"Maybe we are not doing it right." Kagome said, her dark eyes widening at the scenery around her.
'I don't understand. We did everything we were supposed to, and yet, look at where we are now. Hmmm, I wonder where exactly we are, anyways.' Midoriko murmured.
Kagome bit her lip and glanced over to her left. "Well, from the looks of things, I would say that we are in Egypt." She said, her tone dry. Of all the places in the world, they had to shimmer to the place that was hotter than hell.
'Egypt? What makes you think that we are in Egypt?' Midoriko asked, still trying to figure out where they went wrong during the shimmering.
"Well, to my left stands the great sphinx. And, to my right is a camel, who has been eyeballing me for the last five minutes. Call me crazy, but I doubt that we have these two things in Japan." Kagome said, her eyes trained upon the camel. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed a lot of white foam at the mouth of the camel and hissed, "If you spit on me, let me assure you that there will be one less camel in this world."
Midoriko laughed, and then sighed. 'I still can't figure out what in the hell we are doing wrong. This makes the fourth time that our attempts have failed, and I want to know why. As amusing as it is to hear you threaten an animal, we need to figure this out so that we can get home.' She said.
Kagome agreed. She wanted to get away from that camel, who was still eyeballing her, and she also wanted something to eat. But, like Midoriko, she didn't know what she needed to do to get home. Walking towards the sphinx, she decided that if they were stuck there for a while, she was going to look at the monument that she had only seen in books.
Midoriko continued to murmur in her head and Kagome fought to ignore it. However, when the miko grumbled that it somehow must be Kagome's fault, the younger female froze and calmly said, "How can I be at fault, when it is you who is teaching me? After all, I have followed your instructions perfectly, and because of it, we scared the shit out of a few people at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and might I add that the french are not nearly as rude as people have made them seem, then we some how, under your instruction, if you will remember, found ourselves on an island somewhere in the middle of an ocean and last but not least, let's not forget that we are standing beside the sphinx. So, would you care to tell me again how this must in some way be my fault?"
When no answer came, Kagome nodded. "I didn't think so. Ok, we have to be making this into a bigger issue that it really is. I wonder if I simply concentrated on a particular spot, then perhaps that is where we will appear." She said.
'It's worth a try, and Kagome, it seems you made yourself a new friend.' Midoriko laughed, causing Kagome to turn and groan. That damn camel had followed her and didn't budge when she snapped, "Shoo...go away."
When that didn't work, Kagome gritted her teeth and decided to try out her theory. Any place would be better than standing next to a smelly camel.
Closing her eyes, Kagome allowed the image of the park near her family's shrine to appear and she felt her power surround her, once more. She could feel the changes in temperature, and sighed when she realized that it wasn't as hot as it was before. Cracking open an eye, Kagome was relieved to see a familiar statue of a dragon before her. However, the joy of knowing that she managed to shimmer was short lived, when she realized that she managed to shimmer herself into the middle of a very large tree.
Groaning, Kagome began the task of climbing down, and did her best to ignore the laughter that was coming from Midoriko. This had been a long day, already.
Jin's eyes narrowed as he felt a surge of power. He, along with the others, had been informed that a threat to the realms decided to begin his invasion in the human realm, but as he tried to locate the power source, the only thing he saw was a young woman climbing down from the large tree that stood in front of the dragon statue that stood near the middle of the park.
He watched with amused eyes as she lost her grip and fell to the ground, but quickly stood up and looked around to see if anyone saw her. Though he could not see her face, her hair gained his attention.
It was long, and obviously well kept. But, the color is what caught his attention the most. Though most of her hair was as black as night, there were streaks of red and orange, with a tint of yellow running through the strands, reminding him of fire. He could not help but wonder if the strands were as soft as they were beautiful.
However, his attentions were soon averted, when the young woman flipped that mass of hair over and began to shake out the leaves and twigs that had gotten stuck. His eyes roamed down to a very shapely backside and he flexed his hand, his length hardening. Gods, she was something else.
He watched, to his disappointment, as she flipped her hair back, and stood up straight. She ran her fingers through her hair and he noticed that she failed to notice that she had a leaf on the top of her head. Lifting his hand, he sent a gentle wind over to her, and watched as the leaf flew to the ground.
A smile lit up his face and he watched as the woman shrugged and began to walk towards the entrance of the park. If only he didn't have to wait for the arrival of the group chosen to come to him, he would have run after her and shown her what it would be like to experience the pleasures that a youkai held. But, alas...he was youkai and she was human and that kind of joining was frowned upon where he was from. Oh, well. But, that didn't mean that he couldn't indulge in some naughty fantasies about her later on when he was in his bed. Oh yes, that was something he would be looking forward to.
He allowed his senses to extend once more, and frowned. The surge of power was gone and he cursed his stupidity for allowing his attention to be diverted. However, a flash of light behind him caused him to turn and he smiled as Botan stepped out of her portal and waved at him.
The group that walked out behind her gave him a brief nod, before sitting down and looking up at him, waiting for him to report his findings, and boy, did he have something to report.
Kagome huffed and rubbed her backside as she glanced around to see if anyone watched her fall. When she was satisfied that she would not have to endure someone rushing over to her, asking if she was alright, she began the task of removing the leaves and sticks that got caught in her hair.
As she shook out the leaves, Midoriko asked, 'Has it escaped your attention that there is a youkai right behind us?'
"No, it has not, but I am shocked that you noticed. You didn't even know where we were a few minutes ago, and now you are grumbling about my attentions. Yes, I am aware that there is a youkai behind me, and since he doesn't have a threatening aura, nor has he approached me, I am not going to worry about it." Kagome replied as her fingers continued to comb through the mass of hair.
When she was satisfied that she got everything out, she tossed her hair back and sighed at a job well done, but when a gentle wind blew over her and a small leaf floated before her eyes, Kagome shrugged and realized that her stomach was growling. Midoriko was quietly mumbling to herself, and that gave Kagome time to think.
Walking towards the entrance, she walked quickly and once she was around the corner, a burst of power caused her to stop. Narrowing her eyes, she allowed her senses to extend, and even though the power was no where near hers as far as strength, she could not help but be concerned.
But, as quickly as it appeared, the power faded, and Kagome shook her head. Well, perhaps it was that youkai she sensed in the park. Seeing as how she didn't feel anything evil about it, she would just let it go.
Moving quickly towards her house, Kagome was greeted by the smell of cooking food and her stomach twitched in anticipation. Mom was making oden, and it smelled heavenly.
Once he was done talking, Jin glanced around at the strange group surrounding him. Hiei seemed a bit agitated, but for once, wasn't making snide remarks. The inu hanyou and wolf were quietly bickering back and forth about something, only to be told to shut up by the female wolf.
Kurama and Sesshomaru were in deep conversation and waved him over. Once he was next to them, Kurama asked, "Are you sure, Jin?"
"Aye, I'm sure. Youkai are flockin' tae this place fer some reason. I'm a-thinkin' tha' it has somethin' tae do with tha' shrine yer protectin'" Jin replied.
Sesshomaru nodded at the irish youkai. He glanced over his shoulder and took in a large breath. A scent hit his nose and he found himself closing his eyes.
"Aye, 'tis verra nice. The lass it belongs tae just left as ye and yer boys arrived." Jin said, grinning. Damn, even now that female was stirring his body into arousal, and he didn't even see her face.
Kurama, too, took in the scent and closed his eyes to savor it. Indeed, it did smell wonderful, but they were not there to sniff the air, or daydream about some girl that it belonged to. So, he opened his eyes and motioned for Hiei to come over to him.
"Do you sense anything about this place?" He asked, knowing full well that Hiei had already scanned the area with the jagen.
"Hn. Something was here, and it was strong. I doubt that it was friendly." Hiei replied, his hand resting upon the hilt of his katana.
"So, what are we going to do? We can't just sit here and wait for the fucking thing to reappear." Inu Yasha snapped, his argument with Kouga forgotten.
"That is exactly what we are going to do, Inu Yasha." Sesshomaru replied, his tone bored. "If Jin is correct, and Chyjoko is using this park as a meeting place, then we will be here waiting on him."
"But, what if he doesn't come? What if it is one of his followers? Will we engage them?" Shippo asked, standing.
Sesshomaru regarded the kitsune with quiet eyes. Out of all of them, Kagome's death had hit him the hardest. He watched as the woman he called mother die by Naraku's hands, and now that the creature was within reach, he would not be allowed to exact his revenge. However, through the years, Shippo grew strong and was a force when he was angry. It was his love for his adoptive mother that made him insist that he be on the team that would go to the park, just so that he could be near the place she called home.
"Then, we deal with Chyjoko's underling as we would deal with any other enemy. Believe me, they will talk, if give the right amount of persuasion." Sesshomaru replied.
Nodding, Shippo turned and sat underneath a large tree. Closing his eyes, he could still hear her, feel her arms around him, even after all this time. If only he had been older, stronger...then, his mother would still be with him. He should have stopped her from going after Naraku.
Kurama knew that Shippo was hurting. It was clear in his scent and his posture. Youko had been silent long enough. He knew as the older kitsune, he had an obligation to help the younger kitsune deal with the pain of losing his mother. He told his human counterpart to release his hold, and made sure his tone left no room for argument.
Shuuichi knew what Youko was planning to do and so, he allowed his control to slip and felt Youko surge forward. Within seconds, the change was complete and Youko moved forward towards Shippo. Sitting down next to the younger male, Youko quietly said, "Nothing you could have done would have stopped her. Your mother was determined to see Naraku's threat destroyed, and destroy it, she did."
Shippo gave a soft laugh. "Don't you think I know that? I have replayed that day in my mind, over and over, and yet, I can't help but wonder what life would have been like had she not died." He replied, and noticed that all eyes and ears were upon him.
"Would you like to know how I met her?" He asked, his green eyes turning towards Youko. When the elder male nodded, Shippo's eyes turned to the sky and he smiled as the memory came rushing forth. "My family was murdered, and my father skinned by the thunder brothers. I decided to go after them and in order to do so, I needed shikon shards. Kagome had shards and I went after them. But, because of my size, I was stopped and Kagome listened as to why I needed them. It was after I explained my situation that I made a play for the shards and thought that I was home free, but I hid underneath a skull, and when they noticed my hiding place moving, Inu Yasha came up from behind and punched me in my head. I began to like Kagome when afterwards, she told me to think happy thoughts as she sprayed some stingy stuff on the injury that Inu Yasha caused."
All eyes turned towards the hanyou, and he blanched. Youko glared at the hanyou, but turned his attention back to Shippo. "I loved her, maybe even more than I loved my biological mother. In large families, there are never enough treats or attention to go around, but when Kagome came into my life, suddenly, I had all the attention and she never failed to bring me treats, even if it wasn't a special occasion. She just did it because she loved me." He said, his green eyes misting over in memory.
Youko reached around the younger male and pulled him into an embrace. Kitsunes responded to touches more than words, and this was a time when Shippo need something more than sympathetic words.
Inu Yasha felt his heart go out to Shippo, and knew that his own pain dulled in comparison. He sighed and turned to look at the setting sun. Kagome loved Shippo, and everyone knew it. There were times when he had been so jealous that he wanted to grab the runt by his tail and fling him away from the human miko. But, Shippo was Kagome's baby. Her actions proved that fact more than words ever could and Shippo knew it. He was hers, just as she was his.
Sesshomaru turned from the scene and closed his eyes. He could understand the pain that Shippo felt. It was the same exact pain that he experienced upon finding his own father dead. He should have been with the elder inu youkai, but his damn foolish pride caused him to turn his back and because of it, his father died. He, again, experienced the pain of losing a loved one when Rin passed on due to sickness in her tenth year of life. He never allowed the human child to call him anything other than Sesshomaru-Sama, but when she died, the last words upon her lips were, "Father."
She was his pup. He didn't sire her, but he did give her life. She belonged to him in every aspect of the word, and the one thing she had always wanted to call him, was denied to her. It took him years to overcome the guilt and pain of his actions, but now, in the garden of his vast estate in the youkai realm, sat a headstone, and upon it was the date of Rin's rebirth, and the date she died. Underneath, he placed the words, 'Beloved daughter of Sesshomaru, Lord of the west.'
Every year, on the anniversary of her death, Sesshomaru would walk to her headstone, and sit there, remembering her, and hoping that where ever she was, she was happy. He learned that family is not always about blood. Love has a way of tying people, human and youkai, together. It was Rin's love that bound him, and it was through her that he finally knew the importance of family.
Hiei watched the scene with narrowed eyes. He didn't know what it felt like to be loved. Hell, his own sister didn't know who he was. How could he ever tell her that he, the forbidden child, was her brother? The deaths that were upon his head, and the reputation that revolved around him would frighten her. So, he could not say that he ever had anyone's love. All he had was himself, and that was how he wanted to keep it.
Kagome was jerked out of her peaceful slumber. At first, she was confused, and knew that no youkai, without her consent, could cross her barrier. Jumping out of bed, she rushed to the window, and saw a dark figure slowly making its way up the shrine steps.
Narrowing her eyes, she allowed her senses to extend and discovered that the intruder was human. Frowning, Kagome quickly yanked on a pair of jeans and shirt, then darted out of her room and down the stairs. She took note that her family was still asleep and quickly exited the house.
The human moved closer, and Kagome stepped forward, still covered by the shadows. At first, the human did not see her, but froze when Kagome calmly said, "The shrine is closed. If you wish to speak with the monk who lives here, you will have to do it during the day."
The human began to chuckle, and Kagome realized that she was dealing with a woman. When the woman stopped laughing, she said, "I am not here to visit the shrine. I want to speak to the people who live here. Now, be a good girl and get them for me."
Kagome shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. They are all asleep, and it would be rude for me to disturb them." She replied, her tone soft.
The woman's voice turned hard and she snapped, "If you don't get them, then I will. I'll drag their asses out here, and my master will rip them apart before your eyes, you little bitch."
That was all Kagome needed to hear. Stepping from the shadows, Kagome watched as the woman looked her up and down. She could feel Midoriko stirring within her mind, but something was holding the former miko back. To be honest, she really didn't care.
Kagome's face broke out into a smile, though it was not a very friendly one. Walking towards the woman, Kagome allowed her power to surface and felt the flames as they began to dance over her skin. Creating a barrier around the woman and herself, Kagome turned her eyes to the woman and watched as she began to shake. It simply would not do to have her family awaken because of the woman's screams.
"Now, tell me about this master of yours. I believe that I would like to meet him and I think that you are the perfect candidate to take me to him." Kagome said, as her power grew and crackled violently around her.
The woman whimpered, and backed up, but froze when her back hit the barrier. Shaking her head, she whispered, "I can't tell you. If I do, he will kill me."
Kagome laughed, and said, "And, if you don't, I'll kill you. Sadly, things don't look good for you, but let me assure you, what your master does to you will seem like fun compared to what I will do to you."
The woman felt her bladder let go and knew that the female before her could back her words up. Suddenly, the words tumbled from her mouth and she felt powerless to stop them. When she was finished, Kagome backed off from her and looked to the sky.
"Go to your master. Tell him that if he continues to send his followers to this shrine, I will kill them off. I don't give a damn what he wants, nor do I care about any of those he controls. Now, go." Kagome hissed, and allowed her barrier to drop.
The woman picked herself up off of the ground and turned. She didn't see Kagome lift her hand and extend it towards her, nor did she see the flames that wrapped around Kagome's hand. But, when the power hit her, she opened her mouth to scream, but nothing care out.
Kagome slowly approached the burning female and smiled grimly. "I changed my mind. I'll tell him myself, just to make sure he understands how serious I am about this. Besides, I didn't trust you to tell him anyways."
Turning on her heel, Kagome made her way back into the house, and with each step, she felt her power die down. Soon, she was back in bed, and asleep.
Midoriko, on the other hand, was wide awake. Something held her back from Kagome, and because of it, Kagome killed a human woman. This was not supposed to happen. Was it possible that the original phoenix was attempting to assert its dominance over Kagome, and if it was, how could it be stopped? The souls of the jewel assured her that the original phoenix was gone, but perhaps it had just laid dormant.
Either way, if Kagome didn't get a firm grip on things, she had a feeling that all hell would break loose, and she didn't know if there was anyone who was powerful enough to stop Kagome.
Heads snapped up and eyes turned towards the direction of the Higurashi shrine. Without saying a single word, the large group took off, and ran towards the shrine, intent on finding out what caused such a large power surge.
Hiei got to the shrine first, and soon found himself staring down at a pile of ash, his crimson eyes narrowing. When the others joined him, he gestured to the ground and said, "It would appear that we are too late to find out what happened, but from the looks of things, an intruder met an untimely end."
Sesshomaru nodded and knelt down by the ashes. Taking in a long breath, he closed his eyes and sighed. "It was a stranger, and not related to Kagome's family. I would say that Kikyo's barrier is more effective than what we first thought. It seems that whomever this was, attempted to enter the barrier and was destroyed. However, I cannot detect if it was youkai or human." He announced, his golden eyes straying towards the group.
Kouga growled and glared at the others. "I say we place up a guard. We need to be sure that those people are protected, and until the threat has ended, we need to be cautious." He said.
Hiei snorted. "Were you not here when the inu youkai stated that the barrier took care of the threat. If we start hanging around here, it will draw more attention to this place and could tempt Chyjoko into using one, if not all, of those people as pawns in any action he takes against us. I say we let things go as is. Besides, we all felt the power, and I doubt there is anything that could withstand a direct assault from it. They are safe enough." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Indeed." Sesshomaru agreed, and motioned for the others to follow him. He glanced over his shoulder and stopped when he saw Shippo staring longingly up at the house. Clearing his throat, Sesshomaru finally gained the red kitsune's attention and motioned for him to follow.
Soon, the group, with the exception of Jin, was back at Genkai's shrine and reported what happened. Koenma's eyes widened and he turned to look at Kikyo. "I didn't know your barriers were that strong. Good thinking, Kikyo." He said, his eyes dancing.
Kikyo bit her lip, but then shook her head. "I'm sorry, but my barriers don't work like that. They won't kill. They will keep youkai out, but won't harm anyone. Whatever killed that person, or youkai, it wasn't my barrier." She said.
Koenma frowned, but turned quickly when a portal opened behind him. Botan quickly rushed out, turned and bowed. Stepping from the portal, Lord Enma stood tall and narrowed his eyes.
"I want to know everything. I want details and I want to know what actions have been taken. This time, if he wishes to fight me, Chyjoko is going to find that I am not the easy target that I once was." He said, his tone hard. "Botan, you may go. However, be ready at any time, for I will be needing your services."
"Yes, sire." Botan said, her tone timid. This was the first time that the lord of the spirit realm set foot into the human realm, so this situation is more serious that what she first thought.
Once the ferry girl disappeared, Lord Enma glanced at his son, and lifted an eyebrow. "Well, what is it?" He demanded.
Koenma took in a deep breath. "Sit down, father. We have something that you need to know." He said.
"Give me your report." The male said, his tone calm. He waited as the man stood up and walked to the front of the group.
"I don't know how it happened, but the minute Anki came through the barrier, something hit her from behind and she was reduced to ash. Master, I swear, I didn't see who did it, but from the look on Anki's face, she was terrified." The man replied, nervously.
Dark eyes narrowed and a hand ran through long, crimson hair. "I see. It would appear that the miko's family is being protected, but the question is, who exactly is protecting them? I want to know who it is that we are dealing with. Once we know, we can figure out a way to kill them off." Chyjoko said, his tone lazy.
The group before him bowed low, and backed into the shadows. Once he was alone, the smile melted off of his face and his eyes narrowed. It was so long ago that he nearly won the battle for the rights to dominate over the realms, but had that fucking phoenix had to intervene, and because of it, he was sentenced to an eternity in purgatory.
The phoenix had been a force he had not encountered before. It held a power that was primal and vicious, but there was an intelligence, cunning, and empathy that made it more than simply a mindless beast. And, it was that creature who was responsible for his downfall.
But, once he gained control of the Shikon Jewel, he would make Enma pay and as for the phoenix, he would render it defenseless, and then take out his anger upon it.
A grim smile crossed his lips and Chyjoko glanced up at the sky. Paybacks were coming, and may the gods help any who get in his way.