Disclaimer: Inuyasha is sooo not mine.
Chapter 6
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Two days after they emerged from the well, Hiro drove to Kagome's home. He'd heard nothing from Kagome since the day he'd left her behind in Inuyasha's time. That was unusual behavior for her since she always made certain to she let him know if her plans changed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, (it was probably reason, although in his current frame of mind it was difficult to tell) a tiny voice reminded him that Kagome hadn't seen these people in years, why shouldn't she stay a few days to catch up?
But there was still that little sensation of unease, tugging persistently at the back of his mind. No, there was something wrong.
Feeling a burst of anger, Hiro put the pedal to the metal and soon, he was pulling into Kagome's driveway. He brought his car to a screeching halt and jumped out, heading immediately for the well house. Just as he reached it, the doors were flung open and out stepped Inuyasha. The white-haired hanyou blinked a few times and frowned.
"Oi, Hiro. Where's Kagome? I need to talk to her."
It was Hiro's turn to frown. "What for? She's been with you since my brothers and I left," he muttered, now certain that some danger had befallen Kagome. "She said she was going to stay for awhile to get reacquainted with you guys."
Inuyasha's frown turned into a scowl. "She said that? Well, that's funny since none of us have seen her since you left."
A greater feeling of dread filled Hiro. Dear heavens, just what had happened to her? "What do you mean? You haven't seen her in two days?" When Inuyasha shook his head, Hiro's mind went back to the last time he'd seen her. She had looked different; troubled about something. He wished now that he'd been persistent with her until she'd spilled the beans.
"Maybe she just wanted some peace and quiet," Inuyasha offered helpfully. He shrugged. "Sometimes she'd go off by herself when she was upset and come back later feeling more like herself. She never told me where she was going but I didn't worry because I knew she'd come back."
Hiro bit his tongue when he wanted to remind Inuyasha about what he'd done to her to make her go off on her own. Kagome had told him that Inuyasha would hurt her when he spent time with Kikyo. He never went after her because he was busy being with the other woman. Instead, Hiro shook his head. "Then you never really knew her, Inuyasha. Our Kagome would never just disappear without a trace or a word to anyone. She would always, always let us know if her plans changed. If not my brothers, then me at the very least. After all, the four of us are a tight knit team and besides, she and I are best friends. We always look out for each other, no matter what." Hiro's brown eyes narrowed slightly. "You know, in our line of work, we can't allow anything... or anyone... to get between us. That sort of thing would impair our line of communication and judgement."
Inuyasha did not miss Hiro's thinly-veiled barbs... and could not help but wince. "Yeah, well, we haven't seen her since you left. I was just wondering if she wanted to help us defeat Naraku once and for all, but since she's not even here..." He paused and frowned. "Hold on here. If she's not in my time and she's not here in your time, then where is she?"
The elf looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you smell her scent here?"
The hanyou sniffed around, then shook his head with frustration. "It's very faint. Her scent is days old. It smells like she did on the day we all went through the well."
Hiro crossed his arms over his chest. "Shit. That must mean she never returned here. She's still in your era." He reached for his phone and flipping it open, pressed a button. A moment passed before he said into the phone, "Yuki, get Akira and pack our gear. Get over to Kagome's house right now. We need to go back through the well." He shut his phone without waiting for answer. "Inuyasha, do you think she could have gone off with Kouga?"
Dark eyebrows shot up and disappeared under wispy silver bangs. "Kagome? Take off with that mangy wolf? Oh hell no! It'd be more like he'd take off with her. He's always had a thing for Kagome." He scowled. "Damn, I always hated that bastard."
"I see. Thank you, Inuyasha." Hiro turned away and went back to his car to wait for his brothers to arrive. No, she hadn't gone off with Kouga, thought Hiro as he climbed into the driver's side. She loved Akira and wouldn't have gone all the way with another man, no matter how good-looking he was. Indeed, she had told Hiro she'd felt guilt while she was being intimate with Kouga.
After watching Inuyasha sniff curiously around Kagome's house for several minutes, Hiro's eyes began to droop. All this emotion tired him out. He lay his seat back with yawn and decided it wouldn't hurt to take a short nap for a bit. Just until his brothers got there, at least. He felt that he'd need all his energy to extract Kagome from whatever mess she'd gotten herself into.
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After walking for two days, Kagome came to a hill and climbed it to have a look around. In the distance, she caught sight of smoke billowing up over the forest that lay below. Instinctively she knew that whatever had been destroyed had been Naraku's handiwork and decided to go investigate.
By the time she reached her destination, it had begun to grow dark. The air around her was hazy and she put her mask on to keep from breathing in too much of the smoke-filled air. By the dying light of the sun, Kagome saw that what had been on fire had been a castle. Cautiously, she went to the entrance gates and pushed them open carefully.
All her years of killing demons could not prepare her for the sight that met her eyes. Within the castle walls, a bloodbath had occurred. Men, women and children... all slaughtered mercilessly; their bodies strewn about like leaves scattered on the ground.
Kagome shut her eyes to the sight and attempted to compose herself. When she again opened her eyes, she took a deep breath and made her way through the bodies to see if there were, by chance, any survivors. As she went, she knew full well that Naraku had left none alive.
As she neared a koi pond whose waters were no doubt polluted with an ugly scarlet stain, an agonized groan rose from a pile of bodies near a small bridge that spanned the pool. Reaching into her pack, Kagome grabbed her flashlight and drew it out, flipping it on in one smooth motion. Her beam of light fell upon a bloody hand that was stretched out and grasping weakly at the air.
"Hold on!" Kagome cried and rushed over to help. Quickly she began shoving cooling bodies to the side, silently begging their forgiveness for treating them without dignity. At last she reached a warm body at the bottom of the heap and started when the bloody hand grabbed at her arm. Kagome snatched the squirming body and pulled it from pile.
"Are you injured?" inquired Kagome as she lay the blood-covered figure down on the ground. "If you're hurt, you must let me know." The person she had rescued was a woman dressed in an ornate kimono, so obviously she was someone of importance at the castle.
A pair of dark eyes opened and stared up at Kagome. Strands of matted black hair lay plastered against the woman's face. "K-kagome?"
Kagome nodded slowly. The voice sounded very familiar. "Yes, that is my name." She frowned. "I'm afraid I don't know you."
Relief flooded the woman's face and she opened the front of her kimono slightly. Kagome peered down to see what the woman was showing her. A small bump beneath the woman's clothing moved and a yellow head with a pair of black ears popped out. Two huge red eyes stared dazedly up at Kagome
"Kirara?" Kagome's gaze shot up to the woman's face and then she recognized who this was. "Sango!" she cried and scooped her old friend up into her arms. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!"
Sango said nothing for a long moment and Kagome thought that she had lost consciousness, but when the miko looked down at her friend, she saw that the former taijiya was silently weeping. That was when she recalled Inuyasha telling Miroku that Sango had had two sons by her husband. She looked around them. Other than the three of them, nothing else in that castle drew breath. "Sango... I'm so sorry."
"It all happened so fast," whispered Sango, turning to hide her face against Kagome's shoulder. "All of a sudden Naraku was there and people began running in all directions. He... he laughed as he slaughtered them... He..." She broke off and began to sob violently, her hands grabbing desperately at Kagome. "My babies! Naraku murdered my babies!"
Squeezing her eyes shut against the tears that threatened to fall, Kagome held her friend as she cried.
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After seeing to Sango's wounds which were thankfully few and superficial, Kagome made a fire and situated her friend before it. She'd gone into one of the buildings nearby that hadn't been damaged in the attack and found a small storage area. Kagome grabbed some food and a few blankets.
"Sango," Kagome said as she returned, "tell me. Where is your husband's army? The last time I was here, I remember he had soldiers bring you to him to slay that bear demon's ghost."
The taijiya nodded slowly. "They... were sent away yesterday on my husband's orders. There was a disturbance on the eastern part of his lands and they went to protect the village there. A lone soldier returned this morning. He was injured and bleeding badly... and before he died, he spoke of demons attacking the soldiers." Bowing her head, Sango wept. "I should have known it was Naraku! I could feel his evil presence approaching us. Why didn't I try to stop him?" Angry dark eyes flashed up at Kagome. "I knew and yet I did nothing! Why, Kagome? Why?!"
"Sango--"
"They protected me, Kagome! Those people protected me with their bodies when I tried to draw my sword. I should have been the one to have protected them!"
"They protected you because they loved you, Sango and wanted to keep you safe from harm. You are the hime of this castle and--"
Sango's dark eyes flashed with anger. "No, that's not right! I'm the same as them! What right do I have to live, to survive such an atrocity when they did not?" Anguish passed over her lovely face as more tears spilled down her pale cheeks.
Kagome grabbed Sango and held her while the latter clutched wildly at the miko, weeping hysterically against her shoulder. It wasn't until several minutes had passed when the sobbing abated at last. Sango ate a little, then fell into a deep sleep.
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The following day was a solemn one for Kagome; one she hoped she never to repeat. While Sango thankfully remained asleep, Kagome, with assistance from Kirara, began moving the bodies into another part of the castle. She found the bodies of Sango's husband and two young sons as she was reaching for the corpse of a man in the act of protecting two children. But when she bent down to grab the man, Kirara rushed in and blocked her. The fire neko turned sad red eyes to Kagome and she knew whose bodies those were. Immediately she backed away and told Kirara that once Sango was awake, she would let Sango see her family one last time before they were buried.
That evening, when the last body was gathered, Kagome set the massive pile on fire. To bury everyone would take too long, especially since she had no help and she couldn't allow the corpses to lie out in the open to rot. She watched for several minutes as the flames engulfed the heap of bodies, then bowed her head and prayed for the souls lost the previous day.
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The next morning, Kagome woke Sango gently and asked if she wished to see her husband and children once more. Sango's face crumpled but she nodded and allowed Kagome to help her up. Kirara followed them on silent paws and Kagome felt a distinct sadness in the neko's demeanor.
Neither spoke as Kagome led her friend to where she and Kirara had left the bodies of Sango's loved ones. When she looked upon them, Sango released a heartbroken wail and flung herself on top of them, screaming curses at Naraku for taking them from her.
Hearing Sango's sobs, Kagome turned away and wiped her tears from her eyes. Poor Sango. First her father, brother and fellow slayers... now her husband and children. Kagome's hatred for Naraku had intensified, if that were possible, and it threatened to consume her. But she pushed it back for the moment and stood by, waiting for Sango.
At long last, Sango sat up on her knees and turned a pale, tear-stained face to Kagome. "Would you bury them? I... don't seem to have the strength..." Fresh tears streaked down her cheeks.
Kagome did not reply and instead, picked up each body and placed them within the graves she'd dug for them earlier that day. When the last grave had been covered and marked, Kagome straightened and took Sango back to their makeshift campsite. Later that night after giving Sango some food and mixing it with a couple of sleeping pills, she watched as Sango ate. Once she finished eating, Kagome asked, "Do you want to stay here or would you like to move on?"
In a dead voice, Sango replied, "Stay here? What for? There's nothing to keep me here any longer. There's nothing..." When she began to cry, Kagome gathered her in her arms and held her while grief once again overtook her. But the medicine finally kicked in and she fell into a deep sleep.
Despite the fact that she was tired, Kagome sat up and kept watch in case Naraku decided to visit them during the night. Kirara stayed by her side and allowed Kagome to pet her for awhile, but eventually the neko rose, went over to her mistress' side and curled up against her.
Sometime around midnight, Kagome heard sounds coming from somewhere in the empty castle. They were soft but steady and she rose quickly with a frown. Kirara's ears twitched and she raised her head, red eyes staring in the direction of the sound. Kagome looked down at the fire neko, who returned her concerned glance. What they were hearing sounded suspiciously like stealthy footsteps. The sound sent goosebumps up her arms and spine and she instantly grabbed her guns, strapping them to her thighs.
As she reached for her sword, Kirara's body swelled to battle size and she ran off into the darkness.
"Wait!" Kagome hissed, nimbly tying her sword's sheath to her back. She didn't want to run off after the neko youkai and leave the sleeping Sango defenseless. But Kirara returned a moment later, materializing out of the darkness with a long, dark object clamped in her powerful jaws. The neko trotted up to her and pressed the object into Kagome's hands.
"A sword?" Kagome was puzzled, then recalled that Sango said she had tried to draw her sword. "Is this Sango's sword, Kirara?"
Kirara bowed her head and Kagome hefted the blade, testing its weight. With a steady hand, Kagome grasped the hilt and slid the sword from its resting place. It was a demon slayer's sword alright; she had seen several like it in a museum back home. What she held had been molded in the original slayer sword model. The sword on her back differed slightly from the one in her hand. Hers was lighter, made from a different metal than Sango's sword but the shape was more or less the same. Two swords, forged for the same purpose but created centuries apart. The elves would be envious, she thought with a sad sort of amusement, settling Sango's sword around her waist so that it lay against her right leg.
"I'll be back soon, so don't leave Sango," she told the large cat as she grabbed her flashlight. "If there's trouble, let me know okay?" Kagome flashed a smile at Kirara. "I missed you guys," she whispered, then turned and walked away, a bright beam of light from her flashlight sweeping the ground before her.
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Her footsteps echoed slightly as she strolled through the gutted buildings and eventually she ended up in the part of the castle where she'd burned the castle's inhabitants in the huge funeral pyre. Her ray of light landed on a large pile of ash, along with charred wood and bones that lay in the middle of the courtyard.
Again came the suspicious noises and Kagome jerked her flashlight's beam over in the direction of the sound. She swept the beam of light a little ways away from the ashes and came to rest on a pair of primitive-looking leather boots.
"Hello, beloved."
With her heart racing, Kagome raised her arm and shone her light at the figure in black that stood, facing her. "Naraku. I should have known you were still here." She aimed her flashlight at his face, hoping to draw an angry response from him.
But he merely chuckled and raised his hand to shield his eyes. "Now, now, my dearest. You shouldn't try such childish tactics to arouse my anger. After all, you remember all those nights when you tried to make some silly excuse not to allow me into your bed." His teeth gleamed in the light playing on his face.
The part of her that was Niobe quaked in terror yet again and she had no choice but to lower the flashlight to his chest. These two distinct parts of her soul left her feeling disjointed and it bothered her that she could not suck it up and give him the ass whooping he so richly deserved. She hated feeling fear; but she hated Niobe even more for causing her to experience this wholly unpleasant and alien emotion.
"Why didn't you find some other female to rape?" she asked baldly, switching the flashlight to her right hand so as to allow her left hand to go to the hilt of the sword around her waist. "I mean, I didn't have the distinct honor of possessing the only vagina in the world."
"Another female?" He sounded genuinely confused. "But why? I love you and you alone. Unlike you, I do not wish to share my body with another."
Again the goddess within her trembled and Kagome wished very much to slap her silly. "I may not remember everything, but I know that I never wanted to give myself to you," she snapped, feeling irritated at both Niobe and Thanos. "You just took it from me without my permission."
"That," growled Thanos, "is not true! You loved me too, Niobe! I know you played hard-to-get, but you wanted me! I mean, after all you allowed me to--"
He surged forward, but Kagome shot the ray of light into his face once again, causing him to quickly turn his head away and cover his eyes. "I loved you because you were my brother," she told him quietly. "But I never wanted you to touch me that way. You took what you wanted by force, remember? Or have you forgotten all the times you beat me and tied me up just so you could rape me without my interference?"
Thanos' head turned slowly and he glared at her despite the bright light in his face. His black eyes glittered wickedly. "Oh, my darling Niobe, you lie. I remember a great many things of our nights together and as I recall, you responded to my touches quite regularly."
"Then I am the world's greatest actress," Kagome replied quietly.
His face froze. "What do you mean?"
"Didn't you know, brother dear, that women are quite skilled at faking orgasms?" She then proceeded to gasp and moan, as if in the throes of ecstasy. When she was done, she glared at him. "You see? Quite simple."
The look on his face was priceless, for he had clearly been fooled and was clearly upset at the revelation. "You pretended to enjoy it? But why? Why would you lead me to believe--"
Kagome scowled. For all his beauty, Thanos apparently didn't have the brain power to set a hamster wheel in motion. "Because I never wanted to have sex with you, you idiot!" she shouted at him. "I faked it to keep you from hurting me further."
"What of the times you made no noise at all? Were you too tired to put on an act for me then?" he bit out scathingly.
Her smile faded. "No. During those times, my participation was unnecessary. You were so drunk that you didn't care if I was awake or asleep. All I needed to do was wait until you were finished with me and when you finally fell into a deep sleep, I would make my escape and bathe thoroughly. I couldn't stand you touching me."
For a long moment, Thanos stood quite still and silent. "So... you're saying that I repulsed you?"
Kagome could feel the energy in the air change. His anger was boiling over and she was astonished that he could cover it up so well. "Yes," she said, her voice steady despite the unease that crept up her back. Her left hand clutched the hilt of Sango's sword firmly.
"I love you," he told her, his voice tightly controlled. "The very thought of kissing every inch of you makes me shiver with pleasure. The only woman I have ever sought to please has been you." He took a step forward. "Nothing about you disgusts me, Niobe. Nothing. How can you say that I disgust you? We are the same person, we have shared the same womb. Our skin, our hair, our eyes... we look the same. We are the same."
Sadness washed over Kagome. He was begging, pleading with her and for some reason, she could not feel anger towards him but rather, pity. This poor man was delusional. For so long he'd harbored the idea that since he felt this way about her, he naturally assumed that she must feel the same just because they were twins. "Yes, we were twins but we were never the same person. But you must understand that I cannot return your affections. I am unable to feel about you the way you feel about me," she explained patiently. "I love you, but only as my brother." Kagome could see Thanos' body tense and she had a feeling that something was about to go down.
He shook his dark head slowly. "No. I won't accept that, Niobe. You have to love me the way I love you. You must love me the way I love you." His right arm came up and his hand reached for the handle of the sword that lay against his left hip. "I will do whatever it takes to make you see that we were meant for one another," he muttered softly as his arm drew back, sliding the sword from its sheath. "If I must kill you to accomplish that, then so be it."
"Um... what?" For a moment, Kagome couldn't believe her ears. He would kill her to prove to her that she was his? What kind of sick reasoning was this? Clearly he needed help but she doubted he would ever agree to counseling or give up whatever crazy shit he was smoking. For a second, Kagome wondered if they had crack back in ancient Greece... or perhaps 'shrooms...
Slowly and keeping her eyes on the deranged man before her, Kagome set the flashlight down on the ground before straightening and reached for the sword on her back. Simultaneously, she drew both swords and twirled them lightly in her hands. "Sure I'll fight you, but let's face it, you'll never make me love you."
There was no warning as he lunged at her, his right arm swinging his blade at her head. Deftly she defended herself with Sango's sword and sent him skittering back as her arm sliced upwards, the tip of her own sword neatly slicing the front of his shirt.
"Niobe may have been a total wimp when it came to you," hissed Kagome, taking several steps back, "but remember this-- I'm not Niobe any longer. Got it? My name is Kagome... and I won't take any bullshit from you, god or not."
Over the next several minutes, nothing more was said between the two combatants. Thanos was delighted, yet at the same time, dismayed that his sister was such an accomplished swordswoman. She fended off his attacks again and again and it soon became clear to him that he would not be able to defeat her in this manner.
As luck would have it, he managed to return Kagome's favor of cutting his clothing with one of his own. He slit her shirt down the front, exposing not only her breasts, but also the Shikon no Tama. Thanos stared openly at her impressive chest, but he was thrust to the side as Naraku rushed forward with hideous eagerness.
"Miko, I intend to take the Shikon after I end your life. However, I would first like to thank you for bringing the jewel to me. It saves me the trouble of having to go after it." He grinned nastily at her and gave her a mocking bow.
Kagome wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm. "You'll never have it, Naraku. I won't allow it."
Naraku chuckled. "I hardly think that you're in a position to keep me from taking what I want. Or need I remind you of your current state of helplessness? You have no powers."
She shook her head. "I don't care. The jewel will never fall into your hands."
Again he laughed. "Hands, huh? I have other means of taking what I want."
At that moment, Kagome felt something cold and slimy sliding along her bare stomach. She looked down and a startled yell burst from her. One of his appendages had already coiled itself around her feet and a second later, her entire lower body was firmly held in place. She attempted to hack at Naraku's revolting body part with both swords, but more tentacles came out of nowhere and knocked them from her hands.
The next minute, Kagome was flung to the ground and Naraku slithered on top of her. His scarlet eyes had faded and now all she saw was the lecherous face of Thanos. He grinned down at her almost lovingly as his tentacles vanished. "Wasn't that a neat trick, Niobe? Did you see how easy it was for me to subdue you? I don't think it would be wise to continue to defy me, little one." Bending down, he captured her lips with his.
Kagome fought him, pummeling his chest and shoulders with her fists and attempting to kick at him. But he was far too heavy and too strong to budge. She did manage to get his face away from hers when she bit his lower lip viciously. He started but did not pull back until she had released him.
"You naughty, naughty little girl," Thanos admonished her gently and ran his tongue over his bleeding lip. "That was a very mean thing to do to your brother." He cocked his head to the side and stared down at her rather thoughtfully. "I believe I shall have to punish you for that."
"Screw you," growled Kagome, giving him a good shove. The movement didn't completely remove him off of her, but it was enough to give her some room to bring her knee roughly up into his gut. With the wind knocked out of him, she used her other leg to knee him in the groin. As he rolled off of her to the side and clutched at his crotch, Kagome scrambled to her feet and moved quickly out of his reach. She snatched up her swords just as he managed to get to his own feet.
"Now you will definitely have to pay," he mumbled as he straightened himself to his full height. For a moment he swayed unsteadily, then in the blink of an eye, he had her by the throat. His hand tightened around her neck while the other hand calmly removed the swords, one by one, from her grasp. "Just face it, Niobe. You can't defeat me. You are inhabiting the body of a human female. I have a hanyou's body at my disposal. I'm faster and stronger than you. You... cannot... win."
Even with his hand wrapped around her throat with a vise-grip, she managed to give him a small smile. "Why don't you just kill me then? That way, you won't have to put up with my rejection of you and I won't have to experience the revolting sensation of you fucking me. See? My death would benefit both parties involved."
The moon had risen overhead and by its pale light, Kagome could just see Thanos' expression as she uttered those words. He looked none too happy; indeed, his features darkened with rage.
"Do not take me so lightly, woman. If you think I would allow you to escape me that way, then you are sadly mistaken." He shook her like a ragdoll, but then thought the better of it and instead, crushed her to him and bit her shoulder.
Kagome gritted her teeth against the pain, for she would not permit herself to give him the pleasure of hearing her scream. But as he bit down harder, she couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped her lips. When she heard him chuckle, rage flew through her and she grabbed onto his body, bringing her legs up to wrap around him. The suddeness of the extra weight startled him, but when she let her body become dead weight, he couldn't help but topple forward onto the ground and on top of her.
Now that he was no longer attached to her shoulder, Kagome brought her head up and butted him in the face with her forehead, breaking his nose. Blood gushed all over her face.
"You bitch!" he screamed and brought both his hands up to wrap around her slim throat again. This time he throttled her savagely. While she gasped for breath and clawed frantically at his wrists, he glared down at her, his eyes blacker than she'd ever seen them. "Don't worry, my darling, I won't allow you to die. I've got other plans for you."
Time stood still for Kagome as Thanos savaged her repeatedly. She did attempt to fight him off, only to be backhanded into submission, leaving her stunned and immobile. Inwardly, she felt Niobe's sadness and it overwhelmed her, causing her to withdraw into herself. She now knew this was how, as Niobe, she had coped with her twin's abuse. As she lay beneath him now, Kagome felt nothing but watched him, as though from a great distance, as he defiled her body again and again.
Faintly, in the back of her mind, she called out to the elves for help. She hoped against hope that they realized that something was wrong and decided to go back in order to look for her.
Oh please, let them come!
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"Hurry up!" Hiro yelled at his brothers. They were lagging behind and arguing loudly with each other. Hiro was growing impatient with them. On this trip they were behaving like petulant children and it was pissing him off. Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru and Miroku said nothing but watched as the two elves bickered back and forth. At last Hiro brought the group to a halt and whirled around to glare at his brothers. Their yelling finally ceased.
"What the fuck are your problems?" Hiro cried. "We have to find Kagome and you're acting like a couple of little brats! How can you possibly fight at a time like this?! Now Yuki, please focus. Can you still see her tracks?"
Ignoring his brother's query, Yuki stepped forward, a defiant glare in his green eyes. "Look, if she wants to stay here, it's her choice. Who the hell are we to tell Kagome what to do?"
"I am in complete agreement." Akira glowered at Hiro through his spectacles. "If Kagome wishes to mate with that Kouga guy, it's none of our business is it?"
The blond elf whirled around to face his youngest brother "Wait a fucking minute! Who the fuck is Kouga?!"
The sound of footsteps caused all of them to turn around. "That would be me," Kouga said, announcing his presence. He stepped out from behind a tree and leisurely leaned back against it, though his eyes watched them cautiously. "And you are?"
Before either of his brothers could respond, Hiro stepped forward and bowed. "My name is Hiro and these are my brothers, Yuki and Akira. Kagome has told me much about you, Kouga."
The wolf youkai nodded. "She spoke of you when I saw her last." His eyes roamed over the three elves, studying them. At last, his gaze settled on Akira and his brows snapped down. "I remember you. You were the one who tried to kill me."
"What were you doing to make him do that?" Yuki burst out accusingly. "What did you do to Kagome?"
Hiro stepped in when he noticed Kouga's body stiffen. "Back off, Yuki. What they did in private is none of our affair." He turned to the wolf youkai. "Kouga, I must ask you, have you seen Kagome?"
Kouga tilted his head to the side. "Not since that night she and I met in the woods. Why?"
"Well," Hiro explained, "we haven't seen or heard from her for three days. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru catch whisps of her scent here and there, but they can't seem to be able to track her. Yuki, on the other hand, has found her footprints but little else."
The black-haired youkai looked faintly surprised. "You can see her footprints?" he asked incredulously.
"Sure," Yuki replied calmly. He looked down at the ground and pointed. "It's faint, but you can just see it. Her footprints would look different from others in this time because she wears boots. They leave a distinct pattern impression." His eyes narrowed and he moved forward a few paces. "She went off in that direction," he said, pointing across a grassy field.
"Oi," Inuyasha piped up, "that's the way to Lord Kuranoske's castle. Maybe she went to visit Sango." He shot an uncomfortable glance at Miroku, who instantly paled. "If we get up a good speed, we should reach it before dawn." Without another word, he began heading off in the direction of Kuranoske's home.
With Kouga now apart of the group, they made their way across the field.
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Around three in the morning, the group made it to Kuranoske's castle and immediately the three youkai knew something was wrong.
"There's been a fire here," Sesshoumaru remarked quietly.
Kouga nodded. "Yeah and it wasn't just the buildings that were on fire either." He looked over at Hiro. "Human flesh has been burned as well. The air is rank with it."
Inuyasha slid Tetsusaiga from its sheath. "That's not the only foul scent in the air. Naraku's here." Taking a deep breath, he strode up to the castle gates and shoved them open.
They were met by a touching sight. A woman lay near a small fire with a large neko youkai sitting beside her unmoving form, standing guard. The large neko was watching them intently.
"Kirara," murmured Miroku and dashed forward to take a look at the woman. "It's Sango!" he cried and shook her gently. "Sango? Are you okay? Sango?"
Hiro was beside the distraught monk in an instant. After doing a quick check of the young woman's vitals, he looked around for Kagome's belongings. He went around the fire and grabbing Kagome's pack, he rummaged around inside it and pulled out a small bottle. "Sedatives," he muttered, casting a glance over at Sango, then looked about them. There were large, dried bloodstains everywhere. "Kagome gave her something to make her sleep and I don't blame her. This young woman must have gone through a terrible ordeal."
"So where's Kagome?" inquired Yuki softly.
But Sesshoumaru was already hot on Kagome's trail and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the remains of Kuranoske's castle. He did not go alone though; Yuki, Kouga and Inuyasha were right behind him. Miroku, who now held Sango in his arms, was left with a reassuring word from Hiro before he, too, vanished into the dark. Only Akira and Kirara remained with him.
oooooo
When the group arrived at the spot where the odor of burnt flesh was strongest, they found a figure lying spread-eagled on the ground, lit only by the pale light of the moon overhead. The taiyoukai made a move towards the still Kagome, but Yuki rushed forward with a cry, shoving Sesshoumaru to the side as he did so.
"Kagome! Oh my god, she's not moving! Baby? Baby, answer me!" The frantic elf snatched her up and cradled her to his chest. "Hiro! Hiro, come here! Oh god, oh god--"
Hiro hurried to his brother's side and extracted Kagome from his brothers clutches. Deftly, he felt for a pulse. "Calm down, baka! She's not dead." When Yuki reached for her again, Hiro smacked his clinging hands away. "Get over there by Inuyasha and leave her alone, for pity's sake! You're not doing her any good by jostling her about like that. Kouga, could you bring me bag, please?"
Ignoring Yuki's rude comments as he took a spot beside Inuyasha, Kouga did as he was asked and handed Hiro his backpack. Hiro, meanwhile, had placed Kagome back on the floor so he could have both hands free to examine her. As Kouga stepped back to give Hiro some room, his foot came in contact with a hard object. Frowning, he bent down to retrieve it.
"Oh, look what I found," he said, turning it over in his hands. "It's one of those flash... um... light thingies that Kagome used to bring with her." He held it out to Hiro, who took it. "I'm afraid I don't know how to work them."
"It's okay, thanks Kouga," he said, flipping on the flashlight. The beam of light fell right on Kagome's exposed torso. "What the--?" muttered Hiro and shone the light on her face. The sight of her battered face nearly drove him backwards.
Horrified gasps filled the air as Hiro slid the beam down her body. Kagome was half-naked and dark bruises covered large areas on her pale skin. Most disturbing of all was the sight of dried blood between her thighs.
"She was raped," Hiro whispered as he numbly removed his light jacket and placed it over her unmoving, ravaged body. "I knew something was wrong. Oh god, I just knew something was wrong..."
Movement stirred in the blackness of the burnt-out building and the form of a man appeared. Hiro swung the light over to where the newcomer stood, glaring malevolently at them. "It was punishment. That was all. Now, if you will kindly leave--"
"Punishment?!" Yuki surged forward, but his progress was stopped by Sesshoumaru's hand on his arm. He attempted in vain to get the youkai to release him, but finally, he ceased to struggle. "You raped her! That's beyond punishment, you freak! What has she ever done to you to deserve this? And just who the hell are you?"
The dark man walked over to where Hiro knelt by Kagome. "You, get over there with the others. Wolf, you too. Move."
As Hiro reached for his gun at his side, the man's arm moved swiftly and suddenly Hiro felt cold steel against his throat. "Allow me to repeat myself. I said, get over there with the others. Thank you." He smiled tenderly down at the girl as the two men joined their companions. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, all of you may go now and leave me alone with my precious sister."
"Sister?!" yelped Inuyasha and Yuki as the strange male straddled Kagome's thighs and brought his face down to hers for a gentle kiss. This time, Hiro assisted Sesshoumaru in holding a very livid Yuki back.
Over the screeching noise of Yuki's obscenities, Sesshoumaru posed the man a question. Despite the drastic change of appearance, he knew without a doubt that this was Naraku. "How could Kagome be your sister, Naraku? She is not of this time period." Thankfully, Yuki had the presence of mind to cease his yammering and listen quietly for the answer.
"First off, my true name is not Naraku."
"Then what is your true na--" Hiro began, but was abruptly cut off.
"I have not finished speaking," the man snapped angrily. He lifted his head, his eyes glowing hellishly at them in the dark. "Naraku is my reincarnation, if you will." His body straightened. "My name is Thanos and this lovely creature beneath me is my twin sister Niobe. Now if you will please remove your lowly selves from our presence and be on your way, I will continue my reunion with my twin. We have been separated for so very long."
Slipping free from his captors' grasps, Yuki brought his arm back and hurled a large fireball at Thanos. The suddeness of the attack succeeded in throwing Kagome's accoster off balance, thus giving Kouga a chance to rush in, snatch up Kagome and take off with her.
"No! Wait!" Hiro cried as he watched Kouga dash off back the way they had come. Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha attacked Thanos as one, along with Yuki, leaving Hiro in a panic. His stomach had begun to tighten into knots when he realized that, despite Kouga's best intentions, he was taking Kagome back to where Akira was waiting with Miroku.
The knots in his chest turned into one large knot that sank like lead down into his belly as the atmosphere around him began to press ominously against him. His head began to ache. It did not surprise him to see that the the four fighting males ceased their battle.
"Oh no," breathed Yuki, the realization of the grave error just made showed itself quite clearly in his voice.
Inuyasha, panting, looked about him. "Oi, where's Ka--?"
Grabbing his brother, Sesshoumaru quickly clapped a hand over Inuyasha's mouth, then glanced at Hiro, who had quickly begun to rummage around in his pack for something. "Shall we take our leave, Hiro?"
Hiro nodded vigorously as he pulled out a few objects from the depths of his bag. "Yes, there is nothing more you can do here. You both best leave now before he comes."
Tucking Inuyasha under his arm, who for once did not put up a fight, Sesshoumaru quickly left the vicinity, leaving the elves and Naraku alone to face Akira.
When he was finished with what he was doing, he shoved all but two items back into his bag, closed it and strode over to Yuki, who was gaping like a fish at the doorway they had passed through several minutes before. "Wake up, baka," he hissed and pressed a hypodermic syringe into the palm of his brother's hand. "You know what to do, Yuki. Don't fail."
"I can't do this," moaned the fair elf. He thrust the needle back at his brother. "Please don't make me do this, Hiro! You know how I feel about--"
"Now you listen to me," Hiro hissed angrily and grabbing Yuki by the collar, brought him within a hair's breath of his own face. "You damn well better do this or we all die. Got it?" He shoved Yuki back. "You can't think of how it might affect Akira; that's not my main concern here. Besides, we both know he won't get angry at us for trying to protect ourselves from him."
Yuki nodded numbly and was about to slip the syringe into his pocket when a dark figure moved through the entryway and into the courtyard. Instead, Yuki closed his long fingers around it, concealing the needle as Akira moved forward. He hoped like mad that Hiro's dose would be sufficient to bring his brother down. Akira's brainwaves were skimming over him and he shuddered. His head was already starting to throb.
Akira's footsteps halted and he looked at the man at the opposite end of the courtyard. He was on all fours, panting heavily. "You," he murmured softly, his voice saturated with malice, "What is your name?" His brothers, despite the lack of illumination, already knew that Akira's face had undergone its grotesque changes.
A nasty little chuckle filled the still night air. "I fail to see what business it is of yours," Thanos grunted as he got to his feet.
"Did you harm Kagome?" Akira's soft voice fell like lead in the still air around them. "Was it you who raped her?"
"For the last time," sighed the black-haired man with exasperation, "all I did was punish her for--"
That was all Akira needed to know. The elf threw up his hands and curled them into tight fists. Thanos, although amused at Akira's actions at first, was soon to discover there was nothing amusing about the predicament he was in. He clutched at his head and with a jerk, he began to howl in agony.
Yuki and Hiro watched with a mixture of horror and relief as their little brother unleashed his deadly power on their adversary. At last, Hiro could take the cries no more.
"Akira? You can stop now." Hiro took a cautious step forward. "Kagome... She will be alright. Okay? Please put him down. Um... don't do that, Akira--"
Naraku's body was a revolting, bloody mess; his screams shrill and grating upon their sensitive ears. He had already dropped to his knees, exhausted by the excruciating pain and loss of blood. The sight was beginning to turn Hiro's stomach. Quickly he uncapped the syringe and lunged at Akira, deftly plunging the needle into his little brother's neck.
"Please stop," Hiro pleaded as he depressed the plunger. "You've won. You've done enough damage. Okay?"
As Akira whirled around, he shoved Hiro away from him and reached up to grab the syringe out of his neck. Fear took hold of Hiro when, by the light of the moon, he saw Akira staring hard at him. In his hand, Akira snapped the syringe in half and tossed the pieces on the ground.
That was when Hiro felt his brother's mind waves slam into his body. For what seemed an eternity, Hiro was subjected to his brother's mental torture and his entire body seemed to burn as though he had been doused in acid. Then he experienced a new agony, as though his very brain was being ripped to pieces, accompanied by what could only be described as shrieks of the damned, roaring in his ears.
Then all of a sudden, his mind was clear; the pain was gone and the voices were silenced. Hiro's head came up with a snap and he saw that Yuki had taken hold of Akira from behind, his left arm curled around the younger elf's shoulders. His left hand cupped the right side of Akira's face, holding his head still. Yuki's right hand moved suddenly and Hiro saw a dim flash of metal. He had managed to inject Akira with the second dose of sedative.
"Forgive me, little brother," Yuki whispered into Akira's ear. Hurriedly, he capped his needle and sank to the floor with his brother just as Akira lost consciousness.
Despite a throbbing headache, Hiro struggled to his feet and took a step, but stumbled forward heavily onto his hands and knees. "Yuki," he whispered, panting heavily.
There was no answer from Yuki for a moment, but a soft sniffling soon broke the silence. "Yeah?"
"You okay?" Hiro crawled over to where his brothers were and sat back unsteadily on his haunches.
Yuki's pale head bobbed up and down. With a heavy heart, Hiro watched as Yuki buried his face in his baby brother's dark hair to muffle his sobs. After a moment, Yuki lifted a tearful face and gave Akira's head a kiss. "I've never seen him turn on you like that, Hiro, but I couldn't allow him to hurt you. The thought of sedating him like this, as though he were a wild animal... kills me inside."
Hiro reached out and ruffled Yuki's hair. "I know. But it was the only way to protect everyone around us."
"This is the end for him," the blond elf whispered miserably. "They'll never allow him to remain with us. He'll be doped up for the rest of his--" He broke off and began to cry again, cradling Akira's inert form against him. "The rest of his life..."
The sound of running feet neared and Hiro lifted his head. Their youkai friends had returned, this time bringing Miroku. They came to a sudden halt when they saw the trio on the floor.
"Oh no! What's happened to Akira?" Miroku cried and rushed forward to assist Hiro to stand. "Is everyone alright?" He draped Hiro's arm around his shoulders.
"We're fine, but only just. Naraku is--"
"Gone." Sesshoumaru's deep voice fell heavily on their ears. He went over to examine the spot where Naraku had been. "But he left us a bloody trail. He's been badly wounded, it appears." The taiyoukai turned to the elves. "Thanks to Akira, I believe we have a chance to end this once and for all. Come, Inuyasha."
"But what about Kagome?" The hanyou looked pained.
Sesshoumaru glared at his brother. "She's in the best hands possible and they will get her the medical attention she needs. The only thing you can do is help me kill Naraku. We will see her again soon, but we must get going." With a nod in the elves' direction, Sesshoumaru bounded away, followed by a rather disappointed Inuyasha.
"Well, let's get going," Kouga said, taking Akira from Yuki and slinging him over his shoulder. "Kirara will help us get you back to the well."
"This is all your fault, wolf," Yuki grumbled as Kouga's free arm went around his waist. "If you hadn't taken her to where Akira was--"
"Leave him alone," muttered Hiro. "It's over now. Let's get her and go back home."