InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Everything Burns ❯ The Beginning Factor and the End Result ( Chapter 1 )

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Everything Burns

Chapter 1: The Beginning Factor and the End Result

The morning air was cool and crisp. Kagome lay awake in her sleeping bag simply taking in the subtleties of what nature had to offer that day. She was in the open air of her group's camp site. Their fire had long since gone out, but a few embers still gave off a soft glow in the remaining ash and the smell of burning wood lingered in the nearby fabrics the smoke had seeped into the night before. The trees were still hiding their waking inhabitants in dark shadows before the sky, currently painted with a pale grey and threads of orange, could brighten to the luminous blue of day.

Deciding that it was time to start getting ready for breakfast, Kagome remained in her sleeping bag a few moments more as she stretched her hands above her head and felt the dew from the surrounding grass wet the backs of her hands. She slowly sat up as not to wake Shippo, who slept snuggled up to her side, and set out to gather some more firewood from a stockpile they'd made the night before a few feet away from the camp.

She loved the tranquility that this time period offered with the breaking dawn. In her era people were already starting their cars and making their way to work or school in a loud fashion that they'd all grown accustomed with. She felt pity for them that they would never know this kind of peace. But to say this era was always so calm would be a grave inaccuracy.

This world saw things on a daily basis that you would rarely see or hear of in hers. The people here were conditioned from infancy to deal with brutal and bloody wars, famine, disease, death, and even demons as a normal way of life. But right now, as the first few rays of light were chasing the shadows away, it seemed like nothing could ever be wrong with the world again…

Until her inner peace was disrupted by the tensing of her muscles at the presence that that skated along the edge of her senses. After some practicing with the help of Shippo and Kilala, she had finally been able to sense demon energies along with the energy from the shards. This particular energy had made its first appearance about three months ago and she still didn't have any kind of face or figure to attach to its presence. She had asked the others about it and of course they had sensed it too, but Sango told her that if it hadn't made itself known at that point then it wasn't likely to pose a threat.

Despite the reassurances that she'd been given, Kagome couldn't bring herself to feel comfortable with this unknown demon yet. It definitely wasn't the strongest demon she'd felt, but she was sure she would have a hard time defending herself away from the others if it became aggressive. And there were other things that were off about it, like the fact that no matter how close or far away the energy felt there was never any sight, smell, or sound to accompany it. Most demons with lower energies at least made some sort of sound when they moved through forests. And even though there wasn't anything about its energy to support it, there was always a tingling feeling on the back of her neck that there was something there she wasn't getting.

With a quick shake of her head and an increase of her pace, Kagome pushed those thoughts aside just as she came back into the small clearing where her companions were starting to stir from their sleep as well. With a cheerful smile she put down the fresh firewood and turned to her friends to ask, “So whose turn is it to go fishing for breakfast?”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei leaped from branch to branch among the trees making his way back to the small group he'd been following for the past few months. Or to be more precise, making his way back to the priestess he'd been following. He couldn't begin to imagine how many times he'd asked himself why he kept coming back to this woman-child and her hodge-podge group, but he knew that no matter how unlikely they were that he had his reasons.

It had been almost two years since he'd had the Jagan Eye implanted in his forehead and he was still cursing the loss of so much of his power. He'd recovered and trained his speed and swordsmanship under Shigure so that he could continue the search for his sister. Since she'd left the Koorime village in search of him he'd been looking for any hints or clues as to where she might have gone, but he hadn't been able to find anything even with his implant. And then he found the closest thing to a lead he'd come across yet: a bizarre human priestess.

He had been trying to get some much needed sleep when the sounds of battle reached his sensitive ears. And of course, being who he was, he couldn't let the chance to increase his power pass him by. He'd followed the sounds of metal ringing through the air when he came to the odd sight. There was a demon slayer, monk, half-demon, and fire cat all working together as a single unit against a very large scorpion demon. He briefly noticed a young woman and a fox child on the outskirts of the battle ground, but dismissed them just as quickly.

He tried to rationalize his way through the group, but he just couldn't wrap his mind around it…and it annoyed him to no end. Monks weren't a rare breed, but they were supposed to exorcise demons not work with them. Then there was the demon slayer. The last he had heard they were supposed to have been wiped off the map, but here was one fighting with deadly precision right before his eyes. He'd heard of a race of fire cats, but this was his first time ever actually seeing one. And then there was the half-demon; they usually kept to themselves if they even made it past adolescence. Their kind was hated as much as he was.

His attention went back to the inappropriately dressed girl when the fox child she'd been holding called out for her to stop. She had placed him at the base of a tree and was now running towards the battle with a bow in hand and quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Her face was set with such a determined look that Hiei had scoffed at the notion that must have been in her head that she would make a difference. But she was about to give him the first surprise of many.

She stopped a short distance away from where her friends continued to fight as she pulled one of her arrows and took aim. She waited for the right opportunity before yelling, “Inuyasha!!” Then she let her arrow fly when she saw the half-demon's short nod. The moment the arrow left her fingers it was surrounded by a blinding light-pink energy that pushed it forward with an intense speed. The one now identified to him as `Inuyasha' released his own special attack that left the two powerful energies merging and twining together before ripping apart and purifying the large beast they'd been fighting against.

He watched with thinly veiled shock as the small human had traipsed right up to the ashy remains and plucked out a dark sliver of a jewel before it turned to a dazzling pinky-white in her palm. `A priestess??' He'd thought.

The other members of the odd group quickly surrounded her with smiles and praises except for Inuyasha who began yelling at her for running into battle unprotected, no doubt. But that tirade only lasted for so long before an angry blush tinted her cheeks and she yelled, “SIT!!”

Inuyasha was forcefully dragged to the ground as the young, perplexing priestess turned her nose up in a huff and turned away from him sharply to walk in the opposite direction with her dark hair swishing behind her. The other group members merely shook their heads at was appeared to be a common occurrence between them and followed after the miffed human.

As time passed he had learned more about the amazing, foolish, warm, enigmatic creature named Kagome. He'd originally started following them (her) because of a rumor he had once heard that priestesses were connected with the Koorime as that was who they had learned the art of healing and serenity from. It had been a shot in the dark that hadn't turned up any direct results, but it had been a far more entertaining time of false leads than he'd had in the past.

Many rumors passed through the small group and he would occasionally hear something that he would want to investigate himself, but each lead would give him a dead end and he would always return to watching the priestess. Sometimes he would return and she would be gone only to return a few days later. He had yet to see where she went during these times, but as long as she continued to come back he didn't really care.

He had never seen anyone, human and demon alike, who dressed, talked, or acted like this girl. Her short skirts showed off far too much skin for her to any kind of noble, but she was cleaner than any creature than he'd ever encountered. She would sometimes use odd terms that he wasn't familiar with and strung her words together in a different fashion than most others. It was more relaxed and often lacking in formality (and sometimes logic). But what was probably the most interesting was her temperament.

She was caring and warm to almost all creatures, but had a fiery side that could appear at a moment's notice. Most women (human women especially) were raised from birth to be quiet, submissive creatures that never talk back to men or speak out of turn. But this human girl was different. She spoke her mind whether she was right or wrong and stood by what she said. She wouldn't back down from the yelling contests that she often got in with Inuyasha, even when he would be no more than a few inches from her face. But he would always catch the smallest ghost of a smile tugging at his lips when the fire would spark and dance in her eyes just before she would yell the one word that would send the dog-eared boy plummeting to the earth.

He had never been fond of humans, and couldn't imagine that he ever would be, but something about this one kept him coming back even as the chances of her ever being a viable lead shrank. And that's what he found himself doing now. He was on his way back to continue his observations and listen for any other rumors that could tell him something about his sister's location.

He knew that she felt him when he was near. He remembered her asking her friends about his presence and could still feel anger well up in his chest when they casually dismissed him as nonthreatening. It was the damnable eye that had diminished his power so much, but he had asked for it so there was nothing and no one to blame but himself.

Hiei slowed his pace when he got closer to where Kagome was currently gathering wood and smirked slightly with a little bit of sadistic satisfaction when he felt the tension cloud the air. At least he could still make some people nervous…he just tried not to think about the fact that it was a human girl who couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen. But despite her movements becoming slightly more rigid, Kagome finished her task and made her way back to her group to discuss who would gather breakfast that morning.

Deciding to make himself comfortable in the boughs of a large tree that was nearby, he listened as they talked about which direction to continue in while the fox child, Shippo, went to the closest river with Inuyasha to gather fish. He had heard of the demon, Naraku, which they were seeking to destroy but had deemed vile being inconsequential to his immediate goals. All he was concerned with at this point in time was locating his sister and gaining back his power.

~*~*~*~*~*~

That morning continued as any so many others had before it. Kagome cleaned up the camp site after breakfast was finished and packed her things tightly in her trusty, yellow backpack as the others checked their belongings and surveyed the conditions of their various weapons. Once everyone was ready they began their journey again. There had been a rumor of a large gathering of demon wasps about a half-day's travel to the south so that's what they were targeting today. If it proved to be true it could mean there was a jewel shard near, Naraku was planning something in that area, or Naraku himself was there. All three options were favorable, but the last option made the group nervous even if nobody voiced the concern.

If the real Naraku was that close they weren't positive that their group alone would be enough do defeat him at this point. There were other allies, such as Koga, or at least enemies of Naraku, like Sesshoumaru, who would greatly increase their chances. They had talked about a few battle plans in case the situation arose, but nothing had been agreed on as a solid plan.

They talked and joked with one another as they walked down the dirt road, and Kagome thought about how grateful she was for her friends that acted as a second family. Even though she would never dare to utter a word about it to Inuyasha, she secretly hoped that Naraku wasn't what waited at the end of their chosen road today. Not only would fighting Naraku put her friends in danger of injury or worse, but if they fought him today and won then they would be much closer to finishing the jewel and she would be much closer to returning to her time.

None of them were sure exactly what would happen once the jewel was completed as nothing like this had ever happened before, but something told Kagome that she wouldn't be able to stay. It wasn't anything that she would be able to justify if she was questioned, but whenever she thought about it her chest would tighten and when she would think that maybe, just maybe, she would be allowed to stay there was a small voice that always told her not to kid herself. As much as she might want it to be, this wasn't her home and it never really would be. She was a modern, twenty-first century girl and she always would be.

But whenever that voice started to get her down she would remember that she was with her friends now and that's what counted. She was in a place where she could feel normal with her knowledge and abilities, and she wasn't going to let that pass her by. She looked up from where her eyes had strayed to her feet and to the back of the half-demon who had worked his way into her heart. Smiling brightly, she asked Miroku to hold her backpack before running forward and jumping on Inuyasha's back to wrap her arms around his neck.

Her laughter filled the air when his hands automatically hooked under her legs to hold her in place right before he started off on his tangent as her hands found their way to his soft, velvety ears. “What the hell do you think you're doing, woman?! Do I look like your damn personal carrier??”

“Oh hush, I know you like it when I play with your ears. So stop griping and just enjoy it!”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei watched from the trees a fair distance away as Kagome ran and jumped onto the half-breed's back. He could hear the yelling that ensued, despite his holding her in place, and Hiei could only think of the foolishness of it all. It was obvious to anyone with functioning eyes or ears and even a fraction of a brain that the two were attracted to each other. Neither was willing to admit it out loud, but it really went without saying…or at least it should have. The only ones who appeared ignorant to the fact were the two at the center of it all.

They fought like…well, like cats and dogs but fought for each other with the same ferocity. He could see how the boy pushed her away despite his feelings and Hiei often found himself cursing the silver-haired young man's name. `The idiot should take the affection offered to him,' he thought.

He knew all too well how fierce and cold and cruel the world could be to those with opposing blood lines running through their veins. It was a miracle that the dog had found someone to tolerate his attitude at all, much less a young woman with a heart large enough to overlook WHAT he was for WHO he was instead.

One time Hiei had caught himself thinking that it would be nice to have someone like her by his side, someone to tell the world that there was nothing wrong with him, someone to show him a gentle touch, someone to smile upon his arrival…but those thoughts had been swiftly banished and he chastised himself for days for even letting his thoughts drift to such ridiculous notions. He didn't need anyone. He didn't want anyone. And nobody needed or wanted him.

That was the way things were supposed to be, and that's why he had shut himself off to the world.

He liked his solitude. He loved his independence. He didn't need anyone, especially a woman, to hold him back or tie him down. These were his constant thoughts. But there was always a part of him that asked why he felt the need to constantly tell himself these things if they were really true.

He didn't have an answer for that and that only left him feeling empty and angry. So setting his face into an indifferent mask instead of the slight frown that had made itself present, Hiei picked up his pace once more and watched as the group continued with their usual odd interactions.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The shard hunters came across a small farming village in the late afternoon and inquired from a few people if they had heard rumors of a large horde of demonic insects. Their eyes brightened when the villagers told them that there had been large groups of wasp-like creatures following a powerful but half-crazed bear demon near the base of a nearby mountain. Thanking the men for the information, the group wasted no time in making their way towards a possible shard or two.

When they got closer to the mountain, Kagome announced that she felt several shards ahead of them. But the closer they got the more anxious she became. Something didn't feel right about the situation. She didn't want to worry the others or have Inuyasha tell her she was overreacting so she stayed quiet. She tried ignoring the quickening of her pulse and brought her hands up to smooth down the hairs on the back of her neck that rose up, but the further they walked the more something in her head screamed that this was wrong.

She could still feel the power of the shards she could sense the power of the demon they were looking for, but she couldn't figure out why her stomach was twisting the way it was. And then as she heard a twig snap as she stepped on it she realized what wasn't right. Everything was dead silent. The energy of the bear demon wasn't moving, there were no sounds to be heard, and she hadn't seen one of Naraku's insects since they entered this forest.

She felt her breathing quicken as adrenaline hit her blood-stream and she reached a lightly shaking hand out with the intent to grab Sango's arm to speak with her. In a soft voice, “Sango-” was all she managed to get out before a large crash was heard to their right along with the splintering of wood and the roar of the large bear.

Inuyasha grabbed her waist and pulled her back and out of range for the demon's claws. She watched with wide eyes at what was happening in front of her. The wasps were stinging the bear to put it in a rage and then herding it in their direction. The bear was dying and angry and was demolishing anything in its path.

Her friends took up different positions to fight against the beast and protect her and Shippo. To do her part unless she was absolutely needed, Kagome picked up the youngest member of their little family and backed away some more to stay out of the way. She watched and listened to claws clashing with metal and deafening roars, all the while unconsciously scooting back inch by inch until she heard a familiar voice that had chills running down her spine.

“Hello Kagome,” the deep voice practically purred off to her right.

Kagome's head snapped to meet the voice of Naraku, but her eyes widened when she felt her heel catch a protruding tree root and knock her off balance. She hugged Shippo tight to her chest and closed her eyes when she saw an offending tentacle shoot out at her falling form, but she hadn't expected to actually hit the ground. At the same time she felt and heard her body collide with the hard earth, she heard another thud a few feet to her right. Looking up she saw the end of a severed tentacle lying on the forest floor before it disintegrated and then looked to Naraku's form just in time to see his body vanish and one of his dolls fall into not just two pieces but several pieces upon the grass.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei watched the group face their newest threat all for the sake of these jewel shards they'd charged themselves with gathering. He would critique them as they fought, mentally berating them for a sloppy stance or an inefficient or unnecessary move. The demon slayer possessed the best technique even if she wasn't the most powerful, but that wasn't very surprising considering her heritage. He continued to watch as usual until he noticed that Kagome kept moving backward.

His eyes strayed after her but turned to another when she was addressed. What sounded like a man was sitting upon a large rock in a baboon pelt and Hiei decided that he didn't like this individual immediately. Something about the sound of his voice was misleading and it didn't sit well with him. He watched Kagome's reaction while thinking to himself, `Move girl…get away from here.' But his eyes widened as she began to fall and be attacked simultaneously. “Damn!” He cursed under his breath as he left his branch.

He did away with the offending tentacle before turning his blade onto what he was surprised to find was a puppet of sorts. He had just reached his normal cover of leaves and branches when her back collided with the ground. She opened her eyes and looked around in pure confusion before scanning the immediate area and finally settling her gaze back on her friends ahead. `Foolish human,' he thought. `She should be dead right now.'

But despite his thoughts, Hiei found himself glad that she was still amongst the living.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome watched as the bear demon was put out of its misery and he insects were kept away until she could arrive and purify the shards that had fallen to the ground. She added them to the collection in the small jar she wore around her neck and debated on whether or not to tell her friends what had happened.

Knowing Inuyasha, he would probably take their follower's sort-of appearance and display of swordsmanship as a possible threat and try to get rid of them now. But Kagome didn't want the demon follower to leave. They had saved her and she would keep their appearance a secret for the time being.

They made their way back to the village they had passed and told them that the bear demon was taken care of. The village leader offered them a place to stay for the night and they gratefully accepted the old man's hospitality. It wasn't long before night fell and Kagome excused herself to bathe after asking Inuyasha if he could smell a hot spring anywhere near.

She took her bow and arrows with her just to be safe, but felt the familiar demon energy following her and didn't think she'd need them. It was odd, she thought, how just that morning the same energy had made her tense and nervous, but now she felt almost protected.

When she arrived at the steaming water's edge, she placed her things on the ground before turning to look up into the trees and say, “I'm going to get undressed now. No peeking!” She had no way of knowing if they had complied, but she could now at least pretend that they had.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei nearly rolled his eyes at her empty warning. If he had wanted to see her nude form he would have had plenty of opportunities before now. But no matter what the world saw him as, he did have a sense of honor and therefore situated himself on a branch that was facing away from the spring.

When he heard sloshing and a contented sigh he knew that she was in the water, and he closed his eyes to relax and wait until she was finished with her almost nightly ritual. His ears easily picked up the familiar and almost mechanical noises of the opening and closing of containers and his nose tickled at the sweet scents of the soaps she used on her hair and body. Time passed and things got quiet. He knew that she was relaxing much the same that he was now, and he was content to wait until she decided to head back. But she surprised him yet again when she spoke.

“I know you're out there somewhere. I don't know who you are or what you are, but you saved me. Thank you.”

Things were quiet for a few moments before the sounds of her stepping out of the water were heard, and as she got dressed again he merely sat in a stunned silence. To his knowledge and memory, that was the first time that anyone had ever thanked him for something. She had never seen his face or heard his voice, but she thanked him as she would anyone else.

He watched as she passed under the tree he occupied and he followed her back to the village until she was with her friends again. She was safe now and since they had collected some of those shards they would be heading back to their own village in the morning. Knowing this Hiei left them alone to continue on his own search for a few days.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was another early morning as Kagome inched her way around the edge of Kaede's village and, making sure the coast was clear, darted into Inuyasha's forest. She had just broken from the tree line and was in the clearing that housed the well when she heard Inuyasha's voice from behind her yell, “Kagome!! You can NOT go home yet!”

She knew he was gaining on her and when she felt him get within a few feet of her she whispered over her shoulder, “Okay Shippo, now!” And with that the small fox demon jumped out of her backpack and transformed into his giant pink ball to slow down the infuriated half-demon.

Just as she reached the well Kagome yelled out, “Sorry Inuyasha! I'll be back tomorrow, I promise!” And she was gone in a blue flash of light.

When she landed on the other side, Kagome quickly climbed the rope ladder and ran from the well house to go straight down the steps to the waiting street below. She had cleaned everything out of her backpack except for her school supplies so that Shippo could fit for their little distraction. She laughed to herself as she ran down the street. There was nothing quite like having a plan be perfectly executed on the first try!

She continued her run to school so that she wouldn't be late, but started losing speed as a familiar energy pricked at the edges of her senses. It was such a familiar feeling, but something was different about it all at the same time. She eventually came to a stop where she felt it the strongest and looked around the street.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei found himself sitting at a table with Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara inside a café in the human world listening to what they had been gathered for. His normal scowl was in place, but below that he was almost seething. He hated being around so many humans and had yet to be told why they had been summoned so early in the morning. He somehow felt that Yusuke and Kuwabara shared most of his plight this morning.

Yusuke more or less ignored any responsibilities he would have as Raizen's last of kin in favor of living in the human world with Keiko. Kuwabara had surprised everyone and continued on with his education and was now in college, as was Kurama which everyone expected; though Kurama still made the occasional trip into the demon world to check on Yomi and see how Shura's training was progressing.

Hiei was usually found near the border between the worlds to guard against anyone crossing over from either side. But it was occasions like this that led him deeper into the mass of humanity than he would have liked. Even after Enma had disbanded the Spirit Detectives, Koenma had started paying them under the table to go on missions that needed their attention. Botan had contacted them before daybreak and had told them to meet at the café. Now she was late.

He watched the humans on the street passing by through a large window at the front of the eatery, but was instantly sitting up straight and at attention when one human caught his eye. His hands were gripping the edge of the table and his eyes were wide as he took in her appearance. She was exactly as he remembered her. Long, black hair that fell down her back in waves, pale and perfect skin, and her eyes were what told him it couldn't be anyone else.

For just a moment she looked into the café and her bright azure eyes locked with his shocked scarlet ones and they held each other's gaze. But the moment was broken when a local school bell tolled the time and she smiled at him briefly before running off toward the large building.

The other occupants of the table had of course noticed this sudden, and completely out of character, outburst and stared on in a wary silence. “Hiei?” Kurama eventually asked with an air of caution. When he didn't get a response he tried a more direct method of communication. `Hiei.' The red-head addressed through their mental link. `What's wrong?'

`It was that girl…'

`She was very pretty. Do you know her somehow? Or recognize her from somewhere??'

“Hey runt, what's wrong with you?” Kuwabara asked. “You know Kagome??”

Hiei's eyes instantly snapped to the tall human, but luckily Kurama voiced what was running through his head. “You know her too?”

“Yeah. I live next door to her friend, Ayumi. She used to come over a lot when we were kids and Sis would baby-sit all of us. I haven't seen her around much in the past couple of years though. Ayumi said she's always really sick or something.” Kuwabara explained.

`Is she the same girl you know, Hiei?' Kurama asked him silently.

`She's the same one. But the last time I saw her she wasn't sick, Kurama. She was dead.'

~*~*~*~*~*~

AN:
okay well I hope you enjoyed! As some of you know, this is a fairly long chapter coming from me =] anyway, again, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. The title of the story is definitely subject to change…but it may stay the same…never know. Okay, well let me know what you think. Keep it, ditch it, put it on the back-burner for now?? See you guys next time!!