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Author's Notes: Okay, now that the first chapter is out, lets all slow down and take a deep breath. I know you all thought that was awfully fast to punch out the third story, but I have to tell you, the idea wouldn't go away until I typed it up. So I did, and decided it was good enough to post. And to answer several of you wonderful reviewers who comment that I have too much time on my hands, let me assure you that, in reality, I have no business writing as much and as often as I do, but I enjoy it, which means I'm usually up until one in the morning and getting up again at six for workout before school. But hey, I'm not unhappy, so that's all that matters, right?
Thanks for all your reviews. To be honest, I'm shocked at how many I've received for the first chapter. Thank you! Thank you!
A lot of you seem pretty sure that Naraku's back. Hmm. Are you sure about that? But then, he could be back. Who knows? Only I know for sure (smiles evilly). But keep sending me your theories, and kudos to those of you who guess right. Unfortunately, I can't tell you if you are (and as of yet no one has guessed right, but usually someone does eventually) because then others will read your guess and know the ending. Sorry, as an author I just have to keep you guessing. It's my job! lol
I probably won't have an update up until Monday, because tomorrow I have the district solo competition (last year I took first, and this year I'll be singing an aria from an opera, I'm so excited), which will take all day, and then on Sunday I have an audition for the Oregon Bach Festival Youth Choral Academy this summer (I went last year, and it is an incredible experience with eighty high school singers from around the country). So I have a full schedule this weekend. But I'll try and write, because I love to do it so much. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks again!
HarmoniousHanyou2008: Not to sound hokey or anything, but that is so sweet! Thank you for your wonderful review, it made my day. And what kind of performing are you interested in? Theatre? Singing?
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Title: Soldiers in a Timeless Battle
Author: dolphingirl0113
Chapter: Two
Rating: PG-13 (for language and, at times, sexual implications)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
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Nancy couldn't believe she was standing on the edge of a well any more then she could believe that Kagome was telling her to just jump in. As if it were a damn swimming pool!
"You have got to be joking," she commented sarcastically, but for some reason made no move to get down off of the well. Kagome looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Will you just trust me on this? Why would I have brought you all the way out to the shrine for nothing?" Ms. White cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.
"I don't know, you two," she pointed at Kagome and Sesshoumaru, who was standing a few yards back, "Are the conspirators, not me."
"Nancy, have I ever lied to you?" Kagome's voice was as quiet as a whisper. The blonde woman seemed to give in when she sighed.
"Whatever. But I swear, if I land at the bottom of this well with nothing but dirt on my blouse and a broken nose to show for it, I'm not going to be happy."
"Great!" Kagome squealed, suddenly excited at the prospect of her friend knowing her ultimate secret. It would mean one more person from her time she could talk to freely, without restraint.
Climbing up beside her, Kagome smiled confidently and took the woman's hand. "Don't let go," she said, and Nancy nodded. She turned to Sesshoumaru. "You'd better come too, I'm not sure Inuyasha will let me come back to this side to get you, seeing how I've been gone for over two weeks."
The demon lord grunted and climbed up on Kagome's empty side, reluctantly taking her hand, or rather, the tips of her fingers. He was obviously not a physical contact kind of guy, at least, she thought with a smirk, with anyone but Nancy White.
"Okay, on the count of three. One-two-three!"
Just as they jumped Nancy realized what Kagome had said to Sesshoumaru, and her eyes grew wide. "What the hell did you mean, come back to the other side?" But it was too late, and the trio was falling down into a swirl of colors.
Kagome welcomed the sight. She hadn't seen it in nearly a month, school taking up all of her time. Inuyasha would be the one to visit her, rather then the other way around. In some ways, living life as a college student was much harder then being in high school, because she couldn't afford to miss that often.
Once she felt solid ground beneath her feet, Kagome released the hands of her companions and placed her hands on her hips, currently covered in hip- hugger blue jeans, and smiled. "Well, we're here!"
Sesshoumaru nodded, and Kagome noted the look of relief in his eyes. As much as he obviously enjoyed Nancy's company, he was still clearly very uncomfortable on that side of the well. And who could blame him? The markings on his face came across as strange tattoos in the modern era, he had unusually long silver hair that most women would kill for, ears like an elf, and he was missing an arm. He wasn't exactly someone capable of blending in with the crowd.
Glancing over at the woman beside her, Kagome nearly fell over laughing when she saw the notoriously fearsome Nancy White truly white at the moment, her face matching her blouse. Her blue eyes were wide in shock, and she was clearly still trying to decide if she had fallen down the rabbit hole and was in wonderland, or if she was dreaming.
"Lets go, Inuyasha will know I'm here," the girl said happily starting her climb out of the well, Sesshoumaru leaping out ahead of her. But when she reached the top, Kagome noticed that she was alone and, looking back down, realized that Nancy was still standing at the bottom, staring at the wall.
"Come on Nancy, I've seen this well many times, and I know it's not that interesting." There was no response, and Kagome turned to look at Sesshoumaru with a sweet smile. "Could you help?"
"How?" He raised an eyebrow, still managing to glare. Kagome made a mental note to ask him how he did that. It could be useful in an argument with Inuyasha.
"I don't know, think of something. She's your girlfriend."
"Hn," He grunted and jumped down the well, Kagome shaking her head with a smile. At least, she thought, he didn't try and deny it this time.
"What the hell are you doing? Get your hands off me! I am perfectly capable of moving myself!"
Sesshoumaru came flying out of the well with a distraught Nancy in his arms. The moment they touched the ground he let her go, and she stumbled away, smoothing out her skirt, but in the process tripping on her heels, which weren't accustomed to grass. This meant she was back in the demon lord's arms within a few seconds, though at least this time she didn't try and get away.
"None of this means I'm not mad at you anymore," she said, shaking a finger at her beau furiously before turning to Kagome and sighing, seeming to gain control of her emotions so that she was once more the cool and collected woman Kagome knew. "What the hell is going on, Kagome? And where am I? Neverland?"
Kagome laughed, because Nancy looked at that moment like if she had said yes, the woman would believe her.
"No, though I think that would be more believable."
"Please," Nancy rolled her eyes, "I just used an old well as a method of transportation. I think at this moment I'm more ready to believe you then I will be in ten minutes. So hurry up."
Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when she was knocked over by a flying ball of fur.
"Kagome!"
"Oof!"
"Oh no, did I hurt you again?"
"No Shippou, I'm fine. But you really have to stop doing that, you're getting too big."
"Idiot! What did you do that for? I told you it was time to grow up and be a man!" Kagome broke out into a grin as she recognized the voice.
"Inuyasha!" She leapt to her feet and flew into his open arms as he drew her securely to his chest. She buried her face in his kimono, drinking in his smell, a mixture of pine and fresh water.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin appeared in the glen, running up to his side and waiting patiently, as she always did. "And Ms. White!" The girl smiled. "I'm so happy you're here! Are you here with Sesshoumaru-sama? Does this mean you are his mate?"
"Mate?" Not knowing Sesshoumaru was a demon, Nancy was caught off guard by the terminology, and her eyes bulged in surprise while beside her Sesshoumaru turned slightly pink.
"Kagome-chan! I've missed you!" Sango flew at her friend, and the two women embraced fondly as Miroku put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"It's good to have all of us together again, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha broke out into a rare smile as he watched his mate dance around excitedly with Sango, Shippou trying to keep up with the conversation. It was about time she came back. "Just like old times."
Kagome suddenly seemed to remember something, and turned around to see Nancy staring at the scene with a mixed look of puzzlement and surprise. Trying to put the woman at ease, Kagome walked up and smiled.
"Everyone, you remember Nancy, right?" They all nodded. "Well, I decided she was someone who could know about our secret."
The group turned unilaterally to look at the poor woman, and Nancy seemed to shrink back a little under their gazes. She looked at Kagome. "You still haven't told me what's going on."
"Oh, right. Well, you see-"
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Kagome felt her eyebrow twitch in irritation at being interrupted again. Couldn't a girl talk?
Jaken was doing his usual waddle/run in the direction of Sesshoumaru, a look of pure joy on his face. He ignored everyone else, including Nancy, but she took notice of him. Unfortunately.
"Good lord, a green man," she whispered, and Kagome looked over in time to see the woman faint, Sesshoumaru barely catching her before she hit the ground. Everyone in the glen went silent, except, of course, for Jaken.
"Why were you gone so long master? These humans are truly unbearable! And why are you holding a filthy human? She must be tainting your aura as we speak! Let me take her off your hands!"
But the little green toad-man received a long growl in response, and he backed away as the demon lord clutched the woman to him tighter, not seeming to realize that everyone else was watching his actions as well.
"Um, I probably should have told her everything before Jaken showed up," Kagome said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "Let's get her to Kaede's, and then when she wakes up we'll talk." The group nodded and turned to head back in the direction of the hut, with Sesshoumaru following carrying an unconscious Nancy.
Kagome leaned on Inuyasha's arm as they walked, and sighed, glancing up at the trees. It was so good to be back. She really missed how fresh and new everything seemed in the feudal era, before everything was polluted with smog and skyscrapers. She liked the quiet.
But then, quiet wasn't exactly how she would describe it at that moment, for Jaken was back to chattering again, and Kagome glared at him, though he didn't notice, over her shoulder.
"How is it that Rin, a girl of only about thirteen, is able to walk by his side for hours in silence, and yet a demon of over a hundred years can't keep his mouth shut?" She whispered her thoughts aloud, and Inuyasha looked at her and smiled.
"He reminds me of your friends." Kagome turned her glare on him, though her eyes softened playfully.
"Watch it."
"I'm serious. They would get along great with Jaken, I think."
Kagome laughed and glanced back at Nancy, limp in the arms of the mighty demon lord. "No thanks, I've officially decided that no one else is coming over here. It is way too much of a hassle."
Everyone around her laughed, and Kagome smiled. It felt good to be back with them. It was strange that she, a girl from the future, somehow felt more at home 500 years in the past, but she did.
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Everything was dark.
Kikyou turned her head in several directions, surveying the area, Gideon at her side clutching a bow, a quiver of arrows slung across his back. Ever since they had met, she had taught him to use the weapon, and while unable to shoot a purity arrow, he was nonetheless accurate, though as of yet he had not used his ability in a fight.
"What evil would drive out all life, and the force of the sun?" He asked aloud, reading her thoughts. She shook her head and frowned.
"I don't know, but I don't like it. I feel as though we are unwelcome, and the forest has never rejected my presence before, not even while I was dead." She felt herself wince as she referred to a time in her life she would rather forget, grateful when Gideon treated it as simply another comment.
"The man said he was shot at suddenly?" Kikyou nodded.
"Yes, just after a voice warned them away."
"Did he say if it was a mans?"
"No, but I don't think at this point that matters. What does matter is that we find out what is causing such a disturbance in these woods, so close to our village." Gideon nodded in agreement, and the pair continued walking side by side, on the look out for some unseen foe.
As they progressed, the atmosphere grew colder, the aura of darkness as thick as the trees overhead. No light penetrated, no animals were seen, and there were no birds singing. It was as though the forest had gone into a deep hibernation.
Suddenly Kikyou stopped, something having caught her senses. "Something's wrong. We're being watched."
Gideon whirled around, searching for whoever, or whatever, it could be. But there was still nothing.
Narrowing her eyes, Kikyou pulled out an arrow and reached out with her miko senses, trying to find the source of life she had felt a moment before. As she turned, she noticed a slight flicker in some nearby brush, and fired the arrow. There was an instant noise, and the pair ran up to find a demon disintegrating as it was purified.
Never having seen his wife use her arrows before, Gideon stared in wonder, but when he looked over Kikyou's eyes were wide with horror. He recoiled, unaccustomed to seeing her so open with her emotions.
"What is it?"
"That creature, I know it," she whispered, and he frowned at her tone. It was afraid, but also held a strain of disbelief.
"What is it?"
"It's one of the bees Naraku would use to track his enemies." She closed her eyes briefly, as though collecting herself. When she opened them again, she was once more in control. "They were how he kept his eyes and ears everywhere."
Gideon frowned. "But you said he was dead. You said that he was killed by a miko like you. Does someone else have control of these bees?"
"No, not that I know of. They were his creation, thus they obeyed only him." Kikyou knelt on the ground, putting her hand to the place where the bee had been only a moment before. It was cold, but the dark aura was quickly fading. "I don't know what's going on."
She rose to her feet and clutched her bow tighter, allowing the feel of the smooth wood to calm her nerves. The sense of evil was everywhere, in a way that sent shivers up and down her spine.
Turning to Gideon, she suddenly had a look of a lost child. "He couldn't still be alive, could he?"
He pulled her into his arms. "I don't know him, or what he is capable of. But I do know this much: if he was a demon, and a powerful arrow like your own hit him, then he couldn't have possibly survived. Someone as evil as he could not withstand the power of a purity arrow. His entire being would be destroyed."
The image of Naraku on that day was still in her mind. It had all been so final. He had to have died. There was no way he survived that attack.
Kagome flared up in her mind, her body shrouded in pink, her bow and arrows golden, like flaming hot coals. Her eyes had been full of determination and hate, and all of that energy, Kikyou knew, had been channeled into that one arrow.
Her words still resounded in the miko's memory, the cold voice that had spoken them so unlike the Kagome she normally knew. 'No more games. I offer you no mercy.'
"You're right," she finally sighed, pulling away and standing up straight, "He is dead. There is no way he could have survived."
"But that doesn't mean there isn't someone out here using his old spies."
"True," Kikyou's face hardened, "And if they have the power to control the bees, then they must be powerful in other respects as well. Let's keep looking." Gideon nodded and they continued on their search.
For the next hour they roamed the forest, and found nothing that said someone, or something, was living there. But at the same time, there was definitely a dark aura, almost like a curse, because at one point the pair suddenly emerged into sunlight and life, where a moment before they had been shrouded in darkness.
"I've never seen anything like it," Gideon commented, and Kikyou nodded.
"Lets go back, maybe we'll find whatever it is now that we're more familiar with the territory."
Both were reluctant to return to the darkness and the cold, but then as Gideon pointed out they didn't have much of a choice anyway since they had to return to the village eventually.
At one point when they were halfway back, Kikyou suddenly jumped in front of her husband, her bow extended before her, and an instant later an arrow vaporized against the pink shield that was created. Gideon stared as his wife became a changed woman, tense and ready for battle.
"Not that I'm one to state the obvious," she hissed, "But we're not alone. I would arm yourself if I were you." He nodded and quickly fitted an arrow into his bow.
Laughter filled the empty silence, and both humans shivered at the sound. It was cruel and calculating, and what was more, it sounded like it knew exactly what it was doing.
"So, Kikyou, I was wondering when you would find me." She tensed. The voice was familiar, and yet different. What was going on?
"Don't ever shoot at my husband again," she hissed, but the voice simply laughed again.
"Don't trespass in my woods, and I won't." She frowned.
"This forest belongs to no one. I don't care who you are."
"Put your bow away. How do you intend to attack a foe you cannot even see?" Kikyou smirked.
"The same way I did a moment ago. Defense is another version of offense, but then you wouldn't know that as you have probably not gone through the proper training." She turned slowly in a circle, back to back with Gideon, both trying to find the source of the voice, but to no avail. There was just nothing there. At least, not that they could see.
Another arrow came flying out, and this time she only just managed to shove Gideon to the ground, knocking it out of the air with the side of her arm. A slight sting pierced her skin, and when she looked down she saw a stream of blood. Obviously, she hadn't managed to miss the tip.
It was black, just like the arrow lodged in the side of the villager. Knowing it was cursed, she made no move to touch it, instead moving so that she was standing over her fallen husband, ready to protect him at all costs.
"Impressive," the voice commented, "I wonder why such a woman as you would marry a man like him. He is so weak. Not at all like Inuyasha."
Kikyou felt her entire body go rigid, first at the reference to her first love, and then when she realized that this being must have been spying on her. "How did you know he is my husband?"
"Like you said earlier, I have methods that give me eyes and ears everywhere." Several gold orbs appeared in the darkness, moving in her direction, until they were revealed to be at least a dozen of those damnable bees. Kikyou felt her body begin to shake.
It couldn't be.
He was dead.
"Do you recognize something?" Now the voice was taunting her, and she didn't like it one bit.
"Why don't you come out and fight, rather then be a coward?"
"I'm not ready just yet to fight. But then, something will have to be done to get rid of you. For now." She could almost hear the man, for she was sure that is who the owner of the voice was, smirk.
Before she could do anything else, she was blinded by a flash of white as something rushed her straight on, so quickly she didn't even see it coming. Her bow fell from her limp hand, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Author's Notes: Okay, now that the first chapter is out, lets all slow down and take a deep breath. I know you all thought that was awfully fast to punch out the third story, but I have to tell you, the idea wouldn't go away until I typed it up. So I did, and decided it was good enough to post. And to answer several of you wonderful reviewers who comment that I have too much time on my hands, let me assure you that, in reality, I have no business writing as much and as often as I do, but I enjoy it, which means I'm usually up until one in the morning and getting up again at six for workout before school. But hey, I'm not unhappy, so that's all that matters, right?
Thanks for all your reviews. To be honest, I'm shocked at how many I've received for the first chapter. Thank you! Thank you!
A lot of you seem pretty sure that Naraku's back. Hmm. Are you sure about that? But then, he could be back. Who knows? Only I know for sure (smiles evilly). But keep sending me your theories, and kudos to those of you who guess right. Unfortunately, I can't tell you if you are (and as of yet no one has guessed right, but usually someone does eventually) because then others will read your guess and know the ending. Sorry, as an author I just have to keep you guessing. It's my job! lol
I probably won't have an update up until Monday, because tomorrow I have the district solo competition (last year I took first, and this year I'll be singing an aria from an opera, I'm so excited), which will take all day, and then on Sunday I have an audition for the Oregon Bach Festival Youth Choral Academy this summer (I went last year, and it is an incredible experience with eighty high school singers from around the country). So I have a full schedule this weekend. But I'll try and write, because I love to do it so much. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks again!
HarmoniousHanyou2008: Not to sound hokey or anything, but that is so sweet! Thank you for your wonderful review, it made my day. And what kind of performing are you interested in? Theatre? Singing?
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Title: Soldiers in a Timeless Battle
Author: dolphingirl0113
Chapter: Two
Rating: PG-13 (for language and, at times, sexual implications)
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
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Nancy couldn't believe she was standing on the edge of a well any more then she could believe that Kagome was telling her to just jump in. As if it were a damn swimming pool!
"You have got to be joking," she commented sarcastically, but for some reason made no move to get down off of the well. Kagome looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Will you just trust me on this? Why would I have brought you all the way out to the shrine for nothing?" Ms. White cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.
"I don't know, you two," she pointed at Kagome and Sesshoumaru, who was standing a few yards back, "Are the conspirators, not me."
"Nancy, have I ever lied to you?" Kagome's voice was as quiet as a whisper. The blonde woman seemed to give in when she sighed.
"Whatever. But I swear, if I land at the bottom of this well with nothing but dirt on my blouse and a broken nose to show for it, I'm not going to be happy."
"Great!" Kagome squealed, suddenly excited at the prospect of her friend knowing her ultimate secret. It would mean one more person from her time she could talk to freely, without restraint.
Climbing up beside her, Kagome smiled confidently and took the woman's hand. "Don't let go," she said, and Nancy nodded. She turned to Sesshoumaru. "You'd better come too, I'm not sure Inuyasha will let me come back to this side to get you, seeing how I've been gone for over two weeks."
The demon lord grunted and climbed up on Kagome's empty side, reluctantly taking her hand, or rather, the tips of her fingers. He was obviously not a physical contact kind of guy, at least, she thought with a smirk, with anyone but Nancy White.
"Okay, on the count of three. One-two-three!"
Just as they jumped Nancy realized what Kagome had said to Sesshoumaru, and her eyes grew wide. "What the hell did you mean, come back to the other side?" But it was too late, and the trio was falling down into a swirl of colors.
Kagome welcomed the sight. She hadn't seen it in nearly a month, school taking up all of her time. Inuyasha would be the one to visit her, rather then the other way around. In some ways, living life as a college student was much harder then being in high school, because she couldn't afford to miss that often.
Once she felt solid ground beneath her feet, Kagome released the hands of her companions and placed her hands on her hips, currently covered in hip- hugger blue jeans, and smiled. "Well, we're here!"
Sesshoumaru nodded, and Kagome noted the look of relief in his eyes. As much as he obviously enjoyed Nancy's company, he was still clearly very uncomfortable on that side of the well. And who could blame him? The markings on his face came across as strange tattoos in the modern era, he had unusually long silver hair that most women would kill for, ears like an elf, and he was missing an arm. He wasn't exactly someone capable of blending in with the crowd.
Glancing over at the woman beside her, Kagome nearly fell over laughing when she saw the notoriously fearsome Nancy White truly white at the moment, her face matching her blouse. Her blue eyes were wide in shock, and she was clearly still trying to decide if she had fallen down the rabbit hole and was in wonderland, or if she was dreaming.
"Lets go, Inuyasha will know I'm here," the girl said happily starting her climb out of the well, Sesshoumaru leaping out ahead of her. But when she reached the top, Kagome noticed that she was alone and, looking back down, realized that Nancy was still standing at the bottom, staring at the wall.
"Come on Nancy, I've seen this well many times, and I know it's not that interesting." There was no response, and Kagome turned to look at Sesshoumaru with a sweet smile. "Could you help?"
"How?" He raised an eyebrow, still managing to glare. Kagome made a mental note to ask him how he did that. It could be useful in an argument with Inuyasha.
"I don't know, think of something. She's your girlfriend."
"Hn," He grunted and jumped down the well, Kagome shaking her head with a smile. At least, she thought, he didn't try and deny it this time.
"What the hell are you doing? Get your hands off me! I am perfectly capable of moving myself!"
Sesshoumaru came flying out of the well with a distraught Nancy in his arms. The moment they touched the ground he let her go, and she stumbled away, smoothing out her skirt, but in the process tripping on her heels, which weren't accustomed to grass. This meant she was back in the demon lord's arms within a few seconds, though at least this time she didn't try and get away.
"None of this means I'm not mad at you anymore," she said, shaking a finger at her beau furiously before turning to Kagome and sighing, seeming to gain control of her emotions so that she was once more the cool and collected woman Kagome knew. "What the hell is going on, Kagome? And where am I? Neverland?"
Kagome laughed, because Nancy looked at that moment like if she had said yes, the woman would believe her.
"No, though I think that would be more believable."
"Please," Nancy rolled her eyes, "I just used an old well as a method of transportation. I think at this moment I'm more ready to believe you then I will be in ten minutes. So hurry up."
Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when she was knocked over by a flying ball of fur.
"Kagome!"
"Oof!"
"Oh no, did I hurt you again?"
"No Shippou, I'm fine. But you really have to stop doing that, you're getting too big."
"Idiot! What did you do that for? I told you it was time to grow up and be a man!" Kagome broke out into a grin as she recognized the voice.
"Inuyasha!" She leapt to her feet and flew into his open arms as he drew her securely to his chest. She buried her face in his kimono, drinking in his smell, a mixture of pine and fresh water.
"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin appeared in the glen, running up to his side and waiting patiently, as she always did. "And Ms. White!" The girl smiled. "I'm so happy you're here! Are you here with Sesshoumaru-sama? Does this mean you are his mate?"
"Mate?" Not knowing Sesshoumaru was a demon, Nancy was caught off guard by the terminology, and her eyes bulged in surprise while beside her Sesshoumaru turned slightly pink.
"Kagome-chan! I've missed you!" Sango flew at her friend, and the two women embraced fondly as Miroku put a hand on Inuyasha's shoulder.
"It's good to have all of us together again, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha broke out into a rare smile as he watched his mate dance around excitedly with Sango, Shippou trying to keep up with the conversation. It was about time she came back. "Just like old times."
Kagome suddenly seemed to remember something, and turned around to see Nancy staring at the scene with a mixed look of puzzlement and surprise. Trying to put the woman at ease, Kagome walked up and smiled.
"Everyone, you remember Nancy, right?" They all nodded. "Well, I decided she was someone who could know about our secret."
The group turned unilaterally to look at the poor woman, and Nancy seemed to shrink back a little under their gazes. She looked at Kagome. "You still haven't told me what's going on."
"Oh, right. Well, you see-"
"Sesshoumaru-sama! Sesshoumaru-sama!"
Kagome felt her eyebrow twitch in irritation at being interrupted again. Couldn't a girl talk?
Jaken was doing his usual waddle/run in the direction of Sesshoumaru, a look of pure joy on his face. He ignored everyone else, including Nancy, but she took notice of him. Unfortunately.
"Good lord, a green man," she whispered, and Kagome looked over in time to see the woman faint, Sesshoumaru barely catching her before she hit the ground. Everyone in the glen went silent, except, of course, for Jaken.
"Why were you gone so long master? These humans are truly unbearable! And why are you holding a filthy human? She must be tainting your aura as we speak! Let me take her off your hands!"
But the little green toad-man received a long growl in response, and he backed away as the demon lord clutched the woman to him tighter, not seeming to realize that everyone else was watching his actions as well.
"Um, I probably should have told her everything before Jaken showed up," Kagome said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "Let's get her to Kaede's, and then when she wakes up we'll talk." The group nodded and turned to head back in the direction of the hut, with Sesshoumaru following carrying an unconscious Nancy.
Kagome leaned on Inuyasha's arm as they walked, and sighed, glancing up at the trees. It was so good to be back. She really missed how fresh and new everything seemed in the feudal era, before everything was polluted with smog and skyscrapers. She liked the quiet.
But then, quiet wasn't exactly how she would describe it at that moment, for Jaken was back to chattering again, and Kagome glared at him, though he didn't notice, over her shoulder.
"How is it that Rin, a girl of only about thirteen, is able to walk by his side for hours in silence, and yet a demon of over a hundred years can't keep his mouth shut?" She whispered her thoughts aloud, and Inuyasha looked at her and smiled.
"He reminds me of your friends." Kagome turned her glare on him, though her eyes softened playfully.
"Watch it."
"I'm serious. They would get along great with Jaken, I think."
Kagome laughed and glanced back at Nancy, limp in the arms of the mighty demon lord. "No thanks, I've officially decided that no one else is coming over here. It is way too much of a hassle."
Everyone around her laughed, and Kagome smiled. It felt good to be back with them. It was strange that she, a girl from the future, somehow felt more at home 500 years in the past, but she did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Everything was dark.
Kikyou turned her head in several directions, surveying the area, Gideon at her side clutching a bow, a quiver of arrows slung across his back. Ever since they had met, she had taught him to use the weapon, and while unable to shoot a purity arrow, he was nonetheless accurate, though as of yet he had not used his ability in a fight.
"What evil would drive out all life, and the force of the sun?" He asked aloud, reading her thoughts. She shook her head and frowned.
"I don't know, but I don't like it. I feel as though we are unwelcome, and the forest has never rejected my presence before, not even while I was dead." She felt herself wince as she referred to a time in her life she would rather forget, grateful when Gideon treated it as simply another comment.
"The man said he was shot at suddenly?" Kikyou nodded.
"Yes, just after a voice warned them away."
"Did he say if it was a mans?"
"No, but I don't think at this point that matters. What does matter is that we find out what is causing such a disturbance in these woods, so close to our village." Gideon nodded in agreement, and the pair continued walking side by side, on the look out for some unseen foe.
As they progressed, the atmosphere grew colder, the aura of darkness as thick as the trees overhead. No light penetrated, no animals were seen, and there were no birds singing. It was as though the forest had gone into a deep hibernation.
Suddenly Kikyou stopped, something having caught her senses. "Something's wrong. We're being watched."
Gideon whirled around, searching for whoever, or whatever, it could be. But there was still nothing.
Narrowing her eyes, Kikyou pulled out an arrow and reached out with her miko senses, trying to find the source of life she had felt a moment before. As she turned, she noticed a slight flicker in some nearby brush, and fired the arrow. There was an instant noise, and the pair ran up to find a demon disintegrating as it was purified.
Never having seen his wife use her arrows before, Gideon stared in wonder, but when he looked over Kikyou's eyes were wide with horror. He recoiled, unaccustomed to seeing her so open with her emotions.
"What is it?"
"That creature, I know it," she whispered, and he frowned at her tone. It was afraid, but also held a strain of disbelief.
"What is it?"
"It's one of the bees Naraku would use to track his enemies." She closed her eyes briefly, as though collecting herself. When she opened them again, she was once more in control. "They were how he kept his eyes and ears everywhere."
Gideon frowned. "But you said he was dead. You said that he was killed by a miko like you. Does someone else have control of these bees?"
"No, not that I know of. They were his creation, thus they obeyed only him." Kikyou knelt on the ground, putting her hand to the place where the bee had been only a moment before. It was cold, but the dark aura was quickly fading. "I don't know what's going on."
She rose to her feet and clutched her bow tighter, allowing the feel of the smooth wood to calm her nerves. The sense of evil was everywhere, in a way that sent shivers up and down her spine.
Turning to Gideon, she suddenly had a look of a lost child. "He couldn't still be alive, could he?"
He pulled her into his arms. "I don't know him, or what he is capable of. But I do know this much: if he was a demon, and a powerful arrow like your own hit him, then he couldn't have possibly survived. Someone as evil as he could not withstand the power of a purity arrow. His entire being would be destroyed."
The image of Naraku on that day was still in her mind. It had all been so final. He had to have died. There was no way he survived that attack.
Kagome flared up in her mind, her body shrouded in pink, her bow and arrows golden, like flaming hot coals. Her eyes had been full of determination and hate, and all of that energy, Kikyou knew, had been channeled into that one arrow.
Her words still resounded in the miko's memory, the cold voice that had spoken them so unlike the Kagome she normally knew. 'No more games. I offer you no mercy.'
"You're right," she finally sighed, pulling away and standing up straight, "He is dead. There is no way he could have survived."
"But that doesn't mean there isn't someone out here using his old spies."
"True," Kikyou's face hardened, "And if they have the power to control the bees, then they must be powerful in other respects as well. Let's keep looking." Gideon nodded and they continued on their search.
For the next hour they roamed the forest, and found nothing that said someone, or something, was living there. But at the same time, there was definitely a dark aura, almost like a curse, because at one point the pair suddenly emerged into sunlight and life, where a moment before they had been shrouded in darkness.
"I've never seen anything like it," Gideon commented, and Kikyou nodded.
"Lets go back, maybe we'll find whatever it is now that we're more familiar with the territory."
Both were reluctant to return to the darkness and the cold, but then as Gideon pointed out they didn't have much of a choice anyway since they had to return to the village eventually.
At one point when they were halfway back, Kikyou suddenly jumped in front of her husband, her bow extended before her, and an instant later an arrow vaporized against the pink shield that was created. Gideon stared as his wife became a changed woman, tense and ready for battle.
"Not that I'm one to state the obvious," she hissed, "But we're not alone. I would arm yourself if I were you." He nodded and quickly fitted an arrow into his bow.
Laughter filled the empty silence, and both humans shivered at the sound. It was cruel and calculating, and what was more, it sounded like it knew exactly what it was doing.
"So, Kikyou, I was wondering when you would find me." She tensed. The voice was familiar, and yet different. What was going on?
"Don't ever shoot at my husband again," she hissed, but the voice simply laughed again.
"Don't trespass in my woods, and I won't." She frowned.
"This forest belongs to no one. I don't care who you are."
"Put your bow away. How do you intend to attack a foe you cannot even see?" Kikyou smirked.
"The same way I did a moment ago. Defense is another version of offense, but then you wouldn't know that as you have probably not gone through the proper training." She turned slowly in a circle, back to back with Gideon, both trying to find the source of the voice, but to no avail. There was just nothing there. At least, not that they could see.
Another arrow came flying out, and this time she only just managed to shove Gideon to the ground, knocking it out of the air with the side of her arm. A slight sting pierced her skin, and when she looked down she saw a stream of blood. Obviously, she hadn't managed to miss the tip.
It was black, just like the arrow lodged in the side of the villager. Knowing it was cursed, she made no move to touch it, instead moving so that she was standing over her fallen husband, ready to protect him at all costs.
"Impressive," the voice commented, "I wonder why such a woman as you would marry a man like him. He is so weak. Not at all like Inuyasha."
Kikyou felt her entire body go rigid, first at the reference to her first love, and then when she realized that this being must have been spying on her. "How did you know he is my husband?"
"Like you said earlier, I have methods that give me eyes and ears everywhere." Several gold orbs appeared in the darkness, moving in her direction, until they were revealed to be at least a dozen of those damnable bees. Kikyou felt her body begin to shake.
It couldn't be.
He was dead.
"Do you recognize something?" Now the voice was taunting her, and she didn't like it one bit.
"Why don't you come out and fight, rather then be a coward?"
"I'm not ready just yet to fight. But then, something will have to be done to get rid of you. For now." She could almost hear the man, for she was sure that is who the owner of the voice was, smirk.
Before she could do anything else, she was blinded by a flash of white as something rushed her straight on, so quickly she didn't even see it coming. Her bow fell from her limp hand, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
