A New Time

By: CreativeCursedChild

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Inspiration.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Inuyasha, except for a few plushies and manga. Those are mine.~

Author's Note: ((.~))

Chapter Ten

The Curse of Uriya (pt3)

It was so strange preparing to take a bath in a river. She had done so many times before but that had been during her travels and only because bath houses and hot springs were not common in the Feudal Era. Even at home Kagome had abstained from swimming with her brother in summer time or joining her mother at the spa, she was too thankful for her bathtub to waste time elsewhere. However, as she gathered her things necessary for a good washing the only thing on her mind was getting clean.

Kaede had already gone down to the river. The poor old woman had been covered in soot and dirt from head to toe and after Shippo had made a statement involving the fact that she was covered in dead people the elderly priestess had made a bee line for the river without pause. Now, she had returned and was brushing out her long, wet hair while sitting next to the fire. The sun had begun its steady descent through the sky and it would be dark soon.

"Aren't you going to take a bath?" She asked curiously, her question towards the male member of their group whom seemed to be busy trying to get his fish to cook. It seemed that the cooking lessons he had been taught never stuck. However, upon that being said the fox demon looked up before his ears flattened against the back of his head and he blushed lightly. Oh, he was shy? "Nah, I am good, I will do it later" He told her, offering a reassuring smile then returning his focus to his food. Oh, that was right, he was far too old to join her for a bath now. That had been silly of her to suggest.

"Disgusting, just like that dog demon" Kaede mumbled, glaring back at the boy when he sent a mean look her way. Half the time the two were teasing and paling around then next thing you know they hated each other all over again. But, if there was anything Kagome knew it was that these things would work themselves out in time. After all, they both had lost people in that fight at the village and it was hard to ask them to forget their friends and make up. In all honesty, though she would never say it in front of her mentor, wondered if the demons actually had attacked or if the humans had taken the initiative. Something about the stories didn't add up and she would never think her friends were lying.

"Well, I am going to the river then, you two be good and try not to kill each other" She ordered, taking her small basket of shampoo and conditioner before giving them both a look and then turning and heading on her way. She heard the two mumbling back and forth lowly and knew that most likely she would be able to hear them fighting soon. They were like children, though one of them technically was. Hopefully it would not get too infuriating as they progressed.

The river was wide and beautiful, the waters were opalescent and clear showing that no demons had moved through recently. She hated having to bathe in muddy waters because you always came back feeling dirtier than when you got in. She kicked off her shoes and stuck her toes into the cool water before sighing in relief and glancing around. It did not seem that there was anyone there and after making doubly sure the young priestess began to remove her clothing.

It was surprising how much her body had changed over the years. She had grown stronger and her skin had become somewhat fairer due to a daily moisturizing routine she had started up a few years back. However, no one was perfect. There were scars on her shoulders and lower back where a demon had gotten a hold off her once. Inuyasha had screamed at her for hours after saving her yet she knew he had just been frightened. Why couldn't he have seen that he truly did care about others?

As she slowly walked into the river, shivering from the cold sting of the cool rapids Kagome forced those thoughts away. While she missed him and desired nothing more than to see him again something kept her from opening her heart. He had become a full demon according to Shippo and that meant he had changed. He would no longer be the dog demon she had known and even then, there was still so much they would have to work out. The woman was learning that she had to be tougher, especially where he was concerned. Even if he was trapped by some with, being a full demon could make him dangerous. Who knew what would happen when they saved him?

Sighing she rolled her eyes, knowing she had just tried to convince herself not to think about this before the young priestess suddenly dove into the cool waters. The rush that was given to her bare skin relaxed her as she resurfaced and then floated around for a moment then making her way back to the edge and fetching her basket. Kaede had always taught them that it was safer to use non-scented shampoos in the wild, luckily it was something she had kept going and what she used on her hair was more generic and simple. However, even with the soothing, cleaning relaxing of washing her hair Kagome found her thoughts drifting.

They were heading to Sango's village soon. Why did she feel so apprehensive? It wasn't like she had abandoned her friend on purpose. What had happened between the demon slayer and Miroku? More than likely the perverted priest had been unable to keep his hands to himself and finally she had become fed up. Had they gotten married before this all happened? Her lack of knowledge to these events pained her. She had missed so much. Shippo growing up, Sango possibly getting married and then helping her through the break up... Maybe Inuyasha would not have made such a decision if she had been with him? It was all so distressing.

Kaede had been preaching that she needed to be more positive but in these moments where she was alone and did not have to worry about the woman sensing her emotions it allowed Kagome to reflect upon herself. It was such a heavy weight, wanting to save the Feudal Era once more. But, this time she had the additional struggle of needing to find all of her friends. It was like a driving force, whispering and demanding her to locate those whom had been precious to was different now. She wanted to show she could survive on her own and be someone they depended on.

After a moment, the young priestess brought her knees up to her chest, leaning over and placing his forehead on them as she closed her eyes and sighed softly. No matter what prayers she sent to the gods she wondered if they were even hearing them. Her little fox demon child had been brought back but even now it was hard to imagine being as close to him as she once had. He had grown up while she was gone and didn't need a mother figure anymore, at least, that was what she thought. Her mentor needed her but could she fulfill the woman's expectations and keep the promise she had made? It didn't matter, even if she failed she would keep fighting and trying to do the right thing.

Instead of wallowing she instead pushed forward, suddenly drawing her legs down and then diving back into the waters once more. She could enjoy her swim and focus on better things, after all, they were already making progress! Shippo was back and now the three of them were going to go get Sango. Together the four of them could set another destination and another until their group was back together and then they would face the witch and save Inuyasha. It was a naive way of thinking, one that did not bring in the consideration that her demon slayer friend might not desire travel. But, even so, she still wanted to show the woman that she was back and would take care of them all once again.

However, distracted by her thoughts Kagome did not notice the dark, ethereal shadows moving across the waters before they settled over her. Then suddenly, the tide became stronger and a burst of water sent her tumbling deeper into the water. She made the mistake of gasping which caused her to take water into her lungs. Forcing herself not to keep choking she covered her mouth and then reached out, digging her hand into the dirt bank and anchoring herself. It had turned pitch black around her, that same strange abyss from her dreams!

The young priestess struggled for a moment before digging both hands into the bank, forcing her to hold her breath as much as possible while a burning sensation formed in her lungs. Slowly she worked her way up the muddy side of the river before finally she broke the surface, gasping loudly for breath and collapsing onto the sandy shore. She coughed and choked for a series of minutes, expelling all the water from her lungs before slowly sitting up and then grasping her forehead. Damn it, why did the gods see fit to knock her down every moment she tried to get back up?

It had turned dark, almost strangely so as she glanced around. When had the sun set? Now the trees were encompassed with shadows so thick that their limbs seemed like creepy tendrils reaching out for her. There were no stars in the sky either and the moon had not risen yet. It didn't make any sense. Her unnerving surroundings drove Kagome to quickly dry off before pulling on her clothes. She grabbed her basket and then set off back towards camp at a steady pace.

Her mother had packed flashlights but not batteries so they had to be sparing with what they had. This meant that when she had set off for the river she had not brought one,, but she had been intent on returning before nightfall. Had she somehow been under water for a long time? No, it could only have been a minute at most. So, where did the sun go? Something was off and it had the hair on the back of her neck standing up. When something reached out for her ankle, the woman screamed in surprise before leaping through the air and dropping her basket. As she looked back she saw what had reached out for her. A small, dark root still crawled towards her along the ground as her eyes widened and she quickly moved back. Wait, hadn't Kaede taught her some form of channeling her energy to create light?

The young priestess brought her hands together, grunting and forcing herself to focus on what she wanted to create while the small root kept moving towards her. After a moment there was a spark and then suddenly between her hands formed a small ball of power which lit up the trees around her. When this happened, the root cringed before retreating into the bushes while she sighed with relief. At least that was something. Now, she needed to get back to her friends! Whatever was going on, it was most certainly a threat!

However, what happened next made her blood run cold. From off towards camp she heard someone cry out, it was Shippo! What was going on? Right at that moment, a tendril shot down from the trees and struck out at Kagome. She leaped back, dodging her head down and then bringing the orbs of light in front of her causing the being, whatever it was, to hide away in the trees once more as she quickly started to rush forward. She was still in the practice phase of channeling her powers and knew the orb would not be with her for long.

As she ran towards camp the roots and shadowy tendrils kept trying to stop her, the woman having to swing her ball of power every which way to cast them back while jumping over their attempts to grab her ankles. It was as if the forest had come alive and she did not want to know what happened if it got a hold of her because it was doubtful it would let go. This is why she liked the city, damn it!

"Kaede? Shippo!? Where are you? Speak to me!" Kagome shouted, fear filling her as she ran down the side of the river bank. The shadows came alive behind her, reaching out with clawed hands and tentacles while trying to grasp her and pull the young priestess in. She threw out her hands, another ball of light forming in the air which dispelled the darkness and pushed it back. But, the girl knew she could not keep doing this!

She heard the sounds of scuffling in front of her and could still see where their fire was up ahead, how had she gotten so far away from it? Flames burst from one side which seemed like Shippo while a dull blue blast of power shinned from the other, that must have been Kaede. But, why were they not answering her? "Guys? Talk to me! Why are you not answering?" She demanded, rushing forward. However, just as the neared the flames a sudden force repealed her back and caused her to stumble down, her knees becoming scrapped in the process.

"What? Kaede!? Shippo!?" She asked, reaching forward. An invisible force kept her from her friends, the two not seeming to notice Kagome as they stood close to the bright light of the fire and used their abilities to force the shadows back. "The flame boy! Stay close to it if you value your life, the darkness cannot reach us here" The old woman shouted, basting away one of the shadow bound creatures as it tried to press forward but was repelled by the light.

Why could they not see her? What was going on!? Kagome slammed her hand against the strange force field, desperate to get her friends attention before a sudden blast of wind caught her from behind and made her turn around. The forest was unnaturally dark, the moonlight seemingly nonexistent despite the new moon having past. The trees curled down towards her and their branches reached out like evil clawed hands as she created a ball of power and forced them back.

"I am Uriya, mistress of the wood, you have intruded upon my territory human and must suffer for your transgressions! You are in my world now and I will feast upon your soul" The soft, almost teasing voice uttered causing the young priestess to gasp before she glanced back to her friends. What had they not heard what the voice said? Why could they not see her?

"You are in my realm now, first you and then your allies, now.. I shall dine" The being whispered, a being appearing from the shadows while slowly stepping forward. Her body was cloaked in twigs and branches which were stained with old blood, her eyes were a dark red. She held the appearance a spriggan and yet gave off a strong demonic aura as she reached out towards her prey.

Kagome could not reach her bow! It was next to the fire. She knew not what was going on but chose to cease hesitating before she dodging off to the side and ran into the woods once more. She had to figure out what was going on! "Run as fast as you can, little miko, you are in my world now and I will feast upon your soul before the night is done" Uriya whispered, vanishing into the mist as the fox demon and old woman continued to repel back the shadows. They shouted for Kagome but would get no response...

The girl was with the mistress of the wood now.

As she ran she could see the spirit following her. She caught glimpses of it behind every tree and knew that fleeing would get her nowhere. But, what was there to do? Oh, that is right! Light drove the shadows back. The young priestess came to a sliding stop, ducking her head down as one of the limbs reached out for her once more before she brought her hands together. She went down on one knee, channeling her energies to the best of her abilities as she heard the woman walking towards her.

"Tired already? The must not make mikos like they used to in my time" Uriya taunted, grinning a demented and dark rooted smile while brandishing her blood ridden, claw life wooden hands. However, she was underestimating Kagome. The girl was getting very tired of demons and spirits underestimating her.

"Screw you, bitch!" Kagome shouted, lifting her head up and suddenly opening her eyes to reveal a bright blue glow to them before leaping back and opening her hands. Just as the trees and tendrils reached out for her once more she released a wave of light which burst from her hands, slamming into the area around her. The force caused the trees themselves to shriek while the spirit covered her eyes and cried out as well. "You stay the hell away from me and my friends!" She had made the girl angry. Shadows reminded her of that nightmare, one where she could not free Inuyasha. This would not be like that dream!

Uriya vanished suddenly, driven away by the light as the young priestess panted, quickly forming more balls of energy while finally giving herself a chance to inspect the forest. This was not the real world, she knew that now. There was no sky, no sounds of wild life. Nothing. Somehow she had been transported somewhere strange and it must have been while she was in the river. This is why the Feudal Era needed more bath houses.

There was a rustling from in the wood but she knew it was the being she had just banished, five floating orbs of light around her now lit up enough of the area that she did not have to worry about being attacked. But, for how long could she keep this up? Her powers were slowly draining but her resolve was strong. Had that even been Shippo and Kaede back there? She listened closely and took not that, not only did she not see the fire anymore but she did not hear them, screaming. They were either dead or had been an illusion. She chose to stick with the latter option while slowly moving back. That was when she heard the strange voice, this time clearer.

"She can't cross the river" The voice whispered, seemingly from all around her and yet nowhere as Kagome tossed her head back and then nodded her head. This was not the strangest thing that had happened to her before. "I don't know where it is" She admitted, keeping her voice low. She knew Uriya was most likely still close and just waiting for the light to die down once more so she could attack. One of the orbs was already beginning to weaken and the limbs of the trees were starting to twist down towards her once again.

"This way then, hurry!" The voice was accompanied by the splintering of bark as one of the trees howled in pain. A long gash showed in its wooden body as Kagome did not hesitate to rush forward towards it. As she passed the first marker another appeared and another, whatever the voice was it was leading her to the river and she knew better than to waste what limited time she had.

The trees around her twisted like living beings, demented faces forming in their bark. But, this was not like any cartoon where nature had been comically represented as the evil beings of some witch's wrath. No, these had human faces, crying and screaming in a mixture of fear and agony as a ghoulish blood dripped from their eyes and mouth while they swung their branches down to strike at the girl running past. However, a combination of her spiritual abilities and whatever force was guiding her which struck out at the trees to lead her was enough to keep them at bay.

Her heart beat faster than it had in years and a real fear settled deep within her soul. She had been to these sort of cursed places before but never had it been this intense and never had she been so alone. Did Shippo and Kaede even know she was gone? How long could it have been? What if that actually had been the two of them back there and the woods had claimed them? No. She could not sense their departed souls. She had to trust in her instinct like her mentor taught and have faith that her friends would survive this just as she could. They were either safe or fighting just like her, which meant she needed to live through this to get back to them!

"Beware the waters, her roots still grow there, it would not be wise to enter them" The voice whispered and yet sounded louder than ever. One of the trees leaned forward, intent on passing through her weakening orbs of light to strike down at Kagome. However, the spirit guide was having none of it and cut the limb which was flying down in half, the wood screaming in shock and agony as it tossed itself back. It seemed as if this horror would never end, then just like that she emerged from the trees and reached the water's edge, sliding along the pebbles and barely stopping as she nearly flew right into the tide which her protector had warned her of.

It was true that the river now held a dangerous aura, the water itself seeming as black as night with a strange mist swirling through it. She did not want to risk swimming across but how in the hell was she expected to get to the other side? "Wait, I don't know what to do!" She cried out, hesitating as she waited for a sign from the spirit. When none came after a moment the young priestess decided she could not be patient, quickly moving down the river bank. Small tendrils started to emerge from the cool depths, twirling up towards her but she was fast enough to avoid these. How much longer? Her legs would aching and she was running out of breath, it would be hard to keep up this pace soon! Then what might happen to her?

"Oh, young miko, you are fighting for your life with such delightful a mix of cowardice and bravery, you ever have some force protecting you, such an entertainment, yet, I wonder, how much longer can you keep this up?" Uriya's voice echoed from the trees, a demented laughter seeming to come from everywhere around Kagome. It frustrated her because she knew what the spirit was teasing about would come to pass. She was running out of energy and would soon be at the mercy of whatever this creature was! But, what to do? There were no rocks to cross and no bridge of makeshift lead. If something did not happen soon...

"No more victims, witch!" The voice shouted, a loud splintering of wood accompanied by a loud cry was heard before on of the largest trees suddenly fell downwards. It splashed into the river with an earthshaking wave causing her to have to jump out of the way as an explosion of dark energy reached out towards her. It swallowed all but one of her orbs of light, the young priestess barely managing to fend it away before the woods shivered and shook as if in shock and fear. "Hurry, she will not pause but for a moment!" The voice ordered. It was obvious what she had to do.

Kagome leaped out onto the tree, lifting her feet and jumping over a large tentacle which shot out from the river. It grabbed onto the trunk and shook, trying to toss her into the water as she danced to keep her balance, waving her arms before coming down to her knees. She kept pulling herself across, the bark scratching at her skin while she clawed and forced herself forward. Suddenly a large tendril, bigger than the first emerged and slammed into the tree, narrowly missing her by inches. She cried out as the tree was tossed upwards and after that all she remembered was being flung through the air before landing on the ground. Hard.

...

-In Present Day-

"Kagome!" Sota cried out as he sat up in bad, panting for breath. He was drenched in sweat from his nightmare as he glanced around his room quickly. It had seemed so real, he could have sworn he was watching his sister fight off the trees themselves! A moment later there was a rustling from beside his friend before a boy appeared, his long hair a mess and a curious shocked look in his eyes.

"So-chan, are you okay?" Grey spoke softly, quickly moving to sit on the bed next to his friend as he took the boy's hand and squeezed it lightly. It was a nickname he never dared use in public, one that implied their close relationship while he reached out and brushed the hair out of the others eyes. "You are burning up, do you want me to get you a wet rag?" He suggested, his dark brown eyes full of worry now.

"I saw Kagome, she was running and she had these orbs and there was this crazy wooden bitch after her that was controlling the trees and making them go all crazy on her!" Sota stated, still glancing around the room nervously. The shadows seemed intimidating now causing him to reach out and flick his lamp on. When he looked back to his friend, he was met with that familiar gaze and quickly he felt himself begin to calm down. There was something about his eyes...

"It was just a nightmare, So-chan, you can't let it get to you, I know you are worried for your sister but you must relax your mind" Grey tried to comfort the other, clutching his hand between both of his before bringing it up to his chest. "Bring us peace, bring us comfort, bring protection to our wayward sister on her journey" He prayed softly, quickly opening his eyes again before sighing.

"That is just it, I don't think it was a dream! I could feel everything, the cold wind and this weird heat and I swear I was there" Sota argued, sighing himself before bringing up his other hand and scratching the back of his neck. Slowly he moved to stand, brushing his friend out of the way before walking forward and glancing out his window, leaning against the wall so he could look back at the well house.

What if she was in trouble? There was nothing he could do to help and without Inuyasha could his sister really do something like this on her own? It had been over four days and their mother was a mess, spending as much time watching the portal as he did. They knew it was unrealistic to see her back so soon but the idea that she was over there without the dog demon to protect her was frightening. He might have been a loud mouth but he always had his eyes on her and his sword ready. All she had was a bow and some powers, not that they weren't strong but still...

"You need to have faith in Kagome, Sota, even if she is in danger then we must send all of our strongest good thoughts and karma to her, without us believing in her the gods might not see fit to bless her" Grey spoke, his tone almost seeming wise for a moment as he stepped up behind his friend. Sota glanced back and reluctantly nodded his head then glanced to the well house once more. He did believe in her, he honestly did. But, something just didn't feel right.

It felt like he needed to do something... But what?

End Chapter.

((A/N:It seems that Kagome is in a spot of trouble and somehow her brother knows of it. What could possibly be connecting him that he might be seeing what is going on? Can he do something to help? Oh, I do love these sort of chapters. I really get into it and it makes my blood all aflame with excitement at what is to come. Things are about to become very interesting and I think our young priestess is going to learn a little useful information soon. I hope you all stick around to see what is happening in Chapter Eleven, finally we will be in the double digits! Bye for now, readers. ~))

Chapter Eleven, The Curse of Uriya (Pt24), Preview:

-Her hands exploded in a sea of long, thorn ridden vines which lashed outwards, wrapping around the trees themselves and ripping their roots from the soil before lifting the large make-shit clubs into the air. With a loud, screaming cry the dark mass slammed the tress down atop Kagome with the intent of making her a bloody mess of bone and gore upon the black, mud ridden ground.

But, she was not done fighting yet. The tops of the trees shook and a their leaves separated to reveal the young priestess still standing there, her hands up in the air with a light blue shielding pulsing around her. Somehow she had blocked the attack but it had been a close one. Kaede had yet to even get to this level of her teaching which meant that somehow, she had summoned these energies by herself. This clearly through Uriya off.

"Now Sina!" She cried, calling out to her only ally (or whom she thought was her only ally) as the spirit reacted and struct out at the black mass of root and twisted bodies. Uriya screamed in surprise as numerous scars appeared in her wooden, black ooze covered form. It shook around wildly, using the large trees which it removed from atop it's miko target to try and swat at the invisible force harming it.

"Hyah!" Kagome shouted, taking her chance as she threw up her hands and caused numerous orbs to fly from her palms, this basic balls of light were a simple procedure she was quickly coming to master and yet proved invaluable in this circumstance. The energy shot into the forest spirit, making it scream louder before it fell backwards with a loud crash causing the earth to shake.

Her arms dropped to her side as she panted for breath, her hands shaking lightly before the young priestess fell to her knees. She was expending too much energy and even with a surprise attack she could sense that Uriya's powers were not waning. This became evident as the dark mass slowly rose back up, creaking as different parts of its form broke away and fell to the ground.

"I have been devouring the souls of your people for centuries! You think a simple priestess and her spirit ally can defeat me? Ha! I have ruled these woods forever and I shall rule them long after I eat your deliciously bright soul!" Uriya cried, bringing tentacles back into the air as it lifted the trees once more, clearly intent on repeating its attempts to smash her until the desired result was accomplished.

"I am running out of idea, Kagome-san, I fear there might be nothing we can do, she is too strong" Sina's voice echoed around the young priestess as she stared up at her enemy. This was a bad situation and she knew the spirit was right, they were running out of options and it seemed no matter how much they hurt the great being it simply rose once more to try and decimate her again. What could they possibly do?

One thing was for certain, if something was not discovered soon her journey would be ending a lot quicker than the last had...-