Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or anyone else for that matter. Just borrowing them for my story!
Are You Ready?
Ch.1: Ready
They were ready.
The time had come. Tomorrow they would strike. Tomorrow they would make their stand against all that was evil in this world. Naraku had absorbed all of his offspring and retreated to his castle along with the majority of the Shikon jewel. The group knew that he was planning his attempt to retrieve the final few shards that they had managed to collect. They had decided that the time to defeat him once and for all, or die trying, was now. Tomorrow they would bring the fight to him.
They were ready. It had been eight years since the day that fate had torn Kagome from her normal life as a fifteen-year old student and changed her life forever. They had all grown up, and had become a family unto themselves. Eight long years they had been fighting the legions of youkai crawling the earth in feudal Japan. Eight years they had battled Naraku and his minions, fighting over the shards of the sacred Shikon no Tama. They were weary from their battles and old beyond their years. They had seen much that no eyes should have ever witnessed, much less eyes as young as theirs. Still, they traveled on, as was the duty that they had accepted. It was hard work, physically and emotionally grueling, but each knew that this was task bigger than just themselves as individuals. They knew that should they fail in their task, they would not only die, but also condemn all other humans and peaceful youkai that walked the earth to a fate worse than death, a world under the control of Naraku.
Kagome was now twenty-three years old. She had finished high school, and was about to start college when Kaede was killed. Naraku had sent a demon to kill Kagome. Kaede had defended her and killed the demon with a purified arrow, but right before it struck, the demon had begun the charge her. It leaped into the air, claws extended. As the arrow pierced its heart and it died, it landed atop Kaede, its claws piercing her heart as well. Kagome had run to her mentor, tears streaming down her cheeks as she knelt down by Kaede. She held the old woman's hand as the life poured out of her. Kaede looked at her, and with a smile on her face, knowing that Kagome still lived, passed from this world.
Kagome returned to her time to withdraw from school and tell her family that she loved them, and would see them again when they defeated Naraku, or in the event that they did not, in heaven.
Five years she had not seen her mother, brother, or grandfather. But she had long ago gotten over her heartache and homesickness. She knew that the task she was about to embark on was far greater than anything else.
They left the village and went out into the world, Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and Kirara. The group of six pulled in on themselves, becoming a finely tuned fighting machine. They were able to sense each other now, and fight in sync. They traveled by day and made camp wherever they could, no longer relying on anyone else. They were determined to work together in everything that they did, and rely only on themselves. If they could not stay alive now, surely they would fall quickly to Naraku.
Kagome had trained everyday since Kaede's death, determined to be as strong as she possibly could, and determined to have complete control over her miko powers. She was soon able to do this, and had also become quite proficient with a sword as well as her bow. But still, she was able to sense that far greater power was in her. She did not know how she knew this, or if it was actually true, but deep down in her heart she knew she was capable of much more.
Kagome was still in love with Inuyasha, but the love had grown from a selfish teenage puppy love to a deep love that filled every cell of her body with the feeling. She still hadn't told him, of course. She knew that Inuyasha still loved Kikyo, even if he hadn't seen her in years, let alone even spoken her name. She loved Inuyasha with such a pure love that she would let him decide if he wanted her, and when. She no longer felt the need to push him, even if it did cause her heart to break a little everyday that he did not confess his love for her. She told herself that she didn't feel it. She knew this was the right thing to do and she would live with the choices that she made. She had long ago pulled the restraining rosary from his neck. She trusted him fully and felt that he did not deserve to live as though she didn't.
Inuyasha trained daily with Tetsusaiga. Over the years he was finally able to use each of his swords attacks at will. He had also worked on his hand-to-hand combat. It had taken a long time to convince him, but after a particularly nasty fight with a serpent demon, and the three-day recovery period after, he agreed to begin meditation practice with Miroku. These sessions had a major impact on Inuyasha, and his personality. He was no longer the foul-mouthed youth that they had met. He was now a quiet hanyou, no longer prone to hurtful outbursts and thoughtless attacks in battle. He thought before he spoke, and knew his limitations in a fight.
Inuyasha had come to the realization that he was in love with Kagome. She had slowly infiltrated his dreams, where he professed his love and she readily returned it. He had begun to look forward to the evenings when he could meet her in his sleep. He dreaded the mornings, when her image slowly faded from his arms and he had to come back to the reality that he lived in. He had long ago given up on any hope of a relationship with Kagome. She had long ago pulled away from him, although he did not know why. He often wondered, and thought perhaps that he had done something to wrong her, but he was afraid to ask. For now, he treasured the friendship that they shared, and loved her deeply, with all of his heart, in his dreams.
Sango had long since mastered her weapon, Hirakotsu, but longed to master other disciplines. She practiced hand-to-hand combat with Inuyasha. She fashioned herself a staff of wood and practiced with Miroku. While she did not have the healing powers of Kagome, she had learned from the young miko how to pick herbs and make the necessary concoctions. She trained long and hard every day, determined to be better every night when she lay her head down. She had long ago decided to do whatever it took to save Kohaku, even if that meant death for him. She would allow him to remain in the service of Naraku no longer. However, as the years passed by, her anger dulled. She trained as hard as she did as a way to concentrate her thoughts on her brother.
However, her thoughts were continually pulled towards a certain monk, and this upset her. She couldn't help it, but she felt that she was betraying her brother at the same time. She never expressed these thoughts and feeling to anyone, especially Miroku. She did not even confide in Kagome. She kept these emotions tightly bottled up inside of her, determined not to ruin the friendship she had made, or at least this is what she told herself. There was no time for romance in times like these. But she often thought about what it would be like to be held by him, and know that he loved her as she had grown to love him.
Miroku trained with the group everyday. He spent much of his time writing new scrolls, determined to make them more and more powerful. He had many now that were capable of killing large demons with a single application. He also worked out with Inuyasha, becoming physically stronger than ever before. All in all, he had become an imposing figure, quite confidant in battle.
While he led Inuyasha in meditation practices, he found that the student was surpassing the master. While Inuyasha was perfecting his techniques, a certain demon slayer was in his thoughts more and more. He had known long ago that this was a special woman, but he never thought that he deserved such a caring, lovely person. And he knew that she did not want him. They had been traveling alone for so long that he had long outgrown the need to proposition young women he met along the way. But he also made no move on Sango because he was not sure of what his feelings were for her, and did not want to ruin their friendship if she did not love him, or he realized he did not love her as he had thought. Mostly, he was scared. Deep down he knew that he loved her, and these feelings scared him to the core of his being. He had never felt this way about anyone, and was completely unsure of how to handle it.
Shippou had grown into a handsome young man. He had come to look upon Inuyasha as a real role model and worked with him daily on his demon skills. Shippou had also learned how to change into his demon form, which had ended up being a fox as large as Kirara. In this form he had become a great ally to the group and a formidable enemy for any evil demons that passed their way.
Unbeknownst to the group, he was able to converse freely with Kirara in his fox demon form. They had grown quite close to her over the years. They often discussed the antics of the humans in the group because they knew how each felt about each other and were waiting to see what happened. They had at one time thought about intervening, but decided it was best it nature took its course.
So they had trained for the past five years, unwavering, unwilling to give up when their bodies ached and they wanted nothing more than to collapse to the ground and never get up again. They had given up so much for this moment, and they were ready. Ready to fight, but also ready to be done with it. They were tired. They wanted it done. They wanted to win.
They were ready.
