InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Destiny ❯ Ichimori ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

        ;  Here is the next chapter. Kikyo makes her appearance and she might be in the story more after this chapter. Kurosuke will also be in here a bit, of course. I'm trying to decide just how bad of a guy he should be. What do you think? We get to see a bit into Kurosuke's past in this lovely chapter. And wait...Do I see Koga anywhere in here? Yes, I think I do. Well, on with the chapter.


Kikyo walked through the forest. All was dark and quiet as she passed by.
The silence was comforting as she finally reached the clearing she had been seeking out.

In the middle of the clearing was a lake. A beautiful lake with crystal clear water, hence the
name, Crystal Lake.

The setting sun hit the lake and reflected off of it, showing a beautiful array of colors.
Kikyo walked to the waters edge and put her forefingers together in front of her face.

She concentrated all of her thoughts and said the sacred chant that would summon the
dormant one.

"Arise Ichimori, goddess of the deep forest. Hear my call and rise again. Give me the
answers I seek!"

The land began to shake and the water part as a small dome made completely of crystal
forced its way up. The earth groand as the sanctuary appeared completely and all once
again stilled.

A layer of crystal made a pathway from the dome to Kikyo. It beckoned her, called to her.
She knew what she must do.

She walked across the crystal path gracefully and reached the crystal dome. Kikyo placed
her and on the top of the dome as she summoned her spiritual power.

"Awaken!" Kikyo called as a bright blue light erupted from her hand. The dome slowly parted
and a beautiful young woman sat up, looking around her.

Hair as blue as the waters, it fell around her face as she looked down at her hands. Her eyes
were as green as the new leaves of spring as she looked up to meet the gaze of Kikyo.

She stood up on her feet and faced the woman who had summoned her.

"Why have you awaken me?" Ichimori asked in a beautiful whisper of a voice. "I am a mere
guardian of a forest. What brings you here, priestess?"

"Oh great Ichimori, guardian of this forest and lake, I seek answers that only you can give."

Ichimori squinted her eyes as she surveyed Kikyo.

'This woman's aura. It's so strange,' Ichimori thought. 'Wait, this priestess. She is not human
nor demon. What is she?'

"What manner of being are you, priestess?" Ichimori asked as she reached out to touch
Kikyo's cheek. 'It's so cold,' she thought as she removed her hand.

"What I am is of no importance. What is important is if you will answer my questions."

Ichimori closed her eyes. 'Now I understand. She's dead. She requires the souls of lonely,
lost maidens to sustain this frozen recreation of hers.'

"Very well then. I shall answer your questions if it is in my knowledge to do so."

Kikyo smiled. "Tell me of the one they call Kurosuke."



Kasuya entered the room.

"My lord, I have returned from my mission."

"And."

"This Kikyo I was ordered to follow, she seeked out the council of Ichimori."

Kurosuke threw back his head and laughed. "And what knowledge does she expect to gain
from Ichimori?"

'Ichimori,' he thought as his laughter died. 'She was the beginning of my downfall, when she
turned my beloved against me. If only my dear Hagime. If only.'




"Kurosuke?" Ichimori repeated.

"Yes. Do you know of him?"

"Indeed I do. But how do you, one who came after his time, know of him?"

Kikyo's eyes glazed over as she remembered previous events.

"I was tending to the injured after a battle when he summoned me to his castle. It appears
that this Kurosuke claims to be the long lost son of the previous Lord Haru of the land of
Korai."

Kikyo paused a minute, then resumed.

"He wished my assisstance in the treatment of one of his advisors, who was badly injured.
The man remained unconcious the whole time. There was nothing I could do for him. In the
end, he perished. But I could sense that he died an unclean death. And this Kurosuke,
something about him just didn't seem right. And his aura was unusual. There was
something...false about his demeanor. And he looked at me very strangely."

"How is this possible?" Ichimori questioned as she thought it over. She hadn't always been
confined to this lake in this forest. She once roamed free. "About two hundred years ago,
there was a youkai called Kurosuke. He came back to Japan from the continent with an
army fit to kill. He took us all by surprise, his brother the most."

She paused for breath. Kikyo nodded her head for her to continue.

"He wished to start war with the most powerful youkai at the time, which was the Inu no
Taisho. Wishing to take over the Western Domain, he schemed. He attacked the nearby
villages and killed the sister of the high priest, Kyo Higurashi."

'Higurashi," Kikyo thought. 'Why does that name sound so familiar to me?'

"Seeking revenge, Kyo joined forces with the Inu no Taisho and defeated Kurosuke, driving
him and his army into an extensive network of caves, confining them all to stone cases. I
beared witness to these events. They still seem so fresh in my mind, like it was only
yesterday." Ichimori finally finished her story.

"And is there anything else?"

Ichimori considered telling her the rest of the story, but decided against it. It was not her
story to know.

"Before he was sealed away, Kurosuke swore revenge. He swore that he would be back,
and that he'd make the descendants of the Inu no Taisho and Kyo pay. I'd advise those
who are of descent of these two to beware if Kurosuke truly is back."

"Is that all?"

Ichimori nodded curtly.

"Very well then, I shall be on my way now."

Kikyo turned and began to walk away when Ichimori stopped her. "Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Do you not wish to seal me away again?"

"Do you wish to be sealed away again?"

Ichimori thought this over.

"No. I suppose not," Ichimori told her.

"Very well then."

Before Ichimori could say anything else, Kikyo disappeared from her sight.



They were walking down the road, Kagome next to InuYasha and Sango close, but a safe
distance from Miroku while Shippo was perched on Miroku's shoulder at the moment.

InuYasha watched closely as Kagome ran ahead of them and picked up a stick, then
waiting for them to catch up.

'Why does she have that stick?' he wondered as she began to smile from ear to ear.

They caught up to her and she began to walk next to InuYasha again.

She waved the stick in front of his face.

"Hey cut it out!" he said as he waved her hand away. "What's the stick for anyway, wench?"

She waved it in front of his face before she threw it off into the distance. "Fetch."

He tilted his head to the side. "What?"

"Fetch doggy!" she said as she retrieved another stick.

"Woah woah woah. Wait a minute, wench. I ain't a dog, you got that? I'm half Inu-youkai."

"But the other day when I called you a cold fish, you said that you were a dog."

"I didn't mean dog like woof woof dog and you know it!" he bellowed.

"Keh. Whatever."

"Hey! You can't do that. Keh is my line."

"Um...That was...interesting," Sango said as she looked at the darkening sky.

"Yeah. It's never boring when those two are around."

"That's for sure," Shippo said.

"InuYasha. We should probably find a place to camp for the night," Kagome said as she
followed Sango's gaze.

"Yeah, we probably should start getting settled down for the night," Miroku agreed.
"Especially since what tonight is."

Five minutes later they had found a pretty decent camp site with a hot spring nearby.

"Guys, we're going to the hotspring for a soak," Kagome informed them as she and Sango
gathered up their stuff.

"I guess you want me to...go for a soak with you?" Miroku said as he scooted closer to
Sango.

"I think not," Sango said as she pinched his hands as he moved them towards her."

Kagome and Sango went for a soak while they left Shippo to make sure that the boys,
mainly Miroku, didn't peek.

Kilala was curled up by the fire while Shippo was sitting propped up against the fire cat.

"Damn, tonight of all nights," InuYasha grouched while he sported black locks of hair.

"Oh come on InuYasha. It can't be that bad being human. Sango, Kagome, and I are
humans and we still manage."

"That's only because my half demon butt saves your pathetic human hides!"

"Well, you're not half demon now, so just bear with it," Shippo cut in drowsily. "Good thing I
don't have to worry about being human, right Kilala?"

Kilala meowed in response.

It was another cool night. No wonder the girls insisted on going to take a soak in the
hotspring, even though it was also because they wanted to get in a good bath, too.

Miroku watched intently as Shippo dozed off to sleep along with Kilala.

He smiled as he stood up and began to walk quietly in the direction of the hot spring.

"Oi monk! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to check on my dear Sango."

InuYasha sat up and began to go after Miroku, set on stopping him.

"Come back here monk. The girls are gonna be mad. Sango will knock you unconcious for
a month."

"It'll be worth it if I can sneak a peek."

"You're hopeless you pervert," InuYasha commented.

"Ssh. Be quiet you idiot,' Miroku said as he drug InuYasha down into the cover of the
bushes with him.

"What are you doi...."

Miroku pointed through the bushes to the hotspring. The girls backs were turned towards
them.

"Be quiet, they're talking."

"This is eavesdropping, ya know?"


"Kagome. I know that something's wrong."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sango."

"You've been acting...I don't know...different lately."

Kagome sighed. "I've just been thinking alot lately, that's all."

"About what?"

"The Sacred Jewel."

"Well, what's there to think about? Soon, we'll find all of the shards and complete the jewel.
Then we can make a wish on the jewel and purify it and then...."

Kagome lowered her head.

"That's just it Sango. Soon, we'll find all of the shards and complete the jewel. But what wish
will we make? What will happen to all of us afterwards? I mean, I'll have to go home forever.
We'll never see eachother again."

Sango thought this over. "You're right. I guess I'd never given it much thought before."

"I'll never see you, Miroku, Shippo, Kilala, or....." she paused for a moment. "Or InuYasha
ever again. I'd never be able to come back without the jewel."

InuYasha stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait InuYasha. Come back!" Miroku whispered as he got up, to follow InuYasha, forcing his
eyes off of the girls in front of him.

"InuYasha returned to the camp, sitting down at the base of a tree. This was one of the
things he hated about being a human, he couldn't sit in trees.

He decided to try his luck and climb the tree. He slipped a few times, but he got up there.
Miroku came back.

"InuYasha. What are you doing up there?"

"Leave me be monk, damn."

"It'd be alot better if you'd just talk to me about it."

"Leave me the hell alone, Miroku."

Miroku sighed as he sat down by the fire.

InuYasha sighed. "I'd never thought about that, you know? What would happen after we
completed the jewel. I just thought that I'd finally get my wish to be a full youkai and then
everything would go from there."

"Me either," Miroku said as he relocated to sitting under the tree InuYasha was in. "I never
thought about that. Will we still be together, or will we split up? What will the wish on the
jewel be? InuYasha. Do you still wish to become a full youkai?"

Before he could answer the question, Kagome and Sango came back.

They saw Shippo and Kilala asleep and noticed that they guys were unusually quiet. "What?"
Kagome asked as she sat down by Shippo and Kilala. "Did we interrupt something?"

"Yeah. Why are you two so quiet?" Sango asked as she sat down across from Kagome.

"Um...Nothing. No reason," Miroku answered.

Nobody spoke for the rest of the night.


It had been a fairly okay week. They had found three jewel shards so far.

One was in a bear youkai and two well...they were in the possession of a wealthy young lord
who asked Kagome for her hand in marriage.

Of course InuYasha would have nothing of the sort and threatened to shove Tetsusaiga up
places that were....most unappropriate.

"Damn. Who the hell does he think he is? Asking you to marry him like that? Over my dead
body!"

"Oh. Perish the thought that anybody would ever want to marry me," Kagome said as she
pushed past him and walked ahead of the rest of the group.

"Keh. I didn't mean it like that, wench, and you know it."

"Well, what's your problem anyway? I was going to tell him no, but you went and made a big
scene out of it. He's a really nice guy and at least he didn't call me a wench like you do!"

"Well..."

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Keh. Whatever. Damn. I will never understand women."

"I feel your pain, InuYasha," Miroku said as he rubbed his cheek, a fresh new bright red
handprint spread across it.

Sango glared at him out of the corner of her eyes as she ran to catch up with Kagome.

"I'm glad I'm still just a kid. Grownup's lifes seems so complicated," Shippo sighed as he
jumped down from InuYasha's shoulder an went to catch up with Kagome and Sango.

Kilala was in Sango's arms, enjoying the scenery.

A comfortable silence had befallen the group until Kilala lifted her head and sniffed the air.

"Oh hell no!" InuYasha said as he walked faster to catch up with Kagome.

A few seconds later, Koga came runnning down the road, stopping right in front of Kagome.

"Hey Kagome. I thought I smelled you in the area. Still playing with that mutt face over there
are you?"

"Hey Koga. What are...."

She was cut off by InuYasha stepping in between the two.

"What are you doing here, you mangy wolf?"

"Go play dead somewhere, mutt face. I'm trying to talk to my woman."

"Your woman my ass."

"InuYasha," Kagome said began.

"Yo mutt face. Get away from my Kagome!"

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged."

Kagome made her way from behind InuYasha's back and in between the two romantic rivals.

"Stop it you two! Koga, it really was nice seeing you again, but I think you should go.
InuYasha is already mad because of something that happened earlier."

"Okay. I'll leave, but I'll be back to claim you as my mate Kagome!" Koga said. And with that,
he was off, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

Kurosuke sat in the dark, waiting for her arrival. She came to him in the dead of the night.
This had been going on for a month now. His dear Hagime. Before now, he never really
understood what some demons saw in humans. Hagime made him understand.

Her long raven black hair whisped behind her as she walked up the hill. Her beautiful brown
eyes glowed in the dark of the night.

"Hagime," he said as she came to him. "You have come. I thought I'd never see you again."

He took in the vision of her, the scent of her engulfed him. She clouded his senses and
fogged his mind.

"Kurosuke. I must tell you something."

"You sound nervous. What is bothering you?"

"Um...Well, you see...."

"What is it?"

"I...I mean....This has gone on long enough."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

She gasped from the suddenly angry tone of his voice.

"I mean...We um...we can't see each other anymore! Do you understand, Kurosuke?! This
can't go on any longer. I can't keep this up. I can't keep deceiving you like this when
I...When I don't really love you. Don't you understand? I love Kyo. It's always been and
always will be Kyo!"

Just then, Kyo and the Inu no Taisho bounded up the hill, an army the size of a city behind
them.

"You deceived me!" Kurosuke said as he pushed the Hagime against a tree. "You bitch!"

"Stay away from her!" Kyo said as he ran to her side. "She did this for me. Leave her be. If
you have any bones to pick, take this up with me!"

She looked at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Kyo. I...love you,' she said before
she passed out.

Those words cut straight through Kurosuke like a hot knife through butter.

The memory faded.

Kurosuke glared at his reflection in the water. "Damn. How could I allow myself to be
deceived by the likes of a woman. And a human woman nonetheless? I shall never allow
myself to be conned again!"

His voice drifted to him in the night. His older brother, the reason he went to the continent in
the first place, the reason he came back. But little did his brother know, he was plotting to
defeat him, to take his lands for his own, to earn his place in the world, the place he had been
deprived of since birth.

He would take his place soon.

                                             XKXKXKXKXKXKX

That's it for now. Getting ready to type the next chapter. I'm on a roll. I am pleased to know
that somebody may be reading my story. Since this is my first fan fiction, I will try my best to
keep this up. As long as ideas flood around in my head and my hands are up for typing, I
shall keep going. Well, bye until next chapter.

~*Sam T.*~