Other Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome's Trial ❯ Chapter 12

My last day of summer. That phrase has a very bad ring to it. So, on my last day before going to work again for another year, I'm updating. Read and enjoy.

 

Kagome4Hiei: I'm updating, I'm updating. I probably won't tomorrow, but I might on the weekend. Yes, that last chapter was evil, I know, but it had to be done.

 

Everything began to swirl together until there was nothing there she could recognize. When it stopped, she looked around incuriously. She was on top of some sort of building. “Go up the stairs,” the eye commanded.

 

She obeyed, having no strength to argue. At the top there was a circle of statues surrounding a hole and floating and rotating over it was a…blue planet? “What is this?” she asked, momentarily distracted from her sorrow.

 

“The power of Mercury,” it answered her. “This is why you're here.”

 

“I don't understand.”

 

“Touch it.”

 

She approached the planet slowly. Looking at the long drop below it, she backpedaled. “I don't think I can get close enough.”

 

“You will not fall if you are careful,” the eye said mercilessly. “Touch it.”

 

Gulping, she set her bag down by her feet and reached for the blue orb. Right before she felt herself fall, her hand made contact with the blue sphere. Instantly she felt like she had been drenched in the coldest mountain water. Then she was in a hot spring like the ones she would bathe in with Sango in the Feudal Era. Stopping that thought, she was then thrown into the sea and saw the animals that swam in it. She experienced every form of water there was, from the tiny raindrops that fell from the sky to the mighty ocean, where all manner of life made their homes.

 

Abruptly she was jerked out of whatever she had been in and was back at the Lighthouse Aerie. “What was that? What just happened?” she asked dazedly.

 

“That was the power of Mercury,” the eye explained. “You just absorbed some of its power.”

 

“Was that supposed to happen?”

 

“Yes. You will be absorbing power from the rest of the Lighthouses as well.”

 

“Why?”

 

“There is a person by the name of Alex who wants all of Alchemy's power for himself. This must not happen! In order to prevent this, I brought you here to absorb some of the power so it won't go to him, and he won't be all-powerful.”

 

“How do you suggest we get to the other Lighthouses?”

 

“The same way we came here,” it answered patiently.

 

The power of Mercury…The Lighthouses…This is Mercury Lighthouse! Like Jupiter and Mars Lighthouses! Just like Saturos said! This was the first breakthrough to remembering what this place was. Unfortunately, as soon as she thought it, she couldn't remember who Saturos was, nor could she recall how she knew this was like Mars and Jupiter Lighthouses. This is so frustrating!

 

“You must rest before we go on to the next Lighthouse,” the eye informed her. “There is a village near here. I will take us to the bottom. Be back here at the bottom of the Lighthouse in three weeks.”

 

Good as its word, it took them down. “Remember, three weeks.” With that said, it disappeared.

 

“That's a big help. I don't even have any money,” she muttered to herself. Looking to her left, all she saw was the ocean, so she tried going right. There was a path, so she followed it and came to the town the eye mentioned. Imil, the town that guards Mercury Lighthouse. Wait, how did I know that? Upon entering the town, she approached an old man and said, “Excuse me, but do you know of a place I can stay?”

 

The old man stared at her and said politely, “I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're saying.”

 

He didn't say it in Japanese, so she was shocked that she could understand it. Without meaning to, she answered in the same language. “Do you know of a place I can stay? I'm a traveler, and poor, I'm afraid.”

 

“Why yes, the Sanctum is right over there.” He pointed across the frozen river. “They won't turn away people in need.”

 

She thanked him and cautiously skated over the solid water. Entering the Sanctum, she was astonished to see two children behind a stone table. “Can I help you?” the boy asked.

 

“I'm a poor traveler and looking for a place to stay,” she stated.

 

“You're welcome in here,” the girl. “We're still new at this since Mia, our former healer and teacher, just left, but make yourself at home and stay as long as you want.”

 

“I need only stay for three weeks,” she told them, “but I thank you for your hospitality.”

 

She stayed in Imil the entire time, stocking up on things she would need, like food and clothing. She helped around the Sanctum and the town, and was rewarded with coins to buy what she needed. The clothes she wore weren't suited to the icy cold of Imil, so the first thing she bought was a warmer wardrobe. Next came the food. She bought enough to last her until she saw the eye and then some.

 

So, for three weeks, she worked and bought what she thought she would need in the days to come. On the last day, she left Imil and its friendly inhabitants and walked to the base of Mercury Lighthouse, where the eye was waiting for her.

 

“It's time to go on to the next one,” it said.

 

Venus Lighthouse. The thought came unbidden to her mind, but like all the other thoughts, she couldn't recall where it came from.

 

The world swirled again, and they landed on top of the Venus Lighthouse Aerie. There was another planet surrounded by a circle of statues, but these ones held branches in their arms. “Do I have to do the same thing?” she asked.

 

“Yes,” it answered. “You'll do the same thing to all of them.”

 

Once again, the bag went down by her feet and she carefully balanced on the edge of the gaping chasm beneath the spinning brown planet. Instead of water, this time she was immersed in the earth. She experienced the growth of plants, felt the sun warm her during the day. The water from the sky nourished her and allowed her to grow. Without her, life would not exist. There was still death, but it was part of the natural cycle of life, and without death, the world would become overcrowded, so even death had a purpose.

 

It was much easier to come out of this trance than it was the water one. She opened her eyes and felt at peace with herself for the first time since her friends died. “Where now?” she asked.

 

“Now we head to Lalivero,” the eye said. “It isn't far, but there are monsters between here and the town, so I will accompany you for a short time.”

 

“I can take care of myself,” she informed it. “I spent over three years fighting demons.”

 

“Still, it is imperative that nothing happens to you,” the eye said coolly. “I shall go with you until the gates of Lalivero are in sight.”

 

“As you will,” Kagome acquiesced.

 

They walked toward where this Lalivero city was supposed to lay. Actually, Kagome walked and the eye floated along, making sure that she didn't stray far from it. Like the eye said, they didn't travel very long until the towers of the city were seen, though it felt like hours because the weather was very warm, and Kagome was still wearing her furs from Imil.

 

“I will leave you now,” the eye said. “This time it will be a week before we will leave for Jupiter Lighthouse. Make sure you have what you need. The weather will be like this place, but keep your coat and furs; you will need those later. I will come to you at the base of Babi lighthouse.” It vanished.

 

She stumbled to the gate, extremely sweaty in the furs and coats from Imil. “Is there a place I can rest?” she gasped to the guards.

 

“You must have come a long way,” one of them commented, noticing her heavy garments. “Are you from Imil?”

 

“Yes,” she confirmed. “I need to buy some cooler clothes and find a place to put my bag.”

 

“There is an inn here for travelers like you,” the other guard said. “The price isn't too extravagant.”

 

She thanked them and entered the town. Like Imil, it was primitive compared to her home, but more advanced than the huts in the Feudal Era. This place was actually more sophisticated than Imil. Wandering around, she finally found the inn the soldier was talking about, and had enough coins to pay for her room. She didn't have enough to pay for her entire stay, so she would have to find some sort of work. Leaving her bag in the room, she left to buy some lighter clothing. Leaving the shop after making her purchases, she ran for the inn and changed. The green dress was a lot cooler than the thick, fur-lined coat she had been wearing. The boots she kept; they didn't bother her, and they were good for long treks, which she foresaw herself making.

 

Now that she was much cooler, she went down to the kitchen to the head cook and asked if there were any vacant jobs she could take for the week she would be staying. The cook asked if she could cook, and when she answered with an affirmative, he demanded she cook something for him.

 

“Okay, let's see what ingredients I have to work with,” she muttered under her breath, checking the shelves. The language wasn't in Japanese, but she slowly remembered what she'd learned from…somewhere, and could understand what the symbols meant. Grabbing what she needed, she started the water boiling. Once it reached the right temperature, she started adding the other ingredients. About an hour later, she gave the cook a bowl of the concoction she had made. The man tasted it and his face lit up in delight.

 

“What is this?” he asked, polishing off the rest in the bowl.

 

“It's oden,” she answered. “Is it enough to get me a job?”

 

“If you were willing to stay permanently, I'd let you stay for the rest of you life,” he declared. “I've traveled around the world, and never have I ever tasted anything like this.”

 

“It's something we commonly made in my home,” she said modestly. “When would you like me to start work?”

 

“If you would cook this for the other guests for dinner, you could start tonight,” he said.

 

So for the next week Kagome cooked oden. It wasn't hard labor, which was both a blessing and a curse. It paid well so she could spend a little more on extra things, like a bow, arrows, and a knife. This job required some concentration, but not all of it, so she was constantly plagued by memories of her former life in her world and the Feudal Era. The calm she had found at Venus Lighthouse faded, and she cried herself to sleep every night.

 

She didn't cook the entire time she was there. She spoke with some of its residents and learned of strange occurrences that had happened before she had come to this world. Two bands of travelers had passed through here. The first had seven people with them, and one of them was Sheba, a young girl who had fallen from the sky and was raised by Faran, the leader of Lalivero. She had been taken to Tolbi, a prosperous town in Angara, the northern continent, so the Laliverans would build Babi lighthouse. Babi, the ruler of Tolbi promised to return her to them so they would finish construction of the lighthouse, but somehow she had been captured by a very strange group. Two of them didn't even look human. They had burning crimson eyes, pointed ears, and strangely colored skin. When they had arrived at the gates, they attacked the Tolbi guards by summoning fire. That triggered something in Kagome's memory, but she couldn't quite place it.

 

Then there was the second group. They didn't seem very remarkable, just four teenagers chasing the group of seven. However, Faran had told them that these four also possessed extraordinary power. They were able to get through Venus Lighthouse and defeat the fire users of the other group, but in the earthquake that followed the fight, Sheba had fallen into the ocean from the top of the Lighthouse. Another one of the first group had jumped after her, but it was unlikely that either of them survived. Faran felt fairly confident, as Sheba had a unique power and had caused the tide to rise just as she fell, but a lot of other people were fairly skeptical about her survival.

 

“Do you know the names of the people who defeated the fire users?” she asked the woman she was currently talking to.

 

“We all do,” the woman laughed. “They're celebrities of a sort here, even though they left a while ago. Their names are Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia.”

 

Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia, huh? Now why do the names Isaac and Garet feel so familiar? Mia was the name of that healer that left Imil. I wonder if it's the same Mia. “Do you know the names of the fire users?” she asked, dread filling her for some unknown reason.

 

“Sure do,” the woman answered. “Apparently they were from the far north where no one goes. A man and a woman, they were. Their names were Saturos and Menardi.”

 

That set off the bells in her mind. Pictures of a tall blue-skinned man talking and laughing with a woman with long, blonde hair and markings on her face came to mind. I knew them! That dream three years ago…it wasn't a dream! It was real! Now they're dead? What about Felix? “Was there a boy with them? He has brown hair and eyes, and answers to Felix.”

 

“Felix?” the woman asked, looking astonished. “Yes, there was. He was the one Isaac and his friends were tracking. He jumped off the Lighthouse after Sheba.”

 

Kagome thanked the woman and returned to her room in a daze. Now that the block had been removed, she remembered everything. It wasn't a dream. Now they're dead. Everyone I was ever close to is dying. What's the point of going on? Wait, she didn't mention Jenna in Isaac's group. Maybe she's still alive. She'd be seventeen now. Maybe I should go back to Vale and see how things are going. I could start my own life there; after all, it's not like I have a home to go home to, not now.

 

Kagome's week in Lalivero passed. She had gotten a lot extra coins because of her oden. She refused to part with the recipe, though, much to the chagrin of the head cook. At the end of her stay, she bid farewell to her hosts and the cook and headed for Babi lighthouse. It wasn't hard to find, as it was directly behind Lalivero. Upon arriving, she saw the eye waiting for her. “What do you plan on doing?” it asked.

 

She noticed that it was looking at her new weapons when it asked this, so she replied, “If I run into someone unfriendly, then I'd like to be prepared to fight.”

 

“Did you forget about your Psynergy?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You absorbed the power of both Mercury and Venus Lighthouses. You can use the power of Mercury and Venus to defend yourself. As soon as you absorb the power of Jupiter and Mars, you will have those powers as well.”

 

“Was there a reason you didn't tell me this?” she asked, her eyebrows twitching.

 

“I thought it would be common sense,” it rebuked her. “Now we are heading to Jupiter Lighthouse. We will have to be more careful here.”

 

“Why?” she wanted to know.

 

“They have yet to light it,” the thing answered.

 

“Who's `they'?”

 

“Originally it was those two Proxians, but Isaac and Garet managed to defeat them. Now Felix is trying to carry on their work.”

 

“You sound glad that Saturos and Menardi are dead,” she said indignantly.

 

“They shouldn't have tried to light the Lighthouses. They got what they deserved.”

 

“They were trying to preserve Weyard! They didn't deserve to die.”

 

“I have charged Isaac and Garet with the task of stopping them from lighting the Lighthouses, and they have done their job poorly so far. They try, but there are two Lighthouses lit. At least they took out the ringleaders.”

 

The air swirled again, and this time they landed by a statue. Kagome immediately recognized the winged being as one that was on Jupiter Lighthouse. She only saw them from afar, but now she was right next to it. Marveling at the detail, she moved around to the wings to study how careful the creator must have been.

 

Voices brought her attention up again. To her horror, she saw an older Garet dangling from the edge of a platform, holding on with one hand. A blue-haired girl was kneeling by his hand and looking worried.

 

“Garet! Mia! Are you alright?” she heard a familiar voice cry. On the floor above them, she saw a boy around fifteen looking down, but he wasn't the one that cried out. Right next to him was Isaac, looking more mature and worried than last time she saw him, three long years ago on the dock, right before the boulder crashed down on her and his father.

 

“My right arm's numb,” the older Garet called up. “I can't feel it.”

 

The girl tried to lift him up, but failed. “He's too heavy for me to lift him,” she cried.

 

“We need to save Garet, and fast,” Isaac said, his voice carrying over to where Kagome was hiding.

 

“You won't be able to,” another familiar voice said. Kagome gasped as Karst, Menardi's younger sister, and Agatio came into view.

 

I guess Karst and Agatio are old enough to have partners and fight now, Kagome said internally. She listened with heaviness growing in her heart as she heard Karst accuse Isaac of killing Menardi, and how she would avenge her dear sister. Then the two Proxians started fighting with Isaac and the other boy.

 

A flurry of movement just opposite her caught her attention. Looking over, she saw a group of people running up the stairs. She couldn't see them clearly, but she thought she recognized Kraden. Then again, maybe it was someone else; she wasn't sure.

 

She watched as the Proxians overpowered the boys and approached them once they had fallen. No! They're going to kill them! She wanted to move, but was rooted to the spot and could only watch it happen.

 

Right before Karst took her scythe and brought it down on Isaac's vulnerable neck, they whirled around. “Oh, Felix, it's you,” she heard Karst say.

 

She couldn't see him, but she heard him say that he wouldn't let them kill Isaac. That can't be right. He jumped off the top of Venus Lighthouse after that girl, Sheba. He can't still be alive after a fall like that!

 

After more negotiating, they made him get the Mars Star from Isaac. That confused her. I thought Saturos and Menardi were the ones going to light the Lighthouses. Why would Isaac have an Elemental Star, then?

 

Then Felix came into view. There was no mistaking it; it was definitely him. He looked the same, yet so different. He no longer looked like a gangling teenager; he was more comfortable in his body than he was three years ago, and he had an air of confidence that had been lacking earlier. The way he carried himself was also improved. His hair was still in that ponytail, though. She was glad that hadn't changed. At the moment, he was looking down at his friend with an unreadable expression.

 

“Take it,” Isaac addressed him. Apparently that wasn't what Felix had been expecting. “I don't know why you're helping them, but I trust you. Take it.” With an obvious effort, he held out a silver bag, and Felix took it.

 

“Now, go light the Lighthouse,” Agatio commanded once the exchange was finished. “Felix, we'll be waiting for you at the Aerie.” He and Karst left.

 

Felix started to follow them, but a man wearing a blue headdress stopped him. “I don't trust them,” he said. “Let me go with you.” Felix nodded and the two of them left.

 

“It's time to go to the Aerie,” the eye said.

 

Kagome jumped; she'd forgotten it was there. “But isn't Felix going up there right now?” she asked.

 

“Yes. Once the beacon is lit and they are gone, you will absorb the power of the wind.”

 

Like Kagura, she thought with a shiver, remembering the wind sorceress, one of Naraku's earlier incarnations. “Shouldn't I help Garet?”

 

“No. You must interact with them as little as possible.”

 

“Why?”

 

“You have a job to do, as do they. If you meet any more than necessary, you will both be distracted from your tasks.”

 

The world faded into the spiraling colors and she found herself behind another statue. From this position she could see Karst and Agatio waiting impatiently for Felix and the other man to come and light Jupiter Lighthouse.

 

Finally Felix and the other man did appear. “You're late,” Karst snapped.

 

“Now light the Lighthouse,” Agatio added forcefully.

 

As Felix approached the pit to drop the Star in, Kagome had to scramble around the statue to avoid being seen. When she peeked around the statue, she saw Felix looking directly at her statue.

 

“Is something wrong?” the blue-haired man accompanying him asked.

 

“I thought I saw movement,” Felix answered, frowning. Then he shook his head. “Must be my imagination.” He tossed the small jewel into the yawning hole and stepped back. It wasn't long before the planet showed itself, and the light of Jupiter shone once again on Hesperia.

 

They'll leave anytime now, she thought. As she watched, something completely unexpected happened. As Felix and the man turned to leave, Karst and Agatio blocked their way, stole the Mars Star, and started attacking them. This isn't right! Karst and Felix were good friends three years ago. What happened?

 

They only got in two blows before Jenna showed up. She too had changed, and when she saw her brother and the other man being attacked, she rushed up and joined in.

 

Another round went by and a small blonde girl came up. That must be Sheba. If he survived, then she probably did, too. When she saw what was happening, the girl joined in the fight. The four of them managed to defeat the two Proxians, despite being weaker than the two warriors from the Northern Wilds.

 

Right before they were about to deliver the finishing blow, another man came and stopped them. He had long blue hair and walked with an air of authority. She watched as he healed the two Proxians and left with them, but not before she found out his name: Alex.

 

Then Isaac along with his companions walked up the Aerie steps, and she had to readjust her position so they wouldn't see her. She heard them agree to meet in Contigo and there explanations would be given. I need an explanation of what's going on, too. Still she didn't say anything and watched as first Isaac's group left, then Felix's were ready to go. They went on ahead, but Felix stayed back, staring hard at her statue. She tried not to move.

 

“Felix, we need to go,” Jenna called.

 

He turned to leave, gave the statue one last look over his shoulder, and rejoined his sister and traveling companions. Kagome sank to her knees. “That was close,” she breathed, her legs feeling like jelly.

 

“Touch the power,” the eye said, reappearing by her side.

 

“I'm on it,” she grumbled. Using the statue for support, she hoisted herself up and prepared herself for the rush that accompanied her “visits” with the Lighthouses.

 

It was very different than the other two. She was the mighty wind; mountains would bend their will to hers in time. Nothing could stand against her forever; eventually they all fell. She was everywhere; in space, on Weyard, there was no place she didn't exist except the core of the earth.

 

Coming out of this trance she felt exhilarated. Feeling like she could jump off the Aerie and fly but knowing she would fall flat on the ground, she turned to the eye to wait for further instruction. She didn't have long to wait.

 

“It's time to head down to Contigo,” the eye informed her.

 

“Contigo? Isn't that where Felix and Isaac are headed?” she asked, confused. “I thought they weren't supposed to see me.”

 

“Avoid them. If you see them, go another way. They may not remember you; it has been three years, and many things have happened in that time, to you and to them.”

 

That's a bit discouraging, she thought. “Where is it?”

 

“It's a long way off. I can guide you, but I believe you're ready to defeat the monsters in the area. With the power of three Lighthouses, it should be more than sufficient to get rid of the problems.”

 

“If you say so,” Kagome responded. The platform Felix and his party took came back up. “Are we going down that way?” she asked, pointing.

 

“Yes.” They got on, and the thing dropped straight down, leaving Kagome feeling like she left her stomach up at the top, but it slowed down when it reached the bottom, and she lightly leaped off. Free of its passengers, the platform rose to the Aerie once again. The eye started floating off towards what she assume was the road to Contigo.

 

Just like the thing said, she was attacked by monsters, or rather, low-class demons. Even without the power of the Lighthouses, she would have been able to hold them off. To her surprise, every time one of those demons was defeated, it turned to dust and left behind items and coins. Some of these items were useless, but at times they dropped weapons or food, and the coins were going to be very helpful when she arrived in Contigo.