InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ambiguity ❯ Sacrifices ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

~Sacrifices~

 

“I'm going to kill your ass good, Naraku!” Inuyasha shouted, slamming Tetsusaiga into the ground, “Kaze no kizu!” the yellow blades streaked towards Naraku with a vengeance bore only by hate.

Naraku's laugh echoed through the cavern just as one of his many tentacles shot through the wind scar.

`What? He cut through my attack?' the thought passed through Inuyasha's head just before the tentacle wrapped around his throat and lifted him bodily off the ridge, “Bastard…” he growled, dropping his sword and clawing at the limb cutting off his breathing.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome called in distress.

His eyes flicked sideways to her and, filled with new determination, began to struggle harder against the confinements.

“Are you prepared to die, Inuyasha?” Naraku taunted as another tentacle burst forth and wrapped itself around the hanyou's feet, stifling all struggles, “Is this all the fight you have left in you?”

In the next instant, Inuyasha felt himself being flipped over and saw that he was dangling by his feet over the boiling lava. The tentacle had released his neck, but the hot air in his face made it hard to breathe anyway. Growling, Inuyasha realized that he was completely at Naraku's mercy, sword-less and unable to cut himself free without falling into the bubbling substance below him.

“Have we given up already, half-breed? Such a pity… I expected more of a fight from you. Don't worry, death can't be too horrible… then again, I wouldn't know…” Naraku shook him hard, bouncing the hanyou off the rocky side of the chasm.

In his dizziness, Inuyasha felt his youkai pushing and begging for control to save their lives, felt the tentacle slowly relax, threatening to drop him, heard Kagome crying his name hysterically. She was going to be the last thing that he ever heard… her face swimming in and out of his mind…

`I won't give up!'

Roaring with determination, Inuyasha scrambled for a hand hold on the rocky side, just as the tentacle released him…

Then several things happened in quick succession. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a tentacle shoot out at Kagome, felt a blast of wind, heard Kagome scream, heard Naraku laugh, felt another blast of wind and the next thing the hanyou knew he was on the ledge again, face down and very much disorientated.

“What the…” he mumbled, rolling to his feet, grabbing up his sword and staring around. Kagome was cowering against the wall, part of the outcrop she was on crumbled away, Kagura was staring at Naraku, fan out and posed with a look of absolute defiance on her face, and standing on a ledge opposite him was the one person that if he never saw again in his life, it would be too soon.

“Sesshoumaru…” the hanyou growled at the white-haired youkai. But, his half-brother wasn't paying him the slightest attention. His eyes were fixed instead on Kagura and Naraku.

“I'm going to assume that your attack was directed at the girl and you merely missed, Kagura,” Naraku spoke in a deadly soft tone, “Yet, you have never missed before…”

Kagura lifted her chin. Gone were her days of listening to this man and letting him run her life. Her eyes flicked over to Sesshoumaru, then back to Naraku, “Assume nothing, Naraku!” she exclaimed, “I'll tell you everything,” she paused, opening and closing her fan idly, “I despise your being and wish to see you dead!” she shot wind blades at him, “Dance of Blades!”

One of Naraku's tentacles shot through her attack, but she was ready and sliced at it with her fan. Another shot at her from behind and wrapped around her, pulling her bodily off the ridge as it had with Inuyasha. She began to struggle against the hold, fear gripping her hard in her stomach.

“Come back to my body, Kagura, you defiant witch,” Naraku growled, slowly pulling her towards him. He hadn't even gotten her off the ledge when Sesshoumaru intercepted and cut through the tentacle with his sword, Tokijin. The wind sorceress was released and fell back to the ground.

Inuyasha seized the moment that Naraku was distracted with Kagura and began hopping ledges to get to Kagome. So, Kagura was on their side now… was it she who blasted him back up onto the ledge with her wind?

“I think not, insolent beast!” Naraku called, shooting a limb at the hanyou, throwing him off course. Inuyasha growled and backtracked, pulling out his sword to slice the interfering appendage.

“Inuyasha!” Kagome cried, fear evident in her voice. The heat was getting to her and she was incredibly dizzy. If Kagura hadn't blasted Naraku's tentacle away from her, she would have been dead. She didn't have the energy to move at all and her vision was blurry and disorientated.

“Kagome!” Inuyasha called out, hacking away as limb after limb assailed him. One retreated from his attacks and sailed straight for Kagome, “No!” he cried, sending his wind scar at the offending feeler. Another burst through his attack. “Damn it! Kagome!” he could see the fatigue in her eyes, and that escaladed his fear. She wasn't going to dodge it in time… and he couldn't save her…

Kagome screamed as the tentacle flew at her. She raised her arms up over her head, preparing for the blow…

A blast of wind ruffled her hair and when she looked up, she could see the remains of the limb bubbling and hissing in the lava below. Gasping, she glanced up at Kagura, who offered her a small nod before facing the attacks barraging her.

“Kagome,” Inuyasha called, leaping onto the ledge, “Kagome, are you alright?”

She shook herself out of her shock- Kagura had saved her again? - and turned to the hanyou, “Inuyasha…” she whispered, collapsing into his arms. She felt so lightheaded, “I was so scared…”

“Feh! Ain't nothing to worry about… I'm just glad you're okay…” he grumbled, holding her tight and stroking her hair. She was safe, back in his arms. His youkai purred.

“Inuyasha…” she whispered, closing her eyes, “I can't breathe…” breathing didn't matter really…. She was so content just to stay in his arms forever. If she did, maybe the sickening feeling of vertigo would leave her.

He gasped, remembering that they were in a volcano. Miroku's warning came back to him, faster than a bolt of lightning.

`No human would be able to stand the smell and the heat for more than a few hours!'

`Shit,' he thought to himself, `Gotta get her outta here!'

`Keep her awake, Inuyasha!' his youkai demanded, `If she passes out, there's no hope for either of us!'

“Damn…” he swore, shaking the girl in his arms gently, “Kagome, open your eyes, Kagome! Talk to me!” he needed to keep her attention so she didn't give up, “Come on! You got this far! Hang on and I'll get you outta here!” He looked up just in time to see another tentacle shoot for him. Before the hanyou could even think to swing his sword, Sesshoumaru's poison whip lashed out and severed the appendage.

“What the fuck?” Inuyasha growled, staring at the youkai. Did Sesshoumaru just save him? `Feh, stupid bastard! I don't need his help!'

“Flee, Inuyasha!” Sesshoumaru called, fending off a tentacle or two, “Take the miko and flee!”

“What? And leave all the fun to you? Fuck that!” Inuyasha called, but already he was hopping ledges, trying to find a way out of the cavern. But the walls were smooth with no outcrops. Escaping looked nil.

“I shall kill you where you stand, half-breed! You and your bitch!” Naraku exclaimed, sending his limbs soaring for Inuyasha. The hanyou snarled, holding Kagome out of the way and chopping and hacking. She squealed with fright and hid her face in his haori. That gave him relief that she was alive and holding on. Determined to get her out of here, he used his wind scar and blasted the squirming feelers away, but more came at him, faster and more furious. It was as if Naraku was resolved not to let Inuyasha leave.

“Dance of the Dragon!”

Inuyasha pushed Kagome up against the cavern wall and shielded her from the attack as Kagura's wind tore up the tentacles.

“Betraying wench!” Naraku screamed, sending half dozen offshoots in the wind youkai's direction.

She was ready though with another Dance of the Dragon attack. Feelers came at her, one after the other. She knew his intent. He meant to absorb her, absorb her like he had with Kanna only hours before. But, Kanna had complied willingly; Kagura wasn't about to follow suit. She would rather die than give up.

A tentacle wrapped around her arm, making her drop her fan and preventing her from attacking further, “Release me!” she cried, scratching at him with her nails. Another wrapped itself around her other arm and another around her waist, “No! Let go!” she screamed, struggling with all her might.

“Come to me, Kagura. Become one with my flesh!”

A whip of energy came out of nowhere and sliced through her confinements. Naraku shrieked in frustration as Kagura fell to the ground, peeling the remains off her body and picking up her fan. She glanced at Sesshoumaru, her savior, and he but spared her a small glance in return before continuing his attack on Naraku.

That's when it hit her. It was as if a light of revelation had suddenly come over her, blocking out the sounds of the battle ensuing around her. She could only hear the sound of her breathing as she glanced up at Inuyasha, valiantly trying to fend off Naraku's attacks as he attempted to make an escape that couldn't happen. She turned to regard Sesshoumaru, the only man she ever loved, almost nonchalantly sending Tokijin's energy at Naraku's main body, with occasional attacks aimed at the tentacles by Inuyasha, as if to give the hanyou slight reprieve. These were the people she trusted to kill Naraku, relied in their strengths and abilities. Sure, she had attacked them before, hated them once, but that was before she realized that she was being manipulated by Naraku, merely another puppet of his. She glanced up at the night sky, littered with stars, where her freedom was that she desired. Yet, she could never be free of Naraku unless he died, and he couldn't die whist she was still here on earth. He would live through her, just as he always had.

She looked at Inuyasha again, to Sesshoumaru, up at the sky, knowing somewhere above, Inuyasha's companions Sango and Miroku were there, waiting for the battle inside the crater to end. She was holding them up. They had no chance of killing Naraku while she was here. She was handing them their death by keeping them here. The miko, Kagome, she was going to die if she stayed in this crater, yet Inuyasha couldn't leave while Naraku assailed him with attacks. The hanyou couldn't even use his more powerful techniques; the sulfuric chemical in the air along with the sheer destructive power would kill them all in an instant.

Kagura turned to face Naraku again, letting her guard down. She didn't even flinch when the tentacles bombarded her, as they wrapped around her body. She didn't struggle, didn't fight, but she could see the whips of energy from both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru in their attempts to save her.

`Don't save me…' she called out silently, `Please… I'm saving you…' before her arm was completely immobilized, she reached up into her hair and pulled out a feather, hurling it in Inuyasha's direction, “Go!” she called as the feather transformed into a much larger one before the hanyou, “Please…”

A pulsation reverberated through her body, sending a white-hot fire through her veins. Kagura cried out in pain as another ripped through her. She knew what was happening. Naraku was absorbing her power, absorbing her youki energy, disintegrating her physical body. A tentacle slithered over her eyes, obscuring her vision. The last thing she saw was Sesshoumaru, standing there, watching her with that expression on his face, the cold detachment she loved, a merciless killer's face.

`Sesshoumaru, please, as my last request; kill this man who controls me, kill him and release me from my hell. Only then will I be free… in death, I shall finally be as free as the wind…'

Her infamous fan blade slipped from her slack hand and fell.

The lava below bubbled and churned in anticipation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the record, I *adore* Kagura…

Kaze no Kizu~ Wind scar

Youki~ demon aura/spirit

~Jesachi

All rights to Inuyasha and Co. belong to Rumiko Takahashi and I take the credit for any new characters that are introduced. Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.