InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Light in Guiding Darkness ❯ A Thief in Broad Daylight and Raphael's Indecision! ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: Would it benefit anyone to break my heart? {lawyers nod} Fine then. (sniff) Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. Now leave me alone so I can mourn in peace.

_Chapter Seven: A Thief in Broad Daylight and Raphael's Indecision!_

Naraku halted mid sentence, his gaze thoughtful as something shattered somewhere deep within the confines of his castle. He opened his mouth to speak again, and again the sound of someone else's fury scattered his thoughts to the four winds.

Naraku stepped down from his throne and quit the room, following the sounds of tinkling glass and violent curses to Kikyou's room. He opened the door cautiously and peered inside, then fully entered.

"Kikyou my dear," he began as he glanced around the chamber. "What ails you? What is the purpose of this destruction."

She turned to him swiftly, the rage and surprise coursing through her marring her pale features. She dropped the silver candlestick holder in her hand instantly and sputtered an explanation as Naraku stepped over bits of shattered glass.

"I-It was the mirror," she growled in frustration before pointing to the remains of the looking glass. "It disobeyed me."

"Well, I must say," Naraku chuckled as he gazed into the giant hole where the mirror once stood. "That is one way to teach something a lesson. It looks like you need a new mirror my dear."

"Forgive me Naraku-sama," Kikyou replied with a stiff bow. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Nonsense," Naraku brushed aside with a fanged smile. "It was my intent to get you a new mirror anyway. Now, how would you like to accompany me for dinner?"

Kikyou took the offered arm reluctantly, gingerly wrapping hers underneath his before following him out of the room. 'How…' she wondered to herself as Naraku led her down the darkened hallway. She remembered the last moments of the mirror and the confusion it left behind.

She watched the aura of the young miko, her aura swirling with baby blues and pinks of happiness and contentment before a black streak of alarm streaked through. The black quickly overtook her once peaceful aura as the girl bolted in blind terror. Soon there was a green flash of pain in the midst of the black.

What surprised Kikyou were the yellow feathers of curiosity that slowly threaded themselves throughout the black. The yellow oozed through slowly, and was uninterrupted (if you didn't count the brief orange flash of anger). Gray wariness joined the yellow and for a moment everything was well…

Until her aura disappeared entirely.

'I tried so many times to regain that aura but it disappeared,' Kikyou growled to herself. 'How? How was it possible? It's almost as if she were never there…'

><

Sango sat on a nearby barrel, her chin resting on the armor-clad knee bent to her chest with Kirara at her feet as they watched him work. He tolled away at the hunk of metal in his grasp, the sparks that flew from his hammer dancing off his leather gloves and heavy apron.

He sighed as he worked and wiped the sweat from his brow, leaving a greasy black streak on his forehead. "Kirara," he called to the fire neko. "Could you hand me that flask of water?"

Kirara meowed dutifully and did as he asked, sprinting across the floor on jet black paws for a Kirara-sized pitcher near the water basin. She grasped it in her teeth by the handle and dipped it in the basin, making sure to avoid the water herself before pawing her way to her master's side.

"Thanks Kirara," he said with a grin. He grasped the pitcher from her tiny mouth and sprinkled some water on the metal he was working on. He stopped and looked at it for a second, then at the metal again before dumping the entire pitcher on his head.

Sango burst out laughing, her hand to her chest as he shoved back the hair plastered to his face. "That hit the spot, don't you think my friend?" he laughed, his deep violet blue eyes twinkling merrily. Kirara meowed in disagreement and shook the water from her fur.

"Don't be angry with me," he called as Kirara returned to Sango's feet. "Fine," he huffed. "Be that way. See if I ask the fish master for a little treat for you tonight." He laughed again when Kirara meowed in mourning. "Now you know I wouldn't do you that way," he chuckled as he returned to work on the metal. "You've been a blessing to me, and I must make sure you stay around."

"He's cute like this, isn't he Kirara?" Sango mused with a wistful sigh. Kirara curled up in a yellow ball, the tip of her nose covering her tail as she closed her eyes.

"I miss him," Sango continued. "I miss talking to him, I miss laughing at him, and most of all," she gave a sad laugh, her head shaking as a small tear streaked down her transparent face. "I miss his lecherous hands. It's good to see him without the Wind Tunnel but I would give anything to go back to the good old da-Hey," she squinted toward a nearby barrel. "What's that?"

Kirara opened her eyes and sniffed, then jumped up and changed into her battle form. Miroku looked up from his work just as she growled.

"What is it Kirara?" he asked as he set his hammer down and stood at her side. "What is it?"

Kirara growled at the barrel once again and moved to claw it when it burst into a puff of smoke. Mischievous laughter rang out into the tiny shop as they waited for the smoke to clear.

Miroku glared into the smoke just as Kirara disappeared into it. There was that laughter again, along with Kirara's growls before the smoke finally disappeared and something red shot toward the ceiling. Miroku looked up into the rafters to find topaz green eyes smiling down at him. The young man stood fully, his smile widening as he held up a sword.

"Wait a moment…" Miroku muttered as he squinted to see closer. "I know that sword. Return that thief!"

"I thank you for it, kind Blacksmith!" he said with a mocking bow. "It's said that yours are the best in the land!"

"Give that back and leave my shop!" Miroku demanded hotly. He reached to a nearby corner for a staff, expertly twirling the weapon in his hands before pointing it at the thief. "Don't make me use this!"

"Oh, I'll leave your shop…but the sword comes too!" He jumped down from the ceiling to the only window in the shop. Kirara attempted to intercept, but he deftly shoved the neko to the side. He landed on the windowsill and sat down, displaying for the first time since the encounter began a bushy auburn fox tail.

"You…you're youkai!" Miroku stammered out. The thief nodded proudly. "That's right! Take pride, sir, and tell anyone that asks that it was Shippou, the Prince of Thieves that visited you! Now I must be off. There are women to see and lords to harass. Good day!"

Miroku gawked as the youth jumped from the window to the street below and disappeared. "Oh well," Miroku sighed heavily. He clasped his hands together and opened them welcomingly. Kirara changed to her smaller form, jumped in his arms and purred as he scratched behind her furry ears.

"I suppose there's nothing we can do now, is there?" he said as he walked to the barrel Sango sat on. He sat Kirara down in what would have been Sango's lap and sighed. "Besides, the sword he stole was one of the first ones I made. He'll soon come to find out why it was never sold soon enough. Now," he turned back to the firepit and his forgotten hammer. "Let's get back to work, shall we?"

><

Raphael watched as his charge slept, the moonlight dancing off the shadowy depths of her face before materializing on the branch above her. Emerald and ruby wings stretched majestically behind him, then expanded and lifted him off the branch and toward the sky above.

He soon entered a different realm, one that shone with an iridescent light. He passed by the elderly man at standing nearby. "You're late," the old doorman said to him as he passed through the gates behind him.

Raphael shrugged. "When aren't I?"

"Good point there," the man chuckled. "You know where the meeting is. Everyone else is already there."

'Great,' Raphael groaned to himself as he thanked the doorman and started down the pathway. He nodded to various passerbys, lesser Earth-bound angels and those angels that weren't needed for this particular meeting before coming to a large white building with a heavy, silver gilded door.

Raphael pushed the door open silently and stepped into the room…and into an enormous argument. Angels of various sizes, shapes and religions sat at a round wooden table in the center of the room. Each seemed to be trying to out-talk the others, with the occasional whimpering of the cherubs that fluttered overhead. Poor Michael sat on the opposite side of the table, his face blank and expressionless as the others bickered around him. There was an empty seat on his right side, but his left was already occupied.

This angel stood upright, his right hand braced on the tabletop as he struggled to regain order. His azure eyes flashed angrily at the uproar, his impatience at the behavior of his comrades radiating off of his being in strong waves. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, short blonde waves that stood up upon the abuse before slamming his fist down on the ancient wood.

"Quiet!" he roared through the congregation. "Enough of this foolishness and sit down!!!"

Michael gently rested his head in his palm and shook his head as the other angels sat down, too shocked to move as Raphael stifled a laugh. 'That Gabriel,' he mused as the blonde angel glared at the others around him before sitting down. 'Still as commanding as always.'

"Are we ready to begin now?" Michael asked, his gentle voice a welcome relief after Gabriel's 'assault'. He nodded when there was no answer. "Very well then. What has everyone so upset?"

"This situation on Earth," an angel with coiled brown hair, jade green wings and violet eyes spoke up. "There are too many forces against us."

"Are you saying that we just surrender?" another angel with the same color wings and red hair snapped. "Just leave the Earth and all its inhabitants to the forces of darkness?"

"No, not at all Uriel," the first green-winged angel said with a shake of his head. "I'm just saying that perhaps we could try another tactic."

"What tactic is there?" Uriel (the red-head) responded heatedly. "We've already set this plan into motion!"

"But we could always change it! It's not too late to-"

"We appreciate your concern Raguel," Michael appeased softly. "But we were all aware that this plan, once started, could never be changed. The order of the vampires is soon to be extinguished. All we have to do is be patient and wait for the right time."

"But what if Raphael?" Raguel bemoaned. "Why isn't he here? What news does he have of the mortal he protects?"

"For one," Raphael said as he walked toward the circle. "The mortal is fine. Forgive my tardiness, but I had to wait until my charge was secure."

"But of course," Michael said as he gestured to his right side. "What news do you bring us?"

"Well, the mortal will comply to our wishes," Raphael informed the meeting. "She will retrieve the taiyoukai for us."

The worry etched on the others faces melted into oblivion with that one statement. Raguel was the only one still tense, as if a sixth sense told him that the higher angel still had something more to say.

"But…"

The heads of the assembly snapped up, each angel fully intent on whatever it was Raphael still had to say.

"But what?" Gabriel groaned aloud. Raphael gazed back at the expectant faces, sighed and said

"She has no intentions on stepping aside. She will continue to fight until the vampire shogun of Japan is defeated."

"You have got to be kidding me!" another angel with coffee-brown hair exploded from the opposite end of the table. "How could you have let that happen!"

"Let what happen?" Raphael defended. "It's not as if I had a choice in the matter! She refuses to allow the taiyoukai to obtain her revenge for her village! She is not as weak as we first thought!"

"She's human!" the angel snapped back. "So of course she's weak! Are you siding with her Raphael? We all know your weakness for these human beauties!"

Emerald and ruby wings stretched in outrage and Raphael's normally peaceful countenance shattered to the four winds. "How dare you-"

"Don't start!" Gabriel commanded from Michael's side. "And you keep quiet Sariel! Do not start trouble!"

"I wasn't trying to start trouble," Sariel countered with an accusing finger in Raphael's direction. "I only speak the truth! It was a mistake to allow Raphael to look after the mortal girl. We all know of his weakness for them! He will jeopardize the mission! He should be replaced!"

"I've not done and will not do any such thing!" Raphael responded angrily as the other angels muttered in agreement with Sariel. "This mortal has been traumatized by the madness we've allowed to wreak havoc for centuries! You Sariel were commanded to protect the taiyoukai centuries ago, yet you failed in your mission! You have no right to say that I cannot perform mine!"

Sariel flushed in anger, his pale green eyes narrowing to mere slits as the others muttered around them. "You know not of that mission!" he accused angrily. "All you are aware of is the end result!"

"Is the end result not enough to know?" Raphael countered hotly. "You know not of what I do, nor what trials the human I attend to has had to endure. To replace me with another would only confuse her and cause her to lose the trust I've struggled to build since the night I intercepted the message from the two from the other world!"

"He's right," Michael spoke up when Sariel opened his mouth to speak. "He has built a sort of bond with the mortal, and to destroy that now may change the course of things. Raphael stays with her…for now. Now if there is no new business…" He glanced around the table at his sullen comrades and sighed. "Well then. This meeting is adjourned until another day."

Raphael watched as the other council members dwindled out behind Michael, his wings still trembling in indignation at Sariel as Gabriel rested his hand on his shoulder.

"You must calm yourself," he said as he sat down in Michael's empty seat. "You know how Sariel is. You have to ignore him."

"He had no right to say what he did," Raphael growled softly. He blushed when Gabriel gave him a strange look. "It is a habit of my charge to growl when frustrated. It would seem that it is becoming a habit of mine as well."

"I see…" Gabriel sighed and stared at the door ahead of him, tracing the etchings on the silver as he sighed yet again. "You do understand what he's saying, right?"

"I do," Raphael said as he rested his head against the wooden table. "But this human deserves more respect. She is strong, gifted, and powerful."

"I hear she knows your name. You know how dangerous that is, correct?"

Raphael nodded, his head still downcast. "I know, but…she…I cannot explain her but-"

"We are aware of how special she is," Gabriel interjected softly. "That is one of the many reasons we insisted she stay away from the final battle. If she is there, then one of us must be away to protect her."

"I know how important she is but I can't just tell her she can't get revenge. That would be to deny her the very thing she wishes for most."

"We are all aware of her pain," Gabriel informed him as Raphael sat up, pulled the ponytail holder from his hair and ran slow fingers along his scalp. "We feel it though you. That is why we worry for you. We do not want to lose you the way we lost the Fallen Ones."

"She belongs to the tai," Raphael responded sadly. "I would not jeopardize it. She will arrive in the Dark World soon enough."

"You must not tell her," Gabriel said in warning. "You must not tell her anything."

"I won't."

"Good, now go." Gabriel stood and waited for Raphael to regain himself before patting his shoulder again. "Have faith little brother. Things will work out, you'll see. Now go see to your charge. We will call you when we need you."

"Thanks Gebher'el," Raphael said as he quit the room. "You really are a strength." He left the blonde angel behind, quickly sprinting through the pathways and streets back to the gate. He leapt from the edge with a spare goodbye to the doorman and quickly flew back to Earth below.

A sense of foreboding washed over him as he hovered over the dark forest where he left Kagome and he arrived just in time to watch her roll to the side and fall from the tree, apparently having forgotten to tie her hands to the truck before slipping into slumber. Raphael landed below her and managed to catch her bridal style seconds before she could hit the ground. The force drove him to one knee, the other bracing Kagome's back as his wings stretched to balance them.

Raphael breathed a sigh of relief and flopped to a sitting position along the grass, it and himself bathed in moonlight as he looked down at Kagome. She slept unawares, snuggled safely against his arms with her cheek pressed against his chest. She muttered something incoherent, even to his blessed hearing before slipping into slumber again.

Raphael shook his head, his fondness for the girl growing by leaps and bounds as he stood up and searched the woods around him. None but the woodland creatures surrounded them, with no trace of the vampire that was suddenly so adoring of Kagome. He shrugged and hopped up the tree toward her pack, his wings folded behind him as he sprang from branch to branch and to his destination.

'It is too bad,' Raphael thought to himself as he sat with his back against the tree and positioned Kagome better in his lap. 'I can only stay with you for a short time, then I must leave…forever. I wish it did not have to be as such.' He gazed up at the moonlight above, watching as the tiny sliver of white floated in the sky above.

'Maybe, in another world, we could have been friends…'

><

This mirror was starting to really piss him off.

Sesshoumaru growled at the looking glass, something he'd taken to do when something on the other side displeased him. Myouga and Jaken tended to stay clear of him at those times, choosing instead the company of the Witch of the Void until they're lord calmed himself.

"He has been like this for a while now," Myouga said as he and Jaken followed Kanna along the edge of the plateau. "I wonder what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong with Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken defended with an irritated squawk in the flea man's direction. "You would be that way too if you had to stare at a ningen all day long!"

"Sesshoumaru is that way because he doesn't understand something," Kanna interrupted as she reinforced a worn hole in her shield. "And since he's been this way for the past couple of weeks, I should say that he's thoroughly aggravated by now. Perhaps we should see what ails him-"

"It is none of your concern," Sesshoumaru growled from the center of the plateau. "So keep to yourselves."

Kanna shrugged, as did Myouga before continuing on with their business. Sesshoumaru returned back to the mirror, onyx black eyebrows knit together thoughtfully as he watched Kagome through the looking glass.

He growled to himself as she floated in her sleep, whatever it was holding her invisible to Kanna's mirror. He sighed in frustration and governed whether or not to toss the frustrating object over the side of the cliff. 'Why is it that this mirror can't see what's there?' he asked himself as Kagome's sleeping form settled against the tree. 'This has happened on numerous occasions and I have yet to see what creature holds her so close. I can even see the vampire that tracks her, but not-'

"There are some things that my mirror cannot see," Kanna's voice sang out from the edge of the cliff. "Holy creatures cannot be caught in my mirror's magic. And just for the record, I would be very upset if you tossed my mirror over the edge."

"Keep to yourself wench," Sesshoumaru commanded dryly. "And stay out of the thoughts of this Sesshoumaru."

"Of course my lord," Kanna appeased with a slight bow. 'If I actually did as he requested,' she thought as she observed the taiyoukai out the corner of her eye. 'then he would have escaped my barrier by now. He thinks I'm unaware that the holes in my barrier shield are caused by him and not by the demons surrounding us. He does not realize how foolish his plans are, and that only the girl can retrieve him safely without the vampire witch returning him to his former prison.' She shook her head in annoyance and returned to repairing yet another hole.

'Taiyoukai and their pride. When will they ever learn?'

----

Unfortunately, I've had to stop the wonderful skits that normally end these chapters. If you would like to see them, I still do them on Mediaminer and A Single Spark. This is the end of another chapter, and yet another cliffhanger to boot. I really should be ashamed of myself, but what can you do? The responses are below.

Responses:

CharMoonshine, Seshura, Aurora Black, Row, silverstargazing, ShadowCat711, GypsyGoddessDeva & Tokia: Thanks for the reviews! Another update is coming soon!

Silverfangedtiger: Shame on them for hitting you! They should be nicer. Oh well. What can we do? Anyway, no, this isn't an Aragonr/Kago romance, even though I do plan to add some fluffy moments between the miko and the daywalker. It seems like the males of this story tend to stick close to Kagome for some reason. I wonder why. Don't worry Sesshou, I wouldn't make you a guardian for a human. Poor human. You guys keep your hands to yourselves though or I'm going to have to give JD something to hit you guys with. Trust me, I have lots of great toys lying around that'll really give you a jolt.

Shiros: I've recently started reposting Trial, so you can now find it here. Hopefully it won't get put off again. I still don't know why it was put off last time. Maybe because of the ending chapter. Who knows. Anyway, I hope you enjoy that story and this one too.

White Deer: I didn't kill Vlad. Jeffs did. I can only do so much, and the Sesshou in Jeffs story took Vlad with him. Oh well.

tessa3: Not a problem. I knew you'd like that. Sorry about it being confusing. I tell you what, let me know what's confusing and I'll explain it. Hiya Kyo! How are you? I hope you guys are well. How's the plan going?

acrimsonnight: No, no problem. I'm sure there's at least a few people who still think the same thing. Good guess though. Yup, Kagome's sister is someone from the series, just not anyone you're thinking about. Trust me, you'll get a clue come the next chapter. There isn't a fan club, but I might have to start one. Everyone just seems to be falling all over the place for the resident Daywalker. I might just have to post bodyguards for him.

XxX Deaths Angel XxX: Sesshoumaru fits in because he has a job to do. See, he's being commissioned to start the war against the vampires. He does have a deeper purpose, and so does Kagome, but that doesn't come in until later.

BlueDove: Well, Christianity isn't exactly the main religion. See, the religion of Japan is still the same, but the religions have come together to get rid of the vampires. This was attempted once in the story, but the religions couldn't get along long enough for them to do their job. That's why Vlad was able to do what he did, Naraku was able to become Shogun of Japan, and the rest of the world went to Hell, so to speak.

Gopher2806: Nope, there aren't two Kikyou's. Kikyou's still a bitch in this story. What makes you think there are two?

migele: Nope, you didn't forget anything…at least I don't think so. It all looks good from here. Oh, you are forgetting something. Kagome's sister, the Tenseiga's coming and who else is to join Kagome on her mission. For right now, it's just Raphael, despite Aragon's constant attentions. Kagura is already dead (killed by Sesshou) and in a way Kagome and Sesshou are bound that way. It's a lot deeper than that, I assure you.

Kagome: Hey, SEND THE PICTURE!!!! Don't deprive me of the glory that is him helpless in bed! I've got to see that. Oh, the short haired one would be useful too. I'll need that in a later chapter of another story.

Guardian of Life: Kagome's sister isn't Midoriko. Midoriko was the old village miko that was killed with the rest of her village. You didn't spell her name wrong (for as far as I know) but that was a great guess. Sorry about the story being confusing. Let me know what's confusing you and I'll be sure to explain it for you.

Dark Neko-chan: Hey, I can end that argument for you right now….There isn't a good Kikyou in this fic. See, Kikyou is still her entire self, and she's still an evil bitch. Kagome's sister is someone else entirely. Are you serious about drawing Raphael? If you are, you know I'd love it. If not then don't worry about it.

Fire Phoenix: Inuyasha had a craving. That's what happened. You know, no one noticed that he killed Myra from the village Kagome helped. Kikyou pretty much is the main villain in all of this, but the reasons why won't come out for a few more chapters. Sucks to wait, but sometimes it helps too.

Father Malvado: Thanks. I'm really glad you think so. So sorry about the disks. I don't know what's wrong with them. One destroyed twenty-four chapters of one story. Um, as to who Kagome's sister is….I really can't tell you just yet. I can give you a hint though. Think about all the women in Inuyasha. Now wheedle all the obvious ones out and you'll have Kagome's sister.

KouseiJL: What's a magic bolas? I haven't heard of those. Good guess though. I might have to see what I can do about the fire. I kinda stuck with the old way they were used, but I'm pretty sure I can figure out something. After all, a vampire doesn't live thousands of years without learning a few simple spells. Take your time with the email. I've just moved myself and I know it sucks. Glad to know that you think things are coming together well. I'm working to keep it like that but it's hard sometimes. Thanks for not wanting to give anything away too! I can't wait to see what you think, especially after this chapter!

LittleBlackAngel: Um, that's not funny. That would be really, really messed up. Glad you like Raphael (even though most people seem to be wrapped up with Aragon. I wonder why) I've read Laying Amongst Dokatsu and It's one of my faves too. I can't wait until she picks the story back up. Kito-can is cool, that I can agree with. You're reviews aren't annoying. I love every single one that I get.

NoLabel: Yup, that's Aragon. See, he has a grudge against his own kind, and the reason why will come out later on in the fic.

BelleDayNight: Thanks! I'm glad you tink so. Yeah, Aragon is stuck with the job, but that doesn't mea that Rapahel will give up his position so easily. For right now, The Daywalker is just a bad guy with an agenda but soon he'll come to terms with some things and become a good guy…I think. This story tends to run along without me. I hate that. Hey, I've never heard of Dan Brown. What does he write? I'm mostly a horror fan myself, so that might explain why.

Mediaminer:

Kikyou372: Unfortunately, this is a S/K story. I'm trying to stick with Jeffs original pairing. I hope you keep reading though, because I do have a redemption planned for our favorite hanyou.

Akuma_River: Hey, I found Angel Sanctuary! That's what helped me with this chapter! I also learned something that will help me through the other chapters! Thanks for the recommendation!