The Power of Fate
By spyrofate
Disclaimer: No I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters!!
Dedications:
Chichiri-sama: Ow......OW...OK OK!!!!! HERE......AS PROMISED! lol. Enjoy.
lilie-sun1: Thanks for the review, and the advice!! I thought I was going a little overboard, but....what ya gonna do? lol. I hope to hear more from you and I hope I can help you enjoy it better.
Kenuyasha: Sorry I can't email you at the moment, but I would like that idea of yours. I aprreciate you directing those people to my fic. Thanks a lot!!! lol. Keep up your amazing work too!!! I hope I can continue to make this enjoyable for you.
everyheart1806: Hey there, yeah long time no review, but like you said....school's hectic!! ESPECIALLY MINE!!!! lol. I'll still continue to read your fics though, even if I can't review them all the time... I'm sorry. But you ARE doing well!!! Keep it up....and don't worry...I doubt ANYONE will be expecting what's just below....(chuckles slyly)
FacePlant02: Well hello again!!! Thanks for the review. I'm sorry about the cliffhanger, but I told you before....it adds drama and keeps you reading it so.....sorry. But on the bright side...here's another update!!!! Like I promised!!! lol.
Crolynx: Thanks for the review and yeah I know I've hit a few bumps, but...I'm trying to make up for them as I go. Thanks for telling me about the anonymous reviewers thing!! I was under the impression anonymous reviews could already be sent, but I guess not........THANKS A LOT!!! lol. I hope I can continue to keep you interested in my fic and I also hope to hear more from you!!! Enjoy.
On to the story......
Chapter 11: Problems
Inuyasha and Kagome lay there on the ground as they watched the arrow fly into a far away tree. Irradicatiing it instantly! The two then looked over to the spot they had seen the arrow shot from. Their eyes widened when they could see them.
"Oh no..." Kagome whispered.
"It... can't be." Inuyasha continued.
They stared at the figure that stood before them.
"Kaede?!!" Kagome gasped.
The old miko didn't respond. She stared at the two with cold and empty eyes. A dark aura surronded her, flowing around her being like fire. Inuyasha then growled at her and stood up on his feet.
"Damn it you old hag! What the hell do you think you're doing?!!" he scolded at her.
Kaede still didn't respond and instead reached behind her and pulled another arrow from her quiver. Inuyasha gasped a little at seeing this and growled once again, preparing to dodge the arrow she had positioned when he heard the voice of Miroku.
"Inuyasha...don't hurt her! That's not Kaede!!" he shouted.
Inuyasha then looked over to see Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara trapped inside a barrier.
"Miroku! What the hell are you doing in that barrier?!" he asked.
"Kaede trapped us in it! We don't know why, but all of the sudden Kaede turned on us and threw this barrier over us." he replied. "Listen...all we know is she's not herself, something's happend to her."
"Feh. You think!" Inuyasha said sarcastically as he directed his gaze back at the miko.
'But what? What's happened to Kaede that she's attacking us now?" Kagome thought.
The old miko then released the second arrow she had positioned. Inuyasha growled as he watched the arrow fly at him. Again, a redish light engulfed the arrow and it's power increased.
"Damn it all!!" he shouted as he leapt into the air, dodging the arrow once again.
He landed on the branch of a nearby tree, growling at Kaede.
'Damn. How the hell am I supposed to get her back to normal without hurting the old bat?!' he thought.
Kaede stared up at the hanyou that was growling at her. She suddenly tore her gaze away from Inuyasha and directed her eyes right at Kagome. Kagome felt a chill run down her spine as the old miko stared at her with a cold and emotionless face.
Inuyasha looked on, confused as to why Kaede wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He then saw who Kaede was now staring at. Kaede suddenly drew another arrow from her quiver and aimed it right at the young miko!
"Kagome!!!" Inuyasha shouted as he leapt from the tree, over to her.
Kaede then released the arrow and let it fly at its target. Kagome gasped in fear as she watched the arrow head straight for her. She screamed and braced for impact when she was suddenly scooped up off the ground by Inuyasha. He had made it to her just in time and attempted to dodge the object. A split second after picking Kagome up, the arrow struck the ground. It sent out a strong blast wind that knocked the hanyou off balance in mid-air. The two plummited toward the ground when Inuyasha then turned himself so Kagome was on top of him. He took the full force of the fall as the hit. He winced a little from the impact, but was relieved to find nothing broken or seriously damaged.
"Inuyasha are you ok?" Kagome asked in worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine...are you alright?" he winced out.
Kagome nodded as she held on to the hanyou firmly.
"I'm ok." She replied.
They held each other close when they suddenly heard Shippo's voice.
"Inuyasha! Kagome! Watch out!!" the kitsune shouted.
The two looked over to see Kaede with yet another arrow pulled back in her bow. Inuyasha growled loudly at her while Kagome simply watched in horror as the old miko prepared to fire. The old miko pulled the arrow back further and aimed it at the two lying there. Kagome closed her eyes and clutched on to Inuyasha tight. He instinctively wrapped his arms protectively around her, preparing for the worst. Kaede's hands suddenly began to tremble and she began to whimper a little. Her body shook ferociously and she refused to release the arrow. Inuyasha and Kagome glanced back to see Kaede's body trembling, sweat pouring down her face. Suddenly Kaede dropped her bow to the ground and reached inside her kimono. She pulled out a small sutra a stuck it to her chest as fast as she was able. The sutra sent a small shock through her body that caused her to cry out in pain. Everyone gasped when they saw this. As Kaede cried out, Inuyasha and Kagome suddenly saw a black serpent emerge from within her.
"Inuyasha, look!" Kagome shouted.
"What the hell is that thing?!" He asked as he watched it emerge.
The serpent screamed and yelped in agony as shocks of electricity surrounded it. It suddenly flew away and disappeared at an incredible speed. The shocks of the sutra died down and Kaede suddenly collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
Kagome and Inuyasha then stood up and watched as the serpent disappeared.
"Inuyasha, was that what I think it was?" she said as she walked up next to him.
"A soul collector." He responded quietly.
Miroku watched as the barrier that surrounded him and the others vanished. As soon as it disappeared the group rushed over to the fallen miko. Everyone ran up and kneeled beside her. Sango lifted her from the ground and examined her for injuries.
"Sango...is she..." Kagome said with worry.
Everyones' eyes widened as Kaede's eyes fluttered open. The life had returned to them and she appeared to be normal once again.
"Don't worry child, I shall be alright. I have only temporarily paralyzed myself." she said as a smile creeped on her face.
"She's right." Miroku said as he picked up the sutra she had stuck to herself. "This particular sutra is of the weaker kind, one that would never do any real damage to a human."
Everyone appeared relieved when they heard this.
"Inuyasha, Kagome....forgive me." Kaede said weakly.
"It's ok Kaede, we both know you would never do anything to intentionally hurt us." Kagome said softly.
"Miroku, help me get her onto Kirara." Sango said as she attempted to lift her off the ground.
The houshi simply nodded and began to help Sango attempt to lift the old woman onto the tranformed fire-neko. After safely getting her onto Kirara, Sango jumped up on Kirara's back and helped Miroku up who sat behind her. Shippo then bounded up toward Kaede and hopped up on Kirara's back. He sat next to the old miko with concern in his eyes.
"We'll meet you back at the village!" Sango shouted to Inuyasha and Kagome.
The two simply nodded as the fire-neko youkai lifted into the air and took off.
"Come on, let's go." Inuyasha said as he lowered himself to the ground.
Kagome lifted herself onto his back and positioned herself to where she was comfortable. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and burried her face into his silver mane. The hanyou was a little taken back by this, but grinned at her and suddenly took off toward the village. He ran along the ground at an incredible pace and enjoyed the scent of Kagome being that near.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said.
"Yeah?" He responded roughly.
"What do you think happened to her?" she asked with concern.
"Feh. How the hell should I know?" He said as he leapt up into the trees, bounding from branch to branch.
"Do you think it had something to do with that soul collector we saw?" she continued.
"Don't know...but we're going to find out." He said intensly and increased his speed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back at the hut.....
Sango, Miroku, and Shippo sat there, watching over Kaede. Sango had already started to prepare a meal for the day, and Miroku had already started a small fire from inside the hut when suddenly, the door was pushed back and Inuyasha walked in with Kagome at his side.
"How is she?" Kagome asked. She was worried she may have been hurt more than she thought.
"The spell should wear off within the next couple of minutes if I'm not mistaken." Miroku replied.
Kagome sat down next to the miko and Inuyasha soon took a seat next to her.
"How long does it usually take?" Inuyasha asked in a gruff tone.
The houshi fiddled with the fire a little bit as he spoke, "That kind of spell would only last for at least 30 minutes or so." he said calmly.
Kaede suddenly began to stir and they all gathered around her as her eyes fluttered open once again.
"Kaede, you're awake!" Kagome said happily.
"Can you move?" Shippo butted in.
The old woman simply smiled and sat up from her futon.
"Aye, I am fine now. The spell has worn off." she said.
"So tell us what happened with you, old hag. That wasn't exactly the best welcoming committee." Inuyasha said roughly.
"Inuyasha! Don't be so rude, it wasn't her fault!" Kagome said sternly to the hanyou.
"Feh." He said as he tucked his hands in his sleeves.
"I am sorry Inuyasha and Kagome." Kaede said sadly.
"Stop apologizing Kaede! We know that wasn't you who tried to kill us." Kagome said, trying her best to comfort her. It seemed to work as she smiled at the young miko.
"Do you remember anything that happened?" Sango asked.
"Aye, child. I remember everything. I was the one who did those acts in the first place." Kaede replied as she sat comfortably against the wall.
Everyone's eyes widened at hearing this.
"You mean it was INTENTIONAL!!!" Inuyasha spat out.
"No of course not!!" Kaede shot back, defending herself. She then went into her thoughts and began to tell her side of the story.
"I could see it all. I remember watching Inuyasha leap through the well, but then...I...I began to fell strange somehow." she spoke softly.
Everyone listened carefully to her as Sango began passing out some stew she had fixed to everyone.
"What do you mean..."strange"?" Miroku urged her to continue.
"I suddenly felt...tired. Before I knew anything else, I felt myself cast a barrier around ye. I didn't do it intentionally however." she continued.
"You're not making much sense." Inuyasha grumbled.
Kaede sighed and did her best to describe what happened.
"I cast the barrier around them, but I never moved my hands on my own will." she said.
Sango then handed her a bowl of stew, which she gladly accepted, and sat down.
"What do you mean?"
"Whenever I tried to speak, my mouth wouldn't move. Whenever I tried to stop attacking, my body didn't respond." she explained.
"You mean you were being controlled?" Kagome asked as she took a bite of her stew.
Kaede nodded in response.
"Aye, that is why I couldn't stop. No matter how hard I tried." she then took a bite of her stew.
Inuyasha thought for a moment at what she said and turned his attention to Kagome.
"Do you think it has something to do with that soul collector we saw?" he asked.
Kagome just shrugged.
"Possibly." she replied.
Kaede stared at the two in confusion.
"A soul collector ye say?" she asked, curious as to why it was there in the first place. Miroku decided to explain this one.
"Whenever you attached that sutra to yourself, a soul collector, like the ones that follow Kikyou , emerged from your body and fled from the spell."
Kaede simpl stared at him with both confusion and interest.
"Yeah but this one looked different than Kikyou's." Shippo added.
Kaede then directed her attention to the kitsune below her.
"Different? Explain." she urged.
"Well...the soul collectors that follow Kikyou are normally white from what I've seen." Sango chimed in. "But this one was black." she finished.
Kaede's eyes suddenly went wide when Sango said this. She carefully set her stew down on the floor and went deep in thought.
"It is as I feared then." she whispered.
Everyone stared at the old miko, confused at what she just said.
"What do you mean?" Shippo asked in curiousity.
Kaede then took a deep breath and attempted to explain.
"My sister....she is the one responsible for this." she said quietly. This caused everyone's ears in the group to perk up and they listened closely.
"What?! But how?" Sango asked, practically begging for her to continue.
"I had a feeling that seeing Inuyasha go after Kagome, would take a hard turn on my sister Kikyou." she continued.
"Her hatred for both of ye has grown so much now...she is corrupting the very souls she absorbs."
"Corrupting her own souls?" Miroku mimiced, trying to make sense of the situation. Kaede simply nodded.
"Aye, that soul collector was indeed my sister's. The purity within it however was gone. Replaced by Kikyou's hatred for ye."
Everyone directed the attention toward Inuyasha. Expecting to see a look of anger and annoyance on his face for someone blaming Kikyou for this. But...to their surprise, he remained still and his expression had not changed! He continued to listen when he suddenly broke the silence.
"So what you're saying is Kikyou is so pissed that I went after Kagome, that she sent that soul collector to corrupt your soul and kill us when we returned." he declared, shocking everyone at the calmness in his voice.
Kaede did not respond and simply stared at him blankly. He knew he was right. She then continued to explain further the meaning of this event.
"Not only that, Kikyou's hatred has now consumed her entire being, now she we be more persistent to kill every last one of ye." She said firmly.
Everyone listened closely, knowing they had to find a way to stop her...otherwise...she would kill them all.
"So what do we do?" Miroku asked.
"Ye all must find a way to stop my sister, before she does something catastrophic! Now that her hatred has increased, I'm afraid so has her power. It will not take long before she discovers her new dark abilities. Ye must find a way to stop her before she becomes too powerful for her own good." she explain sincerely.
Everyone stared at the ground in disbelief, hardly any of them were a match for Kikyou, how could they possibly stop her now was the question. Inuyasha suddenly broke the silence in the room.
"Feh. Fine with me." he said calmly and stood up from his spot
Everyone's, even Kaede's eyes bulged when he said this. They couldn't believe what they just heard. Inuyasha saw the looks he was getting.
"WHAT?!!" he asked in annoyance.
"It's just that...you'd normally snap at someone for talking down to Kikyou. Now you're saying you're going to stop her?!!" Miroku spoke up.
"Is there a problem with that?" Inuyasha replied flexing his claws.
Everyone shook their heads in unison and just stared at the hanyou.
"Good." He said roughly and walked out of the hut into the morning sun.
They stared in confusion as they watched him leave and looked at each other. They all just shrugged. Even Kagome was too shocked at what he just said and decided to go to him. She found him staring at the sun that was floating off in the distance.
"Inuyasha?" she asked as she approached him.
"Yeah what?" he responded.
"It's just...well um....are you sure you want to do this?" she contined as she scratched her cheek with her finger.
"Feh. You heard the old hag. If we don't stop her...she'll kill us all. I can't let that happen."
Kagome just stared at him as he continued to explain. He kept his gaze toward the sun, letting a warm breeze flow through his hair, pulling Kagome's scent to his nose. He inhaled it deeply and relaxed.
"I won't let her hurt you." he said softly.
Kagome gasped at him. Even though he had said those things before...it still made her heart skip a beat. He then tore his gaze from the sun and stared back at Kagome. His golden orbs locked with her coffee brown eyes and he found he didn't want to look away. He suddenly approached Kagome and embraced her tightly.
"I won't let her take you from me!!" he said intensly.
Kagome smiled at this and melted into him once again.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered.
(A/N: TOLD YOU THE UPDATE WOULD BE SOON. Please review and tell me what you think. ANONYMOUS REVIEWS WELCOME NOW!!! lol. I'll try to keep this up as best I can, but....only time will tell...lol. Until then.....)
