Twice Lost, Once Found

An Inu-Yasha fanfic

A story of a special someone who did not exist in their lives long enough to mention.

Chapter Two: Champion's shrine

The trail was long and not very well lit since the forest seemed to be getting denser. Inu-Yasha had relocated to the front of the line a few times to clear out fallen trees and obtrusive bushes.

"Hmm... these bushes look like wild strawberries. Maybe this was a berry-picking trail or something." Sango observed.

"Do you recognize any of this, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome asked, glancing around.

"No. I think we've ever passed through this way before."

"I remember seeing farmland in this direction when flying over. I don't remember seeing anything like a village, though."

After a little ways of walking and attempting to guess where the path was leading them, Kilala started to growl.

"What is it, Kilala?" Sango asked. "Are there demons nearby?"

Inu-Yasha stopped and began to tense up. Miroku didn't look too happy either. Sango followed as she began to feel it. Even Kagome began to feel something.

"What is it, Inu-Yasha?"

"I don't smell any demons nearby," he hissed. "It's still faint, but I can feel a powerful demonic aura."

"As can I," Miroku commented.

"Me too," whispered Sango.

"I don't feel any jewel shards," murmured Kagome, glancing around.

"And it doesn't feel like it's moving," said Miroku, taking a step to the side.

Inu-Yasha grinned in his devilish way. "Then we're gonna have to go to it!"

They talked Inu-Yasha out of sprinting into trouble, since they had no idea what was going on. They quickened their pace, looking around expectantly as they marched forward.

"That's weird," Inu-Yasha said smugly as they went. "The aura's getting stronger, but I can't smell anything."

They all glanced over at Inu-Yasha with his arms crossed. "I can smell old demons that aren't here any more, and humans, but I can't smell whatever's giving off that aura."

"Maybe it's disguising its scent." Miroku suggested.

"Or maybe it's being held in something, like that demon held in that scroll in the village of the women," Sango suggested.

"We'll know soon enough," Inu-Yasha growled. The path was getting wider and was looking slightly more used. Up ahead was something of a clearing. They were all starting to get very on edge when they heard giggling. Kagome blinked in surprised when two small children ran by in the clearing, chasing a ball.

In this clearing at the end of the trail was a small collection of houses. It was the mere shadow of a village. One that, at one time, must've been bigger than Kaede's.

"It looks like an abandoned village." said Sango, examining the bare spots on the ground where houses use to be.

"Or a private residence," said Miroku looking out at the 3 still standing structures in the shade of the trees and the farmland.

Shippo moved up to Kagome's shoulder as she looked around. "Nothing seems out of the ordinary."

Inu-Yasha ditched Kagome's bike at the opening of the clearing and had moved on to looking confused. "Then what's with the aura?"

The group turned to where they felt the aura. There was another path off this clearing that also looked overgrown, but not nearly as much as the path they had just walked down.

They were all about to stroll down it to see what was up when a feeble shout came from behind them.

"No! You mustn't go to the Champion's Shrine."

They all turned around to meet an old man standing next to one of the houses.

"Champion's Shrine?"

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The scene changed, as they often do, to the group all gathered inside the old man's house, set down with a good meal. The two children they had seen before ran around back giggling and a middle-aged woman who they hadn't seen before was cooing a small child and calling to them at same time. A middle-aged man whose youthful charm hadn't completely worn away was helping the old man with tea.

The old man spoke. "I live here with my son and his family." he smiled a bit in his old man way, his jaw still holding all his teeth. "Or, rather, they live here with me."

"Sir? What happened to this village?"

"Yes, and what is the Champion's Shine?"

The old man gazed into the fire for a minute and they waited as patiently as they could.

"A long time ago this use to be a prosperous village; small, but prosperous and peaceful. It had many protectors. They say the Gods became jealous of us and sent a powerful demon to attack to village. A young priestess sealed the demon away inside the Champion's Shrine and was never seen again."

"That's not true, father." The middle-aged man interrupted, re-serving rice. They all turned their attention to him. "I saw her when I was young. A brave warrior had entered the shrine to challenge the demon there, but he failed. I saw the priestess for an instant when she appeared to seal the shrine back up again."

The group was all very interested. The old man nodded and their attention shifted again. "Many confident humans and many demons, as well, have come to slay the demon within the shrine, lured by the legends and the aura. The spirit of the priestess remains there to make sure the evil within the shrine never escapes."

The group was left in a sort of daze. The old man fell silent and the meal ended. They were all invited to stay the night. The house they were currently in was the old man's. The son and his family stayed in the house next door and the third structure turned out to be the storehouse.

They all gladly accepted the invitation, since they had been walking the entire day. They stayed in the old man's house; the men in one room, the women in another. No one could sleep, though. The story of the priestess and the powerful demonic aura kept them awake.

"Can't sleep?" Sango asked as Kagome finally sat up.

"Not a wink. You?"

Sango shook her head. "I wonder if the others could sleep."

Sango's question was quickly answered when she and Kagome heard footsteps outside. The two girls and the fox child looked at each other and hurried to their feet. Still in their pajamas, they stuck their heads out the sliding door. Inu-Yasha and Miroku were outside, also in their pajamas (Inu-Yasha wears his normal cloths. Miroku was in something close enough to pajamas). They were about the ask what was going on when they spotted the old man standing outside, starring at the little path they had almost walked down: the path that led to the shrine.

They all looked at the path in the darkness.

"Sir," Miroku asked. "How long ago did the priestess seal away the demon that attacked the village?"

The old man was peering through the darkness to the shrine he couldn't see. "It was in my youth, almost sixty years ago."

"So you knew her?"

It looked as if the old man would've cried if Miroku had asked him this question sixty years ago, but now the old man just smiled. "I loved her."

They starred at the old man as he went on. "We all did. What a beauty she was; snow-white; but her heart was untouchable, it was so pure. Men feared to pursue her for fear that they would tarnish her. She was extremely honorable, extremely respected, kind, and incredibly powerful for one so young." His face looked down for the first time. "We were sad to lose her."

There was a pause as the old man finally broke himself away and returned to his house. His son was there to meet him.

The persons in the group still outside were all thinking the same thing, but it was Kagome who said it aloud. "That sounds an awful lot like Kikyo.

When the morning sun rose and the group was gathering to prepare for breakfast, Inu-Yasha looked up from his seat against the wall. "I'm going to defeat the demon in the shrine."

Kagome was the only one in the room at the time. She turned to Inu-Yasha who wouldn't look at her. "I'll free the spirit of the priestess there," his eyes shined.

Kagome knew what he was thinking but didn't say anything, she just smiled at him, a smile he couldn't see, and left to help gather wood.

A priestess trapped by her duty.

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Can you guess what's going to happen yet? It's a short little fanfic so how complex can it be, right? Complex or not, I'm gonna add some pieces to some puzzle out there. It's what I do.

Did anyone see those pages on where Sesshoumaru runs into his mom? His mom's a jerk! IT'S NOT SUPPOSE TO WORK LIKE THAT! AAARRRHHGG!

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I do not own Inu-Yasha, Rumiko Takahashi does… I don't think I could draw or write that many manga.

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Thank you, Damki, my loyal reviewer for reviewing me. Having reviews makes me happy. You'll have to help me rewrite this one. All the plot's there, but I'm not sure how much I like the writing style…. I want to think of a better summary too. Mine's a little short and not entirely accurate.

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THANK YOU! COME AGAIN!