(Kikyo, Free to Hate and Free to Love)
"When the ten Fangs of Ryuhogo reunite after thousands of years, the Dragon Guardian shall at last fulfill his destiny and rid this world of the Jewel that has caused so much suffering, and begin a new era for all."
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Following the confrontation with Naraku, the group had settled down in a small hut away from any nearby village.
Sango opened her eyes and found Kirara huddled in a ball by her side "Tell me Kirara, does it still hurt you?" she was met with the sound of whimpering "I see, so Naraku's poison is still in your system."
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Meanwhile, outside the hut…
"An herbal antidote?" Kagome shot a raised eyebrow over at where Myoga stood on Inuyasha's shoulder "So then there's a way to help Kirara get better aside from my Healing Hand spell?"
"Your healing abilities are impressive Kagome, but while physical wounds are a relatively simple matter, curing exposure to poison is more difficult." Myoga told her "While your abilities would still be able to purify the toxins, we cannot rely solely on your abilities, for if something were to happen to you and such a situation were to strike us again, then we would find ourselves helpless as a result. Fortunately I've heard of rumors of an herb garden that resides not too far from here, but unfortunately for us there's also a rumor about a demon."
"Which means that I actually get to do something." Inuyasha promptly pulled himself to his feet, a confident smirk plastered across his face "I just take out the demon with one swing of the Tessaiga and then we take whatever the hell we need. If it helps Kirara get better than I'm more than happy to do it, seeing how she actually helps and does stuff, which is a hell of a lot more than can be said for you. We can actually count on Kirara, unlike a certain someone she's someone we can actually depend on to stick around when things get hard." he was met with lots of sputtering from Myoga.
"What the- Oh come on!"
This was when Kagome decided to come to Myoga's defense, or at least tried to "Hey come on don't be like that Inuyasha, you're being totally unfair to him. Myoga has been a big help to us up until now, like the time that he… or the other time when… uh…"
"Okay okay I get it, enough with the faint praise already! What the heck does a flea have to do to catch a break around here?"
"Actually do something." this input was ignored.
"You guys act like size is everything but it's not, brains count a lot too you know! Just go ahead and admit it!"
"They only count when you actually do something with them, and running away like a coward doesn't count."
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About an hour later…
"I see." Sango looked up at Miroku from where she lay in the hut "So Kagome nad Inuyahsa had gone to find some medicine did they?"
"Yes they did, and I assured them that I would stay back here to protect and look after you while they're gone." Miroku told her "So no more talking, try and get some rest. You need it after what you went through at Naraku's castle."
"Uh huh."
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm starting to think it might be safer outside."
"And that's why Kagome and Tatsu sent me here, so that I could protect you from being protected by him." Shippo told her.
"And now I feel much better, and I can actually say that without having to use sarcasm. So does that mean Tatsu went with them?"
"No, he said he had something he wanted to check on. Then he just hopped on the roof of the hut and started taking a nap. There are a lot of times when I wonder what goes on inside his head."
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Now for what goes on inside Tatsu's head…
Tatsu opened his eyes and let out a groan, only to cut himself short when he realized that he was in a familiar void, nothing and no one present there for as far as the eye could see "I don't even have to sense your presence to know you're there, so come on out and show yourself."
"Straight to the point as always." this was when the figure of Ryuhogo materialized a few feet away from him, his expression more solemn than usual "I always do respect that. You remind me a great deal of what I was like in my days as part of the living."
"Sounds pretty nostalgic, but I know you didn't bring pop up before me just so you could take a stroll down memory lane."
"Yes you're right, I do have something important to discuss with you. It's about the Fangs that you carry with you, and why I had created them in the first place. But before that, I need to tell you a bit about my life before then." he snapped his fingers and summoned a small campfire in front of him, then motioned for Tatsu to sit down while he did the same, and with a sigh he began his story "As I had mentioned not long ago, I'm more than knowledgeable when it comes to the origins of the Shikon Jewel, though it's a part of my life that I'm far from eager to revisit, mainly because of how many painful memories it brings back. But at the same time, I've been around long enough to understand that staying silent is not going to change what happened. My lifetime had begun eons ago, about halfway through the Yayoi period. For much of my life I was led to believe that demons were good and humans were evil, that they were self centered, arrogant and filled with malice. I saw no reason to turn against this belief and spent the first part of my life honing my skills, discovering the true potential of my demonic powers and using them however I saw fit. It was also during this time that I discovered my ability to harness the power of the elements themselves, and all of the various sub elements that correspond with them. However, my beliefs and outlook on the world changed drastically one day, during what you would know as the Heian period. I had been wounded in a battle, and I thought that was it for me, until one human warrior appeared before me, showing me more kindness than I had ever seen before as she personally healed my wounds and nursed me back to health. That woman was a priestess, one who had been trained in the ways of the samurai and in the sacred arts to become a priestess. Do you know who that woman was?"
"I have a hunch but I'd rather you say it anyway."
"That woman was Midoriko, the most powerful human of that time, one that few were able to rival, let alone match, before or after her time. It didn't take long before my comrades appeared before us, at least I thought they were my comrades. I tried to appeal to them through reason and explain how Midoriko had showed me honor and compassion, but they didn't care for such things, only a desire to devour every human they came across. They attacked both Midoriko and myself, and we were forced to fight back. When it was over, I was covered in the blood of those I had once called my friends. It was then that I came to a very painful realization. I was one of the only demons that actually cared about honor, or really any sort of desires and emotions other than destruction and power. I had never felt so alone in the world. Midoriko could see this, and she stood by my side, took me and gave me a home, and a purpose. Though I didn't know her name until that day, I had heard tales of a certain priestess with unheard of levels of spiritual powers at her command, and more specifically her ability to purify the spirits of demons, which would render them completely powerless, now matter how much power they possessed. It was because of this ability that demons from all throughout the world feared and despised her, but rather than be fearful or hateful of her abilities… I found them intriguing. I found her intriguing. I can only imagine that she felt the same way, because from that point onwards, Midoriko and I became partners, protecting each other and fighting alongside each other for years, and for the first time in my life, in my very existence for that matter, I felt as if a void in my own heart had at last been filled."
"Sounds like you had a good life with her. Just for the sake of clarification though, when you say she was your partner…"
"She was my lover, much like what you wish to have with the girl Kagome.
"Meaning that with her at your side, you were content."
"Indeed I was, and the years that I had with her by my side I would not trade for anything in this world or any other." Ryuhogo gave small fond smile at the thought of those memories, but then his face fell as he looked down at the fire in front of him "But then everything pretty much went straight to hell, all because of one man. It was one wretch that ruined everything." he clenched his fist tightly as his teeth began grinding furiously.
"What happened?"
"While I loved Midoriko with all of my heart and soul, I would discover far too late that I was not the only one. There was another man, a human man that desired Midoriko for himself, and that led to it being created. Many minor demons, some of spiders, some of ogres, even some of my own kind, possessed this man and morphed into one demon of atrocious power solely for the purpose of killing Midoriko. This resulted in the battle that you and the others were informed of by the Demon Slayer girl, Sango I believe her name was. What she didn't know was that myself and a certain feline companion of Midoriko were present as well."
"You're talking about Kirara aren't you?"
"Astute as ever. Even with the three of us together, the power of that demon was unlike anything I had ever seen before. This resulted in the battle that lasted for 7 days and 7 nights, until I was thrown to the ground, drained from the battle, but Midoriko pushed me out of the way… and she was caught in the jaws of that demon. She was still alive despite this, but we could both tell that her strength was fading fast. As the life slowly faded from her eyes, she looked over at me and gently cupped my face, she gave me that smile that I always longed for, and she told me not to give into my despair, for both of our sakes… and then she was gone. The woman I love, the only person in this world that truly understood me, was gone. Once the life faded from her eyes, all I could do was break down crying. After I stopped, the first thing I did was give her body a proper burial, but then I found myself in a haze of rage and grief, to this day I'm not sure how long I was like that. It was in those moments that I gave up, and an endless number of demons were left to wreak havoc however they desired. It wasn't until years had passed by that I was able to finally pull myself together and realize that if I didn't live and fight for what Midoriko died for, then who else would? So that was the day I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and honor her memory, to make up for the mistakes I had made, and just in time to. Guess what decided to rear its ugly head only a few days after I came to this realization."
"The Shikon Jewel?"
"Correct. I could sense it the first time I came across it, the presence of Midoriko within the jewel, the soul of the woman I love trapped within that cursed orb. I tried a number of methods over the years to try and destroy it, but all of them ended in disaster, as the jewel continued to resurface decades later and cause more bloodshed. As the years went by and the jewel continued to return, I could feel my life force fading, and my body was beginning to fail on me. I knew that I wouldn't live long enough to rid the world of the jewel and free Midoriko's soul from the endless torment, so I decided to ensure that even if I died, my power would live on. So using my own fangs as the material, and through the molten fire's coming from the earth's core, I created the Fangs and infused each of them with my own power, two of which you already have in your possession."
"Wow, that's…" Tatsu breathed a sigh as he pulled himself to his feet "Not gonna lie, that's a lot to take in."
"Yes, I can imagine. Before we go any further, I need to know something from you. Now that you've heard of the story I share with Midoriko, what do you believe my purpose was in forging the Fangs in the first place?"
"...So you want my opinion on it then?"
"I do."
"Alright then. Miroku said not long ago that the jewel itself has great capacity for good and for evil, but there's not a single known case of it being used for good. Adding onto that, anyone who's been paying attention up to this point can see plain as day that everyone that crosses paths with the power of the jewel ends up suffering in some way, not just because of Naraku. I believe that the purpose you had for creating the Fangs, aside from ensuring that your power could live on even after your death, was to counter the bloodshed and chaos caused by the very presence of the jewel. The power of the Fangs are meant to be used not to destroy, but to protect, and with any luck, end the cycle of bloodshed."
"...I see." Ryuhogo gave Tatsu a small smile as he stood upright "Well then I've heard everything I need to from you, so let's get started on training."
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At the same time, Inuyasha and Kagome had followed Myoga's lead and travelled to a nearby town in search of medicinal herbs. It was there that the two of them ended up meeting a gentle half demon by the name of Jinenji, who was abused by the villagers and being accused of killing townspeople. Upon hearing that the townspeople were planning to kill Jinenji in retribution for the murders, Inuyasha ended up going out to try and track down the source of the real demons, while Kagome took it upon herself to stay with Jinenji at his family's farm and try to improve on his self esteem. Jinenji was touched by her kindness and ended up protecting Kagome when the real demon revealed itself, which ended up earning him the acceptance of the villagers, who had offered to help rebuild his home after it had been burned down.
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Meanwhile, with the two in question…
After being given the herbs they needed and being on their way once the whole situation had been resolved, Kagome spared a quick glance over at Inuyasha "So tell me something."
"What is it?" Inuyasha spared her a quick glance.
"Did that sort of thing happen to you too?"
"What sort of thing?"
"Bullying, did people pick on you like that?"
"Don't kid yourself, I don't roll over like a dog for anyone."
"Yeah of course not, I didn't think you would. Of course that means that he was, but he would never admit that to anyone. It's kind of weird when you think about it, I don't really talk with him or really interact with Inuyasha as much as Tatsu does, but it seems like he's been opening up more lately, more or less.'
"...You know I'm not really one or the other. I'm not really a demon, but I'm not really a human either. I'm not really either one of them, so for awhile I didn't think there was any sort of place for me, so I had to make one for myself. Then it was awhile before I realized that I actually did have a place, but I was the only one in it. I didn't know any other way to live."
"Inuyasha… You know I'm really happy to hear it."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"It's just that you and I don't really interact that often, and now that I get to hear you open up and talk to me like that, it's kind of nice to hear about it. I always did wonder about you and your past you know. Part of me told myself that you were all bark and no bite, but I was never really sure about it. I'm just glad that you're opening up and you can talk to me like this, that's all."
"And that's what makes you happy."
"Yeah of course it is, and you don't have to worry about showing me your soft side okay?"
"You're making it sound like I'm some pet that needs company."
"I don't see anything wrong with that, no one likes being alone all the time. There's nothing wrong with having friends by your side you know." and so she went on ahead, which left him to be alone with his thoughts.
'Yeah that's true, I'm not alone anymore am I? Somehow without me ever even noticing it, it just felt so natural to have Tatsu, Kagome and the others near me. I guess that jackass was right after all."
"You're talking about Tatsu aren't you?"
"I said nothing, you heard nothing."
"Sure thing." Kagome shot him a knowing smile, then mounted her bike and started riding her way back, with the others following by her side, though her face fell as she did so 'He was definitely talking about Tatsu, I can only imagine what he's been up to. Knowing him, probably just training ike he always does. Even after a huge confrontation like that he never stops training and trying to get stronger. I learned the Healing Hand so that I could help you and the others even if I can't take part in a straight up fight, but now that Sango and Kirara need me, I can't really do anything for them. Grandpa said that my use of the Healing Hand would improve the more I used it, but I can't sit around and wait for that to happen. I have to improve my control over my spiritual powers, I have to get a lot stronger, and I know just who to talk to in order for that to happen.'
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Nightfall came, the group had reunited, and everyone had settled down for the night.
Kagome opened her eyes and found herself in an endless black void, covered in nothingness for as far as the eye could see "I know you're out there watching me, I still don't get how it is you're here exactly, but I know you're here."
"Well right now I'm right where I need to be." from within the black void emerged a figure, none other than Kisuke Higurashi himself "I always do miss seeing that fire in your eyes baby girl, so how can your dear old dad help you today?"
"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about me and about my powers. When I first learned the Healing Hand from grandpa I thought that would be it enough, I thought that would be enough to support Tatsu and the others in battle. I was wrong, it's not enough. I'm not good enough with the Healing Hand to help Sango and Kirara recover from Naraku's miasma when they actually need me, I'm not good enough to defend myself so that others don't have to get hurt trying to protect me, and I'm no good enough to contribute to the others aside from sensing jewel shards and healing a few cuts and bruises. I've been travelling all over Japan for weeks now, and I know one thing for sure. I have a lot to learn."
"Uh huh. So where are you going with this?"
"I don't really know, I'm mostly just trying to get some things off my chest. I just want to be able to prove that I can contribute, not prove it to the others, but more like prove it to myself. I want to know that I have some sort of real value to the group, aside from finding jewel shards. But that's the problem, I don't think I am worthy, not as I am right now."
"...Well if that is the case, then why don't we see for ourselves just how worthy you are, so long as you're up for it." Kisuke put a hand on Kagome's shoulder and gave a smile as a certain something mateiralized in his other hand "I'm going to teach you everything I know about the art of the sword."
"Wait are you serious?" Kagome's head snapped up in disbelief, but then her eyes began shining with a sense of awe "You're really serious about this aren't you?"
"I am so long as you are."
"I am. I want to do everything I can to protect Tatsu and the others, and protect people in any way that I can."
"Glad to hear it, but…"
"But?"
"As much as I would prefer to start training you in the art of the sword right now, it looks like you're going to be needed on the outside fairly soon."
"How can you tell from here?"
"It's rather complicated, but you had best be ready for when that happens."
"R-Right." despite being rather thrown off by this, Kagome calmed herself as everything around her was engulfed in a white light, before she herself was as well.
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Now for what the problem was…
"You said it was raining demon body parts?" Miroku and the others frowned when they heard this from a group of distressed villagers "That does sound rather odd."
"It was odd, but it was even more awful!" needless to say, the villagers were thoroughly freaked out by what had happened "And not just that either, the things completely ruined all of our fields, and would that it were only that. The old and the young and the weak, so many of our people have become sickened by this."
"I should think so, I definitely am detecting an evil presence in this area. Rest assured, my companions and I are more than capable of handling this."
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It didn't take long for the group to get moving, as per the villagers' request.
"So here we come to save the day again, altruism for the win." of course, Inuyasha didn't waste any time complaining about this "We don't have any time to deal with crap like this, not when we still have to deal with Naraku, or am I the only one who still gives a crap about tracking him down and finishing him off?"
"Well for starters, you're the only one throwing a tantrum over it." Tatsu told him flatly "None of us have forgotten about that, but keep in mind that Kagome did some real damage to him the last time we ran into him. Even someone with as much plot armor going for him as Naraku would take awhile to recover from something like that."
"Then we should track him down and take him out before he has a chance to recover!"
"Finding him is the hard part, but we need to be patient about it." Miroku told him "Besides, I've already accepted payment from the villagers for our services so…"
"When the fuck did that happen?"
"When you were brooding earlier about the same issue."
"But you haven't done anything yet, the paying part of it isn't supposed to come until after the job is done!"
"If you wait then you get cheated on the tip."
"It's just you taking bribes."
"It's not bribes, it's tithes."
'Yeah well, some things never change.' Tatsu rolled his eyes at the exchange, then his eyes narrowed as he glanced over at the mountain in the distance "Hey guys check it out, if I had to guess then I would say the miasma is coming from the base of the mountain."
"Which raises the question." Sango frowned in thought "Is there a demon other than Naraku that can produce a poison like that?"
"...Well this just got a lot more interesting."
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Upon hearing news of a certain priestess that was skilled in the arts of healing residing nearby, the followers of the sick supposed lord Kagewaki Hitomi went to seek Kikyo, and they ended up bringing her to the castle. It was there that Naraku, still borrowing Kagewaki's flesh and using it as a way to disguise himself, was left astonished (and somewhat mortified) by seeing her still alive after he had killed her himself 50 years ago.
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Meanwhile, with the main group…
'Well it does look like Naraku's calling card so far.' Tatsu glanced around at the landscape, or what was left of it, as he and the rest of the group made their way along the path leading up the side of the mountain 'Miasma that sucks the life out of everything it touches, if that's not a clear sign then I don't know what is.'
"We're almost there." Inuyasha muttered "Whatever the hell is going on around here, it's making my skin crawl."
"Yeah well grin and bare it, we've got work to do." Tatsu jerked a thumb at the entrance to a cavern sitting on the path in front of them "Anyone want to take best on whether or not they think the maisma is coming from there?" he was met with Sango falling to her knees and ending up in a coughing fit.
"Sango hold on." Kagome was quick to rush to her side "Are you alright? No who am I kidding, your wounds are fine but you took a lot of poison into your system. I should be able to purify the miasma in your system, I just need you to hold still for me." and so she summoned some energy in her hands and got to work.
"Kagome stay out here with Sango and the others, if all goes well then we should be back out here before too long."
"Right, just make sure to be careful."
"I'm bringing backup if that helps. Inuyasha, Miroku, you guys coming too?"
"You're damn right we are." Inuyasha took a step forward, with Miroku doing the same.
"Good enough for me. Shippo I want you to hold down the fort here until we get back, keep an eye on things. Can you do it?"
"You can leave everything to me." Shippo told him firmly "Just promise me that you guys will be careful, that miasma is pretty strong."
"I'll keep that in mind."
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After getting over his shock at seeing Kikyo alive, Naraku then tried to keep her captive in the castle, though she was able to free herself without much effort when she then used her Soul Collectors to manipulate one of the guards into freeing her, and then arming her with a bow and a quiver of arrows.
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Meanwhile, outside the mine…
"Rin. Pyo. Toh. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen." as she formed a series of hand seals, Kagome got to work on treating Sango for her exposure to the miasma 'Well it's working, I can feel the evil energy within the miasma beginning to evaporate in her body, but it's a lot slower than it would be with normal injuries. I guess I have to put in some more work on controlling my energy when I get the chance to. Make sure to keep that mask close to your face Sango, as you are right now you can't afford to take in too much of the miasma."
"I'll be fine Kagome, but what about you?" asked Sango.
"Forget about me, I'm not the one who had Naraku's poison in my system."
"Yeah, just stay back there and we'll take care of you." Shippo's bravado was cut short by the sound of roaring coming from within the cavern "What's going on, it feels like the're something in there pulling me in. There must be something really bad happening in there."
"And that means that whatever is going on in there, Tatsu and the others just walked right into the middle of it."
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Meanwhile, inside the cavern…
"Come on keep going guys, we have to be pretty close by now." Tatsu lead the others further into the cavern, using a small orb of energy as a source of light, only for them to stop in their tracks at the sound of Miroku breaking down into a coughing fit 'I should known he'd end up like this at some point, Inuyasha and I have enhanced durability, but Miroku's not so lucky. If it gets to be too much for you then you should head back to the others, Kagome can treat you."
"No no, I can manage and I will." Miroku slowly pulled himself back to his feet "I just have to go a bit slower, that's all. I should be grateful to my training, without that I doubt I would be able to do it at all."
"Well like I said, if it's too much then turn back."
"Hold that though, take a look up there." Inuyasha gestured to the cave up ahead "I can smell something in there, let's get moving."
"Right." and so the three of them ventured further into the cave, where they found a pool of water filled with body parts and blood from numerous demons waiting for them 'I swear to god, this whole thing gets more and more like a horror movie every day.' this was followed by the numerous body parts being submerged beneath the water, and then resurfacing in the form of a much larger demon, followed by numerous larger ones also resurfacing, and then fighting each other in a very bloody fashion "Okay not gonna lie, wasn't expecting that."
"I don't get it though." Inuyasha muttered "Why the hell would they be fighting each other?"
"Survival of the fittest would be my guess, isn't that sort of a rule in this world?"
"True as that might be, there has to be more to it." Miroku pointed out "From what I can tell there must have been a battle here, hundreds of demons fighting, killing and dying, and the bodies of the losers were thrown into here. That is to say, what's left of their bodies."
"You think someone else put them up to it? These guys seem like a bunch of brawlers, I can't imagine any of them would be smart enough to come up with some whole thing from this."
"I think we're about to find out, see for yourself." Miroku directed their attention to where the last surviving demon was absorbing the various body parts left from the losers "So then the last demon standing gets to keep the parts from the losers."
"And make itself look like something out of my nightmares."
"Why am I still here?!" the demon suddenly let out a primal roar to the heavens "I'm still here, the promise was that the final winner would be allowed to leave this place alive, so why have I not yet been allowed to move on?!"
"I take it that's not a good sign?"
"That can only mean one thing." the demon then proceeded to set its eyes on the only other ones present at the moment "That means I'm not yet the final winner."
'...I've got a bad feeling about this.'
"You're not the last one yet asshole!" Inuyasha promptly dove head first into the pit with his fangs bared.
'And that just cements it.' Tatsu promptly glanced over at Miroku "So with my curiosity getting the better of me, how bad is this gonna turn out to be."
"If I'm right, then it could be a disaster." Miroku told him grimly "I hope I'm wrong about this with every fiber of my being, but if I'm right then Inuyasha will…"
"...We'd better get moving then."
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Meanwhile, outside the cavern…
By this point, Kagome was growing considerably more restless than the others "This isn't good, they're taking too long in there."
"Yes you're right, we'd better go in after them." Sango was quick to pull herself back to her feet, only to end up stumbling almost immediately, which forced Kagome to steady her.
"Forget it Sango, I can't let you go. You're still weak from Naraku's poison, if you go in there then you might not come back out."
"But…"
"No buts about it, the miasma around here is only making your condition worse. Tatsu and the others can hold their own for the time being, for now I'm getting you out of here." Kagome was about to do just that, only to stop when she noticed a certain figuring emerging from within the poisonous fog covering the mountain 'Oh that's definitely not good… Kikyo."
Sure enough, Kikyo emerged from within the miasma and stopped "So Inuyasha is inside." and so she continued onwards without even acknowledging Kagome or the others.
'...Things just got a lot more complicated.' Kagome didn't waste any time in grabbing her bow and arrows and preparing to take off "I don't have any time to lose, there's no telling what she's going to do."
"Are you going after her Kagome?" asked Shippo.
"I don't have any other choice, but in the meantime I want you to stay with Sango, and if it turns out to be too much then take her back down the mountain."
"Kagome, I need to know." this was when Sango spoke up "That woman… was it…?"
"Yeah that was Kikyo, and I don't know why she's here, but whatever the reason is I doubt it's gonna be good."
"Well then take Kirara with you, and make sure to be careful."
"You make sure to take care of yourself too." and so Kagome took off into the cavern, Kirara by her side.
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Meanwhile, with Kikyo…
'This cave shouldn't go that much further in.' Kikyo continued making her way deeper into the cavern, only to stop when she discovered that her body was glowing 'The souls of the dead within me are trying to free themselves. I wonder, are they being drawn out by the miasma that surrounds this place? But there's another force at work right now, so I have to wonder. Could it be the work of the one who lives in the castle?'
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Meanwhile, with the main party…
"Now you're fighting me assclown!" Inuyasha didn't waste any time as he drew Tessaiga from its sheath and hurtled himself towards the demon, in which he was able to cleave off one of its arms with a single stroke "Now to finish him off."
"Take a closer look." Tatsu jerked a thumb at where some purple goop burst up from within the pool of blood and body parts, and promptly reattached the demon's arm, which prompted him to jump down and get ready to join the fight.
'Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me.'
"Well since it's gonna be like that we might as well go two on one, that way we can get this over with a lot faster."
"Tatsu no, you two can't fight that thing!" Miroku called out to them "The two of you have to stand down!"
"Hate to break it to you monk, but it doesn't look like that's an option right now."
"It's the only way! This is something similar to a technique known as Fuko, it's the method that's used for making a creature called a Kodoku."
"...Okay, now assuming I have any idea what the hell you just said."
"It's a form of sorcery where you put together lizards, poisonous worms or anything that can fight and then you let them fight it out, with the one that's left standing becoming a creature known as a Kodoku."
"And where exactly are you going with this?"
"The two of you are the only ones left!" the demon let out a violent hiss that came from both of its mouths "All I have to do is kill you, and then I will be the winner! Now die!" and so from one of its mouths it released a large stream of flames.
"...Oh, that's where you're going with this."
"Yeah well here's where I'm going with THIS!" Inuyasha promptly cut through the stream of flames with the Tessaiga and slashed the demon across the chest.
'So it's either kill or be killed with this thing, and now that I think about it that's not very different from the usual with demons in this era, so why do I get this feeling in my gut that we're still missing something?' but then Tatsu's head snapped to the side, along with Inuyasha, and both of them froze at the sight of another figure 'Oh shit… Kikyo.'
Sure enough, Kikyo stood on the edge of the cave next to Miroku, her harden expression appearing to soften and become more solemn "Inuyasha…" this was when her body became enveloped in a white light, which caused several balls of light to burst forth from her body and be absorbed by the Kodoku demon, much to her horror 'The dead souls… they're escaping from my body… this explains it… This explains where the miasma is coming from…' it was at this moment that her strength gave out and she fell over the ledge and into the pool, hitting the ground with a soft thud.
'In reference as to whatever the fuck it is she's doing here: Okay but why though?'
"Kikyo!" seeing Kikyo hit the ground with a thud, Inuyasha didn't hesitate in trying to rush to her side, only to be swatted aside by the Kodoku demon and sent hurtling into a wall with a sweep of one of its claws 'Kikyo…'
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Meanwhile, with a certain demon…
At the same time, Naraku sat on the edge of a cliffside overlooking the events taking place, clad in his baboon pelt and surrounded by Saimyosho 'The time for it to come is approaching, the demons that I sealed in there that are beyond counting. One by one they killed each other in a fight to the death, until only one of them was left standing, the victor that is going to be made into my new body.'
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Meanwhile, back in the cavern…
'I know she couldn't have gotten too far ahead.' Kagome continued running deeper into the cave as fast as she could, only to stop when she noticed the shard of the jewel fall from the necklace she wore, to which she quickly dove for it 'Good thing I noticed this when I did, that could've turned out really bad if I lost this. Still though I knew I should've tightened the strap on this thing before we left. I don't get how the heck Tatsu makes this look so easy, he carries a bunch of dragon fangs on his necklace no problem but I try to carry half a magic jewel and then the thing just gives out on me-' then she froze as she reattached the jewel shard to her necklace 'This presence I'm feeling, it's like… there's another shard of the jewel somewhere nearby. But then that must mean…'
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Meanwhile, in the cave…
'This isn't good…' Miroku watched from the sidelines as the confrontation with the Kodoku demon continued, though now he was beginning to cough violently 'This is definitely not good, the miasma is getting thicker because of all of Kikyo's dead souls.'
"Miroku!" this was when Kagome and Kirara showed up on the scene, and she didn't waste any time in trying to heal him "Just hold still and hang in there for me, okay?"
"Kagome, so you came in here as well?"
"Things got a lot more complicated than we were expecting. Speaking of which, what the heck is going on down there?"
"I've noticed a deadly form of sorcery at work here, and now Tatsu and Inuyasha are going to become part of the experiment if we don't find a way to pull them out of there."
"I did sense another shard of the jewel nearby on my way here, what are the odds of this whole thing being a trap?"
"The miasma is far too powerful, and we both know that can only mean one thing. Naraku has to be involved in this."
"So much for me putting him out of commission after the last time."
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Meanwhile, down in the pit…
"This sensation…" the Kodoku demon didn't take long to set its sights on Kikyo "That woman there, she does not carry the blood of a human. Now she too will become a part of me, and her power will become my own!" and then it reached for her, when…
"You keep your filthy hands the fuck away from her!" Inuyasha didn't hesitate in launching himself at the Kodoku and cleaving off one of its arms with the Tessaiga, causing it to howl in pain for a moment.
"Don't think you're getting all the fun with this one!" Tatsu didn't waste any time in cleaving off its other arm, as well as one of its legs, only for it to use the flesh from the various demon body parts in the pit to regenerate its lost limbs, which led to Inuyasha being sent flying into a nearby wall by a sweep of one of its claws, though Tatsu was able to rebound and avoid the attack "Well that could've gone better."
"What the fuck was your first clue?!" Inuyasha let out a snarl as he pulled himself back to his feet and tightened his grip on Tessaiga "Stay the fuck out of my way Tatsu, from here on out I'm gonna do whatever it takes to protect Kikyo!" and so he charged at the Kodoku demon and started attacking it relentlessly.
'Shit, it's gonna be one of those days isn't it? If Miroku is right and this really is a trap then that means he's gonna end up falling for it like a sucker. The only thing we can do is get Kikyo the hell out of here, knowing Inuyasha he'd do anything to keep her safe, even if that means charging into an obvious trap without hesitating. I can't really blame him though, if I were in his place and it were Kagome in danger then I'd probably do the same thing.' so with that in mind, Tatsu quickly blitzed over to Kikyo's side and tried to pull her out of harm's way "I can tell you're conscious, so do you have enough strength left to stand?"
"You're such a fool…" Kikyo's eyes fluttered open as she pulled herself back to her feet "By coming here, you risk the chance of Inuyasha losing you and the others forever."
"Hey in case you didn't notice, your ex is out there fighting with everything he's got in order to save you right now even though he probably knows damn well it's a trap."
"Then I suppose I'll just have to ensure that doesn't come to pass." so on that note, Kikyo promptly grabbed hold of her bow and fired a single Sacred Arrow at Inuyasha and the Kodoku demon, which was then deflected upwards by the Tessaiga, causing it to revert back to its normal rusty form.
"Kikyo…" seeing this take place, Inuyasha returned to the ground with a soft thud, which was almost immediately followed by a massive vacuum hurtling upwards and out of the cave, taking the remaining scattered demon parts with it "What the hell is going on now?"
"Well if I had to guess, I'd say either the spell is broken, given how the miasma is gone now, or we're about to die. If it turns out to be the latter, then you'd better to keep her out of this monk!" Tatsu shot a glare up at Miroku on the ridge and motioned for him to move Kagome away from the cave, right before he got sucked up into the vacuum, with Inuyasha following almost immediately afterwards, but he managed to grab onto him even in the chaos of all of the demon body parts being fused together "Hold on, I've got you."
"What about Kikyo, is she alright?"
"Oh I'm fine by the way, thanks for showing me such concern."
"I didn't show you any concern!"
"It's called sarcasm you dick!"
"Whatever, where the fuck is she?!" he was met with a thumb jerked towards where Kikyo lay on the back of one of the demons further up from where the two of them were "Is she alright?"
"Even if she is now she isn't gonna be for long, take a look down there." the two of them glanced towards the ground, their gazes hardening "We've got company in the form of Naraku."
Sure enough, Naraku stood on the ground below them, clad in his typical baboon pelt, and he gave a smirk at the sight of them approaching him "Come to me." this was followed by the Kodoku demon bursting forward and slamming straight into his body before it disappeared with a flash of light.
Tatsu didn't hesitate to summon some iron chains to latch onto Inuyasha and use them to pull the both of them to safety "So be real with me for a second, how bad does this look to you?"
"Like he just took a full force charge from that thing and Kikyo was still on there, how the fuck do you think?!"
"I think we're gonna find out once he stops glowing."
Sure enough, the light had subsided and Naraku stood in the same spot he had been, only now his body was glowing blue and surging with energy "At last… I am reborn."
"Yep I was right, that's bad."
"So that's it." Inuyasha was quick to figure out what was going on "Kagome purified his body the last time, so he used that Kodoku demon or whatever it was to make himself a new one and heal himself."
"So he used them like pawns, I'm pretty sure that's basically his thing by this point."
"The mist of the mountain lured you and your companions here, and the two of you took the bait, and so I cast the spell." Naraku let out a chuckle "The two of you had a prime opportunity to join me in here, if only you had the courage you so clearly lack."
"You just love to hear yourself talk don't you?"
"If for no other reason than to hear the truth spoken." Naraku looked down at Kikyo's form sprawled out on the ground "So this is the woman that restored me to life, if not for her then I might not have this new body at all."
"And thus proves my point, you love nothing more in this entire fucking world than to listen to yourself talk. She did it for Inuyasha, one tsundere lover to another."
"And yet she is still the same woman that followed him into death 50 years ago, but now she is within my grasp." Naraku's smirk widened as he picked up Kikyo in his arms.
"Don't you dare, don't you fucking dare lay your filthy hands on her!" with his emotions getting the better of him, Inuyasha charged towards Naraku and brought down Tessaiga on him in a blind rage, only for his sheer energy to send him flying, along with a cloud of miasma, which he promptly used as cover to make a getaway.
"Well that could've gone better." Tatsu commented dryly, which put him on the receiving end of a death glare from Inuyasha "Don't give me that look, I've been in enough fights over the years to know that charging in blindly never works."
"I don't see you doing anything to try and help her!"
"Because most of my long range attacks involve either skewering my opponents or blowing them to hell, and I can't use any of them without risking her getting hit too." he was met with a low growl from Inuyasha "You know I'm right about this, so don't bother trying to argue. Look we'll get her back from him, we just need to go about it properly."
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Meanwhile, with Naraku…
'I don't understand it…' Naraku flew through the skies with Kikyo in his arms, the two of them enveloped in a cloud of miasma, his mind racing 'It doesn't make sense, if Kikyo's intention was to save Inuyasha and to not break the spell, then why would she do the one that thing that she ought to have not done? But she did, Kikyo knowingly good as gave me this new body, so what is her intention?' he failed not notice Kikyo's eyes open in his arms.
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After the events with the Kodoku, Kikyo was taken to Naraku's castle as a prisoner, and kept her separated from her Soul Collectors so that she couldn't harm Naraku using her immense spiritual powers. Using her weakened condition, Naraku took the opportunity to offer a deal to her. She would be able to escape from the lifeless existence she found herself in, in exchange for her bringing Kagome to Naraku. He then went on to use a defiled shard of the jewel in an attempt to control her.
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Meanwhile, with the main gang…
Another day came, and things were quiet, but in a very unsettling way.
It was like this throughout most of the morning, until Sango finally broke the silence "Well how about it, wouldn't you say that he's been acting strange?"
"Yep, there's no question about it." Miroku gave a simple nod "It's safe to say that Kikyo is a fairly sore subject for Inuyasha for a number of reasons, and rightfully so."
"It's a bad situation for him, I can't even begin to imagine how he feels about it." Kagome let out a deep sigh "To know that the woman he loves is suffering because of someone like Naraku, and yet he can't do anything to help her."
"You're right Kagome, it is a bad situation. What's Tatsu's opinion on the matter? He was the one that was there with Inuyasha when Kikyo was abducted."
"He's been pretty quiet about that. I'm guessing that he's gonna go up to him any minute now and try and do some damage control."
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Meanwhile, with the two in question…
'Kikyo…' sure enough, Inuyasha sat by the side of a nearby river brooding to himself, only one thought on his mind, but this was cut short when he was forced to catch a rock being hurled at the side of his head "What the hell is that for?"
"Just trying to make sure you're actually paying attention." Tatsu told him flatly "Now cool it with the brooding already, let's get going."
"Where to?"
"Where else, we're gonna go get her back. Naraku couldn't have gotten too far with her."
"Spare me the altruism already, I'm gonna save her from Naraku but I'm gonna do it on my own, so just stay out of it."
"Stop being such a stubborn fool." it was at this moment that Miroku decided to intervene "Have you so easily forgotten who it was that kidnapped Kikyo in the first place? You're not the only one who ahs reasons for going after Naraku, if it weren't for him then I wouldn't have this hole in my right hand and Sango's entire village wouldn't have been slaughtered. Besides, all of us know what happened between you and Kikyo. I know this is painful for you, all of us do, but you don't have to try and fix everything by sneaking around behind our backs."
"I don't sneak the fuck around monk, so don't act like you know anything about me!"
"I'm not assuming I do, I'm just telling you that no matter how much power you possess, no matter what insurmountable obstacle you face, you can't try to do everything on your own. If you do then you're guaranteed to fail. I just want you to remember than, when I point this out to you." he pointed at where a number of Soul Collectors were floating through the skies above them a short distance away.
"Those are Kikyo's…"
"Her Soul Collectors yes, and if that is the case then she's even closer than we had initially believed her to be."
"...If you're coming then get moving, because I'm not waiting for you guys any longer than I have to."
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It took a few minutes, but before long the group was on the move, following the Soul Collectors to whatever their intended destination was.
Sango glanced back at where Kagome was riding with her on Kirara's back "Not that I'm trying to complain or anything Kagome, but how come you're not riding with Tatsu right now?"
"Well he's up there with Inuyasha right now and, well I kind of needed some time to myself to think about a few things." Kagome told her quietly, then looked away 'Right now Inuyasha only cares about tracking down Kikyo, not that I can blame him. Tatsu sympathizes with him over it, and I know the main reason why he does too. I know this probably sounds really selfish of me, but whenever Kikyo gets brought up it doesn't just make me thing about Inuyasha's history with her, it makes me think about Tatsu… and how he feels about me. I still haven't told anyone that I heard about that, aside from my dad that is, and it's driving me nuts! I already resolved not to tell him that I know because I don't want to hurt him, but now I'm starting to get these crazy thoughts in my head, like how he's always been so modest and humble, gentle and kind, and he's always tried to protect me, and then there's the thoughts about how chiseled he is, how his shoulders got so broad all of a sudden… Wait a second.' her face started to turn increasingly red 'Oh dear god, I think I'm blushing! Oh crap, I'm totally blushing!'
'Huh. Either she has feelings for Tatsu that she's not very good at concealing, or it's the heat getting to her.'
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Meanwhile, with the title character…
'It was all because of him…' Inuyasha rushed ahead of the rest of the group as they continued to advance forward, his mind racing 'Kikyo died because of him, it was because of him that we were turned against each other, and then she died. I'm not going to let Naraku keep his filthy hands on her!'
"Snap out of the brooding for a minute and take a look." Tatsu jerked a thumb at where more of the Soul Collectors were flying above them "We've got more of them incoming."
"...No that's not them, that's definitely not them. I can smell it, just cut one down and see for yourself."
"If you say so." so Tatsu leapt into the air and used one of his swords to cut down one of the Soul Collectors, dispelling the illusion and revealing a Saimyosho in its place "You could tell them apart from the scents right? So how many of them are fakes?"
"All of them."
"Figures. Looks like we've got more incoming, everybody brace yourselves." it was almost immediately after he said this that the group ended up entering a thick fog that engulfed all of them, and lead to what happened next.
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Now as for what happened next…
'Dammit this is ridiculous, where the hell did they…' Tatsu's eyes snapped open and he looked around, only to be considerably thrown off by what he was finding, that being him in the back seat of a car 'Okay what gives, where am I right now? I can't be back in my time, and what happened to the others?'
"So a number of historians have theorized that a number of tribes had explored not just the New World, but all of the other continents as well long before the Europeans." a certain voice caused his head to snap up in shock.
'That voice… but it couldn't be… could it?' Tatsu slowly looked ahead of him, and his eyes widened even further at the sight "Dad…"
Sure enough, in the driver's seat of the car sat Kuroga Kamikaze, being the spitting image of Tatsu with the brown hair, brown eyes and glasses, only he sported a light goatee and beard, and his hair was graying in some areas, and he spared a quick glance back "You alright son? You look a little bit out of it."
"Dad, I… Yeah yeah sorry, just a little bit groggy I guess. I-I'm fine though. What the hell is this, am I in some kind of illusion? There's no way dad could be here, he…'
"Huh. Well if you say so. Anyway like I was saying, the archeological site that Hiyori and I had tracked down a few years back, these artifacts that we recovered from it, it's an overarching mystery that seems to have everything to do with these Fangs of Ryuhogo."
"What… What does it mean then?"
"Well there are a number of theories going around regarding the Fangs, some thing they're magic but others think they're some sort of ancient technology."
"And what do you think about it?"
"Well the thought is definitely intriguing, but I have to admit that having that sort of technology around centuries before the industrial revolution, it seems too good to be true."
'Too good to be true, that feels like this whole situation right now. Seeing my dad again is like a dream come true, but not like this… not when my friends need me.'
"One thing is for certain though, whatever these secrets these Fangs hold, they have almost limitless potential to do good for the world."
"You mean do well?"
"No, I mean do good. And that's why…" as they came to a stop light, Kuroga slowly pulled off the necklace he wore with the Fang attached to it, and he held it out to Tatsu "And that's why I want you to hold onto this."
"Dad, I…" Tatsu was about to reach out to accept the Fang, but then he froze 'No wait a second… this is it, this is exactly like the day of the accident… This is the day I lost dad.'
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As it turns out, Tatsu wasn't the only one experiencing certain visions within the fog.
Almost all of the others had been experiencing their own illusions, as Inuyasha was led into a strange vision of his attack on the village 50 years ago, which led to his first "death" at the hands of Kikyo, Miroku was led into a vision that made him feel like he was being pulled into his own Wind Tunnel, Shippo found himself to be left all alone and in despair, and Sango found herself in an illusion where she encountered Kohaku and was attacked by him but only after he had killed the others.
However, what needs to be kept in mind is that I said ALMOST all of the others, seeing how there was one member of the group that wasn't affected by them.
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Meanwhile, with the only one not affected…
"What the heck is this?" the only one left to continue forward, Kagome was now left to wander through the dark and creepy woods alone, armed with only a single bow, a quiver of arrows, and one of Tatsu's swords in hand, her mind racing 'What the heck is going on? First we're chasing after Kikyo's Soul Collectors, then there's a huge cloud of fog, and now I'm in this creepy dark forest and everyone else is missing, not to mention Tatsu left one of his swords behind. He never leaves behind his swords!' she jumped when she noticed some of the vines nearby trying to creep towards her, which freaked her out to the point where she started cutting through them using the sword, only to stumble after a single stroke 'This isn't working either, I know dad promised to teach me how to fight with a sword, but I can only use it like once before I have to stop myself from falling over. I can't worry about that right now though, I have to find Tatsu and the others and fast.'
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Meanwhile, with the main bad guy of the story…
Naraku watched the events taking place from his perch atop a tree being protected by a barrier, with Kikyo lying by his side "The evil spell of Illusory Death. The soul of a human or a demon can be such a fragile thing, filled with sadness, fear and confusion without end, and if even the slightest of doubts exist and are touched by the creatures of this world, then that soul will become consumed by their own darkness. It is strange though, that the girl Kagome remains unaffected by the spell. Perhaps it is because of the power of the jewel shards, but in any case, the fact remains that only she shall make it here, but the stage has been set for you."
"So it is. You seem to believe yourself quite the clever one don't you?" Kikyo's eyes promptly snapped open, and with a wave of one hand she decapitated the demon puppet that Naraku was using, causing it to evaporate into nothing "If you believe that you can control me like some sort of common pawn, then you don't know me at all." she then proceeded to grab a nearby bow and quiver of arrows.
"Kikyo." it was at this moment that Kagome finally reached her location "I'm glad to see you made it out okay and why the heck are you aiming an arrow at me?"
"There's only one reason why anyone would shoot an arrow at someone." Kikyo shot a dull look at Kagome, and then she fired her arrow passed her and into the ground, leaving a sizeable graze across Kagome's cheek and creating a massive and seemingly bottomless abyss in the ground, leaving her to fall into it.
Fortunately, Kagome was able to grab hold of one of the vines stil attached to the ground above to keep herself from falling to her death 'That was way too close, if I didn't have this then I'd probably be 6 feet under right now, or really 600 feet when you think about it.'
"Naraku finds himself frightened of you, even if he refuses to admit it. Two Sacred Arrows from you were able to purify a vortex made of his miasma, as well as destroy his body to the point where he needed to reconstitute himself using the Kodoku. He tried to control me using a defiled shard of the Shikon Jewel in the hopes that I would be turned against you. He underestimates my own abilities." she then had her Soul Collectors bind Kagome and drag her out of the hole, which let her get a good view of a something that took her by surprise.
"That jewel shard in your chest…"
"Surely the very priestess who once sword to stand guard of the sacred Shikon no Tama for more than a year has not fallen so low, even from the likes of death, as to allow herself to be controlled merely by the presence of a defiled shard of the jewel in question." she placed a hand on her chest and purified what shard in question with a single touch, and then she reached for the jewel shard around Kagome's neck and snatched it from her, before leaving the vines to drag her down into the abyss.
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Meanwhile, with Tatsu…
"Dad, I…" Tatsu was about to reach out to accept the Fang, but then he froze 'No wait a second… this is it, this is exactly like the day of the accident… This is the day I lost dad. Maybe this is a chance for me to prevent it, maybe I… Dad I can't take this, there's something I have to tell you before anything else."
"Tatsu I can imagine you're upset right now, but there's something that I have to say to you while I still have the chance." Kuroga told him.
"But dad I-" he was silenced by Kuroga holding up a hand.
"Please, just let me say this. I've taught you and raised you and your brother all on my own over the past few years, and I know that it might not have been the best choice for you, but after losing your mother, I wanted you to be close by me."
"Dad…"
"I wish I could tell you that things will get easy for you, but it won't be. Life is a never ending uphill struggle, one that never really does get any easier. The minute one challenge is done with, an even harder one takes its place. And you will fail, a number of times. That's something you need to understand now. Just remember that everyone fails at who they're supposed to be and what they're supposed to do in life. The measure of your worth comes from how well you come to succeed at being who you are, and acknowledging that whatever you do in life, you don't have to do it alone. You will struggle without a doubt, so it's best to surround yourself with the people you trust and love with all of your heart."
"Dad…"
"And just remember that no matter what happens, even if I'm not physically there, I will always be watching over you." he removed the necklace he wore and place it around Tatsu's neck, then pulled him into a gentle hug "I love you son."
"I… I love you too dad." Tatsu returned the hug as a few tears fell down his cheeks, right before a white light engulfed the two of them.
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Now back in the real world…
Tatsu's eyes snapped open as the vines binding his body began to recede, and he took a moment to regain his awareness 'So I was right, it was all some kind of illusion. But still, all of it felt so real, as if… as if he really was right there…' he gently gripped the necklace he wore and wiped away a few tears 'Thank you dad.' he glanced over to see Inuyasha writing around on the ground, his body wrapped in the vines, to which Tatsu promptly slammed a fist into his gut, causing him to keel over "Get ahold of yourself already Inuyasha, becasue Kikyo needs you. You said you didn't want Naraku to put his filthy hands all over here, or was all of that just talk?"
"Kikyo… I…" Inuyasha's eyes snapped open as he whipped out Tessaiga and ripped clear through the vines with a single stroke "It… It was all an illusion wasn't it?"
"A pretty vivid one, and if you and I got caught in it like that then what's to stop the others from getting caught too?" this was followed by the sound of a familiar screaming coming from within the trees "That's Miroku, and can't be too far from here."
"Case and point I guess, and I can smell Shippo and Sango nearby too."
"You go and snap them out of it, I'll get Miroku and them we'll regroup." and so the two of them promptly split off in different directions.
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A few moments later…
Fortunately it didn't take long for Tatsu to track down Miroku, as he found him writing on the ground being strangled by the vines, and he managed to get there just in time to save him from being skewered by a number of vines hurtling towards him, and then cut him free "Well that was a fair bit closer than I would've liked, you okay?"
"My… My Wind Tunnel, it's still-" Miroku was snapped out of his stupor by a light slap across the face.
"Did that did the trick? Apparently that works for making people get their shit together, for whatever reason."
"It felt so real, like my Wind Tunnel was swallowing up my entire body. It felt so real."
"Yeah I know the feeling, I saw something pretty unsettling myself. Whatever these vines are, they don't hold back on its victims."
"What about Sango and the others?"
"I already got Inuyasha out of it and he's tracking down Sango and Shippo as we speak, but for now you'd better go find them and regroup. I'm gonna go track down Kagome." and so he took off through the woods at full speed without leaving any room for an argument 'I might have lost my dad, but I'm not gonna let anything happen to her. Not so long as I'm still alive.'
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A few moments later…
"Kagome, come on Kagome stay with me!"
'Tatsu… you're here…' Kagome's eyes slowly fluttered open from where she lay in the pit at the bottom of the abyss, and she looked up to see Tatsu drop down next to her and rush over to her side "You're okay…"
"I've had a lot worse than this, you can confirm that." Tatsu gently helped Kagome up onto her knees "Apparently those vines trap you in some kind of illusions, but at least you managed to get this far without getting caught. You are okay aren't you?"
"Uh, y-yeah I'm fine. Come on, let's just get out of here."
'She's putting on a brave face, she looks exhausted and her skin is pale. Just what the hell happened to her down here? Right." so Tatsu placed his other sword onto his back, took Kagome into his arms bridal style, and then leapt back up and out of the abyss, and his eyes narrowed at the sight of what was awaiting them when they hit the ground "Kikyo."
Sure enough, Kikyo stood before the two of them, her expression cold and stoic, and she held the jewel shard in one hand "I expected to see Inuyasha come to me."
"And I was expecting you to not steal the jewel shards we spent two months hunting down, now hand them over."
"Whatever is the matter, Tatsu was it? Here I thought you would be pleased to tell Inuyasha that I am well."
"I don't take kindly to anyone stealing from the people I care about, now hand over the jewel shards or I take them back the hard way. And for that matter, I want to know what the hell you did to Kagome."
"I tried to kill her, so what is it that you plan to do about it?"
"Well if our first encounter is anything to go by…" Tatsu held up one hand and summoned a small sphere of energy "I think you can figure out where I'm going with this."
"So you say. Tell me, when Inuyasha was still under the spell by Naraku, what was it that you believe he was thinking about?"
"I already know the answer to that, he wants nothing more than to protect you from Naraku, to protect you in any way that he can, because no matter what happens he still loves you, and he never stopped even for a second."
"And even though you know that, you can still say so easily that you intend to kill me if the need should arise?"
"I'm saying that I will do whatever I have to in order to protect the people I care about, and if that includes sending you back to the afterlife then so be it." Tatsu blitzed forward and promptly dealt Kikyo a palm thrust to the chest.
Kikyo was left hunched over from the blow, but then she suddenly grabbed Tatsu by the neck and unleashed a wave of spiritual energy, the force of which was enough to send him hurtling backwards a short distance "So it would seem your resolve is absolute, but at the same time, mine is as well." she let out a hollow laugh as she was hoisted into the air by a number of her Soul Collectors "Then tell Inuyasha that I said this. The point in which he and I will at last brace the inevitability of death together, now that is a day that I wait for with anticipation." and with that, she and her Soul Collectors disappeared into the night sky.
'Dammit, so her spiritual powers can't harm me directly, but they do have a pretty strong effect on the Fangs of Ryuhogo. I guess it only makes sense, the fangs are demonic in origin. But in any case, right now I have more important things to worry about.' with that in mind, Tatsu turned his attention to Kagome as he knelt down in front of her "Kagome look, I want you to be completely honest with me. I want you to tell me what Kikyo did to you."
"She… She took the jewel shard." Kagome looked away from him in what looked like shame and embarrassment "I'm sorry, I couldn't stop her."
"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it. What else happened?"
"Nothing happened, that's it."
"Kagome you're pale as a ghost and you're shaking like you're on a sugar high, and not in a good way. Did she… Did she really try to kill you?"
"I can't do it… I feel like I'm telling on her… To Kikyo, my life didn't hold any value in the slightest… but even despite that…" it was at this moment that Kagome burst into tears and threw her arms around Tatsu, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she started sobbing "I was so terrified… I felt so helpless…"
Tatsu didn't hesitate in wrapping his arms around her, gently rubbing her back as a way of trying to comfort her "It's okay, it's all over now."
"You were wrong before… I didn't get out of the vines without getting caught in the spell… I kept seeing it over and over again… I couldn't stop him…"
"Naraku?"
"No… Sesshomaru…" that caused him to stiffen slightly "You and him were fighting… and he killed you and all the others one by one… I couldn't speak… I couldn't move… I couldn't do anything to stop him…"
"It's okay, you don't have to worry about him. We're fine, all of us are fine. Inuyasha is off getting the others as we speak."
"So they're… I see… that's good…" Kagome took a few moments to calm herself down, then gently freed herself from Tatsu's embrace "Tatsu… do you remember what it was you said to me before?"
"You're gonna have to be more specific."
"Back at the Demon Slayer village. You said there was nothing wrong with being weak, but there was something wrong with staying weak. I don't want to be weak anymore. I don't want what I saw in there to come to pass, with Sesshomaru or Naraku or anyone. I want to get stronger, so that I can protect you and all of our friends." her eyes blazed with determination with every word she spoke 'I can't afford to be weak anymore, not if it means things like this are going to keep happening.'
"Kagome…"
"Hey." this was when Inuyasha finally showed up on the scene, carrying Sango and the others on his back, along with Hiraikotsu "If you guys are done having a moment then get over here and give me a hand, they're heavy and I'm pretty sure the monk is trying to grab my ass. You were right by the way, that feels wrong on god only knows how many levels."
"But he was already conscious when I left him." Tatsu spared a quick glance at where Miroku lay on Inuyasha's back, planted directly next to Sango, his hand moving further down her body with each passing second "And that explains a few things."
"Do I want to know?"
"Nothing you don't know already."
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Meanwhile, in Naraku's castle…
Naraku scowled at the charred remains of his demon puppet 'Kikyo you wench, how dare you defy me so openly.' he was met with the sound of footsteps approaching his room.
"You're quite careless Naraku." this was when Kikyo made her way into the room "Once your little puppet is broken, you see nothing. You would be wise to remember that, the petty feats of minor sorcery that you use to get others to do your dirty work have no affect on someone such as me. As for the barrier you keep erected around the castle, the one that you erected for the purpose of keeping out Inuyasha and his companions, that was easy enough for me to break." she then proceeded to toss the jewel shards in her possession to his feet "That was what you wanted was it not? I leave it to you with the responsibility of standing guard over it. After all, who needs the power of the jewel more than you, and you do need it do you not? Who would need the power of the jewel to protect themselves more than someone like you… a mere half demon?"
"...You dare claim that I, Naraku, am a mere half demon?"
"I will admit that you did well with disguising yourself, but you're still the same as that human bandit, and the blood of who you once were can never be erased. You seek the power of the Shikon Jewel to become a full fledged human do you not?"
"If that were the case, then why would you choose to give me the shards of the jewel? Am I not the one you seek to avenge your death at my own hands 50 years ago?"
"It was only my body that you succeeded in killing, and I may have left it behind that day, but thanks to this new one I'm even stronger than I was before. I don't ask you to understand such a thing. I'm returning to the temple now, I will neither run nor hide for you. Send a messenger if you need me for anything." and with that, she promptly took her leave of the castel.
'So that's appeared again has it?' once he was alone, Naraku removed his robes and glanced at the spider shaped burn mark on his back 'No matter how often I change flesh, the burn scars that came from Onigumo will not disappear from my back.'
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Meanwhile, with Kikyo…
Now out of the castle, Kikyo stood on a hillside overlooking the rising sun 'Go Naraku, go forth and gather the remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel, and once you've found them all that will reveal my moment of opportunity, in which will send you to Hell where you belong. I am free to feel hatred now, my soul feels so much more freedom now than it did when I was alive. I am free to hate, but also free to love…'
A/N:
Now this chapter sees the return of Kikyo, her first appearance in the second season of this story, but like most of her appearances in the series, this one is anything but lighthearted, mainly because she steals the jewel shards the group has gathered up until now and gives them to Naraku. I'm pretty sure this is where the Kikyo hating started among the fanbase, and I'll admit I understand why, but I don't give that sort of thing very much thought.
Two other important things to note in this chapter are that one, Tatsu finally learns from Ryuhogo himself about the role that he played in the creation of the Shikon Jewel. Get this, he and the priestess Midoriko used to be lovers, and her death is what led to the creation of the Fangs of Ryuhogo, weapons that are meant to be used as tools not to destroy, but to protect, in an attempt to counter this endless cycle of bloodshed that had been created. Two, Kagome is preparing to start training in the art of the sword with her father in th mutual plane. That will come soon.
Another thing worth noting is that this one dives more into Tatsu's character, more specifically when he's put under the vines like the others. Under the influence of the vines, we see his greatest regret: the moment he lost his father, and the moment he first received the Fang of the Iron Heart.