InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Transformations ❯ Yet Another Dream and a BATTLE! ( Chapter 21 )

He was still a little confused about whether or not he should consider her a mate, since he hadn't marked her, but they did have a child together. What were the rules on these things?

There didn't seem to be any. Oh, well. He smiled down at her. Soon enough you'll be my mate, Ray. Until then, get as much rest as you can. I know it's been a long time since your husband left, and I know you haven't gotten any lovers since then. Our time together was just once, but demons, you see, don't just take one time and leave. That time had special circumstances; ext time I'm not stopping because you only need it once. You'll see how long a demon can and will last, soon enough. Good night. . . For now.

Chapter Twenty One

Kikyo sat quietly, writing a letter. She wouldn't be able to meet the recipient herself, which is why she had to write it out. She had other things to do, off to the east. There was a big demon problem there, and people were dying quickly. Who knows, she might be able to stay there for a while.

She chose her words carefully, but nonetheless switched the subject to her past love in the process. It was an accident, really, but it would infuriate Kagome, so she continued along that line. She was there to see what had happened to her the night before, and saw her dreams through her own eyes as though it were her own. This soul they now shared was becoming a nuisance to her. It connected Kagome's dreams to hers, and though Kikyo was sure Kagome was blocking the flow of hers, Kagome's came too strong for her miko abilities to block out, and last night's were even more so disturbing. But she knew what was happening, even if her reincarnation didn't.

She knew she would have to gather more souls, and increase her own powers, if she were to block out those dreams Kagome had been having. So she had to leave, and for a long time. While she was there she might as well collect shards that came her way, after all, they couldn't just. . .lie around. And the more shards she had, the more demons would become attracted to it, and as such more attacks which equaled more deaths and as well more souls for her.

She called one of her spirit gatherers [D L: I don't know what they're called. . . A little help, please?] and just to make sure the note didn't fall on the way to Kagome she tied it to a rock. She waved the thing away and turned east, making sure to feel for any shards along the way, and began her journey. It'd take weeks of straight walking to make it there, but she could do it. After all, a dead woman didn't get sore feet, now did she?

Shards popped out in her mind in every direction, but she concentrated on none that weren't headed for her. And none were. So she had free time to do whatever she wanted along the way. But she knew a few things that still bothered her. Tonight was a new moon. As much as she hated Inuyasha, she knew how vulnerable he was on these nights. He'd tried to keep it from her, in the past, but she'd found out anyway. Although he didn't know of it, she watched him with curiosity while he underwent the change and kept an eye on him until the following morning, when he changed back at the faintest touch of light.

She kept it secret, one that once upon a time she had planned to tell him about, when the jewel was fully purified and he had his wish to become human for her. But things rarely turn out the way you plan, do they? She shoved these thoughts out of her head; she hated Inuyasha and wanted nothing to do with him anymore. She had plans, and there was no way in Hell she was going to let herself get distracted now. Much as she wanted Inuyasha to go with her to Hell, she couldn't let him get to her now.

But here she was, walking on her path, distracted by thoughts of him, which still wouldn't leave her mind. Only when dusk settled and demons began showing themselves more did she lose that train of thought and focused entirely on making sure she didn't end up some demon's dinner.

~*~ Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, etc. ~*~

"I can't believe you still blame yourself for this," Sango said, seeing Kagome still looking guilty. She still couldn't sit up straight, and now it'd been almost a week since Kagome came back with the news that Inuyasha either died or was taken away, or both. Shippou once pointed out that she had a piece of his clothes with blood on it wrapped around her left hand, but then Kagome just. . .zoned out and wouldn't talk again. This separation from Inuyasha was hitting her hard. Now it was way more than obvious that she indeed loved him, as Sango had guessed all along.

Which meant that the knowledge he might be dead was killing her.

"Well, I still do, and it is," Kagome muttered, her eyes still on her lap.

Okay, by now Miroku had had enough of this, and decided that a pep talk was exactly what Kagome needed. After all, a week of this guilty crap was enough to wear anyone down. Even Kirara was looking annoyed. "Alright, Kagome!" he said, getting up and catching everyone's attention. "What we need now is a plan!" He started to pace, as though he was thinking deeply, even though he'd had a week to think this through. "You!" he pointed at Kouga, "what do you know of this pack?"

"They have regenerative properties, numerous tails, and each has a manlike form as well as a wolf's. Their leader has been rumored as dead."

"Good!" he said, even though he already knew all of this. "Sango, is Kirara healed enough yet?"

"For what?" the clueless exterminator asked.

"To fly! And carry you!"

Now she had an idea of where this was going. She looked over at Kirara, who was snuggled comfortably next to Shippou. She purred. "Yeah. She can carry me."

"Good!" Miroku said again, as enthusiastically as possible. "Shippou, you can still create those crying mushrooms?"

Shippou opened his hand, and a crying mushroom popped up.

"Great! Then we have a plan!"

"What?!" everyone, minus Kagome and Kirara, said in one.

"Kagome, you and Kouga and his warriors can fight best, and I still have my staff - " he pointed to it " - so we can be most of the brawn. Shippou, you can let yourself get caught and lead the way with mushrooms, and Kirara with Sango riding on her back can follow, so she can get you back before you can be hurt! Those wolves can't fly!"

Kagome smiled. Well, Miroku might be able to fool everyone else, but she and Sango knew him better than that. He'd been thinking this over for holes for a while now, but nonetheless, it was a good plan. They'd already tried looking for tracks and sniffing out what they could to find Inuyasha, but it just wouldn't happen that way. Inuyasha's scent was scattered and covered by the time they found it, and any and all tracks were hidden too well. There was no chance of finding him like that.

"Come on!" Miroku said, getting Shippou caught up in the excitement, and throwing his left fist in the air. "We can do this! Inuyasha is less than a day away! Let's find him!"

"Yay!" Shippou cried, jumping up, and hurting himself in the process. Kagome held him in her arms as Miroku swept on, heedless.

"Let's beat these wolves!"

"Yeah!!" Kouga's pack said, all in favor of that point.

"Let's not let our injuries become a problem!"

"Yeah!" Kagome and Sango pitched in to the wolves' and Shippou's cheering. Who knew cheering was so much of a lift? Kirara was squealing along, too.

"Let's give me half of every profit we make from this day forward!"

"Ye - " Everyone paused at that point, and there were scattered "huhs" and "whats" from the crowd.

Miroku smiled. "Worth a try," he laughed.

Kagome laughed too, which was contagious as Sango started laughing, too. Soon they were all sharing a good laugh for the first time since they got here, and afterwards they all put in their two cents to fill in the details of the plan.

An intimate web was the result, starting with why Shippou would run away in tears and ending with - hopefully - getting Inuyasha back. He might even still be alive, as pitiful as that may sound to some. Nobody noticed, through the entire two hours it took to develop the tiniest details of the plan, how he seemed to be angry at something and was uncomfortable giving his own aid.

Since it was late, everybody took their place for sleep. Kagome stood up and left, the three wolf demons following, and each took a spot sitting on the dirt and standing guard. This time it was Kagome's shift, and she would stay up for another two hours before it was Ashira's turn, then Nurino's, Kouga's and finally Maso's.

Ashira took her spot, as usual, next to Kagome, and the three men sat in their own little group. Right now both groups were ignoring each other.

"Kagome," Ashira whispered, squeezing her hand, "are you sure you're up to this? It's going to be very dangerous."

"I'm sure," Kagome whispered back. She returned the pressure of Ashira's fingers. "Besides," she looked at her, "I've been training with Inuyasha. Without using my miko powers I'm a match for him. And nothing, but nothing, is going to keep me from finding him again. Even if it takes a thousand years or more," she added, even more quietly and darkly. I'm going to find you, Inuyasha, she thought, making it a vow. And when I do, I'm going to make you mine, so you'll never be taken away again.

Ashira raised a questioning brow at Kagome's sudden change in expression, but didn't say anything. After all, next was her turn to stand guard, and she was going to have to be fully awake to do so. She leaned back against the hut, intending on sleeping like that, but as she drifted into unconsciousness, she found herself leaned over onto Kagome.

Kagome, meantime, didn't mind. It was strange, but Shippou lately had perked up her maternal instincts, and she would be weirded out but not surprised if she started producing milk for him. It felt nice to have someone lean against her, even if it was a grown woman who said she was over three hundred already. About every hundred to hundred and fifty years is just about ten to a demon, she now knew. No wonder Inuyasha still looked so young. Demons, she learned, aged like any other being until adulthood, when it slowed down considerably. And until then, from the very beginning of birth, their aging process was slowing down, so they were about twenty when they looked fifteen. So Shippou really was about six or seven, even though pretty soon he'd look ten and be twelve. It was odd, meaning that hanyous were just over half that aging development.

Which meant that Kagome would have three and a half to six hundred years left in her own life, give or take a dozen. If she lived that long, that meant she might be able to see her mother and herself centuries from now, but looking like an old hag and seeing herself wander through the well time after time, unable to warn herself of anything for fear something might change and she and Inuyasha wouldn't get together - or worse, she might die before she got to tell him about her love. She knew now how foolish she is, waiting so long to become so brave about it and finally deciding on telling him, after Kouga's pack found him dead and another pack stole him away.

She sighed; she had to stop thinking along these lines. She had to concentrate on making sure she stayed awake and alert for possible attacks, but it was a little late for that sucky pep talk. She was asleep now.

~*~ Yet another Kagome dream ~*~

She was standing in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but blackness and tiny colored lights in every direction. Now, this is new, she thought, looking down. She was, believe it or not, standing on a galaxy of those same colored lights. Huh. Go fig. Her dreams just kept getting weirder. But, in the back of her mind, she knew something was. . .out of place. She was supposed to be here, but whatever dream she was supposed to have was blocked out, and there was someone else here. Before her mind had processed enough information to lead her to who it might be, her instincts told her.

Her father.

She turned to see him, just as he was in this time line, like how her Mom had described every detail of his outfit, before her and smiling.

"Hello, daughter," her said. Kagome would have replied to that, but she had no chance. He stepped forward and embraced her, making Kagome smile.

So this is my father, she thought. Not too bad. I wonder if I'll get to see him again? She pushed those thoughts away as Rare drew back, cupping her cheek with his hand. "How are you in my dream?"

"You called me," he said. "It's hard to maintain a link in time, so you have to make this quick. What questions do you have for me?"

Gods, I have a million, her mind said. She told it to shut up and picked a random one. "How come it didn't take very long for me to get over Sesshomaru's poison? It Inuyasha quite a while."

"Because you have my powers, Kagome. Watch." He lifted his hand, and then ripped it off. Kagome was going to scream or something, but then, just before her eyes, it started to regrow. In five seconds it was back again, just as good and authentic as the previous.

Suddenly, for no reason at all, the thought of Inuyasha being gone plagued her heavily, and she barely held back tears as she asked her second question. "Who is this pack that took Inuyasha?!"

He looked shocked for a second, but then sighed. "They were mine, until he killed me. What did he do to you?"

"After - after we got out o-of the well. We fought, a-and - and we both got hurt - bad. And then I just - I left. I-I tripped, on a - on a rock, and hit my head. Kouga t-told me that he - Inuyasha - that he. . .he died and I - Dad, I didn't mean to - "

"Oh, Kagome," he said, bringing his arms around her again. "I know what you must be thinking, but listen carefully to me. This is not your fault. My pack - rather, your pack - are very protective of their leader. They didn't know anything other than you two fought and you are my only child. Just go talk to them; tell them it's all a mistake. Tell them, Kagome. You're my child; they'll listen to no one other than you. Kagome, I have to tell you. No matter what happens, you must know that even though I wasn't always there for you, I always wondered about you, and that I love you, my daughter. But something is happening right now, Kagome. You need to wake up."

"I don't want to!" she sobbed, clutching his shirt. "Don't make me!"

"Get up!" he said, almost desperately. "Wake up, Kagome! Wake - "

Kagome opened her eyes, and was assaulted by the light of dawn. Miroku had been shaking her shoulder with his good arm and just now pointed to a huge battle scene just outside of town. It would be too far for a human to see anything other than specs, but Kagome wasn't human. Not anymore. She saw Kouga's pack there, fighting. Kirara had flown above the battle with Sango, who just now through her boomerang and knocked a demon unconscious. Her dream forgotten, Kagome leapt up and dashed straight for the fight, catching details of the demons along the way. She could count seven shards total, split among six demons. One centipede, a horse, two snakes, a giant aardvark, and a leopard. The aardvark was the one with two shards, which made its armor unbreakable. Stupid thing didn't know who it was up against.

Sure, Inuyasha was a fighting legend now, but soon every demon will know the name of Kagome, the Miko Hanyou. She fired three of her arrows that went straight through the aardvark's armor and it through its head back in pain, but didn't die. It turned blood red eyes at her and raced towards her, and Kagome used another of her attacks, which she now named Assault Chi (Spirit). You know, the one that looks like this >< ? Anyway. . . The slices went right through the creature, and Kagome quickly picked up the two shards as Ashira finished it off. She spun on a sound and saw an enormous blue snake slithering its way to her, and before she could use either of her attacks it wrapped around her. Kagome bit back a scream of pain as she used all of her strength to keep it from crushing her, but with the snake having a shard and being a boa constrictor, there was a slim chance she could get it off of her by herself. But then, she didn't have to.

Kouga caught this and leapt up, aiming a very powerful slash at the snake as Ashira did the same, aiming as well for the that particular spot. It yelled, its head thrown back, and Kagome was pulled out of its grip by none other than Kouga, as Ashira ripped the snake's jaws apart and retrieved the shard from its spot in its tongue.

Kagome smiled at Kouga and Ashira, and then all three were off in a different direction, fighting well beyond the boundaries of a normal demon. Especially Kagome, who had saved Kouga from getting his head crewed off by the horse when she shot it through the head with her arrow and sent her Assault Chi at the other snake.

A few minutes later Kagome had officially accounted for all but three of the lost shards. She and the others were all resting, sweaty from the battle and radiating enough heat to warm winter into summer. Even Shippou looked worn out, and all he'd managed to do was trick the centipede into thinking it had a giant spinning top on its head and trapped the leopard's paws beneath an illusion stone.

They started to doze off at that point, strewn about in the field with literally nothing left of the demons that had attacked, still panting, with limbs outstretched to relieve the heat plaguing their bodies.

Just as they were about to become part of the dream world something pricked at Kagome's senses, and she sat up straight, which in turn alerted the others. She could hear something, and smell it, but she wasn't so sure what 'it' was.

"Kagome?" Sango asked.

"Shh!" Kagome replied, her hand out towards Sango in that same gesture. She looked around and finally got up, slowly turning in each direction and feeling her ears dart about, listening for that sound. And then it hit her, hard. "Inuyasha."

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Okay, before I forget, I need to write this out. I've been working on pictures and this is what I have so far:

1. Hanyou Kagome, which you guys already know about.

2. Rare, Kagome's dad in his feudal era clothes.

3. Dreaming, the scene between the two Kagome's clasping hands. Not featuring Inuyasha.

4. Inuyasha Cuddle, this incredibly cute picture I drew a while back. It shows Inuyasha and Kagome, cuddling, with a waterfall in the background. But they're naked - don't worry, I didn't show anything. Although I'm sure some fans out there would have preferred it if I had.

5. Old Hanyou Kagome, the first pic I drew of Kagome, as the Hanyou she is now, but from my previous story.

6. Grown-up Shippou, which I can't find. It shows him leaning against a tree with what I think his Demon form looks like behind him. Note: I had had no animal whatsoever to look off of when I drew it.

And that's it. For those of you who want an Inuyasha clone. . .

*Yanks rope, big red velvet curtains pull back. Fifty Inuyasha clones stand there, talking between each other and showing off their skills*

*Yells into microphone* COME AND GET 'EM, GIRLS!!!!! *A stampede of fan girls come running up, fighting for their favorite Inuyasha, while the Inuyashas are screaming and running for what's left of their pathetic existences since I created them*

Oh, yeah. One more thing. To explain the Kikyo thing up on top, I didn't even think of her again until I got a review from somebody *who out of respect I will keep anonymous* and it reminded me I need to explain that a bit.

See ya!