Chapter 7- Not all stories have happy endings
The demon had lunged, Shippo had screamed and Kagome was suddenly out of his sight. Hiei felt something deep within him cracking, shattering. His very essence bursting forth from behind a wall he'd never known existed. Rage tore through him, twisting him until he was forced to realize the truth of his nature. If the girl was dead he'd become a plague across the land, an unstoppable monster that would feast on any he came across. Why? The questioned seared his mind, a yawning chasm of darkness opening in the depths of his soul. He didn't care for the human. Curiosity and lust were no strangers to him so why? Why was this woman, this miko, causing him such turmoil?
The question, and the thoughts that followed, raced through him in a spit-second. His eyes still staring, in dawning horror, at the place Kagome had just been. Before he could fully realize this sudden reality a bright pink light arched under the beast. Eating into its flesh. Burning through muscles, bones, and sinews like acid. The beast screeched in agony, the sound causing both Shippo and Kurama to raise their hands protectively over their ears. Beneath the beast stood Kagome alive but changed. From her tattooed forehead rivulets of gold stained her skin, her features gaunt but impossibly elegant. Her once raven hair was suddenly translucent, sparkling like stardust behind her. Her eyes blazed with holy light and for a moment his entire being froze in awe. A kami from the heavens, come to grace her warriors with a gift. The thought fit her image. Too ethereal to be a demon, too achingly beautiful for a human, too powerful to be anything else. The dark chasm within him seemed to draw up from its depths, as if reaching for that light.
He felt his body start forward. Then, in the space of a breath, the light intensified. His body screamed in agony, the likes of which he'd never known, pain that obliterated everything within him. Seconds, hours, centuries later the pain stopped as abruptly as it had begun. In its place a soothing, tender caress of energy pulsing around him. Below him the priestess was stepping towards the demon that had sought her son, as she moved her body began to regain her original form. The gold and stardust slipping from her skin like water. By the time she had reached the beast she was once again nothing more than human. In stunned silence he watched a single tear roll down from big, pained, blue eyes. With a whisper that Hiei could swear was an apology the girl touched the beast, as if offering forgiveness. With a bright flash the demon was nothing more than dust in the wind.
"Mama!" The sharp, relieved, cry caught Hiei off balance. Made him aware that he was staring. Glowering darkly he coolly lowered himself to the ground, crimson eyes trained on the young kitsune jumping from the flying cats back and straight into his mothers arms. The miko caught him, easily, and wrapped seemingly frail arms tight around her adopted son. Kagome was whispering soft words of assurance and comfort, leaning back only far enough to bestow small kisses on her sons brow. Hiei looked away, shamed. What he'd witnessed was a private moment between mother and son, a thing no one, least of all himself, had any right to see.
Back turned he didn't see the miko slump into her sons arms. Her body drained like never before. Kirara landed beside the young miko, lowering herself to allow Shippo to guide his mother to her seat. Once she was on, safely, Shippo sat behind her holding her tightly in place. Glancing back at the others he took a moment to consider then, with a voice that was surprisingly cold, he ordered, "Come." Kirara set out into the sky, leaving a trail of flames for the men to follow in her wake. While his companions debated Hiei sniffed before racing after the fire cat.
By the time they had arrived Kagome was glad to say she was, mostly, lucid. Her entire body ached, eyes dropping with demands for sleep. She'd never felt so drained, then again she'd never done whatever it was she had done before either. Wincing with discomfort she traced her hand over the sword at her side. The others would have been so angry with her, she should have used the sword from the beginning. Oh well...Too late to worry about that now. Her mind supplied easily enough, having devoted nearly all of her brain functions on the difficult task of not purifying several demons currently occupying her home.
"Damnit runt get off of me!" Yusuke growled threateningly.
"Why?" Shippo asked, equal parts inqusitive and mischiveous. In a blink Yusuke was attempting to pound her sons head in. Kuruma was politely, if a tad desperately, trying to get the overactive spirit detective to calm down while, simultaneously, fighting off Kuwabara who was determined to 'kick Urameshi's ass'. Kirara had her teeth sunk deep in one of Yusukes arms, who she imagined was very glad she had reverted back to her kitten state. Hiei stood silent in the corner, crimson eyes boring in to her back. Rubbing her temple in a vain effort to soothe her pounding head, Kagome raised a hand for silence. Instead she was met with a loud crash and the sounds of struggle. She felt a vein in her forehead thrumming with anger, making her shoot to her feet.
"SIT YOUR ASSES DOWN RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR TO THE KAMMIS I WILL BEAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIVES!" The effect was immediate and effective. Shippo, who had heard that tone thousands of times before (Generally directed at a certain dog-eared hanyou) ran straight to Kagomes side and placed himself firmly on the loveseat his mother had just stood from. Kurama sat down, almost prettily, on a chair a foot or so to his left. Kuwabara and Yusuke instantly dropped to the ground, their legs immediately folding indian style beneath them. Hiei remained as he was, a soft chuckle escaping him as he watched his companions obey the miko like terrified children.
"Thank you." Kagome managed, amicably. After settling herself comfortably beside Shippo she took a deep breath, considering where best to start her tale. The beginning would be best, but how to exclude the jewel? Worrying at her lower lip for a second she glance helplessly at her cousin. The brash man was already readying a sarcastic remark, but he understood how tired she was. The dark circle under her eyes almost like bruises, her skin pale, body quivering. He remembered the little girl he use to play with and, for perhaps the first time in his life, thought before he spoke.
"So what? Show and tell Kagome?" The words were gruff but the tone almost tender. Kagome nodded her head, relief and gratitude making her body relax. Sighing Yusuke began.
"Sheesh fine. It all started the day I died." Hiei glanced at Kagome but she registered no shock, as if people coming back from the grave was nothing (then again he didn't know about Sesshomaru's sword) and even Yusuke found this slightly wrong but he continued on with his story.
"I'm not gonna bore you so let's just say I didn't stay dead long but to come back I had to take up a new…occupation. Spirit detective. Pretty much we just go around wandering the human, spirit, and demon realms policing everyone and taking out any demon that goes too far."
"Yusuke perhaps I should continue from here?" Kurama interrupted softly, before Kagome who had gone rigid with shock and surprise could make an outburst. Smiling a sad smile he looked at her and explained.
"The world is divided into three areas the human realm, here, the spirit realm which mainly functions as a way station were spirits are ferried after they die and taken to their proper place. Then there is the demon realm. A realm heavily guarded by the spirit world where demons such as myself, Hiei, and Yusuke's ancestor all come from. When a demon wanders into the human realm they are left alone unless they begin to harm humans which is when we step in and either kill or returned them as necessary."
Kagome frowned, forcing herself not to react. If Hiei and Kurama had come from the demon realm but had not heard of Inuyasha or Sesshomaru than it stood to reason that they were not there. Something that made sense whether because they were dead or because Sesshomaru would never relinquish his lands. The demon world made sense too, eventually the demons would have gotten tired of the humans who, despite everything, would have grown to numbers that could have obliterated the demons. They had enough power, and magic, to forge their own world and that way they could always just travel to the human world to eat. Kagome felt a chill down her back and shivered.
"How'd you guys all end up working together?"
"Well that is an interesting story. You see one of Yusuke's first missions was to retrieve three artifacts that were stolen from the spirit realm by three demons. Hiei and I were two of those demons. In the end Hiei and I were captured and helping Yusuke is part of our parole but we have become good friends."
"Ok now, Yusuke, you're a demon?"
"Ya."
"YUSUKE!"
"What? Fine, yeez your worse than Keiko." He thought about his fiance for a moment, "Well almost as bad as Keiko." He amended quickly. "Turns out my great, great whatever fell in love with a human a long time ago I forgot to ask him when. He never hunted humans again after he met her and he died a couple of months back from starvation. He was annoying but an interesting guy. Anyway the woman had a kid who had a kid and, well yeah, until my dad came along and then me."
"And what was that Spirit Gun trick you did earlier?" Kagomes curiosity was nearly palpable.
"Oh that. Well some humans, like Kuwabara here, can channel their energy into different forms. For him it's a sword, be I've got my spirit gun and a couple other nifty tricks. Now are you gonna tell us what the hell is going on here or what?"
Kagome felt herself blanch at the question, Shippo and Kirara snuggled into her sides. She felt her resolve stiffen. Her voice was soft, twinned with memories and lost dreams.
"On my fifteenth birthday my mom asked me to go get my cat from the old well house on the shrine. Just an ordinary day, you know? But a centipede demon came up from the well, dragging me down into darkness. On the other side of the darkness was the open sky. The demon had pulled me five hundred years into the past, the feudal era. The demon came after me again, trying to force me to give her something precious. Something hidden that I never knew I had had. She almost killed me, would have if I hadn't found a hanyou pinned to a tree." She remembered the terror of that night, remembered how that same terror had receded as she first layed eyes on the silver-haired hanyou. He'd been so beautiful to her.
"Inuyasha killed the demon but a few days later a different demon, a crow, succeed where the centipede had failed. It took a child hostage and to save him I shot an arrow at the demon. Fragmenting the thing that was my duty to protect. " She was careful not to mention the jewel, no matter that these people were her allies and one her blood. The jewel was precious to demons and humans alike and it was still too much a part of her to talk about. If they pressed she would not tell, could not, because the jewel was her now. It had come from her body, back when her adventure first started, and now it had come back when the adventure was over making sure it would never be separated from her again. She knew they had questions, Yusuke and Kuwabara were already opening their mouths to ask something but the look on Hiei face and the one on Kurama's was enough to keep them quite.
"After that Inuyasha and I had to find the scattered fragments, which is when I found out I was a miko. We used my powers both in battle and to help locate what I had broken, its what led me to Shippo and, eventually to my other friends. Sango, a demon exterminator, and Miroku, a lecherous monk, and Kiraraa here." Her voice cracked over her friends names and both Shippo and Kirara were visibly depressed that it almost hurt. Kuwabara managed to coax Kirara over to him, overjoyed to pet and stroke the adorable cat, and Shippo wandered over next to Kurama who, while saying nothing, gently rest his hand on the boys head for just a moment. Kagome had stood up and she glanced at the portrait behind Hiei.
"Those are my friends there. For three years I went back and forth through the well so, yes, Yusuke my mother knew everything. You should have heard some of the excuses grandpa gave the school for my absences. Anyway at one point another half-demon, a vile filthy monster named Naraku started collecting the fragments too. Eventually there was a fight. When that battle was over everything had changed and I had to come back to the present, leaving my friends behind. That's why I asked if any of you have heard of them. Sesshomaru, his daughter Rin, and Inuyasha or his mate Kykio."
"Why didn't you stay?"
"I couldn't. It could have changed too much and…I didn't belong there anymore. It was too dangerous."
"Couldn't you have tried?"
"No…"
"Excuse me for interrupting Miss Kagome but that woman in the picture, the one next to the demon in red, there is a striking resemblance between you two." Kagome looked up at the picture, felt sadness wash over her and offered a soft nod.
"Oh yes well we should look alike. That woman is Kykio and I…I'm her reincarnation. Or I was suppose to be. She died fifty years before I went to the past but an old witch managed to revive her as a sort of demon I guess. She and Inuyasha go married before I left, so did Sango and Miroku."
"I've heard of such things before but wouldn't that have required a soul? Yours to be precise?"
"Ya. Kykio got a bit of my soul, it was enough to bring her back, but she fed on the souls of women for a long time before she turned full demon. She stopped after that, she was able to feel regret after that."
"How was this accomplished?"
"Well Sesshomaru he had a sword that could bring the dead back to life. But only once. If you died again he couldn't help you." It was a lie, an outright lie, but then she had not said that that was HOW Kykio had become full demon. She had simply stated that Sesshomaru's sword had the ability to bring back the dead, which was entirely true. Still the lie burned, but not as badly as she had expected. The voices in her mind (Which were more than welcome considering they belonged to her friends even if it meant so was going insane) had murmured a warning. They had done so before she left the past as well, warning her not to speak of the jewel lest demons come for her…or her new found friends.
"So this whole time…this WHOLE time you knew about everything. You knew about demons and magic and purifying energy…which reminds me what the HELL is that?"
"Think of it like this Yusuke demons have a certain energy, just like humans do, but a miko is a human whose energy is a direct contradiction to a demons. It's like whatever demons are made of I cancel it out. But it's not easy."
"Priestess." This was Hiei and his voice sent a rush of heat through her, and made her realize how close they were standing next to each other.
"This Sesshomaru was he not the Lord of the Western Lands?"
"Yes? How'd you know?"
"Our newest assignment is to go to the same tournament you were invited to and it was mentioned to us that the Lord of the West was holding it as it was on his lands however I can not say if this is the same Sesshomaru that you know or if, perhaps, it is a descendant."
"Before I left Sesshomaru and the others promised they'd come see me now, in the future, but they still haven't. I don't know if my friends are alive or not."
"Then perhaps you should join us."
"WHAT?"
"Are you crazy Hiei?"
"It's way too dangerous Hiei, especially for Kagome."
"Actually Kuwabara, Yusuke, Hiei has a point. We are in need of a fifth member and, as Koenma has yet to find one Kagome would be an ideal choice. No one would suspect her and not many demons can sense a miko, so long as she doesn't use her power until the beginning of the tournament we would have a large advantage."
"Mama can I come?"
"I…I… Do you think I'll find my friends?"
"No." Hiei was blunt, honest, to the point but he was also kind. "I doubt your friends are alive. No demon has survived five hundred years in the human realm since the demon world was made but, perhaps, you can learn what happened to them."
"Then I'm in."
"Damn it, you know what this means right? We're gonna have to tell Koenma."
Banana Flavored Eskim- Thank you very much for your compliment. It's a challenge to keep the dynamics between characters up and make that fit with it fight with the plot. Fun but challenging.
Mistress of Darkness Katana- Hehe I always spell her name wrong, thanks for pointing that out for me.
Foxluna- You're right Kagome is essentially in withdrawal from her friends, and it's a painful process but emo Kagome will not last much longer. Her temper will get the better of her soon enough.
I appreciate everyone's patience and i'm sorry it took so long to update. I'll be posting two chapter in the coming week to make up for the long wait. Keep reviewing everyone, I love hearing what you all have to say about the story good or bad. Till next time my friends.