InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ To Accept One's Fate ❯ - About Loss, Friendship, and A Dark Threat - ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: imoshen

Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine, they are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama / Action / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.21.2008 | Updated On: 10.19.2008 | Pages: 9 | Words: 10.1K | Visits: 530 | Status: Work In Progress

Title:

To Accept One's Fate

Author:

Imoshen

Rating:

NC-17 for violence, language and perhaps sexual content

Summary:

Three years after Kagome had fallen into the well she meets an old witch who tells her about a very frighteningly dark threat. In order to save the future of the Feudal Era,time is everything and beyond all limits.

Author's Note:

This is not my first fan fiction but it is my very first story in English and yes, that is something special to me because I am not a native speaker.

All my thanks goes to my beta-reader XoxGaaraxoXwho was so kind to correct my grammar and spelling mistakes and helped me with the flow of the story - thank you so much for your help, without you I would still be working on my first chapter.

I'm very open to criticism as long as it is polite and I do care about other people opinions. Feel free to give me some advice or just let me know if you like my story. : )

Right now I think that this story will have about 30 or 40 chapters and you'll hopefully enjoy every single one of it.

The paring in this story will be Sess/Kag

Disclaimer:

I do not own Inuyasha - Rumiko Takahashi does. But I do own this plot.

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To Accept One's Fate

Chapter One

- About Loss, Friendship, and A Dark Threat -

There was a cold but soft wind blowing when she walked down the road with her bike by her side. It was pink with a little basket at the front. She could see a few tiny clouds drifting by and hearing the singing of the birds made her smile. The sun had already started to set. She knew it wouldn't take long for the moon to rise and the darkness of the night to wash over the world. The trees at the side of the road would soon lose their leaves, which had already begun to turn red and yellow. Somehow it was a very peaceful sight. The high mountains at the horizon grew bigger and bigger with every step she took. She could see the first snow dusting the peaks of the mountains like white sugar over chocolate moose cake. She knew that winter was near. When she turned her head from the sight before her, her eyes fell on his back.

She didn't want to look at him but she had to. It still hurt a lot to think of him as nothing more than a friend. It hurt to know that it would never change; that it would always be that way. She was reminded of the first time she saw him. At first she had thought he was dead; that she was in some kind of fairy tale. But when she touched him...when she could feel the warmth of his skin, the softness of the fur that covered his dog ears, she knew that it was more than real.

Back then she couldn't say why she was there, or what purpose she had. She didn't even know where that road would lead her. But now after all these years; years where she and her friends had fought for peace, love and friendship. After all they lost, and all the pain they endured... she knew that it wasn't because of him. She had always thought that. She had always thought that as long as he could be by her side, nothing could happen. Nothing would change, and nothing could stand between them. She thought it was because of him that she was there. She thought that her place was standing right next to him, ready to fight for their freedom. She was wrong....

She remembered the pain in her heart. It felt like it had stopped beating altogether. It felt like her world was upside down, and the pain was so great that she couldn't even breathe.

She saw him kissing her.

Her predecessor. The woman who died fifty-three years ago. The woman who sealed him to the sacred tree.

The woman who he thought had betrayed him.

Kikyou ...

Kagome Higurashi sighed. It was three years ago that she saw them. At that moment she knew that she would never have a chance with Inuyasha. But why was her heart still hurting? Why couldn't she get over it? She looked down at the road before her. She knew the answer. She never had the chance to live the life of a normal girl. When her friends dated guys, talked about their first kiss, about mean teachers and the load of homework they had to do - she was fighting in the feudal era along with her friends. Shippou, the little fox demon, Sango, the demon slayer and Miroku, the monk.

And then there was Inuyasha.

The half-demon, the son of the Inu No Taisho, Toga, half-brother of Sesshoumaru the Killing Perfection, and the child of Izayoi, his human mother.

He was an outcast, an outsider...somebody who would never fit in no matter how hard he tried.

She could still taste all of the tears she had shed because of him. He had hurt her so much, but she knew that he didn't see it. She knew that he didn't do it on purpose. He would never. She knew that he thought he loved her, but she knew better. Every time he looked at her he saw Kikyou ... when Inuyasha couldn't make the decision, she did it for him.

“I have to let go Inuyasha…”

They were sitting on the edge of the Bone Eater's Well. His hand was clasped loosely in hers. She couldn't look him in the eyes when she spoke the words out loud. The words everybody knew were the truth, but nobody wanted to speak... because it would hurt too much. But she couldn't live like that any longer, and he deserved it. He deserved her to be honest with him. She knew that he needed to let her go too, just like he needed to let go of Kikyou. As long as they left things unsettled between them, she knew that neither of them would find luck or love in their lives.

It was almost a year ago that she had spoken with Inuyasha. It was almost a year ago that she said goodbye to her first love. But still.. .it hurt. It hurt so much. She never told Inuyasha how she understood him so well. They had much more in common than he knew. In the same way he felt like an outcast in both demon, and human society, she often felt like an outsider. She felt like somebody who didn't fit in. She didn't belong to the feudal era, but when she was back home in her time she had the same feeling. Her friends talked about boys, parties, sex and alcohol. She just listened and laughed... but on the inside it just felt hollow and empty. It just didn't feel right to her.

Where do I belong? Where is my place?

She knew she was here to fulfill her destiny. Her destiny was the Shikon No Tama - the jewel of the four souls. A long time ago she had broken it accidentally. The shards exploded all over Feudal Japan, falling into the hands of humans and demons alike. Like Kouga, the wolf demon, who had shards in each of his legs. Kouga was her friend, her ally; somebody who was just as strong and brave as Inuyasha. But not everybody was as good as Kouga. The shards also fell into the hands of Naraku - an evil half-demon.

Naraku tricked Inuyasha and Kikyou fifty-three years ago. He set up a trap that caused Inuyasha to be sealed to the sacred tree, and Kikyou to die. He killed Sango's family, her village, and he captured her brother who lived only because of the jewel shard in his neck. He cursed Miroku's father by putting a windtunnel in his hand that ultimately consumed him and caused his son to suffer the same curse of fighting against his fate.

But Kagome couldn't smother the feeling of anxiety that gnawed at the corners of her mind. What would happen after the jewel was complete? What would she do then? Would she go back? Would their journey be over? Could they go on living their lives like nothing had happened? How was she supposed to forget all this? How could she leave all this behind her to go on with her old life? What was left of her old life?

She lifted her head to look in front of her. They were almost at the bottom of the mountains. The air was clear and cold. It almost smelled like fresh snow. Right in front of her was a big forest with tall trees. She could hear a nearby river and the whispers of the leaves as the wind gently blew them over the ground.

Shippou ran in front of her as he tried to keep up with their friends Miroku and Sango. They were probably trying to get some privacy. It was hard for all of them in these days. Kagome wasn't the only one who suffered from Naraku. Her friends had lives too before everything they loved was taken from them. They had wishes and dreams of a bright future; but the half-demon had taken those dreams away. He had crushed them with an iron fist, and now they didn't know what the future would bring to them. They didn't even know if they would survive the final battle with Naraku. It just wasn't fair at all. Kagome clenched her hand into a tight fist, anger and sorrow were rising within her both threatening to consume her.

“Kagome…”

When she heard her name, she looked up and saw the face of her friend Sango. The girl was smiling at her in a way that pushed the dark clouds of her sorrow away.

“I think we should rest for the night.”

She saw that they had stopped at a small clearing of the forest. Miroku and Shippou had already begun to collect wood for the fire. Inuyasha was sitting in a branch of a nearby tree; his eyes searching the horizon for any danger. Almost six weeks had past since their last encounter with Naraku.

Nothing had happened since then.

She didn't sense any shards. They hadn't had to face any danger... it felt like nothing had happened. The world was at peace, but she knew it was wrong. Naraku was up to something and they had to find out what it was soon.

Kagome turned her head to look at the mountains in front of her. All day they'd walked; their destination being the top of the mountains. They would pass them and would go on. They would go as long as they could to find any sign of the evil half-demon. But there was something that made her uneasy. A little tickle at the back of her head. She couldn't say what it was, but it made her feel nervous. She turned back to Sango.

“It is perfect,” she smiled.

She heard Inuyasha jump from the tree and only a second later he was standing next to her following her gaze into the mountains.

“Inuyasha,” she looked at him, “maybe some of us should stay awake in case something happens. I don't know what it is but the closer we get to the mountains the stranger I feel.”

“So you felt it too, Lady Kagome?” asked Miroku as he approached from behind Sango, and lay a hand on her right shoulder. She placed her smaller hand over his. A little smile was playing on her lips that made Kagome feel warm inside.

“Do you sense an evil aura Miroku?” the young priestess asked him with curiosity. The monk shook his head.

“No, and that is the strange part. I can't sense anything evil, nothing that would threaten us, but I still sense something...”

“Maybe there is something in the mountains.” Inuyasha said.

Kagome turned her head, looked in those deep, golden eyes of his and she almost felt lost in the pain of her heart.

“This place feels strange. I had this feeling all day long, and with every step we got closer to the bottom of the mountain it grew stronger. So maybe Inuyasha is right and there is something in the mountains. The question is, should we find out what it is or should we go on our way with our search for Naraku?” Kagome asked her friends.

“Keh! Like there's even a question! We're going to look for Naraku of course!” Inuyasha said as he folded is arms in front of him and glared at her.

“Well maybe it has something to do with him...” Kagome wondered aloud.

“Yeah right, like he would do that little trick of his twice.” Inuyasha said sarcastically and interrupted her.

Kagome knew that Inuyasha was speaking of the events on Mount Hakurei three years ago. Naraku was hiding in the caverns of the mountain, protected by its purity. With the help of the dead priest Hakushin, he built a barrier around the territory that detained demons and half-demons who entered. It took them a while to figure it all out, and by that time Naraku's trap had already worked. They had barely made it out alive, and unfortunately it seemed that Kikyou had also paid with her life. Back then Kagome didn't know that it would be her who would save the dead priestess. But she would do it again if she had to.

“You mean something like at Mount Hakurei?” It was the voice of her friend Miroku, who was thinking the same.

“Do you really think he would do something that obvious, Miroku?” Kagome asked.

She looked around the clearing that her friends had stopped to build the camp in. The darkness would soon begin to settle; and the only light they would have left would be that of the fire Shippou and Miroku were trying to make. It wasn't quite winter yet, but the nights were cold and chilly. Kagome was really glad that her Mom had packed so much clothing for her. She even got a warm coat and a nice pair of long jeans. She turned her head to face Inuyasha and Miroku.

“We can't go anywhere tonight so it doesn't make any sense to discuss it now. We'll have time for that later, but now, as long as we have the light of the sun we should build our camp.”

“Oi Wench!” Inuyasha spat out, “we're only wasting time if we wait `till morning.”

“Yeah, well I don't care Inuyasha. I know it's important and believe me I'm just as curious to find out what's behind all this as you are. But right now I'm tired and need to get some sleep, just like the rest of us do,” Kagome said. She turned her head and glared at him.

“I agree with Kagome,” Sango said. She took one step forward to stand between the two friends who looked like they would try to kill each other at any moment. She settled a hand of each of their shoulders, and pushed them further apart.

“There is no danger for us for now, but we don't know yet if it is a trick. Either way we should get our rest while we still can.”

“Rest. I don't need any rest. I can guard the camp for tonight, but when the sun begins to rise I'll make sure you guys are awake.”

“Sure thing Inuyasha,” Kagome said.

The priestess gave him a bright smile as though nothing had happened and turned to drop her yellow rucksack. She pulled out her sleeping bag and other supplies to make herself feel more comfortable. When she spread her sleeping bag over the cold forest floor she looked for the little fox demon.

“Shippou?” she called the demon child. He had said nothing during the conversation between the adults. He had just watched silently with curiosity. When he heard his name he smiled and his eyes seemed to shine.

“Would you like to sleep with me tonight?” she asked.

She knew that the kid often felt alone, even when he was with his friends. He had a family once; a family he had lost. A mother and a father that were gone. Kagome knew that the group was the closest thing to a family Shippou would ever have, and she would do everything to make the boy happy. Even if it was something so banal as to just let him feel her body heat when they slept. It gave him the feeling of a loving mother. He gladly accepted and jumped towards her, cuddling up under the warm fabric of her sleeping bag as he smiled up at her.

“Thank you Kagome!” Shippou chirped.

Sometimes she just didn't know how it was possible for a little kid like Shippou to get through all of this. Hell, even she didn't know sometimes where she got all of her strength to survive against Naraku and all the other evil demons they had to face. She tried not to think so hard of those sad things. She tried to think about her life after Naraku was defeated. Even if she didn't know how this life would be, she knew that all of them could get the necessary peace - peace for their souls, their hearts and bodies. They didn't know it but with every battle they had fought they lost a little peace of their innocence. War was cruel and bloody with losses on both sides. Some demons they slaughtered had family too, nobody was born pure evil. It was the shards of the Shikon No Tama that poisoned them all, and it was wrong. Kagome sighed.

“Are you guys hungry?” she asked them while she searched her pack for some eatable things for a good dinner. When they started their journey they knew that they would be away for a long time so they had to be careful with their food. They'd been walking for nine days now, but it seemed to her that her rucksack was still full and heavy with food. Not to mention all of those bandages for Inuyasha, herself and her friends.

“Oh I think I'm starving,” she heard Sango say and smiled at the comment. She was pretty hungry herself and she bet that Miroku felt the same way.

She reached for a bottle of water and a pack of ramen. She turned to the fire which was smaller now, but still had flames big enough to bring the water to a boil. Humming a small melody, she started to arrange everything for a good meal.

Kagome thought that Inuyasha was staring at her while she and the others ate. He was probably mumbling something about Weak humans! or Lazy bunch!, but she saw his nose twitching at the smell of the instant noodles. She knew that ramen was something that he couldn't resist.

She got Shippou, and shortly after that they all sat around the fire to enjoy the food. The sun was gone and the fire threw heavy shadows against the nearby trees. The group unpacked their remaining things and got ready for bed.

“So which way do we take? Do we go east or west? Are we going to search for Naraku or do we go after that strange aura?” Sango asked and looked up from her seat.

Kagome turned her head to look in the direction Sango's eyes were fixed and saw a junction of rock right behind her. To the east were more heavy rocks which seemed to glint silver under the bright light of the moon, but the road wasn't as steep as the left side. Which would be west where Kagome felt the aura growing and where she was certain that Miroku felt the same.

“Mmh, it doesn't matter which way we take, but I don't think that I can take this with me,” Kagome sighed looking down at the bicycle by her side.

“Maybe I should leave it here,” she whispered more to herself.

“Do what you want as long as we go on and look for Naraku,” Inuyasha said and crossed his arms in front of him.

“We should take this way,” she said after she studied both of their options and pointed to her left.

“Inuyasha made his point clear, but I still think that this can't be a coincidence - there is something foul around here and I want to know what it is. Who knows? Maybe Inuyasha is really wrong and Naraku's trying to gather his strength the same way he did at Mount Hakurei.” Kagome explained to her friends.

“The aura is stronger there. You think so too Miroku, don't you? So I say we should go west.” she asked her friend.

The monk turned to the direction in which she had pointed.

“Mmh…” the young man grabbed his chin with his left hand.

“I agree with Kagome,” he said and nodded.

“What?! No way, we can't go after everything that 'just feels strange' for you guys!” Inuyasha's face was almost as red as his hakama.

“Well, I have to agree with Kagome and Miroku, Inuyasha. If you think about it, you'll realize that there might be a chance that it has something to do with Naraku too. However, sometimes we need to observe things before we make a move. I know that you want nothing more then to pierce Naraku's dirty flesh with your sword, but it has to wait. We need to prepare ourselves for this fight. So don't be stupid and take what you can have.”

“Stupid? Who you callin' stupid, Sango?!” Inuyasha shouted with a glare. With that, Kagome knew that her friend had reached the half-demon and that he knew they were right.

“Then let's finally go to sleep,” Sango said as she pulled her Hiraikotsu closer to her body with a big, triumphant grin on her face.

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She didn't get very much sleep. She suddenly sat up and searched for something in the dark of the night. Inuyasha was kneeling at her side, looking at the deep dark forest right before them.

“Inuyasha…” she started. She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence before the trees suddenly started to collapse around them with a furious roar. A big cloud of dust and dirt hung heavily in the air. Kagome tried to protect her mouth and nose when she started to cough. Suddenly a shock wave of power threw her to the ground. She tried to look for Shippou and her friends, but with all the dirt in the air she couldn't see a thing.

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a red blur that she knew had to be Inuyasha. Before she could think on that any further, she saw its shadow. It was big, with enormously long, sharp claws. When it opened its mouth Kagome could see the large, deadly teeth and with every step it took, the earth shook. Kagome didn't know what it was, but she was sure that she had to get the hell out of there. When she could pull herself from the ground she grabbed her bow and arrows, and run behind one of the only standing trees.

When she looked around the massive tree, which was four times broader than her and at least a couple of dozen meters high, she saw Sango's Hiraikotsu fly through the air. But before it could clash against the head of the demon the boomerang was stopped by a big, black paw and fell useless to the side.

Before the demon had time to restore its position, she took one of her arrows and aimed for the space between its red eyes. When she released her arrow she could hear Inuyasha scream,

“Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!”

Kagome saw his claws cut through the left arm of the demon. Immediately blood was pouring from the wound to the ground, and showered Inuyasha almost from head to toe. At the same time, Kagome watched her arrow sail towards the spot she had aimed for.

But when the arrow should have hit the spot, the demon started to vanish. His body, his skin, flesh, bones and muscles turned to ashes and was blown away by the wind. Her arrow didn't hit its target, it didn't even touch it! Kagome couldn't believe what she just saw.

Was it a demon puppet?

“Inuyasha!” she shouted and ran towards the young half-demon who was kneeling beside the pile of ashes.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah sure,” he muttered. He coughed and turned himself to face Kagome.

“Kagome!” she heard the voice of a young boy.

“Oh Shippou, thank goodness you're not hurt! I couldn't find you when this thing...suddenly came.”

She kneeled and gave Shippou a big hug before she stood again to face Miroku, Sango and Kirara. They were also all right and didn't seem to have any injuries.

“So what was that thing? Was it a demon puppet? Could you smell anything Inuyasha?” Sango asked.

The half-demon sniffed the air around the pile of ashes. “No, nothing. It doesn't seem to have any scent... at all,” he finished confused.

“It certainly wasn't a demon,” Miroku said. They all stared at the monk.

“What? It sure looked like one,” Kagome said as she looked at what was left of the creature.

“There isn't any evil aura within these remains,” Miroku answered. The monk kneeled down to pick up a small piece that wasn't burnt too bad and what looked like a... finger!

“Eep!”Kagome cried taking a step back.

“Be careful with that Miroku! We still don't know exactly what it is!” she scolded.

Miroku stroked a single finger along the the intact finger of the creature.

“There,” he said, and crushed the finger in his fist, “It is nothing more than wood and dirt. Similar to a demon puppet.”

“So it is a demon puppet?” Shippou asked and tried to get a better look.

“No.”

They all turned their heads when they heard the unfamiliar voice, and Kagome could see how Inuyasha's hand slipped to the hilt of Tetsaiga.

“Drop your weapons if you want to live. You are surrounded.”

“Inuyasha... do as he says!” Kagome hissed to her friend when she looked in the face of the warrior only half a dozen meters away from her. He wore the clothes of a samurai warrior and as far as she could see he only had one eye left. She didn't notice any special colors or drawings on his armor, so she couldn't tell to which warlord he belonged. When the half-demon didn't take his hand away from his sword, Kagome reached out to wrap her fingers around his.

“Please…” she whispered and turned her head to see their surroundings. There were soldiers - at least thirty of them. She could see most of them had been hiding behind trees and bushes as they slowly came out of their hiding places. Every single one of them pointed their sword towards the small group.

“What is the meaning of this? We didn't do you any harm!” Miroku spoke loud and clear. Kagome could hear no fear in his voice, though she could see the tiny little drops of sweat on his forehead.

“Fuck off!” Inuyasha shouted suddenly, slipped his hand around the hilt of Tetsaiga and jumped a few meters in the air. He landed smoothly right behind the group of five soldiers that were nearest to them.

“These warriors aren't human, they don't have any wits!”

With one single swing of his sword he cuts through the bodies of the soldiers and their blood immediately covered the forest floor. A big, angry looking warrior stood only a few meters away from Inuyasha. With a loud growl he lifted his sword above his head and started to run towards the half-demon.

The last second before the sword of the warrior hit him, Inuyasha took a step to his right side, held his sword parallel to the left side of his body, and cut the man in half. He jumped again, and was suddenly standing in front of the man who had told them to drop their weapons. Inuyasha crushed his sword down towards the man. He parried the attack and tossed the half-demon back with amazing strength about half a dozen meters away. Inuyasha fell against his back but was standing again within seconds.

“Be careful, those things aren't stupid!” he warned his friends but they had already joined the battle.

Sango threw her boomerang into a group of seven warriors who quickly joined their dead comrades on the ground. Their faces were shallow and blurred. Kagome held Shippou in her arms, and sought shelter behind a large oaktree. She put the boy down and told him to stay behind her. Then she reached at her back and pulled an arrow out of her quiver. She turned and aimed for any soldier who came near her and the young demon.

“Sango, get down!” she heard Miroku scream while Sango reached for the fur of Kirara and swung herself on the back of the firecat.

Only a second later Miroku released his windtunnel. A heavy storm went through the clearing and absorbed everything that was in its way. Kagome shook her head and turned back to Inuyasha who was still fighting with the leader.

“Inuyasha, let me take care of him with my windtunnel!” Miroku ran to his friend and aimed with his hand for the man. Inuyasha jumped in a quick movement high in one of the trees to bring himself out of range. But before the wind could reach the man, the warrior threw himself to the ground and tossed his sword away.

“Please, have mercy!” he begged and threw his hands over his head. Before it was too late Miroku stopped in his movement and quickly covered the hole in his hand with his prayer beads.

“What?” he whispered disbelieving, not trusting his own eyes.