Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter or any of the universes you see here.
Thanks to moirariordan, Lorielle, possom2009, Andrew Roberts, Lady Phoenix Slytherin, Aishwarya, Harry/GinnyFan4ever, Dark Betrayal, Adrelliehs, cominggilr, the DragonBard, OrionTheHunter, Tanydwr, Tenshi No Hikaru, gaul1 for reviewing!
Q&A
Andrew Roberts- Thanks for the suggestions. Those just might work.
Aishwarya- Yeah, I was hoping to make the Inuyasha world friendly to those who don't know it too well. I figured I'd cross it over with Buffy in soon, and Angel will be thrown in (most likely). X-Men is a little trickier, but I might do it.
Dark Betrayal- Yu Yu Hakusho is another one of those worlds that I could see crossed over, but I need to work a few things out. But it's a personal favorite of mine, like Inuyasha, so it has a good chance of making it.
Adrelliehs- It's quite alright to ask. It's multiple crossovers, to make things interesting. Voldemort's powers are currently under wraps (you don't want the story spoiled now, do you?).
the DragonBard- Interesting idea. I'm playing with that idea of the sword being changed, but I'm not quite sure yet. It won't happen in this universe, but may be changed later. All Harry's items have significant impact on the story. Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I have heard of all of them, but I don't have enough knowledge of them to make a good plotline yet. If you could get me a site or something with some info in your next review, that'd be great.
Tanydwr- He can get immortality here, but if something goes wrong… Extra ideas are always welcome, though.
Tenshi No Hikaru- FF8? Well, I have chosen two Final Fantasy games already, but maybe. I don't really know enough about FF8, having never played farther than past the tutorial. Starfox? Sorry, I can't exactly work that in, not with the plot I've created. Yes, there is an actual, real, plot to this! Grandia X, I'm sorry to say I've never heard of.
AN: Sorry this took so long. Apparently my muse has decided that this story must be elongated and changed a bit. That, and the fact that I'm coming up with more plot bunnies than two rabbits in a sock. I got sidetracked with many other stories, three stories in particular, and I'm hoping one, at least, will be ready to go soon. All of them are darker and one is angsty, something I don't really have much of a stomach for. These chapters are going to have to go slower than my other stories, mainly because of the length of the chapters. The reason that Chapter 2 came out quicker was due to the fact that it was already 50% finished by the time Chapter 1 was up. Anyways, Inuyasha is going to be AU, as I'm going to end the series within this story. (I'd like to write how I think they'll kill Naraku.)
Chapter 3 Wandering and Deceit
The next morning, it was clear to see that the tension residing between Harry and Inuyasha had vanished, and a kind of truce was place there instead.
As Kagome went up to practice with her bow, not wanting to get rusty, especially now that things were getting more and more dangerous. As she finished another round with fairly good results, Ginny approached her. "Wow… could you teach me how to do that?" She asked.
Kagome smiled at the girl. "Sure. I'm not that great, but I can teach you. Lady Kaede should be able to help us out too." She mused, and called out, "Lady Kaede! Could you help me teach Ginny to use the bow?"
Kaede stepped out of the hut slowly, and gave Kagome a warm smile. "Of course child."
As the three women set up to train Ginny in archery. "Now, are you right or left handed?" Kagome asked as she handed Ginny an extra bow and arrows.
"Right." Ginny replied, taking the bow into her hands and strapping the arrows to her back.
"Now, hold the bow firmly with your left hand in the middle area, where the cloth is." Kagome instructed, and Ginny nodded and followed the instructions. "Next," Kagome continued, "take an arrow from your arrow pouch with your right hand, over your shoulder. Just like that." Kagome said as Ginny grabbed the arrow. "Now put the end of arrow on the string, and position the tip on the cloth. Pull the string as tight as possible. And, fire!"
Ginny released the arrow, and was pleased to see it fly straight, hitting the target a bit to the right. "I did it!" She cried happily.
"Good job Ginny! You're a quick study!" Kagome praised.
After a few more tries, Ginny's progress was quite good, proving to be a natural in archery. "Very good child. It is rare to see one so young so skilled in archery. You are truly exceptional."
Ginny blushed with the praise, trying to wave it off. "Do you think I could make one on my own?" Ginny asked, wanting to keep a weapon with her, just in case.
"Sure! We have some extras, Ginny. There's no need for that." Kagome assured her, and Ginny smiled gratefully and thanked her and Kaede. "We'll have to teach you to make arrows, though you'll need to be careful!"
"It's too bad I didn't bring my trunk. It could carry any arrows I make, and some of that delicious food from last night." Ginny said wistfully. At this, Kagome was struck with a sudden idea, and decided to act on it.
"Well, I have to go run some errands back home now, but I'll be back before night. We'll tell the story of the Shikon Jewel tonight, okay?" Kagome asked, her eyes twinkling.
"Sure." Ginny responded. "Wait? What do you mean, home? Where do you live?" She asked, thinking that the village was her home.
"Oh, I live on the other side of the Bone-Eaters well, in the future." Kagome responded.
"The future?" Ginny asked, her bright brown eyes widening.
"Yeah. It's kind of hard, juggling helping around here and doing schoolwork at home." Kagome said wearily.
"Could I see the well?" Ginny said curiously.
"Sure!" Kagome said, and the two girls walked off into the woods.
Meanwhile, in the back of the village, close to the woods, Harry was trying out his new staff, not having any time yesterday to test its capabilities, while Hedwig watched curiously. He raised it, waved it, but it gave him no response. Maybe I should try doing magic with it? Harry wondered. Let's start small, He decided.
Harry raised the staff, focusing on the rock in front of him with a Banishing Charm, the way he had trained to do it wandlessly, by taking the magic from his very core and shaping it, but this time, he had a focus to make things easier. He found it even easier than a wand to use as his magic nearly instinctively formed around the staff. A second later, the rock was blasted from it's resting spot and into a tree across from Harry, smashing the tree and causing it to fall. Harry gave a small gasp of surprise before dodging out of the way.
Hedwig gave an indignant hoot, and glared at Harry, who smiled apologetically.
Okay… The staff is VERY good at focusing magic.
Harry decided that he would play it safe with his new staff, unwilling to see the results of a more powerful spell just yet. He decided to start on another basic spell. "Lumos." Harry said quietly.
The mini star that popped out from the tip of the staff was blinding, glaring, to all those who happened to look upon it. Harry was amazed at how bright it was. For the first couple of weeks in wandless training, his Lumos spell had been weak, barely able to glow, much less illuminate. His wand normally could illuminate a room like a 360 flashlight, albeit a weak one. But this, this was truly extraordinary.
Harry considered how powerful something like the Exploding Spell could be with this staff as his focus, or even the Killing Curse. Harry hated the thought of using such a dangerous and not to mention illegal, curse, but it seemed an ever-present option for him. Harry tried his best to think of another, better way to do things. None came just yet.
Still, Harry decided that testing anymore of the staff's capabilities wasn't smart around flammable objects. He turned away, and began a slow walk towards the village, savoring the clean air and the sunshine on the beautiful day. It wasn't often that he got a chance to simply sit down and enjoy something like this.
Of course, his thoughts strayed to obvious problems. They were stranded, with little information about Voldemort, very little intelligence or reconnaissance, and with no hope of returning home save if Voldemort went back and they were lucky enough to follow.
What if he's already left? What if we'll never get home? What if-
Harry's thoughts were interrupted when Hedwig flew towards his shoulder, squeezing it tightly with her razor sharp talons, as if reassuring him that in the end, everything would be okay. Harry just wished he could truly believe it, now more than ever.
Kagome led Ginny deep into the woods, close to where the God Tree stood, until they neared another clearing. In the center of the clearing lay an ancient, dried up well. "Well, this is it!" Kagome said, snickering at her slight pun.
"That's not funny." Ginny said dryly, but she chuckled along with Kagome. "So, you go down this creepy looking well a lot?" She asked, once the chuckling had subsided.
"Yeah." Kagome said, sighing wistfully. "It's tough. I'd better hurry, though."
Ginny raised her eyebrow questioningly, and Kagome added, "Inuyasha doesn't like it when I go back. Once he tried to cover up the well!"
"Sounds like he misses you a lot." Ginny teased, and Kagome blushed. She wasn't used to being teased, seeing as how only a few people knew she was here, and even fewer knew how she felt towards a certain half-demon.
"Yeah, he misses his jewel detector." Kagome said this in a joking manner, but there was no mistaking the slightly bitter edge to her voice.
"Hey, I'm sure he cares about you a lot." Ginny said soothingly, noting that she hit a sore spot.
Kagome suddenly smiled, her cheerful demeanor rarely affected for long, except by Inuyasha. "Maybe." Kagome said, then finally stood up. "Well, I'd better get going."
Just then, a red blur dashed out of the woods, and landed in front of the two girls, causing them to shriek in fright. "Inuyasha!" Kagome cried angrily, once they realized who was in front of them. "Don't do that!"
"Where are you going?" Inuyasha asked roughly, ignoring the rants of Kagome.
"Back home. I need to go get some supplies." Kagome stated, and looked right into Inuyasha's eyes, challenging him to say something. Of course, Inuyasha rarely ever thinks before he acts, especially in the presence of certain women.
"No you're not. You're staying here! We need to get back to tracking Naraku!" Inuyasha snarled, and stepped closer to Kagome.
"Inuyasha." Kagome said sweetly, and both he and Ginny, who had been watching the argument with amusement etched on her features, looked at her in confusion. "Sit."
By the time Inuyasha picked himself out of the hole in the ground, Kagome was down the well, and Ginny was already walking away back towards the woods, giggling.
"Damn rosary." Inuyasha swore, and took off back to the woods in a huff.
By the time Kagome returned, night had almost fallen. "Kagome!" Sango called out cheerfully, waving towards the younger girl.
"Sango!" Kagome said, smiling at the girl she considered a surrogate sister.
"What's in the bags, Kagome?" Sango asked, now noticing the large backpacks and bags Kagome was carrying.
"Just some extra supplies for Ginny and Harry." Kagome smiled.
Sango smiled back at the younger girl, at the kindness and compassion that this young woman held. In a way, she was the glue that held the rest of the group together. All of them, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and especially Inuyasha, were broken souls with no one else, and this young woman came into their lives and changed them all for the better. "You're always so considerate, Kagome." Sango praised, and Kagome blushed.
"It was nothing. They need it, and I have more than enough money from my saved allowance. I don't really need it, seeing as how I spend most of my time here." Kagome said, waving away the praise. "Now, let's get inside. I need to deliver these presents and we still need to give Ginny and Harry the full scoop on Naraku." Kagome's voice turned serious as she turned to the issue of Naraku, and Sango's face changed as well.
"Indeed. Let's go then. It's a long tale." Sango said, grabbing some of the bags to lighten the load for Kagome, who smiled and thanked her.
Kagome and Sango strode into the hut. The scene that greeted them was quite peaceful, which was relieving, with all the problems of these days. Ginny was talking with Shippo, and both of them were smiling as Ginny related some tale from her world, while Harry leaned against the wall behind them, watching the two of them with his emerald eyes showing fondness and contentment. Miroku leaned against the wall next to him, in meditation, Hedwig lay perched near Harry, on a tiny alcove that had been placed for her, while Inuyasha was nowhere in sight. They took in this sight, before Shippo called out happily, "Kagome!"
The tiny fox demon grabbed his unconsciously adopted mother, smiling. Kagome smiled fondly down on the tiny fox demon, and greeted him. "Hello, Shippo. Did you have fun while I was away?"
"Ginny was telling me about her brothers!" Shippo said, pointing towards the redhead, who sat near the fire where Shippo had come from. Harry smiled at Kagome, and said, "Hello Kagome."
Miroku, opened his eyes and smiled at Kagome. "Welcome back, Kagome."
"Hi Harry, hi Miroku. Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously, hoping the hotheaded half demon wasn't too angry with her for leaving.
"I haven't seen him all day." Harry shrugged.
"Miroku?" Sango asked, turning towards the monk, who was still leaning against the wall, relaxed.
"I think he's in the forest." Miroku offered, but shrugged as well.
Kagome sighed. "I guess he's still upset." She stepped outside, and called out for Inuyasha, but he didn't respond. Kagome rolled her eyes. He can be so immature sometimes.
"Well, I guess we can tell the story without him." Kagome said as she went back inside. "So, I'll start at the beginning." Kagome braced herself for the retelling of the horrors of Naraku.
For over an hour, Harry and Ginny listened in rapt attention with a mixture of disgust and horror and the crimes of this demon. Kagome told them how the thief Onigumo, who was badly burned, wished to take the Shikon Jewel and Kikyo, the Priestess who guarded the jewel, and how he called forth the demons of the area to feast upon his body and soul to create an new one, and how it became Naraku. How Naraku tricked Kikyo and Inuyasha fifty years ago, into attacking each other. He killed Kikyo while taking Inuyasha's form, so Kikyo would think Inuyasha betrayed her. Kikyo sealed Inuyasha to the God Tree, then, with her last breath, requested to be cremated along with the jewel, rather than taint the Sacred Jewel by using it to keep herself alive.
Miroku told the story of his Wind Tunnel, how soon after, his grandfather fought many times with Naraku before Naraku tricked his grandfather by assuming the form of a woman. Sango interjected that Miroku's family were lechers at that point. After the laughs had subsided, Miroku continued by telling them that Naraku cut a hole in his grandfather's right hand that formed the Wind Tunnel. It was a curse that would grow every year, until it swallowed its host, and would be passed down from generation to generation until Naraku was destroyed.
Kagome picked up the tale again, telling them how she came to the Feudal Era and met Inuyasha and the others. How she broke the Sacred Jewel, and how they discovered Naraku's treachery after Kikyo was revived in a clay body. She told them, much to their shock, that she was Kikyo's reincarnation, and how she almost lost her soul to Kikyo. She told them of the first of Naraku's new treacheries, how he maneuvered Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's full demon half brother, who desired the Tetsusaiga that their father passed down to him. Kagome told them how Naraku, even at that point, had at least a score of jewel shards, and how they first encountered Naraku (Leaving out the part beforehand where Inuyasha threw her down the well to protect her, as well as the drama that happened afterwards). She told them how to identify Naraku, with a spider mark on his back and the back of his incarnations.
Sango picked up the story, her normally strong voice trembling as she retold how Naraku possessed Kohaku, her little brother, into killing her father and the other demon slayers. How Kohaku was killed, then resurrected by the power of the Sacred Jewel, which was corrupted and left Kohaku in the thrall of Naraku. At this point, her voice broke and Kagome placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and Miroku looked at her concernedly. Harry commented that this sounded like the Imperius Curse, and explained to the bewildered Japanese that it allowed wizards to control others to do their bidding.
Kagome began the next half of the tale, the crimes of Naraku only building. She told them how Naraku cunningly maneuvered Inuyasha and Koga, the wolf demon who had two shards of the Sacred Jewel in his legs, into a duel to the death. Miroku commented that Koga was in love with Kagome when she left that part out, and Kagome glared at him as Ginny giggled and Harry smirked.
She told them of Kagura, the Wind Sorceress who was one of Naraku's incarnations, and who had tried to betray Naraku once. She told them of Kanna, the strange girl who was not quite a demon, but possessed a mirror that could reflect attacks back at others, and steal souls.
She told them of the other Naraku incarnations, and how dangerous they were. She finished the tale by telling them of the latest incarnation, Muso, who was actually Onigumo ejected from Naraku's body. She told them how Naraku, Onigumo, and Inuyasha fought in a battle, and how that was about a week ago. She told them how Naraku's body could only hold itself together with Onigumo's heart, and how Naraku could choose his night of weakness and how he used those nights to strengthen himself.
As the tale came to a close, Harry and Ginny knew what they were up against if they were to encounter Naraku. They both hoped they would make it through. On the roof, a certain silver-haired half-demon lay just above them, reaffirming a vow to destroy Naraku at all costs.
As they drifted into silence after hearing this tale, Harry felt himself slowly drifting into his own mind, reflecting on how many other people were suffering because of some other evil force, and how nice it was to meet others who were like him, who had no real family anymore and one true foe.
Ginny broke the silence as she noticed something. "Kagome, what's in those bags?" She asked quietly.
"Oh! Right!" Kagome said, startled. "I forgot! I have something for you and Harry!" She said cheerfully, and presented both of them with medium sized backpacks, complete with food and sleeping bags.
Ginny's mouth dropped open at the gift, and Harry sputtered, "Kagome… this is too much! You didn't have to do all this!" He tried to hand it back to the black haired girl.
"It's fine, really!" Kagome insisted, pushing it back towards him. "I never spend my pocket money anyway! Just take it. You'll need it more than I will."
"Thank you, Kagome." Harry said quietly, and Ginny nodded. "This means a lot."
The next day, the group set out to find Naraku and Voldemort, their combined force they hoped would be enough to trounce their mighty foes.
As the day passed its peak, they stopped for lunch in a familiar clearing in the forest. Kagome cooked some ramen, something that neither Harry nor Ginny had ever had before. Harry had heard of it of course, but Aunt Petunia looked down on such 'unwholsome' foods.
As they enjoyed the hot, delicious soup, they relaxed, no conversation, just enjoying the beautiful day. Of course, a serene moment such as this could never last.
Suddenly, Miroku's grip on his staff tightened, Sango sat up from the rock she was laying against, and Inuyasha stood. "What is it?" Kagome asked.
"Something's coming." Inuyasha said quietly, moving towards the sword sheathed at his side. Harry stood as well, reaching for his staff and Ginny for her new bow and arrows.
The trees suddenly broke down as Naraku, in his familiar baboon skin disguise appeared! "NARAKU!" Inuyasha cried out angrily, and launched himself at it as he withdrew Tetsusaiga. Naraku did not move away in time to avoid Tetsusaiga, and his baboon skin ripped from the slash.
Naraku disguise ripped apart and revealed, instead of Naraku's visage, there were tentacles coming out of the torn baboon skin!
"A demon puppet!" Miroku snarled, smacking the puppet with his staff, which staggered under the strike, but quickly recovered and snapped his tentacles rapidly in whipping strokes, making Miroku dance away from his assault as well as Inuyasha.
"Naraku! You coward!" Inuyasha cried out as he dodged the lashing tentacles. "Come out and fight me!"
Harry decided to join in by firing an Impediment Jinx at the demon puppet, the power of his staff amplifying the spell, knocking the demon puppet into the ground. As Ginny shot him an amazed look, he withdrew Godric's sword and slashed at it. The puppet launched itself from the ground with its tentacles, and then struck out at Harry, who had to roll uncomfortably, but gave Sango a clear shot.
Sango hurled her Hiraikotsu, which tore through the air at an incredible speed, but the puppet smashed it aside easily.
"It's strong!" Sango cried out, dodging her own weapon.
"I'll get it!" Kagome stated, and fired one of her Sacred Arrows.
However, at this point, the demon puppet maneuvered a rock with its tentacles in front of the arrow, causing the arrow to expend its purifying powers on the stone instead of the puppet.
"Naraku's power is growing for one of his puppets to have grown so strong!" Miroku said, "I'll use the Wind Tunnel!"
"Wait!" Sango said as a new sound began growing. A very familiar sound.
"Naraku's poison insects! Damnit!" Miroku swore.
Ginny, deciding to help out after recovering from the amazement of watching a battle such as this, fired her own arrow.
The puppet smashed it aside, and move to bat Ginny aside, while striking for the others as well. Harry had his back towards Ginny, however, he Apparated aside from the tentacle headed towards him and put Ginny out of harms way as he reappeared.
"How did you-" Ginny began to ask, before another snapping tentacle broke any chance for conversation.
Harry snarled at the puppet, and leapt at it, striking several times with Godric's sword, while Inuyasha struck with Tetsusaiga at the same moment. The demon puppet was unable to keep up with the assault from the two men, and gave ground.
The puppet lost a tentacle to both Inuyasha and Harry's slashes, and retreated hastily, before snapping several more tentacles at the two men, who had to dodge aside.
Sango hurled her Hiraikotsu again, hoping to catch the puppet off guard, but it was not to be as the demon smashed it down into the ground, but it gave Kagome the opportunity she'd been waiting for as she fired another arrow.
This time, the demon barely managed to escape intact, but lost several tentacles to the path of Kagome's Sacred Arrow. The puppet struck out at Kagome, who barely dodged a few strikes and landed on her ankle, which twisted as she tried to move. As she groaned in pain, across from the demon, the demon prepared to strike. But he made one fatal error. He turned his back to Inuyasha. "WIND SCAR!"
The force of the Wind Scar, the tear in the wind where the demon energy meets, and the path to Tetsusaiga's ultimate power, struck the puppet from it's side, and completely annihilated it in a flash of yellow energy.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out concernedly, leaping towards the young woman.
"Kagome!" The other's cried out, and ran towards her side. Ginny reached her after Inuyasha, and brushed him aside.
The indignant half-demon yelled, "What the hell are you doing!"
"Leave her alone." Harry said gruffly, as Ginny ignored the angry ranting of Inuyasha.
"It's definitely twisted. I've had one of those in the past few months. Here. Let me fix it." Ginny said kindly, pointing her wand at Kagome's twisted ankle. "Integro Talus!"
There was a soft blue glow around Kagome's ankle, then it faded. The others looked on it bated breath, then Kagome opened her eyes. "The pain… it's gone…" She said in wonder. "Thank you!" She said, throwing her arms around the redhead.
"It was nothing," Ginny said, thankful Kagome's hugs weren't anywhere near as strong as her mother's. "Madam Pomfrey taught me that spell after I hurt my ankle."
Harry's eyes darkened at the mention of Ginny's hurt ankle, and he turned away, walking a short distance. "What's with him?" Inuyasha asked.
"Oh no." Ginny said sadly. "The battle I hurt my ankle in got his godfather killed. I guess he's still not over it."
Kagome looked shocked. "His godfather died?"
"Yeah. He's been pretty out of it ever since." Ginny said, watching Harry.
"He'll get over it." Inuyasha said gruffly, and Ginny smiled sadly.
"I hope so."
Back in Harry's world, Ronald Weasley was just awakening from a long night filled with emotional roller coasters. What the bloody hell happened… Ron groaned, feeling drowsier than normal.
"Ron? Oh good, you're awake!" Hermione cried out happily, throwing her arms around him.
Ron, though lacking most of the higher mental functions due to his unusual amount of drowsiness, realized that not only was there a female body pressing against him, but it was Hermione's body being pressed against him. He went scarlet, and Hermione followed, realizing what she was doing.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron finally asked, once he got over his embarrassment to notice that Hermione had been crying.
"Ron… don't you remember what happened?" Hermione asked sadly.
Ron thought for a moment, before the tumultuous events of the past two days returned. Harry and Ginny running after Voldemort through that bloody portal. Being knocked out by Snape after going on a rant at everyone for letting his best mate and his baby sister go through a portal to Merlin knows where. His mum's tearstained face. Dumbledore's saddened face.
That scared Ron more than anything else, even the uncertainty of Harry and Ginny's predicament, how scared and old Dumbledore looked. He was no longer the mighty Dumbledore, champion of the Light, defeater of Grindelwald, a rock of support, but an old man who was frightened for the closest thing he had to a grandson.
For even Ron knew that Dumbledore looked upon Harry in a grandfatherly way, and knew that the two of them had something special, that only they knew. Fighting the Dark's greatest warriors was what they shared, doing the impossible.
"Right…" Ron said, unable to express how helpless and scared he felt. "Did Dumbledore find anything?"
"No… I don't get it!" Hermione shrieked, "I don't understand what happened! There are no references to this in any of the books I've read!"
"You mean a reference to a bloody portal that leads to who the hell knows?" Ron asked sarcastically, too emotional to care if he hurt Hermione's feelings.
Hermione looked at him sharply. "Yes."
"Come on, Mione. Let's go have some breakfast." Ron said, swinging his legs over his bed.
"Um… Ron…" Hermione said, turning beet red.
"What? Oh…" Ron said, noticing that all he had on was a pair of Chudley Cannons boxers. "Um… Mione… could you turn around?"
Hermione looked startled, and blushed even harder, noticing that she had been staring. "Sorry! I'll be outside!" She said quickly, before bolting from the room.
Ron sighed, and muttered, "Girls."
Ten minutes later, Ron came downstairs to see the normally bustling and noisy kitchen of the Burrow unusually subdued. "Mornin." He yawned.
"Morning Ronniekins." George (or was it Fred?) remarked, only slight teasing in his tone. Harry and Ginny's predicament had even rained on their parade, to a degree.
Hermione didn't respond, instead blushing fiercely at the memory of the incident just a few minutes ago. Mrs. Weasley didn't respond either, but for a completely different reason.
"Mum?" Ron asked concernedly. "Are you alright?"
"What?" Mrs. Weasley said, distractedly, absentmindedly-flipping pancakes. It was then that Ron noticed that dozens of meals had been made by his mother, and not all of them breakfast foods.
"Mum?" Ron asked again.
"Forget it Ron. She's out of it. I asked her if she wanted a Ton-Tongue Toffee, and she said yes!" One of the twins remarked amazedly. "I didn't have the heart to give it to her."
"Why is she cooking so much?" Ron asked.
This time, Hermione answered. "She's relieving anxiety, I suppose. Cooking is her outlet."
"Then she must cook a lot when you and Mister Potter go on your yearly adventure," A jovial voice responded.
Everyone, even Mrs. Weasley jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of Albus Dumbledore. "Albus…" Mrs. Weasley started, but Dumbledore anticipated her, even without Legilimency.
"I am sorry, Molly. I haven't found anything, nor has the Order, but I can assure you that all our resources are going into getting Mister Potter and Miss Weasley back to us safely." Dumbledore assured her, but the twinkle in his eye was absent, making even Ron nervous.
"Have you checked You-Know-Who's libraries? He's bound to have something, seeing as how he created that portal." Hermione remarked.
"Indeed, Miss Granger. An excellent idea, except we do not know where to begin. Even Severus has no idea where Voldemort's private library could be." Dumbledore answered gravely. "And until we find out a solution, Mister Potter and Miss Weasley are in great danger."
"Harry will look out for Ginny." Ron said confidently.
"True. But our baby sister, alone in who knows where with a boy?" Fred asked rhetorically.
"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley said sharply, "Harry is an honorable boy, he would not take advantage of Ginny!"
"I wasn't worried about Harry, Mum." Fred smirked, "I was worried that it might be Ginny taking advantage!"
Everyone, even Dumbledore laughed, but Mrs. Weasley soon berated George for talking about his sister like that.
Even in this happy moment, everyone's thoughts were still on one grim thought.
As Ron settle down to breakfast, he prayed silently, Be safe, Harry, and take care of Ginny.
That night, Harry lay against a tree, staring up into the sky, his sleeping bag sat unused. Sirius… Harry thought mournfully. I almost forgot… How could I forget! Harry scolded himself. He never wanted to forget Sirius, but these days, he found himself unable to think of anything else than getting through to the next day.
He looked around him, surveying the area. In the dim light of the fire, Kagome and Sango lay in sleeping bags of their own, resting peacefully. Shippou lay curled in Kagome's arms, like a baby and a mother. Miroku laid against a tree opposite of the two girls, looking merely in meditation. The monk had a strange way of being both extremely perceptive and extremely strange at times. Inuyasha was up in the tree above Kagome, and Harry couldn't tell whether the half-demon was asleep or merely closing his eyes, like Miroku.
"Harry?"
Harry's emerald eyes turned towards Ginny's concerned brown eyes, which seemed to be searching him for something. "Yes, Gin?" Harry asked softly.
"Why aren't you asleep?" Ginny asked concernedly.
"Just… thinking." Harry said.
Ginny looked at him, trying to find something to say. Finally, something that had bugged for a few moments flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "Harry, how did you know to save me?"
"What?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Back at the battle, you had your back to me, and I didn't make a noise. How did you know?" Ginny asked.
"Um…" Harry said, unable to express what exactly had happened. "I don't know Gin. It was like a reflex, or some sort of inspiration that you were in trouble. But really, I don't know."
They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts, until Ginny broke the silence again.
"I'm… sorry. I shouldn't have been so careless. Sirius' death still hurts you." Ginny said, her eyes moving down now.
"No, Gin. It wasn't that… I'm dealing with Sirius being gone. I'm just… shocked." He whispered. Ginny shot him a puzzled look, and he continued. "I hadn't thought of Sirius in almost two days…"
"Harry. Sirius would want you to think about him, but not all the time. You've been busy. We've been busy." Ginny said soothingly, touching Harry's arm.
"Your right, of course." Harry said, smiling slightly, before it faded. "Gin… I want to thank you for following me."
Ginny looked surprised at Harry, and he smiled again. "I don't know if I could do this without some support, someone I knew."
"Harry… I know you'd rather have Ron or Hermione, but I'll stand by you no matter what." Ginny said firmly, but there seemed to be a trace of sadness in her voice as she looked down again.
"Ginny…" Harry said quietly, and grabbed her hands, pulling her to meet his gaze again. "I'm glad you're here. Really. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have by me than you. You've helped me over this summer, to recover. Not just from Sirius, from everything. From Cedric, to all this other stuff I've kept inside. If I was cut off from your support…" Harry said, trailing off.
Ginny felt her cheeks heat up, and she stuttered, "Thanks."
"No problem. I think we'd better get to sleep now." Harry said, not noticing her discomfort, and hugged her briefly. "Night Gin." He said before climbing into his sleeping bag.
When Ginny returned to her sleeping bag, she had a soft smile on her face.
It had been three days since Naraku attacked them with the demon puppet, and so far, nothing had happened. Well, nothing except the occasional shouting matches between Kagome and Inuyasha.
But besides these minor fights that always ended quickly (Kagome's use of the "Sit" command giving her the advantage), the days had been quite boring.
However, today, several things happened.
The first being a very… interesting encounter from a certain wolf demon.
A sudden dervish of wind picked up and moved towards the travelers, who were immediately put on guard, until Koga, the wolf demon appeared in front of Kagome.
"Kagome!" Koga said happily, grabbing her hands, "I knew I smelled you in the area!"
Inuyasha broke Koga's hold on Kagome's hands, stepping in front of him. "Get your filthy wolf hands off of her!" Inuyasha growled angrily.
Harry and Ginny, taking the example of Miroku and Sango, stepped back and decided to watch, albeit from a distance.
"Kagome, has this mutt been treating you okay?" Koga asked, ignoring Inuyasha.
Before Kagome could even respond, Inuyasha cut in. "Leave her alone!"
"I'd just like to warn ya, mutt, that Naraku's scent is nearby, and I'm the one that's going to kill him." Koga boasted, looking at Kagome.
"What?" Inuyasha asked, putting his hand on Tetsusaiga.
"Figures a mutt like you has no match on my abilities," Koga scoffed, before continuing, "Can't you smell Naraku?"
Inuyasha sniffed the air for a few moments, until a breeze came by, and Inuyasha's eyes widened. "He's right… Naraku's barriers must be down! It must be his time of weakness!" Inuyasha said. "Come on, we need to find Naraku!"
"Don't bother, doggy. I'll have finished off Naraku and that bitch, Kagura as well, long before you could even get there." Koga boasted, looking at Kagome again.
Inuyasha growled, and put his hand on Tetsusaiga. "I'll kill you, you stupid wolf!"
Koga, much to Inuyasha's consternation, ignored him and looked at Harry and Ginny. "Who are you?" Koga asked pompously, before looking back towards Inuyasha. "You need more help, mutt?"
"I don't need anyone's help!" Inuyasha growled, and Harry and Ginny decided that it was probably best to not interfere with this dogfight.
"Yeah well, whatever. I got no more time to waste with doggies. Take care of my Kagome!" Koga called out as he left in another dervish of wind.
"Why that arrogant bastard…" Inuyasha swore, kicking the ground with contempt.
"Well… that was interesting." Harry said, smirking.
"Indeed." Miroku said, more talking about Naraku's night of weakness than the old news of a fight between Koga and Inuyasha.
"I'm surprised that Kagome and Inuyasha aren't fighting." Shippo said, a little loudly, "Normally Inuyasha gets all huffy and Kagome let's Koga leave without a fight."
Ten seconds later, Shippo was nursing a nasty bump from Inuyasha's fist.
The group set out quickly, Inuyasha's nose allowing them to find Naraku's castle. However, Harry felt something was wrong with this whole set-up, and decided to ask Miroku, feeling that the monk might be the most open to his ideas.
"Miroku, something doesn't feel right here. It's as if Naraku wants you guys to attack him." Harry said to the monk.
"Indeed, there is something odd about the timing of this. It does seem as though it could be a trap, but nonetheless, we must push onward." Miroku said firmly.
"Plus, I don't think Inuyasha's going to be swayed by anything once he has the scent of Naraku." Miroku added quietly.
"I can understand that." Harry mused, remembering how hard he worked to thwart Voldemort, and how he wished to hunt the self-proclaimed Dark Lord down.
"I think you and Inuyasha are more alike than you realize." Miroku stated.
"I think so too," Ginny added, walking next to Harry.
"Perhaps." Harry offered, not wanting to divulge the small talk Harry and Inuyasha had that first night. It felt private, as if it was something that should only be shared between the two of them.
Any more chance for talk was cut apart by Inuyasha stopping cold.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.
Inuyasha said only one word. "Sesshomaru."
Harry and Ginny looked perplexed, but Miroku and Sango looked around warily, while Inuyasha tightened a grip over Tesusaiga. "Who's Sesshomaru?" Ginny asked Sango.
"That's Inuyasha's half brother, remember?" Sango said, not looking at Ginny.
"The one that always tries to kill Inuyasha?" Ginny asked, trying to remember what the others had said about Sesshomaru.
"Lot's of people try to kill Inuyasha, but yeah, that's his brother." Kagome remarked from in front of them.
Inuyasha wasn't listening, sniffing the air in an attempt to find his brother.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome said sharply, "Don't tell me your going after Sesshomaru!"
"Nah…" Inuyasha scoffed, and Kagome sighed in relief when he added, "He's moving in the same direction as us, so he'll be along shortly. Then I'll kill him."
Kagome sighed in exasperation, while Ginny was amazed and the animosity between the two brothers. "We should press on, Inuyasha. Sesshomaru wants Naraku dead as well, if you recall." Miroku reminded Inuyasha.
"Right! So let's get there first!" Inuyasha said, and began running, leaving the others to struggle to keep up with Inuyasha's demon speed.
That night, a fierce argument ensued between Kagome and Inuyasha, Kagome begging to let them rest, while Inuyasha wanted to push on.
"Inuyasha," Miroku added into the argument, a show of true bravery or foolhardiness, "Isn't it strange that five days after our visitors arrive and we are traveling, Naraku decides then to become weak. I think it may be a trap."
"I think so too, Miroku." Sango said, "Naraku is far too clever and dangerous to be underestimated."
"Whatever! So what if it is a trap, we'll get through it!" Inuyasha scoffed, which sparked anger in Harry.
"Don't ever ignore a trap, and don't ever rush in blindly," Harry cut in, offering words of wisdom. "It is probably best if we watch and wait."
Miroku, Sango, and Kagome nodded, but Inuyasha merely scoffed and turned his head away. "However, Naraku has never done such a reckless and daring trap before. Something must have changed." Miroku mused darkly.
"You're right, Miroku." Harry said, "From what you've told me, Naraku prefers to manipulate, rather than trap. This, however, smells of Voldemort."
"You think Voldemort and Naraku are working together?" Kagome asked, horrified.
"Might be. I can't see any other reason why Naraku would drop his guard and act like this." Miroku said, and Harry nodded.
Inuyasha looked put out, however, at the thought of not having a shot at Naraku.
A sudden sight however, caused Inuyasha to freeze. "Soul collectors…" Inuyasha breathed softly, and the others immediately turned to look towards the sight. A strange fish dragon cross creature flew, it's long tail, the same pale white color as the rest of it's body, whipped behind it.
Kagome looked saddened, and turned away. Miroku, Sango, and Ginny noticed this, but only Ginny found it strange. Inuyasha and Harry didn't notice, Inuyasha being to lost in thoughts about Kikyo and Harry studying the soul collectors warily.
"Kikyo…" Inuyasha whispered, before bolting after the soul collectors.
Kagome stood up suddenly, and said quietly, "I'm going for a walk."
"Um… Kagome…" Ginny started, but Miroku laid a hand on her arm.
"It is best if we let her alone right now." Miroku said quietly, not opening his eyes.
Sango, however, looked angry that Inuyasha had just bolted without a word, not even looking at Kagome. "He always gets like this when Kikyo comes around." Sango muttered, "And he never cares about Kagome."
Harry hadn't said anything, and merely looked as the raven-haired girl walked away slowly.
If they could have seen her face, it was tear-stained.
Inuyasha tore through the woods rapidly, following the soul collectors eagerly. Kikyo… what are you doing out here? Inuyasha asked silently.
He followed the soul collectors, who seemed to be traveling a great distance, but in the direction of Naraku's castle.
Kikyo… have you been captured by Naraku? Inuyasha asked, hoping it wasn't true.
In one tiny corner of his mind, Inuyasha wondered if Kagome was upset, but the rest of his mind was too focused on Kikyo. I owe Kikyo my life… And if Naraku has her…, I'll kill him.
Inuyasha followed the soul collectors out of the woods, into a meadow, and over a gorge. They seemed to be leading him nowhere, but Inuyasha pressed on.
Finally, Inuyasha reached another forest, his feet beginning to ache with the long distance he had run in a short hour, not to mention the traveling he had been doing for the past few days.
He started walking as the soul collectors made their way towards a clearing, where Kikyo stood, her pale, stern features highlighted in the moonlight.
"Kikyo…" Inuyasha breathed softly.
"Inuyasha. I see you have followed my soul collectors to me, once again." Kikyo said, laughing. "Are you that eager to die?"
"Kikyo… Why do you insist that we must die?" Inuyasha asked, in the same soft tones.
"You owe me your life, Inuyasha." Kikyo breathed, a tiny hint of anger in her chocolate brown eyes that were so very different from Kagome's, even if they shared the same color. "And I will kill you myself, before dying. You owe me."
"Kikyo… I cannot rest until I kill Naraku and avenge you!" Inuyasha cried out, pleading with Kikyo. The undead priestess however, looked as cold as ever, the only thing that truly betrayed the reality that her body was nothing but clay.
"Why?" Kikyo asked. "Why avenge me? I'm already dead. Will killing Naraku bring me back to life in my true body?"
"It will bring peace to your soul!" Inuyasha responded loudly, his golden eyes pleading with his first love.
"No, Inuyasha." Kikyo said condescendingly, "The only thing that will bring me peace is if you die along with me."
"Kikyo… you would ask me to give up my oath to destroy Naraku?" Inuyasha asked, confounded.
"Inuyasha, your life belongs to me!" Kikyo said loudly, "And no one else."
Inuyasha was about to agree, when an image appeared in his mind. Like that fateful day when Kikyo took Kagome's Shikon Jewel shards and had tried to kill Kagome, another image appeared. Kagome's image, laughing, smiling, and looking at him happily.
Kikyo and Kagome. Though they looked so much alike, they were as different as night from day. Kikyo was cold and reserved, even when she was alive, almost to the point of not caring at times. Kagome on the other hand, was alive, invigorating, filled with life, always kind, no matter who it was.
Inuyasha came to a sudden realization, everything he knew truly building up to this moment. He was in love with Kagome. But he was also in love with Kikyo. Wasn't he?
Regardless, he still owed Kikyo his life. But he also owed Kagome his life, after vowing to protect her and because she freed him, not just from the God Tree, but from the darkness that had plagued his life for so long.
In the end, he was faced with a dilemma. He struggled to review everything about the two women he loved, and tried to find why he loved them.
Kagome was kind and gentle, but a warrior in times of crisis.
Kikyo had been someone like him, who didn't fit in, who was separated from everyone else.
Kikyo wanted him to become human, so they could live together.
Kagome wanted him no matter who he was, and even stuck by him when he could have killed her.
Kikyo wanted his death.
Kagome wanted him to live.
He found himself struggling with a terrible decision, and all the while, Kikyo grew impatient.
"What is wrong, Inuyasha?" Kikyo asked. "Don't tell me that you believe that you owe someone else your life? Is it my reincarnation? Do you love her, like me?"
Inuyasha looked at Kikyo, and immediately knew something was wrong. "What about Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, fear beginning to trickle into his mind.
"That girl will no longer stand in our way, Inuyasha. We will go to hell together, and she will not stop us." Kikyo declared, an edge to her voice.
"What did you do?" Inuyasha asked fearfully, reaching for Tetsusaiga.
"Are you going to kill me, Inuyasha?" Kikyo laughed. "I'm afraid you have it backwards. I'm going to kill you."
"WHAT DID YOU DO!" Inuyasha demanded angrily.
"It's not what I did. It's what Naraku will do with her." Kikyo smirked.
"Kikyo!" Inuyasha growled, "How could you side with Naraku?"
"He promised to take care of my reincarnation and give me the pleasure of killing you." Kikyo smiled.
"You-you-" Inuyasha stuttered, grasping Tetsusaiga. Before he could do anything, Kikyo's soul collectors picked her up and carried her off into the distance.
"I'll be waiting for you, Inuyasha. At Naraku's castle." Kikyo laughed.
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, the betrayal finally settling in with the realization that Kagome was in trouble. He bolted from the scene, pushing every single demon muscle he had into overdrive. He tore his way back to camp, cutting his time in half, all the while praying silently, Please be okay, Kagome.
When he burst onto the scene at the camp, he knew he was too late. Sango looked agitated, and when he came in, she gave him a look of utmost loathing. "Had fun with Kikyo?" She asked contemptuously. "Well, sorry to bother you, but Kagome's missing. Not like you care."
"No…" Inuyasha whispered.
"It's true. We were about to leave to get you, then find Naraku. Sango found this." Miroku said sadly, and gave Inuyasha something. The red ribbon that Kagome wore on her school shirt.
AN: I caught a case of massive plot attacks that won't wait, along with the inability to write exactly how I wanted this chapter to turn out for a while. I don't really know how to write Koga. Finally, I hate Kikyo. I hate her. Writing anything that has to do with Kikyo/Inuyasha makes me sick. Which is why, of course, she had to ally with Naraku. All that, coupled with school, constitutes one of the most difficult things I've had to battle in a while. I was amazed, however, at how much of the backstory of Inuyasha I remember. I only just started watching it again, after what must have been like six months without it. How did I last that long? Anyways, I know how the next few episodes of Inuyasha go, having seen quite a few of them already, but this seems like a good place to start. Thanks for reading and please review!
