Author's Note:
I'm really glad to see that I've already begun to gather some readers after being gone for so long! Especially since this story has literally been a little project of mine for at least 6 months. No joke. I have a notebook I carry around with me everywhere and whenever I have a free moment or some inspiration I write it all down. (Even at work! Not very difficult when I work night shifts at a call center but still!)
I'd really like to hear what you guys are thinking on this story so far! I know it's kinda dragging but I seriously have a reason for that, I promise. Oh, again, I have not watched the Final Act episodes in quite some time so some of the details may be a little wonky. If anything is off, pleeeeeaaaase let me know so I can fix it!
But here we go! Chapter three is here in way less time than it took for chapter two to come struggling out of my brain! Hope you all enjoy it!
Readers:
Uhh...so to start I have no idea what happened with the formatting in the last chapter. It loaded just fine originally and then as soon as I post it? BAM! Italics for the win! -.-'
Dokuga Readers:
Alright! Here we go! The first time chapters are posted on here and at the same time!
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"Miko! The mark!" Suddenly, Kagome realizes just how far Sesshoumaru was thrown and she looks back at the oni now reaching towards her as it rushes forward. But she remembers the taiyoukai's words in her fear and shoves her right hand under her haori. As her fingertips come to rest against the jagged indigo slashes there, she lets out a cry that seems to ripple through the air.
"Inuyasha help me!" Despite the ripple that seems to pour from her the oni keeps coming and before any of them can reach her Kagome is in the oni's giant, clawed grasp.
Catalyst
Chapter Three
"Kagome-sama!" Miroku cries out as the massive hand clenches around Kagome's tiny form and she disappears completely. A growl makes him turn his horrified gaze away and he sees Sesshoumaru land just beside him, a furious glare on his face.
"Sesshoumaru-sama! What do we do?" The taiyoukai focuses ahead on the oni's massive hand, Bakusaiga drawn but resting at his side.
"Nothing. Any strike could do more damage to the miko than the oni would." Miroku frowns as he looks forward again, seeing the monstrosity raising it's closed fist into the air with a satisfied snarl.
"But it will kill her if it has not already!"
"No, I believe it wants her alive." Miroku looks over at Sesshoumaru again with a shocked gaze. But before he can ask the question he wants to a massive wave of energy pulls his gaze skyward.
'What in great Kami...' The oni is staring at it's hand with a sickened look of surprise and pain, it's flesh on said hand begin to fall away at a faster pace. Suddenly, a small flash of light appears across the top of the massive hand and Miroku takes a step back when a brilliant pink slash appears immediately. The oni howls in pain and swings it's arm but doesn't open it's hand. Another brilliant pink slash crosses the other and amidst the pained howls and swinging limbs, Kagome emerges from inside the pink light.
"Get your filthy flesh off of me!" Her voice seems to ripple through the air and as she drops from the sky, Miroku sees that she's glowing. Her own pink ki is swirling around her but with it are streaks of gold that makes her look like she's on fire. Sango's sword is in her hand and it too is glowing with blazing color.
'I've only seen energy like that when Inuyasha and Kagome would attack in unison.'
"I see the whelp's protection mark took. Good. We do not have to worry about injuring the miko for a short time." Without another word, Sesshoumaru leaps into the air as he sheaths Bakusaiga. In a movement so graceful it's almost dizzying to the humans watching, he easily catches Kagome as she drops from the sky, the katana in her hand dropping to the ground. He hears her breath leave her as she connects with him and fights back a hiss of pain when her powers come in contact with him. Almost immediately, the ki retracts back into her and the only glow left is the gold. As they descend she looks up at him with her black hair whipping in her face, almost hiding the wide eyes that make her look suddenly younger than she had only moments before.
"Thanks! What now?"
"I finish this." She gives him a quick nod as they land gently and he immediately lets her go once her feet are firmly on the ground. He turns back around, drawing Bakusaiga in the same movement, and leaps back into the air. Kagome immediately backs away but reaches for an arrow and looks around the crowd of villagers at the edge of the square. Seeing what she needs, she sprints over to an elderly man who's holding a bow with shaking hands.
"Can I please borrow your bow?" The man nods adamantly and hands it over, earning a small smile from Kagome. She turns around and runs back over towards the battle, seeing Sesshoumaru slashing out at the oni with his whip.
'Why hasn't he just used the Bakusaiga on it? That thing would cut through any piece of living flesh it touches and...oh!' Abruptly she realizes his reasoning when she notices just how many villagers are around them.
'If his attack went wayward in any way, the villagers might be slaughtered.' The realization makes her look up at the taiyoukai in a different view as she comes up alongside Miroku. They both stand in silence for a moment before looking at each other at the same time.
"We have to get the villagers away Miroku. He can't finish that thing off with them here." Miroku nods and takes off to the edge of the square. As she hears him begin shouting for the villagers to escape to the edge of the woods Kagome looks skyward again and pulls back an arrow in the borrowed bow. She holds it at the right angle and watches, not holding it tight until she can find an opening.
'Humans are such meddlesome creatures. If they were not here this battle would have been done the moment I drew the Bakusaiga.' Sesshoumaru slashes at the oni again with a low growl, his frustration growing with each ineffective strike. He glances down as he retreats back to strike again and is shocked to see that the villagers are now running towards the woods at Miroku's insistence.
'Hn. Perhaps the monk is more useful than he seems.' Sesshoumaru lands on the ground and raises up Bakusaiga before leaping back up towards the oni's head. The oni watches him with glowing red eyes, drooling as it's skin melts away slowly around it's mouth. With a snarl, Sesshoumaru lifts Bakusaiga and slashes at the oni's face. He feels the blade make contact and pulls back immediately after leaving a slash across the bridge of the creature's nose. As he descends, Sesshoumaru smirks when he sees that the youki of Bakusaiga is already eating away at the oni.
"Sesshoumaru! Get away!" The shout comes just as his feet touch the ground and he leaps back before glancing over at the miko. Kagome is once again glowing with the swirling gold and the pink of her own ki, her bow pulled back tight with a flaming arrow lined up with her target.
"I won't miss!" She lets loose the arrow and it streaks like a comet towards her target. The oni roars in outrage and pain, reaching out to swipe at the arrow. Sesshoumaru glares, readying the Bakusaiga for another attack, when suddenly the arrow disappears in a flash of white light.
"Gotcha!" Kagome lowers her bow and holds up her hand to cover her eyes just as the arrow reappears in another flash of light pointed in the opposite direction behind the oni's head. It streaks forward and erupts into a flash of purity as it slams into the back of the oni's head. An earth shattering roar makes them all wince but it quickly fades away as the swirls of Kagome's ki, the strange golden light, and Bakusaiga's youki break the creature to pieces. Finally, the pieces shatter and burn away to dust from Kagome's pure ki. As the glittering ash floats to the ground, Kagome lowers her hand with a smile but wavers on her feet as Miroku runs up to her.
"Kagome-sama! Are you alright?" He reaches out to help her remain steady but she waves him off and stands up straighter with a bright smile.
"It's okay. I'm okay. Just..." Her eyes roll back into her head and her legs give out before she can finish her sentence. Miroku lunges out and catches her before slowly lowering her to the ground, not noticing Sesshoumaru approach them.
"What has happened?" Miroku looks up to see Sesshoumaru sheathing the Bakusaiga with a frown on his face.
"I believe she's overexerted herself Sesshoumaru-sama. I've only seen her do this a few times and what we just witnessed was not normal for her." Sesshoumaru nods before wordlessly kneeling down beside the monk.
"I will carry the miko back to the village. Go ahead and ready her sleeping quarters." Miroku hands the unconscious girl over before rising and taking off at a sprint back towards the edge of the village where the villagers are eagerly awaiting. Sesshoumaru watches him go for a moment before he glances down at the miko now in his arms.
'Such power in this little human. If not properly controlled it could not only injure others around her, but she could even harm herself. Inuyasha is a fool for letting her go so long without proper training.' He stands slowly and adjusts Kagome before setting off on foot after Miroku, his mind still on her lack of training and the display of power he'd just witnessed.
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Her footsteps echo eerily in the stillness and she looks around in shock as she walks toward the looming figure of Goshinboku ahead of her.
'What on earth?'
All of modern day Tokyo surrounds her but she can't hear a single city sound, only the chirping of birds and the rustling of plant life as the breeze dances around her. The shrine looks exactly as she remembers and a pang of homesickness nearly makes her double over.
"Mama?" Her voice echoes just like her footsteps, making her feel out of place when she realizes that the bird calls don't echo.
"Souta?" Again, no one responds and she keeps walking towards the Goshinboku.
"Grandpa?" She spins around in a circle, looking for any sign of her family and the homesickness clenches her chest again. Then, from behind her, the one voice she doesn't expect to hear echoes just like hers.
"Keh, I was beginning to wonder if the bastard had lied about this part of the protection mark." Kagome gasps and spins around to see Inuyasha standing at the base of Goshinboku, a small but satisfied smirk on his face.
"Inuyasha? Wait, is this real? Are we really in Tokyo?" He shakes his head and walks over to her, his arms crossed as a small frown appears on his face.
"I'm not really sure how this all works yet. This is a dream, at least the part where we're in your time. But us? We're real." He stops right in front of her and uncrosses his arms before resting his clawed hands on her shoulders, looking down at her with a strange look in his eyes.
"What? What is it?" Inuyasha sighs and closes his eyes, still resting his hands on her shoulders.
"What happened today? I felt something...off." Kagome blinks and tilts her head, willing him to open his eyes. But he doesn't and she realizes that he's trying to remain calm.
"Well, an oni attacked the village for whatever reason. We think it was being controlled by someone." Inuyasha's eyes flash open and for the first time she sees a glimpse of fear. But he quickly closes it off and nods, gripping her shoulders a little harder.
"Go on. What else?" She looks at him curiously for another moment before answering.
"Sesshoumaru was there before us but he couldn't fight the way he wanted to. He had to keep Bakusaiga sheathed so that it's attack wouldn't come in contact with the villagers who were gathered around."
"Keh, that doesn't sound like the bastard." Kagome frowns but continues.
"As I was saying, Sesshoumaru wasn't able to fight the way he wanted to. I decided I had to help but it became clear right away that something wasn't right. My arrows weren't having much effect on the oni. Early on we noticed the oni was just like the ones that Sounga had controlled and it was clearly dead. But all my arrows did was cause it's flesh to melt off a little faster."
"Do you kill it?" She's looking away now, remembering everything that happened.
"Yeah, eventually. But...not before it grabbed me." This time she feels his claws dig into the fabric of her haori.
"And?" Inuyasha's voice is practically a growl and she looks up at him to find him hiding his face in his bangs.
"I did what you'd told me to do last night. I touched my protection mark and I called for you." Inuyasha nods but still won't look up. Starting to worry, Kagome reaches up with one hand and grasps his chin. She tries to force his head up but he pushes back and his face remains hidden.
"Are you hurt?" His voice is quieter, the snarl almost completely gone, and she blinks in shock before answering.
"Um...not that I know of. I was kind of riding on a power wave before..." Kagome suddenly frowns and looks away, trying to remember what happened.
"Before what?" Kagome bites her lip, slowly realizing what may have happened.
"In the end, I freed myself from the oni and we got the villagers far enough away so Sesshoumaru could use the Bakusaiga. But I didn't want to take any chances so I borrow a bow from a villager since I'd dropped mine and I fired one at the oni's head."
"Let me guess. You missed?" Kagome huffs and swats his arm with her free hand but he still won't look up at her.
"No I did not. If you must know, this arrow was nothing like any others I'd shot. It was blazing with ki but there was this gold energy there too. I had a feeling the oni would try to swipe away my arrow so I used my teleportation technique but instead of doing what it usually does it reappeared behind the oni facing the opposite direction." By the end of the statement her voice is thoughtful, contemplating the new versatility of her unsealed ability.
"Again wench. Before what?" Kagome shakes her head and looks back to him, willing him to look up again with her hand on his chin.
"I think I overdid it. The last thing I remember is feeling dizzy and telling Miroku I was fine. But after that, it just goes black." They stand in silence for a few moments, the birds chirping and the breeze barely filling the void. Then suddenly, his hands tighten almost painfully on her upper arms and a low growl leaves him.
"Damn it. I made you stay behind so you'd be safe, but they came after you anyway."
"Who?" Kagome's voice is barely more than a whisper as she nudges his chin again, this time feeling him slowly lift his head. When they make eye contact, she's startled to see a chilling combination of anger and panic shining in his golden eyes.
"The same things that attacked me in the village I went to." Kagome swallows around the sudden dryness in her mouth and throat, her eyes wide as she searches his face for any hint of a lie. Finding none, she looks back to his eyes lets out a small breath.
"Well..."
"Don't leave the house until I'm back. I'll be there sometime tomorrow." The snarl is back in his voice and Kagome blinks in shock before shaking it off and glaring at him.
"What?! No way! I have to go see if the villagers need anything..."
"Kaede can do it."
"...and I have to go speak with Sesshoumaru about..."
"The bastard will be back with Rin soon enough."
"...AND I have to train!" Kagome lunges forward as she finishes speaking, her narrowed blue eyes just inches from his own. But she gasps when he lifts his lip and snarls, pulling her to him in a movement that's so fast it makes her dizzy all over again. His arms come down around her and she stiffens when she feels him bury his face into her neck, still snarling as his fangs graze the skin there.
"I won't let them have you. Whatever sick goal they're really after isn't going to include you. I won't let it happen damn it!" By the end Inuyasha is shouting into her neck and she whimpers as she reaches up and holds his head to her. They stay that way for some time, both holding onto each other as if they'll fall apart, before a scraping noise echoes in the air around them loudly. They both look up abruptly, Kagome's eyes filled with tears that refuse to fall, and Inuyasha growls again before loosening his hold on her.
"Damn it, something's waking you up." Kagome looks up at him with wide eyes and puts her hands on his cheeks, stunned by how real and warm he feels.
"Come home soon okay?" She's surprised when a guilty look crosses his face and he looks away as he backs up from her hold.
"Keh, I'll try wench." The scraping grows louder and she seems to float backwards away from him. That's when she sees it for the first time; the tell-tale darkness in spots on his fire rat haori.
"You're hurt! Where are you? I'll come..." He shakes his head, his image flickering now along with the modern Tokyo scenery.
"I'll be fine. Stay in the damn house until I'm home wench."
"Wait!" But he's gone in one last flicker and the dream goes black.
Her first thought upon waking is that she can still smell Inuyasha nearby but quickly pushes that away when she hears the scraping noise that ended the dream. She keeps her eyes closed and waits as the fogginess of sleep fades away, testing out her limbs with little wiggles. Holding back a frown, she realizes she's a lot more sore than she would have thought.
'Well I guess I did almost get crushed by a giant oni so that makes sense.' The scraping returns but louder and she grumbles without saying anything as she rolls over and sits up, her blue eyes opening for a moment before shutting again when she realizes how bright it is.
"Ow. What time is it anyway?" She rubs her closed eyes and hears soft footsteps come over towards her.
"It is well into the afternoon child." Kagome slowly opens her eyes again, keeping one hand up to block out most of the light while she adjusts.
"I slept all night?" She peaks through her fingers to see Kaede kneeling before her, the older woman's haori covered in patches of dust. Looking behind the older woman, Kagome realizes Kaede must have been straightening up around the small house while she had slept.
"Yes. You were sleeping so soundly and your ki was so depleted that we all thought it best to let you rest." Kagome nods and lowers her hand, the light still bothering her a little.
"I see. What's been happening since I fainted?" Kaede reaches over and grasps one of Kagome's plastic water bottles before handing it to the younger miko.
"The village has been working on repairing the damaged areas, Sango is keeping the children out of the way of the work, and Sesshoumaru-sama left with Rin after returning you to your home." Kagome pauses mid drink and lowers the water bottle. She swallows with some difficulty and tilts her head to the side with wide eyes.
"Wait a minute. Do you mean Sesshoumaru carried me?" Kaede nods and moves to stand, her face set in a frown as she does so.
"Oh these old bones do ache some days. But yes, that is what happened. I believe when Miroku asked him later about it he said something about the 'weakness of humans'. He believes Sesshoumaru-sama was concerned for your well being and I may have to agree. He lingered for some time in the house and watched us tend to you. He only left with Rin after we assured him that we would send word for his assistance if another attack occurred." Kagome nods but the confusion still eats at her.
'He really has changed since I first came here, but he's still Sesshoumaru.' She takes another sip of water, her mind suddenly going back to recent memories of the taiyoukai's visits to the village. Since she'd returned he would bring Rin to the village once a month and leave her there for a few days to a week. Once she had questioned his reasoning and his answer had made her smile.
"Rin needs to learn more about being with humans. One day she may take a human mate or she may not. Until then, she will be taught both human and youkai culture."
'Who would have thought the 'all human hating' Sesshoumaru would say such things.' Thinking back, she realizes that more than once she could detect him following her in the woods when she thought she'd ducked off without anyone noticing. There were even a few times when he would seemingly morph from the trees as he'd done the day before and join her. Sometimes they walked in silence and other times he would ask questions about the things Rin was learning in the village or, on very rare occasions, he would ask her about herself.
'Not that I can really tell him much.' But she shakes the thoughts away, realizing again that she's been in bed for a whole day. She stretches with a small groan before slowly getting to her feet, not noticing when Kaede comes nearer with her hands at the ready in case the younger miko faints again. A wave of dizziness does come but she shakes it off quickly.
"Well, I'll have to thank him the next time I see him." She walks into the main room of the small house, searching for something to help with the gurgling beginning in her stomach. Kaede follows and sits on one the stools she and Inuyasha had made a few weeks before.
"Child, your little seats are quite a wonder for this aching old woman." Kagome smiles as she finds some dried venison and grabs a few pieces.
"Oh? Do we need to make a couple for your house Kaede?" The older woman laughs and accepts a piece of dried venison.
"That would be much appreciated child." They both nibble on the meat for a moments in silence and Kagome walks over to where she stores her weapons, surprised to see both her bow and Sango's katana were sitting in the corner.
"Where did someone find my bow? I was worried it was broken when the oni grabbed me. Kaede finishes chewing and adjusts herself on the stool before answering.
"One of the villagers found it on the ground with a broken string. I restrung it once it was returned here but you may want to try it out yourself for I'm afraid that I don't not keep my bow as tight as you do." Kagome nods and reaches out for the bow, giving the bow string an experimental pluck.
"Hmm, it could probably be a little tighter but it's fine for now. Thank you for that. I am curious about Sango's sword though too." She comes over and sits next to Kaede on the other stool.
"Ah, yes. She decided that you had much more need of it and would use it much more than she. She has decided to give it to you." Kagome blinks and looks back to the katana gleaming in the corner.
"I guess I'm gonna have to bother Inuyasha about training me with a sword." Thinking of Inuyasha, she realizes that when she was dreaming it had been night and jumps up with shock.
"What is it Kagome?" She quickly walks back into the bedroom, talking as she goes.
"Inuyasha is coming back today. I'm going to clean myself up a little bit and head into the village. Would you mind waiting for me so we can go together?" Kagome pokes her head back out into the main room with excited eyes and Kaede laughs while waving her hand.
"Go dress. I shall wait right here and consider it a nice break." Kagome nods and ducks back into the room.
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'It's getting late.' She's sitting on the hillside looking down at the village as the sun nears the horizon, the rice fields already shimmering with the late sunlight as she chews absentmindedly on her thumbnail.
She'd spent most of the day relaxing at Sango and Miroku's house, occasionally playing an easy game with the children or holding little Ichiro. Despite the long night of rest she could still feel weakness in her limbs and knew better than to push herself. But as the day wore on, her energy came in bouts of nervousness.
'I know he didn't really specify when he'd be returning today but...' Sighing, she brushes her bangs from her face with her hand.
'...he was injured in the dream. I know he was.' Unable to stand sitting still any longer, Kagome rises to her feet and begins to walk down the hill. Her bow is resting against her back with her quiver of arrows and she considers tightening it to keep her mind off things. But she shakes her head when she realizes nothing will work and she'd probably end up snapping the bow string on herself just from nerves.
'That's just what I need. I'm already going to hear it from Inuyasha about going into a battle the way I did so I really don't need him worrying over me every time I string my bow from now on.' The thought brings a small smile to her face.
"Kagome!" Bringing up her hand to shield her eyes, Kagome looks down the hill to see Sango waving her arm at her with Ichiro in her other arm. She moves to wave back but stops when she realizes that the waving is a gesture to hurry.
"What is it?" She picks up her pace, once again glad that she had sneakers with her in the Feudal era as she descends the hill at a risky pace.
"One of the farmers says he saw Inuyasha coming this way!" Kagome breaks into a run, forgetting her tendency for bouts of clumsiness and her worries about pushing her already exhausted body. Without pausing she passes Sango and the other girl laughs.
"I'll see you in the village Sango!"
She races through the small grove of trees just outside the village and quickly comes upon the beginning of the houses, sprinting past the shrine and Kaede's hut. The villagers all wave while calling out to her and a smile breaks out on her face when she hears their words.
"Inuyasha is back!"
"He's just past the village center!"
"Thank you!" She can feel her limbs starting to tire and slows a bit as she runs through the densest part of the village.
'He really did make it back in two days! I guess I shouldn't have underestimated his...' But her thoughts come to a screeching halt when she rounds the last corner and comes into the still demolished square. She stops just at the edge, catching her breath that's suddenly much shorter than it should be.
"Inuyasha?" He's standing in the center of the battleground, his head down so that his bangs hide his face. His haori is covered in slashes and she can see the dark stains on the fabric just like in the dream. He doesn't seem to react when she calls his name but she knows he can hear her despite the distance. She steps forward unconsciously and the noise of her sneakers scraping on the disturbed dirt make his ears flick towards her.
"Inuyasha? Are you okay?" Calling to him again, she begins to walk a little faster and she sees him take a single step. He wavers on his feet and she throws at her arms as she picks up her pace to a jog but he steadies himself just before she comes up to him. Something makes her pull back and she pauses for a moment, suddenly unsure when she feels a strangle fluttering in her stomach and pressure in her chest.
'What on earth? It's like...when I used to get too close to Naraku's miasma.' Just then he lifts his head marginally and she tilts her own before pushing past her nerves and moving closer. Her fingers brush the fabric of his haori and a chill runs up her spine before her hands rest on his shoulders just has his had in their dream. The contact seems to startle him and he shakes his head a bit before slowly looking up.
"Kagome?" She gasps and grips onto his haori at what she sees. Jagged indigo stripes mark his cheeks, his elongated fangs hang just over his bottom lip, and his eyes are more defined and severe.
'But no red eyes...' Inuyasha looks down at her with his normal golden eye color with a strange look that almost resembles shock. Slowly, his hands come up to her shoulders as well and they stand that way for a moment before he frowns.
"Keh, guess I pushed myself a little too hard." Suddenly he wavers on his feet again and she throws her arms around his waist to help support him. His arms come up around her and he leans down to bury his face in her neck. Despite his sudden weakness the grip he has on her is a hard one and she can feel his elongated fangs against her skin when he speaks again.
"Don't ever scare me like that again wench." She nods and rubs a hand on his lower back, her concern still eating at her but the fluttering in her stomach all but forgotten.
"We'll talk about that later. Let's get you home and off your feet first okay?" He nods and stands upright but she keeps her arms around him for a moment in case he wavers again. She watches as the stripes begin to fade and his fangs retract. She pulls back from him then and realizes she can feel blood that seeped through her haori.
"Yeah, I think I could sleep for awhile." She laughs softly at the rueful tone in his voice, knowing that he rarely sleeps for long out of habit.
"Alright but we have to get you to the house first okay? Do I need to call for Miroku?" He scoffs and shakes his head.
"I can make it to the house. I'd rather take it slow in silence than to hear him rattle off about the runts right now." Kagome laughs again and brings one of his arms over her shoulder before beginning to walk slowly with her arm around his waist.
'He can't be feeling too awful if he's talking like that.' They proceed at a slow pace with the sun beginning to set behind them. Without realizing it she tightens the hand at his waist into the fabric of his haori and he in turn grasps onto her shoulder a little tighter.
"I'm glad you were right Inuyasha. I would've come looking for you at dawn." He snorts and shakes his head slowly.
"I'm always right wench, but...I'm glad it didn't end up coming to that either." Something about his tone makes her look over at him and she sees a faraway look in his eyes for a moment before he glances down at her and twitches his ears. Deciding to ask him later she simply smiles up at him.
"I'm glad your home." A small smile appears on his face as well.
"Yeah, me too."
Distantly, she feels her stomach flutter again.