Chapter 38: Left or Right
Inuyasha ignored the fatigue that screamed at him to stop and take a rest before his own body fainted on him. He can't stop. Not now. Naraku's scent had gotten stronger when they entered the borders of Hone no Oka, a mysterious hill that was always surrounded with thick mist so poisonous, no plant ever grew on its slopes.
Miroku and Sango had already strapped the filter masks on, as the miasma was only hazardous to humans. Inuyasha's anxiety grew as he thought of Kagome being exposed to such condition, and he increased his speed even more, his red Fire-Rat robe only a blur across the filthy ground that led to the entrance of the hill.
Hang in there, Kagome! I'm coming!
After several miles, a purplish barrier loomed into view. Through the haze and beyond, Inuyasha could see the ominous silhouette of Hone no Oka. He brought out the Tetsusaiga from its sheath.
"Keh! I'll easily break your barrier, Naraku!" he shouted, the blade of his sword changing into red. Before he could swing it to the barrier's direction, however, he sensed an incoming attack from Kagura's Fujin no Mai. He dodged it easily.
"Naraku welcomes you," she said in a low voice, and a blank-faced boy leapt from her feather and landed lightly on the ground.
"Kohaku!" Sango called, her voice muffled by the mask.
Inuyasha growled irritatingly. "Get out of my way, witch! I ain't got the time to fight you!"
Miroku came forward and put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Go, Inuyasha. We'll take care of this."
The hanyou's amber eyes widened. He was surprised with human nature yet again. Even if he was half-human, he had never known so much compassion from others during his childhood. And even if he was friends with the monk and the taijiya for years now, their kindheartedness always shocked him. "I can't leave you here," he argued, worried that Sango might be too distracted to fight her younger brother.
"Kagome-sama needs you. Save her. We will join you after we finish here."
Inuyasha gritted his teeth and wordlessly nodded before turning around to head towards the barrier once more. Kagura poised to attack him, but Sango's Hiraikotsu barreled towards her, distracting her.
He dashed towards the hill. Able to focus now, he gathered his strength and focused it to his arms as he swung the red Tetsusaiga. To his immense surprise, the purplish barrier opened on its own.
"What the hell?" Inuyasha muttered and warily stepped inside. Almost immediately, the barrier closed. His body tensed as his eyes swiveled to the menacing hill ahead, Hone no Oka… hill of bones. A fortress rested on top of it, with a high tower on its right flank, serving as a sentry point for anyone approaching the hill.
He cautiously hiked the slope leading to the entrance of the stronghold, his senses on high alert. Agitation flowed through him. If the spider hanyou hurt Kagome in any way, Inuyasha would kill him in cold blood, that he knew. She was his to protect. She was his.
A strong aura suddenly pulled him in, and he sensed the fear, the desperation, of the person at the end of that connection. Kagome?
Mad with worry, he began running faster towards the fortress, screaming her name over and over. At a distance, he saw her slender figure just a few feet from the castle walls. He veered left and dashed to her direction when he realized that she was tied to a post, bloody and pale.
"Naraku, you bastard!" he bellowed with fury as he heard the spider hanyou's chuckle somewhere in the castle.
"Come closer and I will kill her," Naraku warned, his voice light and morbidly playful. Inuyasha stopped in his tracks instinctively but he let his golden eyes check Kagome for any serious injury. She was watching him helplessly, silently, because her mouth was covered with a ragged cloth.
He looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice. It seemed to be coming from deep inside the castle. "Let her go! Don't be a coward and fight me!"
Naraku laughed. "Why should I fight you when I have something better planned for tonight?"
Inuyasha's unease grew. Something was wrong. His instincts have been rallying ever since they stepped foot within the borders of Hone no Oka. Kagome coughed and choked against the fabric on her mouth, and he realized that she must have been exposed to the hill's poisonous mist all this time. He made a move to help, but tentacles suddenly appeared behind her and wounded her right shoulder. Kagome's agonizing scream clenched Inuyasha's guts. He hated seeing her hurt.
"I warned you," Naraku taunted. "Step closer and she dies. Why spoil the fun when it is yet to start?"
"Go to hell," Inuyasha spat, livid with anger.
Raucous laughter filled the place. "No, Inuyasha, this is your hell."
An anguished cry came from the tower to the right. Inuyasha looked up and his face was filled with pure terror as a bound woman dangled precariously on top.
"Kikyo!" he gasped, utterly surprised. She looked weak and vulnerable as she swung from the thin cord that held her. He felt it again—the fear, the desperation. It was coming from her.
"Behold, Inuyasha!" From the shadows of the fortress, Naraku emerged with arms wide open as he gestured to the two helpless woman at each end. "Your miko lovers—one undead, one very much alive. But who do you value more? Shall we find out?"
"Damn you, Naraku!" Inuyasha was utterly frustrated now as he looked from one woman to another.
The spider hanyou's left arm transformed into sharp tentacles and pointed it to the direction of Kagome. "My arm will impale the girl's heart at the same time as the line that holds Kikyo will be cut. Save Kagome and let Kikyo fall to her death? Or save Kikyo and let Kagome die by my hand? Choose if you may, Inuyasha. But only one survives."
Inuyasha looked at the jagged stones below Kikyo. They looked like a youkai's mouth full of sharp incisors. She will not survive the fall. Then he gazed over at Kagome who was tied defenselessly at the mercy of Naraku. She will not survive the attack either.
He had to choose because if he didn't, both of them will die. He couldn't lose them. Not again. He couldn't lose her.
He had to save one. Even if it broke the other.
Face set in stone, Inuyasha sheathed his sword, turned to the right, and started running.
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