Here is chapter 11! I hope you all like the story so far. I am a little worried that I might let the story progress a little faster than I intended and all but just because Kagome has gaind some trust towards men back DON'T mean it will be a happy ending just yet. After all that wouldn't be very believable. No matter how strong Kagome is no one can get over something she has been through that quick so don't worry. I plan on having at least 10 more chapters before I try to wrap this story up. Please if you have any comments or questions don't be afraid to review. I don't bite (much) Though if someone is mean I won't answer no need to be mean to each other ;)
Enjoy~
Chapter 11.
Inu Yasha and his pack had been looking for weeks after Shippo had come running into that camp that one morning yelling that he had found a blood trail he thought could have belonged to the dead man that he and Inu Yasha had found. They had all skipped their breakfast and hurried to the place where they had found the body and Shippo showed the dried blood on the fallen tree and they had then started to search for more and they had found some but it was not helping them since all they found was a large dried spot of blood in a small glade and they all came to the conclusion that the Band of Seven had killed the man there and not at his home and they were back at square one.
The Inutachi had just three days ago decided to return to the village of Edo so that they could get some more supplies. They all now sat in Kaede's hut and ate some stew that the elder miko had made them and they all were lost in their in own thoughts and worries when Kaede cleared her throat to gain their attention and once everyone looked at her she took a breath and sighed, not liking what she was about to say herself.
"Inu Yasha, maybe ye should seek out my sister Kikyo? My elder sister still possess a small part of Kagome's soul does she not?" Kaede said and she saw the mixed emotions in everyone's faces and before any of them could answer her she continued.
"I know that ye all do not like my sister and that only Inu Yasha trusts her even after everything she has done to Kagome but that is in the past is it not? From what I have come to understand from Kagome, my sister has changed a little and even apologized for trying to harm Kagome. Kikyo should be able to give ye all the one answer ye want. The answer to whether or not Kagome is alive. I do not believe myself that Kagome is dead. If she was shouldn't the well have closed itself up already?" Kaede said and she saw how everyone's eyes widened. Miroku, the always calm member of the pack spoke up first.
"You are right, Lady Kaede, the well should have closed and Kikyo should now that answer and it is true that she has apologize to Kagome for what she has done and that Kagome has forgiven her we haven't. We and Kagome don't trust Kikyo fully either only Inu Yasha does. How do we know that she just won't lie in order for us to make us give up our hopes in finding Kagome?" Miroku said and Sango and Shippo nodded in agreement. Inu Yasha growled silently but didn't say anything, he knew how his pack felt about Kikyo. He slowly stood up.
"We should still check with her. If Kagome is alive she might even be able to help find her. I know you don't like her but that doesn't matter now. She could be our only hope to find Kagome." Inu Yasha said and he looked at his pack and after a few minutes they all nodded and stood up though he could feel and even smell that they were not happy about go out and find his undead lover. The group packed up what they needed and decided to start looking for the undead miko right away, it was only noon so they could travel quite far before they had to make camp for the night. They said their goodbyes to Kaede and then left the village. They all determined to find Kikyo as soon as possible. They all knew that she was never too far away since she would sometimes call for Inu Yasha with her soul collectors. No one in the group never even knew how close Kikyo truly was.
Kikyo was only three days travel away from her home village and was on her way back to see Inu Yasha when she felt her hanyou and his group moving towards her and she smirked slightly she decided to leave the village she was currently helping by telling the villagers that she needed to resume her journey and she walked into the forest and stopped once she came to a clearing and she sat down at the base of a tree and waited. Inu Yasha would come to her in a few days. In the mean time she would rest. Her thoughts immediately went to her so called reincarnation and she narrowed her eyes. She didn't hate the girl for the reasons she used to. Before she hated her copy because she stood in her way to get Inu Yasha back though the girl had, two years ago told her that she didn't love the hanyou anymore she cared for him as a best friend or a brother nothing more. That had made her hate for the younger miko disappear and she had apologized for what she had done. However a new kind of hatred for the girl had taken it's place one year ago. Kikyo had found out that the girl wasen't her reincarnation in fact she was not anyone's reincarnation. Kagome was an entirely new soul. A soul that had been created by the kami's and was now among the livings for the very first time.
That made Kikyo jealous beyond belief and her hatred for the girl only grew stronger when she found out the one thing she thought had only been a myth through the history of the Shikon Jewel and it's creator, Miko Midoriko. Kagome was not only a completely new soul, she was a direct decendant to Midoriko. Apparently, Midoriko had fallen in love with a man no one knew whether said man was human or demon and she had given birth to a child just a year before her fight against Magatsuhi where she created the jewel and sealed her own and Magasuhi's soul inside of it. The child had then disappeared from any records of time and no one knew how and soon everyone just thought it was nothing but a rumor and it then just grew into a myth in the history of the Shikon Jewel. Kikyo gritted her teeth in anger when she thought about it. She had proof that what she found out was true, she didn't have confirmation from Kagome yet though. In Midoriko's blood every member was born with the same kind of birthmark somewhere on the body. The small four pointed star that Midoriko herself had on her forehead. Kikyo had also learned why her own soul had been with Kagome when Urasue had resurrected her.
When she had died by Naraku's trickery all those years ago and her body had been burned with the jewel the jewel's evil had taken her soul with it when it disappeared and she knew that the truth about Kagome being Midoriko's decendant was for the fact that the Shikon had been inside the girl's body when she was born. When Urasue had ripped Kikyo's own soul out from Kagome's body Kikyo had tried to fight it and as a result ripped Kagome's own soul away from her. Kikyo hadn't known that back then though she also thought that Kagome had been her reincarnation. When Kagome had taken back most of her soul she had thought she was gonna die again and fled. She still had that small piece of Kagome's soul with her and she didn't want to give it back. It was so unfair that, that weak slip of a girl was related to Midoriko! 'Why couldn't it had been me?! I am stronger than that damn girl." Kikyo sighed as she thought that and looked up towards the sky that was slowly turning from blue to orange signalizing that the day was slowly turning to night. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. She already had a plan that would make it possible for her to take Kagome's soul away from her and make it her own. Kikyo smiled evilly at that and never noticed how her soul collectors was watching her intensely. The undead miko then closed her eyes to get some rest. She knew Inu Yasha and his group of friends would push themselves to get here. She didn't know why though and that had her curious and what made her even more curious was that she couldn't sense Kagome with them. It made her wonder what was going on. She then shrugged her thoughts away. It didn't matter anyway she would soon know why the girl wasen't with them and why they all was heading for her.
The Inutachi had been traveling for a whole day now and they had stopped to eat some lunch however Inu Yasha noticed how quiet Shippo was and couldn't help but feel like the kit was up to something.
"Hey, runt why are you so damn quiet?" Inu Yasha asked and Shippo looked up from his food and slowly swallowed the bite of boar meat he had been chewing.
"Should we really ask Kikyo for help? I know that she has apologized to Kagome but I don't trust her, I have seen it once when no one else was looking. She still hates Kagome…" Shippo said and Inu Yasha growled at the kit.
"Don't be stupid, you brat! Kikyo would never hurt Kagome." Inu Yasha said but when he noticed everyones glares towards him he huffed in annoyance. He had never believed that Kikyo had tried to harm Kagome though he knew Kagome had never lied either. Kikyo had promised him once she had apologized to Kagome that she wouldn't try to harm her and he believed that. Sango and Miroku sighed as they glared at their half demon friend. He could be so dense everyone in the group except Inu Yasha knew that Kikyo wanted the rest of her soul though they knew that Kagome had forgiven Kikyo they also knew that Kagome didn't trust the undead miko either and they both looked at each other and thought of Shippo's words. Was it a good idea for them to seek aid from Kikyo? What if she betrayed them once they found Kagome? Both Sango and Miroku knew they would never forgive themselves if Kagome got hurt or even worse killed because of this and they both silently agreed with their eyes that they would keep Kikyo under strict surveillance if the undead miko agreed to help them.
It had only been almost three days now when Inu Yasha spotted one of Kikyo's soul collectors flying at the edge of the forest they were walking towards and Inu Yasha looked over his shoulder and noticed that the others had also seen it and he then bounded towards the white snake like demon who as soon as it saw Inu Yasha and the others coming towards it turned and started to fly into the forest. Inu Yasha and his group close behind it. It had been given the orders to lead the group to it's mistress. They only traveled for an hour until they came to a clearing and saw the soul collector fly towards Kikyo, who sat at the base of a tree and looked at them with cold and unemotional eyes. Kirara landed behind Inu Yasha so that Sango, Miroku and Shippo could get off of her and once they had she turned to her smaller form and jumped up and settled on Sango's shoulder as she glared at the woman before them. Unlike what many thought Kirara was a smart demon and had lived much longer than most thought she knew that the undead abomination in front of them wasen't the same woman she had been when she was alive and that even alive she had have darkness in her soul. Kirara had served many humans through her long life and she had learned to know when someones soul was damned or not. Kikyo's soul and want to gain new life was seen clearly in her eyes though her very first master had ordered her to never interfere with things unless it was the only way to protect what was Kirara's to protect and this time she could feel that she would be allowed to interfere and protect what was hers to protect. Kirara's musing was interupted when Kikyo spoke.
"What do you and your group want, Inu Yasha? And where is my reincarnation?" Kikyo spoke in a calm and cold voice and Inu Yasha's ears twitched slightly and he took a step closer to her.
"Kagome got kidnapped by the Band of Seven… we have search for them and her for weeks but we haven't found them. Kikyo, you and Kagome share a soul, can you tell us if Kagome is alive and if she is okay?" Inu Yasha spoke quietly, he had never been able to raise his voice when Kikyo was near. Kikyo looked at the group for a minute or two and even though she didn't show it she was shocked to know that Kagome had been kidnapped and not been found. She sighed a little before she answered Inu Yasha.
"My copy is not dead. If she was my soul should have returned to me. However I can't feel what she feels. I will know if she is close to me but I have never been able to know how she is feeling." Kikyo said ad at her words Sango became angry.
"It is not your soul! It is Kagome's! You shouldn't even be alive you walking corpse! How dare you say it is your soul?!" Sango grounded out through clenched teeth. Kikyo looked at the slayer and then rose from her place.
"It was my soul first so I have every right to say whatever I want. Now, you all know the answers you wanted. If there is nothing else I will take my leave." Kikyo turned to walk away but a clawed hand grabbed her arm gently.
"Wait Kikyo, please we need your help to find Kagome, if she is alive we need to find her. Please help me. Kagome don't deserve to die and she is in the hands of those damn bastards. Who knows what they are doing to her? Or worse what if they hand her over to Naraku?" Inu Yasha said and Kikyo paused a little and looked up at her once beloved half demon. She didn't love him anymore. She wasen't alive the only feelings she could feel now was hatred, anger, jealousy and hurt. She thought about what Inu Yasha said and she had to agree that if Naraku got hold of the girl things would become complicated and she didn't need that. She wanted the girl's soul and if Naraku got to her first she wouldn't be able to get close enough for her to be able to take the soul so she slowly nodded her head towards Inu Yasha.
"Very well Inu Yasha. I will help you find my copy. It would not be good if Naraku indeed got her within his claws." She said and Inu Yasha nodded in thanks and then took her hand and walked out of the clearing with her and her soul collectors followed them, Kirara jumped down and transformed and soon she was flying after Inu Yasha and Kikyo with the others on her back. Sango was furious but calmed when Miroku said to her that Kikyo just wanted her mad. The group then traveled in silence back towards Edo. It was going to be three long days of travels back.
When the Inutachi and Kikyo arrived at Edo they walked towards Kaede's hut and walked in to see the old woman stirring some stew and she looked up at them as they entered and then noticed Kikyo and only nodded towards her.
"I see that ye found my sister, Kikyo. Please find Kagome as soon as ye all can. She is needed for the final fight with Naraku." Kaede said and everyone nodded except Inu Yasha and Kikyo. Inu Yasha snorted quietly at Kaede's words but didn't say anything since the tension in the group was already dangerously tense and one wrong move or word from him would be bad. He never understood why he became so cocky with Kikyo near, but a part of him, the part that his demon blood controlled actually agreed with Kaede. His blood beast wanted Kagome back and that made Inu Yasha very worried. 'Why would my demon blood be so concerned about having Kagome back? Is it because she is the only who can come close to me and calm my more beastly side down? Shouldn't Kikyo be able to do that better then Kagome can?' Inu Yasha thought and he then got a mental image of his demon form snorting in both disgust and amusement and he then had his answer. If Kikyo would try what Kagome did when his demon blood took over his love might not survive.
Inu Yasha looked at Kaede and waited to hear what she had to say more. Kikyo glared at her younger, though now older sister, and mentally she was screaming at her in anger. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean?! That girl is not needed in the final battle with Naraku she will just become someone that Inu Yasha and the others has to protect like always.!' Kikyo thought but she made sure to hold her calm face and nodded slowly for Kaede to continue. Kaede eyed her undead sister with suspicions.
"Ye should all eat some stew and then rest and be on ye way tomorrow. I am sure that ye will soon save Kagome." Kaede said as she poured stew in bowls that she handed out to everyone. Everyone ate in silence and then went straight to bed and soon everyone was asleep. Kirara however kept her senses alert. She did not trust the walking dead among them. Kikyo was laying with Inu Yasha on the hut's roof and looked up at the stars. She had to take Kagome's soul as soon as they found her. She could just say that it was the soul that had wished to become complete and that Kagome had been too weak to resist it's pull. With that as her plan she nodded once and closed her eyes to rest in the warm arms of her half demon never once noticing how her soul collectors had been watching her and how their white bodies had darken slightly. The soul collectors looked each other and slowly floated around the hanyou and their mistress.
The next morning Inu Yasha and Kikyo was waiting in the outskirts of the village for Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara. Kaede had asked them to stay behind for a few minutes, stating that she just needed to ask them some questions about something. Inu Yasha hadn't thought much about it and had told Kikyo that was nothing unusual. Kikyo however couldn't shake the feeling that her sister was up to something. They now stood waiting and Inu Yasha was growling in slight annoyance.
Kaede looked at Sango and Miroku with caution in her eyes.
"Do not let my sister near Kagome when ye find her. I want to believe that Kikyo won't harm her but past actions my sister has done says otherwise. I do not know why but I can feel greed and hatred coming from her in such force whenever Kagome is mentioned. It is much stronger than it have been before." Kaede said and Sango's expression became very tense as she nodded in understanding.
"I will not let her come near Kagome. I will make sure that either I or Kirara hurries to Kagome's side when we have rescued her. No offense Kaede but I don't trust Kikyo. Never have and I will never do." Sango said and Miroku took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes I also noticed Kikyo's hate and greed when we would talk about Kagome. I will try to find a way to use my reiki to make her immobile when we find Kagome. At least for a while so that Sango or Kirara gets the chance to get to Kagome first." Miroku said and Kirara mewed in agreement as her eyes narrowed slightly and Shippo, who sat perched on Miroku's shoulder growled slightly and secretly decided to use his fox magic to help Miroku and vowed to himself to secretly start to train his power. Once they all said their goodbyes to Kaede they walked and met up with Inu Yasha and Kikyo and they all started their search for Kagome anew. Not knowing that they was walking away from the place Kagome soon would be near.
Inutachi and Kikyo had been walking for about two days and was now making camp for the night. They didn't talk much anymore and this made Inu Yasha weary. He was used to everyone talking and laughing, though he knew deep down why everyone was so tense, they weren't happy with having Kikyo with them but they had also agreed that this was the fastest way to find Kagome and he sighed in annoyance. He sat in a tree with Kikyo sitting at the trees base, Sango and Miroku sat a little further away from them and was whispering and Kirara was laying in Sango's lap and seemed to be asleep but Inu Yasha had learned that the nekomata was only pretending to be asleep. She was keeping watch over Kikyo and when he had tried to confront Sango about it the day before he had gotten hit by her Hiraikotsu and when he had glared up at her to ask the slayer what she was doing he had flinched at the glare she was giving him and knew that if he wanted this fragile peace to stay he would have to keep quiet. Inu Yasha glanced at a bump that was under one blanket near Sango but slightly away from her aswell. Shippo went to bed as soon as the sun set and he had eaten his dinner. When Inu Yasha had asked him about it Shippo had actually growled at him and told him that he didn't see any point in being awake without his mama around and that 'Inubaka' should leave him alone. Inu Yasha and everyone else had been shocked but left the kit alone after that. They all knew that Shippo loved Kagome as his mother but he had never acted like that before and thus they left him alone. No one ever knowing that the bump under the blanket was only a rock he used his fox magic on to transform it to a copy of him sleeping.
Shippo had for the second night in a row tricked everyone that he was asleep and left the camp and walked to a clearing away from camp so that no one in the camp would hear him and he started his training by first training his strenght. He repeatedly punched a tree and tried to infuse some of his youki into his fists with each blow he did, it was hard though and soon he needed to sit down and rest and he glared at the tree in frustration. He knew he had to learn this on his own. He didn't have anyone to teach him but he wouldn't stop. Not until Kagome was back with them safe and sound. Suddenly a noise came from a brush behind him and he turned on his heels and his voice got caught in his throat when he saw who had come upon him. The soul collectors! Kikyo's soul collectors had followed him! Shippo started to slowly tremble but forced himself to put up a front of bravery and confidence as he growled a little towards the snake demons.
One of the soul collectors slowly floated towards Shippo and made sure not to move too fast and once it was face to face with the growling kit it touched it's forehead with Shippo's and the small kit gasped in shock as he got to see a vision of the Band of Seven in the clearing of the well and how Jakotsu, the weird one of them took a bag towards the well and then the vision closed in on Jakotsu and the well and Shippo could hear Jakotsu whisper before he let go of the bag and let it fall down the well and how the magic took it away. Shippo was in shock when he repeated what Jakotsu had said. 'Take your time, Kags. We will wait for you to come back, be with your family for a day or two' those words continued to play in Shippo's head and when he started to blink he noticed that the soul collectors was watching him silently until they started to fly back towards the camp and Shippo sniffled a little. 'Kagome is okay… she is back home in her time where she is safe! But… why would Bankotsu and his group help my mama? And why would Kikyo's demons show it to me? It wasen't an illusion… I know that magic by instinct." Shippo took a deep breath and decided that he should head back to camp aswell and he started to run towards camp and once he was close he slowed down to walk in quietly and then walked to his beddings and pushed the stone out from under the blanket and soon was in a peaceful sleep, the very first since Kagome's kidnapping.
When everyone was awake the next morning and the taichi ate their breakfast Shippo stood up and cleared his throat and looked at everyone.
"I want to go back to Kaede's village in case Kagome comes back there on her own. I have been thinking that someone should be there in case that happens." Shippo said and he looked at Miroku and Sango hoping they would see what Inu Yasha couldn't. Sango and Miroku was just as shocked as Inu Yasha though they both noticed how Shippo was looking at them and they slowly nodded their heads to agree with the young kit. Inu Yasha glared at Shippo a little before he sighed. He just thought that Shippo didn't want to be near Kikyo.
"Fine, take Kirara. She can catch up to us after she drops you of at the village." Inu Yasha said as he stood up to prepare to continue the search. Kikyo doing the same though she was eyeing the kit suspiciously but then shrugged her shoulders and mentally scoffed at her idea that the kitsune knew something the others didn't. Sango nodded at Kirara who then turned into her larger form and Shippo jumped up on her back and soon Kirara lifted from the ground flying fast towards the village of Edo. The rest of the group then followed the yelling half demon. Sango and Miroku slowly looked at each other, they both thought that Shippo's sudden want to return to Edo was strange but they didn't say anything, instead they looked ahead towards Inu Yasha that was walking with Kikyo at his side and the undead mikos soul collectors flying around them they noticed how the white soul collectors scaly bodies seemed a little darker in color but they both shrugged and thought that the sun played tricks on their eyes and continued to follow their leader and the undead woman, keeping their guard up at all times.
It was early evening when Kirara neared the village and Shippo tugged gently at her fur to get her attention.
"Kirara, fly me to the sacred tree. I need to get to the well" Shippo said and Kirara looked at him for a second and then complied and soon she landed at the old tree and let Shippo jump down then she turned back to her smaller form and looked at the kit with a questioning stare. Shippo saw that and smiled a little and then whispered to her what she had seen from the vision the soul collectors had showed him and knew that Kikyo didn't know of this. If she had she would have insisted that they should head back and she then walked with Shippo towards the well and the slowly and cautiously approached the clearing. They then heard male voices and slowly crept closer and peeked through some bushes and saw the Band of Seven sitting in the clearing near the well and they looked at each other with worry. Now what should they do?