more to come
Kagome coughed, waving smoke out of her face, " Where the hell are we?"
Man laughed as he carried his host down the hall of a cave, " Our favorite place little pig."
The comment made Kagome blink, " Favorite place?" she thought hard for a moment, her memory slow to come forth. She used to pretend with Man when she was kid that they were pirates and had a cove full of stashed treasures. She laughed, " The man cave is real?"
" Absolutely." He said, walking through an entrance; the cave widened out, seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
Standing in the opening of the finished tunnel, Kagome's mouth opened in a silent gasp. She was standing at the edge of a secluded waterfall with a calming pool at the bottom. Grass beneath her looking soft and springy, steam rising from what she now realize was a hot spring. He looked up, the ceiling of the cave was decorated with diamonds, looking like stars, the steam escaping through holes in between them. It was like a small slice of heaven. This was perfect. A perfect paradise.
" Wow." She whispered, it was amazing.
Man continued forward, " Little pig, little pig this is all for you." Walking over to another opening in the back of the cave. Leading to an elaborate dining room with a long western style table in the middle, already piled with food and drinks.
Kagome grinned, her stomach growling at the delicious smells, " Is this magic? How is this possible?"
He set her down, watching as she immediately began to pile up food onto a plate and dig in, " Little pig, I am everything. I can do anything."
She laughed, stuffing her mouth with more desserts, too hungry to even care what was being said. Her brain felt... fuzzy. The edges of her vision was blurry and she felt like a child again. Her heart soared over the fact that her best friend was back.
Man sat at the head of the table with a grin, hands folded under his chin, watching the key to all his plans indulged herself with wine and treats. It was time for all life to finally end. " It feels good to be home."
There was a silence around the table, Sesshomaru sat with his father and the other council members back at RDSVU headquarters. Gruff was silent after explaining what had happened at the manor. Souta and Kikyou also sat in the room demanding to be a part of the discussion. Gruff kept Hampton and Ayame busy with riot control so they wouldn't be a part of this. He didn't want everyone knowing about Kagome's condition.
Lord Suki shook his head, " I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this. Kagome was kidnapped by the God of Death and he will try to end all life on earth if she is not recovered?"
Gruff sighed, mentally exhausted, " I don't know how else to explain it to you without taking out a projector and giving you a history lesson."
" Perhaps I can help." a feminine voice suddenly said. Everyone looked around for the source of the voice, a soft wind rustled papers around the room. A woman suddenly stepped out of thin air. She was tall and slim. She had long gold hair that literally sparkled, reaching her knees and a soft pale face with ruby red lips. She had no special markings expect for the black strips on her wrist. She had fangs and claws like a demon, but they all sensed hidden power.
" Who are you?" Lord Lemin stated a little tense.
The older woman smiled softly, and her deep fuchsia eyes glistened warmly, " I am Izanami."
The council stood, shocked, no one has seen or heard from Izanami since she first formed the council hundreds of years ago. They all bowed, Atomi helping Lamal get on his knees.
Fuchsia eyes looked over to the only one in the room not showing respect. An almost carbon copy of her champion. Souta just raised a brow, " My sister told me about you lady, and she wasn't a fan."
Gruff snorted, then looked to his boss, " He's just like her."
She simply nodded, " I see." she turned to the others, " Rise. There is much to explain and such little time to do so."
She stepped to the front of the room while everyone got back to their feet, Sesshomaru shook his head, " Why are you here after all this time?"
Izanami turned to him, " Your wife is always giving me a headache, that's why." she sighed, " We all know the story of the shikon jewel and we all know the story of how the war between humans and demons ended. However it is not publicly known that they actually intertwine."
Soto shook his head, " I don't understand."
Tanaka agreed, " And what does that have to do with Kagome?"
Izanami frowned, the room suddenly growing cold, " Do not interrupt me."
The priest and priestess nodded their apologies and bowed their heads. She cleared her throat, everyone now on edge with the testy goddess. " As I was saying, hundreds of years ago the shikon jewel was made by a priestess warrior and a powerful demon. After that, the jewel was used on both sides of the war to try and gain the upper hand. After I put an end to the war, the jewel was permitted to be reborn into a generation of priestess that will be raised to protect it."
She paused, looking to the ceiling for a moment in memory, " However, there was a conflict between the gods. They demanded balance. There cannot be a protector without an agitator."
" I fought the matter with the notion that someone will always take up the mantle of evil and search for the jewel but they were not convinced so they made a challenger for the Shikon No Miko."
Fuchsia eyes glanced over to her creation, " The moment I found out about the need of twins to split the jewel I sent you to start the agency."
Gruff nodded, " I remember."
Izanami frowned, looking to the council, "It was preordained, a prophecy of sorts. A set of holy twins will divide the souls. One of purity and one a demon will hold. One a protector and the other its rival."
She paused, shaking her head, " The girls were supposed to be competitors from birth but not enemies. It was the Shinigami that altered the prophecy, they want all life on this plane to die. That is why they started the war in the first place."
Tashio looked confused, " The Gods of Death started the war between the humans and demons?"
Izanami didn't seemed bothered with the interruption since she was already upset, " Yes, they want to expel all life to fill the stomachs of hell's residence with souls."
She shook her head, " And that is where Kagome comes into play; from the day she was born, they attached a soul to her. Its not man, demon or god. Its an entity with no origin. Once she gave it a name, she gave it breath and its only task is to eradicate all life and take her back to the realms of hell."
Sesshomaru frowned, no one was taking his wife anywhere, " How do we kill it?"
She shook her head, " You can't. This being, this... monster is only alive because Kagome gave it life. She named a nameless entity that has been attached to her since birth. It lives off the memories they share. The more time it spends with her, the stronger it will become and the more death it will cause. The only way to stop it is to put it back inside of her."
She turned to them, " She has to take back its name."
Sesshomaru blinked, looking to Gruff, " That is why you made her forget?"
Gruff nodded, " Yes, I used a spell to put the entity deep inside of Magatsuhi's soul so that she would not remember. But when Naraku pulled Magatsuhi out of her, it was no surprise what was coming next."
Lamal stroked his chin, " So game plan. Use the same spell to make her forget and this entity goes away."
Hyde frowned, " We would have to find him first."
Gruff's live comm in his ear went off, Hampton was talking, " Boss, turn on the news, you're gonna want to see this."
Gruff turned, picking up the remote; one of the monitors flipped on. The newscaster was wearing a face mask, "... The death count is now at 126. It is unknown what is causing the sudden phenomenon of birds literally dropping out of the sky. Authorities say to stay inside and used protective masks until more is released to the public."
Izanami sighed, " It has already begun. All it has to do is simply exist and it will kill all."
Soto stood, shaking his head, " We have to stop this."
Lord lemin looked to Izanami, " How do we find it?"
She just shook her head, she had absolutely no clue. " It would bring her somewhere familiar."
Kikyou stood up, looking to Gruff, " Did you make me forget too?"
He turned to her, " What?"
She frowned, " Did you make me forget about Man like you did with Kagome? We shared a room for eight years and I don't remember Man. The night Naraku came in, Midoriko had to show me what really happened. Did you make me forget that too?"
Gruff shook his head, " No, I didn't. Your mind made you forget what you didn't understand."
She wiped at tears, shaking her head, " I can see bits and parts of her as a kid playing alone and talking to someone but I can't remember. How can I not remember any of this."
Tashio stood, " Can you help her remember? There could be a clue or something on where he would take her."
Gruff took a breath, " I can try." he touched Kikyou's temples, " Close your eyes and breathe."
She nodded against his hands, he did the same, taking another slow breath. He whispered a spell and closed his eyes. His fingers glowed a soft green as memories flickered in his brain. He tried to follow the strands of the memories but they kept snapping. He grabbed tighter to a strand, pulling it forward instead of following it.
A younger Kikyou was peeking through the door of a room. Kagome, around age 6, was laughing, dressing with a pirate hat and wooden sword. A clawed shadow hand holding the back of her shirt and swinging her around the room before it dropped her on the bed.
She grinned, " Look at this score Man!" opening the jewelry box of her mother, " We looted some good stuff this time! We need to stash this before other pirates try to take our treasure."
She pointed her sword to the ceiling, " Off to the Man Cave!" she laughed, hopping off the bed and running to the closet, a shadowed hand closing the door behind her. Gruff could feel the ominous aura cloaking the walls of the room. The closet door suddenly popped open, spewing a black cloud into the room and a scream wailed throughout the house.
Gruff jerked back, pulling back from Kikyou's mind. His heart was pounding in his chest as he stepped away from the miko twin. The darkness he felt was full of malevolence and anger, it weighed down his chest to the point he was almost hyperventilating.
Sesshomaru stepped forward, " Are you alright?"
He nodded, stepping back for some more space, he can see why her mind erased the memories of Man. He shook his head, " Do you know anything about a Man Cave?"
Kikyou was rubbing her temples, barely listening, " I have a headache now."
Souta stood, " She mentioned it once, in jail, she told me it was her safe place. A cave full of magic and treasure and good food."
Tashio frowned, " Is it a real place?"
Souta could only shake his head, " I don't know, she said it was a place where she can watch the sun move through the mountains."
Soto frown, " Something doesn't make sense, why would Kagome go along with this entity to kill all life?"
Izanami shook her head, " She would not even realize it was happening. She will be stuck in the memories with the mind of a child."
Sesshomaru nodded, " We find her and get her out. We search the mountains for caves until we find them."
Atomi made a face, " How do we know its a cave we are looking for?"
Gruff looked to the man, " This entity has been sealed since she was eight. He will take her to a location she felt safe in, it wasn't jail and it wasn't your home. That only leaves the man cave."
Izanami agreed, " For the birds to already be feeling the effects of this entity, he must be close. Limit the search to a 75 miles perimeter."
They nodded, Gruff turned, walking over to a shelf and pulled off a scroll. He laid it on the table and unrolled the large map, " Let's get to work."
They all hovered over the table, no one noticing Izanami was no longer in the room.
Kagome groaned, rolling over on soft furs, her stomach twisted, and she felt the urge to throw up. She definitely ate way too many sweets yesterday.
" Little pig, little pig, its time to get up."
She groaned again, pulling the thick fur over her head, " Not now Man, I don't feel good."
Something sweet tingled her senses, " I got cake."
She pulled the covers down a bit, " What kind of cake?"
" Your favorite kind of course."
Kagome sat up fully and smiled at the whole strawberry shortcake he had on a platter. She was reaching for it when she felt the vomit coming up. She slapped a hand over her mouth and scrambled out of the bed, hurrying to the bathroom, she threw up in the toilet.
" Ugh." she groaned, wiping her mouth, " I think I should cut back on all the cake."
Man slithered behind her like the shadow he was, " You just need some air, let's go outside for a bit and play."
She glanced behind her, " Play what?"
The grinned showed flesh shredding teeth, " Pirates."
Kagome grinned, " I love pirates."
He offered a clawed hand, she grabbed it, letting him lead him out the bathroom, she suddenly paused, " Wait, how can a cave have plumbing?"
Man laughed, " Magic, little pig."
She turned, pulling her hand away and grabbing her head, " I feel like I'm forgetting something. Something important."
Man touched her shoulders, turning her towards the bed, " All you need to worry about is changing."
On the bed laid an adult pirate costume, including skirt, boots, belt, hat with feather, a real sword and her babies in their holsters. She grinned, running over to the bed, " This is so cool!"
She was quick to change and get dressed, she didn't understand why the guns felt so familiar and comfortable in their shoulder holsters but she ignored it. She brushed her hair before braiding it in a single thick braid, tying the tip off with an orange ribbon. Slapping on her hat, she turned, looking for man, " Come along you scalawag, it is time for an adventure!"
Man separated from the shadows with a grin, " Let's hunt for some treasure."
She laughed, running towards the opening of the cave with man as her shadow. She jumped in the air, pulling out her sword, " Ah Ha! I bet the gold's at the bottom of the pool!"
Man stood behind her, " I think so too, but we need a treasure map."
Kagome turned to her friend, " Where do we get one of those?"
Man grinned, making a scroll appear from thin air, Kagome grabbed it, dropping to the ground to lay it out. She opened it and raised a brow, it was the blueprints to the first national bank. She glanced up, " What am I supposed to do with this?"
A clawed fingered tapped on the blueprint, " X marks the spot."
more to come
