Chapter Nine: The Gathering
(Two months later)
Kagome was walking down the road to Inuyasha's house when she felt a familiar presence behind her. "You can't scare me Talen I know your there." she said as the white wolf came from behind the bushes. Changing his form Talen stood about a foot taller than Tyzen and just a couple inches shorter than Inuyasha.
"How did you know?"
"Ever since my memories of the Feudal Era returned two months ago when Naraku attacked Tyzen my spiritual powers sky rocketed. I can sense demon forms from miles around." said Kagome as she started walking again. "So what are you doing off the mountain. It's not like you to be in the human world."
"Nalika sent me to get you Miroku Sango Inuyasha Sesshomaru and Koga." said Talen "Kikyo is already there since she hasn't left Tyzen's side since he was moved back to the mountain."
"How is he doing?" asked Inuyasha walking up to them.
"He's healing but the wound caused by the Miasma is taking much longer to heal than it should." said Talen worried and Kagome could see why. Kikyo had once told her and Inuyasha when they had met that before Tyzen was kicked off the mountain by his clan he Talen Kyrian Maxen and Reiden had become real good friends. Talen was the first to speak up for Tyzen when his clan tried to send him back through time. Though the others didn't know that Kagome knew about that.
"What do you mean?" asked Sesshomaru walking over to them as they passed by the house. Inuyasha had told his brother everything that had happened since the beach and now Sesshomaru also remembered his past. Thankfully he had learned a kind heart toward his brother unlike before when he tried to kill him.
"Naraku's Miasma must have gotten stronger than before. Talen do I need to purify it again?" asked Kagome.
"No the wounds are just taking long to heal." said Talen "I believe it's because he feels ashamed of being struck down so easily, so he's not allowing his demon half to heal the wounds."
"That sounds like Tyzen." said Inuyasha. "Anyway why does Nalika want us on the mountain? We're not really supposed to be up there."
"I'm not sure but the village won't attack you. Mostly because you saved Tyzen and because they know that it was you all that defeated Naraku the first time." said Talen. He had to be careful. Nalika warned him that Inuyasha would ask questions about the trip but told him not to mention anything about the Sahado demons.
"Well I think we had better get Sango and Miroku." said Kagome
"Inuyasha why don't you and Kagome go to Koga's village and get him. Talen and I will get your other friends." said Sesshomaru. Even though he wasn't there at the first battle with the wolf tribe and the blizzard wolf clan he knew of the bloodshed and deaths. He knew that with Inuyasha there it wouldn't be so bad.
"Okay come on Kagome." said Inuyasha and the two left.
"Thanks Sesshomaru." said Talen
"You're welcome. Now let's go."
So Inuyasha and Kagome went to the wolf demon's tribe to get Koga, but Kagome was worried. Something wasn't right. She didn't know what but she didn't really want to find out what it was either.
"Hey Kagome you okay?" Inuyasha asked. She had been so silent while they ran that he was worried he had done something wrong and she was mad at him.
"Yeah just thinking."
"Not always a good sign, what about?"
"Naraku. How is he still alive?"
"I don't know Kagome. Maybe Nalika can explain when we get up there." said Inuyasha.
"I hope so Inuyasha." said Kagome as they came onto the village.
"Kagome you had better go get Koga. They don't like it when I go in there."
"Yeah I wonder why?" asked Kagome rhetorically remembering how every time Koga and Inuyasha met they always fought until Koga and Ayame said they were together.
Kagome walked through the village after asking Ginka where Koga was thinking about the last time she was in Koga's village before she had gotten with Inuyasha. Then she thought about when Inuyasha had first came to the school five months prior to the incident with Tyzen. She remembered when she had found out that Inuyasha was at the school and how Koga told her to talk to him. She wondered then why Koga wasn't jealous about her and Inuyasha's relationship, now however she knew why. He had already known about her and Inuyasha being together in the past.
She walked up to the tree where Ginka told her Koga would be and saw him there with Ayame. She didn't want to intrude but Ayame had seen her coming and got up to greet her. After she and the white wolf parted Kagome turned to Koga and smiled. "Hey Koga."
"Hey Kagome, what's up? You usually don't come to the mountain unless you have to."
"Nalika wants to talk to us."
"How come?"
"Something about Naraku."
"Okay. You head on back to the mutt and I'll meet you both out there."
"Okay." said Kagome and she left the wolf's village.
Once Kagome got back to Inuyasha and Koga joined them the three of them ran to where Talen told them to meet him. "Hey any clue why Nalika wants to talk to all of us?" asked Koga as they ran
Kagome didn't answer her wolf friend. She had a feeling but didn't want to say anything in case she was wrong. But she was worried that it had something to do with their past lives. "Kagome? Hello is anyone there?"
"Leave her alone wolf." said Inuyasha, like Kagome he had a bad feeling about this meeting. One it wasn't often that outsiders came to the Sacred Beasts Village and two if Nalika wanted everyone that had fought with Naraku all those years ago, then it had to be something bad. Though how bad was what Inuyasha was worried about. Since his memories of the battles with Naraku had returned fully two months ago Inuyasha had been, like Kagome, wondering how the one demon that had caused so much pain and destruction to him and his friends had returned. He also remembered the vision Kagome had told him before him and his friends were engulfed in light. After that he had no idea what happened.
Koga looked over to the half dog demon and actually fell silent. He knew when Inuyasha and Kagome didn't want to talk about their past and so he dropped the subject though he knew that they couldn't avoid it for long. Something had happened between the two of them during that last battle with Naraku. Something that they didn't want anyone to know about.
Talen looked over where Inuyasha Kagome and Koga were coming when he heard the three running up the path and smiled. He knew that Inuyasha wouldn't waste time in getting the wolf demon there. In his opinion Inuyasha and Kagome wanted to know the truth about them more than any of them. He didn't know how Nalika was going to explain about how they were there without exposing her sister, but she said that they weren't to know anything about the youngest Black Phoenix Demon and that was fine by him.
Although he had to admit when he and the others found out that she and Tyzen had sisters and had never told them that really surprised Talen. He had known Tyzen all of his life and had never known about Coriko.
(Flashback)
Talen Kyrian, Maxen and Reiden were outside the council room waiting for Nalika like she had asked them to be. None of them seemed to know what the Leader of the tribe had called them for or why they were called away from the rest of the council but Talen knew it had to be important. Just then the door to the council room open and inside stood a young girl that could have passed for Nalika's twin sister except for the fact that she was much shorter than their Leader.
"Come in. Nalika is waiting in the back for you." she said and they followed her to the back of the room through a door that they had never noticed there before. Once they were in the same room with Nalika Talen noticed that there was someone else that was there besides their Leader's look alike.
"Talen, Kyrian, Maxen, Reiden. Good I'm glad you came on such short notice."
"Nika what is it?" asked Kyrian
"First introductions are in order." said Nalika and she gestured to the girl that they had followed into the room. "This is my sister Drazna, the guardian of Destruction and Rebirth." Then she turned from their shocked faces and said "and this is Coriko, Tyzen's twin sister."
"Hello." she said and once the shock had left Talen's system he could see the similarities between the two of them.
"I didn't know Tyzen had a twin." said Kyrian
"That's because she lived with her mother in the human world. Unlike with Kikyo and Tyzen, their clan didn't accept their mother. However the two had already discovered that they were mates and Kalina had Tyzen and Coriko. Taruko took Tyzen and tried to raise him in the village, but when Naraku started the war that caused our tribe to split and he was killed in the battle his clan kicked him out of the village." said Nalika; however she didn't need to say the last bit. It was widely known in the tribe that the four of them were the best of friends was Tyzen.
"But why tell us now?" asked Reiden.
"We don't know when Tyzen will recover and we need someone to stand in for the Blue Dragon clan." said Nalika. "Coriko has agreed to step up until her brother recovers."
"Okay." said Kyrian but before he could ask his next question Nalika shook her head. He had forgotten that where they were mated they were telepathically linked.
"Drazna isn't the reason Naraku is here. However she is the reason Inuyasha and the others are."
"And it's time that they learned the truth behind their rebirth." said Drazna.
"That's why we called you. Talen you go and get Kagome Inuyasha Sesshomaru Koga Miroku and Sango. However make sure you don't tell them about the Sahado demons. They'll learn about them soon enough."
"Okay." said the blizzard wolf and he left. Nalika gave the rest of the leaders' jobs as well but told Kyrian to remain with her that they needed to talk alone. "Coriko, make sure you tell Tyzen that he has to come as well."
"I will. Though he's stubborn."
"Then have Kikyo drag his ass up here." said Nalika and Coriko left laughing.
(flashback ends)
Talen still couldn't believe that Tyzen had hid the fact that Coriko, the girl he liked, was his sister. But then if he thought about it Talen could understand Tyzen's point of view on the matter. His clan barely accepted him as their leader. If they knew that he had a twin sister then it would cause much more problems for the two of them than ever.
"Hey Talen you ready?" asked Inuyasha as he and the other two got to where he and the rest of his friends were waiting.
"Yeah come on. Nalika's probably fuming now as it is."
"How come?" asked Kagome
"Because she told me to get you guys there as soon as I could and she's never been patient."
Laughing Inuyasha told Talen to lead the way but Kagome felt a familiar presence that she didn't like.
Once they were in the village Kagome noticed how they were preparing to have a battle and she knew that something bad was going on. She also had a feeling that it had something to do with them but she didn't know what. But what she wasn't sure that she wanted to know.
After they had gotten through the city and to where Nalika was at the feeling that Kagome had had coming up the mountain had gotten worse and now she was afraid to find out why.
"I'm glad you guys got here okay." said Tyzen as he leaned on Kikyo for support.
"Hey how you doing Ty?" asked Inuyasha.
"Healing." he said avoiding the answer and Kagome wondered why.
"Anyway Nalika is back here. It's a private room that normally not even the Tribe Leaders have access to, however with Naraku back and things taking a bad turn this is the only place Nalika can explain without being over heard." said Kikyo.
"Explain what?" asked Inuyasha not at all nervous like he used to be whenever Kikyo was around. For that Kagome was grateful that whatever caused them to be reborn happened.
"Explain why we're here and why we didn't remember until two months ago." said Kikyo avoiding Inuyasha's eyes and Kagome knew exactly why. Kikyo had already known about everything that had happened in the past with her and Inuyasha. Kagome found that out the day after they had moved Tyzen back to the mountains.
(flashback)
Kagome and Kikyo were walking up the mountains to where the village of the Scared Beasts lived when Kagome finally asked Kikyo what had been on her mind for nearly two weeks. She had been wondering how Kikyo had known about her and Inuyasha being together and why when Kagome told her that it was Naraku that had attacked her mate, Kikyo wasn't surprised. Kikyo looked at her adoptive sister and smiled.
"It's because I mated with Tyzen that I remembered everything. When we mated my memories came rushing back so when you and Inuyasha told us that you were together I wasn't angry or anything."
"But you seemed to know that we were together long before we told everyone at the beach." said Kagome.
"Because I remembered how you and Inuyasha were much closer than he and I was in the past. So I knew then that you were the one for him and not me. That was when Tyzen and I realized that we were really meant for each other." said Kikyo. "Listen Kagome you can't tell the others about this. Mine and Tyzen's pasts have to stay with us and not anyone else."
"I won't say a thing I promise." said Kagome. Kikyo nodded then went through the barrier to be with her mate as Kagome walked back down with one of Talen's wolves to guard her from Naraku. They knew that no matter what the demon would stop at nothing to get under Inuyasha's skin.
(flashback ends)
Kagome could still recall the shivers that had crawled up her neck as she walked back down the mountain. She hoped that Nalika could finally tell them what was really going on but she had a bad feeling that she wasn't going to like it one bit.