Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or Inuyasha.
Left Behind
In death comes rest
They say never bite the hand that feeds you or never look a gifted horse in the mouth, but every now and then someone does and they lose.
The Inu-Tachi had a multitude of anniversaries approaching them. One year since Kikyo's return to the village and joining of the group. It was about nine months since Mioku and Sango gave their trust to her. Eight months on the dot of Shippou's turn of affection; he was calling Kikyo mother. The most hurtful one of all though was their abuse.
Did they ever stop, at least every now and then, to help the very person that saved their lives and remained caring for them? Did they ever pause to see the damage they were doing to the person who brought back things for them each time she had come back from her home? No. They had made-up their minds. It was a decision that made her the blame for all their troubles.
Time never stopped, as a heart grew weak. Naraku's attacks have grown stronger and the risk of him finding her family greater. They destroyed the well to the only place where she was truly loved. She sacrificed her family for a duty she never wanted; a reclusive priestess stays in a time where she is rejected.
Six figures walked together on the path that leads to a new battle, but one lone female walked ten feet behind silently struggling to keep up. All of a sudden she fell over a rock hitting her knee hard on the unforgiving ground. Closing her eyes she waited for the insults to start coming.
Inuyasha's back stiffened as he heard a thud. His eyes slowly turned to see a kneeling Kagome labored to get back up. Shippou snickered from his place in Kikyo's arms thinking of how the rock just 'magically' appeared. Sango glared at the woman wasting their time.
"Hurry up, wench!" Inuyasha yelled back at Kagome. Cold golden eyes watching as the young woman tried over and over again to get up.
"The only reason you're still here is because Kikyo can't sense the jewel shards." Sango snarled out as she leaned against a near by tree. Miroku only nodded his head in agreement.
"Stupid Copy." Inuyasha mumbled putting his hand around Kikyo's waist once more as Kagome finally made it to her feet. He turned back around ignoring the young priestess altogether. The half-breed's feet moved to carry on forward without the wounded priestess.
Kagome stopped all of a sudden. Her eyes going wide and glossing over to appear like the most fragile of glass.
A second thudding sound drew the attention of the ones that had treated her so badly, betrayed her trust, accused her of things that she could not stop, and gave her no reason to move on turned back around to be greeted with the site of a broken woman spread flat on the ground. Her wide eyes open staring into the vast green field of broken dreams.
Just like that, Kagome Higurashi died knowing the true down falls of loving and being in love.
Soul gatherers tried to catch the incomplete soul, but were all purified. The untainted spirit took to the heavens to find solitude until the time came to make itself known once more.
Decades past and the world refused to stay the same. People, humans, had grown in knowledge, but as the saying goes where there's good there's bad. Greed and violence started to consume everyone. For these reasons a king rose up parting the conflicting souls of the earth. Spirits were given a realm to be sorted in, demons a realm to do as they pleased, and humans the world to continue to kill and desecrate on their own.
Very few had taken notice of the spirit who made a home in the limitless lonesomeness of the heavens. The legend was that only the purest souls could see it; all else would see a star. Those who were not blind to the illusion were allowed to make one wish on the soul and it would come true.
Decades turned to centuries as the forgotten soul continued to piece itself back to completion. When the final piece set in to the soul, it glowed with a renewed vigor to live again.
A blue haired woman looked up at the crystal clear sky hoping to find an answer to a question that had been plaguing her for years now, but nothing except a daytime star gazed back at her. Her head leaned back more as she examined the star further. The young woman took to the sky in less than a minute on her broom trying to figure out what was so off about this seemingly harmless star.
Ten feet higher in the air it hit home. The star wasn't a star; it was a soul glowing of its purity. It was as if she had found a long forgotten treasure of immeasurable value to this defective thing others called living. She slowly, as if the soul would dart off or just unexpectedly disappear from existence, made her way to the soul. Using the same amount of care she engulfed it in a hug.
A dull pain rang through her body as the soul of a being took comfort in her arms. She knew this pain; it was the pain of loss, neglected love, and being taken for granted.
"It will be okay. I'll make sure no one hurts you. Come on lets go to Spirit World." Opening a portal to her home, a realm most believed only to be a myth. She took the newfound spirit into her room and gently placed the spirit on her bed. She made her way to her phone and called her boss to make her report.
Just as her eyes wandered back to the spirit on her bed, it was as if the sun had appeared in her room. The glow starting to come off the soul was blinding. As it subsided the orb began to transfigure into a forgotten being known as Kagome.
End of Prologue
AN Aug 2011: I hope you enjoy this chapter & the many to follow! I gave this chapter has just a few minor edits.