Bleach Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Life ❯ Naraku ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach or any of the anime/manga characters.

Warnings: Strong Language, Gore, Mild Violence

Naraku

 

The Captains stared as Kagome's dagger flashed with a brilliant light as her Shikai released.

“Bankai!”

Power exploded outward from her entire body. The Captains gasped as it came at them in completely solid waves. And, much to their surprise, Yamamoto, Zaraki, and a tall, stoic-looking man with black hair were the only ones who weren't almost shoved through the wall behind them.

Kagome was vaguely aware of Urahara's glowing red wall, as well as Miroku's shimmering barrier, behind her, but she was too focused on the rush of power. Finally, the power fully released, and the Captains were all staring in shock at her.

Kagome's right arm was suddenly covered by the long, black and silver gauntlet that ended in a silver bow. They all stared at her, including the stoic Captain and Yamamoto.

“This is all of your power?” Yamamoto finally asked, after several long, silent moments.

“Well… no. But it could be really dangerous if I go any further,” Kagome said, her arm glowing.

“You have the power of a Vizard inside of you,” Yamamoto said, face a blank mask.

“Yes, I do. Can I assume, by your tone, that you're not a fan of theirs?” Kagome mused.

“Don't push your luck. They were the Soul Society's enemies on par with the Hollows and Espada until very recently,” Yamamoto growled. “You are assuredly a potential threat. As such, I'm assigning Ichigo Kurosaki, as well as Rukia Kuchiki, to watch you.”

Kagome suddenly turned, not having realized that a woman had appeared until just that moment.

“I've got babysitters?” Kagome asked.

Suddenly, the Head Captain's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Kagome's hands came up in placation.

“I wasn't being snarky. Just clarifying,” she quickly said, her bankai disappearing. “Umm… bye,” she said, disappearing through the Senkaimon with the rest of her group in tow.

As soon as the others came out, Urahara burst into laughter.

“Oh, that was fantastic! I've never seen the old man so riled!” he barked out, holding his side.

“You're not as smart as you look,” Yoruichi added, though she too was laughing.

Ichigo suddenly began floating, and looked at the woman at his side.

“Hey, Rukia, I'm gonna' go get Orihime. Don't know how long we'll be here, and she'll make it less boring.”

“Oh? Sure it's not that you just don't want to leave her out of your protection?”

To this, Ichigo just shrugged before vanishing. This, of course, caught Kagome's attention, and she frowned.

“So, he's with Orihime, huh? I guess I can understand his paranoia,” Kagome mused.

At this, Rukia turned to Kagome, and Kagome finally took in her features. She was a little on the short side, with short, straight raven-black hair and round, blue eyes.

“Rukia Kuchiki,” she said, extending her hand.

“Kuchiki? Does that make you my cousin or something?” Kagome asked, frowning.

“What?”

“My dad was a Kuchiki, or so I'm told. So does that mean we're related?” Kagome clarified, her frown turning thoughtful.

“Umm… No. I'm not a Kuchiki by blood,” Rukia said, smiling apologetically.

“Oh?”

“Well, the Kuchiki's are a large family. And my older sister had been married to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Before she died, she asked him to adopt me… So, no, I'm sorry to tell you we're not relatives.”

“Huh… oh well. Let's get along, shall we?” Kagome asked, taking it in stride so well that Rukia was amazed.

“Uh… Yes, let's,” Rukia said, extending her hand.

“Well, since you'll be watching me, you might as well get to know everyone. These are my second family. My older brother and sister, Miroku and Sango. Their lovely pet, Kirara. And my son, Shippo,” Kagome said, pointing to each one in turn.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Rukia said, bowing. “And I have to say, I've never seen anyone courageous enough to tell the Captains something like that. That you brought demons into the world, and that Aizen might be getting help just as we managed to critically hurt his forces. Truly, I'm impressed,” she added, staring in wonder at Kagome.

“Ah, it wasn't really-”

Suddenly, she cut off, her eyes going to the horizon.

“Lady Kagome?” Miroku asked, also sensing something in the direction the miko was staring.

“Shikon shards. A lot of them… And they're coming this way.”

Kagome released her hold on Shippo, who jumped down.

“Rukia, I know you're supposed to watch me, but I really need to ask you a favor. There's something dangerous coming. I need you to stay here, and protect my family. Unlike me, they need it…”

Rukia stared at the miko for several moments before she gave in with a sigh.

“Alright. But don't get yourself killed on my watch.”

“Will do,” Kagome said, nodding. “Thanks.”

Kirara suddenly grew in a cloud of flames, making the Shinigami jump in surprise.

And then, they were gone, Rukia staring at the house with a sigh.

When they reached the shards' location, they were instantly on edge. Kagura sat atop a high brick wall, her eyes filled with horror and pain.

“Oh, good, you brought all your friends,” Kagura said, dropping to the ground. “You, kill me and the shards are yours,” she said, pointing at a very surprised Kagome.

“I'm sorry… what?”

“Even that witch Kikyo and the jewel couldn't break the barrier. So that bastard Naraku decided to use my body to blow it up. Personally, I'd much rather die by your hands, in one quick, annihilating blow, than having my heart crushed by that sadistic bastard. And I'm sure he'll do it, now that he's got that damned witch to replace me.”

Kagome stared in shock at the demon, disbelieving of what she was hearing.

Suddenly, a dark, terrifyingly familiar laugh filled the air, all around them. Kagome instantly had her blades up, just as a tall, bone-white man appeared from nowhere, everything but his lips concealed in shadows. A cruel sneer curled his lips and his bright, blood-red eyes suddenly appeared in the dark and drew their collective focus to his hand. Or, rather, the beating, pumping heart that was in his hand.

“Now, now, Kagura! If I'd known you wanted your heart, all you had to was ask,” he snarled, his voice like crunching bones.

Suddenly, the heart glowed, and it vanished the same moment that Kagura's body pulsed. She stared down at her chest in shock, which is why she didn't see Naraku's attack coming.

From Naraku's body suddenly came a massive, purple cloud of smoke that completely engulfed the area around Kagura's body. They were all surprised when suddenly, Kagome jumped into the miasma and reappeared an instant later, a stunned-looking Kagura in her arms.

She put the demoness on her feet and turned back to Naraku, who was now enveloped in the nearby streetlight.

His appearance stunned her. He stood at at least a foot taller than he'd been just days ago. A broken fragment of white wrapped around the top of his head, taking on what would probably be an animalistic appearance when completed. Strapped across his back was a small Zanpakuto in the shape of a curved dagger.

Because she was taking in his appearance, she couldn't react to his sudden move. One second, he was floating in the air, and the next, he was in front of her, his open palm glowing bright red an inch from her face.

Before her hand could even close around her Zanpakuto's handle, the power flowed outward.

“Cero,” he said, his voice low.

Suddenly, Kagome was engulfed in the burning spiritual power, and flew backward, her body smoking all over.

Her friends stared in shock at Naraku, who sneered at Kagome.

“Well, now. This is a conundrum, isn't it, Kagome? You're too slow to fight me, and your friends can't exactly let loose in such a heavily populated residential area, can they? I've learned a lot today. I know of all the things that have occurred since 500 years ago, and I know about how you survived and are still alive.”

Kagome pushed herself up, smoke rising from her chest.

“That's fascinating. You won't be around long enough to enjoy it, Naraku,” she snarled, launching forward.

With a laugh, he drew his dagger and blocked all of her momentum and force with apparently no effort at all.

And in his free hand, power was building up again.

“Now, I thought you'd be a bigger challenge, for some reason. Too bad, I guess. Cero.”

Just as the power began to blast toward the retreating Kagome, a wave of dark energy blasted downward from the sky and cut it off completely. In the next second, Ichigo and Uryuu were in front of Kagome, with Orihime gripping Ichigo's sleeve, their weapons drawn and deadly intent on their faces.

“Tch. So, you've got some more friends,” Naraku sneered, glaring at Kagome. “Well then, I'll take my leave, for now. Kagura, don't expect to live for very long,” he added, floating backward.

“How the hell did you turn into an Arrancar?” Kagome finally managed.

“Oh, that's simple,” he said, still floating backward. “I've found an even greater power than the Shikon no Tama in this time. And I've found an ally who thinks like me… I'll admit, you're stronger than you ever were in the Feudal Era, but it's a miracle you survived my attack at all. I think you know that, too… You'll be seeing me again, rest assured of that, Kagome,” he sneered. “Regardless of how many friends you have, you'll die this time. I have your better half, and your love. You have nothing.”

Suddenly, a massive, jagged black scar cut across the air and he disappeared inside. The last thing of him to vanish was his evil, mocking laughter that filled the night sky.

“Shit,” Kagome gasped, dropping to her knees.

“Lady Kagome-”

“I… I'll be fine,” she said, forcing herself up. “Man, I was not expecting him to have so much power. Not this quickly…”

“Yeah, well, the bastard was going around all day, absorbing a whole bunch of random people and spitting them out once their minds were completely drained,” Kagura said, looking at Kagome in shock. “Why the hell'd you save me?”

“Why wouldn't I?” Kagome gasped, drawing a large amount of power into her wounds.

Slowly, the burns faded, though the pain and blood remained. She slowly turned to Kagura, a frown on her face.

“I can think of several reasons why you wouldn't help me,” Kagura said calmly.

“Yeah, I'm sure… Alright, let's take this discussion to my house,” she said, sheathing her blade. “Thanks for the save, guys.”

Before they could talk, Kagome grabbed Kagura's arm and vanished. The others quickly followed, and found Kagome sitting calmly on her front porch with a glaring Kagura next to her.

“Who the hell was that guy?” Uryuu asked as soon as he appeared.

“It was Naraku,” she said, getting up.

Rukia appeared next to the group, a frown etched into her face.

“I shouldn't have let you go. What the hell was that power before?” she growled out.

“That would be our enemy,” Miroku sighed. “Though he's certainly not the same.”

“Yeah. We've got a big problem. He said he's got both Kikyo and Inuyasha,” Kagome said, glaring at the ground.

“Yes. The hanyo showed up a short while ago, looking for the witch. He's such an idiot that he truly believes you're the evil one working with Naraku, even while she's screwing the bastard,” Kagura sighed.

“Fuck,” Kagome growled, her head buried in her hand.

“Hey, why does she have the same energy as that Arrancar?” Uryuu asked, glaring at the demoness.

“Heh… I'm an abomination of nature, created by that bastard. Nice to meet you,” Kagura sneered.

“You may have been created by him, but you're not him,” Kagome argued. “And I should point out that you've got your heart. I don't know everything, but I'm assuming that that's what he used to control you, since you obviously didn't want to follow him to start with.”

“You're right,” Kagura said, nodding. “But just because I'm free now doesn't mean I can fight him. I've got my heart, now, and that means that I'm not capable of recovering from complete annihilation like before. And, there's the fact that I'm also unanimously hated by you all,” she said, gesturing to Sango and Miroku, “which means I don't exactly have allies. The only people strong enough to kill the bastard were that idiot and his brother, and Sesshomaru's not here.”

“You know, I probably should get him,” Kagome said, frowning. “But this isn't the point. You hate Naraku, just as much as we do. I can tell by the way you look at him. We need a lot of help, since he's even stronger now. The way I see it, you should at least consider working with us.”

The group stared in shock at Kagome, but her eyes didn't leave the surprised demoness.

“You're not an average human. You don't hold grudges easily, do you?”

“Okay, I'll admit it. You've done some bad things on his orders. But let's look at the good things. You kept Kohaku safe up until now. And don't deny it, because I know it's true. And you only attacked us on orders, after that second time with Kanna. The way I see it, Bakayasha's with Naraku and you're not. If we're going to destroy Naraku, we can use all the help we can get. So, what do you say?” the miko asked, offering a hand to the shocked demoness.

 

A/N:

Well, there's the newest work of my overly imaginative mind. Be sure to tell me what you think!