Loving Thru the Trials of Love
Dearest reviewers, I have returned! Long time no see! I'm sorry it took so long, but as soon as my writer's block took a vacation, my school started MEAP testing...(MEAP is evil,) and I've been suffering for two weeks...also, I've been recently spending some quality time with my PS2...and my darling 'Kingdom Hearts 2' game. I know, poor excuse, but when else am I gonna play? While I'm busy?
By the way, I just got a job...don't hate me...
This chapter is dedicated to tuscandolphin, (or Donamarine,) a buddy of mine who is incredibly close to guessing Midoriko's 'relationship' to Miko. Kudos girl! You rock on ice!
Ok, this is a big combo chappie, but Kachie is making her grand reappearance! Parts of this chappie sort of prelude to the next one, in which she and Koga finish off their end of the spell! Awesome, huh? Most of this chappie will focus on other things though, but sometime before the end of it, Kachie will be reunited with the group. Savvy? Oh, and there is some Midoriko content in this chapter, such as info about her past. This is ALL made up. Got it! ALL made up. I don't want complaints, because for my story, it needs to happen this way...
Happy Easter everyone...the big bunny dropped this chappie off just for you!
Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, my darling friend laughingstockstables would have her mouth sewn shut and her typing fingers wrapped in duct-tape so that she couldn't fight me for Sesshoumaru everyday. I swear, I've never seen a more persistent girl in my life...trying to steal my man...jeez...(sticks tongue out at laughingstockstables while sitting on Sesshoumaru's lap and wrapped in his fluffy tail) He sooo loves me more...
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Ariel's Secret Plot and Kachie's Curiosity
"Man has always feared the end of the world. But the end of the world is inevitable, unstoppable. No matter what man does, good or bad, the planet will one day cease to exist; such is the nature of the universe.
But time is eternal. Time goes on forever, never beginning, never ending, always moving forwards. With this assurance, hope arises as well. Hope is what truly keeps man alive, for as long as he can hope, he can continue through time."
"In the end, if this logic is to be believed, then man need only fear himself, for he possesses a weak heart that knows not how to birth its own light. As long as the world depends solely on the heart of mankind, darkness can one day defeat the light. So, it is safe to assume that the fate of the world may very well lie in the heart of another being, of which only one exists; a final light to man when the cloak of dark covers all.
The end of the world is inevitable, unstoppable; no matter what man does, good or bad, the planet will one day cease to exist, for such is the nature of the universe. How the world ends, whether in the loving warmth of light, or in the despairing chill of darkness, has yet to be determined," Kagome read aloud slowly, pondering the words as she said them. Inuyasha wore a look of confusion as they slowly began to sink in while the rest of the inhabitants of the hut pondered them as well.
"So, no matter what happens, the world is going to end? We can't stop it?" he asked. Kagome shook her head.
"No, it doesn't mean that Ariel will destroy the world, it just means that someday, in some millennium, there will be circumstances in which will cause the world to end. It also means that the fate of humanity isn't set in stone. Ariel wants to rule the world, but there's still that hope that she won't succeed. There's a person out there, though not human, who can stop her. But it's not a for sure thing either way."
Sango sighed, "It seems like something's missing though; in the middle of the statement, it jumped a bit, like something was left out." Kagome nodded.
"I thought so too...but when I turned the page, it kept going, and it doesn't look like a page has been torn out either. Could it have been lost in translation or something?" she questioned aloud.
Hekele crept next to her and looked at the book, "She's right, there's no torn edges...and it says on the inside cover that it was translated from Latin...I suppose it's possible, but still...it's quite the coincidence that part of something so informative would simply be left out due to translation problems...you'd think they'd just leave that part out of the book..."
Miroku nodded, "I believe that Hekele may be correct, and besides, this text appeared so mysteriously; how do we know that it isn't hiding the missing piece from us on its own?"
Kagome nodded. "True, I guess we've really not learned anything new, have we?" Sesshoumaru shook his head.
"We've learned that your book is bewitched, that Ariel wants the world to end in darkness, and that there is something out there specifically made to defeat her. All we're missing is the how."
Koga looked at him oddly, "The how?"
Kagome nodded, "Yes, the how; how she will try to end the world, how this creature can defeat her, and how we can find this creature to begin with."
It was almost too much to absorb at the moment. Kagome had decided to revisit the book involving Ariel with Inuyasha after she had woken up after defeating their end of the spell, wanting to show him what she had discovered and get his take on it, however, when she had opened it to the chapter, there were added pages to the end of it; pages Kagome knew hadn't been there before. She had read them to the group, (who hadn't taken to kindly to being woken up at roughly six in the morning,) and here they were, pondering what the meaning was.
Kagome rolled her shoulders uncomfortably; her wings had receded into her back before she had woken up, and it still hurt her. Noticing this action, Inuyasha gave her a concerned look.
"Are you all right?" Kagome nodded, setting down the book in front of her as she did so.
"I'm ok, my back still hurts though. It'll fade eventually," she replied. Inuyasha's eyes softened a bit, and he nodded in understanding.
"All right everybody, git! Kagome needs to get some rest! Show's over!" he bellowed, attempting to shoo everyone out of the room. Kagome rolled her eyes.
"Inuyasha, I'm fine. Don't be so rude!" she said, embarrassed. Kaede, who had up until that moment had been silent, chided the girl.
"Inuyasha is correct my dear, ye need yer rest. Perhaps ye would be better off in yer own time, where ye could get some better medicine to manage yer pain," she said. Inuyasha gave a curt nod.
"I'll take her; her mom, brother, and the geezer have been worried about her lately," he added. Faced with this knowledge, Kagome sighed. She was stuck in a corner. Apparently, she'd have to go home for a while. But maybe if she did, she'd be able to relax and work out how to locate the missing information...
She 'eeped' quietly when she was pulled from her thoughts by Inuyasha lifting her up bridal-style and walking out of the hut. "Inuyasha! Wait, I need to bring the book-"
"Oh no you don't; if you have that darn thing with you, you'll never get to sleep. And to make sure you do let yourself rest, I'm sticking around. Got it?" he stated firmly. Kagome only sighed, resigning herself to get the book later.
"Two days. I'm not letting you back here for two days; you're resting. Don't look at me like that Kagome, you're too tired to do squat about it and you know it."
Kagome sighed again, redirecting her glare to the ground. Ok...I'll grab the book a lot later...
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Kachie opened her eyes slowly and silently glanced around the hotel room. It had only been a few days since her parents had taken her from the Higurashis, but she had been cooped up in that hotel room since the moment she arrived, and it was getting to her. She discovered the previous night that her parents had scheduled a plane to depart late that very morning. If Kachie wanted to make a break for it, and boy did she ever, it was either then or never.
Her parents were still sleeping; it was the first thing that Kachie noticed. The second thing was that it was already six-thirty in the morning, much later than she had wanted to wake up.
Moving as swiftly as she could, Kachie silently crept out of bed and changed into clothes that she had laid out the night before. She grabbed her purse, which had enough cash to get her a taxi back to the shrine if her first plan didn't work. She also filched her father's butterfly knife, (idly wondering how he had got it through airport security the first time,) in case she ran into trouble. She gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror and sighed sadly. Koga would be pissed when he saw her.
Kachie's father hadn't halted the violence after he had slapped her that first night. He had hit her quite a few times since then, and had once threatened her with the very knife she had just stolen from him when he caught her trying to make a phone call. Needless to say, she hadn't tried that again.
Kachie quickly put on her shoes and silently left the hotel room. Once she finally made it outside, she opened her purse and pulled out the necklace that Koga had given her. It was still glowing strong.
This is either my dumbest or most brilliant idea ever...but let's try following the creepy red light and see where it leads me... she thought, heading down the sidewalk at a quickened pace. She prayed her parents would sleep for at least another hour...
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Hekele watched as Rin ran around the village with Shippo playing tag. She was still a bit weak after being stabbed in the shoulder by Kagome the previous afternoon, but her demonic abilities were healing her at a decent pace.
Hekele perked herself up a bit when she smelled Sesshoumaru walking up behind her. She turned her head and smiled at him happily, glad for the company. Sesshoumaru returned the sentiment with a small smile of his own before sitting on a rock next to her.
"How are you feeling?" he questioned, noticing how she sat by instead of playing with the children as she normally would. Hekele's smile strained a bit.
"I still hurt from yesterday, but I'm doing better. I'll be fine as soon as I heal a bit more," she answered honestly. Sesshoumaru nodded.
"Perhaps you should rest as well. Kagura ended up going back to sleep you realize, and her injury is a bit less than yours. It would do you well to rest yourself," he suggested. Hekele sighed but nodded, knowing that she wouldn't win an argument. Sesshoumaru stood then and helped her to her feet, being mindful of her arm. As the two began walking back to the hut that Hekele, Rin, and Sango were sharing, Hekele spoke.
"I can't help but wonder what these orbs are. We've got one, Sango and Miroku have one, and now Inuyasha and Kagome do as well; They've got power in them, but what in Kami's name are they?" she asked, holding up the orb she had taken to wearing around her neck. Sesshoumaru glanced at the jewel as well and shook his head a bit.
"I cannot begin to answer that. I have never heard of such things forming simply due to deep affection, nor have I heard of them forming from broken spells. They are a mystery indeed. Perhaps after we find a way to reclaim Kachie, we shall journey to the Western Lands. In my palace there is a very extensive library that my father built. There are a great many books there about a great many things; perhaps there is something there that can assist us in both discovering the nature of the orbs, and locating this creature that can defeat Ariel," he stated. Hekele looked at him with wide eyes.
"Go to your palace? Really?" she asked, surprised. Sesshoumaru smirked a bit.
"Yes; though I may surprise a few of my acquaintances when I return with a large number of guests instead of simply Rin."
Hekele smiled, "What's the matter? Don't like to show off your social side?"
Sesshoumaru's smirk broadened, "What social side? I'm a cold heartless jerk, remember?"
Hekele laughed a bit and hugged him, surprising Sesshoumaru a bit, "Only on weekends..."
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"So, Sango, what do you make of it?" Koga asked. Sango sighed and shrugged.
"I don't know. Kagura told me that she and Kagome thought that they had found some sort of a connection between Ariel's child and Midoriko, perhaps when we discover if that's true or not, we'll be able to deduce more," Sango answered. Both Miroku and Koga looked at Sango oddly.
"Ariel had a child?" Miroku asked, astonished. Sango nodded.
"Yes, she was an angel who fell in love with a man on Earth. He knew she was an angel, and that if the two of them sinned, that she would be forced to leave Earth. So, for over two years of being together, they didn't. Even when living with one another they refrained from 'sinning' for a whole year before they gave in. Ariel was immediately put on trial and sentenced, but was found to be with child. Since this had never before occurred, they let her stay on Earth until she had the baby. The father of the unborn child didn't resent her, but loved her and relished in the thought that he had more time to be with the one he loved, and vowed to tell their child about her daily after she was made to leave. He was devoted to the end. Ariel was taken away the very day the half-angel baby was born. She only had enough time to name the little girl."
Koga blinked a few times, "What! You're not gonna leave us hanging are you! What was the kid's name!"
Sango grinned a bit, "Miko..."
Miroku and Koga blinked at her, both in total and complete shock. "Miko? As in a priestess, miko?" Miroku asked. Sango nodded.
"That's why Kagome and Kagura think that there's a connection with Midoriko, since she was one of, if not the, very first mikos," she replied.
Koga blinked again, "Whoa...that would have to be the most unlikely coincidence to ever occur...there's gotta be something there." Miroku nodded his agreement.
"Most definitely; I wonder what the rest of our dysfunctional group thinks-"
"What we think about what?" Hekele said, walking with Sesshoumaru into the hut, Kanna close in tow. Sesshoumaru visibly rolled his eyes at the group, having hoped to have Hekele rest, but with everyone already crowding the place, and most likely talking about something they should hear, he knew that it would be impossible. He chose a seat next to Hekele and was only then aware that Kanna had followed them inside. Kohaku followed seconds later.
Miroku cleared his throat, "About the half formed theory that's been concocted concerning Ariel." Hekele raised an eyebrow and nodded for him to continue. Miroku looked to Sango, who retold what she had discussed with Kagura in a matter of minutes.
The expressions of their friends were similar to their own as it all sank in. The group pondered over the information for a bit, allowing their own thoughts to run for what turned into a long while. Finally, Sesshoumaru spoke.
"Sango, you have the most extensive knowledge about Midoriko; what do you know of her origins?" he asked. Sango sighed.
"Not as much as we need. All I know is that she wasn't originally from my village, that she got there when she was around Rin's age," she said. Sesshoumaru frowned.
"I was telling Hekele earlier that perhaps we should take a trip to the Western Lands; the library in the palace is quite extensive, and I can't imagine not being able to find something on Ariel that will at least point us in the correct direction; perhaps we could also find more information on Midoriko. Being a powerful miko, it would stand to reason that there would be information concerning her in a demon's library," he stated. The group mulled it over for a moment before agreeing.
"When would we leave? The sooner we can obtain information, the better," Koga asked. Sesshoumaru nodded.
"As soon as we find a way to reclaim Kachie; it would not serve well to miss an opportunity to rescue her if one is presented."
Koga looked at him, struggling to not show just how touched he was by the gesture. "Thanks..." he said. Sesshoumaru only nodded once more in affirmation; Hekele smiled.
"I'm sure she's ok though Koga. I can't imagine her parents being that horrible to her. I'm stunned that her father acted as violent as he did that night; he'd never been like that before..." she said, attempting to reassure him.
Miroku sighed, "We can only hope that you're right Hekele; they are partially under this spell as well. This spell can make people act in ways that they would not normally act, and it can make them quite blind...we cannot assume that Kachie is safe." No one missed the remorseful expression on his face as he spoke, and knew that he was instantly speaking of what the spell had done to Sango and himself. Sango touched his hand supportively, but said nothing.
Hekele's smile broadened a fraction, "Yes, this is true. But, Kachie's dependable, and if she runs into trouble, she'll find a way to get herself out. She may be a ditz, but she's no idiot. Even if something were to happen to her; she'd get out. No worries."
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Kachie looked behind herself periodically as she walked down the street, glancing for any sight of her parents. Her pendant was glowing brighter, and she knew that she was getting closer to the source; it would not serve well to get caught when she was so near to finding out what was emitting the fallen purity.
As she walked past an alley, the pendant glowed brighter, and then faded. Stopping, Kachie turned around curiously and walked down the dark space between the two buildings, mentally hoping she wouldn't get herself mugged. As she walked, the glow steadily increased, and Kachie knew that she was getting very close to the source.
At one point, the pendant looked almost as if it would burst with all the light inside it, and Kachie found herself next to the back entrance of one of the buildings. Biting her lip uncertainly, she tried the knob, and found the door unlocked. Kachie pocketed her pendant, hoping the light wouldn't show through her clothes, and silently walked inside.
The building wasn't very well furnished, but Kachie knew that it had recently been inhabited. She could still smell food in the air, coming from what appeared to be a kitchen. Kachie idly realized that she was in a very small apartment, and was even more cautious as she snuck around. She checked her pendant, to be sure that it was still glowing, and found that its intensity had increased severely. Knowing that the source was somewhere in the apartment for certain, Kachie became bold and began looking around.
She found the place littered with books, and upon closer inspection, they were all spell books. She also found white crystals all over the place.
Hold it...crystals? Didn't that chick that attacked Kags and Inuyasha come from a crystal? She thought to herself. She steered clear of the crystals and entered another room.
It was odd, there was an alter, it appeared, and a large painting of a fallen angel with long black hair and blue eyes. The painting was breathtakingly beautiful, and Kachie felt drawn to it somehow. She walked closer, and out of sheer curiosity, touched the painting. Her hand was surrounded in darkness as is somehow penetrated the picture. Stunned, Kachie quickly pulled her hand back, finding it to be just fine. She took out the pendant and found it to be glowing brighter still, and Kachie idly wondered how it could glow so bright without exploding. She was mildly convinced that it would blind her by the end of her expedition.
Setting her jaw into a firm line, she made her choice. Pocketing her glowing pendant once more, Kachie took a deep breath, and walked through the painting. She was surrounded in darkness, but only went forward, mentally praying to Kami that her luck wasn't about to run out on her. Then she saw a light, it shined all around her, forcing Kachie to close her eyes. When she opened them, she was in a room.
The room appeared to be set up like one in the feudal era, Kachie noted. She could smell spring outside, life returning to the land, and smiled softly at the effect it gave her surroundings.
Hold it...I can smell spring? Kachie looked at herself and saw demonic markings on her arms, and felt fangs as she rolled her tongue over her teeth. She was demon. But that would mean that-
Suddenly Kachie felt two strong arms wrap around her, a hand covering her mouth swiftly. She struggled against the person, and found it oddly simple, as if it were a human. As if sensing this, her attacker pulled her tighter, and suddenly Kachie was aware that she was dissipating. Her legs were disappearing, as well as she rest of her body. Panicking, she struggled more, but the figure holding her held fast.
It was an odd sensation, she felt no pain, only numbness. She felt like she was still whole, and floating. All she saw was darkness, the same darkness that had taken her to that room. It only lasted a moment though, and as quickly as the odd sensation occurred, it ended.
Suddenly Kachie was in a forest, and her 'attacker' let go of her, quickly backing away. She rounded on him, her anger showing through red speckled eyes. He held up his hands before her, as if trying to calm her, and spoke.
"You don't know me, Kachie, but I know you, and I promise not to harm you. But what in God's name were you doing there! Do you know how close you came to getting yourself killed!" the man asked. His hair was brown, and quite unruly. His eyes were a honey-tinted hazel, and his face seemed long, and almost wise. He had a build, as Kachie had imagined from the strength he displayed.
"Who are you? And what the hell are you talking about?" she asked, taking a fighting stance. The man only looked at her beseechingly, startling her slightly.
"My name is Kotaro, I am with the fallen. Do not be alarmed, for as I said, I will not harm you. I have taken you to the forest just outside the village where you and your friends stay. I imagine that Koga will be on his way here to find you within moments."
"If you're with the fallen, then why did you help me?" Kachie asked, skeptical, though her sense of scent told her that he was telling the truth about her current location.
Kotaro smiled lightly, "Because appearances are deceiving. You were fortunate that Ariel was still sleeping. Warn your friends; she is resting for an attack, and will strike soon. Especially now that you've returned to them. She'll strike very, very, soon." With this Kotaro vanished in the same way that he and Kachie had appeared there, and Kachie sensed Koga's aura coming her way even before she could smell him.
She smiled slightly as she inhaled the scents of the feudal era, and of the emerging spring, "I'm home..."
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Koga ran faster than he thought possible without the aid of Shikon shards. He had smelled Kachie's cinnamon-like scent while helping some of the villagers and Miroku cut wood for the huts. There were only a few more to go before things were back the way they were before the attack, and everyone was anxious to get done.
But then he had smelled her, and without a second thought, took off in search of the scent. It only took a minute or so, and as Koga all but flew through the trees of the forest into a small clearing, there she was, standing there looking at him with an expression so happy his heart swelled.
Koga ran up to her and swept her into a giant hug, which Kachie fiercely returned. He held her tightly to him and kissed her passionately on the lips. He pulled back from her a bit and stroked her hair lovingly, fighting back a couple of tears when he felt her own staining his face.
"I missed you Kachie-chan...I was worried about you..."
Kachie smiled again and rested her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. "I missed you too Koga-kun. You've got to tell me all that's happened; I have a feeling that I've missed a lot since I've been gone..."
Koga nodded against her head and pulled away from her to look at her, "Yes; you've got no idea how much you've missed since-" He abruptly stopped when he saw her bruised and battered face. His eyes grew cold and his face dark.
"He hit you? He fucking hit you!" he snarled angrily. Kachie gave him a pleading look.
"It's nothing...I'm ok. I'm here aren't I? I got out when I needed to, just like you told me to; ok? I'm fine..." she said soothingly, giving Koga another hug, having missed him more than she had thought possible. When she felt his anger seem to dissipate, she smiled a little and hugged him tighter, in all honesty not wanting to let him go.
Koga took a deep breath, inhaling her scent to calm his rage, "...How did you get here?" He felt Kachie shrug.
"I'll tell you when we get back to the village; I have a feeling if I don't I'll be explaining myself at least half a dozen times..." she replied. Koga nodded slowly, turning her towards the village and guiding her there, afraid that if he let her go for an instant, that she may be taken away again.
"...It's good to have you home Kachie..."
Kachie smiled and laid her head on his shoulder as they walked, "It's good to be home Koga..."
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"When did Kachie rejoin them! How!" Ariel yelled as she gazed into her pool of water. She had only awoken moments ago, but felt it imperative to check in on her enemies. When she gazed at them, she saw Kachie, the girl who had been taken away by her parents, sitting with the group of insolent wretches with a large smile on her face. Ariel was only mildly satisfied to see her face as bruised as it was.
"I...do not know my lady; I assume she found her way back to their well and came through. But the spell is still active, so there needn't be a reason to fret..." Kotaro tried, controlling his voice to keep the guilt from it. Ariel snarled.
"Go! Leave this one in peace! This one wishes to contemplate this development alone!" she cried, anger laced in her voice. Kotaro bowed to her and quickly retreated through the door, more than a little hesitant to stay any longer.
Ariel rested her head on her hand as she tried to calm herself. It wasn't that Kachie was a threat; it was that she had overcome the bindings of the spell and reappeared into the picture without Ariel having a clue as to why. The fallen looked to the door and narrowed her eyes. She could, if she truly attempted to, sense the remnants of Kachie's aura within hers and Kotaro's hidden home. She had probably found, somehow, that stupid painting that served as their portal, walked through, and Kotaro had whisked her to safety before Ariel had awaken. It was the only solution. If Kachie had come through the well, she would have brought Kagome and Inuyasha back with her, but they were still in the other era, probably eating lunch at this point.
"How dare he betray this one...he will pay for it when we strike at them, for that is when this one shall unleash the power stored in his body, and this one's vengeance." She looked at the pool, and raised an eyebrow at what she could faintly hear being said in the image.
"Perhaps this one shall wait a day, and cause more destruction yet..."
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Kachie nodded slowly as she absorbed all the information given to her. Apparently, since she was gone, Sango and Miroku had broken a spell apparently put on them by the fallen, (with the aid of Kotaro,) and had formed a weird orb; Hekele had been run down by her father, (part of that darn spell,) only to be saved by a human Sesshoumaru, who she then saved by shooting her father, and then they had formed a weird orb; Kagome had then gone psycho on the group and had nearly killed Inuyasha via purification powers, (since she can apparently now transform back and forth between her miko and demon forms,) and had sprouted angel wings and beat yet another part of the pesky spell...after which another weird orb formed. By the end of the story, (magic book that writes information in itself as it pleased included,) Kachie only had one question.
"What the hell are those weird orbs? You never really explained that part to me..." she asked seriously. Koga sighed.
"We don't know what they are...we don't have the slightest clue...at all..."
Kagura sat on the other side of Kachie in an attempt to keep Hekele from glomping the poor girl in all her excitement of having her back, "I can't believe that you were in the enemy's hide-out and never knew it..."
Kachie growled in frustration, "I was only there for a couple of seconds! Leave me alone!"
"I guess Kotaro really is on our side then, if he was that insistent about getting Kachie away from Ariel and bringing her so close to the village. I suppose I still didn't quite trust him up until now..." Sango said quietly. Everyone looked around nervously, not knowing if Miroku had divulged the information to her that Kotaro had killed her in the future. By the slight nod from Miroku, however, it was understood that he had, or if not him, then someone.
"Well, he did really seem to feel bad about it Sango...not that it makes it right or anything of course...but still, I guess this is his way of trying to make amends..." Hekele tried, not knowing what else to say. Sango seemed to receive this reply well, for she nodded.
"I suppose that you're right. But still, forgiveness for something like that is difficult..."
Miroku smiled and patted Sango's shoulder. "I do not believe that he wants forgiveness, Sango, only for us, and you, to know that he has deep regrets; one does not need to forgive to understand that..." he said wisely.
"Guys." Everyone turned to face Kachie curiously. She bit her lip. "He, Kotaro that is, said to warn you that Ariel was resting up for a big attack, and that it would be very soon. He genuinely looked worried."
After taking a moment to absorb her words, Sesshoumaru looked to the group, "It would be best if we left soon for the Western Lands then. At the very least we'll draw the attack away from the village; at most we'll find the desired information at my palace."
Koga nodded, pulling Kachie to him subconsciously, "Hai, the sooner we leave the better. Who's gonna tell Kagome and the mutt?"
Kachie, leaning happily on Koga, grinned, "I believe that is a task best left to me..."
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"Kagome, you need to get some sleep...your shoulder is bugging you again sis..." Souta said softly as he watched his older sister stand up from her bed. Kagome put her finger to her lips to hush her brother before Inuyasha heard him and woke up. The black haired human had fallen asleep soon after bringing Kagome back to her era, being more exhausted himself than even he probably knew. Kagome wasn't tired, but didn't want to wake him. She still felt guilty about having hurt him so badly. Sure, she healed him afterwards without knowing it, but he was still tired, and she couldn't shake the shadow she knew would follow her for the rest of her life. She had almost done what Kikyo had done; betray him. For that, she would forever be haunted.
"C'mon Souta, he needs his rest too..." she whispered, sneaking off her bed and quietly tip-toeing around Inuyasha, who was sitting with his back rested against the side of her bed.
Downstairs Kagome had to all but fight off her mother's attempts to get her back into bed. She sat at the kitchen table eating a grilled cheese sandwich, watching her mother with a smile on her face. She worried too much. Or maybe it was Kagome who had developed a habit of not worrying enough, who knew?
She sipped her milk and took another bite of her sandwich, shaking her head as her mother began to tell her how she should still be resting and how Inuyasha had the right idea. All talk stopped, however, when there was a knock at the front door.
Ms. Higurashi glanced at the Kagome as she headed for the door, "Who could that be? Everyone we know comes to the kitchen door..." As perplexed as her mother, Kagome stood up and followed her to the door, peering over her shoulder at the silhouette shown on the fogged glass window. Ms. Higurashi opened the door politely, and both her's and Kagome's jaws dropped simultaneously when they saw who was on the other side.
Kachie grinned from ear to ear at the faces. "Hey Mom, hey Kags...how've you been?"
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"Kyaaaaaaahhhhh!"
Inuyasha woke with a start, jumping up to prepare for a fight before losing his balance and falling back down. Looking around quickly, he noted that Kagome was missing and he frantically ran out her door looking for her, afraid that something had happened. Once he got to the bottom of the stairs, he simply stared at the scene in complete and utter shock.
Kagome was squeezing Kachie, who had appeared out of nowhere, to death, while her mother looked like she was going to faint. Inuyasha slowly, disbelievingly, made his way down the last few steps and stared at Kachie for a long moment before grinning a bit and ruffling her hair affectionately.
"You stupid shrimp! You had everybody worried about you! Dumb ass..." he said in a falsely stern voice. Kagome beamed at him slightly before squeezing Kachie again. She let go for a moment and her mother, tears brimming at the sight of Kachie's bruised face, pulled the girl into a tight embrace. She gave her a kiss on the top of her head and held her fiercely.
"I was worried sick about you...I'm so glad that you're in one piece..." she said quietly. Kachie's own eyes held tears in them as she hugged her 'mother' tightly in return.
"I had to wait until I knew when we were leaving...they were keeping tabs on me so I couldn't call or anything...I made sure to wake up early this morning and left. I followed the pendant, which was glowing like a trillion watt light bulb by the way, to the source of the fallen purity. It led me to a building with a painting of a fallen angel in it. When I touched the painting, I went through...it was a portal to the other era...so I ended up there..." she explained. Kagome's mother pulled away from her slightly and looked over her face, touching a few of the bruises sadly.
"Tell us about that later dear...right now I'm going to call the police about what's happened. It could help us; is that all right?" she asked. Kachie nodded.
"That's a good idea..." she consented, before turning to Kagome and Inuyasha, "I came here to tell you that Ariel is planning an attack, relatively soon. The gang is going to head to Sesshoumaru's palace to try to find information on Ariel, and hopefully Midoriko. As soon as you can, get over there and get ready to live...I have a feeling it's be best for me to stick around here for a while..."
Kagome nodded, "Ok, thanks for letting us know...where's Koga?" It struck her as odd that Koga wasn't clinging to Kachie for dear life at the moment...
Kachie smiled, "I was getting squeezed to death, so Hekele and Sesshoumaru saved me and put him to work. He should be here any minute though..."
Inuyasha smirked a bit when he heard bickering coming from outside. "I think Hekele's still harassing him..."
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"And that's when you ran away, correct? This morning?" the female officer asked. Kachie nodded solemnly.
"Yes, and then I walked around for a while, I probably would have gotten here earlier, but I moved slowly. I didn't want them to find me, which is stupid because they probably know exactly where I am. Where else would I go, you know? I guess it was an instinctual thing..." she said thoughtfully, wondering aloud about her own behavior as she explained it.
Koga, who was sitting next to her, squeezed her hand tightly. He had sat there for the past hour listening to what had happened after she had been taken away. He was angered as he listened to the whole ordeal; how she had been shut up in the hotel room, how she hadn't been permitted to contact anyone, and the abuse she had received all caused him to hold her protectively, not willing to allow it to happen again.
"I see...well, there isn't much we can do right this moment but inform them of the complaints against them and file this report to a judge. If it ends up going through, and the Higurashis gain custody, your parents will most likely not have any rights to you what-so-ever, as you will be made a permanent citizen of Japan. Do you understand this? As upset as this occurrence has made you, I can't see that you would want to be completely cut off from your family...you do not appear to bear as much anger as you do confusion and betrayal towards this..." the officer explained, gauging Kachie's reaction.
Koga looked at Kachie out of the corner of his eye and felt the same thing. He did not see hate or resentment in her face, only sadness. "Kachie, no matter what you pick, no one'll be mad at you. It's ok. We can understand if you don't want to leave them forever..." he said. Deep down, he wouldn't truly understand, but he would respect her thoughts and decisions, it was only right.
Seeing Kachie bite her lip, Ms. Higurashi smiled and rubbed the girl's back, "He's right dear. We'll fight for you tooth and nail if we have to, but only if you want us to. We're behind you one hundred percent no matter what though, all right?"
Kachie smiled at her, and at Koga, Kagome, and Hekele, who were all in the room with her and the officer. Grandpa was standing nearby and Souta was sitting in the stairwell as well, showing their support. Kachie felt an odd warmth rising in her chest at the thought that they were all sitting there, ready to do whatever it took to help her. Her love and her family. Kachie squeezed Koga's hand back and looked at the ground, thinking.
Yes, this was her family. Never had she felt so safe and secure in her entire life. Even after all the dangers she had faced in the feudal era, this place was her home, that place was her home. This family was hers, she belonged here, nothing felt more right in her entire life...
"I understand, but, this is my home. I...I've never felt as at home and safe, and loved as I do here and now...Even before this whole ordeal, when there was nothing wrong with my relationship with my parents, never did anything feel this right...I want to stay here..." she said firmly. The gentle and sincere smiles on the faces of the people surrounding Kachie made the officer smile as well as she wrote a final note, shook their hands, and promised to get the case to court as soon as possible, and that Kachie would remain in the Higurashis' custody until that day. She smiled again as she gathered up the paper work and walked to the door.
She had a feeling that everything would work out for these people. She didn't know why, but there it was, that feeling, and it made her warm inside to know that there were still good people in the world.
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Sesshoumaru rubbed his temples as Jaken began his routine monologue. Once the toad started talking, nothing could make him quit. Except...
"Jaken?"
Jaken looked up at his master adoringly, though there was a hint of fear in his expression, "Yes Milord?"
"Shut up."
"Aye Milord..."
Hekele had to stifle a triumphant giggle when Jaken began to mope. She never truly had a soft spot for the toad, and enjoyed tormenting him whenever she had the chance, (which was hardly ever nowadays...)
The quest westward to Sesshoumaru's palace hadn't taken long. In fact, as soon as Hekele, Kagome, and Kachie hijacked a few kimonos to help them blend in a bit, the group had set out. It had taken no more than five hours of slightly labored running to get them there, and the sight of the beautiful palace made it worth while.
The guards were, as Sesshoumaru had predicted, were a bit surprised to see him return with guests. Especially the plural part. They were ready, however, and waiting for their lord's arrival. The group was then escorted to the palace, where Jaken had been waiting. After a polite hello, the toad had begun his usual ramble.
"Lord Sesshoumaru? Why have you returned so suddenly? We may have been able to properly organize a more suitable welcome had we been given knowledge of your plans to return. Though your presence is most gratifying..." Jaken spoke up again. Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He looked to Hekele almost pleadingly. She smiled at him, getting the hint.
"There is a fallen angel by the name of Ariel wreaking havoc, and she seems to have it in for us because apparently in the future we foil her evil plans of world domination-"
"-So she brought her boyfriend back here with her to try to kill us before we got strong enough to beat her. Then she cast a spell on all of us, which most of us have broken already, in hopes of making us weaker. Well, since that isn't working, she's apparently trying some other scheme to kill us-" Kagome cut in, only to be cut off by Sango.
"-Then her boyfriend turned on her because his conscious got to him and he's been helping us out. He's the one that told us that she was planning something, also, we've got this book that told us all about her history, and we found that she may have had a sort of connection with Midoriko. When we went back to look at the book again-"
"-We found that it had written more inside itself and it gave us a sort of idea as to how to defeat her, apparently, it's this creature, of which there is only one of. So we came here to look up info on Midoriko that could confirm our suspicions of there being a connection as well as an idea of what this creature may be and where we can locate it," Kachie added.
Kagura, ever the blunt one, finished off the tale, "Basically, we came here looking for a way to kill the bitch...which way to the library?"
Jaken stared at the group of girls, his mouth agape, unable to process the truckload of information dumped into his brain all at once. He pointed down one of the halls, "Fifth door on the left..."
Rin smiled at Jaken sweetly, "Thank you Master Jaken!"
As the group headed unceremoniously towards the library, Sesshoumaru grumbled to Kagura under his breath, "You do realize that I could have pointed you to the library myself, correct?" At this, Hekele bit down a giggle and Kagura smirked.
"I wanted to give your toad a headache or a heart attack...whichever came first..."
"You gave me a headache."
"You were born with a headache Sesshoumaru; I don't know how Hekele puts up with you..."
At this, Hekele finally let out the offending giggle.
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Miroku grumbled as he shoved another book away from himself. His stack of reading material was getting smaller by the hour, but even as a demon he was getting tired. Sango had already fallen asleep with her head cradled in her arms on the table, as had Kachie in a chair in the corner and Koga on the floor next to her. Rin and Shippo had been taken up to bed hours ago, and Kagome looked like she was about to keel over onto Inuyasha's shoulder. Inuyasha himself didn't appear to be too much better off.
"Anything Miroku?" Kagura asked as she picked up another book. Miroku shook his head and looked to Kanna and Kohaku.
"You two find anything?" When they shook their heads as well, Miroku sighed.
Sesshoumaru closed the book he was glancing at, "Perhaps we should all go get some rest. I doubt we'll be able to continue this in the morning if we all fall asleep down here. It'd be better to get the rejuvenating sleep we require." He looked over at Hekele, only to find her not listening, her nose too deep in the book she was reading.
"Hekele?"
"Hope is needed for time to exist, for without hope, there is no need for time. Man, however, believes it is time that creates hope, and so should time stop, he would lose that hope. Much like losing sight of a single candle in the seemingly eternal dark.
This apparent confusion in the great web of life is both an incredible defense, and a double edged sword. Evil knows not where to strike, for all beings revere time and possess hope; attacking one can strengthen the resolve of the other, which can lead to resistance and overall victory against the evil. However, if evil were to attack both units of existence, and attacked them well, both would fade and man would die, for man knows not what to do when he loses sight of that single candle in the seemingly eternal dark." she read aloud. The passage caught Sesshoumaru's attention.
"Hope and time? Was that not where the passage Kagome discovered left off before the odd break?" he questioned. Hekele nodded, her eyes wide.
"Sesshoumaru..."
"What is it?"
"...This is it...this is what we're missing..."
"Yes, that passage, but we can't even be sure if it truly belongs to the same writing."
"No...look." She showed Sesshoumaru and the rest of the awake group the pages. On those pages was the entire passage, including the parts Kagome had read.
"But...how?" Kanna asked. Hekele flipped back a few pages.
"This is Ariel's story...her whole story...and these pages here...I think it's all a prophecy...this large section before it is what the book Kagome and I found says word for word. This whole thing is Ariel's chapter...this must have been what the author used to as a source...so it's more complete...Look, there's even more information on her daughter...right at the end of the book...
"And the Nephelium child grew to a young woman traveling across the lands and seas. She held a power unlike any mere holy figure, and could purify even the darkest of demons. Afraid of being discovered for the half-breed that she truly was, she shed her name, but kept it as her title, for she became Midoriko, the first of many mikos destined to walk the lands. Me." she read softly, deep in surprise. Kohaku blinked a few times before looking at the end passage over Hekele's shoulder.
"So...the author responsible for this book is Midoriko herself...and she wasn't just connected to Miko...she was Miko..." he said. Miroku nodded.
"It seems that the assumed prophecy was one that she herself made. She must have wanted it to be found...but how did this chapter, written clearly in Japanese, manage to become translated into Latin, and then back into Japanese so that all important information was lost?" he asked. Kanna snapped her fingers.
"Zachariah! Midoriko's father! She must have traveled here to Japan and decided to finally settle down, wrote and made a copy of this as a gift for her father in remembrance of her and her mother! Words could have been lost in translation right then."
Hekele nodded, "And then, as time passed, languages changed, evolved, and died out, so when this was re-translated into Japanese, even more of the dialect was difficult to translate, and since no one would know any better, they just left it out..." The girl looked dejected, and quite troubled.
Kagura looked from her to the prophecy, "What does this new excerpt of ours mean though?"
Hekele felt Sesshoumaru take the book from her hands, but her worried and disbelieving eyes continued to stare at the spot where it had lain in her lap for a moment. "I think she's going to..."
Sesshoumaru, his own face becoming gravely troubled, finished for her, "She's planning to stop the flow time."
Kagura's face lost all color, "Oh...shit..."
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Ariel stretched her arms above her head elegantly as she stared at the palace in the distance. "It truly is stunning, isn't it Kotaro?" she asked. Kotaro nodded.
"It is my lady...but what are we doing here?"
Ariel smiled secretly, "Because, soon it will be ours."
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Me- Wow...took me long enough, eh? The important thing is, I'm still here, and I intend to keep updating. Even if it takes me one thousand years, I'll finish this story. We are, I am sorry to say, beginning to wind down...I'm not sure how many chapters are left...but still...the bulk of it is over...
Kachie- She's gonna stop time...
Me- Oh be quiet...
Kachie- She's gonna stop time...
Me- She can try...there's still that "creature" out there to stop her...
Kagome Wait, wait, wait...what's with the quotation marks? You wrote "creature". What's the deal?
Me- You guys only called it a creature because you didn't know what it was...so...if anyone can tell me what this final light in the darkness...
Inuyasha- You'll give us ramen?
Sesshoumaru- No...she'll dedicate the whole rest of the story AND a one-shot to whoever gets it...that is...if anyone gets it...it isn't exactly obvious...
Me- Also, Kachie's got a deviant art account. You all should go check out her profile...there's this hilarious pic with Naraku in it...just a chibi though...her alias on there is: Afflicted Rayven. Go and check out the one that has 'randomness' in the title...that's the Naraku one...you will either die of a heart attack or laughter...I haven't quite decided how to die yet...
Kachie- The first person to view my pic AND accurately describe it, (in general of course, no need to get SUPER specific,) will get a one-shot song-fic with the pairing of their choice...happy hunting!
Me- And review! Happy Easter everybody!