Okay, peoples, it took me long enough, but here's one chapter. Unlike Kagome's Trial, this one isn't finished. I'm posting everything I've written so far. Yeah, it's taken me this long to write this much. I have excuses, but there's too many to name them all. I don't plan on it being very angsty, but I'll try to put something in there. So, here's the Sequel.

Full Summary: Sequel to Kagome's Trial. The eight Adepts who lit the Lighthouse have returned, but not everyone's happy to see them. Signs appear that remind Kagome of things that have happened in the past, and tragedy strikes her family, one that drastically changes certain people's lives.

Twisted Fate

Weed the garden. Tend to the graves. Prepare the meals. For eighteen years that had been Kagome and Kikyo's lives. They only had to look out for each other and no one else. Sure, there was the occasional lost person, and the more common sick person, but other than those random guests, it was just the two of them. Then Kikyo's ancestors had to come back. They destroyed the balance that dictated their lives. They moved into Inuyasha's Forest with them, and one of them, Felix, even moved into the same house as them! He was Kagome's husband, but it seemed like he was invading their space.

"Kikyo, where are you?"

Her head turned towards the house, where Aunt Kagome was calling for her. "I'm weeding the garden," she answered.

Her aunt opened the door and walked out. "So this is where you are. I don't know if this garden has ever been as weed-free. You've really been at them for the past two weeks."

Two weeks? It feels like forever since I found out who those travelers were, and yet it feels like yesterday at the same time. "Well, it needed to be weeded, so I did it."

"I see." Her aunt knelt by her, pulling up a small weed that Kikyo had overlooked. "You know, our clothes are just about worn out. Would you like to come with me to Vale and get some more cloth?"

"Um, who else would be going?"

"Just us. The others are still trying to get their households in order. Which reminds me, we need to pick up some extra things for Piers and Hamma. Last time Piers was here, he didn't have a wife or a child, so he'll need a few extra things."

"Okay." She followed her aunt back into the house and out the other side. "Are we getting the same cloth?" she asked.

Aunt Kagome nodded. "You've never worn anything else, so I don't expect you to change. Unless you want to try something new." She looked at her inquiringly.

"No, I was just thinking that you were going to dress differently."

"No. I've worn this since before you were born. Before their first children were born. Maybe I'll get something other cloth this time, but for now, I will still wear this."

Kikyo felt comforted by this. Her aunt wasn't ready to completely change just because some strangers came into their lives. They haven't changed her that much. Not yet.

When they arrived at the gate of Vale, Kikyo followed Kagome into the village. According to her aunt, it hadn't changed much since the day they rebuilt it when the Lighthouses were first lit. The people here knew her, but she could hardly remember them half the time. These people knew her when she was a baby, when she and her parents lived here. Then the plague came and decimated the village, killing her parents. Aunt Kagome took her in and raised her in the forest, so she rarely left its boundaries. She let her mind wander as Aunt Kagome haggled with the woman at the counter over the price of what she was buying. Her attention was brought back when she heard her name mentioned.

"What was that?" she asked.

The woman turned to her. "Apparently some cousins of yours just arrived today. They're at the inn right now, but I'm sure you'll be able to see them."

"I think we will," Aunt Kagome said speculatively. She paid the woman, and she and Kikyo took their things and exited into the sunshine.

"I think we can see them now since we're already here," said Aunt Kagome. "What do you think?"

"Um, okay," Kikyo said hesitantly. Great, more strangers. Just what I need.

&&