InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Blackout ❯ The Gateway ( Chapter 25 )

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any of the publicly known characters, plot, etc. I’m just renting them from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc. I do own the plot of this story and any original characters I’ve created. I will make no money from this fic; I write for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers.


The Gateway


Inuyasha sighed in exasperation, impatiently tapping his foot on the ground. He sat with his back against a tree, arms folded across his chest and lips quirked in an irritated scowl. But he knew enough about ‘moments’ to identify the scene taking place behind him as such, so he resolved to give Miroku and Sango a little more time. He was still walking on eggshells around them; they had only started talking to him yesterday afternoon, after several days of ignoring him or worse. Sango had been especially hostile at times, which could be explained by her passionate personality and close relationship with Kagome. She had yet to strike him with hiraikotsu, but that was probably because he’d been going out of his way to behave and not make things worse.

His humility had definitely saved all of them some serious stress, but it had backfired big time last night and into this morning. He really should have put his foot down the previous evening about this damn village. Instead, he’d let Miroku talk him and Sango into staying here, resulting in a colossal waste of time. The damn humans didn’t even get any sleep like they were supposed to. That was the primary reason he’d assented to the stopover; he’d hoped that a night indoors would give them more restful sleep, allowing them to cover more ground the next day. So much for that idea; between the drama and the aftermath, every member of the Inu-gang had pulled an all-nighter. All because some dumb bitch of a youkai had to go and start trouble.

They’d been searching for signs of suspicious activity which could be linked to the Shikon no Tama when they first heard the rumor about a village of oni-women. Soon after, they’d come across a settlement composed of only women, most of whom had lost husbands or family in one war or another. Mildly suspicious, maybe, but not something Inuyasha was prepared to stop and investigate. Miroku had other ideas. At first, Inuyasha had been downright pissed at the monk for thinking with his cock at a time like this. But perhaps because things had been so tense as of late, and the group dynamic had shifted so dramatically with Kagome gone, the lecherous houshi had been more driven than ever to find ‘relief.’ Eventually the hanyou decided to let Miroku have his fling and be done with it. If Sango wanted to stop him, she could damn well do it herself. If not, Inuyasha would retrieve him before midnight and drag him back to their room for some actual sleep. Letting him stay ‘up’ with his chosen girl all night would not be very productive toward that end. And then that plan had gone straight to hell in a hurry.

Now here he sat, in the forest at the edge of a grassy field near the village of former oni-possessed-women, where Miroku and Sango were discussing their future. Heh, so the lecher finally found a woman willing to bear his child, eh? Inuyasha could only imagine what Kagome would say if she were here. He sighed again, this time a twinge of dark emotion seeping into his voice. He felt like a total jackass now, and not solely because he had caused Kagome to miss out on this moment. He was happy for Miroku and Sango, and yet…

“It’s okay to be jealous.”

Inuyasha blinked, then turned toward the speaker to find Shippou studying him with an appraising look. He opened his mouth to deny it, but in the end couldn’t muster the pigheadedness to advance that gigantic lie. Why else would he be feeling this way about Miroku’s proposal? The kit’s words eased his conscience with respect to his jealousy, which was obvious even to him. Shippou had been the first member of the group to reconcile with him, after only a day or so. Perhaps that was a child’s forgiving nature, but Inuyasha was grateful, whatever the reason. He had felt very lonely prior to Shippou hopping up to his shoulder that day like nothing was amiss. The kit had continued to spend a part of each afternoon with him in the same manner, just sharing companionable silence. Shippou would never know how much that meant to him.

“You think so?” Inuyasha replied, feigning nonchalance.

“Yep. Kagome would be jealous, if she were here. But she would be happy for them too.”

The kit’s mention of the missing miko was clearly not designed to lower Inuyasha’s spirits, but it had that effect, at least temporarily. It was true; Shippou had described exactly how Kagome would feel. Inuyasha felt much of his jealous guilt melt away. He was happy for the couple, and maybe his envy was a positive development as well. Shippou obviously thought so. Was his subconscious trying to tell him what he truly desired? Probably. But then again, he had resolved not to contemplate his feelings until after Kagome was returned to them, safe and sound. So he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Miroku and Sango were finished anyway, the monk having failed to assure his new fiancé that he wouldn’t chase after other women. Tch, typical Miroku. Things will only get more complicated from here… Before standing to join them, Inuyasha ruffled Shippou’s hair and uttered a quiet word of thanks. The kit nodded and hopped up onto his shoulder. Together, they rejoined their companions and set out.

* * *

Inuyasha woke screaming, toppling from his perch in the tree with a great involuntary spasm. It was a good thing his chosen branch had been fairly high up, or he never would’ve gotten his feet underneath him in time. As it was, he landed gracelessly on his heels with a heavy thud, barely maintaining his balance as he struggled to gather his bearings. It was also a good thing that none of his companions had set up their sleeping rolls under the tree. Or the campfire, for that matter.

“Are you all right, Inuyasha?”

The hanyou cursed under his breath. It was Sango who spoke, but all four of his friends were gazing at him in concern, having been roused from slumber by the tremendous amount of noise he’d made. This wasn’t the first time since Kagome’s abduction that he’d had a nightmare; far from it, actually. But it was the first time he’d screamed loud enough to wake the others, or fallen out of his tree. In other circumstances, this sort of thing might be a source of mild embarrassment. But now, having his weakness so clearly revealed to all of his friends just put him in a sour mood.

“I’m fine,” he growled. “Go back to sleep.”

Without another word, he spun and stalked off into the forest. He needed to blow off some steam, so he took off at a run, turning to make a wide circle around the campsite. If he was going to be out here, he might as well check for youkai. Because he really didn’t want to sleep anymore tonight, not after that dream. The term ‘nightmare’ didn’t do it justice. The things Naraku had been doing to her, as her resistance slowly weakened… Finally, she’d turned to him, swiveling her head around one hundred eighty degrees like an owl, and uttered a sentence which seared his very soul. “I no longer have any use for a half-breed.”

That was apparently the point where his subconscious finally decided it had seen enough, that reality had been suspended for a sufficient length of time. Because for Kagome to behave that way, or say those words to him, it wouldn’t really be her in control of her body. Inuyasha knew this, but that didn’t make the nightmare any easier to deal with. Because who was to say that Naraku wasn’t planning to hurt her, or hadn’t already done so? Was their child even still alive in her womb? Inuyasha hated feeling so helpless, an emotion which he guessed was primarily responsible for his nightmares. Kagome was beyond his protection, and his subconscious was manifesting all of the terrible things which could happen to her while he wasn’t by her side. He tried to avoid sleeping as much as possible, as a result. But he had to get some sleep, if only so he could be in good fighting condition when they finally did find Kagome or Naraku. Hence the nightmare this evening.

Eventually, Inuyasha drew to a halt, having lost the energy to finish his patrol. He was tired–physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. He wanted to sleep, but knew that he would get no reprieve from his guilt. He could never forget that Kagome was in Naraku’s clutches because of his failures. He groaned, rubbing his eye with the palm of his hand. He knew one thing which would help him relax, though he hated having to rely on it. Still, it provided just about the only comfort left to him in this cold, dreary, Kagome-less world. And it was a comfort he desperately needed right now.

By the time he arrived back at camp, his friends were all sleeping again. Stealthily he crept around the outskirts of the clearing, making his way to where Kagome’s bag rested against a tree. He’d been lugging it around ever since the miko’s disappearance, the burden serving as both a comforting weight and a chilling reminder. Checking once more to make sure that no one was awake to witness his actions, he slowly drew open the top flap and reached inside to withdraw his hidden treasure. The familiar green and white fabric was cool to the touch, but he could almost imagine the warmth of her skin as he held it in his hands. Almost. He gazed at the garments sadly for a moment, then brought them to his nose and inhaled deeply.

Part of him still felt guilty while doing this, as though it was wrong in some way. He supposed it could be construed as perverted, but for Inuyasha there was nothing sexual about it. He simply needed her scent; it comforted him and helped him maintain his sanity. This uniform, which she had been wearing on the evening prior to her abduction, was the only thing left which still carried her scent with any degree of strength. But it wouldn’t last forever. As Kagome’s natural fragrance faded, his nose had to work harder and harder, and his anxiety increased.

But for tonight at least, her lingering aroma was enough to soothe him. Heaving a tired sigh, he replaced the garments in the bag and settled down against the base of the tree. He closed his eyes, hoping that his fleeting sense of serenity would lead to more restful sleep. And if he did have another nightmare, at least he wouldn’t roll his ass out of the tree again.

* * *

“Ugh, this is intolerable.”

He had gone to such lengths to obtain Kagome’s eyes. The main objective of the plot had been achieved, yet now his success felt more like a curse. Seemingly endless hours staring into Kanna’s mirror would do that. She was lousy company to begin with; whenever he complained, which was often, she just stared at him blankly. Would it kill her to show a little sympathy? It actually might, he reflected, since exhibiting any emotion was against Kanna’s very nature. No, the only sympathy he enjoyed at the moment came in the form of self-pity. Because he certainly wasn’t getting any from Naraku or Kagura. The wind sorceress wanted as little to do with him as possible, and he only interacted with their master when Naraku decided to pester him about his progress in locating the final jewel shard. After over a week of fruitless searching, the dark hanyou’s patience was wearing thin. But then so was his own. You try staring at this damn mirror all day every day, Naraku. Then maybe you wouldn’t bitch so much about why it’s taking so long.

It wasn’t all bad, of course. Naraku had apparently decided that he was in fact above Onigumo’s filthy desires for human women, particularly those who looked like a certain dead miko. A conservative choice of clothing had probably helped with that. The first day back, Kagura had helped him change into a layered kimono very similar to the one she wore. The garments were comfortable and relatively easy to move around in. The very fact that he could move around was the biggest benefit of inhabiting Kagome’s body, as far as he was concerned. By contrast, he could barely lift his head up in his infant form, let alone walk or crawl. The cost was having a human body, a female human body complete with intermittent abdominal discomfort due to round ligament pain–a little tidbit of information from Kagome’s memory–as well as regular food, fluid, and excretory needs. Youkai didn’t need to drink or even eat as frequently as humans did, so they didn’t produce waste nearly as often. Human bodily functions were bothersome, to say the least.

Thus far, however, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. He would of course be looking to switch to a new body at the earliest opportunity, hopefully after Naraku was dead. And preferably before Kagome’s pregnancy progressed too much farther and became genuinely irksome. He wasn’t interested in experiencing any of the annoying symptoms which would apparently come in this ‘third trimester’ she had read about. The obvious solution was to terminate the pregnancy, but any youki-based attempt was doomed to failure courtesy of Kagome’s stubbornly protective miko power. And any physical means of killing the fetus, such as blunt force or ingesting an herbal remedy, carried with it a risk of permanently damaging her body or even killing her. For now, he would put up with a few mild pregnancy symptoms instead of taking that risk. But later, when the symptoms worsened, how long would he tolerate her condition? Again, he hoped to switch to a new body long before having to make that decision.

In the meantime, Kanna was still staring at him with that infuriatingly bland expression of hers. He really didn’t want to spend any more time looking into that mirror today, but there was no other way to locate the final jewel shard, as far as he knew. The mirror could reveal any location in the entire world, and they had been using it to scan every square meter of central Honshu for the shard’s telltale light, which Kagome’s eyes would theoretically be able to detect. It was a tedious and exceedingly boring task, one which caused him to question the wisdom of Naraku’s entire plan. He had obviously thought that finding the shard would be relatively easy, but this simply wasn’t the case. Overall, it hadn’t been one of his better ideas. And now I’m stuck trying to bail out a sinking ship.

Unable to stomach any more monotony today, he lurched his feet and shuffled toward the room’s exit. He would relieve Kagome’s bladder, then lie down and rest her eyes for the night. Tomorrow was a new day. Somebody kill me now. Yawning, he stepped into the hallway without really looking, and nearly bumped right into Kagura.

“Yo, kid,” the wind sorceress greeted. “Naraku wants to see you.”

“Ugh, I grow so tired of his constant nagging!” he snapped in Kagome’s voice, her tone rising with his frustration. “And you! Quit calling me ‘kid.’”

“Well, what the hell am I supposed to call you? Kagome?” she mocked. That would obviously not do, but he had been thinking about this and had picked out an appropriate name for himself during this afternoon’s session with Kanna.

“Call me Hakago.”

“Tch. Fine, Hakago, Naraku wants to–”

“I know! Just get the hell out of my way!”

Kagura chuckled behind him as he stormed off. “No luck in finding the shard, I take it?”

“Shut up.”

“Maybe it fell into a volcano or something,” she observed, seemingly quite amused. He was just about to tell her off when a novel thought occurred to him. His footsteps slowed as his mind began turning in a new direction. The odds of the shard falling into a volcano were astronomically small. But what about other sources of heat or fire, or destructive forces in general? The Shikon no Tama had previously been burned with Kikyou’s body, and had vanished from this world for fifty years. It was entirely possible that something similar had happened to one of the shards. And if a shard was somehow destroyed, where would it go? Spinning on his heel, he strode back into the room where Kanna still stood passively, surprising her younger sister with his sudden excitement.

“Kanna, can your mirror show worlds other than this one?”

At the girl’s nod, he felt a flash of optimism. Perhaps the reason their thorough search of this world had failed was because it was doomed from the start. Hopefully a new strategy would lead to the awaited discovery. Tomorrow though, definitely tomorrow.

“Tell Naraku that I’ve gone to rest Kagome’s eyes,” he told Kagura as he passed. “And that I believe I’ll find the shard soon.”

He had been hesitant to be too optimistic with Naraku, lest the estimate prove inaccurate, causing him to become an outlet for the dark hanyou’s disappointment. But if he didn’t get results soon, Naraku was going to kill him out of impatience anyway. This is it, I guess. Either succeed or die. Tomorrow morning he would start afresh, and continue until Kagome’s eyes fell out of their sockets. And with any luck, his salvation would come from beyond the world of the living.

* * *

Inuyasha clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to sigh. He’d been doing too much of that lately, to the point where not ten minutes ago, Sango had snapped at him to knock it off. He knew where she was coming from, but he honestly couldn’t help it sometimes. He was absolutely miserable, so it was only natural to express that emotion subconsciously. Of course, his friends weren’t pleased with the current situation either. It had been about a week and a half since any of them had last seen Kagome. Only nine or ten days without her, yet it felt like an eternity. How much longer could he survive before going insane? The worst part was the uncertain nature of their quest. If they had an objective, even a minor goal to achieve, it wouldn’t be so bad. But wandering around the countryside day after day looking for a needle in a haystack threatened to drive him mad. He still couldn’t get any peace at night; he managed just enough sleep between nightmares to keep his brain from turning into goo. Miroku and Sango had been pushing themselves as well, allowing the group to travel from dawn until after dusk. Kirara carried them for part of each afternoon, since the rest of the time the little feline could ride on someone’s shoulder. While they moved at a much quicker pace while she was transformed, it felt like they were only getting to nowhere faster than normal.

They had yet to discover any suspicious activity actually relating to the Shikon no Tama, and with each passing day Inuyasha grew increasingly pessimistic that they ever would. More and more it seemed that they would not find Naraku or Kagome until the dark hanyou had already located the final shard. And if that was the case, the chances of ever seeing her alive again decreased dramatically.

“Here, Inuyasha,” Shippou said, breaking the hanyou from his musings. The kit handed him his portion of the evening meal, which consisted of a rabbit he’d caught earlier in the day. In retrospect, he probably should have hunted for something else to go along with it, since it wasn’t enough to satisfy five hungry mouths. He ended up giving some of his portion to Shippou, who probably needed the meat more than he did, as a young youkai. Inuyasha didn’t have much of an appetite anyway.

The group was settling down for the night when a sudden gust of wind caused the fire to crackle and flicker. Inuyasha shot to his feet, recognizing the scent on the breeze instantly.

“Kagura!” he declared, even as the wind sorceress vaulted down from her feather to land a few meters away. He forcefully repressed his initial urge, which was to charge over and throttle her for information. Kagura had come for a reason, so he would hear what she had to say. She looked ready for hostilities anyway, her fan open and her feather already clasped between two fingers in case she had to make a quick escape.

“Yo,” she greeted casually, as if nothing was amiss.

“What do you want, Kagura?” Inuyasha demanded, as politely as he could manage.

“Hakago sent me to tell you that he’s heading to the mountains in the land of fire. There’s a gateway to the borderline between this world and the next there.”

“Who is Hakago?” Miroku interjected heatedly. “And why are you telling us this?”

Kagura shrugged. “Hakago is what that little cretin who possessed Kagome is calling himself these days. As for why he instructed me to tell you where he was going, I have no idea. You should ask him yourself.” With that dismissive comment, the wind sorceress flicked her wrist and soared into the air on her feather.

“Wait, Kagura!”

Inuyasha didn’t honestly expect her to stop, but perhaps it was the desperation in his tone which caught her attention. She hovered, glowering down at him expectantly.

“Tell me, please,” he begged, not caring how pathetic he sounded. “Is Kagome all right?”

He fully expected Kagura to laugh at him and take off, but instead her gaze softened. She did not come down from her feather, but she did descend to hover at a lower altitude. Was it sympathy for a fellow woman which caused her to entertain his request, or something else? Either way, Inuyasha took it as a good sign.

“Please, Kagura, I need to know.”

She sighed irritably, grumbling under her breath for a moment, but then locked eyes with him and spoke frankly. “I don’t know what that brat did to her mind, but her body is unharmed. Hakago is treating it like his own, so he’s not about to let anyone damage it.”

“What about the baby?”

Kagura blinked in shock. “She’s pregnant?” she asked. “Yours, I assume?”

Inuyasha nodded. “Kagome…was pregnant when you took her. I hope she still is.”

Kagura’s eyes widened in understanding, then her gaze turned contemplative. “When I helped her change clothes, I noticed that her belly was a little big. I thought she’d just put on some weight, but I guess it could’ve been a baby.”

“So, do you think Naraku has…has…”

“I honestly can’t say,” Kagura replied, saving Inuyasha from completing his sentence. Maybe he was imagining things, but the wind sorceress seemed to be honestly wishing she had better news. “Nobody’s told me anything about it. But like I said, Hakago hasn’t let anyone harm…” She trailed off, frowning as another thought occurred to her. “After I first brought her to Naraku, I thought I felt a burst of miko energy. Maybe that’s why Naraku isn’t gloating about killing your baby to anyone who will listen.”

Inuyasha’s heart clenched as he searched Kagura’s face for any sign of dishonesty. Upon finding none, his downtrodden hopes rose. Kagome, you protected our baby, didn’t you? You’re still in there somewhere! And if her miko energy remained loyal to her subconscious desires, then surely Kagome could still be saved, in body, mind, and spirit. That knowledge was a balm to his wounded soul, chasing away the misery which had characterized his daily existence since her abduction. But obviously the situation could change, at any moment.

“Kagura, the baby is innocent in all this. I–”

“So what the hell do you want me to do about it?” the wind sorceress demanded incredulously. “Naraku holds my heart in his hands, remember?”

Inuyasha’s shoulders slumped. Of course Kagura couldn’t do anything to protect his baby. And even if she could, why would she? They were enemies, after all.

“But,” the wind sorceress spoke solemnly. “I will do what I can.” When all of her former adversaries stared at her in shock, she cracked a sad smile. “She’s lucky, to have you people.”

None of the Inu-gang could explain Kagura’s sudden change of heart. Mild sympathy was completely different from an actual promise to give aid. For a woman whose primary goal in life was to gain freedom from her master, this seemed an unwise and unnecessary risk. But the knowledge of the young life in Kagome’s belly had altered her disposition drastically. Perhaps she harbored a soft spot for children, an inborn mothering instinct. More cynically, it could be postulated that she simply wished to ingratiate herself as much as possible with Naraku’s enemies, so they wouldn’t feel the need to kill her if she survived her master’s death. Whatever the reason, Inuyasha was extremely grateful for the sentiment.

“Thank you, Kagura.”

“Hmph,” she snorted. “Just don’t expect me to go easy on you the next time we fight.”

Then she was gone, her final gust of wind snuffing out the campfire, as if to say ‘don’t think we’re friends or anything.’ Inuyasha shook his head as he knelt to rebuild it, while Shippou used his kitsune-bi to provide some light so Miroku and Sango wouldn’t trip over themselves in the dark. The new moon had been the previous evening, so there wasn’t much ambient light available. He was just glad that Kagura hadn’t visited them last night. She probably wouldn’t have cared if I was human, though. She knows my night of weakness and she’s never told Naraku about it so far. That alone was enough to set the wind sorceress apart from her master in Inuyasha’s mind, though her promise to watch over Kagome didn’t hurt in that regard. I swear, Kagura, if you help us get Kagome back, I’ll forgive you for everything. I won’t harm a hair on your head.

Inuyasha could tell by his friends’ scents that they wanted to have a discussion, but they waited until the fire was going again before speaking.

“Well, that was strange,” Miroku observed, trying to set a light tone.

“Keh,” Inuyasha snorted, not in the mood for joking around. “We’re going.”

“I don’t think anyone would argue with you, Inuyasha. But where exactly are we going? Has anyone ever been to this ‘land of fire’ before?”

“No, but I’ve heard rumors of that place from other taijiya,” Sango replied. “It’s said that youkai are more numerous there, and fiercer.”

“I don’t care about that. We’re fuckin’ going.”

“Yes, Inuyasha, we’ve established that. It doesn’t mean we should run over there without any idea of what we’re getting into.”

“Keh.”

“What I don’t understand is why Hakago is going there.”

“Indeed,” Miroku agreed. “If his intent is to lure us into a trap, he is going unnecessarily far out of his way to do so. What is the significance of the borderline between this world and the next?”

Silence settled over the group as each member contemplated this quandary. Then Shippou suddenly snapped his fingers and jumped excitedly to his feet.

“Maybe that’s where the final jewel shard is!”

“That would make sense,” Miroku affirmed. “Perhaps they have used Kagome-sama’s eyes to locate the shard in the next world, but are unable to pass through the gateway.”

“Then it’s definitely a trap,” Sango stated grimly. “For him to use us to break open the gateway means that it must be dangerous.”

The five companions met each other’s gazes in turn, no one finding the need to state the obvious. Trap or no, they were going after their missing friend. Inuyasha for one had vowed to follow Kagome to the ends of the Earth and beyond, and it looked as though he would be keeping that promise quite literally. Nevertheless, the hanyou felt rejuvenated. Kagura’s words had given him hope, and a defined objective. He would lead his companions to the land of fire, find this gateway, and annihilate anyone who got in his way.

No one could come up with a more plausible theory, so eventually they decided to turn in for the night. Inuyasha settled down against the base of a tree next to Kagome’s bag, a position which had become customary for him since his unfortunate mishap. For once, however, he knew he would enjoy some peaceful sleep.

* * *

“Dammit!” Inuyasha cursed, grunting with exertion as he bore the pressure of his enemy’s weapon upon his sword. Shit, this is going pretty much exactly how that Hakago bastard planned it…

Naraku’s saimyoushou had ‘helpfully’ guided them all the way to the supposed gateway between this world and the next. This made it all the more obvious that they were walking into some sort of trap, but Inuyasha hadn’t hesitated in the slightest before entering the cave. He’d been just about the try breaking down the gate with Tetsusaiga when a strange, disembodied voice asked if he wanted to pass. That had been the start of the insanity. Next, at his affirmative response, the two statues on either side of the gate sprang to life, proceeding to try to kill him, since according to them only the dead were allowed to pass through the gate. To top it all off, the two living statues, obviously the guardians of the gateway, were apparently invulnerable to swords of this world. And now, after some futile acrobatics on his part, Inuyasha found himself trapped against the cave wall by the curved blade of one of his assailants’ weapons. Only Tetsusaiga and brute strength kept him from being cleaved in half. But that wouldn’t last for long, as the other statue was already raising his spear.

Miroku’s intervention provided a momentary respite, the kazaana pulling the guardians away though it failed to suck them in. It was also unable to dislodge the weapon holding Inuyasha in place, though it did provide the hanyou with some much-needed inspiration. Once Miroku dodged the spear point which nearly pierced him through from top to bottom, Inuyasha yelled at the monk to keep the kazaana open. Then he planted his feet against the rock at his back, and heaved with all his might. The result was as satisfying as it was spectacular, with one statue knocked into the other and both sent crashing to the ground.

Inuyasha wasted no time in savoring his success, for the guardians would soon be up again. Before they could rise, he sprinted to stand before the gateway with Tetsusaiga raised. As soon as the crimson barrier-cutting form of his sword took hold, he unleashed the Kaze no Kizu. The chains holding the gate closed were shredded easily, and the doors swung open to reveal a bright blue sky spotted with clouds, and a familiar landscape shrouded in white mist. For just a moment, Inuyasha was stunned into stupor. Holy crap…it’s Oyaji’s grave!

Enhanced senses and quick reflexes saved him from injury, but this time the attack hadn’t come from the guardians. Inuyasha’s blood boiled as Kagura soared past overhead with a swarm of Naraku’s youkai, sending a few more wind blades at him for good measure. She clearly wasn’t trying very hard to hit him, but her half-hearted attempts were still effective in forcing him to dodge. She was definitely going to reach the gate before him.

“Kagura, you bitch!”

Insults were clearly going to get him nowhere, however; all he could do was pursue the wind sorceress and hope the gate stayed open for a few seconds after she passed through. But just as the leading youkai reached the entryway, the situation changed drastically. A blinding light emanated from the other world, instantly turning everything it touched into stone. He heard Kagura cry out in panic as the youkai around her shattered into pieces, but didn’t look to see whether she had survived. Instead, he threw himself to the side, taking shelter behind a small rock ledge on the cave floor. For several seconds, only the sounds of youkai dying and their stony remains clattering to the ground could be heard.

“Do you want to pass?” the disembodied voice asked again.

“No, I don’t want to pass, you idiot!” Kagura shrieked in response.

“Very well, then we’ll close the gate.”

The light vanished as soon as the doors closed, and when Inuyasha looked out from behind his shelter, the two guardians had taken their customary positions on either side of the gateway and turned into statues again. He caught a glimpse of Kagura as she beat a hasty retreat on her feather, but could tell that trying to follow her would be futile. Besides, his first priority was making sure the others were okay. They were, in part because they hadn’t been as close to the gateway as he had when the light had appeared.

“What on earth was all that about?” Sango asked, giving voice to what they were all thinking.

“It was indeed strange,” Miroku agreed. “It seemed to be less of a trap and more of an experiment.”

“Keh,” Inuyasha snorted. “That Hakago bastard mustn’t have known what would happen when someone tried to go through the gate. He was probably using us and Kagura to test it.”

“That may be true,” Miroku stated. “As it turned out, it was actually fortunate that Kagura attempted to enter before you, Inuyasha.”

“Heh, she nearly got her ass turned to stone.”

“Well, at least we know one thing,” Sango interjected. “Naraku and Hakago truly do believe that the final shard of the Shikon no Tama is beyond the gateway. Otherwise, there was no reason to send Kagura in.”

Inuyasha frowned as he recalled his previous discovery. “About the world beyond the gateway…I’ve been there before.”

He told his friends of his and Kagome’s trip to his father’s grave, of acquiring Tetsusaiga and the subsequent battle against Sesshoumaru. More importantly, he informed them of the black pearl which had been hidden in his right eye after his birth, which his brother had used to gain passage to the other world. Unfortunately, the good news stopped there. The black pearl had vanished into thin air soon after their return.

“So what do we do now?” Sango asked. “Is there any chance this ‘black pearl’ still exists?”

Inuyasha shrugged. “Dunno, but I know someone who might. And I think I know where’s he’s hiding.”

He led them out of the cave and got his bearings, settling on the approximate direction which would take them to their new destination. Kirara had been carrying Miroku and Sango all morning, but she transformed without hesitation. She too understood that time was of the essence, now that they had an actual lead. Heh, let’s go see if my ‘loyal vassal’ can be useful for a change.

* * *

“Hakago, you bastard…”

He had the gall to glance at her casually over his shoulder, wearing an innocent expression. The fact that it was Kagome’s face being manipulated in such a manner only fueled Kagura’s ire.

“Kagura, what’s up?”

“Don’t fuck with me! Don’t you give a damn if I die?”

“I’d heard that it was a gateway which the living cannot pass,” he reflected, completely ignoring her question. “But I didn’t know the meaning behind it.”

Kagura stifled a growl. So in other words, you sent me in there neither knowing nor caring whether I would come back alive, just so you could learn about the gateway.

“Fucking brat,” she snarled, raising her fan. Her arm moved forward a few centimeters, then stopped and hung there, still pointing up at the sky. She ground her teeth together for several seconds, glaring at her oh-so-smug adversary, then swore aloud and snapped her fan closed. Damn it all…if he wasn’t in that girl’s body, I’d slice him to pieces. But she didn’t think Inuyasha would appreciate that very much. Not for the first time, she wondered what the hell had come over her the other night, when she’d promised to look out for Kagome. Logically, it had everything to do with staying on Inuyasha’s good side, so hopefully the hanyou wouldn’t feel driven to hunt her down and kill her if they both survived Naraku’s death. But if she were being truly honest with herself, she knew it was much more than that. Great, an incarnation of the most evil pile of scum on the planet is growing a conscience. That’s pretty fucking hilarious.

“A wise move, Kagura,” Hakago stated, twisting Kagome’s voice into a sinister tone. He sat facing her now, regarding her menacingly. She gasped as he allowed his barrier to glow darkly for a moment, before becoming invisible once again. What?! How is that possible?

“You seem surprised, Kagura,” he observed mockingly. “Didn’t expect me to be able to maintain a barrier? Don’t be a fool. This girl’s spiritual energy has locked itself away, so there is nothing to prevent me from using all of the power I was born with. Hence, I’m not someone the likes of you can kill.

“Besides,” he said, changing to a lighter, but still condescending tone. “We both want the same thing, do we not?”

“What?”

“Both of us desire Naraku’s death.”

“Wh-what makes you think I want that?” Kagura hastily demanded, suspicious of a trap.

“Kukuku, Kagura, Kagura, Kagura. I have access to all of Kagome’s memories. How odd that she and her friends were sure that you observed Inuyasha’s time of weakness, and yet even months later, Naraku seems to be unaware of it…”

“Shut your mouth, you little–”

“Shut my mouth? As you have shut yours? I wonder what Naraku would do if he learned that you’ve withheld such vital information from him.”

Kagura grimaced, forcibly tamping down her panic. Hakago’s words seemed to indicate that he hadn’t informed Naraku of her betrayal yet, though he’d had plenty of opportunity to do so since taking Kagome’s form.

“If you have Kagome’s memories,” she snapped, “then you’ve kept things hidden from him as well.”

“Have I?” he replied with a chuckle. “I cannot use this girl’s miko power. Perhaps some of her memories are also beyond my reach. Perhaps I have been working diligently to gain access to those protected parts of her mind. For all Naraku knows, that is.”

Kagura felt her spirits sink. Naraku might believe Hakago’s lie if push came to shove, and he might not. But he surely trusted the infant more than he trusted her. If Hakago told him that she had kept Inuyasha’s time of weakness to herself, she was a dead woman no matter what she said about her accuser. She was stuck, completely at the mercy of not only Naraku, but of a younger ‘sibling’ as well.

“But don’t worry, Kagura,” he told her, obviously amused. “So long as you behave yourself, I have no intention of enlightening Naraku as to your betrayal. As I said, we both want the same thing. Follow my orders, and I’ll grant you the freedom which you seek.”

Kagura studied her would-be master, the sly grin on Kagome’s features sending a chill down her spine. She knew better than to take this infant at his word. He was just like Naraku, through and through. Even if everything went according to his plans, he would never grant her freedom. And if he did, there would be some horrible catch. His actions today provided all the evidence she needed not to trust him. We want the same thing, but you’re willing to sacrifice me to get it.

Still, she nodded her acceptance to Hakago’s proposal before turning to leave, grateful that he let her go without further comment. What choice did she have? Refuse and wait for Naraku to crush her heart in his grubby hands? Death was not the freedom she sought. So she would follow Hakago’s orders, even let him consider her an ally. But she would never trust him, or stop seeking a way to destroy both him and Naraku. Only when both of them were burning in the fiery inferno of hell would she be truly free.


A/N – So I got tired of writing ‘the infant’ over and over again. A character I’m doing POV for needs to have a name! Hakago is a cross between Hakudoshi (which that half of him later chooses in canon) and Akago (which is the term for ‘infant’ that he’s commonly known by). Not especially creative, but I think it works. I didn’t want to call him Hakudoshi because that would be confusing.