(To (Y/N) )
"Damn it, where is he?!" I exclaim as I stop and look around, only to catch a glimpse of the Miasma slowly making its way up my arm. "I need to find Kohaku before the Miasma reaches my heart!" I think, but then my eyes widen as I feel a Jewel Shard nearby.
"Thank God..." I trail off as I begin on my way towards it. Suddenly, screams fill my ears, making me pick up my pace with a concerned expression.
"Fair-weather Demon!" A boy calls out as I see an oddly familiar Monk and apprentice rush by. Letting out a sigh, the tree I was standing in was starting to fall over, making me jump.
"Grrsh!" A sound rings out, causing me to look over to see what I think is a man covered in armor as I land on my feet several feet in front of it. "What the hell is that thing? Wait...!" I think as I hold up my hands.
"Are you a part of the band of seven?!" I exclaim, but the thing chuckles, and then several metal things rush past me and stick onto his back.
"Please don't shoot those things at me, I'm an ally." I insist, only for it to scoff.
"GRRSH!" The thing sounds out as it shoots the big metal, sharp cogs at me, which makes me jump up and dodge them.
"I'm not lying! I gave you and the other 6 members Jewel Shards to resurrect you guys for Naraku!" I shout, causing the thing to narrow its eyes at me, but then the sound of buzzing makes me look up to see Naraku's poisonous insects. "Oh, thank goodness." I sigh.
"Grrsh." The thing sounds, as the metal things rush back to him, and he walks away.
"(Y/N), it's time to go." A familiar voice rings out as I look to see Kohaku standing there, and he reaches out to me.
"Alright..." I trail off as he grabs my hand, causing the Miasma to disappear.
"You shouldn't stray from my side for so long," Kohaku advised, making me nod, and we jumped up to a tree. "I hope the others will be okay facing a thing like that..." I think as I begin following Kohaku through the trees.
(To Jakotsu)
"He will die," Jakotsu mutters as he grabs a petal from the flower he was holding and drops it.
"He won't die," Jakotsu says as he takes another petal.
"He will die," Jakotsu states, while taking another petal.
"He won't die," Jakotsu adds as he takes a petal from the two petals left on the flower.
"He will die." Jakotsu gasps and throws the flower away.
"Oh, well, just when things were getting interesting. How can Renkotsu be so mean to me?" Jakotsu asks, looking up at the sky with a sigh.
"Oh, well. I guess it can't be helped. I'd better finish my work here before Ginkotsu kills Inuyasha." Jakotsu insists as he gets up and begins walking down the hill he was sitting on.
"I sure hope Inuyasha stays alive until I get back. But against Ginkotsu, I don't know... Still." Jakotsu declares.
(To (Y/N) )
"There's a lot of commotion..." I trail off as I look over to see a bunch of smoke and feel vibrations nearby, and Kohaku nods.
"Ginkotsu, the one you saw earlier, is fighting Inuyasha," Kohaku informs as he glances over at me.
"Oh." I sound, while Kohaku jumps to the next tree.
"Come." Kohaku insists. "I really hope Kagome, Miroku, and Songo are okay." I think, jumping to Kohaku.
(To Kagome)
"Kagome," Shippo mutters as he sees Kagome's eyes flutter open.
"Shippo, tell me. Where are we?" Kagome asks as she looks over at him.
"A temple. They've given us shelter. Miroku and Songo are still unconscious." Shippo answers, causing Kagome to look away from him.
"You're awake." A voice rings out, making Kagome look over to see Renkotsu, who was holding an incense burner.
"I'm so glad. Now, just relax and recuperate." Renkotsu adds, but Kagome gasps as she sees the Jewel Shard glowing in his neck. Turning to Shippo, Kagome goes to inform him, but her eyes widen when she realizes her voice won't come out.
"What a pity. I understand you inhaled poison. You really shouldn't have been moved so soon after. All three of them are very weak. They won't be able to get up for some time yet." Renkotsu informs Shippo, then moves towards Kagome, who stares at him with a scared expression. Suddenly, he bent down, his hand coming towards Kagome, brushing her out-of-place strands of hair into place.
"Hmm." Renkotsu sounds as he sees Kagome open one of her eyes.
"You should sleep a little more," Renkotsu advised as he placed the Incense burner beside her and then walked to the door. Kagome looked over to see Shippo sleeping, making her eyes tremble. Trying to fight the smell, as drowsiness began to befall her, and slowly her eyes closed.
(To (Y/N) )
"Where are we going, Kohaku?" I ask him, and he glances back at me.
"Our job is to keep a close eye on the Band of Seven," Kohaku answers as he looks back to the front and jumps to the next tree. "So, most likely that Temple I saw before, huh?" I wonder, glancing over to see that the sun is setting.
"What is the real intention of sending me on this mission, Naraku?" I ask in a whisper, looking over to see Kohaku several feet away from me. "Shit!" I think as I quickly rush after him. Finally, the Temple in sight, and I feel the presence of the Jewel Shards as Kohaku suddenly stops.
"We mustn't go any farther, or Inuyasha will pick up our scent," Kohaku informs me as my eyes widen. "Inuyasha, so are the Jewel Shards I'm sensing the Band of Seven's or Kagomes'?" I wonder as a bad feeling consumed me.
(To Renkotsu)
"Tell me, are you Inuyasha by any chance? I've been waiting for you to arrive." Renkotsu states, and Inuyasha narrows his eyes at him.
"Waiting for me?" Inuyasha asks.
(Time Skip)
"Huh?" Inuyasha sounds as he comes into a room to see Kagome, Songo, Miroku, and Shippo peacefully sleeping.
"Good, she's all right," Inuyasha says with a smile.
"I take it that you're being pursued." Renkotsu insists, making Inuyasha growl as he looks back at him.
"Who are you?" Inuyasha asks.
"As you can see, I'm the head monk of this Temple. Lately, there has been talk in the village nearby that the spirits of the Band of Seven, who were ambushed and put to death over 10 years ago, have somehow been resurrected, bringing great calamity to this region. The dead that you saw me burying when you first arrived were burned to death by these resurrected spirits." Renkotsu explains as Inuyasha stared at him with a suspicious gaze.
"And yet you somehow survived the attack?" Inuyasha questions.
"I was filled with such fear that I hid like a coward behind the Stature of Buddha. I understand that you are being pursued by these 7 evil spirits." Renkotsu answers Inuyasha, who stands.
"Look, I'm not being pursued. I'm the one doing the pursuing. So get it straight." Inuyasha corrects.
"I meant you no offense. But please answer me this. Why has the Band of 7 been resurrected?" Renkotsu asks Inuyasha, making him turn to Rankotsu and place his hand on his sword.
"Why do you want to know that?" Inuyasha questions.
"As you know, I serve Buddha, but I was helpless to stop the slaughter of my brethren. And so I wish to make amends. If I'm able, I wish to put at peace the souls of the dead." Renkotsu responds, causing Inuyasha to close his eyes.
"Just forget about it. This is no business for a Monk like you." Inuyasha states.
(To (Y/N) )
"Kohaku, do you know what the Band of 7 is planning?" I ask, breaking the silence between us. Kohaku glances over at me and sits down next to me.
"I do not," Kohaku answers me as I let out a sigh, but then I feel 3 Jewel Shards heading in our direction. "Damn it... There are too many Jewel Shards for me to keep count of, so I can't tell who's in the shrine and who is not. I wish I could tell who was who..." I think as I clench my hands.
(To Koga)
"Koga, please! Wait for us!" Hakkaku calls out as he and Ginta were rushing after a Whirlwind that was going at max speed.
"When it's for Kagome. He always runs so much faster." Ginta points out as they were both breathing hard.
(To Inuyasha)
"Someone named Naraku called forth the dead souls. Tell me, who is this Naraku?" Renkotsu asks.
"He 'sort of' like a Demon," Inuyasha answers.
"How do you mean 'Sort of?' Renkotsu questions Inuyasha, who looks away from him.
"Naraku is not a complete Demon. Right now, I would imagine he's hiding himself somewhere. He's undergoing another transformation and increasing his power. And he's using the Band of 7 as a decoy to buy time." Inuyasha explains.
(To (Y/N)
Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot goes off, and then everything begins to rumble.
"Are they finally making their move?" I ask, causing Kohaku to get up.
"We must move away from here now," Kohaku answers me, making me knit my eyebrows.
"Why's that?" I question Kohaku, only to see him jump to the next tree.
"We mustn't get caught in the crossfire," Kohaku answers me as I take one last look at the temple. "If anything happens to Kagome and the others, I won't forgive them." I think as I turn and jump after Kohaku.
(To Inuyasha)
"That sounded a lot like Ginkotsu. How in the heck could he still be alive?" Inuyasha asks as he jumps off the Shrine patio, causing Renkotsu to walk out from the door.
"Listen, Monk, if you want to stay alive, stay hidden," Inuyasha warns as he then runs away. Renkotsu closes the doors and walks over to Kagome and bends down to her. Reaching into Kagome's uniform, he grabs the Jewel Shard bottle and smirks as his markings begin to appear on his face.
"You can all die now." Renkotsu declares.
(To (Y/N)
"I can barely hear the fight... Hey, Kohaku, shouldn't we stop here?" I ask, causing Kohaku to stop in his tracks.
"No, not here," Kohaku answers me as I glance back, only to see smoke rising into the sky. "A fire?!" I wonder as my eyes widen.
"Let's go, (Y/N)." Kohaku insists pulling me out of my thoughts, which makes me turn to see him continuing on his path. "Damn it..." I think as I jump after him, feeling another group of Jewel Shards up ahead.
"Who do these Shards belong to?" I wonder as I see Kohaku stop as I feel two out of the three shards heading straight for us. "Could it be-" I was cut off when a Whirlwind stopped in front of us.
"(Y/N)?" Koga's voice rings out, causing my body to stiffen. "Does he want me to fight Koga?!" I wonder as I feel a chill run down my spine.
"Why are you with this boy, and where are the others?" Koga asks as he narrows his eyes at Kohaku."I don't have a choice, do I?" I wonder as I see Kohaku's eyes narrow at me, making me put my hand to the hilt of my sword.
"What are you-" Koga was interrupted as a beam of light rushed towards him, making my eyes widen. "That's Jakotsu's attack!" I think, looking over to see Jakotsu standing there with an annoyed expression.
"Hi there." Jakotsu greets after his blade comes back. "It's weird to feel relief to see this weird guy, but thankfully, I won't have to fight Koga." I think, letting out a sigh, and take my hand from my sword.
"You must be Koga of the Wolf Demon tribe," Jakotsu states.
"Goodness, and I thought I'd seen everything." Ginta remarks.
"But why is (Y/N) here?" Hakkaku asks as they both stand behind Koga with perplexed expressions
"You must be a pal of Kyokotsu. I'd know that smell anywhere. Come looking for revenge?" Koga questions as Jakotsu sighs.
"Hmm. The outfit I kind of like, and a little use of fur is definitely working for me, but I hate to tell you you're just not doing it for me." Jakotsu's remarks cause Koga to glance over at Ginta and Hakkaku. "I forgot how much this guy gives me the creeps..." I think as I put my hand to my head.
"What on Earth is this fool talking about?" Koga asks as he points towards Jakotsu.
"I don't know." Ginta and Hakkaku chorus, but Koga looked over at me with mixed emotions.
"More importantly... What the hell's going on here, (Y/N)?!" Koga exclaims as I clench my fists. "I have to make it look believable." I think as I glare over at him.
"It's none of your damn business, Wolf-Boy!" I shout, causing Koga to glare at me as Ginta and Hakkaku nearly fall over.
"I see... You're working for him again, aren't you?!" Koga exclaims once more, pointing at me, and I scoff.
"As I just said, keep your nose out of my business." I insist, making Koga put on an angry expression.
"Is he holding something over you?! If so, let me help you!" Koga bellows as I roll my eyes. "I'm sorry." I think, while holding in my true emotions.
"I'm not poor little helpless Kagome. I can take care of myself!" I shout, making Koga move towards me, but then another beam of light rushes towards him, forcing Koga back.
"Enough chit-chat. Both you and Kohaku get out of here! So we can get down to Business!" Jakotsu screams as all of us look over at him.
"We must do as he says," Kohaku informs as he turns away, and I nod.
"(Y/N)!" Koga shouts, causing me to shoot him an apologetic expression as I turn away. "Wait, if Koga's here with Jakotsu... That means Kagome and the others were at the Temple with Inuyasha!" I think as I follow after Kohaku, who was heading back into the forest.
(To Koga)
"What was that expression about?" Ginta asks, causing Hakkaku to shrug.
"Maybe she's not really on their side..." Hakkaku answers as they stare at each other for a moment, as Koga glares over at Jakotsu.
"I don't know what you're up to, buddy, but I'm taking you down and then getting some answer from (Y/N)!" Koga declares as he rushes towards Jakotsu, who slashes his blade, making it fly towards Koga. Quickly, changing directions, Koga dodges Jakotsu's sword and lands a few feet, glaring at him.
"Look, I'm in a rush. So quit resisting. Hurry up and die so I can watch Inuyasha's death, ok?" Jakotsu requests Koga, whose eyes widen.
"Hey, what do you mean by that? What was that you were just saying about Inuyasha's death? Koga questions Jakotsu, who looks away.
"I thought you had a relationship with that girl, but maybe I was wrong... What is your relationship with Inuyasha?" Jakotsu asks.
"I don't care what happens to that Mutt, but (Y/N)'s cousin, the girl called Kagome traveling with him. She'd better not be in any danger." Koga answers.
"Oh, come on. Who cares about women? I only tolerate (Y/N) cause she helped resurrect us, but that girl... She's probably long dead by now!" Jakotsu proclaims as she swings her sword towards Koga, causing him to dodge it.
"What do you mean, 'Dead' ?!" Koga exclaims.
(To (Y/N) )
"I'm sorry, Kohaku. I won't let them die..." I whisper as I immediately take off through the woods in the direction of the Jewel Shards, while gritting my teeth. "I swore no one was gonna die on my watch!" I think as I gathered up all the strength inside me and ran as fast as I could to the Temple.
"You're in rather a predicament, Inuyasha." Renkotsu's voice rang through my ears, making me stop in a nearby tree to see that Inuyasha was wrapped up in what looked like Wire as it was set ablaze. "Damn it, Inuyasha!" I think as I grabbed out the old knife, Songo had given me out of my kimono.
"I hope this helps, Dog-boy," I whisper as I throw my knife down, cutting all the wires that were wrapped around Inuyasha, causing it to come loose.
"What the hell?!" Renkotsu exclaims as he begins looking around, but I jump towards the Temple wall and to the inner temple that was set ablaze.
(To Shippo)
"Come on, pull yourself together, Shippo, and be a man. I've got to keep it together." Shippo insists as he wipes his eyes.
"I'll do my very best to protect them until Inuyasha comes. But I- But I don't have the strength to drag them all outside. Oh, what am I gonna do?! What am I gonna do?! Come on, use your head, Shippo!" Shippo bellows.
(To (Y/N) )
"That was Shippo's voice..." I trail off as I look down at the part of the roof I was standing on. "Damn it, they really are inside!" I think as I look around, but I couldn't find any opening.
"Fine, I'll make one!" I proclaim as I hold my hand down at the roof as a ball of light forms and blasts into the roof, allowing me inside.
"(Y/N), is that- is that you?" Shippo's teary-eyed voice rings out, and I look over and see him with the others.
"Yes, Shippo. I've come to help." I answer Shippo, who jumps into my arms with tears running down his face. "I made it in time, thank goodness." I think, quickly getting everyone onto Kirara.
"How will we get out?" Shippo asks, and I grin.
"The same way I got in," I answer as I hold both my hands up at the roof, a giant ball of spiritual pressure to form. "Go!" I think as the ball shoots up creating a hole.
"Now, Kirara!" I call out, making her fly out of the building.
"We did it!" Shippo cried out, and I turned to him.
"Here. Shippo, give this to Kagome, Miroku, and Songo." I insist as I hand him 3 viles.
"What are these?" Shippo asks me, making wink with a finger to my lips.
"Another portion of Antidote for the poison. It should help them, just don't tell anyone you saw me, okay?" I request Shippo, who puts on a confused expression.
"Why?!" Shippo exclaims.
"It's the only way I can protect everyone." I grin as I then lean forward, falling down from Kirara and landing on the ground. "Even if I have to be a double-agent." I think as I rush through the darkness of the forest.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha's voice rings out, making me stop in my tracks as I turn to see Inuyasha passing Renkotsu by and into the Temple.
"Hmm... So, bothering to kill me wasn't worth his time. I'm insulted." Renkotsu made known as he turned and glared back at the temple.
"Still, I did manage to find out a little more about Naraku, and I have the Shikon Jewel Shards," Renkotsu states as he looks down at the bottle Kagome had. "Why would he want to know more about Naraku?" I wonder as I stare at him intently.
"Well, all things considered, that's not too bad for a day's work, right?" Renkotsu asks as he glances over at me.
"That greed's going to get you killed," I answer as I walk away, making him stare at me for a moment. "This guy's definitely going to be a problem." I think, but then buzzing sounds out, causing me to look over and see the poisonous insects carrying Ginkotsu away.
(To Koga)
Koga goes to land a punch on Jakotsu, who jumps back, dodging Koga's advance, making Jakotsu slash his sword, but Koga dodges.
"Whoa, that was scary," Jakotsu remarks as Koga glares down at him, as a whirlwind forms around him.
"Hey, wait!" Jakotsu calls out to Koga, who was already running in the opposite direction.
"Sorry, I don't have time to fool around with you right now. I've got to run, but then next time we meet I'll show you what 'scary' is all about." Koga threatens as he keeps running.
"Hey, Koga, wait up!" Hakkaku shouts as he and Ginta follow.
"Koga has no qualms about retreating, does he?" Ginta asks.
(To Kikyo)
"The bodies of the seven Mercenaries known as the Band of Seven were buried. Recently, this accursed monument split into two." The old man explains to Kikyo, who was staring at the cumbled tomb.
"But that is not all, Priestess. The bones of the Seven Mercenaries buried here all inexplicably disappeared." Villager 1 explains.
"And we're worried that it's some kind of curse and they have returned." Villager 2 adds as children from the nearest house could be heard singing a song, causing Kikyo to turn to the Villagers.
"Yes, I understand. I shall purify the site." Kikyo insists.
"Oh, that would be such a service to us, Priestess." The old man informs.
"How can we ever thank you?" Villager 1 asks.
"Oh, what a great relief." Villager 3 states as Kikyo stares at them, but turns towards the slit Tomb. A thoughtful expression cloaks her face as she looks at a large, misty mountain in the distance. Kikyo pulled out a lock of hair, staring at it with a look of sympathy. Her expression turns regretful as she closes her eyes, while placing the lock of hair back into her kimono.
(To (Y/N) )
"Where could Kohaku have gotten to?" I ask, walking through the forest, as I let out a sigh. "Thanks to all the damn Jewel Shards, I can't tell how many or pinpoint the exact location." I think, but then I'm suddenly knocked back.
"Ow..." I trailed off as I felt the wind on my face. "Did something hit me?" I wonder as I hold my head and see Koga glaring down at me.
"Where's Kagome, (Y/N)?!" Koga exclaims, bending down and grabbing me by the front of my kimono. Suddenly, a stinging feeling engulfs my arm. "I'm running out of time." I think, as the pain makes me close one of my eyes, making Koga stare at me.
"Hey!" Koga shouts."The damn Miasma..." I think, as my vision goes fuzzy.
"L-let go." I stutter, making his nose twitch.
"This smell..." Koga trails off, letting go of my kimono, and grabs my arm.
"No!" I shout, quickly pulling my arm away.
"Miasma?!" Koga exclaims, looking at me with worry, but I look away from him.
"I didn't want any of you to find out..." I trail off, getting up.
"Is this why you're working for Naraku again?" Koga questions me as I let out a sigh.
"It's only part of the reason," I respond, glancing back at him.
"What do you mean by 'Part' ?" Koga asks."I can't tell him everything... I have no idea if I'm being watched or not." I think, looking down at the ground.
"If Kagome and the others survive... Don't tell them about this, Wolf-boy." I answer, jumping up into the trees above, and see Koga take off running. "I figured he would be more worried about Kagome and leave, but I don't know how I'm gonna get myself out of this one." I think, looking arm was nearly consumed by miasma.
"Oh... I see." Kohaku's voice rang out, making my eyes widen, and I turned to see Kohaku beside me.
"Kohaku?" I question as I see him grab my hand, making the miasma disperse.
"Apparently, that girl died... What is this? Why do I shed these tears?" Kohaku asks, seeing tears escaping from his eyes. "No matter how hard Naraku may try, Kohaku will never forget his human heart." I think, staring at him with a sullen expression.
"You'll find out one day, I'm sure," I answer, wiping his tears from his eyes as he stares at me with a slightly confused expression, but I merely smile.