InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time After Time ❯ The Naraku Ki (Hell Tree) ( Chapter 10 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 10:  The Naraku Ki  (The Hell Tree)

Morning came, bright and early, and found Sugimi just as awake as everyone else, despite only a few hours of sleep.  He, as well as the rest of the group, wanted to get moving quickly, so, instead of cooking for the morning meal, Kagome instead passed out travel rations, and they quickly readied to move out.

Just before they began, Sugimi called for everyone's attention, then said,  “We need to be on our guard – Naraku is attempting to spy on us.  I encountered a small swarm of his saimyousho last night.  I destroyed them all, but there is no doubt that he will send more, since his other source of information-”  he cast a flat look at Inuyasha,  “-has dried up.”

Kagome squirmed uncomfortably under the glare Inuyasha sent her way, knowing that he was angry with her still for the things she'd said about his oh-so-beloved Kikyou, and she looked away, not wanting him to see the hurt in her eyes.  He was still playing both sides of the fence, though, and that was making her angry.  After all, hadn't he just fought his father and Koga over her? And now he was giving her dirty looks because Kikyou was a traitor.  Go figure.  Gritting her teeth in sudden anger, tired of being his punching bag, she turned a burning gaze back on the hanyou, surprising him.

“Don't look at me like that, Inuyasha – what did I already tell you?  I won't be your scapegoat anymore.  Whatever Kikyou screws up, Kikyou screws up, and it has nothing to do with me!”  she hissed.  With that, before anyone could say anything, she turned and stalked off, heading towards the road they had been traveling on, and continuing on down it, not looking behind to see if anyone had followed.

Sugimi cast a threatening look at his youngest son.  “You will leave her alone, Inuyasha, or you will end up having to be carried – I will not tolerate you blaming her because you cannot face reality.”  After one last, heavy glare, he turned and followed after the now distant figure of Kagome, moving quickly to catch up.

Everyone sent him dirty looks and then followed the daiyoukai, letting him know in no uncertain terms what they thought of him, and with a huff, Inuyasha slowly brought up the rear of the pack once more, knowing that he probably should avoid pissing everyone off again anytime soon.

As the morning wore on, Kagome spent more and more time thinking about her love for the hanyou that was dying at a pretty quick clip, considering how long she'd had feelings for him.  But it appeared that everyone, including her, had their breaking point, and she'd reached and then passed hers some time ago.

Honestly, it hurt, but not as bad as it always had in the past, and she could only be glad about that - it was more of a distant ache now. She was tired of being Inuyasha's whipping boy, and Kikyou's shadow.  As far as she was concerned, she wasn't Kikyou's copy, Kikyou was her forerunner, and be damned if she was going to feel subservient to the clay miko any longer, no matter what Inuyasha said.

Her thoughts wandered to the many times he'd left her to run to Kikyou, how many times he'd hurt her so badly that she'd wondered sometimes if she'd ever be free of the damage he'd done to her heart, and she wanted to cry.  Because honestly, she didn't think she ever would be.  Even though she no longer looked for him to love her, she knew that he'd scarred her heart – almost beyond recognition.  

And then there was the whole situation with Sugimi.  She had no idea how to handle that, but she was heartrendingly aware that he had enormous potential to really hurt her, and she wasn't certain she wanted to ever give anyone that chance again.  Despite what her mother had said to her, she just wasn't sure about any of this.  

Honestly, she wanted to run and hide from the whole thing.

Miroku shook his head, concerned, as he watched Kagome's hair swaying softly from side to side; he'd seen her face before she'd turned on Inuyasha and warned him from starting – she was truly upset... and hurting.  He'd also noticed her glances at Sugimi.  He could see her working herself into a stressed out mess, which didn't bode well for the coming battle.

Finally, he decided to intervene, and increased his pace to walk with her.  He waited for her to wake from her thoughts and notice him, then asked,  “What troubles your heart, Kagome?”

Startled, Kagome asked,  “What do you mean?”

“It seems to me that your thoughts are dark and painful.  They are disturbing your aura, which means they are serious.”

She blushed a little, unsure what to say.  “Uh, well... just remembering, really,”  she said uncomfortably.

With a rattle of the rings on his shakujo, Miroku nodded slowly.  “I see.”  From the tone in her voice, he was pretty sure that she was remembering some of the many times Inuyasha had hurt her, and he frowned.  “And what have your memories taught you, Kagome?”

Without meeting his gaze, she shook her head.  “That love hurts,”  she whispered.  “And that maybe its better not to let someone in – if they aren't in your heart, they can't hurt you.”

At that, Miroku snapped his gaze towards her face, stunned, and yes, angered.  “I cannot believe that the Kagome I've known for these last years would say such a terrible thing!  The Kagome I knew would never be so cowardly.”  He met her eyes firmly when her shocked gaze raised to his.  “Yes, Kagome, cowardly.  Are you meaning to tell me that just because Inuyasha is an ass, you are going to forfeit ever finding happiness with a man who is not?”

She blinked, completely caught off-guard at his words, and the fierce look on his face.  He's right... I am being a coward.  I know I'm being a coward.  But...

“I understand what you're saying, Miroku,”  she said tiredly,  “but I just don't know if I can deal with going through what Inuyasha put me through again.  There isn't much left of my heart now, let alone if...”  she trailed off, not really needing to finish.

“And that's where I say that I do not believe you, Kagome.  He might have broken one small part of your heart, but he was your first love – not your true love.  Besides... you have the biggest heart of anyone I know – I think there's plenty of your heart left to love someone else with.”  He cast her a strangely knowing look, then.  “I think that this isn't really about Inuyasha at all – it's about someone quite different, isn't it?  You're afraid of what you're feeling, because it seems like it's too soon.”

Kagome stared at him, wide-eyed with shock.  “How..?”  she whispered.

“You forget, Kagome - I know you.  Tell me... how long after you met Inuyasha did you know that you loved him?”

Taken aback, Kagome pressed her hand to her heart as she thought about his words.  Well... I... it wasn't really that long, was it.  “Not long, really.  But...”

Miroku shook his head firmly.  “No.  No buts.  Now... answer me this.  How long after you met him did you know that you were attracted to him?”

“Uhm... well,”  she blushed sheepishly,  “I wasn't.  I mean, not like this...”  her voice trailed off in stunned dismay as she looked at him, not knowing what to say.

“Exactly.  You were not.  But now, with this new person, you are finding yourself very attracted, and drawn emotionally as well, and your mind is fighting that – fearing it.  Some things shouldn't be thought about so much, Kagome – nothing good will come of it.  Sometimes, you must take a leap of faith.  Let go, and let whatever is going to happen, happen.”

Sugimi had been listening in to the conversation, and he had been very upset by the notion that she would deny him, because of Inuyasha's actions in the past.  He had no intention of hurting her, ever, and he knew that it was him that she was fearing now – she was not very good at hiding her attraction.  And he was thankful for that, truthfully.

But he was quite pleased with the monk's words – and it was easy to see that the little miko had taken them to heart.  That pleased him even more.

He looked back with an inward scowl at his youngest son.  If nothing else ever made him want to beat the boy black and blue, this situation would.

Shaking his head, he forced his thoughts away from that, and to the upcoming confrontation.  He thought that perhaps it was time to stop – they were finally nearing their destination.  He could see in the distance the hill, and the tree they were there to face.  

“Sesshoumaru – join me,”  he said, motioning to his eldest.  He came to a halt, waiting for everyone to surround him before speaking.  “The tree lies just ahead.  Sesshoumaru and I will get closer, and see what we can see.  Then we will come back here and discuss what we find.”

Inuyasha looked annoyed, but nodded, moving over to sit against some rocks, he slumped down and ignored everyone else.  The rest of the group took the opportunity to also rest up a bit.  

When no questions were forthcoming, Sugimi sneaked a quick glance at Kagome, then sighed almost inaudibly, and moved off, followed by the younger daiyoukai.

No more than ten minutes later, they were back, and it was clear that the fight to come would not be enjoyable.

“The tree is of monstrous proportions, probably due to the influence of the shard.  Because of that, it's going to be far more dangerous than we had previously thought,”  Sugimi said grimly.  “It's scent is also most assuredly going to be difficult to resist – we have to find a way to neutralize it first.

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked,  “Is there any attack from your sword that uses fire, Sugimi?”

Everyone fell quiet as the daiyoukai looked at her, surprised.  “Yes – but I do not think it will be enough to ignite the tree – there would need to be something else to encourage it to burn.”

“Like an accelerant,”  Kagome said musingly as she turned to stare towards the distant tree.  She turned and dropped her yellow pack on the ground, and dug through it; a few moments later, she grabbed something from within and sat back on her heels triumphantly.  “Ah-ha!  I knew I packed some!”

Everyone stared at the odd can in her hand, and Sugimi asked,  “What is that, Kagome?”

Standing up, she smoothed her empty hand down her thigh.  “This-”  she held up the can,  “-is something that encourages a fire to burn – very enthusiastically,”  she said cheerfully.  “Even if it isn't enough to make the whole tree burn, it will certainly be enough to catch the canopy on fire – and those poison vines I was told about.  That will take care of the scent, definitely.”

Sugimi and Sesshoumaru both looked intrigued, the older daiyoukai reaching out a hand and almost gingerly taking hold of the can.  “How do you open it?”

She looked over at him.  “Whatever you do, do NOT sniff it.  It will probably be strong enough to knock all three of you inu out – and also, make you high.”  The visual accompaniment to that thought almost had her choking with internal laughter.

“High?”  Sesshoumaru asked, a confused look on his face.

With a nod, Kagome said,  “Yes, high.  The same thing that happens to those who smoke opium.”  

His expression cleared at that, and he stared at the can his sire was still holding.  “That liquid has the same effect as opium?”

“Pretty much.  People who use it to get high call it 'huffing'.  They deliberately inhale it until it effects the mind.  But it's very often fatal, as well – this stuff is toxic.”

Sesshoumaru and Sugimi both looked disgusted that someone would actually do something that was so dangerous simply to alter their state of mind.  “Humans can be so foolish,” Sugimi said, as Sesshoumaru nodded in solemn agreement.

At that, several laughs broke out.  “Yes, that is true, Sugimi-sama,”  Miroku said.  “It is an unalterable state with our race, I do believe.  But we are not only foolish.”

With a shake of his head, Sugimi looked back at Kagome.  “So – how do you open this can, might I again ask, Kagome?”

Reaching over, she popped the top open, then closed it again before any fumes could escape.  “Just like that – why?”

“Because I'm going to go drop this on that nasty tree, then set a fire, and see where it gets us,”  he said, flashing her a charming smile.

“Make sure you pour it out on the top of the tree, and then quickly set the fire.  You don't want this to get wasted by dripping to the ground.”

He nodded, then, withdrawing his sword, flashed towards the distant hill, and the group took off after him, intending to get as close as possible to the fireworks.

Sugimi reached the area close to the tree and took to the air, careful not to disturb the air currents, and as soon as he was hovering directly over the top of it, he popped the cap off as Kagome had shown him, then, holding his breath, turned the can upside down. He splashed  the contents liberally around the leaves and vines of the canopy of the tree, until the noxious liquid was all gone.

Thankfully, the tree didn't seem to realize the fluid was anything different than rain, and he moved back away from it, before swinging his sword in a wide arc, and calling out,  “Arashi no kasai!”  in a loud voice.  At that moment, a veritable firestorm erupted from the blade, heading straight for the tree.

No one quite expected what happened next.

The explosion was so strong it blew the daiyoukai back quite a ways, and his brows rose in surprise at the intense heat – and the horrid screeching noise that burst from the tree as it's leaves and vines began to burn away almost immediately.  He moved back towards the base of the hill where the rest of the pack was just arriving, and landed amongst them as they all stared with awe at the burning tree.

Inuyasha was the first to break away from the sight of burning behemoth.  “Oi, wench,”  he growled gruffly,  “can you see the shard yet?”

She looked over at him, exasperated.  “Tell me, Inuyasha – do you see that huge damn fire?  Do you think I can see the shard yet?  If I could, I'd have said something, you baka!”

His ears flattened to his head.  “Fine!  You don't gotta be a smart-ass!”

She mumbled something, then blushed horribly as all three inu turned to stare at her in shock.  “What?”

Sugimi suddenly broke out in laughter.  “Better a smart ass than a dumb fuck, Kagome?  I cannot believe you said that!”  Sesshoumaru's expression said that he agreed with his father's statement, and Inuyasha's jaw was on the ground.

Everyone else just looked shocked.

Looking extremely embarrassed, Kagome pointed towards the tree.  “Uhm, shouldn't we be worrying about that instead?”

As one, the group turned to stare at the tree – and they all scattered immediately as large rocks came flying through the air at them.

It seemed the fire was finally dying down, and the enraged and wounded tree was using its roots to fling boulders in their direction.

Kagome hadn't even taken two steps when she felt an arm wrap around her protectively as she was lifted into the air and flown out of the way.

“Can you tell where the shard is now that the fire is dying down?”  Sugimi asked, watching as the group scrambled to get far enough away as to be out of range.  It was a good thing they'd had the children and Jaken stay behind – he didn't want them anywhere close to this.

Kagome peered at the tree, trying not to be distracted by the smoke still coming thickly from the it, the roots waving wildly around, and the rain of rocks still being tossed around.  It took a few but... “Yes!  It's near the middle of the tree, very close to the surface!”

He considered her words for a few moments, then nodded.  “Very well – when the rocks begin to thin out, I will take us close to the tree – your purity should act as an almost drugging influence, and then Sesshoumaru can rush in and grab the shard.”

Leaning over a bit to look below where they still floated, he gestured abruptly for his eldest son to join them in the air, and then quickly imparted what they were going to do.

Sesshoumaru listened closely, then looked at the tree, giving no other indication that he would cooperate.  But there was no need – Sugimi was well aware that the younger dai was not about to challenge him for alpha.  That meant that his orders would be obeyed – simple as that.

After a few more minutes, as the rain of boulders began to slow down, Sugimi dropped back down to ground level, followed by Sesshoumaru, and holding Kagome protectively in one arm, gathered his sword in his other hand, and began to move closer to the tree.  Any roots that came near were sheared away by Kumoriyaiba, as they moved steadily but slowly closer.  

At first, Kagome couldn't be sure, but as they moved closer, it became clearer that Sugimi had indeed been correct; her presence was acting as a natural anesthetic, and the tree's roots were slowing in their frantic thrashing. Finally, they reached as close as he was willing to bring her, setting her down on her feet as he held his sword protectively before her, he snapped out,  “Now, Sesshoumaru!”

He barely had the words out before there was a rush of wind past them, and the younger dai sped towards the tree in a flash of white light.  The moment that he reached the tree, he drew Bakusaiga and swung, ripping the front half of the tree away – and as the shard tinkled and spun through the air, he caught it, and leaped away again, back at the side of his sire and the miko almost instantly.

As they watched the tree shrink in size and the roots fall off, dead, Sesshoumaru handed the shard to Kagome.  The moment it touched her hand, it purified, the dark taint in it dissipating as though it had never existed.

One down, one to go.

---sSs---

A/N:  Arashi no kasai=storm of fire, or literally, firestorm.

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