Broken and Confused
Chapter One
A Battle Won, A Friend Lost
It was finally over. The long, courageous, battle they had fought together was over. Sango stood wounded looking over the carnage that was their battlefield only hours before. Bodies of demons were strewn over the blood-soaked, dusty, barren land, and trees that once stood were stripped of their branches and leaves; just large, jagged stick-looking wood laid before Sango’s eyes planted in the ground, battered and broken, sad and lifeless. Over to her left, Shippou lay dazed and wounded while Miroku tended to his wounds. He had fought bravely in comparison to previous battles and Sango grimly smiled in approval and satisfaction. A sharp pain lanced through her body and the glimmer of a smile vanished as she contorted in pain, snapping her head forward and closing her eyes. As the pain subsided a little and calmed back to its throbbing nausea, Sango slowly shifted her head to her right. Inuyasha came into view propped against a boulder, breathing heavily. His usually beauteous, white hair was streaked deep red with gore and tangled hideously with dried blood. So the hanyou would live after all the bloodshed. Sango herself was badly hurt but not beyond healing. She suffered a broken leg, some broken ribs, and a sprained wrist. A deep gash to her side was bound with cloth from Miroku’s robe. He had tended to her injuries, being kind, gentle, and comforting while setting her leg and binding it with a strong wood stick to keep it in place. Right now she leaned on his staff to survey the land, balanced by her good leg and the sturdy staff. The demon slayer decided to sit back down, fatigue and pain getting the better of her.
Inuyasha, not far from her, opened his eyes slightly, but the glaring late afternoon sun was too overwhelming. The strong scent of blood finally snapped him out of his comatose stupor, the jolts of pain reminding him he had survived. His hand flew to down to his leg. He winced. The slightest pressure was too painful. The flesh was ripped apart there and would take a long to be made strong again. Even so, he was relieved to be alive. The scent of human death was not upon his keen senses, and for that he glad. As he rested knowing all was well for now, his mind drifted back to the battle . . .
***FLASHBACK**
*
Naraku had always been sly and clever. This time had been no exception. By sending pulses through the Shikon shard he possessed to the ones Kagome owned, he lured her into the dense woods, all of them following as would be expected. Unknown to them all at the time, Naraku had almost completed the Jewel; all he needed were the ones protected by the Yasha gang. Inuyasha distinctly remembered the baffled look upon Kagome’s face as the pulses suddenly stopped, leaving them lost and confused in the ever-darkening and dense forest. Next, Naraku’s menacing, deep laugh echoed throughout the forest area, an empty sound, deep and unforgiving like an oncoming storm. Eerie light filled the darkened space as Naraku appeared, his red eyes glittering, the evil sound of his laugh continuing to ring in the now stark silence. Turning his gaze to Kagome, he flung his arm forward, the long black nails of his claws pointing up with his palm. The Shikon shards flung from Kagome’s body into his grasp. A blink of his eye and the small glass bottle that contained the shards shattered, sharp pieces flinging outward in all directions, cutting Naraku’s palm and harming the onlookers as they whizzed past awe-struck and terrified gazes. Another instant and the shards were absorbed into his body, which was now convulsing but still managing to ring out Naraku’s eerie, maddening laughter. It had all happened so fast, but the seconds felt like a sickening eternity.
Inuyasha decided to act. Pulling the Tessaiga from its scabbard, he lashed out at Naraku’s now changing form; Naraku’s body was still writhing, forming distorted shapes in its transformation. As Inuyasha struck down with all his strength, he was blown back with tremendous force by an invisible shield around Naraku’s body. The whole Shikon no Tama was totally absorbed! Inuyasha’s body sailed through the air and hit an ancient oak with a harsh thud.
Kagome screamed his name and ran toward Inuyasha. Shippou followed close behind. Sango and Miroku nodded to each other, positioning around Naraku’s changing form, taking opposite sides, staff and hikraikotsu ready for battle. Kirara planted herself firmly by Sango’s side. The dark, shapeless mass that was Naraku contorted one last time, his torso belly-down on the ground the only definite shape in the pool of almost liquid mass. Out from his back rose four pairs of legs as big around as small tree trunks. From there grew the enormous shape of a grotesque spider youkai’s body. The same red eyes held their piercing stare once the head was formed, but this time eight instead of only two. Inuyasha stood up slowly, blood dripping from mouth to chin as he raised the Tessaiga in defiance. He knew the worst had happened: the corrupted Shikon Jewel had granted Naraku the power of a full-youkai’s and the power of the corrupted Shikon Jewel protected him from other youkai and their powers. And it was no surprise that he took the form of a spider considering his past. Moving quickly from Kagome’s side, he struck out again at Naraku, trying to land a higher hit up towards the large spider head. He passed huge venomous fangs on his flight upward, but before he could land a blow, he was again blown back with amazing force down into the forest floor far below. Naraku’s deep and horrible chuckle rang in and out of the trees around the group, transformed hideously, like his body into something more feral and terrifying. Kagome screamed and ran to Inuyasha’s side once again.
Inuyasha stood up again, wobbling a little with blood still dribbling down his chin. Shoving Kagome from his side and picking up his father’s fang of destruction, he glared up at Naraku, taking a fighting stance, both hands on the hilt.
“What do you want from us Naraku?!?” Inuyasha snarled, spitting out the last word like poison. “You won’t get away with stealing our shards, bastard! We’ll stop whatever plan you have!!!”
Naraku turned his attention to Inuyasha once more. A warped, hollow version of Naraku’s almost calm, singsong voice teetered out from between the two venom-filled fangs. It rose to a manic crescendo in his anger. “Stupidity and rashness. Your threats mean nothing to me. They are as menacing as butterflies caught in a strong breeze. I have the whole Shikon no Tama, stupid half-breed! Nothing you can attack me with can harm me. I plan to take over this insignificant world and call it mine. All humans will die and those who oppose me will suffer as well. And I’ll start by killing you lot that always meddled with my plans. Say good-bye to life and prepare to die Inuyasha!” Naraku’s voice lowered and hissed out the end of his speech as he dipped his head violently to break Inuyasha with the force of his jaw and fangs. Inuyasha glided backward through the air to narrowly missing Naraku’s sudden attack.
Behind Inuyasha, Kagome stood frozen, watching the scene unfold before her, Shippou clinging in fear to her side off in the shadows. To Naraku’s left, Kirara and Sango flew through the air and landed an attack with the hikraikotsu cutting and breaking Naraku’s four left legs. Miroku, facing Naraku’s right, cut and slashed ferociously at Naraku’s right legs, breaking their structure and cutting them down one by one. Naraku roared in frustration. Both completing their tasks, they moved back to Inuyasha, who was suffering from multiple failed attempts to strike Naraku.
“I believe we got him immobile, Inuyasha. panted Miroku, staff in hand.
“Yes, but it cannot be this easy to defeat him! What do we do from here?” Sango yelled to them atop Kirara.
“Damn it! I can’t touch him! The Jewel makes it impossible for anyone with youkai blood to touch him when’s he’s absorbed it this way!!!” Inuyasha growled in frustration.
Naraku’s condescending, menacing laugh rang out once more, even louder and more crazed.
“You think that’s all it would take only that to defeat me, fools? Think again.” Naraku’s gigantic body began convulsing once more, shrinking back down to his human-looking form, but with one distinct difference. Where arms should have been below the shoulder, blood flowed forth in red waterfalls, staining the ground and his blue battle robes crimson. His distorted, manic laughter continued, and his body shook convulsively again. Muscular arms sprouted forth from the rivers of blood, slowing then stopping their flow altogether. They ended in slender fingers where long, sharp, claw-nails sharpened up to pin-tip points, all containing the deadly miasma toxins. Swiftly, Naraku pointed his palms upward and shut his eyes. With a shudder, two of his own ribs from through his skin and robes flew to his open palms quickly transforming the bloody bone and marrow into twin blades wreathed in fire. The onlookers stood horrified once again, witnessing Naraku’s greatly increased and more efficient power.
Miroku snapped out of his stupor first. He charged Naraku with his staff, landing a blow to Naraku’s chest wounds. Naraku quickly countered with a broad slash across Miroku’s chest, throwing him back through the air much like Inuyasha. He struck a maple with a sickening thud and fell limp at its trunk.
“MIROKU!” Sango screamed. “You’ll pay Naraku!” Grabbing her giant boomerang, she called Kirara over. “Kagome, Shippou, go to Miroku! Inuyasha help me in any way you can!” Pointing to Naraku with her free hand, she yelled out, “Kirara, go!” “Hiraikotsu!!!” Sango flung the demon-slaying weapon toward Naraku while Kirara tried to distract him with pseudo charges and false attacks. Naraku raised his twin swords up and went into a fighting stance. Almost instantaneously, Sango’s boomerang stopped in mid-air right before it would have landed home to its target. Kirara came down to the ground and roared, letting out her frustration.
“Help us, damn it, Kagome!!!” Inuyasha roared as Kirara went down.
“If you guys can’t do anything, what makes you think I can?” Kagome replied frantically in desperation. Kagome turned away from treating Miroku’s wounds and look over at Naraku. Naraku met her gaze for a split-second with a malicious smirk of pure evil beoe turning to look over at Sango.
“Did you think, for a minute, I would let an asinine toy such as this and worthless weakling like a human hurt me?” Naraku asked calmly. Sango’s incredulous anger was blatant upon her face. “Think again, foolish woman. I think I just get rid of you and your pet now.”
Closing his eyes once again, Naraku focused his energy onto Kirara. The hiraikotsu started off spinning again but this time towards Kirara, full force.
Kirara’s agony-filled roar in defiance and Sango’s scream rang in the air at the same moment. Sango ran to her fallen friend’s side, tears streaming down her cheeks. Kirara was hanging on to life by only a thin, silken thread.
“Pity you get so attached to others when the point in life is just for weaklings to die!” Naraku spun the hiraikotsu back towards Kirara to strike the final blow. Sango threw herself over her life-long friend’s body just in time receive most of the force of the attack. The snapping of bone made Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou wince. Sango shrieked out once more this time for her own pain, both her and Kirara bleeding profusely and immobile.
Inuyasha had had enough of just standing on the sidelines without doing anything. He left Miroku and Kagome’s sides and walked over to challenge Naraku one on one once more. Even if he could not land a hit because of the corrupted power of the Shikon Jewel running through the bastard Naraku’s veins, he would die trying to protect his world and those in it.
“Inuyasha, please be careful!” Kagome yelled from behind him. He felt he was walking to his death. With a sprint and a leap, he lunged toward Naraku’s bloodstained figure with a blood-curdling battle cry. Just as before, if Naraku did not counter with his own blades, Inuyasha was thrown back just as the Tessaiga came a hair’s-breadth away from Naraku’s body. The constant strain and punishment finally wore on Inuyasha to the point that his agility failed him on one more final leap to attack Naraku. Naraku came up into the air to meet the dog hanyou’s attack and thrust both blades into Inuyasha’s chest up to the hilts.
As the ground came up to meet the two flying bodies, Inuyasha slide off the two blades and fell on his knees, crumpling to the ground. Blood poured like a flood from his chest. He looked over to Kagome and with a shuddering breath, whispered her name, choking on the single word as blood forced its way up and out his mouth, staining his porcelain face and silver locks.
“I-Inu . . . Inuyasha?” Kagome’s face froze in a mask of the most exquisite mix of pain and abhorring the world had ever seen. “Sango? . . . Mi . . . Miroku? Kirara? . . .” Kagome looked around at the blood bath that surrounded her. She was overwhelmed with grief and she shrieked a guttural, sobbing cry into the forest around her. The world seemed darker and she was filled with purpose when Naraku’s mocking, sadistic laughter snapped her back to the reality that faced her.
“Last to die, along with your pitiful friends, eh? So be it poor, stupid girl.”
The cold mask stared at Naraku with unblinking eyes of hatred and intense sorrow. “You killed my friends. You cold hearted bastard.” Kagome’s words dripped sweet venom as tears streamed over her cold mask uncontrollably. She swiftly pulled her bow from her shoulder strap and drew an arrow from her quiver.
[chappie's not done yet!!!]
Broken and Confused
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