Tying up Loose Ends
By: Stormie
'I did the right thing. The right thing...he'll be happy, and I can move on. Forget about it, Kagome. Forget Shikon no Tama. Forget him!' She jumped through the Bone Eating Well for the last time. The usual light show was wasted on the miserable girl; her normally happy eyes were overflowing with tears. She had seen THEM together by Goshinboku. It should have been a beautiful scene, warrior and priestess, estranged lovers overcoming their misunderstandings. Blah.
Everything she and Inuyasha had been through meant nothing to him. All he wanted was his perfect Kikyou. So Kagome let him have his way like she always did. After Kikyou had made her spectacular exit, Kagome had walked right up to him, thrown the jar of jewel shards at his feet and walked away. If the only thing between them was those pieces of shattered crystal then he could have them. She never looked back.
And here she was. A broken, sobbing girl staring at an old rotting well. What was she waiting for? Now that he had his precious jewel and his precious Kikyou, he certainly didn't need Kagome the copy, the wench, the shard detector.
"Enough! It's over!" She gathered herself up off the dusty floor of the well shrine and slid open the door to a life without Inuyasha.
"Come out of the shrine, girl. We've got your family."
Kagome pinched her arm. This couldn't be real! Her home was overrun by a bunch of men in dark suits and leading them was a familiar woman wearing a business outfit that was both classy and sluttish at the same time. "Kagura?"
The wind user smirked and idly spun the feather pin on her jacket. "Surprised? I know I am. Naraku's been waiting a long time for you; we'd better go." Kagura grabbed the school girl's arm right about the time Kagome's stubbornness kicked in.
"You can't do this! This isn't the feudal era! You can't just kidnap someone and expect people not to notice!"
Kagura snapped her fingers. "You're right. Kanna."
The ghostly girl walked out from behind Goshinboku and pointed her mirror at Kagome's family. A beam of light shot out from it, engulfing the Higurashis. "You returned home and found this girl in your house. She is a mental patient who thinks you are her family. The authorities came and took her away. Tonight, you will go to a baseball game to forget this happened." Kanna's lisping monotone ended as the light from her mirror died away.
Kagome screamed and clawed away from Kagura. Stumbling over a loose flagstone, she crashed into her mother. "Mama, are you okay? Mama? Mama!"
Mrs. Higurashi blinked and shook her head in a dazed way. "Who ARE you? I'm not your mother. I have no daughter."
Kagome flinched as if she had been slapped. "I AM your daughter. I'm Kagome. Don't you remember...anything?"
Kagura stepped forward followed by two large men. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. This girl is an escaped patient. We're here to take her back."
Kagome fought. "No! Let go! Don't let them take me! Ji-san, Souta, Mama!" Her family stared at her in pity as the two burly men hauled her off. Suddenly, she kicked one man in the shin and rammed her head against the other's chest, stunning him enough to release her. Blindly, she dove towards the well house only to be stopped by a tremendous gust of wind.
"Ah, ah, ahhh. Naraku would be so disappointed if you didn't say hello." Another blast of wind threw Kagome against Goshinboku with a sickening crack. Her vision flashed red before slamming into black unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gradually, Kagome's mind floated out of a dark haze. Something wasn't right she knew, but the red cloth she found inches from her nose was comforting. Fire-rat kimono...Inuyasha was here. Strange though...she couldn't sense his presence at all. Mentally shrugging, she snuggled against the material.
"Too bad he can't appreciate you pressing yourself against him anymore," whispered a smoothly seductive voice from somewhere to her left. Eyes snapping open, Kagome found herself in a cell with the most evil person possible, Naraku.
She tugged at the sleeve of the fire-rat kimono. "Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Naraku is KYAAAAAA!" The arm inside the sleeve had suddenly fallen against Kagome's hand. What should have been warm skin and muscle was nothing but bone. Horrified, Kagome followed the skeletal arm up to the chest then to the skull with a few obscene strands of platinum hair still attached. Nearly hyperventilating, she tried to scoot away but could not move at all.
Naraku smirked. "It seems Kagura was a bit rough with you. But it's so good to see you, little miko. It's been what? 500 years?" He tsked. "You never call or write. But I loved the little gift you left me." He dangled the complete Shikon no Tama in front of her face.
She gasped. "But how...did you...No! I gave the pieces to Inuyasha! He wouldn't let you."
"Now that's where you are wrong. He DID let me. I walked right up to him and took the shards out of his hand. That was after I killed all his friends right in front of him, of course. And do you want to know the best part? He didn't even blink. Pitiful fool. You did a wonderful job killing him...even better than Kikyou."
Kagome flinched, tears running down her cheeks. "Kukuku...yes, you are just like that other bitch. The worthless bastard never moved away from that well once it stopped working-naturally I had it destroyed as soon as I had you-but your little mutt just sat there like a dog waiting for his master to return. He let his foolish emotions take control, and the shards he had fed off his misery."
She shook her head and moaned. "No, no, no, no, no, NO! It wasn't supposed to be like this!"
Naraku laughed again. "The Shikon gave me power to rule the world and shape it to my whims. It was too easy, and I have you to thank for it." Sometime during his gloating he had gotten closer to where she sat. He lifted one of Inuyasha's arms and idly played with one of the razor sharp claws. Carefully, he used it to catch a few of Kagome's tears as they fell. "Do you cry for him? For yourself? Don't." He gently traced a tear track down her face, then with a quick, blurred motion he slit her throat. "You'll be with him soon."
Kagome tried to suck air in without success. She could feel her blood trickling down to soak her clothes. Naraku positioned her limp body close to Inuyasha's. She would have been eye to eye with him, his soft little ears twitching with every noise...she could feel his warmth, his gorgeous hair brushing against her face...so beautiful...
The lack of oxygen was making her vision blur. Her fantasy faded making her focus on his empty eye sockets glaring into her. Her fault. Everyone was dead. Naraku had won. It was all her fault. 'I'm sorry...so sorry...Shippou...Sango...Miroku...Kirara...Kaede...sorry...sorry...Inu...ya..sha....'
END
AN: There's a cheerful ending for you. I'm sorry I just had to write this in response to all the fics that blithely ignore the fact that actions and decisions have consequences. If Kagome does something wrong in the past, she will totally fuck up her time. Ever seen Back to the Future? It's all about the time-space continuum baby. And I happen to consider her running away from the quest because of an Inuyasha/Kikyou scene as doing something wrong. 'Oh woe, the dog-boy who is sorta my boyfriend even though neither one of us has ever said anything is talking to his animated corpse ex-girlfriend. I think I need to run off into the arms of *insert character here* and forget the silly old Tama. It won't hurt anybody.' Uh-huh. And I'm Rumiko Takahashi.
So love it, hate it, leave a review please.
By: Stormie
'I did the right thing. The right thing...he'll be happy, and I can move on. Forget about it, Kagome. Forget Shikon no Tama. Forget him!' She jumped through the Bone Eating Well for the last time. The usual light show was wasted on the miserable girl; her normally happy eyes were overflowing with tears. She had seen THEM together by Goshinboku. It should have been a beautiful scene, warrior and priestess, estranged lovers overcoming their misunderstandings. Blah.
Everything she and Inuyasha had been through meant nothing to him. All he wanted was his perfect Kikyou. So Kagome let him have his way like she always did. After Kikyou had made her spectacular exit, Kagome had walked right up to him, thrown the jar of jewel shards at his feet and walked away. If the only thing between them was those pieces of shattered crystal then he could have them. She never looked back.
And here she was. A broken, sobbing girl staring at an old rotting well. What was she waiting for? Now that he had his precious jewel and his precious Kikyou, he certainly didn't need Kagome the copy, the wench, the shard detector.
"Enough! It's over!" She gathered herself up off the dusty floor of the well shrine and slid open the door to a life without Inuyasha.
"Come out of the shrine, girl. We've got your family."
Kagome pinched her arm. This couldn't be real! Her home was overrun by a bunch of men in dark suits and leading them was a familiar woman wearing a business outfit that was both classy and sluttish at the same time. "Kagura?"
The wind user smirked and idly spun the feather pin on her jacket. "Surprised? I know I am. Naraku's been waiting a long time for you; we'd better go." Kagura grabbed the school girl's arm right about the time Kagome's stubbornness kicked in.
"You can't do this! This isn't the feudal era! You can't just kidnap someone and expect people not to notice!"
Kagura snapped her fingers. "You're right. Kanna."
The ghostly girl walked out from behind Goshinboku and pointed her mirror at Kagome's family. A beam of light shot out from it, engulfing the Higurashis. "You returned home and found this girl in your house. She is a mental patient who thinks you are her family. The authorities came and took her away. Tonight, you will go to a baseball game to forget this happened." Kanna's lisping monotone ended as the light from her mirror died away.
Kagome screamed and clawed away from Kagura. Stumbling over a loose flagstone, she crashed into her mother. "Mama, are you okay? Mama? Mama!"
Mrs. Higurashi blinked and shook her head in a dazed way. "Who ARE you? I'm not your mother. I have no daughter."
Kagome flinched as if she had been slapped. "I AM your daughter. I'm Kagome. Don't you remember...anything?"
Kagura stepped forward followed by two large men. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. This girl is an escaped patient. We're here to take her back."
Kagome fought. "No! Let go! Don't let them take me! Ji-san, Souta, Mama!" Her family stared at her in pity as the two burly men hauled her off. Suddenly, she kicked one man in the shin and rammed her head against the other's chest, stunning him enough to release her. Blindly, she dove towards the well house only to be stopped by a tremendous gust of wind.
"Ah, ah, ahhh. Naraku would be so disappointed if you didn't say hello." Another blast of wind threw Kagome against Goshinboku with a sickening crack. Her vision flashed red before slamming into black unconsciousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gradually, Kagome's mind floated out of a dark haze. Something wasn't right she knew, but the red cloth she found inches from her nose was comforting. Fire-rat kimono...Inuyasha was here. Strange though...she couldn't sense his presence at all. Mentally shrugging, she snuggled against the material.
"Too bad he can't appreciate you pressing yourself against him anymore," whispered a smoothly seductive voice from somewhere to her left. Eyes snapping open, Kagome found herself in a cell with the most evil person possible, Naraku.
She tugged at the sleeve of the fire-rat kimono. "Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Naraku is KYAAAAAA!" The arm inside the sleeve had suddenly fallen against Kagome's hand. What should have been warm skin and muscle was nothing but bone. Horrified, Kagome followed the skeletal arm up to the chest then to the skull with a few obscene strands of platinum hair still attached. Nearly hyperventilating, she tried to scoot away but could not move at all.
Naraku smirked. "It seems Kagura was a bit rough with you. But it's so good to see you, little miko. It's been what? 500 years?" He tsked. "You never call or write. But I loved the little gift you left me." He dangled the complete Shikon no Tama in front of her face.
She gasped. "But how...did you...No! I gave the pieces to Inuyasha! He wouldn't let you."
"Now that's where you are wrong. He DID let me. I walked right up to him and took the shards out of his hand. That was after I killed all his friends right in front of him, of course. And do you want to know the best part? He didn't even blink. Pitiful fool. You did a wonderful job killing him...even better than Kikyou."
Kagome flinched, tears running down her cheeks. "Kukuku...yes, you are just like that other bitch. The worthless bastard never moved away from that well once it stopped working-naturally I had it destroyed as soon as I had you-but your little mutt just sat there like a dog waiting for his master to return. He let his foolish emotions take control, and the shards he had fed off his misery."
She shook her head and moaned. "No, no, no, no, no, NO! It wasn't supposed to be like this!"
Naraku laughed again. "The Shikon gave me power to rule the world and shape it to my whims. It was too easy, and I have you to thank for it." Sometime during his gloating he had gotten closer to where she sat. He lifted one of Inuyasha's arms and idly played with one of the razor sharp claws. Carefully, he used it to catch a few of Kagome's tears as they fell. "Do you cry for him? For yourself? Don't." He gently traced a tear track down her face, then with a quick, blurred motion he slit her throat. "You'll be with him soon."
Kagome tried to suck air in without success. She could feel her blood trickling down to soak her clothes. Naraku positioned her limp body close to Inuyasha's. She would have been eye to eye with him, his soft little ears twitching with every noise...she could feel his warmth, his gorgeous hair brushing against her face...so beautiful...
The lack of oxygen was making her vision blur. Her fantasy faded making her focus on his empty eye sockets glaring into her. Her fault. Everyone was dead. Naraku had won. It was all her fault. 'I'm sorry...so sorry...Shippou...Sango...Miroku...Kirara...Kaede...sorry...sorry...Inu...ya..sha....'
END
AN: There's a cheerful ending for you. I'm sorry I just had to write this in response to all the fics that blithely ignore the fact that actions and decisions have consequences. If Kagome does something wrong in the past, she will totally fuck up her time. Ever seen Back to the Future? It's all about the time-space continuum baby. And I happen to consider her running away from the quest because of an Inuyasha/Kikyou scene as doing something wrong. 'Oh woe, the dog-boy who is sorta my boyfriend even though neither one of us has ever said anything is talking to his animated corpse ex-girlfriend. I think I need to run off into the arms of *insert character here* and forget the silly old Tama. It won't hurt anybody.' Uh-huh. And I'm Rumiko Takahashi.
So love it, hate it, leave a review please.
