Naraku was not happy.
Kagura had returned from the Western Lands with the three dead youkai and was currently kneeling before the furious hanyou as he reprimanded her for her failure.
"I gave you a ridiculously easy task!" Naraku roared, jerking Kagura to her feet. "Go to Kagome, bring her back. What's so fucking hard about that?"
"She was with the Western Lord, Naraku," Kagura replied quietly.
"So?" snapped the hanyou. "And your damn point?"
Kagura sighed. "His title as the Lord of the Western Lands he inherited with his father's death, but his reputation as one of, if not them most, ruthless and powerful youkai is something he earned. He demonstrated that tonight."
Naraku scowled.
"And," Kagura continued flatly. "He is one of the most feared youkai in all of Japan. The Guardian is no weakling either; she fights extremely well. But I'm sure you know that, as you relentlessly watch her."
"So what are you getting at?" her superior growled, grabbing her neck.
"If they fight together, there is no way you can defeat them."
Naraku's anger boiled over. Kagura had practically called him weak, even if indirectly. That pissed him off. Still clutching her neck, the hanyou lifted the wind youkai up so she was eyelevel with him.
"Not only did you fail," he spat slowly, his voice dangerously low, "but you failed miserably. You let the six of them get killed AND Kagura, that bitch Kagome took three shards. I don't care how small they were either."
Kagura's eyes narrowed in defiance, earning her a sharp slap to the cheek. It was obvious the girl hated her 'master' if he could be called that and wanted desperately to be free from him.
"I hold your heart, Kagura. You know what I can do to you," Naraku clarified, throwing his offspring out the door as he plotted his next move.
Kouga scowled. The wolf was irritated, confused and ready to kill someone.
After he had woken from the short-lived battle against Naraku's scum, Kouga found himself very much alone with no inkling as to where everyone went. Even dog turd's face would have been a welcome sight, but no one was to be found. He was miles away from any village and his nose didn't pick up any familiar scent. The last thing he remembered was passing out after taking in a significant dose of spider head poison.
So Kouga lie for some time as the poison slowly dissipated in his veins. It wasn't like the poison was lethal or deadly or anything. No, it just rendered him numb and unable to move for a period of time. In Kouga's case, it was three days.
After weeks of aimlessly wandering, the wolf finally decided on a destination. He wanted answers and he knew just where to get them, provided the source was even there. He headed for a small village in the Southern Lands where he knew a certain hanyou mutt was. The only problem was he'd have to trek across half of Japan.
Days, a week actually, had passed and Kagome and Shippou were far from the Sesshoumaru's palace, which was on the coast on the Western Lands. They weren't even in the Western Territory, but Kagome found her mind drifting toward a certain youkai with long silver hair, golden eyes, and an oh so fluffy tail, much like hers. Stop it! she scolded herself. Sesshoumaru can't even stand you, Kagome, so why waste your time?
As they continued to walk, Kagome soon realized they were in the territory of her Guardian home and nearing the former palace. It had been almost a month since Kagome met Shippou and a thought struck her. It surprised her because in the entire span of knowing him, even while they were staying with Sesshoumaru, the youkai princess never thought to ask him the sudden question that popped into her mind.
"Shippou, aren't your parents worried about you?"
Shippou looked startled by the sudden question and looked up at Kagome, his eyes beginning to water. "They…they died," he said softly.
Kagome berated herself for her stupidity. It was obvious something had happened to them if he was out and about without them. "I'm sorry, Shippou…I should have known better."
"It's okay," Shippou replied with a sniffle. "The Thunder Brothers killed them. Hiten and Manten."
The ninja's eyes flashed with an unidentifiable emotion. "I know what you must have gone through, Shippou," she said quietly.
The young kitsune looked up at the ninja in surprise. Her eyes took on a far away look.
"When I was about six years-old," she began slowly as they continued to walk. "My home was attacked and my parents were killed. Right in front of me…they killed everyone in the palace…my entire family. Now I'm the last of my kind…"
Shippou looked up at the woman and suddenly threw himself at her in a tight embrace. "I'll be your family," he said looking up at her, eyes shining in hope.
The youkai princess looked down at the adorable kitsune and smiled. "Okay, Shippou-chan. We'll be a family, albeit a small one."
Still in Kagome's arms, the kit smiled and sighed gleefully when he suddenly looked at her confused. "Kagome, what do you mean 'the last of your kind?'"
"Well," she began. "Have you ever heard stories of the Guardians, Shippou-chan?"
Digging through his mind, Shippou's eyes lit up in recognition. "Yeah! My parents used to tell me about them! After they died, Kaede, Sango and Miroku told me stories of their greatness. They're supposed to be protectors of the Shikon no Tama."
"Exactly, little pup," Kagome smiled again. "The lands we are in right now were the Land of the Guardians. In fact, the palace ruins aren't too far from here…the city surrounding the palace is still intact, but the palace was destroyed long ago. Would you like to see it?"
"Yeah!!" Shippou exclaimed enthusiastically.
Kagome laughed as she led him in the direction continuing with her story. "Anyway, the Guardians were a family of royalty, protecting the Shikon no Tama. Though they were youkai, the never desired to use its power. They had no need for it as they were powerful enough."
"Kind of like Sesshoumaru?" Shippou interrupted. "I've heard of a lot of youkai and even humans seeking the Tama's power, but Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha told me, never was one looking for it. Inuyasha was, though. He still is."
"Yes, kind of like Sesshoumaru," Kagome laughed, making a mental note to later inquire about Inuyasha. "The Guardians not only were powerful enough as it was, but their souls were pure. And to be a Guardian, you had to have a pure soul."
"How could you tell if the person had a pure soul?" the kit questioned confused.
"Excellent question, Shippou. A soul is predestined, so to say. The good souls were possible candidates to be the next Guardian, while the bad souls were out of the question. I'm not sure how exactly the whole thing went about with the higher powers choosing who would be what on the mortal plane, but I'm guessing a soul had to be exceptionally virtuous down to the very core to be a Guardian.
"But to answer your question, Shippou, about the last of my kind…my family was the royal family of Guardians. I am the last of them."
Shippou stared at her. Suddenly he burst with excitement. "WOW!!! That is SO cool!!!"
Laughing, Kagome patted the kitsune on his head. "Haha…but shhhhh. Don't tell anyone that because you're the first person to know of my family history. And look," she pointed. "There is the city and the ruins ahead now."
Shippou's eyes widened with anticipation as they neared a beautiful city. The ruins of a once great and beautiful castle loomed in the distance, at the center of the feudal metropolitan. Once within the walls, the pair walked toward the center, to the castle. Kagome and Shippou both noticed the stares Kagome was receiving. The youkai princess was slightly thankful that her hair and tail were not their natural gold and silver, but the ebony hue they'd been for quite some time. When they reached the outside of the ruins, two guards stopped them.
"State your business," one said shortly.
"I've been telling my young friend here the great legends of the Guardians," Kagome began. "We happened to be returning home from the Western Lands when we passed the city. He wanted to see the palace ruins."
The guards studied them intently and finally answered. "I'm sorry, but we cannot let you enter. The palace is in shambles and highly dangerous. In fact, no one has been in since shortly after the disaster."
"That's too bad," Kagome said sadly. "Why has no one been in?"
"Well," the second guard began. "For one, the structures could fall at anytime and injure someone."
"Yeah, and two, the ghosts of the royal family haunt it, as if they're protecting the castle," the first guard finished.
"But strangely, no one seems to ever encounter the queen or the young princess. Everyone sees the father, other members of the family and the servants, but never the mother and daughter…" the second guard added.
"I see," Kagome replied. She knew why the never saw the princess because she was the princess. But her mother was dead, so shouldn't she be protecting the palace as well? "Well, thank you for the information."
"Anytime, miss. We just don't want anyone getting hurt," the guards replied.
As Kagome and Shippou walked away, the kit sighed in disappointment. Kagome stopped by a few shops buying herbs for her monthly time and other herbs that helped in restoring energy. As the two exited the city, Kagome looked down at Shippou.
"Where shall we go now, Shippou-chan?" she asked.
"Hmm…we could to Kaede's Village. It's in the Southern Lands, not far from the coast," he suggested. "We can visit Kaede, Sango and Miroku. Maybe Inuyasha will even be there."
"Okay," Kagome complied as they began walking toward said destination. "Who are Kaede, Sango and Miroku?"
Shippou grinned and proceeded to tell Kagome of the three characters. From what Kagome learned, all three were human.
Kaede was the younger sister of a miko called Kikyou. Kagome recognized the name as the woman from her dream, and Sesshoumaru mentioned her when he explained the happenings after she blacked out. Kaede was the village elder, and though technically Kikyou was older, she really wasn't. That was due to the fact that she'd been killed and later resurrected only to be a walking corpse of clay and bones. Kagome also had her thoughts confirmed, that Kikyou had sold her soul to Naraku before she died.
Sango was a youkai huntress and she had a youkai pet named Kiara who often aided her. Shippou reassured Kagome that she only killed youkai who did injustice. Her little brother, Kohaku, had fallen clutches to Naraku, and the evil hanyou burned her village to ash. Kagome sighed when she'd heard that.
Miroku was a priest whom, according to Shippou, had a good heart but was known as 'The Lecherous Monk.' Shippou explained that Miroku had a rather nasty habit of grabbing the behinds of women, particularly Sango. Shippou also said that upon meeting a female for the first time, Miroku would take their hand, kiss it, and ask, "Would you bear my child?" "Watch out for him," Shippou had warned. Kagome laughed but it immediately died when Shippou revealed the final piece of information on the houshi. Naraku had cursed his family with the Air Rip. His father was the first to receive the curse, and it would pass from son to son, slowly consuming the family line until Naraku was destroyed. Only then would the curse be lifted.
Kagome sighed harder. So many lives ruined by Naraku…
"Shippou," she suddenly asked. "Why is Inuyasha seeking the Shikon no Tama?"
Shippou looked up surprised. "Well, he and Kikyou were in love a long time ago. Naraku tricked them both, and Kikyou ended up sealing Inuyasha to the God Tree and she died shortly after. Someone freed Inuyasha after he was pinned to the tree for 60 years. Kikyou was resurrected a little later. But anyway, before all that happened, Kikyou only told Inuyasha she would accept him if her were a human, but not as a hanyou. After all that, he wanted it to become a full demon."
"I see…" Kagome murmured.
Sesshoumaru slammed his fist against the stone pillar in frustration, cracking the column into thousands of tiny pieces, causing chunks to fall to the ground. He was only dimly aware of the blood dripping from his hand. It was quite obvious he was extremely irritated, though not quite angry.
After Kagome had left, the Western Lord found himself constantly second-guessing the decisions he'd made, something he'd never done in his 420 years of life. Why had he taken the wench and her pup to his home after that battle? Why had he allowed the two to stay for so long a period of time? And why had he allowed Kago—no, that woman, to sleep in his mother's room and adorn her clothing??
He, Sesshoumaru, cared for no one.
But deep down the youkai prince knew he was kidding himself. Rin was a perfect example. Rin, he thought. It was all for Rin,
He knew that wasn't the case either. Now, this woman-child, Kagome, had also become an example. After her leave, Sesshoumaru always found his mind drifting toward the youkai princess, much to his great dislike. Whether it was the realization that she was the baby he'd adored as a child or the fact that he'd unknowingly grown protective and even fond of the woman, he didn't know. In actuality he hadn't realized just how fond of her he'd become until after she left his home.
Sighing, Sesshoumaru sat down and rubbed his temples. When had anyone, especially a woman, begun affecting him in such a way?
"Kanna," Naraku called.
The girl identified as Kanna entered Naraku's chamber wordlessly. Around her neck was a mirror.
"Show me where the Guardian is heading," ordered Naraku.
Kanna held the mirror to Naraku. He saw his reflection slowly swirl about until it was a cloudy haze. When the picture stilled, it showed Kagome and Shippou heading for Kaede's Village.
"So, they are heading for the village the hanyou mutt is in…" he murmured gleefully. "This will be better than I thought!"
Kanna left, leaving behind the insane Naraku as he conceived a new plan.
Kagome and Shippou finally reached the edge of the forest leading to Kaede's Village three weeks after they set out from Sesshoumaru's home. In those weeks, the pair was attacked many times by power-hungry youkai, even humans, seeking the coveted Shikon no Tama. They slept during the day and traveled by night, so as not to be noticed moving about.
Kagome stopped walking, causing Shippou to look up at her, questioning with his eyes. Kagome smirked as she pulled out her camouflage garb and jumped into the high branches of a tree. When she emerged, she was well blended with the forest. Satisfied with her appearance, the two continued onward to the village.
A/N: Well, that closes the chapter! I liked it. Kouga was even in it for a while!
Anyway, those herbs used for restoring energy are similar to the Sensu Beans in DBZ. I'm not sure how to spell the name…but actually I thought of that connection when I was thinking up the outline for the next chapter in my head.
Though they are similar, the herbs in my story are not as strong. So if you eat one, your energy isn't completely restored so you feel great, like the effect of the bean. The herbs just restore enough energy so you can keep on going.
Oh yeah, and for age, Sesshoumaru is 420 in youkai years and about 21 in human years. Kagome is 340 in youkai years and about 17 in human years. Shippou is about 200 in youkai years, making him about 10 in human years. Inuyasha is 170 in hanyou years, making him 17 in human years. I just multiplied the human years by 20 to get youkai years and by 10 to get hanyou years…
|[ REVIEW RESPONSES ]|
|[Anne-twilight]| Thank you for reading my story! And yeah, I guess you could say Masamune and Murasame (Kag's swords) are similar to the Tetsusaiga and the Tenseiga…They're more powerful when acting together and that's how I see the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. And who knows? Maybe Sess will get the sword… ^_~
|[cappie-chan]| Thank you! I wanted to write a fic where Kagome wasn't portrayed as weak or dependant on anyone. Actually, I think in all my Inuyasha fics she'll be kind of like this…you know, having her own strength and not having to depend on Inuyasha all the time. But thank you!!
|[Me..]| Okay here is the deal with Rika. She's a human girl who's a servant of the Western Palace. Inutaisho took her great-great grandmother in some 250 years ago because he found her outside his palace during the winter where hse almost died from the freezing temperature. She had a daughter, the great grandmother, and she had a daughter, the grandmother, and SHE had a daughter, the mother, and the mother had Rika. So for about 250 years now, the same bloodline has been living with the family and acting as servants, but they're treated well. When Rika was three, Inutaisho died, so actually, he pretty recently. In a later chapter, Sesshoumaru's mom's death will be explained. Oh and about Sephiroth…he's the greatest! For some reason I like the bad guys except…*AHEM* cross-dressing, gender disordered, maniacs who plot the evil demise of everyone *COUGH*Naraku*COUGH* ~_^
|[holly]| Thank you! I almost forgot about Kouga… *sweatdrop* But I added a little of him in Chapter 5 and we'll definitely be seeing him in Chapter 8.
|[mysticalwaves]| Oh don't worry…Sesshoumaru and Kagome will be spending quality time together pretty soon ^_~
|[Dark Star]| Ahh…you're the greatest! Actually, because of you, this story exists. If I hadn't begun talking incessantly, I wouldn't have even found my plot! Anyway, I think the story will slow down a little in upcoming chapters.
|[SurfAngel]| Thanks! I'm glad you like my story so far…I'm a little skeptical of it because it's my first fic and I don't know if it's exactly "up to par" with other fics. But hey, it takes practice. ^_^
A REVIEW RESPONSE I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD READ:
|[aniamlmagix]| Hopefully you got why Kagome fainted in chapter four…but if not, that's alright! Remember the dream at the very beginning of chapter four with Naraku and Kikyou? Kagome has one half of the Shikon, and Naraku has the other. Her dream wasn't really a dream; it was what was happening in Naraku's neck of the woods. When she touched the Shikon no Tama, Naraku was holding his half and conceiving his evil plan, the one from the 'dream'. The evil emitting from his touch tainted the Shikon and as a result, when Kagome picked up hers, she felt the sudden surge of his evil.
One final note:
You can see that I have yet again changed my HTML formatting for this story, but this time I think it's so much better. I have to send a HUGE, HUGE thanks to Cacat-angel for giving me the table tag. So thank's Cacat-angel! Much love to ya! ^_^
| |||||||
