Time Traveler Katsumi

Inside Naraku

Sesshoumaru slashed the wall of flesh in front of them with his claws.

'Inside this ball of flesh... I can smell them! Inuyasha and Magatsuhi... are still nearby!' Sesshoumaru thought.

"Sesshoumaru, I know you're capable of it! You can defeat Magatsuhi without hurting Inuyasha!" Kagome said. "When we came here, Naraku said it... What the shikon no tama desires is your souls... Your hearts which hate me... Your anger...."

"I've heard it before," Sesshoumaru said.

"Then you know the jewel wants the negativity in our hearts," Kagome said. "So... if two brothers fight each other, it'll be just what Naraku wanted."

'I'm through!?' Sesshoumaru thought, surprised by how easy it had been. Sesshoumaru stepped through the opening he made. Inuyasha and Magatsuhi were waiting for him. Magatsuhi made Inuyasha pounce, attacking with his claws. Sesshoumaru dodged. "You stay here! You'll just get in the way!" he told Kagome, who stood in the opening. Sesshoumaru punched Inuyasha, sending him falling down away from there. Inuyasha landed and sprang back up, slashing his claws at Sesshoumaru the same time Sesshoumaru slashed at him. Inuyasha landed on a lower stretch of flesh, while Sesshoumaru took the high ground. A small tear appeared in Sesshoumaru's sleeve.

"Ah...!" Kagome gasped.

"Hmph... It's only because you've transformed into a youkai in body and mind that your blows are landing better than usual," Sesshoumaru said. 'Two brothers fighting would be just what Naraku wants... huh. Even if it's as she said... taking that into consideration would merely prolong this fight... In that case, I'll settle this in one blow!' He drew Tenseiga and leaped at Inuyasha. He swung his sword.

"Inuyasha!!" Kagome yelled. Inuyasha grabbed Tenseiga's blade with his bare hand to stop it. "He caught Tenseiga's blade...!"

"Tenseiga is a sword which cannot cut beings of this world..." Magatsuhi said. "As long as I'm borrowing Inuyasha's body, you cannot hurt me." He made inuyasha grip the blade tighter. "I'll break this." Sesshoumaru pushed forward, making Inuyasha slide backwards into a wall of Naraku's flesh.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said. 'I have to give him Tessaiga.' She began climbing down. 'I have to get near him...!'

"!" Sesshoumaru said when he noticed what she was doing, and saw her slip.

"Aah!" Kagome cried as she slid down too fast.

"You idiot!" Sesshoumaru said, furrowing his brow in frustration. Kagome moved the hand that was holding Tessaiga and stabbed its blade into the wall of flesh to stop her fall.

"Ugh!" she said. 'Please, Tessaiga... give me your support!' "Inuyasha! You just wait there! I'm coming for you!"

"You're too late," Magatsuhi said. "I have already... taken over every corner of Inuyasha's mind. Even if he were to have Tessaiga's power, he won't return to normal."

"Inuyasha, don't lose to him! Inuyasha!!" Kagome shouted. Her wound bled more.

'Blood...' Inuyasha thought. 'The scent of... Kagome's blood.. I wounded her. Kagome is gone. I was supposed to protect you with my life.' He remembered Naraku's taunting words.

Inuyasha, you've done it again... instead of protecting those two women, both Kikyo and Kagome... fell victim to your weak heart...

"!" Kagome said when the flesh she had stabbed Tessaiga into throbbed. "Aah!" The flesh formed tentacles that pushed her and Tessaiga away, making them fall.

"Tch!" Sesshoumaru said. Inuyasha let go of Tenseiga and jumped after her. "!"

'Kagome!' Inuyasha thought. 'Kagome is alive!!' Sesshoumaru flew after them. 'That's right, Kagome... I... pledged to protect you with my life!!'