InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ EQUILIBRIUM: Crescent of Light ❯ The Old Woman and the New World ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three

THE OLD WOMAN AND THE NEW WORLD

 

*Warning:

Violence and mild language

 

***

Kagomewas officially having the worst day of her life. First, Shaun shows up and ruins her first chance at relaxation in months, only to find out that a job interview was waiting for her at one of the most prestigious animal hospitals in the state. Now not only was she going to miss the interview, she was about to get eaten by some red-eyed lunatic who thought he was the new and improved Edward Scissorhand!

The disgusting aroma from the body beside her seemed to dissipate as her heart beat faster by the second. Her eyes were wide, her muscles were tensed, and only her heart beat could be heard in the deafening silence.

The thing drew closer and her sense of smell came racing back, as the stench of blood and rotting flesh attacked her nostrils. She saw what looked horribly like blood staining its sharp teeth. The beast saw the terror in her eyes and it smirked maliciously.

“Now what would a young woman such as yourself be doing in a place like this, hmm?”

She struggled to control her breathing as blood pounded deafeningly in her ears. She started to step backwards, trying to put as much distance between herself and the insane creature as possible. Something in her urged her to do something so she tried to speak. “I…”

“Such beautiful skin,” the beast interrupted, closing the distance between them to drag an abnormally long and sharp nail roughly against her skin, and she felt her skin crawl at the beast's touch. Too frightened to stop herself, her legs gave out and she collapsed, but for some reason the only thing she noticed was the small trickle of blood that ran down her arm. The beast chuckled before kneeling down. “Perhaps, I shall use it to weave myself a new mat, hmm? I need a new mat, and you'd make such a lovely one. Would you like that, tasty human?”

Kagome only shook her head dumbly. Her usually sharp mind was unfamiliarly vacant. Perhaps it was preparing for the fate that seemed sure to come? “A-are you the one who's been m-murdering everyone?” she whispered, stammering in her terror.

The beast looked at her as if she was the one who was insane before it raised its hairy head and barked an inhumanly high-pitched laughter. As the beast howled Kagome bit her lip to stop herself from screaming out her horror. She couldn't blame the beast for laughing… It was a pretty stupid question.

“You are very entertaining, tasty human,” it chuckled. Red eyes fixed on her blue ones before it swooped down and ran its rough tongue along the faint blood trail on her arm. He looked up, a mad excitement dancing in its crimson orbs. “I will immensely enjoy devouring your delicious skin if it is half as good as your blood,” he whispered blissfully as he dove his hairy head down to sample the crimson liquid once more.

Something snapped inside of her as his disgusting tongue ran over her skin for the second time. She glared in outrage and yanked her arm out of its captor's clawed grasp, ignoring the painful scrape of razor against her flesh as its claws dragged across her skin. Her other hand shot into the handbag she had dropped and withdrew the can of mace concealed within. “Get the hell away from me, you creep!” she shrieked before letting him have it full in the face.

The effect was immediate and the beast's hands shot to its burning eyes, its long nails cutting into its gray tinged skin as it howled. “MY EYES, MY EYES! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, TASTY HUMAN?”

Kagome acted quickly. After making sure to empty the contents of the bottle, she shot up from the ground and swung her foot straight up, burying it in the beast's unprotected crotch. It groaned in pain as it sank to its knees, still trying to rub the burning liquid from its eyes, cutting himself in the process. She turned tail and ran towards the exit of the dark alleyway, thanking God that the beast had the same vulnerability as normal males. She hadn't even known if it was a male.

I do now, she thought almost proudly. She liked to think she was strong enough to defend herself.

Her triumph was short-lived however when she was suddenly pushed to the ground by an unseen force. She yelped as her ankle twisted sickly and a sharp pain shot up her leg. Her left arm shot out instinctively to break her fall, the rough asphalt grating against the soft skin of the unfortunate appendage.

She shook as rough hands flipped her over, none too gently. Its eyes were puffy and small cuts decorated its face. How had it caught up with her so quickly? With mace practically burning his eyes, he shouldn't have even been able to see!

Taking in the red eyes, elongated teeth, and nails that looked more like claws she thought, This thing isn't human!

“You will pay for that, tasty human,” it growled, baring its sharp teeth. “I was going to make it quick, but now… now I shall make you suffer.”

Its hands snaked their way around her throat and squeezed with more force than seemed humanly possible. She struggled futilely against the beast's hold as it continued to crush her wind-pipe. She struck out blindly, her fist luckily colliding with the side of its head. Hearing a dull grunt, she felt the strong fingers around her throat loosen and she thought for a moment that she had knocked it out. A searing pain in her right shoulder proved otherwise and she screamed in agony before the hands returned to her neck.

“That's it, tasty human. Scream!” it said with twisted glee, now shaking the poor young woman's neck, her head flopping back and forth as she fought for much needed oxygen. “No one's coming to save you so keep on screaming! It's only pleasant music to my ears!”

A tear slipped from her eye as she struggled pathetically in the beast's strong grasp. What about her bright future? She was supposed to go on to do great things! It couldn't just end like this, could it? Tightened fingers on her throat seemed to provide her answer as she looked at the face of her killer. Its insane red eyes held sick eagerness at the sight of the dying woman. It licked his lips as her face started to turn purple.

It leaned forward and hissed in her ear, “You're going to taste simply delicious, tasty human. I can hear your heart beating so fast and I can't wait to rip it out of your chest. Perhaps it will still be beating, hmm? That would be tasty, wouldn't it?”

Kagome couldn't respond even if she wanted to. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Darkness took her, she was falling… falling… falling…

And suddenly the pressure of the hands was gone. She could breathe again. She gasped loudly, greedily sucking the oxygen into her deprived lungs. She opened her eyes and saw the beast face down in the filthy ground of the alleyway, a long, curved knife buried into the back of his throat. Kagome quickly tried to crawl away from the insane creature that had nearly succeeded in taking her life as it thrashed lightly in its death throes.

“Didn't your mother ever teach you not to talk to strangers?”

She jumped, and lifted her gaze to meet that of the speaker's. Her deep, blue eyes met soft brown ones. Slightly gnarled hands that screamed arthritis gripped an ancient looking walking stick that came up to her hip. It was an old woman.

Kagome raised herself onto her elbows to get a better look at her rescuer. She was of medium height, obviously stunted and shrunk from old age. Pale skin sagged and wrinkled under the weight of all the winters she had apparently seen. Her brown eyes showed great wisdom and kind intentions. The only thing that didn't seem aged was her hair, which was a pure, snowy white that dangled past her hips. The color seemed to be from dye rather than actual aging. She gasped as her eyes took in the familiar black garments the nameless, old woman wore.

“You're that woman from the park!” she said in a raspy voice, her speech capabilities suffering from the recent attempt on her life.

The old woman chuckled. “Glad to see you're observation skills have not been spoiled as much as your voice, from your… traumatizing experience.”

Her eyes shifted to the unmoving form of her would-be killer. Brown orbs became hard and cold, as she walked towards the creature with grace that suggested her walking stick was unnecessary, its wood echoed in the narrow alley as it met the hard asphalt with every step she took.

She drew near the beast and dropped to her knees and examined its face, she scowled with what looked like pure hatred. Her hands grasped the hilt of the long knife that still resided in the back of its neck and pulled with swiftness that defied her age. The knife was removed from the beast's throat with a sickening slurp and she cleaned the blade quickly on the creature's pathetic excuse for a shirt. The old woman turned back towards her, all trace of hatred from her eyes were gone, only to be replaced with genuine care and… something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

“Child, why on earth did you enter this alley?” she asked, concern in her voice.

Once again her voice was raspy as she spoke. “My… my name is —”

“I know your name, Kagome,” The old woman cut in calmly. “Now please, kindly answer the question.”

Kagome's breath caught in her abused throat. “How do you kn-know my name?” she whispered, ignoring the stranger's request.

The old woman smiled slyly, “I know many things about you, child. I know that you live alone with a dog named Max in an apartment. I know you have recently graduated from Veterinarian school, and I also know the names of all your blood relatives. Now answer the question. Why did you enter this alley?”

Kagome's eyes suddenly narrowed, brash anger brewed inside of her. She was obviously grateful for her rescue, but it was her own business as to why she had entered the alley; who was she to lecture her? She already felt pretty stupid about the whole thing anyways. “Look!” she snapped irritably, breaking out of her victim behavior. “I really don't feel comfortable being interrogated by some weird person I don't even know after I was nearly suffocated by some lunatic! Especially, since you seem to know so much about me!”

The old woman raised a brow and, to her great surprise, laughed merrily. Her laughter echoed in the alley, providing a stark contrast to the dreary setting. Her left hand went to her knee as her small body shook with her laughter. “I have to admit, child,” she said, amusement in her eyes as she pointed to the beast she had slain with her walking stick. “That cretin was right, you are entertaining.”

Kagome glared at the old woman and nearly pouted. This stranger was making fun of her. “That's not funny,” she snarled.

The old woman chuckled. “Alright fair enough, child. I won't ask you any questions until I answer yours.”

Kagome's eyes furrowed in suspicion, but her mind furiously sifting through the seemingly endless questions she wanted to ask. There were so many, it was impossible to choose one out of thousands.

The old woman then sighed and closed her eyes. “However, I am afraid I cannot answer any of your questions at this time, child. Let us get you home. We can discuss these things as we tend to your wounds.”

The young woman looked at her right shoulder; blood was dripping out of mangled flesh that looked like it had been through a blender. The pain from the wound finally caught up with her shock and she gasped as it throbbed ferociously and her left hand instinctively moved to cover the gash, but it was stopped by another gnarled hand before it could touch the wound.

“Easy, child,” came the woman's voice as another knotted hand appeared under her left arm, helping her up off of the filthy ground. “Don't touch that wound; the consequential feeling is rather unpleasant.” She began to walk, supporting the injured woman as best she could with her aged body.

Kagome glared at her bluntness as they hobbled out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk of the main road. The stores passed by slowly, and Kagome couldn't help but ask one question. “Why do you keep calling me `child' if you know my name?” she asked.

The old woman shrugged as best she could with the young woman's weight on her shoulders. “Force of habit I suppose.”

She said nothing else. Kagome noticed the old woman had a rather noticeable burn on her left eye, causing her to slightly narrow the respective lid. Another question was stored in her traumatized mind as she wondered how she managed to injure such a fragile part of her anatomy without going blind.

“Well if you know my name, I guess it's only fair that I know yours. Right?”

To her delight, the old woman nodded as they crossed the street, not having to bother with traffic at such a late hour of the night and headed down another road. “I suppose so, child,” she said with slight indifference. “My name is Káede Marinotto.”

Kagome winced as her right shoulder brushed against a street sign, pain shot up her arm and she frowned. This cut wasn't that bad, was it? “Káede Marinotto, gotcha. Nice to meet you, Káede.”

Once again, Káede surprised her as she laughed gaily. “Aye,” she said. “Likewise, child, if only we could have met under more pleasant circumstances.”

Kagome didn't respond. She had many questions for this, Káede Marinotto, and she would get her answers soon enough.

 

~~~

 

Her home came into view about an hour after leaving the alley. Kagome was too tired to ask but she noticed that Káede didn't ask for directions once. To her surprise the front door was open, and the pair stumbled into the foyer, greeted by Max's eager barking from somewhere within the dark house.

“Max, be quiet boy!” Kagome whispered furiously in the dark.

The pair saw the faint outline of the blonde Labrador poking his head around the corner with one ear up and the other down, his head cocked to side. Seeing who the visitors were his dark eyes lit up and you could tell his tail was wagging furiously. Max strutted up to the pair and tried to get close enough to their faces to lick them, barking excitedly all the while.

“Max, be quiet! You're going to wake up Mom and Gramps!”

They turned into the kitchen, Max following them with his pink tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. The light to the kitchen came on and Kagome blinked at the sudden illumination. She was lead to one of the wooden chairs that stood around the rustic, circular table.

“Charlotte and your grandfather are not here as of now,” the old woman said coolly as she set Kagome down on one of the wooden chairs and propped her sprained ankle onto another.

“How do you know that?” Kagome asked as Káede gathered ice into a baggy that seemed to be produced out of nowhere. “And how do you know my mom's name?” How the hell did she know so much about her family?

Káede pointed wordlessly as she worked towards a strip of lined paper held onto the refrigerator by a silver magnet. She could read the writing from here.

Kagome,

Went to go get Gramps his medication. Will be back soon.

-Mom

Káede didn't answer her second question.

She felt a cold wetness meet the swollen flesh of her ankle and she moaned in slight reprieve. She glanced over to see, to her slight surprise, that Max was getting his ears scratched by Káede just where he liked it and Kagome frowned. Max was never the one to warm up to someone immediately. He was never hostile, just a bit uncomfortable around people he didn't know. Judging by the pleased rumble from Max's stomach as the gnarled hand massaged his sensitive ears, she could only infer that Max knew Káede quite well.

She suddenly remembered the old woman's promise and she settled onto the back of her chair as Káede soaked a ribbon of blue cloth, that also seemed to come out of nowhere, in warm water from the sink.“Spill it,” she said expectantly. She was never one to unnecessarily prolong something. Why start now?

The old woman chuckled before turning to press the lukewarm cloth against her injured shoulder. Kagome hissed in pain as the warm water stung the sensitive flesh. “What would you like to know first?” she asked as she bent down to make sure the icepack was situated correctly before leaning back on the cushioned wood of the old fashioned chair.

Kagome asked the most obvious question first. “What was that… that… thing?”

The old woman smiled bitterly. “Such creatures are not worthy of any title, but people tend to call them Carthrids.” The old woman got a distant look in her eyes, as though she was recalling distant memories. “I suppose you could find the decency too pity such a creature, if not for all of the atrocities they have committed over the years.” Káede's eyes grew weary; the weight of her age seemed to take a brief toll on her. Kagome could tell that Káede had seen a lot of these “atrocities” over the course of her life.

“They were once good men and woman, until something wicked drove them to insanity. They are now nothing more than bloodthirsty monsters that people like you and I chose to either fear, pity, or hate.

Listening to Káede's answer fascinated her. The information flowed through her brain, keeping her interest more than any school lesson ever had. She wasn't even sure if she believed what this woman was telling her, but it proved to not even matter much if she didn't. She was much too drawn into this conversation, accepting every word her savior said and treated it as gospel. Every word, every sentence was analyzed and picked apart, always searching for new questions. And something Káede said snagged her notice.

“People like you and I?”

Káede ignored her question. “Many have been spread out across the world, taking post, saving as many people as they can.”

Kagome's eyes widened. “There are more of them?”

“Oh yes, this city is crawling them. It won't be long now.” The old woman stood up, and stretched. Kagome could practically hear the old bones creak from the strain. “It was one of the two reasons I came here, to protect the people of this small town. The other reason… well let's just say that it had nothing to do with Carthrids.

Kagome absorbed the information, taking note of everything she said but once again something Káede said intrigued her more than the original explanation. “Won't be long before what?”

Again, Káede ignored her question.

Kagome moaned in annoyance before reaching into her handbag to retrieve her cellular, grumbling all the while. She frowned as she dug through the contents, but her mobile phone was nowhere to be found. She froze as realization struck. She had left it in the alley! Her eyes closed and she whimpered in exhaustion.

Shit!

Her annoyance must have shown on her face because Káede soon asked, “Something the matter, child?

Kagome looked up, slight apathy in her blue eyes. “Yes, actually. Could you… get the house phone for me?”

“Whatever for, dear?”

“I need to call Davie Coolidge Animal Hospital.”

Káede sighed. “Ah yes, I thought we'd hit that little snag.” She over to the windows quickly before drawing the curtains closed.

Kagome looked at the old woman curiously, following her swift movements. Snag?

Káede fixed her gaze on the young woman, her expression grave. “I want you to listen to me, child, and I want you to listen closely.”

Kagome, still puzzled over her curious behavior, nodded slowly, her expression wary.

“What I am about to tell you is… something that you probably won't believe and I am loathe to tell you at the current situation, but, alas, it cannot be helped.” Káede sat down onto the chair, and leaned forward, her knobby elbows supporting her wrinkled face.

“Long ago,” Káede continued, “when Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, he expected to find a shortcut to the continent of India. You are familiar with the story, I hope?”

Kagome shook her head up and down. “Yes, of course.” She wasn't sure what this had to do with anything, but she listened. She had listened to this woman all night, invited her into her home and allowed her to dress her wounds. It went beyond the fact that she had saved her life. There was something about her that called to her, she didn't know what it was but it made her calm. It made her less fearful of the fact that she had almost died. The fear, the caution, and the confusion, it was all there but she found it easy to ignore il. There was something else going on, something special, something that… that she had been missing, only she didn't know what it was.

Káede nodded in approval. “What he discovered was in fact, the `New World' as he came to call it. What he didn't know, was that he passed over land that modernist humans still have no clue exists, land that is hidden by illusion, invisible to all eyes that don't belong there.” Káede paused to look at the young woman to see her reaction. Finding nothing but understanding in her eyes she continued. “But not just land, different kinds of people walked this land, people capable of the most amazing… and the most terrible of things. These people wondering these mysterious lands were called Sapians.”

Maybe it was the fact that Kagome had actually seen the Carthrut with her own eyes, or maybe the shock of the situation had finally worn off but whatever the reason, Kagome felt the first bubble of doubt start to form in the pit of her stomach. “I'm not sure I understand.”

The old woman nodded. “Perhaps a physical demonstration is in order.” The old woman's eyes looked around before settling on the vase, resting on the countertop. A chunk of the glass relic was placed beside it, showing that it was the one Max had broken the previous night. Gramps was obviously remaining adamant on throwing it away. Káede stood and walked over towards the vase and its broken piece. She looked back at Kagome.

“I must warn you, child. This may prove to be a bit of a shock”

Káede placed her finger on the edge of the broken vase and closed her eyes, concentration marring her features. A white light grew on the tip of her finger, growing in intensity every second. It was as if she had grown a star on her finger. Kagome's jaw could have hit the floor, it dropped so much. It was so bright now that she was forced to look away, but that didn't stop the awe from showing on her face. There was a clinking noise of glass smashing together and for a moment Kagome thought the glass structure had completely shattered. But once the light dissipated and she was able to look at the vase directly again, Kagome did what she thought was impossible… her jaw dropped a bit more.

The vase that had once been missing a chunk of glass at its lip was now untarnished, unblemished and completely intact. Its shape exactly the same as before, no traces of damage anywhere.

Kagome's eyes were the size of dinner plates as her leg slipped off of the chair she was using as a footrest. Some part of her mind — a very small part — registered the pain in her sprained ankle but it didn't show on her face as she stared at the woman who had done nothing short of a miracle. Fleetingly she thought, This is a dream.

But it wasn't a dream, inside her head she was screaming at herself to wake up. But she didn't, and soon words failed to fail her anymore and the shocked woman finally spoke. “What are you?” Kagome whispered in awe.

Dark brown clashed with deep blue as Káede met the young woman's eyes. “Me?” she said. “I am but a mere tool of some greater force, an instrument whose use on this world has yet to be decided.”

“Cut the bullshit and tell me what the hell is going on,” she snarled. “What did you do?” Things were getting to weird for her tastes, this was something that happened in movies… not in real life.

The old woman chuckled. “I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer that, child.”

The old woman stood her hand flew to her chin, seemingly choosing her words carefully. “There is more to this world than you know,” she said. “More than any of us mere humans will ever know. But some humans are more…” she paused and Kagome shifted in her seat nervously. “…knowledgeable than others,” the old woman decided. “I am one of those humans.”

Kagome's brows furrowed. “You're —?”

“Human?” The old woman smiled. “Yes, of course, child, I am as much human as you and the rest of your family are. But there are different races of humans, just as there are different species of dogs, cats and any other animal you could ever think of.” Káede was pacing now, and she noticed that Max's eyes followed her every move carefully, his ears erect and his tail at rest. He had stopped panting and there was a way that he sat unnerved her for some reason.

It's like he understands what she's saying, Kagome thought.

Káede stopped pacing as her eyes saw that the young woman's leg was off of the chair and quickly proceeded to put it back before replacing the ice pack onto her engorged flesh and checked that the warm cloth on her shoulder was doing its job.

“Your wound has ceased bleeding,” Káede said calmly as though what she had just done was completely normal, “but we will need to bandage it to prevent infection.”

Káede dug into the folds of her shabby robe and withdrew a roll of gauze. “Normally I would have treated it with medicinal herbs,” she said, unrolling the gauze with practiced speed. “But I have none of the necessary vegetation at the moment, and your modernistic remedies won't work for a wound such as this.”

Kagome, who completely ignored the fact that Káede had referred to her treatments as “modernistic”, spoke as Káede knelt down and started to wrap her shoulder. “What do you mean? It's just a normal cut isn't it?”

Káede raised a brow, still wrapping her shoulder tightly. “Normal? Heavens no, it's not even a cut, it's a bite.” Seeing Kagome's confused expression she elaborated.

“The Carthrids bit into your flesh and injected a potent, acidic toxin into your bloodstream. This poison eats away at tissue, muscle, bone, organs; basically anything that gets in its way is dissolved. Death can occur in minutes or hours, it depends on how much muscle and tissue the poison has to eat through, but it's nearly always painful.”

Kagome's breath caught in her throat. So that was why her shoulder hurt so much every time something touched it, she was poisoned!

Káede finished her job and looked up to see Kagome's whitened face. She smiled reassuringly. “Not to worry child,” she said cheerfully. “I purified the poison back in the alley. The pain should be completely gone by sunrise.” Káede frowned as she replaced the gauze back into the folds of her robes. “Though I must admit, it is sickening the way they have acquired a taste for human flesh.”

The panic on her features was immediately replaced by confusion. “Purified?”

“Yes, it is a unique, though rather useful, ability that we humans possess.”

Kagome stared at the old woman, so many questions flowed through her mind, and she couldn't keep up. Fleetingly, she wondered if this woman really was insane.

Káede sat down as she continued to speak, “It was a great ambition of your father's to learn the art of Sanctacy.”

And just like that, Kagome's interest and trust in this character disappeared with the mention of her father. She was grateful for her rescue, tolerant of her presence in her mother's house. But she had crossed the line with the mention of her long deceased father. The captivation that this woman had held over her was broken, allowing her to come to a sudden, reasonable conclusion.

This woman really was crazy!

“Your insane!” she shouted, leaping to her feet. In the corner of her eye she saw Max jump at the sudden change in tone but she didn't care. “Do you mean to tell me that my father was involved in all of this crap? Do you really think that I'd believe that?”

“Not really,” Káede admitted. “But such is the way of someone raised in the modernist world.”

Kagome's eyes burned with the furious embers that were her rage. She walked to the counter where the house phone was hanging on its hook, trying not to wince as her foot came into contact with the floor. She pointed towards the front door. “Out!” she ordered. “Even if it any of this is true, I don't want any part of it! I almost died today, and I don't plan on going near one of those things again!”

Káede sighed, “Kagome —“ she started.

“OUT!” she screamed.

“But you don't have a choice!” Káede said desperately. “Those Carthrids know who and what you are…”

“I'm not anything,” Kagome growled, growing tired of her crazy claims. She refused to believe that any of this was happening. Maybe it was because it would mean that if any of this were true, then she really didn't know her father. Her long years of studying would have been for naught and she refused to accept that. “I'm a normal twenty-four year old woman who just graduated veterinarian school…”

But Káede was starting to yell too. There overlapping voices reverberated off of the kitchen walls and Max whimpered as his he tried to cover his ears with his paws.

“… They will come looking for you, no matter what you do or do not believe. We must leave this city as soon as possible, for your own safety!”

“…You won't interfere with my life! I'm happy, well-educated, and will someday be successful, and if you don't leave right now I'm calling the police!”

Káede ignored her and kept speaking. “Don't you understand? This animal clinic you were going to isn't even operational anymore! It's controlled by doctors whose families are being threatened by the Carthrids. You were set up!”

Kagome narrowed her eyes dangerously. “You should have left,” she hissed venomously, her hand reaching for the house phone. But she was stopped when she heard the door open. And the sound of footsteps echoed in the foyer.

“Kagome, are you alright, dear?”

Kagome ceased breathing, her eyes wide and her body frozen as the footsteps grew closer to the kitchen. “We heard shouting, who's in here with ---?” Her mother stopped in the threshold of the kitchen, her eyes grew wider and her jaw dropped lower than Kagome's ever had that night.

“Oh… oh my god,” she whispered with a mix of fear, astonishment, and something that looked strangely like… happiness? It was the kind of look you give an old friend whom you haven't seen in a very long time, the kind of look you give someone you know. Kagome certainly expected a different reaction as she walked onto the scene of her daughter, profoundly bandaged on her right shoulder and leaning heavily on her left ankle as she glared at a complete stranger dressed in a strange, tattered, black robe.

Káede sighed and turned to face her mother. “Hello, Charlotte,” she said pleasantly. “It's been a long time, hasn't it?”

Kagome's eyes widened and they darted towards her mother who did something that made her heartbeat speed up for what felt like the thousandth time that night… Her mother nodded slowly.

Alright, so maybe she wasn't a complete stranger.

 

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::Author's Notes::

Say hello to Káede everyone! In this fic she'll be playing the part of the wise and powerful elder. So far I'm happy with the way things are turning out in this story, I hope you feel the same.

Remember, if you have any questions at all, just ask, and as always reviews are greatly appreciated!

P.S My first Action scene! How'd I do?

 

Acknowledgements

~chanda~kokoronagomu~Liesie~Stinkypinker~Haksi~inu-babe~ladyde ath31178~

 

 

NEXTCHAPTER:A Vague Reality

(When reason doesn't give you answers.)

 

~Eyes of Eden~

~><~