Summary- Five hundred years ago the Western Lands were closed to all demons that chose to hunt humans. Once, every hundred years, these mysterious lands are opened for a tournament, deadlier than any before. Yusuke and pals are enlisted to join but they lack a fifth member. In comes Yusukes cousin, a young woman that knows more about the tournament, and the ancient demons who live there, than anyone alive. But can a cold-hearted fire demon break through the shell of a miko, lost to herself? Can their love conquer an evil that threatens to destroy everything they love and every world they've sworn to protect?
Let me begin by stating I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho, nor do I own the rights to any of the characters or ideas. That being said this story is not entirely cannon as, quite frankly, I never really liked how Inuyasha ended. Note that this is an updated version of my story by the same name, I hope you enjoy and review.
Chapter 1- The end of one life, the beginning of another
Once upon a time a young girl tumbled down an old, well much like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole. Unlike Alice the girl had had little choice, having been ripped into the past by a centipede demon determined to snatch from her a sacred power: The Jewel of Four Souls. This Jewel, the Shikon No Tama, was immensely powerful, granting its owner insurmountable strength but it was not without its faults. It could be corrupted. The jewel, that had resided in her body, was inadvertently shattered and her destiny forever changed. Traveling back and forth from past to present the girl went on many grand adventures and made many good friends; Inuyasha, the half blood son of the Western Dog Demon Inu no Taisho and her first love, Shippo, a young orphaned fox demon, Sango, the last of her line of demon exterminators, Kirara, the demon cat, and Miroku, a perverted monk destined to be absorbed into the curse in his hand. That girl had been innocent and kind, untouched by the constant battles, unwilling to bend to sorrow and despair. A good person despite it all but the woman that stood beside the well now wasn't sure that she was the same person anymore. Was she really Kagome?
One year ago the realization that the, inevitable, battle with Naraku could claim the lives of any if not all the lives of her companions Kagome had pushed forth to find help at every quarter. Her determination, her strength, and her compassionate nature aided Inuyasha in convincing his long dead love, Kykyo to join them in their quest. A necessary alliance that allowed Inuyasha and Kykyo to reconnect and fall in love all over again, any pain Kagome had felt over being overshadowed by her original incarnation was pushed to the side in the face of her friends happiness. It was she who enlisted the aid of Kouga, the wolf prince, and his mate Ayame for the final battle. It was she who managed to remove the jewel shard that kept Sango's younger brother alive without killing him. It was Kagome who, alone, made her way to the Western Palace and, on bended knee, pleaded for Inuyasha's half brother, the Demon Lord of the West, Sesshomaru to help them in the battle that neither could win alone.
Impressed with her courage, and more than a little curious about this human girl who seemed to accept both demon and humans, Sesshomaru had agreed but only on the condition that she be trained by both himself and the dead priestess. Between the two, demon and miko, Kagome had quickly grown into an invaluable weapon in the war with Naraku, and as loyal to Sesshomaru as he now was to her. A surprising, and wonderful, friendship bloomed between the once hated enemies and through it the groups were slowly, but irrevocably, tied together. With the final battle imminent Sango and Miroku exchanged their marriage vows, Inuyasha and Kykyo quick to follow them to the alter. Sesshomaru took Rin as his blood-daughter, in an ancient right that assured no matter how brief her mortal would be she was considered his heir, daughter of the west. Kagome and Shippo also performed the right giving the young woman a son and the orphaned fox a family again. For her part Kirara simply basked in the happiness of her friends.
When the final battle came it had been swift, unexpected, and, perhaps, the only reason they had survived at all was because they had all been so sure they would die. It had been a ghastly prediction because within just the first few moment Sango, Miroku, and Kohaku lay dead. Their mangled bodies a gruesome beginning of a battle that raged for miles. Within hours Kykyo, Ayame, and Shippo joined their fallen companions and Sesshomaru had lost his left leg in place of the arm that had only just returned. As sunset approached only Kagome and the two inu brothers had been left their energy waning. It was despair and anger that fueled her, made her abandon her arrows and walk forward shocking Naraku enough to allow her close. Allowed a flurry of knives and sword he had not anticipated. It was his anger that made him lose sight of his part of the jewel and Inuyasha gave his life to plunge into the beast and rip it from him, his last act to throw said jewel to Kagome. Dead before he could see her unite the two halves.
The moment the completed jewel rested in her hand, her powers reached new heights and she could not more prevent the wave of purifying energy that cascaded from her. Its soft light stretching for miles around turning every inch of Naraku and, to her utter horror, every demon in the area, including Sesshomaru, to ash in the wind. Broken, devastated, tears streaming down her face Kagome had made her wish upon the jewel and, though every fiber of her being demanded she use the wish to undo all the wrong and bring back her friends she could not make such a selfish wish. Instead she wished that all those souls living, dead, and trapped within the jewel itself should know peace. That they could all rest. In a flash of kaleidoscope colors the jewel rose above her, glowing like a miniature sun. Around the world all those who had been touched by the jewel, whose lives had been irrevocably ruined, found themselves calmed, at peace, the tempest in their hearts still. Allowing them to move forward to create a better world for the lives that had been lost. Basking in new found hope and joy, feeling as if they had touched an adventure to miraculous to imagine.
Around her, one by one, her friends shimmered back into existence. Sesshomaru came first, hale and whole, standing right beside his golden eyes warm and proud. At his palace, unknown to him, little Rin was transformed. Her hair now a beautiful mane of silver, her brown eyes melting into warm gold, purple markings adorned her pale skin, a crescent moon marking her as the true heir to the Western Lands and as the Full blooded demon daughter of its Lord. Sango, Kohaku, Miroku (Sans wind tunnel), and all her friends came back one by one. Kykyo returned, hair longer, eyes a curious gold, nails sharp, ears pointed, a true black inu-yokai. A perfect mate for the, suddenly, full-blooded Inuyasha, who in truth had changed very little only resembling his brother a little bit more than before. In her minds eye, or perhaps in her hearts, she saw the spirits that had battled in the jewel for so long turn and gaze at her, Midoriko in gratitude the un-named demon relief, before turning back to each other. Grasping hands they disappeared, to their rest. But at their disappearance the jewel did not cease to exist, it did not lose power, instead its power seemed to double, triple, quadruple until, finally, the jewel pulsed before hurling itself into her body. Melting and melding into her soul until it and the jewel were one and the same.
This was the part she couldn't truly remember. A haze of jumbled words and faces, of warmth and light. Her friends watched as she became longer, sleeker, her skin sun kissed. Her hair growing until it just touched her knees, the midnight tresses streaked with gold and silver. Her eyes swirled with purifying energy, pink and blue round and round until they resettled into a blue that rivaled the deep blue sea. Ears sharper, nails longer, on her forehead a single drop of pink was encased in a phoenix fire of blues and golds, two smaller silver drops resting on each side. In her arms, appearing by magic, little Shippo was undergoing a similar transformation. His green eyes bursting with golds and pinks, his fiery red hair streaked with silver, and on his forehead identical markings to his new mothers. Like her he was longer, sleeker, both of them almost achingly beautiful. Kagome didn't remember losing consciousness.
Since that day she had spent weeks helping to rebuild what Naraku had sought to destroy, learning of her new powers, and just enjoying being with her friends and loved ones without the threat that had always marred their lives. But all good things came to an end because one day she had felt a pull in her stomach and she knew, somehow, that it was time that she returned to her own time. She also knew that she would not be able to return. She could never come back. So here she stood, with her friends ranged around her, the earth damp from a hard rain, the air clean and fresh, the world quite, but not a single rainbow to be seen. Never before had the well looked so...Uninviting. Turning she looked at her friends, drinking them in for the last time. Some she might see again but others...
Sango and Miroku came to her first, embracing her each in turn. Sango wore her tears proudly when she placed Kirara into Kagomes arms.
"Take her with you, please."
"Sango, I couldn't."
"Please Kagome, it's the only way I'll know you'll be safe and besides...This way we can always be together."
Kirara meowed softly, sadly, but looked at Sango with eyes that said 'Don't worry, i'll take care of her'. Kagome could say nothing because she knew that, when she went through the well, Sango would already be dead. The two girls embraced before Miroku placed an arm around her. He handed her his prayer beads, the ones that had suppressed his wind tunnel for all his life. He promised to take care of Sango and Kohaku. He placed a hand against Sangos stomach before staring deeply into his friends eye, "We will name her after you Kagome, and every first daughter after her. You will not be forgotten." Kagome hadn't said anything words lost to her, but her tears screamed her gratitude.
With his usual tact Inuyasha pulled her away, before settling his Fire Rat's jacket over her shoulders. Kagome blinked up at him and he smiled a cocky smile despite the tears that streamed down his face. She hugged him tightly, fiercely, but neither could speak. There was too much to say and no words to say it with. It was enough, for them, this second was enough. Coming up beside her mate Kykyo gave her the warmest smile she'd ever had. The new demoness placed Kagome yellow bag next to her, filled to the brim with gifts of goodwill from all the villages across the land. The once dead priestess pulled her into a hug and Kagome felt her own heart soar because this, this was the Kykyo that had always been meant to be. One by one all her friends wished her goodbye, little Rin going so far as to give her a crown of wild flowers, until only the demon lord of the west remained. Sesshomaru tossed her a sword, one made specifically for her and her new found powers. Made, little by little, with the essence of her friends so that they would always be with her. So that she would never be alone. The two stared at each other, blue clashed with gold, before Kagome found herself, suddenly, pressed against his chest her eyes, finally, watering. Both in sadness and in fear.
Sesshomaru, for his part, allowed himself to hold the girl as close to his heart as he could. She had become, much like Rin, a part of him. A sister, confidant and friend.
"Why do you cry miko?" His voice was cold but his eyes, Kagome saw, his eyes were so warm. She felt herself shudder, felt her world spin off its axis, "What will I do without you all? What if I lose myself?" That last was barely a whisper but his sharp ears heard, understood. His lips twitched as he pulled her away from him, settling a chaste and affectionate kiss upon her brow.
"Simply remember that you are Kagome and that we are here. All time exist as one, you may not see us, or hear us, but we will be here to remind you of who you are and who you will always be." Kagome wondered, for a moment, if he understood how much that soft look in his eyes meant to her, how much his words soothed her. She offered him a brave smile, her eyes bright with unshed tears. He stepped away from her, allowing all the others to rush in and embrace her. Finally, painfully, she pulled herself away settling Shippo and Kirara in her arms, her yellow bag with all their gifts resting on her back. Climbing to the lip of the well she turned and took in the sight of all her friends alive, well, and happy one last time.
"Miko." Sesshomaru called out, his eyes boring into hers, "Be strong, stand true. If it is within my power you will see us once again in your future."
Kagome opened her mouth to respond, she wasn't sure how she would respond, but something pulled at her. She felt herself being drawn backwards, falling, her arms instinctively holding Shippo and Kirara more securely against her. The last thing she saw, as the lights began, was Inuyasha's face sharp against the sky, tears streaming down a face that smiled down at her. Then nothing, blackness, and she was in her world again. She couldn't feel it anymore, the power that had always thrummed from the well. It was lifeless. There was no magic here and it did not matter that the jewel was within her, the magic wouldn't come back. She'd never see her friends again. She wasn't sure how long they stayed there in the darkness, holding each other, sobbing, but eventually her mother heard them and came and coached them out. She didn't remember much after that, only that Shippo and Kirara stayed in her arms and her mother's soft fingers running through her hair. The rest was darkness.
"Oh for fuck's sake Koenma can't you give us a break. It's the last week of summer vacation! The last summer vacation, one more year of that hell hole and I'm free! Hard enough without you're stupid missions you fuckin toddler" Yusuke was, as usual, obnoxious and annoying but the smile on his face and the warmth in his eyes told Koenma that the part-demon was actually fond of him. It was strange to have friends, especially this bunch of friends: three completely different demons, one very strange human, and a grim reaper to boot. Sighing Koenma shook his head and glared at the group in front of him.
"Shut up Yusuke and listen. As some of you may know, namely Kurama and Hiei, fourhundred years ago the western half of Japan was cut off from almost all demon activity. A group of demons led by the Western Lord Sesshomaru, not a man you want to mess with by the way, cut off his lands from other demons only allowing those who were peaceable towards humans to enter."
"Well that's weird."
"Indeed."
"So what you're saying is we have what? A NICE DEMON? C'mon Koenma these guys are the nicest demons out there." Kuwabara gestured to his three companions, "And they ain't very nice."
"No you moron. Sesshomaru was one of the most powerful demons to ever exist. He was blood thirsty, evil, cruel, he could've destroyed everything if it weren't for the fact he hates fighting worthless enemies. One day he, along with a wolf clan, and a sect of monk/exterminators formed a barrier around their land that could only be breached once every hundred years. During that time the current leader of the lands and his subordinates would host a tournament and allow those who won rights within their land so long as they didn't hurt humans. Right?"
"Quite right Hiei. Now these demons are stronger than any you have ever faced before, so strong that the web we had in place for those demons you boys fought awhile back were absolutely useless. Now in a six months their tournament has been scheduled to begin but something's up."
"Oh yeah? What's this got to do with us short-stuff?"
"Yusuke be quite! Now we have been invited to join this tournament BUT we have a bit of a problem each team must consist of exactly five members but there are only four of you. Now I am already working on locating the fifth member of your team so I need you boys to train and train hard while keeping up your school work." He shot a smirk in Yusuke's direction, "This isn't going to be easy. Demosn from all around are coming for this tournament and if they get wind that you're spirit detectives you boys might not live to reach that tournament."
"Why's this such a big deal?"
"They can't be that strong! Right? Can they guys? Uh guys?"
"Yes they are that strong and it's a big deal because if my sources are correct there's a team of demons that are going to try to take over those lands and you have to stop them. If they get those lands they'll get the key to the jewel of four souls."
"The what?'
"The jewel?" Kurama whispered softly, "The jewel of four souls, or the Shikon No Tama, is a small jewel said to be capable of making a demons strength immeasurable. Any demon who has the jewel would be considered nothing less than a god... but that jewel disappeared hundreds and hundreds of years ago. There was rumor that it had appeared for a short time but no one would speak of it. It was either a rumor or a very closely guarded secret. I went searching for it myself during my more lucrative years."
"Exactly and if this Lord of the West has it and someone steals it the whole world is doomed."
"So we gotta find a jewel?"
"Find it and destroy it, if you can, if not make sure that it stays in the hands of the Western Lords because otherwise we're in BIG TROUBLE."
Five Days Later
"Are you sure you're all packed up Kagome?" Kagome laughed softly and shook her head, even if the sound was a bit sad it was an improvement. It didn't seem to matter that she had been gallivanting in the past for years or that she was already eighteen and had fought more demons that maybe anyone alive her mother insisted on treating her like a child. It was something she loved dearly.
"Yes mamma I'm all packed and I packed for Shippo too he and Souta went to walk Kirara."
"Oh of course dear. Are you sure you don't need help with anything?"
"No mama I'm fine."
"Kagome, dear, is this really what you want? I'm glad you want to go visit your cousin, your Aunt is absolutely thrilled, but you'll be gone for a whole year. In your own apartment, new school, with little Shippo to take care of and…well…I'm worried about you sweetie."
Kagome sighed and turned to her mother, smiling gently, "I know mamma, I'm kinda scared. This is a big step but I just…I can't stay here. Not right now. Every time I go outside I expect to see Inuyasha coming out of the well and when he doesn't I just….It hurts too much mama."
Her mother nodded and offered her daughter a brief hug, knowing Kagome would not accept anything more. Even now, weeks after her return, the image of her daughter, changed completely, sobbing as if the whole of the world had abandoned her at the bottom of that dirt-filled well burned in her mind's eye and she knew that if that image hurt her so deeply the very knowledge that the well was so close must hurt her daughter even more. It was why she had begged and pleaded for her daughter be accepted at the prestigious high-school over five hours away and had tearfully informed her half-sister that Kagome would be living in the area and could she please look out for her dear daughter.
"Well you'll have to come visit as often as possible. Where are those boys? Your train leaves in just under an hour we have to get you to the train station. I just know your cousin Yusuke will be dying to see you."
Kagome smiled up at her mother, tears threatening to spill, "I love you Mama."