InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Journey ❯ 28 ( Chapter 28 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

"Where did Inuyasha go?" Kagome asked, worried.
"He was just here!" Shippo said, having just woken
up.
"I know. Perhaps we should stay here and wait for
him?" Miroku asked. Kagura nodded.
"That would probably be wisest. With any luck,
Inuyasha will be back soon, with two teenagers
trailing behind him."
*Inuyasha/Kohaku/Nari*
"Metal Chain Snake!" Kohaku's voice rang out,
slicing the youkai with his whip. It barely did damage.
"Earth Acopolyse!" Inuyasha bellowed, slicing the
youkai with bits of dirt and rocks from the floor.
The youkai just laughed.
"Keep trying. Your pitiful attacks will do no damage.
The girl, however," the youkai pointed to Nari. "-will
be coming with me. Rysuki ordered it so." The youkai
went to pick up Nari, but was stopped by Kohaku's metal
whip.
"You are going no where with my wife!" The whip struck
again and again, but the demon gave no cry of pain.
Kohaku searched for a weak spot, but there was none.
His throat was even covered by a thick layer of rock.
"Koha.. ku?" Nari asked feebly. She stirred a bit.
"Stay there Nari. Stay put, I'll protect you." Some
fear and urgency must have crept into his voice. Nari
opened her eyes and saw the youkai just as it hit Kohaku
in the head, temporarily knocking him out. It reached for
her.
"You will come with me." it said. Nari pushed herself up
unsteadily, but regained her balance. She saw Kohaku
bleeding and in pain, and she also saw Inuyasha hurt. She
was angery, and she knew niether pain nor fatigue. She
transformed into a hanyou, using a portion of her energy to
do so. This form would tire her out less then transforming
into a full youkai would.
"You hurt him!" Nari accused, rising into the air as the demons
hand grasped where she had been a moment before.
"Bite of the Wind!" Nari cried, sending little wind blades at
the demon. The blades tore through the youkai as if he were paper,
killing him in a manner of seconds what Kohaku and Inuyasha had
both failed at when they had had minutes. Nari was exhausted
from her fight, and slowly sank to the floor, morphing into a
human as she sank. At the same time, Kohaku's eyes fluttered
open. He pushed himself up with a groan and managed to crawl
to where Nari was.
"Nari....... you did it. I'm so proud of you........." he
drifted off, unable to hold onto consciousness. He was as
exhausted as she. Inuyasha was the only one still standing.
He strode over to the two teens and picked them both up.
"Great, now I have to carry both of you." Inuyasha traced
his path back to where the others were. He handed Kohaku
off to Koga, and they carefully made their way out of the
black castle, fortunatly meeting no more demons as they
exited. As soon as they had a clear field, they ran, all
the way back to the Miko's house, where they collapsed,
exhausted from carrying the two and all the running. Inuyasha
and Koga were given rooms, and Kohaku and Nari were placed
side-by-side in a room.
*Next Day*
Nari's eyes fluttered open. She turned over and saw Kohaku,
sleeping on the bed next to her. She clapsed his hand gentely,
remembering what they had been through. She also noticed
that they had been bandaged and medicine had been placed
on their wounds and cuts.
"Glad to see you're awake!" Kagome called from the doorway.
"You've been asleep for hours." Nari sat up.
"Thanks for bandaging Kohaku and myself. Was he badly hurt?"
Nari asked, conceren evident in her voice.
"Just some minor scratches. You had about the same." Kagome
said. "Inuyasha has already woken up, and Koga. The only
one that hasn't so far is Kohaku." Kohaku stirred slightly,
gripping Nari's hand a little tighter. His eyes fluttered open.
"Where am I?" He asked, yawning.
"The Miko's house." Inuyasha answered, coming in from the
hall. "You've been asleep for too long! We have more things
to learn that we could use to defeat Rysuki!"
"Inuyasha! Kohaku and Nari had a hard time yesterday! Let them
rest!" Kagome started angerily.
"No, he's right. We have to practice hard if we want to beat
him." Kohaku said. He got up, groaning slightly. Nari slid out
of her bed as well.
"I'll go tell Totosai that you are ready. You shouldn't use up
any moer time. Inuyasha's right, my father could attack at any
time." Nari said, leaving the three with a parting kiss from
Kohaku.
"I just saw Nari leave. So she and Kohaku are feeling better?"
Koga asked.
"Yes, we are. We have to get practicing too." Kohaku said.
Silently, he exited the room, followed by Inuyasha, Kagome,
and Koga.
*Practice*
"You're not trying hard enough!" Totosai yelled at them. "Try to
imagine something you love, and try to create a barrier of that
emotion!" They were working, unsuccessfully, on barriers.
Kohaku closed his eyes. He thought about Nari, and imagined his
feelings for her as a light, pouring down over him in a wide
circle. A gray shimmer started around him, flickered once, and
died. Totosai had noticed, however, and he immediantly started
telling everyone that Kohaku could do it.
"Oi, what were you thinking about?" Inuyasha asked. He had been
having trouble with it.
"Well, Nari." Kohaku blushed. "I imagined my feelings for her as
a light, shinning on me in a wide circle. That was when I had the
barrier up." He didn't mention that he had thought of Rysuki when
his barrier shattered, how much he hated Rysuki. Inuyasha decided
to try it. He thought of Kagome, of all the times he'd spent with
her, and how happy she had made him feel. He opened his eyes, and
saw a brownish-green glow all around him. He smiled. Well, if
Kikyo and Naraku could do it...... At the thought of those two,
he growled nad his barrier shattered. He cursed loudly.
"I almost had it!"
"That's wonderful Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed. She had been having
few problems with the barriers, but none could stay up for more then
a nanosecond. "How are you and Kohaku doing it?"
"That's for me to know. Feh!" Inuyasha said. Kagome looked at him
like a kicked puppy.
"Oh....." Inuyasha looked worried.
"Wait! Don't cry. I'll tell you already!" Instantly Kagome's face
cleared up, and she smiled.
"Just think of what you love and imangine your feelings for them as
light, then let it fall over you in a wide circle. That's all."
Kagome smiled.
"That's easy!" She closed her eyes and concentrated on all her memories
of Inuyasha and her family. She imagined it running over her and
surrounding her. A light blue barrier appeared around her.
"I did it!" She smiled. She had been the first to keep the barrier up
for more then thirty seconds. By now the others were catching on and
keeping their barriers up longer, or simply getting them up. Totosasi
was overjoyed.
"Yes! You figured out the secret to putting up your own barriers. Great
job! Now we can work on sending messages through barriers, and recognizing
each other by barrier signals and patterns, not just mental signitures.
Any questions?" Kagura surprised everyone by asking:
"Why was Naraku always able to put up strong barriers, even though his
intentions were impure? He had no love in him, and.......well, I think
we all know what I was thinking about." She cast a discreet look at Koga,
but the message was clear. Koga colored slightly, but unless you were near
him for a long time or knew him well, you wouldn't have been able to tell.
He looked the same as before.
"That was because he was thinking about the Shikon Jewel, whoch eh had a
passion for. I am not saying that he loved the Jewel," Totosai said, raising
a withered hand," just that he was focusing his energy on something he wanted,
just as you all want your family, am I correct?" Everyone nodded. They
understood.
"Now, it is my belief that Rysuki will try to impersonate you, so always
stay within sight of each other. Now, you recognize mental patterns through
barriers by........" The afternoon went by like that. They could recognize
each other through barriers, recognize barriers that others had set up, see
barriers that anyone had set up, and allow certain people through barriers and
keep others out. It was an exhaustings days work. They all were asleep as soon
as their heads hit their pillows, dreaming of tomorrow. They had been lucky,
Rysuki hadn't attacked at all today, but he might tomorrow.