A Tempting Fate

Chapter 6: The Past

By Kaguya's Chaos

:Inside Kagome's Head:

Kagome listened in rapt attention as Midoriko paused in her story. The beautiful meadow had changed to an over view of what Kagome thought was the island they were trapped on. The crystal blue water sparkled in the few rays of sunshine and threatening storm clouds were far off in the distance. There was no sound, other then the soft breathing of the two females and the slight beat of the surf on the sand.

Kagome grinned and watched in fascination as the wind blew through the trees and ruffled the exotic leaves. She frowned as a splotch of ugly brown caught her eye on the beach. 'Gah! It's that nasty looking skeleton!' She thought and tried to stop the shudder from racing through her body. "Midoriko? Is this the island we are on?" Kagome asked as she turned back to the silent woman. Midoriko smiled a bit sadly and nodded her head. "Yes. This is what it looks like currently." She said and frowned down on the green piece of land.

She narrowed her eyes and the island seemed to change slightly. The crystalline waters became choppy and malicious. The vegetation looked even more wild and the beach was bigger. The threatening storm was surrounding the island in a tight ring, definitely closer then it was before. But, the thing that caught Kagome's attention the most was the fact that the skeleton wasn't on the beach and a wrecked ship was.

"This is the island five hundred years in the past." Midoriko whispered and Kagome felt wind rush through her hair as they drifted closer to the island. Kagome felt slightly weirded-out as she realized there were no people, or any living thing, around. She felt her feet touch the slippery surface of the ship and she glanced over at the forlorn face of Midoriko.

Just as the older woman touch the deck of the ship, the scenery disappeared and the miko sighed. "It still does not stay for me." She whispered and Kagome frowned in confusion. She didn't say anything, though, as the ghost sat down on the, once again, flourishing meadow. She looked up at Kagome a smiled.

"I apologize for trailing off like that. Would you like to hear more of the story?" She asked softly as she patted the grass beside her. Kagome nodded enthusiastically and sat down, eager to hear more. Midoriko took in a deep breath and began her tale again. Her eyes glazed over and her words came out without any thought, describing what she remembered and saw with her inner eye.

:In the past:

Midoriko tried to keep her eyes from showing the hesitation and fear she felt. Subaki giggled as she dragged the reluctant miko from the safety of the ship and toward the dangerous unknown. "Isn't this great, Midoriko?" Subaki shrilled as she let go of her older sisters arm and danced about on the beach. Her feet kicked the white substance up behind her and her brown eyes flashed at everything with excitement.

Midoriko sighed as she watched the tree-line with wariness. She felt like she was being watched, and not by one of the sailors either. 'I am surprised Subaki hasn't picked up on anything yet.' She thought as she turned to look at the girl kicking her feet at the water. 'She has been slacking in her training.' She decided as she watched her sister fall backwards onto the sand.

"Miss Midoriko! Do be careful!" One of the sailors shouted from the railing and Midoriko smiled up at him. "You as well." She shouted back and walked calmly over to her errant sister.

Subaki giggled as Midoriko made her way over, shuffling uncomfortably in the western dress she had been forced to wear to "blend in" better with the rest of the westerners. "Midoriko! You won't believe how many fish are near the shore!" Subaki exclaimed as she grabbed Midoriko's hand once again.

Midoriko smiled at her sisters enthusiasm and allowed herself to be dragged over to the edge of the small tide. "Subaki. Calm down." She said in a low voice as she tried to ignore the nagging feeling of being watched. 'It's just the crew. It's just the crew.' She repeated over and over to herself as she settled down in the sand.

An hour later, Midoriko stood up as a shout for her came from behind. She stood up and turned to find Damien running toward her. Subaki had stopped her childish playing to glare at the man's intrusion. "Midoriko-sama. We are having our noon meal. Would you care for some tea while it is being prepared?"

Midoriko fought a blush as the handsome young man grinned at her. "That would be lovely." She whispered in reply, her voice nearly leaving her. Subaki sneered slightly at the man before she stepped up and forced a smile on her face. "Come on, 'Riko." She said, reverting to her nickname for her sister. "Let's go! I'm starving!"

Subaki grabbed a hold of Midoriko's arm and pushed the young sailor out of their way. Midoriko smiled sheepishly at the young man in apology. Subaki inwardly scowled. She had seen the way her sister had looked at the sailor. Not to mention the look he gave her in return. "He'll only brake your heart, 'Riko." Subaki said as she dragged her sister up the beach and to the ship.

Midoriko glanced at Subaki in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She asked as she stopped in her tracks. Subaki, feeling her sister stop in her tracks, turned to look back. "Never mind. Let's get something to eat! And some tea!" She said in reply and grit her teeth.

Neither of them noticed the gleaming red eyes twinkling in amusement from the bushes. 'Interesting group we've caught here.' An evil chuckled issued forth as the figure stepped back into the dark jungle once again. 'Interesting indeed. It seems the little sister is possessive of the older.' The evil figure disappeared completely, leaving one last thought. 'I could use this.'

:End of Midoriko story for now:

Rin looked down on the calm and eerily still form of the girl she had become attached to. Silent tears streaked her cheeks as she washed at the still bleeding wound. She let out a slight sob as she realized a strange greenish ooze was also leaking out of the wound. "Oh, Kami! Please come back, Shippo!" She ground out as she watched the weird mixture of crimson red and neon green drip out of the tear.

As if her prayers were answered, Shippo came leaping through the waterfall and skidding to a halt beside Rin. In his hands he clutched some raggedy looking weeds and freaky looking purple flowers. Rin let out a relieved cry and finally allowed herself to break down and cry. "Oh, Shippo! Look at her leg!" She yelled out and Shippo had to cover his ears momentarily.

Shippo looked over at the leg and his eyes widened. "Shit!" He whispered fiercely and Rin stopped her crying to smack Shippo on the back of the head. "Don't curse!" She said crossly as her eyebrows lowered dangerously. Shippo scowled back and rubbed the back of his head. Both of their attention was again returned to Kagome as the girl let out a small sigh.

Removing the scowl from his face, Shippo bent down and gently placed his small hands on either side of the gash. Putting slight pressure on the flesh he watched in horrified fascination as the green liquid came out in larger amounts. 'Is…is that the poison?' He asked himself as he bent down further to smell it.

His head jerked back up in disgust as the acrid smell of rotting flesh burned his nose hairs. 'Ok, that was a bad idea.' He mentally smacked himself as he rubbed furiously a his nose. Rin watched him through confused eyes as she tried to understand what her older brother was about.

"I wish Sesshoumaru-sama were here." She said quietly and Shippo nodded in agreement. "Rin, I think that green stuff is the poison that hanyou injected into Kagome-nee-chan's neck." He said just as quietly as she had wished for Sesshoumaru.

Rin jerked her head up to stare at Shippo in confusion. "How…why…what…?" She stumbled over her words as she tried to comprehend what that meant exactly. Shippo frowned as he watched as the blood all but stopped coming out while the green poison continued to flow. "The only thing I can think of that is happening is Kagome's body is trying to push the poison out of her through the wound…but how is that possible?" Shippo mused out loud as he turned to stare at his sister.

Rin shrugged and sniffled. "This is good…right?" She asked softly and Shippo nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, but how is she doing it?" His question was left unanswered as they both continued to watch in rapt attention as the green formed a puddle on the ground. Neither noticed the silent figure of a dark haired sailor at the mouth of the waterfall hidden cave.

:woo…creepy:

Sesshoumaru tilted his head back as he ran and took in the scents of the two he currently hunted. 'I am just rushing to find the damnable hanyou to get rid of the annoyance he presents. I do not care if the wench dies of poison.'

'Don't lie to yourself.' A voice whispered in the back of his head. It wasn't his conscious. Of that he knew for certain. 'Who the hell dares to enter this Sesshoumaru's mind!' He demanded in his head as he searched out whoever was trying to reach him.

'That is not important. What is, is that you hurry in your pursuit. You do not have much time.' The voice reiterated as Sesshoumaru paused in his sprint. 'Who are you!' He asked again and tried to determine whether the voice was male or female. 'You have to hurry, Lord of the Western Lands. The miko cannot do it alone. She will need your help.'

Sesshoumaru felt his eyes widen. 'A miko? Here!' He asked, incredulously. 'They haven't existed in…YEARS! They disappeared along with most youkai!'

'You do not have time, Taiyoukai! You must defeat the hanyou. The past must not repeat itself. He is already seeking out the help of his old allies.' Sesshoumaru frowned as the voice got louder and more urgent. It was a decidedly male voice, bordering on sounding feminine. 'Why is he calling allies? He seems to have enough of them here.' He asked with slight irritation as he began his search again, half paying attention to what the voice had to say.

'He has sensed the miko's power growing. He does not want a repeat of the past either.' The voice turned slightly sardonic. 'He wishes for this game to go much easier then before. Now he knows what to expect.'

Sesshoumaru frowned on the inside while his outside appearance appeared bored. 'This has happened before?' He asked as he tried to piece together the voices fragmented hints. 'Yes. The ending was devastating, but the overall outcome was a success. That is what the hanyou wishes to rectify…even if he doesn't realize it yet.' Sesshoumaru frowned again and thought over the words. 'What do you mean he doesn't realize it yet?' He asked in slight suspicion.

The voice seemed to pause a while and Sesshoumaru was starting to think the voice had left him. 'Oh, great…I really am going insane on this hellish island. What next? Flying pigs? Purple cows?'

'Although the flying pigs and purple cows would certainly liven things up…I doubt you'd find any here.' The voice said and this time Sesshoumaru frowned on the outside as well as in. 'Naraku has no idea what the little miko carries. Nor of her past life.' The voice continued, answering the Taiyoukai's initial question. 'Wait…you mean that…the miko is…' Sesshoumaru trailed off, not knowing how to end his statement. Because saying it out loud, or in this case, internally, only finalized the shocking realization even more.

'Yes. The little miko is none other then Kagome.'

:Rolls eyes: Ok…who saw THAT one coming:

Inuyasha sighed as he finally got the last of the sticky goop off of his pants and out of his hair. His dog-like ears were still painfully coated in the stuff and it greatly impaired his hearing. As such, he didn't hear Kouga come crashing into the stream, screaming bloody murder. He did however, see, smell and feel the wolf slam into the water.

Kouga stopped his scream as he realized he was swallowing water and sputtered to the top. He heaved in great gulps of air as he tried to remove the fluid from his lungs. Inuyasha watched the wolf flail around and smirked. Kouga, finally able to calm down enough to take in his surroundings, met Inuyasha's eyes.

'What the hell happened to him!' Both thought at the same time as they took in the others appearance. Inuyasha's black pants had small little brown splotches and was soaking wet. His silver hair was matted and held traces of the same brown stuff as his pants and his ears were completely covered in the brown substance.

Kouga…looked like he had been attacked by…well…monkeys. His clothes were torn in places and his face had hand shaped bruises framing his cheeks. His hair was all over the place and his eyes looked slightly haunted. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Damn Kouga…you look like you were attacked by love sick monkeys!" He exclaimed as he bent his head and proceeded to get the gunk out of his ear.

Since Inuyasha's face was in the water, he didn't see the horrified look that had crossed the wolf's face. Kouga quickly decided it wasn't manly to admit he had almost been raped by monkeys…so he lied. "No! I ran into some hot chicks! They couldn't keep their hands off me!" He shouted and, to his horror, a slight squeak entered his tone at the end of his last sentence.

Inuyasha flipped his head back up and stared at the wolf as if he were stupid. "Kouga…we're on a DESERTED island! There are no hot chicks here!" He exclaimed. Kouga blushed and turned his face away. "Kagome's hot." He stated defensively.

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha decided to state the obvious. "Yeah, but she sure as hell ain't hangin' all over you!" Kouga growled and stood up in the knee-deep water. "That's only because she was poi-" Kouga cut himself off as he fully remembered why he was out here in the first place. Inuyasha tensed up as well and stood up.

"Keh!" Inuyasha said as he messed with his other ear. Both were now as clean as they could be. This, drew Kouga's attention to the half-breed's own appearance. "Did you fall in quicksand!" He asked, confused as to how a youkai could get stuck in quicksand, even though he was a hanyou.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha answered as he began walking in some random direction, searching for the winged youkai that were after them. Kouga grinned as he realized Inuyasha had indeed fallen in the sticky trap. "Baka." He said and ran after the now running half-breed.

:With Michael and Gabriel:

Michael chuckled as he watched the hanyou and wolf walk in the opposite direction they were in, following one of their previously made trails. Gabriel glanced to his brother and tried not to sigh in boredom. Trickery was not something he enjoyed. He would rather be doing what they were supposed to be doing: hunting them down and killing them.

"What's wrong, Gabe? Bored?" Michael asked snidely as he glanced at his twin. Gabriel glared at him and turned to look over the tree tops. They were currently sitting in a rather large tree beside the stream the hanyou had been scrubbing in. Michael frowned at his brother's aloof attitude. "If you're that bored, why don't you go looking for the Taiyoukai? I'll keep an eye on the two morons."

Gabriel looked to his brother and nodded in agreement. "Fine." He said shortly and leapt out of his perch. Michael watched him go with narrowed eyes. 'He's been acting weird since we started this damn mission.' He thought as he turned back to the path the two arguing dogs had taken.

:With Gabe:

Gabriel sighed as he descended to the ground, landing softly, only to spring back up in a graceful leap. His wings had disappeared at his will, leaving him more room to move through the trees. Yes, he would go hunting, but his prey wasn't the Taiyoukai. No…it was the human girl.

Ever since he had seen her pale face and luscious raven hair, he had been unable to get her out of his mind. He had tried to tell himself that she was only human. And a dead one at that. She was going to die soon. The incompetent makeshift companions weren't going to get an antidote. There was none.

Naraku had lied when he had said the poison had an antidote. How was that possible? Gabriel didn't know. Only that Naraku had made it and he hadn't made an antidote. 'Pretty stupid, if you ask me.' Gabriel thought, 'What if you accidentally gave yourself the poison? You'd die a stupid and meaningless death.'

Gabriel paused his internal musings to sniff out the human girls scent. 'The intoxicating smell of juniper and jasmines interlaced with spring water.' Gabriel thought and felt his heart pick up speed as he caught her scent.

He growled to himself as he tried to calm down. 'It must be because of the mating season being so close. Yeah…that's the reason I feel so attracted to her.' He kept telling himself, even as he sped up, tracking her scent. A line from a weird movie he once watched came to mind as he leapt over a low hanging branch. "I'll get you my pretty…and your little dogs too."

:Back into Midoriko's story:

Midoriko sighed as she watched her little sister polish off yet another rice ball. How many has it been so far? Twenty-two? Thirty-four? Midoriko shrugged, deciding it didn't really matter anymore. Subaki giggled as she sat back and looked over at her sisters incredulous face. 'Where does she put it all?' Midoriko wondered to herself as she stood up.

"Subaki, come. I have realized you have been slacking in your miko training. Let's go somewhere on the beach, where we won't be in the way." She said as she walked a few paces from the table, expecting Subaki to follow. Subaki scowled at the now empty plate before her and grumbled under her breath.

Reigning in her temper, Subaki plastered a forced smile on her face and stood up to follow her rapidly disappearing sister. Subaki glanced around, realizing the hammering sounds and male voices had stopped. She immediately noticed that all male eyes were firmly planted on her sisters back. Narrowing her eyes in a dangerous manner, Subaki rushed forward and latched onto Midoriko's arm.

"Onee-chan! Lets go farther inland instead! That way we won't be disturbed by the hammering and such from the servants!"

Midoriko frowned and stopped her descent from the ship. "Subaki! These gentlemen are not servants! They are sailors kind enough to take us to Europe. Treat them with respect!" She said and glared at her sisters bored expression.

"Yeah, yeah! Sure sis! Anyway, please? Can we go?" She pleaded as she replaced her impassive face for the puppy eyes and raised eyebrows. Midoriko sighed and bowed her head. "We don't know what's out there, Subaki. It's too dangerous."

"But, 'Riko! We-you're a powerful miko! Surely nothing could harm us out there!" Subaki protested, feeling eyes burning into her back. Midoriko shook her head, and continued onto the beach. "'Riko! Please? We…we can get someone to come and watch out for us!" Subaki exclaimed as she ran after her sister.

Midoriko frowned and turned back to Subaki. "We can't ask that of any of the sailors! It would not be fair to them. They have their own responsibilities. We-" Midoriko was cut off as a deep voice interrupted. "I would be glad to accompany you."

Both girls spun around to stare at the dark haired Damien. Subaki scowled but hid her face behind her dark hair. Midoriko smiled and shook her head. "We can't pull you away from your duties!" She argued and watched as the handsome man jumped over the rail of the ship and splashed in the shallow water, moving toward them.

"Actually, I was given the job of discovering if there was anything edible on this rock. So, I could accompany you while looking for food." He said smiling and Midoriko was hard pressed not to blush and giggle like a little girl. Subaki glared at the sailor and rolled her eyes. 'As long as it's only one. And that he doesn't make any moves on Midoriko.' Just as she was finishing this thought, another voice, even less welcome sounded from above.

"I shall come along as well." All three of them looked up into the green eyes of the Captain. Damien and Subaki scowled and Midoriko's forehead scrunched up. Davis leapt over the side of the ship, much like Damien had, and sauntered over to the two females, ignoring his first mate.

"Oh, Captain. I don't want to pull you away from your duties!" Midoriko said, trying not to let her dismay show. Subaki held back a growl and stomped her foot. 'It's not fair! This is mine and Midoriko's time!' She thought venomously as she tried to stop herself from hitting the closest thing, that being Midoriko herself.

"Not at all! I was going to go exploring anyway." He said flashing a triumphant grin at a glaring Damien. Midoriko sighed. 'Damn. Looks like were going out there anyway…' She thought, ignoring the slight fear building within herself. "Well, alright then…lets go…" She said her shoulders slumping slightly.

Subaki rushed forward and latched onto her sister once again, glaring back at the two males in contempt. "You stay behind us and make sure nothing attacks from behind!" She stated, much to the anger of the Captain and his first mate, and the dismay of her aggrieved sister. And so, the four irked people, ruthlessly thrown into a horrible situation, began their trek into the jungle and into a nightmare that would take their lives.

:Across the ocean and in the present:

Ginta glanced at his brother and partner in shock as they listened to the female wolf detective standing beside the flea youkai that had caught them before. 'Apparently, there is more going on then a simple plan crash.' He thought as he again turned his eyes to the pair talking in low tones.

Hakkaku, meanwhile, shifted uncomfortably on the balls of his feet as he crouched down under the counter of the small, abandoned room they had snuck into. He looked over at Ginta and wondered when they could leave the stuffy lab.

"So what you're saying is…the plane didn't crash because of what was released to the public?" The detective, Myojin, asked the red haired female.

"That's it precisely. I would tell you more, unfortunately, we do not work together. Here is my card, call me if you ever do decide to take me up on my offer." The female said as she turned her heel and walked out the side door leading into the lab. Myojin stood there a moment more before taking out a cell phone and dialing a number.

"Jaken? Yes, I believe you have made a grave mistake. Meet me in an hour at the usual place. I have much to discuss with you." Without waiting for an answer, the leader of the Taisho Industries search party closed the phone and walked into the lab and out the door. Ginta breathed out a sigh of relief and Hakkaku fell back on his butt and stared up at the bleached ceiling.

"Come on, Hakkaku! We have to follow that Myojin! He might give us more information!" Ginta exclaimed as he leapt to his feet. Hakkaku growled in annoyance and his stomach echoed him. "Ginta!" He whined, "I'm starving! Can't we go eat first?"

Ginta rolled his eyes and shook his head. "We can eat later! Kouga is in trouble! Didn't you hear that chick?" he asked as he stood up and crept over to the window the two of them had climbed through to get in. Hakkaku whimpered slightly and followed him.

:Farther downtown:

Miroku stared down at the polished desk his hands rested on. Many thoughts raced through his head. All of them centering over the new information his detective had given him. Across from him sat an angry Sango. Miroku had explained all about youkai and how he had figured out about them. He had also explained his spiritual powers and how they worked.

"Does Kagome know about youkai?" She asked tersely and awaited the response. Miroku frowned even more and shook his head. "No. I kept her from knowing the truth and I fear this may prove to be a problem."

"Why?" Sango asked, her angry face softening slightly in fear for her friend. Miroku looked up and realized he had voiced the second part out loud. He sighed and sat back in his chair. "The owners of Taisho Industries are youkai. One of them is, in fact, the Taiyoukai of the west. Of course, he had to retire that title due to the current circumstances." Miroku stopped and tried to think of how he could voice his thoughts without alarming his wife any further.

"Not to mention, it is…er…spring. So…" Sango frowned and stood up. "Houshi…you better not be holding anything back from me. Just spit it out!" Miroku looked up at her sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Well, Sango. It's close to mating season for youkai." he stated simply.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She asked as she glared into the, now sweating, mans eyes. Miroku gulped and tried to explain it to her. 'This should be easy…I'm notorious for being a pervert for crying out loud!' "Well, Sango. Um, the mating season is when youkai tend to loose control of their, er, morals and uh…" He trailed off again and Sango's eyes widened as she put the pieces together.

"You mean Kagome is out there on a deserted island with a bunch of horny youkai?"

:Somewhere else:

Kagura glanced down at the water zooming below her. She shifted her sitting position on her downy soft feather, trying not to think of where she was headed. She smiled slightly as she took in the clear blue water and clear blue skies. The scent of ocean spray flowed around her and the soft sounds of the waves slapping on top of each other teased at her sensitive ears.

'If only I wasn't on my way to Hell.' She mourned quietly to herself and sighed.

:with a "new" face:

Kikyou glared at the man standing in front of her in slight irritation. "Look, I know you're supposed to be some important business man, but I do not care! I am the girlfriend of Inuyasha West! Do you know what that means?"

Hojo sighed as he tried to keep his temper from exploding. He was sorely tempted to leap at the bitch before him and punch her in that overly made face. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, nearly gagging on the overwhelmingly perfumed air. Hojo opened his eyes again and looked into the girls face. 'She looks slightly like my Kagome.' He thought and smirked.

"I'm sorry miss, but I believe we got off on the wrong foot." His smirk changed slightly and became more oily. Obviously, Kikyou took it as he was already falling under her "charms" and flashed him a coquettish smile herself. "Yes, lets start over." She said standing over his desk, flashing her cleavage at him.

Hojo chuckled to himself as he kissed the back of the girls hand. 'At least I will have some entertainment until my love is found again.'

:Across the sea on the island:

Kagome watched as Midoriko paused in her telling once again and frowned over at her. "Kagome, it seems we've run out of time, for now. You're going to have to go into a deeper sleep to heal appropriately."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked in confusion and tilted her head to the side. Midoriko smiled at the young woman and shook her head. "I am not allowed to say anymore. We will talk again, for now, you need to rest."

Kagome panicked slightly as her vision blurred into a swirl of green and black, until there was nothing but complete darkness.

:XP:

Ok, I'm going to end it for now…I don't really like this chapter as much as I thought I would…maybe I'll change it later. Anyway, it's coming along slowly cause I don't want to end it as quickly.

The next chapter is when the good stuff happens! Midoriko's story will come to an end, Gabriel will find where Kagome is hiding, Inuyasha and Kouga are confronted by Michael and Sesshoumaru finds Naraku. Not to mention, everyone now knows where our hero's are and are on the way to saving them! I told you it would be good!

Please Read and Review! I need to know if I should continue!