InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fading ❯ A Twist Of Fate ( Chapter 11 )

Hello there everyone, chappy eleven coming up. Oh, and I apologize for the end of chapter ten - I know it must've been confusing reading all those "strings" and "threads" one after the other, lol. I know I looked like this @_@ after I had finished reading my chappy over. Oh, and a quick thank you to anyone who's reviewed (LadyOrion, HuHu_huggiez, swasdiva, and kaja1234). I'm really glad that some of you review every chapter almost - it makes for good encouragment lol. Anyway, here goes nothing…

Chapter Eleven: A Twist Of Fate

Thunder rolled over the scenic landscape of feudal Japan, promising a heavy storm later on in the day. The sky was gray and heavy with dark clouds, and the breeze that had stirred the grass earlier was gone. The calm before the storm, Kai thought, then winced as a shrill shriek of frustration blended with the rumble of thunder, setting his ears ringing.

"It's not FAIR!" Kagome punctuated each word with a vicious stamp of her foot, ignoring the fact that no sound or feel of her shoe hitting the ground accompanied the movement. "Why is this only happening to me? Why can't I either be happily alive or peacefully dead? Being BOTH really isn't my idea of fun!"

Kai gingerly reached out to pat her arm, his fingers halting a few inches from contact as he thought better of it. Judging by the look on Kagome's face she wasn't in the mood to be comforted, and Kai had no desire to be verbally ripped to pieces by a mouthy teenager. Instead, he settled for looking politely understanding and sympathetic, even though the kitsune had no idea what was happening to Kagome.

She had come running back in tears not long ago and told him what had happened in heart-wrenching tones. Shippou's father felt sorry for the girl - it was hard enough being dead and left to wander around after your loved ones without being subjected to these teasing slips back into the world of the living.

"Kagome, are you sure you actually… well… became alive again? Maybe it was only an illusion - some spirits can do that you know. Create illusions. If a person's spirit is bitter about their death, they will sometimes make other spirits miserable simply to dull the pain they feel," Kai told her.

"It was real," Kagome replied adamantly, her voice going down an octave from the piercing tone it had acquired before. "I know it." She could still feel the warmth of Inu Yasha's arms around her and his body pressed against hers, his long, thick hair tangled in her fingers, his golden eyes wide in shock and joy… And that strange, exhilarating rush of love throbbing to the beat of one heart. That was the part that confused her the most since she could still hear the heartbeat, though it had separated into two again. And that tug! There it was, pulling at her, an invisible guide and connection to some unseen destination.

"Kagome?"Kai's voice jolted the raven-haired girl out of her thoughts. "Are you alright?"

It took Kagome a minute to figure out why his voice sounded so far away. Then she realized that she had unconsciously begun walking in the direction of the tug again. Cursing under her breath, she moved back to Kai. "I'm fine," she bit out. "Just bloody fine."

Kai wisely didn't say anything and went back to watching Shippou and the others as they sat around the glowing coals of their campfire in the early morning light. Kai sighed wistfully, grinning a little as the he watched his son tease Inu Yasha in an attempt to cheer him up. He remembered teaching the little kit all a good fox demon should know - how to trick, con, and annoy the hell out of people, and how to escape in one piece after doing so.

The kitsune's bright green eyes grew shadowed, a self-mocking smile replacing his earlier melancholy grin. Everything a good fox demon should know, he thought bitterly. But look where being the perfect kitsune got me. I never should have taken that bet…

He glanced again at Inu Yasha and his son. Now Shippou was pulling on the hanyou's ears, laughing and disappearing in a flash of blue fire whenever Inu Yasha growled and took a swipe at him. He almost acts like Shippou was his son, Kai thought, slightly amused. His sharp eyes hadn't missed the way the half demon had been careful to retract his claws and not use his full strength as he tried to swat Shippou. Cute.

Lost in his memories, the tall kitsune didn't notice the chill enter the air at first. But a shiver from the silent girl next to him and the feel of cold air against his skin jerked his mind back to the present. This chill - it feels familiar… Kai's eyes widened. Oh shit…

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"OW! Damn it, Shippou, you little brat!" Inu Yasha's half-hearted shout split the heavy silence hanging over the land. The hanyou rubbed his tender ears from his reclined position on the ground, glaring daggers at the giggling kitsune. "I'd come after you and beat you senseless, runt, but I don't feel like it right now."

"Don't feel like it? Ha!" Shippou laughed. "You're just lazy!"

"I'm not lazy, brat," Inu Yasha growled. "It's this damn heat." He waved one clawed hand as though clearing the air. "It's making everyone tired."

As much as Shippou hated to admit it, dog-boy had a point. Both Sango and Miroku were sprawled out on their backs next to each other, the youkai exterminator too miserable to care about her close proximity to the monk and Miroku too drained to take advantage of it. They were fanning themselves with whatever was available - their hands, spare bits of paper, extra clothing… anything they could reach without getting up. Even Kirara was lying down, ears drooping at the sides of her head from the heavy, oppressive air. And she's supposed to be a fire-cat! Shippou thought, shaking his head. But he had to confess, the air was starting to get to him as well, demon toughness or not. His clothes were sticking wetly to his back, his hair was damp with sweat, and his tail had frizzed from heat and moisture combined.

And all because of the foreboding storm fast approaching in the distance.

A tiny breath of cool air touched the young kitsune's face and he eagerly leaned into it, relishing the feel of wind on his sweaty skin. The breeze grew a little stronger, ruffling Shippou's auburn hair. This is nice, the fox demon thought, sitting down allowing his eyes to droop shut in contentment. A sudden gust of frigid air brought them sharply open again.

"What the hell?" Inu Yasha got to his feet as the cold wind reached him, senses alert. Miroku and Sango were pulling on previously discarded pieces of clothing, shivering a little at the rapid drop in temperature. "Where's this wind coming from?"

"Can you feel it too, Inu Yasha?" Shippou asked, going to stand beside the hanyou. "There's some sort of… presence." Kirara gave a small growl, fur bristling as she transformed into the giant, sabre-toothed fire-cat. Apparently she could sense something as well.

"I can feel it," Inu Yasha said shortly. "And I don't like it."

Shippou swung his gaze around their small camp, trying vainly to locate what his sense were telling him was right there. The icy bite in the air surrounded them now, making the kitsune almost wish for the hot, heavy atmosphere that had been there only seconds ago as he huddled in on himself. But no one appeared and the cold wouldn't leave.

A slight shiver swept around the group of mismatched companions as they waited for this unseen enemy to materialize. This strange chill carried with it the impression of graves. And Shippou, as he watched his breath mist in the frozen air, couldn't shake the feeling that it would be their names on the gravestones.

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Taro watched the light glint off of the golden lily necklace, his eyes deep with regret and loss. He let the chain slip through his fingers and fall to the tabletop with a faint clink.

Just like Riyo, the farmer thought, unknowingly echoing one of Inu Yasha's earlier musings involving Kagome. She's slipped through my fingers. He studied the necklace, noting the broken chain. It was the only imperfection marring the otherwise beautiful piece of jewelry.

It's funny how a person's possessions often reflect their own state.

Taro sighed, resting his head in his hands. He should probably be getting back to work. There was so much to do since he lived here by himself. If Riyo saw the state his house was in… Forget her! he told himself firmly, knowing it was useless. Kami, he wished he could.

The sound of his front door slamming open brought his head around sharply. When he saw who stood there, however, all he could do was stare.

"Ri- Riyo?" he stuttered in disbelief. "But… I thought… I mean, when you didn't come back…"

"Quiet," Riyo commanded, trying to keep the smile of relief at seeing him well from reaching her face. "I didn't come here to chat. I've just had a foretelling, and there are a few things we have to do."

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Kagome coughed, her lungs protesting the cold air being forced into them. Why had it gotten so wintry out of nowhere?

"Hey!" she squeaked as Kai suddenly picked her up and physically placed her behind him. "What's going on?"

"Fate-sealer," the fox demon replied tersely, emerald eyes scanning their surroundings. "Don't move."

Kagome did as she was told, silently seething at the way she was being treated. If only there was a prayer bead necklace around that irritating kitsune's throat…

"What's a fate-sealer?" she whispered after a moment, shivering as the oddly cold air curled around her body. You don't feel coldness when you're dead, she told herself. So this thing must be powerful…

"It's a creature," Kai said, keeping his voice low. "A deadly creature. It can pass freely between the spirit world and the world of the living, twisting people's destinies to its own liking or simply cutting short their lives as easy as snuffing a candle."

"But… we're alread dead," Kagome said, confused. "It can't hurt us, right?"

Kai gave her a withering glance. "I just told you - it can pass between both worlds. That means it can affect things in both worlds. It can even bring people back from the dead, though I've never heard of one doing so. There are things worse than death, you know." For some reason, that simple sentence made Kagome shiver more than the frigid air seeping into her bones.

A strange rattling, scraping sound suddenly filled the air, making the teenager think of bone grating against bone. She forced herself to keep her hands at her sides, fighting the urge to cover her ears. In front of her, she could see Kai's back tense up as he did the same. To his hearing the sound must have been deafening.

The cold all around them intensified as a figure appeared in front of them. It was blurry at first, just like the forms of Kagome's companions a little ways away, but it steadily grew solid until she could clearly see just what kind of creature this fate-sealer was.

When she did, Kagome instantly wished she hadn't. Kai's words echoed in her mind again and again as she tried to tear her gaze away from the apparation before her. There are things worse than death, you know.

At that moment, Kagome believed him.

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HA! Another cliffy! I am just too evil for words *does the I-am-just-too-evil-for-words pose* Well, this chappy wasn't too long but I think I covered just about everyone relevant to the plot so I'm happy. You should be too! R&R please, I love hearing from all of you!

~SilverMyste~