~~Kagome POV~~
She woke sore. Something furry was clinging to her stomach... Shippo! She forced herself to regain focus, gazing down with concern at the kit, relieved to see him just fine. Sango and Miroku were near her as well, seeming to stir awake right after her. At the present, her mind couldn't remember what happened to leave them laying here like this... It was still just a blur, but the feeling was gone at least.
" Wait, that feeling is gone! " She pipped up, forcing to her feet as Shippo cling to her, still in a daze.
" What do you mean, Kagome...? "
" That feeling from the other day! It was there and got worse... But now it's gone!"
Once everyone was up and mostly awake, they registered what she had said, noticing that had proved very true. The feeling was gone, but so was the feeling of the world they knew. It was the same, but different... New energies existed, and not anything to be taken for granted either. They were great in power, in concentrated groups placed in certain area's. The morning had brought on a new scent as well... The source had to be nearby, whatever it was. But Inuyasha hadn't returned yet. Regardless of how he had taken to acting lately, with how it was now, they needed him around. It wasn't as long as a wait that they would have figured, however. Kagome was pleased about this, but something else was making her feel better for some odd reason. Inuyasha seemed upset, however... Deeply.
" Welcome back, Inuyasha. Enjoy your visit with Kik-" He cast a sharp glance at them all, creating instant silence.
It would appear that something had gone wrong involving Kikyoh the other night... And suddenly Kagome was certain what it was. With a slight gasp, she looked at Inuyasha. Not just a glance, she really looked at him. His eyes were a bit red in tint, the result after tears. He had cried over Kikyoh... Something happened that past night that caused her end, that was certain. Kagome had an extra boost in energy because her soul had been returned in full with Kikyoh's passing. Part of her felt sorry for Inuyasha. But to be honest with herself, they were all better off. Kikyoh didn't belong in this world in the state she was bound, feeding off the souls of innocent girls just to keep moving. Now their souls were put to rest, as well as hers. Kikyoh deserved the rest. Though Inuyasha would obviously beg to differ. He could see the looks in their eyes as they were silent. He didn't enjoy it, obviously. But he refused to speak on the topic and walked past them, headed to the area of the new scent. They let him get in front before walking after him. Shippo hopped down to walk beside them all, needing the stretch.
" Kikyoh is gone, huh, Kagome?" Sango had inquired, looking over at her adopted sister. Kagome responded in a nod, then spoke.
" Yes. I feel the part of my soul she had is back... It must have happened that night when everything went crazy. Whatever happened... "
~~Inuyasha POV~~
They nodded in agreement, glancing up ahead at a stiff Inuyasha, who was still clearly quite upset about the whole thing. He knew she was dead and didn't belong, but that didn't stop him from caring... From feeling bad that he owed her in some way. It happened the other night during another visit. They sat under a tree, wrapped up in each others arms after a moment of shared affection. They had done this for some time now after the shocking return. He almost couldn't believe it when it happened... Kikyoh... His first love. It was a risky move, but he went for it none the less. Then Naraku had to come along and mess things up.
Now he's lost her a second time... To some large heat. It had been a streak of light that landed not too far in front of them, partially blinding their eyes. But even though it couldn't be truly seen just yet, the heat was unmistakable. Like a focused heat puff from an active volcano... The being seemed to find Kikyoh a disturbance, mentioning something about how she didn't belong here! That's when he found himself knocked away as the creature did something to her... When he woke later that day, the being was gone, but it was clear what it had done. The vision of a pile of ashes became quickly blurred by his tears, throat too stiffened to let out a pained cry he felt with his entire self. It killed her. How dare it take judgement of her life in its' filthy hands! He would get revenge...
But the focus at the moment was the new scent. It was quite obvious something huge went on while they all blacked out from the pressure, or other instances. New species roamed these lands, and to find one was to find connection to the next. Then the next. He growled, fists balled up. The links would eventually lead him to the species of the thing that killed Kikyoh... He would have his revenge.
~~Shippo POV~~
He followed beside Kagome quietly, as the group had grown while following Inuyasha. To be honest, he was glad Kikyoh was gone. Though they didn't know what happened to her, they weren't chancing asking the obviously angered hanyou. So for now, the silent walk was in order. The other night kept him preoccupied anyway. All that energy just didn't belong here. Though the large bursts ended, the result was loud and clear. Hopefully these new species weren't trying to take over everything. He really hoped they were peaceful! They had enough trouble with demons as it was, especially Naraku. Speaking of which, what was that spider up to? Nothing had come of him recently... Did he cause this on accident? It was possible.
He cast a glance at the others, all stiff and in their own thoughts. But at least they were alright, thought it seemed they barely noticed one another...
He sighed, ' As if we didn't have enough to worry about! Now this happens and we have no idea what's going on! Hm? What's that?'
The thought was answered by the hum of wings. Bug wings. Weirdly enough, the sound was familiar to that of the dragonfly from the other night. He glanced around.
' No hostile demons nearby! If I stay close...' He nodded and sneaked off after the source of the noise. There were a trail of bushes that occasionally shook, following the noise. It seemed to be leading him on, and he noticed it was towards the area the group was heading to on the trail. This was some sort of short cut, but why was it leading him? It didn't seem to be a trap...
As he hopped out of the final bush, a large field of unique flowers lay in front of him, surrounded by trees and two trails connecting at the sides. But these flowers were new... Nothing that he'd seen before. Some were normal sized, as other reached higher up, taller than him by a large amount. Though it seemed still, he could sense energy inside the field. Something was hiding from him-
" Ahh!", he fell back as a face popped up in his.
The being was hovering upside down, watching him curiously. It was a human... with dragonfly wings? No, it didn't have the feel of a human... She flipped and straightened, feet lightly touching down on the tips. Her pants were like Sango's, but thinner, and seemingly softer to the touch. A top that seemed more like a half shirt covering, and skin hugging, sleeves cut off. Though her feet were uncovered, curved and mixed with different colors of blue's, green's, pinks', and purple's... Same with her hands, wings, and tail. The tail had to be a good five feet in length, same as her wings. Two feelers hung freely, beginning from the center of her forehead and curling down, one to each side of the face. Pointed ears. Her mid back length hair was jet black with a mix of purplish and blueish tints. But her eyes... They were the most interesting eyes he had ever seen! One was purple, outlined blue, with pink pupil. The other was pink, outlined blue, with purple pupil. The main of her skin tone was a very light brown.
' She looks so colorful... Oh! I've been staring for a while!' He flailed his arms, realizing this suddenly. She seemed to know but not care, smiling carefree.
" Who are you...? " He finally got up.
" You don't remember me? We met just the other night! Before all this happened, anyway. "
" So you are that dragonfly... But how...? "
She shrugged. " I'm not sure... I was near the center of what happened and some energy mixed with me from another dimension, it seemed... I don't fully understand all of what happened... But I know there's a species that might! I'm Evahn, one of the- Oh!"
Evahn vanished in a blur of color. The speed she held surprised him.
~~Kagome POV~~
She had enough of thinking for one day, just wanting to find this scent source and take a nap.
" Geez, I don't know about you guys, but I could go for a nap to help clear my mind a little..."
They nodded in agreement, all feeling still a bit fatigued from the night before. But Kagome suddenly became alarmed. Shippo hadn't answered. Glancing around, he was no where to be seen!
" Shippo?! Shippo! "
" Huh? He's not here! "
The group had been so lost in thought, their surroundings had been ignored in their walk. Even Inuyasha was a bit startled, having lost focus himself.
" Keh! I'm sure the little fur ball is alright! Let's keep going. Probably ran off to play or something. "
" Inuyasha! We have to find him! What if something bad happens to him?! "
" Then it's his own fault for running off, Ka Go Me! Now lets keep going, already! "
Why did she even bother anymore...? With an angered huff, she ran past Inuyasha, having sensed Shippo nearby in the field they were headed to. It was strange... She sensed another presence right in front of him, and though he seemed startled, the being didn't seem to be hostile. This helped to ease worry. Running was heard behind her. Sango and Miroku chose to follow, also worried for the kit. It was nice to have the two of them there who understood situations and actually cared, unlike a certain pain in the ass!
As they neared, a soft feminine voice was heard just barely, but as they ran out into the open, only Shippo stood there, looking around confused at the sudden absence.
" Shippo! Are you alright?" She came to a stop near him, catching the kit in a hug. He snuggled happily into her arms.
" Yes, I'm fine! But where did she go...? She must have been nervous when you guys were running in and left... "
Miroku walked up to them, glancing around at the unique field. " Who? I don't sense anyone here... "
" It's hard to sense her, since she isn't a demon! I was about to find out what she is, but you guys scared her off... "
He hadn't mentioned about what she was, and as they focused on the wrong area's, Evahn hovered high above the group, masking her power. Just as she decided the group was safe, Inuyasha barged in, throwing a fit about how they all ran off and left him behind.
'...Yeah, I'm not going down there right now...' Evahn thought to herself. That voice was too loud and obnoxious for her to deal with.
