InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Cruel Hands Of Fate ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

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“Momma…momma I'm so sorry. We hadn't known how long you were back yet for sure and I wish we would've been able to make this more of a reunion then a request for your help.” Shippou whimpered as he rocked the young miko in his arms, her tears once more soaking through to his skin. This time though, this time her tears scalded him with such deep sorrow that he found it hard to breathe.

 

“Miko, we understand if you are unwilling to take on such a task. You have suffered more than anyone at this demon's hands.” Sesshoumaru stated softly, only his eyes showing the concern he felt for the woman sitting in a crumpled heap on the kitsune's lap.

 

“How? How could this happen? I destroyed him! I know I did!” The young priestess wailed against her son's chest, fresh tears leaking from her eyes as she did so.

 

“He has a new body momma…” Shippou's strong voice trailed off then, leaving a twisting feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Something was horribly wrong and she was terrified to find out what it was.

 

But she had to know.

 

“Shippou…who? Ongeai…tell me…I have to know now before I face him again.” Looking up at her once-little-boy-turned-man with watery blue eyes, she noticed he didn't want to meet her gaze and she suddenly felt as if solid lead had settled inside her body.

 

“Kagome…are you sure?” Kouga asked hesitantly. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to see her in this kind of pain all over again.

 

Lord Sesshoumaru let a quiet sigh slip past his chiseled lips before he bent down slightly and lifted the miko up and into his arms, knowing she would most likely lash out once she knew. “The demon now goes by Narasha miko. Apparently, there was only a whisper of his soul left…but my brother was weak and that was all the invitation needed.”

 

Instead of lashing out as he'd thought, Kagome went ridged before her body turned boneless, despair and sorrow and fear like he'd never smelled on her coming from her in waves. He could understand the first two emotions just fine but the strong scent of terror confused him. This tiny woman had stood up to him when he was trying to kill her and had stood up to Naraku more than enough times and had never once reeked of fear as she did now.

 

The hybrid was growling again, though this time it was a far more dark and macabre sound that thoroughly rattled nearly everyone in the room. The memories of all those two hanyous had done to the woman ran through his mind at terrifying speeds and his hand clenched so tightly on the hilt of his katana that his knuckles had turned white. He was the only one who truly knew what that sick fuck Naraku had done to Kagome. Oh the miko had guessed but she didn't remember and he was thankful for that but even Koenma didn't know and he was sure that her son and youkai acquaintances knew nothing of the incident.

 

Apparently, his raging emotions had penetrated the haze of anguish the tiny woman was in because she was soon pulling her body free form the Lord's grasp and walking towards him. He ground his teeth together to keep from snapping at the wolf when he reached out as if to steer Kagome away from him. She was the only thing that was keeping him in place, the only buffer to his wayward emotions.

 

The closer she drew to him, the more serenity flooded his soul until his rage was only simmering below the surface. He was never one to lash out in a fit of emotions and for once he was more than thankful that he was connected with her.

 

He very well could have ripped apart all three worlds with the wrath that swarmed his body.

 

Her small, cool hand met the overheated skin of his forearm and his blazing ruby eyes snapped to her stormy blues. He could hear the sharp inhalations from his teammates and their random thoughts that he would tear her to shreds filtered into his mind, almost upsetting him all over again but the insistent pressure against his arm, the look in her eyes and the presence of her body so near to his made him keep his focus only on her.

 

Soft, pink lips quirked into a sad, knowing smile as she looked at the raging demon before her. Kagome had an inkling that Hiei knew exactly all she had gone through at the hands of Naraku even though the actual memories she was unable to grasp. She knew he had found out…relived her time with the spider hanyou and knew the physicality of what the soreness of her body had told her. A sense of warmth seeped slowly into her soul at the knowledge that he was thirsting to avenge her.

 

“Hiei…please…you must tell them…” Her azure orbs wandered to her three long-ago companions and he knew that she could never voice what she'd been through to them. She hadn't even told everything to the demi-god because she simply didn't remember and the koorime knew he would have to inform Koenma as well.

 

He didn't want to do it but it was something that had to be done if she was to be protected. Giving a slight nod to Kagome, he let the miko lead him back to her feudal era family by the arm, her gentle grip on his wrist a soothing weight for his raging emotions. He stopped just behind her and felt her tiny handle tremble against his wrist before her grasp loosened. Knowing how hard things were about to get for her - and selfishly admitting he didn't want to quit touching her - the koorime moved his hand to hers and held it firmly.

 

Casting a grateful smile to the hybrid, Kagome turned to the three youkai in front of her that had come to be so special in her life with a sad smile on her lips. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt another hand slip around her unoccupied fingers and hold her hand comfortingly. Looking to her right, she found Koenma standing next to her, a gentle smile of compassion on his soft lips.

 

Taking a deep breath and feeling far more confident than she had been only moments ago, Kagome let her eyes drift over her friends, tears welling once more but refusing to fall. “There's…there's something that you guys have to know…before anything concerning…him can be done.”

 

Worry flooded jewel colored eyes and Kagome winced internally, already knowing that there would be hell to pay once things were brought to light, and dropped her head. “Years ago on one of my return trips to Sengoku Jidai, I was abducted by Naraku while Inuyasha was off with Kikyou.” She spoke quietly though the demons in the room had no trouble hearing her and she soon felt the auras of her family swell with overwhelming rage.

 

Seeing that the ookami was about to start talking, Hiei held up a hand haltingly, staying the wolf's words. “There is more. You must touch her.” He stated simply, his garnet eyes watching as the fox put a hand on her left shoulder, the wolf doing the same to her right and the dog placing a clawed hand upon her bowed head, softly stroking the raven locks.

 

Activating the Jagen, Hiei slipped into the miko's memories, avidly searching for the truth her friends needed to see. There was a patch of darkness in the corridors of her mind, festering with pain, hurt and betrayal so strong he could nearly taste the emotions. The area wasn't very big at all considering all she had gone through but the size didn't matter to him at all. One such as her shouldn't have a place like that at all. Corners of the mind as abysmal and dark as this were meant for ones such as the hanyous that were the cause of her problems.

 

It was a beacon to him, that wretched spot in her mind, and he accessed the memory easily. He took a moment to rearrange things, stripping the whole of each occurrence down to the most important parts. There was no use replaying everything as it was when he could simply show them the worst of it all in sequence. Besides that, the emotions of the memories, her pain, would be more than enough to make up for any lacking detail in events.

 

The tiny miko's anguish had been enough to twist even his frigid heart and make his stomach turn.

 

Giving the small hand in his one more squeeze of reassurance - which he still wasn't sure why he was doing - Hiei let the wall that separated him from those touching Kagome slip away. It took the span of about three heartbeats for the room to erupt in vicious growls, the depth and tenor of the sounds multiplying steadily as everything was played out in their minds until the entire room veritably shook.

 

Once the transfer of memories was complete, the hybrid opened his eyes only to come face to face with three red-eyed youkai, Sesshoumaru's body already flickering as if wanting to transform. The odd thought of seeing the demi-god's office explode from a giant dog flitted through his mind and he mentally smirked, despite the tense atmosphere.

 

Looking over at said deity, Hiei found his boss standing rigid, the normally soft lines of his face hardened, raw anger and bubbling hatred simmering in his honey-toned eyes. Never before had he seen the prince in such a state and it only proved exactly how far the little priestess had managed to get into his heart. Somehow, instead of pitying the man for getting so caught up in Kagome, he felt oddly relieved. Almost as if for some reason, feeling the way he himself did for the miko wasn't such a bad thing if he wasn't the only one experiencing it.

 

“I retract our previous request. There is no reason for you to face him - either of them - ever again.” The Taiyoukai said his voice colder than a frozen wasteland and sending shivers down the spines of all present. Crimson eyes were trained on the tiny woman standing between the hybrid and the god, never wavering from her form.

 

Kagome's dark head shot up widened stormy eyes focusing intently on Sesshoumaru before she furiously shook her head. “No. There is no way in hell you're going to keep me from doing this. I have to end it and I have to make sure it's done this time.”

 

“Why the hell didn't you ever tell us about this? How the fuck could you keep something like this locked away and still continue with what you were doing?” Kouga ranted his eyes still the color of blood, his fangs still bared.

 

“I had to Kouga. It was my fault the jewel broke in the first place and I had to fix it. Even Kikyou was too tainted to heal the Shikon…I was the only one that could keep it safe.” Her voice was quiet and soft but still firmly lined in steel. There was absolutely no way she was going to stand back and let her friends fight an enemy that should have died at her hands long ago.

 

Koenma spoke then, cutting off any further rants from the ookami, “As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with her if for no other reason than she deserves to witness his death. Aside from that, if he is as great a threat as I've been lead to believe, the situation will require any and every person who will be of use to his defeat. His presence is a danger to all the realms.”

 

Kagome smiled up at him, happy that he was being her support when really he had every reason to go against it. Their lives were entwined and her death would mean his and Hiei's as well. She knew without even having to ask that the koorime was certainly on board for hanyou hunting. However she still had a question.

 

“Koenma. If I have to go do this how will things with us work?”

 

The godling returned her smile even though his eyes were troubled, “Simple. I'll go with you, my team will as well. You need Hiei and I with you anyway and the extra help of the other Spirit Detectives will aid the effort.”

 

“Excuse me,” came the gruff and highly pissed off voice of Yusuke, “but what the fuck is going on here?”