InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mating Season ❯ Out of the frying pan, into the Miasma ( Chapter 28 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: SplendentGoddess 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.30.2006 | Updated On: 07.17.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.5K | Visits: 12.6K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.30.2006 | Updated On: 07.17.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.5K | Visits: 12.6K | Status: Completed
Blanket Disclaimer:
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 28 – Out of the frying pan, into the Miasma
“He has the jewel!”
Kagome’s words rang through everyone’s head. Even when the true Naraku did show himself, he never had the jewel with him. Was he so confident in his ability to defeat them that he felt bringing the jewel along would not be a risk? As far as Inuyasha was concerned, that false confidence would prove his undoing.
Still within the safety of his barrier, Gensou held out his hand, stating simply “Here, master.”
The latecomers were unaware that the youkai had stolen Kagome’s shards, but they were quickly made aware of that fact when Naraku’s response to his creation was “Ah, I see you have successfully tainted the shards.”
“They’re…they’re not tainted…” Kagome muttered, as they were still glowing a light pink.
“Awww, but they are, though it is very faint.” Naraku replied, delight in his voice at bearing such news. “You need to master your negative emotions, my dear.”
Kagome realized with his words that her self-loathing and disgust over having been duped most likely had put a damper on the shards’ purification. Nothing that she wouldn’t have been able to clear up with only a mere second of concentration, but now, lacking that moment, the shards would become just that much more corrupted by Naraku, fueled, however so slightly, by her own self-hatred that had been imprinted on them.
Inuyasha, on the other hand, though he’d reached a very similar conclusion to his mate, believed that the miko’s “negative emotions” were directed towards himself. He had, after all, failed to protect her…yet again. Not only that, he sent her on her merry way to go bathe with the enemy! How stupid could he get??? Gensou could have so easily transformed into a male form, and rapped her, while they were nude in the bathhouse. The only reason he could fathom that the creature hadn’t done it, was because he wanted to arrange for her to willingly sleep with him, believing him to be her mate, and then drop the bomb. It would still have felt like rape, but in a way, even worse. It would be the eighth wonder of the world if she ever found it in her heart to forgive him.
Naraku chuckled to himself in triumph as he read the pair. He knew he could never break their faith in each other, but he had successfully broken their faith in themselves. Their belief that the other despised them would prove just as potent as if they truly did. He felt nervous over bringing the jewel forth from its safe keeping before these enemies were fallen, however, it was necessarily so that the entire bobble could absorb the self-hate the young miko was still pouring into the few shards that had just recently been taken from her. If she ever learned that she could purify the entire jewel without the need for physically touching it, she would be a formidable foe. But her natural, yet undiscovered strength, was inadvertently continuing to taint it further, instead, as she believed no more harm could be done by her emotions now that the shards were out of her possession.
Getting over himself long enough to realize that nothing was going to be done so long as they all just stood around staring at each other like idiots, Inuyasha lunged towards Naraku and Gensou, Tetsusaiga posed over his head, as he prepared to strike at the barrier, the fang of his father glowing a menacing crimson.
Successfully crumbling the barrier, Inuyasha prepared to bring his blade down a second time, when Gensou suddenly transformed himself into Kagome. He hesitated. He knew it wasn’t her. He knew that this youkai was a shape shifter. It had just recently looked like him, for kami’s sake! Yet, still, he hesitated, and in that moment, Naraku wrapped a tentacle around the image of Kagome, while at the same time, launched another towards the real one, who Inuyasha couldn’t get to in time, thanks to a few more rouge insects the dark hanyou had released to buy himself the time.
Miroku quickly took care of most of the bugs before some of the poisonous ones started to show themselves, forcing him to cover his Air Void. The mushi that remained, Sango easily obliterated with her Hiraikotsu.
“Kagome!” cried Inuyasha, as he launched himself in her direction when his obstacles were removed. However, Naraku managed to successfully lunge another tentacle, this one in his direction, and though he was successfully able to free himself from it after only a few moments, when he looked back at Naraku (who had by now shed his baboon pelt in preference of his half human appearance, his body from the waist down a collection of misc. demonic parts, most of them wriggling) Inuyasha felt a morbid wave of panic wash over him, when he realized that he wasn’t sure which if the two Kagomes he held in his grasp was the real one.
“Inuyasha!” they both managed to cry at the same time. They then turned their gaze toward one another, and shot each other evil glares of malice. Gensou’s illusion was flawless. They both looked the same, smelled the same, sounded the same, and acted the same, as each one was pleading to their mate. The real Kagome was unable to scratch her mark, as she, along with her duplicate, were held in tight binds, her arms pinned stiffly at her sides. She tried to project her emotions to him, but though it seemed to be working, as she could pick up his emotions in return, she could tell from the amount of fear and confusion in his scent, that he couldn’t tell which one of them her emotions were coming from.
While their friend was currently facing the worst situation in his life, Sango and Miroku both did the best they could to keep all of the lower youkai at bay, as Naraku was continuing to release wave after wave of his mindless minions. Little Shippo was currently seeking cover, having been ordered to do so by both Kagomes, whom he regretted to admit, even to himself, he couldn’t tell apart, either.
Inuyasha stared in morbid fascination at the embodiment of his life’s greatest turmoil, attempting to bide his time, stretching his senses to their limits, hoping, nay, praying, that he find a way to tell the Kagomes apart. He was pulled from his thoughts upon realizing that Naraku was speaking, and though he usually didn’t pay too much attention to the banter of his enemies, he did pay attention when he heard him say that he now had the complete jewel, and even went on to illustrate his point by fusing the shards he’d acquired from Kagome to that of the nearly completed, dark purple marble that he pulled from his suikan. Once completed, the jewel roared to life, shining with an eerily dark purple glow that seemed to illuminate the shadowed woods in which they were fighting. If Kagome hadn’t been too busy fearing for her life, and the lives of her friends, she may have found time to muse that it reminded her of a nightclub’s black light.
Several things happened at once.
Sango, upon hearing his words, realized that her brother Kohaku must be dead, and for some reason, that realization didn’t crumble her nerve, but rather, made her spirit to fight just that much stronger, as she lunged her Hiraikotsu at the tentacles that held up both Kagomes, freeing them both, as they dropped a mere few feet to the ground, both landing unhurt.
Kagome, the real one, realized too that Naraku had obviously acquired Kouga’s shards, and wondered if he was dead, or if he’d managed to escape with his life, though the likelihood of that outcome seemed scarce. Though she’d never shake that rocky encounter with him last spring from her mind, he had apologized, and she still didn’t want the guy dead. The thought brought forth a new wave of sorrow that made Naraku silently chuckle. He knew the wolves were all alive and well, but let the miko think they were dead, it would only prove to taint the jewel even further.
Miroku, seeing several lesser youkai all pounce in the direction of the two miko, flung several of his sacred sutra at them, obliterating the last of Naraku’s lesser minions, at least for now.
Inuyasha was momentarily panicked until he saw Miroku take care of all those youkai in a single blast, a task he himself could not have accomplished without also risking the life of his mate. Finally stopping feeling sorry for himself, he recognized his one and only chance to rescue his mate, and did the only thing he could think of, quickly reaching up and painfully piercing the tip of his own ear with his claw. They were his most sensitive body part after all. Well, okay, his second most sensitive body part. His plan worked, as the sudden gasp and wince from the Kagome on the left let him know that she was his mate. He found the confused look the one on the right shot her amusing. Gensou had no idea what had made Kagome suddenly wince in pain like that. Inuyasha actually smirked, despite the situation at hand. He had been right; Naraku couldn’t replicate their blood bond.
Naraku, seeing his panicked expression melt into determination, decided to recreate his turmoil, by preparing to slaughter both miko at the same time. He lunged a tentacle forth from each side of his body, aiming straight for the heart on each girl, but was shocked to discover that Inuyasha hadn’t faltered, but rather, quite successfully, without hesitation at this latest turn of events, continued to head straight for the Kagome on the left, successfully rescuing her in time by slicing down the tentacle that had threatened to impale her.
Gensou was momentarily shocked that his master had cut him down, especially considering what a good job he’d done, but he didn’t have enough time to contemplate his thought further, before Naraku began to reabsorb him within himself. No wonder, he considered as his final thought before nothingness took him, that his sister Kagura had warned him, and openly voiced her dislike of their master. That explained why she had disobeyed him when he’d sent her to kill the wolf prince.
If any lingering doubt had remained in Inuyasha’s heart, which it hadn’t, he was still reassured when the image of Kagome Naraku had successfully pierced was slowly absorbed into his body. He would never do that with the real Kagome, for her miko essence would surely purify him. However, for her own reinforcement, he nevertheless pulled back the sleeve of her sweater, and quickly thrust his mark against her own, projecting immense feelings of love and relief. Inuyasha and Kagome were each surprised when they didn’t sense from their partner any of the hurt, betrayal, or anger that they had each been sure their mate had been feeling.
Meanwhile, Sango had continued relentlessly with her personal onslaught of attacks against the monster that was Naraku. She threw her Hiraikotsu, then caught it, holding it in her hands only long enough to throw it again. During the fleeting moments in which it was not in her possession, she continued her attacks with the short sword she also carried, though rarely used. Naraku was beginning to lose body parts faster than he could reattach them, but they were unfortunately all superficial body parts, at the moment.
Miroku, not to be outdone, was nearly running out of sutras as he flung one after another towards the tentacles Naraku attempted to form, and lunge at either himself, or any of his friends. He didn’t dare use his Wind Tunnel at the moment, not while Naraku was still in possession of the jewel.
Feeling a new confidence in themselves, Inuyasha launched another Wind Scar attack towards Naraku, while Kagome fired her arrow into its wake. Naraku, unable to erect a barrier in time due to the distraction of the continual onslaught by the slayer and monk, was broken into hundreds of pieces upon contact with the blast from Inuyasha’s sword. At first they all wondered if perhaps he’d done it, but then they realized no, he hadn’t, when they saw the pieces of Naraku ever so slowly move towards one another, again rejuvenating his body. Kagome scanned the pieces for the one that possessed the jewel, until she found it, the center piece, that bore the spider mark, the one all of the other pieces were moving towards. Unfortunately, when she ran towards it, she was repelled by a powerful barrier that knocked her back on her ass. Apparently, he was now able to concentrate, and the complete jewel made him that powerful, that a barrier so strong could be erected now.
“I’m sorry Inuyasha!” she bellowed on the border of hysteria, staring at the jewel yet unable to touch it. “This is all my fault!”
“Stupid! Get out of my way so I can use the Tetsusaiga!” was Inuyasha’s response, though, for some reason, at least at the moment, Kagome didn’t take offence, instead quickly scurrying out of his way as the red blade made for the barrier around Naraku’s ever so slowly reconstructing body. Needless to say, he was surprised, as well as worried, when even Red Tetsusaiga was repelled by this barrier.
“Damn it! The complete jewel made his barrier too strong!”
“I’m sorry!” she screamed again in response.
“Will you stop saying that?! I’m the one who’s sorry, Kagome.” he finished a little softer.
Miroku uncovered his Wind Tunnel, and sucked up as many of the loose pieces of Naraku that he could before they made it into the safety of the barrier that was securely held around his main section. He knew there was no risk of accidentally sucking up the jewel at the moment, and the fewer pieces of himself that Naraku got back, the better. He didn’t see the rather large spider leg that was crawling on its own, that suddenly made a move for him from behind, but Sango had. Miroku felt the wind of the Hiraikoksu as it passed less than two feet from his flesh.
“What are you sorry for?” Kagome asked, adding “I’m the one who fell for his stupid trick, and lost the jewel shards.”
“Feh!” he shouted, the anger in his voice obviously aimed inwardly at the moment. “I fell for his trick too, and I lost you.”
“Guys, can this wait?” Sango asked with bitter sarcasm, as she ran towards the main body of Naraku, stopping just outside the barrier, acting as guard to all those pieces that attempted to reattach themselves to his body, that she would cut down with her sword and boomerang before they were able.
Miroku had to reseal his Wind Tunnel when more poisoned insects appeared out of nowhere, apparently heeding their master’s call.
Inuyasha and Kagome spared themselves a moment to share a glance at one another; they had to make sure that they were okay. Silently, he mouthed the words “I love you” which she saw and smiled at, nodding, and mouthing back her own love. Her eyes widened, however, when she noticed the small trickle of blood that formed a red streak in his otherwise pure silver mane. Fallowing it, she saw that the blood had come from his ear, and then it dawned on her what that horrible pain in the side of her head had been. She’d thought, at the time, that perhaps Naraku had stabbed her in the temple, and she hadn’t had time to contemplate that thought further when she suddenly saw a tentacle aimed straight for her heart, moments before she was safe and sound in her mate’s embrace. So, Inuyasha couldn’t tell her from the illusion, either. That realization actually made her feel better, less stupid and angry with herself. That thought process of course only took her a few seconds, and when she caught Inuyasha’s curious glance, she smiled, and shook her head in a way meant to portray that she’d explain later, but that right now, they had a job to do. Though Inuyasha was unsure of what had run through his mate’s mind, he was still overjoyed by the fact that she’d apparently forgiven him, or more accurately, he supposed, she was never angry with him to begin with.
“Try again.” she said in a determined voice, the same voice she’d used when she’d ordered him to retry his Wind Scar attack against Gensou.
He understood her meaning, and prepared to launch himself, and Red Tetsusaiga, straight for Naraku, who by that point, was almost fully reformed, and even had a face that was snickering at them. As he flew, his sword held high over his head, he felt the powerful blast that sailed past him, as Kagome’s sacred arrow stuck itself into the barrier, imbedded within the dark energy, as a few cracks began to form around where it’d pierced through. Naraku’s eyes widened in fear, as he saw Inuyasha’s red blade come down in that exact same spot, the spot that Kagome’s arrow had weakened. In a horrid blast of blinding light, the barrier fell, but before Inuyasha could recover from the shock wave, he felt a stabbing sensation in his lower body, and looked down in horror at the tentacle he’d just been impaled by. The painful shriek that came from behind him had him panicked that Kagome had also been attacked, until he reasoned that she’d only felt his pain. One thing about the bond he decided he hated, in that moment.
Sango rushed to her friend’s side atop Kirara, and lifted her away as she lay crumpled in pain on the ground, before Naraku had a chance to actually attack her physically. Sango knew precisely what had happened, but she didn’t know how to help. Miroku commanded to Kagome that she meditate, concentrate on understanding that there was no damage to her own body, and that the pain she was feeling was not her own. It took a minute, but Kagome was finally able to stand on her own feet again.
It still looked as though things had taken a turn for the worse, however, as Naraku laughed menacingly, as he lifted Inuyasha off the ground, wrapping more tentacles around him, in an attempt to absorb the hanyou’s strength into his own body.
Inuyasha had lost his grip on his sword, and the pulse that Kagome suddenly felt throughout her own body indicated that Inuyasha was quickly losing control over his youkai blood. She wondered briefly if it might be a good thing, that maybe transformed, Inuyasha would be able to tear Naraku to shreds. But she shook the thought free moments after it appeared, quickly deciding that it’d be too risky. Not that she’d fail to get him to change back afterwards, or that he’d attack her or their friends, but she’d simply decided that Naraku might still be too powerful. Her fear was for her mate, not herself. Another pulse washed through her, and in that instant, she realized what had happened, he had transformed. She had to stop him, she realized, as she felt her own blood boil. Her incredibly strong desire to save Inuyasha in that moment caused Kagome to start glowing a purplish pink. She heard the startled gasps of her friends, but ignored them, as she continued to concentrate on projecting her strength into her mate, enabling him to maintain himself, preventing his transformation from robbing him completely of his senses.
Though it seemed to be working, Naraku was still continuing to wrap vine after vine around her mate, until she suddenly shouted “Release him!” at the top of her lungs while flailing her hand in his general direction. The blast that she sent forth was enough to completely purify the massive collection of tentacles that had virtually engulfed Inuyasha, while the inu-hanyou himself remained unharmed, protected by her love.
“Kagome…” Sango and Miroku both muttered simultaneously, in utter bewilderment and awe over what they’d just witnessed. It’d appeared as though a barrier had formed around Inuyasha’s body to protect him from her purification, but neither of them had heard of such a thing as projecting a barrier before. Kagome was truly powerful, indeed.
The young miko in question proceeded to launch herself in Inuyasha’s direction, as soon as she saw him staggering to his feet on shaky legs, his eyes their familiar amber once more. Retrieving Tetsusaiga for him, he graciously took his sword from her and returned it to his side, while they stared in mild amusement at the shocked expression currently adorning their enemy’s features. As Inuyasha wrapped a protective arm around Kagome’s waist, he felt the power that ran through her. Something inside of her had snapped, had awakened. Perhaps it was the sensation she’d received from feeling his blood boil, as he released his own inner beast. Inuyasha had transformed, but as soon as he was hit with Kagome’s blast, he felt himself engulfed in her love, and it had instantly calmed him. Whatever had happened, Kagome was suddenly aware of her true strength, as she smirked comically in Naraku’s direction.
Angrily, he launched himself in their direction, only to be repelled by Kagome’s barrier. Frantically, he released a nauseous spray of his miasma, fully expecting to hear their cries of agony as his liquid youki burned them alive. Instead, his blast was suspended, midstream, when it came into contact with her blast of purifying energy she was exuding from her own hands. An onlooker in that moment would recognize what he saw as the truest of battles between good and evil, as if both participants were wizards of a sort. A stream of whitish pink was flowing from Kagome’s fingertips, as she held her hands straight out in front of her, literally pushing him back with her mind, while Naraku was posed in a similar posture, a steady stream of miasma expelling itself from his demonic appendages. The two forces collided in the center, Kagome’s miko energy purifying the miasma, not just reflecting it, so that no random mist sprayed out in any direction. Neither faltered, neither shifted, each knowing that any fluctuation in their stream would mean their death. Naraku was fueled by the tainted Shikon no Tama that he still had in his possession, which though was no longer continuing to be tainted by any negative thoughts of the miko’s, was still darkened by his own evil essence. Kagome, on the other hand, was fueled by the love she felt from the hanyou that had his arms wrapped securely around her waist, as he stood behind her, his head lowered softly so as to rest his chin on her shoulder, as he stayed absolutely still, with his eyes pinched closed, as he concentrated on giving her his strength, just as she had ever so recently done for him.
Sango and Miroku stared in awe, but a new feeling of dread began to creep its way into the slayer’s conscious. They were evenly matched, and unless something happened soon, the combined force of both Kagome and Naraku could envelope them both within a whole new jewel, locking them in their perpetual battle forever. She tried to move to intervene, but was suddenly attacked by the few demonic pieces of his being that he had deliberately left separate, that were able to successfully wrap themselves around both her and the monk, when they were distracted. Something needed to intervene, make a move against him, before Kagome’s body began to tire out. Miroku realized that Kagome’s spiritual powers were fueled by her youkai blood, making her stronger, but still, she was likely to tire long before Naraku, unless something was done. The something that they both realized was so desperately needed suddenly showed itself without warning, then, when a chained sickle swooped down, seemingly out of nowhere, severing the limbs Naraku had used to pour forth his deadly maiasma.
In an instant Kagome’s blast hit him dead on, and the agonizing screams of his purification would forever be imprinted within their memories. The jewel in his possession seemed to have called to Kagome, and aimed her blast straight for it, purifying both it, and the dark hanyou, until nothing remained but a whitish pink jewel, and the deceased human body that had once belonged to the bandit Onigumo. Deceased because the chained sickle had made a second appearance, and was now securely lodged within the man’s heart.
Able to take a moment to free themselves from the grasp of the demonic dermis that up until that moment had held them both securely, Miroku rushed to Sango’s side when he saw her fall faintly to her knees, her eyes shimmering with the threat of falling tears, while her hand ever so slowly raised itself to cover her open mouth. Glancing up himself, he saw first that Kagome had collapsed in what appeared to merely be fatigue, and was currently being coddled by her mate, but looking farther past them, into the woods, he followed his fiancée’s gaze, until his eyes rested on their rescuer.
“Kohaku…”
Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.
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Chapter 28 – Out of the frying pan, into the Miasma
“He has the jewel!”
Kagome’s words rang through everyone’s head. Even when the true Naraku did show himself, he never had the jewel with him. Was he so confident in his ability to defeat them that he felt bringing the jewel along would not be a risk? As far as Inuyasha was concerned, that false confidence would prove his undoing.
Still within the safety of his barrier, Gensou held out his hand, stating simply “Here, master.”
The latecomers were unaware that the youkai had stolen Kagome’s shards, but they were quickly made aware of that fact when Naraku’s response to his creation was “Ah, I see you have successfully tainted the shards.”
“They’re…they’re not tainted…” Kagome muttered, as they were still glowing a light pink.
“Awww, but they are, though it is very faint.” Naraku replied, delight in his voice at bearing such news. “You need to master your negative emotions, my dear.”
Kagome realized with his words that her self-loathing and disgust over having been duped most likely had put a damper on the shards’ purification. Nothing that she wouldn’t have been able to clear up with only a mere second of concentration, but now, lacking that moment, the shards would become just that much more corrupted by Naraku, fueled, however so slightly, by her own self-hatred that had been imprinted on them.
Inuyasha, on the other hand, though he’d reached a very similar conclusion to his mate, believed that the miko’s “negative emotions” were directed towards himself. He had, after all, failed to protect her…yet again. Not only that, he sent her on her merry way to go bathe with the enemy! How stupid could he get??? Gensou could have so easily transformed into a male form, and rapped her, while they were nude in the bathhouse. The only reason he could fathom that the creature hadn’t done it, was because he wanted to arrange for her to willingly sleep with him, believing him to be her mate, and then drop the bomb. It would still have felt like rape, but in a way, even worse. It would be the eighth wonder of the world if she ever found it in her heart to forgive him.
Naraku chuckled to himself in triumph as he read the pair. He knew he could never break their faith in each other, but he had successfully broken their faith in themselves. Their belief that the other despised them would prove just as potent as if they truly did. He felt nervous over bringing the jewel forth from its safe keeping before these enemies were fallen, however, it was necessarily so that the entire bobble could absorb the self-hate the young miko was still pouring into the few shards that had just recently been taken from her. If she ever learned that she could purify the entire jewel without the need for physically touching it, she would be a formidable foe. But her natural, yet undiscovered strength, was inadvertently continuing to taint it further, instead, as she believed no more harm could be done by her emotions now that the shards were out of her possession.
Getting over himself long enough to realize that nothing was going to be done so long as they all just stood around staring at each other like idiots, Inuyasha lunged towards Naraku and Gensou, Tetsusaiga posed over his head, as he prepared to strike at the barrier, the fang of his father glowing a menacing crimson.
Successfully crumbling the barrier, Inuyasha prepared to bring his blade down a second time, when Gensou suddenly transformed himself into Kagome. He hesitated. He knew it wasn’t her. He knew that this youkai was a shape shifter. It had just recently looked like him, for kami’s sake! Yet, still, he hesitated, and in that moment, Naraku wrapped a tentacle around the image of Kagome, while at the same time, launched another towards the real one, who Inuyasha couldn’t get to in time, thanks to a few more rouge insects the dark hanyou had released to buy himself the time.
Miroku quickly took care of most of the bugs before some of the poisonous ones started to show themselves, forcing him to cover his Air Void. The mushi that remained, Sango easily obliterated with her Hiraikotsu.
“Kagome!” cried Inuyasha, as he launched himself in her direction when his obstacles were removed. However, Naraku managed to successfully lunge another tentacle, this one in his direction, and though he was successfully able to free himself from it after only a few moments, when he looked back at Naraku (who had by now shed his baboon pelt in preference of his half human appearance, his body from the waist down a collection of misc. demonic parts, most of them wriggling) Inuyasha felt a morbid wave of panic wash over him, when he realized that he wasn’t sure which if the two Kagomes he held in his grasp was the real one.
“Inuyasha!” they both managed to cry at the same time. They then turned their gaze toward one another, and shot each other evil glares of malice. Gensou’s illusion was flawless. They both looked the same, smelled the same, sounded the same, and acted the same, as each one was pleading to their mate. The real Kagome was unable to scratch her mark, as she, along with her duplicate, were held in tight binds, her arms pinned stiffly at her sides. She tried to project her emotions to him, but though it seemed to be working, as she could pick up his emotions in return, she could tell from the amount of fear and confusion in his scent, that he couldn’t tell which one of them her emotions were coming from.
While their friend was currently facing the worst situation in his life, Sango and Miroku both did the best they could to keep all of the lower youkai at bay, as Naraku was continuing to release wave after wave of his mindless minions. Little Shippo was currently seeking cover, having been ordered to do so by both Kagomes, whom he regretted to admit, even to himself, he couldn’t tell apart, either.
Inuyasha stared in morbid fascination at the embodiment of his life’s greatest turmoil, attempting to bide his time, stretching his senses to their limits, hoping, nay, praying, that he find a way to tell the Kagomes apart. He was pulled from his thoughts upon realizing that Naraku was speaking, and though he usually didn’t pay too much attention to the banter of his enemies, he did pay attention when he heard him say that he now had the complete jewel, and even went on to illustrate his point by fusing the shards he’d acquired from Kagome to that of the nearly completed, dark purple marble that he pulled from his suikan. Once completed, the jewel roared to life, shining with an eerily dark purple glow that seemed to illuminate the shadowed woods in which they were fighting. If Kagome hadn’t been too busy fearing for her life, and the lives of her friends, she may have found time to muse that it reminded her of a nightclub’s black light.
Several things happened at once.
Sango, upon hearing his words, realized that her brother Kohaku must be dead, and for some reason, that realization didn’t crumble her nerve, but rather, made her spirit to fight just that much stronger, as she lunged her Hiraikotsu at the tentacles that held up both Kagomes, freeing them both, as they dropped a mere few feet to the ground, both landing unhurt.
Kagome, the real one, realized too that Naraku had obviously acquired Kouga’s shards, and wondered if he was dead, or if he’d managed to escape with his life, though the likelihood of that outcome seemed scarce. Though she’d never shake that rocky encounter with him last spring from her mind, he had apologized, and she still didn’t want the guy dead. The thought brought forth a new wave of sorrow that made Naraku silently chuckle. He knew the wolves were all alive and well, but let the miko think they were dead, it would only prove to taint the jewel even further.
Miroku, seeing several lesser youkai all pounce in the direction of the two miko, flung several of his sacred sutra at them, obliterating the last of Naraku’s lesser minions, at least for now.
Inuyasha was momentarily panicked until he saw Miroku take care of all those youkai in a single blast, a task he himself could not have accomplished without also risking the life of his mate. Finally stopping feeling sorry for himself, he recognized his one and only chance to rescue his mate, and did the only thing he could think of, quickly reaching up and painfully piercing the tip of his own ear with his claw. They were his most sensitive body part after all. Well, okay, his second most sensitive body part. His plan worked, as the sudden gasp and wince from the Kagome on the left let him know that she was his mate. He found the confused look the one on the right shot her amusing. Gensou had no idea what had made Kagome suddenly wince in pain like that. Inuyasha actually smirked, despite the situation at hand. He had been right; Naraku couldn’t replicate their blood bond.
Naraku, seeing his panicked expression melt into determination, decided to recreate his turmoil, by preparing to slaughter both miko at the same time. He lunged a tentacle forth from each side of his body, aiming straight for the heart on each girl, but was shocked to discover that Inuyasha hadn’t faltered, but rather, quite successfully, without hesitation at this latest turn of events, continued to head straight for the Kagome on the left, successfully rescuing her in time by slicing down the tentacle that had threatened to impale her.
Gensou was momentarily shocked that his master had cut him down, especially considering what a good job he’d done, but he didn’t have enough time to contemplate his thought further, before Naraku began to reabsorb him within himself. No wonder, he considered as his final thought before nothingness took him, that his sister Kagura had warned him, and openly voiced her dislike of their master. That explained why she had disobeyed him when he’d sent her to kill the wolf prince.
If any lingering doubt had remained in Inuyasha’s heart, which it hadn’t, he was still reassured when the image of Kagome Naraku had successfully pierced was slowly absorbed into his body. He would never do that with the real Kagome, for her miko essence would surely purify him. However, for her own reinforcement, he nevertheless pulled back the sleeve of her sweater, and quickly thrust his mark against her own, projecting immense feelings of love and relief. Inuyasha and Kagome were each surprised when they didn’t sense from their partner any of the hurt, betrayal, or anger that they had each been sure their mate had been feeling.
Meanwhile, Sango had continued relentlessly with her personal onslaught of attacks against the monster that was Naraku. She threw her Hiraikotsu, then caught it, holding it in her hands only long enough to throw it again. During the fleeting moments in which it was not in her possession, she continued her attacks with the short sword she also carried, though rarely used. Naraku was beginning to lose body parts faster than he could reattach them, but they were unfortunately all superficial body parts, at the moment.
Miroku, not to be outdone, was nearly running out of sutras as he flung one after another towards the tentacles Naraku attempted to form, and lunge at either himself, or any of his friends. He didn’t dare use his Wind Tunnel at the moment, not while Naraku was still in possession of the jewel.
Feeling a new confidence in themselves, Inuyasha launched another Wind Scar attack towards Naraku, while Kagome fired her arrow into its wake. Naraku, unable to erect a barrier in time due to the distraction of the continual onslaught by the slayer and monk, was broken into hundreds of pieces upon contact with the blast from Inuyasha’s sword. At first they all wondered if perhaps he’d done it, but then they realized no, he hadn’t, when they saw the pieces of Naraku ever so slowly move towards one another, again rejuvenating his body. Kagome scanned the pieces for the one that possessed the jewel, until she found it, the center piece, that bore the spider mark, the one all of the other pieces were moving towards. Unfortunately, when she ran towards it, she was repelled by a powerful barrier that knocked her back on her ass. Apparently, he was now able to concentrate, and the complete jewel made him that powerful, that a barrier so strong could be erected now.
“I’m sorry Inuyasha!” she bellowed on the border of hysteria, staring at the jewel yet unable to touch it. “This is all my fault!”
“Stupid! Get out of my way so I can use the Tetsusaiga!” was Inuyasha’s response, though, for some reason, at least at the moment, Kagome didn’t take offence, instead quickly scurrying out of his way as the red blade made for the barrier around Naraku’s ever so slowly reconstructing body. Needless to say, he was surprised, as well as worried, when even Red Tetsusaiga was repelled by this barrier.
“Damn it! The complete jewel made his barrier too strong!”
“I’m sorry!” she screamed again in response.
“Will you stop saying that?! I’m the one who’s sorry, Kagome.” he finished a little softer.
Miroku uncovered his Wind Tunnel, and sucked up as many of the loose pieces of Naraku that he could before they made it into the safety of the barrier that was securely held around his main section. He knew there was no risk of accidentally sucking up the jewel at the moment, and the fewer pieces of himself that Naraku got back, the better. He didn’t see the rather large spider leg that was crawling on its own, that suddenly made a move for him from behind, but Sango had. Miroku felt the wind of the Hiraikoksu as it passed less than two feet from his flesh.
“What are you sorry for?” Kagome asked, adding “I’m the one who fell for his stupid trick, and lost the jewel shards.”
“Feh!” he shouted, the anger in his voice obviously aimed inwardly at the moment. “I fell for his trick too, and I lost you.”
“Guys, can this wait?” Sango asked with bitter sarcasm, as she ran towards the main body of Naraku, stopping just outside the barrier, acting as guard to all those pieces that attempted to reattach themselves to his body, that she would cut down with her sword and boomerang before they were able.
Miroku had to reseal his Wind Tunnel when more poisoned insects appeared out of nowhere, apparently heeding their master’s call.
Inuyasha and Kagome spared themselves a moment to share a glance at one another; they had to make sure that they were okay. Silently, he mouthed the words “I love you” which she saw and smiled at, nodding, and mouthing back her own love. Her eyes widened, however, when she noticed the small trickle of blood that formed a red streak in his otherwise pure silver mane. Fallowing it, she saw that the blood had come from his ear, and then it dawned on her what that horrible pain in the side of her head had been. She’d thought, at the time, that perhaps Naraku had stabbed her in the temple, and she hadn’t had time to contemplate that thought further when she suddenly saw a tentacle aimed straight for her heart, moments before she was safe and sound in her mate’s embrace. So, Inuyasha couldn’t tell her from the illusion, either. That realization actually made her feel better, less stupid and angry with herself. That thought process of course only took her a few seconds, and when she caught Inuyasha’s curious glance, she smiled, and shook her head in a way meant to portray that she’d explain later, but that right now, they had a job to do. Though Inuyasha was unsure of what had run through his mate’s mind, he was still overjoyed by the fact that she’d apparently forgiven him, or more accurately, he supposed, she was never angry with him to begin with.
“Try again.” she said in a determined voice, the same voice she’d used when she’d ordered him to retry his Wind Scar attack against Gensou.
He understood her meaning, and prepared to launch himself, and Red Tetsusaiga, straight for Naraku, who by that point, was almost fully reformed, and even had a face that was snickering at them. As he flew, his sword held high over his head, he felt the powerful blast that sailed past him, as Kagome’s sacred arrow stuck itself into the barrier, imbedded within the dark energy, as a few cracks began to form around where it’d pierced through. Naraku’s eyes widened in fear, as he saw Inuyasha’s red blade come down in that exact same spot, the spot that Kagome’s arrow had weakened. In a horrid blast of blinding light, the barrier fell, but before Inuyasha could recover from the shock wave, he felt a stabbing sensation in his lower body, and looked down in horror at the tentacle he’d just been impaled by. The painful shriek that came from behind him had him panicked that Kagome had also been attacked, until he reasoned that she’d only felt his pain. One thing about the bond he decided he hated, in that moment.
Sango rushed to her friend’s side atop Kirara, and lifted her away as she lay crumpled in pain on the ground, before Naraku had a chance to actually attack her physically. Sango knew precisely what had happened, but she didn’t know how to help. Miroku commanded to Kagome that she meditate, concentrate on understanding that there was no damage to her own body, and that the pain she was feeling was not her own. It took a minute, but Kagome was finally able to stand on her own feet again.
It still looked as though things had taken a turn for the worse, however, as Naraku laughed menacingly, as he lifted Inuyasha off the ground, wrapping more tentacles around him, in an attempt to absorb the hanyou’s strength into his own body.
Inuyasha had lost his grip on his sword, and the pulse that Kagome suddenly felt throughout her own body indicated that Inuyasha was quickly losing control over his youkai blood. She wondered briefly if it might be a good thing, that maybe transformed, Inuyasha would be able to tear Naraku to shreds. But she shook the thought free moments after it appeared, quickly deciding that it’d be too risky. Not that she’d fail to get him to change back afterwards, or that he’d attack her or their friends, but she’d simply decided that Naraku might still be too powerful. Her fear was for her mate, not herself. Another pulse washed through her, and in that instant, she realized what had happened, he had transformed. She had to stop him, she realized, as she felt her own blood boil. Her incredibly strong desire to save Inuyasha in that moment caused Kagome to start glowing a purplish pink. She heard the startled gasps of her friends, but ignored them, as she continued to concentrate on projecting her strength into her mate, enabling him to maintain himself, preventing his transformation from robbing him completely of his senses.
Though it seemed to be working, Naraku was still continuing to wrap vine after vine around her mate, until she suddenly shouted “Release him!” at the top of her lungs while flailing her hand in his general direction. The blast that she sent forth was enough to completely purify the massive collection of tentacles that had virtually engulfed Inuyasha, while the inu-hanyou himself remained unharmed, protected by her love.
“Kagome…” Sango and Miroku both muttered simultaneously, in utter bewilderment and awe over what they’d just witnessed. It’d appeared as though a barrier had formed around Inuyasha’s body to protect him from her purification, but neither of them had heard of such a thing as projecting a barrier before. Kagome was truly powerful, indeed.
The young miko in question proceeded to launch herself in Inuyasha’s direction, as soon as she saw him staggering to his feet on shaky legs, his eyes their familiar amber once more. Retrieving Tetsusaiga for him, he graciously took his sword from her and returned it to his side, while they stared in mild amusement at the shocked expression currently adorning their enemy’s features. As Inuyasha wrapped a protective arm around Kagome’s waist, he felt the power that ran through her. Something inside of her had snapped, had awakened. Perhaps it was the sensation she’d received from feeling his blood boil, as he released his own inner beast. Inuyasha had transformed, but as soon as he was hit with Kagome’s blast, he felt himself engulfed in her love, and it had instantly calmed him. Whatever had happened, Kagome was suddenly aware of her true strength, as she smirked comically in Naraku’s direction.
Angrily, he launched himself in their direction, only to be repelled by Kagome’s barrier. Frantically, he released a nauseous spray of his miasma, fully expecting to hear their cries of agony as his liquid youki burned them alive. Instead, his blast was suspended, midstream, when it came into contact with her blast of purifying energy she was exuding from her own hands. An onlooker in that moment would recognize what he saw as the truest of battles between good and evil, as if both participants were wizards of a sort. A stream of whitish pink was flowing from Kagome’s fingertips, as she held her hands straight out in front of her, literally pushing him back with her mind, while Naraku was posed in a similar posture, a steady stream of miasma expelling itself from his demonic appendages. The two forces collided in the center, Kagome’s miko energy purifying the miasma, not just reflecting it, so that no random mist sprayed out in any direction. Neither faltered, neither shifted, each knowing that any fluctuation in their stream would mean their death. Naraku was fueled by the tainted Shikon no Tama that he still had in his possession, which though was no longer continuing to be tainted by any negative thoughts of the miko’s, was still darkened by his own evil essence. Kagome, on the other hand, was fueled by the love she felt from the hanyou that had his arms wrapped securely around her waist, as he stood behind her, his head lowered softly so as to rest his chin on her shoulder, as he stayed absolutely still, with his eyes pinched closed, as he concentrated on giving her his strength, just as she had ever so recently done for him.
Sango and Miroku stared in awe, but a new feeling of dread began to creep its way into the slayer’s conscious. They were evenly matched, and unless something happened soon, the combined force of both Kagome and Naraku could envelope them both within a whole new jewel, locking them in their perpetual battle forever. She tried to move to intervene, but was suddenly attacked by the few demonic pieces of his being that he had deliberately left separate, that were able to successfully wrap themselves around both her and the monk, when they were distracted. Something needed to intervene, make a move against him, before Kagome’s body began to tire out. Miroku realized that Kagome’s spiritual powers were fueled by her youkai blood, making her stronger, but still, she was likely to tire long before Naraku, unless something was done. The something that they both realized was so desperately needed suddenly showed itself without warning, then, when a chained sickle swooped down, seemingly out of nowhere, severing the limbs Naraku had used to pour forth his deadly maiasma.
In an instant Kagome’s blast hit him dead on, and the agonizing screams of his purification would forever be imprinted within their memories. The jewel in his possession seemed to have called to Kagome, and aimed her blast straight for it, purifying both it, and the dark hanyou, until nothing remained but a whitish pink jewel, and the deceased human body that had once belonged to the bandit Onigumo. Deceased because the chained sickle had made a second appearance, and was now securely lodged within the man’s heart.
Able to take a moment to free themselves from the grasp of the demonic dermis that up until that moment had held them both securely, Miroku rushed to Sango’s side when he saw her fall faintly to her knees, her eyes shimmering with the threat of falling tears, while her hand ever so slowly raised itself to cover her open mouth. Glancing up himself, he saw first that Kagome had collapsed in what appeared to merely be fatigue, and was currently being coddled by her mate, but looking farther past them, into the woods, he followed his fiancée’s gaze, until his eyes rested on their rescuer.
“Kohaku…”