InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Antiquitys Rune ❯ Coming into The Nightmare ( Chapter 2 )

Antiquity's Rune
Chapter Two: Nightmare Revealed, Kiuoyasha!

Kagome swung around in her spot on the ground to look at the people who had entered the small, unclean campsite and her eyes widened with disbelief at whom she saw. She was not sure what to do...cry, laugh for joy. She was happy to see them and slowly she made her way to her feet with a weak smile,

"Miroku...Sango..."

Miroku's face broke into a small smile as he recognized the girl standing before him, "Kagome...wow, you've...you're...you’re so skinny..." Sango gave Miroku a strange look and pushed the monk aside, watching him stumble into a tree. Turning to Kagome she smiled and moved closer to greet her, holding out her hands to take Kagome's slim ones,

"Kagome, it's so nice to see you...It's been a long time."

Shifting in her spot, she smiled a little wider and wrapped her arms around her dear friends shoulders, hugging her close as she gave Miroku a small non-threatening glare for his comment, though it was true, she was skinnier then she had been 2 years ago. Her body was slim and she was taller but she had more muscle then before so it made up for her skinniest. Slowly withdrawing from the hug she nodded, "Yes, two years is a long time..."

Frowning softly at her words Sango glanced back to Miruko who joined her at her side, a small uncomfortable look on his face, "Kagome it hasn't been two years...it's been eleven..."

Kagome's face twisted slightly as if to say that could not be but slowly she saw it; it was clear as the stars in the sky. Sango and Miruko had both aged and it was clear in their faces that it had been more then two years. Miruko's hair was longer and fell to his shoulders; his bangs were now chin length. His clothes appeared the same but the Shakjou he carried was different, it was larger as was the circle on top that now seemed to wear a spiked crown with small rings hanging from it. Turning her eyes to Sango she took in her friend’s appearance, her hair was longer as well falling to her mid back with long full bangs that fell to her shoulders; she did not wear a kimono but had on her demon slaying attire. A black suit trimmed with red, there were spikes on the arms and she wore a pair of boots on her feet. Her Hiraikotsu had also changed...it was now black and curved to spike at the ends. Kagome swallowed hard and nodded her head slowly, "It has really been that long..."

Miruko nodded with a smile as he moved to place his hand on Kagome's shoulder, "Yes and you have changed as well, like we all do over time."

Nodding again she sighed slightly and looked back at the young Miko who just seemed to be sitting their wide eyed taking all the information in and suddenly it dawned on her and she looked quickly from Miruko to Sango and then to Miru, "Does that mean she's?..."

Sango laughed slightly and moved to stand near Miru, "Yes, this is our daughter Miru...she has decided to follow in her fathers footsteps and chose the holy path." Miru stood smiling and waved to Kagome,

"If I knew it were you Kagome I wouldn't have been so rude."

Shifting with a small laugh Kagome rubbed the back of her head, "Likewise Miru", sighing she sat back onto the ground and looked to Sango and Miruko who had both taken a seat on opposite sides of their daughter. Letting a hand slide along her cheek she looked around and dropped her hands into her lap, she always had a tendency to talk with her hands though she had tried to grow out of it in the last few years, "Miruko...Sango, what happened here?" She had asked that question a lot since she had gotten here...hopefully now she would get her answer.

Sighing, the trio looked back and forth to each other in the end, Miruko who spoke,

"We aren't quite sure Kagome...we've been trying to figure it out ourselves...it started about 2 months ago. Strange youkai's started to appear in massive numbers but no one could find a source for it--"

Kagome waved her hand slightly in the air, "Wait..I. thought you said Inuyasha did it...but how do you know that when you aren't sure what happened at all?"

Sango motioned for Kagome to stay silent, "We'll tell you everything we know Kagome, just let Miruko talk." Kagome nodded with a weak smile and once again replaced her hands to her lap. Smiling softly at his wife Miruko turned back to look at Kagome, she was very tense he could see it in her, it would be worst when he finished,

"These demons appeared not of nowhere or at least no place that any of us could find, some say they came from the land of the west but we could not claim this to be true or not." Running his fingers through his now longer hair Miruko shifted on the uncomfortable earth beneath him as he sighed, "God Kagome, we just don't know enough...these demons appeared...and then villages disappeared, Kaede's Village...Kikyou has passed on...and Inuyasha..."

Kagome swallowed hard at the name of Inuyasha and she shook her head, he was not making much sense and really it was confusing her more, "Miruko...I don't understand..."

Miruko waved a hand to Sango who nodded slightly, she had taken the Hiraikotsu off her back and was now stroking it lightly with her hand, "Since you left, eleven years has passed...Inuyasha was living happily with Kikyou as a half demon. He had finally come to terms with what he was and he was happy to be with someone who loved him for who he was...and not something he could become."

Kagome's jaw clenched as her hands tightened into fist, she knew she would hear something like this but she did not think it would hurt so much. Biting back the tears that wanted to flow from her eyes she took a deep breath and relaxed her hands, that part of her life was over...

Sango could see Kagome's reaction but she continued on, she needed to hear these things, "Things were well for them and we often kept in contact with them...Kagome...there wasn't anything strange going on in Kaede's village. That's what we don't understand...and then the demons came...Kikyou died in battle and then...” Sango paused as if unable to go on and Kagome was about to press her to continue but she started to speak, her voice full of confusion and despair, "and then Inuyasha disappeared...and...Kagome, you don't understand when he returned he was so different!....this was the product of the battle, it seemed the demons were working for him after that...and then we found -him-..." Sango dropped back into silence and Kagome sat gapping at the trio, her head shaking slightly in disbelieve,

"What? Who? Found who?"

Miruko looked up from his seat across from the fire to Kagome and shook his head slightly, it was difficult to explain, everything had seemed to happen so fast and now; suddenly a voice came from behind him and a figure stepped from behind it, Kagomes eyes widened in confusion and disbelieve,

"That's...that's when they found me..."

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A frown appeared on her brow as she moved to her feet, looking from Miruko to Sango and then to the person who stood by the tree, her heart was in her throat and she didn't know what to say, hadn't they said he disappeared and then...did all of this? Was he not the cause of this mess? She lost some of her reserve as she turned back to Miruko, her shoulders slumping slightly,

"I don't understand..."

Miruko's lips twisted slightly as Inuyasha stepped further into the light, "Don't you? Take a closer look..."

Turning to look at Inuyasha again Kagome gasped softly in surprise, seriously, she was beginning to think this trip back here and had made her vision impaired or something, "Your hair, it's black...your ears...their gone, you aren't a half demon anymore."

The human Inuyasha before her smirked slightly as he folded his arms over his white hairginu (top) that had red patterns along the sleeves, the hakama (pants) looked similar to his old ones but these ones were white as well with the symbols along the bottom of the left pant leg. Around his waist the belt that held up his pants was black, the under shirt he wore was also black. Miruko nodded as he stood to his feet, indicating to Miru that she should begin packing up camp, a job that she quickly went about doing, "its different Kagome...he may look like Inuyasha...but...he's different, it's not the same Inuyasha."

The human near the tree huffed loudly as he looked towards the Monk, "So you keep telling me."

Looking from one male to the other Kagome twisted her lips slightly, "How can you tell...?"

Miruko shifted slightly and looked to Sango who had gone to help her daughter clean up the area, she seemed to be saying something about how messy she was, Miru only laughed. Looking back to Kagome he moved to stand besides her looking to the person that should be Inuyasha, "First of all Kagome...he doesn't remember any of us. He doesn't even always act like Inuyasha...sure some things are the same...but..." Miruko sighed slightly and looked to Kagome with a wave of his hand towards Inuyasha, "Kagome...come on now, can't you tell?"

Looking from Miruko to Inuyasha once again Kagome frowned, she knew what Miruko meant, she had had a tight bond with Inuyasha, he was her first love...he was still her love not matter how much she told herself differently. She should be able to tell. Moving closer to the boy, Kagome narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, it was as if he had not aged a day since she had left. Starting into his golden eyes her own almost narrowed into slits as she was pulled into the deeps and there she saw it in a flash, Inuyasha chained to stone, screaming for freedom. Gasping she pulled back and nodded absently to Miruko as she stepped away from the boy in front of her, "Y-You're right...it's...he's not Inuyasha." However, what did the vision mean...was this Inuyasha and his demon half just chained within? What was going on here. She was not sure and she could not just go ahead sprouting theories that may or may not have merit. Turning to look to Miruko she shrugged her shoulders slightly as she bent to pick up her pack, "I suppose you are wondering what I'm doing here...lately I've been having these nightmares...of everyone here. The Well opened up and I had to come back. I had to find out what was going on here and now that I have...I know I have to stay to help."

Miruko nodded with a smile as he clapped her on the shoulder, his hand moving down slightly to rub gently, "I understand...we are really glad that you are here Kagome."

Standing to her feet, she smiled at Miruko, however her smiled quickly turned to an angry frown as his hand moved lower but before she could do anything Miruko was knocked to the side by Sango as the girl screamed at him, "Would you give it up you Lecherous Monk! You think you would have grown out that, do I have to beat it out of you!?"

Laughing Miruko put up his hands up in defense as he tried to wiggle away from Sango, "I was just saying Hello!"

Kicking him with her foot, she watched as he crawled away and hurried to his feet, wiping his robes off. Sango's lips twisted a bit, she had gotten use to Miruko's sick humor and knew he didn't mean any harm by it but she wouldn't let him off with it either and that's just the way it was. Turning to Kagome she smiled slightly, "He's just never grown up like some of us."

Kagome smiled a bit and nodded as she glanced sideways at Inuyasha, it seemed wrong to call him that...he had hardly looked at her twice since and almost seemed to be lost in his own world, "Sango, what do we do now?"

Sango let out a heavy sigh, "We are going to go to Taijiya no Mura, it has been rebuilt for a while now and the Exterminators have been sending out people to deal with the youkai that have been plaguing the area. Kagome...Miruko and I have been searching and visiting as many villages as we can, this isn't the only village to disappear, there are four others like it and if we don't stop them soon...there can be many more, eventually all of them."

Turning slightly Kagome bit her lip, visibly stressed...it seems that the problem was much bigger then she ever could have imagined. Japan could cease to exist if something was not done soon. Taking a deep breath, she tried to build up the strength within her, to harden herself against what was to come. Turning back towards Miruko she nodded her head, "Alright, I suppose we should be going..."

With a small yawn Miruko turned and moved off into the dark, it wasn't pitch black, the nigh sky was clear and if it wasn't for the unpleasant feeling lingering in the air it would have actually been a very nice night to travel. The group traveled in silence for a while, the human Inuyasha trailing behind the group with a none-to-happy look upon his face. Leaning slightly towards Sango Kagome whispered, "Have you asked him any questions? Does he think he's Inuyasha?"

Glancing over her shoulder at what she now called Kiuoyasha (The Past Demon) Sango nodded as her eyes sought Kagomes, "We have but he doesn't remember anything of us...what he does remember is the past, before Kikyou shot him into The Sacred Tree. It's strange...he was softer back then. I know Kikyou was going to change him human with the Shikon no Tama, he would have been a different person if..." Sango trailed off her eyes widening slightly as she covered her mouth with her hand, "Kagome, I'm sorry."

Quickly Kagome raised her hand and waved the apology off, "It's alright Sango, I'm over that...but I think you have a point...Miruko said I would know if that was Inuyasha but...I wouldn't if he was how he would have been if he lived as a human back then..."

Sango nodded slightly, "It's very strange...we have taken to calling him Kiuoyasha, it seems he prefers it as well..." Kagome nodded as she continued to walk...Kiuoyasha...The Past Demon...or demon of the past. It suited this person...her once Inuyasha.

Kagome clenched her teeth hard as she stared ahead into the night, she did not know what she had excepted when she returned here. However, it was not this...villages were disappearing, Inuyasha was gone...changed into something that she had never known. Glancing back over her shoulder she blinked at the sight. Kiouyasha, her past demon staring up into the moonlight with a look that screamed lost love and on his breath the name that she wished could be hers,

"Kikyou..."