Chapter 43: Blood for Blood
Kagome ran down the winding hallways, not paying that much attention to which way she turned. Her only thought at the moment was to get away from Naraku. The soft, constant "whoosh" of air traveling through her clothes was grating on her nerves. Tugging on one side, she pulled her garb closer and tied the loose fabric in a knot.
The soft patter of her quick, light steps echoed in her mind. She had no idea where her shoes had gone, nor did she care. The absence of the click of the heels of her shoes on the marble floor was welcome. With each step she felt like she wasn't getting any further away from him, that she was barely managing to stay just out of his reach. Was he taunting her? Pushing it in her face that he could catch her should he so chose? Both thoughts made her feel sick to her stomach. She had to do something, but what could she do?
Then something occurred to her. She wasn't human—she was a demon, the "next in line" to take the throne of the Southern Lands. She couldn't just keep running when she was in trouble. She had to fight eventually. No one was there to save her; no one even knew where she was. She could only hope Inuyasha had remained mostly unharmed and had at least informed everyone else to the current predicament. What had those training lessons been for—show, responsibility, a way to pass the time? If she never fought, would they have truly, perhaps, been for nothing? Some warrior she was. She had a warrior's ability but not a warrior's instincts. She wasn't even sure if she had a warrior's nerve. She had thought she had strengthened her resolve, but here she was, running from her captor. She didn't know what to do. What could she do? Stop, wait for him to find her, and fight him? She knew it wouldn't work. Even if she fought her hardest, it wouldn't work. Naraku was too crafty, too sly, and too cowardly to ever fight on equal ground. He always had back up plans… always had his minions, his detachments, and his hair-twined puppets. That he was here and alive now was proof enough.
How could they truly destroy him? Even when they attacked him and not his puppets, he still returned. How did one exactly go about eradicating a virtually indestructible half-demon, half-human? She ran through past battles, noting how their adversaries were dispatched. No big mystery there... most were either destroyed by the Kami no Kizu or her sacred arrow. Neither of those worked on the hanyou. She almost groaned. "Let's see..." she pondered in her mind. "What is his weakness... where does he have most of his defenses?" She suddenly remembered the infant that used to be near... he was always guarded by one or more of Naraku's minions... "We never could get close to that kid... perhaps he was the most important link... But what purpose did he serve? Other than that killing of powerful mikos and monks thing..." Kagome groaned, roughly rubbing her hand along her face. "What do you have to do to kill a hanyou and keep him that way?"
'Okay, Kagome, this line of reasoning isn't getting you anywhere!' she berated herself mentally. 'Where are most demons weak?' As she pondered, she listed most vital places demons tend to protect. 'Back, neck, sometimes the head since those wounds bleed like a mother, their -ahem- special area... not that giving him a good kick there did much toward defeating him... ah... the chest...'
Then she suddenly stopped in her tracks. 'His chest... his heart... he can't keep reattaching severed limbs, let alone breath, without his heart! Crap, it took me that long to figure that out?'
"I feel like such a moron," she absentmindedly muttered aloud.
"Indeed, it is rather foolish, not to mention futile, for you to run from me, miko," Naruku purred in her ear.
Kagome jumped, swinging her arm around, hoping to catch him off guard, but he easily caught her by the wrist before she could hit him. "That's not very nice of you... I can see it was a mistake to tie you to my bed... I should've chained you there instead... not only your arms, but your legs, too." He gave a cocky scoff, and gripped her wrist more painfully, twisting it. "I won't treat you so kindly, anymore, miko... You can live with a few broken limbs." He smiled ruefully, and twisted her wrist until there was a distinct snap.
Kagome cried out in pain as she fell on her knees. Sharp, stinging tears came to her eyes unbidden and swirled across the surface, making them glassy.
He chuckled, "If I had known that was all it would take to get you on your knees, I would've broken your wrist sooner..." Keeping a grip on her wrist, he bent down and gave a throaty whisper. "I guess if I break the other one, though, you wouldn't be able to hold yourself up as I defile you."
Filled with disgust, Kagome took a deep breathe, and yanked her broken wrist from his hand. Trying her hardest to block out the pain as the broken bone shifted against it's other piece, she turned, punching him in the nose as hard as she could. She could feel his nose break as her knuckles connected with his face. He stumbled backward a few paces, his hands quickly moving to cover his nose. Blood ran from each nostril, dripping down his shirt, staining it red.
"An eye for an eye, Naraku... or in this case, blood for blood, a nose for a wrist," she sneered.
Elsewhere...
A mix of images blended across the crystal surface of the mirror. It cleared and brightened long enough for them to tell it was once again showing images of Kagome and Naraku. They watched as Kagome punched him square in the nose. Blood cascaded from his nostrils, and his nose was rather flat, and jutted out in odd places, showing it was undoubtably shattered.
"That was a nice shot," Sango mumbled somewhat numbly. If not for her worry, she might have taken more pleasure in it.
They watched as Kagome spoke to him then scowled, taunting him it seemed. Naraku fixed her with a glance of pure contempt and rage. He said something, then straightened, heading towards her.
The image dissolved, and the mirror grew dull.
"We're running out of time discussing what to do," Miroku pondered aloud. "I believe the mirror has shown us all she will. It's time for us to decide."
"We're going to go after them at any means possible. I believe we already agreed on this," Sesshoumaru spoke with absolution.
"So, how do we do that?" Sango shifted nervously from foot to foot. She hated guessing games. She was more of an action kinda girl.
"Ask her," Toshemoto simply said.
Everyone but Sesshoumaru gave him odd looks. "Ask her what?" Sango questioned.
"Ask her to take us to my daughter. If she's offering her help, all we have to do is accept and thank her for it."
Sango and Miroku glanced at each other, wondering if that would be all they would have to do. Instead of waiting for them to make up their minds, Sesshoumaru stepped around them and picked up the mirror.
He spoke quietly to the mirror, "Would you take us to Kagome... please." Despite it being a request, it sounded more like a command. He waited a few moments and then sat it back on the ground. Perhaps the mirror didn't want to help them. As he walked away, however, the mirror shone with a dim light.A twirling abyss of grays and whites spun inside the mirror's reflection.
"What the hell is it doing now?" Inuyasha yelled, crouching on all fours, glaring at the mirror in suspicion.
"Inuyasha, just shut up and watch. If we knew what it was doing, someone would've already explained it to the rest of us," Sango said in a resolved, but somewhat exasperated sort of way. Inuyasha mentally grumbled, but didn't voice any complaints. He'd rather not become the target of Sango's fury.
Sesshoumaru turned, looking at the mirror. He waited a moment, then walked back toward it. He squatted beside it, watching it for a moment, then he touched the center of the typhoon pictured. A pulling wind, weak at first, filtered all around them, but it grew stronger and stronger until it exploded with forceful current, and dragged Kikyou, Miroku, and Sango closer and closer. Sesshoumaru relaxed and let the current of the wind lead him. Toshemoto followed him shortly after. Even Shippou abandoned his safe harbor near Kaede and Rin and jumped into the mirror. Casting glances among each other, they stopped struggling... what other choice did they have?
The wind immediately stopped, and the mirror grew dull once more. Rin shifted back and forth on her feet. "Sesshoumaru-sama, Shippou-chan..." She turned her sorrowful eyes to the elderly women. "Will they be able to help Kagome-neesan?"
"I hope so, child," she replied somberly, and stared at the mirror.
A/N: I'm really very sorry it took me so long to update. I've almost lost all inspiration and drive for this story, so I've forced myself to try and make the last few chapters the best I can (I felt really guilty for leaving it untouched for so long). I was looking back through reviews and there are some I don't remember ever seeing, and I felt even more guilty (I probably just forgot!). Therefore, I've tried to finish this in a more timely manner. Please let me know what you think of the chapter. All opinions are appreciated (but this late in the story, not much can be helped, ne?). Thanks to those who've stuck with me for so long! Also, thanks to those who fed my ego about the poem/rhyming story. I'm very proud of it.