InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Nightmare ❯ Chapter 4
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Yokuraromaru 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.17.2011 | Updated On: 03.17.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.17.2011 | Updated On: 03.17.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 1.0K | Status: Work In Progress
Beautiful Nightmare
Well, I’ve updated in eleven days. That’s not bad, is it? I tried to hurry and get this out to you despite having my finals and being out of town for four days. Thank you for all of your reviews!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor Yu Yu Hakusho
Chapter Four
Kagome took a step back to mirror the silver fox before her. To say that she was scared was an understatement. Yes, she was accustomed to demons attacking her in the feudal era, but given the amount of time that she had spent in her time, she had grown accustomed to the safety of not having to face demons on a regular.
She met his golden gaze with calculation, trying to predict his next move while trying not to show her fear. In her past, she never had to face a demon of such strength alone, so she had to be shrewd and outwit him if she hoped to walk out of this alive. Taking hold of her raging miko powers, she concentrated on it, forging it into a defensive and offensive tool. Should the demon before her attack, her energy would deflect it and immediately lash out to engulf him by means of purification. However, it would only work if his defense wasn’t as good as hers or better.
“I was trying to do this the easy way, but since you wish to be so difficult, then I have no other choice.” The demon stated before drawing a red rose from his silver locks. She watched this display, bracing herself and questioning how he could possibly go on the offense with a rose. She could understand a sword, she could even understand a simple stick, but a flower? She almost deadpanned, but then his energy flowed into the flower, transforming it into a green, thorny whip.
Changing tactics, Kagome took another step back so that she was closer to the trees behind her and changed her energy to drop her barrier and mend it into an all-out offense for a counterattack. If he was planning on attacking her from a long distance, then the barrier that would automatically retaliate would prove to be ineffective since she wouldn’t have direct contact with his skin. It would be a waste of energy, so she would just have to try to dodge his whip and try to get close enough for a direct attack. Sadly, she couldn’t use her energy for a long distance attack without her arrows—a handicap that could result in her demise.
The sound of a sword unsheathing caused Kagome to go frigid, and she resisted the urge to follow the fox demons stare that was now looking behind her. Before she could think of who could possibly be behind her, the sound of a screechy roar reached her ears, instinctively making her cover them with her hands to save her eardrums.
Suddenly, a piece of her felt like it was reaching behind her to greet the source with welcoming arms, and a large black dragon leaped over her head. It had no definite form in its large beauty, but its thunderstorm energy seemed to suck in all of the air around it, giving it structure.
The sky changed from that of a large void of blue into an ominous black, lighting the sky with black streaks of lightening in the presence of the spirit world beast. In the middle of its large head was a small figure that seemed so familiar yet so foreign. She couldn’t tell who it was, though, seeing only that they were incased in a semitransparent black flame.
Knowing that she should be afraid, Kagome had a fleeting thought of taking cover in the trees behind her before the dragon reached the ground, but her feet refused to move. She had never seen anything so beautiful, and given since everything seemed to move at such a fast pace, she found herself not blinking due to the fact that she didn’t want to miss a second of the large beast.
All at once, everything changed. The dragon came to a landing as its energy collided with hers, except there was no negative reaction from her pure energy. Although it had no solid form and seemed to go through her because of its transparency, its energy was infinite, thus wrapping her in a black flame. The dark energy meant her no harm, but it was so great in power that it began to suffocate her, causing her to gasp for air in its smoldering heat that oddly didn’t burn her skin. Finding the suffocation as a threat, her miko energy flared, creating a negative mixing of the dark and pure energies.
As a result, Kagome found herself losing her solidity, feeling as if every molecule of her being was deteriorating. It didn’t take too long before she felt like she was being dragged under an unseen current, and she was unable to stop herself from being consumed, for it felt like there was no gravity keeping her grounded. Her soul was being destroyed while her body remained intact, and all that she could do about it was wrap her arms around her midsection and scream. It felt like a hand had pushed her away from the black flames just before her body collided with something hard, and she lost consciousness.
0-0
Awaken!
Kagome groaned at the voice that seemed to penetrate her brain and disturb her slumber. She felt like hell due to the fact that she had a splitting headache and she was exhausted beyond words. In all honesty, she felt like she had run around the world three times with someone constantly beating her in the head with a hammer.
Stand, now. The voice ordered in a much gentler voice, although it sounded like a deep growl.
Disoriented yet feeling the need to comply, Kagome slowly opened her eyes, ready for an assault on her pupils from a bright light. Finding only darkness, she opened her eyes fully and put a hand on what she assumed was the ground to lift her into a sitting position with wobbly arms. Carefully so that she wouldn’t lose her balance, she pushed herself into a standing position. Stumbling from a wave of vertigo, she fell into an unseen wall. Not wanting to move until she fully composed herself, she chose to question the voice to pass time. “Who are you, and where am I?”
A deep growl met her request, sending blasts of warm air in her direction. Had she not been holding onto the wall, she would have fallen over from the force of the gust. She shivered involuntarily, reluctant to say anything else to anger the unknown source of the voice.
You should be more respectful to me. Not only did you question me, but you also lacked appreciation for me saving your weak human life.
Not being one who would allow herself to be bossed around, Kagome tried her luck. “I don’t recall asking for your help, whoever you are. And what do you mean by you saved my life—I never knew that I was dying.” Never mind her run in with that fox demon.
A humorless cackle that lacked anger reverberated through the pitch black room, vibrating through Kagome’s small form. You are either very brave or very stupid, woman. Considering that you failed to control your energy and attacked me, thus almost obliterating your spirit, I will choose the latter. Also, you chose to go against the spirit fox, Yoko Kurama, which also labels you as stupid. There was no way that you could’ve defeated him single-handedly, miko or not. Normally, I wouldn’t care one way or another how a human chooses to live their life, but you are no longer living for yourself, and you cannot be so rash anymore.
First, the… thing—as she chose to call the unknown entity since she didn’t know what it was— insults her, calling her stupid. Then it decides to tell her how to live her life? Who or what did it think that it was? Knowing that she should choose now to speak her mind and cut whatever it was down to size, Kagome thought the better of it. If she blew up, she wouldn’t get the answers to her questions. “You still never answered me,” she interrupted with a dismissive voice.
It is rare that I would encounter a woman with such a… disregard for their safety. However, this one time, I will honor your request. As for who I am, that isn’t important as of yet. Just know that you will be hearing more from me at future times that I deem necessary. And you are currently inside of a different dimension. Due to your self-destructive behavior, I had to bind your soul to a different dimension so that it wouldn’t diminish.
If one more person tells her that who they are wasn’t important, then Kagome would scream. Luckily for anonymous number two—the spikey-haired demon being the first— she had more questions. “When can I leave this… dimension? And what happened to my body and that fox demon?”
Inquisitive one, aren’t you? You will be allowed to leave this dimension when I allow you to leave, and your body is safe at the moment. As for Yoko, I have dealt with him. He shouldn’t present you with any more troubles. Enough idle chat, come fourth.
As much as Kagome disliked that anonymous number two thought that he controlled her, she pushed herself off of the wall carefully, waiting for some form of guidance through the darkness. As if on cue, the faint glow of candles illuminated, lining a dark stoned hallway with black flames. Despite her better judgment, she began to trek through what seemed like an endless corridor, resisting the urge to shiver from the chill that hung in the air.
With each step, she felt like she was walking straight into a trap, for every step brought her closer to an immense energy. It felt malevolent in nature, but considering that there was no other way, she continued forward. Up ahead, she could barely make out old wooden doors on either side. Upon getting closer, she noticed that there was writing in blood across every door. Birth, abandonment, hatred, bloodlust, resolve, endurance, power, contentment, death, rebirth, and stagnation were written across the doors in this order, causing Kagome to wonder what type of sadistic bastard that this entity was. Her curiosity begged for her to open the doors and see what was inside, but she wasn’t the type to go around and touch blood—it was unsanitary. “What does the writing on the doors mean?”
Can you not read, or do you not know the definition of the words?
“I’m getting tired of you speaking down on me like you are superior!” A scowl fixated on Kagome’s face, following her outburst.
That is because I am, miko. You are nothing but a weak human. I can easily annihilate you with a flex of my powers, and you would be powerless to safe yourself. You should accept my talking to you as a compliment—I despise humans, and you hold no special status with me than the other mortal scum who call themselves humans. I would hold my tongue if I were you because if not for one reason, I would have killed you long ago.
“I’m not afraid of you, and if you hate me so much, then why don’t you just kill me?” She added more confidence to her step, hiding the fact that she wanted to fall over from her lack of energy. She would show anonymous number two that she wasn’t just some weak human.
After you have served your purpose, I might just accept your offer. Don’t tempt me. Your casualty would mean nothing to me.
“And what is my purpose? Why do you, Mr. Powerful, and I use that term loosely, need me, a disposable mortal?”
Silence!
Kagome flinched. She knew when she should shut her mouth, and now was one of those times. It wouldn’t do her any good if she got herself killed because of her anger. However, that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t continue this conversation later, but as of now, she would shut up.
After what seemed like hours of walking, the hallway finally ended at large wooden door that towered over Kagome, standing at least ten times her height. Unlike the other doors that she passed by, this one was unmarked, and behind it was a massive energy. Hesitant to push forward, she stopped and rested her hand against door. Dark energy played through her fingers, causing her to pull her hand back from the uncomfortable sensation.
Enter.
Afraid of the unknown, yet unwilling to defy the voice, Kagome swallowed hard, nodding slightly. Slowly, she pushed her palm against the door, putting her weight behind it. When the door didn’t budge, she applied her other hand and put all of the muscle power that she owned into it. A few grunts and some beads of sweat later, the door moved a little, scraping across the floor with a loud screech. Through the small crack that she had accomplished, a large blast of energy flew out of the opening, slamming Kagome into the wall behind her. She fell to her knees, winded from the assault.
Get up! How dare you call yourself a miko when you couldn’t even withstand a small fraction of my power?!
Panting, Kagome struggled to her feet by supporting most of her weight on the wall. She refused to look weak in front of this thing. Unfortunate for her, however, the power continued to pour from the opening of the door, plastering her to the wall. There was no way that she was going to be able to resist it and walk through.
All of a sudden, Kagome got an idea. Although she couldn’t use her energy to battle the opposing dark energy, she could use her energy as a shield. Without further delay, she erected a barrier around herself, and the wind from the other energy ceased to affect her. With a newfound smugness, she made her way through the door, slowly but surely.
Inside was another pitch-black room, and, once again, Kagome couldn’t see anything. One by one, a black candle lit with a black flame, lining the large circular room until all of them were giving off an eerie black radiance of light. What was revealed to Kagome almost made her turn tail and run.
Before her was a large black dragon. It was, however, unlike the one that she had seen earlier that day. In size, this one was at least the size of five city blocks, making the previous dragon seem like a baby in comparison. Also, its form was defined with solidity, unlike the transparency of the other one. Black, shiny scales adorned his enormous snake-like body, going all the way into its long tail that coiled upon itself at the end. Intelligent human-like silver eyes that were slanted at the tip stared down at Kagome with disgust. Puffs of smoke emitted through its large snout with every exhale before swirling and disappearing in the air. One long scaled arm reached out to Kagome, causing her to take a step back, withdrawing from the claws at the end of each finger.
Hold still. I wish not to harm you—at the moment—but bestow upon you power. You are too weak to carry out my will at the moment, and with your foolish ways, you are at risk of perishing before I’m done with you.
Kagome stood frozen with fear, not wanting to defy the beast. However, although her body was frozen, her mouth wasn’t. “S-since when did I agree to be used as your pawn?!” She tried to sound strong, but her voice quavered, highlighting her terror.
The decision was neither yours nor mine to make.
Despite glistening in the light from its sharpness, the claw that touched her stomach was gentle. Black flames ignited, swallowing her small form, yet it didn’t burn nor smother her. It was as breathable as air, except for the fact that it held a warm quality to it. A foreign warmness began to pool in the pit of her stomach, soothing her down to her soul. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was protected, and that nothing could ever threaten her or bring harm to her again. She watched in awe as the dark flames began to recede, leaving only a small flame burning on her lower belly. Soon after, that flame also disappeared, leaving her feeling like a brand new person. No longer did she feel exhausted nor have a headache. Instead, she was in no pain, and she felt like she could run ten marathons in a row. When the dragon started to take its arm back, she couldn’t help but ask what he had done to her.
Whenever you are in danger, call upon me, and I shall aid you.
Before Kagome could overwhelm the dragon with fifty more questions, her vision became blurry, and her legs gave out, sending her to the floor.
0-0
The feeling of being covered in something warm was the first sensation that she felt when she became aware of her surroundings. Was she still in the room with the large dragon, or was it all just a dream?
The second sensation that she felt was that of something cool on her forehead. No, she may have a crazy imagination, but it wasn’t that crazy. The dragon was most definitely real.
“Master Genkai, did you feel that?” a smooth voice asked.
‘I know that voice.’ No more than three seconds later, Kagome forced her body upright from its laying position, turning a glare in the direction that she had heard Suichi’s voice. With a groan, she covered her eyes while remembering why it wasn’t a good idea to carelessly open them inside of a bright room when you’re just waking up.
“Are you alright?” A woman’s voice asked, increasing in volume, causing Kagome to assume that the woman was advancing on her.
Kagome nodded, slowly opening her eyes so that they could adjust to the brightness of the room. When her pupils were constricted enough, she looked at the short woman beside her. Her focus then switched to the red-head in the corner of the medium sized room, and she shot him a narrowed gaze. “What is he doing here?”
Before the old woman could respond, Suichi chimed in. “My apologies. I wasn’t going to actually attack you, more so scare you into admitting the truth as to why you were visiting master Genkai. The events that occurred afterward were unexpected.”
Recollecting the fact that she was here for Genkai, Kagome brushed Suichi’s apology aside. Demon or not, he just wasn’t on her list of priorities right now. Looking to the patiently waiting elderly woman, Kagome completely forgot about Suichi’s presence. “Are you master Genkai?”
“No, I just like to impersonate her while frolicking around in her temple.”
Choosing to ignore the snide remark, Kagome wondered how she ended up in here in the first place. The last thing that she remembered was a dragon intervening with her and—according to the dragon—Yoko Kurama’s battle.
“I felt the three power surges and headed to the front with the hopes of making it before things got messy. When I reached the stairs, you were already unconscious, and Yoko was changing back into Kurama.”
Wait, how did the Genkai know what she was thinking? Could she read minds? Kagome looked at the woman with an expression of disbelief.
“No, I can’t read minds. I read your face. Now that we have all of the chit-chat out of the way, would you mind explaining your reasoning for visiting? Kurama told me that you lied about your reasons for coming.”
How easy was it to say that you slept with a stranger, and you weren’t able to get them off of your mind, so you want to go and find them? That sounded too weird, but there had to be a way to tell some of the truth without revealing everything, right? “Well, you already know that demons exist, so I have that question answered already.” Insert foot in mouth now before further making an idiot out of herself. “But the real reason that I’ve come is… uh, because there is a demon that I seek, and I hear that you know of things that are not of this world. Is there any particular place where demons reside?” Kagome’s gaze kept flicking to the red-head who had an intense gaze on her. Not only was she nervous under his stare, but she just succeeded in sounding crazy.
After spending some time deep in thought, Genkai looked to Kurama and nodded to the door, gesturing for him to leave. When Kurama complied, she turned her brown eyes back to the girl before her. “I take it that you don’t know how to fully harness your miko powers?”
Instead of being agitated that a stranger knew so much about her, Kagome was relieved. It saved her time with explaining, and she liked the fact that Genkai got straight to the point. But the real question was: what would her miko powers have to do with finding a demon? “Excuse me, master Genkai, but how would my powers help me find a particular demon?”
“Miko powers can be trained and used as anything from a weapon to a tracking device. And although I’m curious as to why you have an extinct power, I will not pry into your personal life. Where did you last see this demon?”
‘Oh, he just climbed in my window one day.’ Instead of bluntly answering, however, Kagome settled for telling Genkai that she had seen him in her city.
“That’s odd. There aren’t many demons roaming around in the human world, then again, Koenma hasn’t been able to keep track of the ones who are weak enough to slip through the barrier.” Genkai began to pace around the room, deep in thought.
“What?” Kagome was more than a little confused. Who was this Koenma person and exactly how many demons existed? One would think that after the feudal era that the demon race would be nearly nonexistent.
“Why do you seek this particular demon?” Genkai stopped pacing and turned hard eyes to Kagome.
“I want some answers. After I…encountered this demon, I’ve been feeling weird, and I was wondering if he did anything to me.”
“I can teach you how to fully use your powers so that you can track this demon, but I warn you now, it wont be a walk in the park.”
“Thank you, and not that I’m complaining, but why are you doing this for me?” Kagome asked, making it to her feet.
“It’s the least that I can do considering that dimwit attacked you for no reason.”
Kagome could only nod. And though Genkai’s offer seemed generous, she couldn’t help but think that the old woman was hiding something from her. “When can we start?”
“Whenever you feel that you’re up to it. You did hit your head pretty hard on that tree. Do you feel dizzy or have a headache?”
“I hit my head?” When did that happen? And surprisingly, no, she didn’t feel any form of pain. In fact, she felt like new, just like in her dream after the dragon had touched her. Wait, the dragon did something to her! “I’m fine, er, can you excuse me for a moment?”
Genkai raised a brow at the girl, but shrugged and left the room without complaint. When Kagome was sure that the old woman wasn’t close, she lifted her shirt and looked down at her stomach, gasping at the sight. Wrapped around her navel was a miniature black dragon that looked like a tattoo.
0-0
“Are you sure that you’re ready to start your training now?” Genkai tried to stop Kagome once more, even as they approached the dark forest.
“I’m positive,” Kagome replied with more confidence in her voice that she had felt. Her skin tingled from just the feel of the forest before her, but if that meant that she would be able to locate the demon who took her virginity, then so be it. Besides, she had rested long enough, having slept the whole night away so that it was morning.
“Suit yourself. Considering the amount of control that you have over your energy, I want you to actively use it to seek out the demons in the forest. I want you to pinpoint their location and evade them, making it to the other end of this forest without any confrontations. You will be going in alone and unarmed. This is just an assessment test.”
“Isn’t that a little extreme?” Kagome nearly shrieked. Genkai was crazy, and it seemed like she was trying to kill her. “But—”
“No buts! You wanted this, so I don’t want to hear you cry about it. Oh, and you have four hours, and I’ve already started the timer, so you better get going.”
With a glare to the old bat, Kagome encased herself in her pure energy and headed toward the entrance. She could already tell that she was going to be in for one hell of a ride with Genkai’s help.
When Kagome had disappeared into the forest, Kurama walked up to stand beside Genkai, gaining her attention. “Master Genkai, I don’t mean to question your reasoning, but do you think that it was wise to send her in there given her condition?”
“This is coming from the guy who used Yoko as a mean of scaring her into confessing. What would you have done if he would have actually attacked her? And what is her condition? You didn’t mention anything about her having any handicaps.”
“He wouldn’t have attacked her.” Kurama stated matter-of-factly.
“How could you be so sure?” Genkai turned a questioning stare up at the red-head.
“Yesterday, I discovered something quite interesting on the train. It was double confirmed when Hiei—or rather his dragon—stepped into the small incident that had occurred. Afterwards, the dragon told me personally that she was under his protection. Sadly, I don’t think that Hiei knows about it, yet.” Kurama avoided Genkai’s gaze, keeping his eyes locked onto the forest.
“You don’t think that he knows about what? And are you implying that she is searching for Hiei?” Given the clue that Kurama was giving, Genkai took a wild guess.
“After hearing her real reason for being here, then yes, I believe so. Apparently, Kagome is pregnant with Hiei’s child, and the only ones that are aware of this are his dragon and myself.”
“You dimwit, didn’t you think that you should have told me about this beforehand?! You make Yusuke look smart!” Genkai yelled in disbelief.
Kurama shot the old woman a sideway glance. “And to make matters worse, Hiei is also in the dark forest...”
Chapter End
Well, sorry for another cliffhanger, but I had to do it again. Hopefully, I will be able to get the next chapter out quicker than eleven days—like this one—because I don’t have to go across the country for a funeral, there are no more finals, and I don’t have to pull any all-nighters because of term papers. I’m officially on Spring break!
Remember, your reviews motivate me to type faster, and I love them! Tell me how much you like or dislike this chapter, I’m dying to know.
Well, I’ve updated in eleven days. That’s not bad, is it? I tried to hurry and get this out to you despite having my finals and being out of town for four days. Thank you for all of your reviews!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor Yu Yu Hakusho
Chapter Four
Kagome took a step back to mirror the silver fox before her. To say that she was scared was an understatement. Yes, she was accustomed to demons attacking her in the feudal era, but given the amount of time that she had spent in her time, she had grown accustomed to the safety of not having to face demons on a regular.
She met his golden gaze with calculation, trying to predict his next move while trying not to show her fear. In her past, she never had to face a demon of such strength alone, so she had to be shrewd and outwit him if she hoped to walk out of this alive. Taking hold of her raging miko powers, she concentrated on it, forging it into a defensive and offensive tool. Should the demon before her attack, her energy would deflect it and immediately lash out to engulf him by means of purification. However, it would only work if his defense wasn’t as good as hers or better.
“I was trying to do this the easy way, but since you wish to be so difficult, then I have no other choice.” The demon stated before drawing a red rose from his silver locks. She watched this display, bracing herself and questioning how he could possibly go on the offense with a rose. She could understand a sword, she could even understand a simple stick, but a flower? She almost deadpanned, but then his energy flowed into the flower, transforming it into a green, thorny whip.
Changing tactics, Kagome took another step back so that she was closer to the trees behind her and changed her energy to drop her barrier and mend it into an all-out offense for a counterattack. If he was planning on attacking her from a long distance, then the barrier that would automatically retaliate would prove to be ineffective since she wouldn’t have direct contact with his skin. It would be a waste of energy, so she would just have to try to dodge his whip and try to get close enough for a direct attack. Sadly, she couldn’t use her energy for a long distance attack without her arrows—a handicap that could result in her demise.
The sound of a sword unsheathing caused Kagome to go frigid, and she resisted the urge to follow the fox demons stare that was now looking behind her. Before she could think of who could possibly be behind her, the sound of a screechy roar reached her ears, instinctively making her cover them with her hands to save her eardrums.
Suddenly, a piece of her felt like it was reaching behind her to greet the source with welcoming arms, and a large black dragon leaped over her head. It had no definite form in its large beauty, but its thunderstorm energy seemed to suck in all of the air around it, giving it structure.
The sky changed from that of a large void of blue into an ominous black, lighting the sky with black streaks of lightening in the presence of the spirit world beast. In the middle of its large head was a small figure that seemed so familiar yet so foreign. She couldn’t tell who it was, though, seeing only that they were incased in a semitransparent black flame.
Knowing that she should be afraid, Kagome had a fleeting thought of taking cover in the trees behind her before the dragon reached the ground, but her feet refused to move. She had never seen anything so beautiful, and given since everything seemed to move at such a fast pace, she found herself not blinking due to the fact that she didn’t want to miss a second of the large beast.
All at once, everything changed. The dragon came to a landing as its energy collided with hers, except there was no negative reaction from her pure energy. Although it had no solid form and seemed to go through her because of its transparency, its energy was infinite, thus wrapping her in a black flame. The dark energy meant her no harm, but it was so great in power that it began to suffocate her, causing her to gasp for air in its smoldering heat that oddly didn’t burn her skin. Finding the suffocation as a threat, her miko energy flared, creating a negative mixing of the dark and pure energies.
As a result, Kagome found herself losing her solidity, feeling as if every molecule of her being was deteriorating. It didn’t take too long before she felt like she was being dragged under an unseen current, and she was unable to stop herself from being consumed, for it felt like there was no gravity keeping her grounded. Her soul was being destroyed while her body remained intact, and all that she could do about it was wrap her arms around her midsection and scream. It felt like a hand had pushed her away from the black flames just before her body collided with something hard, and she lost consciousness.
0-0
Awaken!
Kagome groaned at the voice that seemed to penetrate her brain and disturb her slumber. She felt like hell due to the fact that she had a splitting headache and she was exhausted beyond words. In all honesty, she felt like she had run around the world three times with someone constantly beating her in the head with a hammer.
Stand, now. The voice ordered in a much gentler voice, although it sounded like a deep growl.
Disoriented yet feeling the need to comply, Kagome slowly opened her eyes, ready for an assault on her pupils from a bright light. Finding only darkness, she opened her eyes fully and put a hand on what she assumed was the ground to lift her into a sitting position with wobbly arms. Carefully so that she wouldn’t lose her balance, she pushed herself into a standing position. Stumbling from a wave of vertigo, she fell into an unseen wall. Not wanting to move until she fully composed herself, she chose to question the voice to pass time. “Who are you, and where am I?”
A deep growl met her request, sending blasts of warm air in her direction. Had she not been holding onto the wall, she would have fallen over from the force of the gust. She shivered involuntarily, reluctant to say anything else to anger the unknown source of the voice.
You should be more respectful to me. Not only did you question me, but you also lacked appreciation for me saving your weak human life.
Not being one who would allow herself to be bossed around, Kagome tried her luck. “I don’t recall asking for your help, whoever you are. And what do you mean by you saved my life—I never knew that I was dying.” Never mind her run in with that fox demon.
A humorless cackle that lacked anger reverberated through the pitch black room, vibrating through Kagome’s small form. You are either very brave or very stupid, woman. Considering that you failed to control your energy and attacked me, thus almost obliterating your spirit, I will choose the latter. Also, you chose to go against the spirit fox, Yoko Kurama, which also labels you as stupid. There was no way that you could’ve defeated him single-handedly, miko or not. Normally, I wouldn’t care one way or another how a human chooses to live their life, but you are no longer living for yourself, and you cannot be so rash anymore.
First, the… thing—as she chose to call the unknown entity since she didn’t know what it was— insults her, calling her stupid. Then it decides to tell her how to live her life? Who or what did it think that it was? Knowing that she should choose now to speak her mind and cut whatever it was down to size, Kagome thought the better of it. If she blew up, she wouldn’t get the answers to her questions. “You still never answered me,” she interrupted with a dismissive voice.
It is rare that I would encounter a woman with such a… disregard for their safety. However, this one time, I will honor your request. As for who I am, that isn’t important as of yet. Just know that you will be hearing more from me at future times that I deem necessary. And you are currently inside of a different dimension. Due to your self-destructive behavior, I had to bind your soul to a different dimension so that it wouldn’t diminish.
If one more person tells her that who they are wasn’t important, then Kagome would scream. Luckily for anonymous number two—the spikey-haired demon being the first— she had more questions. “When can I leave this… dimension? And what happened to my body and that fox demon?”
Inquisitive one, aren’t you? You will be allowed to leave this dimension when I allow you to leave, and your body is safe at the moment. As for Yoko, I have dealt with him. He shouldn’t present you with any more troubles. Enough idle chat, come fourth.
As much as Kagome disliked that anonymous number two thought that he controlled her, she pushed herself off of the wall carefully, waiting for some form of guidance through the darkness. As if on cue, the faint glow of candles illuminated, lining a dark stoned hallway with black flames. Despite her better judgment, she began to trek through what seemed like an endless corridor, resisting the urge to shiver from the chill that hung in the air.
With each step, she felt like she was walking straight into a trap, for every step brought her closer to an immense energy. It felt malevolent in nature, but considering that there was no other way, she continued forward. Up ahead, she could barely make out old wooden doors on either side. Upon getting closer, she noticed that there was writing in blood across every door. Birth, abandonment, hatred, bloodlust, resolve, endurance, power, contentment, death, rebirth, and stagnation were written across the doors in this order, causing Kagome to wonder what type of sadistic bastard that this entity was. Her curiosity begged for her to open the doors and see what was inside, but she wasn’t the type to go around and touch blood—it was unsanitary. “What does the writing on the doors mean?”
Can you not read, or do you not know the definition of the words?
“I’m getting tired of you speaking down on me like you are superior!” A scowl fixated on Kagome’s face, following her outburst.
That is because I am, miko. You are nothing but a weak human. I can easily annihilate you with a flex of my powers, and you would be powerless to safe yourself. You should accept my talking to you as a compliment—I despise humans, and you hold no special status with me than the other mortal scum who call themselves humans. I would hold my tongue if I were you because if not for one reason, I would have killed you long ago.
“I’m not afraid of you, and if you hate me so much, then why don’t you just kill me?” She added more confidence to her step, hiding the fact that she wanted to fall over from her lack of energy. She would show anonymous number two that she wasn’t just some weak human.
After you have served your purpose, I might just accept your offer. Don’t tempt me. Your casualty would mean nothing to me.
“And what is my purpose? Why do you, Mr. Powerful, and I use that term loosely, need me, a disposable mortal?”
Silence!
Kagome flinched. She knew when she should shut her mouth, and now was one of those times. It wouldn’t do her any good if she got herself killed because of her anger. However, that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t continue this conversation later, but as of now, she would shut up.
After what seemed like hours of walking, the hallway finally ended at large wooden door that towered over Kagome, standing at least ten times her height. Unlike the other doors that she passed by, this one was unmarked, and behind it was a massive energy. Hesitant to push forward, she stopped and rested her hand against door. Dark energy played through her fingers, causing her to pull her hand back from the uncomfortable sensation.
Enter.
Afraid of the unknown, yet unwilling to defy the voice, Kagome swallowed hard, nodding slightly. Slowly, she pushed her palm against the door, putting her weight behind it. When the door didn’t budge, she applied her other hand and put all of the muscle power that she owned into it. A few grunts and some beads of sweat later, the door moved a little, scraping across the floor with a loud screech. Through the small crack that she had accomplished, a large blast of energy flew out of the opening, slamming Kagome into the wall behind her. She fell to her knees, winded from the assault.
Get up! How dare you call yourself a miko when you couldn’t even withstand a small fraction of my power?!
Panting, Kagome struggled to her feet by supporting most of her weight on the wall. She refused to look weak in front of this thing. Unfortunate for her, however, the power continued to pour from the opening of the door, plastering her to the wall. There was no way that she was going to be able to resist it and walk through.
All of a sudden, Kagome got an idea. Although she couldn’t use her energy to battle the opposing dark energy, she could use her energy as a shield. Without further delay, she erected a barrier around herself, and the wind from the other energy ceased to affect her. With a newfound smugness, she made her way through the door, slowly but surely.
Inside was another pitch-black room, and, once again, Kagome couldn’t see anything. One by one, a black candle lit with a black flame, lining the large circular room until all of them were giving off an eerie black radiance of light. What was revealed to Kagome almost made her turn tail and run.
Before her was a large black dragon. It was, however, unlike the one that she had seen earlier that day. In size, this one was at least the size of five city blocks, making the previous dragon seem like a baby in comparison. Also, its form was defined with solidity, unlike the transparency of the other one. Black, shiny scales adorned his enormous snake-like body, going all the way into its long tail that coiled upon itself at the end. Intelligent human-like silver eyes that were slanted at the tip stared down at Kagome with disgust. Puffs of smoke emitted through its large snout with every exhale before swirling and disappearing in the air. One long scaled arm reached out to Kagome, causing her to take a step back, withdrawing from the claws at the end of each finger.
Hold still. I wish not to harm you—at the moment—but bestow upon you power. You are too weak to carry out my will at the moment, and with your foolish ways, you are at risk of perishing before I’m done with you.
Kagome stood frozen with fear, not wanting to defy the beast. However, although her body was frozen, her mouth wasn’t. “S-since when did I agree to be used as your pawn?!” She tried to sound strong, but her voice quavered, highlighting her terror.
The decision was neither yours nor mine to make.
Despite glistening in the light from its sharpness, the claw that touched her stomach was gentle. Black flames ignited, swallowing her small form, yet it didn’t burn nor smother her. It was as breathable as air, except for the fact that it held a warm quality to it. A foreign warmness began to pool in the pit of her stomach, soothing her down to her soul. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was protected, and that nothing could ever threaten her or bring harm to her again. She watched in awe as the dark flames began to recede, leaving only a small flame burning on her lower belly. Soon after, that flame also disappeared, leaving her feeling like a brand new person. No longer did she feel exhausted nor have a headache. Instead, she was in no pain, and she felt like she could run ten marathons in a row. When the dragon started to take its arm back, she couldn’t help but ask what he had done to her.
Whenever you are in danger, call upon me, and I shall aid you.
Before Kagome could overwhelm the dragon with fifty more questions, her vision became blurry, and her legs gave out, sending her to the floor.
0-0
The feeling of being covered in something warm was the first sensation that she felt when she became aware of her surroundings. Was she still in the room with the large dragon, or was it all just a dream?
The second sensation that she felt was that of something cool on her forehead. No, she may have a crazy imagination, but it wasn’t that crazy. The dragon was most definitely real.
“Master Genkai, did you feel that?” a smooth voice asked.
‘I know that voice.’ No more than three seconds later, Kagome forced her body upright from its laying position, turning a glare in the direction that she had heard Suichi’s voice. With a groan, she covered her eyes while remembering why it wasn’t a good idea to carelessly open them inside of a bright room when you’re just waking up.
“Are you alright?” A woman’s voice asked, increasing in volume, causing Kagome to assume that the woman was advancing on her.
Kagome nodded, slowly opening her eyes so that they could adjust to the brightness of the room. When her pupils were constricted enough, she looked at the short woman beside her. Her focus then switched to the red-head in the corner of the medium sized room, and she shot him a narrowed gaze. “What is he doing here?”
Before the old woman could respond, Suichi chimed in. “My apologies. I wasn’t going to actually attack you, more so scare you into admitting the truth as to why you were visiting master Genkai. The events that occurred afterward were unexpected.”
Recollecting the fact that she was here for Genkai, Kagome brushed Suichi’s apology aside. Demon or not, he just wasn’t on her list of priorities right now. Looking to the patiently waiting elderly woman, Kagome completely forgot about Suichi’s presence. “Are you master Genkai?”
“No, I just like to impersonate her while frolicking around in her temple.”
Choosing to ignore the snide remark, Kagome wondered how she ended up in here in the first place. The last thing that she remembered was a dragon intervening with her and—according to the dragon—Yoko Kurama’s battle.
“I felt the three power surges and headed to the front with the hopes of making it before things got messy. When I reached the stairs, you were already unconscious, and Yoko was changing back into Kurama.”
Wait, how did the Genkai know what she was thinking? Could she read minds? Kagome looked at the woman with an expression of disbelief.
“No, I can’t read minds. I read your face. Now that we have all of the chit-chat out of the way, would you mind explaining your reasoning for visiting? Kurama told me that you lied about your reasons for coming.”
How easy was it to say that you slept with a stranger, and you weren’t able to get them off of your mind, so you want to go and find them? That sounded too weird, but there had to be a way to tell some of the truth without revealing everything, right? “Well, you already know that demons exist, so I have that question answered already.” Insert foot in mouth now before further making an idiot out of herself. “But the real reason that I’ve come is… uh, because there is a demon that I seek, and I hear that you know of things that are not of this world. Is there any particular place where demons reside?” Kagome’s gaze kept flicking to the red-head who had an intense gaze on her. Not only was she nervous under his stare, but she just succeeded in sounding crazy.
After spending some time deep in thought, Genkai looked to Kurama and nodded to the door, gesturing for him to leave. When Kurama complied, she turned her brown eyes back to the girl before her. “I take it that you don’t know how to fully harness your miko powers?”
Instead of being agitated that a stranger knew so much about her, Kagome was relieved. It saved her time with explaining, and she liked the fact that Genkai got straight to the point. But the real question was: what would her miko powers have to do with finding a demon? “Excuse me, master Genkai, but how would my powers help me find a particular demon?”
“Miko powers can be trained and used as anything from a weapon to a tracking device. And although I’m curious as to why you have an extinct power, I will not pry into your personal life. Where did you last see this demon?”
‘Oh, he just climbed in my window one day.’ Instead of bluntly answering, however, Kagome settled for telling Genkai that she had seen him in her city.
“That’s odd. There aren’t many demons roaming around in the human world, then again, Koenma hasn’t been able to keep track of the ones who are weak enough to slip through the barrier.” Genkai began to pace around the room, deep in thought.
“What?” Kagome was more than a little confused. Who was this Koenma person and exactly how many demons existed? One would think that after the feudal era that the demon race would be nearly nonexistent.
“Why do you seek this particular demon?” Genkai stopped pacing and turned hard eyes to Kagome.
“I want some answers. After I…encountered this demon, I’ve been feeling weird, and I was wondering if he did anything to me.”
“I can teach you how to fully use your powers so that you can track this demon, but I warn you now, it wont be a walk in the park.”
“Thank you, and not that I’m complaining, but why are you doing this for me?” Kagome asked, making it to her feet.
“It’s the least that I can do considering that dimwit attacked you for no reason.”
Kagome could only nod. And though Genkai’s offer seemed generous, she couldn’t help but think that the old woman was hiding something from her. “When can we start?”
“Whenever you feel that you’re up to it. You did hit your head pretty hard on that tree. Do you feel dizzy or have a headache?”
“I hit my head?” When did that happen? And surprisingly, no, she didn’t feel any form of pain. In fact, she felt like new, just like in her dream after the dragon had touched her. Wait, the dragon did something to her! “I’m fine, er, can you excuse me for a moment?”
Genkai raised a brow at the girl, but shrugged and left the room without complaint. When Kagome was sure that the old woman wasn’t close, she lifted her shirt and looked down at her stomach, gasping at the sight. Wrapped around her navel was a miniature black dragon that looked like a tattoo.
0-0
“Are you sure that you’re ready to start your training now?” Genkai tried to stop Kagome once more, even as they approached the dark forest.
“I’m positive,” Kagome replied with more confidence in her voice that she had felt. Her skin tingled from just the feel of the forest before her, but if that meant that she would be able to locate the demon who took her virginity, then so be it. Besides, she had rested long enough, having slept the whole night away so that it was morning.
“Suit yourself. Considering the amount of control that you have over your energy, I want you to actively use it to seek out the demons in the forest. I want you to pinpoint their location and evade them, making it to the other end of this forest without any confrontations. You will be going in alone and unarmed. This is just an assessment test.”
“Isn’t that a little extreme?” Kagome nearly shrieked. Genkai was crazy, and it seemed like she was trying to kill her. “But—”
“No buts! You wanted this, so I don’t want to hear you cry about it. Oh, and you have four hours, and I’ve already started the timer, so you better get going.”
With a glare to the old bat, Kagome encased herself in her pure energy and headed toward the entrance. She could already tell that she was going to be in for one hell of a ride with Genkai’s help.
When Kagome had disappeared into the forest, Kurama walked up to stand beside Genkai, gaining her attention. “Master Genkai, I don’t mean to question your reasoning, but do you think that it was wise to send her in there given her condition?”
“This is coming from the guy who used Yoko as a mean of scaring her into confessing. What would you have done if he would have actually attacked her? And what is her condition? You didn’t mention anything about her having any handicaps.”
“He wouldn’t have attacked her.” Kurama stated matter-of-factly.
“How could you be so sure?” Genkai turned a questioning stare up at the red-head.
“Yesterday, I discovered something quite interesting on the train. It was double confirmed when Hiei—or rather his dragon—stepped into the small incident that had occurred. Afterwards, the dragon told me personally that she was under his protection. Sadly, I don’t think that Hiei knows about it, yet.” Kurama avoided Genkai’s gaze, keeping his eyes locked onto the forest.
“You don’t think that he knows about what? And are you implying that she is searching for Hiei?” Given the clue that Kurama was giving, Genkai took a wild guess.
“After hearing her real reason for being here, then yes, I believe so. Apparently, Kagome is pregnant with Hiei’s child, and the only ones that are aware of this are his dragon and myself.”
“You dimwit, didn’t you think that you should have told me about this beforehand?! You make Yusuke look smart!” Genkai yelled in disbelief.
Kurama shot the old woman a sideway glance. “And to make matters worse, Hiei is also in the dark forest...”
Chapter End
Well, sorry for another cliffhanger, but I had to do it again. Hopefully, I will be able to get the next chapter out quicker than eleven days—like this one—because I don’t have to go across the country for a funeral, there are no more finals, and I don’t have to pull any all-nighters because of term papers. I’m officially on Spring break!
Remember, your reviews motivate me to type faster, and I love them! Tell me how much you like or dislike this chapter, I’m dying to know.