Chapter 1: Post Naraku
Kagome almost fainted from exhaustion. The battle was finally over. The victor was obvious although it had been very close. For a long while Kagome had thought that Naraku would win and her life would end. But it was finally done. She was finally free to live her life. She needed to get back to the old well before it closed up for good. She walked toward the village.
When she got to the village she tracked down Kaede. Kaede could find the others and tend to their wounds. She wanted to get back to her time where there was modern medicine. She wanted a doctor.
She found Kaede at one of Kaede's neighbor's huts tending to a sick child. Kagome limped in. She could barely stand but she was determined to get back to her time. Inu-Yasha would now be free to choose the dead, Kikyo and follow her to death rather then hanging around with, Kagome, whom he had no future with because she was from the future. Kaede saw Kagome and immediately came forward, her kimono swishing in her path.
Kagome reached out and put something in Kaede's hand. Kaede looked down. It was the Shikon jewel, finally complete and purified.
Kagome started to walk away but Kaede stopped her. She spoke, "Kagome, it is yours. You will need it to travel back and forth between the times."
Kagome looked sad at this. She just shook her head and said sadly, "I am going home where I belong and never returning. It is best for all those concerned. Inu-Yasha doesn't love me and will spend an eternity trying to figure out whom he wants to be with. I am just making it easier for him. The others are back in the forest and need immediate attention but I just want to go home and I didn't have enough strength to carry any of them here, so I simply left them to come find you. When they come to, tell them where I went."
Kagome once again tried to give the jewel to Kaede, but Kaede refused to take it.
Kagome glumly limped back to the old well. She jumped through and headed toward the house. When she got to the door, exhaustion overcame her and she fell asleep. Her head hit the doorbell and that was it.
Kagome's mother heard the incessant ringing and yelled, "I'm coming. You don't need to hold it. When she reached the door she looked out the window beside the door. There, she found a lot of black hair covering a face and a girl in her school uniform. Kagome's mother immediately knew it was Kagome. She opened the door and woke her exhausted daughter. She helped her upstairs to her room and laid her on the bed.
Inu-Yasha woke up from his long slumber. His bones were aching but he could move. He sat up and noticed for the first time that he was on the hard wood floor of a hut. Kaede was leaning over Shippo and feeding him something. When Kaede heard a loud thump she turned around.
Inu-Yasha finally took in all who were in the hut. The people he saw were some strangers, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Koga. Where was Kagome? He looked up at Kaede about to ask where she was when Kaede spoke, "Kagome went home. She took the jewel with her and is now being treated at home. She said to tell you that where she was and that she was never coming back. I think it has something to do with you and Kikyo. She said she was tired of you choosing between them and so she just made the choice much easier.
Kaede then turned away. Inu-Yasha was in shock. He sniffed the air but there was no scent of Kagome. There was a far off scent of Kikyo. He forced himself up and started to follow the scent. It led him into the forest. There stood Kikyo near the sacred tree. She was looking at it as though she had never seen it before. Inu-Yasha stepped forward and a stick, on the forest floor, snapped. Kikyo looked behind her and didn't look at all surprised to see him there.
"Naraku is dead," she said with no preamble, "You and that woman, Kagome, killed him. Now it is time for you to die." She pulled a bow and arrow out and aimed it at Inu-Yasha. The arrow missed his heart by mere centimeters but still hit him in the chest.
"I will not miss again. This one will hit my target!" Kikyo exclaimed as she brought out another arrow. Inu-Yasha was too weak to do anything so he started to run to the old well. He jumped in and climbed the ladder into the old barn that was now covering the well in Kagome's time. He ran toward the door and knockedā¦
Kagome woke up groggily when she heard her bedroom door slam. She looked up to see Inu-Yasha. He looked scared and hurt. She turned over and tried to go back to sleep but he wouldn't let her. He went to her bed and shook her. Finally, she looked up and said, "What do you want? I told Kaede that I wasn't coming back and gave her the reason. So, why are you here? I'm not coming, so why don't you go find Kikyo and celebrate. I won't be butting into your romance anymore. You don't need me anymore. The jewel is complete. If you want it, I will give it to you for you to do with as you please."
Inu-Yasha ignored this exchange and said, "I need you. Kikyo is trying to kill me. I need your help to stop her. You are the only one who can stop her. You need to extract the rest of your soul from the body of Kikyo."
Kagome became angry by his words and it showed when she spoke. She spoke with conviction, disbelief and anger. "I won't help you. Go find someone else. I refuse to do anything more for you. I've lost my heart. I don't want it given back on a silver plate with a stake through it."
"You've lost your heart to someone, is it Hojo? Or maybe it is Miroku but he loves Sango. Or even worse, you could have fallen for Koga!"
"You are an idiot and a half. I just said I was in love with you and you thought I was in love with somebody else. That just goes to tell you that you have to be straightforward with some idiots or they don't understand. Now, leave. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
Inu-Yasha looked like he was about to say something when the door banged open. Kikyo stood in the doorway. She looked pissed. She headed straight for Inu-Yasha and grabbed him by the throat and picked him up. Then she took Tetsusaiga from its sheath and threw it on the ground. Kagome screamed, "STOP IT!!!!!!!! You're hurting him. How did you get through the well? It only allows Inu-Yasha and me through it."
Kikyo seemed to have just noticed Kagome standing there. She spoke with venom in her voice, "You are only my reincarnation. It should allow me through. And as for Inu-Yasha, I was trying to hurt him."
"Let him go! I will not let you kill him while I'm around," Kagome exclaimed. At this she ran toward Kikyo and pushed her aside. As she touched her, her soul started to come back. Kikyo lay motionless as the soul was extracted. Then a bright white light filled the room and the rest of the souls rushed out of her body. With no souls left, Kikyo's body started to turn into dust because now Kagome's soul was back in her body and had allowed the others out. Kagome ran from her bedroom, trying to get as far away from Inu-Yasha as possible. She reached the outside of her house and Inu-Yasha jumped from her bedroom window and after some running was right beside her.
After this exertion, Inu-Yasha fell at her feet in a heap. His wounds had not completely healed. She felt sorry for him and reached down and took the subduing necklace off. He needed a rest and this necklace had caused many problems. She found her mother in the kitchen and got her to help drag him into her bedroom. This is where he was laid so that they could nurse him back to health.
Sango opened her weary eyes as Inu-Yasha was leaving the hut. She turned over and Kaede was heading back to the fire to build it up. Sango closed her eyes but even as weary as she was, she could not fall asleep. She opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a squeak. Kaede glanced at her for the first time and noticed that she was awake. She came over and sat next to her.
Kaede spoke first, "You're leg is injured so you won't be able to walk for a while. Kagome went back to her time and Inu-Yasha followed my sister to figure out where she was going. The rest of the group is here. You need to rest. Kagome said she is never returning. I feel bad for her. She fell for Inu-Yasha and he is to stubborn to go get her."
Sango took this all in and then laid her head back down but this time she did sleep.
Inu-Yasha woke up several weeks later in a warm bed. He looked around trying to figure out where he was. Then he saw Kagome on the floor in a sleeping bag and realized he was in her time. He got out of bed and headed toward her bag to wake her up. He had to get her to go back to the feudal era with him. He had realized when she said that she was in love with him that his heart was ready to love another. He was falling in love with Kagome.
Kagome woke up when he shook her. She looked at him as if she was really confused. Then he saw the bow and arrows on the floor and he remembered why he had come to her time and what had occurred. He picked them up and handed them to Kagome. Maybe she would take it as he was over Kikyo and ready to move on. She looked at them with disgust but took them anyway.
She did not want to use the unwanted cast offs of Kikyo but she would take them anyway because in truth, she needed them. She had no bow and quiver for her arrows of her own. She would make do with Kikyos until She could get her own.
She gathered some supplies she knew the group would need into her backpack. It was full from her books and supplies.
She solemnly followed Inu-Yasha out of the house and across the lawn to shrine. She followed Inu-Yasha to the lip of the well when he stopped and turned to her.
Inu-Yasha spoke, "Climb on my back. It will take less time."
They jumped through the portal which led to the feudal era.
TBC
This is Leigh. This is my first fanfiction. Please tell me what you think. I know it is short. I will make the next one longer if you like it.
