Disclaimer: It deeply saddens me to say that I do not own InuYasha (sigh).
Summary: (Oneshot) Every step gets them closer to completing the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls, and as they continue, Kagome finally has the time to reflect on their journey so far.
Author's Note: Change The World… yet another one of my InuYasha oneshots. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint… Anyway, enough of me and my 'Author's Note'. Happy reading and please review!
Change The World
By Faery Pink Sparkle
A cold breeze blew gently through the forest and it softly touched the young girl, playing with her dark locks as it shined in the moonlight. Kagome shivered involuntarily and she edged closer to the campfire, welcoming its warmth. The flames wove around the wood in an intricate dance, taunting those who watched with its blazing beauty. Looking beyond the flames, Kagome eyed the three sleeping forms on the ground; a demon slayer, a lecherous monk and a little fox demon. Seemingly a strange bunch, but they were her friends nonetheless. Kagome felt a soft smile touch her lips. How she loved her friends! She began to fumble with the necklace that was draped across her neck, her slender fingers resting on a pink jewel. The Sacred Jewel of Four Souls… or at least what she had of it, glowed a luminous pink and its power began to pulsate as her fingers traced its jagged edge. It was amazing to think that such a little thing was the reason that Kagome met the ones she held dear to her heart. Kagome titled her head upwards and her face was bathed in the tender moonlight. There, sleeping on the branch of the tree was the half-demon, InuYasha. His silver hair seemed to glow defiantly at the moon above. InuYasha looked so peaceful with the background of the night sky that was littered with twinkling stars.
He was the first one she had met because of the Jewel. She remembered that day clearly. Falling into the Bone Eater's Well, Kagome had traveled from 21st century Tokyo to Feudal Japan. Climbing out of the well and into the strange era, Kagome laid her eyes on the sleeping InuYasha who had been bound to a tree by a magical arrow. The Jewel had been whole then, and when the half-breed had been released from what was thought to be a binding spell that was cast upon him fifty years before, all he wanted to do was get his claws on the Jewel to use it to fulfill his desire to become a full demon. Many things changed then. The Jewel had been stolen, not by InuYasha, but by some worthless demon. Before it could escape with the Jewel that it had swallowed, Kagome had fired an arrow. It was a direct hit. But that was when her luck stopped. Because of the arrow, the Sacred Jewel was shattered to pieces that were then scattered across Feudal Japan. InuYasha had been furious! Reluctantly, he agreed to work with Kagome to retrieve the shards of the Jewel so it may become whole once more. That day seemed so far away now. Kagome had been through so much with InuYasha since then. They had battled countless demons who were in possession of a shard of the Sacred Jewel and had claimed the shard as their own once they had defeated the enemy... well once InuYasha had defeated the enemy. Kagome frowned as her thoughts continued, It's not like I'm useless or anything! I'm lots of help! Kagome's smile returned, Who's the one who always gets InuYasha out of trouble? Me! "That's exactly right and don't you forget it," Kagome whispered into the night, her words carried off into the night by the breeze before they could reach InuYasha's ears. The young girl looked back at her 'partner' and watched the rising and falling of his chest underneath his red kimono. He looked so beautiful when he was sleeping. Kagome felt her cheeks grow hot and she knew that it wasn't because from the fire that was slowly dying as the night wore on. She quickly averted her brown eyes from the sleeping half-demon, her dark tresses falling across her face to hide her tainted cheeks. Kagome sighed deeply as she watched the glowing ambers within the flickering fire. Things had definitely changed since then. Kagome loved InuYasha; as a friend and even more than that. She had to go through confusion, denial, anger and even a bit of pain before she realized this, but she got there… eventually. If only she knew how InuYasha felt about her. Kagome's train of thought was momentarily halted when she saw a tiny form shift while sleeping. The little fox curled into a ball, his golden tail brightening in the fire's glow. The girl smiled at the sight. Awww, Shippo! You look so cute! Kagome fought the urge to go to him and give him a cuddle.
Shippo was the little fox demon. Since the day she met him, Kagome felt an instant connection. Shippo was like her child; that's how much they were attached to one another! He had been so small and helpless the day they met, doing his best to elude The Thunder Brothers, with a shard in his possession. He was so scared and helpless. With no parents or family, Shippo was a lost child and Kagome would have none of that! InuYasha took care of The Thunder Brothers and Kagome made sure that Shippo would never be alone by taking him under her wing. InuYasha was against this, of course. But Kagome wouldn't let the little fox child wander amongst the dangers of the feudal era unprotected. And Shippo didn't want to leave Kagome's side either. InuYasha allowed Shippo to stay considering that he did come with a shard of the Jewel… and also because he had no choice. Their journey continued and unbeknownst to InuYasha, they had all formed a close bond with each other.
After Shippo, they met Miroku- the amorous monk. Or should I say 'lecherous' monk? Kagome thought as she remembered Miroku groping her butt after she had flung herself at him as he was using his Wind Tunnel during his fight with InuYasha. Keep in mind that Kagome only did this to save InuYasha's life, but he was still furious with her for interrupting and for almost getting herself killed. But his anger was redirected towards the monk after he had touched her inappropriately. Kagome laughed inwardly at what had now become a fond memory. Miroku was much gentler than InuYasha, there was no questioning that. Though, Miroku could get a bit out of hand sometimes, which was probably why InuYasha felt the need to constantly protect her from the monk and his 'ways'. Miroku and InuYasha didn't really get on too well, so the monk left soon after, even though they were all going after the same culprit, Naraku. Naraku was the demon who had deceived InuYasha and Kikyo fifty years before, leading to Kikyo's untimely demise. Naraku also cursed Miroku's lineage with the Wind Tunnel, which Miroku now had the pleasure of bearing. Well, it didn't take long till they all crossed paths once more. With her persistence, Kagome had managed to convince Miroku to become a permanent part of the group, much to InuYasha's distaste.
Wanting to learn more about the Jewel, they searched for its origins and discovered that they could gather more information from the village of the demon slayers. This was their next destination. When they arrived, the group was greeted by the horrible image of bloodshed and death. The village was in ruins and the remains of humans and demons were all that were left. Then Sango came into the picture. She was a young beauty and the most talented and skillful demon exterminator. Deceived by Naraku, Sango had come to believe that InuYasha the was person responsible for the slaughter of her people and the destruction of her village. But once this misunderstanding had been cleared up, Sango had agreed to tell them what she knew about the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls. The young demon slayer was the latest addition to their group. Miroku had been overjoyed by this and he wasn't afraid to show it either. I think it was love at first sight, Kagome suppressed a giggle as she glanced at Miroku then at Sango who was sleeping beside Shippo and her familiar, Kirara the fire-cat.
Kagome and Sango had become close friends, best friends even. Kagome was happy to have another girl in the group. She loved the boys to pieces, but sometimes it was hard for her. It wasn't like she could go back to 21st century Tokyo and discuss her adventures in Feudal Japan with her friends at school. They just wouldn't understand. Her mother was different altogether. So, Sango was a welcomed blessing. The demon slayer was a beautiful person inside and out and Kagome considered herself lucky to have Sango as a friend.
Thinking about it now, it wasn't only the Jewel that had brought them all together. It was also their thirst for revenge against Naraku- with the exception of herself and Shippo. Oh, Naraku, Kagome exhaled heavily, You've caused so much trouble. Kagome clutched onto her part of the Sacred Jewel as if to protect it from being taken from her. Soon, there wouldn't be any more shards to collect. They would have one half and Naraku would have the other. Every step led them closer to the final battle with Naraku and that thought scared her. What do I have to be scared of? She scolded herself, Of course we'll win. I believe in my friends and that's all that matters. Once they had the complete Jewel, their journey would be over and that thought scared her most of all. Kagome felt her eyelids grow heavy. With a final thought of InuYasha, Kagome allowed sleep to claim her.
"Where is it!" InuYasha exclaimed, his patience wearing thin, "I'm hungry and I want some ramen!" He continued to rummage through Kagome's pack.
Kagome was vaguely aware of what was going on around her. She was still tired from staying up late the night before and refused to wake up.
"I don't think you should be doing that," the little fox warned casually and watched as Kagome's belongings were flung to the ground.
"I do hope that you're planning on returning everything to their rightful place," Sango said sternly as she stroked Kirara's fur.
"Oh, my beautiful Sango, how right you are," Miroku added and gently fondled her leg. The demon slayer was quick to react and the indecent monk received a slap to the face.
Their warning fell on deaf ears. The half-demon continued to search for his breakfast and his complaining didn't stop. His voice was becoming louder and louder.
Kagome couldn't keep her eyes shut any longer and she found herself staring at InuYasha's back as he scanned over her belongings on the ground incase he had mistakenly thrown out the ramen in his haste to get food. Kagome was still in a daze.
"Stupid girl…" he muttered under his breath.
"Perhaps you should put everything back inside now," Miroku started as he rubbed his right cheek that was burning with the imprint of Sango's hand.
Kagome was slowly coming to her senses.
"If Kagome wakes to see the mess that you've created, she'll-" but Miroku was abruptly cut off by a resounding "SIT!". InuYasha didn't even get the time to react. Kagome stood before them and she glared at InuYasha who was face down in the dirt.
"I tried to warn you," Miroku shook his head at his friend, "But you didn't listen."
Shippo made sure that he was well out of InuYasha's reach before he started laughing. He perched himself on Sango's shoulder, "Serves you right!" Sango could only shake her head in disapproval.
Kagome had already begun to gather her things and place them back inside her bag before InuYasha sat up. "What the hell was that for!" he exploded as he dusted himself off.
The young girl gave him a pointed look. "If you're going to go through my bag, at least go through the whole thing," she snapped as she handed him the ramen he had been looking for, which she had retrieved from the side pocket of her pack. He scowled at her and jumped back onto the tree branch to sulk.
"You know," Shippo began as he helped Kagome clean up after InuYasha, "Sometimes I think I'm more mature than he is."
"Me too," Kagome agreed as she began to prepare breakfast for them all. InuYasha stared daggers at the two. Kagome caught him in the act, so she stuck her tongue out at him. InuYasha looked away and felt his face grow flushed. Whether it was from embarrassment or from something else, he didn't know.
"Is something going on between the two of you that you haven't told me?" Sango whispered in a teasing tone from beside Kagome.
Kagome blushed profusely. "Of course not, Sango!" she replied defensively in a louder voice than she intended. She received strange looks from the boys, causing her to blush further. She busied herself with the preparation of their food. Sango smiled warmly at her friend and Kagome grinned back.
After a hearty meal of ramen, their journey continued. The sky was a crystal blue with no cloud in sight and the golden sun was vibrant overhead. The air was fresh and Kagome breathed in a lungful with a wistful smile upon her face. She loved it here so much! She walked behind her friends and watched them lovingly. But her happy feeling was gone and her smile fell from her face as soon as InuYasha opened his mouth.
"You wanna hurry it up, Kagome?" he barked impatiently, "We don't have all day, you know."
Kagome became annoyed, "I don't see you carrying a heavy bag on your back. In case you've forgotten, it was your fault that my bicycle was destroyed when you threw it at that demon the other day. Without my permission, might I add."
"Oh yes, I do remember that two-wheeled contraption…" Miroku trailed off thoughtfully.
InuYasha scoffed, "Piece of junk that was. Didn't even leave a scratch on him. Trust me, I did you a favor."
"If you want me to hurry up, why don't you carry my bag for me?"
InuYasha gave a look of disgust, though it wasn't directed at Kagome, "Humans; so weak."
Kagome looked furious, "Let me remind you that you have human in you too."
Sango decided to interject before the argument could get out of hand, "I'm sure that Kirara would be glad to let us ride on her back." The little fire-cat looked up at Sango expectantly with her big eyes. The two weren't listening.
It seemed that InuYasha had taken offence to being called human. "Useless shard detector," he retorted, though he knew that he didn't mean a word of it.
Kagome's eyes widened in shock, but she composed herself quickly enough. "Half-breed," she replied, more to state a fact rather than to offend him, which she knew it would anyway. InuYasha's amber eyes flashed dangerously, but Kagome stood her ground and stared at him evenly. There was silence and the others looked on in worry. InuYasha exhaled sharply and made his way to Kagome to take the bag from her hands. He flung it over his shoulder easily and they stared into each other's eyes. He knew that Kagome was sorry; he could see it in her eyes. And InuYasha taking the bag from her was an apology all on its own; Kagome didn't need words, which was something that she knew InuYasha would be unable to give. She smiled at him, but he looked away straight after. Kagome was unfazed.
"C'mon then," InuYasha called out as he resumed walking.
Everything continued as if no argument had occurred. Kagome found herself lost in her thoughts as she glanced at the others. Once the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls was completed, the world was going to change and hopefully they would see it change together. Kagome watched as InuYasha continued to lead the way into the future. One thing was certain, he was her world and she wouldn't change a thing.
Author's Note: And that's the end of my story… How was it? Did you like it? Well, I hope that you did. Please review.. And feel free to go to my profile and check out other stories that I have authored. It's shameful of me to promote myself isn't it? Teehee : )
Anyway, before I forget… Thank you to those who take the time to read and review this story. All reviews are appreciated!
(This is a revised version... not much has changed, just a few grammatical errors that needed to be changed)