InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Soul Within ❯ To Change ( Chapter 6 )

A/N: Hmm, it seems like the previous chapter wasn't as popular as the other chapters if the reviews are any indication. Care to tell me any ways that I can make it better? I appreciate suggestions.

 

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The Soul Within

Chapter Six

 

Naraku smiled.

 

Two more days. That was how long he had to wait before Kagome became his bride. When they married, her status as a soon-to-be-village-miko would be added to his status as the village's most powerful hunter. Then, when Kagome became a fully trained miko, they would be the most powerful people in the village.

 

Naraku smirked. Actually…he would be the most powerful person in the village. Miko or not, Kagome was just a woman, which meant that he would be in charge.

 

Life was good.

 

Suddenly, an urgent knock jerked him from his thoughts. Naraku frowned. Who could possibly be bothering him? It probably wasn't anyone important, so Naraku decided to ignore it. He sat against the wall and put his hands behind his head.

 

After a few minutes, the insistent knocking succeeded in driving him crazy. Growling, he stood up and stormed toward his door. He flung it open to see one of the village men.

 

“What?” Naraku asked in a smooth, yet dangerous tone.

 

The man gulped. “S-Sir, I-I have come to inform you that…um…” The deadly looks that Naraku was giving the man seemed to have impaired his speech.

 

“Spit it out,” Naraku ordered flatly.

 

“Lady Kagome is gone!” the man blurted out.

 

Naraku said nothing for several seconds. “Gone, you say?” he replied in a cold voice.

 

“Y-Yes sir.”

 

Naraku raised an eyebrow and paused. “Send a message to every man in this village. Tomorrow at dawn, they are to report to the temple. There, they will receive instructions regarding the safe return of Kagome.”

 

“T-Tomorrow? But sir! She could be in serious danger! Shouldn't we organize a search party immediately?”

 

Naraku narrowed his eyes. “Are you questioning me?” The man quickly shook his head in the negative. “Good. Rest assured, Kagome is in no danger. I would know if she was…I am her fiancé.”

 

The man nodded and took off.

 

Naraku stepped back inside and resumed his seat. No, Kagome was not in any danger, Naraku was sure of that. He had seen the looks on her face whenever the two of them were together. She simply despised the marriage and everything that came with it.

 

So she ran away.

 

Naraku smirked. Did she really think that she could get away from him? Who did she think that she was dealing with? She would marry him. Kagome was the key to his future power and that key had simply slipped through the wooden cracks. So, in order to get that key back, he would have to blast the wood. When he found her, she would be punished. He would destroy everything in order to get his key back.

 

When he felt like it.

 

For now, Naraku would let her think that she won. He would give her a few more days of freedom before snatching it away, never to return it. That would teach her.

 

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The village man hastened to obey Naraku's orders. He knocked at every hut and gave Naraku's message to the man of the house.

 

After the last house, the man sighed in relief. Naraku could be scary, if not deadly, when things didn't go his way.

 

“Shiro?” asked a voice.

 

Shiro turned toward the source of the voice. “Ah, Lady Kaede!”

 

“Shiro, why are ye out of breath? Are ye okay?” Kaede asked with concern.

 

“Don't worry, Lady Kaede. I was just delivering an important message.”

 

“Oh? May I ask what message?”

 

Shiro clenched his fists nervously. She didn't know. She didn't know that her apprentice was gone.

 

“Lady Kaede…I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but…” He paused. “Lady Kagome is missing.”

 

“Kagome is…missing?” Kaede whispered in fear.

 

“But don't worry, Lady Kaede! Naraku is organizing a search party. Lady Kagome will be found and returned soon.”

 

Kaede nodded. “I understand. Thank you for telling me, Shiro.”

 

Shiro nodded, bowed and left.

 

**********

Kaede hid a smile as Shiro walked away. So, Kagome was successful. She had gotten away and nobody had any idea where she was. Kaede's lips curved upward as she walked toward the meadow that she and Kagome had trained in the day before.

 

She knelt on the grass, closed her eyes and began to concentrate her power. Kaede (along with many other mikos) meditated every day to help control her power.

 

Kaede didn't know how much time had passed before she sensed someone approaching. Normally, she would just ignore anyone that came near her while she was meditating or training…but this was not someone from her village.

 

Her eyes snapped open and she looked at her visitor. It was a young girl with short, wavy brown hair. She looked to be about fifteen.

 

“Can I help ye?” Kaede asked.

 

“Um, are you Lady Kaede, the village miko?” the girl asked uncertainly.

 

“Aye. What can I help ye with?” Kaede asked in confusion.

 

The girl bowed. “Lady Kaede, I have come to ask if you have decided on whether or not to send Lady Kagome to our village to be our miko.”

 

Kaede raised her eyebrows in bewilderment. “Aye, I sent her last night. She should have gotten there by now.”

 

It was the girl's turn to be confused. “But Lady Kaede…she never showed up!”

 

**********

 

“I'm so bored!” Kagome exclaimed in frustration.

 

Sango yawned. “You'll get used to it after awhile. Night is actually a really nice time to be awake.”

 

Kagome instantly felt guilty. “I'm sorry, Sango. Here you and Miroku are, staying up with me when you should be sleeping, and I'm acting like a spoiled brat.”

 

Miroku smiled at Kagome. “Worry not, Kagome. I'm actually shocked that you decided to stay here. Helping you to adjust to becoming nocturnal is the least that we can do.”

 

“It's not hard,” Sango agreed. “After staying up all night, sleeping all day is easy.”

 

Kagome nodded and looked toward the boarded up window. “You two…and Shippo…have never felt the sunlight on your faces, have you?” Kagome asked sadly.

 

Miroku and Sango exchanged glances. “Don't feel bad for us, Kagome,” Sango scolded gently. “We're okay with this. We've never known anything different. Besides, Inuyasha has it much worse,” she said. “He's mine and Miroku's friend…it's hard to see him suffer. He always pushes people away.”

 

Kagome remembered their conversation the day before and felt sadder. She hid her sadness for their sake though. Kagome looked at the sleeping kitsune beside her and silently sighed.

 

Shippo…apart from Inuyasha, the spell was probably the hardest on him. For one thing, he had been alive for the entire fifty years. For another, he was only a child. He should be basking in sunlight, playing with other young children…he shouldn't have to live the way he did.

 

Sango was almost asleep on Miroku's shoulder and Miroku was nodding off too.

 

“Sango? Miroku?” Sango jerked out of her doze and Miroku looked up. “You two can sleep now if you want. I'm just going to think about some things for the rest of the day.”

 

Sango was asleep before she had even finished her sentence and Miroku gave her a tired smile. “Are you sure?” he asked. Kagome nodded and he closed his eyes.

 

Kagome rubbed Shippo's back in a motherly fashion and gazed upon her friends' slumbering faces. They all had to live like vampires…they were tied to a fate that they had no control over…until the spell was broken.

 

Miroku had told her earlier that if Inuyasha didn't turn back to his hanyou self before the jewel became completely black, he would become even more uncontrollable. He would kill and kill and kill…until his soul became devoured.

 

Kagome shuddered. That was a fate that she wouldn't wish on anyone…not even Naraku.

 

Suddenly, realization hit her like her arrow would hit a target. Fifty years…they were all saying that this had happened nearly fifty years ago…meaning that they only had months, weeks or even days until it was too late. Kagome had no way of knowing how much time was left, but she did know that there wasn't much.

 

It was a miko…a miko cursed Inuyasha…but I'm a miko too! And Kaede did say that I would surpass her…Maybe, just maybe, I can purify the jewel and release everyone from the spell! Then nobody would have to worry about the “Purest Act.”

 

Kagome's eyes narrowed. Her decision was made. That night, she would find the jewel and purify it herself.