Author's Note: Follows the canon timeline in both Inuyasha and LOTR. If anyone is interested, I've created a timeline for this story. The pairings are undecided but the characters tagged are the main focus. And please note that Westron and English are two very different languages and I tried to show that here. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Read, review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Inuyasha do not belong to me but to their respective owners, J.R.R. Tolkien and Rumiko Takahashi.
Timeline: Kagome arrives in Middle-Earth on January 21, 3017 in the Old Forest which is east of the Shire. This is about a year and four months before the start of the War of the Ring.
Chapter I – The Old Forest
The first time Kagome woke, she was confused, cold and alone. The sky was dark as she rubbed warmth into her arms and her breath came out in cold puffs. She sat up in a daze, the ground swaying beneath her. The wind whistled and the branches in the tall boughs above swayed in the night. Something felt off. But she wasn't sure what, exactly, was wrong.
Kagome was at a lost.
In the dark, she squinted and a cold chill drew shivers up her spine. The dark clouds looked ominous and she had a feeling it would storm later. The forest would provide little, if any, shelter at all. What happened? A dull throb formed at the back of her head, she could feel a headache coming on.
A pale moonlight peered through the canopy where shadows flickered, dancing in the twilight. Any other night it would be beautiful but it only proved to make her nervous.
Kagome searched desperately for something familiar. She reached deep inside her, where her reiki lay dormant and quiet, thrumming like the low hum of a beaten generator. Her bones felt tired and used; it was as if someone had taken her soul and bleed it dry.
Try as she might, only a dark forest surrounded her. The grass was damp beneath her bosom, the soil cool as she dusted the dirt from her skirt. She shivered, a chill crawling like bugs along her skin. There was something strange in the air and Kagome found she could not shake off the discomfort that rattled her bones. If a demon attacked, she was defenseless and utterly alone.
The last thing she remembered? Nothing. Her mind drew a blank.
Questions lay at the forefront, a heavy feeling of anxiety settling in her chest. Something felt definitely strange about the whole place, about the forest. It didn't feel like any dark spell or illusion she'd encountered before, but there was that thing she just couldn't put her finger on. It wasn't a bad feeling but it also wasn't wholly good either. Kagome was almost confused and just a tad bit scared. Finding the nearest village would probably be the best option. Maybe the villagers would be accommodating until she could find out what to do. Someone could point her in the right direction and she could eventually meet up with the Inutaichi.
A niggling at the back of her head told her otherwise.
With no clear destination, Kagome followed her instincts and used the stars to guide her. But it was strange, she didn't recognize a single constellation. She frowned. The stars shined a bit brighter tonight but the Forest was dense and….dark. She couldn't explain it, but there was a constant presence that just unnerved her. Mama once said, the stars always pointed home, if you looked at the right one.
Something was definitely wrong, she couldn't find the Big Dipper or the Little Dipper. But Kagome was never one to sit and wait for someone to come save her. She puckered up whatever remained of her courage and began walking, letting the light from the moon lead the way as her footfalls took her through the mysterious forest.
There was that hint of something very off about the forest again that set her on edge. It seemed old and there was this strange feeling of not being alone. Like something - or someone, was watching her. But it was silent, save for the tangled tree branches that continued to dance in the moonlight. She was immediately aware of how helpless she was. What happened, she asked herself once again and found there was a hole in her memory that she just couldn't explain. And she felt drained, like all the life got sucked out of her.
But she pressed on, comforted by the fact that at least she was alive at all. A small thought, however comforting it was.
Just when she thought her night couldn't get any worse, Kagome stopped and squinted in the night as something yellow caught her eye. It was her backpack! Could she really be so lucky? Relief filled her and she sought it immediately. Her hands grasped the familiar denim jeans in her bag. She hugged it close, aware of the dampness and slight odor it gave off. But she hardly cared in that moment. The entire contents at the bottom of her bag was full of mud she didn't want to think about. How long had it been out here? And why was it so far from where she originally woke up?More questions plagued her, but they fell on deaf ears.
Clothes provided warmth and meant she wouldn't freeze to death so she wasted no time in pulling the jeans on, finding comfort in her belongings. Things that were familiar to her. Kagome held onto that feeling and found a renewed strength in her bones. But still, what was it doing way out here? She frowned, unsure and worried.
Looking through her bag, there wasn't much in it. Just random stuff like some soggy chocolate bars, a few bandages, Shippou's crayons and the notebook she got him and her robes. The normally pristine miko garb was stained a dark brown with spots of blood on it. She couldn't remember what happened to her bow and quiver of arrows but that too was missing from her bag.
She reprimanded herself. Beggars can't be choosers, deal with what you have, Kagome.
Slinging the pack over her shoulders, a resolve settled in and a slow determination started low in her belly. This wasn't the first time she'd been stranded by herself and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Get a grip, Kagome.
With that in mind, she set a steady pace, forcing her tired and aching limbs to keep walking and shoving her worries to the back of her mind. The slope, thankfully, was fairly even and she even found a small stream that was flowing down. She dipped her hands briefly, the shock of the ice cold water sending a shiver up her spine. It had to lead somewhere, so she followed it, making sure to remind herself to bottle some water just in case. The faint moonlight shone like a beacon and she could, for the moment, ignore the unsettling forest.
That same discomfort seemed to have rooted itself at the pit of her stomach and she had the distinct feeling that it wasn't just trees watching her. Kagome wasn't sure if it was just her being paranoid or her instincts warning her. Looking back over her shoulder, it was pitch dark and the forest was once again, eerily silent. It was nothing, she told herself. She'd be able to sense it if there was something following her - whatever it was, that is. No matter how weak she felt, there was still some fight left in her.
She swallowed nervously, gripping the straps of her backpack with more fervor as she forced her feet into a quicker gait. She couldn't see the way the stream led but it had to lead to something bigger, like a lake or a river maybe. The faster she got out of this forest, the better.
Jumping over a large root that protruded from the ground, Kagome fought the need to yawn. Fatigue hit her like a freight train and Kagome found herself at the base of a large tree. She wonder briefly why she felt the need to sleep, it seemed too sudden. But her bag fell to the wayside as she crawled in and she found a small comfort in the way the gnarled branches and roots seemed to provide a cover for her. She used the overgrown moss as a pillow and found herself asleep in seconds, forgetting the eerie forest that watched over her.
She woke, hours later, with the smell of damp earth and spots of sunlight upon her face. There were birds chirping in the tall boughs and it sounded almost as if they were singing to each other in the early morning light.
The shadows that haunted her steps seemed to have disappeared along with the night. Kagome sat up and let out a relieved breath, somehow feeling rejuvenated as the sunlight peered through the canopy. The air was warm and crisp; she felt ready to take on whatever demon decided to come at her now.
Kagome set a rapid pace, intent on getting to the nearest village and finding the others. She tried to retrace her steps in her head and found she couldn't remember a thing beyond fighting Naraku. The details were so fuzzy and she found there were gaps and holes in her memory.
Was it a byproduct of Naraku and his illusions? They never worked on her before but he'd gotten stronger so it was completely possible. Kagome frowned, unsure. She spread her reiki, feeling out the area and still found nothing. That's….strange, she thought.
The slope began to go up and then down again, leading her winding through a path that seemed to go up and down more times than she could count. She found the stream from last night flowing on down. It was lighter now, and the river looked so clean and clear she could almost see her reflection in it. But the bottom was dark, or maybe that was just the way the forest was, dark and dank. She tried crossing it, but her footsteps haltered as the sound of singing reached her ears. The river bank was quiet and she followed the jaunty tune till she reached a high slope further beyond her.
Situated on the slope of a hill, sat a wooden house. It was a rather large dwelling, with green grass and bright trees. The sunny spot had such a warm and homey feel to it, Kagome almost couldn't believe it was real.
"Welcome! Fellow traveler who comes from far and away," a voice sang from behind her. She couldn't understand a thing but it startled her enough that she whipped around, confused.
Kagome blinked, surprised, as a short man appeared out of the bushes by the hillside. He was old, with a wrinkled and ruddy face, bright blue eyes and a bristling brown beard. Bright blue were his clothes and his hat, where a single yellow feather sat that matched his tall boots. He clearly appeared human, but not Japanese like she expected. He looked almost European or even American?
The old man smiled at her, unperturbed. Kagome wasn't sure what to make of him. His foreign appearance confused her, but he also didn't feel like an illusion or a malicious spirit in human form. It was strange, she couldn't feel anything coming from him at all. Only joy and happiness. It was so infectious that she couldn't help but smile when he waved his hand at her to follow.
"Tom is I - Bombadil, that is." He smiled, pointing to himself and the only word she could comprehend was 'Tom'. It seemed like an English name, which was even more strange because as far as she knew, there were no foreigners in Feudal Japan. At least not yet, unless she'd been dropped into another timeline. But that was impossible, right?
She couldn't find an explanation for it. Something wasn't adding up and the more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. The language he spoke was nothing she'd ever heard before, though it had an English distinction that she was vaguely familiar with. Back in school, she always aced her English classes but speaking it was a whole different story.
Kagome was undoubtly confused. And it was clear in the way she gaped dumbly at him, shocked.
"I-Is….Amerika?" She tried, waving her hands at the forest around her. Anticipation clenched in her gut as Tom continued to smile at her and she had a sinking feeling the more he spoke words she couldn't understand.
He beamed behind his shaggy beard with a tiny flower in hand before beckoning her to follow.
Kagome frowned. Whatever Tom said went right over her head. She tried asking him where she was in Japanese, hoping maybe a bit of it might be familiar but he just continued to smile and say more things she couldn't understand. What language was he even speaking? It certainly couldn't be English. She sighed, disappointed. Was this place not Japan? She couldn't be too sure, but then nothing looked familiar. His sunny disposition made it hard for her to stay troubled and sad but she wondered, worriedly.
Tom began singing a song, skipping and hopping up the slope and towards the cabin. She wondered briefly who Tom was and what he was, exactly. He wasn't evil, but then what was he doing all the way out in this forest? Again, it was strange and Kagome wasn't sure what to make of it.
Approaching the cabin cautiously but curiously, Kagome could see behind the house the land there was grey and bare, where strange shapes and mounds lay beyond. She frowned, but was rendered speechless this time when a beautiful woman opened the door. Her hair was golden, like the spun threads of a gold tapestry. She wore a long dress, green as young reeds, shot with silver like beads of dew; and her belt was like gold, shaped like a chain of flag-lilies set with the pale-blue eyes of forget-me-nots.
There was a certain ethereal glow to her, very faint but Kagome could see the soft aura that surrounded her frame. She wasn't human, but she also wasn't anything Kagome had ever encountered before. How puzzling, she thought, completely and utterly stunned.
The woman waved her in and Kagome found her feet moving of their own accord. She was in a daze, awed by this woman who appeared human but wasn't at the same time. It was hard for her to feel skeptical and wary of these people when they were so open and inviting. And their auras were bright and warm, full of happiness and joy. And something else too, she just couldn't figure out what.
"W-who are...you?" She asked the woman, her English shaky. The table she was led to was old and rickety when she sat down. It groaned under her weight but her aching limbs thanked her for it.
A bowl of steaming hot soup was placed in front of her a second later and a slice of buttered bread that made her mouth water.
The woman just tilted her head, smiling. It seemed they really couldn't understand what she was saying. The reality of it hit her and Kagome found all her newfound determination bleed out of her. Slumping in the chair, fear took root inside. The strange woman seemed so kind, her green eyes shining as they looked at her, probably in pity, Kagome wasn't sure. But she couldn't see either of these people being evil at all. Still, something told her there was far more to her situation than she originally thought. Was she so far removed from home? That thought frightened her more than Tom's sudden burst.
Tom exclaimed merrily about something as he pointed at the golden haired woman and he delved into a song once again.
The woman pointed to herself and said, "Goldberry." She indicated her hand and repeated herself again.
"Kagome." She replied, pointing to herself. So the woman's name was Goldberry and Tom was her companion? Husband maybe? She didn't know, but Goldberry just smiled and joined in Tom's song with her beautiful, ethereal voice that rang like bells.
The cabin was small but warm. There were a few personal touches, like the beige curtains and the small flower beds that dotted each window. There was a rug near the fireplace, where Goldberry had lit it and set a hot pot of boiling water over it.
Eating was a quiet and arduous affair. Kagome didn't feel all that hungry anymore but the food filled her stomach and warmed her all the way to her toes.
Kagome drew her legs up in the chair, stiff as it was, as the hearth was started and the room sank into a warm glow. Goldberry began singing a soft tune that seemed to match her mood, which was fitting in and of itself. She fell into a dreamless sleep that night, with nothing but the crackling fireplace and Goldberry's hauntingly beautiful voice to lull her to sleep.