InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Naraku's Expiriment ❯ Mt. Hakurei/Breaking a Mirror ( Chapter 27 )

Chapter 27 ~ Mt. Hakurei/Breaking a Mirror

 

Inuyasha grabbed Autumn and lunged to the side before the wind tunnel could suck them up. Autumn turned around and stared at him. “Why are you helping me?”

 

“We're a team,” Inuyasha said, not meeting her eyes. “In this team, we help each other out.”

 

Miroku did not look happy about being thwarted, thought it was hard to tell. His face was extremely blank, and he kept raising his hand, letting the wind tunnel wreck whatever was in its path. “Stop it!” Sango shouted. “Miroku, knock it off!”

 

“He can't hear you Sango,” Kagome said. “You know that. Kanna stole his soul. There's no hope of him stopping until we get him back. He's like a puppet.”

 

“First Kohaku, now Miroku,” Sango said miserably. “Who will be next to fall victim to Naraku?” She got up and grabbed her boomerang. “Wherever Kanna is, Naraku is bound to be nearby. I bet Kanna's still in the forest!”

 

“I doubt it,” Inuyasha said. “That…” he dodged another blast. “…bastard is a coward. Always running away and sending people to do his dirty work.” Inuyasha landed back near the others. “He's probably long gone by now, cowering in his castle.”

 

“We have to try!” Sango said. “We can't just leave him like this!”

 

Inuyasha hit Miroku on the head so he passed out. “There, that'll hold him for a while. Now he can just take a nap like a good monk while we go and get his soul back.”

 

Kagome looked at him with disgust. “SIT BOY!”

 

Inuyasha tumbled to the ground, raising dust in the air where he fell. “KAGOME!” he whined. “What in the hells was that for?”

 

“Honestly, you are so insensitive sometimes,” she muttered. “Don't worry Sango,” Kagome said to Sango. “We'll get Miroku's soul back. Do you want to stay here with him?” she asked.

 

Sango nodded. “I think that's a good idea. I can protect the camp from any demons that pass by.”

 

Autumn looked at the devastated woman's face and realized that she probably wanted to spend some time alone with him. Sango likes Miroku. She had sort of realized it before, but it had always been a brief notion. She had never looked at the idea head-on. Miroku seemed like too much of a player to ever settle down with one woman unless it was a kind of game to him.

 

“You'll be all right, then?” she said softly to Sango.

 

Sango nodded, smiling brightly even though there were tears in those eyes. “Yeah, I'll be fine.”

 

Autumn hoped that it was true.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Naraku clutched the shards in his hand, grinning. Ah, the trusty miko Kikyo had brought him more shards. She truly was proving to be quite the worthwhile servant. It would be a shame to dispose of her clay body once her task was over. He shook the thought off. It would be easy to get new trusty and loyal servants. He only had to make them…or kidnap them. Anyway more shards meant…more power…he had all the shards possible except the one he had used on the Neko girl.

 

His frown faded, as he remembered. She had fled, the neko had. Turned tail and fled to Inuyasha. That made him mad. He was more powerful than Inuyasha—could offer more protection. And he was the one that had given her the powers in the first place. He couldn't understand why she would choose to use it against him. The hanyou had become mixed up in their foolish concept of morality.

 

Excitement always followed anger because it meant there would be a chase. A chase to catch the disobedient cat that had ran away from him. Then when he got the cat back, there would be much suffering on her part.

 

Kitties that disobeyed their masters had to suffer.

 

“Naraku?” The voice was humble, arrogant, and angry all at once. A voice that was unmatchable in quality and quantity of emotion. Kagura.

 

Naraku turned around and, sure enough, saw Kagura standing behind him, looking like she'd love nothing better than to plunge a dagger into his black heart. Kagura, dear, you're lucky you amuse me so or I'd absorb you like I did with the others…

 

“What do you want, Kagura?”

 

“Are you going somewhere?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. She glared at him with her red eyes looking irritatingly like a mother. Had he a mother? Perhaps once… he had forgotten what she looked like. Only that she had been human.

 

“Yes.” Naraku frowned down at his hand. The shards… he mustn't forget what he was doing. This was very important.

 

“Where?”

 

“Must I answer to you Kagura?” he asked. “Do you not remember whose castle this is?”

 

Kagura scowled. “The others are searching for Kanna. She stole the monks soul and now he is turning against them. They left him with the taijiya and are hunting her down in order to get it back.”

 

How delightful. Friends fighting against friends. Truly the best kind of fighting there was. His eyes lit up at the thought of it. “Kanna is quite capable of taking care of herself.” More than capable. Inuyasha had not yet been able to defeat her. Perhaps one day his soul would be added to her collection and then Inuyasha would be a mere puppet in their hands. That would be more than delightful. It would be ecstacy.

 

“What if they try to break in?” Kagura asked, breaking into his nightmarish daydreams.

 

“I've set up some golems,” he said carelessly. “They should warn you if there are any problems. Ignore Kikyo. If the others come here slaughter them however you wish.”

 

Kagura smiled slightly at the thought of killing Inuyasha. He had made quite a mockery of her before. She had almost died for it. But because she amused him, Naraku, so much, he had decided granting her another chance. She tried so hard to succeed…stupid bitch had this hope that she would get her heart back. Never. Kagura didn't know that. She was intent on getting revenge. Inuyasha had foiled her too many times. Now it was personal. Fights for revenge…also delightful.

 

“What about the girl?” she asked hesitantly.

 

He froze. “The girl?” he said slowly.

 

“The hanyou bitch,” Kagura said shortly.

 

Naraku shrugged and turned away from her. “If you can catch her…lock her up. I'll deal with her when I get back.” Fight against a traitor…satisfying. Very satisfying. Traitors were dealt with very harshly in this castle. Kagura had learned that when she had tried to kill him.

 

But he gave her a second chance because she amused him.

 

“Where are you going?” she asked again.

 

“Why,” he said turning towards her, “do you care?”

 

Kagura took an uneasy step backwards. “Hakudoushi will not let up,” she said. “He wishes to know where you are going so that he will know when you will get back. He does…not like serving under me.”

 

Naraku laughed. “I'm going to Mount Hakurei. I am but a mere half-demon now. When I arrive back at this castle…I will be a full demon.”

 

Kagura's eyes widened in fear. “Full demon?”

 

“Yes…” he pulled on his baboon suit and grinned once more. “Full demon. Think of the possibilities.” He glided towards the door. Just before he disappeared from view, he turned around and said, “Kagura, do not attempt to escape while I am gone. Hakudoushi will not hesitate to inform me of any absence you indulged in that was not absolutely necessary.”

 

“I'll keep that in mind.” She vanished and Naraku exited the castle, in a pretty good mood. After all, when there was blood to be spilled and fights to be fought, how could you not be in a good mood?

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

As they ventured deeper into the forest, Autumn could not help but feel this sense of uneasiness. The darkness was bad. It was were are predators were born from. The darkness was Naraku. She shivered slightly.

 

“Bad memories?” Kagome asked.

 

“You can't even imagine.” Naraku…he had wanted her to kill. He had left her to DIE. Now, he wanted her back. Her friends were being afflicted by her problems. She was like a black hole in the center of gravity and they were planetary bodies revolving around that dying sun, slowly being killed by the effects of the darkness.

 

A black hole.

 

Would she really lead to the deaths of them all?

 

Kagome pulled out her bow, holding it close to her as a child would with a favored stuffed animal. They were all afraid but determined to get Miroku's soul back. That was what friends did. They helped each other out. Sango was depending on them.

 

“What exactly are we looking for?” Inuyasha said at last.

 

“Kanna,” Kagome said. “The little white haired girl who often walks at Naraku's side? Her mirror possesses souls. You know that. Why are you being so…”

 

“Dumb?” Inuyasha suggested.

 

“I was going to say obtuse.”

 

“That means dumb, doesn't it!” Inuyasha said.

 

Kagome frowned into the darkness. “Yeah, well, I was trying to spare you feelings.”

 

“Didn't work.”

 

“Forgive me,” Kagome said.

 

Autumn felt another chill. They were friends. Why were they fighting amongst each other? United they stood, divided they fell. If they were at each other's necks who would be able to stop Naraku?

 

“Guys,” Autumn said. “Cut it out.”

 

“Sorry,” Kagome said.

 

“Sorry,” Inuyasha said, sounding genuinely sorry. His gold eyes surveyed the darkness ahead and then he said, “Maybe I should take the lead.”

 

Kagome looked like she might protest, but a loud crack from the nearby bushes sent her running back towards Autumn. “This is scary,” she said. Both Autumn and Kagome jumped as a loud crack sounded from behind them.

 

Inuyasha looked around wildly, hand on the handle of the tetsusaiga.

 

A soft sound from behind claimed their attention. “Your soul…”

 

Autumn turned around and saw a beautiful little girl of about ten years hold, holding a mirror in her pale, graceful hands. The girl may have been beautiful, but it was a frigid beauty like an iceberg. The girl's eyes were blank and she bore Naraku's mark on her; a dark aura and bitter, choking smell of demonic miasma.

 

“Kanna,” Kagome said in disbelief. “She's got Miroku's soul. What should we do?”

 

Inuyasha did the only thing he knew how to do, pulled out the tetsaiga and started swinging it around like a madman. Just when I thought he was more than just a hormone-driven blockhead—he turns into a hormone-driven blockhead.

 

“Inuyasha, be careful!” Kagome instructed.

 

Kanna swiveled on her feet towards Autumn. “Master…wishes for you to return.”

 

Her breath caught in her throat. Breathing suddenly became a major-league challenge. “No,” she said. “I won't return. Never. I'm not going to return to Naraku in a million years.”

 

Kanna held out her mirror towards Kagome and Inuyasha shoved her out of the way. “Thanks,” Kagome said, from her new position on the ground. “But do you think you can be a bit less violent next time?”

 

“That's the thanks I get for saving a girl?” Inuyasha said skeptically. “Feh. Should've let you get what you had coming to you.”

 

Inuyasha used his solution for everything; cuffed Kanna on the head, efficiently knocking the young girl out. The boy had no compassion. Careful to hold it away from himself, he picked up her mirror and broke it. Some souls flew out of the cracked pieces and drifted away.

 

“Inuyasha,” Autumn said. “Breaking a mirror is seven year's bad luck.”

 

He shrugged. “She's got loads of these things. Naraku'll make her a new one. It's all right.”

 

That wasn't what she had meant.

 

Since the souls were freed, they could go back to the clearing and hope that Miroku had revived once he got his soul back. The return was easier than the previous journey, now that they had finished their quest there was no need for panic. The enemy was vanquished.

 

“I'm just glad that's over with,” Inuyasha muttered. “Little white haired---”

 

“Didn't that strike you as just the slightest bit too easy?” Kagome asked.

 

“Hey, I'm not complainin'” Inuyasha said. “Are you, Kagome?”

 

“No, but…”

 

“Stop fighting,” Autumn said. “We're at the clearing.”

 

They looked and saw Sango sitting next to Miroku. Miroku had clearly revived and his first reflex had been to grab Sango's butt which had resulted in a red hand mark right across his face. Autumn smiled at the familiar sight until she realized that Miroku and Sango were not alone.