Naraku was finally gone. The man who pit Inuyasha and Kikyo against each other just for his own selfish gain of tainting the Shikon jewel. The man who cursed Miroku and his family with the wind tunnel. The man who sent demons to murder Sango's village and forced her brother to kill their father, was gone. You probably couldn't find a being that wasn't happy about that for the man was truly terrible. In defeating him the jewel was also removed from this world for good. The only way to make the Shikon jewel cease to exist was to ask for something pure of heart. That pure of heart wish for the jewel to exist no longer unfortunately trapped Kagome 500 years in the past. Without the jewel she could no longer return home for the magic of the Bone Eater's well was gone.
Not that she minded, Kagome enjoyed being in the Feudal era with her friends. Obviously she was going to miss her family and her friends from her time period but at least she had people here as well. After the jewel disappeared Kagome felt something shift. Focusing on herself for a moment as they made their way back to Kaede's village she could feel that something was different. It was like she had lost all familiarity with how Kikyo's aura felt because she developed her own. She felt like her own person now. Not overly concerned about the new development she shrugged her shoulders, causing Shippo to look at her, wondering if he needed to readjust his position or switch to someone else as they walked. Reaching a hand up, the raven haired miko ruffled the little fox tyke's hair to reassure him that he was fine where he was.
They had all been through so much to get to this point. All of Naraku's traps and reincarnations had definitely taken their toll on the group - a much larger one than they cared to admit. After so many, constant hardships, they almost couldn't believe that it was over. Figuring out what to do next would definitely be a challenge, but then again, just living is a challenge all on it's own.
Months had passed since the jewel was wished away and the group had made their home in the village of old Kaede. Kagome cared for Shippo like he was her own child, which he greatly enjoyed, even if it meant that he had to deal with Inuyasha all the time. The friend group helped each other make huts in the village. Kagome got her own with a spare room so that everyone would stop walking in on her changing all the time. It also gave her extra room for when Inuyasha decided to stay over or when everyone decided to come over for dinner. Sango and Miroku also had their own hut. With the wind tunnel gone from his hand the two of them were finally able to start their own relationship. Granted Miroku was having a slightly hard time adjusting from his womanizing ways and Sango was just as brutal each time he was caught. Kagome felt slightly bad for her friend having to deal with the lecherous monk, but at the same time both of them knew it was just an old habit that would be hard to break. Although admittedly it was slightly entertaining to see Miroku wandering around the village with a big ass handprint on his cheek.
Kagome had started her own relationship as well, with Inuyasha. Kikyo wasn't around to get in their way and Naraku wasn't trying to kill them all the time anymore so they decided to give it a shot. The relationship distracted Kagome from the fact that she could never go home again, but she really did care for Inuyasha so she was happy.
"Are you staying over tonight?" Kagome asked the half demon who she partially shared a home with. She wasn't sure where Inuyasha slept the nights that he wasn't in her hut but she didn't question it, figuring that he missed sleeping under the stars like they used to do so often.
"Feh… what's it to you if I stay or not?" Inuyasha barked back. He liked staying with Kagome but on his end he was starting to feel confused about his emotions. So his solution was distance himself until he could properly work through the troubled thoughts in his mind and understand them. The silver-haired man did regret his choice of phrasing though when he saw the small flinch Kagome gave at his words.
The young girl let out a heavy sigh. The half demon she was in a relationship with was starting to get rather prickly lately and she couldn't figure out why. All she wanted to do was be there for him and help him figure out what ever it was that was bothering him. "Inuyasha, I just wanted to know if I was to be expecting you is all. This may be a strange concept to you but I do like knowing what is going on in my own home. So if you are going to be here, great. If you aren't then I know not to worry when I wake up and you aren't here."
He knew what she meant, but still felt bad for making her have to say it out loud. He was thankful that Shippo was outside playing with the village kids so he didn't have to see this. The little fox was more perceptive than the half dog demon cared to admit. "I ain't your dog Kagome, I can do whatever the hell I want!" he spouted off, internally balking at the words he just hurled towards the girl who had done so much for him. This was why he wanted to be by himself for a bit. When he didn't understand what was going on inside him he always snapped at everything and made mountains out of thin air.
"Alright then… do whatever. I'm going to see if I can spend the night with Sango." Kagome countered, not really wanting to deal with his emotional backlash. The raven haired girl had been around him long enough to know that when he got like this there was usually something churning in the back of his mind that he was trying to figure out. "If you do come back and sleep here, clean up after yourself would ya?" she asked him before getting to her feet. Dusting off the invisible debris that had settled on her lap she strode out of her hut and towards the dwelling that housed her other friends.
The raven haired priestess tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she walked, the light breeze sending the dark tresses billowing to the side. Capturing a section of hair while on her journey she studied the tips. 'Has my hair really grown that much…' she mused to herself as she walked. Having spent two years wandering in the Feudal era leaving her hair loose didn't really phase her much. It was also her way of sticking it to the people who continuously compared her to Kikyo for that duration of time. In those two years Kagome's hair really has grown, as well as her body. She wasn't that 15 year old girl traveling to and from the Feudal era anymore, she was now a 17 year old girl living permanently in a dangerous time period. With the amount of time she has been here her body went from being soft to being toned. Muscle had developed from fighting that gave her more curves as her body matured and she finally ditched that schoolgirl uniform. These days she wandered around in hiking boots, sun faded jeans, and an assortment of tops that she felt still followed within the realms of her being a priestess.
The clothing she had now was her mother's idea. On one of her last return trips her mother had suggested that she started to store some more practical clothing in the village instead of wearing her uniform all the time. When her mother had made the suggestion however, it just flew over Kagome's head being as she was running late for school. To her surprise when she returned home that day her mother had a bunch of different clothing items displayed on their kitchen table. There were multiple pairs of jeans because her mother knew that they would better protect her from the undergrowth than other types of pants. There were also a few pairs of shorts thrown into the mix for when the group decided to take a break in the village so that her daughter could relax. Taking a look at the shirts her mother had picked out Kagome was really impressed. The tops were more on the stylized side considering that they were coming from the present, but all of them still fit the role of a priestess in her mind. Sure they were different types of tank tops, off the shoulder, and halter like tops, but they were all very… free flowing was the word she felt described them best. Much like how the wind was free to do with her powers whatever it desired. Continuing down the array of clothing a small laugh escaped her as she saw the swim suits and pajamas. Kagome's mother was entertaining at times and the simple fact that she even bothered to get her daughter two different types of swimsuits as well as sleepwear for warm and cool temperatures, her daughter couldn't help but giggle at her mother's over preparedness. Honestly, not even Kagome herself would have thought about swimwear or temperature shifts, let alone making sure that all the clothing worked with a single pair of shoes. Stuffing everything into her bag she stored the items at Kaede's when she returned from that trip so as to not carry everything besides the essentials in her yellow backpack.
Shaking her head to clear her mind of thoughts from the past, Kagome knocked on the door frame of the hut that housed Sango and Miroku. She had accidentally seen more than she wished to on a few occasions since the monk and slayer had moved in together so she had developed a habit of knocking first just to be safe.
"Come in Kagome!" Sango called out in response to the familiar knock that only Kagome gave her house. A smile spread across the face of the female slayer when her friend walked into the main room of her hut. "What brings you over here for a surprise visit?" the brunette asked, not minding in the slightest when Kagome randomly dropped by. The slayer missed when they spent most of their time together so she was always happy to see Kagome.
"Hey Sango!" she responded in greeting before peering around the hut, looking for signs of Miroku. "Where's Miroku?" Kagome asked, genuinely curious of his whereabouts as she stepped inside.
"Oh, he's probably scamming some helpless village headman somewhere, he was getting low on money so he left looking for a few exorcism jobs to tide us over for a while." Sango responded, patting the floor next to her as she polished her giant boomerang. "Why do you ask?" she questioned as she worked on her weapon.
Kagome strode into the hut, leaving her shoes in the appropriate area before settling herself down next to her friend and leaning back against the wall. "Inuyasha and I had another spat, so I was wondering if I could stay here for the night…. I-I just didn't want to impose if you and Miroku had plans, ya know.." She hated asking Sango if she could hide here all the time. It wasn't really hiding if the person you were trying to hide from knew where you were. Kagome couldn't really think of anywhere else to go though. She didn't want to bother old Kaede with trivial matters and Sango had been witness to all of the ups and downs her relationship with Inuyasha had suffered so the slayer got the brunt of it by default.
"You two had another argument?" Sango asked her friend. Putting down the supplies she was using to keep her weapon in prime condition the demon slayer turned to face Kagome, concern evident in her eyes. "You two sure have been having a lot of arguments lately. Is everything ok?" the slayer asked. "I know you two have always fought, but I can't help but feel that this is a little different…"
A sigh escaped the priestess' lips, "We have been fighting more often recently but I don't think that it is anything to be concerned about. I think his temper is just flaring up again at being stagnant after travelling so much." she countered with a smile. "I just don't want to deal with his childish behavior right now, so can I stay? Please?" Kagome asked again, clapping her hands in front of her face and bowing slightly, her hair spilling over her shoulders as she did so.
The slayer eyed her friend suspiciously for a moment when that smile spread across her lips. She wasn't sure what but she felt like something was amiss between her two friends. Maybe they were still adjusting to the fact that if Kagome got upset, she had just recently lost her place that she would run off to to cool off for a few days before returning. Either way there was something going on and Sango didn't like not knowing what it was. Shaking her head free of thoughts that she probably shouldn't be having anyway, a finger came up and met her chin as she looked to the ceiling in thought. "Miroku shouldn't be returning until tomorrow night so I don't have a problem with it. Do you want to have dinner together as well Kagome? You know how much I enjoy your cooking."
Gasping happily, Kagome leaned forward, hugging Sango excitedly, "Thank you so so much! Is there anything you want specifically for dinner? You did take the time to craft me those pots and pans afterall." the raven haired girl asked her friend, referring to the cookware that Sango generously made Kagome when they realized that she couldn't return to her era.
Thinking for a moment the slayer tilted her head to the side, a smile spreading across her face, "Surprise me!"
Inuyasha's ears lowered into his hair as he watched Kagome walk away. Why did he always do that? What was wrong with him? Why was he always picking fights with her lately? He just couldn't understand it. All he had left after the Naraku incident was Kagome and his friends. His first love was returned to the netherworld but Kagome was still there for him. He knew how she felt about him and he knew that he cared about her as well. So why wasn't he feeling like it was enough lately? Was he restless? Craving adventure like when they were dealing with Naraku? It couldn't be that, could it? All of his friends were almost killed more than once while dealing with that filthy vermin, so he couldn't be craving that again… could he?
Deciding that there wasn't anything more he could do at this point he left Kagome's hut and started walking. The half dog demon didn't really have a plan as to where he was going, he just knew that he needed time to clear his head and get his thoughts back under control before seeing Kagome again. One thing Inuyasha did do on purpose though was make sure to take his walk on the main road. Maybe a passing traveler or merchant would let information about a demon slip. Kami-sama knows that Inuyasha could use a punching bag right about now.
Inuyasha wandered for a while, not really passing anyone who had any interesting tales of demons that needed slaying, so he crossed his arms behind his head and kept trudging along. The sun was starting to set and he had no clue how far away from Kaede's village he had actually wandered. Scratching the back of his head he lept into a nearby tree, settling down to watch the sun set over the rice paddy fields. He would go back to the village afterwards, Inuyasha had decided with a yawn, his back to the main body of the tree as he watched the horizon.
The entire sky was a deep purple except for the small sliver of burnt orange that remained on the distant edge of the fields before Inuyasha's enhanced hearing picked up two swordsman. They were talking about how they were dispatched by their lord to help protect one of his villages from a demon. Seeing as how they were still alive, Inuyasha figured they had succeeded in their task, which meant that the rest of their conversation was of no interest to him. That was, until he heard them say a name he was sure to never hear again. Inuyasha focused his hearing on their conversation more intently, wanting to be sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. That's when one of them said it again. Said how a priestess named Kikyo showed up in the nick of time and helped them vanquish the demon and tend to the wounded. They went on about how she was able to destroy the beast in one shot from her bow and how gentle and kind she was with the wounded men and the children of the village. The rest of their conversation however was drowned out by the flood of thoughts and emotions that started raging inside the half demon sitting just out of sight.
'Sh-she's alive?!' was the first thought to come to Inuyasha's mind, finding it hard to believe the words of the men on the path below him. Feelings of confusion, anger, love, longing, happiness, and sadness all whirled around him as he dropped out of the tree he had been perched in and approached the men. "The priestess you spoke of, where is she?!" Inuyasha demanded, trying to ask them where she was and not bark orders at them.
Both men startled at Inuyasha suddenly landing in front of them and contemplated running away from him when he all but yelled at them, but upon realizing he was a half demon decided it best to just give him the information he wanted. They had just witnessed this priestess easily dispatch another demon so if the one before them wanted to hassen to his death, they weren't going to stop him. Turning slightly, they pointed in the direction they had just come from, informing the silver haired demon in front of them that the village lay over the ridge at the edge of the forest.
With that last bit of information they watch as Inuyasha dashed off into the night after a rumor about Kikyo.