The Shikon and the Miko by Chie
Chapter 1
Summary: In one brutal attack, Naraku manages to incapacitate Kagome and steal the Shikon shards the gang had painstakingly gathered. With the final battle close at hand, the Inutachi has no choice but to leave Kagome behind. Left on her own, the Shikon miko decides to embark on a quest of her own.
Rating: MA
Universe: Canon divergence
Genre: Action, Drama, Romance
Diclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko-sensei. I am but a fan, writing for other fans, for absolutely no profit.
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Chie: This story is for Michelle/lordmaru as a part of our Art Trade and as thanks for the beautiful 'sona she made for me. It is also worth noting here that because this is an art trade story, the idea as well as the (rough) plotline actually originated in her brain, not mine.
In any case, here you go, sweetie, hope you'll enjoy it!
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The attack had come as a complete surprise. Kagome had not sensed any shards for over a week, but they had heard rumours that there might be one in the east so they had been on their way to find out whether there was any truth to the hearsay. And then, as the Inutachi was crossing a mountain, he had appeared before them, out of the blue. A fight had erupted immediately, each member of their group easily falling into their roles and positions. They had fought together so many times that it had become a routine.
Still, their enemy was a formidable one.
Kagome stayed at the back, her bow drawn and firing arrows any time she found an opening. The shouts and sounds of the battle were echoing in her ears, as she tried to follow the chaos ensuing in front of her eyes the best she could.
They held out pretty well, at least in the beginning. But then, their luck turned. Kagome shot her arrow but it did not hit its target in time. The writhing, heavy tentacle caught Inuyasha unawares, hitting him square in the chest.
Kagome turned, her wide panicked eyes following Inuyasha’s form as he soared through the air tossed back by the sheer force of Naraku’s attack. Tessaiga fell from his hands as his body collided against the mountain wall.
Kagome’s heart leapt into her throat and could not help the fearful shout.
“Inu – “ the name died on her lips, drowning in a pained scream. The world blurred funnily before her eyes, and she blinked owlishly, looking down at the blood gushing out of her chest, and at the hideous protruding tentacle that had pierced through her from behind when she had not been looking. The world was shut out and everything seemed to move in slow motion as she could only watch, helpless and horrified, as the tip of the tentacle slithered up her body, wrapped securely around the bottle of Shikon shards on her neck and with one violent move yanked the glimmering fragments, snapping the thin chain around her neck. Holding onto the shards, the tentacle slipped out of her body as easily as it had invaded it.
Her head swam, and succumbing to the darkness, she fell to the rocky ground to lie in a broken heap.
Naraku grinned, holding the Shikon shards in his hand, taking pleasure in seeing how the pink glow dimmed and grew dull black under his gaze. Out of the corner of his blood-red eyes he saw the inu hanyou and his companions rushing to the fallen miko’s side. He could taste the heavy, intoxicating tang of their fear. For a second he looked at his pathetic enemies, their backs turned towards him. It was a perfect opportunity to strike and end it all, now that they were all so distracted by their priestess’ demise.
But no, that was not his plan. Naraku turned away, using the diversion to his advantage and escaped.
“Kagome!” Shippo wailed, clinging to the priestess’ pale hand with his small paws. Inuyasha and Sango arrived at the miko’s side just as Miroku was bending down to inspect her wounds.
“She has lost her consciousness but she’s still alive,” the monk said, though the frown on his brow indicated it was a close call.
Shippo was whimpering quietly, unshed tears gleaming in the corners of his eyes.
Inuyasha looked at his friend. She lay on the ground, her breathing pained and shallow. Her heartbeat was erratic and the horrible gaping wound on her chest was bleeding heavily now that the tentacle was gone from her body. The heavy metallic tang in the air turned his stomach. He did not want to see Kagome broken like that.
Sango had gone over to Kagome’s huge yellow backpack and was already rummaging through it, looking for the medical supplies. She found the weird box and brought it to Miroku.
“Will she be ok?” Inuyasha asked, his gruff voice raw.
“It’s too early to tell,” Miroku sighed as he dressed her wound. The blood quickly dyed the white gauze. “Her wound is serious; it will take a long time for her to recover.”
Sango was kneeling by her friend’s side, looking at the still, pale face.
“We need to go to Edo. Get her to Kaede.”
Miroku nodded as he dug out a small and flat box Kagome used to store her scissors in. He wrapped it tightly onto the wound so that it’d apply pressure and lessen the bleeding.
“I agree,” he said, taking a step back from Kagome. He looked down at his work. It wasn’t much, but right now that was all he could do. “Once she regains her consciousness and feels stronger, she could travel through the well to seek help from the healers of her own era.”
“Alright,” Inuyasha nodded curtly. “Let’s get going then!”
“You take Kirara,” Sango told Miroku. “So you can look after Kagome.”
“Thank you, Sango.”
Miroku gathered Kagome into his arms and gently laid her on the transformed Kirara’s back. He climbed up and then propped the miko up to a half-sitting position.
Inuyasha frowned as he crouched down so that Sango could get on his back. Soon, the grim group was already fleeing southeast, towards Edo.