{Author's Note}
Hey, I'm recently new on the scene as a writer, but I have been reading fan fictions like crazy on here. I am in love with a ton of couples, mostly from animes, but I have one or two couples from video games. Anyway…this is not my first fan fiction. My first one was called Fireflies, which is a Vegeta and Bulma oneshot (I love them! XD). You can check that fan fiction out by going onto my profile on here and clicking the link to it (but you already know that :P)
Without further ado, I would like to get on with this fan fiction. This one will be a long one…or at least, I hope it will be. I am a major InuYasha and Kagome lover, so bashing to Kikyo would be something you would see…sorry for those who kind of like her or are for InuYasha and Kikyo (then why are you reading this?). The reason I wrote this is because I am not a big fan of taking historical animes and turning them into modern day stories. I'll read them, but they have to be pretty good to get my attention and keep me reading. Anyway, I saw a lack of these really long, sort of different ways of looking at the InuYasha and Kagome relationship. I like lemons and limes, but I am not a big fan of the really…explicit ones where the language used to describe the actual act of it is trashy. I do not enjoy reading hentai, and therefore, if I do make a lemony-lime thing in here, it will be as if it were from a professional romance novel. There will be no slang or actual body parts being described in it. Then how will I describe it? You'll see.
InuYasha: Will you shut up and get on with it!
Me: * sticks tongue out *
Kagome: Oswari!
That brings me to one last point. I will be using some Japanese words here and there. Their translations will usually come after or before the actual word. The Japanese words will also be in italics, so it is easier to tell. And if you don't find the translation next to the word or near it, it will be at the bottom of the chapter. Thank you.
'Thoughts' Japanese or ExaggerationChapter One: The Life of a Young Miko
Kagome flipped her wet curls over her shoulder, shivering from the crisp fall air and cold river water. She hugged herself, grasping the small jewel that hung off of a string tied around her neck.
"The Shikon No Tama…" Kagome whispered, holding it up to her face. "You've caused us so much trouble…"
"Kagome," Kanade called from the river bank, "ye best get out of the water before ye get a cold."
"Of course," Kagome nodded her head, dropping the item in her hands to its resting place on her chest. She swam towards the river's edge and hoisted herself out of the water. Kanade had her clothes folded by the log they usually sat on when coming down to the river.
After slipping into her priestess clothes, she sat next to Kanade, warming herself by the fire Kanade had built while she bathed. It was a beautiful afternoon, and Kagome had spent her whole day outdoors because of it. She didn't mind spending the day by the river, however. The water was crystal clear and abundant with fish. In fact, Kanade and Kagome were better than usual when it came to the amount of fish they had caught. Kagome enjoyed the sun the most. It lit up the trees of the surrounding forest, and the light warmed up the sand on the river bank, making Kagome's bare feet feel comfortable walking to and fro. The sun was setting soon, so the air had become a little cooler than it had earlier that day, making a fire necessary.
"Soon it will be too cold for our trips to the river," Kanade whispered as she poked the fire with a twig. "Ye will have to find a hot spring to bathe in instead."
"I understand, Kanade-sama," Kagome whispered, grabbing her bow and arrows to put in front of her. She always had to be on guard.
"What troubles ye, child?" Kanade asked Kagome, noticing the sorrow on the young miko's face.
"I have a bad feeling…" Kagome sighed, not taking her eyes off of the flames in front of her. She winced, remembering the visions and dreams she had been having. None of them had made any sense to her, and she didn't want to confide in Kanade for once. She wanted to figure this out for herself, but telling the older miko seemed inevitable. Clutching the jewel around her neck, she looked to Kanade. "Something is going to happen."
Kanade nodded, "Ye have been having dreams and visions again?"
Kagome looked back at the fire, "But these…these don't make any sense."
"Tell me what ye see."
"Well…they all start out the same. I see your sister, Kikyo. She's in flames, holding the Shikon No Tama," Kagome began, playing with the jewel in her hands. "Then…the flames fade to black, and I see the rim of InuYasha's forest. There's a boy. A young boy with white hair and white, dog ears looks at the forest. He's crying…and an arrow goes through his back. As the arrow hits, he turns into a man. I run towards him, trying to catch him when another arrow goes through the air. I turn to see Kikyo, holding up her bow. And when our eyes meet, I find myself looking at me. Kikyo's anger is reflected in my eyes, and then they change again. This time the eyes are amber, and it's the man who got hit with the arrow...He draws his sword and races toward me. With one hand, he grabs the Shikon No Tama around my neck and slices through me. I then wake up…"
"Hmm…" Kanade got up, throwing a bucket of dirt onto the fire to put it out. When she was done, she turned to Kagome. "Ye have never gone into the forest, have ye?"
Kagome shook her head.
"Well then, it has become necessary for ye to go," Kanade sighed, bending down to pick up her bow and arrows.
"Are you sure, Kanade-sama?" Kagome asked her, getting up from the log. "InuYasha's forest is forbidden."
"It is a dangerous place, but ye are capable of going in. Yer archery skills are exceptional, and if ye don't venture too far from the edge, ye should be safe from any major threats."
Kagome nodded, realizing that the answer to her visions and dreams laid somewhere in InuYasha's forest. However, she knew she would not venture into the forest today because it was nearing sunset, and Kanade had made it clear while she was growing up in her care that InuYasha's forest was a no. She was lucky she was even allowed to go in during broad daylight, and she knew Kanade would never let her go in at night. Still, Kagome knew of one place she could go today.
"Kanade-sama, would it be okay if I went to visit Kikyo tonight, and I can go into InuYasha's forest tomorrow?" Kagome asked Kanade as they walked towards their hut outside the village.
"I don't see why not," Kanade replied as the hut came into view. "I will prepare the fish while ye go to visit her."
"Okay," Kagome handed Kanade the fish they had caught and turned around to go down the path towards Kikyo's grave site.
Upon arriving at Kikyo's grave, Kagome put down her bow and arrows. She then got onto her knees before the grave, bowing her head in respect.
'Hello, Kikyo.' Kagome sighed, looking up at the grave. 'It's been a while since I came to see you with Kanade-sama. I'm sorry. I've been busy with protecting the Shikon No Tama. I don't know how you did it. Life as a miko is becoming too predictable. Everyday there is a new demon or human to fight, and it is very rare to have a break…But I guess you had to go through the same…However, these dreams are not the norm for me. Are you sending them to me? What is it I have to know? Am I in danger? Is the jewel in danger? What secrets does InuYasha's forest have in store for me?'
Kagome stood up, bowing one last time. 'Goodbye, Kikyo.'
She turned to see a figure stumble out of the forest. At first, she thought it was a drunken villager, but when it got closer and two horns were clearly visible at the top of the figure's head, Kagome knew it wasn't an ordinary visitor. She swiftly picked up her bow and arrows, getting ready for an attack made by the youkai. He walked towards her, and lunged with his red eyes glowing.
"Give me the Shikon No Tama, young miko," the demon snarled with his claw outstretched, trying to meet her face.
Kagome barely had enough time to dodge. When she did, she pulled out an arrow from her sack and shot it towards the demon. The demon charged, but that only brought on his death faster. Blood flew everywhere as the arrow made a direct hit. The arrow glowed, breaking the demon's body into thousands of microscopic pieces. They fell to the ground, making a pile of ash. The arrow had also disappeared, leaving Kagome alone again.
'I guess I spoke too soon…' Kagome shrugged, walking towards the path to Kanade's hut. 'I'm going to have to make some arrows before I go into the forest tomorrow…'
With that thought in mind, Kagome collected twigs and certain plants to help make her arrows, and when she got home, she found Kanade sitting by the fire in the hut. There were two medium sized fish over the fire, still being cooked. Kagome sighed when the smell hit her nose. She smiled at Kanade as she put the twigs in a pile by the door and joined Kanade.
"I used another arrow while I was gone, so I thought it would be appropriate for me to make some more before I leave tomorrow," Kagome explained, leaning her bow and arrow sack against the wooden walls of the hut.
"A youkai?" Kanade asked, wondering about what had made Kagome use an arrow.
Kagome nodded, taking the fish from the fire and taking a bite out of it, "Why is InuYasha's forest forbidden?"
"It is the resting place of the hanyou, InuYasha," Kanade explained, taking a bite out of her own fish.
"A half demon?" Kagome cocked her head in confusion. "I've purified half demons before…"
"InuYasha is different. He isn't the average hanyou. His determination makes him stronger than he actually is," Kanade shook her head, her voice turning grave. "He isn't dead, but he is sealed to a tree in a sleep."
"That doesn't mean I have to worry," Kagome smiled at Kanade. "I could take on a sleeping hanyou."
Kanade smiled, "Ye always had that spirit in ye."
Kagome grinned before leaning over to take another bite of her fish. She knew she would be working late that night on some arrows, but she would not leave for InuYasha's forest until noon the next day. Therefore, she wasn't concerned with how much sleep she would be getting. Kanade went to bed right after dinner, and Kagome was grateful for it. The older miko was getting tired more easily now. Kagome stayed up into the later hours of the night, carving away the bark of the sticks and adding the arrow on. By midnight, she had at least ten arrows done for the next morning. Kagome knew she would have to do at least five more the next morning before leaving because she heard that many demons and beasts resided in the forest. She needed to be careful.
