Disclaimer: Own only what I've made up.
Author's Note:
Wow, it's been a pretty long time. I found that writing about Kagura was really easy…These are all just like filler chapters. Can't think…
Dark Lineage
Shade Eleven
Inuyasha rested some distance away from the exterminator and monk, who were still arguing, if in quieter and hoarser voices than before. It had been a while since he had seen the contents of the letter, and he was still thinking over what it meant. Sachiko had told him not to trust anyone, and he hadn't, to the extent of his knowledge. But now, Kieoko had decided to pop up with this strange letter that explained everything neatly. Maybe too neatly as well, but it all fit perfectly. Well, perfectly minus a few missing pieces in their knowledge.
Would he end up falling for the second face that resembled his first love? It was true that he had only talked to Kagome in the first place because he thought that she was Kikyo, even though to his memories, Kikyo had just shot him. He had grown to know the girl beneath the familiar face though, and could now love her for who she was.
But now that girl had split again, into two people. He could now begin to appreciate the exact blend of personalities that was Kagome, and Kagome's alone. The two different combinations of what had once been her weren't easy to put up with.
"Would you two shut up?" he asked nicely, getting impatient. He hoped they didn't notice that he had asked after a long period of thinking. The thoughts he had been having weren't to be shared. They glared at him, both opening their mouths to protest.
"Could we please do what we're supposed to be doing, and at least fabricate a story for that Kagome before we start wasting time!" He cut in before any words could be said.
"Oh, look, Inuyasha knows how to use the word fabricate." Sango said dully, beginning to use her brain for something other than remembering Miroku's little incidents.
"Shut up." Miroku mumbled, holding his bruised face, uncharacteristically sullen.
"Just tell her that Kieoko sent us a letter saying that there's a lot of danger to her and we have to protect her more." Sango dismissed the subject. Inuyasha brought it back up again; glad to have some leverage on her, for some perverse reason.
"And what of the enormous amount of time we took to 'discuss' it?" He asked sarcastically.
"Oh. Well."
There was little that she could do now. Just sit back and wait, since she had given up her one chance for direct revenge. She had been allowed one trip through the well, and lately she'd doubted her choice.
Was it really for the best? All the misgivings that had been shoved aside rose again.
It had been a rare moment of selflessness when she had jumped through the time transport. It would probably be the only one for a while, perhaps the only one forever. Kagura wasn't created to be nice. And now, she was stuck in modern times, among automatic toilets and lame pickup lines.
But she wanted to go back. Back to where she had inspired fear, and commanded great power and influence. She still did; everyone was still talking about the new Goth girl. Her 'mother' had made arrangements; Kagura had made sure that the uniform was connected to strange, tragic events in her past – to their eyes, anyway. She wasn't really Goth, she just liked the color black because it was so devoid of everything else.
She was ruling over everything. Everything important to them, maybe.
She wasn't ruling over where she wanted to rule, though. She wanted to rule in the feudal era. Then, she could fight Naraku directly, instead of sending the baby version of Kagome back with only bits and pieces of what she remembered. Why had she even tried to help her? The little girl would never repay her.
She walked to school quickly, knowing that Kagome wouldn't be there for a while. It was to be expected. She should have waited, but Naraku shouldn't live for a day more than necessary. The people on the sidewalks either met her gaze curiously or avoided it. It was ridiculous, these mortals didn't understand anything. To be a demon was not a privilege or a reward, it was simply for the deserving, as she had been. The Fates must have allowed for her skills. Naraku might not have necessarily made her a demon; a human would also have served if it had the same powers.
"Kagura, you see Kagome anywhere?" A boy in front of her asked briskly and rudely. She looked up, not the least bit happy that he had interrupted her lamentations.
"No. Why you asking?" She shot back, just as impolitely.
"We need to talk." He said shortly. Kagura blinked.
"You need to talk to me?"
"No, stupid, to Kagome." He replied absently, still looking around as if looking for her would make her appear. Kagura looked him up and down and asked,
"Are you the Hojo that she's always talking about?"
"No. Do I even look like that ass?" he growled, finally focusing on the demon. He rubbed the back of his head tiredly.
"I wouldn't know." She replied coolly, looking past his changing green eyes. "But I do know that you're a demon. Of a kind, anyway and you're… But that's the first name that came into my mind. You understand."
"Of course." He said sarcastically, losing interest in her.
"Kumiko…" She furrowed her brow, knowing that name was important.
"Naraku!" she cried out after him, making him pause and wheel around.
"I know what's wrong with your aura and scent now." she hissed furiously, backing away with a hand raised in front of her.
"You took a blood oath to the bastard, didn't you. You're the Changer person that he was gloating over, you little – why did you do it? What's in it for you?"
"Nothing but the pride I'll be taking when I break her over and over again. It has nothing to do with what the Spider wants, and everything to do with what I want. You should know, I'm more in control than anyone could possibly guess. Kagura, I merely thought you were named after the wind sorceress. From this, I can guess that you are her, here for some reason." Kumiko smiled, emotionlessly advancing.
"Naraku's been looking for you. It's made him quite angry, that one of his precious incarnations escaped. I think I should take you back." He said calmly, grabbing her arm. Kagura struggled to get away, but his grip tightened and his features took on a feral look.
Casting a hurried look around, he began running back in the direction that she had just traveled.
"Where are you taking me!" She demanded angrily, reaching for her powers and finding them eluding her struggling control.
"You haven't been listening, have you?" He replied, annoyed.
"I have, but how the hell do you intend to get me back there?" she shot back, finally grasping her new abilities, and freezing him as he ran. Kumiko looked down calmly at his legs, and suddenly started running again. Kagura growled, and tried again, immobilizing his entire body. He quickly undid her spell and walked instead.
"This is going to take a while." He muttered, hoisting the girl over his shoulder.
"You're damn right it will." She said again, twisting in an escape attempt.
"Look, let's come to an agreement." He said after a few more minutes of trying to restrain a squirming girl. They had drawn more than their share of strange looks already.
"After you answer my question." She responded doggedly, kicking him into a bush. She stepped back, and prepared to get attacked. Kagura was surprised when he laughed softly, and picked himself up.
"I don't know why he wants you back, but it's obvious that you hated him even when you were bonded. I already told you that I'm in control of our connection. I might be able to help you break free completely, if you can do a few things for me."
Without waiting, he strode along the path they had been taking, if rather roughly.
Giving a frustrated growl, Kagura ran to catch up. He had left her hanging, on purpose. It had worked very well.
"Give me one reason why I would want to get any closer to the bastard who enslaved me."
"Simple. To kill him."
"And how would I do that? The hanyou has been trying for quite a while, him and his friends. And he is much more powerful than I, much as I hate to admit it."
"Before, you were trying with your wind powers. I know something has changed, time travel can do that to you. What powers do you have now?"
"I – I don't know for sure. I can read weaker minds, without trying, and most others with a little effort. If I imagine something happening, it can happen, with varying degrees of success depending on how much concentration I put into it. It's all strength of mind, I guess. I haven't used it much since I found that I had lost my control over wind."
It hadn't been too pleasant, that revelation. Upon recognizing that her link with Naraku had been severed, she had immediately removed her tattered and bloodied feather to escape to a safer area. It had grown, but when she stepped into it, it fell apart. It would have been fine if she had been close to the ground, but the vehicle had only deteriorated after transporting her for a few hundred feet. The fall had not helped her already severe injuries.
She had taken her time learning about her powers, like a helpless newborn it was trial and error. At first the ex-wind sorceress didn't even recognize that her powers were gone. It had taken many coincidences before she finally figured out what had happened.
Then, the dark miko had come. It was plain that she was of a lower class from the humble way she spoke, but that had been with enough arrogance anyway. The choice had been given to her, to stay or to go to the future. The conversation had been calm and collected enough, but just recollecting it sent shivers up her spine, for whatever reason.
It had been in the afternoon, the sun had been quite bright. She had been recovering in a secluded area many trees. The shadows rippled on the leaves, cast by the others high above them. Kagura was sitting at the base of a tree close by the entrance of her hut. It had taken her a few painstaking days to make it comfortable, but the frustration had faded over already. Her mood was content.
It was a peaceful atmosphere, but it was instantly broken when a slight rustle alerted her to the presence of something else. The intruder seemed to sense that it had been detected, and more noise came in her direction.
Kagura stiffened, knowing she would make easy prey for just about anything.
Finally, the disturber came into view, brushing leaves from her clothes. She wore a white veil that covered the front of her entire upper body, and a contrasting black skirt. Kagura raised an eyebrow at the outfit, but kept the motion small, just in case. She hated being so weak and submissive, but it was survival of the fittest. If it meant acting as a inferior person; so be it.
"You are Kagura?" She asked briskly in a clipped accent. Kagura nodded, but made no move to stand up.
"I have been or – asked to convey an important decision to you. That is, you will have to make a decision that will make a great impact on many things." The veiled woman seemed to pause and collect her thoughts, which was just as well. She was beginning to sound like an errand runner and her message, trivial.
"Your choices are to either stay here and retain your wind powers, or to go to where Kagome is from, and lose the powers. There is a slight chance that something in you will change when you leave though, so you may gain something better in the process." She said in a slower tone, frowning.
"And I would want to do that because?" Kagura asked harshly.
"Many reasons. If you go to the future, you can influence Kagome more. If you pretend to lose your memory, that will help you. Naraku can be toppled more easily if you go. On the other hand, if you stay here, there are numerous advantages as well."
"You're confusing me on purpose."
"Of course not. If you do decide to go to the future, you must go to her well by sundown the day after tomorrow. That's how long we can hold the portal open for you for."
She had left stealthily, leaving Kagura with a wealth of information.
"She told me a lot…" Kagura murmured now, not quite aware that she had spoken aloud. Kumiko spared her a glance, and hurried his pace a little more.
She had told the former wind-sorceress a lot, but it had been up to her to piece the information together. Using logic and common sense, and a great deal of strange happenings, she had managed to figure out what the human had been trying to say.
Kumiko slid back the door and gently shoved her.
"Jump in."
"You crazy? The well only works for Kagome. Well for me, only once though, she said they couldn't hold it open after I got in."
"Stupid, they said they couldn't hold it, not that they wouldn't be able to open it again." He said with a sniff. "Get in."
"I – I don't know about this anymore. What if-" Her protest were cut off as Kumiko, finally losing patience, simply grabbed her around the waist and jumped in.
If she had been facing the front, or even had her eyes open, she might have seen a symbol that would have changed her mind. It flashed in a burst of white light, clashing against the blue backdrop. Kumiko smiled when he saw it, knowing that everything was going according to plan.
"So? What'd it say?" Kagome asked eagerly, jumping up when she finally saw thing walking back. Inuyasha landed heavily in front of her and said,
"Kieoko just said you were in a bunch more danger than you usually are. Keh. It's not like that's something unusual." Inuyasha mumbled, looking away. Kagome nodded slowly.
"Why'd you take so long then? You're hiding something."
"Of course not. Sango and Miroku got into some…disagreements."
"Well then, why didn't you come back earlier and give them some privacy?"
"You think I would – oh, never mind."
"Shippo's sleeping, as you can see." Kagome said, grasping for something to say in the uncomfortable silence that followed.
"Yes. I have eyes."
"I'm sorry."
The disturbing thing was, she really did look sorry. Inuyasha sighed, and muttered,
"It's alright. Don't freak out over it."
Another silence fell; this time no one tried to break it. The fire crackled, and the water boiled over in a rush of bubbling steam. Kagome silently poured it into the waiting cups of ramen.
"So, Miroku, why's your face all red?" She asked finally, desperate to displace the gloomy feeling.
"I was letting Sango use it for a punching bag." He said cheerily, picking up his chopstick and reaching for a cup.
"Why is everyone being so quiet! You're all hiding something, and I want to know what it is now." she demanded in a quiet voice.
"It's nothing. Just let me eat in peace!" Inuyasha growled helplessly, knowing that she would keep digging until she got the answers.
"After you tell me."
"There's nothing."
"There is."
"There's nothing."
"There is. Tell me."
"Even if there was, I wouldn't." He finally sighed, tired already.
"You're gonna regret that." She said.
'I already know I will.'
She twirled her fingers in her mist placidly. Her sister obviously wasn't going to tell her anything more of her plans, and so that was the extent of what she could do for the Nobu. Resurrected people might not have the same limits as the still-living, but they still shared some of the more common limitations. What was shut in the mind was closed to the world, as no one that any knew of had telepathic powers.
"Why are you still here?" Akira asked, just as calmly examining her hair. She turned it into a dark blue color, and seemed satisfied with how it looked.
"Do I have anywhere better to go?" Mitsuko responded lazily.
"Of course. You're staying for the pleasure of my company, is that it?" her sister asked sarcastically, reaching for a hairbrush.
"As if watching you groom yourself is entertaining."
"It could be, if you had the correct body parts to appreciate it."
"Which I'm thankful that I don't have."
"You would, wouldn't you." The Nanashi sighed without further elaborating.
"Just because I've loosened my hold around your neck doesn't mean you have to get all 'chummy' with me again. Not that we were that close in the first place…"
"I just feel like leeching off of your worldly goodies." Mitsuko replied, her tone dripping every bit as much sarcasm as the other had before.
"There's no point in doing that; they're for the living only," Akira smiled pointedly, "and you, I'm afraid, aren't living. You've got your limits. I still control you, all of you no matter what you think."
"Damn you."
"Sorry, I've already been there and back." a subtle gesture brought another dark miko to their room. The Nanashi handed the girl the brush and sat back, waiting for her to start her ministrations.
"Sorry dear, but you don't hold any rank over me." The voice said mockingly.
"Kieoko, stop fooling and start already."
"I'm not. I've been liberated from you. It's not going to make much of a difference; you could never control me as much as you thought you could. Kumiko will be returning soon. You should get ready." The miko sneered at her now-equal companion.
"This is abrupt. And very forced." Akira said tightly. Something like this had been expected, but she had not thought that the Nobu would take away Kieoko, who had been a strong element in her planning.
"Isn't everything?"
"No. When do you think he'll arrive? And what exactly do you mean 'I should get ready'?"
"In about…hm, we'll say a few hours. He's bringing someone with him. You should be pleased. Another link has fallen into place."
Author's Note:
Sorry for the weird, stupid ending...
Review!
Thanks to Myriadragon for beta-ing this chapter! (Well, this isn't that version, haven't gotten it back yet. I got bored, you see. )
Chapter Twelve is almost done.
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