InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wicked ❯ Naraku's Trap ( Chapter 24 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: kanna37 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 02.23.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 503 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 02.23.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 503 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 24: Naraku's Trap
A most satisfying way to get clean, Mattaki thought to himself again, as his mind lingered on the 'shower' his mate had given him. It was certainly unlike anything he'd ever thought of before – but all the more entertaining for that.
And once that had ended, they had joined her family for dinner, and then retired for the evening to sleep in her bed. That had also been a novelty – those mattresses, as she'd called them, were much more comfortable than the futons of his time.
Now, however, it was time to go back to his era – there were several tasks that needed finished... such as Naraku. A smirk tilted his lips as a gleaming ivory fang appeared in a silent menacing snarl. He still has much suffering to go to atone for his attack on Kagome. And the things he had planned for her, and my sons. His evil will be burned from him by the time I let him die... and then the souls of all those he tormented and murdered will have their vengeance, as well.
He growled inwardly, pleased at that thought.
Then his eyes narrowed, and he frowned, a little uncertain.
For so long, he had followed his son's little group, and seen, over and over, the spider's propensity for planning. He was one who always had a plan behind the plan, so to speak. That meant that somewhere, he had something planned in case he got captured.
But what was it?
So far, nothing had happened... but that, Mattaki was certain, meant nothing. At some point, probably fairly soon, something was going to happen. And it would be nothing good. The question was, who would the spider choose to strike?
At this point, he was fairly certain it would be against him in some way. Not that that thought bothered him – one way or another, whatever came, he would not be harmed... much. But what if, as it seemed likely, the spider's target was his mate, instead?
His eyes flashed vermillion for a moment, and he growled again, louder. What could he be planning?
He was pulled from his less-than-pleasing thoughts by Kagome's voice asking why he was growling, and he looked over at his little mate as she shouldered her bag and stepped closer to him.
“I am considering what schemes of Naraku's may still be in play.” Frowning deeper, he flicked the tail of his topknot over his shoulder, noting his mate's preoccupation as she stared at his silver locks with inward satisfaction.
Probably something targeting me again, Kagome thought, shuddering in discomfort as she stared absently at her mate's beautiful silver locks. Well, me and Kikyou, if for nothing more than revenge for his plans being spiked in the first place.
She looked away in discomfort, and shrugged uneasily. “There's no way to know what that bastard will do beforehand – all we can do is wait.” Straightening her shoulders, she headed for the front door, determined to forget about it for the time being. “Whatever it is, though, we may as well head back – no point in hiding here. Eventually, we have to go back. What will happen, will happen, ne?”
Mattaki was pleased with her bravery, but not pleased with her words, though he knew they were true. There was little to be done beforehand – anything they came up with now would be mere speculation. But he couldn't help the fact that his entire being was on high alert, determined to protect his mate at all costs.
And as it was, he thought, eyes narrowing almost to slits as an evil light flashed in them, if Kagome were harmed in any way, Naraku's fate would become even more gruesome than it was going to be already...
That was a vow.
Moving forward, he took ahold of his mate's hand, and led her back to the well, then lifted her into his arms and leaped over the edge.
The eerie blue lights of the time slip opened, illuminating the devilish look on his face.
It was too bad Naraku couldn't see that expression – he might have thought twice about what he had set in motion.
But it was too late now.
-wWw-
It was apparent that something was very wrong the moment the time-slip opened up and deposited them back into the past – the sounds of explosions, curses, and combat were shockingly loud, letting both Mattaki and Kagome know that the fight was taking place right there in the clearing.
With a muttered curse, the big daiyoukai leapt from the well effortlessly, carrying Kagome right out with him and setting her down gently. Immediately, he stepped in front of her protectively and eyed the beings in the clearing, trying to make sense of the fight.
Miroku, Sango, and Kikyou were all fighting quite a few lesser youkai, while Sesshoumaru himself was taking on a strange youkai female that he had never seen before – though he could tell what she was the moment he caught her scent.
She carried the disgusting smell of spider.
So, his feint comes now, he thought. Very well, let's see what you have planned, Naraku. Mattaki turned to look at his mate over his shoulder. “That one that Sesshoumaru is fighting belongs to Naraku. Stay here, mate, and out of the line of fire. I do not know if your current inability to fight the spider himself also leaves you vulnerable to his incarnations, and I'm not willing to test it.”
Kagome nodded distractedly as her mate shut down their bond, watching the others fighting the hordes of lesser youkai. “Fine, I won't go near that one. But I am gonna help the others out!” She reached over her shoulder and grabbed her bow, then an arrow and nocked it. She eyed her first target, a youkai that was harrying Miroku, and let fly, taking the thing right through the head. It faded away, and the monk waved his thanks before turning to his next opponent.
Mattaki grumbled at her a bit, then shook his head and darted into the fight, knowing that asking her to stay completely out of it was rather pointless – she was no coward, and he wouldn't have wanted her as he did if she were.
Turning her sights on her next target, she let fly, this time taking down an ugly mantis that was sneaking up on Kikyou. The moment the older miko caught sight of her, she began heading her way, firing her own arrows into the fight whenever needed, covering those involved in hand to hand combat as much as possible.
“Kikyou! What the heck happened?” Kagome gasped out between shots as the older woman came into hearing range.
“They just attacked a little while ago – came out of nowhere. We were in the village, and a bunch of those fodder youkai led us here – and then that other youkai appeared, and started attacking, at which time Sesshoumaru showed up and attacked her.” She shook her head, pulling in air as fast as she could, even as she assisted Kagome with picking off other targets.
Kagome let out a frustrated sound, then gritted her teeth for a moment, wishing she knew what the stupid spider hanyou was up to. “There's got to be more to it than this. This would be nothing that Naraku would even bother with,” she huffed out as she brought her bow up again and took a rather daring shot, picking off a youkai that was trying to sneak up on her mate.
He flashed her an approving glance, but his eyes widened as he caught sight of her, and shock took over his face. Kagome's own eyes widened as she took in his expression, wondering what was making him look that way, but before she could even react, she felt a claw rip into her arm. From the sharp gasp next to her, she could tell that Kikyou had also been hit.
Just as she was about to turn, a sibilant voice whispered, “And now time will become an enemy to both of you, and Naraku will have the last laugh!”
Head spinning, she felt her feet leave the ground, and with one last startled shriek, both her and Kikyou were shoved into the well to the sound of her mate's feral roar. Even as she grasped the older miko's arm, the lights of time flared up around them - but this time they were a dark, tainted purple, rather than the electric blue they usually were...
Her last thought before blackness encroached on her mind was about her mate.
Be okay, Mattaki!
-wWw-
When Kagome came to, she groaned, putting a hand to her head, she gently pressed the rather large knot that had formed just above her temple.
Ohhh... just a little lower and that impact could have killed me, she thought groggily. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them again as a small moan came from her right. That was when she remembered that Kikyou had also fallen with her.
Sitting up slowly, she looked at the older woman, who was still laying, unconscious, in the soft dirt of the bottom of the well, and crawled over to her.
Kneeling gingerly at Kikyou's side, she ran her hands over the woman's limbs, checking her pulse and breathing, then checked her extremities and torso for broken bones, and sighed, relieved. There didn't appear to be anything serious wrong, save the same livid claw mark that she had on her own arm.
What was that all about, anyway? She looked up, then, with a frown, wondering which era they were in. When she saw stars, she knew they weren't in hers...
And since they were still in the well, they weren't in Kikyou's, either. Because if they had been, neither of them would have been left in the well.
What has Naraku done? she thought, horrified. The well had always and only been a portal between her era, and the Sengoku Jidai. If Naraku had found a way to send them to some other era, then they could be anywhere in the past... there was absolutely no telling.
She felt her heart sink, and she shivered, suddenly fearful. How were they going to get home?
She was yanked from her increasingly panicked thoughts as Kikyou shifted and groaned, beginning to wake, and she returned her attention to the matter at hand – no point in worrying aobut where they were now... first, she needed to make absolutely sure that Kikyou was okay.
Then, they could climb out of the well, and see what they could find out.
“Kikyou?” she asked softly, as she assisted the woman to sit up, not wanting to aggravate any headache the miko might have, as well as her own. “How do you feel?”
“Ugh,” she groaned, pressing her eyes closed as she leaned forward and dropped her head into her hands. “I've been better, that's for sure,” she said wryly, voice also low. “What happened?”
Kagome shook her head in confusion. “I'm not totally sure...” she trailed off momentarily. “We were pushed into the well, and something went wrong, that much I know just from the color of the time slip. I just woke up a few minutes ago – but I can tell you this. We aren't in your time... and we aren't in mine. I have no idea where we are. Or maybe I should say, when we are.”
Kikyou's head shot up at her words, and the older woman stared at her, completely taken aback. “You mean... I went through time with you?”
With a nod, Kagome confirmed her suspicions. “Yeah. I think-” she looked up again, “-we need to try to climb out of here, and see if we can figure out what time period we're in.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Kikyou asked, as she pulled her legs under her and shifted to stand up.
“Well... the Goshinboku might give us a clue. You know... by its size. And also, if the scar from where Inuyasha was pinned is there or isn't. If it isn't, then we're back before that happened.” She winced a little at bringing that up, and flicked a glance at Kikyou, only to see the elder miko also flinch a little. “Sorry... didn't bring that up to revive any painful memories,” she said.
Kikyou waved her concern away with a slight flush. “No, it's okay. I understand. It happened, and getting sensitive about it isn't going to change what I did.” She peered carefully at the sides of the well in the dim lighting, and then tugged on the vines she found there, until she came across one that seemed sturdy. “Looks like this is our way out,” she sighed, “though I wish we had a rope or ladder or something.”
“You're not alone in that wish,” Kagome chuckled. “I've often wished I could just hop on out like Inuyasha and Mattaki do. It's so much easier than trying to haul myself and my pack out by climbing,” she said ruefully, smiling a bit when Kikyou laughed a little.
“Well, standing here wishing isn't doing us any good,” she said after a moment, and reaching out a hand, grasped the vines and began climbing, doing fairly well since she wasn't used to doing such a thing.
It took a few minutes, but she finally made it to the top, and heaved herself over the lip of the well. The moment she disappeared from view, Kagome swung herself up onto the vines, and climbed right on up, taking a fraction of the time Kikyou had.
Slipping over the edge, she dropped onto the ground, and smiled up at Kikyou, gratefully accepting the hand the other woman held out. Once on her feet, she brushed herself off, glad she'd worn jeans and a thick sweater – though the hole where she'd been clawed wasn't helping the chill any.
But at least she still had her weapon, as did Kikyou, and more importantly, her bag. Now, at least, they had a bit of food, and water, and some warm clothes if needed.
Looking around, Kagome straightened her shoulders and said, “Right. Let's get going. It's hard to tell in the darkness, but it looks to me as though the Goshinboku is still close to the same height I'm used to seeing in your era... so maybe we weren't sent back too far.”
Frowning, Kikyou looked over at her reincarnation, and asked, “Why don't we just try and see if the well will let us back through?”
Reluctantly, Kagome half-turned and met the older woman's dark eyes. “I... the well still carries its power,” she said slowly, “but... I can feel something blocking it. Until we can figure out how to remove that block... we're stuck, Kikyou.”
Two hearts sank with those words, and the two women, different incarnations of the same woman, exchanged worried glances.
What if we never figure out how to do that? was the only question left running through both minds.
-wWw-
Mattaki's roar of rage instantly halted everything in the clearing, his flaring youki so powerful that all the lesser youkai immediately fled, and Sesshoumaru and his opponent froze, almost held captive by his aura alone.
His focus, however, was all on the demon that had dared to touch his mate... and push her into a well that suddenly had a very different power signature than it usually did.
He already knew that his mate wasn't in her era, just from that. No... the spider had done something else...
It went without saying that he would find out exactly what had been done.
Eyes crimson and pinned to the cowering youkai before him, he stalked across the now almost empty clearing towards what was obviously another creation of the spider, and reached out with his aura, grasping the terrified being around his throat.
“You will tell me what you have done to my mate, vermin, now,” he rasped, his voice dropping several notes as his rage threatened to overtake him.
The youkai shivered, but spoke. “I did what I was created to do,” he squeaked, “I sent them both back into the past with a curse on them – my master will scent them out there in the past, and destroy them both – thus changing this future. In the new future, he will have been the victor, and all of you will fall before him!”
Mattaki froze.
“You sent my mate further back in time?” he gritted ominously. “What is to stop me from going after her?”
The odd-looking youkai gagged a bit at the tightening grip on his throat, but managed to gasp out, “Even if you knew which time she was sent to, the well is blocked – the only way for her to break the seal on it is to defeat Naraku in the past... which she cannot do without harming herself, since she carries part of his essence within her!”
With a snarl of rage, Mattaki crushed the windpipe of the youkai, then his entire neck, not stopping until his head dropped from his neck and landed in the grass with a wet plop. He spun on his heel and headed out of the clearing, the only thing on his mind being getting to Naraku and making him pay for what he had done.
In his rage, he hadn't thought at all to re-open the link with his mate...
After all, to a being that is one soul, even time is not insurmountable.
As his aura receded, the beings still in the clearing finally were able to move, and with a swiftness impossible for almost anyone else, Sesshoumaru gutted the female youkai he'd been fighting, now knowing that she had been no more than a diversion to keep anyone from noticing the true targets of this attack.
He didn't even stay to watch as she dissolved from within as his poison glowed green and caustic, simply walking away and disappearing into the forest.
Miroku looked at Sango, and shook his head, wide-eyed. “I've never felt anything like that,” he whispered. “It was apparent that Mattaki-sama was most powerful from the first... but that...” he trailed off.
Sango nodded, still a bit stunned, but then she let out a gasp. “Miroku... we're gonna have to tell Inuyasha what happened here... he's going to flip when he realizes Kikyou and Kagome are trapped somewhere in the past.”
The monk shuddered as those words penetrated his mind.
Oh, by the kami, there is going to be hell to pay for being the bearers of such bad news!
-wWw-
A/N: Hairpin curve! Bet no one saw that coming! Anyway, hope everyone had a Happy New Year...
And that the rest of it is just as good!
Amber
Converting /tmp/phpcisnH1 to /dev/stdout
A most satisfying way to get clean, Mattaki thought to himself again, as his mind lingered on the 'shower' his mate had given him. It was certainly unlike anything he'd ever thought of before – but all the more entertaining for that.
And once that had ended, they had joined her family for dinner, and then retired for the evening to sleep in her bed. That had also been a novelty – those mattresses, as she'd called them, were much more comfortable than the futons of his time.
Now, however, it was time to go back to his era – there were several tasks that needed finished... such as Naraku. A smirk tilted his lips as a gleaming ivory fang appeared in a silent menacing snarl. He still has much suffering to go to atone for his attack on Kagome. And the things he had planned for her, and my sons. His evil will be burned from him by the time I let him die... and then the souls of all those he tormented and murdered will have their vengeance, as well.
He growled inwardly, pleased at that thought.
Then his eyes narrowed, and he frowned, a little uncertain.
For so long, he had followed his son's little group, and seen, over and over, the spider's propensity for planning. He was one who always had a plan behind the plan, so to speak. That meant that somewhere, he had something planned in case he got captured.
But what was it?
So far, nothing had happened... but that, Mattaki was certain, meant nothing. At some point, probably fairly soon, something was going to happen. And it would be nothing good. The question was, who would the spider choose to strike?
At this point, he was fairly certain it would be against him in some way. Not that that thought bothered him – one way or another, whatever came, he would not be harmed... much. But what if, as it seemed likely, the spider's target was his mate, instead?
His eyes flashed vermillion for a moment, and he growled again, louder. What could he be planning?
He was pulled from his less-than-pleasing thoughts by Kagome's voice asking why he was growling, and he looked over at his little mate as she shouldered her bag and stepped closer to him.
“I am considering what schemes of Naraku's may still be in play.” Frowning deeper, he flicked the tail of his topknot over his shoulder, noting his mate's preoccupation as she stared at his silver locks with inward satisfaction.
Probably something targeting me again, Kagome thought, shuddering in discomfort as she stared absently at her mate's beautiful silver locks. Well, me and Kikyou, if for nothing more than revenge for his plans being spiked in the first place.
She looked away in discomfort, and shrugged uneasily. “There's no way to know what that bastard will do beforehand – all we can do is wait.” Straightening her shoulders, she headed for the front door, determined to forget about it for the time being. “Whatever it is, though, we may as well head back – no point in hiding here. Eventually, we have to go back. What will happen, will happen, ne?”
Mattaki was pleased with her bravery, but not pleased with her words, though he knew they were true. There was little to be done beforehand – anything they came up with now would be mere speculation. But he couldn't help the fact that his entire being was on high alert, determined to protect his mate at all costs.
And as it was, he thought, eyes narrowing almost to slits as an evil light flashed in them, if Kagome were harmed in any way, Naraku's fate would become even more gruesome than it was going to be already...
That was a vow.
Moving forward, he took ahold of his mate's hand, and led her back to the well, then lifted her into his arms and leaped over the edge.
The eerie blue lights of the time slip opened, illuminating the devilish look on his face.
It was too bad Naraku couldn't see that expression – he might have thought twice about what he had set in motion.
But it was too late now.
-wWw-
It was apparent that something was very wrong the moment the time-slip opened up and deposited them back into the past – the sounds of explosions, curses, and combat were shockingly loud, letting both Mattaki and Kagome know that the fight was taking place right there in the clearing.
With a muttered curse, the big daiyoukai leapt from the well effortlessly, carrying Kagome right out with him and setting her down gently. Immediately, he stepped in front of her protectively and eyed the beings in the clearing, trying to make sense of the fight.
Miroku, Sango, and Kikyou were all fighting quite a few lesser youkai, while Sesshoumaru himself was taking on a strange youkai female that he had never seen before – though he could tell what she was the moment he caught her scent.
She carried the disgusting smell of spider.
So, his feint comes now, he thought. Very well, let's see what you have planned, Naraku. Mattaki turned to look at his mate over his shoulder. “That one that Sesshoumaru is fighting belongs to Naraku. Stay here, mate, and out of the line of fire. I do not know if your current inability to fight the spider himself also leaves you vulnerable to his incarnations, and I'm not willing to test it.”
Kagome nodded distractedly as her mate shut down their bond, watching the others fighting the hordes of lesser youkai. “Fine, I won't go near that one. But I am gonna help the others out!” She reached over her shoulder and grabbed her bow, then an arrow and nocked it. She eyed her first target, a youkai that was harrying Miroku, and let fly, taking the thing right through the head. It faded away, and the monk waved his thanks before turning to his next opponent.
Mattaki grumbled at her a bit, then shook his head and darted into the fight, knowing that asking her to stay completely out of it was rather pointless – she was no coward, and he wouldn't have wanted her as he did if she were.
Turning her sights on her next target, she let fly, this time taking down an ugly mantis that was sneaking up on Kikyou. The moment the older miko caught sight of her, she began heading her way, firing her own arrows into the fight whenever needed, covering those involved in hand to hand combat as much as possible.
“Kikyou! What the heck happened?” Kagome gasped out between shots as the older woman came into hearing range.
“They just attacked a little while ago – came out of nowhere. We were in the village, and a bunch of those fodder youkai led us here – and then that other youkai appeared, and started attacking, at which time Sesshoumaru showed up and attacked her.” She shook her head, pulling in air as fast as she could, even as she assisted Kagome with picking off other targets.
Kagome let out a frustrated sound, then gritted her teeth for a moment, wishing she knew what the stupid spider hanyou was up to. “There's got to be more to it than this. This would be nothing that Naraku would even bother with,” she huffed out as she brought her bow up again and took a rather daring shot, picking off a youkai that was trying to sneak up on her mate.
He flashed her an approving glance, but his eyes widened as he caught sight of her, and shock took over his face. Kagome's own eyes widened as she took in his expression, wondering what was making him look that way, but before she could even react, she felt a claw rip into her arm. From the sharp gasp next to her, she could tell that Kikyou had also been hit.
Just as she was about to turn, a sibilant voice whispered, “And now time will become an enemy to both of you, and Naraku will have the last laugh!”
Head spinning, she felt her feet leave the ground, and with one last startled shriek, both her and Kikyou were shoved into the well to the sound of her mate's feral roar. Even as she grasped the older miko's arm, the lights of time flared up around them - but this time they were a dark, tainted purple, rather than the electric blue they usually were...
Her last thought before blackness encroached on her mind was about her mate.
Be okay, Mattaki!
-wWw-
When Kagome came to, she groaned, putting a hand to her head, she gently pressed the rather large knot that had formed just above her temple.
Ohhh... just a little lower and that impact could have killed me, she thought groggily. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them again as a small moan came from her right. That was when she remembered that Kikyou had also fallen with her.
Sitting up slowly, she looked at the older woman, who was still laying, unconscious, in the soft dirt of the bottom of the well, and crawled over to her.
Kneeling gingerly at Kikyou's side, she ran her hands over the woman's limbs, checking her pulse and breathing, then checked her extremities and torso for broken bones, and sighed, relieved. There didn't appear to be anything serious wrong, save the same livid claw mark that she had on her own arm.
What was that all about, anyway? She looked up, then, with a frown, wondering which era they were in. When she saw stars, she knew they weren't in hers...
And since they were still in the well, they weren't in Kikyou's, either. Because if they had been, neither of them would have been left in the well.
What has Naraku done? she thought, horrified. The well had always and only been a portal between her era, and the Sengoku Jidai. If Naraku had found a way to send them to some other era, then they could be anywhere in the past... there was absolutely no telling.
She felt her heart sink, and she shivered, suddenly fearful. How were they going to get home?
She was yanked from her increasingly panicked thoughts as Kikyou shifted and groaned, beginning to wake, and she returned her attention to the matter at hand – no point in worrying aobut where they were now... first, she needed to make absolutely sure that Kikyou was okay.
Then, they could climb out of the well, and see what they could find out.
“Kikyou?” she asked softly, as she assisted the woman to sit up, not wanting to aggravate any headache the miko might have, as well as her own. “How do you feel?”
“Ugh,” she groaned, pressing her eyes closed as she leaned forward and dropped her head into her hands. “I've been better, that's for sure,” she said wryly, voice also low. “What happened?”
Kagome shook her head in confusion. “I'm not totally sure...” she trailed off momentarily. “We were pushed into the well, and something went wrong, that much I know just from the color of the time slip. I just woke up a few minutes ago – but I can tell you this. We aren't in your time... and we aren't in mine. I have no idea where we are. Or maybe I should say, when we are.”
Kikyou's head shot up at her words, and the older woman stared at her, completely taken aback. “You mean... I went through time with you?”
With a nod, Kagome confirmed her suspicions. “Yeah. I think-” she looked up again, “-we need to try to climb out of here, and see if we can figure out what time period we're in.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Kikyou asked, as she pulled her legs under her and shifted to stand up.
“Well... the Goshinboku might give us a clue. You know... by its size. And also, if the scar from where Inuyasha was pinned is there or isn't. If it isn't, then we're back before that happened.” She winced a little at bringing that up, and flicked a glance at Kikyou, only to see the elder miko also flinch a little. “Sorry... didn't bring that up to revive any painful memories,” she said.
Kikyou waved her concern away with a slight flush. “No, it's okay. I understand. It happened, and getting sensitive about it isn't going to change what I did.” She peered carefully at the sides of the well in the dim lighting, and then tugged on the vines she found there, until she came across one that seemed sturdy. “Looks like this is our way out,” she sighed, “though I wish we had a rope or ladder or something.”
“You're not alone in that wish,” Kagome chuckled. “I've often wished I could just hop on out like Inuyasha and Mattaki do. It's so much easier than trying to haul myself and my pack out by climbing,” she said ruefully, smiling a bit when Kikyou laughed a little.
“Well, standing here wishing isn't doing us any good,” she said after a moment, and reaching out a hand, grasped the vines and began climbing, doing fairly well since she wasn't used to doing such a thing.
It took a few minutes, but she finally made it to the top, and heaved herself over the lip of the well. The moment she disappeared from view, Kagome swung herself up onto the vines, and climbed right on up, taking a fraction of the time Kikyou had.
Slipping over the edge, she dropped onto the ground, and smiled up at Kikyou, gratefully accepting the hand the other woman held out. Once on her feet, she brushed herself off, glad she'd worn jeans and a thick sweater – though the hole where she'd been clawed wasn't helping the chill any.
But at least she still had her weapon, as did Kikyou, and more importantly, her bag. Now, at least, they had a bit of food, and water, and some warm clothes if needed.
Looking around, Kagome straightened her shoulders and said, “Right. Let's get going. It's hard to tell in the darkness, but it looks to me as though the Goshinboku is still close to the same height I'm used to seeing in your era... so maybe we weren't sent back too far.”
Frowning, Kikyou looked over at her reincarnation, and asked, “Why don't we just try and see if the well will let us back through?”
Reluctantly, Kagome half-turned and met the older woman's dark eyes. “I... the well still carries its power,” she said slowly, “but... I can feel something blocking it. Until we can figure out how to remove that block... we're stuck, Kikyou.”
Two hearts sank with those words, and the two women, different incarnations of the same woman, exchanged worried glances.
What if we never figure out how to do that? was the only question left running through both minds.
-wWw-
Mattaki's roar of rage instantly halted everything in the clearing, his flaring youki so powerful that all the lesser youkai immediately fled, and Sesshoumaru and his opponent froze, almost held captive by his aura alone.
His focus, however, was all on the demon that had dared to touch his mate... and push her into a well that suddenly had a very different power signature than it usually did.
He already knew that his mate wasn't in her era, just from that. No... the spider had done something else...
It went without saying that he would find out exactly what had been done.
Eyes crimson and pinned to the cowering youkai before him, he stalked across the now almost empty clearing towards what was obviously another creation of the spider, and reached out with his aura, grasping the terrified being around his throat.
“You will tell me what you have done to my mate, vermin, now,” he rasped, his voice dropping several notes as his rage threatened to overtake him.
The youkai shivered, but spoke. “I did what I was created to do,” he squeaked, “I sent them both back into the past with a curse on them – my master will scent them out there in the past, and destroy them both – thus changing this future. In the new future, he will have been the victor, and all of you will fall before him!”
Mattaki froze.
“You sent my mate further back in time?” he gritted ominously. “What is to stop me from going after her?”
The odd-looking youkai gagged a bit at the tightening grip on his throat, but managed to gasp out, “Even if you knew which time she was sent to, the well is blocked – the only way for her to break the seal on it is to defeat Naraku in the past... which she cannot do without harming herself, since she carries part of his essence within her!”
With a snarl of rage, Mattaki crushed the windpipe of the youkai, then his entire neck, not stopping until his head dropped from his neck and landed in the grass with a wet plop. He spun on his heel and headed out of the clearing, the only thing on his mind being getting to Naraku and making him pay for what he had done.
In his rage, he hadn't thought at all to re-open the link with his mate...
After all, to a being that is one soul, even time is not insurmountable.
As his aura receded, the beings still in the clearing finally were able to move, and with a swiftness impossible for almost anyone else, Sesshoumaru gutted the female youkai he'd been fighting, now knowing that she had been no more than a diversion to keep anyone from noticing the true targets of this attack.
He didn't even stay to watch as she dissolved from within as his poison glowed green and caustic, simply walking away and disappearing into the forest.
Miroku looked at Sango, and shook his head, wide-eyed. “I've never felt anything like that,” he whispered. “It was apparent that Mattaki-sama was most powerful from the first... but that...” he trailed off.
Sango nodded, still a bit stunned, but then she let out a gasp. “Miroku... we're gonna have to tell Inuyasha what happened here... he's going to flip when he realizes Kikyou and Kagome are trapped somewhere in the past.”
The monk shuddered as those words penetrated his mind.
Oh, by the kami, there is going to be hell to pay for being the bearers of such bad news!
-wWw-
A/N: Hairpin curve! Bet no one saw that coming! Anyway, hope everyone had a Happy New Year...
And that the rest of it is just as good!
Amber
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