My dear readers, thanks for joining in and for being patient! Today we finally get to see the feudal era again!
This chapter is especially written for lady sesshomaru sama 949 and CresentWolf1, with a big thank you for your continued support.
Have fun:
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Feudal era
The Shikon no Tama wanted to force her to give the jewel to Mrs. Centipede. It left no room to argue. She could feel that it would force her if necessary. Blinking through the pain Kagome focused on her plan.
Kagome took her bow and pulled back. She shot the arrow dead center and watched the demon screaming as it was purified to nothing but ashes. Arm after arm and last the giant torso and ugly head of the lesser Youkai turned black, crumbled and finally dissolved. The smell of burning flesh, mixed with the smell of bones, rotting flesh and the dead in general taught Kagome that her stomach would need some getting used to those things, again.
The remains of the Youkai was fading away, joining the other souls on the fields of bones around her.
Then suddenly her breath hitched, she felt her heart nearly stopping and as she was falling through time, the jewel of four souls tried to kill her. It had far less control of its host than before but the strength it had gathered was meant to be used today. With all its power it slowly strangled the traitorous witch.
No one betrayed the jewel!
She could hear the Youkai screaming in rage at her for breaking the bargain.
Magatsuhi screamed at her in rage and told her she would die now for trying to fool them and for one second she thought she would lose her consciousness. Yet somehow Kagome managed to fight through the lack of air and answered as calm and clear as she could in her mind.
"I promised to give the jewel to the first Youkai I meet in the feudal era. I never said I would give it to Mrs. Centipede as I clearly didn't meet her in the past but in the present first."
The voices fell into silence.
Air!
Suddenly Kagome was able to breathe again.
She had spoken the truth and the jewel couldn't argue against it, because as she also had purified the Youkai this time and therefore would never meet it in the feudal era at all, they couldn't blame her for breaking the contract.
Magatsuhi was puzzled though that if this had been planned by Kagome than the first Youkai she met would be Inuyasha. Would she sacrifice her former friend to them?
He couldn't help the laughter; it was so great because if she thought that they would allow her to spare Inuyasha because he was only Hanyo then she would receive some shocking news. Youkai blood remained Youkai blood no matter if it was mixed with something else.
Obviously it had been worth to redo everything again… this was going to be so much fun.
The voices ceased as the jewel had wasted much of its strength by now.
Meanwhile Kagome was still falling.
Funnily she couldn't recall that the journey ever took so long but then she had been kind of occupied with the demon as she traveled through the well the first time.
She could feel the wavering flow of energy around her. It felt like literally the stream of time and she seemed to pass by souls, places and even some scenes. Was it really there all the time and she had just never bothered to see it? It irked her how much of her perception changed simply due to having trained abilities now…
Then she felt another presence.
A Youkai, her senses told her that much. He was coming closer.
Was he after the jewel too?
He couldn't be alive, at least Kagome hoped for it because she couldn't simply give the jewel to anyone but she probably would be forced to do so if there was a Youkai coming for it.
Why did the well act so differently?
Kagome waited till she could make out more than a shadow of the approaching figure. Finally she could make out more details and she knew that she was obviously facing a Daiyoukai. One that must have died a long time ago, at least her senses told her that much as she regarded his shimmering aura.
Respectfully she remained calm and observed what was going to happen. His presence was calm and one look into his eyes told her that she faced an old being, despite the youthful appearance.
He had a humanoid form and she couldn't guess what kind of Youkai he was but looking at his armor she could easily tell that he had to have been a higher ranked demon once. He didn't attack her but mustered her with dark blue eyes.
"Miko, this is no place for humans. What are you doing here?"
His voice was deep and shook her out of a trance she hadn't known she had been caught in.
Suddenly Kagome found herself at the remains of a great battlefield. Being made aware of her surroundings she more details. Looking around her she found that the grounds were littered with bodies. All of them were Youkai and by the looks of it all very powerful ones.
She couldn't even start to comprehend what had happened here.
Respectfully she bowed in greeting before she answered carefully.
"I'm Kagome and I was pulled through the bone eater well by a centipede Youkai. May I know who you are and where I am?"
She heard a deep rumble and it took her a second to realize that he was chuckling.
Kagome
He was truly an impressive Youkai, with his large stature, his fangs bared and his eyes piercing her. An impressive and powerful aura surrounded him even in death which puzzled Kagome deeply.
How strong must he have been in life?
Also how strong must have been the force which was capable of killing him?
Kagome wasn't comfortable with that line of thoughts and ushered them away, focusing back on the other.
He had long black hair falling straight across his shoulders and he seemed to have some kind of blue feathers tucked behind his pointed ears.
It was kind of cruel that they all had an unearthly beauty about them. They were beautiful but immensely deadly at the same time.
"My my, what a well behaved human I have here. How unusual but it I will confess it is a pleasant surprise."
He smiled at her. Kagome wasn't able to tell if it was an honest smile because he still had a predatory gleam in his eyes.
"My name doesn't matter anymore but as to what has happened here: Our lands have been attacked by a great foe appearing from the sea."
She followed his gesture as he used his arm to point around him. Her sight broadened more and she could see that the battle field stretched even further than she had feared. The sight made her sick.
"We tried to defend ourselves but it seems that the time of Youkai is over now."
Kagome got a bad feeling but as the presence of the jewel wasn't to be felt, she couldn't fault it for this situation. It seemed that maybe something else was going on? She was startled, not knowing if this battle had happened before she appeared in feudal era or after. Sadness swept over her. It seemed tragic to her as she looked around seeing all the slain warriors.
Her next words were spoken with softness and deep true compassion.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
Before she could speak further the other presence started to laugh.
"You really are an odd Miko! Why would you be sad about the fate of Youkai?"
Kagome saw curiosity appear on the other's face. He seemed to wait for her to answer but what was she to say?
Because modern day japan was smelly and dull, humans think themselves so high above anyone else and even with all the danger I would always prefer feudal era. Because I have always wondered why I couldn't feel any Youkai in my time and I felt terrible sad to think what might be powerful enough to cause such a powerful and proud race of beings to be extinct.
She wouldn't speak her thoughts aloud though, no Youkai would take to pity very well and strangers seldom understood that she didn't pity them. Pity meant to think of someone as to weak to help himself but she didn't think of them as weak in any way. She was only sad about the unfairness of the situation. Therefore she answered:
"I'm a Miko yes; that means that I help people and protect the innocent or those unable to defend themselves."
His look gained intensity as she listened to her words.
"Youkai aren't my enemies. I fight fools, criminals and evil people it doesn't really matter the race or the shape they take on."
Again she heard laughter.
The Youkai marveled the small human. He had finally felt the power of times shifting and had used his strength to search for the source. Whatever could stir time was a curiosity in itself and he always had been curious to a fault.
It had been a surprise that the small human Miko was what he should find.
She wasn't clothed like those other holy humans that had joined their enemies to destroy all of the Youkai in Japan. Her behavior as well had only further increased his curiosity.
She had patiently waited for him to approach her. Any other would have immediately attacked him.
He pondered on her answer, if those words were true he probably just met the only being with spiritual powers that didn't despise Youkais.
"Miko, I appreciate your words. Contrary to human belief there have been many Youkai once who didn't hunt your species for sport. I was even able spend time in peaceful coexistence with some but the efforts of the few haven't been able to sway the perception of many."
Kagome heard his sad voice. She felt sad too, she would have given a lot if there had been a chance of peaceful coexistence between their species.
"I believe that we could make a difference. It won't be easy but I'm not giving up on the effort!"
His eyes lost a great deal of their hardiness and Kagome saw something else appear inside them. Pride, he was proud of her? Deeply confused about this Youkai in front of her she continued to listen to his words.
"Then my dear Kagome I shall offer you this knife. It was forged from my bones and it will protect you in your endeavor."
In front of her appeared a Youkai weapon, it pulsed with power and she touched it very carefully. Gently she grasped the hilt with her hands. As she unsheathed it, she noticed that the blade was slightly longer than those of her throwing knifes.
It was a powerful weapon but not evil. It pulsed with youki but didn't harm her. She smiled softly at the blade and tied the leather belt around her hips. After she tied the knots she turned back to the Youkai, whose eyes where glowing with a soft gleam and a warm smile had appeared on his face again but this time it held warmth.
"How sad that we couldn't meet when I still lived."
He came closer to Kagome and before she knew what he was doing he had embraced her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Then the scene disappeared.
As she landed on the bottom of the well in the past, Kagome's heart was racing and she had a splitting headache. She was befuddled and confused. As looked down at the Youkai knife, she wanted to assure herself that it wasn't a dream. It was securely placed on her hip, therefore she didn't just imagine the meeting.
Sadness swept through her, she had no proof but she believed that the event she had witnessed wouldn't have happened yet.
What had happened?
Which force killed all of Youkai kind?
The jewel wasn't to be sensed and Kagome securely tied it behind thick walls of her Reiki.
The pain lessened after a while and the Miko focused on getting out of the well.
She climbed up the tangling roots and plants growing down the well and it took her far less effort than the first time she had to do so.
#
The morning sun shone brightly down on the small meadow. It was such a beautiful sight, like there was no evil in this world. She took a deep breath of the fresh and unpolluted air. It was so much better than in Tokyo and the deep longing and homesickness she had felt for the last eleven years fell away from her. She was home, finally.
She appreciated the scenery a bit more always trying to shove the somber experience from before away and focused back on the task at hand, the jewel.
Kagome also asked herself if someone had felt the uproar of powers from the well. Maybe that was the reason why the people from the village had sent scouts the last time. That would also mean that she had a very small operating window and should hurry.
For the next moment she closed her eyes, stretching her senses out, trying to feel for any Youkai in the area. Of course she could feel Inuyasha but she wasn't looking for him. He wouldn't be the one she wanted to give the jewel to either. She may never be able to regain the friendship she had with the Hanyo during her first trip but it didn't mean that she would freely drag him into the jewel business if she was able to protect him from it.
As her senses wandered further she still couldn't find what she was looking for. Yet she couldn't linger at the well any longer either.
She sighed again and hoped this would work.
Actually her whole plan depended on the next step.
Kagome suddenly had to snicker, it would be so like her, if all her planning was for naught because she would have overlooked something minor and everything would just go down to the bin from there on.
Slowly she walked into the direction of the sacred tree, getting more nervous with every step.
She still couldn't find the presence she was looking for and soon she would reach the tree. If the reaction of the jewel towards the Centipede incident was any indicator to go by than she would have to give the jewel to Inuyasha if she had miscalculated.
Oh the irony of the situation.
Kagome probably was the only one even in her old life who would have been able to really appreciate how her entire hopes now rested on their mortal enemy.
For the first time in her life she actually prayed for him to appear. She could only hope that the Kamis would listen to her plead.
There were very few things in life she truly counted on, only things like the spinning of the world, the air to breath and Naraku being one step ahead of them.
Suddenly she noticed something.
As she could hear the "sirring" sound of the Saimyousho, she felt such a relief her knees went a bit weak. There it was, a minor Youkai dangerous with deadly poison but Kagome was grinning like the Cheshire cat beneath her mask.
It was curious that she could only now feel the presence of the insect but today she could forgive Naraku his sneakiness. For once he had actually proofed being at the right time at the right place.
As she had stumbled out of the well the first time around she had been so confused by the situation and overwhelmed by everything that had happened that she didn't noticed his spies around. Given that they had the ability to perfectly hide them, who would be able to really blame her for this oversight?
Only in hindsight she had thought that Naraku had to be so involved in the story with Inuyasha and Kikyo that he would guard his fallen opponent even fifty years after being sealed to the tree. Naraku couldn't have let go, he would have continued to watch the scene just in case something would change or the Shikon no Tama would reappear.
He had to remain informed.
At least that was what Kagome had counted on, especially remembering how he had send the crow after her to steal the jewel right after she appeared. Also spiders tended to love being in control…
She of course had no proof that the Saimyousho would be there. It had been a gamble but she had been so sure of it!
Only realizing now while heading down the path that the implications of what would have happened if she was wrong could have meant. She had been quite foolish putting the fate of the world so lightly in Naraku's hands.
She shook herself and with a quick thank you to the Kamis, turned her thoughts back to the task.
Carefully and slow she walked over to the minor Youkai. She didn't want to shy it away nor causing it to attack her. It was quite huge for an insect yet there was no turning back for Kagome. Slowly she reached into her Haori and pulled the prepared letter from it.
Holding it out for the Youkai to take, she spoke softly.
"Please be so kind and give your master this."
The Saimyousho took the letter and disappeared.
The deal was settled, she would hand the Shikon no Tama to Naraku.
Kagome couldn't hear anything from the jewel. No arguments, no complaints bothered her, it seemed too shocked to bother her. In fact Magatsuhi was indeed very puzzled by her decision to hand the jewel to Naraku.
What did this human think?
Did she think at all?
Why would she so foolishly repeat her mistakes?
Now they had gained Naraku and in a few steps they would gain Inuyasha as well…
Kagome didn't complain about the well-deserved peace and went back to the path which led her to Inuyasha.
It didn't take her long to reach the sacred tree. The clearing was exactly as she remembered…
There he was hugged by the old roots looking so innocent in his eternal sleep. Instead of touching his ears again, she went up to the tree and reached for the arrow to pull it out of Inuyasha's shoulder. As she first touched the arrow the spell already lessened causing the Hanyo to wake.
"Who the hell are you?"
The half demon was obviously angry at the situation and knowing the back-story Kagome felt compassion for him. While fifty years had passed for the rest of the world for him it had only been minutes since he had been attacked by his love Kikyo. So she decided to ignore his rude tone and answered his question.
"My name is Kagome and as I came by this place I found you sleeping here. Judging by the roots and plants you have been here for a while. May I know your name too?"
Inuyasha looked perplexed at the being in front of him. It seemed female judging by her voice but was completely cloaked so he couldn't see her face.
As she mentioned the roots he looked down on his body only to be completely shocked by how deeply buried he was under all the roots. How long had he slept? He focused back on the stranger; it was an odd creature… It had no scent upon itself.
"I'm Inuyasha."
He tried to free himself but had no success as the arrow in his shoulder held him in place. Kagome took hold on the arrow and pulled it out with on fluent move. Inuyasha shouted out in surprise but instead of being purified he was suddenly free. He settled immediately on jumping away after realizing that he was able to do so.
With one powerful move he disappeared between the trees. Running off to a place, Kagome didn't know but also didn't care to know. She was left behind without a further word or thank you. Kagome in the meantime had no time to ponder too much about Inuyasha and made sure to leave the scene. She sought out the shadows of the nearby trees just in time.
As suspected only some seconds later the men from the village showed up with pointed arrows.
#
Meanwhile in a nearby cave, the Hanyo Naraku was surprised as his Saimyousho returned to him after being sent to keep an eye on the well. Even more confusing was that it brought him a letter a letter of all things.
He had felt a shift in power this very morning and it had come from the old well close to where Inuyasha was sealed. It had stirred his curiosity and the dark desire to finally gain a lead to the jewel. Everyone else would have given up already but not him, he always had the needed patience one would need to see subtle manipulations unfold.
Therefore he had been on alert the whole day sending his Saimyousho to guard the area. He had counted on either the jewel to show itself or for a Youkai to challenge him but not for a woman to suddenly appear and handing a letter to his insect. That was truly not what he had suspected. Not in the very least.
An evil grin appeared beneath his mask.
This was defiantly something which drew his curiosity.
He slowly inspected the letter and noticed the fine quality of it. The washi was of an exclusive quality completely unfitting for the surrounding settlements. With every unfitting piece Naraku became more and more engaged. He reveled in the chance to solve such a curious puzzle.
Finally he unfolded the letter after breaking the wax. He immediately noted that it was written by a fine and skilled hand. Someone who had years of practices, had put those signs there. He guessed also that this someone was indeed well educated.
So was this strange woman only the messenger?
Would she even hold any valuable knowledge, already some disappointment settled inside him at the prospect that playing with her wouldn't lead to satisfactory answers.
There weren't many educated well enough to write and even less women.
Who was behind the letter then?
Why would that someone send a woman at all?
He finally focused on the content and was deeply surprised as he read the first words and noticed that in fact the letter was from her.
Dear Naraku-sama,
my name is Higurashi Kagome and I write to you in hopes this message finds you well.
I would also highly appreciate your help with a quite complex problem. As it stands I have a difficult puzzle to solve and would be delighted to receive your council on it. What I'm asking for is your honest opinion if it solves my problem or not will not be your responsibility.
My decision to approach you on this matter was not a lighthearted one but there would be no one else around, who would be able to understand. Your reputation is widely known and I have been told that you possess the unique skill and insight for delicate matters I would need. Therefore I trust on your expertise and promise that the story I have to tell you is a good one and will be worth your time.
May I suggest a meeting on the third full moon from now? It will be a blood moon. In order to repay you for your help I shall also bring you something you sought after for a long time: the Shikon no Tama. It shall belong to you as I have no need for it myself.
I trust you that in the meantime these lands remain a safe place for their inhabitants. I have a tight schedule to keep and I wouldn't want to be late because of unnecessary interference.
I'm looking forward to our conversation and remain with best regards.
Kagome
PS: I prefer jasmine tea.
He still stared at the letter. There were many things Naraku had to expect, sudden attacks from his enemies or some other unforeseen twist in his plans but this was something new even for him.
It was indeed a well worded message, on the one hand praising him for his skills and his reputation on the other hand offering him a story, which he was curious about. It suggested that the writer knew that he loved puzzles and they would be right in that endeavor at least.
Knowledge and even forbidden knowledge was one of the few things he truly cared about. It truly was his expertise to gain information and blackmail material on his foes and he loved to use them as his puppets once they have been caught in his webs.
It also made a shiver go down his spine as he realized how much knowledge this stranger he had never seen before, was able to gain on him.
Of course it was no secret that he desired the Shikon jewel as many Youkai did. She could have simply guessed that but somehow he had the feeling that the writer of this letter knew things about him, no one should have been able to know.
He also wondered which of his victims got away from his wrath to actually tell her about him. Naraku had been thorough in not leaving any leads toward his doings, always remaining in the shadows.
Rumors he could understand because even full blooded Youkai had slowly learned to keep away from his domain, even if it had taken multiple confrontations to teach them.
The villagers may have also caught on that less Youkai bothered them and that most vile creatures seemed to disappear in the forest. The humans may not know that he absorbed them to make him stronger but they most likely caught on the fact that they profited from this arrangement.
Yet nothing what anyone could have gathered on Naraku's doings would indicate about his webs and manipulation and yet it seemed that was what attracted this woman to him.
He couldn't deny that he was curious and he loved puzzles, so he would need to prepare. It seemed he would have a guest soon.
A deep chuckle echoed through the cave.
#
Kagome decided to come out of the shadows and directly approached the villagers. There was no use to postpone the confrontation anyway. As speculated they immediately accused her of being a demon and freeing Inuyasha.
With a sigh she tried to untangle their accusations one by one.
"My name is Kagome and no I'm not a demon. I'm a wandering warrior that dedicated her time to help others."
"But what happened to Inuyasha, why is he gone, why is the tree empty?"
"As I approached this meadow right now to greet you, the tree was already empty. I'm unable to tell you where this Inuyasha is right now."
Kagome was very careful to phrase her wording in a way that she still spoke the truth. Whatever explanation they invented to fill the gap was their decision.
The villagers still seemed unsure about her and her answers. They continued to discuss the topic further until finally reaching a consent.
"We should take her to Lady Kaede. She will know what we have to do!"
"You are right. Let's take her back to the village."
Kagome watched silently how they argued about her fate, all the while ignoring that she still stood there armed and could easily kill them at leisure. With shaking her head she really asked herself how they survived this long.
If she really had been a Youkai she would have already ended them and probably the entire village too. Then her thoughts wandered back to the mysterious Youkai in the well. It caused her to halt in her thoughts…
She had to remind herself that not all Youkai were bad, if she wanted to save them from extinction she couldn't become a prejudiced as those people next to her.
The village looked exactly the same as it had the first time as she had visited the feudal era. She had followed the men back and had been surprised that they hadn't tried to bind her with ropes like they had done the last time.
They were probably too scared from her as she was caring herself with a confidence which she hadn't known in her former life. It did help that she also wore a mighty bow and at least some of them would be able to feel the Youkai blade pulsing.
Still Kagome was positively surprised by the change.
Lady Kaede was as brilliant as always as she softened the sea of accusation swapping over Kagome's head. Like last time the old Miko tried to purify her with a salt like substance. Yet unlike last time Kagome suspected that it was just a show to appease the villagers.
Sure enough they left her alone after it had become clear that she wasn't a Youkai.
"I am Lady Kaede, I'm the Miko of this village and who may you be child?"
The both of them were on the way to Kaede's hut to have a conversation away from too curious ears.
"My name is Kagome and I travel wide and far across these lands to offer my aid to people in need. I was hoping to find here a place to rest for a while as I came by this area. The forest seemed peaceful, at least far more peaceful than most places I have come by."
Kagome gratefully accepted the tea from Kaede as the old lady spoke.
"You are right, not many Youkai came here after the Shikon no Tama vanished fifty years ago. It was like all the evil was burned with the body of my older sister Kikyo."
The old woman seemed to be lost in thought. Kagome decided not to pry, she of course knew the story already and there was no need to wake painful memories if it wasn't necessary. Instead she focused on what she needed.
"Lady Kaede? I'm quite capable of dealing with demons and I also have profound knowledge of healing. Would you maybe know a place for me to stay for a few moons? I would offer my aid for the village in return."
Kaede looked at the stranger puzzled. She could not sense any lies from her but her request was strange. It was another clue, which forced her senses onto alert over the last moon phase.
It bothered the old Miko, she had hoped to retire soon but with appearing of this woman, the strange acting of the well and Inuyasha's disappearance, she could feel dangerous times arriving.
So what do you think? :)