InuYasha Fan Fiction / Witch Hunter Robin Fan Fiction ❯ Enter the Witch and the Miko ❯ Chapter 2

Kitten_meru: You're my first mm.org reviewer! I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully you aren't the only one. You have just boosted my self-esteem tremendously.

 

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Kagome smiled sadly as she reviewed what had happened that day. They had finally faced off Naraku. Not a puppet, not an incarnation, the real thing. It was a long battle, the longest, most vicious battle they had ever been in. Every time they seemed to defeat him, he would just get back up, unharmed. Miroku couldn't use his Wind Tunnel because of the Saimyoushou and had to use his staff as a weapon instead. He and Sango faced off Naraku's demon army while Inuyasha fought Naraku one-on-one. Kikyo, the former guardian of the Shikon no Tama, was shooting her arrows at Hakudoshi, the most powerful of Naraku's incarnations, while Kagome used her arrows to channel her miko powers and shot them into the demon army. She couldn't remember when she last saw Shippo. I hope he's somewhere safe, she thought.

 

She fired another shot and, reaching for another arrow but not feeling any, realized that the arrow she'd just shot had been her last. My arrows! she cried inwardly. Now I can't help them! Then, a crazy idea occurred to her. Well, this is the last battle, what do I have to lose? She closed her eyes and focused on forming her miko power into the shape of an arrow. I feel stupid…No! Can't think of that. Feel the arrow, see the arrow, be one with the arrow… She began to feel heat in her hands. Opening her eyes, she saw a bow and an arrow ready to fire, glowing purple. The original bow had disintegrated. Surprised, she reflexively loosed the arrow, which sailed harmlessly into the trees. She stood there for a moment, staring in the direction of her arrow. Well, I guess it works.

 

Kagome fired her miko arrows into the mass of demons, giving Miroku and Sango a small break. She felt something tugging her fuku. Looking down, she saw Shippo and Kohaku. She tried to back up, but Kohaku's grip was too strong, and Shippo wasn't helping either.

 

“I understand that you don't trust me. What I've done is unforgivable. But, I've vowed to bring down Naraku, and I can't do it by myself. Will you help me, miko?”

 

Kagome looked into his eyes apprehensively. There's something different about his eyes. Wait! Those aren't the eyes of someone being controlled. He somehow broke Naraku's control over him! Slowly, she nodded.

 

“Come with me,” he said, pulling her to the right. Twenty feet into the woods, there was a clearing with an evil aura. Warily, they crept towards the edge of the clearing. The first thing she noticed was Kanna, Naraku's void incarnation.

 

“We have to get rid of her,” said Kohaku quietly.

 

“How?” asked Shippo. “She absorbs any attack sent her way or else deflects it!”

“Leave that to me. Just distract her.”

 

He started crawling away, leaving Kagome and Shippo to distract Kanna. She turned to Shippo and said, “I don't want you to move. I'm going to be the distraction, and I don't want to have to worry about your safety.”

 

“But Kagome, I don't want to stay here while everyone else is fighting!” he cried.

 

“No buts, Shippo,” she said firmly, and crawled into the clearing without waiting to hear his answer.

 

“Kagome,” Kanna said in her whispery voice. “Since you entered where you shouldn't, your soul is forfeit.”

 

“Not today, Kanna,” Kagome responded. She powered her miko bow and arrows. “Kanna, if you leave, you won't get hurt.”

 

“You don't understand. I can't leave,” Kanna whispered. “Now surrender your soul.”

 

“I can't. Since you won't leave, I have to get rid of you.” She fired her arrow, but Kanna managed to avoid it. This started a game of shoot-and-dodge, with Kagome shooting and Kanna dodging. This game took its toll on Kagome. She was using her own power, which was tiring. Kanna still wore her usual neutral mask, her blank eyes on Kagome. After another round, Kagome collapsed. Her strength was nearly depleted. Kanna approached, holding her mirror in front of her. “Now your soul is mine,” she whispered. She turned her mirror until it caught the light, and began to suck Kagome's soul into its depths.

 

“NO!” A small furry thing streaked past and began attacking Kanna. “Stop it! Leave Kagome alone!”

 

“Shippo, NO!” Kagome screamed. She could see he was using his claws and fangs to try and get Kanna to stop.

 

Then, Kanna froze. A sickle was sticking out of her chest, and blood was staining her white robes. Turning, she stared at Kohaku, who was holding the chain attached to the sickle. She looked shocked, or as shock as she ever looked.

 

“Kohaku, why have you turned against Master Naraku?”

 

“Naraku is not my master! He killed my entire village except for my sister, Sango,” Kohaku replied. “Miko, hurry, shoot her now!”

 

“Okay,” she said as she struggled to sit up. Summoning her miko arrow, she used the last of her strength to shoot it at Kanna. She turned, trying to deflect it, but she was too slow. It hit its mark, and she burst into purple light. When the sunspots left their eyes, all that was left of the void demon was dust, blowing away on the wind.

 

Kohaku stood and started looking around. “Where is it?” he muttered. Shippo trotted over to where Kohaku was searching for something. After a few words were spoken, Shippo started looking for whatever Kohaku was looking for. Kagome could only watch their progress. Her strength was exhausted.

 

Kohaku let out an exclamation of triumph. “Miko, you need to come here.”

 

She answered crossly, “I can't move, much less crawl over there.”

 

Kohaku came to her, looking sheepish. “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know those attacks took so much out of you. I guess I should have known.”

 

“It's alright, Kohaku,” she said “I just need a little help to get over there.”

 

“Lean on me.” Together they hobbled over to where Kohaku had found what he had been looking for. Kagome looked into the bushes where the thing had been hiding. Right in the middle of them was a baby.

 

“Is this what you were looking for, Kohaku?” she asked.

 

“Yes. This is no child. This is Naraku's heart. If this baby is killed, then Naraku will die as well. I cannot kill it; I am not strong enough. I know you're tired, but it will end Naraku and the fighting.”

 

“Kohaku, this is just a baby. Even if it is Naraku, I'm not a baby-killer.”

 

The baby gave an evil smile, and a tentacle like Naraku's formed and went straight for Shippo. Catching the poor kitsune kit by the neck, the baby Naraku began to throttle Shippo, shaking him around.

 

“Shippo!” cried Kagome. Normally, I wouldn't harm a baby, but since it's trying to kill Shippo, I don't have much choice. Finding a strength that hadn't been there before, she didn't bother creating an arrow; she just sent a blast of sparkling purple miko energy towards the baby. It gave a howl that was like nails on a chalkboard, and, like Kanna, disappeared in a flash of purple light.

 

Kagome ran over to Shippo, who was on the ground, panting. “Shippo, are you okay?” she asked worriedly.

 

“I'm as well as can be expected,” he replied.

 

“Let's get back to the others of your group. I'll take Shippo,” said Kohaku, already picking up Shippo and running towards the battle. Kagome, running on pure adrenaline, sprinted after him.

 

They arrived just in time to see Naraku and Hakudoshi clutching their hearts, or where their hearts would have been. The rest of the battles had stopped, and the combatants were watching them. Inuyasha said, “Now the world is finally rid of you and your taint.”

 

Naraku glared at him and snarled, “If I die, then one of you will go with me.” One of his tentacles snapped forward, and went right through Kikyo. Both of their bodies were destroyed in the miasma that appeared when all of the demons that were inside Naraku were obliterated.

 

“Come on! If we don't move, we'll be killed by the miasma!” shouted Kohaku. He grabbed Sango and Miroku, and started pulling them toward the woods. Kagome picked up Shippo, and shouted to Inuyasha, “Inuyasha, move! We can mourn Kikyo later.” He only stood there, looking at the spot where Kikyo had stood. She sighed and, taking his hand, yanked him in the direction she wanted to go. He followed, dazed and still not comprehending what had happened.

 

They followed Kohaku's lead until he said they were far enough away that the poison of the miasma wouldn't affect them. Right after this statement, Kagome's adrenaline left, and she fell to the ground. Miroku took one look at the condition of everyone present and stated, “We are in no condition to move further tonight. We'll rest here for now.”

 

Sango was staring at Kohaku. “How… why…”

 

He answered her, “I don't know how I got my memories back, but somehow I did. I've been trying to act like nothing happened, that I was still his slave, so he wouldn't think anything was wrong. I guess it worked. I found out what his weakness was, and this was the only chance I had to tell you, or rather, the miko.”

 

“Kagome?” Sango asked weakly.

 

He nodded. “She was able to purify Kanna, who was guarding him, and then destroy the heart.” He figured it was prudent to omit the fact that the heart was a baby, and that Kagome was able to kill it only because if she hadn't, it would have killed Shippo.

 

Sango smiled and hugged him. “Now you're free of Naraku's control, and can stay with me. We can be a family again.”

 

Kohaku shook his head sadly. “I'm afraid I don't know how we can do that. You need the Shikon shard in my back, and that is the only thing that is keeping me alive.”

 

“Oh.” Reality hit Sango hard. “But maybe Kaede can help. She's the priestess in our new village. Or maybe Kagome could. You never know.”

 

“All right, Sango.” I only hope she won't be hit too hard when it doesn't work. It could, but that's a little too much to ask for. “Um, Sango?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Someone has to go back for the Shikon Jewel. We can't let someone else get to it before us.”

 

“Right! Miroku,” she called to the monk, who was feeding the small fire he had just started. “We need someone to get the Jewel Shard that Naraku had.”

 

“I'll get it, Sango-dear,” he replied.

 

“Thank you, houshi-sama,” she said.

 

She turned back to Kohaku. “We'll find some way of saving you. I won't lose you again.” She looked at the rest of the group. “It's amazing that everyone made it out alive.”

 

“What about that woman that Naraku killed?” asked her younger brother.

 

“Kikyo? Oh, right.” Sango looked at Inuyasha sadly. “She wasn't really with us. Do you remember the story of the Shikon Jewel being given to a priestess 50 years ago for safekeeping?”

 

He nodded. “Well,” Sango continued, “that was her. Now, I know that seems impossible, but sometime after she died, after the Jewel was broken, a witch took her grave soil and created a body from it. However, she failed to summon her spirit into the body because it had already chosen another body. So, the witch took the soul's new body, and called the spirit out of it and into the body she had created. This reawakened Kikyo. Then, Inuyasha and Kaede, Kikyo's younger sister, came to rescue the spirit's new body. I'm not sure what exactly happened after that, since I wasn't there, but in the end, Kikyo fell off a cliff after the new body called most of her spirit back into herself. We all thought that she had died, but somehow, she lived and started living as a simple priestess in a small village. That was when we found her.”

 

“Who was the new body of her spirit?” asked Kohaku, his curiosity piqued. “Do you know her? Do I know her?”

 

Sango nodded. “We both know her. She's asleep over there by the fire.”

 

He looked over at Kagome. “Her?”

 

“Yes. Later we found out that both she and Kikyo were reincarnations of Midoriko, the warrior priestess who was trapped in that cave by our village.”

 

“You mean the woman trapped in the jaws of that demon with a hole in her chest?”

 

“The very same. Only Kagome has more of Midoriko than Kikyo. I don't know how that works, but that's one of the mysteries of life.”

 

“Maybe we should ask her. She might know.”

 

“She doesn't. She was already asked when we found out. And it's not a good idea to bring any of this up. She hates being reminded that she's the reincarnation of Kikyo and Midoriko. She doesn't mind Midoriko so much, but Kikyo's tried to kill her countless times, so she's a bit touchy on that subject.”

 

“Oh. Um, how come the hanyou is…” He couldn't find the right words to describe Inuyasha, who was staring blankly into the flames, not moving.

 

Sango looked over and sighed. “Naraku tricked him into killing Kikyo 50 years ago. Right before she died, she pinned him to a tree, and he slept for all those years, until Kagome pulled out the arrow, freeing him. When he found out Kikyo was, um, “alive”, he wanted to make it up to her, since they were both tricked. At first, Kikyo didn't believe him, and when she found that he was telling the truth, she wanted him to go to hell with her. He felt torn between staying with Kikyo, as he would have if Naraku hadn't turned them against one another, and staying with Kagome and finding all the Jewel Shards. Now that Kikyo's gone, I don't know if he'll kill himself, or just stay with Kagome.”

 

The sound of footsteps and the rustle of cloth heralded the return of Miroku. He was holding his staff in one hand and a pouch in the other. “Did you find it?” Sango asked.

 

“Yes, but it's tainted with Naraku's evil, and I dare not touch it. I will leave it in this bag until Kagome awakens and is ready to purify it.”

 

“I'm up, Miroku,” Kagome said as she slowly sat up. “I'll just do it now, and save time.”

 

“Are you sure, Kagome?” he asked in concern. “You used a lot of energy, and surely you haven't regained it already?”

 

“No, I haven't, but I have enough to purify this small thing.” She took the bag when he handed it to her. She opened the mouth of it, and rolled the almost complete Shikon Jewel into her palm. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused her energy onto the Jewel. It glowed purple again, and began to sparkle. Opening her eyes, she said, “There, it's pure again. I'll add the shards that we have.” Miroku got them from her backpack, and gave them to her. “Okay, let's put them together.” They all watched with anticipation while the smaller shards melded with the large one. When it was finished, there was still a hole in the once perfect sphere.

 

“What!” everyone shouted. That couldn't be right. They had gotten all of the shards. Kagome pinched herself. Hard. Rubbing her arm, she looked again. There was still a gaping hole in it.

 

“Looks like we're still missing some,” Kagome said sadly.

 

“What about the one in Kohaku's back?” asked Miroku.

 

“Oh, yeah, there's still that one, and the ones that Koga has, but there's one more missing even if we took Kohaku's and Koga's.”

 

Sango asked quietly, “Kagome, do you think you could take Kohaku's Jewel Shard and still have him live?”

 

She hesitated. Could she? She replied, “I don't know, Sango, but even if I could, we would need to be at Kaede's. The wounds that killed him, or would have, would reopen, and I don't know enough about healing to save him. But I think it's worth a shot.”

 

Sango hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Kagome. You don't know what this means to me.”

 

Kagome just smiled. I hope it works, for your sake, Sango. Looking over at Inuyasha, she saw that he hadn't so much as twitched since she had fallen asleep. Maybe he'll be better in the morning, she thought. Okay, this has been one heck of a day. First, we took on Naraku and won without losing anyone except Kikyo, who wasn't a big loss. Then, we find that Kohaku is all right, and we didn't have to kill him, and finally, there's still a shard missing. Seems impossible to have done all this in one day, but I guess luck was with us. OW! Okay, too much thinking, I'll do this in the morning. With these last thoughts, Kagome fell asleep.

 

The next morning, Kagome woke to find that the fire had gone out, and everyone else was asleep, even Inuyasha. Figures, she said to herself, looking at them. Well, we did fight a hard battle, so I guess it's only right that they get some sleep. We're just lucky some demon didn't steal the Jewel while we slept. Looking at Inuyasha, she sighed. Will he follow Kikyo? Will he stay? I don't care if he chooses to love that clay pot, but I want him to live, not die.

 

Looking at herself next, she noticed how dirty she and her clothes were. Both were covered in dirt, blood, and sweat. Ewww! I look and feel dirty! There had better be a hot spring or a river somewhere around here; oh, this is gross! Unfortunately, there was no spring or river that she could hear, and she didn't want to lose the others by wandering off by herself. So she had to settle for scrubbing what she could with her anti-bacterial hand soap.

 

All right, the next hot spring or village we pass, I don't care how much Inuyasha complains, I'm taking a bath! she thought as she scrubbed vigorously. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned and saw Kohaku coming toward her. “Need something, Kohaku?”

 

“Just a moment of your time, if that's all right, miko,” he answered.

 

“You don't have to call me miko all the time. My name's Kagome.”

 

“Thank you, Kagome. It's about Sango. If you can't take the shard in my back without killing me, could you help Sango? She'll be upset; she wanted for us to be a family again.”

 

“Sure, I'll do that. You know, Sango isn't the only one who wants you to stay.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. I do, for one. You're a nice kid, and helpful. And I think you and Shippo will get along well, since you're closer in age to him than we are. Well, maturity wise, anyway.”

 

He looked like he was about to say something, but the sounds of people awakening came from their makeshift camp. He turned to where Sango was waking up, and smiled. “Thank you for giving my sister hope.” He turned and went to his sister.

 

Now, we have to get Koga's jewel shards, and Kohaku's. “Hey, guys,” she said aloud to Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku. “We might as well decide now what we're doing next. Do we want to try and get Kohaku's shard at the village, get Koga's, or should we try and find the missing shard?”

 

Miroku shrugged. “I think we should get Koga's first, so he doesn't lose them. We already know where he is, so we might as well try there first.”

 

Sango nodded. “I agree with the monk. We might as well get the ones we know about first, then look for the missing one.”

 

Kagome smiled. “Okay, there's two for going for Koga's first. Kohaku, did you want to add you thoughts on it?”

 

He shook his head. “We can go for the other two, as you want. I just wish to complete the whole Jewel. But what about Inuyasha? What does he want to do?”

 

They all looked at the sleeping hanyou. “I don't think he cares at this point,” answered Kagome. “He'll probably go if we ask him, but I doubt he'll really care. Let's just start to pack up, and I'll tell him. Sango, can you get Shippo and Kirara up?”

 

As Sango went over to the fire kitsune and the fire neko, Kagome walked over to Inuyasha. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she shook him gently. “Hey, Inuyasha, it's time to go. We're going to get Koga's Jewel shards.”

 

Sleepily, he opened his eyes. She could see the exact moment he remembered what had happened because his eyes clouded over with sorrow. “Inuyasha,” she said, “it wasn't your fault. She was supposed to be dead anyway. You can move on.”

 

“I was supposed to die with her,” he whispered. “I promised her we would be together.”

 

“You made that promise 50 years ago! She wouldn't want you to kill yourself because of her! She would want you to live. Now she's gone for good, and you can live in the present, not the past. Stay with us, we still need you.”

 

“Why? The Shikon Jewel is complete. There's no reason to stay.”

 

“You're wrong! There are plenty of reasons to stay. And,” she paused for a second, “the Jewel isn't complete. We still need Koga's and Kohaku's…”

 

“Yeah, so? You can just take the shard from Kohaku's back, and if you ask Koga for his shards, he'll give them to you. He's infatuated with you, so that'll be no problem.”

 

“You didn't let me finish. Yes, we need Koga's and Kohaku's, but there's still one missing. We don't have the whole thing.”

 

That was enough of a shock that became his old self for a moment. “What?! What are we waiting around here for then, wench? We have to go!”

 

A vein formed on her head, and she stood and said sweetly, “Inuyasha?”

 

“Uh-oh.” He knew what was coming.

 

“Sit!” His subduing rosary glowed briefly, and he slammed into the ground. “While you were asleep, we decided to go after Koga first, go to Kaede and get Kohaku's shard, and then we look for the other shard.”

 

“Hmph! Fine then. Let's go. The sooner we get to Koga's, the better. I'll beat the life out of the wolf!”

 

“Sit!” Down he went. Again. “You'll do no such thing. You said so yourself, he'll give over the shards willingly. He has no use for them, so there's no need to fight.”

 

“Feh!”