Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Evolution ❯ Anticipation ( Chapter 5 )

Something that I forgot to add to the last chapter. Seiryoku is my own character. She does play a major-minor role in the story. Her name means energy, vigor, vitality, influence, power, might, and strength. Also, I have made some changes to chapter one, so if you guys want, please reread it. And I don't believe I ever put in a disclaimer.

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Togashi Yoshihiro. But Seiryoku is mine!

 

Evolution

 

OooooO

 

When Kagome awoke, there were two things she noticed. Her face was incredibly hot and her crotch was suspiciously moist. Of course, if you asked Kagome what she had dreamed about, she would vehemently deny anything, but the truth is….Kagome Higurashi had wet dreams about Youko Kurama and Kuronue. Unfortunately for Kagome, this put her mind in chaos. So much so in fact, that she spent the majority of the morning thinking. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice anything was amiss with their modern friend.

 

`I can't believe this! I'm-I'm supposed to be in love with Inuyasha! How can I betray him by DREAMING about two youkai, even if they are beautiful. I never dreamt about Sesshoumaru! This is so wrong…and wait! Since when did I ever love Inuyasha? Why am I upset because I dreamt about two strange youkai? I am a growing female afterall, it is quite all right to have a dream or two…but…what about Inuyasha…?' Kagome's eyes flickered back into focus and concentrated on the dog hanyou's twitching ears. Kagome smiled slightly. He was always alert, listening, smelling, and looking for danger. Kagome liked watching Inuyasha's back, it had taught her several things about his body language. When Kouga was approaching, his back stiffened, and his ears pointed forward. When Inuyasha sensed Naraku, one ear turned back towards the group while the other pointed straight ahead, and Inuyasha crouched a bit, shoulders tense. The perfect position to watch out everybody and still attack. When Sesshoumaru was around, Inuyasha would start growling slightly, fists clenching, and his ears would turn back a small bit, but not very much. The more his ears laid back, the more Kagome knew Sesshoumaru was making him insecure. When Inuyasha was embarassed, he wouldn't look her in the eye, and his ears would be pinned back. When he was feeling guilty, Inuyasha would turn his head away from her completely, ears laid back, and he would resemble a kicked puppy. Kagome learned that, where some people might say look into one's eyes to learn what they are feeling, all Kagome had to do was look at Inuyasha's ears.

 

“ Oi! Kagome, what wrong?” Inuyasha called from the head of the group. Kagome snapped to attention.

“ Huh? What? Oh! There's nothing wrong, Inuyasha!” Kagome replied. Inuyasha twisted around and frowned at Kagome.

 

“ You've been staring at me,” Inuyasha stated. Kagome flushed.

 

“ Ehh?! I, uh, didn't mean to! Sorry Inuyasha, I was just thinking!” Kagome sheepishly scratched the back of her head while mentally groaning. `Oh no, he caught me STARING at him…this sucks…and I was thinking about Inuyasha no less!' As Inuyasha turned back around, his ears twitched, and Kagome was reminded of Youko. Kagome pulled her lip into her mouth with her teeth remorsefully. `Oh Inuyasha….I'm sorry…' Kagome knew of Inuyasha's feelings concerned with full youkai. Especially Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha was terribly jealous of his brother, of the respect he got, the fear felt towards him. To know he had something his elder half brother wanted made Inuyasha happy. It had made Inuyasha elated when Kagome had shyly told him that she thought his ears were cute and unique, something no one else, not even a full youkai had, at least, to that she had seen. Now for Kagome to see Inuyasha's ears and be reminded of someone else, a full youkai…'Is this how Inuyasha feels when he sees me dressed as a priestess? Does he see Kikyo in me?' Kagome stared at the ground in sadness, any hope for a cheerful mood this morning now chased away. What she felt like doing now, was curling into a ball and crying her heart out.

 

The shard hunting group arrived at their destination in the afternoon. Kagome's spirits were not any higher than they had been that morning. At the village, they began to gather information regarding the youkai they were to exterminate. As it turned out, they didn't have to hunt for the information for long. The youkai, which had been of the centipede species, had attacked shortly after their arrival. With reinforcements. Apparently, it had heard of their arrival and their intent, and had been able to gather some friends. Like Mistress Centipede, these were all the size of trains, but not only that, the females among the group had brought their young to learn to hunt humans. The baby centipedes were easily as long as Kagome's and Sango's heights added together. All in all, the shard hunters were being attacked by a small army. And to make their mood even more sour, Kagome had promptly informed everyone that there were no shards. The resulting destruction, gore, and blood was a result of this poor mood.

 

Over the years, the shard hunters had learned to fight together quite well. Battles often had a line up of Sango, Miroku, then Inuyasha. As for Kagome and Shippo, they were usually behind the three warriors, Kagome shooting arrows and Shippo using his foxfire on anyone who got too close. Surprisingly, it had been Kagome who worked out this strategy.

 

Both Sango and Inuyasha could destroy numerous youkai in a single sweep with Hiraikotsu and Tetsusaiga respectively. Miroku tried not to use his Wind Tunnel so often, so he was left with close combat. When he would get swarmed by youkai, Sango or Inuyasha could remove them quickly. Now, Kagome could do this herself too, since her arrows had grown more powerful over the years, leaving a large trail of power. The residue from the trail could demolish anywhere from twenty to fifty youkai at once. However, Kagome's aim wasn't always guaranteed, and since Kagome was afraid she may actually hit Miroku, she usually did stayed out of his way. Kagome by herself could take down several lower class youkai as long as they didn't get too close, but the higher class the youkai, the harder Kagome found it was to defeat them. Kagome knew for sure she could probably never stand up alone to Sesshoumaru and expect to win. Kagome had also had the newfound ability to purify youkai by hitting them with a bow and shooting blasts of power from her hands. The power that came from her hands was the purest and rawest, as it had not been conducted through anything. However, this mode of attacking often left Kagome exhausted after too many blasts, so she did not use this method often. As for Shippo, his foxfire had been growing steadily stronger over the years, and could defeat some youkai by himself, but not as many as Kagome. As for Kirara, she often hung back with Kagome and Shippo, but would often more forward to help Sango or fly her through the air when the battle called for it. As a result from this strategy, the group could defeat groups of youkai quickly. It was much the same in this situation. Within minutes, the group was surrounded with the bodies and limbs of several centipede demons and covered in blood.

 

Slowly, the villagers emerged from their hiding places. They looked about in wonder at the group and the destruction surrounding them before the villagers began to cheer, realizing they were no longer plagued by demons. Sango tilted back her head, drops of blood falling from her hair. Kagome ran her fingers through her own mane, grimacing at the feel of the thick, slick blood matting down her normally sleek, thick hair.

 

“ Ugh, I definitely need a bath now,” Kagome complained. Sango nodded her agreement.

 

“ Yeah,” she replied. Kagome scanned the rest of the group. Inuyasha's hair had become a mix of silver and red, the colors blending together and slowly turning his head of hair pink. Miroku's staff was dripping with blood and red had splattered his face. The monk looked oddly sinister like that. Sango had taken out a tattered handkerchief and was wiping her Hiraikotsu down quickly, staining the cloth. It was hard to tell what it's original color had been. Shippo and herself were the ones covered in the least amount of blood. Therefore, they were far more approachable. A man dressed in fine cloth, but not silk, approached them, looking highly relieved and a bit nervous. His apprehensiveness was probably due to the carnage surrounding him and the fighters that were now drenched in blood. Kagome assumed him to be the village headman.

 

“ Ah, Lady Priestess, if you so desire, you and your companions are welcome to stay in my home to recuperate before you resume your journey,” he said. Kagome smiled.

 

“ Yes, we would all like that very much,” she replied. `Yes! Another hot bath tonight! Three nights in a row!' Kagome caught Sango's eye and the woman seemed to understand what was going through Kagome's mind and smiled back at her.

 

“ Very well then. Follow me, please,” the man said. The group composed themselves and trekked after the village man. He led them to a large Japanese home. If it wasn't obvious before, it was clear that this man was head of the village. He showed the group their rooms and the bathing room, then left, saying they would receive their payment come morning.

 

“ Dammit, we come all this way to fight some small fry demons who couldn't take us down even with that damn army they had! And we still haven't found a shard!” Inuyasha scowled. Miroku tutted.

 

“ Calm down Inuyasha. We all know that right now, our chances of finding a jewel shard of the Shikon are extremely slim unless we can somehow take some from Naraku. And that is very unlikely as well,” Miroku sighed, his face suddenly looking tired and drawn. Kagome felt her heart clench. Everyone knew that Miroku's time on earth was swiftly dwindling and soon, he would be gone.

 

“ We merely have to wait for Naraku to show himself so we can fight him and perhaps gain some clues as to how to defeat him. We can do no more than that,” Miroku finished. Sango banged her fist on the floor in anger. Kagome jumped. It was rare for Sango to lose control in such a manner.

 

“ Houshi-sama! You don't have time to wait for Naraku or anything else! You're going to die, and without an heir I might add!” Sango snapped. Miroku shifted and gave Sango a hard look.

 

“ Sango…we have agreed that if we are alive after Naraku's defeat, I would ask you to marry me. I will not ask you before his defeat. If I were to die in battle with your pregnant, then no one will be able to support you, and you would be without me. If you were to die, then I would be left alone, with no wife or child. It is better for now, for us to remain in the relationship as we are. However, let it be known that you are my woman,” Miroku replied, his voice becoming possesive at his last statement. Sango turned pink slightly but didn't say anything more.

 

“ But Miroku-sama…if you will not let Sango bear you a child before Naraku's defeat….you do need an heir in case you don't survive…” Kagome added quietly. Kagome knew that the final confrontation was coming soon, but if it came down to it…Kagome would do anything for her friends. Miroku shook his head.

 

“ Ah, Kagome-sama, as always, you are so giving and selfless, willing to give me your first child. However, I have promised myself to Sango-chan. Though your offer is generous and tempting, I will have to decline,” Miroku answered. Inuyasha growled.

 

“ Damn right you're gonna have to decline. Something might have happened in case you agreed,” Inuyasha flexed his claws threateningly. Miroku smiled innocently.

 

“ But of course, Inuyasha,” he said. Kagome shook her head, then leaned back against the wall, losing herself in her thoughts.

 

Yes, the final confrontation with Naraku was definitely close, but Kagome a sneaking suspicion that the cunning hanyou had something planned for everyone. `He's probably waiting on purpose so Miroku-sama will die…' Then there was Kohaku, Sango's little brother. Exactly what state was he in? Would he die if they were extract the Shikon shard from his back. Kagome gulped. It had to be done sooner or later, to complete the jewel. Kagome peered at Sango out of the corner of eye. Would she be able to get all her affairs in order so that when they did remove the shard, if Kohaku died, everything would have been said and done? Kagome sighed and looked down at the floor. There were too many questions, too few answers. And there was so little time. Kagome snorted softly. It was time that had brought her here, that had enabled her to meet all these wonderful people and embark on an incredible journey. But now that same time might just kill everyone….including herself. Kagome studied everyone beneath her lashes. If Kagome did survive the final battle, she would never forget these people. The friends she had made, the people she had met along her journey. It all seemed so surreal.

 

“ Kagome-chan, we should go get cleaned up now,” Sango said, her voice cutting through Kagome's thoughts. Kagome perked up.

 

“ Un! Let's go take a bath!”

 

It was the evening, and everyone was sleeping with a full stomach. Except Kagome. The nineteen-year-old had recalled Youko's conversation with the bat youkai who must've been Kuronue. And they were planning on thieving from this village. Kagome gripped her bow tighter. She couldn't let that happen. The shard hunters had said they would protect the village until they left, and as Kagome was the only one awake, she would have to defend the village, even against youkai who could easily kill her. Kagome gulped and looked down at her bow. `I don't stand a chance…' And she really didn't. Youko and Kuronue were too high a caliber and not tainted in the same manner as Naraku to be easily defeated, especially by her. Kagome couldn't fight to save her life, the only thing she had were her purification powers and her bow. And she still wasn't a good a shot as Kikyo. Kagome shook her head and scanned the sleeping village from the headman's house. Like many villages, this one had a shrine, but Kagome could sense, even with her meager abilities as a priestess, the many wards and barriers set up around the shrine. Far more than necessary. Whatever it was that Youko Kurama was trying to steal, it was definitely in there. And if Kagome sense all the wards, then the two youkai thieves would be able to as well. Kagome stood up and walked toward the shrine. `Here goes nothing…'

 

When Kagome got to the shrine, she found she could easily pass through the barriers and wards. Opening the shrine door, the girl stepped inside. It was dark and dusty and smelled of incense. Sitting on a small alter was a stone. It was oval and flat, perfectly smooth. It was black, and as Kagome inspected it, she could see what appeared to be flames churning within. It was as if the stone's composition was moving within it without changing the stone's shape. The stone was no bigger than Kagome's palm and felt cool. A sudden jolt down Kagome's spine told her why this stone was locked away. `Youki…such strong youki…' The energy within the stone was like any standard youki, but there was so much of it and it was so intense. As Kagome held it in her hand, she could feel the stone's energy crackling along her aura, responding violently to her purity. The would be priestess swallowed and replaced the stone before leaving the shrine. She didn't know what those two already very powerful thieves would do with the stone, but she couldn't let them get their hands on it.

 

After exiting the shrine, Kagome slowly walked up and down the courtyard, peering into the night, searching for a form of silver and a form of black. Sure enough, after several tense minutes of waiting, two figures materialized out of nowhere, climbing the steps almost lazily. Kagome swallowed, backing up into the shadows. The two youkai, Youko and Kuronue, stepped up into the courtyard. They began looking around, and Kagome could feel their auras spreading, checking the area of wards or barriers or traps. Silently, she knocked an arrow and just barely filled it with energy. Then she shot it at their feet. It was a warning shot.

 

“ Hold it right there!”

 

OooooO

 

Youko and Kuronue had slept the better part of the day away, for lack of anything better to do. From their resting spot, they could reach the village in an hour at an easy run. By then it would be twilight, and they would only have to wait a while more to be sure everyone was tucked in before going to get the stone. It was supposed to be an easy job, in and out, clean and simple. Youko had thought there would be no bloodshed, no guards, just a few weak barriers and wards to break through. It wasn't.

 

While settling in to go to sleep the night before, Youko had mused on the girl. That was the third time he had met her. She was strange, and amusing, that was for sure. She was timid one moment, then fiery the next. And it was obvious she was stubborn to the core. Youko liked their random meetings. It made the monotonous things more lively and interesting. Their first meeting she had showed shyness, had been timid and doe like. The second she was fearful, eyes darting around, searching for the easiest escape. She had the likeness of a trapped animal then, fear emanating off of her. Because of him. Youko smirked. But then their most recent meeting…she had been embarassed, but angry and prideful, stubborn. She even had the nerve to talk back, to yell, to slap Kuronue. She had even bitten him. Oh yes, she was quite fiery. Youko supposed he liked her, to an extent. It would be a pity to see her die, considering she had brought him such great amusement. But all things came to an end, and it was still very likely she would be killed by some youkai because of her foolishness, of her temper. Such a shame.

 

“ I can't believe she bit me,” Kuronue grumbled. Youko smirked at his partner.

 

“ Why, Kuronue, I thought you liked to be rough,” he replied. Kuronue scowled at the fox youkai.

 

“ I prefer my bed warmers to know their place,” Kuronue said. Youko grinned.

 

“ I like it when they're fiesty. Makes things more interesting,” Youko's eyes darkened, “ Besides, it's so much more fun to make them submit to me. That girl reminds me of you, Kuronue.” A low growl erupted from Kuronue's throat. Youko laughed.

 

“ Kuronue, no need to worry. It's not like anyone can replace you,” Youko said. Kuronue leaned back, still glaring at Youko. Despite the tight look remaining on his face, Youko knew that Kuronue was relieved. Youko smirked again, his fangs flashing in the moonlight. Kuronue snorted and turned away, returning to his study of his hand where teeth marks still remained. As a matter of fact, his cheek had a print that look remarkably like a hand.

 

“ Heh, she must hit pretty hard if her hand still decorates your face,” Youko said. Kuronue sniffed.

 

“ In fact, I was sure that you had tears in your eyes after she hit you,” Youko continued. Kuronue scoffed.

 

“ No woman could ever bring tears to my eyes, Youko. Your observational skills must be going bad in your old age,” Kuronue replied. Youko looked affronted.

 

“ Old age? Kuronue, while I may be older than you by a few decades or so, I am hardly old. I am, after all, only twenty-two,” Youko said. It was Kuronue's turn to smirk.

 

“ Sounds like someone is sensitive about their age,” Kuronue taunted. Youko folded his arms petulantly.

 

“ I am not old,” Youko repeated. Kuronue grimaced.

 

“ Obviously. You sound like a child,” he said.

 

“ Hmpf. Let's just get some rest before we go steal that stone,” Youko said. Kuronue grinned before shutting his violet eyes. Youko scowled at the bat youkai before he too fell asleep.

 

When the two thieves woke, it was late afternoon, and the worst of the weather had passed over them in their sleep. Gathering their bearings, they quickly stretched and broke into a run towards the village. By the time they arrived, the two youkai were barely out of breath and were fully alert. As such, they noticed some peculiar things about the village. First of all, the stench of death covered the area. The death of youkai. There was even traces of blood lingering in the area.

 

“ What do you suppose happened, Youko?” Kuronue asked.

 

“ Centipede youkai. They're too stupid to have known about the stone. It could have been those youkai slayers passing through here,” Youko replied. Kuronue grunted.

 

“ Don't suppose they're still here, do you?”

 

“ It's a possibility. I'd imagine they wouldn't stay long, considering that from your information, youkai do reside in the group. They probably stayed long enough to bathe and collect their payment before leaving,” Youko said, “ They wouldn't stay in the same place for too long with all the killing they're doing. It would be too easy, and these guys seem like professionals.” Kuronue frowned.

 

“ Do you think we should worry about them?” Kuronue watched Youko's face darken.

 

“ I'm not sure. The fables of the Shikon no Tama tell of unspeakable power, and I don't know if this group is using the power of the Shikon to further their own. If it were so, it may or may not be difficult to dismantle the shards. However, if this supposed power they have is their own, then if they were to be sent to hunt us, then it's quite possible several of us would die,” Youko said.

 

“ I don't like the sound of that,” Kuronue said.

 

“ I don't either. Which is way we aren't going to give them a reason to come after us. Our next few heists will be as clean as possible. We should lay low for awhile and watch things play out,” said Youko, “ I don't like hiding, but I don't want a confrontation with a group I don't know anything about that's currently slaughtering anyone in their path.” Kuronue nodded in response, his eyes on the blood and destruction that had not yet been cleaned up.

 

Youko and Kuronue waited until a thick blanket of darkness had fallen over the village. Gliding through the village silently, they looked around, trying to figure out where the stone had been placed.

 

“ It's either in the headman's house or in the shrine. I think it's in the shrine, there are too many wards around it for it not to be there,” Kuronue told Youko. Youko nodded. The two walked up the steps, taking their time so they wouldn't set off any alarms. They had just entered the courtyard and were inspecting it when an arrow landed at their feet.

 

“ Hold it right there!”