InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Second Chance ❯ Chapter 2

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Kagome and Rin begin their journey, and Rin has her first taste of a cookie. Later on in the chapter, the Eastern Lord and Dark Miko are still arguing. Is there more to the Dark Miko than meets the eye (can be found out in later chapter)? General Nikuso begins his journey, while Koemna questions what could possibly be happening in the past.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Suspense / Adventure | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 03.28.2005 | Updated On: 04.23.2005 | Pages: 8 | Words: 7.3K | Visits: 413 | Status: Completed

To Be Near Death

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Inuyasha&Co or Yu Yu Hakusho&Co. Inuyasha&Co. is owned by Rumiko Takahashi. Yu Yu Hakusho&Co is owned by Yoshihiro Togashi. I own only the idea for this fan fiction.

Yay! If you're here right now, that must mean you either liked my first chapter, or wanted to see if I would improve in this chapter. I am overjoyed that there were some people who actually liked my first chapter of my first fan fiction! I'm terribly sorry that this chapter didn't come out sooner. My computer kept on getting weird viruses and not letting me on the internet. Anyways, to those of you who did not like my first chapter, or found some errors, I went back after reading the reviews and edited the chapter. Just FYI, I have the ideas for all the chapters through Chapter 28 saved on my computer, which will make writing them much easier for me. I imagine that this story will have nearly 40 chapters in all. Please send a review once you are done reading. Flames are fine; just tell me what I'm doing wrong. ^_^

Italics normally mean a person's thoughts or an author's note, but sometimes I use them for emphasis. Underlining is for emphasis and titles. Bold is for emphasis, borders, titles, and for flashbacks.

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www.fanfiction.net

Thank you so much Keath's girl for being my first reviewer on this website!!!

Keath's girl: First and foremost: Thanks for reviewing!! Sorry about the exactness on the times. I think I was a bit over-obsessed with decimals the day I wrote that chapter. It must have been very annoying to read so many perfect seconds and minutes. After I read your review, I immediately changed those parts of my 1st chapter. The revised version is now on the website. Hopefully, you will see progress in this chapter. :)

Amara: Thanks a million! I'm going to try and write this fanfic as well as I can.

kriss: Thank you!!!

lil: Thank you for reviewing! Yes, Sesshoumaru and Kagome do meet…eventually. It may be a little while, like maybe in the 5th, 6th, or 7th chapter, but they will meet.

loseing-hope: Thank you for reviewing and helping me improve my writing! About the “annoying and boring” part, I'm not exactly sure on what you meant. I'm assuming you meant something like sentence variety or the length of the chapter. So…I went back into the 1st chapter and redid some of the sentences that I felt were uninteresting. Also, I put in more description about the dark miko. The revised version of the 1st chapter is now on this website. Maybe you will see improvement in my writing in this chapter.

ladonna: Thanks!!!

Kagomoesiun: Thanks so much!!!

lil mutt face grl: Thanks!!!! I'm happy that you've liked my story so far!!! ^_^

GFIH: Thank you!!!

Tokia: Thanks!!!!!!

LunaML: Thanks for reviewing!

LadyRose: Thank you for taking the time to review!!!

Avaeya Obvilias: Thanks for reviewing!!! It turns out that my 2nd chapter was much shorter than I thought it would be, so I didn't use the Dark Miko's name.

RuBiAx: Thanks!!! No offense to anyone here, but I don't really like stories with those plots either.

LadyAkina: Ummm…I'm really sorry, but Sesshoumaru kind of has to die. The Eastern Lord isn't going to rule both lands though (you'll have to keep on reading to find out what happens to the Western Lands). Thanks for reviewing!

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www.mediaminer.org

To everyone that read this story before I changed it…I apologize for changing it so very much. I really didn't mean to, but I suddenly had this other idea. Both stories will have the same events though, and the same ending. Sorry for the inconvenience, I'll understand if you stop reading.

Chrissy14: Thank you for reviewing!

DoGgYLoVe: Thank you!!

Joychan: Thanks so much for the names!!! I didn't use the Dark Miko's name in this chapter though. Later chapters will have her name though, and I'll be sure to keep the ones you mentioned in mind. ^_^

hieisgurl1489: Thanks a million for reviewing!!! The name Kiorin is really cool! I'm really sorry that I didn't review for your story. I couldn't find it, but I'll look again, just to be sure.

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www.animespiral.com

Because this website allows me to respond to my reviewers directly without having to include the response in my story, I have nothing to say to my reviewers here. I would like to thank all of you once more for reviewing. Also, I would like to apologize about the inconvenience caused by me changing the title from A Second Chance to Soul of Light. I changed it because no one was reading under my other title. Plus, Soul of Light has an important meaning in the fan fiction. I hope that it did not cause too many problems.

And so this chapter FINALLY begins…

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Rin and Kagome

Kagome yawned loudly and snuggled up in her sleeping bag while looking at the thousands of bright stars in the evening sky. In her own time era, it was nearly impossible to see so many stars, especially when you lived in the bustling city of Tokyo. Sometimes, Kagome forgot that she had ever lived 500 years in the future. Even though most of her life hadn't been spent in the past, it felt more “home-like” than the future. There weren't any polluting cars, subways with heart-stopping speeds, obstreperous air plane engines, and her favorite: no tests whatsoever. It was much more tiring in the past though, especially after Rin had entered her life. For the past six days since Rin had “arrived”, Kagome's world had suddenly “reshaped” itself. At times, it seemed like her life hadn't changed at all since Inuyasha had told her the truth.

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Flashback

After Kagome had gently covered Rin up with the spare sleeping bag, Kagome started the task of hiding Kuaiyu's body. The morning sun had just begun to rise when Rin regained consciousness. Fortunately, Kagome had had enough time to efficiently hide the body of Kuaiyu behind a thick row of blossoming rose bushes. It wasn't enough time for Kagome to return to camp before Rin awoke in panic though. As soon as Rin had rubbed out the sleep in her head, she screamed a high-pitched sound at the top of her lungs, waking the entire forest.

“WHERE IS RIN!!!!!? WHERE IS RIN!!!! WHERE IS KUAIYU-CHAN!!!!! WHERE IS LORD SESSHOUMARU!!!! WHERE IS JAKEN!!!!! RIN IS SCARED!!!! RIN IS SCARED!!!! RIN IS …WHAT IS RIN IN?!!!! It's fluffy and soft like Lord Sesshoumaru's tail! But, it's not Lord Sesshoumaru's tail!!!! Is Rin in the forest? Lord Sesshoumaru told Rin to NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER go into the forest without Ah-Un or Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru said that it was DANGEROUS!!!!! What if Rin is DIES again? Maybe wolves took Rin into the forest!!!! Rin has to run!!!! But Rin likes the blue, fluffy thing!!!! Rin will take it with Rin and Rin will run away!!!!”

Without a moment of hesitation, Rin stood up and was prepared to escape from “wolves”. She did not regard any of the bleeding cuts or blue bruises all over her arms and legs. She grabbed the “fluffy thing”, which was actually the sleeping bag, and hauled it with much difficulty to the edge of the clearing. Then, she proceeded to jump into the sleeping bag, and started hopping towards the nearby oak tree.

Kagome burst into the clearing just soon enough to see Rin's glossy, black hair bobbing up and down as she jumped in the sleeping bag. It would've been a hilarious sight, had the sleeping bag not been Souta's.

“STOP RIN!!!!! That's MY BROTHER'S sleeping bag!!!! Get back here!!! I'm not going to hurt you!!!! Please…come back here!!! Sesshoumaru sent Kuaiyu to tell me to take care of you!!! Come back!” Kagome screamed desperately. If she lost Souta's sleeping bag, he would kill her when he found out. After all, who enjoyed having their favorite sleeping bag lost by their sister 500 years in the past? Worse yet, although she had yet to figure out what Sesshoumaru's relationship to the child was, if he had asked someone to deliver the girl to safety, the girl had to be of some value to him. Kagome shuddered at the thought of what could happen to her if Sesshoumaru discovered that Rin had run away into the forest full of demons.

Meanwhile, Rin still continued on into the forest. The one goal she was focused on was to take the fluffy thing, now introduced as a “sleeping bag”, and make a run for it.

As Rin's small figure started to become a tiny black and blue speck against the background of trees, Kagome gave one final attempt to keep Rin in the clearing and yelled, “Rin!!! If you don't come back here right now I'll…I'll…umm…tell Lord Sesshoumaru that you were a bad girl and Lord Sesshoumaru will be very mad!!!”

That did the trick. The second Kagome's words reached Rin's ears, she halted in half-jump and faced Kagome.

“Is pretty lady sure? Will Lord Sesshoumaru be mad at Rin if Rin runs away from big, bad wolves and takes a fluffy thing?” inquired Rin curiously, eyes filled with respect for what Sesshoumaru believed in. In her eyes, he was more than just a father figure, he was the law.

“Ummm…,”this is your chance to make sure Sesshoumaru doesn't skin you alive, Kagome!!! “…yes, I think Lord Sesshoumaru would be very mad if I told him you had been a bad girl.” Yeah…he'd be REALLY mad at ME…but Rin doesn't need to know that. Tell Rin only what she wants to know.

“Is pretty lady positive?” Rin asked.

“Yes, I'm positive that Lord Sesshoumaru would be mad. Now come back here and give me the sleeping bag.” Kagome stomped her foot on the underbrush and dead leaves beneath her feet to emphasize her statement. The leaves crackled angrily in return.

“Is pretty lady POSITIVE POSITIVE?” asked Rin again. She squinted her large amber eyes, trying to detect traces of a lie.

“Yes, I'm positive positive! Now come back here!!!” the now-very-worked-up Kagome screamed. Pretty soon, she would be willing to drag Rin back by force, if it came to that.

“Is pretty lady POSITIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE?” said Rin.

“Okay already!!!! Yes, I'm positive, positive, positive, positive, positive, positive that he'd be very angry!!!! Come back here already!!!!!” Hollered Kagome impatiently, trying to calm herself down. Rin was only a little girl.

“Okay!!!! Rin will go back now. Lord Sesshoumaru always knows what's right!!!!” answered Rin cheerfully. Then, she smiled a dazzling smile of one missing front teeth. To Rin, the whole incident had never occurred.

Afterwards, Rin hastily scurried back to the clearing. Unfortunately, Kagome found out that the sleeping bag's bottom was already torn and covered with a mixture of mud and dead leaves. Souta would be very…displeased.

End Flashback

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Kagome closed her grey-blue eyes contently. Tomorrow would be a new day, and when you are taking care of Rin, you need as much sleep and energy as you can get. If you aren't stuck following her while she picked wildflowers, it was playing an endless game of Tag, or Hide-and-Go-Seek. No wonder Jaken had always hated taking care of Rin. But Kagome didn't mind; Rin reminded her a lot of Shippou. Their personalities were so alike that it almost hurt to be around Rin sometimes.

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In “His” Mind

(A/N: The beginning of this segment may be slightly confusing, but it will be explained later on in the chapter)

In the distance, as far as even his eyes could see, there was a single finger of golden light coming from an unknown source, piercing through everything like a paper-thin sword blade. Violent winds blew around him, creating unendurable noises that greatly hurt his sensitive ears. He seemed to be submerged in a silver mist that covered his shining mane in a thick coat. All this was according to his heart, but to his eyes and ears, everything was only a figment of his imagination.

When he reached out to try to touch the invisible mist, it dissolved into thin air. If he tried to feel the breeze, it disappeared without a trace. As he slowly glided closer to the light, it always shrank back away from him or vanished like it was never there; everything his heart believed to be there was only a memory that he longed for. Even the air around him seemed to be artificial.

To his eyes, it was all simply darkness. Darkness so black, it blinded his golden orbs beyond what any bright light could. His mind was drowned in chaos, and thoughts of suicide forcefully entered his mind. However, it was impossible to kill himself. Every time his sharp claws scratched deep into his pale flesh, and the green poison rushed through his veins, the bloody wound healed immediately.

After many attempts that lead to no results, he had at last concluded that he was immortal in this realm. Forever, he had dreamed to achieve this ultimate level of accomplishment and greatness. To obtain immortality was to become equal to the gods…to become a god. It meant being worshipped in temples by demons and humans alike, respected, feared by all, and to always be remembered. Yet, now that he had immortality, he detested it. It was an invisible prison of life without any key.

Nothing made sense, simply because absolutely nothing was controlled by him. The orderly world that he had created through hard work, determination, and self sacrifice was erased. The world itself was refusing to accept him as part of it.

For the first time in his life, Sesshoumaru felt weak, powerless, and rejected.

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At Sesshoumaru's Study in the Western Palace

A stunningly-handsome demon dressed in grimy, gray rags stood stock-still in front of the once-elegant, arched doorway that used to lead into Lord Sesshoumaru's study. The demon would've struck most people as a spy or eavesdropper; most people were right.

Behind the silk-covered, double-doors, the two distinct voices of the Eastern Lord and the Dark Miko could be heard raging furiously at the other. The demon outside gently pressed one pointed ear against the left door, eyebrows twitching in deep thought. Then, he took his sparkling blue claw and scratched a light circle with many lines onto the surface of the door.

As the clamoring grew inside, the demon mysteriously faded into the wall. With him, the mark on the door disappeared.

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Western Palace's Dungeon

General Nikuso paced anxiously back and forth down the long marble walkway, retracing his footsteps again and again while closely studying each crack in the marble. He did not understand what the “Dark Miko” and Eastern Lord were debating about. Over the past some hours, he had heard the two screaming at each other through five entire floors!!! If it had just been a fifteen minute feud, the general wouldn't have minded. Unfortunately, it was taking them practically forever to work out their problem.

4 days ago, General Nikuso had been told to guard the Lord of the Western Lands with his life, and was ordered not to leave the walkway under any circumstances, be it a blizzard, hunger, or battle. Nearly everyone in the palace had gone off to hunt in the Western Forests to celebrate their victory, leaving him, two angry people, some guards, and a potentially dangerous prisoner all alone in the mansion. Since then, the General's predicament had not changed at all. He hoped something fascinating would pop up soon. The black, polished tiles of the walkway were not becoming any more interesting.

It really isn't fair. All the other Generals and Captains were off on the hunt, yet I, the head general, General Nikuso, am stuck starving in a dim-lit hallway. It isn't like the Western Lord has even half a chance to escape from his “prison cell”, Sufeng. In fact, no one has ever escaped the Sufeng. The Eastern Lord is nuts!

The General was convinced that the Dark Miko had bewitched the Lord of the Eastern Lands with her sweet promises and perilous beauty. He did not believe that the miko was even human. Ever since he had watched her descend upon his Lord's balcony from the heavens on the night of the new moon, General Nikuso had not believed anything about the miko. The “miko” was probably a powerful sorceress disguised who had deceived and manipulated his Lord.

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Flash Back

Golden rays of light streamed through the barred windows at the Council Hall. At the head of the table sat the Lord of the Eastern Lands in complete royal attire. After all the Generals, Captains, and important persons of the court had seated themselves, the Eastern Lord cleared his throat and began his hastily-prepared speech.

“My dear trustworthy servants and loyal followers, it has come to my attention that the Western Lord's subjects have been claiming much of what is Eastern Land. My subjects that once lived near the border line have no place to reside now. The Dark Miko, one of my many spies, informed just last night of this problem. My fellow country demons, we shall not allow Lord Sesshoumaru, son of Lord Inutaisho, to take advantage of our temporary loss in strength. This is unplanned for, but necessary: I wish to declare war to Lord Sesshoumaru.”

Audible gasps escaped the lips of many aged demons, while the faces of the younger nobles lit up in excitement. Most of the court was puzzled, for it took centuries for the Lord to decide on anything. That's if you were lucky. When the court had been woken up that morning and learned that the Eastern Lord had a speech to give, everyone had ate as much breakfast as possible. The Eastern Lord's speeches often made them miss quite a number of meals.

In a dark corner of the Council Hall, General Nikuso pondered where war with the Western Lands would lead to. It was obvious that the Eastern Lord had been influenced by the “Dark Miko”.

In a manner of thinking, the Eastern Lord was actually improving. The speech and final decision hadn't hindered any meals. But to the General, it felt like committing the army to suicide. After all, everyone knew that the Lord of the Western Lands was as invincible as any mortal could be. Lord Sesshoumaru's army was flawless, his guards skilled in combat, and even his servants were completely loyal. It was impossible to even ambush the Western Lord, so calculating was he. Lord Sesshoumaru was the kind of demon that General Nikuso had dreamed to be in his childhood.

End Flashback

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My once idol is my prisoner. This is my fate, how strange. Perhaps I will be given an explanation later on. Everything does happen for a reason.

A deafening screech (A/N: It sounds like when someone runs their fingernails down a chalkboard) ended the General's thoughts. The sound instantly made him think of the sound that his sword would make as it slashed into hard stone. Inwardly, he cringed.

Where did that come from!!! Surely the Lord of the Western Lands could not make such an ugly noise! But if it was not him, who was it? What was it?

Just then, the General caught sight of something fading into the iron-plated door of the Sufeng. It was in the shape of a tiny “and” sign with a circle, 4 point star and some line.

With closer examination, Geneal Nikuso would've determined the scratching of the sign as the source of the screech, but it faded away too quickly. The General was afraid to go into the Sufeng to find clues about the marking. He quickly dismissed both the noise and the sign, telling himself that he was becoming too paranoid with the occurrence of all the unusual events.

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