Fusazane and his band of weary northern villagers had heeded Kikyo's advice and made the journey to Kaede's village. The journey had not been as far as they had feared, but the constant travel had worn the group to the very edges of fatigue. The villagers had straggled behind Fusazane, doggedly trying to keep up, the most able-bodied carrying their meagre rice stores. They were lucky with the weather which remained sunny and mild, ideal for walking.
Once they had neared their destination, Fusazane had managed to flag down a local villager and asked to speak to priestess Kaede.
Instead Miroku and Kagome greeted the northerners with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Inuyasha lingered in the background, unwilling to allow his pregnant wife to engage with strangers without his protection. The northerners eyed Inuyasha nervously, their eyes drawn to the fluffy white ears atop his head, but seemed reassured enough by monk Miroku's presence that they did not flee.
"Good day to you. What brings you to our village?" Miroku asked pleasantly, giving a small bow in greeting. Next to him Kagome mirrored his action with a smile.
Fusazane did not hesitate in launching into the story of their plight. "Good monk, we have come here to seek an audience with the priestess called Kaede. We were told she may be kind enough to give us refuge," Fusazane said. "Please, we must speak with her."
"I'm sorry to say that Lady Kaede is indisposed," Miroku said.
Fusazane looked crestfallen for a moment. He licked lips that trembled with weariness. "I beg of you, we will wait until she is free to receive us."
Kagome gazed at the group with pity. "We're not saying she is too busy to see you. She's sick you see, too sick to see anyone," Kagome said sadly, her voice cracking slightly. Kagome shook herself, as if she could slide sorrow off of her shoulders like rainwater.
"But Miroku and I can help you, we are members of this village. You said…someone told you to come here?"
Fusazane nodded, as did a few of the others behind him. "Yes. We are from the north. Far north. But the demons of our homeland drove us out. We've been moving from place to place, trying to find a new home, for over a year now. We've had to move further and further south".
Miroku frowned in confusion. "Why did you have to travel further south?"
"Because we had no choice. The east was as bad as the north. Demons banded together, killing humans like it was a sport. We are not the only group of humans that tried to escape, to try and find a haven."
"What are you saying? That the demons where you are from tried to kill all of the humans in that area?" Inuyasha butted in with interest. Some of the villagers backed away a few steps.
Fusazane thought for a moment, then nodded. "No one knew what was happening at first. Initially it was the odd human that got targeted and killed. More than usual, but not outside the realms of the norm. But then more and more people went missing. Masses of villagers were killed and thrown into the river. I remember that day, we saw hundreds of human bodies floating down the river, and every single person that was killed looked like they had been attacked by a demon. That's when we fled."
"Oh my god," Kagome exclaimed. She knew demons would kill humans indiscriminately, much like Sesshomaru would. But deaths on such a scale sounded ominous.
"If what you say is true, the question is, why?" Miroku said, scratching his chin as he pondered this alarming information.
"Most demons don't care enough about humans to bother to kill them all," Inuyasha said dismissively. But Kagome looked worried.
She thought of Tokyo in the future. A huge bustling city, one of the biggest in the world, with towering buildings and lights that blared all day and sparkled like a million torches at night. And people. So many countless people filling the streets, going about their daily lives, oblivious to the fact that demons had ever existed…
Fusazane drooped a little. He was not a young man, he and his companions were clearly exhausted.
"Look, we can talk about this later can't we? These poor people can barely stand," Kagome said. Miroku nodded in agreement, whilst Inuyasha looked surly.
Kagome gave the northerners a welcoming smile. "You can stay here Ok? For as long as you need to…you must be hungry?"
Fusazane looked enormously relieved, though he was slightly baffled about what "okay" meant. "We've brought some of our own food stores."
Kagome nodded, "That's great, we have a few empty huts you can use. It might be a bit of a squeeze with you all, but I'm sure you'll manage." Kagome and Miroku beckoned the northerners forward and showed them around the village, walking around the river that was their main source of water. Showing them the rice fields they harvested from.
The northerners congregated around the three empty huts that had been gifted to them. The huts were a little run down, needing some wattle and daub replenished. But as they were free, it was more than they could have hoped for.
The northerners sat down gratefully. Some took their sandals off and rubbed their aching feet, others began to unpack their meagre supplies. Kagome, Miroku and Inuyasha looked on. Fusazane bowed deeply to the trio.
"I cannot thank you enough for your help. Really, who knows what would've happened to us without your aid. We'll be of use to you, we'll help around the village, anything to repay your kindness."
"It's nothing," Miroku said, "I think we should discuss this concern about the northern demons tonight with Sango…who did you say told you to come here?"
"A young and beautiful priestess. I can't quite remember her name," Fusazane said. "She saved our children from some spider demons that had kidnapped them."
"Did you say spiders? Not again! Are they terrorising everyone?" Inuyasha exclaimed, aghast.
"We've had a similar attack from some spider demons in the area. I wonder if they are the same ones," Miroku explained to a puzzled looking Fusazane. "Hmm. A beautiful young priestess advised you to come to us for aid, there's not many of those around here. I can't think of any priestess I know that is young, only Kagome here."
Fusazane nodded, studying Kagome a little more intently for the first time. "The priestess we met looked remarkably like you, Lady Kagome," Fusazane said lightly.
The trio stopped as though they had been electrocuted. They stared at Fusazane like statues with wide eyes, like he had said something very alarming indeed. Fusazane looked back at them, momentarily disconcerted.
"A priestess…who looked like me?" Kagome whispered.
"It…It can't be," Inuyasha stuttered.
"No, it can't be Lady Kikyo. We all of us, saw her pass on. Many japanese women have brown eyes and black hair like Kagome. It's a mere coincidence," Miroku said firmly. The monk rounded on Fusazane. "Are you sure you don't remember the name of the priestess you met? We will be ill at ease until we know it."
Fusazane looked startled at the abrupt change in the demeanour of his new acquaintances. "Er…no I'm sorry. I truly have forgotten, but I'll ask the others for you."
"Where did you meet her?" Inuyasha demanded doggedly.
"About a day's walk east of here…Our old camp is there if you wanted to look for her."
Inuyasha looked like that was exactly what he wanted to do. Kagome put a tentative hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha, Miroku's right. We saw Kikyo die years ago. It must be someone else. I can't be the only priestess in this region. There's no other logical explanation."
At his wife's words, Inyasha calmed down, and the world reverted back into less hectic , more reasonable patterns.
Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku left the northerners to get settled in, burning with curiosity over the mysterious priestess.
That evening they met with Sango, who had been watching over Kaede. They were dismayed to see that Kaede's condition was worsening. The old priestess could no longer walk and now remained in bed almost exclusively. She slept for large portions of the day and could only stay awake for a few hours at a time. She needed full care, and Kagome, Sango and some of the other villagers had taken on the role of being her carers.
Kaede's deterioration was distressing for all the villagers, as she was a much loved role model. The beloved priestess lingered on, a husk of her former self, waiting for deaths slow arrival.
The four discussed Fusazanes tale, perplexed by what it meant. They, and a handful of the villagers sat by the open fire near the huts. Sango's children ran around them, gleeful that their parents seemed too distracted on this night to send them to bed early.
Kagome explained about modern Tokyo. "There are no demons in the future…Or if there are, they've hidden themselves away well. But there are humans, billions of us. Humans who think demons are just stories."
"So, the demons of this time might have figured out that the human population is growing?" Inuyasha queried.
"And some have taken action into their own hands," Sango concluded grimly, cuddling one of her children. The four of them stared into the crackling fire, preoccupied.
Inuyasha mentioned the possible sighting of Kikyo, but Sango dismissed this theory as readily as Miroku had. "We saw Kikyo pass away, Inuyasha. It must be someone else," she insisted, looking rather uncomfortable. The mere mention of Kikyo could cause a cascade of tensions between Inuyasha and Kagome, even though years had passed.
"Sesshomaru has a new priestess working for him. That's probably who Fusazane means," Kagome said. She did not look angry, but her lips were more pursed than usual.
"And Sesshomaru is currently at war with the north of Japan. It seems Fusazane's decision to flee from the north could be somehow linked to Sesshomaru. And if that is the case, perhaps the spiders we keep seeing are embroiled in that war as well," Miroku mused as though hypnotised by the flickering flames of the fire.
Sango perked up. "Wait a moment. Inuyasha, you've met this new priestess living with Sesshomaru haven't you? I completely forgot to ask how that went," Sango said, looking over at Inuyasha expectantly.
Inuyasha ignored the demon slayer's gaze, his arms folded across his chest. "No. When I arrived at Sesshomaru's castle, some foul herb had been set on fire. The whole castle had a disgusting odour so I got out of there quickly."
Kagome shook her head in exasperation. "Inuyasha! You were meant to meet the priestess and check she was a suitable person to look after Rin! Did you at least speak to Rin about it?"
Inuyasha looked defiant, but it was tinged with a sheepishness. "I-well..no…I think Rin was having a nap. I said that I would go back in a few days."
Sounds of disapproval and sighs emitted from Inuyasha's human companions, riling up the dog demons temper.
"Look, Sesshomaru was there and he was not in a good mood. And anyway, do you guys really think Sesshomaru would leave Rin with someone untrustworthy? He'd kill anyone who tried to harm her! It's a miracle in itself that Sesshomaru has agreed to some human babysitting for him, whoever it is must really be something. I don't know why we've got to be so involved," Inuyasha said pugnaciously, his cheeks slightly pink.
"Because Rin needs more than a guardian in her life, that was the whole reason why it was agreed that she would live in this village until she was sixteen. She needs to learn how to live amongst humans, how to interact with people. That way, when she is old enough to make the decision of where to live herself, she will be equipped to choose what life she wants, because she will have experienced both. Sesshomaru has broken that agreement already. I know he was worried before, because it was during the spider attack that he took Rin. But we haven't seen those demons for a while now, and his own domain is in even more peril than our village! We need to know that under this priestess she will still have those same opportunities of a normal human life", Kagome explained with an inpatient edge.
To avoid an outbreak of bickering, Miroku cut back into the conversation. "I imagine Fusazane met Sesshomaru's priestess. They were in his domain when they were told to flee here to this village…Though I don't know why a stranger would tell them to do such a thing. I'm more concerned about people fleeing the north and the east…I think we should pay Sesshomaru a visit, see if we can make more sense of the situation and see if he can update us on what's happening in the north."
"I wonder how the demon spiders fit into this?" Sango said, her thoughts as always, never straying too far from Kohaku and his unjust murder. Miroku gazed at his wife sadly. "I don't know, maybe Sesshomaru can answer that too. Was it the same spiders who attacked Fusazane? There are so many different breeds", Sidling up to his wife, the monk wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Sango sniffed and leaned against Miroku. Kagome grinned at her friends fondly.
"It's a plan anyway. Let's all go tomorrow. I've never seen Sesshomaru's castle before, I wonder what its like?" Kagome said, looking slightly wistful as she imagined staying in a decadent, traditiional japanese castle.
But Inuyasha was frowning. "You can't go Kagome! There's a war on, it's no place for a pregnant woman! I'll go with Miroku, you and Sango stay here and watch over Kaede," Inuyasha said.
A sad silence permeated the group at the mention of the old priestesses name. Even Sango's children stopped jumping around, noticing the sudden mood.
"How much longer do you think she has Kagome?" Sango asked quietly.
Kagome's easy grin had vanished, replaced with a tearful sadness. "I don't know. She's sleeping so much now…and she's…shes not really eating anymore. I don't think she has long." Kagome explained, her voice tight with emotion. Inuyasha placed a clawed hand on her shoulder and she clutched it like a life line.
Some shuffling footsteps grew closer from the nebulous dark surrounding the fire, and the foursome looked up as Fusazane materialised from the evening shadows.
"Er- lady Kagome? Sir Miku?" Fusazane said. Miroku frowned as the others snickered quietly. "Um, it's Miroku. Is anything wrong?"
"Sorry, sorry. No, nothing is wrong. I've asked my people and they reminded me of the name of the priestess who had saved our children. I'm not as young as I was, and the young woman we met was so beautiful I was rather distracted and didn't take in her name," Fusazane said rather bashfully.
Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat. And again he wondered. A beautiful priestess…who had sent the villagers to Kaede.
Miroku nodded. "Understandable. What was the priestesses name?"
"It was Kikyo," Fusazane confirmed.
A silence shot through with shock was dumped on the foursome, and they all looked like they had had cold water thrown over them.
"It…It can't be," Sango said weakly.
"Are you sure about this?" Miroku asked, looking stunned.
Kagome looked speechless, her eyes darting to a dumbfounded Inuyasha. Fusazane raised his eyebrows at their reaction. "Er..well yes I'm quite sure. A few different villagers clarified her name. Why, do you know her?," Fusazane asked mildly.
The foursome ignored him. The news was unbelievable, impossible even. They had seen Kikyo's soul enter the heavens, had felt the warmth of her spirit as it had passed over them all to say a final goodbye. How could she possibly be walking on this earth for a third time?
"Why?" Inuyasha choked out, so shocked he could barely speak. "How?!"
"Surely this is too aligned to be a coincidence. It must be her," Miroku said, looking stunned. Before this fantastical news could fully sink into their minds as a staunch reality, a child's shrill voice could be heard from the sky.
"Help! Inuyasha, where are you! Help! Help me!" the child's voice cried. Rin appeared, soaring above the darkened tree line on Ah-Un's back.
"Rin!," Kagome gasped, jumping up. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you with Sesshomaru?"
Rin landed in front of the fire and frantically clambered down Ah-Un's back.
"Inuyasha! I found you! Please, you need to help Lord Sesshomaru, he's in danger!" Rin cried, running up to Inuyasha and pulling insistently on his robe of the fire rat. Kagome stroked the girl's hair, trying to calm her.
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, alarmed by Rin's distress.
"I was in the woods when I heard them! A spider demon and- and two demons I've never seen before. They were on their way to set a trap for Lord Sesshomaru! You need to help him," Rin said.
"Those spiders again! What is going on?" Sango said, stamping her foot in frustration. Inuyasha knelt before Rin. "Alright Rin calm down, I'll help Sesshomaru. But first I want you to tell me, is the priestess who is looking after you, whose living…with Sesshomaru…is the priestess Lady Kikyo?" Inuyasha demanded. Rin looked guilty for a moment.
"I…well…." Rin stammered. Inuyasha seized her by the shoulders. "Come on Rin! Be honest with me! Is it her? Is it my-I mean, our Lady Kikyo?" he said.
Rin looked distraught, clasping her face. "She told me not to say anything! Lady Kikyo, she wanted to tell you in her own time!" Rin wailed, admitting the truth at last.
"So is it really true?" Kagome said quietly, her thoughts unfathomable. Sango eyed her friend's face intently. So many questions encircled their heads. Why did Kikyo hide herself away? And what would happen now her resurrection was revealed.
Inuyasha stood up. "She's really back then," Inuyasha whispered, his chest heaving. "Is Kikyo with Sesshomaru now?" Inuyasha asked Rin.
"No, I don't think so. They had a fight and she left. I don't know where she is now" Rin said mournfully, her brown eyes wide. "Will you help Lord Sesshomaru?" she pleaded.
Inuyasha thought it was odd that Kikyo and his brother had 'had a fight'. Kikyo was a woman who seldom argued with anyone. "I'll help Sesshomaru. Though I'll be surprised if he wants my aid. Then, I'll find Kikyo."
"Wait Inuyasha! You can't just go haring off to Sesshomaru. We need to talk about this!" Kagome said shrilly.
"We don't know what we're up against here Inuyasha," Miroku concurred.
"What about Kaede? What if she takes a turn for the worst whilst your off fighting Sesshomaru's battles?" Sango demanded.
"We don't have time! If this trap has already been set I need to leave now. Miroku, I can handle myself, you should know that by now. Sango, Kaede would want to see Kikyo if she knew she was alive. I'll bring Kikyo as soon as I can" Inuyasha burst out in a stern voice that brooked no argument. Sango and Miroku fell silent.
Kagome took Inuyasha's hand and led him to one side. "Inuyasha, don't do this. I know it's a shock, for all of us, that Kikyo is alive. I…I don't know how this happened. But please, don't rush off without talking to me," Kagome said, looking confused and uncertain. Inuyasha took her hands in his own and planted a light kiss on Kagome's lips. "Kagome, you're my wife and I love you. Nothing will ever change that. But I need to go and help Sesshomaru. And then…I just need to see her for myself," Inuyasha said intently. Kagome held his gaze searchingly.
"Ok. But hurry back" she said softly.
Inuyasha nodded. "Ok," he said, before bounding off into the distance, heading for Sesshomaru's castle.