InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Children of Light ❯ Chapter 14 - Understanding ( Chapter 14 )

Inu Yasha couldn't understand what was happening. One second his mate had become like a stone statue, barley moving, barley able to utter a word, and now she was screaming like a banshee, jumping up and down and pelting out more questions then he could even hope to follow. The only coherent part of her babble was her repetitive, "Oh my gods, I can't believe I'm meeting you! I must be dreaming! This is so exciting!"

Keh. What was so exciting about his friend anyway? So what if he had been in a couple of books, what was the big deal?

"Oh man, I can't believe this, I can't believe it's really you!" Kagome had finally managed to calm herself down somewhat at Inu Yasha's insistent glaring, but her adrenalin was in over drive.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, my dear." Lestat smiled, thankful that the girl's tirade had finally begun to taper off. He was afraid she was going to have heart failure as he could hear how quickly her heart was beating in her chest. But for the first time in his long life, Lestat experienced the knowledge that the fragile girl before him wasn't shivering in fear, as most mortals who encountered him did, but from sheer excitement and jubilation. From the knowledge of knowing that she had nothing to fear from a predator like him. Hells, she was married to a predator like him! Well, sort of.

"But how do you and Inu Yasha even know each other?" Kagome finally questioned as common sense began to take control of her senses again.

"Ah, that my dear, I am afraid is a rather unexciting story." Lestat patted the air, waving the question off, when a grunted `keh' was heard in the background.

"Unexciting my ass, you bloodsucker." Inu Yasha happily added, finally able to wedge his way into the conversation. He was starting to get really annoyed with Kagome's star struck drooling.

Kagome blinked in Inu Yasha's direction as she fully registered his presence for the first time. She flinched when she also began to register the waves of annoyance and anger coming through their bond. Her excitement and shock had been so great that she hadn't even noticed it. Inu Yasha was not going to be one happy puppy.

"Now, now Inu Yasha, must we dredge up the past?" Lestat inquired politely.

"You bet your ass we do!" Inu Yasha exclaimed forcefully. He wasn't going to let his friend outshine him in front of his dazed mate. He was going to fix that, and fast!

"Inu Yasha," Kagome spoke, drawing her mate's attention to her, "what do you mean? How do you guys know each other?"

Kagome heard a defeated sigh escape Lestat's lips as Inu Yasha began his telling of the tale.

"It was almost two hundred years ago. I was roaming aimlessly around Paris when this jerk mistook me for some weak human in an alley. Apparently his sense of smell is not as great as he thinks it is. At least, it's not as good as mine." Inu Yasha added as he chanced a quick arrogant glance at his friend who seemed to be bored beyond tears as he looked down at one of his manicured nails that shone eerily under the neon lights. But Inu Yasha knew better. This was going to eat him up.

"Needless to say he found out in a big hurry what I was, and what I wasn't. I told him I wouldn't rip his head off if he kept his teeth to himself. He was probably out looking for some weak defenseless kid."

"Inu Yasha," Lestat quickly intervened in the tirade, "you know very well that I don't feast on innocent mortals."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Inu Yasha replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, to make a long story short, we made an acquaintance of sorts, especially when I came across him after some fire at his place had left him for dead. Apparently he wasn't as great a leader as he thought he was, so I helped him out. He's been following me around ever since."

Kagome wasn't fooled. She could easily see that both men held a strong respect for each other. She also figured there was more to the story then Inu Yasha was telling, especially since Kagome knew the truth about the fire, if the stories she had read about Lestat were indeed actual facts and not just a piece of fiction, given that that legend himself was standing right in front of her.

"Ever the story teller, aren't you my friend." Lestat stated with a genuine smile, giving Kagome another glimpse of his deadly canines. "Of course, we will let your lovely mate here believe what you like. And we won't tell her about all those times I had to come save, how do they say it now a days? Ah yes, your own `scrawny hide'." He laughed lightly.

"You? Save me? Dream on bloodsucker!" But the conviction just wasn't in Inu Yasha's voice to back up his claim. Yeah, they had been through some tough scrapes in the past. It was the only reason why he was even allowing the demon to act so casually with his mate. The man had become a demon brother of sorts, and with all the dark and crazy things that went on in the world these days, it was important to know who you could trust, and who you couldn't. Lestat had become one of the former.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Kagome interjected, breaking the silence. "Oh Lestat, how can I ever thank-you for taking care of Inu Yasha while I wasn't here?" She clasped the vampire's cold hands in her own, shivering slightly at the silky smooth texture of his skin.

"WHAT!?" Inu Yasha bellowed in a deafening roar, which could only barely be heard over Lestat's hysterical laughter. The vampire was laughing so hard, blood tears had started to rim around his eyes as he clung to Kagome's hands like a lifeline.

"Oh, my dear Kagome," Lestat struggled between fits of hearty laughter as he squeezed her hands before finally letting her go. "You are a peach, aren't you?" Lestat smiled so openly, that not only did his fangs show, but his eyes sparkled as well, sending a half pleasant, half cautious shiver down Kagome's spine. This reaction did not go unnoticed by one annoyed and irate hanyou.

"All right, shows over, come on Kagome, we gotta go." Inu Yasha stated as he grabbed Kagome forcefully by her wrist, practically dragging her away from the ever seductive vampire. Inu Yasha really didn't want to hurt his friend, but it was getting really hard to keep his instincts in check. He knew Lestat was getting his kicks out of watching him squirm, he was always a little twisted that way.

Kagome yelled at her mate as she struggled to release herself from his grip. "Inu Yasha! Please, don't be such a baby. Let me at least say goodbye." She finally managed to wriggle herself out from his strong grip and turned to face the amused vampire.

"Ah, mon cherìe, do not fret, I am often on this side of the world visiting my very bad tempered friend here. Me and Louis actually," he gestured a nod with his head towards his companion who was still waiting patiently at the bar for his return. "We very much enjoy travel here. We shall have a chance to chat soon I'm sure. Until then, I suggest we not press my friend's demonic temper. It is nasty, no?" The amusement in his voice was more then evident.

Kagome nodded her agreement happily. She would definitely need to sit down and talk to one of her favorite, not so fiction, characters. "I look forward to it." she smiled.

"But before you go, please, allow me," he began as he reached out and turned Kagome so that the back of her white leather jacket was facing him, "a token, for such a devoted fan."

Kagome felt a slight pressure on her back as Inu Yasha glared heatedly at the vampire behind her. She couldn't believe how composed Inu Yasha was being. Kagome was thinking that she would definitely have to make it all up to him later, when suddenly, she felt what seemed like Lestat's finger, pressing and swirling across her back. Each movement sent a little ripple of gooseflesh across her body.

"There."

Kagome turned back at the sound of the vampires voice, wondering what he had done and also wanting to say her farewells properly, when she heard Inu Yasha explode behind her in rage.

It seemed that Inu Yasha didn't particularly like the mark that Lestat had left on his mate.

There, across the back of her white leather jacket, written and smearing slightly in blood from the Vampire's own finger, was the simple autograph of, `Lestat'.

~~~~~~~~

Kagome and Inu Yasha passed through the deep red curtain. Their original destination, before Kagome had been side tracked by her star sighting and drooling. Inu Yasha was still fuming at what his so called friend had written on Kagome's leather jacket. Kagome had, had to work hard to keep the angry hanyou from ripping the vampires head off. After all, in a sense, the vampire had marked HIS mate! Lestat's hysterical laughter had done little to ease the hanyou's volatile temper.

Kagome had to fight hard to suppress her own laughter that threatened to bubble over at Inu Yasha's temper tantrum. All that ruckus, just for a silly autograph. But Lestat had known what it would do to his friend, and he simply couldn't resist. After all, he fancied himself being quite the little devil.

Inu Yasha was only brought down from his escalating blood rage when Kagome began appealing to his demon side with nips and licks to his jaw bone, indicating submission to him, and that the male before him wasn't a threat to his mate or to his dominance over her. Of course, she also had to promise him that she would get rid of the jacket as soon as they got home. Kagome had no intention of doing so. But a little white lie that could get Inu Yasha calm enough to stop seeing red was a good little lie.

She shivered as she took in the dim lighting of the room she now found herself standing in. Surprisingly, even though the doorway they had just passed through was nothing more then a curtain strewn across the threshold, she was amazed to find that she couldn't hear anything of the music in the bar that she knew blared just a few feet away. She decided that some type of magic or spell must have been cast to keep the noise out. It must have been the same thing that kept the music from leaking out into the street. After all, she was sure these guys didn't exactly welcome visits from the police or human passerby's.

The room they now found themselves in was set up quite comfortably as a casual sitting area. There was a small, simple wooden table surrounded by a long, curling couch shaped in a half circle. Tall silver candle holders and candles blazed in corners and in various spots throughout the room, casting a flickering, luminous light to their surroundings. Kagome's nose picked up the subtle scent of incense flowing from a burner, perched on top of a shelf, facing the opposite side of the half circular couch.

Kagome followed Inu Yasha with her eyes as he approached a second door, at the opposite end of the room, almost completely concealed within the wooden paneling of the room. Giving her a reassuring smile, his anger now thankfully forgotten, Inu Yasha softly knocked on the door. Kagome was startled when the door opened quietly, and discovered that no one had been behind the door to open it. It had opened on its own.

"Come on Kagome." Inu Yasha held out a hand to her, letting her know that it was okay. Kagome slowly made her way over to her mate. For some reason, she felt humbled by her surroundings. Like a part of her knew that she was somewhere special and should tread with great care and respect.

She placed her small hand in Inu Yasha's larger one, as he led them into the hidden room.

"It's all right Kagome." Inu Yasha smiled warmly at his mate. He could both smell and sense her awe and uneasiness, and wanted to reassure her. He was rewarded with a confident smile as she momentarily squeezed his hand with her own.

The new room was much smaller then the first, but it was decorated with the same candles and incense that had been displayed in the previous room. In the center of the room sat a small circular table. One chair sat on the side farthest from Kagome and Inu Yasha, while two more were positioned directly in front of them. Inu Yasha motioned for Kagome to sit, and they both sat at the little table, waiting.

"Inu Yasha?" Kagome whispered, a little unsure if it would be okay to speak at all.

"Yeah?" He replied in a regular, slightly indifferent, tone.

"What are we waiting here for?" Kagome's curiosity was peaked and she wanted to know what was going on.

Inu Yasha sighed. Kagome's curiosity was not something to be trifled with. It was what got her into trouble most of the time. She went running, usually unknowingly, after danger to sate her curiosity. "Just wait and you'll see."

Luckily, Kagome was prevented from pestering her mate any further by the sound of the door opening behind them, as an old woman's voice rang out joyfully as she made her way around to face the seated couple.

"Inu Yasha! It has been too long! Come, lets me have a look at you."

Inu Yasha stood to greet the old woman, a sincere smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he embraced the old woman whom he had known for so many years, in a rare display of affection. "Adeke, it is good to see you. You haven't changed a bit."

When Inu Yasha had finally released her from his embrace, she turned her eyes to the surprised and curious Kagome, who was a little taken back by what she saw. The old woman before her was dressed in a large dark blue cloak. Her steel grey hair, which still carried wisps of their original deep black coloring, was pulled back into a silk tie, colored in deep reds, blues and yellows. Large golden earrings dangled from her ears, while jade and stone bracelets clinked and chimed or her arms as she moved. Her eye make up was vibrant, and her eyes, they were eyes that could bore into your soul. Eyes that carried the width and breadth of knowledge and wisdom within them.

Kagome did the only thing she felt able of doing in the presence of someone so unique, so surreal. She bowed her head low, in a formal greeting of respect. The old lady Adeke smiled and laughed lightly.

"Come child, let me take a look at you. Let me see the face of the only one to tame this wild heart." She nudged her head towards Inu Yasha as a slight tint of red grazed both Inu Yasha and Kagome's cheeks.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Adeke." Kagome said as she stood to face the woman. She was surprised when the woman took her in her arms and hugged her, just as she had hugged Inu Yasha. She hugged her with her heart, with her soul. It was an embrace full of warmth, sincerity, familiarity, and above all else, power.

"Come now, sit, the both of ya's. Tell me, what brings you here to me now. Adeke knows that something troubles thee." She smiled as she ushered them back into their seats while taking the remaining chair across from them.

"Well Adeke, it's like my message told you. There have been some, `unusual developments' lately." Inu Yasha grinned. He had sent a message to arrange a meeting with the woman soon after Kagome had experienced her unusual vision. He wanted to know what was going on, but didn't want to tell Adeke too much beforehand. She had a remarkable way of seeing the truth of things for herself, and Inu Yasha had come to greatly respect and admire her opinions and advice.

"Yes, yes, well then, let's have a look shall we?" Adeke reached into the folds of her cloak and pulled out a dark blue, velvety pouch that was bound up with a golden cord. She shook the bag around, muttering something under her breath with her eyes closed. When she seemed satisfied with amount of shaking, she reached into the pouch, eyes still held tightly shut and removed a handful of stones.

She then opened her eyes and gave a little wink towards Inu Yasha. This was an old pastime for them. Adeke had lost count the number of times Inu Yasha had come to her, looking for guidance, for understanding. For anything that would help him to understand his own life and the meaning within it.

"Well now, here we are then." She cast the stones upon the table as they landed in various places. It was then that Kagome noticed the deep runes engraved on each stone, each symbol different from one to the next.

Kagome could barely move, could barely breathe, as she witnessed the little spectacle before her. In her current life, she had never been to see a psychic, though she had often wished she had. Her friends however, had always talked her out of it. Telling her what a bunch of nonsense it all was. If only they knew. The memories and the knowledge of her former life told Kagome that this woman knew exactly what she was doing, and Kagome was eager to hear anything that she had to say.

"Well now," Adeke rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she took in the layout of the stones, "this is very interesting."

"What is it? What do you see?"

Kagome elbowed her impatient mate in the side.

"Ouch!! Woman!"

"Inu Yasha, be patient. Let Adeke tell us what she sees when she's ready. Not when you are."

Inu Yasha grumbled silently at her, but didn't say anything. Adeke watched the exchange with amusement and interest. "It is okay my child. I know how Inu Yasha is. He cannot help himself. Sometimes he is still very much like the child I remember."

Inu Yasha huffed at the comparison.

"A child? But how could you remember Inu Yasha as a child? He's almost 200 years old." Kagome was sure the old woman had only been exaggerating. That or she was starting to go senile.

"My dear, do not let my human body and appearance fool you. I assure you, when I knew Inu Yasha as a babe, I was already old."

Kagome gaped open-mouthed. But how was that possible? Kagome was sure the old lady was human. Not a flicker of demon energy resided in her aura.

"I am a Seer child," Adeke answered for her, "with great powers and great magic's. It is these powers that rejuvenate my mind, body and soul, and attest to my long life. There are few of us in the world, but in the world we are." She nodded solemnly at this last statement, as if remembering some sad memory.

Kagome was beside herself. What else would she learn about the world she lived in that she didn't know before?

"Now my child," Kagome's attention was placed back to the woman before her, who seemed to have pushed away whatever sad memories had momentarily made their way to the surface of her thoughts.

"You, my child, have come from far, have you not?" Kagome's expression clearly indicated that she didn't understand what the old woman was referring too. The drive hadn't been that long.

"And you, Inu Yasha, you too have made this journey. I saw it in you when I came through the door. You both have awakened, have remembered your lives before lives, no?" She grinned knowing that she had seen exactly right, but she still enjoyed seeing their surprised looks, especially since Inu Yasha had told her nothing of what had happened since before remembering his past life.

"How did you?" Kagome could barely finish her sentence, and one look at her equally shocked mate told her that he had not said anything about it to the old women.

"There is more here, my child, for both of you." She looked at Inu Yasha and Kagome to make sure she had their undivided attention.

"I see your awakening. I see the battle you fought before arriving here. There was much bloodshed, much sorrow." Adeke's voice had become full of emotion, almost as if she was feeling the sorrow and pain herself through the connection she had made.

"The darkness was great, but there was a light, much stronger then that which consumed you. It was this light, my child, which brought you both here, to this place. This light that banished the darkness, for a time. Think my child, do you remember?"

"I don't…" Kagome's mind rewound in her memories. She attempted to remember anything she could of that last day. The day her world fell apart. The day she died.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Slowly she looks up to see a mane of white just feet from her own fallen form, still and unmoving. Her heart and her soul clench in a fiery rage that threatens to consume her entire being.

"Noooooooooo!" She screams out, reaching for the silken mane. A scream that threatens to tear her soul from her body. Tears stinging her eyes, the darkness closes around her. With the final echo of her blinding scream, there is a flash of brilliant white and violet light that chases away every shadow, threatening to burn away vision, before darkness envelops the world once again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome gave an audible gasp as her eyes widened in wonder and amazement.

"Kagome?" Inu Yasha reached a hand over, and laid it on top of Kagome's left hand that was now splayed on top of the little table. Her knuckles whitened, as she tried to reach her hand through the wooden top.

"There… there was a light." Kagome could not remove her gaze from the old woman. Those last moments had come flooding back into her mind. The burning light, the pain, the sorrow. Her absolute refusal to believe in the tragedy that had befallen her family and friends. Her mate.

The old woman nodded gravely. "Yes child. You. You are the force behind the awakening, behind that which has transpired."

Kagome was stunned into silence, unable to voice the questions that Inu Yasha knew were bombarding her right at that moment. "But how?" Inu Yasha couldn't understand how Kagome could possibly affect time.

"All I may say is that Kagome's power, which was strongly connected to the jewel of so long ago that I have seen, was far greater then any of you understood. She is not only a Miko, but a Seer as well." An inaudible sound escaped Kagome's throat at the revelations being made before her.

"Your soul, my child, drew on the power of the stone, and that which you hold within you. Your own light is connected to The Light, as all things are. Though you did not posses the stone in your hands, your powers merged with it and became one. The strength of your love, the purity and power of your soul, combined with your sorrow and grief became an unstoppable force."

Tears brimmed in Kagome's eyes, as Inu Yasha edged his chair closer to his mate and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to offer what comfort he could. He knew how much it would kill him to see Kagome suffering or in pain, and she had seen the destruction of everyone, even himself, before the end. He didn't want to imagine the sorrow, the anger, the pain that must have overcome her then. He was sure it would have ripped him apart.

"But with the strength and power you unleashed, you were able to remove from the world, he who had brought such horror and misery into your life, and you carried with you, the slain souls of your family and friends. Your desire to undo the injustice has been brought forth into this world, here and now. It is a second chance, my child. The life you could not live before, you live now. And those who had been lost to you are no longer lost."

The tears finally burst from Kagome's reddened eyes, as Inu Yasha pulled her into his embrace, setting her on his lap. Adeke looked down thoughtfully, feeling great pity and sympathy for the child who had endured so much.

"It's okay Kagome. We're okay, and it's because of you." Inu Yasha reassured her as he stroked her hair, her face had turned into his chest in an effort to quiet the sobbing.

As Inu Yasha's soft voice began to sooth and calm her, Kagome's sobbing quieted to sorrowful hiccups. It was so hard to think of those memories, those days, that moment. But she did not want those horrible memories to haunt her for the rest of her life. They had a second chance now, to live the life they were deprived of, and she was determined not to let anything get in the way of that. She slowly turned her head to face the old woman.

"What…what happened to the jewel then?" Kagome wiped her tear stained cheek with the back of her hand, as she turned in Inu Yasha's lap to face the woman that had brought answers to questions that had been burning within her since her awakening.

"That my child, is something I am not entirely sure of. It may be that by merging with the jewel as you did, its powers were exhausted and is now gone from this world. Perhaps the power still lays within you, dormant and unfocused. Or perhaps the jewel has taken another form. But as I have said, I am uncertain of the jewels fate. I do know however, that the jewel possessed a consciousness in its own way. That is why the jewel merged with you at the end, even though you did not hold it in your possession. It chose too."

Kagome wasn't sure if that made her feel any better. It was a little uneasy thinking that the jewel may have had its own subtle consciousness. She chose to push away the unsettling thoughts for the moment.

"What about Inu Yasha? He's been here for so long. And our memories, I don't understand." she sniffed and continued to wipe at her tear stained cheeks as her mate wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

"To be honest, I do not know why Inu Yasha came so far before you. Perhaps his soul was too eager for vengeance and was eager to return. As for your memories, you and Inu Yasha share a very deep connection, and I imagine when you connected again, your souls simply refused to remain ignorant to your memories, to your bond. Though there may be another reason."

"What reason?" Inu Yasha didn't like the tone of Adeke's voice. There was something more she had yet to tell them, but he could tell she wasn't sure if she should or not. But if they were to make any sense of anything that had happened to them over the last few weeks, they needed all the facts.

Adeke looked down and took in a deep breath. Not sure of how to break the news to the young couple before her, who had already endured so much.

"Though Kagome's light and strength overpowered and removed the dark presence from your former life, she was unable to bring your souls with her into this life, unless there was a balance."

"What do you mean, `balance'?" Kagome was pretty sure she didn't want to hear what was coming.

"Do you not know child? Have you not recently come face to face with The Light? I feel its presence upon you. Did it not bring truths to illuminate your darkness?"

To say that Kagome was shocked to know that somehow this woman knew of her dream, knew of the vision with the entity of light, was an understatement. Although, she was quickly startling to realize that this old woman was much more then what she seemed. Much more then what even she let on. Even more then what Inu Yasha most likely thought.

"Life child, is about balance. In energy, in nature, in life. You cannot have up without down, or near without far. And as such, my child, you can not have light without dark." Adeke let this thought hang in the air, so the girl and the hanyou could understand what she was saying.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Remember child, in darkness lies light, just as in light, there lays a thread of darkness. Light can not know that it is light, unless there is darkness to mirror its essence. Just as darkness can not know that it is dark, unless there is light to illuminate its own truth."

Kagome's head reeled as she attempted to process what the being had just tried to explain to her. Her head felt like it was going to explode at any moment. She couldn't grasp what this entity was trying to tell her, but it sounded almost like it was trying to say, `you can't know what good is, unless you know what bad is'. Kagome waited, huddled on the ground, waiting for it to continue. Her head lowered, her hair cascaded around her like a curtain to keep the worst of the glare from her eyes.

"We come as you have called, as you have desired. As you have…wished…" the entity let this last word hang in the silence before continuing, its words getting fainter and farther from Kagome's thoughts.

"From another world, another life, thee have crossed the threads of light and of dark. The light has been reborn, and with it the dark. Thee must bring your power to bear. Learn the truth of the light, or the dark will consume thee again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"He… he's here, isn't he?" Kagome didn't really need to ask. She already knew the answer. She had suspected as much.

"Yes child. To fulfill your desire, your wish, you all returned. The light, along with the dark."

Kagome hung her head. All her dreams and wishes of living a happy and joyous life, whisked away so quickly. She thought her heart would break from the overwhelming disappointment.

A deep angry growl emanated from Inu Yasha's chest. "Just let that bastard come and try! Don't worry Kagome, he won't get the better of me a second time." Inu Yasha's eyes flashed red as the anger began to seethe within him. He would not allow his friends, his family, to be hurt. He had failed once, a failure that hung heavily on his soul, and he would be damned if he let that happen again. He would take on Naraku alone, and ensure that no harm would come to his friends or to his mate.

Kagome already knew what thoughts were running through Inu Yasha's mind. She knew he blamed himself, and himself alone, for the loss of the battle. But how could she make him understand that it was not his fault? That it had been hers. She was the protector of the jewel. She should have been able to do something, anything, to stop the evil that Naraku had caused. Laying guilt and blame aside, however, she shared in her mate's determination. Naraku would not win a second time.

She turned to look at him, confidence brimming over in her eyes. "Inu Yasha." She waited until he looked at her and the flickering of red in his eyes began to fade.

"He will not take from us again." The tone of her voice, the look in her eyes, told Inu Yasha that there was simply no questioning this. It was not a matter of `if', but a matter of `when'. A simple fact. He nodded to her, the same look reflected in his own eyes.

"Thank-you Adeke." Inu Yasha turned his attention back to the old woman. "You've answered a lot of questions for us, and we really appreciate it."

Adeke smiled and nodded. "Before you leave children, remember this, you have awakened now, and it is only a matter of time before those connected to you will awaken as well. That is, if their souls choose too, or if you are willing to open the door for them. But know Kagome, your Miko and Seer powers are stronger then what they have ever been, and you are deeply connected to this light, as I'm sure you have already seen." Kagome nodded remembering her vision clearly.

"You need not look for this being, this Naraku. For be assured that he will find you. You have all the power and strength among you to do what you must. Only, do not doubt in yourselves as you have done in the past, do not allow the past to repeat itself. Instead, let the light guide your way."

Inu Yasha and Kagome nodded their thanks with smiles and reassurances that they would remember all that she had said.

When the young couple finally left, Adeke leaned back in her chair. She let out an exhausted breath when a dark shadow moved silently behind her.

"The time has come. You know what you must do?" She asked to the shadow behind her, without turning in her chair, as she continued to stare at the door where Inu Yasha and Kagome had exited.

"Yes, I know." The shadowed figure replied quietly, before stepping back into the deeper shadows and disappearing from the room.

Adeke nodded her approval to the darkness around her as a grim look of determination crossed her face.