Disclaimer: I don’t own the anime Inuyasha, or any of the characters!
Chapter 1: Crossing Fine Lines
It was another pleasant spring evening in the Feudal Era of Japan, the kind that gave off a false sense of serenity in such violent times. Trees were just beginning to regain their leaves and flowers were starting to bloom again. Kagome loved all the seasons for different reasons, but this one had to be her favorite since nature seemed to come to life again. The multitudes of stars were always bright here and they took Kagome’s breath away. It was a shame how much light pollution there was in her time. Kagome cherished the beauty of nature while she was here.
The group sat in a clearing around a fire after having dinner. Even though it was the beginning of spring, the night still had a chill to the air. Shippou was happily coloring with his crayons and coloring book, which were gifts from Kagome. Sango, Miroku, Kagome, and Inuyasha were discussing the various rumors about the location of their enemy, Naraku, they heard from villages they had passed. Kirara curled herself up near Sango’s legs and closed her eyes in exhaustion; it was getting late and just about time for the group to get some rest as well.
“Keh, Naraku is such a coward! If he thinks he’s so damned tough, he should just come out and fight us already!” grumbled Inuyasha, his arms crossed with his hands in his sleeves and his nose was pointed towards the night sky confidently. Tetsusaiga nestled in its sheath against his shoulder. Inuyasha’s amber colored eyes showed his hatred for the evil half demon as he looked towards his companions.
“All we have are these rumors, so I suggest that we head further west like the last villagers suggested. It is worth a try and it’s better than running around in circles.” Stated Miroku calmly, his staff in a similar position as Tetsusaiga was, since his arms were also crossed.
Inuyasha let out a growl in protest, “I’d rather head east!” Inuyasha all but snarled out his half-brother’s name, “Sesshoumaru will come after Tetsusaiga for sure, or at least be noisy enough to figure out what we’re doing in his stupid lands!” He then grumbled something undecipherable, perhaps calling Sesshoumaru a ‘bastard’ or something close to it.
The group sighed quietly; they all knew Inuyasha wasn’t going to take Miroku’s idea well. They all knew that if Sesshoumaru showed up, then a fight would surely ensue, which would take up time in their hunt for the shards and Naraku. However, they didn’t have many options left.
“Inuyasha, we have to go in that direction! I really don’t think Sesshoumaru is going to take your sword again.” Kagome shifted a bit uncomfortably knowing Inuyasha would explode at any moment, “he knows you need the sword and we have a common enemy. I don’t see why you two can’t work together until we defeat Naraku!” Kagome decided the hair she was twirling nervously between her fingers was much more interesting than Inuyasha’s horrified expression.
“Work together? I’d never work with that bastard!” Inuyasha jumped to his feet, his fists in the air as if further proving his point.
“The extra help would be appreciated by the rest of us at least!” Kagome stood up as well.
Amber and brown colored glares were exchanged.
“Keh! I don’t need his help defeating a weak demon like Naraku!”
“Well, that’s the direction we are going, whether you like it or not!” Hands went onto her green clad hips.
“Who the hell put you in charge?” growled Inuyasha.
“Inuyasha… sit!” And that was the end of another argument as Inuyasha got reacquainted with the ground. In the morning, they would be off to the west.
Inuyasha continued to grumble while in the small crater, but the group ignored him, as usual.
“Shippou, it’s time for bed!” Kagome pulled out her green sleeping bag and pillow.
Shippou made a noise of protest. Kagome gave Shippou a look that left no room for argument and Shippou said an ‘okay’. He relinquished his hold on the coloring supplies for Kagome to put in her hideous big, yellow backpack.
Inuyasha jumped into a tree overlooking the group once the spell released him, and sent one last glare in Kagome’s direction with one last grumble. Miroku leaned against a tree, Sango curled up with a suddenly large Kirara, and Kagome and Shippou climbed into Kagome’s sleeping bag. The fire was dying to mere glowing embers as the group drifted off to sleep.
Kagome fell asleep with ease, but she had a strange dream that she couldn’t wake from. It wasn’t foreboding, but it was unnerving. It was pitch black and Kagome couldn’t see the hand she raised up to her face. “Huh, it’s awfully dark!” Kagome wasn’t a huge fan of the dark, who knows what is out there waiting? When it was very dark in the Feudal Era, then it was even worse…
Chanting began in a language Kagome never heard before. ‘What is that?’ Kagome became a little anxious.
“H-hello? Is someone out there?” Kagome tried to look around, ‘Yes, let them know where you are, Kagome, great idea! That’s how those girls always die in those stupid horror movies…’ That didn’t make Kagome feel any better, but the chanting just continued as loudly as when it started. Kagome wished she had her bow and arrows with her at least.
“Show yourself!” Kagome tried to hide her growing fear and clenched her fists.
‘It’s just a dream, right? It’s not real. It’s not real.’ Kagome remembered lying down with her group of friends for the night. ‘So, why can’t I just wake up?’ She pinched the skin on her forearm, hoping to wake up.
“Ouch!” Nothing changed. “Well, that worked well…” she mumbled to herself. The chanting continued. ‘Couldn’t it at least be in a language I understand? This is MY dream, isn’t it?’ Since Kagome couldn’t go anywhere and she couldn’t wake up, she focused on the chanting instead. She turned in a slow circle. ‘Where is it coming from?’ It seemed like the voices surrounded her being and she couldn’t pin point a location.
Kagome couldn’t run anywhere. It was easy for her to be clumsy with the lights on; in the dark, moving could be fatal for her, especially since she didn’t know what surrounded her.
Her anxiety didn’t change. Brown eyes searched for something amongst the dark, but her eyes never adjusted. Suddenly, a blue tinted light came down from above her.
‘Aliens?’ Kagome looked up curiously. The light seemed to come from nowhere. It looked like moonlight, minus the moon, of course. ‘Strange…’
‘Well, at least I know I’m not going to get probed!’ Kagome sighed in relief. She always hated when Souta would watch those stupid UFO documentaries. ‘I’ve got enough problems with demons running around…’
However, her relief didn’t last long.
There was pain, searing hot pain and someone screaming. ‘Who’s screaming?’ She put her hands to her head; the pain wasn’t stopping.
“Kagome!” cried a concerned voice.
‘Who’s that?’ Kagome didn’t bother to look around, she knew no one would be there.
“Kagome, wake up!”
‘Help me!’
“Kagome! Miroku, what should we do?” The voice was frantic, but hard to hear over the screaming. The chanting continued at a faster pace and the voices grew in volume.
The pain was ongoing. ‘Inuyasha, help me!’ Kagome was crouched into a fetal position. The false moonlight shining down on her was the only thing she could see if her eyes were still open.
“Kagome, wake the fuck up!” The voice was desperate.
“Inuyasha, calm down! Give her a moment; she’s not injured it seems.”
“What’s happening to her? Something smells wrong!”
“I’m not sure”
“Is she okay, Miroku?” A female voice was heard in the distance.
“I-I think so.”
The pain was getting stronger, the chanting increased in speed and fervor again. The screaming stopped and Kagome realized that she was the one screaming. She felt like she was going to pass out. ‘But it’s a dream – no – a nightmare…’
“Are those- no, no fuckin’ way!”
It stopped – all of it. The pain, the chanting, even the light in her dream dissipated. Kagome opened her eyes slowly; the bright light of the sun hurt her eyes more than she ever remembered. “Ouch!”
“Kagome!” Inuyasha always was a loud mouth…
“Ouch! Could you keep it down just a little?” Kagome put her hands to her head, winced a bit, and sat up. As she moved her fingers, something sharp scraped her. ‘What?’ Confused, she brought her eyes fully open though they burned a bit…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“My lord, it is done.” The dark priestess bowed low to the man covered in shadows; only his red eyes could be seen glowing in the dark. Her dark hair moved forward covering her brown eyes from view. Very little light ever penetrated the walls of this building even with the sun shining, so she didn’t bother trying to see the man hidden in the shadows.
“Were you successful, Miyako?” his deep voice came from the darkness. He was a bit skeptical of her ancient spells; he was ready to kill her if she failed him.
“Yes, my lord, it worked perfectly.” She did not move an inch, but only glanced up at him through her bangs. A small smile played on her crimson painted lips.
“Good. You may take your leave.” The man smirked in triumph, not moving from his seat. Miyako stood up and walked away, she didn’t care what happened to the girl, but she didn’t understand why he wanted her to give the girl demonic powers. ‘It makes no sense, but alas, it is none of my concern.’ Her red and gold kimono gently swished as she walked away, her shoes making a little bit of noise against the wooden floor.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Oh my, God! Wh-what is- How?” Kagome flexed her hands, looking at the deadly claws that she now had to call her hands. They looked sort of feminine, yet still dangerous. One dark blue stripe was on each of her wrists and her skin looked more like ivory than it did before. Kagome was a bit sun kissed from all the hours spent in the sun searching for Naraku and the jewel shards, but now her skin was way more pale.
Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou were all around Kagome with surprised looks on their faces, even Kirara seemed confused as her head was tilted to one side and she experimentally sniffed Kagome.
“Well, Kagome… those claws don’t seem to be the only change your body has had…” Sango said in a soft, too calm, tone.
Kagome was trying not to panic too much, ‘what happened to me?’ She went for her yellow backpack and dug out a compact mirror. Her friends weren’t surprised by the futuristic object, since they’ve seen it before. They all waited for her to see what they were seeing – not wanting to worry her further. Miroku held Inuyasha back from putting his two cents into the situation with a knock on the head with his staff and glare. Inuyasha rubbed the back of his head quietly with a scowl.
She opened the mirror, jumped at her reflection, and almost dropped the mirror in surprise, though at this point, she shouldn’t be surprised at all.
The image staring back at her wasn’t the Kagome she always saw in the mirror, which was a bit disturbing. She felt like she was looking at a stranger. Her skin, indeed, was much paler than it ever had been. Along her now, high cheek bones was a single dark blue stripe on each cheek. Her eyes, once large and brown, were now smaller and a brilliant green. Her hair was still black, but it seemed to suddenly have grown and lost its wavy quality. Her ears were a bit pointed, confirming that she was a full demon. Kagome frowned slightly – she was content with who she was. She knew she wasn’t the most beautiful girl, but she wasn’t ugly either. There was nothing wrong with the fact that she was a demon suddenly because Kagome didn't judge based on species or race, but on character. Kagome was just happy with the way she was and she didn't want any more sudden changes to take place; she already had enough to worry about with shard hunting and an evil half-demon to fight! Not even getting into her love life... or lack thereof...
‘Why do I always get into these messes and how did this happen? I’m not even sure if I can go home like this… it’s easy to cover up dog ears like Inuyasha – I guess I could write off the marks as tattoos…but my friends at home - I’ve changed too much…’ She was also concerned on the changes her time had and whether her new senses could possibly handle being there. Kagome became lost in her unhappy thoughts as she traced a stripe on her face.
The group she called a second family watched her in concern while she took in the changes that had come so suddenly. They were all asleep and this happened! They were all trying in their minds to figure out what could have caused such a change in the once human, untrained priestess.
It was Miroku to break the silence and unease with a friendly tone, “If it’s any consolation, you look quite stunning, Lady Kagome.” He offered Kagome a small smile. It was best to try to make her feel better before trying to figure out how it happened and how to change her back into a human. It was pretty good logic in Miroku’s opinion.
“Monk!” Inuyasha grumbled and sent another glare at Miroku. Miroku’s words shook him from the stunned state he’d been in. He’d been intently staring at Kagome and admitted to himself that she was beautiful, as well, even if he thought she was beautiful before too. He wouldn’t admit that to her or anyone…
“Don’t get any ideas, Miroku…” Sango’s words were more than just a warning of the pain she would personally bring him, but also she was a bit wary of the new Kagome. She was a demon now and it would be best to be cautious, yet she didn’t want to say the words out loud and possibly hurt Kagome’s feelings.
Even with the warnings from Inuyasha and Sango, some things never change…
“Lady Kagome, would you like to bear my…” A smack was heard, which earned a bit of a chuckle from Kagome. Miroku sank to the ground with a dazed look on his face. Sango looked angry and gave the perverted monk another glare before turning back to Kagome with a small smile on her face.
Her friends weren’t going to leave her because she was different now and she had a place here if anything, which made her feel a small amount of relief.
“Don’t be sad, Kagome, you’re more like me now!” Shippou looked up at her with a big smile on his face, he liked the change because it meant that Kagome wouldn’t be able to get old and die, thus, leaving him without a mother figure, again. Shippou was definitely the happiest one in the group and everyone could see it on his face, yet no one could be upset with him, since they knew how much Kagome meant to him.
“Thanks, guys!” Kagome snapped the mirror shut, gave Shippou a big hug, and gave them all a genuine smile, showing off her new fangs, “Okay, I guess, it’s time to try to figure out what happened to me!” Kagome didn’t like the fact that this happened while she was asleep. Was someone at their campsite and Inuyasha dosed off on his turn to watch out for enemies?
Kagome tried to pull her skirt down a bit and when it didn’t move, she looked down and gave a little yell of surprise and maybe horror. Her skirt was much higher on her than it was before, ‘Oh, man, I can’t wear this around!’ She then assessed her shirt’s damage. It wasn’t ripped, but the bottom and sleeves were higher than they should be, the top button also popped off. Kagome had a look of shock and horror on her face and dug into her backpack a second time for some clothes, hoping she had something to fit her. She found a pair of stretchy black shorts that were shorter than before, but better than a skirt, and a pink v-necked t-shirt she thought was a bit too big on her before. “Yes! I’ll be right back guys, I need to change!”
Kagome found a nice tree and some shrubs to change behind, even though she hated changing in the woods, she didn’t have much of a choice. This time was so different from her own and it wasn’t the easiest to get used to! She was as quick about it as possible before she headed back, her green and white school uniform in hand, attempting to remain cheerful even with her worried thoughts.
Miroku was out of his daze and the group sat in a circle to come up with what happened and what to do next. Their expressions were all serious and they were all trying to figure out in their own minds different scenarios as to what could have occurred.
Inuyasha looked annoyed and sat a bit further away from Kagome than he normally would. He tried to keep in mind that he was supposed to be in love with Kikyou and he felt that he owed that to her, but he knew he had feelings for Kagome from the start. Who couldn’t care about such a beautiful person? She gave him a home, something he never had before. She accepted him for who he was and that was more than anyone had given him before – Kikyou included. And now she would most likely stay in this time and live a longer life span. Inuyasha also felt a jealousy towards her new change; she was, after all, everything he always wanted to be – a full demon.
Kagome noticed his distance and caught a change in his scent, she didn’t say anything, but there was a sadness in her eyes for a moment before she replaced it with a fake cheeriness, pushing the sadness away and pretending everything was okay. That’s how it always was with Inuyasha. He could never love her as she wished he would and he always ran off to Kikyou. If she paid a bit more attention, she would have smelled his jealousy, but also that he was concerned for her.
“Kagome, do you remember what you were dreaming about?” Miroku had become much more serious and wanted to help his friend as much as the rest of the group did. His staff resting on his shoulder, he looked like he could have all the answers, but she knew that he didn’t.
“Hmm...” Kagome scrunched her face up in thought. She remembered going to bed and the darkness from her dream, but that was all. “No, I don’t remember anything… just darkness and pain.” A frown appeared on her face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The man sat in the dark, laughing, as he summoned his servants, who both bowed before him; soon the entire Shikon Jewel would be his.
“Kanna,” he ignored his other raven-haired servant on the floor, “I must ask for your assistance.”
Kanna stood up and walked over to Naraku with her mirror. Her expression void of any emotion, her eyes, empty.
“Show me, Inuyasha’s group. I’d like to see how they are fairing with the priestess’s change.”
Kagura was a bit surprised at hearing something happened to the strange priestess from Inuyasha’s group and raised her ruby eyes from the ground, ‘What is that bastard planning now?’
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I’m assuming the pain was from the change, since you’re a priestess and now a demon, it must have been awfully painful!” Miroku’s expression wasn’t the only one to darken at his own words. None of the group was happy that Kagome had been in such pain. And they were no closer to figuring out what happened, how to fix it, and who the culprit was.
“Yeah, I guess so… wait, would I even have my purification powers anymore?” Kagome looked even more upset as she tried to concentrate on the power she knew was inside of her. It usually was a warm, pleasant feeling that was there, but she didn’t know how to call it forth unless she was in extreme danger. But now, she didn’t feel that warmth inside of her and it made her even more concerned. The group noticed the further decrease in her mood as a bad sign.
“I don’t think I feel it anymore…” Her voice came out as a whisper, sadness laced in it. How was she ever going to complete her task now? It was her fault the jewel broke in the first place… Her bangs covered her eyes as her head tipped downwards.
“Well, I’d suggest that you hold what we have of the Shikon Jewel, however, if you can’t purify it…” Miroku didn’t want to finish his sentence, but continued, “and if you taint it, then we have a problem…”
“We already have a problem if Kagome can’t detect jewel shards!” Inuyasha looked upset by what Kagome being a demon actually entailed, “Keh, can’t even detect jewel shards now…” Inuyasha was getting angrier by the second; he stood up with barely contained anger, fists clenched, and amber eyes showing his frustration.
He focused his anger on Kagome, “You can’t fight, you have no archery skills, and NOW you can’t even detect the jewel shards? What kinda priestess are you anyway? This wouldn’t be happening if we had Kikyou protecting the jewel!”
The group was stunned in silence for a moment – granted they were expecting Inuyasha to be angry, and they should have expected Inuyasha to lash out at Kagome, even though it clearly wasn’t her fault. They knew Inuyasha didn’t always think things through. What they weren’t expecting at all was Kagome’s response.
Kagome closed her green eyes, trying to calm the sudden rage she felt. The pain Inuyasha always caused her amplified by her change. The heartbreak felt suffocating and every time she took a breath, it hurt so much more than it ever did before. Something was crawling beneath her skin, trying to be released, but she paid it little mind. This wasn’t her fault! He shouldn’t be so upset with her because someone was able to do this to her! If anything, it was his fault for not stopping it while she was sound asleep and unaware! She was tired of him always blaming stuff on her and saying how much better Kikyou was! She was going to put a stop to it. She would be respected for who she was, no matter what she had become! She wasn’t the same girl who started this mission and it was about time to get some recognition!
Kagome stood up. They all had seen this scenario before, but the very aura around Kagome was completely different; it was much darker. Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara stared with wide eyes, unsure of how to handle the situation – they couldn’t hurt their good friend!
Kagome opened her eyes and focused them on Inuyasha. Her eyes weren’t the same – they were tainted with a bright red. The wind blasted around her in a never ending gust of wind, her long black hair flying around her.
Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippou jumped up and took a few steps back with wide eyes. Inuyasha was shocked, but he knew what was going to happen next… something Miroku, at least, hadn’t seen before. Sango put her hand on the grip of Hiraikotsu instinctively; ready to throw it if necessary.
Inuyasha couldn’t bring himself to use the Tetsusaiga against Kagome, but his hand twitched to get near the hilt.
Kagome transformed in front of their eyes into a large black dog, very vague blue stripes could be seen on the dog’s face. If they hadn’t seen it, they wouldn’t believe their sweet friend, Kagome, stood in front of them now as an irate and frightening dog demon. Kagome growled deeply, focused on Inuyasha. She didn’t have any control over herself as she tried to bite him and use her poisonous saliva to burn him.
Kagome rushed Inuyasha again and almost got him if Inuyasha hadn’t jumped away to the right quick enough. Inuyasha didn’t always have the best tactics when it came to fighting, however, Kagome was untrained and wildly attacking him. Her purple poison singed the forest floor beneath her jaws. Kagome growled again, having missed her prey.
Sango and Miroku were about to try to intervene. All of a sudden, something faster than all of them could see crashed into Kagome’s side sending Kagome and whatever it was hurdling through tree trunks, leaving fallen trees in their wake until a rocky mountain side stopped their movement about a mile away.
Inuyasha’s eyes were wide and he sniffed the air, “What the fuck?”
“What just happened?” Sango was able to find her voice.
“Let’s go make sure Kagome is alright!” Shippou yelled out as a voice of reason after all the chaos that just unfolded.
“Right, let’s go!” Sango, Miroku, and Shippou jumped onto a transformed Kirara, taking to the sky and rushing in the direction Kagome was catapulted. Inuyasha shook his head to shake off what happened and quickly followed them, running amongst the trees. Whatever just happened couldn’t be good, he had a bad feeling and a scent he was familiar with.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Ahh, a bitch!” Naraku laughed in his dark amusement, “Miyako is more observant than I gave her credit for! This will make things… interesting…” Naraku would say no more due to the fact that his one unwilling and defiant servant, Kagura, was still in the room. He didn’t want her to find a way to sabotage any of his future plans for Kagome.
“Let the fun begin…” He smirked triumphantly as he continued to watch the scenes unfold. ‘This is just too, too good…’
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: So, this is my first story in a long time, so I hope it doesn’t become a train wreck! I hope you’re enjoying it so far! I haven’t watched the anime in a long time and I noticed that there’s more episodes now (which I haven’t watched), so if I make any incorrect factual statements, please let me know and I’ll fix them! Thanks for reading!