Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Threads of Destiny ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

AN: And I'm back to this story! Oh me and my jumping around ways. I should probably work on that whole `focus' thing. But I've got my inspiration now so I'm going to jump right into it. Sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own, please don't sue!

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Threads of Destiny

Chapter One


Kagome stepped outside of her family's home in Tokyo and took a deep breath. It wasn't as refreshing as the air in the past, but the sunshine on her face still made her smile.

Life was good. It was summer and she'd recently graduated high school. Her family was doing well; her grandfather was as lively as ever, her mother always wore a proud smile for her children, and her brother was doing well in school and on the soccer team. Naraku had been defeated, but there were still a few more rogue shards that needed to be rounded up. Not that she minded. That meant that she still got to see her friends in the past. If the jewel was finished before the summer was over, Kagome would be able to start her first term of college with no other worries!

The thought of college actually made Kagome smile even brighter. Not because it was a new chapter of her life or because she had been accepted into a very nice university, but she was going to be attending the same college as her boyfriend of the past two years.

They hadn't gone to the same high school and he was a year older than she was, but they'd managed to find each other somehow. And it was a very good thing that they had! All things considered, they were perfect for each other. He was able to accept her strange life because she was able to accept his. Her mother absolutely adored him and her brother had found a hero who was a little closer to home than Inuyasha. His mother thought she was a blessing in her son's life and had welcomed her with open arms into their family. And Kagome was fairly certain that both of their mothers were looking forward to the beautiful grandchildren that the two youths would (hopefully) eventually produce.

But Kagome's thoughts were interrupted when strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist from behind. A deep purr vibrated through her chest as a nose was nuzzled against her neck. “Since Red got to have breakfast with you and your family, I get to walk you to the well,” a deep voice stated.

“Good morning, Youko,” Kagome greeted. It was interesting having a boyfriend with the most severe split personality in the world, but it was one of the things that made them able to work as a couple; she had seen stranger. She was well aware of the two souls residing within Kurama's body and she had been for almost the entirety of their relationship. All it had taken was one poorly timed visit from Inuyasha for Kurama to step forward to defend her against the unfamiliar demon. But one choice word from Kagome and several from Inuyasha had led to a lengthy explanation from all parties involved. And while the two males still weren't fond of one another, they tolerated each other while in her presence…most of the time.

“So remind me again why I don't have meals with your family?” Youko questioned while lightly gripping her small hand in his much larger one as they walked towards the well house.

“Because you still tend to put my grandfather on edge and we don't need him to have a stroke,” Kagome explained jokingly. “But my mother greatly appreciates the flowers you've started growing in her little garden out back. She's always going on about how beautiful they are.”

Youko preened slightly. “I'm glad she enjoys them.”

“So what are you and Kurama going to do to keep yourselves busy while I'm gone for the next week?” Kagome asked genuinely curious.

“Well as long as Koenma doesn't call us away on a case, I suppose we'll do what we usually do while you're away,” Youko answered before being interrupted.

“Try and take over the world?” Kagome joked remembering one of her favorite childhood cartoons.

Youko gave her an odd look with a delicate eyebrow arched in her direction. Kagome sighed as she realized that he obviously didn't get it. “No, my ambitions haven't been that high in quite some time,” he answered her. “We will probably spend some time with our human mother, catch up on some reading, and hopefully get a little gardening done if the weather continues to be this nice.”

“That sounds great,” Kagome said as she turned to face the demon once they reached the well house doors. “I hope you guys have a good week. We should go see a movie when I get back this weekend. I'll let you and Kurama decide which one.”

“I'll discuss it with him. Have a safe trip and be careful on the other side. I'm well aware of how dangerous that world is,” Youko said as he wrapped his arms around the small woman he'd fallen in love with. It still surprised him sometimes, but there was no denying what he felt for the strange little priestess. “There are many demons that would love to claim such a beautiful woman all for themselves,” he purred with a devilish grin on his face. “I was one of them, after all.”

Kagome laughed as she swatted his chest. “I'm well aware of the dangerous—and in your case deviant—demons running around in the feudal era. But I'm a big girl and can take care of myself. And when that doesn't keep the guys away, Sango and her large boomerang usually does the trick. I've still never heard anything about you in the past, though.”

“I was well known in many circles, but much farther to the south than where you usually travel. But don't worry, I was incredibly infamous and my reputation always preceded me.” Youko smirked at his little lover.

Kagome rolled her eyes and sarcastically drawled, “Oh yes, I'm so proud.” But she hugged him regardless of his ego. “Behave and I love you.”

“Always. And I, you.” Youko answered before tilting Kagome's face up so that he could place a gentle kiss on her lips. “Now go finish saving the past so that we'll have a future to spend together.”

“And you guard the present so that it's still here when I get back!” Kagome called as she trotted down the well house steps with her yellow backpack slung over her shoulders.

Youko watched her disappear in a flash of blue light before closing the well house doors and relinquishing control over to his other self. “You heard what she said about the movie this weekend, right?” Youko questioned his human counterpart.

“Yes, I heard her. We'll look to see what will be playing when we get home.” Kurama continued to make his way down the shrine steps as he did so often these days.

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When Kagome landed on the bottom of the well five hundred years in the past, the first thing she noticed was an odd shadow being cast from the top. Glancing up to the top, she grinned at the sight of a fluffy tail twitching back and forth. “Shippo!” She called up to the demon child.

A small, shadowed face peeked over the edge before a response came. “Kagome! Hurry up; everyone is waiting for you at the village! There's rumor of another shard showing up a few villages away!”

Climbing the vines that had grown between the stones of the well's walls, Kagome made her way to the top with her backpack in tow. She inhaled deeply in the world that had come to be known as her second home and felt like new life was being brought into her lungs. “Come on, Shippo,” Kagome said as she opened her arms for the young fox. “How has everyone been?”

“Sango and Miroku are still working on building their hut,” the kit counted off on his small fingers from his position on Kagome's hip as they headed back to the village. “Kaede's doing better after she fell last week; she's back in the herb garden today. Inuyasha has helped Sango and Miroku a little with the heavy lifting, but other than that he was going to other villages looking for shard rumors. Kirara and I played the hopscotch game you showed us with the other kids!”

“That's great, Shippo,” Kagome smiled. She was glad that he was able to make friends with the human village children so easily. Maybe their generation would be the start of filtering out some of the unfounded prejudices against demons, both full and half-blooded.

The two continued to chat until they reached the village where Kagome greeted the rest of her friends. The day continued to go wonderfully until she stopped in front of Inuyasha who was glaring at her. She already knew exactly what the problem was and she rolled her eyes as she put Shippo down. Smiling as brightly as she could at her friend, she greeted, “Good morning, Inuyasha!”

Inuyasha's scowl only deepened as he walked closer and leaned in to sniff at her scent once. “You smell like roses,” he ground out.

“Why thank you,” Kagome answered as cheerfully as she could. She knew exactly what he meant by the comment, but she also knew that it was best not to take the bait.

“It's not a compliment,” he growled as he walked past her.

“He's never going to get used to you having a serious suitor in your time, is he Kagome?” Sango asked as she stepped next to her best friend. In her opinion it was good that Kagome had found someone in her own time. While she knew that Inuyasha cared for Kagome, she often feared that he would never be able to give his entire heart to her. And, frankly, she didn't think that Kagome deserved anything less.

“It doesn't look like it,” Kagome answered as she turned to give the older girl a hug. “Though it would probably help if Kurama was part demon, himself. I think that threatens Inuyasha more than anything; the whole alpha-male-rival thing, you know?”

“Oh! Kagome, Kagome!” Shippo shouted from her feet as though he'd just remembered something. “Did Kurama send me anything this time?”

Kagome smiled down at the young fox. Even though he'd never met her boyfriend, Shippo had found a role model in the older fox that would occasionally send him things. “I think he may have put some new seeds in my bag. He said the leaves would be very helpful with your magic, so be sure to take good care of them. Maybe you could draw him a picture as a `thank you' for me to give to him?” She suggested as she fished around in her bag for the small pouch of seeds.

“Okay!” Shippo said excitedly as he bounced from foot to foot in anticipation.

“Yes, how is Kurama, Kagome?” Miroku asked as he watched her look for Shippo's seeds. He was also glad that she had finally found someone to make her happy. They had all noticed the change in her general attitude over the years. This male was good for Kagome.

“Oh, he's fine. It's summer right now and we don't have school so he's been spending a lot of time with his mother and friends. We're going to a movie when I go back at the end of the week,” Kagome explained. “Here we go, Shippo! I don't know how they got all the way down to the bottom of my bag.”

Shippo immediately opened the pouch and looked inside seeing the new seeds. “Can I go plant these in my garden before we leave?”

“No!” They heard Inuyasha yell from several huts down. “We need to get moving now! You can play farmer when we get back!”

Kagome noticed how Shippo's face fell and kneeled down to his level before speaking in a low tone, “You can either wait until we get back to do it yourself or I'm sure if you asked nicely, Kaede would be happy to plant the seeds for you while we're gone.” She winked at the young kit before his eyes lit up once again and he hugged her before running into the hut where he knew the elderly miko was preparing herbs to be dried.

When Shippo returned he once again jumped into Kagome's arms as they began walking. If they were lucky and made good time, they should be able to make it to the village they were looking for by late afternoon or early evening.

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“Kagome! Where's the jewel shard?!” Inuyasha yelled as they faced off against the giant mantis demon. Apparently the demon had been on the move in their direction and it hadn't taken them nearly as long to find it as they had originally thought.

“The back of its head!” Kagome shouted to the half-demon.

The demon was much larger than they had heard and was proving to be much more of a challenge than they had anticipated. It was much too large for Miroku's sutras to make a large impact and its armor-plated forelegs continued to block Sango's Hiraikotsu. That meant that it was up to Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga or one of her arrows. But at the moment she was afraid that she wouldn't have a clear shot without injuring one of her demonic friends.

Kagome was about to tell Shippo to run back to the tree line and find somewhere safe to hide until the battle was over when she noticed that the young fox was no longer by her side. “Shippo?!” She yelled in a panic.

But when she spotted him, her heart dropped. Somehow the kit had gotten himself closer to the danger zone and would likely be crushed if something wasn't done. So, feeling her maternal instincts kick in, Kagome bolted forward hoping to reach the red-head in time.

Kagome reached Shippo just before one of the mantis' legs would have crushed him, but she was able to erect a barrier around them to keep him safe. But once the holy power of the barrier burned the demon's leg, its full attention was on destroying the holy energy. It brought its forelegs down on top of the small barrier repeatedly while Inuyasha and the others tried to stop it or at the very least divert its attention.

Kagome could feel the barrier starting to weaken with each powerful blow. Her shields were far from perfect and had been a work in progress for some time now. It not only took a large amount of her energy to maintain but under an assault she tired much quicker. “Kagome?” She heard Shippo ask in a fearful voice. “Are we gonna be okay?”

Tears began to leak from Kagome's eyes at Shippo's small voice. “Yes,” she strained. “We're going to be just fine,” she reassured even though she could feel herself weakening. But it was the next blow that did her in and the barrier dissolved as she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. She was awake but far too tired to be able to move on her own. Angry and frustrated tears burned down her cheeks as she knew that she couldn't protect herself and Shippo anymore.

Kagome could feel her chest tighten as an odd feeling washed over her. It felt like something was trying to fight its way out of her very body. The only thing that she could think of to compare it to was when her soul had been pulled from her body. But she was tired, far too tired to fight whatever the feeling was. So, sending Shippo a silent apology, she gave into the feeling and opened the dam that was keeping a hidden energy locked away.

Shippo's terror skyrocketed as he saw Kagome collapse and the mantis draw back its leg for the final blow, but a sudden pulse of energy from beside him turned his attention back to Kagome. She was completely still, but there was something off about the scent in the air. He instinctively took a step away from her as she rolled onto her back with her bow and arrow in hand only to fire the arrow straight into the air to strike the large demon's abdomen.

The shard hunting group watched in confusion as Kagome's arrow gave off red sparks instead of the usual pink. When it struck the demon, fire erupted along the demon's exoskeleton and began to consume it completely.

Kagome grabbed Shippo and ran to get out from underneath the inferno. When they reached the top of the small hill at the edge of the field, the miko collapsed once more. Her knees hit the dirt as she dropped Shippo and her bow.

Shippo cautiously took several steps away from Kagome's body. His senses were telling him that this was Kagome, but his more basic instincts were screaming about the nearby danger. A deep growl emanated from Kagome's chest and her fingernails dug into the earth before her arms began to shake and she collapsed onto the ground once more.

Shippo felt the danger pass and warily made his way back to Kagome's side. What had happened? He didn't have much time to think on the subject as Inuyasha came running to Kagome's side and Kirara landed with Sango and Miroku moments later.

“What happened?” Inuyasha demanded as he turned Kagome onto her back so that he could inspect her for any injuries.

“I-I-I don't know,” Shippo stuttered. He was honestly puzzled at what had taken place, but something told him that this wasn't going to be the end of it.

“Is she alright, Inuyasha?” Sango asked as she came to stand near her friends. She hadn't seen much of what had happened, but when the mantis burst into flame and it hadn't come from Inuyasha she had been trying to piece together what could have happened. So far she hadn't been able to think of anything plausible.

“She's fine,” Inuyasha said seriously. But we should head back to the village soon. I want Kaede to take a look at her. “Miroku, can you keep the shard until Kagome wakes up?”

“Of course,” the monk answered as he made his way back to the giant demon's ashes to take the shard.

Sango watched Miroku as she spoke to Inuyasha. “I was on the other side of the demon and couldn't see. What happened, Inuyasha?”

Inuyasha looked at Kagome with a critical and cautious eye. He could feel that something in the air had changed, but there was no way for him to identify exactly what it was yet. “I don't know. But we'll go back to the village now and maybe Kagome can give us some answers when she wakes up.”

“I hope so,” Sango answered as she mounted Kirara and went to help Miroku so that they could start traveling sooner.

`What's going on, Kagome?' Inuyasha thought as he scooped her up into his arms and allowed Shippo to take position on his shoulder before taking a powerful leap in the direction of their home.

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AN: Okay, I could probably keep going, but that would make this chapter ridiculously long and I don't want to burn you guys out on this. It stands at about seven pages in Word right now, so I'm calling it for now. Anyway, this is one of the chapters in my mass-update that I'm doing. Maybe I'll be able to do big multi-story updates from time to time instead of a single chapter here and there? I would usually post things as I get them done, but with no internet where I live now that won't be happening. If you read other works of mine besides this, I'm updating four stories (including this one) and adding a new story :] Well, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!