Okay. Back with another chapter. Sorry I didn't get this posted sooner, but I was busy and didn't have time. Stupid work and friends demanding me that I grace them with my presence. Had a few late nights. Anyway, I am working on the story and I have a few ideas up my sleeve. I really hope you like this chapter too!
disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. But I do like to write stories about him.
Review Responses:
inuchick06- Thanks for checking out my story. And I'm glad you're "thirsty" for more! Ha... I was probably the more lame one for writing that...
DreamNZ- Thanks for saying it's an original plot! It's really hard to think up something original these days. It seems like everything's been done. I don't even really remember how I came up with it... I think I was bored at work or something! Anyway, I'm glad you reviewed and I hope you like the chapters to come!
A big white blur streamed past her and knocked one man flat to the ground. Then before she could get a good look the creature had already pounced on the companion and picked her up by the shirt. It tossed her onto its back and flew up above the woods.
"Kirara!" Kagome exclaimed. She was so happy to see an old friend her eyes watered a little and she buried her face in Kirara's furry neck. "Thank you for saving me! At least you still remember me. Kirara, can you take me to Kaede's?" Kirara growled in agreement and flew off for Kaede's home village.
When Kirara landed Kagome hopped off and hurriedly made her way to Kaede's hut. She walked in the door without bothering to knock and immediately proceeded to run and jump into the arms of the old woman. Kagome was so overwhelmed by all that had happened to her that all she could do was cry for a solid fifteen minutes. Kaede was a patient woman and waited for Kagome to calm down before asking the nature of such a visit.
"Dear child, what has happened? Where are all the others? Has some trouble befallen Inuyasha? He is not... dead, is he?"
Kagome sniffled a few times before answering. "He might as well be. Naraku has cursed them all. The only one who still remembers me is Kirara."
"When did this happen? I was wondering why none of ye had come back to visit me in such a long time."
"I don't know how long ago... Naraku cursed them and then took me prisoner in his castle. I only just escaped."
"Dear child," Kaede said as she pulled Kagome back into her grand motherly embrace.
"We have to find them all, Kaede. They could be doing damage to the villages Naraku sent them to. He told Inuyasha to attack one of them."
"Yes, yes. Ye must find them. There's no telling what Naraku could do to them if they don't remember who he is."
"But Kaede, how do I get them to remember me? Inuyasha looked at me like he'd never seen me before. Miroku also didn't recognize me. Naraku said it was like the curse he put on Kohaku. I don't know if there's a way to undo it except by destroying Naraku. I can't do that by myself."
"How did ye escape Naraku's castle?" Kaede asked.
"I used my arrows... I pierced through his chest and shoulder. I was sure he would recover soon and come after me, but I made it out..."
"Remember child, your purifying abilities are extremely powerful. Ye may have cause Naraku more damage than ye thought. Ye may not have personal strength when fighting in engaged combat, but your arrows make ye almost as strong as Inuyasha. While Naraku is recovering, ye should find Inuyasha and the others. Kirara will keep ye safe."
"You're right. I won't be able to stand it if something bad happens to them. Kaede, do you know if there's a way to remove the curse Naraku put on them without killing him?"
"I may know of one, child, but I do not have the specifics. An old priestess friend of mine knows the spell but she lives quite a few villages away. I would have to travel to get it."
"Could I go and get it from her, Kaede? If she wrote it down for you then maybe we could try it here."
"That may work. I can give you directions on how to get there. It would only take half a day if ye rode on Kirara."
"Then it's settled. I'll go and get that spell," Kagome said with determination. "But first Kaede, I need to go home."
"Ah, yes. Your family must be very worried about ye. Take as much time as ye need. Kirara and I will wait until ye return."
"Thank you Kaede. I will be going now. I'll come back as soon as I can." Kagome raced off to the well. She decided that telling her mother the truth might result in her being banned from coming back. 'I'll just tell her I got really preoccupied...' she thought as she jumped into the well shaft.
A few days later, after explaining where she'd been and catching up on the mountain of school work she missed while she was away, Kagome returned to the feudal era. She and Kaede discussed plans, and then Kagome packed some food and restocked her quiver with newly made arrows, which were a gift from the villagers. She said good bye to Kaede, promising to return soon, and flew off on Kirara for the old priestess' village.
When Kagome finally reached her destination she was shocked to find that the small settlement had been pillaged. She and Kirara landed and Kagome hopped off.
"Hello? Is anyone still here?" She called but no one replied. "I think it's nothing but a ghost town now, Kirara." The demon cat answered with a whimper. "Can you smell anyone around?"
Kirara sniffed the air, then went to a hut and peered inside. She let out a growl and purposely looked at Kagome. The girl rushed over to see what the cat had found. The room was completely empty except for a small object lying near the door. Kagome gasped and picked it up. It was a poison shield like the one Sango and the other demon slayers wore. It looked smaller than Sango's mask and it had blue ribbons instead of pink. Kagome assumed it was Kohaku's.
'But if this is Kohaku's, why aren't the buildings all slashed up by his chain sickle? And there are no bodies anywhere. There aren't even traces of blood on the ground. All that seems to have happened is the buildings have been ransacked.' She hurried out the door and checked the other huts. All were completely empty except for a few shattered objects left behind when they were broken in the scuffle. By now Kagome was completely perplexed.
'What happened here? And why was Kohaku's mask in the hut? Where are all the villagers? Normally when we find a village where Kohaku has been everyone's been slain and the houses are all destroyed.' Kagome looked at Kirara. The cat blinked back at her.
"Oh no! I forgot why we were originally here! The old woman and her spell... there's no chance of finding it now," Kagome moaned. She pressed her hands to her face. "What are we going to do now?"
Kirara then let out a low growl. Kagome looked up and saw a traveler coming towards her. She readied her bow and grabbed an arrow just in case. When the figure got closer Kagome could see it was a farmer hiking with a stick. He was carrying a load of grains on his back.
"Excuse me, sir? Can you help me?" Kagome called and waved. The man waved back and approached her.
"What is it you want, little lady?"
"Do you know what happened to this village? I was sent to find someone who lived here."
"Ah, this village was attacked a few days ago. A band of thieves came and took everything the villagers owned. Killed a lot of them. I was one of the men who helped clean up this place after it happened. The others who survived ran off to the town just east of here. They're still there as far as I know."
"Do you know anything about this mask, and why it would be here?" Kagome showed him Kohaku's poison shield. The man examined it, then whistled.
"Well... I did see a young boy wearing a mask like that. He was hanging around this here village before it was attacked."
'It must have been Kohaku...' Kagome thought. "Do you know if the old priestess who lived here is still alive?"
"Oh, yes, I think I know the one you mean. She managed to escape the raid and is now living in that town I told you about."
Kagome brightened considerably. "Thank you very much! I must be off now. Kirara." She hopped over the cat's back and they took off for the other village. Kagome thought about what happened while they soared through the sky.
'Kohaku was there before the village was attacked. He must have dropped his mask. But why? Why would Naraku send him there? And why would he get a band of thieves to attack the village instead of Kohaku himself?'
Kirara spotted the town the farmer was talking about. She landed outside of it and transformed into her little form with a mew. Then the two wandered into the town. Kagome was aware of the strange looks she got from the residents. 'I must look rather odd with my school uniform,' she thought. 'Still, I need to find out where that old woman lives'
She asked several vendors, but discovered they were not from the area. Then she tried a woman walking with her small child.
"Excuse me ma'am, but can you tell me where the old priestess is staying? She used to live in the village that was attacked."
"Oh yes, you mean Priestess Ame. She's staying in the temple right now." The woman pointed. Kagome thanked her and called to Kirara, who was purring while the small child petted her. Kirara somewhat reluctantly followed Kagome up the small hill to the gates of the temple. When she had made it up the long staircase, she asked the guards at the door if she could talk to the priestess Ame who was staying there. They told Kagome where the priestess could be found and she passed through into a grand hall. The architecture was detailed and intricate. Many beautiful paintings and artwork decorated the walls. Silk screens and all sorts of pottery were on display.
'Miroku would have a hay day in here,' Kagome smiled to herself. She found the wing the guard had directed her to and suddenly felt timid as she knocked on the door of the room where the old priestess was residing.
"Come in dear child. I have been expecting you," a weary old voice said deep from behind the door. "Do not be shy."
Kagome slid the door over and peeked her head around. The room was dimly lit by small candles that were placed everywhere. Brightly colored cloths adorned with tassels draped down from the ceiling. Incense was burning a sweet smell, and large hand fans were mounted on the wall. On them were painted mountain scenes, and one had a tree full of birds. Kagome was so busy looking at the decor of the room she failed to notice the priestess herself.
"Come child, you do not have all day," she said. Kagome trailed her eyes over to Ame, who was sitting under a canopy of cloth and had candles placed in a circle around her. A large book was open next to her. Kagome reflected that Ame and her paraphernalia said "sorceress" more than "priestess."
"I came here to ask you-"
"For the memory spell, correct?"
"How did you know?" Kagome asked, astonished.
"I have my ways, child. What is your name?"
"Kagome," she responded.
"You need this spell for your friends, who have been put under a curse by a demon named Naraku, correct?" The old woman was staring into a small bowl of water she had in front of her. "Yes... but how do you-"
"I sometimes have predictions, my dear. Now, my old friend Kaede sent you, didn't she?"
"She did. She said you had the spell to lift the curse. I desperately need it."
The old woman grinned like a cat. "Someone very special, very dear to you needs it, doesn't he?"
Kagome blushed and thought of Inuyasha. "Yes," she admitted.
"All of your friends still harbor their real memories inside them. You must find a way to access those memories and bring them back to reality. There is a chant you can say, but you will have to find the one thing that can bring each of your friends back. It can be an object, or something they said often. You will have to discern what it is. This goes along with the chant. For each one it will be different. If you know your friends well enough, you should be able to bring them back."
"Oh thank you," Kagome said gratefully.
"And dear, when you bring back your special friend, remember to go for it."
Kagome looked at her questioningly, but the old woman just grinned and moved on to teach Kagome the chant. "Now, say it again."
Kagome repeated:
"You who know not of thy past,
stop thy act and hear me say,
this memory is not to last,
remember thy true self this day."
"Good. That's perfect. Say this chant to the person, and then show them an object or perform the thing that will make the person remember his real life. It should work dearie."
"Oh, yes I do. A young boy brought a roving band of thieves to attack my village. While they plundered our huts that boy came straight to me. He threw poison powder into my room. Then he seemed to come out of a trance and ran in to save me. He got me out the back door in time, but unfortunately a thief got to him. He ripped off the boy's mask and knocked him unconscious."
"That poor boy... I... I think I know who that boy was..." Kagome said.
"Kohaku. Yes, I know who that boy was too. Naraku had a plan. I think Kohaku was to destroy me while the village was under attack, but he regained control over himself and saved me instead. The thieves were to cover up for Kohaku. It is my belief that Naraku wanted to prevent you from seeing me."
"Naraku didn't want me to see you?"
"Why yes. Because now you have the spell to reverse his terrible curse."
"I see. Well, it makes me very glad to hear that Kohaku's memories can still be revived too..."
"Someday yes. But you must first revive your friends."
Kagome nodded. She wrote down the chant before she forgot it, and then thanked the old woman profusely. "Dear, one more thing: It may not be easy to get your friends back. You may have to dig up the past, and it may hurt. Be careful child."
Kagome gave a slight nod and then took her leave.
That night Kagome returned to Kaede's hut and told the details of her visit. "It sounds as though Ame hasn't changed a bit," Kaede said with fondness.
"She certainly was... eccentric," Kagome said. "But she was nice. And she knew everything about me."
"Yes, Ame always had the ability to see things that others cannot."
"Well, I guess tomorrow is it. I hope that they aren't too hard to find," Kagome said wearily. Suddenly the task ahead seemed like an impossible one.
"Ye will do fine, child. Get some much needed rest, and tomorrow ye will be refreshed and ready. Ye can do it, I have faith in ye."
"Thanks Kaede," Kagome said. She got into her sleeping bag and settled down. It took her awhile to fall asleep, as her mind was troubled with worry and doubt, but finally Kagome's eyes closed and she dreamed about Inuyasha.
Okay! Another chapter posted. Next in Kagome's Courage: Traces of Sango