Trapped in the Threads of Fate

Disclaimer: I don't own any Inuyasha characters, but if I did...well, that would be another story for another day!

A/N: Hey minna-san! Look, look, I've started first thing in the morning just like I promised! I have oodles of ideas for this next chappie, so I'm hoping for a long sitting today! Hope I don't have any interruptions like last time...like msn friends. But it's before eleven o'clock, so I don't think I'll hear from anyone this early! I'm a morning person, and they waste their days in the sack! Hahaha, there's nothing wrong with sleeping in, but please people, when the sun rises, IT MEANS IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR DAY STARTED! Oh well, how others spend their day is none of my business, so let them sleep. K peoples, on with the next chappie!

~*Recap*~

Kagome groaned and slowly her hazel eyes fluttered open, "Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, what happened? One minute you were fine, and the next you're crashing to the floor!" Inuyasha questioned.

Raising a hand to her forehead, "Um..."

~**~

Chapter Eight: The Starlit Field of Marble

"Well, what happened?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm not entirely sure! Who's Kaede?" Kagome asked as she looked into Inuyasha's surprise written face.

"How do you know about Kaede? Did you find something in here that said her name?" Inuyasha growled as he practically dropped Kagome onto the couch and went to where she had been standing moments before.

"YOU said her name! I'm simply asking you who she was?" Kagome stated while she sat up and watched the boy rummage through the box she had found the glass ball in.

"When did I say her name? I've never told anyone in this castle about her!" he snapped. Then he turned to the girl on the couch and stomped over to her. His jaw was clenched and his golden eyes weren't so friendly anymore, "TELL ME!!"

Kagome jumped in surprise and moved farther into the back of the couch to escape Inuyasha's wrath, "I swear, you were the one that said her name! It was right after I...she cast that spell! I...she had that glass ball!" Kagome squeezed her hazel eyes shut ready for Inuyasha to hit her, grab her or just plain do anything to her.

When nothing happened, Kagome cracked one eye open to see him just standing there in shock and looking right at her. His mouth was agape and he seemed to be trying to say something. "Inuyasha?" Kagome ventured as she opened her other eye.

"The glass ball?" he whispered. Kagome just looked at him as he plopped down beside her on the couch. Then Inuyasha looked at her with curiosity, "Do you know what happened to her after the spell?"

"No! After the spell was cast, I...or she got lightheaded and fell! Then I woke up in here in your arms," she whispered.

Inuyasha let his gaze fall upon the shattered glass ball, "I completely forgot that she used that thing!" Then, looking at Kagome, "How were you able to know all that happened?"

"I dunno! When I picked up that ball a really bright light flashed and then I was in the past! And then I saw you and Kaede and that Kikyo girl," Kagome conveyed.

"So...you saw everything?" Inuyasha invoked.

"Everything from when you walked through that door till the moment when I felt lightheaded! Did anything happen after that?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah. They both disappeared and I froze in time! I could still see and hear everything, and I could even think pretty good. But for five hundred years I was stuck like that, at least I was until you set me free!" he said.

"So that's how the castle got cursed!" she breathed.

"Uh huh. I don't think the spell was supposed to go that way though! I think it was supposed to go in a completely different direction!" Inuyasha said as he got up from the couch to clean up the broken glass.

Seeing what he was going to do, Kagome got up to help. When they were almost done, Kagome asked, "Was she your girlfriend?"

Inuyasha stopped what he was doing and looked at her, "Which one?"

"I don't know! Uh...Kaede?" she asked again.

"No! I was her bodyguard and that was the end of our relationship!" he stated.

"What about Kikyo?"

"Nope! We had been best friends since childhood, but I never looked at her like that! I suppose that's why she turned on me! She had wanted to be with me years before all this happened!" answered Inuyasha.

"Did you have a girlfriend?" Kagome pried.

"I was alone all my life! Except for Kikyo, Kaede and their mother, I didn't have any female friends! Most of the women were scared of me because I was a hanyou!" he said as he picked up the last of the mess. "But they all drove me insane, so I only came by once a month...if that!"

Kagome smiled, "How did they drive you insane?"

"Women have incredible mood swings!" Inuyasha foolishly stated.

Kagome's jaw dropped, "And how would you know that? How many women have you been around? Three before me and Sango? I think that's just a very bad stereotype!"

Golden eyes going wide, Inuyasha attempted to undo his wrong, "I didn't mean you! I meant women from my time!"

"HA! I don't believe you!" Kagome challenged.

"Feh! See if I care! You don't have to believe me!" Inuyasha growled as he went back to his previous search for clues.

"What are you looking for?" Kagome asked getting a little exasperated.

"Clues to where my baka half-brother hid my sword!" he stated.

"Fine! I'm still not tired, so I'll keep helping you!" Kagome shot as she went to rummage in a box.

Inuyasha watched her from the corner of his eye, 'She only proves my point that women are moody! But she's not as annoying as the others! I wonder why?'

Kagome was sitting on the ground cross-legged looking in a rather small box, when she pulled out a strange looking necklace of beads and bones. "What's this?" she asked just as the flash of light hit her again.

Soon Kagome found herself looking straight into piercing blueberry eyes. Her hands were in the strange boy's rough ones. 'Oh Kami! Not again! I don't think I could take it if I...Wow, he's cute!' she thought as she looked further at the strange boy.

He had long black hair that was put up in a ponytail. His ears looked almost human, if it wasn't for the fact that they were pointed at the tops. He wore brown furs on his wrists, shoulders, ankles, and around his waist. She could even see what looked like a tail swishing behind him. He was sitting in front of her with old, but new looking armor.

Kagome gulped as she watched him open his mouth to speak. "Now, if he tries ANYTHING, all you have to do is put this around his neck and tell him to...what's wrong? Is something on my face?" He smiled and gave her hand a little squeeze.

"No!" Kagome said surprising herself that she could speak of her own free will this time.

"You're nervous! That's so cute!" said the boy as he leaned in close to her.

Realizing that he was going to kiss her, Kagome speedily backed away and made sure she was far from his reach.

"What are you doing? You're acting very strange!" the boy smiled.

"I just don't feel like it right now, okay?" Kagome said, hoping it would suffice.

"You always feel like it Princess!" he said as he suddenly appeared standing beside her.

Kagome's eyes went wide as she looked up at him. "How did you...?"

The boy leaned down and grasped her hand, gently pulling her up to stand. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked as he put a hand to her forehead to check her temperature.

"I feel fine!" Kagome laughed uneasily.

"Yeah," the boy said uncertainly, "Well, when you put this around dog-boy's neck, all you have to do is say osuwari!" Then he quickly embraced her and pressed his lips to hers.

~**~

Kagome gasped as she found herself again looking into the golden eyes of Inuyasha. He was sitting beside her gently shaking her shoulders with a worried look etched on his face. "Are you alright now?" he asked in a hushed tone.

She had her hands on the necklace, which now was gracing Inuyasha's neck. "Inuyasha?" Kagome asked with a confused look. "What happened?"

"You started acting all weird! And what were you talking about? Not to mention, what's with the necklace?" Inuyasha asked.

"You could hear what I was saying this time?" Kagome asked in awe.

"Yeah!" Inuyasha answered her as if she was a young child.

"Um, I saw the past again...I think!" Kagome said as she took her hands away from Inuyasha's neck and the necklace that was around it.

"My past?" Inuyasha inquired.

"No...I'm not sure who's past it was, but it wasn't yours! That I know for sure! Hey Inuyasha?" asked Kagome as they both got to their feet.

"What?" came Inuyasha as he reached for Kagome's elbows to steady her.

Feeling a little dizzy, Kagome took a second to ask, "What does Osu...osuwa...osuwari mean?" And just as she finished saying the strange word, Inuyasha was pulled face first down to the hard floor, bringing Kagome with him.

When they got the much-needed air back into their lungs, they realized the position they were in. Although it didn't do them any good because neither of them could move at the moment. Kagome was lying on her back with Inuyasha lying on top of her. His head was on her shoulder facing her neck, while the rest of him was sprawled all over her.

When Inuyasha was finally able to move again he asked in a gruff voice, "What did you do that for?" He carefully rolled his weight off of the squished girl and lay beside her.

Kagome took a couple moments to catch her breath, "I just wanted to know what that word meant! I didn't know anything would happen!"

Inuyasha reached up to the necklace and tried to remove it. It started to glow when he tugged at it, but it wouldn't budge an inch. "Damn piece of crap!" growled Inuyasha. "And that fucking word means 'sit'!" he added after he gave up on the necklace and sat up.

When Inuyasha heard Kagome moan, he scooted closer to her and started checking her ribs to see if they were broken. A bright red blush invaded Kagome's cheeks, "What are you doing?"

"I'm checking to see if you have any ribs broken! That wasn't exactly what I would call a gentle fall!" he said as he continued his movements. Kagome moved to sit up, but Inuyasha gently pushed her back down, "Wait till I'm done!"

"I'm fine! Just a little sore, but really I'm fine!" Kagome said as she tried to get up again. Inuyasha decided that she was indeed alright, so he helped her to her feet.

"Now get this damn thing off me!" he ordered.

Still feeling like her cheeks were on fire, "Why can't you do it?"

"How should I know? I doesn't move for me, so since you were the one to put it on me, you should be able to take it off!" Inuyasha reasoned as he gave it another tug.

Taking a deep breath, Kagome reached her hands to the necklace, 'Please don't look at my face and see how red it is!' As she put her hands close to his neck, her world was consumed by another bright light. But this time it didn't just vanish, instead it stayed to blind her from seeing what she was doing.

Immediately Kagome stopped reaching for the necklace, and then she heard something familiar. "Whatever you do, don't take it off his neck! ... It's more for your protection than his! ... I just want you to be safe! ... If you take it off, how will you be able to protect yourself if he transforms? ... Fine! If you're going to be stubborn, just keep it on him so he doesn't end up doing something he's going to regret when he's back to normal! ... Please!" said the voice of the boy who she had seen in her last excursion.

Kagome put her hands in her lap and shortly after the light dissipated. 'Wow! That was...odd! Maybe I should just listen to him?' she thought as she stared at her hands.

"What are you waiting for?" came Inuyasha after he was tired of watching her look at her hands.

"I suddenly feel very tired! I think I'm gonna go to bed now! Good night Inuyasha!" Kagome said as she got up and ran out of the room.

"KAGOME! GET YOUR FUCKING ASS BACK HERE AND GET THIS THING OFF ME!!" yelled Inuyasha as he listened to her feet rapidly fade. 'Feh! She's so strange! Why did she do that? And her scent changed from nervous to afraid! Something's wrong with her, and I'm gonna find out! But I guess it can wait till tomorrow!'

~**~

"Sango, can I talk to you for a minute?" Kagome asked.

Sango was just about to go and start searching for the sword again, but stopped when she heard Kagome's voice behind her. "Sure! What do you want to talk about?" she asked as she shut the door to their room.

Kagome was sitting on the bed with a worried look, "It's kinda hard to explain!"

"That's alright! I'm sure Inuyasha won't get too angry if we decided to start searching for his sword later! If it's major, I'm all ears!" Sango said when she got the feeling that what Kagome wanted was important.

Kagome waited till her friend sat down on the bed beside her, "Well, I've been having these visions...and this last one was really...really...real!"

"What do you mean? Are these like prophecies? Or are they something else?" Sango asked.

"Well, normally I see the past or the future! But before it wasn't all that clear. I would see things, but it would never make much sense to me until it actually happened, or I was told about it. But recently...I've been able to make a lot of sense of what's happening in the visions! And this last one I was actually able to talk and move of my own free will!" explained Kagome in a serious manner.

"So...you can change the past? Is that what you're saying?" asked Sango.

"No, I don't think so! I normally can only do what the person's body that I'm in is doing! ...But this time...I could do what I wanted...not to mention say what I wanted!" Kagome said with a tormented look on her face.

Sango thought for a moment, "...Kagome, what happened in your last vision?" Kagome bit her lip and looked like she was about to cry. "Listen, the only way I'm gonna be able to help you with this is if I know what happened! So...when you're ready, just tell me...okay?" Sango asked.

The two girls sat in silence as one waited patiently and the other seemed to be struggling with her emotions. When Kagome looked like she was about to cry for the umpteenth time, Sango put her arm around her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze.

A loud knock resounded at the door after about half an hour of just sitting in silence. "WE'RE BUSY RIGHT NOW!" Sango yelled at the closed door.

"Are you going to come to lunch?" came Miroku's voice through the door.

Sango looked at her plagued friend before answering, "I DON'T THINK SO! SORRY MIROKU, BUT I THINK WE MIGHT BE A LITTLE LONGER! DON'T WORRY ABOUT US! WE'LL EAT THE LEFTOVERS IF WE GET HUNGRY!"

"But Lady Sango, it's not fair that I don't see you before lunch!" whined Miroku.

"Quit your whining you moron! I'm hungry! Give me food NOW!" came the voice of Inuyasha through wood.

"I'll see what I can save for you, Lady Sango and Lady Kagome, but I can't guarantee that he won't eat everything!" Miroku called as he was dragged down the hall.

Sango smiled and rested her head on Kagome's, "Don't worry about the food! Just take your time!"

"Thanks!" came Kagome's small voice as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

After another long forty-five minutes passed by, Kagome raised her head and looked at Sango. "I think I had my first kiss with a boy I don't even know!" she blurted.

Sango's chocolate eyes went wide, "Are you serious? You kissed a guy from one of your visions?"

"I didn't kiss him! He kissed me!" Kagome quickly said in her defense.

"But you said that you could do what you wanted in your last 'vision'...right?" Sango asked.

"Yeah! But the first time he tried to kiss me, I pulled away...and then he just appeared beside me...and he kissed me!" Kagome cried.

"He tried to kiss you before he actually kissed you?" Sango asked astonished.

"Uh huh!" replied Kagome.

"Well, was he at least cute? And what happened after he kissed you?" Sango asked, wanting more information.

"I don't know! That's when I came back!" Kagome answered.

"Huh," Sango said as she was obviously in deep thought. Kagome watched her friend with hopeful hazel eyes. After a couple of minutes Sango started to smile, "I don't think that would qualify as YOUR first kiss! Unless..."

Kagome's heart jumped, "Unless?"

Sango smiled to Kagome, "Unless...One, you kissed him back, or two, he said your name and knew it was actually you and not the person's body that you were inhabiting!"

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, "I definitely didn't kiss him back, and he surely didn't know my name, let alone know it was me inside whoever's body I was in!"

Sango gave Kagome a great big hug, "Then just think of it like you were watching it in a movie! It wasn't you, it was another girl! And you've still never been kissed!" Then suddenly Sango backed out of their hug and held Kagome by her shoulders. "You've NEVER been kissed?!" she said in astonishment.

"Well...no...if we go by what you just said before!" Kagome said matter-of-factly.

"Oh...My...Gosh! You're like what? Twenty-One years old? How is it possible that you've NEVER been kissed?" Sango asked unbelievingly.

"Actually I'm twenty years old! But yeah, I've never been kissed!" answered Kagome shyly.

Sango's jaw hung open, "But you're so pretty! How could the guys NOT want to kiss you? You must of at least had a boyfriend before...right?"

Kagome smiled sheepishly, "Nope!"

"Why not?" Sango demanded.

"I guess the right guy never asked me!" Kagome answered.

"So...you've at least been asked before?" Sango said, hope shining through in her voice.

"Yes, I've been asked before!" Kagome said.

"Woo, you scared me for a minute there! But we've got to fix this never been kissed deal! Now, who can I get to kiss you?" Sango said as an evil glint sparkled in her chocolate eyes.

Kagome gulped from nervousness.

~**~

Inuyasha jumped down from his spot on the balcony that connected his room with the girls'. 'So that's why she was acting so strange! If I had known that, I might have... What am I thinking? I'd never have the courage to do that! I'm such a dumbass!' thought Inuyasha as he left his room to head off to find Miroku.

~**~

"Hey, Inuyasha, is this your sword?" Miroku asked as he held up a rusty piece of metal.

"Miroku, if you show me another piece of crap like that, I'm gonna wrap your skull around it!" Inuyasha growled.

"Well, I finally got you to say SOMETHING to me! You've been keeping to yourself since lunch," Miroku said as he let the scrap metal fall to the floor, making a loud clanging noise.

"Feh!" snorted Inuyasha.

"You know, you shouldn't push your luck, Miroku! If Inuyasha is in a bad mood, he might actually do what he says!" Sango said as she and Kagome walked into the room.

"Ah, Lady Sango, Lady Kagome, how I've missed your beautiful faces!" smiled Miroku.

Sango rolled her eyes but soon replaced her scowl with a devious look, "I think we should change groups!"

Miroku's jaw dropped, Kagome's hazel eyes widened considerably, and Inuyasha just kept on looking through the box he was looking in.

"Well, Miroku seems to be annoying Inuyasha to no end, and I don't trust him with Kagome, so, come on letch. Let's go look in the next room!" Sango said as she left the room.

"Sango, I didn't know you cared!" Miroku said as the fake tears filled his violet eyes.

After they were gone, Kagome walked up to Inuyasha, "Um...I'm really tired, so do you mind if I just go to bed! I don't think I got enough sleep last night!"

Inuyasha stopped his rummaging, "Go ahead! I was gonna finish this room and stop for the day anyways. So just get plenty of rest tonight!"

"Thanks!" smiled Kagome as she turned to leave the room and head off to the comfort of her bed.

Inuyasha spun around and his hand went out to capture her arm, but he pulled back just inches from her, 'BAKA! Don't even think that she'd want you! You're not good enough for her!'

~**~

Kagome walked down the dim hall that was only lit by a few candles here and there. 'I'm so pathetic! Sango went to all that trouble to get Miroku and Inuyasha apart, and I don't even give Inuyasha the chance! I'm such a chicken! Well, it's not like anything would've happened anyway! I would've just been looking through that room in a pointless effort! I don't think we'll ever find that sword of his! But maybe if I found it, he might... Baka! What am I thinking? He wouldn't do that! I doubt he even thinks of me that way! Why do I even want him to be my first kiss? This is so sappy! Maybe I should just give up all hope of my happy ending!' Kagome was deep in thought when she got to her room, that she barely noticed the vines that completely covered every inch of the walls.

She was just about to sit down on her bed when she noticed all the green in her room replacing the familiar pink. Scrunching her face, "What's all this doing in here? It wasn't in here when Sango and I were talking!" Kagome got up off the bed to check if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She carefully reached out her hand and grasped one of the vines by the balcony door. 'It feels real enough!' she thought as she turned around to go sit back on the bed. But as soon as she turned around, she found that she was trapped between the balcony door and a solid wall of thornless vines.

Kagome's eyes went wide, "Don't tell me I fell asleep and I'm having nightmares about those annoying vines!" Then it dawned on her that it might not be a nightmare when she felt a gentle breeze, "Please say I'm dreaming! Please say I'm dreaming!" She reached down to her arm and pinched herself, "Ow! Great! Now what am I supposed to do?"

Hearing some creaking behind her, Kagome whirled around to see the vines moving by themselves. They were creeping up and around to form walls and even what looked like stairs to go from the balcony to the grounds outside the castle.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" yelled Kagome to the vines. 'Great, now I'm talking to a plant! Like it has any ears to hear! Now I know I've lost my mind!' Kagome thought as she leaned against one of the vine walls.

As soon as her body hit the vine wall, it started to move forward. It was gently pushing her forward so that she would have to follow the path it was making for her. Kagome started to panic, and started to push against the moving wall. When it didn't budge, she began to pound her fists against the vines. 'LEMMEOUT LEMMEOUT, LEMMEOUT!' screamed Kagome in her mind.

Kagome's feet were sliding further to the edge of the balcony, "WHY WON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?" Seeing that she wasn't getting any reaction from the vines, Kagome gave up and started to slowly walk down the vine-made steps.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Kagome whispered as she hugged herself.

As she reached the bottom of the vines steps she could see that the path winded. Kagome was walking for a good amount of time, when she realized that as much as she tried to figure out where on the castle grounds she was, she was completely and utterly lost. She didn't have to look behind her, mostly because she already knew that the vines were keeping up with her pace, and they didn't seem to be pushing her at all. Instead, the vines seemed to be letting her go at her own pace. But she couldn't stop for too long, or the vines would gently push her so she would keep going.

Kagome let out a sigh, 'How much longer am I gonna have ta walk? My feet are getting tired!'

"Um...Mr...er...Ms. vine? I'm kinda tired, so would it be all right if I just stopped walking for a minute and sat down?" Kagome asked the vines, even though she knew it was probably hopeless.

But the vines stopped, and Kagome was able to sit down. Once she was on the grass, Kagome looked up to the stars and moon. The stars were twinkling like there was no tomorrow, and the moon was in its last sliver of light. There wasn't a single cloud that could block her vision of the night sky.

Having rested for a short while, Kagome got up and started to walk again, "I'm done with my break! Thanks for letting me rest!"

After another short walk, the vine walls suddenly opened up. 'What's this? It looks like a parking lot!' Kagome thought as she walked onto the 'pavement'. But as she was able to see it closer, she noticed that it wasn't pavement at all, but rather beautiful gray and white marble.

~**~

A/N: K peoples, that's it for today! Hope you're happy that I didn't take a month to update this time! I know this chappie was sappy, but I promise, if you love the sap, you'll get plenty more where that came from! I got great ideas for the next chappie too, so it shouldn't be long for that one either! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I started on it tonight! Oh, and Inuyasha said that I had to tell you that he's going to have some fluff in the next chap! And that's all I'm gonna tell you about chapter 9, even though he wants me to tell more. But I won't give it away! That would be less fun for me! Ok, well, I've decided to do another thank you session, so here are all the people that have reviewed this fic since chapter 4...

::takes a deep breath::

Crystal Sapphire, Someonewhowantsnoonetoknowme, Kidra22, Sprout, Anandria, Gueshoo, Tamababymiko-chan, Zephor, playfulpup17, Leomae108, DarkKishi, grape-chan, Nite1, Angel, Aqua-mere, RavenShadow, babybunny01, kiya1821, Inu-girl1, No-one-of-impotance, CrazyLady3, AngelofDiamonds, Neko Yosei, Aile Anna, Inushin, ~, Brenna

::gasps for breath:: Wow that was a long list! And I just want to say thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers! So... ::takes another really large breath::

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

::wipes the sweat from my face:: There, I've thanked all of you! And if I've somehow missed someone, please tell me and I'll be sure to thank you next time! So thanx for reviewing! I sometimes have to read those reviews over so that I can get some motivation, so they do help me a great deal! And for those of you who chose not to review, but are reading this anyway, all I can do is cry! So please read AND review! Even if it's just a simple one, they all are special to me! Well, I gotta go and eat my supper, so until next time. Ja ne!

KrysTheAngel ^_^

August 2003