Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Threads of Destiny ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

AN: After taking a small, impromptu hiatus from writing and concentrating more on my art portfolio, I've been inspired to once again get back to writing! Too bad it's not on any story I already have, right? I was inspired to do this by a piece of line art by sugar0o that I colored. My colored version is on my deviantArt page (the homepage link on my profile) if you want to have a look!

This story is going to be hard to categorize for me…as far as the pairings go anyway. I'm not going to give anything away just yet, but there's a character that is Kagome yet isn't at the same time. She'll be involved in a Kurama/Kagome/Youko pairing triangle/square. I've never tried anything like this before, so here's hoping that everything works out okay! I hope you enjoy!

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“Destiny itself is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakably tender hand, placed beside another thread and held and carried by a hundred others.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

Threads of Destiny

Prologue


Two years before a priestess and half-demon were killed in a web of greed and deception, one year before the same priestess and half-demon fell in love, and only months before the two met, there was a very different tale unfolding in a distant forest to the south. But what none of the parties involved would ever think to imagine was that their destinies would all become tangled together very soon.

It was a clear and beautiful night as the full moon shone down on the southern forests of Japan. It was a wonderful night for a heist. Or at least it would have been. Youko seethed as he darted through the trees as a glimmering blur of silver in the moonlight. The forest foliage was heeding his call to grow and tangle so that the dogs and guards following him would fall behind and lose him. Said dogs and guards belonged to the manor of a local Lord whose home he'd recently paid a visit. There was rumored to be resident priest at the manor who was the guardian to a most interesting item; a mirror which would grant anyone their wish at the cost of their life.

Youko had no intention of ever using such a foolish thing, but bragging rights and an addition to his treasure was more than enough reason to make a move for it. The only problem was that the mirror was already gone…and the entire house had already been roused into a frenzy by the time he arrived.

Pausing on a branch and swiveling his ears to listen to the forest, Youko determined that he had effectively eluded the party that had been previously hunting him. He dropped to the ground and brushed pristine his robes to remove any lingering dirt from his unplanned retreat into the forest. The whole while he fumed in his mind about how the night had been so severely botched. `Was my information incorrect?' He wondered. If that was the case then his informant would need to be punished. But he'd never been given bad information before. His plans were always checked and double-checked before he made his move. It was why he was so successful. `Did someone get there before me?' Youko's eyes narrowed. That had been happening more and more often lately.

But his ponderings ceased and his body stiffened when something brushed against the shell of his right ear. It was something…fluffy. As it happened again and again, Youko's face deadpanned before setting in a scowl. A light giggle rang through the air as the light brushes against his ears stopped completely. `Damn her…' Youko growled internally as his fists tightened.

Just as the thought flitted across his mind a vixen dropped from a branch above him. Red fox tails tipped in white swayed and twitched in amusement behind the she-demon as she straightened herself. Youko allowed his eyes to roam her figure and size up his possible opponent.

Two red ears with white tips sprouted from a sea of midnight hair that reached well past the vixen's hips. Seductively thick eyelashes framed sparkling sapphire eyes. Full, ruby lips were tilted in a smirk in the middle of a porcelain-skinned face. A scandalous outfit of green and pink hugged the demoness's voluptuous curves. Each move she made sent a light tinkling through the air as her gold jewelry and pendants clinked together. He knew the creature standing before him to be beautiful, intelligent, cunning, and charming. She was the absolute bane of his existence.

And at the bane of his existence's hip hung his mirror!

“You will give me that mirror now, woman,” he demanded as gold met sapphire in a hard glare.

“Why hello to you too, Youko. I'm doing well. And how are you doing?” The demoness knew how to push his buttons, but he was in no mood this night.

“Insolent kit. You planned to take that mirror before me. The guards were on alert by the time I arrived and came very close to achieving my hide as a new pelt.” Youko wanted to yell and rant, but he would never sink to such lows in front of this…this…contemptible creature.

Blue eyes lost their playfulness as dainty clawed hands were placed on shapely hips. “I've outgrown the title of `kit' don't you think?” She asked as she bent over slightly to teasingly expose more of her ample cleavage to him.

“I'm in no mood to humor you, Manami. You will give me that mirror and stop interfering with my plans.”

Manami lifted a delicate eyebrow at the command and felt her internal fire spark and raise her ire. “Pardon me, but I will do no such thing. Not only did I steal this first, fair and square, but it's not my fault you always seem to be one step behind.” She turned her nose up and began to saunter away with her tails twitching in annoyance behind her leaving tiny fires where they grazed the grass.

Youko saw red. Before either of them knew what had happened, the tall silver fox had the smaller red one pinned to a tree with a hand around her throat. “You are a good thief, but your attitude will be your undoing. You will never be invited to be a member of my thieves' guild. If you interfere with another job, I will personally make sure that you have a run in with an amorous group of bounty hunters.” His voice was deep as a growl made every word echo with a threatening roughness. He knew that he had gotten the desired effect when the smaller fox demon began to tremble. She may have put on a large bravado but Manami was still young. She was strong and smart which gave her an advantage on others her age, but when she tried to compete with him she was far out of her league. He was sure that one day she would be equal if she trained her potential, but right now she needed to learn her place.

Tossing her between the surrounding trees, Youko stood tall as he glared down at the younger vixen. Her ears were pressed against her skull and her pupils had dilated. Her scent was still laced with fear, but she was ready to fight him if it came down to it. Their species put them at odds with one another in their abilities. His earth-based abilities were easily burned away by her fire, but her fire could just as easily be extinguished with the proper tactics.

In a bold move, he turned his back on her and prepared to leave her be for the moment. Then a thought struck him and he smirked at his new plan. Without turning around, he addressed her, “There's a jewel in the care of a priestess to the west. It's very powerful and very well protected. I have other things that interest me more at the moment, but if you are able to bring it back to me I may reconsider you status as a `kit.'” With that he left her to her own devices.

With any luck Manami would take the bait and he would have a moment's peace. She was talented, but she was also cocky and arrogant. There were times that she would show up and seem tolerable, but she grated on his last nerve more often than not.

It would be one week later that Youko would find a piece of parchment outside of his den saying that the next time he saw her would be with the jewel he'd mentioned. He would have been happy if it weren't for the anxious feeling that settled in his stomach.

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Manami had followed the rumors and tales of a powerful relic for several months before she found a small village. She could feel something powerful calling to her and had to shake her head to clear her mind of the lustful haze wanting to take over her mind. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. There would be no rushing in head-first or figuring it out as she went. She would devise a plan worthy of Youko himself.

For now she would observe from a tree near the village. The first step would be to learn the village's schedule and the way the people—and especially the priestess—moved.

As Manami settled into the boughs of a tall tree, she briefly thought that this was a nice area. Maybe when she decided to settle down and claim her own territory, she would come back. `This seems like the perfect time for a nap,' she thought as her eyes drifted shut.

A high whistle was the only warning she got before she threw herself off the branch as an arrow ripped her sleeve instead of burying itself into her shoulder. Sharp blue eyes scanned the area and landed on a young woman dressed in red and white with long black hair and a serious face. Another arrow had already been brought up as the priestess to aim once more.

Manami knew better than to stay and fight an archer with no long-range weapons of her own. Fleeing deep into the forest was the only option at the moment and that's exactly what she did. She was glad that the priestess decided not to follow her, but she was also now posed with a new problem.

If the priestess guarding the jewel was that perceptive, how was she going to get close enough to devise a plan?

Sliding down the trunk of a nearby tree, she began going over her options. Returning to the south was out of the question. She would not go back without something to show for it. But she couldn't get close to the village as she was now, either. The specialty of her race was the art of illusions and misdirection. But she still needed a lot of practice with her illusions. Fire was never a problem for her, but her magics were lacking.

But what other choice did she really have? If she could conceal her presence and blend in with the village, it would make things much smoother in the long run.

Manami heaved a heavy sigh as she fell over and lay in the grass. She always did hate practicing magic, she thought as she ran a hand up her arm until she reached the rip in her sleeve. “I can't believe she tore my clothes,” she grumbled before wrapping her tails around herself and drifting off into her previously-interrupted nap.

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It was nearing two years that she had been gone from her southern den. Manami had of course fashioned herself a new, albeit temporary, den in the forest surrounding the small village, and she had to admit that she still rather liked the area. It wasn't as hot as her home, but it wasn't really cold either. Things were temperate and calm. But the time to execute her plan was fast approaching.

The last two years were had been interesting to say the least. Once she had become adept enough at hiding her presence to venture near the village, she noticed that the priestess had started keeping company with an adolescent half-demon. He appeared to be younger than herself and wore all red. But there was something about his appearance that made her homesick. She told herself every day that it didn't have a single thing to do with his silver hair and ears and golden eyes.

But he likely wouldn't have those much longer if she didn't make her move. He and the priestess were planning on using the jewel to make him human so that they could have a life together. Manami was almost sad to see that happen. Over time it had become something of a pastime to observe the young, mismatched couple. Their destinies had put them on two very different paths, but they were fighting to be together as much as they could. It was all very dramatic and romantic, if you asked her. It had brought out a soft spot that she often tried to ignore or repress.

She needed to go home. She needed to get away. She needed to get back to her more cutthroat tactics. As much as she liked it here, it was too peaceful for a master-thief-in-training.

“Tomorrow,” she said to herself as she watched the odd couple embrace. “I'll steal it tomorrow before they meet.”

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As the sun broke over the horizon, Manami stealthily landed on the shrine grounds from her perch in a nearby tree. The priestess would be here soon to attend to her duties. Manami had been running late. Pesky doubts had almost made her back out, but if she ever wanted to be seen as an equal she had to get this jewel.

She was just rounding the corner of the building that housed the jewel at night when a dark presence made itself known. Her eyes landed on a hazy silhouette in the shadows as a deep voice reached her ears. “I've been watching you. You've waited for a long time for this moment. Unfortunately, so have I. The jewel is mine. If you wish to continue living, leave this place.”

Manami tried to see past the shadows, but still couldn't make out this figure. “I need this jewel before I return home. Nobody is going to stop me, especially not some coward who hides in the shadows,” she growled as she pulled her sword from her side and heated the blade with her fire. Hot steel would slice through this stranger with little problem.

But one thing she wasn't expecting was a large tentacle shooting for the darkness with the clear intent to impale her. She barely dodged it before charging forward on the offensive with her sword ready to take the monster's head off. But when she reached the shadowed area, there was nothing. Her sensitive ears twitched at the light rustle of fabric and she turned in time to slice through another tentacle that had gotten close to her shoulder. By the time she looked to where her opponent should have been he was gone once more.

`Who in the hell is this?!' She thought as adrenaline coursed through her system. The entire time that she'd been observing the priestess and the jewel she'd never sensed another doing the same.

Manami's ears swiveled and twitched as her tails wrapped inward toward her body for protection. She was expecting another attack from behind and when she turned at the next noise, she was met with two things. One was the frightening face of a horribly burned and disfigured man. She couldn't be positive, but it looked as though something was moving underneath his skin. It rolled and bulged in places before returning to where it should have been. She thought that it was making her sick to her stomach until she looked down and saw a tentacle buried deep in her abdomen.

Manami couldn't even choke out a sob as her throat constricted and tears of pain began to trail down her cheeks. Her face contorted in a silent scream as the creature still impaling her pulled her closer and inhaled deeply to revel in her agony. It wasn't just the pain of having a hole in her stomach or even the burning of the poison that she could feel being pumped into her system. It was the fact that she had been so close to her goal. For two years she had waited and watched and trained only to be killed a few feet away from what she sought. Now she was going to die away from her home in a land where she didn't know anyone. Her friends would likely never know what happened to her; they would only know that she disappeared one day.

“Now,” the deep voice began again. “Go die in the woods like a good little fox.” With that she was thrown far back into the forest before landing roughly on her shoulder and arm with a sickening crunch.

`No…not when I'm so close…' She thought through the painful fog enveloping her world. Forcing her eyes to remain open she drug herself back to her small den as best she could. It took much longer than she had anticipated and it was midday before she was within its cool depths. Her energy was almost completely gone and Manami knew that her life was very close to its end. But there was something, one last glimmering hope in her darkening world.

The Forlorn Hope. The mirror she'd beaten Youko to would be her last chance.

She dug through her sparse belongings and found the item she needed. Lying down on her small bed, her final resting place, she addressed the mirror. “Forlorn Hope, I have a wish,” she wheezed.

“You understand that I will take your remaining life for this desire, correct?” A deep, other-worldly voice echoed around her.

“Yes…” She closed her eyes.

“You may continue.”

“I wish for a way to possess the jewel. Any way at all. I need it to gain his respect…” Manami hoped that the mirror heard her. She could feel her life slipping away faster and faster and didn't think she had the energy to ask again.

“I have heard your wish, and it will be granted. Your life energy is now mine.”

Manami's world went black as cerulean eyes lost their luster and all sounds of labored breathing in the small den ceased.

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Five hundred years later in a hospital in Tokyo, a woman gave one last laboring push before collapsing against her husband as she heard an infant's cry pierce the room.

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi. You have a beautiful and healthy baby girl,” the doctor told them as nursed cleaned the newborn.

When the infant was handed to her parents they marveled as large, stunningly blue eyes stared back at them. “Hello, Kagome. Welcome to the world,” the woman whispered to her daughter as she tiredly played with a tiny fist.

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AN: And that's my prologue! You can probably get a rough guess as to what happened, huh? More will be explained later, most likely in the next chapter. I hope you liked it! I promise I'll work on something for a story I already have posted next, okay?? ^_^; Thanks for reading!