Chapter 9
Kagome's eyes squinted to keep the bright sky from prying her awake; nothing would have been better than sleeping forever and never awakening from her hiding place in her mind. She didn't want to budge from her hard, but welcoming spot on the ground beside the stream that had washed filth from the crevices of her body. She could hear the rush of water behind her as it cascaded over rocks and down the mountain side, reminding her of her cold bath from the day before. She found herself wishing that she could be water, it had so many forms and personalities and it could change itself according to its situation. It could be cool and refreshing, or loud and thunderous, cold, hot, and sad when it fell from the heavens.
It would have almost been a relief if it would rain right now, just to mix with the tears that she couldn't keep from streaming down her face. She didn't want Naraku to know that she had cracked; Kagome had thought long and hard about her enemy Naraku, and she had decided that he was in the business of misery. Not only was his goal to make others miserable, but she couldn't deny that he, himself, was actually reveling in misery as well.
Peering at her surroundings, she was surprised that she hadn't been awoken by a rather large foot lodged in her midsection. Pushing herself to a sitting position, she craned her neck to look into the cave that Naraku was in last night, but he was no where near the cave and she couldn't feel his presence anywhere near her.
Stretching her wings and shaking the dirt from her feathers, she arched them in a manner to catch the wind to help pull her to her feet. Kagome's body ached in places that she didn't know existed and her muscles screamed as they rubbed against each other. Carefully taking a step to test her leg strength, she found that each step hurt, but it would be worth it to make a quick escape if she could.
After making it to the side of the cave, she peeked her head in the opening, hoping that he really was away for some reason. Again, Naraku was not inside and she still couldn't feel his aura anywhere near the area.
Letting her body unfold from its scrunched position, she stood up straight for the first time since she had been with Naraku. It was a relief to let her muscles expand to their normal position throughout her body.
I've got to get out of here, she thought. He will kill me whether I go with him or whether he catches me if I try to escape. Might as well go for it!
Kagome opened her wings and let the wind ruffle through her gold feathers. Slowly, her feet began to hover over the ground as the air supported her weight by holding onto her wings.
"Where do you think your going?" a voice hissed from the underbrush.
Snapping her head toward the voice, she focused in on a creature leaning against a tree covering his eyes from the sun. It seemed that daylight was something that the dead weren't fond of.
Flapping her wings with more urgency, she continued to lift herself higher into the sky.
"Did you think that Naraku would leave you unaccompanied?" Continuing to cup his hand over his red orbs, the creature tilted his head so that he caught Kagome's gaze.
"I don't really care what you have to say. And I don't think you can do much from way down there, now can you?" Kagome's voice was a little shriller than she would have liked, but controlling her voice wasn't at the top of her priority list. She just needed to get away from here and back with her friends.
"I can call Naraku back from his mission and I promise he will be very unhappy with you. I'm sure you can imagine what will happen to you if he catches you trying to escape. I assure you, he will not be as lenient as he has been. You are lucky that you are not dead yet, I would have killed you the moment I caught you, Angel." The creature's words grated down Kagome's spine.
Naraku had not been lenient! He had been brutal and cruel. The rage stirred deep in Kagome's stomach and her power began to tingle across her finger tips.
"You better pray Inuyasha finds you already dead, demon, or I will have him rip what's left of you face off and feed it to the birds. And I assure you that that is lenient!"
Kagome's voice echoed through the woods, and her glare didn't stray from her foe's surprised face.
"You are making a mistake, Angel, come down or die…." His lips curled as if that's exactly what he wanted. Kagome knew that they wished she was already dead, from what she could tell, she was one of the only people alive who could close the portal that connected Hell to Earth.
Unfortunately, she also knew that if she were to close the portal, she would need her pieces of the shikon no tama back. Naraku confiscated her necklace the second he took her from Sanorai's castle. She had never been so happy to know that Sanorai still had his shard and that the shikon jewel was not whole. Naraku couldn't wreak as much havoc with an incomplete jewel as he could with it whole.
Concentrating her power into her hands, she stretched them out in the demon's direction.
"Make no mistake, demon, although I am human and my body can be broken, my mind is strong and if you or your master don't kill me, I will be your worst nightmare."
Releasing her magic from her fingers straight at the creature from Hell, it slammed into his chest and caused the midsection of his body to melt into the tree that he was previously using for support.
A loud gasp erupted from his throat as he gaped at the part of his body that was no longer connected. Gazing back at Kagome, his nose scrunched and he yelled as loud as his voice would allow.
"You will die for that!!"
Kagome wondered to herself how he could speak at all, she had melted his chest and part of his throat, and science would say that that was impossible. But she did recognize that he was already dead, so maybe the laws of the world didn't apply.
Turning her back, she lifted herself higher and higher off the ground. She wanted to get as far away from where she had been as she could. Running into Naraku terrified her enough to make her stick her tail between her legs and run off like a scared puppy. If he caught her, she knew he would do unimaginable things to teach her a lesson, but the risk compared to freedom was small.
"Miroku! Do you even know where we are going?" Rin gasped as she crawled over another boulder.
"We are going to see Totosai! I told you both already."
"Yes, I know who you said we were going to see," Rin wiped a sweat bead from her forehead, "but we have been climbing rock after big rock in this heat! Are we lost, or almost there?"
"He is around here somewhere and when we find him we will find that pesky flea Myoga!"
"I beg your pardon! But I heard that!" Myoga jumped from the ground and scampered up Miroku's clothes.
"Myoga! How long have you been by us?" Miroku cracked a smile and scratched his head, embarrassed that Myoga had heard his name-calling.
"I just arrived. I heard that there was an odd group walking in circles over here, so I decided to check it out. And it appears that you are definitely an odd looking group!" Flying to Miroku's nose, Myoga wanted a quick taste before he was crushed between Miroku's fingers because of his rude comment.
"I knew it Miroku! I thought that things were looking more and more familiar the more we walked around!" Shippo stomped his foot and glared at Miroku, "We would have died from thirst or exhaustion if Myoga never showed up!"
"Well, good thing we found the flee, then!" Turning his attention to Myoga, Miroku plucked him from his nose. "Do you know where the other half of this staff is kept?"
Holding the staff out, Miroku held it close enough for Myoga to give it a good inspection. Rubbing his little feelers together, Myoga stepped back with wide eyes. He hadn't seen this staff since his Great Inu Lord, Inuyasha's father, walked the earth. What was it doing among humans?!
"Where did you get the Staff of Worlds?"
"So it has a name. It was given to me by Kaede. I need to find the other half so we can close the portal that's opened between Hell and Earth. Myoga, as nosey as you are, I would be surprised if you didn't know what was already going on. I also imagine that's why you are far away from the danger!" Placing his hands on his hips, Miroku let a small chuckle escape his lips. It relieved a small amount of stress to keep a light heart sometimes and Myoga's ability to disappear when there was danger was humorous to almost everyone.
"I beg your pardon! I do no such thing! Besides, it's in everyone's best interest that I stay alive since I am a vessel of knowledge."
"Ah so you admit that you're a coward!" Smiling wider, Miroku could hear Shippo and Rin giggling at the small bug.
"There is just simply no way I can explain to you why I must do what I must! And if you would care to find the other half of that staff, it would be in your best interest not to pester me!" Myoga puffed out his tiny chest and strutted up and down the staff in Miroku's hand.
"Well tell us already!" Shippo stuck his hands in his pockets and stuck his nose in Myoga's face, "Kagome's in trouble and we have to save her as soon as possible!"
"What's happened to Kagome!? I should have known that where there is trouble, Kagome and Lord Inuyasha would find it."
"Naraku has her and he is the one who has opened the hole in Hell." Miroku stated solemnly.
"Then I better tell you about this staff you have," pacing back and forth, Myoga took a deep breath, "the Staff of Worlds has been around for hundreds of years. It was given that name because it opens doors to every dimension surrounding Earth. Not only can Hell be opened but so can Heaven and Limbo, or it can also be used to get to Earth from any of those previously stated dimensions. Since it can open doors, it can also close them, but it takes much more strength to close them than it does to open them."
Jumping from the staff, Myoga landed lightly on Miroku's shoulder. His legs became tired quicker in his old age.
"Not only will you need the top to this staff, but you will need the Shikon no tama's power if you are going to have to send Naraku and his minions back to the scum where they belong. There has always been a powerful jewel around, when one gets destroyed, another one is created. Or vise versa. That is one of the main reasons the staff was broken in half and hidden. I am surprised to know that a human had it in their protection."
Scratching his chin, Myoga sighed and looked at the group of travelers around him. He had been around for so long that he had many moments where he would get a chance to imprint a hero's face in his mind. There was always someone or something that needed saving and he seemed to be the knowledge that kept them always trudging forward. He would see them blink in and out of existence and out of people's memory. Except his own memory.
He would always remember Inuyasha's father and his father's allies. There was no way he would forget Kagome, the girl who came from another time to save the past so that Japan would have a future. The demon slayer, Sango, who lost her entire family and still fought on, in hopes of a brighter future. Miroku the monk, who walked with a cursed hand, saving people, even thought he knew that the hole in his hand would one day consume him.
It was rare to be in the presence of so many great people who gave so much of their lives just to find that small speck of happiness, or that chance to smile. Even the two children in front of him, Shippo, the fox-child who fought grown demons, or Rin, the human girl that found a place in a demon lord's heart, were even heroes.
It was one of those moments that he gave their faces time to stick in his brain, just the way they were. It was unlikely that they would survive this battle and if they didn't, he wanted to remember just the way they were in this moment.
"Anyway, to get to my point. Totosai has the metal head to your staff. All you must do is attach it and place the stone in the center of the sun that's across its surface. I don't think that Inuyasha and Kagome have enough power to wield this weapon though. I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"We have to try, Myoga. Do you think Totosai will freely give us the top of the staff? I really don't have time to force it from him."
Miroku was relieved to know that it was near, but he also knew that Totosai was a tricky youkai and he rarely gave valuable things away unless there was personal gain.
"I will acquire it for you."
With that said, Myoga jumped off into the distance leaving the others behind. He needed to get Miroku the staff so he could attempt to save the world. Totosai shouldn't be too upset; after all, this is his world too.
"You should have known that there would have been no way to escape. I knew you would try and it pleased me to think of the punishments I would be able to inflict once I got you back. Don't feel too bad though, I would have hurt you whether you stayed or ran."
"Naraku, I don't care what you do to me. You will never win. Even when you kill me, I will laugh at you from the after life. You're a waste of life!" Kagome yelled.
Kagome was so sick of being scared all the time and she decided that just speaking her mind would get the same exact abuse as staying quiet. So why not get out her thoughts.
Naraku had found her hiding from him in a small cave by a stream. She thought that the stream would hide her smell and her footprints, but Naraku had so many servants on earth that one of them must have noticed her and let him know.
She really wasn't that surprised when she was drug out of her hiding spot by the spawn of Satan. Kagome didn't even put up much of fight because she knew that Naraku was stronger than her right now anyway.
"I have decided that Angels disgust me. So, what do you think I could do to make you less of an Angel?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure you will come up with something." Kagome let her shoulders droop and with that her wings followed in suit.
Naraku focused in on her wings at their movement and a malicious grin swept across his face. He could rip them off. She wouldn't die from removing the wings because she was being protected by a spell, so she would experience the excruciating pain without dying. It was the only logical to take away her wings, especially when that was the only thing that connected her to the Angel race.
"What are you starring at asshole! Why won't you just leave me alone!?"
Scooting backward, Kagome wanted to get as far away from his penetrating glare as she could. He must have something terrible in mind and if she could put it off, she would for as long as possible.
"I know exactly what I will do with you." Standing, Naraku started to make his way toward Kagome's shivering body on the ground.
"Stop!" she pushed her hand to the front of her body, flat like a stop sign from her own time, "I wouldn't move any closer if I were you."
Amused by her antics, Naraku stopped a few paces in front of her and raised his eyebrow questionably. "And why wouldn't I?"
"Umm," she hadn't actually thought that far yet, "because I will turn you to dust the moment you touch me! So, you better back up! I'm tired of your abuse!"
Concentrating her power to her fingertips, she closed her eyes and tried to push everything that she had left into the palm of her hand. Kagome's hand quickly began to tingle and glow and the more power she forced into her hand, the hotter the sensation was that ran up and down her arm.
"You think you will stop me with petty healer magic? You are an idiot, although I do like feisty. It keeps me entertained at best."
Kagome's eyelids flew back and her eyes glowed beneath her lashes. Opening her palm wider she let the last bit of magic flow into her palm that would fit. Not waiting for him to come any closer, she released her power and watched as it exploded into Naraku's chest.
The last thing she saw before her head hit the ground from exhaustion was Naraku scream and tear his top from his body.
"You will regret that, whore!"
Limping backwards, Naraku rubbed his hand over the burned area across his chest. If he had been any weaker that much power would have killed him. He had no idea that Inuyasha's slut had become that powerful.
Rage poured through every limb of his body, slowly his eyes were washed with red and all he pictured was violence. Walking over to Kagome's limp body, Naraku bent down and picked her up by her neck. She was out cold from concentrating so much strength into one blow.
Flexing his empty hand, he grabbed one of her wings. "You will regret the day you met me." Without thinking, Naraku's arm muscles tightened and rolled over each other as he ripped the wing from her delicate back.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Pain, tears, and darkness; her head spun and bile slammed into her throat and out her mouth as she screamed with everything her vocal cords could put out. She had never felt a pain as horrifying as the knives that tore through her back and cascaded through her body.
Naraku held her away from him as she puked from his punishment. Dropping the torn wing from his hand, he kicked it to the side and grabbed the one still attached to Kagome.
"I told you I hate Angels!" Tearing the second wing from its place, Naraku threw it to the ground followed by Kagome's once again limp body.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw gold feathers strewn across the ground and all around her. Blood dripped down her back and she could feel it caking feathers her top. She had no strength left to cover her wounds and all she could do was lay where she was dropped and bleed to death.
Remembering something that seemed very distant; she saw the image of white hair and amber eyes in her mind.
Inuyasha, save me.
Inuyasha grabbed his chest and jumped up from the spot he had been sitting. His heart pounded through his haori and he found it hard to catch his breath.
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Sango place her hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down.
"Something has happened to Kagome! I must find her now!"
Inuyasha made sure Tetutsaiga was firmly latched to his hip and he sprinted in the direction he could feel her aura radiating.
Im glad Im finally done with that chapter! It took me quite awhile to put it together. So please let me know what you think.