InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Against All Odds ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Against All Odds

Chapter Two

Inuyasha stared at the one man he despised above all others. The bastard. Everything had started with Him and everything was going to end with Him. Naraku. He hefted the Tessaiga over his shoulder, the slight weight a reminder of all that was at stake. “You’re going down, Naraku.” It set his teeth on edge when the psychopath laughed. No, it down right pissed him off. He tightened his hold on Tessaiga and felt a growl rise up in his throat as he took a step forward.

“Don’t do it, Inuyasha.” He stopped at the words and shifted his attention to Kagome but didn’t take his eyes off Naraku. He opened his mouth but she stopped him. “You’ll just be wasting energy attacking him when his shield is up.” He hadn’t forgotten. Naraku’s barrier was damn near impenetrable. But they’d beaten him at that little game before.

“I’m not just going to stand here and do nothing.” Inuyasha snapped out, clenching his teeth.

“Just…wait, ok, Inuyasha?” Kagome held to her bow so tight that her knuckles were right, the arrow unwavering. It was a stand-off between them and Naraku. Naraku wasn’t charging them because he knew he couldn’t get to close to Kagome without her purifying the Jewel in his possession. They weren’t charging him because they couldn’t get past his barrier. Kagome knew there was a way around the barrier but she just couldn’t find it. Yet. They were so close to defeating Naraku that she could taste it and it all came down to the Jewel. Naraku wouldn’t stand a chance, not if the Jewel was purified and in her hands.

“Dammit, where are you?” Kagome whispered suddenly, the look in her eyes exasperated. The Jewel was the key; somehow she knew that was the weakness behind his barrier. Hell, his power was the Jewel. Without that in his possession then he was dead. She didn’t feel that hint of power every time a Jewel was near but she knew Naraku had it. He was hiding it, blocking it somehow. If she could just get a little closer—

“Don’t you dare take another step, Kagome.” Inuyasha bit out. She jerked her head around at the hard bite of Inuyasha’s voice. “You’re close enough. If you can’t find it, just say so. We’ll find another way—“

Kagome could feel the heavy flow of power, the thick aura that was the Jewel. It surrounded Naraku as a whole. The Jewel was there—somewhere. She just couldn’t see it. But it was there, right there! God, it was so close. Before, she had always been able to pinpoint the direct location of the Jewel but with Naraku, he had completely immersed the Jewel somehow. But where? “He has the Jewel, Inuyasha. I can sense it.” That was a stupid statement, to say the least; because of course Naraku would have the Jewel by his side. After attaining what he had sought for so long, he wouldn’t dare part from it. Dammit, she was too far away. She knew she couldn’t get closer but her heart screamed at her to. If she was going to find the Jewel she needed closer.

“Don’t do something stupid, Kagome.” Inuyasha cursed, sweat dropping down his brow. He couldn’t afford her stupidity right now.

Purification went two ways. If Naraku came to her, she would purify the Jewel the moment he was within arms distance. If she went to him, her Jewel shard would be tainted. She wouldn’t hesitate to purify him.

“Where, Kagome?” Inuyasha bit out, his nerves standing on end. Naraku was going to make a move and soon. He would bet his very life on it. God dammit, he needed to know where the Jewel was if he was going to make the bastard subject to humiliation.

“Are you looking for this, Kagome?” Naraku spoke finally, his voice cool and calm. Almost amused. Her eyes were drawn to his chest as his hands lowered, his fingers digging into the flesh covering the center of his chest. Her stomach dropped. He peeled the flesh back, his fingers almost embedded in his own skin. It wasn’t grotesques. Oh God. Something shifted in her eyes; disgust at what she was seeing, dismay. There was no blood and there was no twisted flesh. His skin was still smooth and flawless where he’d literally pulled the center of his chest open, a hand on each side.

He had bonded his body with the Jewel.

Her hand shook, the only emotion, the only testimony how much that fact shook her. The Jewel was black—beautiful—catching the light from the moon, shining. His flesh and insides were bonded around it, skin and long, thick veins attached around the Jewel. The thick, fleshy veins were pulsing, as if drawing the very energy from the Jewel into his body. And in that moment, Kagome realized he was. She could see it now. Through his blood and through every vessel, every vein, she could see the dark, pulsing aura of the Jewel passing through his body, circling. It wasn’t possible. The Power of the Jewel was in his very essence.

But it wasn’t complete. Not yet. They still had a chance. As long as she possessed that final shard, a vital part in the battle, they had a chance.

“About damn time!”

Her heart leapt in her throat at the bit out retort. “No, Inuyasha! Stop!” She lowered her bow a fraction and half turned towards Inuyasha but he was already charging Naraku, the Tessaiga lifted high, blazing red.

Naraku smiled, just a baring of his teeth.

The barrier was gone before Inuyasha was even halfway. Kagome felt the raw power of the Jewel the instant Naraku lowered his shield, a throbbing essence that called to her very soul. Naraku laughed, the sound low and amused as he spread his arms wide. A heavy, wide spread wind bowed up from behind him, miasma filled. Kagome lurched back and brought her right arm up, covering her mouth and nose. “Inuyasha!”

“Don’t breathe it in, Kagome!” Inuyasha snarled through the heavy, purple mass.

Kagome could feel the flow of power all around them. It was in the miasma and it was in the air. Naraku had physically enhanced the Miasma—of course he would, why not? He had the power. Foolish of her to think that he wouldn’t try something. Dammit, she should have thought this better through. She coughed, the acrid smell, the burn of the acid burning her eyes. “Inuyasha, I can’t see.” It was too dense, too heavy. She closed her eyes briefly and felt the tears gathering, trying to wash out the poison and she blinked rapidly and then coughed, her throat closing off as she inhaled the poison. Her throat burned and then she felt something warm press against the lower half of her face, the scent familiar.

“Keep it over your mouth and nose.” Kagome coughed, inhaling Inuyasha’s warm, earthy scent through the red cloth. Faintly she could see him through the heavy miasma, his white hair and white shirt plain for her to see. She didn’t bother to thank him and even though she knew the miasma would affect him less than her right now, she knew he had to be feeling something. With the miasma’s poison tripled by the Jewel, it was almost numbing.

“I could use that monk about right now.” Inuyasha muttered, his shoulders tense as he half turned. She couldn’t see his face but she knew he was looking for Naraku.

“Don’t be a fool. He couldn’t take this miasma into his body without killing himself.” Kagome clenched her teeth, her senses reaching, searching for the Jewel. Where was he? She wasn’t stupid. Naraku was playing with them. It didn’t matter that Miroku wasn’t with them. He would have been useless. Sango, as a demon slayer but still human, stood even less of a chance and Shippo, Kagome had refused. They had no chance against Naraku, but Miroku and the others did have a chance of defending the Village from the demons that would be drawn to the vile energy of Naraku.

Kagome knew she had to be here. She was the only one with the ability to sense the Jewel and with her miko powers fully regenerated—unlocked—she had a play in this War. But Inuyasha was the only one with the power, a chance, of defeating Naraku. That defeat, that victory, belonged to Inuyasha and Inuyasha alone.

Something landed at her feet. Something warm and big. Kagome let go of Inuyasha’s houri without thinking. She didn’t care. If Naraku had the audacity to come this close to her she’d shoot the Jewel where it lay. The miasma burned and seared her lungs and that in just seconds. She notched the arrow and tilted the bow down. Through the miasma she could see a fall of heavy, black hair and pale skin, a small, delicate hand—

“Sango!” Kagome whispered, shocked horror filling her as she dropped to her knees and hunched over Sango’s prone form. The miasma burned her skin even though she knew it wasn’t actually marking her. That didn’t mean that it made breathing any easier. Her lungs were struggling to work as she thrust her hands into Sango’s hair, clutching her head in her hands. “Inuyasha!” Dear God, why was Sango here and how…

A dark, male chuckle sounded before her and she jerked her head up, her blood going cold. She recognized Naraku’s eerie red eyes through the flow of poisoned air and realized he was too close. The bastard was right in front of her. She charged up her energy, felt the answering pull inside as her spirit pushed to the surface.

“Too late, Kagome.”

His deep chuckle sounded and then she felt the light weight around her neck—nothing. She sucked in a sharp breath, her heart jumping in her throat. She realized her mistake instantly. The rules of Purification were simple. Neither one could get to close. They would either defile or cleanse one another. But it wasn’t that simple. She would have had to focus that energy into purifying him or the Jewel. She hadn’t had the chance. Oh God, why hadn’t she seen that coming?

Distraction.

Kagome rose to one knee and lifted the bow, cocking another arrow. “He has the shard, Inuyasha!” But not for long. She couldn’t not try. She sent her senses flaring out and then the miasma filled fog burst, shuttling so hard she almost lost her balance. It was gone in an instant, blowing out past them.

She felt the warning pulse of Inuyaha’s sword and then the violent torrent of energy before he abruptly swung his sword. The Tessaiga flared red in his hands, glass like scales folding over the blade as the attack flared out toward Naraku. Kagome released the arrow without thinking. Two against one, but not only that, the Jewel was a weakness in Naraku. To form the complete Jewel he would have to reveal it as whole and that would give Naraku’s balance of power a weakness.

Naraku chuckled. “I don’t think so…” And the Jewel tore from his chest and this time it wasn’t a beautiful image. Blood spurted as it separated from his veins, leaving a small crater in the center of his chest. And before their very eyes the last shard slipped into the cracked crevice, the only imperfection of the Jewel.

“NO!!!” Inuyasha roared. But it was too late. Kagome lifted her hands as a massive wave of energy tore at them. She could feel the vile, fierce pulsing energy of the Jewel and it clenched around her heart like a vise, tearing through her muscles like acid. Where her body, her very soul, was pure as a Priestess, it reacted to the evil. The energy knocked them right off their feet and she went flying backwards. She didn’t expect to feel Inuyasha’s arms surround her, hugging her tight against her body as they were slung backwards. Through the roar in her ears she could hear him curse and then she felt nothing. But she should have—they should have.

They hit the ground hard and rolled, Inuyasha slamming into the trunk of a tree so hard the base cracked. Vaguely she realized that he’d taken the brunt of the fall, the heavy crash. But she hadn’t felt a thing and Inuyasha hadn’t so much as grunted. He was half on her body, a heavy weight and she opened her lips. Or tried to. She couldn’t. She couldn’t move a single muscle in her entire body. She flicked her eyes up and met Inuyasha’s eyes. The look in his golden eyes was hot and heated. He was confused. He was pissed. He was enraged. It came again, his body was a dead weight—he couldn’t move either.

But they could see and they could look and the first thing she saw was Miroku, Sango and Shippo as he dropped their bodies around them suddenly. Kagome realized it then. They weren’t dead. Relief filled her before she squashed that. They weren’t dead but things had progressed to something far worse. She lifted her gaze to Naraku’s pleased one and then lowered it. The Jewel floated above his palm, pitch black in its intensity. It was whole.

“Inuyasha.” His voice came again. He never lost that cool, calm façade of his. Naraku leaned down and curled his fist in the back of Inuyasha’s shirt and hauled him off her body, slinging him to the ground a few feet away. She watched as he landed, the look in his eyes murderous.

“I’m nowhere near finished, Inuyasha. There’s still one more thing I need and then I will have everything. Can you move?” Naraku smiled, his teeth white and perfect. The bastard. Psychotic, murdering bastard.  “Don’t worry…how could I ever forget you, Inuyasha?”

Kagome hated Naraku in that moment, she realized. Not just because of the Jewel. But Inuyasha, no, from the look in his eyes, Inuyasha despised Naraku.

“I’m nowhere near finished.” Naraku stated again and then she could move. So could Inuyasha.

“You fucking—“ Inuyasha never finished the sentence as agonizing, electrifying pain tore through his body, seizing his muscles and locking them. Inuyasha’s voice hit her head, the sound horrible and tortured from the pain. All Naraku had done was lift his hand and he’d had Inuyasha under his hold.

“Now, now, Inuyasha. We can’t have that.” Naraku closed his fist around the Jewel and then it was gone. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. How could things have gone so terrible wrong?

Kagome felt the uneven beat of her heart as he turned those cold, merciless eyes on her.


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