*Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but you see...I had a lot of homework
over the past time. With Spring Break coming up and a whole bunch of other
holidays, school decided to load the students up on stuff so they could get
it finished in time. I currently had a large power point project for
History, twenty to fifty questions for Chemistry, about a hundred Algebra
II problems, half a novel to read, and two or three work sheets for Spanish
II, an HST medical course, and my SAT/ACT Prep course. Yeah...I had a lot of
work to do...and there is still more...including a huge History project which
involves every group in the class finishing a chapter, and teaching the
class for the entire class period (one and a half hours) about that
particular chapter. And we have to be accurate! I WANT SUMMER VACATION!
Okay...I feel better now. Well...here's the next chapter...and I have many to put
up, so you will have plenty to read. ^_^*
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. do not belong to me...but if they did...I would go on adventures with them all the time!
Chapter 19
Kagome waved goodbye to Jole as she crept back inside her house excitedly...ready to tell everyone what happened to her and how much fun she kept saying she had. Her cousin had actually stayed with them a whole other day, waiting for Inuyasha to wake up so she could meet him properly, but the stubborn hanyou slept in the entire time. So...finally...Kagome had brought Jole home (Jole was supposed to go home in another day and she wanted her to spend time with the family before then).
Now it was time to return to the Feudal era, to check on Inuyasha and Kojika and see how they were doing. Both of them had still been asleep when she had left to bring Jole back, and she doubted either would be awake to tell her anything about why the other demons had attacked so suddenly and ferociously. It had been an entire day since then...and already the villagers were patching up the destroyed road and the beaten up houses that the heavy lightning and fighting had caused. A few picked up the ashes of what was left of Reiko and Yakume and placed them in death jars to be put in the graveyard...so that their souls might find the after life without trouble. Kagome sighed...how sad death seemed.
She was sorry Yakume and Reiko had been killed...of course they were obnoxious dragons looking for the death of Kojika...but they were so young and naïve... they probably had no idea what they were doing. Of course...she was a lot younger than they were...but still...she felt sorry for them. They were probably even tricked into trying to attack Kojika in a way of determining her level of power...who knew?
Kagome walked back into the shrine of the well...and with one last look at her old home, she jumped through...hoping either Inuyasha or Kojika were awake by now. When she managed to crawl out of the well...Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were waiting for her...Kirara sleeping in Sango's lap and Shippo on Miroku's shoulder...talking about something that he quickly quieted on when they saw her.
They had all insisted on coming with her to the well...as if they were her guardians now...Perhaps they felt it was their duty when Inuyasha was unable to do so himself.
Inuyasha...
The event had frightened her so bad...she was sure she should have had a heart attack. He had been unconscious on Kaede's floor...beaten...bloody...loosing breath...
Kojika had used her magic to try and save him...and yet he had still refused to breath...he was still unable to wake up...
At that moment...when she thought he was dead...she realized how dear he truly was to her...how close he was to her heart...it took an incident like that, just to show her how much he meant to her...
Had he died...she most likely would have gone with him...she would have been a soulless body, wandering about the village...unable to move on...there would have been nothing left of her...
But he was alive now...so she had nothing to worry about...
He had met death's door and refused to open it...he had passed it up and returned to the light of life...returned to her...
"Did Jole get home safely?" She heard Sango ask. Sango had taken quite a liking to Jole...and was a little depressed that she had to leave before she could teach the girl how to use her boomerang.
"Yeah." Kagome nodded with a weak smile...she was trying to seem happy...but the happenings of late kept her sort of depressed...sort of glad...but at the same time...just melancholic.
"You seem depressed Kagome. Anything bothering you?" Miroku asked, standing up from his leaning position on the side of the well.
"No!" Kagome replied quickly. "I'm just fine!"
Her friends weren't fooled.
"Inuyasha will be alright Kagome. He's breathing good and strong...Kaede says he'll wake up in another day or so." Sango acknowledged, trying to cheer up her friend.
"Yeah...and then we can be happy again!" Shippo chirped happily, jumping from Miroku's shoulder into Kagome's arms...giving her a hug.
Kagome smiled, and hugged him back.
They were right. She had to cheer up. After all...Inuyasha was alive...and he would be for a long time to come...she'd make sure of it.
Kojika she knew...wouldn't let Inuyasha die until he was ready for it.
But that reminded Kagome of another crucial fact.
When Kojika had run out of energy, she had used the energy on only one sliver of a shikon shard to power Inuyasha's heart.
How?
Wasn't it that the shards could only be used as a source of evil...or was there a way of harnessing the power for more good than turning a hanyou into a human?
Perhaps there was a way into possessing the power to keep demons away?
If so...then Kikyo had never been able to use it...otherwise...she wouldn't be dead right now...and a ghostly wanderer.
There just had to be a way...and if Kagome found it and learned to use it...she wouldn't have to be protected all the time...she could actually fight along side instead of in behind...whenever they were in trouble.
She could fight with them!
"Let's head home." Kagome replied...releasing her hug on Shippo and turning to the well worn path...leading to Kaede's village.
"Right." Miroku responded...smiling.
It was a mischievous smile.
"HENTAI!" Sango screamed, slapping Miroku over the cheek when he rubbed her behind as they were walking. Miroku grinned and caressed the red mark on his cheek, while Sango marched ahead, snatching Kagome's wrist and dragging her out of his perverted reach.
Yes...Kagome would ask Kojika how she used the jewel's power...she had to.
The group made it home...to find Kaede pulling weeds from her herb garden quietly...and when they asked if anyone woke up...she nodded.
"Kojika left only five minutes ago...Inuyasha is still sleeping though."
"Do you know where she went Kaede?" Kagome asked curiously.
"No...she just said she'd be back in a little while...that she needed some fresh air—"
"WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYBODY!" shouted a familiar grump from the hut.
"Sounds like Inuyasha's awake." Miroku acknowledged nodding.
Kagome set Shippo on the ground and ran in to the hut with a huge grin on her face.
He was awake alright.
She found Inuyasha sitting up, fighting with his own limbs to try to stand, when she came in.
"There you are!" Inuyasha replied rudely. "Where the hell were you?"
"I took Jole back home." Kagome replied, shoving his mad questions aside.
"Who's Jole?" He asked.
"My cousin."
She received a grunt from Inuyasha on this, who fell to the floor after his attempt to stand up. "Just lay down Inuyasha...you're too beaten up to try and stand up yet." Kagome told him sternly...forcing him to lay back with a stubborn glare.
Inuyasha obeyed after a second time of falling on his rump and glared back...arms crossed painfully.
"What happened to the demons?" He asked after a moment of silence.
Kagome frowned.
"Kojika finished them off."
"Kojika?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes towards the ceiling, staring at it gravely as he thought.
She witnessed his frown deepen, and his hands tighten up as if anxious to destroy something.
What had happened that was that bad?
Why were the dragons chasing after Kojika?
"Inuyasha..." Kagome inquired quietly after another moment of silence.
"What."
"Could you tell me...what happened when Reiko and Yakume attacked you and Kojika?"
She knew he remembered. She could see it in the flash of gold in his eyes.
The fact of the matter was...Inuyasha didn't want to reflect on it.
"It was nothing..." He whispered, turning his head away from the ceiling, to the side opposite of Kagome.
He didn't want to look at her...why?
Inuyasha sighed.
"They attacked us when Kojika was talking to me. They seemed to come out of nowhere and they attacked us with such force.
They were not like normal youkai." Inuyasha whispered, closing his eyes for a second. "They were fast...faster than Sesshomaru could ever be...and far more blood thirsty than most demons are. They seemed to be more dangerous than Naraku when I first saw them. You've seen demons Kagome. They are usually blood thirsty, ready to kill or eat all in their path."
Kagome nodded when Inuyasha turned his golden gaze on her...loosening the cross in his arms gently.
"They wanted Kojika, but they also desired enjoyment...so they attacked me first...the girl Yakume...she could read minds just like Kojika...and she insisted that...that...she would kill us first...then hunt you and everyone else down like a cat to its prey.... I attacked her back...even when I was bleeding...I drew the Tetsusaiga and I tried to slash her in half! But that god damned demon was far too fast for me! I hate to admit it...but the only one that could possibly fight them was Kojika... When she took them on herself...she insisted that I run. I refused and she practically attacked me herself to get me running...I tried to loose them...but it was more like they were forcing me in this direction. I can't even believe such disgusting monsters come from Kojika's home...from her people. They were ready to kill everything that stood in their way. They were worse than Naraku."
He snarled, closing his eyes...fighting tears.
He was delusional...Kagome could see that.
He had not fully awoken yet...like that night when the spider youkai had attacked when Inuyasha was human...and they had had to hide away in a room at the temple they were at in order to save him...protect him till he became hanyou again. It was just like that time that she laid his head on her lap and he mentioned how wonderful she smelt. He was delusional then too...but then why...why did she take such ramblings to heart.
Kagome just realized that she'd been balling her hands into fists a moment later, and when she felt the pain of blood beginning to well up in the cuts made by her fingernails, she quickly released her grip. When she looked up, she smiled softly when she found that Inuyasha had fallen asleep again...and was beginning to breath gently.
Inuyasha had taken worse attacks than that before...of course even Sesshomaru had delivered more deadly...but it was something more...not just in wound...Like in soul...as if Inuyasha himself had been denying life...
Why?
Was he really so tired of living that he wanted to die...?
Kagome shook her head and leaned forward, pulling the sheets over Inuyasha's sleeping form, before stepping out with a smile.
Sleeping...just like a little child.
"How is Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, stepping up to her, Sango and Shippo behind him.
"He fell asleep again. I think the work of the battle exhausted him a little too much. I'm going to go find Kojika alright." Kagome replied.
Miroku stared at her suspiciously, before nodding and stepping in, Sango following with her own suspicious look.
Shippo had inquired if she wanted him to go with her...but she waved his offer away and insisted that she would be fine.
With that, she grabbed her bow and arrows for protection, and left the sleeping hanyou to his rest...her friends watching him protectively.
It didn't take her long to find the youth faced Draymon.
She sat a little on the inside of the forest...near the stream that ran about a yard or so away from the God Tree...the very tree that Inuyasha had been pinned to for fifty years.
Kagome remembered the first day she had seen Inuyasha...As if she could forget right?
He had been pinned...by one sacred arrow...delivered by Kikyo's bow...
Kagome smiled...
When she had first seen him, she thought him to be an elf or a god or something...with that fine silver hair and those cute little dog like ears you wanted to grab and tweak every time you saw them.
The first time she saw him...
"Kojika...Are you alright?" Kagome asked...stepping up to the dragon.
She was staring at the God tree, looking it over with a sort of misplaced interest...as if it were a grasshopper or something.
"I am fine. Sit down Kagome...I'd like to talk to someone."
"Okay." Kagome agreed, taking a seat next to Inuyasha's mentor.
Kojika continued to stare at the tree. "It's a lovely day...yes?" She asked.
"Yeah." Kagome replied...watching her.
Her beautiful black hair was pinned back behind her head in a loose bind of leather...her brown eyes were shining...as if they were the running water by which they sat.
She sat with her left knee perpendicular to the ground, her left arm draped over it loosely. The other leg was against the ground comfortably, the bottom of her foot resting against the side of the other.
She looked almost serene, if it weren't for the sadness that filled her expression.
"He was worried about you you know." She acknowledged.
Kagome gasped softly to herself.
She was surprised at how blunt the dragon was.
"I...I...well...I..." Kagome tried to respond.
Kojika placed her hand softly over Kagome's lips.
"Don't."
Kagome closed her mouth.
"He cares a lot about you Kagome." Kojika said, turning her attention to Kagome finally. "When Reiko and Yakume attacked us in the forest, the only thing he thought about was making sure you were well protected. I should know...as a dragon I can read other's minds...and my ability has become extremely strong. He couldn't concentrate while fighting...not unless he knew you were safe. I didn't understand why he seemed so protective...how he could worry so much of one person. Isn't that sad...how I've lived for over a thousand years and yet...even now...I don't know what love is like...I've only known that of survival...of hate...and destruction. I thought I didn't need such useless things as love...but I learned better of such opinions when Inuyasha was nearly killed during the battle. He protected you throughout the entire thing...and because of that he nearly died. But when I walked in and found him on what should have been his death bed...I clicked. I couldn't let Inuyasha die...Kagome...you and I have one thing in common for Inuyasha. We both love him dearly...you as a dear friend to him...and I as a mother to a child...He has always been like my own...as I took care of him as a youngster...taught him what I could before we were split apart like we were...and when I returned to find that I had actually helped him to be a little more friendly in the future of things, in making friends and protecting people. I learned to have power when one I cared for was in danger. Had I not...I probably would have let myself be killed."
They were silent for a moment...Kagome digesting what the old mentor had told her...and Kojika...now staring at the running water.
"Kojika?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me how come you were being chased down by demons of your own race?"
Kojika frowned, turning her attention back on Kagome.
"Let me tell you something about me that makes me different from many of the other Draymon people."
Kagome watched Kojika closely. What was this thing that was so different? All the dragons she had seen so far resembled each other in ability, except that she was much older than many of them.
"My father was ruler of the Draymon tribes, and the demon lord of the Eastern lands of Japan, Hitoro Kazume."
Kagome gasped.
"What! Your father was a great demon lord!"
Kojika nodded.
"Yes...and he would still be alive if it weren't for my folly. You see Kagome...about ...say...five hundred years ago...I was one of the most respected dragons of my people. I healed the sick and wounded of their viruses and took care of the youngsters who had been orphaned. We dragons were of a peace loving type...and we cared not for battle or destruction...simply peace and to be left alone. But one day...when I had left the island of the Draymon and walked along the beach of the corresponding isle in search for shells to make a herbal remedy in, I found a beaten man...a human of his twenties...holding onto one of the rocks...unconscious. He had short red hair and nice tan skin...with the sweetest looking face I had ever seen. I ran to him, and checked his wounds...but he was merely tired and wet...most likely had survived a ship wreck and had swum to the island for survival. I awoke him with a fire ball from my hand...and was greeted with an enthusiastic array of thankyou's. He thought I had saved him...but I told him blankly that he had saved himself. I took care of him a while after that...for he could not leave the island...and I could not take him anywhere, for it was not my time of leaving home to find a mate yet. So I cared for him, but I kept it secret that I was a Draymon and where I could be found. But...I am sorry to say...that I fell in love with him...and told him, against the rules of the Draymon, where I lived with out marrying him. I brought him to the isle even, and he quickly created an uproar. Of course, my father wasn't that angry just yet...and he insisted that the man be killed. I convinced him to spare this man;s life...and I was told that I had to keep him near me or others would kill him. So I did...but after a while...I came to find that he held a deceitful heart...and a dangerous mind. He found a gem you see...a sacred gem to our family heirloom, called the Dragon's Eye...an emerald jewel made from the very eye of our ancestral race...He used it to get into my father's rooms...and then he killed him. Then he took command and, because of this, the people became infuriated with me. They resolved to kill me, and in an attempt to escape...I was exiled. This man I talk of, has used the Dragon's Eye to become immortal...and almost like a dragon himself. I had at first upon looking over his features when I first saw him, thought he to be a complete human, but this man was actually a hanyou... He used the Eye to become complete...and now...he is known to be the elder...because he has killed off all those that are older than he. I am the eldest one left...and he seeks my destruction to ensure his eternal glory. But there is another fact of the story he did not know."
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, holding her knees. She was completely interested now.
"My mother was a priestess...a purely born miko. It's because of her blood in me, that when I became a full demon by ritual...I was able to learn the ancient dragon's abilities far faster than anyone else possibly could. Twice as fast...I should be twice as old than I am now to be capable of the things I do...and yet I'm not. It is also this fact...that drives the elder into wanting to kill me faster. He nearly did a good fifty some years ago."
"The time you and Inuyasha were split up!" Kagome shouted, piecing everything together now.
This Elder had sent lower demons to try and kill Kojika! Hoping perhaps that large numbers could do it, but it didn't work.
Now he was sending feeble and naïve dragon youngsters after her.
And miko powers could be incredibly powerful when in the blood line. She should know...she was the reincarnation of a miko...of Kikyo...
"Exactly. My you are quite smart Kagome. Yes, those demons that he had sent were an attempt to lure me to my death. He knew I was weak in the department of wanting to save everyone, so he had an army of lower class demons attack a village, and draw me in."
"Then why is he just now coming after you again after so long ago? Didn't he know you were alive?"
"Not really. You see...as a human morphed into a dragon, he can't see what happens in other places, he is not originally demon...so he takes the word of the other demons he sends out for truth. They figured me dead for these past fifty sum years...but since I reappeared when your group was fighting Kagura, Kanna, and Sukira at that Inn, they've had to retrace their steps. I had been following your group for a while then, and when I noticed the demons attack, I stayed where I could not be found and allowed Inuyasha to fight on his own. I saw that his strength had increased greatly since I last saw him, and I thought he could finish the fight...but minions of Naraku have never been known to fight fairly...so I had to step in the way. I'm guessing a few of the Elder's demons were there and saw me...so they informed him."
"I remember now! You were following us! I saw you at one of our campsites when I went to collect some water and fish. But I thought I was day dreaming and completely forgot about the incident!"
"Yes. And Inuyasha saw Kazu the last night he was human...but he still hasn't confronted me about that either...so I guess he forgot about it in the same manner you have." Kojika smiled.
Kagome turned away and watched the stream of water flow by...smiling herself at how complicating things were beginning to get.
So now they had a dragon lord to contend with along with Naraku, Sesshomaru, Kikyo, and not to mention any other demons that decided to take a swing at them. But at least now they had an upgrade...a certain powerful miko blooded Draymon on their side.
"I cannot help you in your battles Kagome. Understand this." Kojika said, turning to a slightly shocked Kagome. "Your battles between your foes to come and the ones you have now are strictly for your fight...I cannot step in...as I ask you and your friends to stay out of my battles. You cannot depend on me to fight for you...but I notice there is something else on your mind as well...it's been bugging you for some time now...about how I used the shikon shard to save Inuyasha...yes?"
Kagome gasped softly and nodded...She had been thinking about that for a while, but at the moment she was still a little more curious as to why the Draymon refused to help them in their battles. It was then she was reminded by something Grandpa Higurashi said one time.
"A battle cannot be truly won unless you fight it yourself Kagome. Depend on someone else to fight your battles for you, and you will never achieve your goal of being able to win...for when the one you depend on is not there to protect you...you will most likely not be able to escape your fate."
That's right...now she saw what Kojika was trying to tell her. Inuyasha would never truly get revenge for Kikyo if he let Kojika fight Naraku instead...neither would Sango get revenge for her family's deaths and her younger brother's constant control...or Miroku being able to revenge his family and get rid of the Air Void in his hand.
She herself would also have to step out of the way, in order for her friends to claim their revenge. Of course...she didn't have anything with Naraku...her battle was with Kikyo...she was the one that stole her shards and gave them to Naraku and she constantly made Inuyasha feel guilty about their past...even if she wasn't around.
"Would you like to learn how to use the power of the Shikon Shards Kagome? They would help you in later battles."
Kagome nodded vigorously, for the dragon had just asked what she was getting ready to ask already. "Fine. I'll teach you to use the shards for every evening. Could I borrow on of them that you have?"
Kagome nodded, feeling that the shards were safe in Kojika's hands for some reason, and passed over one shard from her small glass vile.
"Thank you. Now Kagome...take a close look at this shard with your miko powers. What color is it?"
Kagome stared at the small slither of shard in Kojika's hands...watching the soft glow of the shikon power from it. The color was a soft blue...and she replied so.
"Good...you may not be aware of this...but there are three different energies combined in one shard. Depending on who wields it determines the energy used. For you...the energy is neutral...for as soon as you touch it, you rid it of evil and malice. You purify it...Demons can only use it on the negative energy stored...which is a soft pink within the shard. This is the power of the demons, which at the moment is more powerful than that of the miko energy in this...which also happens to be the positive energy within. I'm sure you know the story of Midoriko and the demons yes?"
Kagome nodded.
Of course she knew that story...she had learned it from Sango a long time ago.
The great priestess Midoriko was the most powerful miko ever known, capable of purifying the heart and mind of any being, man or demon...but in a huge battle against the demons...she used to much of her power and brought to much of the demons power with in it, so it took the form of a small glass ball and broke out of the spot on her body where her heart was supposed to be. Thus...the Shikon no Tama was born.
"Good. Then you know that there are far more Demon souls in the jewel than that of Midoriko... so she is constantly overpowered by them. When a demon uses the jewel, Midoriko is over powered, so the jewel seems to shine with the use of more malice. But...what no one has yet to see, is that if the jewel were used by a human, or one with pure intentions, the jewel shimmers even brighter and more beautiful with the kindness than with malice. But no one has ever seen it...not even Kikyo, for she never used the jewel...only protected it. Let me show you what I mean." Kojika implied, grabbing Kagome's arm. Kagome saw where she was looking and noticed a small cut she hadn't even realized was there. It was already crusted with a scab...so it couldn't have been there long...but it wasn't fresh either.
"The jewel has two different properties. When used for evil purposes, it gives a powerful energy to the user...but when used for good purposes..."
She tapped the scab on Kagome's arm, and after a second...the cut disappeared as if it had never been there. Kagome yipped and pulled her arm away...staring with surprise at the area where the scab had been.
"Now look at the jewel." Kojika commanded.
Kagome complied...only to gasp one more time at the appearance of the jewel. It's light blue glow had deepened...giving it a darker blue texture...almost like the color the sky in the evening. The jewel itself sparkled brightly, almost as if it were a polished diamond...especially with the many edges it had for being a shard.
Kagome reached out to it with out realizing it, and nearly took it from Kojika's hand just so she could take a closer look at it.
"Now you see how beautiful it can become when used for good...and that was merely for a small scratch. You see...Kikyo's reasoning for the jewel...was that if used to transform a demon into a human, and that fact that it makes him weaker...is for good...so it will overtake the jewel and free the power held with in. But no one truly knows what may happen. That much good energy flowing through the jewel may actually cause it to free Midoriko's soul from within it and turn it into nothing but a glass orb...but there is no knowing of it. For all we know, if Inuyasha were turned into a human, the jewel may still contain it's magical properties to both good and evil. But we won't know until the entire jewel is collected. Then, once used...you'll be able to tell. As for now...we should return to Kaede's village, or they may send a search party after us. We have been missing for at least half an hour or so...and I would like to see how Inuyasha is doing. Yes?" Kojika stood up with a smile, but politely reached out to help Kagome stand.
Then...once they had taken one last look at the running stream and the God tree, they walked away...toward the village.
*What did you think? Well...send me reviews...I truly do have at least six or seven chapters left to update...and you should be rather interested with the happening's of the next ones. I'm sort of reaching the end...slowly...but they should be pretty good.*
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and co. do not belong to me...but if they did...I would go on adventures with them all the time!
Chapter 19
Kagome waved goodbye to Jole as she crept back inside her house excitedly...ready to tell everyone what happened to her and how much fun she kept saying she had. Her cousin had actually stayed with them a whole other day, waiting for Inuyasha to wake up so she could meet him properly, but the stubborn hanyou slept in the entire time. So...finally...Kagome had brought Jole home (Jole was supposed to go home in another day and she wanted her to spend time with the family before then).
Now it was time to return to the Feudal era, to check on Inuyasha and Kojika and see how they were doing. Both of them had still been asleep when she had left to bring Jole back, and she doubted either would be awake to tell her anything about why the other demons had attacked so suddenly and ferociously. It had been an entire day since then...and already the villagers were patching up the destroyed road and the beaten up houses that the heavy lightning and fighting had caused. A few picked up the ashes of what was left of Reiko and Yakume and placed them in death jars to be put in the graveyard...so that their souls might find the after life without trouble. Kagome sighed...how sad death seemed.
She was sorry Yakume and Reiko had been killed...of course they were obnoxious dragons looking for the death of Kojika...but they were so young and naïve... they probably had no idea what they were doing. Of course...she was a lot younger than they were...but still...she felt sorry for them. They were probably even tricked into trying to attack Kojika in a way of determining her level of power...who knew?
Kagome walked back into the shrine of the well...and with one last look at her old home, she jumped through...hoping either Inuyasha or Kojika were awake by now. When she managed to crawl out of the well...Sango, Miroku, and Shippo were waiting for her...Kirara sleeping in Sango's lap and Shippo on Miroku's shoulder...talking about something that he quickly quieted on when they saw her.
They had all insisted on coming with her to the well...as if they were her guardians now...Perhaps they felt it was their duty when Inuyasha was unable to do so himself.
Inuyasha...
The event had frightened her so bad...she was sure she should have had a heart attack. He had been unconscious on Kaede's floor...beaten...bloody...loosing breath...
Kojika had used her magic to try and save him...and yet he had still refused to breath...he was still unable to wake up...
At that moment...when she thought he was dead...she realized how dear he truly was to her...how close he was to her heart...it took an incident like that, just to show her how much he meant to her...
Had he died...she most likely would have gone with him...she would have been a soulless body, wandering about the village...unable to move on...there would have been nothing left of her...
But he was alive now...so she had nothing to worry about...
He had met death's door and refused to open it...he had passed it up and returned to the light of life...returned to her...
"Did Jole get home safely?" She heard Sango ask. Sango had taken quite a liking to Jole...and was a little depressed that she had to leave before she could teach the girl how to use her boomerang.
"Yeah." Kagome nodded with a weak smile...she was trying to seem happy...but the happenings of late kept her sort of depressed...sort of glad...but at the same time...just melancholic.
"You seem depressed Kagome. Anything bothering you?" Miroku asked, standing up from his leaning position on the side of the well.
"No!" Kagome replied quickly. "I'm just fine!"
Her friends weren't fooled.
"Inuyasha will be alright Kagome. He's breathing good and strong...Kaede says he'll wake up in another day or so." Sango acknowledged, trying to cheer up her friend.
"Yeah...and then we can be happy again!" Shippo chirped happily, jumping from Miroku's shoulder into Kagome's arms...giving her a hug.
Kagome smiled, and hugged him back.
They were right. She had to cheer up. After all...Inuyasha was alive...and he would be for a long time to come...she'd make sure of it.
Kojika she knew...wouldn't let Inuyasha die until he was ready for it.
But that reminded Kagome of another crucial fact.
When Kojika had run out of energy, she had used the energy on only one sliver of a shikon shard to power Inuyasha's heart.
How?
Wasn't it that the shards could only be used as a source of evil...or was there a way of harnessing the power for more good than turning a hanyou into a human?
Perhaps there was a way into possessing the power to keep demons away?
If so...then Kikyo had never been able to use it...otherwise...she wouldn't be dead right now...and a ghostly wanderer.
There just had to be a way...and if Kagome found it and learned to use it...she wouldn't have to be protected all the time...she could actually fight along side instead of in behind...whenever they were in trouble.
She could fight with them!
"Let's head home." Kagome replied...releasing her hug on Shippo and turning to the well worn path...leading to Kaede's village.
"Right." Miroku responded...smiling.
It was a mischievous smile.
"HENTAI!" Sango screamed, slapping Miroku over the cheek when he rubbed her behind as they were walking. Miroku grinned and caressed the red mark on his cheek, while Sango marched ahead, snatching Kagome's wrist and dragging her out of his perverted reach.
Yes...Kagome would ask Kojika how she used the jewel's power...she had to.
The group made it home...to find Kaede pulling weeds from her herb garden quietly...and when they asked if anyone woke up...she nodded.
"Kojika left only five minutes ago...Inuyasha is still sleeping though."
"Do you know where she went Kaede?" Kagome asked curiously.
"No...she just said she'd be back in a little while...that she needed some fresh air—"
"WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYBODY!" shouted a familiar grump from the hut.
"Sounds like Inuyasha's awake." Miroku acknowledged nodding.
Kagome set Shippo on the ground and ran in to the hut with a huge grin on her face.
He was awake alright.
She found Inuyasha sitting up, fighting with his own limbs to try to stand, when she came in.
"There you are!" Inuyasha replied rudely. "Where the hell were you?"
"I took Jole back home." Kagome replied, shoving his mad questions aside.
"Who's Jole?" He asked.
"My cousin."
She received a grunt from Inuyasha on this, who fell to the floor after his attempt to stand up. "Just lay down Inuyasha...you're too beaten up to try and stand up yet." Kagome told him sternly...forcing him to lay back with a stubborn glare.
Inuyasha obeyed after a second time of falling on his rump and glared back...arms crossed painfully.
"What happened to the demons?" He asked after a moment of silence.
Kagome frowned.
"Kojika finished them off."
"Kojika?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes towards the ceiling, staring at it gravely as he thought.
She witnessed his frown deepen, and his hands tighten up as if anxious to destroy something.
What had happened that was that bad?
Why were the dragons chasing after Kojika?
"Inuyasha..." Kagome inquired quietly after another moment of silence.
"What."
"Could you tell me...what happened when Reiko and Yakume attacked you and Kojika?"
She knew he remembered. She could see it in the flash of gold in his eyes.
The fact of the matter was...Inuyasha didn't want to reflect on it.
"It was nothing..." He whispered, turning his head away from the ceiling, to the side opposite of Kagome.
He didn't want to look at her...why?
Inuyasha sighed.
"They attacked us when Kojika was talking to me. They seemed to come out of nowhere and they attacked us with such force.
They were not like normal youkai." Inuyasha whispered, closing his eyes for a second. "They were fast...faster than Sesshomaru could ever be...and far more blood thirsty than most demons are. They seemed to be more dangerous than Naraku when I first saw them. You've seen demons Kagome. They are usually blood thirsty, ready to kill or eat all in their path."
Kagome nodded when Inuyasha turned his golden gaze on her...loosening the cross in his arms gently.
"They wanted Kojika, but they also desired enjoyment...so they attacked me first...the girl Yakume...she could read minds just like Kojika...and she insisted that...that...she would kill us first...then hunt you and everyone else down like a cat to its prey.... I attacked her back...even when I was bleeding...I drew the Tetsusaiga and I tried to slash her in half! But that god damned demon was far too fast for me! I hate to admit it...but the only one that could possibly fight them was Kojika... When she took them on herself...she insisted that I run. I refused and she practically attacked me herself to get me running...I tried to loose them...but it was more like they were forcing me in this direction. I can't even believe such disgusting monsters come from Kojika's home...from her people. They were ready to kill everything that stood in their way. They were worse than Naraku."
He snarled, closing his eyes...fighting tears.
He was delusional...Kagome could see that.
He had not fully awoken yet...like that night when the spider youkai had attacked when Inuyasha was human...and they had had to hide away in a room at the temple they were at in order to save him...protect him till he became hanyou again. It was just like that time that she laid his head on her lap and he mentioned how wonderful she smelt. He was delusional then too...but then why...why did she take such ramblings to heart.
Kagome just realized that she'd been balling her hands into fists a moment later, and when she felt the pain of blood beginning to well up in the cuts made by her fingernails, she quickly released her grip. When she looked up, she smiled softly when she found that Inuyasha had fallen asleep again...and was beginning to breath gently.
Inuyasha had taken worse attacks than that before...of course even Sesshomaru had delivered more deadly...but it was something more...not just in wound...Like in soul...as if Inuyasha himself had been denying life...
Why?
Was he really so tired of living that he wanted to die...?
Kagome shook her head and leaned forward, pulling the sheets over Inuyasha's sleeping form, before stepping out with a smile.
Sleeping...just like a little child.
"How is Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, stepping up to her, Sango and Shippo behind him.
"He fell asleep again. I think the work of the battle exhausted him a little too much. I'm going to go find Kojika alright." Kagome replied.
Miroku stared at her suspiciously, before nodding and stepping in, Sango following with her own suspicious look.
Shippo had inquired if she wanted him to go with her...but she waved his offer away and insisted that she would be fine.
With that, she grabbed her bow and arrows for protection, and left the sleeping hanyou to his rest...her friends watching him protectively.
It didn't take her long to find the youth faced Draymon.
She sat a little on the inside of the forest...near the stream that ran about a yard or so away from the God Tree...the very tree that Inuyasha had been pinned to for fifty years.
Kagome remembered the first day she had seen Inuyasha...As if she could forget right?
He had been pinned...by one sacred arrow...delivered by Kikyo's bow...
Kagome smiled...
When she had first seen him, she thought him to be an elf or a god or something...with that fine silver hair and those cute little dog like ears you wanted to grab and tweak every time you saw them.
The first time she saw him...
"Kojika...Are you alright?" Kagome asked...stepping up to the dragon.
She was staring at the God tree, looking it over with a sort of misplaced interest...as if it were a grasshopper or something.
"I am fine. Sit down Kagome...I'd like to talk to someone."
"Okay." Kagome agreed, taking a seat next to Inuyasha's mentor.
Kojika continued to stare at the tree. "It's a lovely day...yes?" She asked.
"Yeah." Kagome replied...watching her.
Her beautiful black hair was pinned back behind her head in a loose bind of leather...her brown eyes were shining...as if they were the running water by which they sat.
She sat with her left knee perpendicular to the ground, her left arm draped over it loosely. The other leg was against the ground comfortably, the bottom of her foot resting against the side of the other.
She looked almost serene, if it weren't for the sadness that filled her expression.
"He was worried about you you know." She acknowledged.
Kagome gasped softly to herself.
She was surprised at how blunt the dragon was.
"I...I...well...I..." Kagome tried to respond.
Kojika placed her hand softly over Kagome's lips.
"Don't."
Kagome closed her mouth.
"He cares a lot about you Kagome." Kojika said, turning her attention to Kagome finally. "When Reiko and Yakume attacked us in the forest, the only thing he thought about was making sure you were well protected. I should know...as a dragon I can read other's minds...and my ability has become extremely strong. He couldn't concentrate while fighting...not unless he knew you were safe. I didn't understand why he seemed so protective...how he could worry so much of one person. Isn't that sad...how I've lived for over a thousand years and yet...even now...I don't know what love is like...I've only known that of survival...of hate...and destruction. I thought I didn't need such useless things as love...but I learned better of such opinions when Inuyasha was nearly killed during the battle. He protected you throughout the entire thing...and because of that he nearly died. But when I walked in and found him on what should have been his death bed...I clicked. I couldn't let Inuyasha die...Kagome...you and I have one thing in common for Inuyasha. We both love him dearly...you as a dear friend to him...and I as a mother to a child...He has always been like my own...as I took care of him as a youngster...taught him what I could before we were split apart like we were...and when I returned to find that I had actually helped him to be a little more friendly in the future of things, in making friends and protecting people. I learned to have power when one I cared for was in danger. Had I not...I probably would have let myself be killed."
They were silent for a moment...Kagome digesting what the old mentor had told her...and Kojika...now staring at the running water.
"Kojika?"
"Yes."
"Can you tell me how come you were being chased down by demons of your own race?"
Kojika frowned, turning her attention back on Kagome.
"Let me tell you something about me that makes me different from many of the other Draymon people."
Kagome watched Kojika closely. What was this thing that was so different? All the dragons she had seen so far resembled each other in ability, except that she was much older than many of them.
"My father was ruler of the Draymon tribes, and the demon lord of the Eastern lands of Japan, Hitoro Kazume."
Kagome gasped.
"What! Your father was a great demon lord!"
Kojika nodded.
"Yes...and he would still be alive if it weren't for my folly. You see Kagome...about ...say...five hundred years ago...I was one of the most respected dragons of my people. I healed the sick and wounded of their viruses and took care of the youngsters who had been orphaned. We dragons were of a peace loving type...and we cared not for battle or destruction...simply peace and to be left alone. But one day...when I had left the island of the Draymon and walked along the beach of the corresponding isle in search for shells to make a herbal remedy in, I found a beaten man...a human of his twenties...holding onto one of the rocks...unconscious. He had short red hair and nice tan skin...with the sweetest looking face I had ever seen. I ran to him, and checked his wounds...but he was merely tired and wet...most likely had survived a ship wreck and had swum to the island for survival. I awoke him with a fire ball from my hand...and was greeted with an enthusiastic array of thankyou's. He thought I had saved him...but I told him blankly that he had saved himself. I took care of him a while after that...for he could not leave the island...and I could not take him anywhere, for it was not my time of leaving home to find a mate yet. So I cared for him, but I kept it secret that I was a Draymon and where I could be found. But...I am sorry to say...that I fell in love with him...and told him, against the rules of the Draymon, where I lived with out marrying him. I brought him to the isle even, and he quickly created an uproar. Of course, my father wasn't that angry just yet...and he insisted that the man be killed. I convinced him to spare this man;s life...and I was told that I had to keep him near me or others would kill him. So I did...but after a while...I came to find that he held a deceitful heart...and a dangerous mind. He found a gem you see...a sacred gem to our family heirloom, called the Dragon's Eye...an emerald jewel made from the very eye of our ancestral race...He used it to get into my father's rooms...and then he killed him. Then he took command and, because of this, the people became infuriated with me. They resolved to kill me, and in an attempt to escape...I was exiled. This man I talk of, has used the Dragon's Eye to become immortal...and almost like a dragon himself. I had at first upon looking over his features when I first saw him, thought he to be a complete human, but this man was actually a hanyou... He used the Eye to become complete...and now...he is known to be the elder...because he has killed off all those that are older than he. I am the eldest one left...and he seeks my destruction to ensure his eternal glory. But there is another fact of the story he did not know."
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, holding her knees. She was completely interested now.
"My mother was a priestess...a purely born miko. It's because of her blood in me, that when I became a full demon by ritual...I was able to learn the ancient dragon's abilities far faster than anyone else possibly could. Twice as fast...I should be twice as old than I am now to be capable of the things I do...and yet I'm not. It is also this fact...that drives the elder into wanting to kill me faster. He nearly did a good fifty some years ago."
"The time you and Inuyasha were split up!" Kagome shouted, piecing everything together now.
This Elder had sent lower demons to try and kill Kojika! Hoping perhaps that large numbers could do it, but it didn't work.
Now he was sending feeble and naïve dragon youngsters after her.
And miko powers could be incredibly powerful when in the blood line. She should know...she was the reincarnation of a miko...of Kikyo...
"Exactly. My you are quite smart Kagome. Yes, those demons that he had sent were an attempt to lure me to my death. He knew I was weak in the department of wanting to save everyone, so he had an army of lower class demons attack a village, and draw me in."
"Then why is he just now coming after you again after so long ago? Didn't he know you were alive?"
"Not really. You see...as a human morphed into a dragon, he can't see what happens in other places, he is not originally demon...so he takes the word of the other demons he sends out for truth. They figured me dead for these past fifty sum years...but since I reappeared when your group was fighting Kagura, Kanna, and Sukira at that Inn, they've had to retrace their steps. I had been following your group for a while then, and when I noticed the demons attack, I stayed where I could not be found and allowed Inuyasha to fight on his own. I saw that his strength had increased greatly since I last saw him, and I thought he could finish the fight...but minions of Naraku have never been known to fight fairly...so I had to step in the way. I'm guessing a few of the Elder's demons were there and saw me...so they informed him."
"I remember now! You were following us! I saw you at one of our campsites when I went to collect some water and fish. But I thought I was day dreaming and completely forgot about the incident!"
"Yes. And Inuyasha saw Kazu the last night he was human...but he still hasn't confronted me about that either...so I guess he forgot about it in the same manner you have." Kojika smiled.
Kagome turned away and watched the stream of water flow by...smiling herself at how complicating things were beginning to get.
So now they had a dragon lord to contend with along with Naraku, Sesshomaru, Kikyo, and not to mention any other demons that decided to take a swing at them. But at least now they had an upgrade...a certain powerful miko blooded Draymon on their side.
"I cannot help you in your battles Kagome. Understand this." Kojika said, turning to a slightly shocked Kagome. "Your battles between your foes to come and the ones you have now are strictly for your fight...I cannot step in...as I ask you and your friends to stay out of my battles. You cannot depend on me to fight for you...but I notice there is something else on your mind as well...it's been bugging you for some time now...about how I used the shikon shard to save Inuyasha...yes?"
Kagome gasped softly and nodded...She had been thinking about that for a while, but at the moment she was still a little more curious as to why the Draymon refused to help them in their battles. It was then she was reminded by something Grandpa Higurashi said one time.
"A battle cannot be truly won unless you fight it yourself Kagome. Depend on someone else to fight your battles for you, and you will never achieve your goal of being able to win...for when the one you depend on is not there to protect you...you will most likely not be able to escape your fate."
That's right...now she saw what Kojika was trying to tell her. Inuyasha would never truly get revenge for Kikyo if he let Kojika fight Naraku instead...neither would Sango get revenge for her family's deaths and her younger brother's constant control...or Miroku being able to revenge his family and get rid of the Air Void in his hand.
She herself would also have to step out of the way, in order for her friends to claim their revenge. Of course...she didn't have anything with Naraku...her battle was with Kikyo...she was the one that stole her shards and gave them to Naraku and she constantly made Inuyasha feel guilty about their past...even if she wasn't around.
"Would you like to learn how to use the power of the Shikon Shards Kagome? They would help you in later battles."
Kagome nodded vigorously, for the dragon had just asked what she was getting ready to ask already. "Fine. I'll teach you to use the shards for every evening. Could I borrow on of them that you have?"
Kagome nodded, feeling that the shards were safe in Kojika's hands for some reason, and passed over one shard from her small glass vile.
"Thank you. Now Kagome...take a close look at this shard with your miko powers. What color is it?"
Kagome stared at the small slither of shard in Kojika's hands...watching the soft glow of the shikon power from it. The color was a soft blue...and she replied so.
"Good...you may not be aware of this...but there are three different energies combined in one shard. Depending on who wields it determines the energy used. For you...the energy is neutral...for as soon as you touch it, you rid it of evil and malice. You purify it...Demons can only use it on the negative energy stored...which is a soft pink within the shard. This is the power of the demons, which at the moment is more powerful than that of the miko energy in this...which also happens to be the positive energy within. I'm sure you know the story of Midoriko and the demons yes?"
Kagome nodded.
Of course she knew that story...she had learned it from Sango a long time ago.
The great priestess Midoriko was the most powerful miko ever known, capable of purifying the heart and mind of any being, man or demon...but in a huge battle against the demons...she used to much of her power and brought to much of the demons power with in it, so it took the form of a small glass ball and broke out of the spot on her body where her heart was supposed to be. Thus...the Shikon no Tama was born.
"Good. Then you know that there are far more Demon souls in the jewel than that of Midoriko... so she is constantly overpowered by them. When a demon uses the jewel, Midoriko is over powered, so the jewel seems to shine with the use of more malice. But...what no one has yet to see, is that if the jewel were used by a human, or one with pure intentions, the jewel shimmers even brighter and more beautiful with the kindness than with malice. But no one has ever seen it...not even Kikyo, for she never used the jewel...only protected it. Let me show you what I mean." Kojika implied, grabbing Kagome's arm. Kagome saw where she was looking and noticed a small cut she hadn't even realized was there. It was already crusted with a scab...so it couldn't have been there long...but it wasn't fresh either.
"The jewel has two different properties. When used for evil purposes, it gives a powerful energy to the user...but when used for good purposes..."
She tapped the scab on Kagome's arm, and after a second...the cut disappeared as if it had never been there. Kagome yipped and pulled her arm away...staring with surprise at the area where the scab had been.
"Now look at the jewel." Kojika commanded.
Kagome complied...only to gasp one more time at the appearance of the jewel. It's light blue glow had deepened...giving it a darker blue texture...almost like the color the sky in the evening. The jewel itself sparkled brightly, almost as if it were a polished diamond...especially with the many edges it had for being a shard.
Kagome reached out to it with out realizing it, and nearly took it from Kojika's hand just so she could take a closer look at it.
"Now you see how beautiful it can become when used for good...and that was merely for a small scratch. You see...Kikyo's reasoning for the jewel...was that if used to transform a demon into a human, and that fact that it makes him weaker...is for good...so it will overtake the jewel and free the power held with in. But no one truly knows what may happen. That much good energy flowing through the jewel may actually cause it to free Midoriko's soul from within it and turn it into nothing but a glass orb...but there is no knowing of it. For all we know, if Inuyasha were turned into a human, the jewel may still contain it's magical properties to both good and evil. But we won't know until the entire jewel is collected. Then, once used...you'll be able to tell. As for now...we should return to Kaede's village, or they may send a search party after us. We have been missing for at least half an hour or so...and I would like to see how Inuyasha is doing. Yes?" Kojika stood up with a smile, but politely reached out to help Kagome stand.
Then...once they had taken one last look at the running stream and the God tree, they walked away...toward the village.
*What did you think? Well...send me reviews...I truly do have at least six or seven chapters left to update...and you should be rather interested with the happening's of the next ones. I'm sort of reaching the end...slowly...but they should be pretty good.*
