Chapter 18 – Keijigakari
Not wanting to get too far from the group in case there really was trouble she couldn't handle, Kagome walked far enough so that if she squinted, she could barely make out the light of the camp fire. The clearing she chose was small enough to prevent sneak attacks from larger youkai, yet large enough to fit a couple of horses. She dropped to sit on a fallen tree, letting her pack slide from her shoulder to the ground.
Ever since Inuyasha had voiced his concern, the memory of her promise made her feel guiltier than ever. Back in the cave, before they had settled in that first night, Inuyasha had made her promise not to hide things from him anymore. A promise she'd agree to while half asleep, but a promise nonetheless.
I can't protect you if you don't tell me when something's wrong.
He'd been primarily referring to the pain of the soul wound, but Kagome knew it was more than that. There had been times in the past when she had hidden her pains because she didn't want to worry him; still didn't want to. But, he usually wound up finding out anyway and was more upset than worried that she'd refused to speak out.
But this time was different; now she kept quiet because she didn't want to destroy the already fragile bond that Inuyasha had painstakingly re-forged with Kikyou. She didn't want him to hate her for telling him the truth. She would rather let him go on believing in the ideal, lost in blissful ignorance, than have his heart shattered twice over the same woman.
So here she sat, guilt-ridden for breaking a promise, knowing that it would all be worth it in the end. Right?
The nagging doubts resurfaced after her dream and refused to be placed on a shelf any longer. She needed to remind herself exactly why she was doing this.
Rummaging through her pack, she pulled out the old key, clutching it to her chest, unsure if it would work and praying so that if it did, it's keeper would not be angry for the false call. Taking a deep breath, she whispered the name of the Keijigakari as she exhaled.
"Tenmei…"
Without sound or warning, a black void opened before her. It brought to mind Miroku's Kazanna, but with two exceptions. One, it was large enough to swallow an elephant; two, it wasn't trying to suck her in. In fact, it was suddenly deathly quiet; no sound, no breeze, nothing. Kagome bit back a gasp as she, the Keijigakari, materialized out of the darkness and stepped out of the void. The woman was the same, but her appearance had changed.
The long, ebony-green hair was now done up in dozens of tiny braids, three of which crossed her forehead as a brow-band. She wore a formal black kimono like the noble women of the era; the collar of the white kosode was lined with a repetitive symbol in blue that Kagome felt she should recognize, but couldn't. From a silver chain around her waist dangled a misty globe the size of her fist that seemed to glow with an inner light. The only physical feature that changed was her ears; they were sharply pointed like those of a youkai.
The aura surrounding the woman was easier to detect this time and again Kagome wondered, what, exactly the Keijigakari was. Kagome knew the woman's purpose, her job, but nothing more except that her aura was not that of a human. She also wasn't alive, but not quite dead.
"She's not here," Tenmei frowned slightly.
Kagome shook her head, "I… I had questions."
"Doubts. I did tell you to consider what you were offering."
"I wasn't sure I could call on you before…"
"Kagome," she interrupted. "Despite my duty being what it is, I am not completely heartless. If I were, I would not have permitted you this chance to 'fix' things, as you call it. But the fact that you have doubts shows you are not quite the martyr you want to be."
Kagome grimaced and worried her bottom lip. "Hai."
"Could… could you show me… what would happen… either way?"
The woman nodded slowly. "I can, but it would be in your point of view. One outcome must be viewed from her eyes, and even then, it is only a possible path."
"I'd rather know the possibilities than nothing at all."
Tenmei nodded once more, a thoughtful expression on her face. Making some kind of decision, she reached into the voluminous sleeve of her kimono to retrieve an object that had Kagome reeling and gasping in horror.
"It is not the same mirror," the Keijigakari stated with a scowl. "I do not know how she obtained it, but I will get it back once I finish this task."
"Kanna's mirror is yours?" Kagome asked, as she visibly relaxed.
"Hai. Two sides of one coin. That one has been twisted though. It was meant to show the souls' true destiny, not steal them before it is their time."
As Kagome stared at her reflection, she noted there were marked differences between the two. This mirror, while similar in size and design, was more silver than gray, like moonlight. And etched all around the edge of the mirror's surface were the phases of the moon; the full moon at twelve o'clock and the phases going around clockwise.
"It rightly belongs to my Soul Piper."
Kagome tore her gaze from the mirror, shock on her face. "The soul piper is yours?"
She chuckled, "I cannot be everywhere, Kagome. Children are the easiest to pacify and lead into another life for they do not have the regrets adults do, nor the fascination with remaining behind when there is something better ahead."
She held the mirror loosely in her hands, regarding Kagome for a moment before speaking again. "This is the Seishin Mirror. It shows you a cross between what you want and what will be, unless they are one and the same. It is not easy to look into it and most do not like what they see. I am not allowed to show you exactly what will be, so this must suffice."
Kagome nodded, not quite sure if there was anything she could really say in reply to that. When Tenmei handed her the mirror, it was with much trepidation that Kagome took it after a momentary hesitation, unsure of what to expect.
At first all she saw was her own reflection; then it slowly clouded like milk being poured into water. When the fog cleared, Kagome felt something pull at her heart and she saw Inuyasha's face staring back at her. Between one breath and the next, she found herself within the first vision.
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Tenmei remained standing before Kagome, whose mind was now temporarily lost in the mirror. Not even she could predict the outcomes because Kagome's heart was still undecided, walking the line between the choices, and not yet committed to neither one completely. Technically, she could just make the decision for Kagome, but for some reason, she was compelled to allow the young woman to make it.
Perhaps it had something to do with the feeling that she had not been allowed a chance to choose her own fate. She wasn't certain yet, but the harder she tried to remember a life before being the Keijigakari, the more fragmented images came to mind. It was one lone image of sad, golden eyes – eyes she felt belonged to the inu-youkai – that lingered the longest and urged her to seek the truth of her own existence. And so she'd taken to watching the stoic creature, looking for some clue that might tell her just what, if any, connection there was between them.
Ah… so he followed after all.
She easily detected the hanyou's youki and smiled. The bond between the two was strong and Tenmei, for Kagome's sake, hoped for a good outcome. For all they'd been through, they deserved it, but it was not her place to play Kami – she was merely the instrument. She wasn't sure how long he'd been listening since her attention had been on Kagome's questions and the instructions she's received earlier from them. Stepping around Kagome's unmoving form, she addressed the forest that held the hanyou's silence.
"She is safe, but she cannot hear us now. She has a task to complete and I ask that you do not interfere. She must do this without you, understand?"
A growl was her only answer before he emerged from the trees.
"Who the hell are you?"
He attempted to peer around her for a glimpse of the miko, but Tenmei easily blocked his view.
"Do not disturb her."
A snarl this time. "Just who the fuck do you think you are?"
He took an unsubtle sniff and his eyes widened, then narrowed in anger. Jerking his head towards some area above her chest, he spoke again, the anger in his eyes reflected in his voice.
"What does he want with Kagome?"
She frowned. "What nonsense are you babbling?"
"Did he send you? I've never seen you around him, but you carry his scent. I don't know what the game is, but that son-of-a-bitch isn't getting Kagome!"
Still confused, but unwilling to be accused of some plot against the selfless woman behind her, Tenmei gave a growl of her own and advanced on the hanyou.
"How dare you accuse me of harming her! If anyone should be guilty of that, it is you. Your degrading words and callous actions pushed her away and still her only thought was your happiness. She came back for you, to give you your wish despite what it could cost her."
For each step she took, he retreated equally until he was backed into a tree, wide-eyed with shock and a hint of fear.
Serves him right. Maybe now he'll use his head and heart together.
With a snort she turned away from him and returned to standing watch over Kagome. The girl's hands were clenched tightly on the mirror as tears streamed from unseeing eyes, but Kagome's lips were turned up in a sad smile.
Tenmei nodded to herself; neither vision was probably anything Kagome might have thought of, but the girl had been warned that the mirror showed her a blended future of what Kagome wanted and what could be. The mirror in Kanna's possession was the one that showed absolutes. Thankfully it wouldn't work like that in anyone's hands but hers or the Soul Piper's. Hence why it had probably been twisted by Naraku, but that was a problem for a later date.
"What would it cost her?"
"Everything… or nothing." She shrugged. "It depends on what Kagome is willing to offer."
"Damn stubborn wench! She knows better than to do things on her own!"
"You cannot help her this time. It is not your soul."
Before he could utter a retort, Kagome began to stir.
"Time to leave, Inuyasha."
Tenmei tapped the orb at her waist with a single finger, resulting in a flare of light just before the ground opened beneath him and he fell into oblivion. The void would deposit him back with the rest of their group.
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"Did that answer your questions?"
Kagome nodded, "As best as possible. Thank you."
"You knew what it might be like when you asked to replace her. You presumed to know more than the Kami about the wishes of the Fated's hearts. I trust you have learned your lesson?" At Kagome's nod, she continued.
"I trust the next summons will be when you are ready?"
"Hai, but I'm not sure about my choice anymore."
"Why?"
"I want him happy, but I want to be happy too. Selfish, ne?"
Tenmei chuckled. "No, only human Kagome, only human." She looked beyond Kagome and smiled slightly as she began to step back towards the void. "But perhaps you should consider asking him what he wants."
Oh no! Kagome thought as Tenmei disappeared into the void. So wrapped up in the conversation she'd completely missed Inuyasha's approaching youki. But now that she felt the familiar touch of it, she cringed and didn't want to turn around. She could tell he was angry and it was directed mostly at her. She was afraid of the look that might be in his eyes. The look that said she betrayed him by breaking the promise to stop hiding things from him.
A/N:
Tenmei - Karma, destiny, Heaven's decree
Seishin - Mind, Soul, Heart, Spirit, Intention
Yes, yes it's finally moving along. Soooo sorry to those who wanted this to move faster. One of my faults is wanting to describe everything, but this will be fixed in the rewrite. I will also probably combine several chapters when this happens. If you'd like to be notified of the final version postings feel free to email me or leave a review asking me to notify you.
Edit: Some people were guessing the wrong person, so maybe that one change in Inuyasha's speech will correct it. Otherwise, oh well, you'll get it eventually. LOL And on a sidenote…FFnet seems to be allowing plagiarists to keep their accounts and stories.. I'll not go into details since the issue was hashed to the extreme this week on a forum I'm part of. The girl has voluntarily removed herself after being flamed by the fans of the author she stole from. Hopefully FFnet will take heed when we tell them about it now. So… in light of that, I may either never post to FFnet again (only MMorg) or I'll at least finish up Fated Existence and just post new stories soley on MM. I hope if any of you run across someone copying my plot/story you'll inform me. Thanks!
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