Fires of Destiny

Chapter 2: Crossing Over

After Kagome had been taken to the nurse's office, Inuyasha had done his best to make himself scarce. By the time the commotion that had been a direct result of Kagome's collapse had been taken care of, the school bell had shrilly announced that it was time for everyone to go home. Inuyasha hadn't even stayed to hear the literature teacher to announce that anyone who didn't finish the exam would be allowed to stay after or be graded on what they had completed. Inuyasha's thoughts had been somewhere along the lines 'screw this' and he had bolted. Miroku and Sango would most likely stay to finish their exams, and then try to track him down before he left school grounds.

Now, however, Inuyasha realized just how stupid it was to try and outsmart to be people who were the most protective over the quiet teenager. Somehow, miraculously, Sango had figured out just exactly what he was up to, and gotten to the school gates before he could.

"Damn bitch."

"Shut up." Sango snapped from her place atop of him. She was currently sitting in a lone school chair—two 50 pound weights on either side of her hips—which she had managed to get Inuyasha pinned under.

The moment he had seen her stern profile, the moment her eyes had pinned him down, the dark-haired boy had attempted to vault himself over the school walls. A solid hit from Sango's book laden school bag had put a quick stop to that. He had rolled a couple of times before coming to a halt. He had picked up the determined steps of Sango as she strolled towards him in an almost lazy approach. The look on her face had clearly told him that she wasn't letting him go without a fight. His response had been to slide into a fighting crouch, dreading the outcome of the battle. He was good when it came to thugs, but the other junior was an accomplished martial artist. She knew several different forms, and that was just the beginning of her battle training experience.

Her father was a world class fighter, and fought in every under-world fighting event imaginable. The ones, according to Sango, that he took the most pleasure in were ones that required the fighters to be masters of the ancient fighting arts in able to leave the arena in one piece. Sango's mother had never given birth to any other children after the death of Sango's little brother Kohaku, she had somehow become barren, and so her husband had taken it upon himself to make Sango into a fighter that could best any male.

He had succeeded too. Sango didn't participate in as many under-world fights as her father did, but when she did she always managed to come out on top. She was the reason why their school had held first place in fighting matches for the last three years. She was every anti-feminist's worst nightmare.

At that moment she also happened to be his.

It had taken her mere moments to subdue him. It had happened so fast that he wasn't even sure as to how it happened. All he could clearly remember were solid flashes of pain that knocked him off his feet, and the next thing he knew was that he was pinned underneath a chair. He had tried to lift it up, but Sango had thought ahead and had added one hundred extra pounds to the chair making it impossible for him to escape with the restriction that dangled from his neck.

"Damn it, Sango! How long are we going to stay like this!"

"As long as it takes." Was her terse reply. "At least until Miroku finishes his exam."

"What about yours?"

"I already finished it."

Inuyasha swore vividly. He needed to get away. If not just to tend to the physical bruises, then maybe to his bruised ego. Damn bitch!

"Ah, Sango, thank you for waiting, and…oh, look! Why Inuyasha-kun I didn't realize you'd be here too!"

It took a lot of self-restraint for Inuyasha to stop himself from attempted to try and escape so that he could rip Miroku's head off and never have to hear that all too cheerful voice again.

"Damn you, Miroku! Get this bitch to let me out!"

"That was quick." Sango spoke loudly, her voice drowning out Inuyasha's right around the word "damn"."

"I just needed to finish up my essay. So shall we?"

"Yes," Sango grinned. "Lets."

"NARAKU!"

The sorcerer did his best to fight back a sigh as the thundering voice grew closer. The damn Prince was so annoying. Always expecting him to waste his energy just for a chance to see the Sorceress. This is why he hated royals. They were so arrogant, so self-serving. The Sorceress was the only royal that he could actually stand, and even she had her moments. It was one of the reasons why had made sure to stick in a family where her life would most likely be hell. Humility would be good for her. Taking a deep breath, Naraku let his stoic mask slide into place when the Prince stepped into his laboratory.

"Yes, my Prince?"

Kouga face was pale as he thrust the crystal orb into the sorcerer's pale face. The crystal was supposed to contain the Sorceress' Keepsake, but when she had been forced to flee she had taken that with her. Inside the orb the golden setting for the Keepsake was now a shimmering translucent.

Naraku didn't know what it was, but there was something about this Prince that made him want to scream, rant, and cause all sorts of destruction.

"Calm down, my lord. It is nothing to worry about." Naraku coolly assured the doubtful Kouga. "This glowing is actually a good thing. It means the Sorceress is getting back her memories."

Kouga still looked doubtful.

"My lord," Naraku was doing his best to refrain from rubbing his head in exasperation, "this glowing means that it will be much easier to retrieve your fiancé then we originally thought."

The doubtful expression had yet to leave Kouga's face. "Won't that trouble her?" He finally said after a few moments of contemplation.

"I seriously doubt it. In the world that we placed her in, her memories can only be retrieved if she is unconscious."

"Oh…you said that this would make it easier to retrieve her. Does that mean we can go get her now?"

The hopefulness in the Prince's voice made Naraku want to bang his head against the worktable. Why was it that Kouga could get this type of reaction out of him? It was taking a lot of self-control to keep the mask in place and the irritation out of his voice.

"Prince, I am still unfinished with some of the preparations, and even if I was it would be life threatening to the Sorceress life to attempt it at a time when the Bridge is at its weakest. Please be patient."

Kouga looked crestfallen, it was so pathetic. This was the youkai that would marry the most strong-willed Sorceress that their world had seen in a long time? It made Naraku want to cringe. Slowly, but surely, the Prince turned around, his mottled tail drooping. The sorcerer returned his attention back to the potions, powders, and spell scrolls that littered his worktable. He hadn't lied to the Prince. He still had a lot of work to do before to prepare for the spell tomorrow night.

"So you didn't do anything…"

Seriously, it hurt how much his childhood friends trusted him.

"No," Inuyasha growled in response, again, "I didn't do anything. She just…"

"Just what?" The hardness in Sango's voice as her face loomed closer to his made him gulp loudly. Damn it, why was this bitch so intimidating?

He was still in the same prone position he had been in since Miroku appeared, the only difference was that Miroku was sitting on the chair while Sango grilled him for information to find what had exactly happened. He had no problem with telling them what happened. After all, this was one time that the blame could not be put on him. If only they let him come out from under the god damn chair…slow realization dawned on Inuyasha and he smirked. Sango frowned, not liking his expression one bit.

"What?"

The grin on his face was almost scary. "I'll promise to tell you if you let me out from under this chair." The sing-song tone of his voice sounded very wrong coming from a person like Inuyasha.

The request was met with silence. Sango's expression was a cross between thoughtful and just…well…evil. Miroku had one of insecurity. He was the first to speak.

"I don't know…how do we know you won't try to bolt or—"

"Let him." Sango had an evil smirk of her own when she spoke. "I'll subdue him if he tries to escape."

Inuyasha had to try very hard to suppress the shiver. He grunted when Miroku stepped on his posterior as he got off of the chair. The irate junior's curses fell on deaf ears as his friend tried to lift one of the 50 pound weights off of the chair, but stepped back and left it to Sango after three futile attempts. Inuyasha flung the chair off of him the moment the weights were off.

"Talk."

Annoyed golden eyes fell on Sango's stern form, but Inuyasha remained silent. He made quite a show of rubbing his sore muscles and groaned heavily. It was the cracking of Sango's knuckles that finally convinced him to sober up and talk.

"I—I don't know exactly what caused her to pass out." The thoughtfulness in his voice and the tinge of worry startled his classmates but they remained silent. "I felt something…I don't know what. There was a very strange scent in the air; it was almost like smoke. Kagome—she—went very pale…then she started talking about fires…she was scared."

Miroku raised an eyebrow when Inuyasha's fist clenched suddenly, as if in anger.

"Something frightened her. Something is scaring her."

Sango suddenly hid her face behind her hands, and Miroku had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. It was so cute, almost like something from a shoujo manga. Inuyasha was worried about the girl who could very easily make his life a living hell.

"That's all that happened?" It was extremely difficult for Sango to keep the mirth from her voice.

"Yea." Inuyasha scowled, wondering what the hell everyone thought was so funny.

Kagome flushed the toilet, trying not to look at the vomit as it swirled down the porcelain bowl, lest her stomach heaved again. She took a huge gulp of the cup of the water that sat by the sink. Her face twisted as the liquid forced the bitter taste of the chunks that she had been unable to spit out back down her throat. Sighing wearily, she headed out of the bathroom that seperated her bedroom from the guest room, and collapsed onto her bed. She nuzzled it, tears leaking from under closed lids. The silk comforter felt so good against her heated skin…

After her collapse yesterday her family had ignored the nurse's suggestion that they take Kagome to see a doctor. It didn't surprise her. After all, they hardly ever took any interest in her. They would probably keep her upstairs with nothing to eat but rice and pickled veggies that they would slide under the door if they thought they could get away with it.

Kagome didn't understand why they hated her so—especially her mother. What type of woman could hate her own flesh and blood?

It made her feel worthless, like she didn't deserve to live, and she probably would have killed herself a long time ago if it hadn't been for Miroku, Sango, and (as much as she hated to admit it) Inuyasha. Even though Inuyasha was arrogant, rude, and brash he still made her feel human. His actions towards her weren't cruel like her parents' were.

Still there were some advantages to being treated as if you didn't exist…

If her family didn't hold such contempt for her, she wouldn't have been able to skip school today…

Ever since yesterday's incident the dreams of the fire and death had been getting worse. She had hardly gotten any sleep last night. Every time her conscious drifted off she was bombarded with the horrible dreams. The only difference was there was no Inuyasha to protect her from the cruel and desperate whispers. There was no one to protect her from the death and the fire, and they were getting worse. The death was becoming so clearer now. She could see the roasting corpses, the intense heat blistering some skin and turning others to liquid. Every time she managed to escape from her sleep Kagome had an overwhelming urge to throw up and her skin felt unbearably hot. She should get up and do something, anything, to keep her mind awake, but throwing up left her so weak, and she was so tired…

"How does this work?"

Naraku smirked slightly at the worry that tinged the Prince's voice. They were in front of a mirror that shimmered with a myriad of colors. A golden frame supported it which now trembled and grew translucent under the weight of the spell. "Worried, my Prince?"

Kouga didn't answer; his brow furrowed as if some important thought weighed heavily on his mind. "She's sick…or something. I can feel it. She's in pain. Why is she in pain?"

The sorcerer dismissed these worries with a wave of his hand. "It's only natural. The ways of the gods and the influence of youkai have long since disappeared from that world. Pure youkai are extinct, as are hanyous. The Sorceress' keepsake can sense the preparation spells. It is merely preparing her body to enter our world. Now ideally I would have set the spell up a week before the full moon, but some of the ingredients are rather hard to come by. Therefore, the changes will affect her health more. Do not fear," He held up a hand to stop the Prince from interrupting, "she will be well enough to travel. She will simply be weak for a few days, at least until her memories fully return. Now go, my Prince, it is time to fetch your bride."

"Mate." Kouga absently corrected before passing through the shimmering mirror.

"Mahoutsukai-sama!"

So hot. It was so hot.

"Help us, please!"

Kagome looked on in horror as all around her as people—her people—screamed. So many corpses surrounded her; the scent of death was nearly overwhelming. Fire devoured the skin of it's victims as they crawled towards her. She tried to back away, but her back hit hard stone.

They surrounded her, crawling on their hands and knee, screaming as their skin melted and blistered.

There was no where to run. She couldn't escape.

Slowly the bodies collapsed, one by one, never to move again, until only one remained. She didn't understand how this one body was still making its way toward her. Half of his face blistered horribly, the other half had melted off to reveal smooth bone. The corpse—it had to be, it couldn't be alive, could it?—finally managed to stager to its feet.

Kagome screamed, tears running down her face, as he stumbled towards her. She looked around wildly, cobalt eyes searching for someone. Where was he? Where was the protector with raven hair and golden eyes? Why wasn't he here to save her? The pain that laced through and the crushing grip tore her away from her search. A skeletal hand gripped her wrist, scouring it. All skin and blood was gone now, and it was a skeleton that clung to her now.

She tried to runaway, to escape the bone-crushing grip, the flames that seared her skin.

No escape.

Her skin turned to liquid, just like it had with the bodies that trapped her.

No escape.

Inuyasha glared at the wooden blanks of the porch of the main shrine that the Higurashi family used as their home. He really hated her family. Ok, maybe her little brother wasn't so bad—the hero worship thing was a little annoying—but the rest of the Higurashis should have been wiped off of the face of the earth for all of the concern they had regarding Kagome. Of course, his resentment might have had something to do with the fact that he could relate far too well.

He knew a bit what it was like to wonder why a family couldn't love their own flesh and blood. Inuyasha and his mother had been the ban of her family's existence. Still even their resentment couldn't be as bad as the cold indifference of the Higurashis. Besides he had only had to endure the loneliness that followed his mother's death for a few weeks before his father had come and taken him to live in the Kibashi household. The Kibashis were very well off, and his father was the CEO of Kiba-Electro. The company, in addition to providing Japan with most of its electricity, had started an international chain of computer stores. The family had more then enough money to support Kibashi's five children—in addition to some adopted triplets—in cushy apartments in a very posh part of Tokyo. They all had their own place—Inuyasha included—under the condition that they would meet for a total of five hours a week for "family time." Despite feeling a bit out of place in the family, Inuyasha generally enjoyed spending time with his younger siblings. (Sesshoumaru—the eldest—was the only real pain, and he was currently island-hopping with his new wife.)

This is for Kagome. He reminded himself as the door slid open in response to Sango's tentative knock.

"Inu-nii-chan!"

The decibel level of the fifth grader never ceased to amaze Inuyasha.

"Hey brat." He flashed Souta a dry smile, relieved that it was the one family member that he could actually stand.

"Souta, who is it!" A voice called from inside the shrine, probably from the kitchen area.

"Nee-chan's friends!" At least the runt acknowledged that he and Kagome where related.

"What? You know Kikyo went to Cancun with her friends for spring break."

"Not, Kikyou's! Kagome's!" Even Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at the irritation in the boy's voice.

"Let them in." Souta didn't seem the least bit disturbed at the annoyance in his mother's voice when he stepped by to let Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku step into the shrine house. Golden eyes narrowed into slits as neutral masks slid over Sango and Miroku's incensed expressions. Inuyasha wasn't even going to pretend toleration of Mrs. Higurashi.

"Kibashi-kun." Her voice was laced with venom, "how nice of you to visit again."

Miroku's eyebrows went up a bit, but he didn't comment. Inuyasha didn't even bother to dignify the woman with a response. His narrowed eyes darted around trying to find something, anything, to concentrate on. It was almost cruel, the way there were no pictures of Kagome.

"Higurashi-san, is Kagome in?"

The older woman turned irritated eyes to Sango. Like Inuyasha, the woman didn't bother to verbally respond to Sango's question; she only raised her hand in the general direction of the stairs. Sango smiled a thin thanks, and was about to ask Souta if he could tell Kagome that they were there when a fearful shriek sliced through the air.

"NOOOO!"

It almost comical—like something from a romance manga—the amount of time it took Inuyasha to react to that scream. Sango and Miroku had barely had time to register the slight breeze he left before Inuyasha was already thundering up the wooden stairs.

"No, no, NO! Please, no! Stay away! NO!"

Inuyasha had followed the desperate screams to Kagome's room. He didn't know what exactly he expected to find when he arrived, after all an attacker was highly unlikely in a neighborhood such as this, but still…

The last thing he had expected to find was Kagome writhing on her bed, her limbs twisting wildly as she screamed in fear, her eyes tightly shut.

Inuyasha nearly sagged in relief, a bit unnerved by his own reaction to her scream. He pushed it aside however, and skirted the bed so that he could come up to her side.

"Kagome." He tried to go for soothing—soft—but it came out rougher then he intended. "Oi, Kagome." He sat on the side of the bed and gripped her shoulders, shaking them. "Oi, wake up. Kagome!"

She let loose a final scream before she finally managed to break free of whatever terror that had gripped her in her dreams. Her cobalt eyes were unfocused as they flew open. They trained on him for a mere second before she bolted upright and lunged at Inuyasha, latching both arms around his waist when she came in contact. Kagome's sobs were hard and heaving, and it was only a short time before Inuyasha started to feel their wetness penetrate a small portion of his shirt. For a moment, the young man was unsure on what to do, and then he felt her body start to tremble violently. It was like some sort of automatic, chemical reaction: before he could stop himself the young man was wrapping his arms around Kagome's slight frame, gently rubbing her back in what he hopped was a gesture of comfort.

"What was that about?"

"I hope Kagome-chan's okay."

"I don't believe I've ever seen him react like that."

Inuyasha froze at the slight thud of approaching footsteps and low voices. Kagome was still crying, clinging to him. Oh, God no. Please dear God, no.

"Inuyasha, is Kagome-chan al—oh my."

"Inu, you dog, you. Ha! Get it?" A quick slap to the head was Sango's response to Miroku's very sad joke.

Inuyasha was frozen as was, surprisingly enough, Kagome. She had stopped crying and unwound her arms from around his waist, and sat back very slowly. Even with the very be comely blush that stained her cheeks Kagome looked rather pathetic with her red eyes and tear tracks that were starting to dry on her face.

Like Kagome, Inuyasha was also trying to back away from the uncomfortable situation. It didn't help that Miroku was grinning like a Cheshire cat and Sango was giving them a knowing smile. Inuyasha could feel his own face start to heat up. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to explain himself when Kagome's face suddenly went very pale. Abruptly she rolled off the bed, and away from him, and bolted towards her bathroom.

A few seconds later the three could hear the sickening sounds of her throwing up what little was left of Kagome's stomach. The rest were dry heaves that elicited small whimpers of pain from the school girl.

It had taken plenty of coaxing, but Sango was finally able to convince Kagome to take a walk outside the shrine. After all, she didn't look that sick and the thermometer clearly stated that she didn't have a temperature. Besides being in this house just made all of them uneasy. So Sango had ushered the boys outside while Kagome changed from the cotton pajamas that she had been wearing. Now they were all outside, Kagome dressed in a pair of light capris and a tank, despite the chilliness of the early spring weather. She had shrugged any concerns, and claimed that her skin just felt very hot. That had earned her a leery remark from Miroku, who was now sporting a rather large bump on the side of his head. Kagome had decided to give the group a short tour of the shrine and then they were going to head to the park for a nice walk, and maybe some dinner (the boys were treating).

"This," Kagome waved her hand wearily in the direction of a small shrine, "Is the Bone Eater's Well. Legend has it that it was used as a dumping spot for demon remains during the Sengoku Jidai. Jii-chan used to believe that it could also be used as a means to transport through time, and kept it sealed. He was always worried that demons would come through…" Her eyes dulled and her voice grew quiet—and for a moment the others felt very awkward—but she managed to force an overly bright smile on her face. "Of course, that's just one of his theories. It's just a legend. After all there has never been any evidence that demons ever existed!"

Sango pushed her ponytail back over her shoulder. She eyed Inuyasha carefully. Was it just her or did he seem very uncomfortable about something? She shook her head. What did he have to be uncomfortable about? He was probably just bored, Sango knew she was, and—she cast a quick glance at Miroku—it looked like the religion freak was as well. None of them said anything to try and divert Kagome from her task, however. Something was clearly bothering her, and it wasn't related to her grandfather's death. That much was clear by yesterday's weird fainting incident and the nightmares that, apparently, were a frequent happening. Giving them this tour was probably soothing for the girl's nerves.

"That's the Goshinboku. I know there is some weird legend with that tree, something about a miko and a hanyou, but I can't quite remember it."

Again, Inuyasha stiffened.

"There are the shrine steps. We can leave in a minute. I just want to show you guys one thing." She led them into the wooded area—a rare thing in Tokyo—down a twisted path, and into a small clearing. A piece of granite was erected beneath a gnarled sakura tree with something etched into the polished stone. Elaborate flowers surrounded the stone. "This," Kagome's voice caught, "is Jii-chan's grave. He used to take me here all the time while I was little. This was our secret place." A single tear made its way down a splotch cheek.

"Kagome-chan…"

"But he's gone now so…" She brushed away the tears, plastering another smile on her face, but this one didn't seem as forced. It almost seemed real. "I think I feel a little better now. Thanks, mina."

Dinner turned out to be a rather pleasant affair. Inuyasha had treated them to eat at a rather pricy restaurant that served a variety of foreign and native foods. Miroku had volunteered to help pay, but Inuyasha had not so politely declined preferring not to "ruin the damn meal to get out of paying". The had gotten okonomoyaki and sushi—with cream cheese and salmon, called the Philadelphia roll in the States—as an appetizer and for the main course they had each ordered something from a different nationality. Kagome had decided on a Spanish meal, Sango an Italian one, Miroku had ordered South African (something that he didn't finish and ended up sharing Sango's instead), and Inuyasha had chosen an American one. Kagome had been much happier during the whole meal, and it had put everyone in a generally pleasant mood—including Inuyasha. They went for a stroll in the park with full bellies and light moods. None of them was prepared for what was about to happen.

Somehow, they had doubled of into pairs: Miroku with Sango, Inuyasha with Kagome. They were traveling down an old hunting trail, the woods almost seeming to close in on them as the sun sank lower. Miroku and Sango had found something to talk about (namely what moves Sango had used to "subdue" Inuyasha), but Inuyasha and Kagome were stuck in an awkward, but not uncomfortable, silence.

Kagome was the first to feel it. It raised the fine hairs on the back of her neck. Everything felt hot again, and all of a sudden there was this horrible ache that tugged at her chest. The only warning that the others had was a brief sense unease that settled over the woods, and, in Inuyasha's case, the scent of an irritating stench.

Kagome came to a sudden halt and put a hand to her heart. Why did she want to cry so badly?

It happened so quickly that they all reacted by instinct alone.

A pair of arms clothed in black silk wrapped around Kagome's lithe figure. All she managed was an indignant shriek as finger grazed her breasts before those arms—those strong arms with clawed hands attached—dragged her back very roughly. Then the shriek turned into a cry for help.

"Hey, who—what—stop! Let me go! Inuyasha!" Why did she call out his name?

The raven-haired girl craned her head back to see that someone was pulling her back into a large rectangle of shimmering light. Her head and whipped back, and she saw her three friends giving chase. Then she was pulled through the light, her panic only starting to rise, and they jumped into it, not even giving it a second thought.

Then everything went black for Kagome Higurashi.

Yes, Sango's going to be a major kickass. Just wait until the next chapter. Kouga, for the most part. will be pretty much the same as he is in the manga. It makes me wonder how the hell he could ever become a prince...