InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Decisions ❯ Chapter 13

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Decisions

Author's Note: Okay guys. Here is another update for my 21st birthday! And since I am being so generous, you guys have to listen to me vent. My birthday has always been during spring break, but for some reason my school decided to change that this year. It was the week before my birthday. And guess when my birthday is. The DAY that we get back! I have class from 5:30 to 9:30 at night and then I have to be at school the next day at 8:00 AM! I swear they did it on purpose just to spite me. Anyway I'll stop now and let you read the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho or any characters associated with either show. Let's put it this way: If the characters, situations, or storylines are recognizable, then I don't own them. I own the particular plot of this story and a few characters that I will make up later, but that is it. At least, I think it is.

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Chapter Thirteen

---Back With the Rest of the Gang---

All but Shippo suddenly jerked their heads up and stood up. Inuyasha and Miroku looked at each other. “Are you feeling what I'm feeling, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha nodded. “Youki. And a lot of it. The same as it was before when Myoga took the jewel into the cave and awoke that youkai. Only times a hundred.”

Sango looked horrified. “We have to get in there to help Kagome!”

“Okay, everyone, stand back. I don't care if the barrier can bounce back my Kaze no Kizu, I'm getting in that cave!” Inuyasha yelled, about to swing his sword.

Miroku stopped him and shook his head. “I have a feeling that Kagome is supposed to deal with this on her own. Plus, she has proven that she is more than capable of defeating the most powerful youkai. She has a destiny that she must fulfill on her own.”

Inuyasha looked at Miroku like he was crazy. “No way am I letting Kagome deal with this or anything else on her own if I can help it! She always comes through for me. I can't just let her face these youkai by herself.”

Miroku sighed. “You can try Inuyasha; just don't do any attacks with the Tetsusaiga. I couldn't face Kagome if you killed yourself with your own attacks.” With that, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara went to sit on a log off to the side of the entrance to the cave. They had the perfect seat to watch Inuyasha run at the barrier again and again, only to get blown back into a tree each time. It was almost as entertaining as Kagome's “Osuwari!”

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---Back with Kagome---

She couldn't believe it! All the youkai were awakening. And they all seemed to be coming after her! It seemed that they were taking up where they left off in the fight with Midoriko. She was about to try her energy bow, when the sword let off a strange pulse, kind of like the kind that Tetsusaiga emitted. She heard a whisper in her mind.

Use me.

Far be it for me to ignore an ancient sword. Kagome thought a little sarcastically. But, nonetheless she withdrew the sword. There was some sort of writing on the blade but she didn't have time to examine it right that minute. No, she had about a hundred youkai to slay.

As the first youkai was about to be sliced in half by her new sword, she felt a strange power envelope the blade. She didn't have time to try to figure out what it was, but she got the sense that it wasn't threatening. This is our destiny. Again with the strange voice that she suspected belonged to the sword.

She defeated youkai after youkai and as she did so, she kept feeling stronger. She also got the feeling that these youkai were testing her more than out to kill her. It was quite strange, if she had time to think about it. Which she didn't!

She was finally down to one: the youkai that she had stated that she was glad she didn't have to fight. Life is so not fair. She dove at it with her sword, much in the fashion of Inuyasha. She had next to no experience with a sword, so it only made sense to copy the only one that she had seen on a daily basis use a sword. Sure, Sango had better technique, but she rarely used her katana so Kagome didn't see enough to help her. Her technique was terrible, but what she lacked in technique, she made up for in raw power. Plus, the sword helped her a little bit by guiding itself into vital spots. Finally the last youkai was defeated. There was only a pile of dust where the big mound of youkai had been before.

You don't understand what that was about, do you?

No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me. But answer me one question first: are you my sword?

Yes. I am called Guardian. I will help you protect the jewel, along with your soul as no one will be able to take the jewel without taking your soul with it. Once you make your wishes, your soul will be forever tied to the jewel; one will not be separated from the other. In essence you will become the jewel. Only while you are alive will anyone be able to access it through you. That is one of the reasons behind that little battle just now. The youkai of the jewel are willing to accept you as their master and join their souls to yours because you defeated them in battle. If there is one thing that youkai respect, it is power. I absorbed the youkai remaining youkai souls and fused them to your soul. It was the only way that the rest of Midoriko and your soul could be safely joined with the rest of the souls in the jewel. The youkai would fight you every step of the way and the constant drain of power would kill you in time. Not to mention the assault on your sanity that they could inflict. But now that they accept you as their master, you have nothing to worry about. Although, I'm not exactly sure what the side effects could be, they shouldn't be anything too serious.

Great. As if I didn't have enough to worry about, now I have a part youkai soul. Could this get any stranger?

My Lady, this is your destiny. You have to be strong enough to meet it. I am to help you accomplish that. But, I don't usually speak this much. It is quite possible that we will never speak again. I was just introducing myself.

Thank God! You have no idea what my head has been like lately. It is getting awfully crowded in here.

Your friends are waiting. The annoying white haired one is trying to break the barrier with his head.

That's Inuyasha. And thank you for explaining that to me.

You are welcome. Use me well.

Kagome headed back to join her friends. She didn't want Inuyasha to get brain damage from waiting to long.

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---Outside---

Miroku was starting to get worried about Kagome. The youkai energy had disappeared but Kagome was still in the cave. They knew that she wasn't dead because they could sense her still inside, but that didn't mean that she wasn't hurt.

Sango wasn't worried about Kagome. She had proven that she could take care of herself when she had defeated Naraku. She was more worried about Inuyasha. He was starting to look a little dazed from his encounters with the barrier. “Inuyasha, I think that you should stop. If that barrier hasn't let you through yet, then it isn't going to let you through no matter how many times you smash it with your head. Kagome can take care of herself and if Midoriko thought that she needed help, I'm sure she would have let us through.”

Inuyasha stopped to look at Sango, all three of her. “F-feh. I'm wearing it down.”

Luckily, Kagome chose that moment to emerge from the cave. As she came through the barrier it dissipated. There was no longer anything to guard. “Hey guys.” Then her senses were hit with a barrage of strange things. She could smell all the people in her party and the plant life and animals that surrounded the cave.

Inuyasha smiled at her kinda wobbly. “Hey.” Then he fell flat on his back, passed out.

Kagome rushed over to Inuyasha, who had swirls in his eyes, kinda like she felt. “Guess I was too late. I wanted to get back before he got brain damage, but hopefully his brain will heal since he is a hanyou.”

Miroku walked over to Kagome. “Kagome, what happened?”

Kagome winced and covered her ears. “You don't have to yell.” Kagome grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess you all want to know that, huh?” She tells them about all the youkai, the sword, and the sword's words to her. “I know it's kinda weird. I mean I have some youkai souls! Wait does that make me a hanyou?! That would so explain why my head felt like it was going to split open when you started talking and why I can smell everything.” She looked down at Shippo. “You really need a bath.”

Miroku smiled. “May I see the sword?” Kagome drew it and handed it to him. He examined it, paying special attention to the hilt. “This sword is extremely old. And extremely powerful. From what you have told us, it seems that this sword is alive and has a soul of its own. This sword could have only been made by a god.”

“Like the Water God's trident?”

“Yes, but this sword seems to be older and the trident didn't have a soul of its own. It has the consciousness to choose its own master and I suspect that it was specially made so that only one person could effectively master it. I have a feeling that it could destroy anyone who tried to use it against its will.”

Kagome looked at the sword with new respect. “I had no idea. Do you think that the person that it was made for was Midoriko?”

“In a way, otherwise she couldn't have used it, but the sword is much too old to have been made for her originally. It is over ten thousand years old.” (A/N: I don't know if swords were even around that long ago but it sounds impressive.)

Kagome and the rest of the group gasped, even Inuyasha who had just woken up. “How can my soul be that old? I know that Yama (A/N: will be explained later) said that I have a very old soul, but ten thousand years?”

“I suspect that your soul is even older. That is just when the sword was made. It has nothing to do with how old your soul actually is other than telling us that it is over ten thousand years old. It is extraordinary that you have been allowed to be reincarnated so many times. Usually someone's fate would have already been decided: Heaven or Hell (A/N: don't really know what they call it in whatever religion that preaches reincarnation).”

She is a guardian soul of this world. One of the few that are left. She is to protect it against evil and those that seek to destroy it. It is why I am called Guardian, for my master is the guardian. She is the guardian of the Shikon Jewel as well a protector by nature. Guardian souls really have no set duties. All they really do is protect those that need protecting and fight against evil. They are pure souls that are almost impossible to corrupt. They hold the potential for great power and I was created when the guardians started to disappear. I was given to the oldest soul to help her fight against whatever was making the guardians disappear. We found out that it was youkai. They kept eating their souls because the guardians' souls were considered a delicacy, but originally it was just because they were afraid of their power and their place in the world. Finally the youkai thought that they had eaten all of the guardians so the legend of the guardians died. That is probably why you have never heard of them. Do you understand?

Kagome nodded, but the others continued to stare at the sword. I guess that it is a little disconcerting to hear a sword talk in your head.

Indeed.

I thought that you were asleep.

You really expect me to sleep after the battle and the excitement after the battle? Especially this new twist?

I guess not. Guardian is a trifle long winded when he finally gets around to talking isn't he? I hope that Midoriko isn't like him.

Kikyo nodded sagely in their mind.

Miroku finally came out of his daze. “So, how many guardians are left?”

There is no way of knowing for certain, but I suspect that she is the only one. I can sense other guardians and I have not been able to sense any in over a thousand years. Unless they have been frozen, there are no more.

“Frozen?”

Frozen in time. Their powers and their life and soul energy are frozen, along with their bodies.

“This is just great. Now I have to learn about guardians and how to hide my soul and life energy in addition to learning about miko duties, training in both fighting and in powers, and help plan a wedding. This is crazy. How am I going to find the time to do this? Wait a second! I already know how to hide my energy.” Kagome concentrated. She hadn't thought of using her barrier this way but there was no reason that it couldn't work. The standing barrier that she used to hide the shards in her time should be able conform her barrier to exist just outside her skin in order to hide all forms of energy. The only thing that she would need to change would be to make it so that it wouldn't actually hide her body. All signs of life from where Kagome was standing disappeared, including her smell. Luckily the barrier was self sustaining so she wouldn't have to constantly concentrate to keep the barrier up.

“I can't even smell you. How am I supposed to protect you if I can't even tell where you are?” Inuyasha muttered sourly. Kagome's smell had always comforted him and allowed him to tell where she was at all times. Stupid sword.

“Kagome how did you do that! Barriers aren't supposed to be able to conform to a specific shape.” Miroku said incredulously.

Kagome smiled sheepishly. “Well, I didn't think of that. I just came up with an idea and tried it. Anyway this isn't an actual force field. It is just an energy field, I guess you could call it. You can still touch me and it will not repel you, but it doesn't allow anyone to sense my energy.”

“Or smell.” Inuyasha said, still bitter.

“Oh, does it? I didn't know that. This is great!”

This will do for now, but there are youkai in your time. And you should keep in mind that people and youkai will think it strange if they can see you and not sense you. They will wonder what you are hiding and that may cause you more trouble than it would if you just walked around like normal. You are actually very industrious. I think that I will enjoy serving you, my lady. However, you will need to learn how to hide your energy from me, and thus others that could possibly sense what you are. It isn't very difficult, but not many know the secret. We will talk on the way back to the Lord of the West's palace.

“So why are my senses becoming such a bother? They are so enhanced that they are giving me headaches.”

It is but a side effect of the youkai souls. I will bind them until you can handle them. It shouldn't be too difficult to do. There was a pulse from Guardian and immediately Kagome felt a whole lot better.

“Thanks. The first thing that I'm going to do when we get back to the palace is give Shippo a bath though. I don't know how you stand it Inuyasha.”

Miroku was back to his usual calm self again. “We should go back to the village and get packed. Kagome has a lot of work to do before she goes back to her time.” He handed Guardian back to Kagome.

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---In the forest, right after Hiei left the group---

Hiei finally judged that they were not following him any longer. He jumped to the ground and gingerly laid the sack on the ground. He opened the sack and took out its occupant: a three tailed fire cat youkai in its smallest form. The cat was like Kirara, except for its extra tail and coloring. It was black with dark purple markings and dark blue eyes that were identical to Kagome's, not that you could tell much from how badly it was beaten. Dried blood, dirt, and various other substances caked its fur, making Hiei want to start crying again, which he wouldn't do because he was a strong youkai.

Hiei knew that his mother's people could heal, but he didn't know how so the best he could do was get to a spring and clean the wounds. He wished that he would have gotten that miko to heal the cat before he left. He didn't have time to take care of a cat, and he didn't want a travel companion. He was just fine on his own. But for some reason he couldn't bring himself to leave the cat on its own.

Suddenly he got the picture of the little form of the fire cat that traveled with that miko. The miko might take the cat and heal it! These fire cat youkai were supposed to be rare and very valuable, that was why the bandits wanted it in the first place. The thing that he couldn't figure out was why they had been able to capture it in the first place. They were supposed to be able to defend themselves from capture and transform into their larger form, like that cat that traveled with the miko.

After he cleaned the wounds, he made some sloppy bandages and wrapped up the wounds. He then took off in the direction that he had left them. It was almost morning, so they should still be asleep. He caught their scent. They were traveling toward the old youkai exterminator village. By the time he got there, it was morning and they were gone again, but, by the looks of the hut that they had stayed the night in, they would be back. All their belongings were here. He saw some paper sticking out of the miko's strange bag. He took it out and looked for something to write with, seeing nothing. He shrugged. It wouldn't be the first time that he had written in his own blood. After all, that was the way that he had learned to write in the first place. The leader of the bandits had saw that he had somehow figured out how to read some of the books that they stole and had decided to use him to write things like ransom notes and stuff like that. Of course, it was no fun if it didn't involve pain of some sort, so the bandit had made Hiei write the messages in his own blood. It was more effective that way anyway, especially if it was a person that they were ransoming. He used his claws as a quill.

Miko:

This cat is injured. Heal it and keep it if you want. I have no use for it. Here is payment for helping me and for healing the cat. It is one of my tearstones. They are very valuable so you should be able to sell it for a great amount.

He nodded. That should do it. He placed the tearstone and chain that he had taken from the bandit's camp on top of the note beside the cat.

Before he left, he had a stray thought. I hope that she keeps both the cat and the necklace.

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I don't really know if Hiei has claws, but having them was convenient so I put them in. Hiei is really out of character in this fic, don't ya think? Maybe it's just me, I don't know. I hope that he is not too much so, but if he is, I'm outta luck because this was essential to my story, so I'm not changing it. Just remember that he is just a child at this point.