kagome and Emi gasped at the thought of that. Orochi and Goro grinned evilly.
"Understood," said Goro bowing. "As long as I get to have a little fun with her before that happens."
"Do as you please. Just make sure you bring back the body," said Hisoka dragging Emi away. "Work quickly."
Orochi followed with Kagome thrown over his shoulder.
"Inuyasha, please hurry," she thought. "Shiori's in trouble, but she's not the only one. We all are…"
…...
Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were free falling through the air. Just as they were about to hit the spiky rocks below, Kirara transformed and whisked them all upward.
"Kirara," said Sango cheerfully, "not a moment too soon."
"We gotta find Kagome!" yelped Inuyasha. "She could be in danger."
"At least she went through the same portal as Emi and Shiori," said Miroku. "She'll be safe with them."
"But there's no guarantee they all ended up in the same exact place," said Inuyasha furiously. "We don't even know where they were sent."
"But all ended up in the same place," said Shippo.
"Do any of you sense Naraku around?" asked Sango.
Neither Inuyasha nor Miroku could sense Naraku's evil demonic aura. When they caught up to Shiori in the tunnel, she was already alone. They had no idea which of the 2portals he was sucked into. For all they knew, he was with the other half of their group. This worried all of them.
"Come on," said Inuyasha. "We have to find Kagome and the others before something horrible happens."
Kirara flew them off across the land of the dead.
…...
Shiori woke up to find herself laying on a futon under a sheet. She couldn't even remember the last time she slept on a futon. She was in a strange dark room with a red candle in the center. The door that led to the walkway was halfway open. Shiori could see a misty grey sky through the cutaway door. The smell of death lingered all around her.
"How did I get here?" she thought. "I remember being sucked through the portal….and then I was…under water. Then after that….there was nothing but darkness."
She looked back to the misty sky through the doorway.
"This isn't at all what I imagined the underworld looking like. I thought it would be much more sinister. Maybe there are different regions of the underworld. Could that be why there were 2 different portals? I wonder what happened to Emi and the others. I pray they weren't sent to hell."
"Are you afraid to move?" said a woman's voice coming from the walkway. "You've been awake for almost 10 minutes now. Yet, you haven't even lifted your head."
Shiori's eyes widened slightly.
"Why didn't I sense a presence?" she thought. "I should've realized there was someone just outside the door. The only thing I can sense is death."
She reached for her blade, but it wasn't at her hip. Shiori sprung up and pulled away her sheet. Her sword wasn't there. And that wasn't all—she wasn't wearing her tennin kosode anymore. She was now wearing traditional shinigami attire. It consisted of black hakama pants and a black haori. There was a silver dragon across her sleeve. Shiori was horrified by this.
"Ah," said the voice. "I can feel your coursing anger. Such a refreshing feeling."
"Who are you?" she demanded jumping to her feet and marching to the door. "And what have you done with my—"
She paused when she finally saw the face of the woman who was talking to her, "sword?"
An elderly woman, who was similarly dressed, was sitting down on the walkway. She was holding an umbrella over her right shoulder. She had short black hair and the trade mark burgundy shinigami eyes. Though she'd never met this woman before, she felt something familiar about her.
"Now you're feeling confused," said the woman. "You sure do experience a whirlwind of emotions for a shinigami."
The woman turned to glance at Shiori, "But I can tell from that eye color of your's that you aren't a full shinigami. And you quell with spiritual energy."
"I want my sword back," Shiori demanded, while ignoring the woman's comments. "And what right did you have to strip me while I slept? Give me back my kosode!"
"Travelling in such clothing will grant you unnecessary attention. You were wearing rather bright clothing, Shiori."
Shiori nonchalantly glared at the woman at the sound of her own name.
"You don't seem surprised at all that I know your name," she said. "Why is that?"
"This is not the first time I've run into a stranger who identified me by name," answered Shiori flatly. "It most certainly won't be the last."
"Oh," said the woman with a mysterious smile. "But I'm no stranger dear."
"Huh?" thought Shiori. "What is she saying?"
"I am Ryoko," said the strange woman. "Isao's mother."
"Wh-what?" Shiori stammered. "You're my….."
Ryoko nodded, "grandmother."
"How do I know you haven't been sent by the dark lords to capture me? Why should I believe you?" She questioned
"I can't force you to believe in anything, Shiori," said Ryoko. "I can only hope that you'll believe my truth."
Shiori sighed, "You are definitely my grandmother."
She sat down next to Ryoko and stared into the netherland sky.
"Thank you for believing my truth," said Ryoko calmly.
"But I wasn't aware that I had any living relatives,"
"Living," she said closing her eyes, "And dying are not so different here. To live is to die, and to die is to live."
"It's that poem again," thought Shiori. "I swear, I've been hearing that poem a lot ever since I left the sacred lands. Why am I being taunted by it?"
"What is pure is impure, what is impure is pure. What is good is evil, what is evil is good," said Ryoko darkly. "To live is to die, to die is to live."
Shiori felt her heart freeze.
"It's the perfect description of your life, isn't it?" Ryoko asked the girl. "Kind of an eerie match, if I do say so myself. Almost as if the poem was written for you."
"I suppose I have you to thank for all these lectures about truths," said Shiori in an attempt to change the subject. "Tell me, why you took my sword and my tennin robes. And I want the truth."
"The truth?"
Shiori nodded, "I don't believe you did it so I would blend in. You stripped me of my tennin kimono and replaced it with a shinigami kimono. Why?"
"Because you don't need them," she answered. "Those tennin. They tried to suppress your shinigami blood for so long. They were never good to you. That's why I took you away from that young tennin woman."
"Emi?" gasped Shiori. "So she was sucked through the same portal as I was."
"Yes, I left her on the river banks where I found you. I heard they were taken away by the demon lords," said a lifeless Ryoko.
"They?"
"There was another woman on the river bank," she said. "A human girl, with spiritual powers."
Shiori looked down, "They have Kagome as well. Why didn't you bring them along as well?"
"Because, they are not essential to your mission," she said grimly. "They shall be left to die."
"I can't just abandon them here," she retorted.
What was wrong with her? Why didn't she seem to care about anything at all? Shiori figured Ryoko didn't even care about her own son being trapped in hell. So why did she bother dragging Shiori here….to this strange fortress?
Ryoko observed Shiori, "If you're going to fight those demon lords….you will do it as a shinigami. That was the truth you were looking for."
Shiori sprung up, "Grandmother or not, you do not get to make decisions for me!"
She stared down at her menacingly. But Ryoko calmly looked back at her. She was completely unbothered by Shiori's haunting gaze. Not surprising.
"Will you kill your own grandmother?" she nonchalantly asked.
"I have no connections with you," spat Shiori. "This is only our first meeting. Your death wouldn't disturb my sleep at night one bit."
She smirked, "now there's a decent shinigami attitude."
This woman wasn't making any sense to Shiori. It seemed all she wanted to do was talk in hints and riddles. Why was she trying to force Shiori to be a shinigami in the first place? She was doing the same thing that Emi tried to do with her. She was trying to convince her to suppress half of her identity.
"Give me my sword," ordered Shiori. "Right now."
"Why?"
Shiori stared at the woman in complete disbelief. Did she really just ask why? How dare she? Shiori was just about to snap when she felt a sharp evil in the air. She surveyed the area to see what it was.
"He's coming for you…." Said Ryoko distantly.
"Who is?" asked Shiori.
She wasn't sure if Ryoko was talking about Naraku or one of the demon lords. She couldn't tell who it was. Suddenly a swarm of black fog materialized from the sky. It slowly landed in the wilted garden before them.
"Goro," said Shiori with disgust.
He evilly lured at Shiori, who was looking back at him with contempt.
"We've been searching for you," he said. "How nice to know that you're safe and sound."
"You came alone?" she noticed.
"Of course I did," he jeered. "I've been sent to exterminate you. But first…."
He rushed over to Shiori and to grab her throat. She avoided him and jumped back.
"Let's have some fun," he said.
Shiori looked down to find that Ryoko was nowhere to be seen. Where had she gone? Shiori needed her sword—now! Goro threw himself at her, but she kicked him in the face. Goro laughed as he crashed to the ground.
She knew she'd be able to touch him now since she was in the underworld. It was possible that Shiori may have been able to attack Goro with her Gin Tsgunai, she just wasn't given the chance. At that time Goro had her pinned down and she couldn't reach her sword. It was almost as if was afraid of letting he get to the sword. Now Gin Tsgunai was missing.
"What's the matter Shiori?" asked Goro in a mocking tone. "A little flustered now that your demon lord's not around?"
It was true, Sesshomaru wasn't around to save her this time, but she wouldn't fret. Shiori refused to allow Goro to have the upper hand on her.
She shot him with a beam of purification. He was knocked backwards and Shiori retreated back into the house. She opened up the door to the corridor and ran down the hall.
"I can't sense anything here!" she thought as she ran. "Where is it? Where is my sword."
Suddenly, Ryoko appeared at the end of the hall. She vaguely glared at her granddaughter.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "Your opponent is the other way."
"I need my weapon," she demanded.
"You don't need one to take care of him," said Ryoko. "You will fight without your sword."
She disappeared before Shiori's angry eyes, "Damn it, Ryoko! Get back here right now!"
She heard a loud crash behind her. Goro had recovered and burst down the door. He was now flying after her. She lunged towards him and infused her purification power into her fist. She began punching and kicking him. Sometimes he was able to dodge her, but other times he wasn't as lucky.
"I like you," he said smugly. "It's too bad I need to kill you. Of course, not until I have my way with you."
"You filthy scum bag," she hissed, while holding her hands in shape of a diamond. "Die already!"
She shot him with her diamond beam, and he flew backwards. He never expected Shiori to have that much power. Goro cringed in pain as he was pelted back through a wall. Shiori hoped that would be enough to kill him.
"You can't stop him with just purification alone," echoed Ryoko's voice all around her. "All your life you've only used your powers separately. Now it's time for you to use them together. That is what Isao wanted you to learn."
"What?" she shrieked. "Why am I just now learning this?"
"Well, I thought it was common sense," said Ryoko flatly. "It is the obvious thing to do,"
A vein popped in Shiori's forehead as she frowned, "Oh yes, there's no doubt about it. We are most definitely related."
Suddenly, the wall behind Shiori burst down and Goro grabbed her from behind. She flinched in surprised.
"Didn't sense me behind you, did you?" he teased.
She moaned as he forced her face up against a wall with the palm of his hand. He clamped onto to both her writs with his other hands and pressed them onto her back. He leaned in close to her ear.
"You can't sense any of us," he whispered to her. "We know how to mask our scent for this very reason. If we didn't, our enemies would be able to track us down and kill us."
He forcefully turned her around to look her in the eye, "just as I have tracked you down."
She calmly looked back at him, though her eyes were filled with hate.
"That's not the expression I was hoping for," he said with disappointment. "But it doesn't matter, I have you now."
"You wretch," she with disdain. "You just said so yourself, you have me. Now kill me."
"In a rush to die, huh?" he said to her. "I will grant that request, right after I have you."
He ripped off her black haori, and it gracefully dropped to the floor. To Shiori's surprise, she had on a lavender nagajugan underneath it. Shiori smirked when she realized she was wearing both lavender and black…..both colors that represented who she was.
"Now just relax as I give you a good time," he said erotically. "If you want, you can even pretend I'm that demon lord you love some much. Of course, I want it to be my name that you scream…"
That was enough to make Shiori snap. He pushed her too far.
She clenched onto his body and shocked him with her purification. Goro cringed in pain from her intense purification powers. Shiori's eyes were burning with rage. He was completely frightened by them.
"Demonic aura will always defeat a spiritual one," he hollered, while trying to recollect himself.
"I'm not just fighting with my spiritual power," she shouted. "I'm fighting with both halves! I'm accepting all of myself! You should've just killed me when you had the chance!"
She raised her level of purification.
"How dare you try to force yourself on me! How dare you attack the ones I care about!"
She used curse deflect, but unlike the times in the past, she didn't instantly release it. She held it up around her body. Goro didn't release his grip on Shiori. Instead, he tried to overpower her with his demonic energy.
"And how dare you mock my feelings…for Lord Sesshomaru!" she yelled with rage.
She tapped into her demonic aura as well and let it merge with her spiritual energy. Goro's eyes widen in terror when he realized what she was doing. He was repelled back through the hole he made in the wall making it even larger. Shiori jumped sauntered toward Goro. Her aura was still surging around her.
"No, wait," he begged. "Don't do this! I swear I wasn't really going to touch you. Please don't."
He tried to crawl away from her, but she cut him off.
"No mercy," she said darkly, while drawing her sword.
She infused her energy into her sword and swung. Goro screamed and squirmed as his body dissolved in Shiori's energy blast. His piercing screams died down once the wave of energy dissipated. Shiori's own aura died down around her. Shiori hesitated before putting her hands into a prayers position. She lowered her head to pray.
"You would pray over him even though he wronged you?" asked Ryoko who was suddenly next to her.
"I can't quite explain it," Shiori answered. "It's just what I do."
They stared in the spot where Goro once stood. Then Shiori suddenly realized something vital.
"Wait, when did you give me my sword back?" she asked.
Ryoko tilted her head, "when did you realize it was back?"
"I didn't," Shiori confessed. "I just reached for it instinctively like I always do. And it was there. I forgot I didn't even have it."
"It was important for you to learn how to fight without that weapon," she said.
"But I know how to,"
She nodded, "Yes, but you didn't master the ability of merging your energies together. I wanted you to learn how to fight whole heartedly, with all of your power. Not just switching between spiritual and demonic."
"So then….why were you trying to get me to be more like a shinigami?" she asked.
"Because, you had to learn to appreciate your other half. It angered you when I took away your tennin attire and replaced it with shinigami attire didn't it? And it angered you when I tried to make you forget about who you are."
"And it pleased you when you realized that I gave you a lavender nagajuban under your black hakama?"
Shiori nodded.
"You are a whole person," said Ryoko slowly. "Not two separate halves. Remember that. Now go and destroy the remaining lords….save your friends."
"Come with me, grandmother. We can do it together," Shiori encouraged.
Ryoko smiled sadly, "I'm afraid I can't help you, child."
Ryoko suddenly disappeared again in front of Shiori's eyes. Once again, the scent of death lingered in the air.
"You're dead after all," said Shiori slowly. "It must be terrible for a soul to wander around her for all eternity."
"Don't be worry about me," said Ryoko's voice. "I died long ago. Dead Shinigami souls are not allowed to enter nirvana or heaven. We must forever walk the paths of the underworld. Never knowing any other joys."
"But what happened to Goro?" asked Ryoko. "Is he still around?"
"You sent him straight to hell," she answered. "That was your desire."
"It was?"
"Now go and find the remaining lords, before the jewel you're looking for,"
And with that, Ryoko's voice disappeared with the icy winds. Shiori stared down at her sword and returned it to its sheath. She continued her mission to kill the lords of the Netherworld.
"One down," she uttered to herself, "Two to go."
She didn't realize it, but there was someone watching her the whole time from the distance. He looked down at her with an evil smug. It was none other than Naraku.
"That's right, Shiori," he said. "Take care of all the dirty work for me."