InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Mind's Eye ❯ Twisted Essence ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

InuKagluver91: Teehee! Thank you!

Summer Whispers: Thank you, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it! It's very kind of you to review multiple chapters, too; you're absolutely right about it, in regards to the happy warm feeling one gets from feedback. : D

Ardent-Amber: Thanks so much! One question, on my part; when you say, "Kinda on the long side" are you referring to the chapter lengths? Or is the story dragging slightly?

Inu Kaiba: Thanks! I try (keeping everyone character). I agree, though; While Kagome spends less and less time at home, her true era is still important, because it's a bit part -I think- of who she is, and she's one of the main characters. (I find it hard to really imagine Kagome -who she is, completely- without her big yellow backpack and all its' contents, and all her tests and homework.)

the color blue: No problem. I can understand how it might seem as if I was just being lazy and such, because the reader doesn't actually see any work until the thing is posted. Sorry if I sounded a bit overbearing and grouchy; rereading what I wrote, it sounds on the verge of being rude, and I didn't mean to be.

Sorry! (to your second comment) I know it took a while, but my rabbit died about a week ago. He was fifteen, so it wasn't unexpected (they usually live to about eight), but still… It took a while to get back up to speed. And if that wasn't enough, my internet went on the fritz again, and it was down for a while. (Oddly, the other computers were just fine and dandy… but now it's fixed, and all it's all working.)

Tiamath: Indeed, Hojo must be one of the most oblivious people on the planet. I think he should get an award… Heh, nothing personal about the responses… Giving away the story would be rather… heartless, I think.

Kumoritora: Heh. Plot twists; they're fun to write.

w_j: Thanks SO MUCH for pointing that out! If you see anything like that in the future, please tell me and I will fix it! (I feel really stupid now for having done that in the first place…) Thanks again!

Stephanie: I'm sorry to have confused you! All will be revealed, if you are referring to the third thing, and the fact that there are three of 'em. If you have a particular question, I'll be glad to answer it.

Darkened Soul1: Such high praise! I'm really, truly flattered! Thanks so much! I'm glad that it's worked out well. I didn't want to make it all action (because I'm a sucker for fluffiness) and I wanted to stay with the general genre of the original show. (And I'm not too good at writing action sequences.)

inuyashas hun: Thank you! I agree; Kagome is very kind and forgiving- most of the time, and it's an awful thing to happen… but things will get better.

Disclaimer: While I wish that I did, I don't own Inuyasha.

The Mind's Eye

Chapter Five: Twisted Essence

"'You remember the fairy stories you were told when you were very small- "once upon a time…" Why do you think they always began like that?'

'Because they weren't true,' Simon said promptly.

Jane said, caught up in the unreality of the high remote place, 'Because perhaps they were true once, but nobody could remember when.'

Great-Uncle Merry turned his head and smiled at her.

'That's right. Once upon a time… a long time ago… things happened once, perhaps, but have been talked about for so long that nobody really knows. And underneath all the bits that people have added, the magic swords and lamps, they're all about one thing- the good hero fighting the giant, or the witch, or the wicked uncle. Good against bad. Good against evil.'"

- Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper

(Because I thought it was a good quote, and fit with this chapter. ^_^)

"What… what in the seven hells…?"

Amber eyes widened in shock. The forest before them was more of a jungle than anything else. And it was still growing. In the dense woodlands, birds twittered madly and other animals grunted and squealed. Somewhere in the shadowy depths rabbit screamed, an eerie, thin sound as it died.

"I think we should stand back," Miroku wisely recommended, eyebrows raised at the odd sight. "Who knows what could happen if we step in?"

"Well, I for one don't want to stick around and find out. But just for the record…" Sango shouldered Hiraikotsu and hurled it towards the nearest sapling. The formidable weapon spun through the air towards the tree, and suddenly all noise stopped. It was eerily silent as Sango's boomerang whistled through the air.

Suddenly, vines and branches shot up from the ground in accelerated growth and seized the weapon with leafy grasping fingers. Sango's eyes widened in shock. Suddenly the forest wasn't quite so odd. It was threatening, alien.

"Uh oh." Shippo's tail went bushy with alarm. "I think we should be going now. He tugged on Miroku's ear. "Let's go. I don't like it." The forest was absolutely still, Hiraikotsu suspended

"Neither do I, Shippo." The monk's purple eyes were grim. "This does not bode well." Instinctively, the monk fell into a defensive stance, one hand on the prayer beads around his wrist.

"Well, we hafta get Hiraikotsu back, don't we?" Inuyasha's hand rested on the battered katana on his hip. "I say we destroy the forest."

"Wait…" Kagome's brow was furrowed in concentration. "There's something in the forest, controlling it, I think." She bit her lip. It was hard, trying to "see" for so long. "It's in the middle, somewhere. It's got a really weird aura." She sighed and rubbed her temples.

Miroku smiled approvingly at the schoolgirl. "You're getting much better at this new technique, Kagome." The black-haired schoolgirl smiled slightly. The monk turned to Inuyasha. "I'd bet anything that it's another one of those golems."

"Monks don't bet," Inuyasha responded, one hand still on Tetsusaiga as amber eyes stayed focused on the still forest.

"You've told me that before," the purple-eye monk noticed wryly.

"But if they did," added Sango, "I think you'd win this one, Miroku." She paused. "It's almost as if the forest is waiting for us to attack…"

"Well, it won't be waiting for much longer." Inuyasha stepped forward and tugged Tetsusaiga from its scabbard. "Kagome, where's this aura that you sensed?" He brought the sword down and fierce winds sprang from nowhere, swirling and tumbling through the still air in a fierce torrent.

Howling, Inuyasha's attack ripped through the vegetation and sent Sango's boomerang spinning out of the tangle of vines and branches. The large boomerang went spinning off deeper into the forest.

"Great job, Inuyasha," the demon exterminator told him sourly. "Now Hiraikotsu's stuck in the middle of that jungle."

"Hey," argued the hanyou, "I don't see you doing anything about it." He turned back to the forest. "And I don't think now's the best time to be worrying about that."

"What is it?" Kagome bit her lip, something she seemed to be doing more often nowadays. Why, of all the senses that she could've lost, did it have to be her sight? If she had a choice, she would've picked taste.

"…Animals," Shippo told her, emerald green eyes wide as he clung to Miroku's shoulder. "A bunch of animals. And they're coming out of the trees, just waiting."

"I'm guessing that they're not very happy." Kagome sighed. This week had been far too busy and stressful for her…

Miroku passed the kitsune over to Kagome. "Shippo, you stay with Kagome and protect her. The rest of us will take care of this."

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(•. •)

(><)

"Ouch."

A white ear flicked and amber eyes winced slightly. Arms folded across his chest, Inuyasha grumpily addressed Kagome, "I can do it myself, you know." Shadows danced across his lap as the wind sighed, the leaves rustling on the tree that the companions had gathered beneath.

Sango winced slightly as Miroku wound a bandage around her elbow. "That was great shot by the way, Kagome." She slapped Miroku's hand as it traveled farther up her arm. "Hans off, or I'll ask Shippo."

The black-haired girl snorted. "You have no idea where they are. Your back is covered in stickers and thorns." Sensitive fingers caught another sticker and she tossed it to the ground.

"Well, it's not like you know either," the hanyou retorted sharply. Shippo winced at the crass comment and Miroku and Sang exchanged exasperated glances.

Kagome flinched and ignored him. "You know, you're lucky they were only thorns, or you'd be punctured everywhere." Her tone was conversational. She'd just been asking for that one, she admitted to herself. And in a way, Inuyasha was helping her learn to accept.

"Your haori is quite a marvel." Tactfully, Miroku steered the conversation in a different direction as he wrapped a linen bandage around Sango's elbow. He held up his own sleeve. The black fabric was peppered with holes and tears where vines and twigs had snagged him.

"Fire rat fur," Inuyasha explained. "Otherwise I'd probably be worse of than you." He eyed Miroku's sleeve skeptically. "What?" He turned when Kagome tapped him on the shoulder.

"Shippo says that you've got cuts on your face." She held out a tube of disinfectant. "Here."

"Well, he's wrong. I don't need it. They're already closed." Amber eyes glanced at the little plastic tube disdainfully before Inuyasha continued to pull out needles from his sleeves.

"That's not true!" The kitsune's tail puffed up indignantly and emerald eyes glared into gold. "You've got that huge on right across your forehead!" A fist quickly silenced the young demon.

"It's healing," the hanyou insisted grumpily. Knowing that an argument would be pointless, Kagome mutely returned the ointment to her bag.

Sango sighed and glanced at the back of her hand. It was getting red already, and itchy. Charging through a forest where the animals and birds, even the very plants were against you was not something she ever wanted to have to do again. It was tough and painful and grueling, and definitely not worth it.

As if he could read her thoughts, Miroku commented, "Next time, I say we take the long way around and leave the hostile, magical forest alone." Purple eyes critically inspected a long shallow gash on his arm. The monk sighed and fell back against the sturdy trunk of the tree he was leaned against.

No one had enough energy to respond to that. Even Inuyasha, with his incredible strength and stamina, was exhausted from their battle. Frankly, Miroku was surprised that they'd made it out with so few injuries. If had only been the animals, or just the plants… but when trees fell over to deliberately squash you and plants erupted from the ground in furious growth to ensnare you, and every single animal was united against you, everything just got that much harder.

It had been clear enough where the golem had been. Kagome had just confirmed the obvious; in the center of the forest, a great clump of vines had grown. They had writhed and lashed out upon the companions' approach, like the tentacles of an octopus. But no octopus that Miroku had ever seen had thorns, nor did their tentacles grow and split, multiplying. And unlike an octopus, the creature stood up on long agile roots, and animals were tangled in the thing's grip as if merged into one. The resulting fight explained everyone's tattered appearances.

Miroku frowned. These golems. They were an enigma of themselves, never mind where Naraku got the spell. He'd never seen anything like them before.

Sango leaned closer despite the inherent danger of being touched in inappropriate places. "Is something wrong?" She glanced at his hand, brown eyes flickering slightly. "Is hour hand alright?"

Miroku shrugged uncomfortably. He hadn't told anyone that it had widened enough for him to notice. "I overused it a bit. And your shoulder?"

Sango winced and rolled her shoulder. "It'll be fine in a few days. I overdid it, too." The dappled shadows of the tree above played across her face as the demon exterminator sat back with a heavy sigh. To be honest, she was absolutely exhausted, and she just wanted to sleep. Maybe, just this once, she could trust Miroku not to behave like a pig…

Sango sighed, eyebrows snapping together. The sharp sound of palm meeting face echoed across the otherwise silent glade. Then again, perhaps not.

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(•. •)

(><)

"This again?" Irritably, Kagome tapped her foot against the ground. Was there a ground? She couldn't really tell, but she knew that she was standing on something.

A voice drifted around her like the soft summer breeze, carrying with it a hint of lavender. Kagome rubbed her nose and sneezed. The smell was powerful, much stronger than when she was awake and clearer than any dream. Any dream, except the one she'd had last night. And the night before. And they just kept getting clearer.

A soft, crooning chuckle echoed through the swirling, foggy depths of her dreaming mind. "Yes. I'm sorry, but I must speak with you. I haven't… haven't…" The words faded off, like Ayumi's cell phone on a bad day. "… closed. You need to…"

Kagome whirled around, brown eyes distrustful. "Who are you?" she demanded. "And where've you taken me?" The thick fog wrapped around her like a tender embrace, as soft and insubstantial as the breath of a sleeping child, yet cold and clammy. Kagome didn't like it, but no matter how much she strained her eyes, she couldn't make out the shapes beyond.

"…no time to explain, you…." The voice dwindled away again and faded away. "…so much you need to learn, so much I must teach…."

"Kagome…!"

The black-haired girl whirled again. "What is going on?" The fog rose, surrounding her, choking her with the thick, cloying scent of lavender. "Who are you?" her voice echoed desolately across the emptiness.

"Kagome!"

She recognized that voice. She coughed, the lavender scent making it almost impossible for her to breathe. "Inuyasha!" She rushed through the fog, trying to escape it, stumbling across the empty expanse. "Where are you?"

"KAGOME!"

A hand on her shoulder was shaking her roughly. She gasped and sat up, a hand over her pounding heart, adrenaline pulsing in her veins. She turned her head left, then right. "Inuyasha? Why's it so dark? What's going on?" The last thing she remembered was fighting the golem in the forest, and dropping off. Why was it so dark now?

Her queries were met by awkward silence, and the hand lifted from her shoulder.

"You're blind, Kagome." Sango's voice was soft, remorseful.

"Oh." The vivid images from her dream resounded in her head, as clear as if she'd truly seen them. And then… perhaps she had.

"Are you alright?" Miroku's voice, concerned and curious, came from her left. "You were…" the monk paused. "Well, I'm not sure what you were doing," he admitted.

"You were humming and your fingers kept twitching." Shippo's voice by her knee explained the bizarre occurrence, his tone matter-of-fact. "It was really weird, and then you wouldn't wake up and Inuyasha went nuts," the kitsune added smugly. "Ouch!" Inuyasha's fist descended upon his head.

"I was?" Eyebrows raised in surprise, she turned towards the kitsune's voice. "Whaddaya mean, 'humming'?"

Shippo shrugged, one hand over the tender spot on his skull. "You were humming. Like, 'mmmmmmmm'." He demonstrated.

Kagome frowned. "That's weird." What on earth was going on?

"Kagome," Miroku asked carefully, purple eyes intense as he watched the schoolgirl, "what did you dream about?"

Kagome shrugged airily. "Oh, you know dreams. They're always really weird." She flipped a stray strand of black hair over her shoulder.

"But what did you dream about? Was it like a normal dream, or was it different?" the monk insisted, purple eyes serious. "You must tell me, Kagome. It could be important."

She sighed. "No, they're not normal dreams," she admitted. "This time, I was surrounded by this really thick fog, and everything was really clear and in focus, like I was there. And this weird voice always talks to me, tells me that she wants to help, and can teach me, and that I should come with her." She twisted her hands in her lap. "It's really weird, actually."

"No kiddin'," Inuyasha snorted. He turned to the black-haired girl, amber eyes glinting with suspicion. "Wait. You said, 'this time.' You've had more than one of these dreams, and you didn't think about mentioning it?" He shook his head, silvery hair swishing. "You're an idiot!"

"I didn't think it was that important!" Kagome retorted hotly. "I thought I was just having really weird dreams, at first." There was a flicker of doubt in her voice as she continued. "But then, after the second one…"

"The second one?" Miroku leaned forward curiously, bruises and cuts forgotten.

"Yeah. At first it was a normal dream, and then these hands came out of nowhere and brought me somewhere else, and then told me the same thing. The only this was, I could see where I was, but I couldn't really. And it really felt like a different place. It was different from all the others in that way. I was really somewhere else. All the other ones, I've been in my head, I think, and she talks to me."

"She?"

Kagome shrugged. "Creepy little girl. Her voice is like Kanna's. At least, I think she's a little girl. She could be an old woman, too. But I've never seen her, only heard her voice. But the hands are small."

"And you never found this worth mentioning." Inuyasha's voice was sarcastic, amber eyes glimmering under lowered brows. "What would you feel worth it?"

"But I did mention it!" Kagome said defensively. "A few days ago, when we were at that house! I told you that there was this voice whispering in my ear!"

Sango frowned, lost in thought. "I remember. Miroku, you thought it was a demon, correct?" She glanced at the black-haired monk, who nodded in agreement. She continued, musingly: "Do you remember that demon?"

Miroku interjected quickly: "You mean the one that was standing outside of our room a few nights ago?" He frowned. " I thought it was a ghost. It just stood there, watching us, before laughing and running away."

Amber eyes narrowed. "I remember that one. It came back after all of you fell asleep again. I followed it, and there was some sort of portal in the air. It had purifying powers in it, and then it just collapsed."

Miroku glanced at the hanyou, eyebrows raised. "And you didn't think to mention this before?"

"Shut it," Inuyasha replied sourly. "I forgot."

Miroku sighed and turned his amethyst gaze to the leaves above as they danced quietly in the breeze. "Well, in any case, it seems that you, Kagome, are being watched very carefully by some sort of entity." He frowned. "And recently we've run into a series of very strange creatures."

"It must be connected, somehow," Sango concluded. "I wonder, though. I know it's a bit of a stretch, but do you think it could possibly be Nozomi, of the legend?"

Miroku shook his head. "The story of Nozomi is perhaps merely a legend. We have no way to be sure. Kagome, is, after all, opening her mind to outside influences by using her powers in such a way." He scratched his head. "In short, this creature could be anything at all."

Inuyasha snorted. "Great."

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

Scarlet eyes rolled derisively. "Oh, come now Naraku! You were watching me the whole time! You gave me a single set of instructions; animate a corpse and have it intercept our traveling friends. Then, they would be separated- I wasn't to know how, and then lead the other two to the thing in the woods. I didn't have your creature eaten. And how do you think I could've conjured a thing like… like that?"

Naraku sighed slowly, irritated by Kagura's oblivious stupidity. "I am not accusing you of raising such beasts. No, I know for a fact that you are incapable of doing that. I am simply asking you to describe them."

"You saw them yourself, in Kanna's mirror." The wind witch shrugged. "What else is there to tell?"

"What about an aura?" Long pale fingers drummed a tattoo on the tatami mat he was sitting on.

Kagura frowned. "None." She shrugged. "No demonic aura, for either of the things. They were golems, remember."

"No, they were not," snapped Naraku in a rare show of emotion. He chuckled at his subordinate's ignorance. "Kagura, have you ever heard of the Essences?"

"No, I can't say that I have." There was an edge to the wind witch's voice.

"No, I didn't think so." Naraku smiled condescendingly. "As I'm sure you're aware, there is a Heaven, a Hell, and in between, this life." Kagura nodded curtly. "The title, "Essence" is self explanatory. These creatures are the essence of each place, but twisted. Hell is a golem made of a baby's bone, and is animated by the skin of the dead. Heaven is made of stone and is fed by tortured souls. That is the one that devoured my creature in the woods." He frowned. "Life is made of wood and feeds of the living, controlling their lives and actions for its' own purposes." He paused and glanced at Kagura.

"What is odd, is that they've appeared suddenly out of nowhere. These Essences are essentially the stuff of legend," the demon mused. "They disappeared centuries ago, if they ever existed at all. And suddenly, here they are again." Cold eyes glanced at the wind witch. "I find that strange, don't you?"

"What do I have to do with it?" Kagura sneered, wooden fan tapping against her thigh. She had never been one for Naraku's subtlety, the way he manipulated events and people to make the dice fall as he wished.

"Just keep an eye out." Naraku waved his hand, signaling her to leave. The wind witch turned on her heel and marched out of the room, mouth pursed tightly. Naraku glanced thoughtfully at his collection of urns, their contents bubbling. "Such strange occurrences…"

_|__|_

(•.•)

--( • )--

(____)

"No. Absolutely not," Inuyasha replied flatly, arms folded stubbornly across his chest. "In case you've forgotten, Kagome, we happen to be in the middle of something here."

Kagome huffed, fists clenched in pent-up frustration. "But I hafta go home sometime! And it's gotta be soon." The black-haired girl sighed unhappily. "I hafta learn to read and write with Braille, and homework is hard enough to do as it is…." She turned to the hanyou beseechingly. "Please, I just need some time to readjust, okay?"

"And what've you been doing all this time?" he demanded obstinately, white ears flicking with irritation.

"Kagome has a point, though," Miroku added. "Give her some time, Inuyasha. It's only been a week and a half. She's lived with her sight for… fifteen years?" He glanced at Kagome to reaffirm her age. "Fifteen years."

The schoolgirl beamed in the monk's direction as they continued up the dusty path, the road bumpy beneath her tentative feet. "Thank you, Miroku."

He bowed slightly in response, a gracious smile curling the corners of his lips. "Of course."

"Besides," Sango added. "I think we should take some time to think about what's been going on. And Kaede can help us with that. She's knowledgeable in the way of legends and magic."

Inuyasha nodded grudgingly, feet scuffing at the dry road, raising a small cloud of dust. "Fine." He glanced at Kagome. "But only five days."

"Five days?" Kagome demanded incredulously. "It's gonna take me five weeks to learn Braille, at least…" Well, she could study in the past, when she had time, after covering the basics. It might work out. The black-haired girl sighed and wished fervently that it would. She was far enough behind as it was. She stopped and stiffened.

"Shikon shards are coming this way," she alerted the others. Concentrating, she found the aura. "Oh, wait. It's only Kouga." She relaxed.

The wary expression in Miroku's eyes faded and Sango lowered Hiraikotsu with a slight wince. Her shoulders were still sore. Inuyasha, on the other hand, stiffened and whipped out Tetsusaiga, amber eyes belligerent. "Where's that mangy wolf?"

Kagome was opening her mouth to reply when a strong gust of wind nearly bowled her over. A large calloused hand grabbed her own. "Kagome! It's been to long." She could hear the confident grin in the wolf demon's voice.

"Hello, Kouga," she replied politely, gently pulling her hand out of his. "How are you?"

Inuyasha's growl rose in a crescendo as Kouga replied: "I'm great, now that I'm with you. Hey, what's that covering your eyes?" He reached out and grabbed the sunglasses, turning them over in his hands, cerulean eyes bright with curiosity. "What do they do?"

A clawed hand shot out a grabbed the sunglasses from the wolf demon. "Keep your damned nose out, wolf." Amber eyes smoldered challengingly into cerulean. "And go away. You're wasting our time."

Kouga aimed a kick at the hanyou. "I'm not talking to you, insolent puppy!" He turned back to Kagome. "I was just-" he stopped abruptly. "Hey, why're you closing your eyes? Is somethin' wrong?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Took ya long enough, stupid. Kagome's blind. Now go away!" Claws shot out and the black-haired wolf demon moved deftly to the side.

"What?" he roared at the demi-demon, fangs bared in a show of true fury. "How could you let this happen? You're always so damn irresponsible!" He turned back to Kagome. "I can't trust her to your care anymore, Inuyasha. I'm taking Kagome with me!"

The black-haired girl stepped forward, hands up in a placating gesture. "Kouga! It's not Inuyasha's fault!" The wolf demon paused. "I was at home and it was just some weird freak accident. There's nothing anyone couldn't done," she explained, her voice dying away. There was nothing anyone could've done.

Kouga paused, cerulean eyes suspicious. "Well, since you say so, Kagome…" He turned to Inuyasha again. "I'll leave Kagome in your care for a bit longer, puppy." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Gotta go. See ya, Kagome!" He disappeared in a whirl of dust.

"That… that…" Inuyasha growled, teeth gritted and eyes flashing. "That cocky bastard!"

Miroku rolled his eyes at Sango. "You're one to talk," Shippo piped up, green eyes sarcastic. "You're the one always rushing off into a fight without a second thought!" Inuyasha rewarded the kitsune for this flattering description with a lump on his head.

"You really must learn to control your temper, Inuyasha-sama." A familiar squeaky voice spoke from by the hanyou's ear.

"Well, look who's back." Deftly, Inuyasha reached up and grabbed the little flea with two fingers and squeezed a bit harder than necessary. "After the danger's past, I might add."

"Nonsense!" The flea retorted. "I was gathering information on Nozomi."

The hanyou raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Really? And what do you hafta tell us?"

Myoga shifted uncomfortably. "Not much, I'm afraid. It is only a legend, after all. Perhaps there was once truth behind it, but so many years have past and so many have told the story that it's undoubtedly changed from the original truth. And, as far as I know, there are no original written records of her, only the old legend." He sighed. "Nozomi was a six-year-old prodigy, containing vast spiritual powers. Through her powers, she was able to see, but far deeper than any eyes." He paused, then spoke hastily: "I'm not quite sure what that means… but that's what it said. Anyway, she was seven when she just disappeared. No one has any ideas of what could've happened. Just… poof."

Miroku frowned. "I must admit, I find myself uneasy over such an ending. But did her disappearance have to do with her powers, the way she used them, or something else?" Purple eyes glanced at the flea. "There was no sort of insinuation as to what befell the child?"

Myoga shook his head wearily. "Nothing certain. I was told it had to do with a powerful demon, yet the scrolls mention something to do with her powers. I can't be sure. It could even be something entirely different."

Kagome sighed. "So basically, I could be digging my own grave. Well, that's great. Myoga, are you sure that's all there was? Nothing about dreams?"

The little flea frowned. "No. Nothing. Why do you ask?" He hopped from Inuyasha's shoulder to Kagome's. "Have you been having strange dreams?"

"Yeah," the black-haired girl admitted. "But I guess it could just be something else." She paused. "It's never happened before, though."

The silence was broken only by the steady footfalls of the group as Myoga processed this information. "Well," he said at last. "I think that the best solution would be to talk to an expert."

"That's why we're heading back to the village," Shippo informed the flea. "Kaede might know something."

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(•. •)

(><)

The elderly priestess shook her head gravely. "Never have I heard of such a thing," she admitted. Wise eyes turned to Kagome. "You must take care, Kagome. I believe that all these sudden, strange events are too much to be a coincidence, but there is nothing to tie all of it together…" She shook her head wearily and changed the subject. "Are you going home to your own time now?"

"Yeah…" Kagome's mouth was a grim line. "I've got tons of catching up to do, and then I've gotta learn a new language..." she trailed off, all the things she had to do sitting like a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach.

"But only for five days," Inuyasha reminded her grudgingly, arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the sturdy wall of Kaede's hut, amber eyes glinting in the shadows.

An exasperated sigh escaped Kagome's lips. She needed far more than five days. She needed five weeks, or more. But there was no point in arguing; she'd just get delayed. "Five days." A familiar hand gripped her elbow as Inuyasha led her out. "Wait," Kagome told him. "I wanna see if I can get there by myself."

The hanyou snorted. "Good luck." He watched, eyes expressionless, as the schoolgirl shuffled forward, a frown on her face as she concentrated. After a few moments, her steps became more confident as she moved down the path. A small grin twitched on the corners of Inuyasha's mouth, until-

"Whoaaa!" Kagome's foot caught on an uneven part of the path and went tumbling into a bush, spitting out exclamations with such venom that the hanyou was shocked to them. "-stupid, idiotic…! Arg!" She thrashed about in the foliage before managing to stand upright. She stomped back onto the path, huffing angrily.

Inuyasha snickered quietly, eyes on the poor mangled shrubbery behind the fuming girl. "I think you killed the bush," he told Kagome dryly.

"Sit." Without waiting for the hanyou to splutter out a reply, she stomped off recklessly into the wood, the large and battered yellow backpack flung over one shoulder. "And I'm taking a week off!" she hollered.

"What?" Inuyasha demanded, struggling against the spell. "Why, you-! We had an agreement, you liar!" He bellowed after her. "Five days! No more! I - " he stopped abruptly, eyes wide. "Oh, shit- ! KAGOME! GET BACK HERE!" He leapt to his feet and dashed after the girl. "There's a demon-!"

The hanyou skidded to a halt. "Oh," he said stupidly.

"Hello, Inuyasha-sama!" Miroku's demon friend, Hachiemon. "How are you today?" He bowed. "I was just telling Kagome here that I had an aunt who was blind, who turned out rather well." He glanced at the black-haired girl. "Of course, she had a much better nose that you, being a tanuki and all…" He shrugged. "I'm sorry to hear about your accident. Good luck with your lessons!" He bowed to both of them and trundled off, whistling.

"What were you thinking?" Inuyasha demanded hotly. "There're all sorts of demons out here!"

Kagome sniffed dismissively. "I know that. I'm perfectly fine."

"Then how'd Hachi manage to sneak up on you?" He grabbed her elbow and led her towards the well again.

Kagome jerked her elbow from his grip. "Who says he did? I knew he was there, and I went over to say hi! Jeez, I'm not a baby or anything!"

"Then how come you're actin' like one?" The hanyou retorted, chin jutting stubbornly.

"Sit!"

Inuyasha went slamming into the path, a great plume of dust making him sneeze. Ears swiveling, he listened as Kagome swished through the long grass, muttering under her breath, and hopped down the well.

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Wearily, Kagome fumbled her way up the creaky wooden ladder and out of the dank well. The worn wooden steps muttered quietly, familiarly, as she made her way towards the door. The black-haired girl slid it open and stepped out into the cool afternoon air with a sigh of relief. It had been hot in Sengoku Jidai.

Distantly, voices greeted her ears and she swallowed. "Uh oh," she murmured. It was Ayumi and Yuka. With nowhere to hide, she casually tried to wander to the side of the house. What would they think if they saw her coming out of the well house?

"Oh! Kagome!" Yuka shrieked. Footsteps echoed on the inlaid stone. "How are you? Are you okay?" A hand squeezed her shoulder.

"Yeah!" Ayumi piped up. "We've been worried sick! We were just talking to your mom. What's with the whole hospital deal?"

Another pair of footsteps resounded off the stone as Mrs. Higurashi hurried after the other two. "Now, Kagome needs some time to rest, okay girls? I'm sorry, but why don't you come back tomorrow?"

There was a pause. "Oh, of course. I'm sorry, Higurashi-san, "Ayumi apologized. "We didn't mean to be rude."

Kagome smiled wanly and shuffled towards the Go-Shinboku. She could hear the wind through the rustling leaves as the tree swayed slowly. "I know." She paused and yawned theatrically.

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Yuka told the blind girl after an awkward silence. "If you need anything that we can help with, just ask!" The walked away, hushed whispers echoing starkly in the otherwise silent yard.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "They're quite a pair, you know," she told her daughter in a conversational tone. "They've been by every day after school since they found out."

A rush of guilt flooded Kagome's senses. "Oh," she said numbly. Her fingers met the weathered wood of the back door and she stepped up into the warm kitchen.

"I'm glad you're back, dear." Mrs. Higurashi patted her daughter comfortingly on the shoulder before going to the stove. "How was it, anyway?"

Kagome sighed gloomily. "Kaede showed me this way to try and see again, but I'm not very good at it," she admitted. There was a clink as her mother placed a plate in front of her.

Mrs. Higurashi paused over the stove, eyes wide with interest. "Really? See how?"

"Through my mind." Kagome fumbled with the chopsticks for a moment. "Apparently, there was this little girl named Nozomi who could was blind, and used her powers to see somehow." She grinned wryly before continuing. "But one day she just disappeared, and no one knows why. Miroku thinks that it's from her powers-"

"Nozomi?" Mr. Higurashi stuck his head through the doorway. "You mean the young priestess?"

"That's the one." Kagome put down her chopsticks. "Do you know the legend?"

The elderly man bristled at his granddaughter's incredulous tone. "Of course I do! It's an old Shinto legend, you know. A tragic tale about a young girl… who was a seer, wasn't it? And her village was beset by horrible demons, and she became a sacrifice, thus pacifying the demons' hunger."

Kagome shook her head. "I think you must be talking about a different Nozomi, Gran'pa. The one I learned about was blind, and she saw through her powers. Then she mysteriously disappeared. According to Myoga- the flea demon," she reminded them, "she might've been taken by a demon, or her powers made her disappear or something like that."

"But was she a little girl?" her grandfather queried.

Kagome nodded, swallowing before answering: "She was around six or seven, according to Myoga and Miroku."

"And she could see through her powers…" Mr. Higurashi mused. "I believe that it's the same legend, twisted by time. There are too many coincidences for it not to be."

"But sacrificed?" the black-haired girl asked. "How many endings do you think this legend has?"

"Probably far too many to count," her grandfather replied around a mouthful of food. "Make no mistake, the truth is in there somewhere, buried beneath centuries of storytelling and artistic license."

"I just hafta find it," Kagome concluded. After all, it could be a matter of life and death.

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"Are you sure?" Kaede asked, alarm evident in her voice and expression. "Three of them? And they were made of wood, bone and stone?"

"Yes," Miroku replied, puzzled. "What does it mean, Kaede-sama?"

"It means that the Twisted Essences aren't simply just a legend," the aging priestess replied solemnly as she stared into the soft warm glow of the fire. "It means that someone -or something- has raised them somehow."

"They weren't too hard to fight," Inuyasha bragged. "So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that a spell lost for thousands of years has suddenly reappeared." She shook her head. "The Essences, as far as legend has it, are not warriors, anyway. It is no surprise that you were victorious. They do not fight."

"Then what do they do?" Shippo's eyes were bright with curiosity as the fire popped and murmured sleepily to itself.

"Another mystery," Kaede sighed unhappily. "They disappeared long, long ago, so long that no one remembers. But I do know that they are not warriors. I recall a certain document…" She stared deeply into the fire as if it might help her remember. "Ah, yes. 'They drift through the shadows, wand'ring through life and death and all that is in between. One does not follow them; they are untraceable, as is the wind or a drop of water in a stream.' It went on to say something to the effect of, 'the Twisted Essences are the ultimate enigma, a mystery that is known by only one, who will follow them as she will.' But who 'she' is, I do not know."

Sango's eyes widened, glinting in the flickering warm firelight. "Would it possible for this person to be Nozomi?"

Kaede paused to consider. "With such strong spiritual powers, and such a young age…" She looked up at the demon exterminator. "It is possible. No, more than possible. It is likely."

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The dream was clearer than ever.

"Kagome, Kagome…" The same soft voice echoed through her head, chillingly soft, nearly sinister. "Kagome…."

Ignoring the voice, Kagome sat down in the lavender-scented fog and fiercely willed herself to wake up.

The presence sighed contentedly. "At last, your mind is finally open enough for me to talk to you."

Kagome flinched and forgot all about waking up. "You mean that it's because of this seeing thing that you're here?" Alarm bells went off in her head.

There was a soft smile in the voice. "Yes. But only because I'm like you. And I can teach you much, much more. You have so much potential, just like I did… and I am in desperate need for a predecessor."

"First of all," demanded Kagome, "tell me who you are! I'm not agreeing to anything until you tell me."

There was a soft chuckle from somewhere in the mist of Kagome's mind. "You mean you have no idea?" A small figure stepped out of the dense swirling fog. She was a small girl with long, straight black hair, like a raven's wing. Her face was pale, a soft smile curling the corners of her lips. A strip of nondescript white cloth was wrapped around her eyes and her robes were those of a full-fledged priestess, astounding for one so young. "Now do you know who I am?"

The black-haired schoolgirl scrambled to her feet. "I think I might…" Kagome replied slowly, her eyes wide. "You wouldn't happen to be named 'Nozomi', would you?"

The small smile was all Kagome required for an answer.

"There's so much you must learn…"

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AN: And the plot thickens…

Questions, comments, ect, please let me know!

By the way, it might take me a while to update. I'm on the final chapters of Haunted, which will require some careful thought and such. Unattainable's also at a turning point, and due to my rotation schedule, it might be a while. Sorry for the long wait this time around!

Some stuff came up…

Thanks for reading!