InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Malice ❯ Trapped: Overwhelming Darkness ( Chapter 40 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: kanna37 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 05.26.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 558 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 05.26.2010 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 558 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 40: Trapped: Overwhelming Darkness
Kagome began panicking the moment she felt herself surrounded by the cloying, suffocating feel of flesh around her; suddenly, she understood perfectly what Sesshoumaru must have felt when Naraku had tried to swallow him.
Oh, not that she had been there, and he himself had never spoken of it, but Inuyasha had a few times; even with the problems that had existed between he and his brother at the time, he had been disgusted and horrified to realize what that lump of flesh had been when he'd arrived in the castle forecourt - and relieved when his brother had broken out of it.
But now, all Kagome could feel was panic - on several levels.
She couldn't breathe, as she was surrounded by oily feeling flesh, and the memory of Naraku's attack on her only made matters worse - this might be the Obake, but Naraku also existed within this body, and that thought, more even than the lack of air, pushed her straight into a shocked panic.
Then she felt something else, and her panic expanded, though this time, on someone elses behalf; Kikyou had been snatched with her - and was slumped and barely breathing.
Calm, breathed a presence in her mind. We must be calm. First, air. Concentrate, and bring enough of our purity to the surface to open a channel for air.
Kagome didn't even question the voice, or the fact that it was speaking in her mind, she simply focused, and followed the directions it was giving her. In her panic, anything that wasn't Obake or Naraku was deemed as safe, and she obeyed without question.
As her reiki gathered, and responded to her call, the flesh surrounding her drew away, and she was suddenly able to draw air again; gasping, sucking in breath after breath, she almost passed out in sheer relief - it had been like drowning, and she had been very close to death for several moments there.
Good... now, speak to the other miko, find what is wrong with her.
Her eyes widened - Kikyou! Moving as best as she was able to, she reached down and grabbed ahold of the woman, grimacing in disgust at the feel of the flesh surrounding them both. But finally, through sheer will, she managed to grasp Kikyou and pull her upright. With the glow surrounding her from her reiki, she was able to see the miko weakly flutter her eyes open, and lock gazes with her.
"Kikyou, what's wrong?" she asked, beginning to panic again at the almost non-existent pulse of the older miko.
A slight smile crossed the face of the woman. "It has been too long without an infusion of souls - and then the long battle... and now, what is left is being sucked away by this cocoon of evil flesh."
Eyes flashing with sudden determination, she shook her head in denial. "No! I won't let this happen! Just hang in there for a few more moments, Kikyou."
Confused, Kikyou watched, barely conscious, as Kagome closed her eyes, and frowned, concentrating very hard on something. What...?
I don't know who you are, or what you are, but you've been talking in my head, so tell me how I can help Kikyou, Kagome demanded of the voice in her mind.
I am you, and I am the shikon, and I am Inuyasha, the voice whispered back. If we really want to help the other one, then we must give up more of the soul within us - but be aware, to do so will tie her even more firmly to us. Are we willing to be tied in such a way? Especially to her?
Kagome didn't even have to think about it, everything in her answered with a resounding Yes!
Very well, then... this is what we must do.
The instructions flashed into her mind; she followed without question as the transfer of more of her soul began, and Kikyou gasped in shocked surprise as strength, and life, suddenly began to flow into her.
"Kagome, what are you doing?" she whispered. "I expected to die in this battle, there is no need for you to do this!"
"No!" Kagome replied. "You don't deserve this," she said fiercely. "Too much was asked of you, and taken from you, and if I can change your fate, then I will!" She shuddered, then. "You and I, together, are going to fry this bastard, and then we're going to get out of here, and you are going to live!"
Kikyou was silent for a few moments as more strength filtered into her, and her flesh warmed - she was stunned as the realization of just how determined Kagome was to save her came through the new bond between them.
But there was also pain - with more of the soul that was now shared between three people, she was subjected to intense pain at the memories of the rape that Kagome had suffered through, and she gasped, then... she couldn't believe how strong the girl truly was to have maintained her purity of heart, and her sanity.
If it had been her, they would have failed, and Naraku would have won.
With a shake of her head, Kagome proved not only that she now knew Kikyou's thoughts, but that she disagreed. "It wasn't just me, Kikyou. If it hadn't been for you, Inuyasha, and the others, I would have failed. I needed all of you to pull through, you know."
With a sigh, Kikyou just smiled, putting aside the argument for another time. "So... what are going to do to get out of this?"
Kagome frowned, that surge of disgust once again going through her, and she tightened her hands into fists to keep the panic at bay. "I don't know, yet... give me a few minutes to think about it."
With that, they both fell silent, and Kagome went back to the voice in her mind, which, if it were to be believed, was just another part of herself - and Inuyasha... and now Kikyou, as well.
What do we do? she asked herself.
We must begin to purify parts of this body - the parts that were once Naraku. Obake must be dealt with in a different way, but first... the spider. It is he that is in temporary control right now - Obake is discovering that there are some things even he should not eat.
With a hiss, Kagome paled, the thought that Naraku was still capable of consciousness frightening her, and Kikyou immediately picked up on that fear.
"Naraku," she said, and Kagome nodded jerkily. Kikyou's eyes narrowed with hatred. "So, we need to purify the parts that were once him, huh?"
Before Kagome could respond, a voice slithered through the flesh surrounding them - one both women knew quite well - though they'd never heard him sound so mad.
"Kagome," he whispered, "I have you... Ka-go-me, Ka-go-me... and even Kikyou. Two bodies... one soul. And I own you," he said, in a sing-song voice. "All mine, all mine..."
Kagome stiffened so much that for a moment it almost felt as though she'd damaged some muscles, flashbacks hitting her with all the subtlety of a battering ram, and Kikyou gasped at the shock. But then Kagome's eyes narrowed in righteous rage, and her reiki rose at her command, twining itself around both women as she sent it against the pieces of the body around them that she could feel were part of the spider.
"You don't own anything, Naraku," she spat. "You're nothing but a weak, spiteful coward, always hiding in the dark and getting others to fight your battles. Now it's time to pay the piper!"
And the voice began to scream, as all the parts of him that were youkai began to disintegrate as the flesh around her and Kikyou began to smoke, and even the Obake shuddered in pain.
As Kagome pressed on, Obake tried to yank control back from the now greatly weakened spider, even as he also began to weaken with the direct contact with the dangerous female from within... and the attack from a maddened hanyou from without.
But Kagome wasn't about to let up, not until every youkai part of Naraku was gone - leaving only Onigumo, in all his human weakness behind. For every second of pain and degradation he'd forced on her, she burned more of him away, until he was begging to die - pleading to be sent to hell.
And then she took his only hope away, and crushed it.
"Never, Naraku! Your fate is going to be far worse than hell, let me tell you!" She laughed angrily, triumphantly, then. "Or should I say Onigumo? Because everything that made you Naraku is now gone!"
At that, Kikyou sent out her own reiki, and grinned just as triumphantly; Kagome spoke only the truth - Naraku was gone, and only a pale, pathetic, powerless thief remained.
In that moment, the two women found themselves thrust out of the flesh that had surrounded them, as the Obake took back control, and fled from them, his entire system disrupted by the reiki of the two women - and the loss of the strong youki of the former spider hanyou.
As the two dropped to the ground unceremoniously, they completely ignored the pain of it, and hugged to each other, laughing, and feeling at peace for the first time in months for one - and years, for the other.
Because finally, their vengeance was almost complete - once what was left of Onigumo was gone, it would be.
Now... what was left was to destroy Obake - because once he was gone, so would Onigumo be.
There was total panic within the group, as everyone's fear for both women reached a high point - and fear of Inuyasha and his enraged scream. They all knew that his demon blood had just gained control - his mate was gone... and no youkai would be able to withstand that.
But the group's fears that Inuyasha would turn on them were unfounded; the hanyou turned youkai immediately went after the Obake, completely ignoring the darkness, or any dangers. He would retrieve his mate - or the world would end this day.
As the rest of the group chased after Inuyasha, they were able to see enough of the Obake with the light that Sesshoumaru held, to note that something was happening inside his flesh, and hope seared through them all - perhaps Kagome and Kikyou still lived, and were fighting him from the inside?
Inuyasha, however, didn't notice anything, and began attacking the Obake from the outside, using claws made even more deadly than usual, drawing blood without remorse as he fought like a madman to claw his way through the creature, trying to reach his mate.
"Kagome!" he howled, desperate for an answer, sniffing madly as he tried to catch any scent of her from within the filthy smell of the Obake. "Mate, answer me!"
The rest of the tachi was stunned at the ferocity of his attacks as they got spattered with blood and body parts from the now severely damaged Obake, even Sesshoumaru wide-eyed at what he was seeing.
Just as Inuyasha was ready to completely lose himself to the madness of loss, the Obake shuddered, and the two women landed in the gore on the ground, clutching to each other tightly, and laughing, to the complete astonishment of everyone - even Inuyasha.
He growled low in his chest, ignoring the now running Obake, darting forward to yank his mate away from the other woman, and into his chest as he madly inhaled her scent, making sure she was truly unharmed. "Why did you not answer this one, mate?" he demanded, and Kagome was abruptly made aware that Inuyasha had lost control of his youkai.
She hugged to him, submitting as she bared her throat in an attempt to calm him. "I didn't hear you, Inuyasha," she murmured soothingly. "Kikyou and I were trapped inside that thing, and Naraku took control from the Obake - but he was mad, and then I purified all his youki, making him nothing but Onigumo again. Then Obake took control back and pushed me and Kikyou out."
The whole group had by that time gathered around, and were amazed that Naraku had still been a conscious being - once Obake had swallowed him, he should only have been a part of the greater creature, and not maintained his own mind at all.
Kikyou sat where she'd fallen, still somewhat stunned. It was only mere minutes that we were trapped within that foul creature - yet it seemed like hours! And even so, we both destroyed Naraku... our vengeance is nearly complete. Kagome... I owe you so much...
She could feel every bit of what Inuyasha and Kagome were feeling, and thinking, as well, and as Inuyasha let loose a bit in his hold on his mate, Kagome reached over, and drug her back into her arms, as all three clung to each other in comfort.
What Kagome had done by sharing so much more of her soul, would take some time to fully understand - but the three of them would never be separated; though Inuyasha did not see Kikyou as his mate, now that their souls were so entwined, she was akin to a twin to both he and Kagome...
They were pack, even more so than the others - permanently inseparable... and glad to be so.
"I almost died," Kikyou whispered, and Inuyasha stared at her, red eyes startled, even as they began to fade back to gold.
"What?"
"I was dying... too long without an infusion of souls, and then the fight... once we were taken, my strength ran out, and I was dying." She tried to hold back the tears, but couldn't, and Kagome hugged her even closer, marveling at her warming flesh. "Kagome... she gave me more of her soul," she murmured. "To save me. Even after the things I did to her when I first was brought back."
Inuyasha turned awed golden eyes on his blushing mate, so much love and worship in them that she was transfixed. "I love you, K'gome," he muttered fiercely, as he clutched both women tighter and the three held to each other as though they would never let go. "And I love you, too, Kikyou... just differently than Kagome."
Kikyou nodded. "I know, Inu... I can feel it." She looked up at Kagome. "You can, too, can't you?"
Kagome smiled in affirmation. "Yeah... I can." Then she pulled away, and stood up, holding out both hands to grab the other two and pull them up, too. "And now, we need to finish this... in order to completely gain our justice against Naraku, we have to destroy the Obake - so that Onigumo is finally gone."
Sesshoumaru caught her gaze, even as the others murmured in agreement, and said, "I would think that we have gained somewhat on that goal, miko - with the damage you caused, and the injuries inflicted by Inuyasha, Obake is definitely much weakened - though I do not think we will win by conventional battle. He heals too quickly."
"Yeah," she muttered, scowling. "It's going to be hard to beat him... I'm not sure how we're gonna do it, either."
"Well, Sesshoumaru did say you were the key to his defeat, Kagome," Koga said.
Miroku nodded thoughtfully as he looked off into the darkness. "But it seems as though there are several ways to beat him - do not forget, daylight is coming... soon - and the creature cannot escape it."
"It will certainly weaken the Obake," Sesshoumaru agreed, "but I do not think that it will be enough to completely destroy him. In the end, that responsibility lies on the miko's shoulders."
Kagome met Kikyou's gaze, then turned to stare at the rest of the group, and huffed in irritation, stress pouring from her aura.
"That's all well and good, Sesshoumaru... but how?"
The daiyoukai stared back at her silently for a few moments, then said, "That, miko, is a good question - but it is one that only you can answer. This one does not know."
How did this all go so wrong?! It was that spider... I never should have taken him in!
Dragging a good portion of his body behind him , and hanging on to consciousness by mere threads, the composite creature frantically fought to stay awake, determined that he would not fall at this group's hands.
Unfortunately, things were not looking good for him.
Damaged severely already, thanks to Naraku's stupidity in taking the woman inside his body, he'd then been attacked viciously by the woman's mate - her very powerful mate. He'd been nearly shredded before he'd been able to evict his unwanted guests, and it was not an experience he ever wanted to repeat.
Making his way as swiftly as possible towards the entryway that he'd come in by, he hissed in mortification and rising fear as he realized that they had sealed it - there was no escape now, and as he looked around, he began to panic even more as he understood what he'd done by allowing them to bait him as they had; he was stuck in the first cave... and daylight was approaching.
With a suffocating sense of doom, Obake began to realize that this was most likely his last few hours of life; he cursed the gods, fate, and most importantly... Naraku - and that dangerous bitch and her mate.
Crouching helplessly against the wall of the cavern with stalagmites hiding him from sight, he fought off the panic his predicament had set loose within him, and turned his energies to attempting to heal the bodily damage the hanyou turned youkai had inflicted.
His only chance was to stay as far back in the cavern as he was now, and avoid as much light as he could while he healed himself...
And hope like hell they didn't figure out his weakness to the young woman with the aura of purity. If he managed to make it out of this, and win...
He would make sure her suffering was greater than anyone elses had ever been.
At any rate, I hope that this fight is not disappointing anyone - battle scenes are the absolute hardest things to write, and this is the most detailed one I've written so far... and it could be a LOT more detailed, I know.
Still, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!
Amber
Kagome began panicking the moment she felt herself surrounded by the cloying, suffocating feel of flesh around her; suddenly, she understood perfectly what Sesshoumaru must have felt when Naraku had tried to swallow him.
Oh, not that she had been there, and he himself had never spoken of it, but Inuyasha had a few times; even with the problems that had existed between he and his brother at the time, he had been disgusted and horrified to realize what that lump of flesh had been when he'd arrived in the castle forecourt - and relieved when his brother had broken out of it.
But now, all Kagome could feel was panic - on several levels.
She couldn't breathe, as she was surrounded by oily feeling flesh, and the memory of Naraku's attack on her only made matters worse - this might be the Obake, but Naraku also existed within this body, and that thought, more even than the lack of air, pushed her straight into a shocked panic.
Then she felt something else, and her panic expanded, though this time, on someone elses behalf; Kikyou had been snatched with her - and was slumped and barely breathing.
Calm, breathed a presence in her mind. We must be calm. First, air. Concentrate, and bring enough of our purity to the surface to open a channel for air.
Kagome didn't even question the voice, or the fact that it was speaking in her mind, she simply focused, and followed the directions it was giving her. In her panic, anything that wasn't Obake or Naraku was deemed as safe, and she obeyed without question.
As her reiki gathered, and responded to her call, the flesh surrounding her drew away, and she was suddenly able to draw air again; gasping, sucking in breath after breath, she almost passed out in sheer relief - it had been like drowning, and she had been very close to death for several moments there.
Good... now, speak to the other miko, find what is wrong with her.
Her eyes widened - Kikyou! Moving as best as she was able to, she reached down and grabbed ahold of the woman, grimacing in disgust at the feel of the flesh surrounding them both. But finally, through sheer will, she managed to grasp Kikyou and pull her upright. With the glow surrounding her from her reiki, she was able to see the miko weakly flutter her eyes open, and lock gazes with her.
"Kikyou, what's wrong?" she asked, beginning to panic again at the almost non-existent pulse of the older miko.
A slight smile crossed the face of the woman. "It has been too long without an infusion of souls - and then the long battle... and now, what is left is being sucked away by this cocoon of evil flesh."
Eyes flashing with sudden determination, she shook her head in denial. "No! I won't let this happen! Just hang in there for a few more moments, Kikyou."
Confused, Kikyou watched, barely conscious, as Kagome closed her eyes, and frowned, concentrating very hard on something. What...?
I don't know who you are, or what you are, but you've been talking in my head, so tell me how I can help Kikyou, Kagome demanded of the voice in her mind.
I am you, and I am the shikon, and I am Inuyasha, the voice whispered back. If we really want to help the other one, then we must give up more of the soul within us - but be aware, to do so will tie her even more firmly to us. Are we willing to be tied in such a way? Especially to her?
Kagome didn't even have to think about it, everything in her answered with a resounding Yes!
Very well, then... this is what we must do.
The instructions flashed into her mind; she followed without question as the transfer of more of her soul began, and Kikyou gasped in shocked surprise as strength, and life, suddenly began to flow into her.
"Kagome, what are you doing?" she whispered. "I expected to die in this battle, there is no need for you to do this!"
"No!" Kagome replied. "You don't deserve this," she said fiercely. "Too much was asked of you, and taken from you, and if I can change your fate, then I will!" She shuddered, then. "You and I, together, are going to fry this bastard, and then we're going to get out of here, and you are going to live!"
Kikyou was silent for a few moments as more strength filtered into her, and her flesh warmed - she was stunned as the realization of just how determined Kagome was to save her came through the new bond between them.
But there was also pain - with more of the soul that was now shared between three people, she was subjected to intense pain at the memories of the rape that Kagome had suffered through, and she gasped, then... she couldn't believe how strong the girl truly was to have maintained her purity of heart, and her sanity.
If it had been her, they would have failed, and Naraku would have won.
With a shake of her head, Kagome proved not only that she now knew Kikyou's thoughts, but that she disagreed. "It wasn't just me, Kikyou. If it hadn't been for you, Inuyasha, and the others, I would have failed. I needed all of you to pull through, you know."
With a sigh, Kikyou just smiled, putting aside the argument for another time. "So... what are going to do to get out of this?"
Kagome frowned, that surge of disgust once again going through her, and she tightened her hands into fists to keep the panic at bay. "I don't know, yet... give me a few minutes to think about it."
With that, they both fell silent, and Kagome went back to the voice in her mind, which, if it were to be believed, was just another part of herself - and Inuyasha... and now Kikyou, as well.
What do we do? she asked herself.
We must begin to purify parts of this body - the parts that were once Naraku. Obake must be dealt with in a different way, but first... the spider. It is he that is in temporary control right now - Obake is discovering that there are some things even he should not eat.
With a hiss, Kagome paled, the thought that Naraku was still capable of consciousness frightening her, and Kikyou immediately picked up on that fear.
"Naraku," she said, and Kagome nodded jerkily. Kikyou's eyes narrowed with hatred. "So, we need to purify the parts that were once him, huh?"
Before Kagome could respond, a voice slithered through the flesh surrounding them - one both women knew quite well - though they'd never heard him sound so mad.
"Kagome," he whispered, "I have you... Ka-go-me, Ka-go-me... and even Kikyou. Two bodies... one soul. And I own you," he said, in a sing-song voice. "All mine, all mine..."
Kagome stiffened so much that for a moment it almost felt as though she'd damaged some muscles, flashbacks hitting her with all the subtlety of a battering ram, and Kikyou gasped at the shock. But then Kagome's eyes narrowed in righteous rage, and her reiki rose at her command, twining itself around both women as she sent it against the pieces of the body around them that she could feel were part of the spider.
"You don't own anything, Naraku," she spat. "You're nothing but a weak, spiteful coward, always hiding in the dark and getting others to fight your battles. Now it's time to pay the piper!"
And the voice began to scream, as all the parts of him that were youkai began to disintegrate as the flesh around her and Kikyou began to smoke, and even the Obake shuddered in pain.
As Kagome pressed on, Obake tried to yank control back from the now greatly weakened spider, even as he also began to weaken with the direct contact with the dangerous female from within... and the attack from a maddened hanyou from without.
But Kagome wasn't about to let up, not until every youkai part of Naraku was gone - leaving only Onigumo, in all his human weakness behind. For every second of pain and degradation he'd forced on her, she burned more of him away, until he was begging to die - pleading to be sent to hell.
And then she took his only hope away, and crushed it.
"Never, Naraku! Your fate is going to be far worse than hell, let me tell you!" She laughed angrily, triumphantly, then. "Or should I say Onigumo? Because everything that made you Naraku is now gone!"
At that, Kikyou sent out her own reiki, and grinned just as triumphantly; Kagome spoke only the truth - Naraku was gone, and only a pale, pathetic, powerless thief remained.
In that moment, the two women found themselves thrust out of the flesh that had surrounded them, as the Obake took back control, and fled from them, his entire system disrupted by the reiki of the two women - and the loss of the strong youki of the former spider hanyou.
As the two dropped to the ground unceremoniously, they completely ignored the pain of it, and hugged to each other, laughing, and feeling at peace for the first time in months for one - and years, for the other.
Because finally, their vengeance was almost complete - once what was left of Onigumo was gone, it would be.
Now... what was left was to destroy Obake - because once he was gone, so would Onigumo be.
zZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz
In the moment that the two women disappeared, absolute darkness once again fell over the group, as the glow of their reiki was taken away, and Sesshoumaru instantly went for the miko's bag, feeling around until he was able to find a flashlight, and switch it on.There was total panic within the group, as everyone's fear for both women reached a high point - and fear of Inuyasha and his enraged scream. They all knew that his demon blood had just gained control - his mate was gone... and no youkai would be able to withstand that.
But the group's fears that Inuyasha would turn on them were unfounded; the hanyou turned youkai immediately went after the Obake, completely ignoring the darkness, or any dangers. He would retrieve his mate - or the world would end this day.
As the rest of the group chased after Inuyasha, they were able to see enough of the Obake with the light that Sesshoumaru held, to note that something was happening inside his flesh, and hope seared through them all - perhaps Kagome and Kikyou still lived, and were fighting him from the inside?
Inuyasha, however, didn't notice anything, and began attacking the Obake from the outside, using claws made even more deadly than usual, drawing blood without remorse as he fought like a madman to claw his way through the creature, trying to reach his mate.
"Kagome!" he howled, desperate for an answer, sniffing madly as he tried to catch any scent of her from within the filthy smell of the Obake. "Mate, answer me!"
The rest of the tachi was stunned at the ferocity of his attacks as they got spattered with blood and body parts from the now severely damaged Obake, even Sesshoumaru wide-eyed at what he was seeing.
Just as Inuyasha was ready to completely lose himself to the madness of loss, the Obake shuddered, and the two women landed in the gore on the ground, clutching to each other tightly, and laughing, to the complete astonishment of everyone - even Inuyasha.
He growled low in his chest, ignoring the now running Obake, darting forward to yank his mate away from the other woman, and into his chest as he madly inhaled her scent, making sure she was truly unharmed. "Why did you not answer this one, mate?" he demanded, and Kagome was abruptly made aware that Inuyasha had lost control of his youkai.
She hugged to him, submitting as she bared her throat in an attempt to calm him. "I didn't hear you, Inuyasha," she murmured soothingly. "Kikyou and I were trapped inside that thing, and Naraku took control from the Obake - but he was mad, and then I purified all his youki, making him nothing but Onigumo again. Then Obake took control back and pushed me and Kikyou out."
The whole group had by that time gathered around, and were amazed that Naraku had still been a conscious being - once Obake had swallowed him, he should only have been a part of the greater creature, and not maintained his own mind at all.
Kikyou sat where she'd fallen, still somewhat stunned. It was only mere minutes that we were trapped within that foul creature - yet it seemed like hours! And even so, we both destroyed Naraku... our vengeance is nearly complete. Kagome... I owe you so much...
She could feel every bit of what Inuyasha and Kagome were feeling, and thinking, as well, and as Inuyasha let loose a bit in his hold on his mate, Kagome reached over, and drug her back into her arms, as all three clung to each other in comfort.
What Kagome had done by sharing so much more of her soul, would take some time to fully understand - but the three of them would never be separated; though Inuyasha did not see Kikyou as his mate, now that their souls were so entwined, she was akin to a twin to both he and Kagome...
They were pack, even more so than the others - permanently inseparable... and glad to be so.
"I almost died," Kikyou whispered, and Inuyasha stared at her, red eyes startled, even as they began to fade back to gold.
"What?"
"I was dying... too long without an infusion of souls, and then the fight... once we were taken, my strength ran out, and I was dying." She tried to hold back the tears, but couldn't, and Kagome hugged her even closer, marveling at her warming flesh. "Kagome... she gave me more of her soul," she murmured. "To save me. Even after the things I did to her when I first was brought back."
Inuyasha turned awed golden eyes on his blushing mate, so much love and worship in them that she was transfixed. "I love you, K'gome," he muttered fiercely, as he clutched both women tighter and the three held to each other as though they would never let go. "And I love you, too, Kikyou... just differently than Kagome."
Kikyou nodded. "I know, Inu... I can feel it." She looked up at Kagome. "You can, too, can't you?"
Kagome smiled in affirmation. "Yeah... I can." Then she pulled away, and stood up, holding out both hands to grab the other two and pull them up, too. "And now, we need to finish this... in order to completely gain our justice against Naraku, we have to destroy the Obake - so that Onigumo is finally gone."
Sesshoumaru caught her gaze, even as the others murmured in agreement, and said, "I would think that we have gained somewhat on that goal, miko - with the damage you caused, and the injuries inflicted by Inuyasha, Obake is definitely much weakened - though I do not think we will win by conventional battle. He heals too quickly."
"Yeah," she muttered, scowling. "It's going to be hard to beat him... I'm not sure how we're gonna do it, either."
"Well, Sesshoumaru did say you were the key to his defeat, Kagome," Koga said.
Miroku nodded thoughtfully as he looked off into the darkness. "But it seems as though there are several ways to beat him - do not forget, daylight is coming... soon - and the creature cannot escape it."
"It will certainly weaken the Obake," Sesshoumaru agreed, "but I do not think that it will be enough to completely destroy him. In the end, that responsibility lies on the miko's shoulders."
Kagome met Kikyou's gaze, then turned to stare at the rest of the group, and huffed in irritation, stress pouring from her aura.
"That's all well and good, Sesshoumaru... but how?"
The daiyoukai stared back at her silently for a few moments, then said, "That, miko, is a good question - but it is one that only you can answer. This one does not know."
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Obake hissed and muttered to himself as he crouched, injured and, for the first time in centuries, truly afraid, behind several large boulders for a few moments, before once again moving on.How did this all go so wrong?! It was that spider... I never should have taken him in!
Dragging a good portion of his body behind him , and hanging on to consciousness by mere threads, the composite creature frantically fought to stay awake, determined that he would not fall at this group's hands.
Unfortunately, things were not looking good for him.
Damaged severely already, thanks to Naraku's stupidity in taking the woman inside his body, he'd then been attacked viciously by the woman's mate - her very powerful mate. He'd been nearly shredded before he'd been able to evict his unwanted guests, and it was not an experience he ever wanted to repeat.
Making his way as swiftly as possible towards the entryway that he'd come in by, he hissed in mortification and rising fear as he realized that they had sealed it - there was no escape now, and as he looked around, he began to panic even more as he understood what he'd done by allowing them to bait him as they had; he was stuck in the first cave... and daylight was approaching.
With a suffocating sense of doom, Obake began to realize that this was most likely his last few hours of life; he cursed the gods, fate, and most importantly... Naraku - and that dangerous bitch and her mate.
Crouching helplessly against the wall of the cavern with stalagmites hiding him from sight, he fought off the panic his predicament had set loose within him, and turned his energies to attempting to heal the bodily damage the hanyou turned youkai had inflicted.
His only chance was to stay as far back in the cavern as he was now, and avoid as much light as he could while he healed himself...
And hope like hell they didn't figure out his weakness to the young woman with the aura of purity. If he managed to make it out of this, and win...
He would make sure her suffering was greater than anyone elses had ever been.
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A/N: Okay, so the battle is going to carry over to one more chapter. It came out a bit differently than I'd thought, and so it extends things another chapter - but that's okay. I'd rather write more, than write less, and mess things up. And yes, Naraku is gone... but Onigumo is not - yet.At any rate, I hope that this fight is not disappointing anyone - battle scenes are the absolute hardest things to write, and this is the most detailed one I've written so far... and it could be a LOT more detailed, I know.
Still, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!
Amber