Categories > Anime/Manga > Yu Yu Hakusho > Return to the Past
A/N: Poll Pairing Results below, last chance to put in your votes for the ones with zero.
Yusuke/Kagome: 8, Hiei/Kagome: 2, Inuyasha/Kagome: 3, Sesshomaru/Kagome: 2
Miroku/Kagome: 0, Kurama/Sango: 0, Yusuke/Sango: 0, Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Sango: 2
Inuyasha/Sango: 0, Sesshomaru/Sango: 0, Yusuke/Botan: 1, Kurama/Botan: 1
Miroku/Botan: 4, Inuyasha/Botan: 0, Sesshomaru/Botan: 1, Hiei/Botan: 0, Kikyo/None: 1
Kurama/Kikyo: 1, Hiei/Kikyo: 0, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 1, Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4
Yusuke/Kikyo: 0, Miroku/Kikyo: 0, Yusuke/Keiko: 1, Kurama/None: 1, Hiei/None: 1
Thanks to everyone who voted on the Pairing’s part of the poll and for the other parts as well. To find out what happens next, whether the Tantei go to the Feudal Era, what happens next, and whether something terrible happens or not, read the following chapter. Also, the note next to the chapter one poll is hereby dismissed on the part about Yusuke and Keiko.
Again, check chapter one for the disclaimer, and see note in chapter two at the beginning about the disclaimer!
Chapter Three: Revelations
When they arrived back Kagome’s home they waited for someone to break the silence. Thankfully none had tried to kill one another… yet. The silence was broken by Inuyasha waking up groaning.
“What the hell hit me? I feel like I was just in a battle with a mountain, without Tetsaiga,” groaned Inuyasha as he sat up.
“I think you went a bit over board Yusuke,” said Kurama as Inuyasha tried to stand up, only to collapse back down to the floor.
“You think!” snapped Kagome angrily as she helped Inuyasha into a chair.
“Can I help it if he’s one of the weakest opponents I’ve ever faced?” asked Yusuke. “Besides, since he’s still alive, that counts for endurance.”
“Shut up already Yusuke!” snapped Kagome angrily, causing all of them jump a little. “Now somebody start talking or I’m going to do some major purifying!”
“Just calm down already Kagome,” said Inuyasha as he rubbed his ears.
“It’s what you get Inuyasha!” said Kagome as Inuyasha flinched at her words.
“Where would you like us to start Kagome?” asked Kurama politely.
“How about we start with you first, cousin? How come I wasn’t able to sense that you were a Youkai?” asked Kagome testily.
“Probably because I am not a Youkai, yet I am a Youkai. I have four forms, my human form, my Youkai form, my hanyou form, and my fox form. Eighteen years ago I was known by all Youkai as Yoko, the Greatest Thief the Makai had ever seen or known of. I was able to get past barriers, spells, charms, traps, guards, and even hunters. One day I got careless on a trip and was badly wounded by a hunter. My body was dying, so with the last of my strength I forced my soul from my body into the Ningenkai. There I took possession of the unborn child of Shiori Minamino, I became Suichi Minamino. Suichi’s soul and my own merged somewhat, with my Youkai soul being the dominant soul. That is why I have my four forms,” said Kurama. “Originally I planned to leave at the age of ten, when my powers had plenty of time to rejuvenate, however humanity grew on me and I stayed. Around the time I was fourteen, my mother was seriously ill. This was also the exact same time I stole an item from King Enma’s volt that would save her life, but with a heavy price.”
“What was the price?” asked Kagome curiously.
“My life,” stated Kurama as Kagome looked at him shocked. “Yusuke was assigned to bring me in for stealing the Forlorn Hope. When he learned of my plan, he attempted to give his own life for my mother instead of me giving mine for her. In the end in honor of the sacrifice, the Forlorn Hope took no life, but still granted my wish.”
“So Yusuke works for King Enma?” asked Kagome.
“Like I would ever work for the bastard,” said Yusuke from the couch he was sitting on. “When I found out my father was Raizen, Enma tried to have me killed for a damn third time. However things didn’t turn out so well for his little crew.”
“What did you do?” asked Kagome nervously.
“Killed them, but left the one that got Kurama here for him,” said Yusuke.
“Uh, am I missing something here?” asked Inuyasha confused at what was going on.
“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” said Yusuke as he stood up and walked over to Inuyasha and slugged him real hard in the right cheek. “That’s for breaking the roof to the well house after I just get done fixing it.”
“Yusuke!” snapped Kagome. “Have you ever thought that Inuyasha is the one keeping you employed here?”
“Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean I like having my work ruined,” said Yusuke as he glared at her. “Is there anything else you would like to know!”
“Yeah, what did you mean by ‘for a third time’?” asked Kagome.
“Exactly what I meant, I’ve died two times already. The first was saving a little kid from getting hit by a car, which is how this all started. I was sent on a lot of cases which pissed me off when I wanted some R and R for myself. I had to fight Gouki, Hiei, Baldock, Rando, Zuzaku, a bunch of worthless minions, Miyuki of the Triad, Immaki of the Triad, Gokumonki of the Triad, Toguro at twenty percent, a worthless Youkai who attacked me in my sleep, a good fight was with Chuu, a fight I didn’t like was against En, Ryou, Kai, a lousy one was against Bakuken who fights with his sweat, another good fight was against Jin the Wind Master, then there was my rematch with Toguro at one hundred percent his true strength, that was one hell of a match. Then there was the fight with Sensui who killed me a second time, but in the Makai. Raizen awakened my Youkai blood and took possession of me to fight Sensui, but I resisted and killed Sensui. Afterwards I had to fight Raizen’s generals and beat them, only after I failed numerous times did I beat them, but then the real challenge happened. Facing my old man,” said Yusuke as rubbed his jaw. “Those fights were real, nothing fake about them; he would beat me to the verge of death and leave me lying on the ground to survive on my own. Finally I was able to beat him one day, but then the Youkai Lord’s of the Eastern and Southern Lands decided to try and take over the Northern Lands. I stopped them with a choice, fight or hold a tournament to decide who would rule. I fought many Youkai, each real strong, but won, until I fought the Youkai Lord of the Southern Lands, Yomi. He beat me and when I awoke I thought I was still fighting him and listening for the countdown. But I got him back; I killed the idiot, putting Kurama as Acting Youkai Lord of the Southern Lands.”
“Um… okay, you’ve been in several fights, got your ass beat, but came out on top anyway?” asked Kagome summarizing it all up.
“Pretty much, anything else?” asked Yusuke.
“Um… not at the moment, but your still not off the hook!” said Kagome.
“Yeah, yeah, now let’s here your story Kagome,” said Yusuke as he smirked at Kagome who had froze at the mention of her turn to be interrogated.
“Um… would you look at the time, it’s late, better get to bed,” said Kagome as she headed for the stairs only to have a katana at her neck a split second later.
“Your not going anywhere ningen,” said Hiei.
“What the hell are you trying to do? Kill her?” demanded Inuyasha loudly.
“Keep out of it hanyou,” said Hiei nastily.
“WHAT?” roared Inuyasha angrily.
“Sit down dog boy, or Hiei will dissect you,” said Yusuke as he grabbed Inuyasha and threw him into the chair. “Now Kagome sit down and start talking. Hiei has been known for his tendencies to ‘slip’ with a katana and the results are not very pretty.”
“Okay,” said Kagome sitting down after catching Yusuke’s warning about Hiei. “Where do you want me to start?”
“For starters let’s start with dog boy here,” said Yusuke as Inuyasha growled at him.
“Okay, his name is Inuyasha and he’s from five hundred years in the past, the Feudal Era if you will. I met him when I fell down the well outside in the shed. I had happened to unknowingly have the Shikon Jewel inside of me. When I fell down a Centipede Youkai dragged me through to that time trying to get the jewel. I escaped its clutches and found Inuyasha bound to the Holy Tree with an arrow through his chest. Later the Centipede Youkai returned for a second attempt and was able to rip the Jewel out of my body, by cutting my side open. During this time Inuyasha was revived somehow and killed the Centipede Youkai, then went after me, for the Shikon Jewel. A Priestess in the nearby village had this necklace put around his neck, by chanting some type of prayer, I think. Anyway when ever I say sit thud he goes crashing into the ground,” said Kagome.
“KAGOME!” snapped Inuyasha angrily, but shut up before he said too much, as she glared at him venomously.
“Anyway, after that a Crow Youkai got a hold of the Jewel and went on a rampage. So I accidentally shattered the Jewel into a lot of small shards. So Inuyasha and I go searching for them to put the jewel back together. Along the way we met up with the orphaned Kitsune kit Shippo, who joined us in our search. I’ve adopted him as my own child now, basically because he’s cute and I love him. As time went by we were joined by a lecherous monk with a curse in his right hand, because of Naraku,” said Kagome as she spat the name, Naraku, out like it had a bitter taste to it.
“What’s this about a lecherous monk?” asked Yusuke curiously.
“His name is Miroku and because his grandfather tried to kill Naraku, his entire family line as a curse on them that will be passed down generation to generation. It’s basically a black hole or bottomless air void that sucks everything into it and slowly grows by the day. It threatens to consume him entirely, so he goes around and asks every pretty girl he meets to bear his child. He even asked me!” said Kagome giggling a little.
“WHAT!” asked Yusuke and Kurama at the same time.
“Well I declined, at first I thought he was just joking, but after he started to grab my butt…”
“HE WHAT!” exclaimed Kurama and Yusuke at the same time again.
“He grabbed my butt and I slapped him hard across the face. But he hasn’t tried it to me again, mainly because Inuyasha would kill him and I would knee him. Besides I’m sympathetic to him, he watched his father die before his very eyes, then the cursed void appear in his own right hand,” said Kagome.
“That’s harsh, a kid watching his own father die? What about his mother?” asked Yusuke curiously.
“Don’t know, Miroku has never spoken of her. We can only presume she died giving birth to him,” said Kagome. “Anyway later on we came across a village of Taijiya (Youkai Exterminators), however they had all been massacred by Naraku and other Youkai, which we found out about later. She joined are group and with her came Kirara, a two-tailed Fire Neko. We’ve been traveling together for a while now and have met all kinds of Youkai, good and bad. We’ve had run ins with Inuyasha’s older brother Sesshomaru, the Panther Youkai tribe, the Wolf Youkai Tribe, whose leader says he is in love with me, and many more Youkai.”
She didn’t notice it, but Hiei and Kurama had, at the mention of a Wolf Youkai in love with Kagome, his reiki had spiked momentarily. It was clear to them that the Yusuke, though Lord of the Northern Lands was still very young by Youkai standards and was in the stage of his life where was prone to find many females attractive. However as was with all Youkai there was always a unique one, one that stood out from the rest in more ways than one and Yusuke was obviously one of them. He wasn’t like most Youkai, he had a high sense of honor and integrity that most Youkai Lords never have or had or even develop.
“Go on Kagome,” said Kurama gently.
“Okay, um… oh yeah, we have nearly killed Naraku several times, but he always uses his Miasma to escape us, while we try and survive the Miasma,” said Kagome as she decided to go one, but leave a major part out. “Later we fought a Dark Miko, who had joined with Naraku, who at this point had most of the Jewel.”
“I see, what became of this Dark Miko?” asked Kurama curiously.
“She lost, she merged with a Giant Ogre Youkai and Inuyasha used Tetsaiga’s ultimate technique the Backlash Wave on her, which send her own attack right back at her, along with the Wind Scar,” said Kagome. “However before we could get the Jewel, one of Naraku’s incarnations, Kagura the Wind Sorceress got it and disappeared before we got to her.”
“You’re leaving something out wench, how did Naraku get that many pieces of the Jewel. Unless somebody is scheming with Naraku behind your back,” said Hiei. “Perhaps the Monk? In exchange for the curse to be lifted?”
Hiei had touched a sensitive spot and he knew it. This was what he was hoping for, to anger her enough to just blurt out the answer he was searching for.
“MIROKU WOULD NEVER DO THAT! IT WAS ALL THAT DAMN BITCH, KIKYO”S FAULT THAT NARAKU HAS SO MUCH FO THE JEWEL! IF SHE HADN”T STOLEN IT FROM ME IN THE FIRST PLACE, THEN WE WOULDN’T BE IN THIS BAD A SITUATION!” snapped Kagome angrily, but stopped and paled when she realized what she said and saw Hiei smirking.
“I thought Kikyo was dead?” asked Yusuke confused at what Kagome had just said.
“She was, but a damn Youkai Witch brought her back to life in a body of clay. She has part of my soul in her and uses other souls to hold her form together. She is constantly flirting and seemingly attempting to mate with Inuyasha and drag him to hell,” said Kagome as she glared at Inuyasha who looked sheepish. “What did you do Inuyasha?”
“Um… uh… nothing. Nothing that is any of your damn business you stupid wench!” said Inuyasha bitterly and then mumbled under his breath, “Stupid wench, isn’t nothing like Kikyo, she’s just a stupid Shard Detector, unlike Kikyo.”
Yusuke had heard Inuyasha and growled threateningly at Inuyasha, who return the growl as a challenge to his pride, honor, and his parent’s names. Kurama and Hiei had understood the warning, but did not expect Inuyasha to respond with a challenge to the first knock out, which was Yusuke’s specialty.
“What’s going on? Inuyasha? Yusuke?” asked Kagome confused.
“Kagome step away from them! Inuyasha issued a challenge to Yusuke and was stupid enough to also insult his mother and father,” said Kurama cautiously as not to get drawn into the challenge.
“INUYASHA!” snapped Kagome angrily, but he just ignored her and lunged at Yusuke, who dodged and smashed his fist into Inuyasha face knocking him out cold.
“Stupid mutt, never challenge me to a fist fight, you’ll always loose,” said Yusuke as he kicked Inuyasha awake.
“My head, what the hell hit me?”asked Inuyasha groaning,as he leaned against the wall dizzy.
“My fist is what hit you mutt,” snapped Yusuke. “Now you take back what you said about my parents and I might just let you go with that headache.”
“Feh, it was a lucky shot that was all. If you think that’s going to stop me, then you’re sadly mistaken, your parents are lower than the lowest Youkai,” said Inuyasha.
Crack
(/blah/ means an action.) (A/N: to the left of this one. wouldn't let me do it normally.)
Inuyasha howled in agonizing pain as he held his left shoulder, arm, wrist, hand, and fingers. He had stepped over the line that time and Yusuke had repaid him, by breaking his left arm in several places, along with his hand and all its fingers, then his wrist, and finally his shoulder. Inuyasha was in extreme pain, knowing it would take about a week for his bones to heal back to normal. Yusuke had done an astounding job on making Inuyasha suffer, by just a few quick punches, jabs, and twists.
“Now would you like me to do to your other arm, with its appendages, and both your legs, what I just did to your left arm and its appendages?” asked Yusuke.
Inuyasha shook his fearfully as looked into Yusuke’s eyes, which terrified him the most.
“Then are you going to apologize and take back what you said about my parents? If you don’t then I will do to you, what I did to Toguro,” said Yusuke as Inuyasha quickly apologized and took back what he said. “Good, now next time I might let Hiei take care of you. He hasn’t had too much fun lately and I’m sure he would just love to use you as target practice with his abilities.”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened in understanding of the impending threat that would hang over him for a long, long time. Yusuke quickly snapped half of Inuyasha’s joints back into place, causing him to howl in outrage and agonizing pain.
“Oh? Would you like me to put them back to the way they were?” questioned Yusuke with a smirk to Hiei who readied his katana.
“NO!” replied Inuyasha quickly and walked over to a corner and sat down out of the way.
“Now Kagome I believe you had a question for the mutt,” said Yusuke as Kagome nodded and walked right over to Inuyasha angrily.
“What did you do Inuyasha!” said Kagome sternly.
“I uh… that is uh…”
Inuyasha didn’t have to finish or answer completely, the faint blush on his face and his stammering was all Kagome needed, to now the answer. With tears in her eyes she ran up the stairs straight to her room, where she began to cry. She had loved Inuyasha and he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. He had done the unthinkable.
“Alright mutt, what the hell did you do!” said Yusuke extremely angry.
Inuyasha remained silent and looked at the ground guiltily, but then turned to Yusuke and spit in his face and slashed him across the face with his claws. “It’s none of your damn business, you hanyou wannabe!” snapped Inuyasha who immediately regretted what he said without thinking.
However Yusuke pretended not to hear or he just ignored it… for now. He turned to the others with a deep frown upon his face and nodded to Hiei. “I’m going to go talk to her,” said Yusuke as he made his way upstairs.
Finding her bedroom was simple enough, knocking on the door, he heard her tell him to go away. But he couldn’t, he wouldn’t, not when she was like this.
“Kagome,” started Yusuke, but was cut off.
“Don’t! Don’t say your sorry, just don’t say that!” said Kagome as she tried to hold back the tears.
“I won’t say it, even though I am, Kagome what did he do to you?” asked Yusuke, his voice filled with concern, but it went unnoticed to Kagome.
“It’s not any of your damn business Urameshi!” snapped Kagome bitterly. “GET OUT! I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! NOW GET OUT! GET OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! ANY OF YOU! NOW GET OUT!”
Yusuke was taken back and he felt a deep pain his chest. The same pain he felt when Keiko had betrayed him. But he had been willing to forgive her and eventually the pain went away, until he betrayed him again and that time left him. So he fell into a deep depression, but came out of it, when he learned his mother was sick and slowly dieing.
“Alright, I’ll go, you’ll never have to see me again. If you would please inform your mother. I’m resigning from my job here and won’t be back to collect my final pay check,” said Yusuke as he left heartbroken. “Hiei, come on, let’s let Kurama or Kagome deal with this scum, he’s not worth wasting anymore energy on.”
“Now you are starting to sound like a true Youkai,” said Hiei.
“I know, but it’s true, he’s the lowest Youkai around,” said Yusuke as Hiei just nodded following Yusuke.
As they walked down the street they ran into Botan.
“Oh, Yusuke, Hiei, just the two I was looking for. Koenma has a mission for you! Yusuke what happened to your face?” asked Botan concerned.
“Just a lucky shot by a Youkai,” said Yusuke as he took the file. “You’ll find Kurama at my former workplace.”
“What does Koenma want now?” asked Hiei irritably.
“Doesn’t say, just has directions to the meeting place. Might as well see what he wants, we might actually get to have a real challenge this time,” said Yusuke.
A half hour later they arrived at the meeting place as Botan landed with Kurama right behind her. A couple of minutes late Koenma appeared in, surprisingly, his teenage form, instead of his toddler form.
“I’m glad you all made it. This mission will greatly please you Yusuke; we’ve found Naraku, unfortunately he’s not in the Makai or the Ningenkai. At least not this Ningenkai, he’s five hundred years in the past and is using a Time Portal, one that my father has been using to bring him here to this time and take him back to his own time. I have just forced my father into retirement and am currently rewriting a lot of laws. However Naraku is a threat I want exterminated as soon as possible. So I’m sending you four back to the Feudal Era to get rid of him. History has already depicted that four strangers, three Youkai and a young maiden, appeared and made the land peaceful for humans and was able to help Youkai and human to live together in harmony or rather in cooperation. During this time though, my kind were threatened by Youkai, so we were extremely unfriendly towards them. You may meet up with my younger self and father. If you do then Botan will show them the Reikai Seal, which shows that you are warriors under the Reikai, but are also allowed leniency to follow your own lives,” said Koenma. “Sadly once you are in the Feudal Era, I will destroy the Time Portal. Only my younger self, my father, or someone else can you get back to this time.”
“Fine, let’s go, the sooner Naraku is dead, the sooner I can get on with my life,” said Yusuke.
“Thank you Yusuke,” said Koenma as he extended his hand to Yusuke in respect, which shocked everybody, if there was one thing that Koenma’s people did not do it was show Youkai, Hanyou’s, or humans respect.
“You know Koenma, your rule might just bring about a new wave of hanyou’s,” said Yusuke jokingly as he shook Koenma’s hand.
In the next instant they were gone, hurtling through time, to the very spot they were standing with Koenma, five hundred years in the future.
“Let’s go,” said Yusuke, as the others followed. “Botan what species is Koenma?”
“Yes, what species is Koenma? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard him mention it before,” said Kurama.
“Well, okay, I’ll tell, but you have to promise not to tell Koenma,” said Botan.
“We promise Botan, on our honor as Youkai Lord’s,” said Yusuke as Hiei and Kurama nodded slightly to indicate they promised as well.
“Well alright, Koenma is a Reikan,” said Botan as they stared at her like she was joking.
“You mean to tell me, that we have been working for the Youkai Race’s greatest enemy in the history of the Reikai and Makai?” asked Yusuke.
“Yes, you’ve also befriended some, haven’t you?” said Botan slyly.
“Yes, we have, so King Koenma of the Reikan is who we work for and have allied ourselves with. I have to say, he must be one unique Reikan,” said Yusuke as Kurama nodded in agreement, along with Hiei.
“Tell us Botan, are you a Reikan as well?” asked Kurama.
“Yes, however sadly those Reikan who aren’t born of royalty or nobility are stuck as the Grim Reapers. We navigate the River of Styx and guide the souls of the dead the Reikai for their judgment. Ironically though, Koenma has fallen in love with one of us ‘lowly Reikan’s’ and angered his father,” said Botan giggling.
“Fine, let’s set up camp and in the morning we’ll find a village with a miko we can use as a central point in our search for Naraku,” said Yusuke.
-
Meanwhile Kagome had pulled herself together somewhat, enough to let her mother know she was going to the Feudal Era. Inuyasha had already left for the Feudal Era, but Kagome was stocking up big time on everything, since she was going to be there for quite a while. She was still mad at Inuyasha and felt betrayed, she didn’t know if she could ever forgive Inuyasha for what he did to her. After she had everything she needed she left for the Feudal Era. When she climbed out of the well in the Feudal Era her friends were there to help her out and help carry the supplies. They noticed she seemed angry with Inuyasha, for she didn’t even look in his direction or say anything to him. It was normal that they would get angry with each other sometimes and not speak. However they knew something had happened, something that had changed their relationship completely, for the better or for the worst they didn’t know. Nor did they ask, as not to upset her or risk their friendship. When she was ready, she would tell them.
“Any rumors about Jewel Shards or Naraku?” asked Kagome.
“None, but we have heard rumors of three Youkai and a young maiden traveling together and helping the villages out with the Youkai. It seems they are finding ways for the Youkai and humans to live together in cooperation. They have developed a system, that allows Youkai and humans to trade together, with each other, and in some cases even become friends. The Youkai swear blood oaths and honor bound oaths that they will not betray the humans willingly or, if they can help it, unwillingly. They will help protect the villages and villagers against invaders, bandits, thieves, and other Youkai. They are commonly called the Kumori Wraiths, they come in the middle of the day, refuse food and gifts, then once they have helped the Youkai and humans come to terms, they mysteriously disappear in the middle of the night, leaving no trace that they had ever been there, except for a black circle with red writing in it, that was known to be Ancient Youkaian. It read: The Kumori Wraiths, which was translated to the Shadow Wraiths. It’s said that they have a camp near the Northern Mountains, at the edge of the Western Lands,” explained Miroku as they continued into Kaede’s Village.
“Do you think they could be a possible threat, merely using trickery to raise an army?” asked Kagome curiously.
“No, at least not in raising an army or using trickery. They seem sincere in what they are doing, one of them is said to have a very dark aura around him, however when attempting to search his mind for any malice or trickery, each time the miko would come out of her trance extremely pale and frightened, but with news of no malice or trickery in their words. They are honorable, but if they are able to frighten such powerful miko’s, then imagine what would happen if Naraku got to them before we did. He could absorb them and become even more powerful, strong enough to perhaps beat even Inuyasha’s Backlash Wave,” said Miroku causing them all to stop and look at him.
“You’re joking right?” asked Kagome hoarsely.
“I wish I were Lady Kagome, however if they are this powerful, imagine what terrors Naraku could do if he absorbed them or got them onto his side,” said Miroku as everyone paled at the thought of what Naraku could do if he were even more powerful than before or however powerful he currently was.
“Then I guess we send a warning to Sesshomaru about these four and how Naraku might decide to go after them,” said Kagome.
“That was already taken care of, but he arrived yesterday and we have been discussing what to about these four. In a way they are challenging his right to these lands, as they are apart of the Western Lands. Lord Sesshomaru has suggested that we attempt to either eliminate then, before they become a problem, or we get them to join the fight against Naraku. Even you have to admit Inuyasha, that with more eyes and ears across the lands, we would have a better chance at finding Naraku’s current lair,” said Miroku as Inuyasha just shrugged. “Lady Kagome, I don’t mean to press you into anything, but as something happened between you and Inuyasha, while you were in your own time?”
“Let’s just say that he and Lords of the Northern and Southern Lands, along with a friend of theirs had a not so friendly introduction. The Lord of the Northern Lands actually physically injured Inuyasha and was enjoying it. He broke Inuyasha’s entire left arm, from fingertip to his shoulder. Then he roughly put them back into place at the pressure points along that arm, which made the pain worse for a short period of time. Inuyasha himself got into a fist fight with the Lord of the Northern Lands, which he lost dreadfully with zero hits connected. The Lord of the Northern Lands punched Inuyasha once, knocking him out cold, then he kicked Inuyasha awake and had him… let’s say that Inuyasha has a newfound respect for pain and injuries,” said Kagome.
“I see and the other two did nothing about this? To try and stop him from harming Inuyasha?” asked Sango.
“No, the Lord of the Northern Lands threatened to have Inuyasha used has target practice for their friend’s abilities. They are incredibly powerful and incredible, and what’s even more incredible is that the Lord of the Northern Lands has made enemies of a powerful ruler in another realm and isn’t even scared of him,” said Kagome.
“He is either a fool then, or more confident than anybody I have ever come across,” said Miroku sternly.
“How about both?” asked Sango trying to lighten the mood.
“Okay, now enough talk about the past, let us get going,” said Miroku as they gathered all the supplies they needed and a little more.
-
Yusuke and the others had done a good job in helping set up treaties. They had even earned a name for their little group, the Kumori Wraiths. Instead of sleeping or resting at the time his thoughts had wandered to Kagome and what she had said to him. She hated him and never wanted to see him again… those words had hurt him worse than any of his worst enemies or his old man when he was still being trained in the Makai. They had also reopened old wounds which had almost completely healed, but had been torn open by getting his heart broken yet again. He was tempted to just become like his old man, cold and heartless, however he knew he could never do that, he had witnessed the best and worst parts of humanity and the Youkai, never could he become heartless and cold, at least not without hurting those around him.
Flashback
(A/N: Bold and Italics mean song lyrics. White Reflection Lyrics, from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, not owned by me.)
Yusuke had returned from the Makai, he was a new man. He had grown to appreciate what he had before he had it no more. His first stop was to see Keiko. He found her at their spot, from before he went to the Makai. It was there that he finally admitted his true feelings for, it was there that he finally thought he had found something in his life worth dieing for, worth sacrificing his own life to protect.
I feel your love reflectionIn your eyes as they gaze back into mine/Writing a distant, neverending story/ “Keiko…”
“Yusuke…”
Nothing more had to be said between the two as they kissed.
As if throwing off the sadness and pain, I flap my wings,/and in my heart, I spread wide/the wings of courage that you've given to me. For the first time in his life, Yusuke was truly happy. Not only did he find the love of his life, but he had found out that she felt the same way about him.Ah... I want to feel the beat of this irreplacable love so much, it's heart-wrenching and maddening. They remained in each others arms, even after they had broken their kiss. In his heart Yusuke felt that Keiko was the one, so he had proposed to her with an extremely rare gem. The gem of the only Koorime/Toushin Hanyou in the history of the Makai. The gem was red, surrounded by an icy blue swirling all around it, as if into the depths of the red part.
I feel your love reflectionpassionately uniting our dreams into one, /in our youth, we seek each other out,/without being afraid of our own faults! His heart leapt when she accepted it and became his fiancée, he was happy. They broke the news to the others when they arrived. Everyone was happy for him, even Hiei who never showed emotion, at least not very much.
I feel your love reflectionIn your eyes as they gaze back into mine/Writing a distant, neverending story/ That day they spent catching up and not hiding anything, at least Yusuke wasn’t hiding anything. He made sure not to make it too detailed as to scare her, but she had a far away look in her eyes. Yusuke was worried that he had already scared her.
We quietly express our overflowing emotions/with our bare skin,/as if to embrace /the strength to be gentle.../ Kuwabara who was supposed to be engaged to Yukina also had that far away look in his eyes. He met Keiko’s as Yusuke went to talk with Kurama about how his mother was doing. It was that day, he learned of her illness and how she was slowly dieing.
Ah... Aa, I want to hold my head up high,/And lithely go beyond this violent era! /Keiko had made an excuse to leave, something about how her parents got worried about her sometimes when she didn’t check in. But that day she supposedly had promised to help them out with a few errands that evening.
/I feel your love reflection/The truth that we share/As long as we exchange kisses,/we don't need anything else anymore! Kuwabara had also made an excuse to leave, about how he had to get back to his job. This shocked Yusuke, since when did Kuwabara have a job. He figured Kuwabara might have actually matured a bit more.
I feel your love reflection/We'll stand firm and fight, /believing in the passion we'll never give up. It's our neverending story This left only Yukina, Genkai, Hiei, Kurama, Botan, Koenma, and Botan left at the beach to catch up. Yusuke now regarded Genkai has not only his mentor, friend, and ally, but as his adopted grandmother. She had been there when Yusuke needed her most and had always helped him when he needed it.
I feel your love reflectionpassionately uniting our dreams into one,/in our youth, we seek each other out,/without being afraid of our own faults! However it was several months later that Yusuke’s and Keiko’s relationship began to fall apart. She didn’t want to spend time with Yusuke, which was slowly breaking his heart, then came the faithful day when Keiko had grown bold when Yusuke had left on mission to the Makai. While there he had been granted status as the Lord of the Northern Lands, since he was recognized not only as a skilled fighter, but also as an incredible being of honor and courage. When he had returned he found Keiko in bed with somebody else, someone he had not suspected could or even would or could do something like this to him, his heart was shattered.
/I feel your love reflection/
/In your eyes as they gaze back into mine/
/Writing a distant, neverending story/
That was when Yusuke had snapped and roared at the top of his lungs at the betrayal. This had awakened the two occupants in the bed to see a fuming Yusuke. He had completely destroyed half of the upstairs. However what caught their attention most, was not the fury that was clearly evident on his face and in his posture, but the tears escaping from his eyes. He grabbed the gem he had given Keiko and destroyed it with his bare hands, leaving nothing but a pile of dust behind.
“GET OUT!” roared Yusuke as Keiko and her companion quickly dressed and started to leave. “NOT YOU KEIKO! YOU HAVE A LOT TO EXPLAIN!”
Keiko had put it into such simple terms that his already shattered heart was shattered even more. She hated him, she didn’t love him; she never truly loved him with her heart and soul; it had just been a simple school girl crush, which had led her to the one she truly loved, Kuwabara. From there it had led to Yukina’s heart being broken as well and Kuwabara and Keiko having made enemies of the Reikai Tantei.
End Flashback
Kurama had sensed Yusuke’s distress and Yusuke told him what Kagome had said to him and how it affected him, bringing back old memories that he wished to forget and never remember.
“I know how you feel Yusuke, a girl by the name of Yokuna broke my heart. She was a fellow Kitsune, but she was also a black Kitsune. When she betrayed me like she had, I was sad and the memories never go away. You merely have to learn with them and keep moving forward. Keiko broke your heart terribly after you had given her a precious gift, which she threw away foolishly. I believe that Kagome may not have entirely meant what she told you, she was upset and that tends to cloud peoples judgment and they are often at times quick at what they say without truly realizing the repercussions. Sometimes it is best to let them be, but it is also good to help them let it all out, so it won’t build up and turn around and hurt them,” said Kurama sincerely.
“When did you get so wise Kurama?” asked Yusuke with a smile.
“I have had a long time to think, both as Yoko and as my current self. True I am smart and intelligent, but sometimes wisdom is all you have. That and intuition,” said Kurama.
“Thanks, you’re a true friend,” said Yusuke with a smile as he went to bed, finally able to rest in some peace.
-
Kagome and the others and gotten a bit of a late start, but were able to make good time, making it all the way to the ruin’s of the Taijiya Village. There they stayed the night and the following morning they set off towards the rendezvous point they were to meet Sesshomaru at.
A Few Hours Later
They had made extremely good timing, especially since no Youkai wanted to try and mess with a fuming Miko in the group. It was around two in the afternoon that they arrived at one of the villages that had been helped by the mysterious Kumori Wraiths.
“I am telling you my lord, they wanted no tribute, we offered food and gifts in thanks for their help, but the refused them, they said they didn’t need them, but we did,” said a villager to Sesshomaru.
“I see, what did these four look like?” asked Sesshomaru.
“The shortest one, wore nothing but black, except for a white head band, white bandages on his right arm, and a white belt. His hair looked like a black flame almost, with a white streak in it. He had ruby eyes and when spoken to, he ignored us. It seemed as though he were bored and waiting for one of the Youkai to attack a villager or him. Another was quite tall, he had long silver-white hair, he dressed simply in a white tunic, he had canine ears on top of his head as well,” said the villager.
“A hanyou?” asked Sesshomaru curiously.
“No my lord, he was a Kitsune of the rarest kind, a pure silver,” said the villager now having Sesshomaru’s full attention.
“A silver Kitsune, interesting. The others?” said Sesshomaru.
“The third was very arrogant, he had long black hair, with dark eyes. He had markings on his face, upper arms, and lower arms around his wrists. I could just make out some marks on his torso area, so he might have some on his back as well,” said the villager.
“I see, the maiden?” asked Sesshomaru.
“She had the most unusual color hair, it was a turquoise color. She was always very excited, full of energy, but was very wise, she was able to keep the other three fighting each other, whenever they got into a disagreement,” said the villager.
“Go,” said Sesshomaru and the villager left.
“Lord Sesshomaru,” said Kagome. “Have you been able to find Kumori Wraiths?”
“No, I gathered information on them instead. They fight amongst themselves and the maiden is who keeps them from killing each other. She may be the group’s leader,” said Sesshomaru, noticing Inuyasha cradling his left arm carefully. “What happened Inuyasha, loose a battle?”
“NO!” snapped Inuyasha.
“Yes you did Inuyasha! You lost to the Lord of the Northern Lands in my era!” snapped Kagome angrily.
“The Lord of the Northern Lands merely broke his arm?” asked Sesshomaru.
“Yes, he angered him, so he broke his arm and snapped it back into place at the pressure points. He was even threatened to be used as target practice,” said Kagome.
“It is unwise to anger the Lord of the Northern Lands, even his descendant as it seems it is. The Youkai in the Northern Lands are extremely powerful, the current ruler is Raizen of the Toushin,” said Sesshomaru.
“Feh, whatever, I can take him,” said Inuyasha. “All I need is Tetsaiga and I can beat him without breaking a sweat and still have plenty of energy to spare.”
“Don’t kid yourself Inuyasha,” said Kagome.
(A/N: If the above line is a quote from the show, I don’t own it, if not then it’s mine.)
-
A/N: Well that’s it for the third chapter. Sorry it took so long to finish, I put up the chapter before the Epilogue on /Dark Tide: Shadow Saiyan/. Now since I haven’t really received any more votes for the pairings, then here are the pairs that can be voted on:
Yusuke/Kagome: 8, Hiei/Kagome: 2, Inuyasha/Kagome: 3, Sesshomaru/Kagome: 2
Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Sango: 2, Yusuke/Botan: 1, Kurama/Botan: 1, Miroku/Botan: 4
Sesshomaru/Botan: 1, Kikyo/None: 1, Kurama/Kikyo: 1, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 1
Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4, Yusuke/Keiko: 1, Kurama/None: 1, Hiei/None: 1
At the end of the fourth chapter, an pairings with three or less votes are going to go the way of the pairings with zero votes (i.e., I’m going to remove them). I don’t really have a poll right now, except the votes for these pairings and about three more questions.
Should Kagome and the others discover Yusuke’s group’s camp yet? Yes or No, Explain.
Who should Kurama, be paired with? (aside from above pairings) Your choice.
Should the others appear yet? (Jin, Yukina, Touya, etc.) Yes or No, Explain.
Well that’s it for the poll, forty-seven and a half pages total so far for all the chapters, fifteen and a half pages for Chapter Three, wow. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far.
Shadow Kage
Yusuke/Kagome: 8, Hiei/Kagome: 2, Inuyasha/Kagome: 3, Sesshomaru/Kagome: 2
Miroku/Kagome: 0, Kurama/Sango: 0, Yusuke/Sango: 0, Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Sango: 2
Inuyasha/Sango: 0, Sesshomaru/Sango: 0, Yusuke/Botan: 1, Kurama/Botan: 1
Miroku/Botan: 4, Inuyasha/Botan: 0, Sesshomaru/Botan: 1, Hiei/Botan: 0, Kikyo/None: 1
Kurama/Kikyo: 1, Hiei/Kikyo: 0, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 1, Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4
Yusuke/Kikyo: 0, Miroku/Kikyo: 0, Yusuke/Keiko: 1, Kurama/None: 1, Hiei/None: 1
Thanks to everyone who voted on the Pairing’s part of the poll and for the other parts as well. To find out what happens next, whether the Tantei go to the Feudal Era, what happens next, and whether something terrible happens or not, read the following chapter. Also, the note next to the chapter one poll is hereby dismissed on the part about Yusuke and Keiko.
Again, check chapter one for the disclaimer, and see note in chapter two at the beginning about the disclaimer!
Chapter Three: Revelations
When they arrived back Kagome’s home they waited for someone to break the silence. Thankfully none had tried to kill one another… yet. The silence was broken by Inuyasha waking up groaning.
“What the hell hit me? I feel like I was just in a battle with a mountain, without Tetsaiga,” groaned Inuyasha as he sat up.
“I think you went a bit over board Yusuke,” said Kurama as Inuyasha tried to stand up, only to collapse back down to the floor.
“You think!” snapped Kagome angrily as she helped Inuyasha into a chair.
“Can I help it if he’s one of the weakest opponents I’ve ever faced?” asked Yusuke. “Besides, since he’s still alive, that counts for endurance.”
“Shut up already Yusuke!” snapped Kagome angrily, causing all of them jump a little. “Now somebody start talking or I’m going to do some major purifying!”
“Just calm down already Kagome,” said Inuyasha as he rubbed his ears.
“It’s what you get Inuyasha!” said Kagome as Inuyasha flinched at her words.
“Where would you like us to start Kagome?” asked Kurama politely.
“How about we start with you first, cousin? How come I wasn’t able to sense that you were a Youkai?” asked Kagome testily.
“Probably because I am not a Youkai, yet I am a Youkai. I have four forms, my human form, my Youkai form, my hanyou form, and my fox form. Eighteen years ago I was known by all Youkai as Yoko, the Greatest Thief the Makai had ever seen or known of. I was able to get past barriers, spells, charms, traps, guards, and even hunters. One day I got careless on a trip and was badly wounded by a hunter. My body was dying, so with the last of my strength I forced my soul from my body into the Ningenkai. There I took possession of the unborn child of Shiori Minamino, I became Suichi Minamino. Suichi’s soul and my own merged somewhat, with my Youkai soul being the dominant soul. That is why I have my four forms,” said Kurama. “Originally I planned to leave at the age of ten, when my powers had plenty of time to rejuvenate, however humanity grew on me and I stayed. Around the time I was fourteen, my mother was seriously ill. This was also the exact same time I stole an item from King Enma’s volt that would save her life, but with a heavy price.”
“What was the price?” asked Kagome curiously.
“My life,” stated Kurama as Kagome looked at him shocked. “Yusuke was assigned to bring me in for stealing the Forlorn Hope. When he learned of my plan, he attempted to give his own life for my mother instead of me giving mine for her. In the end in honor of the sacrifice, the Forlorn Hope took no life, but still granted my wish.”
“So Yusuke works for King Enma?” asked Kagome.
“Like I would ever work for the bastard,” said Yusuke from the couch he was sitting on. “When I found out my father was Raizen, Enma tried to have me killed for a damn third time. However things didn’t turn out so well for his little crew.”
“What did you do?” asked Kagome nervously.
“Killed them, but left the one that got Kurama here for him,” said Yusuke.
“Uh, am I missing something here?” asked Inuyasha confused at what was going on.
“Oh yeah, that reminds me,” said Yusuke as he stood up and walked over to Inuyasha and slugged him real hard in the right cheek. “That’s for breaking the roof to the well house after I just get done fixing it.”
“Yusuke!” snapped Kagome. “Have you ever thought that Inuyasha is the one keeping you employed here?”
“Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean I like having my work ruined,” said Yusuke as he glared at her. “Is there anything else you would like to know!”
“Yeah, what did you mean by ‘for a third time’?” asked Kagome.
“Exactly what I meant, I’ve died two times already. The first was saving a little kid from getting hit by a car, which is how this all started. I was sent on a lot of cases which pissed me off when I wanted some R and R for myself. I had to fight Gouki, Hiei, Baldock, Rando, Zuzaku, a bunch of worthless minions, Miyuki of the Triad, Immaki of the Triad, Gokumonki of the Triad, Toguro at twenty percent, a worthless Youkai who attacked me in my sleep, a good fight was with Chuu, a fight I didn’t like was against En, Ryou, Kai, a lousy one was against Bakuken who fights with his sweat, another good fight was against Jin the Wind Master, then there was my rematch with Toguro at one hundred percent his true strength, that was one hell of a match. Then there was the fight with Sensui who killed me a second time, but in the Makai. Raizen awakened my Youkai blood and took possession of me to fight Sensui, but I resisted and killed Sensui. Afterwards I had to fight Raizen’s generals and beat them, only after I failed numerous times did I beat them, but then the real challenge happened. Facing my old man,” said Yusuke as rubbed his jaw. “Those fights were real, nothing fake about them; he would beat me to the verge of death and leave me lying on the ground to survive on my own. Finally I was able to beat him one day, but then the Youkai Lord’s of the Eastern and Southern Lands decided to try and take over the Northern Lands. I stopped them with a choice, fight or hold a tournament to decide who would rule. I fought many Youkai, each real strong, but won, until I fought the Youkai Lord of the Southern Lands, Yomi. He beat me and when I awoke I thought I was still fighting him and listening for the countdown. But I got him back; I killed the idiot, putting Kurama as Acting Youkai Lord of the Southern Lands.”
“Um… okay, you’ve been in several fights, got your ass beat, but came out on top anyway?” asked Kagome summarizing it all up.
“Pretty much, anything else?” asked Yusuke.
“Um… not at the moment, but your still not off the hook!” said Kagome.
“Yeah, yeah, now let’s here your story Kagome,” said Yusuke as he smirked at Kagome who had froze at the mention of her turn to be interrogated.
“Um… would you look at the time, it’s late, better get to bed,” said Kagome as she headed for the stairs only to have a katana at her neck a split second later.
“Your not going anywhere ningen,” said Hiei.
“What the hell are you trying to do? Kill her?” demanded Inuyasha loudly.
“Keep out of it hanyou,” said Hiei nastily.
“WHAT?” roared Inuyasha angrily.
“Sit down dog boy, or Hiei will dissect you,” said Yusuke as he grabbed Inuyasha and threw him into the chair. “Now Kagome sit down and start talking. Hiei has been known for his tendencies to ‘slip’ with a katana and the results are not very pretty.”
“Okay,” said Kagome sitting down after catching Yusuke’s warning about Hiei. “Where do you want me to start?”
“For starters let’s start with dog boy here,” said Yusuke as Inuyasha growled at him.
“Okay, his name is Inuyasha and he’s from five hundred years in the past, the Feudal Era if you will. I met him when I fell down the well outside in the shed. I had happened to unknowingly have the Shikon Jewel inside of me. When I fell down a Centipede Youkai dragged me through to that time trying to get the jewel. I escaped its clutches and found Inuyasha bound to the Holy Tree with an arrow through his chest. Later the Centipede Youkai returned for a second attempt and was able to rip the Jewel out of my body, by cutting my side open. During this time Inuyasha was revived somehow and killed the Centipede Youkai, then went after me, for the Shikon Jewel. A Priestess in the nearby village had this necklace put around his neck, by chanting some type of prayer, I think. Anyway when ever I say sit thud he goes crashing into the ground,” said Kagome.
“KAGOME!” snapped Inuyasha angrily, but shut up before he said too much, as she glared at him venomously.
“Anyway, after that a Crow Youkai got a hold of the Jewel and went on a rampage. So I accidentally shattered the Jewel into a lot of small shards. So Inuyasha and I go searching for them to put the jewel back together. Along the way we met up with the orphaned Kitsune kit Shippo, who joined us in our search. I’ve adopted him as my own child now, basically because he’s cute and I love him. As time went by we were joined by a lecherous monk with a curse in his right hand, because of Naraku,” said Kagome as she spat the name, Naraku, out like it had a bitter taste to it.
“What’s this about a lecherous monk?” asked Yusuke curiously.
“His name is Miroku and because his grandfather tried to kill Naraku, his entire family line as a curse on them that will be passed down generation to generation. It’s basically a black hole or bottomless air void that sucks everything into it and slowly grows by the day. It threatens to consume him entirely, so he goes around and asks every pretty girl he meets to bear his child. He even asked me!” said Kagome giggling a little.
“WHAT!” asked Yusuke and Kurama at the same time.
“Well I declined, at first I thought he was just joking, but after he started to grab my butt…”
“HE WHAT!” exclaimed Kurama and Yusuke at the same time again.
“He grabbed my butt and I slapped him hard across the face. But he hasn’t tried it to me again, mainly because Inuyasha would kill him and I would knee him. Besides I’m sympathetic to him, he watched his father die before his very eyes, then the cursed void appear in his own right hand,” said Kagome.
“That’s harsh, a kid watching his own father die? What about his mother?” asked Yusuke curiously.
“Don’t know, Miroku has never spoken of her. We can only presume she died giving birth to him,” said Kagome. “Anyway later on we came across a village of Taijiya (Youkai Exterminators), however they had all been massacred by Naraku and other Youkai, which we found out about later. She joined are group and with her came Kirara, a two-tailed Fire Neko. We’ve been traveling together for a while now and have met all kinds of Youkai, good and bad. We’ve had run ins with Inuyasha’s older brother Sesshomaru, the Panther Youkai tribe, the Wolf Youkai Tribe, whose leader says he is in love with me, and many more Youkai.”
She didn’t notice it, but Hiei and Kurama had, at the mention of a Wolf Youkai in love with Kagome, his reiki had spiked momentarily. It was clear to them that the Yusuke, though Lord of the Northern Lands was still very young by Youkai standards and was in the stage of his life where was prone to find many females attractive. However as was with all Youkai there was always a unique one, one that stood out from the rest in more ways than one and Yusuke was obviously one of them. He wasn’t like most Youkai, he had a high sense of honor and integrity that most Youkai Lords never have or had or even develop.
“Go on Kagome,” said Kurama gently.
“Okay, um… oh yeah, we have nearly killed Naraku several times, but he always uses his Miasma to escape us, while we try and survive the Miasma,” said Kagome as she decided to go one, but leave a major part out. “Later we fought a Dark Miko, who had joined with Naraku, who at this point had most of the Jewel.”
“I see, what became of this Dark Miko?” asked Kurama curiously.
“She lost, she merged with a Giant Ogre Youkai and Inuyasha used Tetsaiga’s ultimate technique the Backlash Wave on her, which send her own attack right back at her, along with the Wind Scar,” said Kagome. “However before we could get the Jewel, one of Naraku’s incarnations, Kagura the Wind Sorceress got it and disappeared before we got to her.”
“You’re leaving something out wench, how did Naraku get that many pieces of the Jewel. Unless somebody is scheming with Naraku behind your back,” said Hiei. “Perhaps the Monk? In exchange for the curse to be lifted?”
Hiei had touched a sensitive spot and he knew it. This was what he was hoping for, to anger her enough to just blurt out the answer he was searching for.
“MIROKU WOULD NEVER DO THAT! IT WAS ALL THAT DAMN BITCH, KIKYO”S FAULT THAT NARAKU HAS SO MUCH FO THE JEWEL! IF SHE HADN”T STOLEN IT FROM ME IN THE FIRST PLACE, THEN WE WOULDN’T BE IN THIS BAD A SITUATION!” snapped Kagome angrily, but stopped and paled when she realized what she said and saw Hiei smirking.
“I thought Kikyo was dead?” asked Yusuke confused at what Kagome had just said.
“She was, but a damn Youkai Witch brought her back to life in a body of clay. She has part of my soul in her and uses other souls to hold her form together. She is constantly flirting and seemingly attempting to mate with Inuyasha and drag him to hell,” said Kagome as she glared at Inuyasha who looked sheepish. “What did you do Inuyasha?”
“Um… uh… nothing. Nothing that is any of your damn business you stupid wench!” said Inuyasha bitterly and then mumbled under his breath, “Stupid wench, isn’t nothing like Kikyo, she’s just a stupid Shard Detector, unlike Kikyo.”
Yusuke had heard Inuyasha and growled threateningly at Inuyasha, who return the growl as a challenge to his pride, honor, and his parent’s names. Kurama and Hiei had understood the warning, but did not expect Inuyasha to respond with a challenge to the first knock out, which was Yusuke’s specialty.
“What’s going on? Inuyasha? Yusuke?” asked Kagome confused.
“Kagome step away from them! Inuyasha issued a challenge to Yusuke and was stupid enough to also insult his mother and father,” said Kurama cautiously as not to get drawn into the challenge.
“INUYASHA!” snapped Kagome angrily, but he just ignored her and lunged at Yusuke, who dodged and smashed his fist into Inuyasha face knocking him out cold.
“Stupid mutt, never challenge me to a fist fight, you’ll always loose,” said Yusuke as he kicked Inuyasha awake.
“My head, what the hell hit me?”asked Inuyasha groaning,as he leaned against the wall dizzy.
“My fist is what hit you mutt,” snapped Yusuke. “Now you take back what you said about my parents and I might just let you go with that headache.”
“Feh, it was a lucky shot that was all. If you think that’s going to stop me, then you’re sadly mistaken, your parents are lower than the lowest Youkai,” said Inuyasha.
Crack
(/blah/ means an action.) (A/N: to the left of this one. wouldn't let me do it normally.)
Inuyasha howled in agonizing pain as he held his left shoulder, arm, wrist, hand, and fingers. He had stepped over the line that time and Yusuke had repaid him, by breaking his left arm in several places, along with his hand and all its fingers, then his wrist, and finally his shoulder. Inuyasha was in extreme pain, knowing it would take about a week for his bones to heal back to normal. Yusuke had done an astounding job on making Inuyasha suffer, by just a few quick punches, jabs, and twists.
“Now would you like me to do to your other arm, with its appendages, and both your legs, what I just did to your left arm and its appendages?” asked Yusuke.
Inuyasha shook his fearfully as looked into Yusuke’s eyes, which terrified him the most.
“Then are you going to apologize and take back what you said about my parents? If you don’t then I will do to you, what I did to Toguro,” said Yusuke as Inuyasha quickly apologized and took back what he said. “Good, now next time I might let Hiei take care of you. He hasn’t had too much fun lately and I’m sure he would just love to use you as target practice with his abilities.”
Inuyasha’s eyes widened in understanding of the impending threat that would hang over him for a long, long time. Yusuke quickly snapped half of Inuyasha’s joints back into place, causing him to howl in outrage and agonizing pain.
“Oh? Would you like me to put them back to the way they were?” questioned Yusuke with a smirk to Hiei who readied his katana.
“NO!” replied Inuyasha quickly and walked over to a corner and sat down out of the way.
“Now Kagome I believe you had a question for the mutt,” said Yusuke as Kagome nodded and walked right over to Inuyasha angrily.
“What did you do Inuyasha!” said Kagome sternly.
“I uh… that is uh…”
Inuyasha didn’t have to finish or answer completely, the faint blush on his face and his stammering was all Kagome needed, to now the answer. With tears in her eyes she ran up the stairs straight to her room, where she began to cry. She had loved Inuyasha and he had betrayed her in the worst way possible. He had done the unthinkable.
“Alright mutt, what the hell did you do!” said Yusuke extremely angry.
Inuyasha remained silent and looked at the ground guiltily, but then turned to Yusuke and spit in his face and slashed him across the face with his claws. “It’s none of your damn business, you hanyou wannabe!” snapped Inuyasha who immediately regretted what he said without thinking.
However Yusuke pretended not to hear or he just ignored it… for now. He turned to the others with a deep frown upon his face and nodded to Hiei. “I’m going to go talk to her,” said Yusuke as he made his way upstairs.
Finding her bedroom was simple enough, knocking on the door, he heard her tell him to go away. But he couldn’t, he wouldn’t, not when she was like this.
“Kagome,” started Yusuke, but was cut off.
“Don’t! Don’t say your sorry, just don’t say that!” said Kagome as she tried to hold back the tears.
“I won’t say it, even though I am, Kagome what did he do to you?” asked Yusuke, his voice filled with concern, but it went unnoticed to Kagome.
“It’s not any of your damn business Urameshi!” snapped Kagome bitterly. “GET OUT! I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU! NOW GET OUT! GET OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! ANY OF YOU! NOW GET OUT!”
Yusuke was taken back and he felt a deep pain his chest. The same pain he felt when Keiko had betrayed him. But he had been willing to forgive her and eventually the pain went away, until he betrayed him again and that time left him. So he fell into a deep depression, but came out of it, when he learned his mother was sick and slowly dieing.
“Alright, I’ll go, you’ll never have to see me again. If you would please inform your mother. I’m resigning from my job here and won’t be back to collect my final pay check,” said Yusuke as he left heartbroken. “Hiei, come on, let’s let Kurama or Kagome deal with this scum, he’s not worth wasting anymore energy on.”
“Now you are starting to sound like a true Youkai,” said Hiei.
“I know, but it’s true, he’s the lowest Youkai around,” said Yusuke as Hiei just nodded following Yusuke.
As they walked down the street they ran into Botan.
“Oh, Yusuke, Hiei, just the two I was looking for. Koenma has a mission for you! Yusuke what happened to your face?” asked Botan concerned.
“Just a lucky shot by a Youkai,” said Yusuke as he took the file. “You’ll find Kurama at my former workplace.”
“What does Koenma want now?” asked Hiei irritably.
“Doesn’t say, just has directions to the meeting place. Might as well see what he wants, we might actually get to have a real challenge this time,” said Yusuke.
A half hour later they arrived at the meeting place as Botan landed with Kurama right behind her. A couple of minutes late Koenma appeared in, surprisingly, his teenage form, instead of his toddler form.
“I’m glad you all made it. This mission will greatly please you Yusuke; we’ve found Naraku, unfortunately he’s not in the Makai or the Ningenkai. At least not this Ningenkai, he’s five hundred years in the past and is using a Time Portal, one that my father has been using to bring him here to this time and take him back to his own time. I have just forced my father into retirement and am currently rewriting a lot of laws. However Naraku is a threat I want exterminated as soon as possible. So I’m sending you four back to the Feudal Era to get rid of him. History has already depicted that four strangers, three Youkai and a young maiden, appeared and made the land peaceful for humans and was able to help Youkai and human to live together in harmony or rather in cooperation. During this time though, my kind were threatened by Youkai, so we were extremely unfriendly towards them. You may meet up with my younger self and father. If you do then Botan will show them the Reikai Seal, which shows that you are warriors under the Reikai, but are also allowed leniency to follow your own lives,” said Koenma. “Sadly once you are in the Feudal Era, I will destroy the Time Portal. Only my younger self, my father, or someone else can you get back to this time.”
“Fine, let’s go, the sooner Naraku is dead, the sooner I can get on with my life,” said Yusuke.
“Thank you Yusuke,” said Koenma as he extended his hand to Yusuke in respect, which shocked everybody, if there was one thing that Koenma’s people did not do it was show Youkai, Hanyou’s, or humans respect.
“You know Koenma, your rule might just bring about a new wave of hanyou’s,” said Yusuke jokingly as he shook Koenma’s hand.
In the next instant they were gone, hurtling through time, to the very spot they were standing with Koenma, five hundred years in the future.
“Let’s go,” said Yusuke, as the others followed. “Botan what species is Koenma?”
“Yes, what species is Koenma? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard him mention it before,” said Kurama.
“Well, okay, I’ll tell, but you have to promise not to tell Koenma,” said Botan.
“We promise Botan, on our honor as Youkai Lord’s,” said Yusuke as Hiei and Kurama nodded slightly to indicate they promised as well.
“Well alright, Koenma is a Reikan,” said Botan as they stared at her like she was joking.
“You mean to tell me, that we have been working for the Youkai Race’s greatest enemy in the history of the Reikai and Makai?” asked Yusuke.
“Yes, you’ve also befriended some, haven’t you?” said Botan slyly.
“Yes, we have, so King Koenma of the Reikan is who we work for and have allied ourselves with. I have to say, he must be one unique Reikan,” said Yusuke as Kurama nodded in agreement, along with Hiei.
“Tell us Botan, are you a Reikan as well?” asked Kurama.
“Yes, however sadly those Reikan who aren’t born of royalty or nobility are stuck as the Grim Reapers. We navigate the River of Styx and guide the souls of the dead the Reikai for their judgment. Ironically though, Koenma has fallen in love with one of us ‘lowly Reikan’s’ and angered his father,” said Botan giggling.
“Fine, let’s set up camp and in the morning we’ll find a village with a miko we can use as a central point in our search for Naraku,” said Yusuke.
-
Meanwhile Kagome had pulled herself together somewhat, enough to let her mother know she was going to the Feudal Era. Inuyasha had already left for the Feudal Era, but Kagome was stocking up big time on everything, since she was going to be there for quite a while. She was still mad at Inuyasha and felt betrayed, she didn’t know if she could ever forgive Inuyasha for what he did to her. After she had everything she needed she left for the Feudal Era. When she climbed out of the well in the Feudal Era her friends were there to help her out and help carry the supplies. They noticed she seemed angry with Inuyasha, for she didn’t even look in his direction or say anything to him. It was normal that they would get angry with each other sometimes and not speak. However they knew something had happened, something that had changed their relationship completely, for the better or for the worst they didn’t know. Nor did they ask, as not to upset her or risk their friendship. When she was ready, she would tell them.
“Any rumors about Jewel Shards or Naraku?” asked Kagome.
“None, but we have heard rumors of three Youkai and a young maiden traveling together and helping the villages out with the Youkai. It seems they are finding ways for the Youkai and humans to live together in cooperation. They have developed a system, that allows Youkai and humans to trade together, with each other, and in some cases even become friends. The Youkai swear blood oaths and honor bound oaths that they will not betray the humans willingly or, if they can help it, unwillingly. They will help protect the villages and villagers against invaders, bandits, thieves, and other Youkai. They are commonly called the Kumori Wraiths, they come in the middle of the day, refuse food and gifts, then once they have helped the Youkai and humans come to terms, they mysteriously disappear in the middle of the night, leaving no trace that they had ever been there, except for a black circle with red writing in it, that was known to be Ancient Youkaian. It read: The Kumori Wraiths, which was translated to the Shadow Wraiths. It’s said that they have a camp near the Northern Mountains, at the edge of the Western Lands,” explained Miroku as they continued into Kaede’s Village.
“Do you think they could be a possible threat, merely using trickery to raise an army?” asked Kagome curiously.
“No, at least not in raising an army or using trickery. They seem sincere in what they are doing, one of them is said to have a very dark aura around him, however when attempting to search his mind for any malice or trickery, each time the miko would come out of her trance extremely pale and frightened, but with news of no malice or trickery in their words. They are honorable, but if they are able to frighten such powerful miko’s, then imagine what would happen if Naraku got to them before we did. He could absorb them and become even more powerful, strong enough to perhaps beat even Inuyasha’s Backlash Wave,” said Miroku causing them all to stop and look at him.
“You’re joking right?” asked Kagome hoarsely.
“I wish I were Lady Kagome, however if they are this powerful, imagine what terrors Naraku could do if he absorbed them or got them onto his side,” said Miroku as everyone paled at the thought of what Naraku could do if he were even more powerful than before or however powerful he currently was.
“Then I guess we send a warning to Sesshomaru about these four and how Naraku might decide to go after them,” said Kagome.
“That was already taken care of, but he arrived yesterday and we have been discussing what to about these four. In a way they are challenging his right to these lands, as they are apart of the Western Lands. Lord Sesshomaru has suggested that we attempt to either eliminate then, before they become a problem, or we get them to join the fight against Naraku. Even you have to admit Inuyasha, that with more eyes and ears across the lands, we would have a better chance at finding Naraku’s current lair,” said Miroku as Inuyasha just shrugged. “Lady Kagome, I don’t mean to press you into anything, but as something happened between you and Inuyasha, while you were in your own time?”
“Let’s just say that he and Lords of the Northern and Southern Lands, along with a friend of theirs had a not so friendly introduction. The Lord of the Northern Lands actually physically injured Inuyasha and was enjoying it. He broke Inuyasha’s entire left arm, from fingertip to his shoulder. Then he roughly put them back into place at the pressure points along that arm, which made the pain worse for a short period of time. Inuyasha himself got into a fist fight with the Lord of the Northern Lands, which he lost dreadfully with zero hits connected. The Lord of the Northern Lands punched Inuyasha once, knocking him out cold, then he kicked Inuyasha awake and had him… let’s say that Inuyasha has a newfound respect for pain and injuries,” said Kagome.
“I see and the other two did nothing about this? To try and stop him from harming Inuyasha?” asked Sango.
“No, the Lord of the Northern Lands threatened to have Inuyasha used has target practice for their friend’s abilities. They are incredibly powerful and incredible, and what’s even more incredible is that the Lord of the Northern Lands has made enemies of a powerful ruler in another realm and isn’t even scared of him,” said Kagome.
“He is either a fool then, or more confident than anybody I have ever come across,” said Miroku sternly.
“How about both?” asked Sango trying to lighten the mood.
“Okay, now enough talk about the past, let us get going,” said Miroku as they gathered all the supplies they needed and a little more.
-
Yusuke and the others had done a good job in helping set up treaties. They had even earned a name for their little group, the Kumori Wraiths. Instead of sleeping or resting at the time his thoughts had wandered to Kagome and what she had said to him. She hated him and never wanted to see him again… those words had hurt him worse than any of his worst enemies or his old man when he was still being trained in the Makai. They had also reopened old wounds which had almost completely healed, but had been torn open by getting his heart broken yet again. He was tempted to just become like his old man, cold and heartless, however he knew he could never do that, he had witnessed the best and worst parts of humanity and the Youkai, never could he become heartless and cold, at least not without hurting those around him.
Flashback
(A/N: Bold and Italics mean song lyrics. White Reflection Lyrics, from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, not owned by me.)
Yusuke had returned from the Makai, he was a new man. He had grown to appreciate what he had before he had it no more. His first stop was to see Keiko. He found her at their spot, from before he went to the Makai. It was there that he finally admitted his true feelings for, it was there that he finally thought he had found something in his life worth dieing for, worth sacrificing his own life to protect.
I feel your love reflectionIn your eyes as they gaze back into mine/Writing a distant, neverending story/ “Keiko…”
“Yusuke…”
Nothing more had to be said between the two as they kissed.
As if throwing off the sadness and pain, I flap my wings,/and in my heart, I spread wide/the wings of courage that you've given to me. For the first time in his life, Yusuke was truly happy. Not only did he find the love of his life, but he had found out that she felt the same way about him.Ah... I want to feel the beat of this irreplacable love so much, it's heart-wrenching and maddening. They remained in each others arms, even after they had broken their kiss. In his heart Yusuke felt that Keiko was the one, so he had proposed to her with an extremely rare gem. The gem of the only Koorime/Toushin Hanyou in the history of the Makai. The gem was red, surrounded by an icy blue swirling all around it, as if into the depths of the red part.
I feel your love reflectionpassionately uniting our dreams into one, /in our youth, we seek each other out,/without being afraid of our own faults! His heart leapt when she accepted it and became his fiancée, he was happy. They broke the news to the others when they arrived. Everyone was happy for him, even Hiei who never showed emotion, at least not very much.
I feel your love reflectionIn your eyes as they gaze back into mine/Writing a distant, neverending story/ That day they spent catching up and not hiding anything, at least Yusuke wasn’t hiding anything. He made sure not to make it too detailed as to scare her, but she had a far away look in her eyes. Yusuke was worried that he had already scared her.
We quietly express our overflowing emotions/with our bare skin,/as if to embrace /the strength to be gentle.../ Kuwabara who was supposed to be engaged to Yukina also had that far away look in his eyes. He met Keiko’s as Yusuke went to talk with Kurama about how his mother was doing. It was that day, he learned of her illness and how she was slowly dieing.
Ah... Aa, I want to hold my head up high,/And lithely go beyond this violent era! /Keiko had made an excuse to leave, something about how her parents got worried about her sometimes when she didn’t check in. But that day she supposedly had promised to help them out with a few errands that evening.
/I feel your love reflection/The truth that we share/As long as we exchange kisses,/we don't need anything else anymore! Kuwabara had also made an excuse to leave, about how he had to get back to his job. This shocked Yusuke, since when did Kuwabara have a job. He figured Kuwabara might have actually matured a bit more.
I feel your love reflection/We'll stand firm and fight, /believing in the passion we'll never give up. It's our neverending story This left only Yukina, Genkai, Hiei, Kurama, Botan, Koenma, and Botan left at the beach to catch up. Yusuke now regarded Genkai has not only his mentor, friend, and ally, but as his adopted grandmother. She had been there when Yusuke needed her most and had always helped him when he needed it.
I feel your love reflectionpassionately uniting our dreams into one,/in our youth, we seek each other out,/without being afraid of our own faults! However it was several months later that Yusuke’s and Keiko’s relationship began to fall apart. She didn’t want to spend time with Yusuke, which was slowly breaking his heart, then came the faithful day when Keiko had grown bold when Yusuke had left on mission to the Makai. While there he had been granted status as the Lord of the Northern Lands, since he was recognized not only as a skilled fighter, but also as an incredible being of honor and courage. When he had returned he found Keiko in bed with somebody else, someone he had not suspected could or even would or could do something like this to him, his heart was shattered.
/I feel your love reflection/
/In your eyes as they gaze back into mine/
/Writing a distant, neverending story/
That was when Yusuke had snapped and roared at the top of his lungs at the betrayal. This had awakened the two occupants in the bed to see a fuming Yusuke. He had completely destroyed half of the upstairs. However what caught their attention most, was not the fury that was clearly evident on his face and in his posture, but the tears escaping from his eyes. He grabbed the gem he had given Keiko and destroyed it with his bare hands, leaving nothing but a pile of dust behind.
“GET OUT!” roared Yusuke as Keiko and her companion quickly dressed and started to leave. “NOT YOU KEIKO! YOU HAVE A LOT TO EXPLAIN!”
Keiko had put it into such simple terms that his already shattered heart was shattered even more. She hated him, she didn’t love him; she never truly loved him with her heart and soul; it had just been a simple school girl crush, which had led her to the one she truly loved, Kuwabara. From there it had led to Yukina’s heart being broken as well and Kuwabara and Keiko having made enemies of the Reikai Tantei.
End Flashback
Kurama had sensed Yusuke’s distress and Yusuke told him what Kagome had said to him and how it affected him, bringing back old memories that he wished to forget and never remember.
“I know how you feel Yusuke, a girl by the name of Yokuna broke my heart. She was a fellow Kitsune, but she was also a black Kitsune. When she betrayed me like she had, I was sad and the memories never go away. You merely have to learn with them and keep moving forward. Keiko broke your heart terribly after you had given her a precious gift, which she threw away foolishly. I believe that Kagome may not have entirely meant what she told you, she was upset and that tends to cloud peoples judgment and they are often at times quick at what they say without truly realizing the repercussions. Sometimes it is best to let them be, but it is also good to help them let it all out, so it won’t build up and turn around and hurt them,” said Kurama sincerely.
“When did you get so wise Kurama?” asked Yusuke with a smile.
“I have had a long time to think, both as Yoko and as my current self. True I am smart and intelligent, but sometimes wisdom is all you have. That and intuition,” said Kurama.
“Thanks, you’re a true friend,” said Yusuke with a smile as he went to bed, finally able to rest in some peace.
-
Kagome and the others and gotten a bit of a late start, but were able to make good time, making it all the way to the ruin’s of the Taijiya Village. There they stayed the night and the following morning they set off towards the rendezvous point they were to meet Sesshomaru at.
A Few Hours Later
They had made extremely good timing, especially since no Youkai wanted to try and mess with a fuming Miko in the group. It was around two in the afternoon that they arrived at one of the villages that had been helped by the mysterious Kumori Wraiths.
“I am telling you my lord, they wanted no tribute, we offered food and gifts in thanks for their help, but the refused them, they said they didn’t need them, but we did,” said a villager to Sesshomaru.
“I see, what did these four look like?” asked Sesshomaru.
“The shortest one, wore nothing but black, except for a white head band, white bandages on his right arm, and a white belt. His hair looked like a black flame almost, with a white streak in it. He had ruby eyes and when spoken to, he ignored us. It seemed as though he were bored and waiting for one of the Youkai to attack a villager or him. Another was quite tall, he had long silver-white hair, he dressed simply in a white tunic, he had canine ears on top of his head as well,” said the villager.
“A hanyou?” asked Sesshomaru curiously.
“No my lord, he was a Kitsune of the rarest kind, a pure silver,” said the villager now having Sesshomaru’s full attention.
“A silver Kitsune, interesting. The others?” said Sesshomaru.
“The third was very arrogant, he had long black hair, with dark eyes. He had markings on his face, upper arms, and lower arms around his wrists. I could just make out some marks on his torso area, so he might have some on his back as well,” said the villager.
“I see, the maiden?” asked Sesshomaru.
“She had the most unusual color hair, it was a turquoise color. She was always very excited, full of energy, but was very wise, she was able to keep the other three fighting each other, whenever they got into a disagreement,” said the villager.
“Go,” said Sesshomaru and the villager left.
“Lord Sesshomaru,” said Kagome. “Have you been able to find Kumori Wraiths?”
“No, I gathered information on them instead. They fight amongst themselves and the maiden is who keeps them from killing each other. She may be the group’s leader,” said Sesshomaru, noticing Inuyasha cradling his left arm carefully. “What happened Inuyasha, loose a battle?”
“NO!” snapped Inuyasha.
“Yes you did Inuyasha! You lost to the Lord of the Northern Lands in my era!” snapped Kagome angrily.
“The Lord of the Northern Lands merely broke his arm?” asked Sesshomaru.
“Yes, he angered him, so he broke his arm and snapped it back into place at the pressure points. He was even threatened to be used as target practice,” said Kagome.
“It is unwise to anger the Lord of the Northern Lands, even his descendant as it seems it is. The Youkai in the Northern Lands are extremely powerful, the current ruler is Raizen of the Toushin,” said Sesshomaru.
“Feh, whatever, I can take him,” said Inuyasha. “All I need is Tetsaiga and I can beat him without breaking a sweat and still have plenty of energy to spare.”
“Don’t kid yourself Inuyasha,” said Kagome.
(A/N: If the above line is a quote from the show, I don’t own it, if not then it’s mine.)
-
A/N: Well that’s it for the third chapter. Sorry it took so long to finish, I put up the chapter before the Epilogue on /Dark Tide: Shadow Saiyan/. Now since I haven’t really received any more votes for the pairings, then here are the pairs that can be voted on:
Yusuke/Kagome: 8, Hiei/Kagome: 2, Inuyasha/Kagome: 3, Sesshomaru/Kagome: 2
Hiei/Sango: 6, Miroku/Sango: 2, Yusuke/Botan: 1, Kurama/Botan: 1, Miroku/Botan: 4
Sesshomaru/Botan: 1, Kikyo/None: 1, Kurama/Kikyo: 1, Sesshomaru/Kikyo: 1
Inuyasha/Kikyo: 4, Yusuke/Keiko: 1, Kurama/None: 1, Hiei/None: 1
At the end of the fourth chapter, an pairings with three or less votes are going to go the way of the pairings with zero votes (i.e., I’m going to remove them). I don’t really have a poll right now, except the votes for these pairings and about three more questions.
Should Kagome and the others discover Yusuke’s group’s camp yet? Yes or No, Explain.
Who should Kurama, be paired with? (aside from above pairings) Your choice.
Should the others appear yet? (Jin, Yukina, Touya, etc.) Yes or No, Explain.
Well that’s it for the poll, forty-seven and a half pages total so far for all the chapters, fifteen and a half pages for Chapter Three, wow. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far.
Shadow Kage
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