A/N: Well, the polls gave off that you guys wanted me to write an Aragorn and Kagome fanfic and so I shall now that I know how I'm going to end Legolas and Kagome. I'm also going to put up chapters for a VK/Kagome fanfic and Fullmetal/Kagome fanfic to see which ones you approve of.
Disclaimer: I own neither LOR or Inu, if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfics, I'd be eating chocolate covered strawberries and paying Orlando Bloom to dress up like Legolas forever.
But a week had passed since they'd defeated Naraku. And Kagome had made one of the most selfless wishes she'd ever thought to make. She'd allowed for Kikyou to be granted a second chance at life and so the priestess's soul had returned to her while at the same time allowing Kagome life as well. Kaede had speculated that maybe Kagome's body had been merely the reincarnation, but not the soul. Mayhap Kagome had never been Kikyou's reincarnation after all, but merely the next in the line of priestesses to protect the stone. For whatever reason Kagome felt lightened after making the wish for Kikyou.
Even though she didn't feel any pleasant regards towards the other priestess, Kagome had still went to shake her hand and offer a truce of friendship. Kikyou had stared at her hand, not knowing how to answer, and had walked off, not allowing Kagome to see the tears of joy that trailed down her face. Kikyou was overjoyed for now she could feel the wind, taste food, and her emotions were welling inside of her like gushing pools shooting out of a geyser.
And though Kagome's heart had ached for loving him, Kagome had made peace with her heart long ago that he belonged to another, and so she'd reconciled herself with just being his friend. She'd made up her mind against returning home. She wasn't fit for the future anymore and it was a stranger's world to her by now. It wasn't as if she were lack of a family in the past, for where she'd left one family behind she'd been greeted by a new family in the Feudal Era. Sesshomaru was cordial now with little to no forms of hostility and he observed Kagome with what was friendliness at least for a person of his demeanor.
…Kagome had been a blessing, giving to everyone, which gave Kikyou all the more rason to loathe and despise her. All the loathing a soul could have, Kikyou had for Kagome. Animosity that brimmed tenfold what Naraku had felt towards their little band of warriors was focused on the futuristic priestess.
She'd watched Kagome this past week, even now she watched her from the hidden shadows of the trees while contemplating her next move. Yes she had mated Inuyasha, but half os his heart didn't belong to Kikyou. It belonged to that silly twit plucking flowers as a surprise gift she planned on giving to Rin later that evening. Not only was Kikyou haunted with the knowledge that Inuyasha did indeed love Kagome as well, it pained her to have to see that same woman everyday within her village. It was sickening to know that everyday people who should've been looking at Kikyou with reverence regarded Kagome with something akin to awe. And the fact that they expected Kikyou to be friends with the girl that seemed to steal her life from her made Kikyou's insides twist. She wanted to scoff openly at the thought of making friends with the innocent little thing who'd just gotten lucky in the battle with Naraku. It didn't bode well being stuck around this girl with Kikyou, and so she pulled out her book of spells. There were two types of mikos in the world, light and dark mikos. Kikyou had long ago began dabbling in the darker magic, if her soul snatching snakes were any clue, and this book had cost her a pretty coin to gain from a very well versed dark miko, but it had been worth it. With this book Kikyou could still call upon her soul snatchers, though souls were no longer needed to survive now that she was alive again. Kikyou relished in opening the pages, feeling the power coursing inside of it and thrum to life beneath her very fingers. As the saying went, hell hath no fury as a miko angered.
Kikyou lovingly lifted the book in her hands, looking down on it fondly like an old friend, and stepped out of the woods, looking down the hill towards Kagome.
"Woman," called out Kikyou. Kagome's innocent blue eyes snapped up to Kikyou, surprised that she hand't noticed her sooner. Sure Kagome had felt some dark aura hovering around, but she had thought it Inuyasha coming to visit her for his aura still tasted far from good when she felt it nearby. "I hope you've enjoyed your time here for you'll be leaving soon." Kagome felt a chill at Kikyou's words and wondered what the other miko was up to. Everything in Kagome's body screamed for her to run now and trusting her instincts Kagome did so just as she glimpsed light form in the image of snakes jump up from that book Kikyou was holding. Kagome took off into the woods behind her, dropping the flowers to the ground as the lights slithered after her in the grass almost as quickly as Kouga could run. Kagome ran deeper and deeper into the woods not knowing that the snakes of light had long since seeped into the ground at the entrance of the woods.
"My greatest weakness beget a hated foe,
"No longer shall you bring me woe,
"Your tongue I shall not hear,
"Speaking my language so dear,
"Your eyes shall no longer see,
"My home I treasure to me,
"Your ears shall no longer listen to,
"The sounds I wish to steal from you,
"Depart now for your future home,
"Nevermore here will you roam," said Kikyou laughing as her voice echoed in the silence of the hills.
Kagome dared not look back. She was good at running, oh, was she good at running! Keeping on track with the gang after Naraku had certainly strengthened her legs if trying to outrun demons hadn't. Ever sinew of her muscle was used as she jumped over logs and ducked under branches hoping to god that someone would find out what Kikyou was up to, but Kagome feared it wasn't likely. Sesshomaru was back at his home in the west, Sango and Miroku were on their honeymoon, Rin was sleeping at Kaede's, Inuyasha had went to get rid of some demons in a neighboring village, and Shippo was at his demon school leveling up. Great, of course I get stuck with the murdering priestess when everyone is gone, thought Kagome bitterly. Wouldn't you know her luck always had to be so great. And here Kagome had thought she'd settled into a nice and peaceful life with friends. I should've known better, thought Kagome. She winced when she felt briars scratch across her flesh as she ran. Kagome knew Kikyou hated her, but to go this far was extreme. That's Kikyou, she rationalized.
Kagome saw nothing behind her, but knew that couldn't be the case. All of a sudden the ground beneath her feet seemed to quiver as she ran, ducking under branches, knowing that the edge of the forest was coming up that gave way to an old road. If she could make it to that road maybe she could find someone passing by that could help her. The earth shook one last time beneath her feet. Kagome knew these woods and she thought it odd when the grass became thicker as she ran, the trees seemed to thin out, though she didn't take the time to stop and think over the change in the environment. At the time she was running for her life. Then again, perhaps Kikyou was using an illusion on her. Suddenly it started pouring and things got dark quick. It was like the afternoon sun had been swallowed up and above herself Kagome could see the moon shining in the rain. What the hell? Surely this is an illusion! Kagome slid down the slope of mud, ankles three inch deep in mud on the little road she'd made it to. Where was she? Kagome glanced about, her bearings were lost on her. This didn't look like the woods she knew. Kagome heard an odd cry in the woods and heard hooves coming for her.
Kagome groaned and began taking off down the road. How was she to know that these lands were foreign to her as well as this time? Her long hair clung to her face as she ran, dark and sticky like ink. And there she saw it. A dark figure on a horse making a loud screeching noise that had Kagome covering her ears. She felt its aura, a sinister evil being, but it was weaker than her. She could feel her powers thrumming to life under her hands. Dammit if she ran from something she could defeat! The thin black hooded creature charged towards her and Kagome threw her hands out. Light engulfed the creature causing it to shriek in pain and fall off of its horse as it twitched on the ground. That was all the time Kagome needed to take off running in the opposite direction. She saw lights in a distance and felt her heart uplift as she made it to a place with high wooden walls.
A gatekeeper opened up a little square, light shone down on Kagome as she looked at the man behind the fence. "Where am I?" Kagome asked suddenly noticing that she was no longer speaking Japanese. Her hand went to cover her mouth and her eyes widened in shock as she looked at the man to see if he'd heard what she'd heard.
"Bree," he answered her in a language that should've been unfamiliar to her, but she understood it perfectly. "A foreigner! A female foreigner traveling alone! What business do you want here?"
"I want someplace warm to rest! Now let me in dammit," said Kagome, her temper getting her as she cast a worried glance behind her. The gatekeeper tutted at her use of language but let her in through the gate regardless into an odd looking town. Kagome didn't notice the curious look he'd given her looking at her weird white and red priestess garments. Kagome headed towards the place where she heard laughter. The Prancing Pony. Stepping inside she knew it to be a bar, as she pushed back her wet hair and made her way to a table Kagome couldn't get past the sounds that went through her ears. The looks people were giving her amidst their drinking and laughter.
"Hullo there," came a voice and Kagome found herself staring at four short men sitting at a table, they looked to be small teenagers. A full foot or so shorter than her. Kagome had seen weirder things in her life and she wasn't about to refuse hospitality when one of the invited her to sit with them. "Just thought you looked a bit lost," said the one who'd called her over. He had bright blue eyes and curly brown hair cropping upon his head. Kagome looked around, still looking like a lost puppy, before she returned her gaze back to him.
"I am a bit lost," she answered honestly. "Are we anywhere near Edo?" She questioned him, eyes searching desperately his own for truth, hoping he recognized the name.
"I'm sorry, but I can't say I've heard of the place," answered the curly haired man.
She wet her suddenly dry lips with her tongue and asked with a hoarse voice. "What year is it?" He raised a brow at her as one of his companions, a bright ginger haired one, answered her, "Thirty eighteen o' course. Master Fr-Underhill do you know her?" Sam caught himself from tripping over the name, they did need to use the fake name just in case. And who knew, mayhap this woman was a spy of Sauron's meant to distract them and get close with her innocent big blue eyes. Highly unlikely, thought Sam, but still we need to be safe. Don't want ole Gandalf turning me into a horse or a newt. He cringed at the thought of having his body parts twisted into an animal. That wizard could be scary sometimes, especially when he didn't tell you the consequences if you didn't take care of your best friend and left things up completely to your imagination to fill in what he might do.
"Samwise I think she's a little lost like us."
"She's really pretty," stated Pippin winking at Kagome rather cheekily as he raised his drink in her direction.
"Exotic looking too," murmured Merry. "Are you an elf? Maybe she's a friend of Gandalf's," said Merry looking up at 'Underhill' suddenly. Merry got up and went to get a bigger drink as Pippin left with him to talk to the bar tender and make friends. Too bad for Pippin that holding in his liquor wasn't his strong point for his mouth rambled on.
"Did Gandalf send you?" The 'Underhill' asked, the curly haired one, thinking surely someone who looked so strange and exotic knew the wizard. The little group didn't notice that a dark ranger in the corner was listening into their conversation; he'd stopped puffing on his pipe as soon as Kagome had asked the question about the year. Glancing at this place, these weird people, knowing the year, hearing these accents, Kagome suddenly felt she was no longer in Edo and it wasn't just the place she'd been misplaced in. If the looks of the area meant anything she was in a different time altogether.
"I'm sorry Mister Underhill, but I don't know this Gandalf of whom you speak… but do you think he could help me? My name's Kagome. You wouldn't believe what just happened to me," she murmured in a voice that said she was about to break down any moment. She cordially shook his hand, eyes filled with distress and relief at the same time for having escaped the troubles outside. Instantly he felt compassion for the young girl. The curly haired hobbit patted her knee and said, "What happened?"
"You don't mind me talking?"
"Not at all Kagome, I think we're going to be here for a while," he answered with a bright and cheerful voice as he looked up at her. It was obvious she was foreign, but for some reason Frodo took to her like he took to Sam, she just seemed to radiate a wave of peace and tranquility around her that couldn't be explained. Sam chewed on his bread while Frodo spoke with the odd foreigner. Kagome opened her mouth, these beings were different. They weren't human, but they weren't demons, so they may understand where she was coming from. Kagome gathered her courage and stored away her nerves when she spoke up.
"I don't know if you believe in magic-"
"Sure I do, Gandalf is a wizard," piped up Frodo. Kagome instantly felt her entire being flood with relief at this news. A wizard who was friends with this nice boy surely had to be a good wizard.
"Well, I'm not in my proper time, I know it doesn't make sense but I'm not from this period or this place," she rambled on, not noticing how the dark shadow of a man in the corner seemed to lean in closer against his table intrigued by this news. Frodo tilted his head, but let her ramble; she was a female after all. "But I just landed here and bam! I get chased by this dark shadowy rider-" His eyes opened wide, now that he recognized amidst all her babbling.
"Dark riders? You were followed by one!" Frodo asked while Sam twisted his head around to stare at her.
"Oh no Master Underhill what if it followed her-"
"No, don't worry I hurt it," Kagome quickly quipped putting up her hands. She felt the touch of someone's aura, as if it were leaning in to listen in as well, and she cast her glance around to spy out the gleam of dark brown eyes from a man in the darkened corner of the Prancing Pony. For some reason looking at him made her breath catch in her throat. He seemed to exude power… she felt it from where she sat. Abruptly Kagome returned her gaze to Frodo.
"You hurt it?" Frodo asked in amazement, finding her tale interesting now. His fingers were absently playing with a necklace about his neck. "How did you hurt one of those things-"
"I threw my hands out and just hurt it… I'm a priestess," she answered. When Sam and Frodo looked at her dumbly she went onto explain, "A holy person…" They just stared at her mutely. "I have good magic." Instantly relief flickered over their features as they recognized that explanation.
"Oh," they both chimed in. "Well, we're in a twist as well," said Frodo.
"Oh sure I know Baggins," called out Pippin snapping the attention of Frodo. Kagome instantly knew that her new friends were in trouble if the look Frodo had on his face was any inclination. "He's right over there," said Pippin casting his hand in Frodo's direction sending a sloshing of the liquid in his cup. "Frodo Baggins. He's my second cousin once removed on his mother's side and my fourth cousin twice removed on my father's side." Frodo jerked up and took off moving from the crowd. Gandalf had told him to keep things secret, he had to get out of here before anyone questioned him. Unknown to him Kagome had instantly risen and chased after him, sure that she could help him and wondering what was alarming him so.
"Step aside," she ordered the massive crowd as Frod tried to make his way through only to bump into someone. The necklace that had peeped out of his shirt flew with a golden ring on the edge of it, Frodo reached out to grab it and the ring slid upon his finger. Instantly the hobbit was gone. And even more shocking for the crowd watching was the fact that as soon as the ring had touched Frodo's finger Kagome's body had illuminated a bright pink light as she felt evil within the room.
