Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Frozen Tears ❯ Chapter XI ( Chapter 11 )

Frozen Tears

Chapter XI

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yuyu Hakusho.

 

Author: Chrystal-Hearts

 

Summary: Every demon hunts for the sacred jewel, but now it's found out that Kagome holds yet another jewel of value. A hiroseki or tear stone. This story holds many different things. Legends, history, battles, and more. Want to know why it's called Frozen Tears? Well read to find out!

 

----

 

“Where have you been Inuyasha?” Kagome questioned curiously as the hanyou returned. Inwardly she smirked to herself.

 

“I was out.”

 

“Out with Kikyo?” The hanyou flinched away from her and his eyes moved to the ground. The girl simply sighed and rose to her feet, before moving over to hug the now surprised half-demon. “I'm not mad Inuyasha, I'm happy that you two can be together.”

 

“You're sure?”

 

“Hai,” the miko replied with a small smile. “Now why don't we go out to meet Sango and Miroku, they'll both be here in a few minutes.”

 

“Alright,” the half-demon said as he gave her a slight smile. “But can I ask you a question?” The girl gave him a nod. “Why are you ok with this all of a sudden?”

 

“I've come to terms with the fact that you'll always love Kikyo, so I've decided to move on. But I'll always be your friend Inuyasha.”

 

He smiled a truly happy smile at her now, “good, because you deserve better than me. And I should have told you when I realized it, but I think of you as more of a younger sister than anything.”

 

So she threw herself at him in a hug. “And it's good to know that, aniki!”

 

/\

//\\

//--\\

\\--//

\\//

\/

 

“So we're not waiting for Sesshoumaru, Kouga, or Ayame?” Miroku asked as he sat upon Hachi's back. Kagome was with him, as were the others. Except Inuyasha who ran along the ground beneath them.

 

“Inuyasha said that they can catch up when they choose to.” Kagome said simply. “And it is true.”

 

“In that case, we should practice now. We are riding Hachi, so we are free to do so.”

 

“You're right,” Kagome agreed with a smile.

 

“I'll polish my hiraikotsu then.” Sango added with a smile of her own.

 

“Rin will play with Shippo and Kirara!”

 

/\

//\\

//--\\

\\--//

\\//

\/

 

It was a few days later before the others managed to catch up. Sesshoumaru was first to arrive, and he came baring news of a possibility for Naraku's hiding spot. Kouga appeared next stating that he had been giving out orders to train for when he needed to call upon them. Ayame came next stating that her grandfather had detained her so that they could speak.

 

Kagome was happy to have them back and they immediately headed for where Sesshoumaru suggested. Apparently they were right on his whereabouts because they suddenly came under the attack of hundreds of low level demons. They were all separated and Kagome ended up meeting the wind witch. “Kagura.”

 

“I've come baring news Kagome-sama.”

 

“Wh-what?” The miko asked in shocked surprise.

 

“I do not wish to serve Naraku, and I never have. He holds my very heart within his fingers and threatens to kill me if I do not obey. It is my hope that you'll slay him, thus freeing myself and the boy, Kohaku.”

 

“What about Kohaku?”

 

“He has his memories and has figured out that the baby incarnation, Akago, is both Hakudoshi and Naraku's heart. Akago must be slain in order to defeat them.”

 

“We know of that.” Kagome stated calmly.

 

“Kanna holds the baby and is protected by Byakuya.”

 

“Byakuya?” Kagome asked.

 

“Another incarnation, and like myself he despises Naraku but can not disobey him. Byakuya is helped by Moryomaru, thus stopping him from being helpful in this case.”

 

“What are his powers?”

 

“He can transform into any person he desires, and is an excellent assassin.”

 

“I will tell my comrades, and we will try to free you if you continue to help us.”

 

“You wish me to spy for you I take it?”

 

“It would be helpful.”

 

“Then take this.” The demoness said as she handed Kagome a fan like her own. “You'll feel a pull coming from it when I call for you. That's when I will be giving you information. If it's a giant tug, I'm warning you of an impending attack.”

 

“Thank-you.” The miko said with a slight smile. “I'll do all that I can in order to free you.”

 

With that, the wind demoness disappeared and Kagome ran back to the battle field. Within seconds she'd diminished the opposing army by pouring as much energy as she could into her Hama no Ya and firing them. Sesshoumaru's tokijin and Inuyasha's tetsusaiga took out what was left of the opposing low level army. Sango quickly rushed to her side once they were all dispatched. “Are you alright Kagome?”

 

“I'm fine, and I've found us another ally.”

 

“Who?” They all asked at the same time, but she merely shook her head.

 

“We'll talk later.” Catching her meaning, Miroku nodded and declared that they needed to find somewhere to rest for the day, since it was a long battle.

 

Once they were all settled into a nice clearing, Miroku cast a barrier around them and Kagome told them of their new spy. They all agreed that idea was a good one. Then the miko told them of the demoness' words and the information on this new incarnation, Byakuya. Together they decided that they would have to find a way to get around the demons who were puppets of Naraku's.

 

A little later and Kagome pulled Sango away, stating that it was a matter between slayers so that the others wouldn't follow. “What is it Kagome?”

 

“It's Kohaku, he has his memories back and is also helping us.”

 

“He remembers?” she questioned with her eyes wide.

 

“Hai.”

 

“Thank-you,” the older slayer whispered as she hugged the young miko while tears streamed down her face.

 

/\

//\\

//--\\

\\--//

\\//

\/

 

It had been two days since that last battle and they had seen neither hide nor hair of Naraku or his forces. Sango was a bit shaky when it came to the topic of her brother, but it was steadily getting better the more she got used to the idea of him having his memories. Miroku did his best to help her through the fact that her brother was being constantly tortured by the memory of his family and the boy he had once been.

 

Kagome helped when she could, but it was sometimes difficult to find Sango outside of Miroku's company. To the rest of the group it seemed like the two were coming dangerously close to getting together before the defeat of Naraku. None in their group saw any hazard in the idea, but Miroku was adamant on waiting for Sango's sake.

 

Sesshoumaru ignored it for the most part; except for when he told Sango that the ordeal would build character in the boy and strengthen him for what all could come later. His main focus was on his ward that seemed to be maturing quickly though she was still young. She would soon come of age for schooling and that would become a problem if they were still traveling.

 

Kagome knew of his problem and had offered to help since she could teach Rin the basics while she started Shippo's education as well. The kit could read proficiently, but he needed to work on his mathematics and sciences a bit. Though science wasn't a big thing in this era, she figured she should teach him anyway.

 

Two days seemed like a ling time when all they had to do was a lot of walking. No leads or anything was heard about their enemy, and there were no signs of any impending attacks. The month felt like it would stretch on forever, but unfortunately at the end of it, their miko had to return to her own time for about two weeks. She'd be starting high school then and her mother told her that she had managed to get to a pretty good one that would be lenient with attendance as long as she managed to keep her grades up.

 

Her mother had contacted the school prior to her enrollment to ask about their policy and had worked out a deal with the family. The school was large and catered to many high scoring teens, so they could allow for her to miss several days as long as she had all of her assignments turned in by the end of the grading period. The two weeks she needed to attend would be orientation followed by her first few days of classes so that she could get her assignments.

 

It was during all her thoughts that Hiei and Youko suddenly appeared in the clearing they had paused to rest in. The fox was badly injured and Hiei seemed to be in serious need of medical attention since there was blood pouring from a wound in his chest. Many demons followed after them and a fight was started as Sesshoumaru stepped in front of the somewhat allies and blocked the path to them.

 

Kagome quickly went into action as she signaled Au Un to grab the children and head away while Kirara flew to her to help the two demons away. Quickly they escaped the clearing only to meet in another one about three miles away. As soon as they landed Kagome tried to help Hiei down, though he refused, and demanded he take off his shirt.

 

“I am a demon, I will be fine.”

 

The girl's eyes turned dark red as she glared at his and power flared to life around her form. When she spoke she enunciated the words of her first sentence, “I don't care… Now take off that shirt so I can help.”

 

Youko easily pulled off his own haori and paused when Hiei reached for the hem of his own. The way the hi-youkai was looking at miko led him to believe that she had sparked something to life in the little demon. “Before you ask, this wasn't our fault.”

 

As Kagome knelt in front of the fire demon, she dropped her bag beside her and pulled out a water bottle along with a rag. Pouring some of the clean water onto it she began dabbing at his injury in order to remove the blood. “Then what happened and why were they after you?”

 

The fox watched how the miko carefully set to her task before blue energy slowly began circling around her hand and she placed it to the deep gouge in his partner's shoulder. “We came across a young white haired girl carrying a pink haired infant, and when they noticed us several demons began attacking. Some big demon attacked, and it was extremely fast.”

 

A soft gasp was heard as the girl finished her task of healing the fire demon and turned to the fox's wounds. “You fought Moryomaru?”

 

“Who?” questioned Hiei as he looked closely at her and his now uninjured shoulder.

 

“Moryomaru is something that Hakudoshi created in order to serve him. It's a heartless being made from Haku and it now protects the baby that is Naraku's heart.” As she spoke, she started sending healing energy into Youko so that his more miner injuries would be fine.

 

“More demons of Naraku; looks like this hanyou is trying to drag everyone into your war,” stated Youko as he pulled his torn haori back on just as the others of the group arrived.

 

“Are they alright?” questioned Sango as she moved quickly to her sister.

 

“They are now; Hiei was worse off, but I healed his shoulder. The demons though, they were the work of Naraku.”

 

“Figures, that jack ass seemed to be behind everything.”

 

/\

//\\

//--\\

\\--//

\\//

\/

 

It was later that night and the miko had wandered off to the nearby river and sat on the bank in order to have some time to herself. The others let her go as she had been going off recently close to bed and returning about an hour or so later. Hiei and Youko were still with the group and they found the behavior odd, but were ok to leave her be for the moment. They had their own thoughts to deal with.

 

Hiei's involved a certain little miko and they were confusing him. When she had touched him and started cleansing his body with the rag it felt like a searing fire and consumed with a single touch. When she had ordered his shirt off of him, something inside of him rose up and demanded he show her who the alpha was. The woman was starting to bring out his instincts and he was in no way sure of what to do about it.

 

Youko on the other hand was thinking about the actions he had seen the entire day between Hiei and Kagome. Something in the way the girl looked at his partner made him think that there was more in her gaze than mere curiosity; something that could prove to be good for his young friend. At first he had wanted the girl as well, but now he couldn't stand the thought of taking her. She made him want to change his ways and never think of harming humans again.

 

It was all strange considering who he was; Youko Kurama, King of Thieves and ruthless demon who killed anyone that stood in his way. But she was different; a human priestess that befriended demons instead of trying to purify them on sight, a miko who gathered many different beings around herself and helped them to co-exist in peace. Demon wolves, hanyous, slayers, a monk, a demon lord, and two demon thieves all got along fine so as not to upset the girl.

 

Just thinking about it made him want to chuckle. That ability alone made her more powerful than any one of them. Sesshoumaru had youki and strength, he had cunning, intelligence, and nature itself, Hiei had his sword, the hanyou was brash and didn't know when to give up, the taijiya that fought with the strength of a demon, and the monk with the power to make them all disappear; they were all there because of her. Nothing else brought them together; it was all the little slip of a girl, the miko who didn't know her own power.

 

As those thoughts passed through his mind, he had to smirk as Hiei moved to where their miko was sitting alone. He knew there was something between those two; he only hoped they could figure it out as well.

 

Over on the riverbank Kagome was startled from her own thoughts as Hiei dropped down beside her. He was silent as ever, but something gave her the impression that he wanted to speak. It was a feeling that made her want to giggle, but she held it in so as not to offend him.

 

So the two sat there in a companionable silence as they both looked up at the stars. A favorite pastime of Kagome's as it was something that she couldn't really do much in her time. “Don't you love when the stars are out like they are tonight?”

 

“They are out every night.”

 

“Not like tonight.”

 

“Explain.”

 

Here the girl did giggle; “every night they are out, but tonight there's not a cloud in the sky and they can easily be seen.”

 

“What makes them so special?”

 

“Stars are nothing more than clouds of gas burning billions of miles away, and yet to us they look like tiny stars that someone could reach if they could touch the sky.”

 

“You are confusing, onna.”

 

The girl sighed at the word he chose to use, but ignored as it was a somewhat common occurrence. The times that he did use her name tended to be few and far between. “A star is like a dream; wonderful to think about, but impossible to reach. At least, that's what my dad used to tell. Dreams are something that mortals can't reach, that was why we could have them when we slept. When we sleep we are our immortal souls and anything is possible.”

 

“That makes no sense.”

 

“No, but my dreams are like stars. I have them, yet I feel like I could never reach them. Only when I sleep can I have all that I really want.”

 

“And what do you want?” the demon questioned as he looked at her curiously.

 

“Where I'm from I should be focusing on my education and dating boys instead of being here fighting for my life almost everyday. I balance both, but the problem is that that isn't what I want. I'm nearly sixteen and I have more to deal with than I think my mother does and she is raising my younger brother and I by herself.”

 

“So you just want to go home and get away from the jewel?”

 

“No, I want to know that I have a future, that all I'm trying to do isn't meaningless.” Tears were in her eyes as she spoke, but she was close enough to the river that none of the other demons would be able to smell it. “I want to know that at the end of this war all of my friends will survive and be able to lead the lives that they want. Even you Hiei, I wanna know that you'll be fine as well.”

 

Not knowing exactly what he was doing he pulled the woman into his arms and tried to calm her so that her tears would stop falling. “I will be fine, the others will be fine, and you will be fine. You will have a future and it will be with all of us. Youko and I would not allow you to die, you are under our protection.”

 

The girl gave a watery smile as she looked at him and all she could do was relax into his embrace and lean on him for support. “Everyone says that, but I fear the worst. Naraku is really powerful and I'm just not sure that everyone is going to make it through this battle. I almost know that they're not going to. And I… I don't think I will either.”

 

What she said seemed to tear at the fire demon's heart. He did not like her words and it hurt to hear her say them. “I will not allow you to die, Kagome.”

 

At her name she took a sharp intake of breath. The way he said her name almost made her want to shiver; it was deep and seemed filled with caring. “Thank-you, Hiei.”

 

/\

//\\

//--\\

\\--//

\\//

\/

 

The group surrounded the well, minus the thieves, and were saying bye to their miko as she left for her time for two weeks. It would seem like forever before she would be able to be back, especially with her and the classes she would now be taking. In middle school she had to take a language elective and she had chosen English, but in high school she would have to take two more languages depending on the college she wanted to get into.

 

As they all said their good-byes she hopped into the well and fell through the time stream. Bracing herself for what was to come, she made her way out of the well house and into the house. Looking back only once, she sighed before shaking her head. So much weighed on her mind these days and it was all beginning to get to her.

 

/\

//\\

//--\\

\\--//

\\//

\/

 

Kagome lay with seven books spread out across her bed as she leafed through a nearby scroll. Three days into classes and she already had a history project and it was about one of the legends of Japan. Her legend almost made her laugh as it was about the famous demon bandit that terrorized the lands during the warring states era. Youko had seemingly led an interesting life as she had been looking through what it said about him.

 

The scroll was only part two though, and she gave it some thought she decided to get up and look for part one which centered on before he turned to thieving. That scroll would be out in the new store shed with the rest of the ancient scrolls. While out there she also grabbed the scroll about the legend of the Shikon no Tama. It had been some time since she looked at it and she wanted to see what kind of information it held about the date.

 

Opening that one as she walked back into the house she started reading it. Skimming through she reached the end and read one the details: Deep in the mountains of the eastern territories while the snow fell heavily all around it stained the pure white crimson with blood. Parts of demons were scattered around the battlefield as a lone figure stood drenched in the blood of her allies as tears began streaming down her face. Dark red eyes stared at her mockingly as a sickening laugh echoed through the clearing. “What is wrong little priestess, no one left to hide behind?”

 

“I didn't hide.”

 

“Of course not, you only stood back allowing all of your friends to die. Their deaths are all your fault.”

 

“I know.” That was all she said before a flash of light and then the girl was the only thing still there. Nothing was left of the countryside, only the single girl and two unnoticed demons.

 

Kagome stopped there as she thought about it; there were three months until the beginning of winter, but it could be coincidence since the battle was deep in the eastern mountains. Shaking her head of those thoughts, she turned her mind to the other scroll at hand and began reading about the mischievous little fox's childhood.

 

Two hours and she was starting her project with the tale of his first heist and how it probably went about since it was, of course, only a legend. The girl giggled to her self as she thought of what her teacher would say if he knew she was friends with the kitsune; probably just think she was crazy, but it would still be funny.

 

/\

//\\

//--\\

\\--//

\\//

\/

 

Fresh air assaulted her senses as she took in a deep breath. Blue eyes looked at the surrounding forest as all she could do was take in everything that she had missed while away. Closing her eyes she allowed it all to flow into her before sighing as she felt the approach of her hanyou. It was time to continue their journey and soon it would be time to face Naraku in the last battle, but first the group would spend the night here.

 

“It's about time you got back Kagome,” said Inuyasha as he entered into the clearing.

 

She smiled as she turned to look at him and her eyes turned a magenta color. “I have something I would like you to do for me.”

 

“Kagome?”

 

“I want you to find Kikyo and ask if she would join with our group so that we might better protect her from Naraku and she could help us with our search.”

 

“Are you sure about that?” he asked as his eyes widened.

 

Nodding, she gave a soft smile to him. “I told you that I'm over it, and we could use her help.”

 

“Alright, let's go tell the others first. Sesshoumaru left, but Rin's here with Au Un.”

 

It wasn't long before the others knew of her decision and Inuyasha was on his way to look for her. Perhaps it would be a while before he returned, but they would still be there waiting for him. Kagome smiled to herself as his form disappeared with the setting sun. He deserves his happiness after so long.

 

“Kagome, wanna get a bath?”

 

“Not now Sango, I'm going to go for a walk.” The girl was already heading toward the forest as she said it and all Sango could do was nod and say ok. Not too much later the miko was at the base of the God Tree and kneeled down below its strong branches. She needed to think and this would be the best spot.

 

Her body easily relaxed into a meditative position as her eyes closed, allowing her mind to clear. Dreams had been coming to her lately, and they had all been of the great priestess Midoriko. She needed to figure out their meaning and she wished it was easier because she already had a lot on her mind.

 

----

 

Here is chapter eleven. Enjoy.