Inuyasha: Tamashii no Ken
(Inuyasha: The Sword of Souls)
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or items in this story. All characters and items are the intellectual property of their rightful owners. Also, due to the amount of the Inuyasha series that I have seen in Japanese (thank goodness for Fansubs) I will be using the Japanese names for people, places, etc. If you have any questions as to what any of the Japanese words are, they are very easily found by Googling the word.
It had been several months now since the Shikon no Tama had originally shattered, leading her into this journey across time. Through the journey, though, Kagome Higurashi had made several new friends and allies. There was Inuyasha, the inu-hanyou. He was always rough on the outside, but Kagome felt that there was gentleness underneath that gruff exterior. Why she thought this, she wasn't really sure. Just call it "women's intuition." There was also Miroku, a perverted houshi that was always flirting with the girls that they met. It was really rather annoying, but Kagome was glad that she was much less the target of his attentions now that Sango, the youkai taijiya. All too often, though, Sango was rather unforgiving of Miroku's affections, and the houshi had been the not-so-lucky recipient of several welts from Sango's boomerang, which she called Hiraikotsu, as well as more than one firm slap. Also present in the small group were Shippou, a young kitsune that was orphaned after his father was killed by powerful youkai, and Kirara, Sango's faithful feline youkai companion.
"Hey, Kagome, find anything yet?" came a gruff but gentle voice from behind her, startling the schoolgirl from her trance. Looking up at Inuyasha from the half of the Shikon no Tama that they had collected already, Kagome replied, "Not yet. Sorry."
"Alright. I'll keep looking as well," the hanyou said, leaping up into a nearby tree and scanning the horizon. At his side hung what appeared to be a rusty old katana, Tessaiga. Everyone in the group knew that this was just the sword's "dormant" shape, as it took on a whole new life of its own should it be pulled from its sheath.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped, clutching at her chest as a feeling of dread washed over her, the vision of a sword with an eyeball and a giant wielding an axe flashing in front of her eyes as she blacked out, collapsing into the plush carpeting of grass.
Feeling something rough and wet scraping gently across her cheek, Kagome slowly came to again. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Kirara resting on her chest, the cat-like creature looking up at her with a concerned look. "Hey, guys, Kagome's awake!" came an ecstatic cheering, the squeaky voice only able to belong to Shippou. Calling out to the rest of the group again, Shippou ran toward the flap in the tent, running directly into Inuyasha's leg.
"Watch it, runt," Inuyasha grumbled at the small kitsune, picking him up by the scruff of the neck and tossing him off to the corner. Right behind him are Sango and Miroku, the taijiya trying hard to keep her distance from the houshi's wandering hand.
"Kagome-chan, are you alright?" Sango asked, kneeling down beside the bed where Kagome was resting. "We were worried when Inuyasha carried you in. What happened?"
"I... I really don't know..." Kagome said, her head still reeling from the force of the visions. "I was sitting there, looking for any more Shikon shards when I felt a surge of evil from the west..." Trying to sit up, Kagome almost blacks out again, sparking a soft, worried growl from Kirara.
"That would explain the disturbance I felt this afternoon..." Miroku said thoughtfully. "I didn't realize it would be from so far away, though."
"You should rest, Kagome. Tonight we can camp here again," Sango says, slipping out from under the strap that holds Hiraikotsu against her back as she shot a dirty look at Miroku, fully aware of where his hand is. Giving a sheepish look to Sango, Miroku quickly pulled his hand back and sits on it, his desire to keep his arm attached to his shoulder outweighing his desire to fulfill a moment's urge.
As the party slept that night, an evil far more powerful than anything they had ever encountered before descended upon the world, scattering itself throughout the lands. The only one that seemed to notice any change though was Kirara, who opened one eye for a few moments before curling up tighter and going back to sleep.
End Chapter 1