Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor the Dark-Hunters Series and make no money from these writings.
Tears From the Moon
Chapter One
Kagome awoke with a harsh gasp before bolting upright. Her breaths came out as pants as she tried to gather her bearings and remember what had happened before she fell asleep. Her surroundings were familiar yet strange. She was obviously in Inuyasha's village - in Kaede's hut, to be specific - and it was definitely nighttime, but there was a hazy fog that seemed to glow covering everything. Slowly, her last memories returned to her and panic set it. She looked down, disturbed by the white kimono that she knew she hadn't been wearing before, and pulled the fabric away from her chest to see a large hole that had been cleaned and patched as much as possible.
Tears stung at her eyes and her throat felt tight as she tried to wrap her mind around what was going on. Whipping her head around, she saw the sleeping forms of her friends and tried to call out to them for help, but none of them so much as stirred.
"They cannot hear you," a deep voice spoke in front of her. "And they will not wake until I allow it."
Turning to look at the foot of the mat that she was laid upon, Kagome looked up at the tall figure standing there. Deep purple robes flowed on a wind that wasn't there as violet eyes stared down at her. Even though her tears continued to fall, the shock of seeing someone so regal in such modest surroundings caused her sobs to pause. The man continued to stare down at her as she took him in. Sharp and defined facial features, cold violet eyes, and silvery lavender hair that sparkled in the moonlight from the small window. At first she thought he was a demon since they sometimes possessed otherworldly beauty, but her senses told her that assessment was incorrect. This was no demon.
"Do you know who I am?" The man finally asked, growing tired of waiting.
Kagome shook her head slowly, unable to tear her eyes away from his.
The man gave an annoyed sigh. "I am Tsukuyomi, God of the Moon." When Kagome continued to stare at him speechless, he continued, "As I'm sure you must be aware by now, you're dead." He watched her glance down to the gaping hole between her breasts before small gasps were heard followed by a new wave of sobbing. "Be silent, woman, and listen. I am here to offer you second life."
Kagome choked on her next cry as his words sank in. Turning her tear-streaked face upward, she blinked unbelieving as she asked, "What?"
Tsukuyomi frowned. "Did you not hear or did you not understand? I am offering you a chance to live again, this time as my servant."
"Why?" It was the first thing that came out of Kagome's mouth before she even thought about her reaction. And while she certainly wanted to live again and wanted to take Tsukuyomi up on his offer, she realized that it was a valid question. Why her?
"I will explain this only once as my patience is already drawing thin," he told her with a serious look. "You, a human, have managed to draw my attention. You have always watched the moon, and I began to watch you in return. I believe that you have potential that would be wasted with your death. I will give you life once more on the condition that you become a servant to me; a servant to the Moon. You will still have certain freedoms. You may even live on Earth if you wish, but you will come when you are summoned." When he saw hope begin to take over her features, he added, "And you will not be permitted to see these people again." He watched as her face fell when he gestured to the others sleeping in the room.
"But...these are my friends. My family. Why can't I see them?" Kagome questioned. She didn't want to die, but the thought of living without her friends hurt her deep inside.
"Theseā¦" Tsukuyomi paused, unable to call all of them human, before speaking again, "creatures have a rare tenacity and stubbornness about them. If they become displeased with your servitude, I won't have them attempting to sever you from me."
Kagome looked over the sleeping forms of her friends and felt her heart break. She didn't want to leave them, but if that was a condition...what could she really do? It felt selfish and she felt guilty for thinking of only what she wanted, but she wanted to live. And maybe serving a god wouldn't be too bad. He was a god, after all. What could he really need or want from her? "Okay," she said softly. "I'll do it."
Though Tsukuyomi's mouth curved into a slight smile at her agreement, his eyes never warmed. "Good," he said in a tone almost as though he were praising her for making the correct decision. Reaching down, he held a glowing hand over the hole in her chest.
An awful ache filled her chest and radiated outward throughout the rest of her body, taking Kagome's breath away. It seemed to go on forever, and when it finally stopped, Kagome took a deep breath. Feeling something pull at her chest, she looked down and saw the hole in her chest had healed over. New skin and a scar were the only reminders of what was thankfully seeming more and more like a terrible nightmare than her reality.
Tsukuyomi grasped her arm and pulled her to her feet before saying, "Come. We must find you something to wear that's more suited to your new station." His last action before sweeping towards the hut's door was to place a small, delicately framed mirror on the mat she'd previously been resting on. "If the old priestess is worth her title, she'll know the token for what it is and know that you're now mine."
Being talked about like an object left a bad taste in Kagome's mouth and she wanted to say something, but snapping at a god who'd just brought her back from the dead didn't seem like the smartest thing to do. So instead, she followed barefoot after Tsukuyomi, only pausing and looking back when she reached the doorway. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she closed her eyes tightly, and allowed the door covering to fall back into place as she left her previous life behind her.
The halls were quiet as Kagome followed the tug on her soul as Tsukuyomi called for her. His palace in the heavens was beautiful, and over the years she'd gotten used to the strange atmosphere it held.
The floors, walls, and pillars were a shining white, and Kagome was sure that the ceiling would be white as well if there was a ceiling at all. The palace was very open for the most part, allowing an open view of the sky at all times of day. But despite the openness, there was always a lingering dark. With all the white surfaces, the palace practically glowed day and night, but in every corner, behind every pillar, anywhere light didn't reach, the shadows were deep and dark.
Further adding to the disquiet of the palace was the emptiness of it. She and Tsukuyomi were the only inhabitants. It had come as something of a surprise to find out that she was the only servant that Tsukuyomi had ever taken. She'd asked herself why that was many times, but the few times that she'd brought it up to Tsukuyomi himself, he'd dismissed her question as something trivial.
Kagome sighed. He really could be annoying at times. But he wasn't all that bad, either. He was a god, and a very private one at that. He opted to live high in the heavens away from many of the other gods and goddesses, but he seemed to prefer it that way. In the beginning of their arrangement, Kagome had seen him as insufferable, but the truth was more along the lines of him being tense and a bit awkward around others. All of his time alone hadn't let him develop many social skills, so he was very picky and set in his ways. He'd changed some over the years though. He didn't treat her like she was this tedious part of his life anymore and was even kind. They often had long conversations about the world, other gods, how old traditions fit into this modern age, and countless other things. It wasn't as though she was very social these days either, but Tsukuyomi had become the closest thing to a best friend that she had.
Walking along one of the palace's verandas, she watched a small brook of clear water wind along through the approaching gardens. As the water flowed over the edge of the palace grounds and into what she assumed was just an abyss, she wondered, not for the first time, where the endless supply of water came from.
When Kagome stepped into the gardens, she spotted Tsukuyomi sitting in a small pavillion taking in the sight of the garden, composed primarily of different moonflowers, in full bloom under the moon. "You called?" She asked as she came to a stop beside his seat.
Tsukuyomi looked up at Kagome and couldn't stop the small smile of approval. When he'd first taken her in, she'd been so rough and loud and clumsy and...human. Now she stood before him calm, composed, quiet, and poised. She wore the traditional kimonos that he preferred and moved so quietly that he could hardly hear her most of the time. It had been a long road, but seeing the fruits of his labors was very rewarding.
He'd lost count of how many years it had been since his beloved sister, Amaterasu, had turned her back to him, and all for killing a minor food goddess. In his defense, her display had been rather distasteful. But it hadn't mattered to the sun goddess in the end, and she'd refused to so much as look at him ever since. But then five hundred years ago, an idea had come to him. He'd found the woman before him, a human priestess, and thought that maybe if he could cultivate and refine her a bit, she might make a decent goddess, a replacement for the goddess that he'd done away with. Perhaps then Amaterasu might acknowledge him once more.
Kagome had been stubborn, but during her time with him, she'd calmed significantly. She acted much more godly now, in his opinion. Now it was only a matter of finding a way to elevate her into actual godhood. And he had to admit, human as she still was, she was still quite stunning. As he got to know her, the soul beneath the inferior human shell, he'd actually become very fond of her and had grown more certain that he'd made the right decision in choosing her. As the time to make her a goddess grew nearer, he was contemplating more and more often about possibly taking her for his bride. But for that to ever happen, he needed some very important information.
Tapping the small table in front of him, Tsukuyomi pointed out a scroll and small chest. "There is a woman on Earth, a personification of the human soul, named Psyche. To my most recent knowledge, she is in a city called New Orleans. I need some knowledge that she is most likely to possess. Take this scroll with the details and this chest of offerings to her. If she agrees, you will stay on Earth until she gives you the information that I want. If she refuses, return with her reason." He looked out across the sky and, more specifically, at the moon. "It is night here, so if you leave soon, it will still be day there. You shouldn't have much trouble tracking her down with your mirror. Do you understand everything that I've told you?"
She was used to him often speaking to her like a child, but it was still one of those things that irked her sometimes. "Yes, Lord Tsukuyomi. I'll prepare a bag and leave immediately."
With his dismissal, Kagome took the scroll and chest and left towards her room. She wondered about what Tsukuyomi wanted with this Psyche woman, but she knew better than to ask. If he hadn't told her while telling her about her job, he wouldn't tell her if she asked. It was just one of those things she'd have to discover for herself. At the very least, from things she remembered during her first life in the modern era, New Orleans should at least prove to be an interesting place.
