InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Hauntings ❯ The Choosing ( Chapter 17 )

A/N: Hiya everybody! Special thanks to takari_lover for helping me out with the beginning to this chapter. As bitchy as you are to me, you're always there to help me with my blocks. My first and only flamer, I thank you.

 

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“A pretty woman is a welcome guest.”

Lord Byron
English poet & satirist

(1788 - 1824)

 

 

 

The hole was narrow, the aged wood biting deep into her side, but Kagome made it through. It was dark at first, her nose crinkled at the heavy coat of dust just sifting into the air. She heard the little girl, Rin, sneeze somewhere to the left of her and a faint annoyed grunt behind her told her the woman had managed to get through. A soft jingling echoed in the darkness, the direction as unclear as everything else.

 

The rainwater dripped from Kagome's hair and landed in dusty puddle around her feet, the harsher of the storm raging outside. As her eyes began to adjust she could make out large bookcases and ancient looking computers. No one had bothered looting the old library, and only the most valuable books were taken for the new library, nothing else had been disturbed. She could almost see what the library used to look like. Its high ceilings with large windows to let in the sunlight, comfortable couches and chairs resting exactly where they were left, books lay open on a table, its dusty pages the only indication of the time that had passed since the student had bee here studying them.

 

 

“Were did that pest get to?” Kagura asked rather loudly, disturbing the quiet scene in which the library lay. Suddenly the lights came on; the flash blinded them all for a moment, pain exploded through her head and colors danced in the light that now consumed the quiet library. She felt herself falling, darkness coming back to block her vision. Rin screamed, and Kagura was shouting something that no longer sounded like words.

 

(Thank you sooo much for the help takari! as short as it was, you have no idea how difficult a time I had writing something like that!)

 

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“Hey, miss? Girl! Are you ok? HEY!” Those words pounded in her head, screaming and clashing, like a harpy's screech. She could feel the chains that held her fast; flexing her fingers she blinked back the blots of color and neon crawlers that inhabited her vision. Slowly the images of the others filled her sight. Groaning she sat up. “Good, you're awake.” That woman, Kagura…when did she meet her again? Kagome couldn't remember, but she knew her…from somewhere.

 

Bringing her shackled wrists up to her face she cradled her head in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? Of course there would be people guarding the library. Inuyasha didn't just come here and capture himself. She should have been more careful. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dropped down onto her wet nightgown. She was cold and tired and hurt, she could feel the anger and hatred that now possessed Inuyasha and wept more. She couldn't stand this connection. She knew she was close to him, yet here she was, chained down and unable to reach him, to sooth away all the pain and sadness that clung to his heart.

 

The sound of chains scrapping together filled her ears, than warm arms surrounded her. She looked up to see Kagura, a worried look upon her face. A new wave of tears spilled from her as she threw herself at the woman, embracing her, clinging to her for all the support she could.

 

“Hmhmhmhmhm, as touching as this scene is, I believe I must intervene.” Kagome and Kagura looked up at the woman who laughed off in the shadows.

 

“What do you want with us?” The woman stepped from the shadows, holding a struggling Rin to her side. Kagome gasped at the beauty of her. Her turquoise eyes glimmering with excitement. Her hair was a delicate white, like a midnight snowfall, undisturbed in its glory. She wore decorated black cloak, unable to keep her love of beauty restrained in the confines of the modest cloth.

 

“Hello there, my name is Tsubaki. I shall be entertaining you this evening, that is, until your death.” A smile curved her full red lips, her eyes capturing Kagura's gaze. “My, my. What a pretty young thing you are.”

 

“Tsubaki?!” Sesshoumaru thought back to her. She had killed herself under the pressure of the modeling agency she worked for, the madness that came with having the most flawless figure, the most beautiful face, the most graceful appearance. She wasn't a particularly dangerous evil spirit. Stealing the beauty of young girls and women. Usually the girl just grew up plainer, or had a bad case of acne that left scars, or became so aware of every flaw in her body in the ghost's presence that she harmed herself, stopped eating, becoming thinner and ghastly pale, dark bags forming under their eyes. Sometimes the subject would die, but not often enough for her to be called a murderous ghost. Her having a physical form was puzzling…maybe more so than the sudden leap in the schedule.

 

“I do not think you are here to introduce yourself and flatter us. Release the child now.” Kagura's eyes narrowed dangerously, her grip on Kagome's shirt tightening. She knew very well that she could do nothing should the woman refuse to let Rin go. She was chained just as securely as Kagome was.

 

“Oh my, yes” her eyes shifted to Kagome, the girl stiffened under her intense gaze. “You are lovely as well child, how fortunate to be in the presence of such lovely young women.” her grip on Rin never loosened and Kagura began to shake. The woman's stance became all the more seductive, her lips pouting and she clucked her tongue, tsking at Kagome's disheveled appearance, her muddy nightgown and puffy red eyes. Kagura felt every obvious flaw in her own appearance. Her strength waned and she felt faint. What was happening?

 

Kikyou and Nuraku floated about the room, watching wearily the large snake that shifted from shadow to shadow, knowing full well that its venomous bite implanted the doubts and drained strength. They had not noticed it before, not until it and made the strike at Kagura. They were quite surprised to see it release the woman at their charge. Being a spirit itself the snake is vulnerable to their attacks.

 

Sesshoumaru was becoming increasingly edgy. His task as a reaper not quite finished yet, he could not abandon the job until he decided the child's future, but what had set these events in motion so early? Tsubaki's grip on Rin tightened. She would kill Rin first, he knew that. The others would eventually escape, their shackles being as rusty at they were, it would only take Kagura a few tries to break free, but only if the child died…but if the child didn't die?

 

Shippo suddenly jumped out of the shadows onto the woman, shrieking she released Rin, grabbing at the young fox she threw it across the cell. It hit the bars with a yelp and collapsed. Rin let out a small scream as the woman turned her gaze to her, the snake lunging from the shadows to where the child lay. Nuraku zoomed after it, blocking its path. The snake collided with the spiritual wall he created, Kikyou coming up beside him quickly to add her strength, creating a domelike shield around the three females.

 

Tsubaki advanced upon the child, Kagura letting out a feeble cry as she tried to move to Rin, her strength almost completely gone. The shield didn't hold up against the woman's physical body, and Tsubaki passed through it with ease. Sesshoumaru had only a few seconds to make his choice. Would the child's life change the outcome? Her death would give Kagura her strength back, but if she lived…he had never felt so pressured before…he had always remained indifferent to the deaths, the outcomes. Life, death, it meant nothing to him. But this child…she deserved to live. He wanted her to live. Her death would be of great importance, but… so could her life.

 

Having made his decision he clasped his hands together, a light spread through his being, slowly enveloping his pale figure, climbing up to his laced fingers. Spreading his arms apart the light fled his body to become a beam of silver light between his palms. Quickly he grasped the beam, the light becoming a solid long handle and a long curved single-edged blade at his touch. Gathering his strength he swung his scythe.