InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Devotion ❯ Mirror of Eternity ( Chapter 2 )

Devotion

Chapter Two: The Mirror of Eternity

Inuyasha sat, fuming, on the highest branch of Goshinboku. THREE YEARS they had spent hunting down Jewel shards, preparing to fight Naraku, believing that once the battle was over their search would be complete.

Oh how wrong they were.

He closed his eyes, remembering the guilty look in Kagome's eyes when she had told him. And the way they had filled with tears when he had yelled at her, as if it had been her fault. He knew it wasn't.

Dammit. The chip in the Shikon no Tama was a small one, just big enough to accommodate a single shard. That in itself was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that they would only have to hunt down one more demon, nothing compared to Naraku. But then again... it would also be like hunting for a needle in a haystack. The darned thing could be anywhere, being taken advantage of by anyone, and for some reason Kagome couldn't sense its aura. It would really suck if it was stuck dormant in a tree somewhere. Then Inuyasha wouldn't even have the morbid satisfaction of a fight.

Sniffing the air, his senses were overcome by a familiar presence. Kagome... she was close. He could smell her. He waited in silence, and soon his ears picked up the light sound of her footsteps crunching the foliage at the base of the tree.

"I-Inuyasha?"

No response.

"Inuyasha? I know you're up there."

No response.

"Red doesn't do much to camouflage you up in that tree, you know."

"Keh."

"..."

He glanced down at her, worried by her lack of response.

"I'm sorry."

SHIT. His ears flattened out, and he leapt down from the branch, landing nimbly on his feet. "What for, wench?"

She watched his smooth movements, and had to squish the kernel of jealousy that sparked within her at his graceful jump. Only a day after waking up, and he was already back to normal, while she had to use a stick (she REFUSED to call it a cane) to support herself. Argh! Now was NOT the time for thoughts like that.

"For the jewel. I... I know you're mad, and... well... I'm sorry." It seemed that she couldn't look him in the eyes.

He bit back his pride and stuck up his nose, sparing her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. "Don't be."

"Huh?"

"It's not your fault the jewel broke into a hundred pieces."

"..."

"Oh, wait..." He looked at her with a smirk. "It is, isn't it?" He cursed when her eyes filled. "Dammit wench! I was just kidding!"

"Well you don't have to be so mean!" she shouted back.

"I wasn't trying to be!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you were!"

"Then stop talking to me!"

"I just wanted to apologize!"

"Well you don't need to!"

"I was only being nice!"

"I don't need to be coddled!"

"I was only trying to consider your feelings!"

"I don't have feelings!"

"EVERYONE has feelings, you baka!"

"Don't call me a baka, you bitch!"

"I'm NOT a bitch, baka!"

"Bitch!"

"Baka!"

"BITCH!"

"BAKA!"

"Kagome... you're not supposed to be out of bed, remember?"

The pair stopped their arguing and Kagome turned red-faced towards the source of the voice.

"I'm fine, Shippo, don't worry abou-"

"What!? You're not supposed to be out of bed!? What are you doing here!?"

Kagome shot a glare at the kitsune, but he paid no mind... Kagome's health was at stake. "NO... I'm not supposed to be out of bed ALONE." She pointed to Inuyasha. "See? He's here."

Shippo pouted. "But you walked all the way HERE alone... what if you had gotten hurt?"

"Do you really think I would have let her get hurt, runt?"

"Well you OBVIOUSLY didn't do a good job SIX DAYS AGO-"

"I was kinda busy DEALING WITH NARAKU! WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE!?"

"CALM DOWN YOU TWO!" Kagome screamed. Sure, she was well enough to walk now, but all this noise was killing her! Ugh... maybe I shouldn't have done that... Her yelling had required quite an amount of air, and she was feeling just a tad bit light headed. "I... think I'm... going to rest... for a while..." And with that, her legs gave out, and gravity yanked her body to the ground.

Before her already sore body could make impact, however, Inuyasha shot forward to catch her. He grabbed her shoulders, careful of her bruises, and pulled her onto his chest.

"You okay? Little klutz..."

"I'm fine..." Why did she feel so tired? Maybe staying in bed another day would have been a good idea. "Take me back to Kaede's?"

With no more than a nod, Inuyasha picked her up and ran to the village, leaving Shippo trailing behind him.

"Hey Kagome?" he asked gently. Not because he was a gentle person, though. Of course not. He just didn't want to disturb her too much. After all, the sooner she got some rest the sooner she would get better. And the sooner she got better... the sooner they could... uh... go after the jewel shard! Yeah! That's it!

"Hm?" She was already half asleep.

"Don't worry about the shard. We'll find it."

"I know, Inuyasha..." And she was gone, lost in her dreams.

*~*~*~* {^__^} @--n *~*~*~*

From his throne, Lord Katsuro of the Southern lands looked down upon his kingdom, allowing his eyes to behold the beauty of the thick, near-impenetrable forests. Their serene, peaceful outlook did nothing to betray what nested within the main forest's heart: a vast fortress housing thousands of falcon youkai.

Hearing the tell-tale whisper of feathers, his eyes snapped to the side, swinging their piercing gave from the broad glass wall to the she-hawk that had entered the empty throne room. As expected, she bowed at the door, walked calmly forward to the center of the room, turned to the right to faced him, bowed, and waited in that position for him to address her. It was standard. He thought nothing of it.

"Akako." Her name was all he needed to say, and she stood, ready to do his bidding. The package in her hands jabbed her side as she transitioned from one position to the other, and she subtly shifted her arms to relieve the pressure.

The action drew his attention to the plainly wrapped item. "You have brought me what I seek?" he inquired, though it was more of a statement than an inquiry. His voice was powerful, guarded.

"Yes, my lord."

"Leave it."

"As you desire." Her small frame walked the distance between her place in the room and the foot of his throne, carefully transferring it from her elegant hands to his. He remained calm, cool... emotionless. "Anything else, my lord?"

Finally breaking his statue-like pose, he tilted his head to look at the article he was holding. "Wait outside. I will summon you shortly."

"Yes, my lord." She bowed, then followed the red carpet to the door, taking the same path she had used to enter. Once there, she bowed again, then slipped through the onyx frame.

Had anyone else been in the room, the only sound they would have heard was a slow leisurely rustling, then a thump, as the demon lord calmly unwrapped the object Akako had delivered. He allowed the black cloth to fall to the ground, revealing a heavy white mirror.

It was larger than his two hands side-by-side, and the frame was a tangle of thin, white stone branches, speckled with thorns. They bit into his skin when he held the mirror up to look into its black, bottomless surface, but he ignored the pain. It would well be worth it.

He stood, holding the mirror flat with one hand and holding the other over it, watching passively as a drop of his blood slid from his clawed finger to its mysterious face. Suddenly, the chamber seemed to darken as an eerie glow emitted from the object in his hold.

"Mirror of Eternity!" he summoned, calling out over the deafening silence that wasn't silent. "Hear my call. I command thee!"

It raised itself into the air, swiveling to face him.

~Demon Lord Katsuro. You have woken me. Dare you face the consequences?~

The voice was loud, booming. It reverberated in the demon's head, pounded into his senses, and yet remained steady in the vast room, never once causing an echo to ripple from the marble and glass walls. Almost as if the two were cut off from the world, separated from the mortal plane, yet somehow still inside it.

"I have freed you. Is that not what you wished?" he countered.

~Perhaps. But perhaps I wanted to stay in slumber.~

"That is not the case."

~True. But it could have been.~

The lord was silent.

~You have taken quite a risk to call upon me, young lord.~

"I have. Did you not want to be freed from the bonds of destiny? Are you unhappy that I unearthed you from where the Ladies of Fate damned you? Should I put you back in your grave, where you will be left to rot, unable to share the unending wisdom and knowledge that I know you possess?"

~...~

"What would you have me do?"

~I am thankful for my freedom. What is it you seek?~

"I seek an answer."

~May I have a question?~

Was that sarcasm? Surely not...

"I am young, yet I feel old. I am powerful, yet I feel weak. I am rich, yet I feel like I have nothing." His monotone had altered, and the smallest hint of exasperation could be heard.

~You wish for this to change?~

"I wish to find a way to make it stop. I wish to know how to fill the void I feel. I wish to know why it is there."

~Why?~

"Because I do not like it."

~...~

He waited, ears at attention.

~I cannot tell you.~

There was a tension filled silence, and then an abrupt, "Why? Explain yourself!"

~Do not be angered.~

Damn it... he was trying. But a year of searching for the blasted relic, only to be told that it couldn't help him wasn't a very uplifting thought.

"Then what do you suggest I am to do?"

~...~

"Well!?" His icy demeanor was slowly crumbling to annoyance.

~Find the answers on your own.~

"And how do you expect me to do that?"

~I will show you, young lord.~

"...Very well."

The darkness within the mirror flickered and swirled, condensed into mist, twisted into fog, gave way to an image...

...of a girl. A human girl, no less. She was sprawled across a futon, locked in sleep's embrace. Her dark hair feathered around her, contrasting sharply with the paleness of her skin and the paler white of the few bandages wrapped around her calves and upper arms. The garb she wore was unusual and obscenely revealing: a short green wrap around her hips, and a white... top.

"What is this?"

~Your answer.~

"What? Am I supposed to kill her?" He was lost. Why did he see a picture of a human before him?

~No, you fool. She will give you your answer.~

"This girl-child knows what you do not?"

~She knows nothing of what I know.~

"Then who is she?"

~She is what you say she is. A girl. A child. She will help you find what it is you seek.~

And that, to Katsuro, was all that mattered. "What do I do?"

~Find the girl. Earn her trust. In time, you will have what you want.~

"How much time?"

~That I cannot answer. It depends on you, and it depends on her.~

"Thank you." There was a dismissive tone in his voice. He had heard what he wanted to hear, and his instincts were telling him to move on. The sooner he found her, the sooner he could be rid of the bothersome emptiness in his gut.

~A word of advice?~

"If it is quick."

~Do NOT try my patience, boy. You may have freed me, but I have the power of time and Sight. Your insolence is grating my nerves--there is only so much I can write off to youth.~

It was odd to hear the ethereal, unexpressive voice scold him, but he knew it spoke the truth: its powers were enough to decimate his entire kingdom, should the mirror so desire.

"I apologize. Please, tell me what you feel I need to hear."

There was a pause as the relic seemingly considered the invitation.

~Her name is Kagome, a miko of unfathomable power. She, too, asks the questions that you have, but denies herself the answers. She does not know what gifts she gives, and so gives more, unknowing that her selflessness will lead her to her death. She will help those in need, but will turn away when it is she that is in need of care. Her will is strong, and her heart stronger. It protects and is protected. Do not think that she will be abandoned.~

The demon nodded. "I will keep that in mind."

~That is not the word of wisdom I wished to tell you.~

"Oh?"

~I was simply fulfilling your request.~

"My request..."

~To tell you what I felt you needed to hear.~

"I see."

Perhaps the strange emptiness inside of him wasn't a mere problem. It seemed that it was the beginnings of a madness. Surely one must be crazy to think that an ancient mirror had a sense of humor...

~This is my advice:~

~You are young, Lord Katsuro, but not too young. It is time you took a mate.~

"What is that supposed to-" He wasn't able to finish his thought, however, because the mirror's imaged shattered into a million sparks of light, creating a brilliant dome of searing white. Slowly, then with accelerating speed, it collapsed in on itself, swallowing every glowing fragment until not a single ray was left.

Katsuro reached out and grasped the now ordinary mirror out of the air before gravity could claim it. He let his knees bend, and sunk into the rich black velvet of his throne, hanging the relic beneath his sword on the wall.

"Akako!" he called, his tone neither loud nor soft.

She came through the door, but stopped just inside the frame, awaiting her orders.

"My lord?"

"Find the miko that calls herself `Kagome', and bring her to me." He shot her a meaningful glance. "Unharmed."

"Of course, my lord," she said as she tilted respectfully. "Is there any other way I can be of service, Lord Katsuro?"

His eyes softened, just a little, and he gave her the tiniest shake of his head. "That will be all, Akako."

"Yes, my lord." She offered one final bow and backed out of the room, turning her head at the last moment to sneak a glance at his lone figure, resting pensively at the focal point of the grand throne room.

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A/N:

Another short chapter :( But hey... at least I finally got started on the plot. I'm really regretting starting out my other story (Archer) the way I did... I'm guessing that it'll take me at least five more chapters before I can even finish establishing the characters and their relationships and whatnot. In Devotion, it helps that I'm keeping the original story's history and stuff, so you few people reading it already know what's going on... kinda. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it.

On another note... I'm not sure how often I'm planning on updating my stories. I get different bursts of inspiration at different times, and for different stories. I may even throw in a one-shot or two, if the mood dictates. I CAN promise, however, that I'll update BOTH of my stories at least once a week, even if I have to tie myself to my keyboard on Saturday night and force myself to type!

REMEMBER:... FLAMES, FLATTERY, and all other FORMS OF REVIEW are TOTALLY WELCOME!!!!!

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha and all things associated with him, I SOOO wouldn't be living in this cardboard box… I WOULD HAVE UPGRADED TO A PLASTIC ONE!!!!!

Coming up in Chapter Three: Akako comes to take Kagome away, and Inuyasha fails to stop her. Where were Sango and Miroku?