The Hardest of Choices
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha and company - I only own the plotline for this story.
Well, I've had the idea for this story for a while and finally decided to write it. It will be a few chapters - not many. There will probably be about 5 chapters - this one of Kagome's choice and the pressure put on her to make different choices and her final decision, one of Inuyasha and Kikyou's future, one of Miroku and Sango's future, a joint chapter including the future of Shippou, Sesshoumaru, Rin, Kagura, Kouga, and Ayame - and of course one of Kagome's future.
So, you're wondering why the Mir/San fanatic is writing a story that focuses mainly on Inu/Kag and Inu/Kik. Well...it started as me thinking about what it would be like if Naraku had never existed, and Sango and Miroku met up some other way. Then, I decided to turn it into a story. Then I realized I could do it without it being AU - and this story was thought up. So, you see, I can do stories other than Mir/San. Mostly, I just don't want to (mainly because I can't think of good ideas for them). You'll even see I can do more than humor - that I can do fluffy, dramatic stories. You'll also see that, despite the fact the Kagome can occasionally get on my nerves a little, I can create the illusion that I really, really like her. I also can create a story where everybody but Naraku/Onigumo wins!
Couplings (in the order of when they are focused on): Inu/Kag, Inu/Kik, Mir/San, Kou/Aya, Sess/Kagu, and Inu's reincarnation/Kag
This is a K[ikyou] F[riendly] F[an] F[iction]. Enjoy!
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Kagome stirred lightly in her sleep, twitching, breaking out in cold sweat. He wasn't sure what was happening, but he knew she was having a nightmare. He inched closer to her, eyeing her. "Kagome," he whispered, "Kagome, are you okay?" Her eyes shot open and she launched up from where she lay.
"Inuyasha..." she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. " I...it was such a horrible dream...I...Naraku...I thought I'd lost you..." Inuyasha locked his arms gently around her.
"Don't worry, Kagome," he told her, "it was just a dream. I'm here for you." She smiled and wiped a tear from cheek.
"I know, Inuyasha," she sobbed lightly, "but it just seemed so...so real..."
"Hey, don't worry," Inuyasha told her, "I'm here for you. I'm not gonna leave you." Kagome sniffled and leaned on Inuyasha's shoulder - she was safe, as long as Inuyasha was there by her side, and if anything were to happen to Inuyasha, she would follow him in death. Neither said anything else, but stayed like that, enjoying each other's companionship until they drifted into a light slumber.
===
Kagome looked around her, baffled by her strange surroundings. There seemed to be an infinite blackness, stretching in all directions. She began running, not knowing where she was headed. 'Where am I?' A figure appeared in front of her, startling her.
"Be at rest, child," she told her. Kagome instantly calmed herself. The woman had long silvery hair and soft blue eyes, and she was clothed in a beautiful red silk kimono.
"Who are you?" Kagome questioned this woman. She chuckled and shook her head.
"That is not important, Kikyou," the woman told her. Kagome raised her eyebrows in confusion. "You are Kikyou's reincarnation, are you not?" Kagome nodded. "Now, as you well know, by going back in time, you changed the past." Kagome nodded again, following the woman as she continued to walk off into the white abyss. "So, Kikyou, you fear the loss of your Inuyasha to the monster Naraku - the monster who caused Inuyasha to betray in your past life." Kagome nodded.
"Yes, I do - very much." Kagome didn't like being called Kikyou - it was a chilling thought, to say the least. But she didn't want to correct this woman, as her spiritual aura seemed greater than Kikyou and Tsubaki's combined. She didn't want to take a chance on upsetting her.
"What would you say if I told you that I could provide a way for you to go back in time fifty years and kill Onigumo - before he became the monster Naraku. You could go back in time and prevent you and Inuyasha from betraying one another - Inuyasha would become human, and the two of you would be happy." Kagome's eyes softened.
'This woman...she talks as though I actually have memories of my past life as Kikyou - that I would somehow benefit from it...' Kagome sighed, going over it in her mind. Inuyasha and Kikyou would be happy, and Miroku and Sango would have their families back - but the group would have never met each other.
"Kagome - that is your name now, is it not," the woman continued, "Let me tell you something. When two people are fated to be with each other, as Kikyou and Inuyasha or Miroku and Sango, nothing - neither time, nor space - nothing past present or future - can stand between them. Kagome hung her head - if Inuyasha and Kikyou were chosen for each other, then she should just give up on Inuyasha now. "Let me continue, child, before you jump to such conclusions." Was she reading her mind? If that were the case, this woman was more powerful than she had first presumed. "Kagome, you are Kikyou. That is why Inuyasha cannot ever choose between you and Kikyou. If you were ever to meet up with Inuyasha's reincarnation - which you would undoubtedly do if Inuyasha became human, since all human's must at one point die - the two of you would be fated to fall in love."
"So, what you're saying is that two people are fated to be in love with each other for all eternity - even through reincarnation?" Kagome questioned, beginning to understand just what she was being told. "And what about Naraku's incarnations? What would happen to them if I killed Onigumo?"
"Ah, those," the woman began, "Kagura and Kanna, you mean, I'm assuming." Kagome nodded again. "Well, the souls of those will be reincarnated into others - whether humans, youkai, or hanyou I cannot say."
"And Sango-chan and Miroku-sama?" Kagome asked, walking more quickly in order to catch up with the woman.
"Indeed," the woman chuckled, "the odd couple. As I said earlier, they are fated to be together. They would doubtlessly meet up through a twist of fate and eventually end up together."
"And Shippou-chan?" Kagome questioned, wanting to make sure everyone would end up happy.
"The kitsune," she told Kagome, "if left as is - since the child had no prior encounter with Naraku - would be as if you and Inuyasha never met up with him." Kagome sighed. She couldn't do that to poor Shippou - he was so much happier when he'd joined them. "But," the woman continued, "for Shippou, I could twist the arm of destiny so that his father may live, as the poor boy needs someone."
"What about Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked, "And the human girl we saw with him?"
"Inuyasha's brother," the woman said, quickening her pace, "is fated to be with Kagura - bless them - and the human girl, Rin - I can give her the same treatment as Shippou, since the only reason Sesshoumaru met with the girl was because Inuyasha used the wind scar on him."
"And Kouga-kun?" Kagome asked, quickening her pace as well. She had no idea where this woman was going - everything looked the same to her: white. Why she was in such a hurry was beyond her.
"Kouga is fated to be with Ayame. But, of course, he himself would never admit to it. The boy is stubborn - I'll give him that." Kagome bit her lip, and her eyes softened, looking away from the woman.
"And... what for me?" Kagome asked, sighing lightly.
"Like I have told you already," the woman chucked, "Kikyou and Inuyasha are eternally fated to each other - even through reincarnation. Someday when you least expect it, the two of you will meet up."
"Will any of us have any memory of this?" Kagome questioned.
"Only yourself and Kikyou." Kagome carefully weighed the options in her head. "You have until tonight to choose." The woman seemed to fade away, leaving Kagome breathless. What had happened? Was she imagining things? Was any of this real?
"Kagome."
She looked around frantically, not knowing where the voice was coming from.
"Kagome!"
Again, there was that annoying voice. What was is they wanted?
"For the last time, Kagome, get up!"
Kagome rubbed her eyes and stood up, looking around. 'It was...a dream?'
"Finally you're up," Inuyasha grumbled, "My arm fell asleep ages ago." Inuyasha rubbed his arm - which Kagome had been laying on. "Can you please make breakfast? I'm starving." Kagome smiled and dug through her backpack in search of something she could cook quickly, as Inuyasha was very cranky when he was hungry.
===
Kagome sighed, tapping her fingers lightly on her arm.
"Well, Kagome-chan, your dream does sound very real," Sango told her, "perhaps it was a fate or a goddess contacting you - or maybe a very powerful priestess. Perhaps she knows of a spell or a relic which can give you the ability to travel through time."
"Well, maybe, but if that were the case how would she know Kikyou was fated to be with Inuyasha? Or Kouga with Ayame, or Kagura with Sesshoumaru, or you with - ano... It was probably just my overactive imagination," Kagome stated quickly. She didn't really want to give away that Miroku was destined to be her lover through reincarnation as long as they met up together - that would be spoiling it for Sango.
"Who did she say I was fated to be with?!" Sango demanded, looking at her friend. Kagome chuckled nervously.
"Eh...Sango-chan, maybe it would be better if I didn't tell you," Kagome explained, "that way you could find out on your own."
"Answer me this, Kagome," Sango told her, "Is it Houshi-sama?"
"Like I said," Kagome chuckled, "I'm not obliged to tell you." Sango closed her eyes, sighing in relief, as the corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile.
"It is Houshi-sama," Sango stated softly, "am I right?" Kagome nodded shyly.
"Hai," she told her, "she said you were fated to be with Miroku-sama." Sango blushed slightly, as Shippou hopped onto her shoulder.
"What about Miroku?" he asked a bit too loudly. Sango's eyes widened and she clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Shippou, be quiet!" she told him. Miroku looked back at the three, smirking.
"Yes, Sango, Lady Kagome, I'm sure I heard my name," he told them, "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing!" the two told him simultaneously. Miroku chuckled, turning back around.
"So what were you talking about?" Shippou asked quietly.
"Nothing," Sango repeated, eyeing the kitsune. Shippou looked at her suspiciously, and then shrugged, knowing it probably wouldn't be anything of interest to him, anyhow.
===
Kagome sat atop the hill, gazing at the stars above. In the event that Sango was right about her dream, and she decided to go back in time and destroy Onigumo, she might never see Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kaede, or even Inuyasha ever again. On the other hand, if she didn't change the past then she'd be taking the chance that all of them would die at the hands of Naraku. She sighed. 'Please, just give me a sign. Tell me what I should do,' she prayed silently.
"Hey," a voice said softly. She turned around to see Inuyasha standing behind her. "What'cha doin'?" She smiled and shook her head.
"Just thinking," she told him, sighing softly, "about a choice I have to make." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.
"What kinda choice," he questioned, sitting next to her. She pushed a lock of her dark her behind her ear and looked back at him.
"Well, either way, I lose and win, all at the same time," she explained to him, "one way everybody else gets what they really want, but I lose something important to me. The other way, I sort of get to keep what I want, but there's still a chance I could lose it - permanently. Whereas the former option it's still there - I just never get to see it again." Inuyasha scratched his ear.
"Ano...Kagome, you're not stupid or selfish, and I know you'll make the right choice in the end," he told her. She looked at him, her chocolate orbs softening and a smile sweeping over her face. "Sango told me about that dream you had the other night."
"She did?" Kagome gasped. Inuyasha nodded.
"She told me that you were given the option to go back in time and kill Onigumo - but if you did so then I'd never see you again," he told her, "and Kagome, if this were just about me, I'd probably tell you to screw the stupid thing and we could kill Naraku ourselves, but this is also about Kikyou, Sango, Miroku, Kohaku - It's also about you, Kagome."
"Inuyasha," Kagome sobbed, "I don't like having to make a choice this big and - Inuyasha, she said that Kikyou and I would be the only ones with any memory of it. I don't want Sango-chan, Shippou-chan, and Miroku-sama to forget me - Inuyasha, I don't want you to forget me."
"Kagome, I'm not gonna tell you what to do," Inuyasha told her, "but I trust your judgment. You're smart, Kagome, and I know that whatever choice you make, you'll make the right one." Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, knowing now exactly what she had to do. Tear escaped her eyes as she flung her arms around Inuyasha's neck.
"Inuyasha...thank-you. I know what I must do - for you, for Sango, for Miroku - for Onigumo."
"Kagome...you're going to kill Onigumo, aren't you?" he asked her, knowing from the beginning Kagome would choose that. She nodded. "Kagome, promise that you won't forget me?" he asked her, taking her hand into his own. She nodded.
"Inuyasha, no matter how hard I try, I could never forget you," Kagome told him, wiping a tear from her eye. "Every time I eat ramen I'm bound to remember you." She smiled, rubbing Inuyasha's ears.
"Kagome," he began, blushing slightly. She gazed into his yellow eyes and nodded for him to continue. "I may never get another chance to do this, so..." Inuyasha pressed his lips against hers swiftly, in hopes that the moment may last forever. As their lips parted, another tear graced Kagome's cheek.
"I'll miss you, Inuyasha," she told him, "I really wish you could remember me."
"Kagome, if there's any way at all where I can remember you - even if your name is all I can remember, Kagome," he told her. "If I concentrate hard enough when you go back in time, I'm bound to at least remember your name." Kagome smiled, kissing Inuyasha hard on the lips once more.
As she, Miroku, and Shippou watched Inuyasha and Kagome from nearby, Sango couldn't help but let a tear escape her eye. She would never see Kagome, Inuyasha, or Shippou again - and what if Kagome was wrong...what if she didn't meet up with Miroku again? What if when she did nothing happened between them? "Sango?" she turned around and looked up at Miroku, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Houshi-sama..." she whispered, "do you really think Kagome's dream was real?" He nodded sadly.
"From the sound of it," he told her, "it is common to be contacted by such beings through dreams."
"As much as I want Naraku dead and Kohaku and my father back," she told him, "I don't want to forget you." Miroku put a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"And I don't want to forget you, Sango," he told her, "but Naraku will be nonexistent. Somehow, Sango, I will find you once again, and that is a promise."
"Houshi-sama," she told him, "I had promised you that I would bear your children once Naraku was dead, so...once Kagome has gotten rid of Onigumo, seek out the Taiji-ya village and ask my father for my hand in marriage."
"You really mean it?" he asked her. Sango nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Houshi-sama, I mean it."
===
Kagome was, once again, in the white abyss. She looked around in search of the mysterious woman who'd called her 'Kikyou'. Once again, when she least expected it, the woman's figure appeared in front of her. "Have you made your decision, Kagome?" the woman questioned. Kagome nodded.
"I'm going. I've decided to destroy Onigumo," Kagome announced. The woman smiled warmly.
"I'm glad you will take advantage of my offer, Kikyou," the woman told her, "follow me." Kagome once again followed the woman off into the endless whiteness.
'I wish she would make up her mind - am I Kikyou or am I Kagome? I can't be both.'
"You will be given an arrow and bow, which you will use to impale Onigumo," the woman explained to her, "The moment he is dead, you will automatically be returned to your true time. Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kagura - none of them will remember you. You're a brave girl, Kagome, and a very caring one."
"Why do you call me both 'Kikyou' and 'Kagome'?" Kagome asked, quickening her pace. the woman chuckled lightly.
"So many questions to which the answers are not important," she mumbled, "just do as I told you without interacting with anyone." Kagome nodded. Suddenly a temple appeared in front of them. "Come - the time portal lies in the temple." Kagome followed, taking the bow and arrow she was given. A strange green vortex appeared in front of her. "That is the portal. Go through it - the other side lies in Onigumo's cave." Kagome gulped, stepping through the vortex. She came face-to-face with a bandaged man - Onigumo. She quaked, as the man's cold eyes and deathly stare was the same as Naraku.
'It's definately him,' she thought, raising her bow and pointing the arrow at him. She held her breath, letting the arrow loose. It seemed to hit him in slow motion, and before she knew it, she could see her memories from between when she fell down the well until the moment passing before her eyes. There was a bright flash of light, and she jolted upward, to find herself in her bed at home. "Onigumo...is really dead..." she whispered, "that means that I never really met Inuyasha...but it also means he and Kikyou are - no, were happy. They're both dead. They died long ago..."
===
Well, what do you think? The next chapter will be Inu/Kik. Please tell me what you thought of it - I'm dying to know how good this one is/was/will be.
