Summary: Feeling lost and unneeded, Kagome departs on an solo journey that will take her to the far reaches of Feudal Japan where she will face many hardships and challenges that will test her resolve and her moral ethics. Series of oneshots
Author's note: This is a story where each chapter is a either a oneshot or small mutichapter mini story that will be updated as I think up new adventures :) Enjoy
My friend 'xXKillorbeKilledXx' was kind of enough to beta for me (all complaints go to her) nah, just joking :P
Raison D'être
Prologue
Kagome quest was completed, her destiny fulfilled, Naraku, with the help of Sesshomaru, was finally defeated in a rather anti-climatic battle and the completed Shikon jewel, went back into her body from which it emerged, dormant and silent once again.
The well no longer worked for her even though technically Kagome still had the jewel but she didn't mind that much, sure she was going to miss her family and modern day plumbing but she knew in her heart that her family would understand, the modern day hasn't been home to her in years.
And so life moved on, Miroku, upon Naraku's death, was released from his curse and was free to live life as he saw which of course included groping the bum of every pretty girl he laid eyes on, Kagome suspected it was all just a ploy but for what, she couldn't say but ever since Miroku's curse was lifted it seemed like he was just going through the motions, like it was a really bad habit that he just couldn't stop, at least until, Sango who was growing ever more irritated with Miroku's wandering hand, snapped. Kagome didn't see it for herself but from what the village's people describe the ensuring fight was pretty spectacular and rather one sided for Miroku was a priest and with the wind tunnel gone, not that he would use it on Sango, he was pretty defenseless against a enraged demon slayer.
But however violent the fight was, it ended with Miroku on his knees begging for Sango to marry him and Sango, still clutching Hiraikotsu, looked at him with shock and bewilderment and uttered one single word. Yes. And so her friends found their happy ending and was married that following Spring, Kagome had to admit that she was a bit jealous of her friend's happiness but she would cope just as she always had.
Then came Shippo, her son in all but blood, what can she say? He grew up like all kids do and moved on with his life, he lived in the village still, chasing the pretty girls with that typical kitsune mischief but frequently he would journey outside of the village for weeks at a time, with each trip lasting longer then the last, Shippo no longer needed her like he once did but Kagome knew that he would always love her as mother and a friend and so she backed off in order to let him live his life in whatever way he saw fit.
And as for her best friend, well his story went full cycle, 56 years ago two lovers were manipulated into betraying each now and now they were only just beginning to get that trust that they once shared back, Kikyo was still technically dead but that didn't seem to deter them from having a normal relationship and Kagome having once made the mistake of going to look for Inuyasha, found out just how healthy their relationship which included their sex life was, that was a memory that was going to stay seared in her brain forever. Her feelings for Inuyasha had long since turned into brotherly affection and seeing him in the arms of his lover didn't spark any sort of jealousy like it once did.
All her friends were happy and leading their own lives and while she knew that they loved her deeply it didn't take away the feeling that she just wasn't needed anymore, she longed to be back on the open road, to discover new things and meet new people, she gazed across the clearing to where Sango, our of habit more than anger was pelting her husband with her fists and gave a heavy sigh.
Life...it seemed, was just an endless cycle of boredom.
It was an unusually hot summer that year and the weather didn't look like it was going to cool off anytime soon, Kagome swept the hair off the back of her sweaty neck and straightened up from her crouched position, on the ground next to her was a woven basket that was filled with medical herbs that Kaede has asked for, her mentor and dear friend was getting older with each passing year and these days found it extremely difficult to move about, Inuyasha and Kikyo had taken over the mantle of defender of the village about a year ago and Kagome was glad that the burden of protecting the village when Kaede stepped down didn't fall to her, a not even half -train Miko.
Having finished picking and cleaning the herbs, she started back to Kaede hut glad to be getting out of the hot sun, "Ah Kagome-chan, ya finished gathering the herbs already?" Her old mentor greeted her as she stood through the door.
Kagome smiled softly at Kaede who was setting next to the hearth, "yes I have Kaede - san" she said putting down the woven basket on the ground, "is there anything else you want me to get you?"
Kaede smiled "I am alright for now, my child" she grunted picking up a cloth which she then used to lift a pot filled with steaming water from the hearth and poured it into a small bowl that was beside her, she then picked out a herb from the basket that Kagome had collected earlier and added it to the steaming water, almost instantly a lovely aroma whiffed from the bowl.
Kagome, never willing to miss a chance of learning something new, took a sit next to Kaede and silently observed her, "What are you making?" Kagome requested softly. Kaede eyed her briefly "a tea that should help reduce the feeling of nausea" she replied as she gently stirred the herbal tea.
Kagome eyed Kaede for a second before a grin spread across her face, "It's Sango isn't it?" she asked in delight, at Kaeda's look clapped her hands together, " I knew it! Sango told me that she suspected that she might be pregnant!" Kagome felt giddiness welled up inside her, her almost sister was going to be a mother, wow.
Kaede laughed softly at Kagome obvious joy "Ay child, that she might be" her mentor said with a grin of her own, "still early to tell but the signs are all there."
"Oh?"
"Don't tell me ye haven't noticed Sango's mood swings of late?" Kaede said with a raised eyebrow, "at the rate she's going, I'm afraid she going to kill that husband of hers before the babe is even born." She chuckled madly, "Miroku was in here a few days ago asking for sanctuary cause his wife was on a war path and he was looking for a place to hide."
Kagome shook her head in amusement "What did that pervert Monk do to upset her this time?"
Kaede grinned, "according to him, Sango accused him of breathing to loudly, when he tried to explain that he was breathing normally she got so mad that Miroku felt that the only way to avoid being killed in a rather gruesome way was to run and hide until she calmed down a bit, if that's not a result of pregnancy, I'll be very surprised."
Kagome scratched her head, "I guess that I just wasn't paying much attention of late" Kagome said gazing at her with a bemused look "though I do regret missing out on that scene."
"Hmmm" Kaede murmured titling her head to one side, "tell me child, are ye happy here?" she suddenly asked with a rather serious tone.
Kagome lent back at the sudden question, "Of course Kaede-san" Kagome said with a touch of confusion, "Everyone's alive and happy, Sango expecting a baby..."
"Kagome-chan" Kaede interrupted softly, "I didn't ask if everyone else was happy, I asked if you were happy?"
"of course I am, how can I not be?"
"Are ye sure child?" Kaede coaxed gently, "these last few weeks, you have seem a little...distance, all your friends have noticed, Inuyasha was in here just yesterday demanding to know if you were well" her brow winkled, "he didn't even insult me which tells me that he is very concern for you."
"I know I've been distant lately" Kagome confused looking away, "though I didn't realized that it had gotten so bad that even Inuyasha picked up on it."
Kaede hummed softly and placed the spoon she was using to stir the tea on the ground, "why do you think that might be?"
Kagome chewed her lip, "It's just...I feel like I should be out there" she waved a hand outsidetowards the door, "doing something, anything! I love it here, I do! But..."
"But you don't feel like you belong here anymore?" Kaede finished her softly.
Kagome straighten up "Yes, exactly that" she said before slumping down, "Oh, I don't know what to do."
Her mentor smiled "leave" she urged, "Kagome -chan, you've been living in this era for nearly 6 years now and over half of them were spent traveling around, you've got the necessary knowledge and skills to survive by yourself so why should you stay in one place and limit your potential , go and travel, explore this vast country!"
"But" Kagome protested, "I just can't get up and leave, what about my friends? My life here?"
"Kagome -chan" the old woman said calmly, "your friends have their own lives to live now, they will survive without you, this journey will be good for you" Kaede touched her brow with gently fingers, "don't get to my age and regret not following your heart like I did."
Kagome felt her eyes tear up, "Oh child" Kaede murmured opening her arms in invitation, "this village and your friends will always be here to welcome you back with open arms, where ever you might be you will always have a place here to call home, remember that."
"Kagome smiled through her tears, her mind made up, "I will remember, Kaede -san" she vowed leaning into her mentor embrace, "thank you."
A few days later Kagome sat next to the bone eaters well, idly tracing the groves in the old wood with her index finger, her mind wondered from the conversation she had with Kaede and the meeting she was going to have in a few hours, she had called a meeting in order to let her friends know that she had decided to leave the village and set off on a solo journey, telling them, she figured, would be the easy part, explaining why she was going was going to be the hard part because she knew that they wouldn't understand, heck, she didn't completely understand it herself.
There was a yearning... deep inside her that urged her to move on, to travel and see new places, to found somewhere to help her train her holy powers, Kaede was nowhere as powerful as Kagome was and could only teach her the basic and Kikyo...even though she didn't see Inuyasha as a love interest any more, that didn't mean she wanted to spend any more time with his 'dead' lover then absolutely necessary, thank you very much!
Kaede understood this and was one of the main reasons for supporting her reason to travel, Kagome had large amounts of raw spiritual energy and very little training, if she wanted any hope of training her powers that didn't involve Kikyo then she would have to venture outside of the village.
This, she decided, would be her main point of agreement should her friends try to convince her to stay, she needed to try to find someone to train her every growing powers.
It's possible that they might decide to tag along but with Inuyasha and Kikyo expected to defend the village, Shippo's off on one of his many trips and Sango and Miroku expecting a baby...well, let just say she wouldn't have to worry about any well meaning, but unwanted friends tagging along with her.
She wanted to do this on her own, for many years she was always the person to be protected, always the first person to get kidnapped by various demons and always the person that had to be rescued, Kagome was determined to change that and even though traveling solo would be dangerous, she was willing to do it and explaining that to someone like Inuyasha...that was going to take a lot of patient on her side.
Glancing up at the sun which had almost disappeared behind the horizon told her it was time to head back to the village, it was time to tell her friends that she was leaving to go on a solo journey and that she was leaving in a couple of days...Kagome winced, she could almost hear the coming argument...this is not going to be fun.
Author's note: You properly noticed I didn't add the scene when she told her friends that she was leaving and the reason is because I have no Idea how to write it but I have loads of ideas for other small oneshots, this story except for the first chapter won't be in order unless I give you a date and tell you were it fits in. So for example: chapter 20 let say, might happen a few days after Kagome leaves the village while chapter 4 is set months into the future.
Cheers and try to enjoy -.-"
R&R and no flames as they have a negative effect on my writing ability...lol
Next: A oneshot call 'Cute but deadly' featuring Kagome and a 'squirrel'...