Inuyasha Part II: Insert Catchy
Title Here!
Some time before Inuyasha and his party found themselves in
their present sticky situation…
Naraku sat alone, silently gloating over the nearly
complete Sacred Jewel that he held in his hand. Only that pest
half-breed
Inuyasha and that girl stood between him and the remaining shards… time
after
time they had evaded his grip, defeated his minions, thwarted his
plans… but
not this time. This time, he would set an ambush that would catch them
all off
guard and destroy them utterly… and to do that, he turned to his new
source of
information.
Kikyo did not bother to struggle against the bonds that
held her. Now, here, in the heart of Naraku’s power, her little
influence over
the mortal world was next to useless. Her influence in terms of
physical power,
that was… she still had other avenues open to her, some which could
prove to be
quite effective… Instead, she composed herself, and waited for Naraku
to show
himself. Eventually, he did, and the duel would begin.
“Well, Kikyo,” Naraku said smoothly, entering the room in
which she was held, “we meet again. You’ve helped me before, why not
again? I’d
like to ask you a few questions about… Inuyasha…”
“Ask all you like,” she said coolly. “I will be the one to
slay Inuyasha… until then, you’ll learn nothing from me.” She was not
surprised
at all when Naraku brandished a sword at her. “And what do you intend
to do
with that? Question me?”
“Brash as ever, are we not, Kikyo? Regardless of whether or
not you intend to volunteer the information, I will have it either way.
Either
talk or prepare to taste pain.”
“Really? I didn’t think you could bear to hurt me. Or do I
no longer mean anything to you?”
“Silence,” Naraku sneered. “That fool mortal holds no sway
over me anymore. I can do whatever I choose to you, Kikyo. Do not think
that
you can stay my hand so easily.”
Kikyo merely gave a small, triumphant smile. Naraku was
already hesitating, having not moved toward her a step. “You can’t do
it, can
you. You cannot harm your ‘precious’ Kikyo. You may as well admit
defeat and
let me go.”
“Silence!” Naraku roared, dashing forward and preparing to
swing the sword, intending to give her a slight graze to show her he
was
capable of harming her. But he found himself halting the blade before
it could
reach her. “Curse you… curse this mortal heart…” he breathed, lowering
the
sword. “This fool Onigumo still longs for your touch… oh, how I wish to
have
his heart out of my body forever…” Naraku stood a foot or so from
Kiyko,
shaking with the effort to try and overcome the feelings Onigumo’s
heart still
spouted.
“Onigumo still does dwell within you,” Kikyo said
triumphantly. “As I expected. You cannot harm me.”
“Harm you, no,” Naraku said thoughtfully. He put the sword
down and thought for a moment. “Perhaps, if this human heart cannot
hurt you,
it can bear something else…?”
“Something else? Do you think to persuade me with
embraces?” Kikyo sneered. “You cannot do anything.”
“On the contrary,” Naraku said. “There are more esoteric
methods of torture used when for whatever reason the target cannot be
harmed…”
Naraku reached out for one of her bare feet and gave the sole a stroke.
He had
the satisfaction of seeing Kikyo’s foot flicker and a quick intake of
breath
sound. “Oh? Something the matter?”
“What are you doing, Naraku?” Kikyo said. She had been
prepared for the eventuality if he had started to express his feelings…
openly…
but whatever he was doing now was clearly unforeseen. Naraku stroked
his finger
again, and that strange sensation shot through her body again, making
her foot
twitch and sending a strange urge to smile to her lips. Carefully she
repressed
it and watched Naraku.
Naraku smiled slightly. He knew; with his knowledge of what
was supposed to be happening to his target, he knew that the method
would be
effective. He stroked a finger up both her bare feet, earning another
gasp that
had a faint but audible titter behind it. Grinning slightly, he began
to stroke
two fingers apiece up and down Kikyo’s soles.
Kikyo found it incredibly hard to fight the smile that was
forming on her face; worse, there was definitely the urge to laugh
right behind
it. Her feet twitched and wiggled, trying to escape Naraku’s touch, but
it was
again to no avail. Naraku smiled at her, and suddenly Kikyo knew that
she had a
lot more than she’d bargained for.
“I studied this in case I arrived in such a situation as I
am now in,” Naraku went on, using all of his fingers to gently tickle
her feet.
“Onigumo’s heart does not impede me from doing this, yet I can still
pursue my
purposes, and later, when I am not influenced by this mortal heart, I
will
resume my other plans.”
Kikyo could not help but begin giggling. What Naraku was
doing, tickling her, it felt so strange, so unlike anything else she’d
ever
felt. Not that she could know, but her particular punishment was not
even all
that severe. What made it feel worse was the lack of ever feeling
something
like this before. Even as a child, she’d not been tickled really, so
the shock
value was amplifying the effect quite greatly. Soon Kikyo found herself
tossing
her head and laughing as Naraku quietly skittered his fingertips across
her
feet.
Naraku was irritated. Kikyo’s laughter had reached
Onigumo’s heart, making it spew forth pleasurable emotions, stimulated
by his
love for her. If he did not stop this soon, the mortal’s heart could
gain too
much influence. So, looking up, he asked, “Are you ready to talk to me,
Kikyo?”
“Yeheeheheheeheheheeheheeheeeee!” Kikyo squealed.
“Good, then you will tell me what I wish to know…”
“Kagura! How did you find us?” Inuyasha snarled.
“I have my ways,” Kagura said with a smirk, unfolding her
fan and hiding her small smile behind it. “Or rather, Naraku does. It
doesn’t
matter at the moment. Hand over your shards of the jewel, Inuyasha!”
she cried,
bringing her fan downward in a sweeping motion and sending blades of
wind at
the group.
“Move!” Miroku cried, taking Sango and leaping out of the
way, as Inuyasha picked Kagome up and sat her against a tree nearby.
“Now be careful, got that?” Inuyasha said as he drew the
Tetsusaiga and rushed Kagura.
“Still to heavy for you, Inuyasha?” Kagura asked, whisking
aside and attacking with more blades of wind. Hidden with her one
movement, her
other hand plucked the usual escape feather she wore in her hair, and
tossed it
up.
“Running away already?” Miroku asked. “What did you come
here for?”
“Who said I was running?” Kagura sneered, evading another
stroke of Inuyasha’s sword.
“Huh? Kagome!” Sango cried. “Look out!”
Kagome had been busy drawing her bow for a shot at Kagura,
and didn’t see the large feather heading straight for her. With
startling
suddenness it scooped her up and headed for the sky. But that wasn’t
all. It
also wrapped around her, trapping her within the feather itself, and
soon
Kagome was cocooned and floating above the battlefield.
Kagome struggled, trying to use the arrow’s tip to slice a
hole in the feather, but her arms were more or less pinned solidly over
her
head, and tangled in her bow. Too busy she was with struggling to
notice the
first feather that slipped under her shirt, but… “Eeeeeeeeeeek!
Heeheheheheheheheheee!!!” Soon the bow was forgotten as Kagome began to
twist
and wiggle.
“Huh?” Inuyasha looked at the floating feather, where it
now sounded like Kagome was……….laughing?!? “What are you…? Kagura!” he
yelled,
swinging the Tetsusaiga wildly.
“Kagome!” Sango cried. “I can’t get her down without
hitting her! The feather is wrapped too tightly around her!” Sango bit
her
lower lip, worrying as she saw the feather shake and heard Kagome laugh.
The feathers were worming down her socks now too, trying to
reach her feet, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t stop
their
passage down her legs. “Nohohohohohoheheheheh Inuyasha!!
Heheeheheheheeeeelp meeheheheeee!!!”
“Kagome!” Inuyasha cried, leaping skywards. “I’ll –“
“Dance of Blades!”
Kagura cried, cutting Inuyasha out of the sky and sending him tumbling
to the
ground. “Fool…” Kagura snickered, hiding her face behind her fan again.
“Is the
girl really so important?”
“SHUT UP!” Inuyasha screamed, charging forward with another
attack. The sound of Kagome’s laughter screeched for a second as
feathers made
it to the soles of her feet and began to wiggle.
“INUYASHHAHAHAHAHA!!!! HEEHEEEHEEEELP!” Kagome cried,
giggling uncontrollably.
“Damn it!” Inuyasha cursed. “Kagura! You let her go right
now!”
Kagura merely laughed and turned her gaze skyward towards
the feather. “You’re hopeless, you half-breed…” With cries of battle,
they both
leapt to the attack again.
Kagome was wiggling frantically in her attempt to get free
of the feathers tickling her, rubbing on her belly and sides, under her
arms,
and on her soles. “GYAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!!!” Inuyasha’s
teasing
hadn’t been nearly so bad as this! Kagome never realized how ticklish
she was…
Kagome’s gyrations caused the tip of the arrow to catch the
feather, and her struggling widened the rip further and further. All of
the
sudden, she slid out of the hole, tearing a huge gap in the feather,
and
plummeted to the ground.
Kagura never even saw it coming. No sooner had Kagome’s
shriek reached her ears than Kagome fell squarely on top of the Wind
Sorceress,
knocking her to the ground and knocking her out.
“Well…” Sango said hesitantly, “at least you got her…”
“Move aside, Kagome!” Inuyasha said. “Now’s the perfect
chance to kill her!”
“Wait,” Miroku said, laying a hand on his arm. “Not yet.”
“What do you mean?” Inuyasha snarled.
“Miroku is right! We can’t pass up this opportunity to
learn something about Naraku and his plans.” Kagome got off of the
unconscious
Kagura and brushed herself off. “We can ask her a few questions. So
don’t kill
her just yet.”
“What can we do to make her talk?” Inuyasha asked
doubtfully, lowering his sword and sheathing it all the same.
“Do you need to ask?” A glint shone in both Kagome’s and
Sango’s eyes.
Inuyasha examined his claws. “I still say we kill her now.”
“We’ve heard your opinion several times over the past
half-hour,” Miroku said with an exasperated twitch of his eyebrow. “If
Kagome
and Sango were of a mind to listen to you, they’d have done so already.
So sit
down and just wait for them to finish what they’re doing.”
“Inuyasha!” Kagome called from the other side of the
clearing, waving and smiling to him.
“Ha!” Inuyasha leapt up. “See? They ARE listening to me! I
was right after all.”
“Believe your delusions then,” Miroku said quietly, leaning
against a tree and closing his eyes.
“Delusions?” Inuyasha said, standing over Miroku, hands on
hips. “Since when am I deluded?”
“Honestly, Inuyasha, if they were going to kill her, do you
think they would wave to you and smile?” Getting a suspicious slant to
his
eyes, Inuyasha turned again. Indeed, Kagome was still beckoning him
while
smiling, and even Sango seemed to think something amusing.
“All right, what?” Inuyasha demanded as he stomped over to
them.
“We need your help, Inuyasha.” Kagome smiled sweetly.
“Unless it’s my help in killing her, no way,” he said,
turning away and crossing his arms.
“Stop being such a baby and help us!” Kagome said.
“Baby? Who’s being a baby?” Inuyasha retorted, staring down
at her.
“You are!” Kagome yelled, coming to her feet. “Whenever you
don’t get your way you mope around and whine! I’m sick of it!”
“Whining?” Inuyasha shot back, turning to face her again.
“Who said I was whining, huh?”
“I did, because you ARE!” Kagome shouted in his face.
“Baby, huh? I’ll show you who’s the – “ Inuyasha did not
finish his sentence due to a sudden and unexpected impact with the
ground in
front of Kagome’s feet. “I oughtta – “ his grab for Kagome’s ankle was
thwarted
as she leapt nimbly back out of his reach.
“Are you going to help now or keep whining?”
“Fine! What do you want me to do?” he grumped, coming to a
sitting position.
Instantly Kagome was all smiles again. “It’s quite simple
really,” she said, pulling him over and indicating the bound bare feet
of
Kagura, who lay stretched out on the ground before them, still
unconscious.
Inuyasha blinked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Right?
Right…?”
“Not at all,” Sango said reasonably. “You saw how well it
worked on… me and Kagome,” she said quickly. “So at least give it a
try.”
“Why me? Why not Miroku? He’d go for this a lot more than I
do.” Inuyasha sniffed and looked away.
“Because you have nails, silly,” Kagome said. “Now do it
before I make you!”
“Fine! Fine!” Inuyasha said, sighing. Sango went over for a
pail of water to bring Kagura around.
“What’s your problem? You didn’t have any qualms about
doing it to ME,” Kagome said heatedly.
“Well… that’s because…!” Inuyasha looked away again, at a
loss for words. “That is to say… ah… heh…”
Kagome rolled her eyes. “If you want, I’ll do it.”
“No!” Inuyasha said, flexing his fingers as Sango splashed
water on Kagura’s face. “I said I would do it, and I will!”
“Then DO it!” Kagome said with a note of finality. To
Kagura, she said, “You told us that Naraku had some new source of
information.
What is it?”
Kagura struggled in her bonds. She had been wrapped with
ropes around her ankles, knees, thighs, and had her arms tied behind
her back,
with her kimono loosened a bit at the front so Sango could reach in and
attack
the upper body. “You expect me to divulge such… divulge… di… wh-what
are you
doing?!” she shrieked at Inuyasha, who had begun to trace a claw along
her
sole.
“Nothin’,” he said with a grin. “Go on, you were saying…?”
“I was saying nothing!” Kagura growled, biting her lip and
crunching her toes.
“Hey! Stop that – “
“Don’t worry, Inuyasha,” Kagome cut in, scooting over to
hold Kagura’s toes for him.
“Thanks Kagome.” With that, he ran both his index fingers
from Kagura’s toes to her heels, making her feet quiver and causing her
mouth
to compress to a tight line.
Sango smiled and took a small jar from her pocket. “During
my travels around the countryside, I once encountered a village with a
curious
way to make little girls and boys tell the truth.” She opened the jar
and
peered inside, then smiled. “You see, in that village, there was a kind
of
insect with very soft and featherlike feet – but no teeth or stingers.
They
were peaceful, only roaming around the fields to collect food for
themselves.”
She took one of the mentioned insects from that jar and let it run
around on
her palm, smiling. “You see, when children told fibs, they had one or
two of
these placed in their clothing and let to roam about until they told
the
truth.” Sango smiled and let the one in
her hand crawl into Kagura’s kimono. “Also, they have a very tough
body, so
they’re not likely to be crushed by wriggling and squirming.”
Kagome giggled. “Is that true, Sango?”
Inuyasha shrugged. “Whatever, it seems to be working. Look
at her.” He took a moment to point at Kagura’s mouth, which was
quirking upward
in a smile, and as he returned his nails to stroking her bare sole, a
handful
of giggles poured out of her mouth.
“Ghahahahahahhahaheeheee! You th-think that this will
mahahahahahahaahahaake me talk? Bah!” Kagura proclaimed as she wiggled
wildly,
trying to squirm away. Kagome sat on her legs and kept her toes
immobile while
Inuyasha devoted his full attention to her helpless soles, keeping his
touch
light and gentle for the time being.
Sango smiled. “And the interesting thing about that method
was the worse the fib and the more reluctance to tell the truth, the
more
insects could be put in.” Sango added a pair of tickly insects to
Kagura’s
clothing, then sat back to watch for a few minutes.
“GhahaahahahHAHAhahahaheheheehehehhe!!! AHahahahaheheheh
I’ll ne-never heheehehehahahahah tell you anything!!!
Ahhahahaahahahah!!!”
Kagura twisted back and forth on the ground, trying to wriggle free of
Inuyasha’s touch and crush or stop the bugs in her kimono, but it was
all to no
avail.
Miroku finally tired of watching and wandered over to
Sango, where she was pleasantly admiring her handiwork and watching
Kagura
squirm under Inuyasha’s claws. He picked up the jar that Sango had set
aside
for the moment and peered into it. Sure enough, it was full of small
white
insects. His eyes flicked to Sango and back to the jar. To Sango, and
then the
jar. Sango and the jar. Finally he decided that at the very worst he
would earn
a slap – not that he hadn’t been slapped before, no big deal, right? He
plucked
one of the insects from the jar and almost casually dropped it down the
neck of
Sango’s shirt.
Sango leapt upwards with a scream and whirled, reflexively
slapping Miroku as she clapped her arms to her sides and began to roll
about,
giggling and laughing. Of course the only way to get the insect out was
to
remove one’s clothing… which was exactly what Miroku was angling for,
the damn
pervert, Sango thought, gritting her teeth even as she giggled past
them.
Miroku seemed to be highly pleased with the effects of the tickling
bugs and
tucked the jar carefully into his robes.
“Heeehehe hey! Give those back! I don’t trust you with
theeheheheheheem!” Sango shouted, running into the forest and hiding
behind a
tree. Quickly she undid her shirt, found the offending insect and shook
it out
into the forest, then came back to where Kagura was now roaring in
laughter as
Miroku amused himself by placing a few more insects into her kimono as
Inuyasha
now used the Iron Reaver Sole Stealer and ran all ten of his fingers
along
Kagura’s soles.
“GYAHAHHHAAHAHAAAAHAHAHAH!!! AHAHAHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!” Kagura
shrieked with laughter as she felt the insects’ featherlike feet wander
all
over her upper body, getting under her arms and along her sides, one of
them
had even gotten stuck in her bellybutton and was wriggling frantically
to
escape. “AHAHAHHAHAHHAHEEHEHEHEH INUYASHA!! I’LL HAHHHEHEHEE
KIIHIHIHIHIHIHILL
YOHOUHOU!”
“Aww, is the Wind Sorceress a bit ticklish?” Inuyasha
mocked. “Can’t she take the ‘intense’ tickling?”
“Are you ready to tell us about Naraku?” Kagome asked. “If
you do we’ll stop.” She winked at Inuyasha.
“NEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEVER!!!” Kagura screeched, laughing
maniacally as Inuyasha started tickling at the base of her toes.
Sango stomped up behind Miroku and clobbered him into the
ground. “These are only to be used by someone with the proper
training,” she
sniffed. “I won’t stand for you wasting any more of these on your
foolish –
yeeeeeek!!!” she cried as Miroku poked a finger under her arm when she
tried to
reach into his robe and pull out the jar. He sat up and offered it to
her.
“Please, Sango, take your jar back, there is no need to be
reaching into my clothing – though if you wish to do so we can go
somewhere
privately…” A red palm mark now decorated both sides of Miroku’s face
as Sango
took her jar back with a “Hmmph!”
Kagura’s resolve was fading quickly, between the feathery
feet crawling all over her upper body and Inuyasha’s claws scratching
at the
base of her toes. “I GIHIHIHIHIHIHIIHIIHHIIHIHVE!” she cried “I give!”
“Okay, stop, Inuyasha,” Kagome said, turning to face her.
“What was the source of information you mentioned Naraku had acquired?”
The bugs were still in Kagura’s kimono, making her giggle
and squirm still as she answered. “Heeheha aah it’s the priestess,
Kikyo!
HEehehee!!! Ironic, hehee he did the same thing to hehehehe her as you
dihhe
did to me!”
“Kikyo!” Inuyasha cried. “Naraku has Kikyo!”
Kagome stood and pushed Inuyasha back a bit. “Shh, shh.
We’ll find her. We need to ask more questions of her first, okay?”
“Okay.” Inuyasha sat and clenched his fists.
“Now, Kagura…?” Kagome said, looking back to where she had
lain on the groun. “Kagura! Where did she go…?”
“Up there!” Sango cried, pointing at the feather that was
gliding across the sky. “She got away from us…”
“Well, we did find out one important thing – Naraku has Kikyo.
I won’t let him keep her! Come on, let’s go!”
Kikyo was more comfortable, in a fashion. Her restraints
had become padded and she’d been moved closer to Naraku, who as of late
had
taken to ‘tickling’ her more for information, asking questions Kikyo
suspected
he already knew. But that was fine with her, as it was proof that
Naraku was
yielding to Onigumo’s mortal heart and his love for her. If she could
just keep
the process up long enough… she might be able to kill him and get away.
As an
emergency plan, Kikyo had been steadily loosening her bonds, able to
escape at
a moment’s notice now, in case Naraku suddenly managed to overcome his
human
heart.
Naraku felt Kagura approach the dwelling and went to out to
meet her. “Kagura,” he said as the feather descended, “was the mission
a…?” His
eyes fell on the still bound and giggling sorceress. “It seems you’ve
failed.
Hmm.” He watched her giggle and squirm, wondering what was afflicting
her… she
was never like this… when it struck him that this was exactly how Kikyo
acted
when he was tickling her. A sudden foul mood swept over him, shattering
the
hold Onigumo’s heart had held on his actions, and with a scowl, he left
Kagura
where she was and went to see Kikyo.
Kikyo had detected the sudden change in mood from Naraku.
She decided that this particular line of strategy had run its course
and now it
was time to escape. Slipping her bonds, she slid from the seat in which
she had
been held and stole to the door, then opened it and quietly leapt out
into the
forest beyond.
Naraku opened the door and was completely unsurprised to
see Kikyo gone. He had let that fool mortal’s emotions cloud his
judgment and
actions, and now he was paying the price. With a scowl he went back to
see
Kagura, bound and helpless…
“Kagura, it occurs to me that you should be punished for
your failure… and I know just how to do it.” With that, he picked the
woman up
and carried her inside.