Chapter 22 - Destiny

Ok, so Ive been on the mother of all hiatusus (Haiti? Hiatu? Hiatusee?), and I apologize. My original characters have been keeping quite busy and I realize thats not all that fair to you, dear reader. So, please accept this chapter as an apology. I hope it lives up to my others. Before my hiatus, I didnt really have a lot of direction, I think youll find that this chapter gets things solidly back on track.



Also, never fear! I am master of multiple storylines, but dont worry, some of our characters will be meeting up shortly.



AN: I do not own the characters.


Chapter 23: Destiny

Naraku awoke as if he had the worst hangover of his life. He didnt remember getting hit by anyone&in fact he didnt remember anything but a blinding pain and then passing out. Furthermore, as he sat up slowly, wincing, he currently had no idea where he was or why he was there.

Only one thought permeated his dark mind&find the stone&

oOo

Kagome stumbled through the cold night, through the thick undergrowth of the forest that blocked out whatever light the stars or moon were shining  hopefully retreating in the direction where she and Naraku had come from&praying that Inuyasha had somehow made it through the well and was actively looking for her. For certainly not the first time since she had passed through the well, hours ago? Kagome was glad she had chosen the traditional  conservative  ensemble to wear. Thus far it had protected her from the elements. She looked at her hands as she ran&

Is it possible?



She had so desperately wanted Naraku to fall asleep and then suddenly something had flared and he had.

No way&



Somehow, Kagome had no trouble believing that he had been magically transported five hundred years in the past&no trouble believing that Inuyasha could wield a giant sword&no trouble believing that Kagura could fly away&

Out of breath, Kagome put her hand on a branch to steady herself and did what any normal sixteen-year-old girl would do in the situation  she passed out cold.

oOo

Kouga could not believe his luck&or the crazy direction his life had recently taken. He had always zoned out when any of the stories of his ancestry had come up, but as far as he had ever known, his paternal line had been crazy old. Even his last name  Lupin, literally translated into wolf, but to think he was actually part wolf? That was a little ridiculous. Whether or not Inuyasha and Kagome had slipped something into the punch at the party and this was all one strange dream, Kouga wasnt sure. However, there was something kind of unique about this time and place. His senses seemed heightened&sharpened and for the moment he wasnt in danger. If Kagome was truly in danger, then his first order of business was finding her and returning her to safety. As he and his traveling mates (packmates?) ran through the night, it became obvious that they werent the peak physical condition that his demanding physical regimen kept him in, but they were determined to try and keep up.

Kouga breathed in deeply. He could smell the deep pine in the forest and the scent of water not too far away. He closed his eyes and inhaled, catching on another scent. His nostrils flared  it definitely wasnt Kagomes smell, but there was a scent there  although he had never smelled it before, it was unmistakably Inuyasha. He&growled?

Well, it might not be Kagome&but that mutt will surely be looking for her as well&



Go easy on the insults there, crazytown.

What? He is a filthy mutt.



Really? Are we so out of insults that youre going to call someone a dog?

Kouga stopped and shook his head, wondering how he even got the thought that Inuyasha was a&dog? Or why he was calling a classmate a mutt&

Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought when I fell through the well. Whats wrong with me?



Youre a wolf and you should start acting like one&


oOo


Kagura looked at the stoic man beside her and for the first time in a very long time&maybe for all of her life, she felt completely safe.

Tell me more of the third in your party. It was a direction.

Naraku, Kagura spat.

Where is he now?

I dont know, Kagura played with her hair for a moment, then abruptly changed the subject. She had told Sesshomaru the truth so far, but had neglected to tell him the actual reason for her being here&and that, according to her predictions, Naraku would be coming after the sword, and furthermore, Kagome was in danger. If this Sesshomaru fellow knew that her entire reason for being in this time was because she had been working with evil, manipulative Naraku, he might rescind his offer of protection. Given that she was definitely a strange girl in some very strange lands, Kagura decided it was probably best to change the subject.

What about Kagome?



Kagura considered her classmate. Although in the past, Kagura wouldve guessed Kagome wouldnt have stood a chance against Naraku, but there was something about this place that made her guess that the lovely Miss Higurashi stood at least a fighting chance. Maybe Kagura could bring up Kagome after she was settled in this new place. For the moment, she needed to look out for number one&

She asked in as helpless a voice as she was capable of, But what I am wondering is how were going to get home.

Which is?

Kagura shook her head and looked away. Why did she even want to return to that place? What did the future offer her there? Did she have awesome powers? No. She had classes she hated, no friends and no family. Perhaps this time was not a bad place to stick around. If everyone looked like the tall guy in front of her, it would certainly be a place to get to know better.

Nowhere.

They walked in silence. Suddenly, the little toad looking creature from earlier appeared out of nowhere. With everything that she had seen in her sixteen years, nothing really scared the brunette any more, but she wasnt so nave to be above a little old fashioned acting. She latched onto Sesshomarus arm, delighted that it was as strong as she imagined, and let out a perfect little scream. The tall male next to her looked at her very strangely. The little toad guys eyes popped out of his head and he drew an audible breath. A crackle of energy passed through both of them.

He had to have felt that&



Whatever Lord Sesshomaru felt or did not feel, his face remained impassive.


Kagura retracted her hands very slowly. Even though this Sesshomaru guy looked young, maybe he was more important that she originally thought. Lord of the Western Lands did sound like a pretty important title. But who cared? In what culture was it not ok for men to protect women? However, Kagura hoped she had not done anything to jeopardize his protection&

Still, I hope he doesnt expect me to apologize.

The toad guy broke the moment. He had been glaring at Kagura, but directed his attention at his platinum haired liege, My lord sir, you called for me?

Kagura looked at the little guy, when had Sesshomaru said anything? As far as she knew, it was just the two of them walking along. Like some male model or something, the Lord vaguely waved in her direction, Jaken  take Kagura to the womens wing. Give her new kimonos. She is going to be looking after Rin.

Now it was time for Kaguras eyes to bug out of her head. She crossed her arms, Dude, are you kidding me?

Her answer was a stony look. The toady guy, Jaken, threw himself on the ground and put his hands over his head.

Was this the stone ages? I am not a babysitter.

The toady guy whispered, You do not talk to Lord Sesshomaru that way!

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

Kagura didnt break eye contact with him, but her instinct kicked in.

Maybe you should go along with things&just in case. This isnt the most civilized time&



Yeah, I hadnt noticed. Of course, I could always fly away.

Or you could get the lay of the land&maybe youd like things here. Maybe you could get to know him better&



Now, that I wouldnt mind.

Kagura affected a bored tone, Fine.

She walked away from Sesshomaru following Jaken, making sure to give her hips an extra sway as she did&just in case he was looking.


oOo

When Kagome came to she felt warm and protected. Although she wasnt familiar with whatever it was her mom was cooking, it smelled delicious.

Mom? Kagome fought the urge to open her eyes, I just had the strangest dream ever. I dreamt that well, anyway, whats for breakfast?

Im not ye mother, miko.

Kagomes eyes flew open at the strange voice and weird term. Miko? The high schooler sat up abruptly&and was shocked at her surroundings. She appeared to be in some sort of shed or rustic shack. There was a happy fire crackling that had a rustic looking iron pot over it&where the good smell was coming from. A very old woman was stirring the pot. She was dressed in very similar robes to what Kagome was wearing. Overall, Kagome got the feeling that she wasnt in danger&but still felt the urgency to escape Naraku and find Inuyasha. Everything had happened so fast at the well, that she hadnt had time to come to terms with everything. However, in the grand scheme of things, she was in one piece, away from Naraku, warm and healthy&her stomach growled, loudly.

The old woman laughed to herself, Help yourself.

Kagome would, but not before she remembered her manners, Thank you. Mrs&?

The old woman raised her, Kagome noted, one eyebrow, and said, Ye may call me Kaede and ye are welcome.

As Kagome scooted over to the fire, she could easily determine that she outweighed the hunched over old woman, How did you&?

Ye are not the only miko in the room, young one.

Kagome ignored the use of ye again and although she thought she knew the definition of a miko, she certainly wouldnt apply the term to herself. Blowing on the soup, she asked, You keep using that word, what does it mean?

The older woman raised her eyebrow again, Have ye stolen someones clothes then?

Kagome put up a hand defensively, No.

I can sense an aura around ye  a strong one. If you are not a miko, ye should be.

Kagome sipped the warm broth, What exactly is a miko?

Kaede used her cane to get slowly to her feet and said wistfully, Above all things, she is a protector. She keeps things safe. As I have for years&

Kagome wasnt sure if there was something the old woman wanted to tell her, so she said in a straightforward manner, If you got me in here by yourself, a miko must be very strong.


She couldve sworn Kaede rolled her eye, Hardly. Twas magic!

Now it was Kagomes turn to roll her eyes. Although given everything that had happened in the past week, it wasnt impossible that there was magic&

Aye, are ye a skeptic then?

Kagome answered honestly, Im sure what to believe any more.

Kaede was silent a moment before answering, Come outside with me.

Kagome finished her soup and followed the old woman. She was surprised to see Kaede pull out a bow and arrow. She was further surprised when the Kaede notched an arrow and the bow and released a shaft directly into a tree some distance away. Furthermore, there was a trace of pinkish purple energy that Kagome saw follow the arrow.

Now, you try.

Given that Kagome still felt a little like what Alice felt like waking up on the other side of the rabbit hole, she shrugged and walked over to pick up the bow. Surprisingly, it was very heavy and strung far tighter than her own bow at home& How had Kaede managed it with such ease?

Im not going to let an old woman show me up&



Kagome concentrated very hard on the target in front of her and released. The arrow didnt even make it half way to Kaedes original target. It sputtered pitifully on the ground.

Perhaps ye are not the miko I thought you were& Kaede mused.

Kagome knew an insult when she heard one, What are you talking about?

Lets go back inside for some tea.

Kagome just managed not to roll her eyes again. Kaede was silent as she poured two cups full and began speaking a very direct tone, It has been predicted for centuries that a strange miko from another time would come and help bring balance to this world&and all worlds in all dark times. Her hair would be dark as night& It will be up to her and her alone to see the end of the Shiko no Tama  the Jewel of the Four Souls.

Kagome looked up. The words&Shiko no Tama&floated in the air.

Kaede continued, This Jewel exists in all ages simultaneously and whoever held it was the bearer of great, overwhelming power. It will be up to her to purify the stone and therefore ensure peace in all centuries. The purification process shall be a difficult one and she will need the help of her traveling companions, who will be both brave and fearless.

Kagome took the story in. It was strange because there was some truth to Kaedes words. There had never been a time when someone on the earth wasnt trying to destroy someone else, but how did Kaede know she was not from this time? Her clothing was definitively period. Had she done something to give herself away? Furthermore, if she assumed what she thought Kaede was trying to tell her&well&

Kagome gulped and said, So basically, this Shiko whatever can bring world peace?

Kaede nodded her head, In the right hands.

Then how come Ive never heard of it?

Perhaps where you come from the story has moved from fact to legend. Perhaps you are from a time without hope.

Kagome shuddered and didnt bother arguing that she was from this time. While she was basically caught up in her day to day life at St. Joes she wasnt blind enough to recognize the world wasnt exactly in its strongest hour. However, Kagome always considered herself an optimist and somehow believed that her generation would do something about it. On the other hand, maybe it was this story that Naraku had been researching and somewhere in his deluded brain, he actually believed it to be true.

She challenged the older woman, Lets say that I do believe this prophecy or whatever, are you actually telling me that you think I am the miko who will bring balance?

Kaede nodded slowly, It is how I knew to look for ye tonight. This fateful night of destiny has been predicted by many. The greatest evil presents itself. The Wolf Prince will appear. A titled Hanyou returns. The sword of legend borne on the air to the Lord of the Western Lands&and a miko lost.

The foreign words swirled in her head and Kagome shook herself and sighed loudly, Is there anything else I should know?

A great battle is predicted&but at the end, love will prevail. Love is needed to ultimately purify the Shiko no Tama.

It was silent in the small shed and Kagome wasnt sure if she was dreaming or what reality she had entered.

Are you actually considering this crazy womans talk?



Maybe&

Why?



Because Id like to think that theres more in this life. Maybe meeting Inuyasha wasnt an accident&maybe he was the one who started the events that brought me here.

Kagomes eyes reflected the flames of the small fire, she asked Kaede, Do you know where I can find the Shiko no Tama?

Aye, child, I do.

oOo

Inuyasha resisted the urge to howl in frustration. They had been searching for hours&he could scent Kagome but it seemed she was always out of his reach. Not to mention that Sango and Miroku were definitely slowing his progress. Still, there was no way he was just going to leave them&

Maybe if you leave them with Sesshomaru.



Yeah, right.

Seriously&his castle isnt that far away.



But Kagome?

Also, the moon&



Fine!

Inuyasha stopped and turned to face his friends, Theres some place we have to go.

Sango and Mioku exchanged a look. Miroku asked hopefully, Home?

Inuyashas eyes narrowed, No, my brothers.

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