InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Latent Destiny ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi, not me, but the new plots and the original characters (Akiyama, Moriko, Kajimaru, Eiko, Shoichi, Katsuo and Natsumi) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

 

A/N: Thanks for your encouragement in the previous chapter. Here's the next one, and I hope that you'll like it.

 

 

A Latent Destiny by elle6778 - Chapter 2

 

 

Sesshoumaru glanced around briefly, taking note of the familiar landscape before his eyes settled on the miko. He had his doubts, but it appeared that Inuyasha had told him the truth after all. This miko in front of him was unmistakably the one from five hundred years ago, and her slack-jawed expression confirmed that she was very much surprised by her surroundings.

 

“Where am I?” the miko whispered again.

 

“Your family shrine,” he supplied. He had thought that she was intelligent enough to deduce that much. Perhaps he had overestimated her worth. Unless, of course, the shrine in her version of the future was different from the one he knew.

 

“What happened here, Sesshoumaru?” she asked, sounding pitifully lost.

 

Suddenly concerned that someone might see her, Sesshoumaru glanced quickly behind him before returning his attention to the miko, allowing his eyes to run down her figure. She was still clad in her miniscule white and green attire.

 

This would not do.

 

“You will wait here,” he instructed, reaching out to push the door shut.

 

Her eyes widened in alarm. “What do you mean, wait here? Sesshoumaru, what's going on?”

 

“I will explain once I return. You will remain inside the wellhouse.”

 

“Return? When?”

 

Tiring of her questions, his lips thinned. “Miko…” he bit out in warning. “Do not be difficult.”

 

For a moment, she looked as if she was about to protest. Then, to his relief, she finally relented. “Fine. Wherever you're going, come back here fast, alright?”

 

Deeming it unnecessary to answer, Sesshoumaru spun around and headed to her home. He grimaced inwardly at the notion what he had to do next. The miko's mother was in the house, and it would certainly be awkward if he was detected. Still, it could not be helped.

 

Fanning out his senses, he noted that her mother was in the kitchen. Without hesitation, he launched himself up in the air and straight through the window into the miko's bedroom. He went to her cupboard and opened it. Reaching in, he pulled out one of her miko outfits, instantly deciding that the task of rummaging through female clothes was not something he had any intention of repeating anytime soon. Once he rolled the clothes into a bundle, he left the room through the window to return to the well.

 

It was not long before he arrived at the wellhouse again to find the miko waiting for him. Wordlessly, he held out her clothes to her. The look she gave him was full of misgiving. Nonetheless, she accepted the offering.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Your clothes.”

 

She stared doubtfully down at the bundle in her hands. “I don't remember owning something this.”

 

“Your… present self had disappeared the moment you stepped through the well. Your attire is no longer suitable. These garments are similar to what she had worn. I assume you do not wish to alarm your mother.”

 

Clutching the bundle to her chest, she gasped. “What do you mean my present self?”

 

Resigned to the fact that he had to explain everything sooner or later, he said, “The one who has been living here for the past eighteen years. Unless you remember living such a life, I can only presume that you are two different individuals.”

 

Confusion suffused her features. “But… My life… Two different…” She hesitated. “What about my mother? She knew about the well. And…” she faltered uncertainly.

 

“It is doubtful that your mother is aware of the well's abilities.” He directed a pointed stare at her current attire. “And she certainly would not expect to see you dressed in such a manner.”

 

The miko frowned, putting her hand on her forehead. “I don't understand. How can my…other self be here, while I'm back there? How can I be in two places at the same time?”

 

Not knowing the answer to her question, he chose not to respond. Being the only one that had ever traveled to the future, Inuyasha was the only one who had questioned the state it was currently in. And according to Inuyasha, the change was possibly due to the wish that the miko had made five hundred years ago.

 

“Sesshoumaru?”

 

“Perhaps it is the result of the wish.”

 

Her eyes rounded. “The wish? The wish caused all this? Wait! If you've been here all this time…” She paused, frowning contemplatively before she continued, “If there was a problem with the wish, then why you didn't approach me earlier?”

 

“It is obvious that you haven't listened well. The `future' you have known is not this one. Therefore `you' were not present. Your other self did not travel to the future.”

 

A heartfelt groan escaped her. “What am I going to say to Mama?”

 

“It would be wise for you to assume that you know nothing of the past.” Impatient to get this over with, he said, “Change. Then we will continue.”

 

The miko simply gaped at him as he shut the door in her face.

 

Turning away from the wellhouse, Sesshoumaru began to scan the surroundings, noting the slight glow around the shrine grounds. It was the barrier that had been erected in the past by the houshi. As far as he understood from snippets of conversation between Shippou and Inuyasha, the barrier's purpose was to keep at bay those with malevolent intents, and astoundingly, it had held up after all these centuries.

 

This miko was just as he had remembered from five hundred years ago. Still, even though he had been watching the other miko from afar over the past three years, he did not know the other version well enough to judge if they were any different. Apparently Inuyasha had watched the miko of the current time grow from childhood to adulthood only to realize that her fifteenth birthday had passed without her entering the well. Thus it was clear that the miko knew nothing of the well's mysterious abilities.

 

Inuyasha had decided that it was best for them to remain hidden, for the fear of accidentally manipulating the future again. However, there had been a number of occasions where they had been forced to reveal their presence, times when she had been attacked.

 

Sesshoumaru glanced back at the wellhouse, knowing what he had to do next. Inuyasha had asked him, Sesshoumaru, to take his place. Therefore, he had given his word to Inuyasha to explain to the miko what had happened over the last five hundred years, even though Shippou could have carried out the deed. Sesshoumaru knew that Inuyasha wished for her to repair the damage done to the timeline. Not knowing how things were meant to be in the first place, his only concern was the effect it would have on himself if the miko returned to the past and attempted to change what followed after the wish.

 

He sighed inwardly. Explaining the past five hundred years to the miko was the simple part.

 

The only thing that he was averse to was the second part of his brother's wish.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Kagome closed her eyes and leaned back against the door, wondering if this was all a dream. It could not be real. It was too MUCH to be real. Her hand went to the jewel in her side. But the presence of the Shikon-no-Tama forced her to believe that something had really gone wrong with the wish.

 

Groaning, she sank bonelessly down to the ground. The first few times she had traveled to the past, it had occurred to her that the things she did there might change the timeline, but somewhere along the way, she had forgotten about it. Her attention had been focused on completing the jewel and stopping Naraku that she did not even pause to think of what she was doing to her own future.

 

Her gaze settled upon the well. If she jumped back in now, would she be able to change anything? What should she try to fix? She did not even know what had gone wrong. Biting her lips, she realized that the only way to find out was to stay. And when she gathered enough information, she would try to go back into the past to fix whatever that had caused the future to change into something so unrecognizable.

 

Yes, she would do that.

 

Mind made up, she stood up with renewed determination. Shaking out the clothes Sesshoumaru had given her, she found that it was a beige and green miko outfit. She immediately grimaced. Things must have progressed nowhere if they were still wearing this kind of clothes after all these years.

 

Kagome stilled as a stray image flashed across her mind. She was in a market which seemed familiar, but she knew that she had not been there before. The vendor was pointing at a beige hakamashita and green hakama, expounding its quality to someone beside her. As a slender arm reached out towards the fabric, Kagome glanced to the side to find her mother smiling at her before turning to speak to the vendor.

 

Her breath left her with a quick swoosh as the image disappeared just as abruptly as it had appeared.

 

Was that a memory from her other self? Was that where her mother had bought her the clothes? At least her mother was alright, she thought with relief. Then she gasped as something occurred to her. Maybe her father was still alive in this world. Nervous anticipation washed over her, pushing her into action.

 

Question after question sped through her mind as she changed into the outfit. Inuyasha here? What about Shippou, Sango, Miroku, Kirara and the rest? How on earth had she managed to return to this alternate reality? Was it really an alternate reality in the first place? She frowned thoughtfully. After all, Sesshoumaru seemed to know about her and the well. And if Sesshoumaru was here, Inuyasha and Shippou should be here as well, right? The thought instantly cheered her up and she rushed to finish dressing.

 

Once done, she pushed the door open to find Sesshoumaru waiting for her in the same spot. “Where's Inuyasha?” she asked excitedly.

 

Something in his eyes dimmed. “He allowed himself to be slain in battle.”

 

Breath caught in her chest, Kagome paled. She must have heard him wrongly. Inuyasha slain? “W-What? Are you saying that Inuyasha is… is dead?” she whispered shakily.

 

“He was slain more than a year ago.”

 

“No…” she whispered, bringing her hand to her lips as her eyes began to sting with hot tears. Even though she knew that she probably would not see any of her friends again when she made that wish, it did not prepare her to hear something like this.

 

“Bawling will achieve nothing, Miko,” Sesshoumaru pointed out flatly.

 

Irritated at his dismissal of her feelings, she glared at him through the film of moisture in her eyes. “Well, not everyone can be as cold and heartless as you, Sesshoumaru!”

 

His eyes narrowed into slits. “Do not presume to judge me,” he hissed.

 

“I'm sorry,” she murmured, regretting her words. Sesshoumaru had been distraught when Rin died in the final battle. He was not cold and heartless. “I didn't mean it.”

 

They sank into a strained silence. Blinking back her tears, she stared down at the wilted grass at her feet. What should she do now?

 

A familiar voice filtered through the air. “Kagome?”

 

She gasped, her head snapping up to find her mother walking towards the wellhouse. Her eyes widened at the sight of her mother dressed in a traditional kimono. Kami-sama, what happened after the wish that had caused such a big change, Kagome wondered helplessly. She gave herself a mental smack. Stupid, stupid! This was all her fault.

 

“You're still here,” her mother exclaimed, looking confused. “You left your bow and arrows.”

 

Kagome spun around to find that Sesshoumaru was gone. A feeling of panic immediately enveloped her. Where was he? He could not leave her here like this. She needed more answers from him.

 

As she continued to fidget nervously, her mother stepped up to her and laid a hand on her shoulders. “Are you alright, Kagome?”

 

Kagome raised her eyes to her mother's gentle ones. Her panic subsided a little when she realized that this was her mother. And she knew that her mother was still the same caring person. So there was really no reason for her to be nervous.

 

She took a deep breath. “Yes, Mama.”

 

“Your bow and arrow?” her mother prompted.

 

Feeling rather lost, Kagome simply nodded and then followed her mother towards the house. The moment she stepped in, the unfamiliar surrounding hit her with the impact of a sledgehammer. The interior of the house was nothing like what she remembered. Still, she said nothing as she walked into the kitchen behind her mother. The first things she noticed were the appliances. Yes, they were there, but they looked so… old. Like they belonged in the eighteenth century or something. Then there were the floor and walls. Instead of carpet and painted plaster, the floor was lined with tatami mats and the walls were painted timber.

 

Her mother peered at her thoughtfully as she lifted the kettle from the stove. “You look different today. Did you do something to yourself?”

 

Kagome gulped. Different? How different? A feeling of trepidation coursed through her. She had not had the chance to look into a mirror yet, but she could be that different seeing that Sesshoumaru actually recognized her.

 

“Aren't you a little late?” her mother asked as she filled a cup with tea. Then gesturing to the side table, she continued, “There. Your bow and arrows. Your Sakura-sensei will be angry if you forget to bring them.”

 

Kagome blinked as another image flashed across her mind.

 

She was seated across a low table opposite some old, stern-looking miko. Lines and lines of herbs and roots were presented before her. The old miko gestured at the line-up, asking her to identify the herbs to treat a certain disease. She reached out a hand, only to point out the wrong answer. The old miko's wrinkled face wrinkled further in disapproval and a harsh rebuke followed.

 

Kagome immediately winced. Okay, maybe she and her other self were not so different from each other after all. She had never been that good at school and she guessed that her other self had the same problem with her… training.

 

“Kagome? Are you alright?”

 

As her mother's face came back into focus, Kagome nodded slowly. This was beyond weird but she was convinced now that she retained some of the memories of her other self.

 

And right now, she had to get a grip on herself because it looked like her mother was beginning to get suspicious, especially since she had no way of knowing how she should respond to her mother's questions. She needed to get out of here until she found out more about what exactly had changed.

 

Forcing a smile to her lips, Kagome stood up and walked towards her bow and arrows. “I'm just going to take these and go to… Sakura-sensei.”

 

Her mother clapped her hands together and beamed. “Good. I'll see you tonight then. Do your best, alright? I'm sure you'll pass the test.”

 

TEST?!

 

Eyes bugging, Kagome choked out, “T-test?” Please, anything but a test.

 

Her mother sighed. “Did you forget about the test, Kagome?”

 

Kagome gulped, and then shook her head. “Uh, no. I remember. I…um…I will do my best.”

 

With that, she took the bow and quickly left the house.

 

Now, where should she go? There was this test thing, but did she really want to sit a test she knew nothing about? Subconsciously, she walked down a path, allowing her feet to travel wherever they wanted to go. It was not long before she arrived at a large, wooden shrine.

 

A heavy sigh left her when she read the signboard above the gate which proclaimed the place as a training centre.

 

 

…***…***…**…

 

 

Crouching on a branch, hidden by the leaves, Sesshoumaru keep his eyes on the miko as she entered the large shrine. He knew from her other self's mutterings two days ago that she had a test today. Much as he wished to complete his tasks, he knew that he had to wait until she finished before approaching her.

 

She remained out of his sight for a long while, and he surmised that she must be taking some tests inside the building. When he finally sensed movement, he further cloaked his presence and leapt to the roof. Glancing down, he noted that a houshi was escorting the hesitant miko towards the two other trainees standing before the old miko. Although he was a fair distance away from them, his sensitive hearing allowed him to capture their conversation.

 

“Kagome completed the written test?” the old miko asked the houshi.

 

The houshi nodded. “She can progress to this one now.”

 

Raising a pepper-white brow, the old miko turned to the young one. “I'm glad you finally made it.”

 

The miko winced visibly. “Yes.”

 

“You're late, though. Be glad we waited for you.”

 

“I…um… forgot my bow and arrow and had to go back to get it.”

 

As the other two miko trainees giggled, the old miko shook her head in disapproval. “Tsk…tsk… How could you forget such a thing in the first place? Never mind. Line up now for your last test. You have four sets of targets…”

 

When the old miko finished relaying the rules of the test, the three examinees took their positions and began to aim at their first target. The miko appeared to be rather hesitant, being the last to raise her bow and arrow. At their teacher's call, the three of them released their arrows simultaneously.

 

Sesshoumaru felt the corner of his lips tilt as he watched the glowing arrow hit its mark. This miko was certainly more competent than the one he had observed over the past year or so. It had been frustrating to watch her other self fumble one after another lesson when he had seen her abilities in the past.

 

His senses suddenly became alert.

 

Tensing, he turned around to scan his surroundings. It did not take long for him to detect the source of his reaction. Focusing into the distance, he noted the presence of those he least wished to see. He glanced back briefly towards the miko, deciding that she would be unharmed in the relative safety of the training centre.

 

In a blink of an eye, Sesshoumaru streaked across the sky towards his targets. They were attempting to hide in the shadows of the trees at the edge of the forest, but he could see them clearly.

 

His feet touched the ground, alerting them to his presence. As they swung around, Sesshoumaru took in the three males dressed in dark blue ninja shozoku attire, realizing instantly that one member of the team was missing. Where was she, Sesshoumaru wondered before turning his attention to the leader, the one called Jousuke.

 

“Sesshoumaru,” the dark-haired hanyou hissed. “Why am I not surprised to see you here?”

 

“Leave.” His tone was quiet, but there was no mistaking the warning in it.

 

Chuckling, Jousuke swiftly drew his short sword, the shinobigatana from his waist. “You're going to try to stop us again, aren't you? Tell me, why are you protecting her? What do you gain out of it?”

 

Sesshoumaru decided that the question was not worth answering. Instead, he unsheathed Bakusaiga waited for the attack. Even though he knew that killing them would resolve this troublesome matter once and for all, he was forced to refrain from such an act due to the promise he had made a long time ago.

 

As always, the attack came swiftly.

 

Although he had anticipated it, Sesshoumaru barely managed to dodge the sharp blades. The speed of the attack was understandable. In addition to his natural hanyou abilities, Jousuke was also a highly trained ninja. Grimacing, Sesshoumaru held his own Bakusaiga before him and released a pulse of youki towards his three opponents. Before the youki blast hit them, the ninjas raised their hands, quickly forming a warding shield.

 

The youki attack bounced back, and Sesshoumaru sliced through it to reabsorb the power before charging forward. Jousuke streaked to the side and disappeared from view while the other two headed straight for him. A distraction, Sesshoumaru realized just second before he felt the air shift above him. The fools wished to trick him? He would end this battle swiftly.

 

Without looking up, Sesshoumaru swung his blade up in a wide arc, sending a heavy wave of energy crashing outwards around him in all directions.

 

A choked cry followed by a heavy thud reached him. Slowly, he turned around until his eyes landed on the two breathless ninjas before him. Jousuke was cradling his unconscious teammate in his arm while the last one, who was least harmed by the attack, rushed towards them.

 

Jousuke's expression twisted in bitter anger as he pulled his teammate up. “Why don't you stay out of this, Sesshoumaru? You're meddling with something which is not your business.”

 

Once again, Sesshoumaru chose not to answer. After all, he had no intention of explaining himself to them. The only thing that mattered was that he had once again managed to keep true to his word, as irksome as it was. It would have been much simpler to end their lives.

 

Jousuke sneered as he backed away with his teammates. ““Well, I'm sure we'll meet again.”

 

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as the three figures disappeared in a blur.

 

 

…***…***…**…

 

 

There, Kagome thought with satisfaction. She managed to hit the last of the targets.

 

Only then did she notice the odd silence of her surroundings. It was so quiet that she swore she could have heard a pin drop. Feeling rather apprehensive, she slowly turned around to find three pairs of eyes fixed on her. The way they were staring was beginning to make her nervous. Did she do something wrong? Sakura-sensei did say to hit all those the targets with her arrows, right?

 

“I can't believe you hit them all. Must have been luck or something,” one of the other trainee miko muttered.

 

“You've been practicing, Kagome?” her teacher asked curiously.

 

Kagome laughed weakly, deducing that her other self must have been worse than her. She supposed that fighting demons in the Sengoku Jidai for three years qualified as practice. “Yes, Sakura-sensei,” she replied. “I've been practicing.”

 

Her Sakura-sensei gave her a doubtful look, and then nodded. “Very well then. All three of you made it to the next stage of your training. I will see you tomorrow. We will be covering advanced healing techniques.”

 

Kagome swallowed. Whatever that was, she was definitely not looking forward to it. The word `advanced' was enough to scare her. It was probably a good idea for her to go back to the past as soon as she could. She did not know how long she could last in this alternate universe.

 

With that in mind, she hurried to the exit, only sparing the other two trainees and her teacher a brief wave. She had to find Sesshoumaru. He was the only one who could explain this madness to her.

 

Walking down the street, she sighed heavily as she took in the view around her. Although there was some progress, things was very different from what she had known. For a start, she could have sworn that she had sensed some youkai about, something which she did not think was present in her version of the future. At least, not to her knowledge.

 

Kicking a stray pebble out of the way, Kagome continued to make her way past the shops lining the street leading to the shrine. A couple of shopkeepers called out and waved at her, and she automatically waved back. They obviously knew her, seeing that they called her by name.

 

Suddenly, something zipped past her right ear.

 

Instantly alert, Kagome jumped to the side and spun around just in time to see two more objects whizzing past where she had been standing just a second ago. Then her eyes landed on the three shuriken pieces embedded in the ground.

 

“What-”

 

Before she could make sense of what was happening, more shurikens appeared out of nowhere and came flying towards her. Heart thudding in fear, she began to run. Abrupt bangs sounded as the alarmed shopkeepers slammed their doors and windows shut, obviously trying to keep safe.

 

What was going on? Why was she being attacked? A sharp pain exploded on her left arm, causing her to stumble before she quickly steadied herself. She hissed audibly when another shuriken sliced past, barely missing her leg. Whatever this was, it was beginning to really annoy her. Things were already messed up enough and now she was being attacked by some invisible thing? What should she do?

 

Running is not helping, not to mention she did not even know what she was running away from. She would just have to confront whatever it was head on. Mind made up, Kagome's hand tightened on her bow and she spun around.

 

A woman with flowing dark hair was standing some distance away, wearing what looked like a ninja outfit. The dark blue fabric crossed her chest, ending at her tightly-clad thighs. A short sword was held in her right hand. Kagome gritted her teeth as her temper flared. She was just minding her own business and the last thing she expected was to be attacked by some strange woman who looked like some ninja.

 

“Who are you?” Kagome asked angrily.

 

The woman in front of her narrowed a pair of very light brown, almost golden eyes. “We have only met face to face once before, but I definitely expected you to remember the incident.”

 

Kagome blinked. Then all of a sudden, a series of images flashed across her mind.

 

She was somewhere in a forest, gathering herbs to complete her assignment for Sakura-sensei. It was then that this woman had landed in front of her, and proceeded to attack her. Dropping her basket, she lifted her hands to defend herself, but the attack came too fast for her to even see. The next thing she knew, there was a flash of red and she was knocked out.

 

As the vision faded, the woman's face came into focus. Gritting her teeth, Kagome accused, “You attacked me before.”

 

The woman's lips twisted into a humorless smile. “Well done. You remember,” she murmured as she lifted her blade. A ray of sunlight glinted off the sharp metal as she streaked forward. “Now, it's time to get rid of you once and for all.”

 

Kagome's eyes widened at the swift downward slash of the blade. With a shriek, she dove out of the way. Knowing that she had no time to hesitate, she sprung to her feet and in one move, drew her arrow taut against the bow. She kept the glowing tip of her arrow pointed at the woman as she took a wary step backwards.

 

“Now tell me who are you, or I swear I'll shoot,” Kagome gritted out tightly.

 

The woman's eyes suddenly widened just as Kagome felt a slight shift in the air behind her. Before she could turn around, Sesshoumaru's calm voice reached her.

 

“She is Inuyasha's daughter.”

 

…***…***…***….

 

 

A/N: That's it for now. Hope you liked it. Please review if you can, thanks!