Changes (chapter 1)
It was a bright sunny day, people were going about their usual busy lives in Tokyo, going to work, going to school, it was just your overall normal day for normal people. Everyone that is except a certain girl who lived at an old shrine...
"SIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!! "screamed a teenage girl's voice, echoing over the shrine area. A loud thudding sound followed shortly after. "HWAGH!! "
We now look upon a rather amusing but rather typical scene. As the dust clears we see Kagome Higurashi now clad in a new high school uniform, glaring down at a human sized hole. A growl comes from the hole, as well as a hand that reaches out to grasp the edge; Inuyasha's head comes into view, a vein popping on his forehead.
"Damn it Kagome!! Why do you always hafta go and use that bloody spell for every single little thing that annoys you?!" He fumed, glaring up at her.
"I have plenty of good reasons for using it!!! Want to hear them?!! Well I'll tell you!! You came here to pick me up when I specifically told you that I would be gone for four days because I needed to study and I have tests!! But here you are on the second day!! "She exclaimed.
"Two days is plenty enough! I don't see why you need four flipping days to study for those stupid tests!!! You got into......... that 'hi scool' thing you were always studying for, why are you still having to take those tests?!! " He complained, pulling himself out of the hole, and standing in front her, glowering.
Kagome sighed in exasperation, and mentally rolled her eyes, thinking 'why me? How many times do I have to explain this to him before he understands?' She rubbed the sides of her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Let me explain this to you again, nice and slowly so that you will understand... Yes, I got into High School, but, now the pressure is even greater! I need to work hard so that I can get into a good University, so that I can get a good job in the future so that I can support my future family and myself! Can't you understand that? "She explained, hoping that she had somehow made things clear for him. Inuyasha was quiet for a while, and appeared to be thinking hard about something, and for a moment, Kagome thought he had finally understood! However her hopes crashed to the earth when he spoke up.
"Well then! All you need to do is stay in my time and you won't have to worry about working, or taking those silly tests! Besides! Collecting the remainders of the Shikon no Tama's shards is more important than any test!! You should be fulfilling your duty, by helping us gather them all, seeing as you're the one who shattered it in the first place!" he reminded her.
A vein popped on her head." I know that already!! How many times are you going to bring it up?! I am fully aware that I am responsible for the shattering of the Shikon no Tama!! But that doesn't mean that I have to give up my life here!! I grew up here Inuyasha! My parents raised me to always do my best, but it's hard to do that when you are constantly dragging me into the feudal time!! I want to be able to have a chance of creating a future for myself! What am I going to do once we are done collecting the shards? Once we defeat Naraku? I want to have something waiting for me once this is all over!"
Inuyasha's ears flattened a bit, and he looked a little sad. That was something he didn't want to think about. Sure, he really wanted to kill Naraku, but, somewhere in the back of his head, he was actually somewhat thankful to Naraku (BUT ONLY A LITTLE!!! He still despised the bastard for what he did to him and Kikyo) but, if Naraku hadn't done what he had done, Inuyasha would never have met Kagome, heck, she might not even exist! And just the thought of not having a Kagome in the world, well, it made him sad. He wouldn't be who he was today if it wasn't for her. The reason he always came earlier to pick her up was because not having her near him drove him insane! He had become used to her always being with him! So, whenever she left to go home, even for a couple days, he became restless, moody, and he seemed to have no will to do anything, but wait for what seemed like an eternity for her to return! Although, usually, his impatience got the better of him, and he would go and get her! He had also secretly hoped that she would decide to stay in the feudal time. But, he couldn't ask her to stay. His pride wouldn't let him.
Kagome noticed that he went quiet, and sighed sadly. She knew he would be sad if she left, even if he wouldn't admit it. She would be sad too! She loved him for crying out loud! But she didn't think she could stay if he was going to be with Kikyo. Kikyo... she wasn't sure what she felt towards the reincarnated miko. It was always a touchy subject when it came to Kikyo. She felt respect for her, but she also felt envious of the fact that Inuyasha's heart seemed to belong to Kikyo. There wasn't anything she could do about that, but she always wanted to stay by his side, until the end.
Kagome's expression softened, and she raised her hand to caress his cheek softly, he looked surprised for a moment. "I'm sorry if I sounded mean or selfish Inuyasha, but we got to be realistic. You know that I'll miss you more than anything if I go........."
Inuyasha placed his hand over hers; Kagome blushed lightly at his gesture, he rarely ever showed affection. "I know... I just wish...." He trailed off.
She looked up at him, silently encouraging him to continue." What?" she asked softly. He looked somewhat uncomfortable, not really sure what to say, or how to say it, he looked at her and the words just came out. "I just wish that things could have been different... I wish that..." he gulped." I wish that I had met you first Kagome"
Kagome looked surprised, then slowly tears came to her eyes, and she bowed her head to hide them, then stepped forward and rested her forehead against his chest, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, and whispered softly." Me too Inuyasha"
Inuyasha looked down at her sadly, her tiny shoulders shaking from suppressed sobs, then slowly wrapped his arms around her, and held her close to him, letting her cry as long as she wanted. Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her face into his chest, his fire rat robe muffling the tiny sounds that escaped her throat.
They stayed like that for a while, until she calmed down. She slowly pushed away from him until just her hands were resting on his chest. "Inuyasha, I know this is a lot to ask, but, can I have some time to myself please? I promise to come back after 2 days, I just need some time..." she asked in a quiet voice." To think..."
Inuyasha looked at her silently, then nodded. "Ok... If that's what you want Kagome" she nodded silently, looking at the ground." Do you want me to come and get you?"
"No, its ok. I'll come," she said softly.
Inuyasha nodded again, then, surprising them both, he gave her one more hug, then, turned around and walked to the well. Kagome watched him go, and she felt the tears swelling up in her eyes again. As soon as he disappeared through the well's doors, she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, and let the sobs come out freely this time. 'Why? Why can't him and me be together?! It just isn't fair! It's not fair!! Why did I have to go and fall in love with him?! Things would have been so much easier if I hadn't! ' Who was she kidding? She wouldn't give up a single moment that she spent with Inuyasha. Even if they couldn't be together, she would still cherish the time they spent together!
"I've got to be strong! Not just for my sake but for his sake too! There's no way we would be able to fight Naraku if I'm all depressed like this! " With that said, she got up shakily, and glanced at the well house again, and felt a tear slide down her cheek. 'Well, maybe I can cry a little longer... just a little longer, that should be ok, shouldn't it? '
ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER:
CHANGES (CHAPTER 2)
It had been only a day since Inuyasha had gone to see Kagome, and ever since he had returned, the others had noticed his change in behavior, and were getting worried about him. He had gone to sit in the Goshinboku tree, and hadn't come to see them to complain about Kagome staying too long in her time or anything! Even when Shippo had jumped onto his head, and started gnawing on Inuyasha's ears, complaining that he hadn't brought Kagome back with him, but Inuyasha just ignored him, and just sat there, staring off into the distance.
"Hoshi-Sama, what do you suppose could be wrong with him? This isn't like him! I know he always sits in that tree whenever he's brooding, but this time it's different! He usually reacts to Shippo, but he acts as if he hasn't even noticed him!" Sango said worriedly, glancing over at Inuyasha's direction from the place they were hiding in.
"I am guessing it has to do with Kagome-Sama. Something must have happened when he went over there" the monk mused, folding his arms in his deep sleeves of his kimono. "Why must he always keep things to himself?! It just makes other people worry! I can't stand it!" Sango huffed. "Now, now Sango, Inuyasha will tell us when he's ready. I think right now, he has a bunch of things that he needs to sort out before he can talk to anybody. So, until then we must be patient, and wait it out" Miroku said seriously. "How can you be like that Hoshi-sama? So patient?" Sango asked incredulously.
The monk smiled to himself." Quite the opposite my dear Sango, I'm actually very impatient! I just find things to do while I wait" Sango looked confused for a second, but then her face went from confused to disgusted, and looked down to see that once again, his hand had managed to find its way to her rear and was massaging it lightly. Her face turned red, and she brought her hand up and slapped him hard across the cheek, sending him flying into a near by tree. "YOU STUPID PERVERTED MONK!!!" Sango yelled, stomping off muttering to herself 'I can't believe I actually took him seriously there for a moment....' As she stalked off, Miroku watched her with a content look on his face that said ' it was worth it'.
Later on that day, Kaede called them all in saying she had urgent news concerning Kagome, which caught Inuyasha's attention, and silently followed the old miko into her hut, and sat in a corner. Sango, Miroku and Shippo sat near the fire across the old woman. "You are all probably wondering why I have called you hear. Well, I'll just get it out now. As you all know, I am getting older, and it's getting harder for me to protect this village by myself, so, I am thinking of asking Kagome if she would consider taking Miko training from me, so that she might be able to take over once I die" Kaede explained. Everyone jumped up all at once. "WHAT?!" they all yelled at once. "Have you talked to Kagome-chan?!" "Why did you decide this all of a sudden old bag?!!" "Do you think Kagome will agree?!" "Do you think she will bear my children if she stays?!!" 2 loud smacks followed that remark. "You stupid perverted monk!! Why do you always have to go and say stupid stuff like that all the time?! "Yelled Inuyasha, his fist clenched, glaring down at the monk who had this idiotic grin on his face, as well as 2 huge lumps on his head. "Honestly, every time I think that you might be the slightest bit mature, you go and do something like that!! You're as bad as Inuyasha!! "Sango exclaimed, gripping her Hiraikotsu tightly, wanting to give the already beaten up monk another beating. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean Sango?! Don't put him in the same category as me! Him and me aren't anything alike! "Inuyasha yelled defensively. "Your right, you two aren't alike... he's more mature! "Shippo piped in." He at least knows how to deal with his girl problems unlike a certain someone here!" Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched."He also dresses cooler then you!" A vein popped on Inuyasha's forehead." And he doesn't make girls cry!"
Inuyasha clenched his fist tightly at the last comment, but then went quiet, remembering Kagome. Shippo closed his eyes tightly waiting to be bonked on the head, but nothing came. Shippo slowly opened one eye warily, looking at Inuyasha whose eyes were covered by his hair. Shippo jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and tried to look at his face. "Hey what's up Inuyasha? "then suddenly Inuyasha's fist came flying and bonked Shippo on the head.
Shippo fell to the floor with a 'plop' his eyes spinning. Inuyasha went and sat back down in a corner of the hut.
Kaede cleared her throat loudly, catching everyone's attention. "As I was saying! I want to train Kagome to be the villages next Miko! I think she has the talent, the power, as well as the heart to be a good Miko! The reason I am telling you all this is because I want you all to be there for her when she makes her decision. I know it will be a hard decision for her to make, seeing as she has her other home, but we greatly need her here! It is very hard to find someone who has been born with the power that Kagome has! And there aren't any girls in the village who have what it takes to be one! I have tried training some of them, but nothing has come out of it! So, once again, I'd like to ask you all to be there for Kagome if she does decide to do this, for she will need all the support she can get! "Kaede finished.
Everyone was silent for a moment, then they all nodded, except for Inuyasha, who just sat there his mind full of thoughts.' If Kagome becomes the next Miko, she won't need to go back to her time again, and this would be considered a good future I think, and when we defeat Naraku, she would be able to come back to this village to be its protector! '. Inuyasha suddenly got up, and walked out of the hut. He needed to think some more.
Everyone watched him leaving silently, then all sighed. "So how long do you think it will be this time for his thinking time? " Sango asked. "I give it a day! Seeing as Kagome-Sama will be coming back in that time, so, he will have to do all his thinking until tomorrow night! "The monk explained. They all nodded at that.
Just outside the village, unknown to everyone, a figure moved stealthily through the woods shadows, concealing its aura, moving with lighting speed towards an old beat up looking well. The figure stops at the edge, and a mouth, which can be seen in the darkness, curls up in a evil grin, then jumps into the wells depths, barely leaving a trace of its being there.
ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER
CHANGES (CHAPTER 3)
(Back to the present time)
The sun had just set in the distance behind the Higurashi shrine, and we see Kagome walking along the road that leads to the great many stairs that lead to her home.
Kagome sighed, a lightly rubbed her tired shoulders. She had just come from her cram night school, and it had been a grueling session, but tonight, she just couldn't concentrate on her studies, try as she might, her thoughts kept coming back to Inuyasha. Typical. She came here to get a break from him so she could study, but, in the end, he was all she could think about. Typical and Ironic.
She sighed again as she stepped in front of the stairs, looking up at them all, then commenced climbing them, thinking about the nice hot bath she was going to take once she got home. She reached the top, and proceeded to the house, and walked in.
"I'm home! "she called out, but no answer came. That was odd, her mom and Sota usually called back, maybe they went out, she looked at the shoes that were lined up at the front. Nope, they were here, because none of their shoes were missing. "Mama? Sota? I'm home! "Still there was no answer. She took her shoes off and walked through the house, and into the kitchen. The lights were on, she looked at the stove, and saw whatever her mom was cooking was bubbling over the edge of the pot, all over the stove onto the floor. She quickly ran over, careful not to burn herself, took the pot off and turned the stove off. She was starting to get scared, her mom never left anything that she was cooking that long! She looked around frantically, now noticing spilled contents of, what she supposed, was supposed to be their dinner, all over the floor.
"MAMA?! Where are you?!" she yelled out, running out of the kitchen, and through the house, to the back where she saw the back door wide open, slamming against the wall of the house from the wind. She ran outside, not caring if she didn't have her shoes on. "MAMA?!!? SOTA?!! GRANDPA?!!!! IF YOU'RE HERE SAY SOMETHING!!! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!" Then she felt it. A cold sensation ran through her entire being. She had felt this before, but not here. The only place she had ever felt this dread was in the feudal age. It was Naraku's aura. She whipped around, looking everywhere frantically. 'But how?! ' She thought to herself.' If it is him, how did he get into the future?! I didn't sense the Shikon no Tama! '
A low menacing laugh came from somewhere, and echoed through the shrine area. She would know that laugh from anywhere. "Your probably wondering how I got here without the Shikon no Tama, aren't you Kagome?" another low laugh. "Show yourself Naraku!! Where are you?! "She yelled, gathering up as much courage as she could. "So brave, Kagome, even without your faithful bodyguard here to protect you, but, how long will this bravery last I wonder? So would you like to know how I managed to come to the future?" echoed his voice. "Stop playing games you Bastard! Come out where I can see you!!!" she screamed. As long as she could see him, then it would lessen the fact that he was here a little, she was scared at the fact that she didn't know where he was, and that he could attack her at any moment. "Such cruel words Kagome, I'm hurt... I see you have picked up some of Inuyasha's...characteristics.... how utterly romantic" the last words came out sarcastically."... So... would you like to know how I got here? " "FINE! TELL ME!" She yelled. Maybe if she could get him to keep talking, she would be able to figure out where he was. But it was really hard to tell; his aura felt like it was coming from everywhere! Another laugh. She was really starting to hate his laugh. "Kagome, did you notice the piece of material missing on the edge of your kimono? Or whatever it is your wearing... strange clothes you humans wear in the future..." came his voice. Kagome looked down at her skirt, and noticed that her skirt was indeed missing some of its fabric on the edge. She hadn't even noticed. "Did you know that anything from this time could be used to bring someone from the feudal age into this time? Luckily for me, you are rather clumsy, and your kimono got caught on the edge of the well, and ripped. It's a good thing I was in the area... How lucky was I to find it..." a quiet noise came from around that sounded like he was breathing in deeply. "I love that smell...fear... another question Kagome...aren't you wondering where your family has disappeared to? " Kagome's eyes grew wide.' No, please don't tell me that he... no, maybe they all felt something weird and ran away...please... let them have ran away safely' she prayed silently to herself over and over, that is until she heard his low laugh again.
"Don't worry, you'll be joining them soon... your soul that is... "His voice took a hard edge, and Kagome felt a strong wind whip around her, and suddenly, he was coming right towards her, a black cloak covering his body. Kagome tried to move backwards to get away, but her ankle tripped on something, causing her to fall a bit. Just as Naraku descended down on her, he pulled a blade out from his cloak; the blade was glowing red and seemed to be pulsing with some kind of energy. With one quick and powerful thrust, he shoved it into her chest. The attack was so great, that it sent her flying into the Goshinboku tree, cracking it, and pinning her to the tree, just below the spot where Inuyasha was pinned. "How fitting... that you should die in the exact same place that Inuyasha did "He smirked, then walked over to her limp form, and roughly pulled her head back by her hair, forcing her to look at him, but her eyes were closed in pain, her teeth gritted together, blood pooling over the sides of her mouth. He smirked at her face. A line of blood trickled down her scalp, over her face. A pool of blood at her feet from the blade embedded in her chest, and her breathing was shallow.
"I said I'd show you your family, well there they are! "Naraku pointed over to the side, near the hut that her grandfather stored things. Kagome slowly, but painfully opened her eyes. At first she couldn't see anything, but then the scenery wobbled, then cleared and she saw her family, all of them lying lifelessly on the ground, blood all over the place. That was why she didn't see them before; they were covered by some kind of illusion.
"M....mama....Sota...Grand...pa..." she croaked out, her voice dying along with her body, tears pooling up in her eyes. "no... no! NO!!" She screamed.
Naraku sneered at her, pulling her head towards him again, forcing her to look at him again, although, she could barely see anything through her tears. "Does it hurt?" he chuckled." Well, this is nothing. You see this pretty little blade I have placed inside of you? It's a rather special kind of weapon actually, that red energy that was pulsing within it was actually Demon's blood believe it or not" he explained as if he were explaining the weather. "This blade was made JUST for a specific use. Turning Humans into Demons. Of course, during the course of them losing their human form, they also lose their human soul to the demons soul that lives within the blood, leaving the demons souls completely in charge of body. So you, my dear..." he ran a finger over her cheek, causing her to feel nauseated. "Well, you will cease to exist after this, and I will use your demon body to kill your friends, just like I killed your family over there". He stepped away from her, and looked thoughtful." I wonder what his reaction would be finding you here? Already dead, making him realize that he wasn't here to save you..." an evil grin played over his face, and he walked over to the bodies of her family, standing over them, his miasma building up around him, causing a fire to start around the bodies. Kagome's eyes grew wide. "No... what are you doing?! Stay away from them! "She choked out with what little energy she had left. "What's the matter? They are already dead" He chuckled. The fire started to catch hold of the house, and the other parts of the shrine." Say goodbye Kagome" with that he walked off towards the burning well house, disappearing in the smoke, leaving her there to watch her family burn before her very eyes, along with her home, childhood, her memories. She slowly looked down at the ground, her eyes blank, as the world started getting dark around her, her last thought was'... I... won't... give...my... soul... that easily...' As she slipped into the darkness, she murmured "Inu...Yasha..."
ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER CHANGES (CHAPTER 4)
It was early the next day, the sun had barely risen, but Inuyasha hadn't slept all night. He didn't know why but something was bothering him. It was like a nagging feeling that seemed to keep growing with each minute. 'What is this uneasy feeling? ' He wondered to himself, growing restless. He was starting to get worried, thinking maybe something was wrong with Kagome, and wanted to go over to her side just to check to see if she was ok. But he remembered that she said that she wanted some time to herself, and that she would come back by herself.
His fingers began tapping on his knee. Something was telling him to go, he didn't know what, but he felt that if he didn't go see her, something might happen. Maybe, if he were careful to not let her see him, it would be all right. She wouldn't have to know he came by; he would just look in her window, make sure she was ok, and then leave. That's all. Nodding to himself, he got up quickly, and ran as fast as he could to the well, but when he reached the well, he caught a faint smell, that smelt like Naraku. Growling at himself for not sensing Naraku, and also for the fact that Naraku had been here by the well. Then he suddenly stopped, his eyes wide. 'He couldn't have...gone through the well could he...?' he thought, suddenly getting a sick feeling in his stomach, and quickly jumped through the well. 'Please be ok Kagome...' he pleaded silently, as he passed through the blue glowing light. He had barely touched the ground, when smells assaulted his nose. The first one that hit him right away was the smell of burnt wood and flesh. He looked up and he noticed the roof of the well's hut was burnt down, and he could see the sky. He swiftly jumped out of the well, and over the debris of the hut. When he reached outside, another scent hit him, the smell of blood. It was Kagome's blood. Feeling his heart pounding hard against his chest he followed the smell until he reached the Goshinboku, barely singed. He felt his heart go to his throat as his eye's looked upon the site.
His eye's watered as he looked at Kagome's small pale body, pinned to the tree by a blade, a huge pool of blood at her feet. Her clothes were singed, and her legs where covered in scratches. Swallowing hard, he walked forward on weak and shaky legs, and reached out a hand to her bowed head. He gently cupped her chin, and raised her head. Her face was white, and eye's were closed. He brought a shaking hand and gently wiped away the blood trails from her lips. "Kagome... wake up... its alright now... I'm here..." he whispered, cradling her face with his hands. He then noticed that she wasn't breathing. "C'mon Kagome! You gotta wake up! Please...for me! Open your eye's..." he choked down a sob that threatened to come out, and vaguely noticed that a tear had slipped down his face. He looked at the blade. "Oh... right... I should remove the blade, then you'll open your eye's, right?"
He grasped the handle shakily, and as gently as he could, he pulled it from her body. Her body sagged, and fell against him, He wrapped his arms around her, and sat on the ground with her in his lap. Her head rolled lifelessly against his arm. He brought his hand up to her face." Your so cold Kagome" he whispered, tightening his arms around her, and looked at her face." Your free now, so its ok to open your eye's". When she didn't respond, he gently shook her shoulders. "C'mon Kagome, you got to wake up! We got to search for the shards, and Shippo won't let me hear the end of it if you don't wake up..." He stared at her face, waiting for her to do something, anything, for what seemed like eternity, but the only thing that moved was her hair being tossed by the wind. A strangled sob come from his throat." Kagome..." he whimpered, and drew her closer to him, and began rocking back and forth, quiet sobs coming from him. "Kagome...please...come back to me"
5 days had passed since then, and everybody in the village was mourning Kagome's death. Shippo hadn't stopped crying since Inuyasha had come through the well with Kagome cradled lifelessly in his arms. Inuyasha hadn't let anyone near Kagome's body for a while, growling at anyone who came near him, but eventually he let Kaede take her to clean her up. They had decided to bury her body by the well, seeing as that was the closest to home for her. Inuyasha had never left the grave. He stayed there, leaning against the well, looking at the spot where she lay the entire time. Sango and Miroku came by every morning to place flowers on the grave. "I'm worried about him Hoshi-sama. He hasn't eaten or slept, or talked to anyone since he brought her back" Sango murmured. The monk sighed. He knew that Inuyasha was suffering. Even though the hanyou had never admitted it out loud, Miroku knew that Inuyasha had loved Kagome very much. "I know, but this is his way of dealing with Kagome-sama's death" He explained. "I know, I just..." Sango drew in a shaky breath." We all loved her, so we need to be there for each other, especially right now! And Shippo has holed himself in Kaede's hut, and has held onto the bad that Kagome left here. I think Kagome would have wanted us to support each other, not going off by ourselves and suffering"
Miroku nodded." I agree, but we must think about how Inuyasha feels for a moment. I'm sure right now he is thinking it is his fault that she died seeing as he didn't get there in time to save her" He sighed again. "I think we should give him some more time to himself. Losing someone you love can be very hard to deal with, and you would probably want to be by yourself for awhile"
Sango looked at him." You talk as if you have experienced this before" she said quietly, wondering if he had ever been in love before. "No, I have never lost a loved one, but if someone very important to me died, I'm sure that is how I would feel" he murmured, looking right at her, making her blush. They continued walking in silence, but he reached over, and grasped her hand gently. Her eyes widened, then softened, and squeezed his hand back in return.
Back at the well, Inuyasha continued to stare at the ground, reaching out a hand, and ran it over the soil. His eyes were half open, wanting to close in sleep, but he refused to sleep, he wanted to stay awake. He was scared that if he fell asleep, his dreams would be of him finding her dead again. He blinked a couple times, and then laid down on the ground right beside the grave. He wouldn't go to sleep; he just wanted to be closer to her. He blinked a couple more times. It was getting harder to keep his eyes open. ' Well, maybe I'll just close them to rest them, but I won't fall asleep..."He thought to himself.' Won't...fall...asleep...' but eventually a restless sleep overtook him.
Night came, and everyone in the village had all gone to sleep in their homes. The clouds cleared, and the full moon shone brightly over the spot where Inuyasha slept. A strong wind passed over the grave, and a soft heartbeat started beating underneath the ground, getting stronger with each beat.
'Thump...thump...THUMP...THUMP... '
Suddenly a hand broke through the ground, and grasped the grass, pulling, until, Kagome's body appeared, all dirty from the soil, her eye's closed, and her breathing heavy. Inuyasha jolted awake, and looked wildly around, when his eye's fell upon Kagome, pulling herself out of the ground." K...Kagome...? Kagome!!" he quickly helped pull her out, pulling her into his lap, his hands on either side of her face. "Kagome! "he choked, feeling tears gather in the corner of his eye's, as he looked at her face." Kagome, your alive! I...thought...how...I don't understand...I thought you were dead..." Kagome continued breathing heavily, her eye's closed. "I...Inuyasha..." she rasped, then slowly and almost painfully, opened her eyes, and looked at him, her eyes glowing strangely in the moon's light. "I'm...back..."
ONTO NEXT CHAPTER
CHANGES (CHAPTER 5)
Kagome stood on a hill that overlooked the village, a light breeze lifting her hair every now and then, the moon shining brightly above her. She still couldn't believe that she was alive, neither could anyone else. It had only been just last night when she had come back. She had managed to get away while everyone was asleep. Even Inuyasha, who rarely ever slept, was exhausted. She looked sad, thinking about how he must have worried, thinking she had died. A normal person would have died from a wound like that. Well, she did die, but she was able to have the chance to live again. But, things would be different. Something happened to her those days she was underground. Something that she couldn't tell anyone.
FLASH BACK
When Kagome opened her eyes. At least she thought she had opened her eyes. In front of her was a mist. In fact it surrounded her. She looked down, and saw there was nothing. Just more mist. 'Am I dead?' she wondered, looking around.
"Yes and no. You are dead, and yet you are not" came a soft female voice, which echoed around her. "Who's there? Where are you? "Kagome whipped around, looking everywhere. "I'm right here" the voice came from behind, she turned around, and found herself staring at a young looking girl about her age, wearing the same clothes as Kagome was. She had long black hair, but as Kagome looked closer, she noticed the girl had odd orange colored eyes. Eyes like a demon. "Yes, I am a demon, but as you can tell, I actually look quite human. I am Tanaka," she explained. Kagome's eye's widened. "What... I didn't even say anything!" Tanako smiled. "You don't have to say anything Kagome, I can read your thoughts, seeing as we are now one"
"What do you mean? And how did you know my name? And why are you wearing the same clothes as me?" Kagome staggered backwards, feeling a little frightened.
"There is no need to be afraid of me, I will not hurt you" Kagome relaxed a bit." I am inside you. I am one with you, so it is only natural that I would know your name, seeing as my blood flows through your veins. I dress like you because I thought it wouldn't scare you so much seeing something familiar" She fingered the clothing. "Although I have to say, I have never seen clothing like this before, but, seeing as you are from the future, it shouldn't really be a shock that the clothes are different"
"The same...blood...?" Kagome whispered, then remembered Naraku saying something about Demons blood inside of the blade he had stabbed her with. " So the blood in that blade was yours?" Tanaka nodded." But, then why are you here? He said I would lose my human soul to the demon soul!"
Tanaka looked angry." That Naraku! He always assumes that his plans will go his way! There are a couple reasons why I didn't take over your soul. I think your pure soul, and miko powers cleansed my evil demon ways" she laughed" I remember hearing you whisper before you died ' I won't give up my soul that easily', I was impressed. I wasn't as strong as you when I was like you"
"Like me?" Kagome looked confused. "Like you, I was a human before, but Naraku stabbed me with the same blade that had another demons blood in it. It took me over completely, although a tiny fragment of my soul remained. Naraku used me as a killing machine, doing all his dirty, evil work for him. A month ago, he suddenly stabbed me, taking almost all my blood, along with my soul, into the blade. I remember him saying 'don't you think those two would be surprised if I turned Kagome into a demon?'. And then the next thing I remember is awakening inside of you, but it was the real me, not the demon side of me" she looked thoughtful" like I said, it must have been your miko powers that let me be free of the demon power that controlled me"
"Naraku...how many people does he have to hurt before he is satisfied?" Kagome seethed. "He will never be satisfied. Not until he kills every happy person there is on this planet! Which is why we must stop him together! "Tanaka explained, her eyes burning. "But how? He is so strong! I can't count how many times we have fought him, and thought we had killed him, but hadn't!" Kagome yelled in frustration.
"We can't defeat him," Tanaka said quietly, Kagome's head jerked up. "B...but you just said that we must stop him together..." Kagome whispered.
Tanaka grabbed Kagome by the shoulders. "We will defeat him! But the Naraku of this time is too powerful! We need to go back in time and kill Onigumo before he became Naraku! It is the only way!" "Time travel? But how?" Kagome was getting confused. "With your ability to time travel and my demon power, it is possible. I know how to do it. The question is Kagome, would you give everyone up that you love for their sake? For their happiness?"
Kagome went silent. If they killed Onigumo, and Naraku would never have existed, which means, Sango's family would never have gotten killed, Kohaku wouldn't be controlled anymore, Miroku's grandfather would never have received that wound in his hand cursing his future family, and, Inuyasha and Kikyo would be able to be together like they always wanted from the beginning. She felt her heart wrench at the last thought." I...I don't know...I would but..." she stuttered.
Tanaka sighed." Don't worry; you don't have to answer me right away. This is a lot to take in, I understand. I will give you the time you need to think. But remember that with each day, Naraku gets stronger, so you must make a decision soon. I will always be here when you make your decision... Its time for you to wake up Kagome...I will hide your demonic scent so no one will be able to tell that you have changed "
Kagome nodded then thought of something. "Tanaka, if we did travel back in time and kill Naraku, would Inuyasha...remember me?" Kagome whispered. Tanaka looked sad, then slowly shook her head, then slowly disappeared. Kagome saw her surroundings slowly go white, and a blinding white light engulfed her.
END OF FLASH BACK
Kagome looked down at the ground sadly. Just thinking about leaving Inuyasha brought tears to her eyes. But if she did this, this would give everyone the chance to have the happiness they all deserved! None of them would have to go through all the heartache they went through because of Naraku. And Inuyasha... Inuyasha would be able to be with Kikyo like he was supposed to be. She wanted him to be happy, even if it meant that he would have to forget about her, and the times they had spent together. It was better this way. This way he wouldn't have to worry about picking between her and Kikyo.
"I can do this... its for everyone's sake... I've got to stop thinking about myself... I'll be ok, I'm sure I'll be able to meet someone else in the past..." but even as she said this, the tears still fell from her eyes. "Its not fair! Why did it have to be like this!? Why does he have to forget about me?! "She fell to the ground, her hands clenching the dirt.
It was a bright sunny day, people were going about their usual busy lives in Tokyo, going to work, going to school, it was just your overall normal day for normal people. Everyone that is except a certain girl who lived at an old shrine...
"SIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!! "screamed a teenage girl's voice, echoing over the shrine area. A loud thudding sound followed shortly after. "HWAGH!! "
We now look upon a rather amusing but rather typical scene. As the dust clears we see Kagome Higurashi now clad in a new high school uniform, glaring down at a human sized hole. A growl comes from the hole, as well as a hand that reaches out to grasp the edge; Inuyasha's head comes into view, a vein popping on his forehead.
"Damn it Kagome!! Why do you always hafta go and use that bloody spell for every single little thing that annoys you?!" He fumed, glaring up at her.
"I have plenty of good reasons for using it!!! Want to hear them?!! Well I'll tell you!! You came here to pick me up when I specifically told you that I would be gone for four days because I needed to study and I have tests!! But here you are on the second day!! "She exclaimed.
"Two days is plenty enough! I don't see why you need four flipping days to study for those stupid tests!!! You got into......... that 'hi scool' thing you were always studying for, why are you still having to take those tests?!! " He complained, pulling himself out of the hole, and standing in front her, glowering.
Kagome sighed in exasperation, and mentally rolled her eyes, thinking 'why me? How many times do I have to explain this to him before he understands?' She rubbed the sides of her temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Let me explain this to you again, nice and slowly so that you will understand... Yes, I got into High School, but, now the pressure is even greater! I need to work hard so that I can get into a good University, so that I can get a good job in the future so that I can support my future family and myself! Can't you understand that? "She explained, hoping that she had somehow made things clear for him. Inuyasha was quiet for a while, and appeared to be thinking hard about something, and for a moment, Kagome thought he had finally understood! However her hopes crashed to the earth when he spoke up.
"Well then! All you need to do is stay in my time and you won't have to worry about working, or taking those silly tests! Besides! Collecting the remainders of the Shikon no Tama's shards is more important than any test!! You should be fulfilling your duty, by helping us gather them all, seeing as you're the one who shattered it in the first place!" he reminded her.
A vein popped on her head." I know that already!! How many times are you going to bring it up?! I am fully aware that I am responsible for the shattering of the Shikon no Tama!! But that doesn't mean that I have to give up my life here!! I grew up here Inuyasha! My parents raised me to always do my best, but it's hard to do that when you are constantly dragging me into the feudal time!! I want to be able to have a chance of creating a future for myself! What am I going to do once we are done collecting the shards? Once we defeat Naraku? I want to have something waiting for me once this is all over!"
Inuyasha's ears flattened a bit, and he looked a little sad. That was something he didn't want to think about. Sure, he really wanted to kill Naraku, but, somewhere in the back of his head, he was actually somewhat thankful to Naraku (BUT ONLY A LITTLE!!! He still despised the bastard for what he did to him and Kikyo) but, if Naraku hadn't done what he had done, Inuyasha would never have met Kagome, heck, she might not even exist! And just the thought of not having a Kagome in the world, well, it made him sad. He wouldn't be who he was today if it wasn't for her. The reason he always came earlier to pick her up was because not having her near him drove him insane! He had become used to her always being with him! So, whenever she left to go home, even for a couple days, he became restless, moody, and he seemed to have no will to do anything, but wait for what seemed like an eternity for her to return! Although, usually, his impatience got the better of him, and he would go and get her! He had also secretly hoped that she would decide to stay in the feudal time. But, he couldn't ask her to stay. His pride wouldn't let him.
Kagome noticed that he went quiet, and sighed sadly. She knew he would be sad if she left, even if he wouldn't admit it. She would be sad too! She loved him for crying out loud! But she didn't think she could stay if he was going to be with Kikyo. Kikyo... she wasn't sure what she felt towards the reincarnated miko. It was always a touchy subject when it came to Kikyo. She felt respect for her, but she also felt envious of the fact that Inuyasha's heart seemed to belong to Kikyo. There wasn't anything she could do about that, but she always wanted to stay by his side, until the end.
Kagome's expression softened, and she raised her hand to caress his cheek softly, he looked surprised for a moment. "I'm sorry if I sounded mean or selfish Inuyasha, but we got to be realistic. You know that I'll miss you more than anything if I go........."
Inuyasha placed his hand over hers; Kagome blushed lightly at his gesture, he rarely ever showed affection. "I know... I just wish...." He trailed off.
She looked up at him, silently encouraging him to continue." What?" she asked softly. He looked somewhat uncomfortable, not really sure what to say, or how to say it, he looked at her and the words just came out. "I just wish that things could have been different... I wish that..." he gulped." I wish that I had met you first Kagome"
Kagome looked surprised, then slowly tears came to her eyes, and she bowed her head to hide them, then stepped forward and rested her forehead against his chest, the tears now flowing freely down her cheeks, and whispered softly." Me too Inuyasha"
Inuyasha looked down at her sadly, her tiny shoulders shaking from suppressed sobs, then slowly wrapped his arms around her, and held her close to him, letting her cry as long as she wanted. Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her face into his chest, his fire rat robe muffling the tiny sounds that escaped her throat.
They stayed like that for a while, until she calmed down. She slowly pushed away from him until just her hands were resting on his chest. "Inuyasha, I know this is a lot to ask, but, can I have some time to myself please? I promise to come back after 2 days, I just need some time..." she asked in a quiet voice." To think..."
Inuyasha looked at her silently, then nodded. "Ok... If that's what you want Kagome" she nodded silently, looking at the ground." Do you want me to come and get you?"
"No, its ok. I'll come," she said softly.
Inuyasha nodded again, then, surprising them both, he gave her one more hug, then, turned around and walked to the well. Kagome watched him go, and she felt the tears swelling up in her eyes again. As soon as he disappeared through the well's doors, she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, and let the sobs come out freely this time. 'Why? Why can't him and me be together?! It just isn't fair! It's not fair!! Why did I have to go and fall in love with him?! Things would have been so much easier if I hadn't! ' Who was she kidding? She wouldn't give up a single moment that she spent with Inuyasha. Even if they couldn't be together, she would still cherish the time they spent together!
"I've got to be strong! Not just for my sake but for his sake too! There's no way we would be able to fight Naraku if I'm all depressed like this! " With that said, she got up shakily, and glanced at the well house again, and felt a tear slide down her cheek. 'Well, maybe I can cry a little longer... just a little longer, that should be ok, shouldn't it? '
ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER:
CHANGES (CHAPTER 2)
It had been only a day since Inuyasha had gone to see Kagome, and ever since he had returned, the others had noticed his change in behavior, and were getting worried about him. He had gone to sit in the Goshinboku tree, and hadn't come to see them to complain about Kagome staying too long in her time or anything! Even when Shippo had jumped onto his head, and started gnawing on Inuyasha's ears, complaining that he hadn't brought Kagome back with him, but Inuyasha just ignored him, and just sat there, staring off into the distance.
"Hoshi-Sama, what do you suppose could be wrong with him? This isn't like him! I know he always sits in that tree whenever he's brooding, but this time it's different! He usually reacts to Shippo, but he acts as if he hasn't even noticed him!" Sango said worriedly, glancing over at Inuyasha's direction from the place they were hiding in.
"I am guessing it has to do with Kagome-Sama. Something must have happened when he went over there" the monk mused, folding his arms in his deep sleeves of his kimono. "Why must he always keep things to himself?! It just makes other people worry! I can't stand it!" Sango huffed. "Now, now Sango, Inuyasha will tell us when he's ready. I think right now, he has a bunch of things that he needs to sort out before he can talk to anybody. So, until then we must be patient, and wait it out" Miroku said seriously. "How can you be like that Hoshi-sama? So patient?" Sango asked incredulously.
The monk smiled to himself." Quite the opposite my dear Sango, I'm actually very impatient! I just find things to do while I wait" Sango looked confused for a second, but then her face went from confused to disgusted, and looked down to see that once again, his hand had managed to find its way to her rear and was massaging it lightly. Her face turned red, and she brought her hand up and slapped him hard across the cheek, sending him flying into a near by tree. "YOU STUPID PERVERTED MONK!!!" Sango yelled, stomping off muttering to herself 'I can't believe I actually took him seriously there for a moment....' As she stalked off, Miroku watched her with a content look on his face that said ' it was worth it'.
Later on that day, Kaede called them all in saying she had urgent news concerning Kagome, which caught Inuyasha's attention, and silently followed the old miko into her hut, and sat in a corner. Sango, Miroku and Shippo sat near the fire across the old woman. "You are all probably wondering why I have called you hear. Well, I'll just get it out now. As you all know, I am getting older, and it's getting harder for me to protect this village by myself, so, I am thinking of asking Kagome if she would consider taking Miko training from me, so that she might be able to take over once I die" Kaede explained. Everyone jumped up all at once. "WHAT?!" they all yelled at once. "Have you talked to Kagome-chan?!" "Why did you decide this all of a sudden old bag?!!" "Do you think Kagome will agree?!" "Do you think she will bear my children if she stays?!!" 2 loud smacks followed that remark. "You stupid perverted monk!! Why do you always have to go and say stupid stuff like that all the time?! "Yelled Inuyasha, his fist clenched, glaring down at the monk who had this idiotic grin on his face, as well as 2 huge lumps on his head. "Honestly, every time I think that you might be the slightest bit mature, you go and do something like that!! You're as bad as Inuyasha!! "Sango exclaimed, gripping her Hiraikotsu tightly, wanting to give the already beaten up monk another beating. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean Sango?! Don't put him in the same category as me! Him and me aren't anything alike! "Inuyasha yelled defensively. "Your right, you two aren't alike... he's more mature! "Shippo piped in." He at least knows how to deal with his girl problems unlike a certain someone here!" Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched."He also dresses cooler then you!" A vein popped on Inuyasha's forehead." And he doesn't make girls cry!"
Inuyasha clenched his fist tightly at the last comment, but then went quiet, remembering Kagome. Shippo closed his eyes tightly waiting to be bonked on the head, but nothing came. Shippo slowly opened one eye warily, looking at Inuyasha whose eyes were covered by his hair. Shippo jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and tried to look at his face. "Hey what's up Inuyasha? "then suddenly Inuyasha's fist came flying and bonked Shippo on the head.
Shippo fell to the floor with a 'plop' his eyes spinning. Inuyasha went and sat back down in a corner of the hut.
Kaede cleared her throat loudly, catching everyone's attention. "As I was saying! I want to train Kagome to be the villages next Miko! I think she has the talent, the power, as well as the heart to be a good Miko! The reason I am telling you all this is because I want you all to be there for her when she makes her decision. I know it will be a hard decision for her to make, seeing as she has her other home, but we greatly need her here! It is very hard to find someone who has been born with the power that Kagome has! And there aren't any girls in the village who have what it takes to be one! I have tried training some of them, but nothing has come out of it! So, once again, I'd like to ask you all to be there for Kagome if she does decide to do this, for she will need all the support she can get! "Kaede finished.
Everyone was silent for a moment, then they all nodded, except for Inuyasha, who just sat there his mind full of thoughts.' If Kagome becomes the next Miko, she won't need to go back to her time again, and this would be considered a good future I think, and when we defeat Naraku, she would be able to come back to this village to be its protector! '. Inuyasha suddenly got up, and walked out of the hut. He needed to think some more.
Everyone watched him leaving silently, then all sighed. "So how long do you think it will be this time for his thinking time? " Sango asked. "I give it a day! Seeing as Kagome-Sama will be coming back in that time, so, he will have to do all his thinking until tomorrow night! "The monk explained. They all nodded at that.
Just outside the village, unknown to everyone, a figure moved stealthily through the woods shadows, concealing its aura, moving with lighting speed towards an old beat up looking well. The figure stops at the edge, and a mouth, which can be seen in the darkness, curls up in a evil grin, then jumps into the wells depths, barely leaving a trace of its being there.
ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER
CHANGES (CHAPTER 3)
(Back to the present time)
The sun had just set in the distance behind the Higurashi shrine, and we see Kagome walking along the road that leads to the great many stairs that lead to her home.
Kagome sighed, a lightly rubbed her tired shoulders. She had just come from her cram night school, and it had been a grueling session, but tonight, she just couldn't concentrate on her studies, try as she might, her thoughts kept coming back to Inuyasha. Typical. She came here to get a break from him so she could study, but, in the end, he was all she could think about. Typical and Ironic.
She sighed again as she stepped in front of the stairs, looking up at them all, then commenced climbing them, thinking about the nice hot bath she was going to take once she got home. She reached the top, and proceeded to the house, and walked in.
"I'm home! "she called out, but no answer came. That was odd, her mom and Sota usually called back, maybe they went out, she looked at the shoes that were lined up at the front. Nope, they were here, because none of their shoes were missing. "Mama? Sota? I'm home! "Still there was no answer. She took her shoes off and walked through the house, and into the kitchen. The lights were on, she looked at the stove, and saw whatever her mom was cooking was bubbling over the edge of the pot, all over the stove onto the floor. She quickly ran over, careful not to burn herself, took the pot off and turned the stove off. She was starting to get scared, her mom never left anything that she was cooking that long! She looked around frantically, now noticing spilled contents of, what she supposed, was supposed to be their dinner, all over the floor.
"MAMA?! Where are you?!" she yelled out, running out of the kitchen, and through the house, to the back where she saw the back door wide open, slamming against the wall of the house from the wind. She ran outside, not caring if she didn't have her shoes on. "MAMA?!!? SOTA?!! GRANDPA?!!!! IF YOU'RE HERE SAY SOMETHING!!! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!" Then she felt it. A cold sensation ran through her entire being. She had felt this before, but not here. The only place she had ever felt this dread was in the feudal age. It was Naraku's aura. She whipped around, looking everywhere frantically. 'But how?! ' She thought to herself.' If it is him, how did he get into the future?! I didn't sense the Shikon no Tama! '
A low menacing laugh came from somewhere, and echoed through the shrine area. She would know that laugh from anywhere. "Your probably wondering how I got here without the Shikon no Tama, aren't you Kagome?" another low laugh. "Show yourself Naraku!! Where are you?! "She yelled, gathering up as much courage as she could. "So brave, Kagome, even without your faithful bodyguard here to protect you, but, how long will this bravery last I wonder? So would you like to know how I managed to come to the future?" echoed his voice. "Stop playing games you Bastard! Come out where I can see you!!!" she screamed. As long as she could see him, then it would lessen the fact that he was here a little, she was scared at the fact that she didn't know where he was, and that he could attack her at any moment. "Such cruel words Kagome, I'm hurt... I see you have picked up some of Inuyasha's...characteristics.... how utterly romantic" the last words came out sarcastically."... So... would you like to know how I got here? " "FINE! TELL ME!" She yelled. Maybe if she could get him to keep talking, she would be able to figure out where he was. But it was really hard to tell; his aura felt like it was coming from everywhere! Another laugh. She was really starting to hate his laugh. "Kagome, did you notice the piece of material missing on the edge of your kimono? Or whatever it is your wearing... strange clothes you humans wear in the future..." came his voice. Kagome looked down at her skirt, and noticed that her skirt was indeed missing some of its fabric on the edge. She hadn't even noticed. "Did you know that anything from this time could be used to bring someone from the feudal age into this time? Luckily for me, you are rather clumsy, and your kimono got caught on the edge of the well, and ripped. It's a good thing I was in the area... How lucky was I to find it..." a quiet noise came from around that sounded like he was breathing in deeply. "I love that smell...fear... another question Kagome...aren't you wondering where your family has disappeared to? " Kagome's eyes grew wide.' No, please don't tell me that he... no, maybe they all felt something weird and ran away...please... let them have ran away safely' she prayed silently to herself over and over, that is until she heard his low laugh again.
"Don't worry, you'll be joining them soon... your soul that is... "His voice took a hard edge, and Kagome felt a strong wind whip around her, and suddenly, he was coming right towards her, a black cloak covering his body. Kagome tried to move backwards to get away, but her ankle tripped on something, causing her to fall a bit. Just as Naraku descended down on her, he pulled a blade out from his cloak; the blade was glowing red and seemed to be pulsing with some kind of energy. With one quick and powerful thrust, he shoved it into her chest. The attack was so great, that it sent her flying into the Goshinboku tree, cracking it, and pinning her to the tree, just below the spot where Inuyasha was pinned. "How fitting... that you should die in the exact same place that Inuyasha did "He smirked, then walked over to her limp form, and roughly pulled her head back by her hair, forcing her to look at him, but her eyes were closed in pain, her teeth gritted together, blood pooling over the sides of her mouth. He smirked at her face. A line of blood trickled down her scalp, over her face. A pool of blood at her feet from the blade embedded in her chest, and her breathing was shallow.
"I said I'd show you your family, well there they are! "Naraku pointed over to the side, near the hut that her grandfather stored things. Kagome slowly, but painfully opened her eyes. At first she couldn't see anything, but then the scenery wobbled, then cleared and she saw her family, all of them lying lifelessly on the ground, blood all over the place. That was why she didn't see them before; they were covered by some kind of illusion.
"M....mama....Sota...Grand...pa..." she croaked out, her voice dying along with her body, tears pooling up in her eyes. "no... no! NO!!" She screamed.
Naraku sneered at her, pulling her head towards him again, forcing her to look at him again, although, she could barely see anything through her tears. "Does it hurt?" he chuckled." Well, this is nothing. You see this pretty little blade I have placed inside of you? It's a rather special kind of weapon actually, that red energy that was pulsing within it was actually Demon's blood believe it or not" he explained as if he were explaining the weather. "This blade was made JUST for a specific use. Turning Humans into Demons. Of course, during the course of them losing their human form, they also lose their human soul to the demons soul that lives within the blood, leaving the demons souls completely in charge of body. So you, my dear..." he ran a finger over her cheek, causing her to feel nauseated. "Well, you will cease to exist after this, and I will use your demon body to kill your friends, just like I killed your family over there". He stepped away from her, and looked thoughtful." I wonder what his reaction would be finding you here? Already dead, making him realize that he wasn't here to save you..." an evil grin played over his face, and he walked over to the bodies of her family, standing over them, his miasma building up around him, causing a fire to start around the bodies. Kagome's eyes grew wide. "No... what are you doing?! Stay away from them! "She choked out with what little energy she had left. "What's the matter? They are already dead" He chuckled. The fire started to catch hold of the house, and the other parts of the shrine." Say goodbye Kagome" with that he walked off towards the burning well house, disappearing in the smoke, leaving her there to watch her family burn before her very eyes, along with her home, childhood, her memories. She slowly looked down at the ground, her eyes blank, as the world started getting dark around her, her last thought was'... I... won't... give...my... soul... that easily...' As she slipped into the darkness, she murmured "Inu...Yasha..."
ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER CHANGES (CHAPTER 4)
It was early the next day, the sun had barely risen, but Inuyasha hadn't slept all night. He didn't know why but something was bothering him. It was like a nagging feeling that seemed to keep growing with each minute. 'What is this uneasy feeling? ' He wondered to himself, growing restless. He was starting to get worried, thinking maybe something was wrong with Kagome, and wanted to go over to her side just to check to see if she was ok. But he remembered that she said that she wanted some time to herself, and that she would come back by herself.
His fingers began tapping on his knee. Something was telling him to go, he didn't know what, but he felt that if he didn't go see her, something might happen. Maybe, if he were careful to not let her see him, it would be all right. She wouldn't have to know he came by; he would just look in her window, make sure she was ok, and then leave. That's all. Nodding to himself, he got up quickly, and ran as fast as he could to the well, but when he reached the well, he caught a faint smell, that smelt like Naraku. Growling at himself for not sensing Naraku, and also for the fact that Naraku had been here by the well. Then he suddenly stopped, his eyes wide. 'He couldn't have...gone through the well could he...?' he thought, suddenly getting a sick feeling in his stomach, and quickly jumped through the well. 'Please be ok Kagome...' he pleaded silently, as he passed through the blue glowing light. He had barely touched the ground, when smells assaulted his nose. The first one that hit him right away was the smell of burnt wood and flesh. He looked up and he noticed the roof of the well's hut was burnt down, and he could see the sky. He swiftly jumped out of the well, and over the debris of the hut. When he reached outside, another scent hit him, the smell of blood. It was Kagome's blood. Feeling his heart pounding hard against his chest he followed the smell until he reached the Goshinboku, barely singed. He felt his heart go to his throat as his eye's looked upon the site.
His eye's watered as he looked at Kagome's small pale body, pinned to the tree by a blade, a huge pool of blood at her feet. Her clothes were singed, and her legs where covered in scratches. Swallowing hard, he walked forward on weak and shaky legs, and reached out a hand to her bowed head. He gently cupped her chin, and raised her head. Her face was white, and eye's were closed. He brought a shaking hand and gently wiped away the blood trails from her lips. "Kagome... wake up... its alright now... I'm here..." he whispered, cradling her face with his hands. He then noticed that she wasn't breathing. "C'mon Kagome! You gotta wake up! Please...for me! Open your eye's..." he choked down a sob that threatened to come out, and vaguely noticed that a tear had slipped down his face. He looked at the blade. "Oh... right... I should remove the blade, then you'll open your eye's, right?"
He grasped the handle shakily, and as gently as he could, he pulled it from her body. Her body sagged, and fell against him, He wrapped his arms around her, and sat on the ground with her in his lap. Her head rolled lifelessly against his arm. He brought his hand up to her face." Your so cold Kagome" he whispered, tightening his arms around her, and looked at her face." Your free now, so its ok to open your eye's". When she didn't respond, he gently shook her shoulders. "C'mon Kagome, you got to wake up! We got to search for the shards, and Shippo won't let me hear the end of it if you don't wake up..." He stared at her face, waiting for her to do something, anything, for what seemed like eternity, but the only thing that moved was her hair being tossed by the wind. A strangled sob come from his throat." Kagome..." he whimpered, and drew her closer to him, and began rocking back and forth, quiet sobs coming from him. "Kagome...please...come back to me"
5 days had passed since then, and everybody in the village was mourning Kagome's death. Shippo hadn't stopped crying since Inuyasha had come through the well with Kagome cradled lifelessly in his arms. Inuyasha hadn't let anyone near Kagome's body for a while, growling at anyone who came near him, but eventually he let Kaede take her to clean her up. They had decided to bury her body by the well, seeing as that was the closest to home for her. Inuyasha had never left the grave. He stayed there, leaning against the well, looking at the spot where she lay the entire time. Sango and Miroku came by every morning to place flowers on the grave. "I'm worried about him Hoshi-sama. He hasn't eaten or slept, or talked to anyone since he brought her back" Sango murmured. The monk sighed. He knew that Inuyasha was suffering. Even though the hanyou had never admitted it out loud, Miroku knew that Inuyasha had loved Kagome very much. "I know, but this is his way of dealing with Kagome-sama's death" He explained. "I know, I just..." Sango drew in a shaky breath." We all loved her, so we need to be there for each other, especially right now! And Shippo has holed himself in Kaede's hut, and has held onto the bad that Kagome left here. I think Kagome would have wanted us to support each other, not going off by ourselves and suffering"
Miroku nodded." I agree, but we must think about how Inuyasha feels for a moment. I'm sure right now he is thinking it is his fault that she died seeing as he didn't get there in time to save her" He sighed again. "I think we should give him some more time to himself. Losing someone you love can be very hard to deal with, and you would probably want to be by yourself for awhile"
Sango looked at him." You talk as if you have experienced this before" she said quietly, wondering if he had ever been in love before. "No, I have never lost a loved one, but if someone very important to me died, I'm sure that is how I would feel" he murmured, looking right at her, making her blush. They continued walking in silence, but he reached over, and grasped her hand gently. Her eyes widened, then softened, and squeezed his hand back in return.
Back at the well, Inuyasha continued to stare at the ground, reaching out a hand, and ran it over the soil. His eyes were half open, wanting to close in sleep, but he refused to sleep, he wanted to stay awake. He was scared that if he fell asleep, his dreams would be of him finding her dead again. He blinked a couple times, and then laid down on the ground right beside the grave. He wouldn't go to sleep; he just wanted to be closer to her. He blinked a couple more times. It was getting harder to keep his eyes open. ' Well, maybe I'll just close them to rest them, but I won't fall asleep..."He thought to himself.' Won't...fall...asleep...' but eventually a restless sleep overtook him.
Night came, and everyone in the village had all gone to sleep in their homes. The clouds cleared, and the full moon shone brightly over the spot where Inuyasha slept. A strong wind passed over the grave, and a soft heartbeat started beating underneath the ground, getting stronger with each beat.
'Thump...thump...THUMP...THUMP... '
Suddenly a hand broke through the ground, and grasped the grass, pulling, until, Kagome's body appeared, all dirty from the soil, her eye's closed, and her breathing heavy. Inuyasha jolted awake, and looked wildly around, when his eye's fell upon Kagome, pulling herself out of the ground." K...Kagome...? Kagome!!" he quickly helped pull her out, pulling her into his lap, his hands on either side of her face. "Kagome! "he choked, feeling tears gather in the corner of his eye's, as he looked at her face." Kagome, your alive! I...thought...how...I don't understand...I thought you were dead..." Kagome continued breathing heavily, her eye's closed. "I...Inuyasha..." she rasped, then slowly and almost painfully, opened her eyes, and looked at him, her eyes glowing strangely in the moon's light. "I'm...back..."
ONTO NEXT CHAPTER
CHANGES (CHAPTER 5)
Kagome stood on a hill that overlooked the village, a light breeze lifting her hair every now and then, the moon shining brightly above her. She still couldn't believe that she was alive, neither could anyone else. It had only been just last night when she had come back. She had managed to get away while everyone was asleep. Even Inuyasha, who rarely ever slept, was exhausted. She looked sad, thinking about how he must have worried, thinking she had died. A normal person would have died from a wound like that. Well, she did die, but she was able to have the chance to live again. But, things would be different. Something happened to her those days she was underground. Something that she couldn't tell anyone.
FLASH BACK
When Kagome opened her eyes. At least she thought she had opened her eyes. In front of her was a mist. In fact it surrounded her. She looked down, and saw there was nothing. Just more mist. 'Am I dead?' she wondered, looking around.
"Yes and no. You are dead, and yet you are not" came a soft female voice, which echoed around her. "Who's there? Where are you? "Kagome whipped around, looking everywhere. "I'm right here" the voice came from behind, she turned around, and found herself staring at a young looking girl about her age, wearing the same clothes as Kagome was. She had long black hair, but as Kagome looked closer, she noticed the girl had odd orange colored eyes. Eyes like a demon. "Yes, I am a demon, but as you can tell, I actually look quite human. I am Tanaka," she explained. Kagome's eye's widened. "What... I didn't even say anything!" Tanako smiled. "You don't have to say anything Kagome, I can read your thoughts, seeing as we are now one"
"What do you mean? And how did you know my name? And why are you wearing the same clothes as me?" Kagome staggered backwards, feeling a little frightened.
"There is no need to be afraid of me, I will not hurt you" Kagome relaxed a bit." I am inside you. I am one with you, so it is only natural that I would know your name, seeing as my blood flows through your veins. I dress like you because I thought it wouldn't scare you so much seeing something familiar" She fingered the clothing. "Although I have to say, I have never seen clothing like this before, but, seeing as you are from the future, it shouldn't really be a shock that the clothes are different"
"The same...blood...?" Kagome whispered, then remembered Naraku saying something about Demons blood inside of the blade he had stabbed her with. " So the blood in that blade was yours?" Tanaka nodded." But, then why are you here? He said I would lose my human soul to the demon soul!"
Tanaka looked angry." That Naraku! He always assumes that his plans will go his way! There are a couple reasons why I didn't take over your soul. I think your pure soul, and miko powers cleansed my evil demon ways" she laughed" I remember hearing you whisper before you died ' I won't give up my soul that easily', I was impressed. I wasn't as strong as you when I was like you"
"Like me?" Kagome looked confused. "Like you, I was a human before, but Naraku stabbed me with the same blade that had another demons blood in it. It took me over completely, although a tiny fragment of my soul remained. Naraku used me as a killing machine, doing all his dirty, evil work for him. A month ago, he suddenly stabbed me, taking almost all my blood, along with my soul, into the blade. I remember him saying 'don't you think those two would be surprised if I turned Kagome into a demon?'. And then the next thing I remember is awakening inside of you, but it was the real me, not the demon side of me" she looked thoughtful" like I said, it must have been your miko powers that let me be free of the demon power that controlled me"
"Naraku...how many people does he have to hurt before he is satisfied?" Kagome seethed. "He will never be satisfied. Not until he kills every happy person there is on this planet! Which is why we must stop him together! "Tanaka explained, her eyes burning. "But how? He is so strong! I can't count how many times we have fought him, and thought we had killed him, but hadn't!" Kagome yelled in frustration.
"We can't defeat him," Tanaka said quietly, Kagome's head jerked up. "B...but you just said that we must stop him together..." Kagome whispered.
Tanaka grabbed Kagome by the shoulders. "We will defeat him! But the Naraku of this time is too powerful! We need to go back in time and kill Onigumo before he became Naraku! It is the only way!" "Time travel? But how?" Kagome was getting confused. "With your ability to time travel and my demon power, it is possible. I know how to do it. The question is Kagome, would you give everyone up that you love for their sake? For their happiness?"
Kagome went silent. If they killed Onigumo, and Naraku would never have existed, which means, Sango's family would never have gotten killed, Kohaku wouldn't be controlled anymore, Miroku's grandfather would never have received that wound in his hand cursing his future family, and, Inuyasha and Kikyo would be able to be together like they always wanted from the beginning. She felt her heart wrench at the last thought." I...I don't know...I would but..." she stuttered.
Tanaka sighed." Don't worry; you don't have to answer me right away. This is a lot to take in, I understand. I will give you the time you need to think. But remember that with each day, Naraku gets stronger, so you must make a decision soon. I will always be here when you make your decision... Its time for you to wake up Kagome...I will hide your demonic scent so no one will be able to tell that you have changed "
Kagome nodded then thought of something. "Tanaka, if we did travel back in time and kill Naraku, would Inuyasha...remember me?" Kagome whispered. Tanaka looked sad, then slowly shook her head, then slowly disappeared. Kagome saw her surroundings slowly go white, and a blinding white light engulfed her.
END OF FLASH BACK
Kagome looked down at the ground sadly. Just thinking about leaving Inuyasha brought tears to her eyes. But if she did this, this would give everyone the chance to have the happiness they all deserved! None of them would have to go through all the heartache they went through because of Naraku. And Inuyasha... Inuyasha would be able to be with Kikyo like he was supposed to be. She wanted him to be happy, even if it meant that he would have to forget about her, and the times they had spent together. It was better this way. This way he wouldn't have to worry about picking between her and Kikyo.
"I can do this... its for everyone's sake... I've got to stop thinking about myself... I'll be ok, I'm sure I'll be able to meet someone else in the past..." but even as she said this, the tears still fell from her eyes. "Its not fair! Why did it have to be like this!? Why does he have to forget about me?! "She fell to the ground, her hands clenching the dirt.
