Author's Note: I do not own Inuyasha or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong solely to their respective owners.
Another chapter has arrive, and allow me to reply!
PrincessAnime08: I'm glad that you do.
Queen of Water: Thanks.
Gry17: I am thinking of all of the ideas you have given me, and I might indeed be incorporating some of them.
Elfen Children: Here's the post.
Akita91: I did want a bit of comic relief from all the demons trying to kill the group.
Hailey3781: When everyone is tangled in roots Yume will indeed have a fear of her own shown. What might that be? That's for me to know and you to eventually find out.
Layne14: Thank you for the compliment, and we will see Sesshomaru eventually. There is Kikyo and Miroku to introduce first, though. And, just to make you wonder, another OC of mine. (But I'm not telling when, who or why.)
And so, let the next chapter begin!
Ch.20 Kikyo's Stolen Ashes
In Kaede's village it was nighttime, and the entire area was silent. In that silence an orb of blue-white flame flew through the village, and slashed at two trees. They came off easily, and crashed to the ground. Kaede awoke from the noise and was instantly on alert, as were several of the other villagers. The ball of fire landed atop the temple gate and burnt out, revealing an elderly woman with bloodred eyes and a large scythe over her shoulder. Kaede and the others caught up to her, and Kaede fired an arrow at the woman. She easily swung her scythe despite its size, and sliced the arrow in half. "Who are you?" Kaede demanded.
The villagers fired several arrows, and the woman jumped into the air, flying through it up the stairs to the temple. Kaede and the villagers pursued her, and at the top several men fell back with slashes on their chest. "Hey, are you alright?" one man asked, him and several others helping them. "I finally found it! There is no mistake; this is the place!" the old woman said, looking at the gravestone in front of the temple like it was a trove of gold. She reached down and pulled up and handful of dirt from in front of it. "Such fine soil, and just the right moisture," she commented. Kaede drew another arrow. "Who are thee? And what business do ye have here?" she demanded.
The old woman glared at Kaede, saying "Wench! Do not interfere! I have business with this gravestone!" Kaede's eye widened. So the woman knew what was buried there! The villagers pointed their spears at her, and Kaede said "Leave this place at once! Or we will show no mercy!" The woman stepped forward and said "You talk too much!" She held up her scythes and scratched her overlong fingernails against the blade. The resulting screech was deafening, and indeed many of the villagers dropped their weapons and covered their ears, crying out in pain. Kaede fired another arrow, but the woman easily sliced that one in half as well.
She glared at them, and said "Didn't I tell you to not interfere?" She jumped into the air and spun in the air, sending out waves of energy. One of them hit the grave site and destroyed it, while others slashed apart the temple gate, and one hit Kaede in the shoulder, causing her to wince and take a step back. "Priestess Kaede!" one of the villagers said. They too were hit, falling back. The old woman reached down and plunged her hand into the ground, pulling out an urn. Kaede gasped. "Those are my sister's ashes! I will not let you have them!" she said, struggling to stand. "These ashes now belong to me! The demon, Urasue!" the demon declared, before enveloping herself in a ball of flame again and vanishing.
A long distance away. I was lying back in a sleeping bag Kagome had brought from her area, Shippo sleeping contently next to me. For some odd reason I couldn't sleep, and I was the only one in the group that felt that way. Even Inuyasha had managed to let his guard down enough to sleep. As if thinking about it had made an actual effect on the physical world, at that moment Inuyasha gasped and sat bolt upright in the tree, breathing heavily and staring at his hand. I closed my eyes and relaxed, once again acting like I was asleep. "It was a dream," he said to himself. I could sense his aura without even looking, and from what I felt he had been remembering something completely unpleasant.
"Those are some memories I can do without," he commented. There was silence after that, and I opened my eye just a crack to see Inuyasha crouching next to Kagome, looking at her. I was intrigued, but before I could say anything Kagome's eyes fluttered open, and she shouted before slapping him across the face. St that my eyes opened completely, as Shippo looked at them groggily for a second before going to sleep. Kagome yawned before looking back Inuyasha. "Inuyasha? Don't scare me like that; I thought you were a demon!" Inuyasha glared at her and pointed at his cheek, which had a red mark in the shape of Kagome's hand. "What? Did I hit you just now?" she asked.
"I was wrong! You're not like her!" Inuyasha yelled. "Look like who?" Kagome asked. "You're not even remotely similar!" he replied. I was too curious, and decided to blow my cover by saying "Similar to who?" Inuyasha looked at me and paused, turning away. "Forget it!" he yelled. I frowned; now he was acting strange. Before I could say anything however, a breeze rustled through the area, and I detected a strange aura. "What's that?" Inuyasha said, looking up. We looked at where he was gazing, and we saw a strange shape move across the sky. It wasn't shaped like a bird, but rather like a human. "Could it be a demon?" Kagome asked. I nodded. "That's the kind of aura I'm sensing," I said.
I noticed that Inuyasha was thinking, and suddenly his eyes widened. "We need to go back to the village! Now!" he said, whirling around and grabbing Kagome's stuff, shoving it into her backpack. And when he did that, the sleeping back was pulled out from under Shippo. He still slept, which made me smile and I picked him up and carried him. "What do you mean? What's wrong?" I asked. "I'll explain when we get there!" Inuyasha said, taking Kagome's pack and placing it on the back of her back. Instantly he leaped into the trees, and Kagome said "Inuyasha! Wait up!" She ran to her bike and got on, and I spread my wings before taking into the air.
The following morning we were still moving and, Kagome said "Inuyasha, would you just tell us why we're going back to the village?" He didn't reply, and merely leaped from a rock in the middle of a stream. Shippo yawned. "What does it matter? Let him do what he wants," he said, before falling back asleep in my arms. I smiled at that and used a small amount of my powers, making my arms and torso warmer than normal for him. At that his sleeping grew even deeper. We were getting close to the village, and I sent my senses outwards. There was nothing wrong so far as I knew. None of the villagers were dead, none of the buildings had been destroyed, and Kaede was still- Kaede!
My eyes snapped wide open, and I said "Oh, no!" "What?" Kagome said, looking at me. "It's Kaede! She's hurt!" I said, flapping my wings and flying faster. Kagome repeated me and said "Oh, no!" She pedaled harder and caught up with me and Inuyasha, and we reached the village in a matter of minutes. We saw Kaede walking out of her hut, a bandage over her forehead and one arm in a sling, while in the other was her bow, which she was using to walk. "Lady Kaede! You're too injured to move!" one of the village women said. "Worry not about me. These are merely flesh wounds," Kaede said. "Kaede!" Kagome said. The elderly priestess looked up. "Inuyasha! Yume! Kagome!" she said.
We stopped once we were near, and Inuyasha said "I thought it was your blood I smelled. So you're still alive." Kaede nodded, and turned to walk towards the steps to the temple, walking up. "I guess not even a wound like that will keep you down," Inuyasha commented. "So, ye captured the scent of my blood, and game to check," she replied. I smiled and looked at Inuyasha. "Aw, you were worried about her!" I said. "Shut up, Yume!" Inuyasha replied, crossing his arms and looking away, his nose high in the air. I chuckled, before asking "How did you even get those wounds anyway?" "The specter," Kaede replied. I frowned and Inuyasha looked at her, and we reached the top of the stairs.
I was shocked. There were deeps gouges in the earth as it it had been hit with some massive blade, and a gravesite in front of the temple was now a pile of rubble. "What is this?" Kagome asked. "This had been the grave of my elder sister, Kikyo," Kaede told us. I looked at the grave with renewed interest. "Wait a minute. Wasn't Kikyo the one that sealed Inuyasha to the tree? This is her grave?" I asked. Kaede nodded. "I was not strong enough to stop her," she said, and told us about the events of last night. Throughout the exchange I could Inuyasha staring at the grave intently, and his face had a strange expression on it.
"My sister had unusually strong powers, even for a priestess. Now that this Urasue has possession of Kikyo's ashes, who knows for what evil purposes they will be used?" Kaede finished. Inuyasha turned and began to walk away, and Kaede called "Inuyasha!" "Forget it! Maybe you've forgotten, but Kikyo and I were enemies. I can still feel the pain from when her arrow pierced my chest!" Inuyasha said angrily, before turning back around and walking off. "Inuyasha..." Kaede muttered, but she didn't try to stop him. I was amazed at Inuyasha's stubbornness. Usually he would at least look at the situation before refusing. Then I remembered: Although fifty years may have passed since then, Inuyasha had been asleep the whole time. For him, the memories were still fresh.
Kaede left and Kagome went after Inuyasha, leaving me to stare at Kikyo's desecrated grave and think. After a long while Inuyasha had told us about what happened the day he was sealed to the tree. "It's Inuyasha!" the villagers had called. Inuyasha leaped into the sky while trapped in a net, slashing at it and freeing himself. Grappling hooks were shot at him, but he dodged them easily. He crashed through the roof of the temple and grinned evilly, looking at the Shikon Jewel. He grabbed it and villagers ran in, throwing spears at him. One of the weapons knocked into a lantern and the temple caught fire. Inuyasha escapes through the roof just as the whole thing exploded.
"Finally! A way for me to become all demon at last!" he said triumphantly. As he ran he heard a voice call "Inuyasha!" and just as he was passing by a tree an arrow hit him in the chest, pinning him to it. The Jewel fell from his hands, and Kikyo stared Inuyasha determinedly. Inuyasha reached forward. "K-Kikyo... How could- I thought-" he said, before falling unconscious. I shook my head, clearing my mind. In that same battle, Kikyo had lost her life. Now her remains had been stolen. I noticed something odd when I thought about that. A good portion of the ground in front of he grave was gone, but not like the gouges in the ground.
It was as if someone had... scooped it out. Did this Urasue take some of the soil as well? "But why?" I thought aloud. Just then I heard a shriek that sounded like it was from Kagome, and I looked at her sitting beneath a tree, Inuyasha lying on his back. I rolled my eyes. Just what were they fighting about now? I rose into the air and flew towards them, saying "What's the problem?" "She keeps hitting me, that's what!" Inuyasha yelled, glaring at Kagome. To this she said nothing, but she was holding her hand to her chest and said nothing, blushing slightly. That in itself shocked me, but apparently I wasn't figuring out what it meant anytime soon.
Just then Kaede walked up to us, one hand pulling a horse by the reins. "Kaede?" I asked. "I too am a priestess. I shall recover my sister's ashes on my own power. Inuyasha, would at least tell me the direction in which Urasue was headed?" she asked. Inuyasha scoffed. "Are you that ready to die, old woman?" he asked. "Inuyasha!" Kagome reprimanded. "We shall have to see," Kaede replied. "No way! Kaede, you're in no condition to travel, much less fight!" I said worriedly. Inuyasha scoffed. "Quit trying! She's as stubborn as an ox! It's useless to try and stop her!" he said. He walked forward and grabbed the reins of Kaede's horse, looking back.
"I'll go and get Kikyo's ashes back. Now come on, we've got a long ways to go," he said. He walked ahead without waiting, and Kaede smiled. "Inuyasha, thank you," she said. "Min of I come along?" Kagome asked. "Kagome?" Kaede said, looking back at her. But she was staring at Inuyasha, and I couldn't see what see was thinking. But it certainly made me worry. "Maybe I should come along as well," I said. Kaede nodded. "That might be wise; both you and Inuyasha together should be more than enough for this specter," she said. With that we began moving out, and by sunset we were in a large canyon. Inuyasha ran across the side above us, and I flapped my wings.
I was curious. This whole time Inuyasha had been refusing to say anything more than what he needed to, and Kagome was continuously looking back between him and herself. Just what in the world was going on?
Later that night we were situated around a campfire, and Kaede was sleeping within Kagome's spare sleeping bag. "Look's like she's asleep," Kagome said. Inuyasha laid back across the ground. "We better get some sleep as well. We've got a long fight ahead of us tomorrow," he said, closing his eyes. I looked up, surprised. "We're that close?" I asked. He nodded. "I can smell it. She's not far," he told us. I wanted to ask something, but before I could I realized that his breathing had deepened, and was more regular as well. "He's asleep!" Kagome said in amazement. I realized that she and I were the only two left awake, and I took this opportunity to ask something.
"Say... Kagome?" I said. She looked at me, and I said "Do you mind if I ask you something?" She shook her, indicating that she had no problem, and I wondered how to ask this. Deciding on the direct approach, I said "What's going on between you and Inuyasha?" Kagome blinked for a second, before her face burned crimson and she said "W-What?! What are you talking about?" I raised an eyebrow- not the reaction I was expecting. "The two of you have been acting strange all day, ever since that incident back in the village? What's going on?" I asked. Kagome stuttered and tried to come up with some excuse, but when she saw that I wasn't going to buy it she sighed. "Okay. This is what happened..."
Kagome walked up to Inuyasha, who was sitting under a tree. "Let's go, Inuyasha," she said. Inuyasha looked at her. "Go? Go where?" he asked, despite knowing the answer. Kagome sat down next to him. "Come on. Don't you feel the least bit sorry for Kikyo? I know that you guys were enemies, but that was a long time ago. It's been fifty years," Kagome reasoned. Inuyasha glanced at her, but swiftly looking away. Kagome frowned, and grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to look at her. "Hey!" she yelled. "What?" he replied just as loudly, pulling his hair out of her grip and glaring at her. "Since yesterday, you avoided even looking at me. Why?" she demanded.
Inuyasha paused, looking away. "It's nothing..." he tried to say. Kagome was silent for a second, before gasping. "I know! It's because I look like Kikyo! That's it, isn't it?" she said. "It's not-!" Inuyasha said, taking her hand and looking around at her. Kagome looked at her hand in his. "Huh?" she said. Inuyasha looked at her, his expression and tone a lot more gentle than before. "It's not like that," he said. His face moved closer, and Kagome blushed furiously. "W-W-Wait a minute! Hold the phone!" she said, waving her hand and shoving Inuyasha back. Inuyasha groaned, and at that moment I arrived, saying "What's the problem?" "She keeps hitting me, that's what!" Inuyasha protested.
I stared at Kagome, disbelief written across my face. But then I began analyzing this against the two of them's strange behaviors, and it rang true. "This actually happened?" I said. Kagome nodded. "And the thing is, when he looked at me, it wasn't me Inuyasha was seeing," she said. "Not you? But then who was he looking at?" I asked, confused. After a second it clicked, and my eyes grew wide. "Wait a minute. You mean, he was-" I began. Kagome nodded. "He was seeing right through me, to Kikyo. Yume, I think Inuyasha was in love with her."
Oh, I left you all hanging again! But next chapter is indeed the events of Urasue, and possibly the appearance of my new OC!
Please review! If you flame me Liam Neeson will look for you, he will find you, and he will kill you. (I'm just kidding... or am I?)