Chapter 11: The Possessed
Third Person POV: Naraku
Two strange people walk through the dense, dark forest of Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees on the northwestern flank of Mount Fuji. This forest is known for being a hotspot for those to commit suicide, and due to this, hundreds of souls emerge in the forest, especially at night. But the two people seem unbothered as they make their way up the side of the mountain and along a path that leads to a darker cave.
One of the strange people looks around, her red eyes piercing in the night. She doesn't look the type to be traversing in the darkness of a forbidden forest, dressed in a purple and white kimono that ties tight around her body. She looks regal, head raised high with her black hair tied up with feathers dangling in the back. Her pointed ears listen as she hears the cries and calls of the forest, beckoning her to come deeper into its dark hole to disappear like all the others. Her red lips frown, pulling her attention away from the dead to her leader; a man dressed in a white baboon cloak that covers his entire body except for his lower face.
"Where are we going again?" She asks in a clipped tone.
"You'll be surprised what lies within this mountain," he answers, without fully explaining.
"What lies in the mountain?" She questions with a raised black brow. She lifts her hand fan and opens it to cover her face. She gently waves it in place to rid her of the smell that starts to wreak havoc on her senses. It smells of death, something she should have expected given the location they are at, but it also smells of sulfur and brimstone.
"You'll see," is all he responds with his deep voice.
They make their way along the path until they reach the dark cave where they can feel steam coming out of the entrance. The woman isn't used to a cave being hot when the weather proves to be a little chillier. But now that she is closer to the cave, in front of it to be exact, she can sense a dreadful power emanating from inside. It's a power she's never felt before, powerful, but there is a tinge of sadness somehow intertwined in this aura.
"Naraku," she whispers, shutting her hand fan and lowering it by her sides. Her eyes narrow as she tries to scan the interior of the cave but it is so dark that she can't even see a few feet in front of her. "I sense something."
"Good," he grins. "Inside this cave will be what we require to destroy our enemies. We just need to get her on our side."
"Her?" The woman snaps her attention to Naraku.
"Yes, Kagura, her."
Naraku enters the cave, a slight light illuminating his body as he walks into the deep darkness. Kagura pauses for a second, watching him as he disappears. She wonders if she should follow – will this lead to a person that will replace her? She frowns and rushes after him and remains by his side as they continue to go deeper into the cave system.
It takes several minutes of wandering in the darkness before they see a dim blue light coming from in front of them. As they approach, the light gets brighter and brighter until finally they see a crystal as large as three men coming out from the ground to the ceiling. The two halt in their places, their eyes wandering over the crystal and what's inside. Stuck within the blue crystal is a beautiful, young woman with long pointed ears, and even longer black hair that stretches like a black river to her lower back. Her eyes are shut as if she is slumbering.
This is where Kagura can feel the strongest of the aura. Right here, right now. In front of this lady, she is sure Naraku meant when he mentioned her.
"She's beautiful," Kagura mumbles, frowning yet again.
"She is the last living Elf, at least, that anyone knows of," Naraku's grin grows. "She is one of the most powerful creatures in existence, but yet, she barely can control her power. We're going to use her as a pawn to get rid of Inuyasha and his group."
"How?" Kagura raises her brow, turning slightly to her master.
Naraku lifts his left hand, a shard of the sacred jewel glistening black in between his pointer and thumb. "With this."
"A sacred jewel?" Kagura turns her eyes to the woman. "How are we going to get her out?"
"We aren't. She is," he smirks. "With our help." He turns the shard in his fingers to point up at the woman and then flicks it at the crystal. Instead of propelling off the hard material, the shard penetrates and slowly makes its way to the woman's forehead. It pierces into her flesh, falling flat against her forehead and staying there while her skin slowly grows around the edges to hold it in place.
Naraku lowers his hand back to his side. After a few seconds of waiting, Kagura grows impatient. She glowers over to Naraku and is about to say something when she catches movement at the corner of her eyes. She looks back at the woman and notices her eyes slowly opening to reveal gemstone-green orbs staring down at them.
"Lahona," Naraku says with a vile grin. "Princess, or should I say, Queen of the Elves."
The woman's eyes narrow just as the shard glows brilliantly black on her forehead. Black swirls in her eyes covering the green irises completely.
"Lady Lahona, I know who wronged you," Naraku starts. "The very demon that slaughtered the village you lived in, destroying everyone you came to love. I know his name and how you can find him. His name is Inuyasha, and he travels with a group of humans, looking for more innocents to slaughter."
Lahona's eyes narrow to slits and Kagura can see that the elf is vibrating violently. She steps back, her hand up to her face as if to protect herself. The crystal around Lahona cracks and large pieces fall to the ground, shattering into even smaller pieces. The surface of the crystal cracks so badly that suddenly it explodes, sending shards of crystal everywhere, piercing into walls like spears. The spears miss Naraku and Kagura from a barrier that protects the two of them from damage.
Lahona's bare feet reach for the ground as she hovers in midair, and as she steps down she looks at Naraku.
Lahona's clothes, a Miko outfit fitted with two black shoulder pauldrons on each arm, settle down around her from its once-floating state.
"Where….Is…..He….?" Her voice is monotone, corrupted by the shard, and her soul tainted with vengeance.
Naraku grins slowly. "Let me show you."
Third Person POV: Inuyasha's group
Inuyasha leads his group down a dirt pathway as the sun slowly goes down the horizon. Soon they'll make camp once they reach the forest which isn't too far from where they are at. They've been traveling in mostly silence for some time now after leaving Kaeda's village to replenish their supplies.
"We should rest soon," Miroku chimes.
Sango and Shippo nod in agreement.
"It feels like we've been traveling for days!" Shippo whines, but in reality, it has only been a day.
Keara lugs the large yellow backup up on her arm, strangling her sword in between the bag and her back. The heaviness of the bag has been making her slowly slump forward since they started their journey.
"I really need to put this bag down soon," Keara sighs.
Inuyasha looks back at her, his eyes relaxed since they hadn't almost fought about Koga. They've been civil with each other ever since they left the mountain, which wasn't different for the two of them.
"Want me to carry it?" Inuyasha offers.
Keara smiles at him and shakes her head. "If we take a break soon, I can handle it."
"We're almost to the forest edge, we can rest there," Inuyasha points to the forest that grows darker as the sun disappears. He stops in his tracks forcing Keara to slam into his back. She pulls away to look up at him with curiosity.
"What's wrong?" She asks.
"Can't you sense it?" Sango adds. The demon slayer's eyes narrow as she glares at the forest ahead.
Keara follows Sango's line of sight to the forest and tries to focus solely on the environment around her. A powerful aura stems from the forest, throbbing like a heartbeat that grows stronger with every second.
"What is that?" Keara asks. That's when she sees it. A shard glowing white in the darkness of the forest, it's beckoning her to come save it. It screams that danger approaches and that it needs to be taken from its carrier.
Inuyasha's right foot stomps back behind him as his right-hand clenches the hilt of his sheathed sword.
"Whatever it is, it is dangerous," Inuyasha clips.
"It also has a shard. It seems corrupted," Keara warns.
"Inuyasha…." A voice soft as silk but monotone reaches all their ears. Out from the darkness steps a beautiful woman with long black hair and black eyes. Her long pointed ears twitch up and down as she listens to the world around her. She can hear them, their heartbeats that grow faster as she approaches. "I hear you must die."
"Are you threatening me?" Inuyasha growls.
"It's not a threat, it's a promise."
"Bring it on, witch!" Inuyasha rushes at her at full speed, but a few feet away from her, he is thrown to the side when she lifts her hand and slices it through the air. He slams into a tree trunk and slides down, the Tessaiga flying feet away from his grip.
"What was that?" Sango asks, pulling up her Hiraikotsu and readying to throw it.
"I don't know," Keara says, dropping the yellow bag behind her and pulling her sword out from the sheathe on her back.
"Be careful guys, I can feel how powerful she is. It's something I never felt before." Miroku warns his fingers on the beads around his right hand.
"You destroyed my village, killed my people," the woman says. "Now you must die."
The woman lifts her hand at Inuyasha but before she uses any of her abilities, Keara steps forward.
"Hey!" Keara shouts. The woman slowly turns her attention to Keara. "Who do you think you are? Inuyasha wouldn't harm innocent people."
The woman's eyes narrow at Keara as if seeing something that no one else can see, and then her eyes widen.
"Midoriko?" The woman asks.
Keara pauses her actions briefly, her eyes opening in shock. How does she know she's Midoriko's reincarnation?
"Who are you?" Keara asks.
"Do you not remember me? It is me, Lahona," the woman says with an almost slightly raised voice, slowly breaking her monotone volume.
"Well, Lahona, I am not Midoriko. You need to stop what you're doing," Keara orders.
Inuyasha growls as he gets up, brushing himself off and going for the Tessaiga.
Lahona's eyes snap back to Inuyasha, she lifts her hand and waves it to the side. Inuyasha's body tumbles in the direction that Lahona's hand waved.
"Stop that!" Keara yells. She grabs her sword's hilt with both hands and runs at Lahona while she's distracted, raising her sword in the air and bringing it down as she reaches her.
Lahona steps to the side in the nick of time to avoid the attack and while Keara is kneeling where she lands, Lahona grabs her by the back of her head and brings her back up to standing. Keara yelps in pain, dropping her sword to reach up to Lahona's single hand that holds her. Lahona brings Keara's head back and down, curving the girl's spine slightly to get a better look at her face.
"You are not her…." Lahona mutters. Her eyes softening briefly before returning to their apathetic state.
"Let her go!" Inuyasha shouts, running at the two women with Tessaiga back in his grip. He thrusts his sword up and down at Lahona and just as he is about to make contact, a flash of silver gets in his way. Before he can see it coming, a hand reaches up and grabs the Tessaiga with just its pointer and thumb, holding Tessaiga in place above Lahona's head.
There, standing between Lahona and Inuyasha is Sesshomaru, holding Tessaiga in place with his only arm.
"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha yells. The half-demon still holds his sword in place, unable to remove it from Sesshomaru's strong grip.
Sesshomaru's eyes flicker to the side where Lahona stands and then back at Inuyasha. The demon throws Tessaiga out of reach of Lahona, forcing Inuyasha to stumble backward.
Lahona breathes deeply as she looks at Sesshomaru, her heart pounding fast in her chest and the sacred in her forehead starts to glitter a different shade than black.
"S…Sesshomau," Lahona whispers, but Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, with their demonic hearing, hear her.
Sesshomaru turns fully to Lahona, his eyes slightly narrowed but there is a sign of recognition in his eyes. He knew he smelt her. A smell he remembered since he was just a boy, but since she's aged, he barely recognizes her, especially with the black in her eyes.
Lahona releases Keara, dropping the girl to the ground, and approaches Sesshomaru. Flickers of green sparkle throughout the black in her eyes as black tears drip down her cheeks. As the tears drip, the black in her ears dissipates, and returns to green.
"I've looked for you, but you were nowhere to be found," Lahona mutters. "I thought you died. Possibly killed by the lizard demons."
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru starts. "You harm this girl and I will kill you." He says coldly, his eyes never leaving Lahona.
As the last bit of black leaves her eyes, the shard in her forehead slips out of its casing and falls to the ground in between the two.
The rest of the group watches the two with confusion. Normally, Sesshomaru would be fighting Inuyasha by now, trying to steal the Tessaiga and destroy his younger brother, but he seems distracted by the woman who came to destroy them.
Keara slowly gets up, rubbing the back of her head where Lahona had clasped her so tightly. "You two know each other?"
"We knew each other when we were kids, but separated when we were attacked by lizard demons," Lahona says, not looking away from Sesshomaru's cold amber eyes.
"Keara, you okay?" Inuyasha asks from where he stumbled too.
His voice breaks Lahona's concentration and she glances at the half-demon but now that she can see more clearly, she sees the resemblance between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Her lips part as if she's about to speak but the words don't come out.
With their eyes apart, Sesshomaru turns his attention to Inuyasha as well. "Just for this time, I will let you go, but know, I will be back." Sesshomaru turns towards the forest and walks into the darkness leaving the group stunned and confused.
Lahona stands in place, her eyes wandering over to Sesshomaru as he disappears. Her heart beats like a war drum in her chest and her mind is full of confusion. She's not sure if she should follow him or stay behind. Now that she knows he's alive, and how tangy his scent is, she'll be able to find him a little easier now. Her sight falls to the ground as her ears lower. He's the same as he used to be, which doesn't bother her, but she thought he'd at least ask if she'd come.
"What should we do?" Miroku whispers to Sango, a little intimidated to move.
This breaks Lahona's thinking and she turns to the group, her eyes wandering between all of them before her eyes land back on Inuyasha. Now that the corrupted shard has left her forehead, she sees now that Inuyasha isn't the demon that attacked her village and fought and sealed her away. She was blind, her vision corrupted as much as her mind.
"I am sorry," she says with a frown. "It seems I have been deceived."
Keara walks over to Lahona and picks up the shard, it purifies within her hand. "Who was it that gave you this shard?" Keara assumed she didn't find it since it was pure black.
"A man, he wore a baboon cloak," Lahona sighs.
"Naraku." Sango says.
They all sit around a little fire made in the middle of a small field off in the distance of the dark forest. Lahona sits on her knees with her spine straight but her head lowered in shame.
"I am sorry again. This – Naraku- guy, said that Inuyasha destroyed my village. I was blinded by the corruption of the shard and could only see a silhouette of the demon that I last fought before I was sealed," Lahona explains.
"Naraku has been fooling many people, don't take it to heart," Miroku says with a smile. The monk would sit next to the beautiful black-haired creature but Keara and Sango sat in the way. His normally pervert nature is also subdued by the fact this creature could kill them with a flick of her hand.
"What kind of demon are you? I've never seen one like you before," Sango asks.
Kirara watches the woman from her spot on top of Sango's lap, she purrs loudly.
"I am not a demon, I am an elf," Lahona replies, her attention turning to the purring demon. She smiles softly. "I know you. You once accompanied Midoriko."
"You know Kirara?" Sango asks, bewildered. "She knew Midoriko?"
"Yes, a very long time ago from what I can tell."
"That means you must be centuries old," Sango says.
"This is true, but I was also sealed away – it could have paused my aging. Even though, elves live a very long time."
"How do you know Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha questions, his eyes narrowing at her. He still doesn't trust her completely, not after she thrown him around with so much ease. It was even stranger that his brother, one of his biggest rivals, was willing to protect this woman. It leaves him wondering about her alliance.
Lahona's smile grows. "Sesshomaru and I were betrothed when we were younger, just children. My mother and I were found by his father, and protected until one night when he was away. The humans that protected the place that we lived were actually lizard demons in disguise," her voice softens and her eyes lower, the smile wiping from her face. "They killed my mother and captured me. I was able to escape but when I woke, I was in another village. I never saw Sesshomaru again up until now."
"Betrothed?" Sango, Keara, and Miroku ask in unison.
Lahona nods, lifting her head back up.
"I never imagined Sesshomaru marrying someone," Keara says in surprise.
"Was the village you woke up in the one where you met Midoriko?" Sango asks.
"Yes. I was young and unable to control my powers. Midoriko helped me train and learn to focus my control over my abilities. I helped her fight and purify demons, up until we were attacked. I was fighting a strong demon that sealed me away in a cave. I am assuming, since it's been centuries, that Midoriko didn't survive?"
Sango shakes her head. "She didn't."
Lahona sighs and nods. "To be expected." The beautiful elf stands up and brushes her calves free of dirt and dust. "I must take my leave."
"Where do you plan on going? You've been sealed for centuries, the world is different now," Keara says.
"I am sure the demons that harmed me still exist, if not, their descendants. I plan on seeking them to get vengeance for my mother," Lahona turns towards the deeper forest.
"Will we see you again?" Miroku asks.
Lahona turns her head back to them with a gentle smile. "Most likely."