InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Tribute ❯ The Beginnings of Yet Another Sinister Plan ( Chapter 16 )

THE TRIBUTE

by kittie le sabre

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE BEGINNINGS OF YET ANOTHER SINISTER PLAN

"You aren't going anywhere miko," Kuro growled in her ear running towards the opposite end of the room carrying the stunned woman. He began reciting a litany of strange words and an odd barrier appeared in front of them with archaic blue-black symbols writhing in midair. Kuro rushed towards the barrier, aware of the dog demon's aura shifting as he prepared to attack. The vengeful cat-demon scoffed silently without breaking his pace or concentration. Even as fast as Sesshoumaru-sama was, there was no way he would reach them in time before he and his captive phased into and then through the barrier that opened into the portal he had summoned.

The miko's power was drained from the fight earlier. Now she didn't have the strength to purify a tiny insect demon. She limply hung in Kuro's arms, resigned to her fate for the moment. Rin was with her mate and he would protect her from Naraku. Somehow she would escape Kuro.

Akiko heard Kuro murmur an incantation and a swirl of black mist encompassed them. The last thing she could hear was the sound of her own heart beat and her mind screaming for her niece.

Sesshoumaru impassively halted before the strange barrier as it consumed the pair and they vanished right before his eyes. For now, the taiyoukai allowed the nekomata to have his way. At any rate, his first concern was for Rin and their pup, before killing Naraku.

Kouga and his men had finished off the last of the youkai and where gathering more weapons when Inuyasha ran into the laboratory carrying Kagome. Sango and Miroku were close behind doing their best to avoid the carnage of the room.

"Oi asshole! Where's Naraku?" Inuyasha bellowed across the room in the High Demon tongue as he spotted Sesshoumaru whose stoic countenance revealed nothing as he returned to the scaffold and assisted his mate in standing. Rin was pressing her face into his clothing and weeping over the abduction of her aunt and the stress and strain of everything that had occurred when suddenly the hanyou and the others had appeared.

Before Inuyasha reached the scaffold, a blur appeared in the corner of his eye and he was almost nose to nose with Kouga who stood there smirking in his face.

"Where do you think you're going, Dog Breath?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and pulled his bio-tech weapon which was glowing in response to his reaction to the wolf youkai.

"Kouga! I thought something smelled worse than these carcasses!"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome tightly clutched him with her arms around his neck as he moved to and fro threatening to drop her from off his back. "Could you let me down please if you're gonna fight this guy." She was still weak from using her energy to keep the portal open and traveling through it.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha was a bit mortified about her request but what made matters worse was Kouga. The space pirate was lifting Kagome up off of HIS back and into his arms bridal style.

"Pretty One, please allow me to remove you from harm. Dog Turd still doesn't know what to do with a beautiful woman."

Kagome found herself mesmerized by electric blue eyes in an appealingly handsome face. She flushed in response to his words and the feel of his strong arms and bare muscular chest.

"Put her down! Now!" Inuyasha growled with Tetsusaiga in his grasp. The bio-tech weapon began powering up, glowing with intensity as the hanyou utilized his connection with the weapon to ascertain his rival's weaknesses by scanning his youki.

Kouga, still holding Kagome, grinned wickedly. A vivid blue-green glow surrounded him and the young woman.

"So you're Kagome?" Kouga murmured softly against her ear sending shivers up and down her spine. She shyly nodded, adding, "Higurashi."

"Where have I heard that name?" He frowned briefly before his eyes lit up, ignoring Inuyasha who was cursing and trying to use his claws to dissolve the barrier that Kouga had erected around him and Kagome. He'd replaced his bio-weapon not wanting to risk harming his sweetheart.

"Sankon Tessou!" Inuyasha yelled striking the barrier over and over but to no avail. In frustration he kept up the attack while Kouga continued his conversation with a bewildered Kagome.

"Oh yes! You're the daughter of the woman who sells antiques? The Higurashi family antiques dealers from The Alpha Shrine 7?" At her nod, Kouga smirked as his mind raced. It was perfect. She could also detect and trace the Shikon No Tama if his sources where correct. He would take her to his ship and they could follow Naraku.

Sango and Miroku were staring in dismay as their friend continued his litany of profanity and attacks. But then, Ginta and Hakkaku had wandered over to observe the scenario with expressions of bewilderment.

By the time Sesshoumaru phased across the room with Rin in his arms, Inuyasha was out of breath. He merely studied his brother for several moments, after noting Kouga's causal conversation with Kagome who seemed somewhat oblivious to what was happening.

"Inuyasha, your wench is totally distracted by the ookami youkai. I strongly suggest that we attend to more important matters." Rin glanced up at his impassive face, waiting for him to continue. She was glad to see Kagome and the others, especially after her ordeal.

Sango calmly walked over to Inuyasha and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Inuyasha was out of breath and unable to answer her. Kagome finally took note and began to struggle in Kouga's arms calling out his name.

"Inuyasha!"

Miroku grimaced when Inuyasha merely "keh'd" and looked away from her. Kagome responded by screaming at him. Kouga quickly lowered the barrier and sneered at Inuyasha.

"Seems the baka has worn himself out. What good are you to this lovely female, Dog Boy!"

A loud argument erupted between the two and escalated with Inuyasha grabbing Kagome by the legs and attempting to yank her out of Kouga's arms. Kouga held onto her torso and a tug-o-war ensued with Kagome screaming and wailing in anguish and anger.

"Owww! Put me down you jerks!"

Miroku, Sango, Ginta and Hakkaku tried to assist her and disengage the two males but and struggle and more chaos continued until finally a commanding voice dissolved everything.

"Enough."

There was enough venomous chilling menace in that word to make everyone cease and turn to look at Sesshoumaru who was glaring at them all.

"Rin and the females will be returning to the shiro. We require a ship so that we can track Naraku and destroy him."

"My Lord Sesshoumaru, I am a bounty hunter in my own right. If you declare that a price is on Naraku's head, I am obliged to hunt him down," Sango interjected.

Sesshoumaru did not deign to reply. It was of no importance to him what she did.

"We need Kagome to help us find the jewel," Inuyasha suggested. "She is the closest thing we have to a miko now that Akiko has been spirited away by that vengeful moron."

Rin began to silently cry at this reference to her aunt's disappearance. How can Sesshoumaru demand that she stay behind? Her aunt was missing and perhaps taken beyond their reach.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" Rin managed to say his name, and she felt him stiffen. She did not want to endanger their child either but Naraku could just as easily find her anywhere.

"Naraku knows how to use portals. He merges science and dark magic. Wouldn't I be safer with you?"

Sesshoumaru could not fault her reasoning, although he refused to agree with her aloud. They would take his ship, The White Phantom, to track down the Demon Lord of the North. The others could accompany the pirate if they wished. He turned away carrying his mate to make the needed preparations.

"Where the hell is he going?" Inuyasha exclaimed as Sesshoumaru and Rin were enveloped in a reddish mist and vanished before their eyes.

"Could you put me down?" Kagome angrily demanded. Inuyasha and Kouga lowered her to the ground with sheepish expressions.

"My guess is that he is going to make preparations for the hunt. Naraku IS still at large," Miroku stated.

"Well, my ship is too small for all of us," Sango said, looking around at everyone.

"I don't see a problem. Kagome will be going with us on The Phelan," Kouga announced, and before anyone could move he had dialed in the coordinates to transport Ginta, Hakkaku, Kagome and himself on board his ship.

Before Inuyasha or the others could stop him, Kouga was murmuring "ja ne" and the four all disappeared.

"Kagome!"

Sango and Miroku grimaced at his reaction. She peered over at the hanyou and suggested mildly to Miroku, "Should I tell him now that we can track Kouga's ship and get her once we board Kirara?"

When Inuyasha continued to curse and started wrecking Naraku's laboratory, Miroku shook his head.

"Let's just wait until he calms down first. Naraku's servants will be here any moment to see what all the noise is about and then he won't have a choice but to leave with us, if he doesn't butcher them all."

"Naraku has youkai cyborgs," Sango informed him lightly, grimacing at the racket and destruction Inuyasha was causing.

"Hmm, I see your point. Besides, the stench from these corpses will be enough to make his sensitive noise numb after awhile."

Sango contacted her bio-engineered ship while Miroku cautiously approached their irate friend.

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

Naraku was pacing on board his space craft, Hellsmouth, while his mind raced with the countless possibilities of "Plan B". There was more than one way to skin a youkai alive and he had access to the tools he would need in order to do whatever was needed.

The Shikon No Tama had countless uses and he was going to take action now.

Using his mental link to Kanna he gave her orders.

{Kanna, have Kagura man the ship. I need you to help me with the dimensional portal that I must prepare for.}

{Hai, Naraku-sama} Kanna promptly replied.

Naraku knew that he did not need to tell her to not reveal his plans to Kagura who was a liability at this point. Unfortunately for her, he'd had a bio-magnetic trace implanted in her body so she could never escape from him. If she pissed him off, he would activate the detonator for extermination sequence and program the code of choice to either: blow her up, poison her, or set her on fire. The manner of terminating her life would depend upon his mood at the time.

Perhaps he should add more choices.

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