The Forbidden Ones

by Reflection of a Broken Dream

The Forbidden Ones Kagome's life is being turned upside down. Her reiki is attacking her own body at regular intervals, wearing her down. Her mom and Ji-san know what's wrong, but they're not telling her. In fact, there are a lot of things they aren't telling her... Kagome x ?

2. Chapter 2

The Forbidden Ones

Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream

Pairing: It's a Surprise!

Quick Note:

- I'm very sorry this took so long. ;.;

- I wrote this chapter with slight pain from a recently pulled tooth and bandaged burnt fingers, so if you find some weirdly misspelled words, I'm very sorry! It's hard to concentrate on typing when dealing with pain and bandaged fingers... v.v

(I was making my daughter donkey ears for an upcoming Christmas play when it happened. The gray painting of the headband went well, and I got the ears cut from felt...but when hot-gluing the ears to the headband with white cotton in the ears to look like fur and also to cover up the messy seams...well...hot glue got stuck to my fingers and wouldn't come off. The burns were a lot worse than what I usually get because I'm usually able to peel the glue right off...but not this time. The glue seared three of my fingers pretty badly. I had to peel the skin off and pop blisters twice to get the fluid out and that last time I went ahead and took the blistered under layer of skin off- oooowwwwwiiiieeee!- and put on ointment and bandaids.

Moral of the story: Be careful using hot glue. IT BURNS! lol.

...And typing with bandages on your fingers is kind of really irritating...)

- On a lighter note...mention of Yu Yu characters in this chapter! Next Chapter is Crossover! Yay! Closer than I originally thought!

- I hope ya'll enjoy!

- Please review!

- Hikari = Kagome's mom
- Kurogane = Kagome's Ji-san or Gramps
- Kyota = Kagome's deceased dad, Hikari's late husband, Kurogane's deceased son

Japanese Words:

Reiki - Spirit Energy

Rekai - Spirit World

Kami - God

Youki - Demon Energy

Youkai - Demon

Inu - Dog

Nekomata - Fire Cat

Kitsune - Fox Demon

Kit - Kid Kitsune

Makai - Demon World

Hanyou - Half Demon

Ningen - Human

Ji-San - What Kagome Calls Her Grandpa

Ningenkai - Human World

Taijiya - Demon Slayer

Monk - Priest

Miko - Priestess

Edo - Fuedal Era Tokyo

Ikadekimasu - What One Says Before They Eat- It's Polite, Thanking Person For The Meal

- Glamour - disguise created by youki that distorts the owner of the youki's appearance to what he/she wants you to see. It can be an ongoing technique that slowly drains youki over time or it can be a youki-infused item/cloth that keeps the appearance up without the depletion of youki.

Disclaimer:

Nope. Don't own 'em. Storyline is mine, but that's it. :P

NOTE:

Thank you everyone for the reviews and your patience! I apologize for the wait, RL has a way of grabbing on sometimes and not letting go... Don't worry, though. I intend to finish my stories. It may not be soon that I finish them...but I will finish them. Thank you for pointing that out, deebeth89. I get overly excited sometimes and spell things how they sound instead of how they are supposed to be spelled... (Having no spell-check sucks, too.) I made the necissary changes and will update soon. Thank you for telling me that about Oden, too...I looked it up and I changed a bit of the story to fit the new dish. :3

erica, you gave me a brilliant idea. Check out Flaming Relations, one of my new stories. It's based on the idea you gave me. XD

P.S. I got a new laptop for Christmas! My parents are the BEST! (So's Rent-A-Center and their Black Friday Deals! lol.) So maybe- MAYBE, if RL works with me- I can dish out a couple to a few chappies of some of my stories a month now. No promises, but maybe now that I can work on stories more now that I can get on my compy at any given time. :3

The Forbidden Ones

Chapter 2: Family Matters

Kagome jerked awake in bed, her body drenched in cold sweat as she panted softly. Wary azure eyes scanned the room before she allowed herself to relax. "It was just a dream," she sighed as she collapsed back against her pillow. "But it felt so real..." Kagome's mind tried to conjure the nightmare as her breath began calming. It was fuzzy...but she remembered two figures cloaked in shadows standing at her bedside. They were chanting words in a foreign language or a spell...and then the pain started. That was what she remembered most vividly- the rolling tides of searing electricity travelling through every vein, an unseen brute force that squeezed the air from her lungs, and a liquid fire that ignited in her blood, burning every inch of her body. The pain was excrutiating. She could still remember it clearly, even now... Goosebumps rose on her arms from the cold sweat and Kagome found herself chilled in the cool morning air. "Bath...I need a bath..." Maybe that would make her feel better... Groaning as she sat up, Kagome peered at her alarm clock. It was five-thirty. She was used to waking up about this early, but she still felt exhausted. She blamed that on the vivid nightmare she'd had as she slowly rose from her comfortable bed and shuffled into her bathroom. "Maybe I'll forget it in a while..." Her optimism rose with the thought as she shut the bathroom door.

Half an hour later, Kagome was clean and dressed in jeans and a warm sweater. She'd abandoned her school clothes when she'd gotten out of school, using the last of her uniforms that summer. Now she dressed practically in more durable- and warmer- clothing.

"Good morning," Kagome bid as she sat at the breakfast table, her gramps sitting in his usual chair with a paper in his hands and Sota sat across from her, scarfing his breakfast.

"You're back?" Sota asked in surprise as his cerulean eyes found hers. At ten years old, he was practically as tall as she was...

"Yeah, but I go back after breakfast," Kagome replied with a sigh as her mother set another plate of eggs on the table in front of her daughter. She didn't miss Sota's sympathetic look, but she didn't outwardly acknowledge it, either. "Thanks mom." She smiled up at the warmly-smiling older woman.

"You're welcome, Kagome, eat up," Hikari encouraged, motioning to the table. "There's toast, bacon, and sausage, too."

"I will," Kagome promised, taking in the savory scent of breakfast. As good as it smelled...she really didn't feel all that hungry. But, as not to worry anyone, she got a little of each item on her plate.

"Are you feeling alright this morning?" her Ji-san surprised her, the man folding his newspaper and setting it aside. "You look a bit pale..."

"I'm fine," Kagome nodded reassuringly. "Ikadekimasu!" She clapped her hands together and began nibbling on her eggs. She did feel a bit guilty about not telling them about her dream...she was supposed to tell them about anything that wasn't quite right with her because it could be linked to her attacks. 'After Sota leaves,' she vowed to herself, knowing that the boy wouldn't be staying long. He still had school to go to and she didn't want to worry him more than he was about her. It didn't take long for Sota to finish eating and snatch up his bookbag from the back of his chair.

"Bye mom, Ji-san, see you this afternooon," he bid, getting like replies in return, before looking at Kagome. "See you, sis. Be careful out there and visit again soon, kay?"

"Alright, thank you, Sota," Kagome nodded with a small, warm smile on her face. He beamed back at her before rushing out so that he could get to school on time. Kagome waited until she heard the door shut before she looked back at her gramps. "I did have a nightmare last night...a very vivid and...painful...nightmare."

"Oh?" Kurogane questioned with a blink of surprise, Hikari joining them at the table with her own plate of eggs.

"What happened in your nightmare?" Hikari asked gently, her expression showing her worry.

"I remember there being two figures there...I couldn't tell who or what they were because of the darkness...but I remember the pain," Kagome hesitantly told them, recounting it in her mind. "It felt like I was suffocating, being electrocuted, and burned all at the same time. I wanted to scream and cry out...but I couldn't make a sound. Then I woke up in a cold sweat..." Too busy picking at her food with her chopsticks, she didn't see Hikari and Kurogane share a mildly shocked look. Quickly covering it up, Hikari gently placed her hand on Kagome's.

"That sounds horrible...," she breathed out, knowing that they were the cause of such pain. It couldn't be avoided, though...

"Might be part of your attacks," Kurogane grunted, using that as a cover-up for the spell they'd preformed on Kagome the previous night. They hadn't anticipated her waking up or remembering the ordeal...that hadn't happened before...

"That's what I thought, too," Kagome relieved them a bit. She bought it! Relief coursed through both Hikari and Kurogane. "I just didn't want to say anything in front of Sota...he has enough to worry about without adding me that list. " Hikari couldn't help a small smile from touching her face. Kagome was so considerate...

"It might be better to keep it from him for now," Hikari agreed softly, patting her daughter's hand lovingly before looking over at Kurogane. "Could you add that to the list, father?"

"Of course," Kurogane started, taking out the list from his pocket and adding the nightmare to the paper. "All the more reason to have you back in a couple days, Kagome. If you have any more painful nightmares, you need to tell us alright?"

"I will," Kagome reassured with a nod.

"Please eat, Kagome," Hikari encouraged, moving Kagome's hand back towards her plate. "You need to keep your strength up."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Kagome nodded with a soft sigh as she started eating again, however reluctantly it was. She knew she needed the energy and strength to go on today- it would be hard. 'Hopefully I won't have another nightmare like that one...or I'm going to be very tired from here on out...,' she mused despairingly.

"Ikadekimasu," Hikari clapped her hands softly before starting in on her own plate, the rest of breakfast companionably silent.

"Done," Kagome finished her plate with a sigh. "Now I need to get my bag packed..."

"I went ahead and filled it for you," Hikari surprised her daughter as she pulled the bag out from under the table. "I put in enough food to last a few days and I refilled your medical box. You were getting low on gauze and antibiotics."

"Thanks, mom," Kagome gave a smile full of relief. Hikari was happy to be able to help her daughter, however slightly. She couldn't interfere with the time-travelling or help her out there, as informed by a friend, but she could help in other ways...to make her life a little easier, at least. Hikari stood with the bag in hand and gave it to Kagome, who took it gratefully. "I'll be back...probably in fifteen minutes or so with Inuyasha, then we'll head out."

"Alright, dear, be careful," Hikari bid.

"I'll get my sutras ready," Ji-san grinned impishly.

"Gramps," Kagome warned, though a smile threatened to pull at her lips.

"Fine, fine," the man pouted, eliciting a small giggle from his grandchild. "We'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okay," Kagome nodded as she made her way out of the house, stopping only to put her tennis shoes on. Hikari and Kurogane waited until the door shut before they dared to talk again, and even then they only dared to use soft voices.

"Well...this is certainly progressing quickly," Kurogane admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"How was she able to wake during the spell?" Hikari asked quietly as she looked at her father-in-law with a dazed look. "She should have stayed asleep. She wouldn't have felt the pain...just the after-effects of it this morning..."

"She's getting stronger, Hikari," Kurogane replied simply. "While good for her current situation...it's not good for us. If she can wake during the spell, sooner or later she'll be able to figure out that we're casting it. She won't know why we're doing it or why she's in so much pain..." He sighed heavily as Hikari looked away, hesitation clearly in her gaze. 'It's not going to be fun telling her why she's going through what she's going through...but it's for the best,' Kurogane decided. 'Kagome will find out one day, anyway, one way or the other...' "We have to tell her about her heritage. It's the only way to put her at ease about what's going on with her body and her reiki- the spells won't hold out much longer against the transformation, anyway." Hikari snapped her head back to look at him, a startled look on her face.

"Are you sure it's time?" Hikari asked softly, fear evident in her lively chestnut orbs.

"Not when she comes back, but when she comes home again," Kurogane reassured, easing some of Hikari's tightly-wound nerves. "I'll get ahold of a friend of mine to come and look at her when she goes through her attack, to help us get a feel of how much longer she has before she undergoes a full transformation, spells aside."

"Okay...," Hikari agreed slowly, putting her full trust in Kurogane. He had friends in very high places...she did, too, but she couldn't visit them like she used to. Makai was a very hard place to get into nowadays... "Who will you be contacting?"

"Ah...an old kitsune thief I think you might've heard of before...," Kurogane smirked as Hikari's eyes widened.

"You don't mean...you know him?" Amazement showed through Hikari's voice and glittered brightly in her eyes.

"Yes," Kurogane chuckled. "Youko Kurama. I saved his tail once in my long life and he owes me a big favor. I'm going to call it in. He's the most intelligent contact I have...even though we haven't spoken in...what...three hundred years?"

"That's a long time...," Hikari noted with a surprised blink. "Do you even know where he is now?"

"I'm not sure, to tell you the truth," Kurogane's admission dashed her hopes a bit. "But...I've heard word over the years that he, along with a couple of half-breeds, has shaken Makai up. There's a new system with a single king in place."

"Wow...," Hikari sighed, her eyes wide again. "I didn't think the old system would ever change...with the three kings, Mukuro, Yomi, and Raizen."

"Rumor is that Raizen's dead," Kurogane further shocked his daughter-in-law. "And that one of the half-breeds was his descendant. They fought for the new system, as well as having fought in the tournament that ensued. They didn't win it, but they all got out alive. Mukuro and Yomi both fought in the tournament, as well, but neither won. Seeing Mukuro is your friend and loyal ally...I thought I could ask her where Youko might be."

"She'll probably be able to tell you," Hikari nodded, excited that she might hear from an old friend again. "Oh! Would it be alright if I wrote a letter? Could you deliver it to her for me?"

"Of course," Kurogane chuckled, then tilted his head to the side. "But first thing's first. They're back. You need to...convince Inuyasha to to come back in two days."

"Right...right...," Hikari nodded, refocusing her mind on the new task at hand. She was probably going to have to be stern with him...but it wasn't going to be easy now that she was happy and excited... With a sigh, she stood and took her plate and stacked Kagome's on top, putting them both in the sink. She glanced back at Kurogane, the man chuckling as he pulled his paper up again and pretended to read it. "I thought you were going to...?"

"I will," Kurogane nodded. "But I wouldn't miss this for anything." He grinned into his paper. Hikari let out a soft sigh as she smiled and shook her head at the man.

"I'm back," Kagome called as the door opened, shuffling heard as she removed her shoes.

"We're in the kitchen, dear," Hikari called back to her daughter. Soon the soft thumping of feet against the hardwood floor was heard and the two came into view, Inuyasha holding Kagome's large yellow bag.

"What's goin' on?" Inuyasha asked immediately, his eyes trained on Kurogane, who was snickering behind his paper. Inuyasha couldn't see him, but his eyes narrowed at the man.

"Inuyasha," Hikari hailed, the boy slowly turning his amber eyes back to her. "I have a request, and I need you to abide it."

"Um...sure...what's up?" he asked somewhat awkwardly as Kagome shifted nervously in place.

"I think we've figured out the next piece of the pattern in Kagome's attacks," Hikari spoke, straightforward. She noticed an instant seriousness in the boy. Good. He needed to take this seriously. "I need her back in two days so that we can see if it's going to happen when we believe it is. The attack should occur the following day and last five minutes and ten seconds, if we're right."

"If not?" he asked uncertainly.

"It'll happen the following day and last that amount of time," Hikari replied easily. "But we think it will happen in four days because of the way it's progressed."

"But...we heard rumors toward the west...it's gonna take time to get over there and back," Inuyasha frowned. "More than two days' time."

"I need Kagome back in two days, young man," Hikari insisted, using her stern motherly voice that had him bristling in place. She knew it made him uncomfortable, but she had to use it. "I have someone coming that might be able to help her. Ji-san will be contacting him later today."

"You have a lead?" Kagome asked, hope in her voice as her azure eyes glowed with the emotion.

"We might," Ji-san nodded as he finally put his paper aside and folded his hands atop the table. "I have an inkling he can help and I know who to contact to find out where he lives now, so I can go and see him in person. Haven't seen the old coot in ages, but he's as smart as they come and he's seen odd things like this before. Chances are high that he can help and we can figure out what, exactly, is causing your attacks."

"Can he stop them?" Inuyasha asked, hope lighting his own features up. "Can he cure her?"

"In a manner of speaking...yes, I believe he can," Ji-san nodded.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Kagome asked, lunging forwards and hugging her surprised Ji-san. He could feel the hope and relief rolling off of her in waves.

"I had to confirm something first," he replied softly, returning her embrace. "And now I know someone who will know where he lives." She pulled away, but kept her focus on him. "Old coot can't hide from me now! I honestly thought he was dead for a while there..." Kagome smiled a little at her gramps.

"I'm glad you'll be getting up with an old friend...and I really hope he can help me," Kagome spoke as she slowly pulled away from him, the man just as slowly releasing her from his hold.

"Me, too," he grinned toothily at her. "And I believe he will be able to help." His dark eyes turned back to a silently excited Inuyasha. "That's why we need you back in two days. Will you bring her back by then?"

"Yeah...sure," Inuyasha nodded, suprisingly easily obliging their request now. "If this guy can heal her...I'll bring her back, myself."

"Good man," Ji-san nodded his approval of the boy's decision. 'He's not an idiot all the time,' Kurogane mused silently. Looking back at a smiling Kagome, he gently patted her arm. "Go ahead and get going. You've got a lot to do, it seems."

"Right," Kagome nodded with a renewed vigor, all traces of weariness from her uneasy sleep gone. "We'll see you in two days, mom, Ji-san." She pecked his cheek and ran over to her mother for a tight hug.

"Be careful, Kagome," Hikari whispered into her ear as they slowly released one another.

"Always," Kagome beamed at her mother.

"See you soon," Kurogane waved as Kagome made her way back to Inuyasha, the inu crouching so she could get on his back.

"Bye!" Kagome managed to get out before they were off, Inuyasha grabbing her shoes before they headed out the door. Hikari looked back at Kurogane, the man holding up a hand and listening. After a long moment, he nodded.

"They're gone," he spoke and Hikari let out a soft breath. Two more days and everything would be revealed... 'I hope she doesn't hate us for our decisions...,' Hikari sighed to herself silently as she locked eyes with her father-in-law. "Go ahead and write your letter and I'll get ready to go. If I tell baby-faced Koenma it's an emergency- which it is- he should grant me instant access to Makai."

"Just don't tell him what the emergency is," Hikari nodded to him, a hint of nervousness returning to her being.

"I won't," he promised. "I'll be sure he doesn't know anything about his ex-employee and her family. He might have a heart-attack if he learned one of his best, brightest, and most powerful retirees had mated and settled down with a demon." Kurogane shot her an amused grin. Hikari raised her brow and sent him a chiding look even as her own lips threatened to curl into a smile. "Of course he didn't know you were unbiased and often helped decent rogue demons..." He chuckled as her lips finally curved into a smile. "That's the quality that won you so many allies, you know. Kagome takes after you, Hikari, and that is a very good thing."

"I agree with you," Hikari inclined her head. "The ability to accept people for what they are, no matter what they may be, is something I had hoped to instill into her from an early age. Discrimination begets hatred and violence...but acceptance begets serenity and love. I couldn't be prouder of my daughter."

"Yes, and she's changing the world as we know it," Kurogane chuckled. "Or, well...rather, she's molding it into the society that it is, but she changes everyone she comes into contact with, filling them with love and hope. I've had several different demons approach me through Lord-Stick-In-The-Ass, who have asked when her journies will be over so they can talk to her again."

"Call him by his name," Hikari chided, lightly hitting the man on his arm.

"Is that the best you can do?" Kurogane teased, earning himself another chiding look from the woman he considered his daughter. "Alright, alright." He put his hands up in surrender. "Lord Sesshoumaru. There. I said his true name."

"Thank you," Hikari chuckled softly as she shook her head at him. She would never understand why the man tormented the old inu lord like he did...

"Alright, then...time's marching on," Kurogane spoke and Hikari caught him glancing up at the clock. "This is going to take a while...so...you get on that letter, I'll get supplies, and then I'll be off."

"Alright," Hikari agreed, Kurogane striding quickly from the room to get a travel pack together. She went to her room, got a piece of paper out and a pen, and quickly wrote a short note to her old friend, Mukuro. "Done." She smiled at the paper, slipping it in an envelope before she put the pen back up.

"Hikari...I'm ready to leave," Kurogane called. "Have you got the letter?"

"Yes...I'm coming," Hikari called back, walking from her room back to the dining room. Kurogane stood there with a messenger bag clinging to his small frame, the old man dressed in a black tee-shirt and a pair of baggy green cargo pants. "Aren't you going to...?"

"Oh...yes," Kurogane smiled at Hikari. "Almost forgot." Light encompassed his form and Hikari put her hands over her eyes to block out the bright light. After a long moment, the light died out and she removed her hands from her face. An old man no longer stood before her, but a youthful demon with obsidian hair and eyes the color of polished silver. His glamour had been dropped. "That feels sooo much better..." He groaned as he stretched, moving his muscular arms and torso about, the black shirt clinging to him now like a wet rag. Large kitsune ears, much like Inuyasha's ears but much bigger, flicked atop his head and his silky tail swished to and fro joyously. "It's not often I can revert to my true humanoid form like this." He smiled a handsome smile at Hikari that she returned whole-heartedly.

"I miss seeing you like this," she admitted softly, stepping closer to her demon father-in-law.

"Is it because of your fetish?" He grinned as her hands found his ears, an angry flush moving across her cheeks.

"It is not a fetish!" Hikari scowled as he chuckled, leaning into her touch.

"Well, either way...," he shrugged. "I don't mind being petted by my daughter." He purred into her hands, Hikari holding in a giggle as his body vibrated with the pur. It was like petting a huge cat... "Though...you should talk to Kagome about petting male's ears. She shares your...like of it. If she pet the wrong man's ears...she might wind up on her back before she could blink..."

"Yes...I've realized that," Hikari sighed softly as she slowly stopped scratching his ears and pulled her hands away. He silently mourned the loss of her dull nails...that felt gooood... "But I can't speak with her about it without giving away that I know more about youkai than I've told her I do- which is little to nothing."

"Ahh...true, that," He nodded contemplatively. "Soon, then. After two days." She nodded. "Letter?"

"Oh!" Hikari gasped, fumbling for a moment before pulling it out of her dress pocket. "Here we are..." She held it up and he gently took it from her fingers. "Give Mukuro a hug for me."

"If I can get close to her," Kurogane inclined his head with a soft chuckle. "Be back soon." He gave her a quick half-hug and a peck on the cheek that she happily returned before backing away. With a nod from him, shadows enveloped his form and he slowly dissappeared from view.

"That shadow transportation technique of his is really handy...," Hikari sighed to herself as she looked at the small pile of dishes in the sink. "Now all I can do is wait..." With another, more restless, sigh, Hikari ran the water and began washing the dishes.

- End Chapter 2 -

- Interesting, ne? Hikari is a retired employee of Koenma's. Kurogane is a full-blooded shadow fox demon...and so was his son, Kyota- Hikari's husband and mate. What does that mean for Kagome and Sota? Is that the cause of her attacks? Why aren't they hanyou? Find out more in the next chapter!

- Hope ya'll enjoyed!

- Please review!

- BELATED MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! XD