Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters.
The characters I own are Mitsuko, Ciro, Sora, Arashi, Kazuo, Mai, Onyx, Amethyst, Natsuko, Tsubasa, Hiroshi, Tomeo, The Goddess of Heavens and Yukito. These characters are mine and if you want to use them, just let me know.
Thanks to my betas: fangirlFriend and dog-demon-emiko.
The Dark Light
Chapter 20: Destinies intertwined
Kagura shivered and pulled wrapped her arms closer to her body as the cold only seemed to increase. The storm didn't seem to want to lessen any time. It was snowing even harder and the wind demoness was certain that if she had been human, she would have already frozen to death.
The northern territories were known for the harsh climates, especially in this time of year. That's why only wolves, leopards, snow foxes and occasional bear youkai chose to live there. Not belonging to any of those species, she would not consider living here at all.
The only gratifying thing was the strong wind that blew around her, even if it was icy cold. She closed her eyes in bliss as she felt the wind travel along her whole body.
Being a wind demoness caused her to be tide to the element. To her each zephyr, each draft represented something or said something to her. Therefore it wasn't a surprise that she ached to be free. Wind was never meant to be caged and neither was she.
She snapped her eyes open and gazed wearily at the lavender haired colored man next to her. He seemed unperturbed by the harsh weather as he sat perfectly calm on his demon horse. The beast threaded calmly through the strong wind and snow. The snow instantly turned to water and evaporated when it touched the animal's fiery mane.
Entey looked as regal and deadly as ever as his deep and dark eyes looked everywhere. The wind witch knew that if anything were to happen, the demon horse would not stop at anything and protect his master at any cost.
They had been flying for a few hours and it didn't look like Hakudoushi was planning to stop any time soon. She hadn't dared ask him where they were going and it didn't seem like he was planning on telling her either.
She absentmindedly brushed a strand of hair behind her as she contemplated her thoughts.
She had been completely taken aback when she had laid eyes on Hakudoushi. She had expected to find a boy, but instead she had found a full grown man and by the feel of his youki…she would say he was a full blooded youkai.
He looked still the same, except now he looked as old as Inuyasha, with the same kind of build and stature. Yet it wasn't his body that made the hairs on the back, stand on end, but that power she could feel hiding just below the surface.
Still the thought of her so called brother turning in a full blooded demon confused her. She wasn't able to find a logical explanation for what could have caused such a change. It was just so confusing…
It could have been the shikon shards…but the wind demoness was certain that Naraku didn't trust Hakudoushi enough to hand him the shards.
So what could have possible transformed him into a full blooded youkai?
Her freedom depended much on being able to anticipate or at least know what was going in Naraku's head. Unfortunately until now the hanyou had always been a step ahead of her, thus she was still his slave…his prisoner.
The wind witch was certain that Hakudoushi turning into a full demon fitted somewhere in Naraku's plans; where exactly…she wasn't certain yet.
Still…it could always benefit her one way or another. Hakudoushi might betray Naraku. Knowing her brother, she was certain that he would not stay under their father's power for much longer.
She furrowed her brows in concentration, as so many thoughts and ideas swirled in her head, making her completely oblivious to her brother's eyes which were fixed on her.
He had been observing her for quite some time. A smirk tilted his lips; she was so easy to read. Her curiosity gleamed in those amethyst eyes of hers and he understood that she was doing her best not to ask.
He would amuse her for now, he thought sardonically.
"It's not polite to stare." Hakudoushi's deep voice floated to her ears, making her snap to reality.
She reeled back as she found his face only a few inches away from hers, while his eyes bored through hers. It took her a while to take hold of the large feather as her abrupt movement sent her spinning out of control.
She finally managed to take hold of it, but she still kept a fair distance between Hakudoushi and her, while she glared heatedly at him. She instinctively brought out the fan, wanting nothing more than to attack, especially after she noticed the smug look on his face.
"Don't do that, ever again!" Kagura ground out, through gritted teeth, her hold tightening on the fan as he turned his back to her, completely dismissing her.
Her amethyst eyes narrowed even more and she resisted the urge to just release an attack on him, but knowing him, he would not hesitate to attack her back and she would probably not survive.
Naraku had always reminded her that she was expendable, each time she had tried to escape him and she was sure that Hakudoushi felt the same way as well. Her brother would not hesitate to kill her.
The thought of him being her brother and Naraku being her father, sickened her. True as a demoness she didn't believe in love or in this case parental love, still she didn't deserve being a slave either.
No one deserved a fate such as hers.
Her hold tightened even more on the fan. She hated being a pawn and she despised feeling this weak. If only she had her heart…
Clenching her jaw, she held back the angry tears that wanted to fall. She refused to cry, even if the weakest part of her wished nothing more than to let out everything.
She focused her gaze once again on Hakudoushi. He had always unnerved her and now that he was practically an adult the feeling only intensified. He was merciless, just like their father, she thought wryly.
Therefore she could not trust him.
"You're curious about my transformation. It's understandable." Hakudoushi muttered, snapping her out of her musings once again.
Kagura didn't say anything, knowing very well that he wasn't really expecting her to answer. In this case, he just wanted her to listen. She decided to comply for only this time.
"I unlike you Kagura, was born differently. While you were born as an adult, I was not. I needed to grow into adulthood, to reach my true potential. And finally after these years, I have reached it. Transforming me into what I am right now." He said looking over his shoulder at her.
Their eyes met and she couldn't stop the shiver that went down her spine and it wasn't due to the weather. Hakudoushi's eyes were the eyes of a cold hearted murderer; no remorse could be seen in them. Greed, lust, hatred were the only emotions swirling in those haunting lilac depths, making Kagura feel like the prey for once in her life.
She tried hard not to show her fear and focused instead on what he had just told her. After careful consideration she agreed that it was plausible. Hakudoushi was as different from her as day was from night. Even though both were born from Naraku, neither were the same.
She furrowed her brows as the next question came to mind. Swallowing she braced herself and raised her eyes to gaze at her brother. He was still gazing at her, almost as if studying her. The thought was more unsettling that she would like to acknowledge.
"Why do you feel like pure blooded youkai to me, not even Naraku feels like that." Kagura whispered, closing her fan and setting it in her lap.
Her question seemed to have amused the lavender color haired youkai, as he chuckled at her. She fisted her hands in her lap, her temper flaring at being so openly mocked. However before she could blow up, Hakudoushi seemed to calm down and gaze at her with amused lilac eyes that held a certain edge in them, which made her hackles rise.
"Let's just say that I was born from the part of Naraku that was youkai. And no… I wasn't born from those weak worm-like youkai that decided to devour that foolish mortal called Onigumo. No, I was born from the purest essence of youkai that our father possessed. " He said eyes shining eerily at her.
She suddenly felt afraid. Even as a kid Hakudoushi had been dangerous, but now as an adult and full blooded youkai at that, he was pure lethalness. He must have sensed her fear for his lips quirked in an evil grin, his fangs clearly visible to her.
She felt the change too late. She gasped as the wind picked up around them as youki poured from Hakudoushi. The pure unadulterated demonic energy seemed to slam into her, knocking the air out of by the mere power of it.
She cried out in pain as searing pain went through her whole body, making her double. Closing her eyes, she tried to hold on to the feather as the youki kept pushing against her. Just when she thought she would black out…he pulled back his power.
She almost let out a whimper of relief as the last of his power was locked back into him. The amethyst colored eyed demoness was laying flat on the feather, sweat running down her forehead and gasping for breath. Her body still felt like it was on fire and she just couldn't move.
The thought of being helpless and unable to defend herself, gave her some strength to slowly sit up, but there wasn't much more she could do.
"That was just a minor taste of what I can do, Kagura. So I expect you will not try anything foolish this time." Hakudoushi growled to her with his malicious intent clear in his eyes.
She looked away and didn't say anything to afraid at the moment. Hakudoushi seemed satisfied and turned away from her as they continued onwards. The wind youkai on the other hand closed her eyes and fisted her hands in the feather below, as she tried to calm herself.
It seemed that her freedom would have to wait.
She could not risk it, but at the same time, she wondered why Naraku would need Hakudoushi now? What was he planning and most importantly was the inu taichi strong enough to handle her 'brother'?
It felt good to be once again on the road and out of that stuffy city. Kagome did like civilization and the perks of it. One of those perks being soft comfy beds and hot baths whenever she wanted, but Kambala just wasn't her type of city.
It wasn't inviting and it certainly wasn't friendly. Even though most have respected them there, she still didn't feel completely welcome and not to mention that stupid Ciro that just couldn't keep his hands to himself. She couldn't have waited any longer to be able to leave that stupid inu youkai behind. She was still ashamed to have reacted the way she did to him, but it was just in her nature.
She couldn't really say that she loved being a kitsune, especially not after that experience. It basically made her a female version of Miroku and she really didn't like that. She would just have to grope Sesshoumaru and she could pass for Miroku's twin.
She lay calmly on her back, arms behind her head and legs crossed lazily over one another, while she gazed at the blue sky. The sky almost resembled the color of her eyes at the moment, the color so pure, matching the owner perfectly. Said owner unfortunately was thinking less than pure thoughts at the moment.
A mischievous smile spread across Kagome's face as she thought about going further than just groping. She wouldn't mind at all. The thought of running her lips on certain parts of a Demon Lord's body made her blush and quickly banish the thoughts in her head.
Letting out a content sigh, she snuggled closer to Sesshoumaru, who was sitting calmly next to her on his youki cloud. She had chosen to travel with him, preferring to preserve some of her energy and besides she had never imagined that his youki cloud could actually feel this comfy.
The Demon Lord looked amusedly at her, his golden eyes shining with unknown emotion, making Kagome smile lazily at him. She wasn't certain what was different with Sesshoumaru, but ever since they departed from Kambala, he seemed…dare she say…happy.
However besides being happy…he looked like he was planning something. She narrowed her eyes slightly wondering what the inu youkai could be planning. Something told her that it included her.
Yet the more she thought about the less she worried herself.
Besides she would hurt him, if he dared to do something unpleasant to her, she thought sourly.
Satisfied with her reasoning, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of air. The fresh air lightened her spirit even more, making her sigh softly.
It's been more than a week since they left Kambala and since than they've been attacked only two times. Both times it had been some rogue youkai who wanted the jewels and both of those times Sesshoumaru had done quick work of the enemy. She would have personally expected more attacks, but she had a hunch that with Sesshoumaru by her side, many demons were slightly hesitant about attacking them. Besides who in their right mind would dare to attack such a powerful Demon Lord?
Yet even though everything seemed well at the moment, there was still something that bothered her. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she sat up, her blue eyes instantly searching for the one person that just like Sesshoumaru seemed to occupy her thoughts at the moment. Her blue eyes finally settled on the form of her sister.
Mitsuko was flying relatively far away in front of them with the two guardians next to her. Kagome silently observed them for a moment as she let her mind wander.
Mitsuko had seemed to withdraw once again from them. The easiness which she had addressed them a few days ago seemed to vanish and instead she spoke less and less to them, preferring to spend most of her time with the two foxes.
Kagome wasn't certain what exactly had happened between her and those angels. She had only caught small parts of the conversation, so she was fairly clueless. The only thing she knew was that the White Light had refused to go back with them.
The fact was that no one forced he to stay, so why did she decide to behave like that all of the sudden. It felt almost like she was giving them the cold shoulder or something. The thought didn't sit very well with the Dark Light as she pouted.
An annoyed sound left her throat as she thought how complicated her twin sister was being. She could almost swear that she was just as stubborn as Inuyasha…if not more than and just as enigmatic as Sesshoumaru.
It was definitely not a very nice combination to say the least. And it was driving her crazy. Just when she thought she had her figured out, she surprised her once again.
It was almost as if she had the large thick brick wall around her, which she used to keep everyone from getting close to her. What bothered Kagome the most was that in that one moment when Mitsuko had spoken to the angels, she had finally seen the tenderness and warmth that her sister truly possessed as she embraced them.
And for some reason it hurt, to know that Mitsuko preferred or trusted the angels above her…her own sister.
The Dark Light furrowed her brows and wrapped her arms around herself as her gaze focused on Mitsuko once again. Why didn't she want to open up, why didn't she trust her? Didn't she see that she cared just as much for her, as those angels did? She was her sister, they had the same blood, and they came from the same parents. She loved her for kami's sake.
"You're glaring." Sesshoumaru's voice cut through her thoughts, causing her to look at him.
She was surprised to see him watching Mitsuko as well. The look in his eyes confused her a bit, but she didn't have time to ponder over it.
"Give her time." The demon lord cut her off, before she could say anything.
She was quite perplexed to know that he knew exactly what she was thinking about. She wondered if maybe she was that obvious, but she also knew that Sesshoumaru was very perceptive and that he probably picked up very easily what she was thinking.
She wasn't sure if that always was a good thing, especially when her mind decided to go slightly x-rated when it came to a certain demon lord.
She mentally slapped herself, wondering why her hormones had decided to make themselves known that much recently. She quickly pushed those slightly disturbing thoughts aside, blaming them on her demon heritage, most specifically her kitsune blood as she focused on his words and the problem at hand. Knowing that she could trust Sesshoumaru, she chose to confide in him.
"It's exasperating, to watch her as she pulls herself away, each time I try to get her to open up. I want to get to know her better, but she doesn't let me. We're sisters and we know barely anything about one another. I feel like we're strangers." She scowled a bit and averted her gaze from the inu youkai, who only raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her.
He understood a bit what she was feeling. Inuyasha and he had never had the best of relationship and truthfully he didn't know that much about his brother, just like he was certain that Inuyasha knew barely anything about him as well. Still Inuyasha and him did acknowledge the part that they were siblings, even if it was reluctant…that didn't mean though they cared too much about their relation, whereas Kagome wanted the opposite.
She wanted to get to know her sister. She wanted to feel and understand what it was like to have a sister.
Unfortunately it seemed that Mitsuko didn't feel the same way. Sesshoumaru was almost certain that Mitsuko didn't purposely push Kagome away. The White Light just didn't know how to act, when it came to the new situation that she found herself in.
"She's not like you Kagome." He found himself saying, without thinking, making Kagome bristle.
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" the dark haired woman asked growling lowly as she leaned closer to Sesshoumaru, making the Demon turn to gaze at her.
"You easily accept others; you make clear what you think or feel to others and thrive on attention from your friends. Your sister on the other hand is essentially a loner; she's not used to sharing her feelings and her thoughts with others. You cannot expect her to change her ways that easily…it will take time." Sesshoumaru said calmly, watching as comprehension dawned on her.
Mitsuko was a lot like him in certain aspects and Kagome finally understood what he wanted to tell her. Satisfied that she understood, he abruptly stood up on the cloud.
"We camp here tonight." He said authoritatively, making everyone turn to gaze at him.
Inuyasha as expected let out annoyed sound, but didn't say anything else. However Kagome paid little attention to him as she mulled over Sesshoumaru's words.
A smile appeared on her lips as she thought about Sesshoumaru's words. He had unknowingly given her hope.
It was true Mitsuko and Sesshoumaru were rather similar. So if she managed to make Sesshoumaru open up to her, Mitsuko would be no problem.
She just needed to have patience and approach cautiously. Mitsuko unknowingly showed her fox heritage. A fox was sly and very difficult to catch or befriend for that matter. The only way was too earn the animal's trust first and not rush things, for if you rushed things, you would scare the animal for sure.
So the first thing she needed to do, was earn her sister's trust and from there on things would slowly progress. With a new plan in her head and feeling more relaxed, she couldn't stop herself from smiling brightly.
Kaede had seen many things in her long life, but she had never expected that she would see the day on which Kikyo would willingly renounce Inuyasha. The old miko had wisely kept her opinions to herself, even after Kikyo had told her exactly what had transpired between hanyou and her. She often wondered if maybe foolishness came with youth, for she really didn't quite understand those young ones' reasoning at all.
Didn't Inuyasha fight Naraku mainly to avenge Kikyo? Didn't that show some kind of loyalty?
So it made her wonder if Kikyo's decision had been the right one. She was an old miko, but she also knew that Inuyasha was handsome and if you saw passed his brash and rude nature, you would see that he had a good heart, which could captivate many females.
Thus Kikyo was playing a dangerous game here and she could loose the inu hanyou forever.
Kaede slowly stood up from where she had been plucking some herbs. Her back protested against the movement and she couldn't stop the painful groan that left her lips. She was only getting older and she certain that soon enough she would be leaving this earth.
Others would probably be afraid if they knew that they were going to die, but she wasn't. It was the normal order of life, old needed to die so that young could be born.
Every miko knew exactly when they would die, they didn't know how, but they did know when. She guessed it was because of their spiritual power they were tied more closely to the other realm.
She had already begun training a young apprentice, hoping that she would be ready when the time came. The old miko wiped the sweat from her forehead as she observed her. Kikyo was tending to a young boy who had injured his foot. The child had been bawling a few minutes earlier, but with Kikyo's help the child had calmed down and was now letting the miko tend to his wound.
Kaede couldn't help but notice how her sister always seemed to glow with a maternal instinct whenever she was close to a child. The one eyed old miko knew of her sister's desire to become a mother. Even if she had never openly declared her wishes to become a mother, it was clear by the way she acted that it was one of her deepest desires.
The old miko was almost certain that the one Kikyo wished to have that child with was Inuyasha. However by what happened between the two, it could become very difficult now. In a sense Kikyo had left everything in Inuyasha's hands. It was now up to the hanyou to make his decision, something that the old miko feared.
Inuyasha was never good at making such big decisions. Even as the half-breed had continuously put Kagome down, she had still been able to see that love he held for the time-traveler. Inuyasha was too put it simply very complicated, just like Kikyo was.
The old miko sighed and wiped away the sweat from her brow. She watched Kikyo smile softly as the child as waved goodbye at her. She did truly wish for a happy ending for her sister, but it wasn't in her hands.
She did believe in fate, but fate alone didn't determine one's destiny, it was the sheer will and determination to accomplish something that made things happen.
If Kikyo and Inuyasha desired a happy ending they would need to work on it themselves.
The old miko sighed as she turned to stare at the afternoon sky. Some grey clouds could be seen and the old miko was almost certain that it was going to rain soon. She didn't know what it was, but the feeling of dread suddenly crept over her, making her shudder slightly.
"Kaede." She heard Kikyo call out her name, making her turn to gaze at the younger woman; she clearly noted the apprehension in her eyes.
Apparently she hadn't been the only one to sense something was up. Both women turned to gaze at the now darkened sky.
Something was coming…
Natsuko had been looking for Naraku the whole morning, but had been unable to find him. She was just about to snap in frustration at the first person who crossed her path, when she finally managed to track him.
"Good morning, my lady." Naraku greeted Natsuko with a charming smile on his face, making the butterfly youkai blush as she stepped into his studies.
She didn't really know what it was, but her guard went instinctively up whenever she was with Naraku. She wasn't a fool and didn't trust, but still…there was something else that made her wary, something that she wasn't quite sure about.
Her gaze wandered around along the dark and large room as she finally slid the door closed behind her, essentially trapping her within the room with the spider. The feeling wasn't that pleasant and she tried her best to push her uneasiness down and hoped that the dark haired male wouldn't notice it.
As her eyes slowly adjusted to the room, she noted that the only light was the one given by the a few candles that were placed strategically in the room so that that the whole place was slightly illuminated. It wasn't much but anyone with even a bit of youkai blood in them could see quite clearly in there.
The space was filled with large rows after rows of books and scrolls, some of them much older than others by the look of the crumpling papers and the scent of decay. The smell of paper, ink and dust were very prominent, making her wince slightly due to the strong scent.
She couldn't stop herself from wondering what all those books and scrolls were for. Her eyes wandered silently over the rows of paper, making her momentarily forget the other occupant of the room.
"Do you wish to look through them?" Naraku's voice cut through her musings, making her whirl around to gaze at him.
He sat calmly behind a simple wooden desk, with some scrolls laid out on the wooden panel. He seemed perfectly in his element being in the dark room, the darkness accepting him completely as it wrapped around him almost like a lover.
What stood out the most were his eyes, which seemed brighter as the light of the candle was reflected in them. She bit the inside of her cheek, while she tried not to admit to herself that spider was indeed handsome and for some reason was appealing to her.
She absentmindedly brushed a strand of grass colored hair behind her pointed ears as she hoped to able to get some control over herself once again. The few days that she had spent at the dark hanyou's lair had been not the way she had expected. She had been treated like the royalty that she was and Naraku had been more than amiable to her.
The way he acted had made her more than wary of him, she knew that he was very tricky and that he could turn on her within the blink of an eye and yet her youkai pride reminded her that she was indebted to him for saving her life. She was adamant of paying back that debt one way or another.
Still…she could not stay here forever. She needed to return to her lands and prepare for war. She knew that her betrayal to the council would not go unpunished and she would need to be prepared for everything.
Sesshoumaru would not forgive her and he would surely be coming after her head.
"When can I leave?" Natsuko asked breaking the silence that had settled between them.
It took her a moment to comprehend that he had been observing her the whole time. His deep crimson eyes made her self conscious, but she made sure not to let him know by pretending to be bored.
"You're allowed to leave as soon as you want to." He answered calmly taking her completely by surprise.
Of all the things she would have expected him to say, that was the last she was expecting. He must have notice her surprise, for he grinned at her, making that feeling in the pit of her stomach intensify.
"My dear Natsuko, you're not my prisoner." The spider cooed in a silky voice that promised a lot of things, but Natsuko slowly pushed those thoughts away as she gazed deeply into Naraku's crimson eyes.
She hated the way she felt at the moment. To her it felt like a game and she was loosing.
"Than what am I?" she asked her voice completely calm, but Naraku clearly noted the curiosity in it and the slight hesitation.
His lips twisted in a sexy smirk as he got a very strange look on his face. He put down the scroll and walked towards her. She stopped herself from taking a step back as he invaded her personal space. He was barely a head taller than her, but for some reason even that small height difference made him intimidating to her.
She shuddered as his large warm hand cupped her cheek his thumb stroking her flesh, before slowly running along her neck in a very sensual way. Her eyes widened as he leaned in so that she could feel his hot breath on her lips.
He was so close…she could almost taste him.
And Kami did she want to taste him.
Naraku was completely male…dark, delicious and sinful and for a moment she wanted to drown in him to feel his body against hers, to feel his mouth on hers, while at the same time he showed her pleasure beyond her comprehension.
She swallowed hard bringing herself out of her fantasies as she found those crimson orbs boring through her lighter colored eyes.
"You could be whatever you desire, my dear butterfly." He whispered huskily, making her shudder in awareness.
She could see the want and desire in them and it set her blood aflame. She absentmindedly wondered how it would be like to give in to him, to savor him…to surrender. Closing her eyes she parted her lips as she tried find her way out of whatever spell he might have woven.
Her mind felt fuzzy, almost as if she had been drugged. Warning signs instantly went on in her mind and she forced herself to take a step back.
She was in danger…
Slowly opening her eyes she felt herself gain somewhat of a control once again now that he was no longer touching her. The butterfly youkai stumbled back, her heart hammering in her chest as she found those crimson orbs fixed on her. And she was morbidly reminded of the story of the spider and the fly. She wasn't a fly, but even a butterfly could fall victim to a spider's tricks.
"I need to go." She whispered quickly turning around and rushing to the closed door.
Without looking back she opened it and rushed outside.
Naraku watched her flee in dark amusement, a smirk tilting his lips. She had responded perfectly.
His plan was going according to plan, only a few pushes here and there and she would be his and with that he would have secured his future.
Blood red eyes were fixed on the fading sun. It had been a while since he had the luxury to just sit around in a tree a gaze at the endless sky. And he was…bored.
Akuma had never really been known for his patience or his comprehension. To him life needed to be lived to the fullest, preferably battling and now he found himself almost falling asleep in a tree as he tried to find something to do. The days had been uninteresting to say the least. He hadn't had a fight in a few days and he was aching for one. The youkai that had dared to attack him had been quickly dealt. So now he found himself almost dozing off.
Not surprisingly enough his mind wandered to a certain white winged female that seemed to be permanently engraved into his memory. It had been well over a week since he had first touched and tasted her, causing him his desire and ache for her become stronger.
Closing his eyes, he could almost savor the taste of her skin on his lips. She tasted pure, untouched and yet with a tang of underlying power that had sizzled on his tongue when he had tasted her blood.
His little Hikari was even more powerful that she suspected; he only needed the right guidance to reach her ultimate potential. Naraku was smart to want her eliminated. If the White Light decided to help her sister there was nothing the hanyou could do to stop them from annihilating him.
He had only sense the slightest bit of the Dark Light's power and he had noticed that she was even stronger that his little Hikari. Those two together were a force to be reckoned with. Still he had no interest in the Dark Light. Truthfully the woman was stunning as well, but to him she didn't compare with Mitsuko, who seemed to draw him and make him pant in hunger.
He clenched his fists; it didn't help that she was so close by. He had been following the group for a few days already, wishing to be able to look over her. He had watched on as the angels had stopped them, asking her to go back with them.
And he had almost given up his hiding place and attacked Tomeo and Yukito when she had touched, especially when Yukito had kissed her. His blood had boiled, but her words had stopped him from attacking the Celestial Wings. She had refused to go the Heavens with them.
It meant that he still had a chance to get her.
Yet even if she had gone back with them, he would have found a way to find her. He wanted her and nothing would stop him.
After that dream, the craving for her had only increased. She might think that it was a dream, but he had a way of making everything in the dream very real. Even her delicious scent lingered around him, making him want nothing more than to go find her now and make her his. The taste of her skin lingered in his mouth, making him want more.
Feeling the familiar stirrings, he chose to quickly calm down. Sighing he closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to be able to rest for a moment.
He had promised her that he would see her soon and he was intend on keeping that promise.
Tsubasa could not believe what he was hearing. Yukito and Tomeo had arrived a few minutes prior and after relaying their message to the Goddess, they had decided to inform them of what had happened.
He stayed silent as Yukito and Tomeo told them of the White Light's decision to not come back.
Tsubasa could not stop the painful jab in his heart and the slight fear that took hold of him as he heard the news. Mitsuko was not coming back and Akuma was still out there. Thoughts after thoughts began swirling through the Celestial Wing's head, the most prominent being Mitsuko's safety.
The White Light would not be safe as long as she stayed where she was. From what he already knew, Akuma was obsessed with Mitsuko. Akuma would not stop until he got his hands on her.
And he just couldn't allow it. He would not allow it.
"I request to go speak with Mitsuko." The head of the Celestial Wings blurted out without thinking, making the other Celestial Wings turn to gaze at him.
Apparently no one was expecting this as a heavy silence settled around them. Tsubasa was everything but spontaneous. So for him to rush blindly into something like that was very unlike him; besides…he had to protect the Goddess and that was his main priority.
However the serious look on his face made it very clear to them that he was serious about what he had said.
"Tsubasa, will all do respect…" Yukito started, but was caught off by Tomeo.
"She's not coming back. Do not force her Tsubasa." Tomeo said sternly, knowing very well what Tsubasa wanted to do.
"She will need to hear me out." The head of the Celestial Wings snapped, his temper flaring at being so rudely denied.
He couldn't understand why Tomeo would refuse, he was only doing this for the best of Mitsuko.
"Everything, you're going to tell her, we already did." Tomeo shot back, clearly not amused with Tsubasa's stubbornness.
He knew of the history between Tsubasa and Mitsuko. He understood of the bond that they had, but he didn't think it fair for Tsubasa to use that past and bond to get Mitsuko to agree with what he wanted. He narrowed his turquoise eyes at Tsubasa, who easily returned the glare.
Hiroshi must have noticed the looks, for he quickly stepped in.
"Tomeo, let Tsubasa try. Mitsuko will be safer here." The eldest of the Celestial Wing said calmly, making Tomeo internally cringe.
If there was one thing Tomeo could not do, it was disobeying or denying Hiroshi anything. Being the eldest of the Celestial Wings, Hiroshi often served as the voice of reason for the group and also the one to keep everyone in check. Even if he wasn't the head of the Celestial Wings, he still had just as much authority as Tsubasa.
"Fine…let him do as he pleases, but if he dares to force Mitsuko in any way, he will regret it." Tomeo bit out, making Tsubasa narrow his blue eyes at him.
There was certainly no lost love between the two youngest Celestial Wings. They didn't necessarily hate one another, but they didn't get along either. They were too similar in a lot of aspects and too different in many others to get along.
"So it's settled. Tsubasa will go visit Mitsuko. The two of you will try to track Akuma and the condemned beasts down and I will stay and watch over the Goddess for the time being." Hiroshi said calmly, making the other three nod their heads.
"No, you will be accompanying me. The Goddess is assigning some of the Haven knights to look after her. You will be coming with me to visit Mitsuko. I need to you to see something." Tsubasa surprised Hiroshi once again.
The Haven Knights were the next in line after the Celestial Wings, they were just as skilled, but were used mostly to guard the Heavens Gates and the outer realm. Hiroshi understood that they would be able to defend and protect the Goddess, but it was still strange for all of the Celestial Wings to leave the Heavens at the same time.
Yet he could not disobey Tsubasa's orders and there was also that note of seriousness his voice held that made him think that there might be something up with Mitsuko. He wasn't certain what he wanted him to see, but he would still go with him at least to see the young White Light again.
He missed her…and as he gazed at Tsubasa he understood that he had probably missed her the most.
"Very well." He found himself agreeing, making Tsubasa gratefully nod his head.
Tomeo and Yukito who had seen the silent exchange, were pretty clueless to what was going on, but both knew that they had a work to do. They would have wanted to ask questions, but knew that it wasn't their place.
Tsubasa was paid little heed to them as he turned and walked away. Knowing that the meeting was over, he didn't see any reason to stay any longer. Besides he needed to get ready, he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Every minute wasted could mean Mitsuko's demise and Akuma's gain.
He could now truthfully say that he was satisfied with the decisions that had been taken. He was glad that Hiroshi agreed to go with him. Hiroshi was the best when it came to magic and ki. From the little he knew, he had understood that Mitsuko's power had increased very much.
The young Celestial Wing knew that such uncontrolled power could mean the owner's demise if not properly trained. He feared once again for her safety, so he needed Hiroshi's opinion on her self-control. He didn't want to discuss this particular problem in front of Yukito and Tomeo, knowing very well that they would insist that they accompany them. He needed to do this alone.
Still not even how worried he was, strangely enough he felt his heart flutter as he thought about seeing his angel once again.
Kagome could not sleep, no matter what she did, she couldn't fall asleep. She had offered her sleeping bag to Rin and Shippou and had opted to sit next to Sesshoumaru instead.
However while the others had fallen asleep, she was unable to. She felt almost sick to say the truth and slightly paranoid. She couldn't really describe the feeling. A part of her was worried sick, about what she wasn't certain, while a part of her felt this indescribable sadness.
She pulled her legs towards her chest, hoping to find some comfort as she gazed calmly at her friends. Seeing them safe made her calm down a bit…yet it wasn't enough.
She felt afraid…not afraid for herself…but for someone else. She raised her eyes to the dark sky and mentally tried to tell herself to calm down. Nothing was wrong, she kept telling herself…even if a part of her that something was really erroneous.
"What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru's voice floated to her ears, making her turn her head sideways to gaze at him.
He gazed quietly at her and she found herself leaning towards him. He gladly complied and brought her against his chest. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his unique scent. It calmed her a bit. He sensed her distress and chose to gently ran his fingers through her hair, making her sigh.
"What ails you Kagome?" he asked once again, hoping for an answer.
He had felt her distress very clearly, but couldn't find anything in the near proximity that would cause such a reaction. Even now he could not detect anything.
"I don't know, I feel strange…almost as if afraid that something is going to happen to one of us." She whispered lowly.
The Demon Lord narrowed his eyes slightly as he heard this. He had a hunch of what she might be experiencing, but he didn't want to worry her.
"It's okay…just try to sleep." He whispered, even if her words made him slightly cautious.
She seemed to comply and snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes and hoping to sleep, leaving the Demon Lord to mull over his thoughts.
Some of which really bothered him. If he was right in his assumptions, they would get devastating news very soon.
Blood and bodies laid everywhere. She had seen a lot of carnage in her life, but nothing prepared her to this.
In only some mere minutes, the village had been reduced to nothing more than ashes and carnage. They had barely any time to flee before they had attacked. She didn't really know what they were. They didn't feel like youkai, they weren't men.
The look in their eyes alone assured her that they had been much worse. Without remorse that had begun attacking them and without mercy they had slaughtered the villagers.
They were only three and they had been strong enough to destroy everything. Her brown eyes flew over the ruins of what had been the village and she couldn't stop the ache in her chest.
She wasn't able to help.
Some of the villagers had managed to escape to the small holy temple on top of the hill, while Kaede and she had held the creatures off with their holy arrows, but in the end it hadn't been enough. The men that had chosen to stay behind and fight, had easily been taken care off, slaughtered like animals and their blood now staining the ground below her feet.
Kikyo closed her eyes in pain; she could still hear their cries and she had been unable to do anything. Her once pristine priestess' clothes were torn and bloodied.
She had ironically survived, because she had been knocked unconscious by one of those creatures. He must have thought her dead, for he had left her there. When she had awoken she had realized that the battle had already ended and that they had lost.
The thought of not being able to help sickened her; she would have preferred to have been killed in the battle than to have been knocked unconscious like that and unable to help. Still she was wounded gravely enough as it was. The little selfish voice in her head assured her that she would be dead if she had continued fighting and that she didn't wish that.
She tried to block the voice out of her head as she continued on her way. A small whimper left her lips as she tried to make her way towards where her sister had last been. The wounds on her body protested heavily as they bled, but she needed to find Kaede.
During the battle she had lost sight of her sister as she had been attacked. Fear now settled in the pit of her stomach, the closer she got to where the old miko had last been. The blood and the bodies only seemed to increase much more, the nearer she got to the place. Even as her body protested against the movement, she kept on moving.
"Kaede!" Kikyo cried out as she increased her speed.
Despair settled over her, when nobody answered. Yet she refused to believe the worst.
"Kaede…" The word died in her throat as she came to a stop.
There a few feet away from her, lay her sister. The former guardian of the shikon felt everything shatter around her as her eyes took everything in. All the blood…there was so much blood. Her eyes watered as she took a step forward. She didn't want to believe…
It couldn't be…
Kaede was dead.
TBC………………………………………………………………………………………
Well, I'm back. I'm sorry for taking such a long time to update. I know that you guys don't really want to listen to my babble, so I will only say this...my life right now is really hectic and there are too many things going on right now. I wish I could write faster, but I just don't have time.
ANyways thanks to all you of guys. Your reviews are always welcome as are you ideas, who knows maybe you will see something you suggested in a review in the story later on.
So yeah, this is a sad chapter. I killed off Kaede. However this story will not be a fairy tale, so be warned there could be more character deaths in the future. Chapter 21 will most likely be up by the end of the week.
Anyways feel free to leave your comments at my lJ. Constructive criticism is always welcome. And if you feel that I'm doing something wrong or maybe you would like some change, just let me know. I'm open for discussion.
So lastly, but certainly not least, thanks to all the reviewers: Lost Lover Of Faith, WhiteRose-Kurama, bluediamond-hime, Duzellluver, Me, sakuragurl101, Ty, stoictimer, I.N.O.F, Hikaritenshi2000, Mickiy, He-Yan, VirginiasGirl, Lilith-Goth-Fairy, Wiol Ono Un Iliam Shur'tugal, ancient-relic, Lost Lover Of Faith, Du Weldenvarden Farcai, ILoveAnime89, lildiva, gentleillusions, fallenangel657, animecutie101, snowgoddess99, greendragon, ShadowHawk360, ptbear, Dark-Hearted-Half-Demon, XxcutiekatxX, Kagome2691, Midnight Faerie, shessomarugirl13, Shakugan no Shana, sujan, Sessluva, YoukaiTenshi, Techno's Blast, x-kags-x, Scruffy Wolf, ebonyS2, sakuragurl101, Kagome-chan, Crazy Hyper Lady, Duzellluver, Lady Lenn, Hikaritenshi2000, vampiric sesshomaru gurl, opticshade, ice princess 4 sess, Kawaii girl 4 life, cj, littlebit2004, Padfoot and Moony03, Keira Dragonslayer, ANIMEPOISON17, Kai, Dark Miko of Lightning and Fire, shessomarugirl13, myself, Kagome Lady of The Central Lands and Callea.
I offer my apologies if I forgot to mention anyone. Just pm and let me know and I will gladly add your name to the list.
Oh and before I forget a new story will be up very soon. It's called "Eden's Goddess, Demon's Angel".
It's Sess/Kag of course. AU and basically there will be magic and a lot more of fantasy stuff. Still it will be a bit dark.
Anyways take care everyone. CIAO!