InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Bad Week ❯ Chapter 4

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"What am I going to do?", Kagome asked herself as she repaired Miroku's robes. She looked over at Shippo who was trying to thread a needle, his tongue sticking out to the side in concentration. Her mind was distracted with thoughts of her and Inuyasha's experience with Sesshoumaru earlier that day. What a mess this was! She was at least grateful that no one had noticed the rosary missing from Inuyasha's neck yet, so she had time to think of an excuse. Sesshoumaru had told Kagome not to talk about the rosary, but she really wished she could brain storm with Kaede to figure out a way to release it's hold. She thought deeply about the last two times the rosary had been broken; Inuyasha had been exposed to enormous youkai power. "Wait, that can't be the only way to get it off. Maybe there is a spell or prayer that could release it", she thought, "Besides, Sesshoumaru's own power is stronger than the one killed Inuyasha, and the rosary is still on his neck. How will it ever come off?"

"Darn it!" Kagome yelled out loud.

"What is it Kagome?", Shippo asked.

"Huh?" Kagome broke from her thoughts, "Oh ... nothing, Shippo. I'm finished with Miroku's robe, how about you?"

Shippo held up the section he had been mending with pride, "All done!"

"Great! Let's get these back to Miroku and grab some dinner!"

"That would be really great, Kagome", the kitsune said while rubbing his belly.

Kagome and Shippo walked over to the hut that housed the injured houshi, finding him alone and unconscious. Kagome placed Miroku's robes next to his staff against the wall and then took the cloth from his forehead. She dipped it in a bowl of cold water nearby, rung it out, and then placed it back on him. Miroku stirred slightly in his fevered sleep, muttering something that sounded like 'Sango'.

"Is he going to be all right, Kagome?"

"I hope so", she replied. Kagome started wondering about how Sango was doing, were Kohaku went off to, and whether Inuyasha was back from his bath. "Hmm, I wonder where the others are."

On cue, Kaede entered the hut. "Ah, there you are, Kagome. I was trying to find Kohaku, have you seen him?"

"Yes, we saw him go off into the woods a while ago", the girl answered.

"He's always running off these days," Shippo added with a pout.

"Well, his sister wanted to speak with him, so let's hope he comes back soon", Kaede handed Kagome some food and cooking supplies. "Since you two haven't eaten yet, please go to Sango and share your meal with her. She is in the hut closest to the village well."

"She won't be happy to hear that Kohaku is gone", Kagome added.

"Perhaps it shouldn't be mentioned yet. We don't know when he will return, but there is no need to worry her if he has just gone out for a walk," Kaede gazed out to the forest beyond the village boundary.

Kagome bent down to check on Miroku one more time before she left. His face looked very sunken and sallow; his hairline drenched with sweat. She stood back up, knowing that there was not much more she could besides wait and see.

"OK. Shippo, let's go", Kagome turned on her heel, with food bundles in her arms and Shippo on her shoulder, and walked in the direction of Sango.

"Do you think he's just out for a walk, Kagome?", Shippo asked once they were out of earshot of Kaede's hut.

"Let's hope he is, for Sango's sake. She was so happy that Kohaku showed up and would talk to her for once, but then she got hurt and Miroku was so badly wounded in the fight against Mouryoumaru. If Kohaku has left again without speaking to her, she will be crushed ... poor Sango!"

"Poor Sango", Shippo echoed, shaking his head.

Kagome and Shippo found the hut nearest the well and walked in with happy faces to try and cheer up Sango. The injured tiajiya was resting against a transformed Kirara. The demon cat had curled her twin tails around Sango for warmth and purred gently. It was a sweet sight to see. Sango opened her eyes and looked at her two friends. "Kohaku is gone", she spoke lifelessly.

"Gone where?", Shippo asked anxiously.

"He came here just after Kaede left and told me he had to leave. He said he had something to do ... he told me not to be sad ..." Sango's words cut off into a sob, "He said ... he said ... he won't come back again!", she broke down into tears, "Why did Kohaku come back at all? It makes everything so much more painful!"

Kirara meowed sympathetically at Sango's tears as Kagome tried to comfort her friend. "I know its hard Sango, but be strong. That's what Kohaku wanted! Just remember that you aren't alone ... we are all here for you."

"Yeah, Sango! All of us!", Shippo agreed as he hugged Sango.

Sango wiped some tears away with her uninjured arm. "I know, friends ... I know."

"Naraku is here?", Inuyasha questioned his brother, "Why don't I smell anything?". He lifted his nose in the air, attempting to detect a scent. "Where is he?"

Sesshoumaru suddenly winced, the rosary around his neck had begun to glow a soft blue color.

"Sesshoumaru?"

The taiyoukai bowed his head in pain, the beads glowing brighter. He stumbled a bit, bracing himself with his sword, then stood up straight as if nothing had happened. Inuyasha noticed the rosary had stopped glowing.

"What the fuck was that?!", Inuyasha demanded to know. "And what the hell is with you today, anyway? First you try to kill Kagome, then I find you near our village, after telling her to stay away from you. Why are you following us? What exactly are you trying to pull here? Answer me!"

"Inuyasha, I ...", Sesshoumaru began, then changed his mind, " ... Naraku is headed for the village."

"SHIT! We'll finish this later, Sesshoumaru!", Inuyasha pointed his sword at his brother who just stared back, unaffected by the gesture.

Without a word, Sesshoumaru sped off in the direction of the village, intending to fight Naraku. "HEY! Where do you think you're going?!", Inuyasha yelled at his brother who was quickly out of sight. "Damn it all!", Inuyasha cursed, running as fast as he could to catch up.

Kagome had cut some vegetables into a pot and was heating them over a fire. 'I have to go out to get some other ingredients from the garden for this stew! It's a secret family recipe I'm making especially for you, Sango!", Kagome said with a smile and a wink before leaving the hut.

After many minutes of kind, supportive words from her friends; Sango was feeling more optimistic. Shippo had even persuaded her to try and eat some food that Kagome was cooking for them.

Kagome stepped over to Kaede's garden searching around in the dark, trying to locate the leaves of an onion. "Hmm, I could have sworn Kaede had some growing in this corner ...", She looked up quickly. Kagome could sense Shikon shards ... a lot of them! "Naraku!", she realized to late. Before she could speak or turn, a lightning fast Naraku had sided up to her and grabbed her, putting a hand over her mouth to prevent her from alerting anyone in the village.

"Kikyou's incarnation", he addressed her, "You will help me find the boy with the last shard".

Trapped in Naraku's grasp and separated from the world by his omnipresent barrier, Kagome shook her head 'no' while she screamed, unheard, into his hand. She tried kicking and punching to get away from the evil hanyou.

"You will, or your injured friends will die!", Naraku smirked as he squeezed her body tightly to stop her struggling.

Kagome stopped moving when his grip started to restrict her breathing. She wanted desperately to get away, to call for help ... but she knew it was a futile effort. Without Inuyasha, her friends couldn't stand a chance against Naraku. Two were injured badly and Shippo couldn't possibly take on their enemy alone. "Where is Inuyasha?", she agonized, "Why isn't he here?".She assessed the situation quickly. No weapon nearby, no one could hear her and anyone who might pass by is too weak to fight Naraku. With that thought, Kagome made her choice ... she wouldn't put her friends at risk. At least this way, there was time to rescue her, since she would be kept alive until the shard was found. A tear escaped down Kagome's cheek as she reluctantly nodded 'yes'.

"Good girl", Naraku purred. He coiled a tentacle around Kagome to hold her, freeing up his arms. She was covered over completely, like a cocoon. No chance to wiggle free, no way to be heard if she called out. "Shall we go home now, my shard detector?", he laughed.

"Drop the human, Naraku", a deep voice commanded.

Naraku narrowed his eyes and smirked again. "So glad you could join us, Sesshoumaru", he said, sending out a bony spear towards the taiyoukai who stood behind him.

Sesshoumaru jumped out of the way quickly and drew Tenseiga.

"Tenseiga? Now, what happened to your Toukijin, Sesshoumaru?", Naraku sarcastically asked; knowing fully that the sword had been broken in half by Mouryoumaru's tough armor. Not waiting for a reply, Naraku dashed off with a speed that could only be seen by demon eyes.

Sesshoumaru put away Tenseiga and followed after him, with a pace that could easily catch him.

Inuyasha bounded into the village just a few seconds after Sesshoumaru had left in pursuit of Naraku. "DAMN IT!", he cursed again, realizing the two had already left. He raced off in the direction of his brother's scent.

Miles away Naraku stopped running and stood his ground. No way was he going to reveal the location of his hidden castle, so he had to get rid of the demon on his heels before he could return home. Naraku sent out another round of bony spears toward Sesshoumaru, who deflected with his poison whip, rebounding the attack towards Naraku's shield.

"Why do you fight Sesshoumaru? I thought you despised humans?", Naraku teased.

"I am not here for the wench", he replied, throwing out a poison attack toward Naraku.

"Here for me then, Sesshoumaru? I'm flattered," he winked.

"You disgust me, hanyou", he answered viciously, slashing with his claws at Naraku's barrier.

"Oh, you know what they say: 'Hate and love are separated by a very thin line' ... ", Naraku smiled before catching Sesshoumaru around the waist with one of his other tentacles.

Sesshoumaru dug his nails into Naraku's tentacle as he fought to get free, burning the flesh with his poison until he was released.

"That wasn't very nice, love ... ", Naraku said with feigned sadness as he dropped Sesshoumaru, " ... you know I'd like it better if you bite".

Sesshoumaru responded with a glare and ripped the tentacle to pieces with a slash of his hand, then pulled out Tenseiga again.

"Hmm, your useless sword? What are you planning to do with that, poke me?"

Sesshoumaru readied his attack, but was stopped by an odd sensation. The rosary he had concealed under his clothing had begun to vibrate slightly. He suddenly felt his energy drain away at an alarming rate, as if it was being bled from his body. Sesshoumaru began to feel dizzy as his vision failed and his ears rushed with the sound of his slowing heart. He grimaced as his arm fell limp and his stance faltered. Naraku was stunned, and also fascinated, to see the taiyoukai acting out in such a way, as if he were in great pain.

"Injured, Sesshoumaru? How delicious!", the demon assumed with glee. Naraku watched as the great demon braced against his sword and struggled to keep standing. In mere seconds, Sesshoumaru's head bowed down and he fell to one knee. Naraku squinted his eyes to observe the now still Sesshoumaru and then opened them widely at the realization, "He's unconscious!". Naraku smiled in excitement, for he had wanted to absorb Sesshoumaru since the first moment he had seen him. A demon as powerful as this one could make him untouchable! Naraku's desire overcame his common sense and he moved in closer to Sesshoumaru. He reached out a hand with eager fingers ...

*ZAP*

Naraku yanked his hand back after receiving a great shock. "Bitch has a barrier, huh?", he growled at Sesshoumaru, shaking his hand. Regaining his composer, Naraku spoke once again before leaving. "Well, I've wanted you for so long, I guess I can wait a little longer", his eyes sparkled, "I have other things to do right now anyway." Naraku left in a blur, continuing on to his home, with new evil plots swirling in his mind.

Inuyasha ran as fast as his legs could carry him, following the scent of his brother which was growing stronger with each step. "They must be close now!", Inuyasha said out loud to himself.

He rounded another clump of trees and burst into an opening. There he found his brother as Naraku had left him, and no Naraku in sight. Inuyasha would have yelled at Sesshoumaru for letting Naraku escape, but he noticed his brother didn't move, so he went in for a closer examination. He was shocked at the condition of his brother, who looked very weak and pale as if he would die! Sesshoumaru's eyes were blank, his body fixed in a pose of supplication or subservience. Inuyasha couldn't understand what happened to him ... there were no wounds on his brother's body.

Inuyasha moved in closer, wanting to see if Sesshoumaru still breathed. That's when he saw a blue glow reaching out from under his clothing. "The rosary?", Inuyasha's curiosity got the better of him, and he reached into his brother's haori to pull out the rosary. He held the necklace in his hand, noting the glow and vibration of the beads. "I wonder if this is responsible?", Inuyasha began to ponder. Just then, his brother's hand released the Tenseiga and grabbed Inuyasha's wrist that held the rosary. "What are you doing, Inuyasha?", Sesshoumaru said with a venomous tone. He looked up at his brother with blank eyes.

Inuyasha released the rosary and tried to yank his arm free. Shocked at the strange behavior, he wanted to get away, but Sesshoumaru continued to hold on to his wrist.

"Let me go, Sesshoumaru!", Inuyasha commanded.

Sesshoumaru grimaced again, closing his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, they had returned to their normal appearance. He pulled on Inuyasha's wrist a bit more and whispered, "Help Sesshoumaru stand".

Inuyasha was again thrown by his brother's recent unpredictable mannerisms, but helped him stand nevertheless. He placed his other hand on Sesshoumaru's wrist and heaved backward, easily lifting the taiyoukai from his position. The hanyou was surprised how light Sesshoumaru seemed in comparison to himself. They were relatively the same height and body type, so there shouldn't have been much of a difference. "Must be some pureblood thing I don't know about", Inuyasha thought to himself.

Sesshoumaru pulled Tenseiga from the earth and placed it back in it's scabbard. "Naraku and your wench have escaped".

"I can see that, Sesshoumaru. Did you see where they went or were you too busy sleeping?", Inuyasha mocked angrily.

"Insolent half-breed!", Sesshoumaru growled, "My condition was a result of that Miko's curse on this Sesshoumaru! If you have blame to give, you can place it with her. Naraku would have been defeated if her containment spell hadn't been activated."

"You were unconscious, Sesshoumaru! Kagome's 'osuwari' didn't have that effect on me! Besides, why would she use it if you were trying to save her?"

Ignoring Inyasha's question, he spoke, "My youki overwhelms this relic ...", he paused, rolling a rosary bead between his finger and thumb.

"Yeah? And why should I care? I need to go save Kagome! She needs me!", Inuyasha tried to leave, but was blocked by his brother moving in his way.

"Inuyasha ... ", Sesshoumaru started again.

"WHAT? Will you spit it out? I have to go!", Inuyasha yelled impatiently.

"I will go with you to find the girl", he said. Sesshoumaru had really intended to tell Inuyasha what the rosary was doing to him -- how it was harming him -- but decided it was more important to find a way to remove it before his weakness is discovered; and he needed Kagome for that.

Inuyasha gave Sesshoumaru a weird look, but before he could protest or question his brother, or his actions, Sesshoumaru spoke again.

"Naraku ... is in that direction", Sesshoumaru pointed and then ran in the same direction.

"What? How can you tell, Sesshoumaru? I still don't smell anything ... HEY! Wait for me!".

"Kagome has been gone a long time. I'm a little worried", Sango said, as she removed Kagome's pot, that had boiled over, from the fire.

"I'll go check on her", Shippo offered, "I thought I smelled Inuyasha a few minutes ago, she's probably talking to him."

Shippo left Sango with Kirara and ventured out, using his little nose to try and scent out Kagome. The kitsune followed until he hit the place where (he was unaware) Kagome had been snatched from. Shippo smelled Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru near the same spot, but Kagome's scent stopped there, while the other two seemed to move off towards the woods. "This can't be good", Shippo thought. Puffing his chest and summoning some courage, he followed the scent out of the village.

Kaede took a cool cloth to Miroku's skin, washing his face and neck gently to try and relieve his fever. The houshi was beginning to toss his head side to side in discomfort. Miroku opened his eyes a little, "Water ... please", he whispered in a weak, raspy voice.

The old woman lifted his head slowly and placed a small, wide bowl to his lips. He drank eagerly and asked for more. Finishing the second bowl, he paused. Then turning on his side roughly, he vomited all the water he had just consumed. Once he had emptied his stomach, Miroku began to cry out, "Father!", then started to kick with his legs, his arms reaching out in front of him to grab hold of someone that only he could see. "NO!", he screamed, thrashing violently.

Kaede grabbed his arms and held Miroku down with her weight, trying to prevent more injury or the ripping open of his stitches. Miroku shouted out, "Let me go, Mushin! Father! FATHER!". The houshi thrashed and screamed a few minutes more before going limp; slipping back into unconsciousness.

Sango burst into the hut, "Houshi!". She dropped to his side, reaching out, but hesitating to touch him. "Kaede, what happened to Miroku? I heard him screaming!"

"He has a high fever and has been hallucinating. I am afraid that if the fever doesn't break, he may die", Kaede added reluctantly as she moved back from restraining Miroku.

Sango touch Miroku's face softly with the back of her hand, brushing some damp hairs back from his forehead. The heat of his skin burned against her cool touch. Taking his hand in hers, Sango lifted it to her cheek, holding it dearly as tears ran unchecked from her eyes. "Fight for me Miroku, don't give up", she cried.

Shippo came running in, gasping for breath. "Kagome is gone! I think she was taken by Naraku!", he held up a small section of Naraku's trademark tentacle. "Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were around here too, so I think they went after her", he huffed and puffed some more.

"OH, what can we do!", Sango lamented. Her betrothed was ailing and her best friend was kidnapped! Sango began to cry even harder, feeling so weak and helpless in such a trying time.

"Sango, you cannot do anything to help Kagome now, I trust that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru can find her on their own. As for Miroku ... ", Kaede looked down at the houshi, " ... there is something you can do to save his life."

"What is it Kaede? I'll do anything!", Sango begged.

"There is a special tree that grows in riverbeds in the valley of the mountain. It has leaves like this ... ", Kaede dug a thin, pointed leaf from her herb pouch and handed it to Sango, " ... and it's bark is a very pale shade, almost white. This bark is what you need to collect, so peel off as much as you can carry in your satchel. If you take Kirara, you could be there and back before noon today."

"I will go with you too, Sango! You'll need someone to carry stuff!", Shippo offered, grabbing an empty bag and filling it with some water and food.

Sango smiled at Shippo as he bounced outside and onto Kirara's back. She looked at the predawn sky, feeling the fatigue and stress of the last 24 hours, and then took one more look back at Miroku. "Hold on Miroku, I will return soon." Exiting the hut, she mounted Kirara and with a rush of wind they were off.

Kaede bowed her head and lifted her hands to prayer for all of the travelers. For Kagome's rescue and the two brother's who would fight Naraku to save her. For Miroku's health and his love who ventured with injury to save him. For Shippo and Kirara who went to help Sango on her quest and for her sister Kikyou and Kohaku, wherever they may be.

... to be continued!