Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.
A/N: This chapter was put on delay for many reasons but the most prominent reason being that I simply suck at fighting scenes. I mean really it was a struggle for me and I admit I'm not very happy with how it came out but practice makes perfect right? Eventually I will get better but for now this is all I can offer you guys. To all still following along with this story, thank you for being faithful and so very patient! This chapter contains some spoilage and contains violence so be warned ;)
Chapter 8: The Darkness That Follows
The wind continued to bellow and whip around them as the sound of Naraku's laughter continued to echo around them, callous and mocking. Kagome gritted her teeth together as she surveyed her surroundings, searching for the evil hanyou in white fur. She gripped her bow tighter and notched an arrow in place, pulling it taught as she stepped closer to Sesshomaru at her back. Her eyes narrowing in the sudden anger that flashed through her body, he'd have to pry the jewel shards from her cold dead hands. Slowly she stepped further back, grinding her shoes into the dirt as she took on a better stance.
"Naraku, show yourself!" Kagome demanded, relieved that at least her voice sounded steady.
"Now, is that any way to talk to an old friend, Kagome?" The voice of Naraku slithered through the trees and around them. "Or, are you still holding a grudge about Inuyasha and his beloved Kikyou?" He laughed again at the look of shock that filtered across her pale face. In one fluent motion he removed the baboon mask from his face and tossed it to the ground, his deep crimson eyes boring into her entire being.
"You…..it was you? You manipulated them and then…" Kagome broke off unable to focus, her mind swam with the images of Inuyasha and Kikyou as the realization hit home. He had used them yet again for his own sick purpose, but what could it be that he wanted to achieve. Kagome had been the one to hold the shards, not Inuyasha or Kikyou, it just didn't make sense to her. Her bow began to quiver in her shaking hand as her now blurry eyes glanced over and back up to Sesshomaru, his golden eyes belittling any emotion but the flare in his youki indicated enough.
Sesshomaru's youki flared in sudden irritation at the realization that her pain and suffering was all linked to the hidden hanyou, for those actions along with others he was going to pay the consequences. He wouldthoroughly enjoytearing the dark halfling to shreds. His grip on Toukijin tightened as he held the young girls tear brimmed blue eyes with his own, mentally he wondered if she would be capable of fighting in her current condition. The small moment of silence was then interrupted by their enemies musing, effectively jerking his complete attention back to surveying his surroundings once again.
"I must say, I was quite disappointed to find that you were brought back to the living. You continually prove that you're much more determined than I ever thought you capable of. You always were the bigger threat you see, and I thought it would be fun for Inuyasha to be the one to finish you off." He flashed behind her silently and whispered into her ear, "shameful." Naraku vanished again quickly before either of them had the chance to react and perched himself on the top of a large boulder, a daunting sneer forming across his lips. "It's such a shame Kikyou put an end to the game and your life out of sympathy, it's ironic don't you think, Kagome?" He coldly deliberated further from his vantage point.
"Why…You self centered greedy bastard! May the afterlife have mercy on you because I won't!" Kagome managed to grit out through her teeth, tears began to stream down her face as old memories flashed through her mind, her friend had died over her. It was too much, the bow quivered in her grip as she aimed for the monster before her.
Naraku's smirk grew larger as he witnessed the pain and suffering that rocked through her whole body, she was so upset and distraught that he doubted she'd be able to even scathe him in her condition. He slightly cocked his head sideways as he gazed at her longingly; she was so much like Kikyou right now that the desire began to grow in his twisted body. "Now now, don't be like that. You may hate me but we are alike in some aspects, no? Aren't you using Sesshomaru to aide you in your journey to collect the shards? You're using him for your own needs, aren't you?" The sneer on his face grew larger, his face seemed as if it may split from the effort.
"No, I'm not using him! We both support one another, that's totally different from the pain you cause anyone that comes in contact with you!" Kagome snapped at him, her voice nearly breaking by the end. "Helping the ones you care about and using people for your own selfish needs are quite different Naraku!" Kagome exclaimed, her eyes burning with anger.
Hot tears began to stream down her face freely but she didn't care, the desire to kill had never been so strong in her before. Within moments of her mental near break down Kagome began to pull herself together, no calm down- if you don't then you'll surely die. She wasn't a fool, control had to be maintained at all time to stand a chance against their most powerful enemy.
Sesshomaru glanced down at the young woman who was now glaring daggers at the enemybefore him, did she truly mean what she said? Something briefly surged through him at the thought before he pushed it aside as he focused on the matter at hand. Swiftly he removed Toukijin from its sheathe and held it before him, pointing straight at Naraku. "Prepare yourself, half breed."
"Ah, Sesshomaru I didn't take you for the type to -" his little rant was suddenly cut off as Sesshomaru leapt up in a flash and slashed his sword at Naraku, nearly cutting him across the chest. Naraku jumped back just in time and skillfully landed onto a tree branch above, a look of annoyance flashing across his face.
"Enough talk, it's time for action." Sesshomaru nearly smirked as the scowl on Naraku's face only grew. Naraku quickly covered the grimace and smirked down at Sesshomaru before landing down before them silently, the smirk shifted into a grin as he tossed his head back and a maniacal laugh filled the sudden silence.
"Very well, Sesshomaru. Since you're so eager to die faster, we'll play this your way." In blinding speed Naraku leapt forward and slashed his own sword at Sesshomaru's neck, though the taiyoukai was faster and easily dodged the attack. Quickly he realized that he'd actually have to put forth more effort if he wanted to slay his adversary without sustaining injury himself. Naraku quickly leapt back before Sesshomaru could make contact with his own attack, the blade slicing at his head and cutting a few strands of his hair. He prepared to lunge for Sesshomaru when his peripheral vision caught sight of the glowing arrow headed for his neck, he dodged just in time to hear the loud crack of power flow over his head.
Kagome cursed under her breath as the arrow whizzed passed his head instead of impaling him, in one fluid motion she reached back for another arrow and notched it and once again took aim. Hesitantly she glanced over at Sesshomaru who seemed to disapprove of her interference but otherwise didn't reprimand her for it. Nervously her eyes flicked back to Naraku who seemed to be quite amused rather than upset, he slowly stepped in her direction but stopped when a low growl sounded from Sesshomaru. Kagome was shocked to hear the warning come from him, in fact she almost thought her ears were playing tricks on her.
"Two against one? That's not very fair, now is it?" Naraku snidely stated as spider like limbs began to spring forth from his robes. At the same time his arms grew longer and his fingers transformed into dagger like nails. His pale torso faded into the large knotted branch like limbs beneath him, rapidly he grew in size as the many demon limbs suspended him into the air above them. His long raven hair flowed freely down his chest and back, crimson eyes laughed down at his adversaries.
"You think that form will help you defeat me? Arrogance shall be your downfall, Naraku." Sesshomaru coolly stated as he suddenly vanished from sight and reappeared behind Naraku. Sesshomaru quickly slashed at his back but was quickly repelled by Naraku's sharp limbs stabbing out at him. Sesshomaru quickly landed and wastes no time in running to the side, quickly gathering youki to form his whip of light. With a flash he lashed out the whip, disintegrating some of the hanyou's limbs only to find more emerging to replace them. Quite Distressing Sesshomaru thought to himself as he continued to force the attack.
From a good distance away Kagome watched the battle, her arrow following Naraku as best she could with the hindrance of his limbs blocking most of his chest and head. Come on…Sesshomaru, give me an opening! She mentally pleaded in frustration. She winced as she witnessed Naraku lash out a sharp limb that resembled a pincher and slice at Sesshomaru's ribcage, causing her companion to temporarily lose his footing. You better not die on me Sesshomaru, you've still got some explaining to do. With a good deal of effort she peeled her eyes off Sesshomaru's back to Naraku just in time to sidestep the beam of energy passing by her head. "It might be wise to focus on me rather than your lover boy" Naraku jested at her while cackling. Kagome's face flashed hot red and then her anger renewed itself. She once again regained the tightness in her bow and tried to line up a shot.
Eternity seems to pass as they continue to battle, Sesshomaru was getting very frustrated with the cowardly hanyou that kept a distance between them. Swiftly he dodged another wave of twisted limbs and cracked his whip across the limbs, really how long could Naraku keep up this charade? If this came down to a battle of stamina they might have an even smaller chance then he originally thought. Inwardly he cursed as another wave of limbs flashed out from underneath him, tangling around his legs and then his arms. Sesshomaru bit back a growl as a tentacle like limb wound its way around his neck and lifted him up into the air; suddenly there was a sharp pain that traveled up his back followed by Kagome's scream.
"Sesshomaru!" Kagome screamed out as she saw the sharp dagger like claws slash up Sesshomaru's back, a flow of blood began to drip down along his back and legs and onto the dirt floor beneath him. Naraku's booming laughter filled her ears and that was all she could take, quickly Kagome fired her holy arrow at Naraku's now unprotected heart. New tears brimmed her eyes as she saw the evil hanyou evade the arrow, dropping Sesshomaru in the process. Her heart clenched in her chest as she stared at his bloodied form on the ground, quickly she began to run towards him losing thought of the battle at hand, but was suddenly yanked back by something slimy.
"Kagome, why do you run to him? Does he mean that much to you?" Naraku coldly spoke as he neared her, more tentacle limbs coming out to entangle around her legs and arms as they had done to Sesshomaru. She was pulled up into the air just a few feet from Naraku, a slim tentacle slithered up against her skin to rest under her chin and slowly tilted her head up to look at him. Kagome cringed at the disgusting feeling and desperately craved the strength to break free and put an end to this nightmare, why did she always have to be so weak.
Naraku's deep red eyes bored down into those deep blue orbs, knowing she wasn't Kikyou and never would be. Carelessly he threw her to the ground, the odd angle and force not giving her time to gain any footing and she cried out as her leg twisted backwards and snapped under the bad landing. "Humans are such feeble creatures, so easily broken" Naraku sneered as he approached her once more. Dramatically he leaned down with his long dagger like hands and picked her up by the throat, a little muffled cry of pain seeped through her lips as he brought her nearer once again. Your time is up little girl, now where are those shards… He wondered.
Sesshomaru held the small pouch that contained their collected shards up into the air. Having slipped them away from Kagome as he had her pinned had proved to be the wiser choice of this day. Sesshomaru cursed his temporarily loss of consciousness, the pain wasn't enough to knock him out like that though. For a brief moment he wondered if it was a self secreting miasma the hanyou emitted or something else all together.
"Back up so soon? I was just getting started.." Naraku mockingly frowned as he stared at the pouch. He was so sure the girl was carrying them so when had Sesshomaru taken them? He looked back to the struggling Kagome, still being held near him by his many limbs. Naraku sneered as he leaned in closer to Kagome, his hand brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "My apologies, Kagome but your time is up early." Naraku articulated as his mouth curved into into a slightly hysterical smile.
Kagome screamed out in agonizing pain as another of Naraku's limbs surged forward and pierced into her abdomen, the blinding pain only grew as his black miasma began to sear through her abdomen and spread down through her legs. The pain was all she could think about as Naraku's maniacal laughter seemed to fade away and the blackness began to take over, only moments before everything went black she caught sight of Sesshomaru racing towards her. A snarl ripped through his throat and brimming red eyes, anger more prominent on his face than she'd ever saw before.
"Too slow Sesshomaru" Naraku taunted as he tossed the dying girl to the forest floor and leapt back in time to keep his head intact with his body. Kagome's body rolled to a dead stop, eyes glazed over in her sockets still holding the expression of surprise. "You can't save her now! I know about Tenseiga and how it can only revive a person once, she will die." Now growing tired of this game he summoned his miasma, collecting it and controlling it to flow in circles around Sesshomaru. Quickly it gained speed and began to shrink in on him until it was around his whole body, Naraku watched as Sesshomaru was swallowed up within the darkness.
With a snarl Naraku leapt back yet again as suddenly bright lights began to burst through the miasma, with a loud crack a blinding light surrounded the entire area causing Naraku to resort to shielding his eyes from the brightness. A gasp escaped his thin lips as he witnessed Sesshomaru step forth from the shredded miasma, his left side glowing in that same strange light. Slowly the light began to fade away until there was nothing left but the taiyoukai before him, Naraku stared disbelieving at Sesshomaru who now had regained his whole left arm back and there in his grasp was a sword. What the hell was going on here? That most certainly was not the Toukijin within his hand, did it come from inside him?
A deep primordial growl emitted from Sesshomaru as he leapt for Naraku, slicing and successfully hacking off Naraku's right arm. He wasn't sure what just happened but right now wasn't the time to question it, Kagome was certain to die unless he finished this quickly. He had to get her out of here and save her, yet he didn't know how to go about saving her. He made another lunge for Naraku, aiming at the dead center of his body, but was unsuccessful as Naraku jumped back out of range, quickly he brought the new sword up and began to gather his power together. The stunned hanyou seemed to understand his intentions immediately and took to the sky, the sneer that usually adorned his face completely gone.
"Until another time, Sesshomaru." Naraku called down to the newly reformed demon lord, suddenly he vanished without a trace. Sesshomaru sniffed the air and cursed under his breath, the hanyou had been sure there was no trail left behind to follow.
Kagome! His mind screamed at him, he had to do something if he wanted to save her! Quickly he sheathed the sword that had appeared within his new hand, he leapt over to the frail girl on the forest floor and scooped her up into his arms. His mind rushed through thoughts of any way to save her, here just had to be a way… After a moment he concluded that just maybe Totosai would know of a way, they had been headed for him before the interruption. The old youkai was wise even if stubborn at times, he had to know of a way to save her. With a quick whistle he called forth Ah-Un and instructed the beast to head for Totosai.
Without a second thought Sesshomaru pulled Kagome closer to his chest and set forth with blinding speed. He would reach the old youkai much faster than Ah-Un and time was of the essence, he'd be lucky if she lasted the night in her rapidly decreasing body temperature. He glanced down at her paling face and tightened his grip on her, something inside of him tightened as he pushed himself to move faster.
Mindless backstage ramble I had while half asleep:
Sesshomaru: Naraku, come back here I wanted to give you something.
Naraku: Yeah right! You can kiss my hairy baboon ass Dog Boy!
Kagome: *stifling a giggle in the background*
Sesshomaru: *seems disappointed* and I thought he'd like the Kikyou shrine I bought off eBay…
Naraku: Wait! Where is it? C'mon don't be like that!
Kagome: And they say us girls are confusing. *shakes head*
A/N: well I this chapter was revised by my wonderful editor who helped me a great deal by providing his advice and thoughts along with fixing my grammar mistakes. He deserves a great deal of credit for the improvements in this revised chapter. I won't lie and set up a date for the next chapter but without a bloody battle it should come to me more easily. Thanks for reading and looking forward to your thoughts!
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