Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.
/.../
Chapter 3 - "We're going somewhere?"
Souta shifted in his bed and glanced to the teenager sleeping in the other bed in the small room. It felt odd and out of place for him to be there. He usually slept in Kagome's room because of the bad dreams. But he was a little miffed at her for not telling him about Kagura and Kanna. Plus, he had been told to let Kagome sleep alone for a couple of nights to see what the dreams brought when his presence wasn't calming her down. Coupled together, Yusuke was trying to appear like he was sleeping calmly when even Souta could tell he was tense. Shippo was snuggled up on Souta's bed, having also been told to keep away for a few nights. He had been much more reluctant that Yusuke and it had taken the combined efforts of Kagome, her mother, Yusuke, and Atsuko to get him to agree. Souta dared not mention that Yusuke and Kagome had looked very much like soothing parents at the time, putting to one side their disagreement for Shippo.
Kagome had agreed when Kurama had suggested the new sleeping arrangement. They wanted to know more about the dreams and the only way they were going to get them was if all three of them getting those dreams were receiving the full prophecy, if that's what it was. Keiko was on the couch downstairs simply because Inuyasha wanted to spend one last night at home before he took up almost full time residence in a tree near her home.
Hiei was sitting in a tree halfway in between the shed redone for Inuyasha and Kagome's window and to the right. Oddly enough, they made a triangle if one looked at from the correct point of view. Kurama was also sleeping outside in a tent. He had noticed the strange triangle arrangement and knew when the dreams hit by Hiei growling in his hibernation.
He knew they must have gotten intense when the screams echoed from the house. Lights turned on and the kitsune ground his teeth. They were so worried that they didn't bother to let it play out. It was just a dream. Kagome had known they went bad when she agreed and she would be disappointed they couldn't hold off long enough for her to finish.
When the screaming continued and was echoed by an angry howl from Inuyasha, then Kurama became worried. He scrambled from his tent and looked up at his friend. The fire apparition was no longer growling. Instead he was silent and breathing raggedly. The kitsune hopped up nimbly and shook his friend lightly. When nothing happened he shook him harder. He ended up pushing him out of the tree.
He didn't wake up. Even when the screaming and howling stopped and his breathing evened out, he couldn't wake Hiei up. In fact, no one could wake any of them up.
/./
Koenma looked exhausted when Botan saw him the same night that the others were beginning to panic. He was sucking fiercely at his pacifier and had books and papers spread out on his desk. Paperwork was piling up outside the door but he didn't allow one scrap of it to come inside his office.
"Sir?" Botan's questioning voice had Koenma's eyes lighting up. He needed someone he could trust with this. He desperately needed anyone he could trust with this.
"Botan. Thank you for coming. Close the door, please." The door clicked close and Koenma let his head drop onto his desk with a THUNK!
"I am dead. If Inuyasha doesn't kill me, I'm sure Yusuke would be happy to do it. I wouldn't put it past Hiei or Kurama either." Koenma moaned his list of murderers out to an alarmed Botan.
"I don't understand. Why?" When no answer seemed to be forthcoming, Botan walked hesitantly to the books and papers and sorted through a few. Her face went pale as she flipped throughout the first few she picked up, then went on to the heavier books.
"They don't have the strength to deal with this. They don't have the resources. You can't expect them to... Not something like this!" Botan's hand's crumpled the paper in her hand and Koenma hurriedly moved the rest of it away from her. He was thinking he should have added her to the list.
"There might be time. Those dreams they've been having... there might be time, Botan. It's not the end yet. I should have fixed all of this before. The jewel should have never have been born. Kagome should have been a normal girl." Koenma hurriedly tried to calm his upset grim reaper, but she didn't seem to want to calm down.
"This... thing has been quiet for centuries! What is it about that jewel? Aren't there any other objects that demon can go after? Ones not guarded by teenagers?" Botan felt the despair welling up inside as she imagined what would happen when Kagome met this creature.
"I wish it wasn't Kagome as well. But if they do have time, they may have enough. Kagome's powers haven't finished growing yet. She needs training. The only problem is there are no mikos around to train her." Koenma fixed his toddler gaze on the papers scattered across his desk.
"Still growing? She hasn't done much training, sir. I don't see how her powers could be growing." Koenma's eyes reflected his surprise at Botan's confusion.
"Miko powers are usually activated by intense training or extreme danger and after that they grow on their own accord. A miko's assigned power level is based on how much of that power she can control and what she can do with it, not how much is inside of her. Not all mikos do manage to control all of their power, and some die because of it." Koenma watched Botan flinch and held up a hand. "That's rare, and I'm sure Kagome wouldn't overextend herself that way. She would have to attempt to use all of her power at once, whether she could control it or not, for anything wrong to happen."
"You don't know Kagome very well," Botan said quietly, and turned to leave.
"Botan!" Koenma said sharply. "You can't tell them any of this."
The spirit guide whirled around, shock and hurt on her face. "You just said she could die is she over extended herself! I need to tell her that."
"No, you don't. Just keep her from doing it. If she knew, she'd be more wary about using her powers and we need her too much for her to get a sudden fear of herself." Koenma put on his most commanding face and was determined not to show how much it hurt to have to order Botan to do this. But Botan's loyalty had to be to Reikai, and she had to realize that this was the best way.
When all she did was continue to stare at him with that horrified look that twisted inside him like a knife, he sighed and lowered his eyes. "You can go, Botan."
She was out the door before he had even finished, running outside of the building and on her oar, ignoring the exclamations of surprise and the worried yells from some of the others working there. She flew into the air and was in Ningenkai before anyone could catch up and find out what was wrong.
The air was full of life here and she dropped into the trees and landed heavily on the ground. She remembered his harsh words, a possible death sentence on her friend, and Botan's heart faltered between two loyalties. They were unknowingly pulling her in two, and she didn't know if she could handle it.
She curled her knees up and began to sob helplessly. She had to keep it a secret. Her first loyalty was to Reikai. It always would be. Reikai had made her, had shaped her, and would always hold her in its fist. Right now, she hated Koenma and the world he was Prince of, the world that stunk of death. He never should have given her a body where she could sense all of the differences. Even Makai smelled more of life than Reikai.
/./
There were many pale faces in the Higurashi-Urameshi household, and Mrs. Higurashi was glaring quite harshly at Kurama as she tended to her two children. In a distant part of his mind, Yusuke was still amused at how easily Inuyasha had fallen into the role of Mrs. Higurashi's son. There was no one in the world that could resist the motherly Mrs. Higurashi for long.
Yusuke knew she didn't really blame Kurama. It was more because Kurama didn't appear worried to her at all, and had even suggested that they were just sleeping the dreams off. If he hadn't known the kitsune better, he would have been furious, and probably would have punched his friend. But the small flickering of his eyes and the slight differences in his body language told Yusuke that Kurama was worried, and already feeling guilty enough.
Keiko had gone off to fetch Botan and Kuwabara to see if either of them could help in this situation. They all doubted they could, but Keiko hated feeling helpless. Seeing Inuyasha laying there made her feel even more helpless than the situation called for.
Kurama had carefully extracted Hiei from his tree and brought him inside. Now all of them were hovered over the three like a flock of mother ducks over their only ducklings. None of them had stirred even slightly. Souta hovered in the background, glaring at Kurama fiercely. Even Shippo was looking at the kitsune with something akin to betrayal, but not even Mrs. Higurashi had the smoldering rage in her eyes like Souta did.
His mother did notice it, and knew that with so many angry boys all in the same room, an argument would break out all too soon. She would have to separate Souta from the other to. "Yusuke, Minamino-san, please come into the kitchen. Souta, why don't you stay here and watch over them?"
Souta heard all too well the undertones of "the adults have to talk now" and "stay here and play like a good little boy". His eyes flashed bit her said nothing. His mother would demand answers out of the other two while he had to stand here and do nothing.
He took a seat on the floor between his big sister and brother and the anger drained out of him as he stared at his sister's pale face. He reached a hand forward to touch her, his worried whisper of, "Kagome" reaching into her mind as his fingers lay on her cheek.
Three sets of eyes snapped open at once, with three very different reactions. Hiei and Inuyasha both sprang to their feet, Inuyasha brandishing his sword. The less impulsive and more wary Hiei kept himself alert, ready for any danger as his mind quickly came fully alert.
Kagome's eyes opened and settled on her brother. Her first instinct was to comfort whatever worries he had. "What's wrong, Souta?"
"You're awake!" The twelve year old let out a high-pitched shriek of glee and hugged his sister to him. Then, before she could reach, he pushed himself away and flushed, trying to look nonchalant. "Not that I was worried."
"Worried about what? What time is it?" Kagome looked around wildly, only to find two equally confused demons and three bodies flinging themselves into the room in an effort to get to the three as fast as they could.
"Kagome!" Yusuke was the first to react and Souta quickly propelled himself out of the way as the boy knelt down and pulled the miko to him before drawing her back and looking her over critically. "You're okay?"
"I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?" Kagome was getting a bit frustrated, but Yusuke didn't answer, instead drawing her into another embrace that threatened to bruise her ribs. In the mean time, Inuyasha growled at them. It was more out of habit that jealousy now, though there was still a twinge.
Mrs. Higurashi broke herself out of staring at the tender picture her daughter and Yusuke made, and strode over to Inuyasha, proceeding to fuss. Kurama had simply looked at Hiei and raised one eyebrow. "Your hibernation was deeper than usual. We couldn't wake you."
"The prophecies captured us and we couldn't find our way back. The boy's connection to the girl and his own potential led us here." Hiei answered all the questions that Kurama had immediately wanted answered and the kitsune nodded thoughtfully. If it had been a mental trial in their dreams then it would explain why Hiei remembered it most easily. Things that happened in his subconscious were remembered with unrelenting clarity because of his mental powers.
"They did? We couldn't? Souta helped us?" Kagome asked in confusion as she managed to get Yusuke to loosen his grip long enough to turn toward everyone else.
Yusuke sat back and pulled her back to his chest, his arms going about her waist. He was still very reluctant to let her go. Sure, it had only been a few hours, but when he had tried everything from loud noises to ice cubes to dropping them from as high as you dared without permanently injuring them, he had become a bit worried. of course, the last one he had tried on Inuyasha.
Atsuko poked her head in and was relieved to see the three "children" awake. Since Mrs. Higurashi had taken her alcohol, in times of stress she had to rely on cigarettes, and she had been outside with them for the last fifteen minutes. She had to ration those as well, since Mrs. Higurashi seemed intent on making her into a good person, and she had to sneak in her cigarettes. It was much easier to hide a small little box then a bottle or even can of beer. Fortunately, this once her friend had looked away.
"Welcome to the land of the living, kiddo. You should have seen the fit Yusuke had when he couldn't wake you. He sure knows how to have a temper tantrum." Atsuko winked at Kagome and found the girl grinning in pleasure at her. Despite the wariness between Yusuke and Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome and Atsuko had found no problems dealing with each other. Atsuko was of the opinion Kagome had no problems dealing with anyone that was loved by someone she loved. The girl was a breath of fresh air and Atsuko dreaded the day when her innocence was totally destroyed.
It also helped that Kagome frequently pretended not to notice when Atsuko snuck in any number of things that her mother would disapprove of, or even when Atsuko herself was sneaking in or out.
"I wasn't that bad," Yusuke grumbled unconvincingly. Kagome ducked her head and hid her smile, her eyes twinkling beneath her bangs. When she lifted her head slightly Atsuko was pleased to notice that the girl's smile was partly pleased. She understood why. The girl probably didn't like Yusuke being worried, but she probably didn't mind the displays of his feelings it led too.
"So? Are they real prophecies?" Kurama inquired.
Instantly, in three different tones, Kagome, Hiei, and Inuyasha replied, "Yes."
There was silence as Kurama stared at them and Kagome was the first to clear her throat, her eyes flickering over to the mothers and her brother. "Perhaps we should wait until the others are here to discuss this."
The underlying words were clear. She didn't want those not involved hearing any of this. A quick glance at Inuyasha proved he felt the same. Atsuko raised one eyebrow but prudently withdrew from the room - only to slip into the room next to it and take a seat against the closest wall. Even if the kitsune had noticed her coming in here, he probably would have forgotten by the time the row that was about to begin was over.
Kagome took a deep breath as she saw the stubborn look in her mother's eyes. Her mother took the initiative. "I will not leave while you talk about going into danger again!"
"Mama, no one's talking about even setting foot out of the shrine! We're just going to discuss the meaning of what we've seen!" Kagome focussed her attention on her mother and not even the usually observant Kurama noticed Souta slipping into the next room over and taking a seat next to Atsuko with his ear pressed to the wall. That could be because Kurama was too busy being relieved that they were all awake and his hearing was focussed on the three sets of feet he could hear climbing the shrine steps.
"Then why can't I hear this?" Mrs. Higurashi asked logically.
"The images we got weren't exactly fields of flowers. More like the world turning to hell. You shouldn't have to hear it," Inuyasha said gruffly. At the tender but still very stubborn look she was giving him, he added, "Stupid prince has probably labeled it classified anyway. You'll just land us in trouble."
The tender look turned a bit hurt, especially when Botan came in and caught his last words and said, "Actually, he has. Only all of us, plus Keiko out of necessity, can hear it."
Yusuke snorted mentally. Necessity? More like the fact the girl would wriggle it out of one of the others if they didn't tell her. The Spirit Detective glanced around to order his mother out of the room and found she, as well as Souta, was already gone. His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Keiko and Kuwabara followed Botan in as Mrs. Higurashi reluctantly left, her disapproving expression plainly clear. She'd had enough of letting innocent teenagers running off into danger. Kagome sighed and shook her head. "Poor Mama. She'll put her support behind us once I tell her we do have to go, but she won't like me going off into danger again."
"We're going somewhere?" Botan asked, surprised and hiding her sudden fear behind a curious expression. Why couldn't they have left it alone just a little longer?
"We have to. If I'm right, we have to gain ourselves more time, and we have to leave Ningenkai for that," Kagome said, feeling the memories of the prophecy filtering in from her subconscious. They had been slow in coming, but a glance at Inuyasha proved his were proving even more difficult. Only Hiei seemed to have them all at once.
"So... what did you see?" Yusuke finally asked, drawing his arms around her tightly as he felt the unease through the muscles tensing on her back.
"Things that could happen. And, a little bit of why we're seeing them." Kagome didn't add anything else and surprisingly, Hiei took up the thread.
"Three choices. Do nothing and ignore it. Wait until it awakens and train. Put it to sleep until we're ready. Either way there will be a fight eventually."
"What is this 'it'?" Keiko questioned curiously. Inuyasha exchanged a glance with Kagome and then they both looked to Hiei. The fire apparition treated them with a cool gaze.
Kagome interpreted this as best she could. "We don't actually know. It's just... bad."
"So what? Why are you three stuck with these stupid visions?" Yusuke asked, anger leaking into his voice. Kagome couldn't see the protective look on his face but Inuyasha could and his eyes lit up in approval.
"Because it's waking up because of the Shikon no Tama. It's whole now, and not hidden inside me," Kagome explained quietly, tensing further, already fearing that they would shun her now. Inuyasha and Shippo exchanged understanding glances. They knew better than anyone how much of the blame she would try to place on herself.
"So it's our responsibility to put it back to sleep," Kuwabara said thoughtfully, not noticing the guilt on Kagome's face. "We were all there, except Keiko, so we're all going to have to go and put it down. Permanently!"
The confidence in his tone surprised Kagome and she slowly smiled as she peered over Yusuke's shoulder at the auburn haired young human. Keiko still looked confused, and Kagome grimaced. Hopefully Inuyasha would explain it to her later. She worried over how they were going to work out the Inuyasha and Keiko bodyguard deal if they had to go to Makai. They couldn't take her with them, but Koenma wouldn't let Inuyasha abandon his new duty.
"So, I guess it's time to pack up again. Hey, do you think this time your mother can make up the excuses? I've heard about your grandfather's sicknesses, and I don't want to come back and find I've had Sicilian Diametry." Everyone paused to stare at Yusuke.
"You know, you could at least come up with a plausible disease," Keiko pointed out. "One that's real would definitely help."
"Why? The kids at our school would believe anything." Yusuke rolled his eyes to show just how little he thought of his new schoolmates, while Kagome giggled.
"Worried about your reputation as the Great Urameshi?" Kagome teased.
"Damn right. I spent too much time building that up to let it all fall apart," Yusuke said, but lightly, grinning at her as she turned to look up at him.
"I'm sure we can find other ways to build up your reputation," Kagome said slyly. Inuyasha barely bit off a growl. It was plain by their grins that they already knew one thing that would add onto his reputation, and he had a sinking feeling it had to do with the lust filled looks they were giving each other.
"Are they always like this?" Keiko asked Inuyasha in a whisper.
"No, most of the time they're worse," He snarled.
"Not to interrupt, but where are we going?" Botan asked hesitantly. Both Hiei and Inuyasha glanced over to see if Kagome would respond. Her lips were unfortunately occupied elsewhere, and Inuyasha was steaming in the corner, so with a disgusted snort, Hiei told Botan - in as few words as possible.
"Makai, a mongrel village."
"A mongrel village?" Keiko asked quizzically.
"Mixed breeds. There are many demons that are compatible with each other - "Kurama was careful to avoid contact with Hiei " - and though it doesn't happen often, they do have children. Many of those children find some villages - and even one or two larger towns - where others of mixed types live. There aren't many, less than a dozen, but they are unfortunately spread around Makai. It will be a difficult journey if we have to find them all." Kurama paused and looked at the three who, for reasons unknown, had been chosen to receive the prophecy. That puzzled him. Kagome, being the jewel's Guardian, he could understand. Hiei had high levels of telepathy and could "hear" the prophecies more clearly. But why Inuyasha received them was a mystery.
"Nothing else to narrow it down?" Botan asked, wringing her hands. If they had to do this, they had to find this creature within a year. Going to every village could take years at best and a decade or two at worst.
"There's a mountain," Hiei supplied unhelpfully.
"A large river, with odd colored trees that glow different colors in the dark. The 'village' is fairly large. At least a thousand people." Kagome was paying attention again, though she was still technically facing Yusuke, just leaning her head back to look at those behind her now.
"Not actually that good of a size. Makai does have towns and cities. We're much more civilized than in the Feudal Era, you know, especially since much of what you saw were the riff raff as well," Kurama pointed out. Kagome blushed in embarrassment.
In the other room, Souta was getting increasingly worried - and determined. As they continued to discuss this place and made plans, and reviewed what they would need for the journey, Souta planned his own trip. He would have to be careful. He gauged the woman next to him. Perhaps, just perhaps, he would be able to convince her to be an ally to his cause.
/.../
Review responses:
Thank you to: inu.-sess.fan, Cyclonus1, Cheeza-13, anime-lavuh, girlhushere13, Dark Inu Fan, vicky, Serenity Moon2, shadow miko, Addanc88, inugurl394, and Nausicaafan1 for reviewing.
animegurl5: You reviewed a lot, thank you, it's nice to see that I have such an avid fan. Just remember to keep it down to only a couple reviews per chapter. besides that, thanks for all the reviews!
GundamWingFanatic90: Wow, it's great to know I got someone to read who doesn't even usually like the pairing! Thanks for reviewing!
smile7499: Yup, I made it up, as I'm sure you know by now. Glad to know you think I have Kurama down, because he really is hard to write and I always think he's out of character.
Winged Knight: Nope, they can't catch a break. As you can see, a lot of things were revealed this chapter, but not everything. And of course, there's the mystery of what the family members will do, and what Keiko will do. And it's kinda similar to Sensui, but not really. Sensui never happens in this universe, so I suppose it doesn't matter.
Foxylilraven: Who says their descendants will show up? They might, or they might not. And no, Rin and Sesshoumaru never mated. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean he just gave her up to anyone. She did have kids, and with someone we're all familiar with.
YAHAHEHEHEHEHE: Err, and I was supposed to know this how? Most fanfic readers and writers are girls. Besides, why should I care about the gender of someone who flamed me, or your idle threats? Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots! You insult my favorite characters, can;t even spell any version of Keiko or Yusuke, call me a bitch for no apparent reason, and expect me to change it? Sorry, but no. And why should it matter? Like anyone reading this story cares enough about you to care about your gender.