-mandatory disclaimer of nothing owned, nothing stolen, and entertainment purposes only-
The First Secret
It had been a nice weekend home, even the often arduous task of scholarly duties weighing down some time with the rarely-seen family. Knowing less of what was being taught begrudgingly halted the joys of Kagome's special visits home. Special visits, her family would sometimes call them, as her time far in the past began to outweigh the time spent at her own home. Kagome's mother had a terrible time letting her daughter leave since promised days back were, ironically, a thing of the past. This night, the last of her daughter's visit, the woman hoped as the hour grew later that her daughter would consider just one more stay with them. Alas, such would prove futile.
"Please, dear. You are home so little anymore, it's as if you no longer live with us." Kagome's mother pleaded.
This brought only a whine from her child which was followed promptly by an impatient scoff. So marred by this attitude was the visit that the mother almost wished to never see Kagome so frequently. If only to spare her heart the wrenching as each reunion grew shorter and came more rarely.
"I'm sorry, but they really need me." Came the familiar, recycled excuse, "I'll be back before you know it." And like one of her arrows from her quiver, Kagome shot off, disappeared within the well once more for an indeterminable amount of time.
As Kagome made her way through the other side she wondered what scolding might await her from InuYasha at her lateness. The sun was already setting beyond the horizon after all, and she was sure he would have charged through the well after her should she had waited until darkness to return. Lo, within a few feet of walking, the man in question came bounding through the woods like an eager pet coming to see his owner who had been away too long. Only the face upon the man was less amiable than would be that on a longing, faithful pup.
"Well, it's about time you show up." Snapped the half-dog. "I wasn't about to wait up all night for you, you know."
There was nothing more that Kagome thought to do than evoke his discourtesy punishment; a swift command to break the hound to the hard dirt below. One would assume that repeated punishment would alter the behavior of the dog, alas InuYasha seemed resilient to learning, almost as though ardently attempting to prove he was no pet to train.
"You should be more courteous to me." Kagome quipped as she walked ahead to the village.
There lied in wait those whose faces were sure to brighten upon sight of the future girl. Shippo was the first to greet her, leaping from the hut of the old woman with whom Kagome had a familiar past life.
"Kagome!" cried the fox child happily.
Straight into her arms, like a child eagerly greeting the return of his mother, Shippo leaped. Quite similar in her sentiment to Shippo, Kagome gave the warmest embrace of any of the group would receive. Shortly came the amorous monk, Miroku, and his tamer, Sango. Whatever preoccupations with the lethargic and mute seemed to vanish away at the sight of their favorite. Work could be done, adventure could be had, and the monotony could be left far behind.
"How was your trip back home, Kagome?" Asked the Monk, always interested in her excursions to the far-away land that was her future time.
"Wonderful, as always!" Kagome chimed, "I brought more homework with me. It seems I can't get away from it even if I run five-hundred years into the past."
The group laughed, all but InuYasha, who hobbled forward with a hand to his anguishing backside. Grumpily, he nudged Kagome while trotting within the safe hovel that was Kaede's hut. The group, used to InuYasha's pains once being sat, merely laughed off the gruff temperament of their dog companion.
Three... two... one...
Small children ran about in a game of their own design away from the group. Kagome watched them briefly before all retired to the hut. The hour late, all were ready for a quick supper and a long rest. Kagome could hardly wait to begin a new adventure upon the morrow and so hurried to her sleeping bag for a quick end to the stagnant day. She would find the night less placid, however; a nightmare came to her world of dreams.
"Lend me your head, for I have none of my own..." came an eerie voice in the darkness, whispering. Was that what was really said? Who was it? Where was she? Kagome asked herself.
"Stop running. I've got you." came a familiar, villainous voice. "I've come a long way, Kagome..." said Naraku as he loomed over the girl, providing the only light to the darkness around her.
Kagome looked around to find herself back in her own time. The well was before her, yet she stood outside of the shrine. Naraku was in the shadows of the shrine, grimacing fiendishly, his body nothing but a head and the ominous blackness of listless miasma. Her heart was pounding and her legs felt like jelly as though she had, indeed, been running. She noticed for the first time something clenched within her left hand: a small stuffed dog plush with amber eyes.
"Come to me." Said Naraku as he slowly stretched out two grotesque arms of miasma out towards her.
Kagome found herself unable to speak, to move or to breathe. She was frightened, defenseless, and tired. She had somehow allowed her mortal enemy to find his way into her world, to her family. What had become of them? She might never know...
"Kagome!"
She spun around with no explanation of how to find her mother walking towards her slowly. "Kagome, please come home!" She pleaded to her confused daughter. "Wake up, my darling..."
Kagome felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, turned, and found Naraku's wicked face an inch from her own, stabbing her with one of his own disgusting appendages. From there she fell. Fell from the nightmare in her world into darkness. From the distance she heard someone calling her. A woman's voice.
Kagome?
The girl awoke. Drearily, she sat up to find Kaede looking over at her from behind a pot of cooking stew. The cool, fresh scent of rain whispered into the hut while Kagome became more aware of her surroundings and its existence. Aside from Kagome and Kaede the hut was deserted. There was no sign of anyone else save for some of Shippo's crayons and paper.
"How fare ye, child?" asked the old woman.
"Fine. I had a bad dream, but it's gone now. What time is it?" She asked amid a yawn and stretch.
Her answer seemed to satisfy Kaede, who nodded and went back to her cooking. "Oh, not too late, yet. None have had a morning meal, save for Kilala, who went to fetch her own fish not too long after dawn."
Despite the rain there still managed to have the noisy children playing about. Today, for no reason at all, their play annoyed Kagome. She attempted to not allow this to linger and ventured into the world after dressing. She saw the three small children a few houses away running in an endless circle and decided to head a different direction. The rain was light and manageable and friendly, the skies still dark with beautiful grey clouds. Ahead stood Sango beneath the shelter of a tree, Kilala licking her paws at Sango's feet.
"Sango!" Kagome called, waving.
Up from her daydream looked the warrior woman, her weapon leaned gently against the protecting tree. She gave a glad smile to her favorite as the other girl ran up to share in the dryness provided. The pair conversed gaily about nothing while the rain tip-toed about them. Shippo soon joined them to regale. Before long, however, the three grew hungry and made for breakfast. There would be no adventures today, for the weather would not allow it.
"I am going to wait for InuYasha. I haven't seen him yet." Kagome said to her companions as they walked off.
Alone she sat for a time unknown as the three children drew closer in their game. They seemed to heed no care nor worry to the weather, as neither did, it seemed, their absent parents. They flew along the hillside, through the village, towards Kagome. How she wished to shew them away without reason as to why. Here they came, chanting their song to which only they knew the lyrics.
Three... two... o-
A screech came from Kagome; she writhed her arm about as a spider was flung away by her flailing hand. An unfortunate side effect of living in nature, she told herself. The children ran off, squealing, silently promising their return. And so sat Kagome under the tree to wait for her dearest to return. Yet, he didn't. Hours passed by before mention of the dog demon came again. Neither Sango nor Miroku, not Shippo, Kaede, or the children spoke of the boy. And the rain never stopped.
"It's lunch time..." Said Kagome with hope and worry.
The rain poured. No InuYasha. Dinner came. No InuYasha. Kagome neither ate nor slept that night and not but her dearest could ease her mind. As she lay upon the floor with all other lights out, her mind lit with thoughts of InuYasha fraternizing with the disdainful Kikyo. After many torturous hours Kagome fell to sleep and back into her nightmare world.
Stop running...
Kagome didn't listen. She ran through the streets of Tokyo towards her house. Where she had started, she did not know, but it was far from all that she held dear. Her feet pounded the pavement, slipped in puddles from the still-pouring rain, and ached to bring her home. Up the long stairway to the shrine, bursting through the front door and pressing against it to hold it shut, Kagome held herself in her safe hovel. She had seen it—seen him—right before fleeing: Naraku. He was so eager to claim her, his desperation far more potent than it had ever been, as though time were running out.
"K...Kagome...?" Came a small boy's voice.
The frightened girl looked into her reality for the first time from her panic to see Sota standing at the last step and staring at her. He looked suspicious, scared, as though he was not certain this was his sister.
"What... are you doing... here?" He asked, holding his little blanket closer to him.
That child always had that blanket. He was old enough to not be a baby, and yet he clung to the state for dear life whenever life came to be too hard for him.
"I need to get back to the well. Naraku is after me! I don't want him to find you and take you, so go run and hide, alright?" She pushed passed her brother, hearing sobs coming from him though not looking back.
As the girl reached the top she saw from the corner of her eye, a white silhouette drifting into her father's study. Her heart became still at the sight, cold blood ran through her veins, and ice crippled her spine. Scraping whatever courage she had left from the recesses of her being Kagome walked to the room of her late-father. Crept softly through the night, through the shadows, to the unknown crevices of her own mind to find what lurked beyond one simple door did Kagome venture. Her careful eyes gave an inquiry to the void before her and what they resolved had the girl properly perplexed.
"Sesshomaru?"
-End of Chapter One-