Chapter 8: Retrace: Aftermath
Kagome felt the light touch of the spider webs from where she laid on the ground next to Inuyasha and Shippo. Memories from before came flooding back to her as she struggled to remain conscious: She ran with Shippo on her shoulder into the room where Inuyasha disappeared. She was worried about Alice's diminishing condition and leaving her alone, but once she sensed a Shikon Jewel shard she knew she'd have to help Inuyasha beat the demon because there was no way he could do it on his own, no matter what he said.
The priestess shook her head, clearing her mind as she entered the room to find Inuyasha sniffing the air. She saw him stiffen and turn to face her with annoyance flashing his golden eyes.
"I thought I told you to stay back there," he growled, "Plus, Alice is alone now and in the condition she's in there's no way she could take an attack from a demon."
"I know, but I trust she'll be safe on her own, she's stronger than your average human and her Shikigami will protect her," Kagome argued, "Also, the spider has a shard of the Jewel in its possession."
Inuyasha's eyes widened as he listened to what Kagome had to say before he suddenly jerked his head up towards the top of the wall on the other side of the room. Kagome quickly looked towards the direction as well, sensing that the shard was in the direction they were looking at. Her senses were correct as she saw a massive spider appear on the far side of the room. Inuyasha immediately unsheathed his Tessaiga and jumped in front of Kagome and Shippo.
"Where's the shard?" Inuyasha yelled to Kagome.
"It's on its forehead," she replied while readying her bow and arrow.
"It seems I have visitors," the spider greeted in a sinister voice, "How nice of you two to come willingly to my chambers, and right when I was starting to feel hungry."
Before Inuyasha could reply, the spider shot out its web, covering the whole room with the silver hair-like strands. The hanyou cut most of the strands that came in his and Kagome's direction but one strand of the web managed to come through unharmed and it wrapped around his arm. He immediately tried to shake off the strand, but while he was distracted more strands wrapped around his other arm and legs.
"What the hell?!" Inuyasha yelled as he fell to the ground.
He looked back to see that the webs had already done the same to Shippo and were heading towards Kagome. The young girl looked at the webs in horror, but could do nothing as she suffered the same fate as the other two, screaming as the webs wove around her.
What's happening? I feel as though my energy is being drained… Kagome thought as she felt herself become sleepy. As she fought to stay awake, the priestess looked over towards Inuyasha and Shippo and tried to crawl closer to them, but was unable to move.
This can't be the end can it? Kagome thought as she began to close her eyes.
Right before she closed her eyes she saw a bright flash of energy fly over her and towards the entrance of the room. What was that?! Kagome thought as she turned her head in the direction of the doorway.
Her blood turned to ice as she saw that Alice was standing, or rather barely standing, in the doorway, breathing hard as she protected herself from the attack. Alice what are you doing here?!
"What do we have here? Another human? A little girl at that," Kagome heard the spider taunt. "Little girl, you should call yourself lucky to not have been captured by my web, unlike your friends. Unfortunately it's only a matter of time before you're caught to, and judging by your unsteady legs and hard breathing I'd say you have less than a minute before you're caught."
Kagome saw the Shikigami user glare at the spider and shuddered as she saw the ferocity in it. I have to admit, she can look pretty threatening even when at a disadvantage. As if sensing her gaze, Alice then turned her attention towards the girl, who saw concern and a little bit of annoyance in her icy blue eyes.
"Why so quiet little girl?" the spider teased. "You think you can save them? Don't make me laugh, you can barely talk let alone save yourself," the spider finished as it sent another ball of energy flying towards Alice.
Alice! Kagome looked at her in horror, wondering if she could defend herself against another attack, but to her relief, Alice dodged the attack and landed on the opposite side of the room from where Kagome lay. She dodged that attack but it won't be long until she gets hit... Alice! You need to run! Forget about us and save yourself!
Inuyasha, from behind Kagome, yelled to Alice, "He's using the power of the shards of the Shikon Jewel. He's too strong. You won't win, just run away."
Alice looked at the two with shock and disbelief in her eyes. Kagome could see that the girl desperately wanted to tell them something but was unable to. If she can't even manage to talk then Alice is close to her limit! She needs to run now! Kagome heard the spider laugh at her friend, but strangely enough the girl's eyes were filled with hope. Kagome stared at her in total confusion.
She saw Alice look back over at her direction with determination blazing in her eyes as she unsheathed her jet black sword, which began to glow red as her Shikigami powers coursed through it. Though she was impressed by the fierceness of the fire, Kagome felt a growing concern over Alice's health and annoyance that she wasn't baking down. No baka! Don't try to fight it, run away!
"Oh? Choosing to stay and fight I see. Don't you know it's useless? You should've run while you could, now you'll be the first to die!" the spider shouted, sounding amused at Alice's effort.
"Idiot, don't just stand there run! Run away now!" Inuyasha yelled again.
Kagome managed to build up enough strength to yell, "You have to run away!"
"Hurry, run!" Shippo yelled as well. Kagome once again saw Alice's eyes fill with a fierce fire as she glared, not at the spider, but at them this time.
The priestess flinched at the amount of emotions flashing through her icy eyes. She saw anger, annoyance, stubbornness, concern and determination flash through Alice's eyes before she turned to face the spider again.
Why won't you listen? she thought as she felt herself becoming annoyed by her companion's stubbornness. She then saw Alice flare her Shikigami around her and gasped at the strength. Apparently the spider was also amazed, because Kagome saw her friend grin in triumph after a few seconds. She then saw the spider launch an attack at Alice, who easily deflected it. The Shikigami user then raised her sword, almost like she was about to throw it.
But before Alice made her move, she looked over Kagome, to Inuyasha, she presumed, and whispered, "Don't screw this up!"
Kagome blinked in confusion. What are you talking about? Alice then threw her sword which totally baffled the girl, as well as everyone else in the room. Baka! Don't throw away your one solid defense!
But to Kagome's surprise she heard the sword make contact with something before a sound like glass shattering came to her ears. Right after the piercing noise, she felt her energy flow back into her as she stood up. My energy, but how?
Kagome looked over and saw that the sword had struck a serpentine rock, causing the spider to lose focus and allowing them to escape. She then turned her attention to Alice, who was now on her knees and breathing very hard.
The spider, now realizing it had lost its prey glared at Alice with its eyes full of hatred before snarling, "How dare you make me lose my prey! You'll pay for this!"
To everyone's horror, the spider threw a huge ball of dark energy towards the girl, who was obviously worn out and unable to protect herself, let alone dodge the attack.
"Alice!" Kagome ran with all her might, praying that she, or at least Inuyasha, would reach her in time.
But their efforts were in vain. Kagome's heart stopped as she saw the ball of energy slam into Alice, sending her back into the web behind her.
She ran up to her injured companion, freeing her from the webs by using a sacred arrow to cut the strands, and pulled her into her lap. Kagome desperately looked to see if Alice was okay, while checking for a pulse. When she found it, she felt her horror rise as she barely felt any pulse at all. No! Alice! Please, don't die on us! Please kami, let her be okay! She prayed as she felt tears threaten to pour out from her eyes.
Inuyasha tightened his fist in frustration before glaring at the still furious spider. "You're going to regret hurting her!" he growled angrily.
Kagome gently placed Alice on the ground before joining Inuyasha and aiming her arrow at the spider's head. "That's right! Next time, think twice before hurting one of our friends!" She yelled almost as furious as Inuyasha. Shippo also glared at the spider, holding out a hand that was blazing with a foxfire that had more power in it than Kagome had ever seen.
"She deserved ever last bit of it! And now it's your turn, die!" the spider retorted as it sent another huge ball of dark energy towards them.
Shippo unleashed his foxfire while Inuyasha unleashed his Bakuryuuha and Kagome released her sacred arrow. The combination of the guys' two attacks cancelled out the dark energy ball, leaving Kagome's sacred arrow a clear path to the spider's head. The demon let out a painful scream as the arrow made contact and purified its body in a flash of light.
Once the light died down, all that was left was the single shard of the Jewel the spider held. Kagome quickly went over and picked up the shard before returning to her wounded friend's side. After a quick check on Alice's pulse, Kagome felt a bit relieved to see that it had steadied and her condition was slightly better.
"Is she going to be okay?" Shippo asked worriedly.
Kagome shrugged. Alice's condition was slightly improving but she was still in danger and they needed to get her help quickly. When the priestess got up however, she saw what appeared to be a spider egg sitting in the corner of the room.
"What's that?" Shippo asked as he jumped up on Kagome's shoulder.
"I don't know but it's really creepy," Kagome replied wearily.
"Keh, what are you afraid of? It's just a ball of web," Inuyasha said in an annoyed tone. He then raised his Tessaiga and cut open the cocoon to find a little girl in the middle of all the webs.
"Are you okay?" Kagome asked the girl after pulling her away from the disappearing webs.
"Yes," the little girl replied tiredly as Kagome picked her up so she could rest.
Once she had finally fallen asleep, Shippo questioned, "Do you think she's that villager's daughter?"
Kagome nodded before looking back to where Alice lay. "Let's head back to the village, hopefully someone can help Alice while we're there." she said worriedly.
Shippo's eyes darkened in sadness while Inuyasha's eyes also flashed with worry but were soon back to their normal appearance as he picked up Alice and carefully placed her on his back before the group headed back to Akebi Village.
/././././././
Alice felt her hair flow around her as she opened her eyes to find nothing but darkness.
Where am I? What is this place? Alice thought as she looked around. She shivered because all she could see was blackness. There was no light in the darkness and she found herself all alone.
How did I… Alice gasped as she remembered the events that happened only moments ago. She remembered throwing her sword at the serpentine rock, shattering it and saving her friends. She also remembered the pain she felt as she was hit by the dark aura of the spider.
Am I dead? No it can't be! Kami no, please someone say I'm still alive!
Alice began to panic before she felt a strange presence come over her and a voice whisper, "No, you're still alive young one."
The girl stared in amazement as she could see the faint outline of an old man in front of her. Alice felt a wave of relief to know that she was okay, but as she looked at the man closer she felt a cold wind of dread push away that relief.
"Are you one of those villagers that went to save the little girl?" she asked almost reluctantly.
The old man nodded, his eyes saddening for a bit but they glowed with warmth as he continued, "Yes, I died by the hands of that spider, though I regret nothing since it was for that sweet little girl." He then smiled before beginning to fade away slowly.
"Wait! Don't leave me here!" Alice yelled.
"Don't worry, you'll wake soon enough," the old man reassured her before disappearing completely.
Alice felt herself brighten up a little at the reassurance but when she found herself alone again she curled up in a ball. Please wake up soon she thought.
Another presence, though faint, whirled around Alice as she jerked her head up to see where it was coming from. When she looked up she saw a lone figure standing a ways away from her with its back turned to her.
She squinted her eyes to make out the figure. It was a man, definitely older than Alice, but still young, with long wavy black hair that swished around his purple and black kimono.
"Hey!" Alice called to the man while getting up from her position.
The man turned his head a little, still not showing his face to Alice, to get a glance at her.
"Who are you?" she asked.
She felt wary of the man, his aura was making her feel that much more uncomfortable and scared then she felt before. The man spoke but Alice couldn't hear anything he was saying.
"What?" she yelled, "I can't hear you. What did you say?"
"Alice!" a familiar voice called in sync with the man's lips.
The named jerked awake, gasping for air.
"Alice!" the voice repeated, only this time she recognized that the voice belonged to Kagome.
She looked over to see Kagome, Shippo, and a little girl kneeling next to where she laid on the floor.
"You're okay! I was so worried," Shippo cried as he jumped on Alice to hug her.
Alice sat up, rubbing his back while trying to soothe him.
"Don't ever do that again," Shippo whimpered, sniffing as he held onto her tighter, afraid that she might disappear at any moment.
"I had to do it Shippo, if I didn't we would all be in huge trouble," Alice replied sincerely.
"Still, it wasn't the best idea. There could've been another way," Kagome said, frowning at her reckless decision but her eyes glowing with relief.
Alice then turned her attention towards the little girl and asked sweetly, "Who are you?"
"I'm Sachi. Lady Kagome said that you helped save me from that nasty spider. Thank you so much," the little girl replied while bowing her head.
Her father, the man who mistook Alice for a demon, walked up to the recovering one and bowed his head as well. "Thank you for saving my daughter, how can I ever repay you?" he asked.
"No need to repay me, seeing your family together and happy is all I need to see," Alice replied while smiling at the man. "Well then, I guess we should get going," the girl said to Kagome as she got up, shifting Shippo so that he rested in her arms.
"Steady now," Kagome replied, helping her up, "There's no need to rush. You were in pretty bad condition back there so take it easy."
Alice smiled at Kagome and nodded before she noticed that something, or better said someone, was missing.
"Where's Inuyasha?" she asked while looking around for him.
"Inuyasha? He's outside waiting for us," Shippo explained while looking up at Alice.
Alice gave her thanks to the man and his family for taking care of her while she was hurt before walking to the outskirts of the village and meeting Inuyasha.
"Hi Inu..." she was cut off as she felt Inuyasha hit her head.
"Baka! Throwing your only weapon of defense away when the enemy is right in front of you?! What were you thinking?!" he yelled angrily at the girl, who was clutching her head painfully with one hand.
"Excuse me for trying to save you!" Alice snapped back.
"Keh, next time think twice before you make another stupid decision!" Inuyasha retorted.
Alice was about to yell back at him when she saw genuine worry in his eyes and realized that he had been scared for her. Her gaze drifted down to the red brown streaks of Shippo's hair, feeling sorry for making everyone so worried.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha, I promise I won't do something as reckless as that again," Alice said giving in to Inuyasha's side of the argument for once.
The hanyou looked at Alice for a moment before sighing, "Let's head back to the village already, we still haven't found out anything about why you're here."
Alice nodded while she and the rest of the group set off towards Kaede's village. It is a disappointment that we didn't find anything, but I'm glad we helped that man get his daughter back shee thought as she cast one last glance towards Akebi village before running to catch up to Inuyasha and Kagome.
Yay! First time using Kagome's POV ^-^ I loove writing in her POV because it soo fun xD I'll definetly have to write another chapter with her POV~
Okay, so you guys notice the title right? How it says Retrace Aftermath? Well everytime you see "Retrace" in a chapter's title that will signal a change in the usual Alice POV in the story.
Soo, what did you guys think about Alice's dream? Do you know who she met? Will she meet him again? Well you'll find out as the story continues~
Please read and review~
