Sesshoumaru automatically stepped in front of her, sensing Naraku's malintent. Naraku gave a bored sigh, eyes glowing malevolently as he flipped his hair over his shoulder. "Have you grown closer in the scant amount of time I needed to regenerate? How lovely." Sesshoumaru intercepted an appendage, slicing through it with his claws. "It'll make breaking you that much more delicious."
The queen yelled behind them, and soldiers converged, brandishing various weapons. Naraku still looked bored, even surrounded, and Kagome gripped the back of Sesshoumaru's uniform. "Something's off. He wouldn't have come in here without a plan."
Sesshoumaru's gaze never wavered. "You are sure it is him?"
She nodded. "His aura is the same." So were his eyes, but Kagome didn't want to dwell on how a human had eluded such a horrific death. Right now, the castle needed defending, and she didn't have height as an advantage. At least he'd be susceptible to her reiki now.
Sesshoumaru stepped forward to engage him, but a few of the soldiers cried out, more appendages sprouting out from Naraku's back to wrap around their necks or waists. Their brethren tried to cut through them, but it was no use, and their armour slowly turned black, eyes bleeding crimson as they attacked.
Soldiers were forced to fight against people they knew, the chaos succeeding in distracting those attempting to cut Naraku down. Metal clashed, but Sesshoumaru remained focused, going after their leader. He slashed through the base of the tentacles, freeing the soldiers from his grasp but not his spell.
"Why do you even care?" Naraku called, mist pouring out of each severed limb. "They're nothing to you."
"They are innocent," Sesshoumaru argued, separating him from the group.
Naraku smirked. "No one is innocent." Sesshoumaru sliced low, but he easily dodged, floating above his head. Kagome concentrated on purifying the mist, but it only made Naraku's spell worse, keeping the puppets aloft as they tried to separate limbs from bodies. The queen brandished her fan again, and Kagome released an arrow, containing the miasma into one corner. She bottled it up, sending it high into the air before squeezing her hand. The bubble contracted in on itself, the air immediately smelling clearer.
The black armour remained, and soldiers continued to disarm their comrades, forced to knock some of them out before turning their attention to the wriggling appendages. Kagome's eyes widened, but her warning came too late, each tentacle bursting like a row of eggs. Youkai flooded the ballroom, latching onto anything that moved.
She stationed herself in the middle of the throng of soldiers, condensing her power into a ball before sending out a barrage of arrows. They stuck to the ground, blinking once before shooting a beam of light up to the ceiling. The barrier crystallized, and any of Naraku's followers caught in its path disintegrated.
"Concentrate on the bigger ones!" called the queen, slicing through the legs of a particularly nasty ogre. "Do not allow them to regroup!" A small faction broke off to keep the tainted soldiers contained, the others covering their flanks as they protected them from above.
A large boomerang flew through the crowd, smaller creatures crying out in pain. "Sorry for being late!" Sango called, spinning around before letting Hiraikotsu loose again.
"Save the apologies for later," the queen replied, hissing as several large hornets went for her head. Rings jingled as Miroku swatted them out of the way with his staff. He then disappeared into the crowd, chanting as he placed ofuda onto the bewitched soldiers. Light and understanding came back into some of their eyes, while others outright collapsed.
"My lady, you need to—" Sango began.
"If another word of where I should be escapes your mouth, you will lose your tongue," she snapped, then waved her fan, sending the first wave of youkai to their knees. "Just keep them from escaping." Sango nodded, gripping Kirara's fur as she jumped onto her back. They rose above the horde, Hiraikotsu cutting through stragglers, and Kagome turned her attention back to their leader.
Sesshoumaru and Naraku fought outside the barrier, crimson eyes glinting with each landed hit. His movements were more precise than Onigumo's, and Kagome pushed her way through the crowd, dodging claws and swords alike. She made it to the edge of the barrier, slipping easily through its protective walls. They were moving too fast for her to get in a hit, but maybe she could extend the barrier and trap him somehow.
"How quaint," Naraku mused, dodging several of Sesshoumaru's blows. "The little miko has come to rescue you again." More tentacles shot out from his back, slithering along the ground as Sesshoumaru jumped out of the way. Kagome wasn't so lucky. She tried to form a weapon large enough to deflect the attack, but her mind went blank, and she braced herself for the impact.
But it never came. She slowly opened her eyes, gasping as Sesshoumaru stood in front of her, tentacles wrapped around his arms, waist, and neck. He growled, struggling against his hold, and Naraku rolled his eyes.
"If I'd known you'd be so foolish, I'd have gone after her first." He waved his hand, and Sesshoumaru was forced to his knees, legs shaking as he tried to break free. "Then again, I do owe her for my little transformation." Kagome shuddered as he licked his lips.
"She is not part of this," Sesshoumaru bit out, voice strained.
Naraku tightened the tentacle around his neck. "She made herself a part of it," he replied. "And her death will be on your conscience." Sesshoumaru continued to writhe, but Naraku sent him flying against the nearest wall. Steeling herself, Kagome formed matching daggers out of reiki, the blades sparking with power every time they came in contact with his noxious mist. "Such a troublesome wench. I'll have to cut out your tongue for you to be of any use."
Kagome gagged before tightening the grip on her weapons. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, keeping her distance. She had enough time to retreat within her barrier, but that would leave Sesshoumaru at his mercy, and she had to find a way to get him free.
Tentacles continued to erupt from Naraku's back, slowly covering Sesshoumaru's body, but each time she moved in his direction, Naraku intervened. Letting out an aggravated sigh, she shot a blast of reiki into his face, slicing off some of his armour before dodging under his arm. She got within reach of Sesshoumaru but was instantly thrown back by a barrier of Naraku's making.
She slid across the floor, patting out the fires on her dress as miasma ate through the fabric, then got to her feet, her remaining dagger shifting into a spear. Naraku clicked his tongue. "I've had enough. You're far less fun than I thought you'd be, and I have lands to poison and people to kill." He raised his hands, and the horde hovering above her barrier changed direction.
They hissed and weaved, encircling their prey, and Kagome wondered how many of them she could take out before she was completely overrun. Heart beating wildly in her chest, she twirled her spear above her head as they loomed closer, darkening her vision as Naraku cackled out of reach. She was just about to slice through the first wave when a blinding flash of green light sent them all scattering.
Even Naraku seemed surprised, turning around to try to find the source of the light. Broad shoulders blocked Kagome's view, and one side of the uniform was in tatters as the green light shrank into that of a sword, its intricate handle grasped tightly in Sesshoumaru's hand. He didn't seem fazed, but she stared in wonder as she realized he was holding the sword in his left hand.
Chin raised, he pointed the blade toward Naraku, amber eyes unblinking as his youki engulfed his new weapon. She didn't have the time to question him as he sliced through the air. Power arched overhead, cutting through the horde and leaving it in pieces. Naraku tried to appear nonchalant about the new development, but Kagome saw him take a step backward.
"It seems you've found something to protect," he said, tapping his chin. "Too bad she won't be around long enough for it to matter." Sesshoumaru bent his knees, then soared forward, slicing through every tentacle Naraku threw at him. Wishing she could watch but knowing she'd get in the way, Kagome turned back to what remained of Naraku's followers and led them toward the other end of the ballroom.
They hadn't noticed the shift in the fight, continuing to snap and hiss at her as she led them on a wild goose chase. Each time one got close, they were met with a blast of her reiki. Several more would take their place, leaving her to wonder if there was more to Naraku's plan than a simple takeover. She snorted. There was nothing simple about it, but if she could keep them distracted long enough for Sesshoumaru to land a fatal blow, she was all for it.
"It's a shame you've brought in another," Naraku taunted, glaring as Sesshoumaru managed to cut off some of his hair. "She'll make a delightful addition to your shelf of failures, though."
"You will not touch her," Sesshoumaru snarled, keeping him from moving any closer. He could still feel Kagome's presence, but she wasn't in peril, so his attention remained on his foe. He refused to let him escape again.
Naraku shimmered out of focus as he attempted to dismember him, his sinister laugh floating around him. "Why not? She certainly wasn't planning to remain here." Sesshoumaru ignored him, trying to decipher where he would materialize. The sensation of his newly formed arm kept him focused, power surging down the limb and into his blade.
It felt like pure power, like an extension of himself, and each swipe he took only increased his control. It was still an odd sensation but one he would reflect on once the spider was vanquished.
Smoke floated by his ear, Naraku's disembodied voice snickering. "She was going to leave you."
"Silence," Sesshoumaru replied. "Your lies mean nothing here."
He snickered again, his trail of smoke encircling Sesshoumaru's feet. "It's not my fault I can read her better than you can." Sesshoumaru sliced through the smoke, but it did nothing. "Don't you sense her hesitation? You dazzle her, true, but she still thinks this is all a dream."
Sesshoumaru's heart clenched, and he felt his arm pulse. She hadn't given him an answer to his request, but she hadn't had the time. If Naraku hadn't appeared, surely she would've—
"Lying to yourself is so unbecoming," Naraku mused, flickering in front of him like a flame. "She is not from your world, You Highness, and you haven't proven yourself worthy enough for her to want to be."
Another pulse from his arm had him swiping through Naraku's form with his sword, but it was heavier than before. It took all his effort to lift it, and he was now forced to use both hands. He called upon his youki, power swirling around the blade as he attempted to lighten it, but Naraku's voice seeped into his mind.
"You offered her the world, yet she still doubts your affections," he taunted. "You are not enough for her."
His youki fizzled halfway up his blade, sparking out of existence, and Sesshoumaru was once again sent to his knees. He hissed in pain, trying to lift the sword off the ground, but it felt like it was made of stone. Naraku finally solidified, smirking as he kicked Sesshoumaru in her shoulder. His sword remained in his hand, but as he couldn't lift it, the kick sent him skidding along the ground.
"You're pathetic," Naraku continued, not even bothering to attack him. "You finally regenerate your arm, creating a sword of your own power, and this is the result? No wonder she planned to leave."
Lungs straining, Sesshoumaru tried to right himself, but his entire arm had turned to wood, useless and unmoveable. An unfamiliar feeling of helplessness crept up his shoulder and across his chest, slowing his heartbeat. Turning his head, he tried to move his other arm, but the crimson crests were replaced with the soft periwinkle of his nutcracker uniform.
His eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening. He tried to release his sword, but it was moulded to his hand, a permanent part of him. Naraku continued to cackle, but it sounded far away. Sesshoumaru eventually collapsed on his back, his eyes shutting as his mouth sealed shut, taking the form of a permanent scowl.
His heart cried out to protect the one on the other side of the room—the one who'd stood by him in his time of need. The one now left defenceless due to his incompetence. In all his battles against Onigumo, he never felt so useless. Perhaps next time, he would learn to keep her close, to defend her against all else, but in his heart, he knew there would not be a next time. He'd lost.
"Kagome!"