Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Guardian ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

“To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.” - Helen Rowland. 

~*~

Kagome was partly bemused, partly irritated, and partly relieved when the gorgeous kitsune disappeared back into the tree.  If anything, he had completely unnerved her and turned her world upside down right when she was about to change it.  

‘Damn hentai kitsune… confusing me and putting me off balance,’ she thought.  When her thought was immediately followed by a melodious chuckle coming from the upper boughs of the fruit tree, Kagome curled her lips into a sneer and glared at said tree.  Not that it was the fault of the local vegetation, but the tree should at least be held somewhat accountable for its bad taste in inhabitants.

Youko had been – interesting.  When she had first seen him, she couldn’t help but to compare him to Inuyasha, with his silver white hair, golden eyes, and furry, triangular ears on the top of his head.  But Inuyasha never had the same grace and elegance that the kitsune displayed.  Nor did he possess the arrogance and playfulness that the kitsune had in abundance.  Aside from initial appearances and possibly strength, he was as unlike Inuyasha as it was possible to be.  If she were to draw any comparisons with Youko and the people she knew, he was like a mixture of Miroku, Shippo and Sesshoumaru all in one, and the thought was as disturbing as it was intriguing. 

Nevertheless, he had returned the jewel to her without incident – well, without much incident, she thought, blushing to herself at the direction her thoughts were taking.  But at any rate, she now had the jewel, and she knew that this was as good a place as any to make the wish.  Her heart ached momentarily in the guilt of doing so without even saying goodbye to her friends, but she knew that this was for the best.  As Sesshoumaru had said, the longer the jewel remains, the less likely it would be that she would be able to complete her destiny. 

It had already been stolen once – the fox that was hanging out in the tree above her -- probably with a large smirk on his all too handsome face -- was testament to that.  And as long as the jewel remained, it would promote chaos just from its very existence.

So with a large sigh, Kagome closed her hands around the pink jewel that had been the bane of her existence for so very long, and made her wish.

When she next opened her eyes, she was surrounded by large youkai bones, and she had to shake her head a couple of times to clear it.  Her first disjointed thought was ‘I have been here before’, before reality kicked in with a vengeance and she realized exactly where she was – and that she was not alone.

Kagome blinked her eyes several times at the two ghostly figures that were standing in front of her.  Both of whom she had seen before, but neither of which she had ever expected to see again.  And certainly, not together. 

The first figure was that of a petite, beautiful miko with dark, wavy hair, and bright blue eyes.  She was dressed in a simple white kimono over which she wore armor that was ancient even by Sengoku Jidai standards.  Her eyes radiated wisdom and intelligence and upon seeing Kagome, she offered the younger miko a small, patient smile.

“Midoriko?” Kagome questioned aloud, as her eyes drifted over towards the other apparition. 

The regal inuyoukai before her was at least seven feet tall, and almost ethereally beautiful.  His long, silver hair was pulled into a queue at the top of his head, and fell gracefully over one shoulder, while his bright golden eyes were shining with a mixture of pride and satisfaction.  A jagged blue stripe adorned either side of his handsome face, and he had twin pelts attached to the ancient and deadly armor that he wore.  She knew who he was, because she had seen a younger version of that face almost every day for the past five years.

“Inutaisho-sama,” she said almost reverently, as she dropped into a low bow.

A strong hand gently cupped her beneath her chin, and drew her gaze up to meet his once more.

“Do not bow to me, Miko.  If anything, we should bow to you, little one.  For you have succeeded where we have failed,” he said almost tenderly, and Kagome found herself idly wondering how this youkai could have ever fathered the cold and emotionless Sesshoumaru.

“Hai,” she whispered.  He held out a hand for her to grasp, and she took it.  As the disembodied inuyoukai helped her to her feet, she suddenly realized that an apparition shouldn’t feel so… solid.  With a gasp, she looked down at herself and found that she was as translucent as the other two. 

“Am I dead?” She asked aloud and more than a bit fearfully.

”No, my daughter.  You are not.  You are, for the moment, separated from both time and space so that we can all speak to each other directly and complete the task that we began so many centuries ago.  Our being able to interact in this way is a temporary privilege afforded us by the King of the Reikai, and we should not dawdle,” answered Midoriko in a serious tone, as she reached to place her hand on the side of Kagome’s face – the place where she had been cut during the battle.

“I’m afraid I cannot heal this for you in your incorporeal form.  But I will bless it.  Do not ever be ashamed of the mark you will bear, for it will be a symbol of your strength and your resolve, Kagome.”

Kagome felt a tingle ghost across her face, but it was gone as soon as Midoriko removed her hand.  Midoriko’s hand was rapidly replaced by the taiyoukai’s and Kagome looked up once again into his handsome face with a bit of surprise, as his strong, melodious voice washed over her with an acknowledgement all of his own.

“Let this mark also show of your warrior spirit, my daughter.  Wear the mark with honor and pride, and let no one question your worth,” he said, his eyes narrowing slightly, and Kagome couldn’t help but wonder if he was referring to his own son.

After that the two of them turned to survey the landscape.  It was Midoriko who spoke next.

“This barren place is known as the Makai.  You have been here before, Kagome, along with Inutaisho’s sons.  With the last of our magic, and the magic of the Shikon Jewel, we will fill this place with lush vegetation and make it an appropriate home for all youkai.”

Midoriko held her hand out expectantly.  Somewhat bemused, Kagome placed the small jewel in the hand of its creator and stood back to watch what she did with it.  Midoriko floated over next to Inutaisho, and the two of them clasped their hands together around the jewel, and closed their eyes.  Kagome watched in awe as all around her lush vegetation grew before her eyes, covering the old bones of the burial ground and filling the barren landscape with greenery.  Before long, the entire landscape was teeming with life, and she turned to her companions in amazement.

The two apparitions had mostly faded from the exertion.

“The next step is yours, little Miko.  You need to use your life energy and create the barrier so that the King of the Reikai can move the youkai over to this dimension for now and the rest of eternity.” Inutaisho commanded with a nod, as he disengaged his hand from that of the ancient miko’s.

Suddenly, Kagome remembered her promise.

“I… I kinda made a promise—“

“Yes, the spirit kitsune.  We know.  Do not worry, Kagome.  I have already reproduced his grove within the new environment of the Makai.  One night a month, he will be able to see through the barrier to the stars above – but only from the branches of his fruit tree.”

“But I said that I’d find a way so that he wouldn’t be shut out from the—“

“And you need not worry about that either, Kagome.  Fate will see to it that the spirit kitsune will eventually spend an ample amount of time in what will come to be known as the Ningenkai.  Fear not, for your word will be kept,” Midoriko answered somewhat cryptically.  “Now… the barrier.”

Kagome closed her eyes and focused her thoughts.  She tried to envision the two separate dimensions, and a wall of energy between them.  Her brow furrowed, and the vein on her forehead came dangerously close to popping as she tried desperately to harness her miko energy to complete her task.  After a few minutes, she fell to the ground; exhausted and dismayed.

Midoriko frowned.

“Your soul is not complete, my daughter.  For the barrier must be tied to your entire soul – without it, you have neither the strength to erect it, nor to serve as its guardian.  I am sorry for what I must now do,” she said with a sad voice before closing her eyes.  When she opened them next, a new apparition was standing in front of them.

Kagome began to feel dread in the pit of her stomach.

‘Kikyo’.

Midoriko addressed them both.

“It is time to put aside your petty differences.  For you are both the yin and the yang of the same soul, and neither can accomplish this task without the other.” Midoriko chastised, before turning to the undead priestess.  “You have accomplished your goal – Naraku is dead, and will not be returning.  I ask of you, return to yourself and become whole once more.”

“NO!” Kagome cried.  “NO!  What of Inuyasha?  If we are both taken from him, it will destroy him.  Onegai,  Midoriko – let me do this by myself, I can manage.  Let Inuyasha have Kikyo.  I cannot bear for him to be unhappy,” she cried, as she fell to her knees.

Kikyo looked at her compassionately.  The undead miko’s normally expressionless eyes were brimming with a profound sadness. 

“Kagome.  I am dead.  I have been dead for a very long time.  I must rely on the souls of others to even exist.  Just like you, I cannot be what Inuyasha wants, nor can I be what he needs,” she said, somewhat sadly, and showing more emotion than Kagome had ever seen out of her prior incarnation.  “We have our duty to fulfill, and we must do it together.  I have always known it would end thus.” 

Kagome’s eyes widened in fear when she saw the apparition of Kikyo reach for her.  She tried to back away, but found that she could not move, and could only stand by and watch.  When Kikyo managed to get within touching distance of her, she stopped and transformed into a small, brightly glowing orb.

“NO!” Kagome cried, but it was too late.  For the portion of the soul that had been stolen from her long ago to animate the long dead priestess, was now coming straight for her. She winced as the soul fragment passed into her body, and merged with the larger portion of soul that was already there.

Kagome felt one hundred percent complete for the first time in five years.  She also felt completely devastated.  Not only had she abandoned Inuyasha in order to create the barrier, but now she had taken his other love right along with her. 

“Inuyasha…”

Kagome whispered his name in anguish, as a single tear escaped from her eye and burned a path down the right side of her face.

“Do not shed anymore tears for my son, Miko.” Inutaisho commanded, but not unkindly.  “His confusion was all part of the chaos that the jewel had foisted upon the lives of those it touched.  In time, perhaps you will see him again, but I beg of you – do not hold out your heart for him.  You are destined for another.” 

She blinked teary eyes and looked at him, confused.  

“I have said enough.  Miko, it is time.” Inutaisho continued.  Kagome’s eyes widened as she saw the taiyoukai begin to fade.

“But... I don’t know how!  Wait!  Don’t go!”

”Kagome… my daughter… just believe in yourself, and the rest will fall into place,” Midoriko whispered upon the winds before she began to fade as well.

Kagome closed her eyes tightly, trying desperately to control the tears as she tried once again to harness that pool of energy from deep within.  This time, now that her soul was finally complete, the amount of energy available to her was staggering.  Easily, she wrapped her thoughts around it; subconsciously nurturing and guiding the energy to do her bidding.  When she opened her eyes, she saw with bemusement that her incorporeal form was positively glowing.  Suddenly, the energy burst forth as if being pulled from the center of her body, and started to encompass everything surrounding them.  It may have taken a moment or a millennium, but when the purge of energy finally stopped, Kagome fell to the ground, completely drained.  With tired eyes she briefly noticed that the Makai sky was now a muted pink – the color of her energy, and forevermore the color of the barrier. 

“I did it!” She exclaimed, a little surprised that it actually worked.  But the effort had completely exhausted her. Kagome had to force herself to stay awake so that she could address the two apparitions that were rapidly fading from her sight.

“Well done, my daughter.  You will be returned to your own time, at which point you will cease to be the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama.  Instead you will henceforth be known as the Guardian of the Barrier.  In the meantime, both humans and youkai will be given five centuries to adjust to their new realities.  The barrier will remain strong.”

“But.. but what if someone tries to break it down in the meantime?” Kagome asked quickly, in a last ditch effort to try to convince Midoriko to let her remain in the past.

“I am sorry, my daughter.  You cannot stay any longer.  Your presence here has already disrupted the continuum more than it should have.  The well will no longer work for you, when you return.  As for the barrier, I believe the Reikai prince has offered to help watch it during your absence.  Be well, Kagome.  I am proud of you.”

Kagome opened her mouth to protest one last time, but Midoriko and Inutaisho disappeared, leaving her all alone and surrounded by the vine-covered bones of the Taiyoukai’s grave site.  Suddenly, she felt very, very tired as the exhaustion from her massive expenditure of energy began to take its toll.  With a yawn, she fell to the ground and laid her head against the soft and newly grown moss.

When she came to, she found herself on the soft ground underneath the Goshinboku with her mother standing over her.  Her mother’s hand was gently tracing the scar on the right side of her face.

“Okaa-san.” She murmured groggily, her throat parched and her eyes filled with sleep.

“Kagome?  Daijoubu?  Please tell me you are not going back!  You really got hurt this time, musume.” Her mother begged, the hope in her tear filled eyes almost tangible in its intensity.

Kagome blinked her sleepy blue eyes, and silently shook her head.  Her mother finally let the tears fall as she dropped to her knees and pulled her into her arms.  Shina Higurashi rocked her daughter back and forth in a comforting motion, much like the way she used to when she was just a little girl. 

Kagome fell into the embrace easily, finding herself in much need of the comfort that only a mother’s touch could bring.  Nestled in her mother’s arms, it was almost too easy to forget that she had just traded one awesome responsibility for another.

“Hai Okaa-san… I’m here to stay.”

~*~

“What the hell?!?” 

Yusuke Urameshi, former spirit detective and current heir to one-third of the Makai, almost fell from the wooziness that suddenly overcame him when he felt the massive influx of spirit energy into the barrier between the worlds.

“You better not be getting cold feet, Urameshi!  You’ve put Keiko through enough grief as it is.”

Yusuke shot his old friend and current best man a cold look, as the tall, red haired man adjusted the bow tie around his large, thick neck.

“Lay off, Kuwabara.  I don’t have cold feet – I just… you didn’t feel that?”

“Didn’t feel what?”

“Hn.  The large burst of spirit energy, you baka.” Came an agitated voice from the other side of the room.  Hiei was a bit more surly than usual, probably because he was being forced to wear the ridiculous ningen get-up that the rest of them were wearing.  He tugged at his tie with annoyance.  Honestly, what was it with ningens and their penchant for self-asphyxiation?

Yusuke turned, seeing Hiei for the first time.  He couldn’t repress the smirk that came to his face.  Seeing Hiei in a tux was definitely worth all the aggravation of having the formal wedding that Keiko had insisted on. 

“Hey!  Don’t be calling me a baka, shrimp!  I’m going to pound you into the wall!”  Kuwabara narrowed his brown eyes at the fire apparition, as he pushed one of his sleeves upwards to reveal a muscular arm.  He made a fist, and was prepared to swing it when his arm was suddenly grasped by yet another man in a tuxedo.

“Now, now.  There is no need for violence – can you two just try to get along for today?  After all, it is not every day that Yusuke gets married,” The red-haired kitsune avatar said patiently, as he looked between the seething human and the surly fire demon.

Eventually, Kuwabara backed off.

“Yeah, alright.  I’ll take it easy on you, shrimp.  But only because its Urameshi’s wedding.  By the way, has anyone seen Yukina?” Kuwabara said with dreamy eyes, as he headed for the door.

This time, Kurama had to grab the fire demon’s arm – which was in the process of drawing his katana.  Green eyes locked with red for a moment.  Eventually, Hiei relaxed with a muttered ‘hn’.

Kurama smirked, as he pulled a rose from his hair and pinned it to the lapel of Yusuke’s tuxedo. 

“I felt the energy as well, Yusuke.  It is a bit disconcerting.  It didn’t feel malevolent, however.  I believe we can address the issue after your wedding,” Kurama said, as he adjusted Yusuke’s tie.  His words to his friend were meant to reassure him, but Kurama wasn’t entirely convinced of them himself.  The energy that had caused a ripple in the barrier was strong.  And oddly familiar.  He made a mental note to question Youko about it after the wedding was over.

The dark haired toushin shot him a look.

“Well, not immediately after your wedding,” Kurama continued with a wink, as Yusuke flushed a very interesting shade of red at the kitsune’s teasing.

“Hn.  Thank you for that mental image, fox.  I could have done without it,” Hiei said with a small shudder.

“Hey!” Yusuke protested with a glare towards the diminutive half-koorime, before turning his skeptical brown eyes back towards Kurama.  “Are you sure?  Because whatever it was… I dunno, it gave me the shivers.  I better go check on the girls, and make sure they’re okay,” Yusuke continued before pulling away from Kurama.

“Yusuke, I don’t think that is a good—“ Kurama began to protest, but Yusuke was already out the door.  He shot a knowing look over at Hiei, and the two of them scrambled to follow their former team leader.  Certainly, they wouldn’t want to miss this for all the world.

Yusuke barged into the room that held his bride and her attendants.

“Keiko, are you okay?  I just felt—“ 

His words cut off mid question, as he took in the vision of loveliness that was soon to be his wife.  Keiko was stunning – her gown was pure white and sleeveless; elegant in its simplicity.  It highlighted all the curves of her body and made her look like a tenshi.  A drooping neckline revealed a set of pearls that had once belonged to his grandmother, but had been given to Keiko by Atsuko before the wedding.  He swallowed thickly as his eyes took in the generous cleavage the gown afforded her.  Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to worry his lips over the creamy white skin on the side of her neck.  Stifling a groan, his eyes trailed upwards to take in her lightly colored lips, full and glossy, as well as her delicate earlobes which were also decorated with pearls.  Her hair was pulled back into a French twist, and adorned with little sprigs of baby’s breath.  Yusuke’s eyes finally came to rest upon Keiko’s gorgeous cinnamon ones that were currently glaring at him with a murderous rage.  She was absolutely beautiful and –

Wait.  Something was not quite right.

“YUSUKE URAMESHI YOU BAKA!!! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!” 

Keiko screamed at him so loud that he winced.  Her scream was immediately followed by a rose filled bouquet hitting his head.  ‘Dammit Kurama, couldn’t you have made one for her without the thorns?’ was his disjointed thought as he was suddenly pushed out of the room by both Yukina and Shizuru, who were glaring at him as well.

As the door slammed in his face, he turned to see both Kurama and Hiei giving him an amused look.

Kurama sighed and shook his head as he bent down to pick up the abused and now ruined bouquet.

“Well, it looks like I’ll have to make her another one.”

~*~

“Koenma-sama!  Hurry up already!  We are going to be late, and I’m in the wedding party!”  The blue haired ferry girl snapped impatiently, as she waited for the chibi kami to finish up with – whatever it was that he was doing.  She received no answer, and finally snapped when she put her ear to the thin door of his office and heard the Prince of the Reikai ordering his oni assistant to get him another file.

“And be quick about it George – the matter is urgent!”

Botan burst into his office with a scowl.

“Koenma-sama!  Yusuke is going to be getting married in” –she looked over to the clock that was hanging on the wall – “thirteen minutes.  We have to go!  Now!  Keiko is probably ready to scream because I am not there yet,” she said, somewhat panicking.

Koenma was only half listening to her, as he glanced once more at the file Enma had placed on his desk. 

What effect was this going to have on the three realms?  He felt a huge headache coming on at the thought.

”KOENMA! NOW!”

“Oh?  Is it time?”

Botan shot him a long suffering look as she continued to tap her foot impatiently.

Koenma shook his head and transformed into his teenage form.  With a sigh, he placed the folder titled ‘Higarashi Kagome’ back on his desk, and followed the fuming Botan out the door. 

He made a mental note to deal with the issue of the Guardian as soon as he returned. 

~*~

A/N:  Well, I finally got a beta for both of my stories, and I would like to send a very big shout out to Diane who absolutely rocks!  Chapters 1 and 2 of ‘The Guardian’ have been updated and corrected accordingly.

Again, I’m so floored by the response to this story – it is beyond anything I would have ever expected, and I will try to make the updates a little quicker.  I do, however, have another story that is also tying up a large portion of my muse. 

Begin Shameless Self Promotion Blurb

If you’re a Kenshin fan, check it out – it’s a Kenshin/Kagome pairing, since I do love the diminutive little swordsman and I think he really needs to be paired with someone who can accept his dark past.  The RK girls just don’t fit the bill in that department as well as Kagome, LOL.

I have a couple of other YYH crossovers that I’m working on with another wonderful lady.  One is a YYH/Pokemon crossover called “Caught!” and it is a Hiei/Misty pairing.  Unfortunately, it is also NC-17, so you will not see it on ffnet.  It is on aff and mediaminer . org, under the name ‘roseandjulie’, and is also stored in our yahoogroup ‘hentaiXanime’.  Another fic we have in the works is a YYH/Stargate SG1 crossover (yes, I am very serious) where Kurama gets abducted by aliens.  Come on, don’t you want to see Kurama prodded in the… *ahem*, anyway, that one IS on ffnet and can be found under the user roseandjulie or by story ID 2300517.

Also, I, along with several other hentai authors, have created a yahoogroup for people who love to read and write adult orientated anime crossover fanfiction.  The focus of our group is primarily on Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Rurouni Kenshin fics, but other anime series are more than welcome.  We have some really great stories and artwork, as well as a lively discussion board.  If you are interested, please join us – the name of the group is ‘hentaiXanime’.  The URL is in my bio!

End of Shameless Self Promotion Blurb

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  TTFN.

~*~

Japanese Words:

Kitsune – fox
Hentai – pervert
Youkai – demon
Miko – shrine maiden
Inuyoukai – dog demon
Taiyoukai – great demon
Sengoku Jidai – Japan’s feudal era
Hai – yes
Reikai – spirit world
Makai – demon world 
Ningenkai – human world
Ningen – human
Onegai – please
Goshinboku – 'Old god tree.' This is the ancient tree that Inuyasha spent fifty years pinned to.
Daijoubu – Are you okay?
Musume - daughter
Okaa-san – mother
Baka – idiot; moron
Koorime – ice demon
Toushin – ‘war god’
Chibi – small and cute
Kami – god
Oni – ogre