The year is 1585 set in the Azuchi-Momoyama period during the feudal times where the forest are thick with greenery, animals, life, and dangers. The people are resourceful, hard working, patient, serve a purpose, and fearful of new people and things. The buildings are simple, warm, small, and home to many occupations such as medical, personal, and governmental. Lurking in the surrounding area's of the working people is also a hierarchy of demonic beings, who are also on the top of the food chain and truly run the government of North, East, South, and West. Each area has a species to which rules and keeps peace or war over the people and the lesser demon. It is the leader's position and duty in each clan to uphold rules and laws over the human and youkai of their province. With the tone set for the beautiful painful story that will unfold here let me begin by saying the words you will read are of love, beauty, hurt, anguish, and ultimate happiness here is the writing's of-
The shattered Teapot.
The rain raced down the frost covered window which sealed out the freezing temperatures from the four occupants in the warm yellow lit house, on what seemed like the most special of evenings that could grace the unlit shrine. It was christmas eve and the family had just agreed to open all the presents early due to some family members having plans for the X-mas day the next morning. A young boy who was in his pre teen's was more than happy to go first, with an enthusiastic family waiting eagerly for his reaction to the gift.
"Go ahead Sota open it! Mother and I picked this one out for you, we knew it was meant for you right when we saw it!" A beautiful soft black haired girl bursted out excitedly as an older raven haired women nodded in agreement.
The young boy known as Sota tore into his present to reveal three new games for his gaming system, and just the ones he had been wanting too.
"Thank you mom! Thank you Kagome! These are perfect just what I have been looking forward to getting!" Sota jumped up and hugged his mother and sister with a pleased grin on his face, he then turned his head when he heard a deep raspy voice from the recliner.
"No need to keep my present hidden then young man, it is a controller for your system to go along with those games. Although it wouldn't be a special present from me without a few charms and scrolls to go along with that to keep demons out of your room." With that another gift was handed to him from an elderly man in a light blue yukata as he smiled a wrinkled old grin.
The two siblings and mother just paused and laughed a bit as they all knew that what would a gift be from grandpa higurashi if it wasn't spiritual related. The laughing seemed to die down and Mama Higurashi seemed to slip her smile into a serious tight lipped look as she looked at Kagome and preceded to speak to her.
"Kagome, my beautiful daughter we worry about you in the feudal era fighting all those dangerous demons and not having much to protect yourself with but a bow and relying on friends. So your grandfather and I bought you this new, beautiful, and strong bow along with these arrows and a few new charm's to help you in your journey dear."
Kagome looked in awe at the pure pearl white bow made out of the strongest elk and moose racks, this bow was long, big, and beautiful with the tight string made of the finest horse hairs. The 15 arrows which seemed just as long as the bow itself, were white as a doves feather and light as one too, the body withered from the sturdiest bleached bamboo , the fletching made of sturdy golden eagle feathers which added beauty, and the heads lasered out of pure diamond and tipped with brilliant goldened steel. The quiver was made of the toughest leather and adorned with beautiful smooth soft cream colored fox fur to where not an inch of leather was showing.
"These arrows are so light and beautiful but seem like they should be so heavy! Oh mother you two are the best! I absolutely love these gifts! Tell me about the charms grandpa?" Kagome exclaimed as she hugged them both.
They smiled so pleased she was happy with the gift.
"The charms are to be used as barrier's, I will use them to bless and protect your weapons and your precious self, which will be done tomorrow before you leave back to the war zone you call a second home." Grandpa explained to her as he walked up the stairs once he had hugged everyone and told them goodnight while kagome was viewing her gifts. He felt exhausted after eating food, opening gifts, and explaining rituals and stories to the kids.
"I also got you a warm and beautiful outfit for you to wear while trekking on your missions sweetie, it is white and gold with-Oh just take a look for yourself!" Mrs. Higurashi gushed as she pushed four boxes toward her daughter.
In the boxes was a completed outfit of a white silk kimono with a thermal underlayer, fitted to her snug enough to show her curves but breathable to the point she could run and jump if need be.
The linings, cuffs, and collar were covered with smooth white fox fur as well as a scarf made out of the same fur. She also had matching cloth/fur leg warmers kept up with gold leather ties and beautiful slender golden slip on shoes to match the golden stitching in the kimono.
All these golden features were brought together by the large gold moon designed on her back to compliment the large howling cream colored wolves stitched in gold and red on a dark hillside along the back as well.
There were also miscellaneous falling red, gold, black, and cream flowers and petals along her sleeves, the bottom, and the shoulders to truly bring everything together. Overall it was an exquisitely beautiful white fur kimono to compete with the cold weather in both era's.
Kagome held the kimono and gave a choked out dry sob while hiding her eyes by her bangs, she leapt into her mother's arms and cried proclaiming it was the best present ever and that she would wear it the next day. They both hugged with smiles and said loving words to one another as they let go of each other.
"I will finish cleaning down here, why don't you go up stairs and go to bed I will see you off tomorrow. It seems with all the gift giving your grandpa and brother have gone off to bed dear, so merry X-mas and sleep tight Kagome I love you." "I love you too mom."
With that they both parted ways and as kagome drifted off to sleep she could only think of all the excitement and love she had for her family and how tomorrow would be just as nice. She was asleep before she could even finish her thought from the exhaustion of the evening.
Everyone was up, bathed, and busy with chores or personal things around 8AM the next day. It may have been Christmas day for most but for the Higurashi family they had to go about business as usual, minus Sota playing his new video games. The shrine was open to the public so after blessing the weapons and Kagome earlier that morning with barrier and protection charms, grandfather Higurashi took to sweeping the snow covered shrine incase guest were to arrive.
Inside the warm delicious smelling home, Mrs. Higurashi was preparing treats for the feudal era friends of Kagome's after packing her daughters signature school uniform, along with normal cold weather clothes and other female necessities to go inside the backpack.
While everyone was doing something productive Kagome walked the shrine grounds to get a peace of mind and a hold on her nerves.
'I feel as if something awful awaits me in the near future...Why do I have this uneasy twist around my heart as if it could break at any moment?' Her outer emotions wouldn't reflect the shaky inner voice she seemed to have to accompany the sharp nerves she was feeling since she had awoken that morning.
She looked so graceful, enchanting, and dangerously dazzling in her snow white kimono, along with that tall bow threaded around her body and her gold feathered arrows peaking from behind her back, a goddess like appearance when the wind blew her long raven black ringlets of soft shimmering hair as she almost floated toward the back door, when she saw her mother appear with her backpack; signaling she was ready to go.
"Kagome you look absolutely breathtaking in that outfit, you look like a princess ready to be wed. I love everything about it on you. You're so strong and smart, I can't ask for a better daughter then you my beautiful perfection." Mrs. Higurashi paused as tears came down her face and hugged her daughter who stood a little shorter than her.
She embraced her tightly, feeling her daughter from head to shoulder to hands as she preceded to let the tears flow making Kagome tear up as well.
"You feel the same mom? You have the strained heart as if everything will change-As if something is going to happen?" Kagome choked out than she began crying even more as her mother nodded.
"If the feeling is right, I know you won't shy away from it and not go I respect that dear. So if this is the last time I see you let me remember you just like this with all the laughs we have had, how much we have hugged like this, and how much we have said I love you." She slowly let her daughter's hair fall through her fingers and kissed the very skin that the tresses had just abandoned on her hand, with one more tear leaving her ducts she looked at her daughters flushed face and damp eyes.
"I have something for you, it was given to me by a visitor when you were just a child-" She stopped and dug into the side pocket of Kagome's yellow backpack, she pulled out a clear vial with dark purple liquid filled to the brim plugged with a smooth black cork with a simple magenta purple crescent moon on the top.
"Before you ask questions, I do not know if you will be coming back but this will ensure me and give me a peace of mind that you will be alive over there even if you never return. In this is a combination of herbs, demonic toxins, and the blood of a very strong youkai. It was made by a priest who loved a beautiful female youkai but before he could use it he was murdered, if you drink it dear then you will become a youkai, a powerful one at that. If you must live over there then when you feel you are about to die and will never return to us...Please use this and stay safe my dearest daughter. I love you, stay alive." With that put the potion back and handed the backpack to her stunned and saddened daughter.
"I hope our feeling is wrong mom, I have no idea who gave this to you but I hope I do not have to use it and I come back to see your smiling face. Tell grandpa and Sota I love them dearly and will see you all soon, I love you all so much." Kagome hugged her mom one last time and ran off to the well before she cried her eyes out and wasted more time with goodbyes.
'I will only use this odd concoction of demon essence if I feel my last breath upon me, kami please don't let these feelings turn to reality.' Were kagome's last thoughts as she leapt into the well to be where she felt the most free; The Feudal Era.
After the short trip through the well, she landed gently on the soft soil and quickly began climbing out of the well. Hoping to see her dog eared hanyou dressed in his normal red attire impatiently waiting for her. As she approached the top she noticed there was no helping hand to hoist her out of the well, so she peered over the corner and noticed there wasn't Inuyasha or anyone else waiting for her. 'Has it not been two weeks since I left? I said two weeks exactly.' She questioned herself but hastily reassured it was the right day and that they most likely got busy.
She hurried off toward the village excited to see everyone on this cold crisp late morning day, it seems like it had been forever since she had seen her group of four plus Kaede. As she approached the edge of the village, she turned her thoughtful look into one of happiness and picked up her pace to the hut. Upon arriving at the door she pushed the straw curtains back and entered to see her precious friends looking back at her with happiness and excitement.
"Kagome!" rang throughout the hut as they all bursted out at once, the slender tall brown haired women clad in her demon slayer uniform got up immediately to give her friend a hug. Kagome embraced her, "Sango I have missed you, we need to talk and catch up sister." she said joyfully and then she began to hug a black haired man dressed in purple monk robes and moved on to a young orange haired fox demon who was more than excited to see his 'mama'.
"Miroku, you didn't try to grope me? Turning over a new leaf I see." Miroku grinned, nodded, and scratched his head as he looked over at sango who was blushing.
"He still gropes me plenty though!" Sango annoyingly glared at the monk who gave a sheepish grin.
"Shippo sweetie how are you? I have missed you dear!"
"I have been good mama, practicing my fox fire!" He stated proudly and hugged her leg.
Kagome looked around the hut feeling something a miss, "Where is Inuyasha and Kaede? Has something happened?" Kagome asked worried that the feeling from earlier had something to do with the missing friends.
Sango looked troubled as she averted kagome's gaze, miroku and Shippo did the same. 'What is their problem...Did something truly happen to her beloved and her mentor...' kagome thought solemnly as she put her delicate hand on Sango's shoulder and looked her in the eyes.
"I am a big girl Sango, you can tell me? Are they in danger or hurt?" Kagome asked sternly.
"No, No, that is not the problem-Inuyasha he-well he ran off with Kikyo about three day's ago into the forest and we haven't seen him since!" Sango said hastily as she hugged Kagome.
Without paying any mind to the comment that did in fact sting her heart and make her fight back the scream wanting to slip through her lips, she asked what of Kaede and received a quick answer from little Shippo.
"She followed him to talk with her clay pot of a sister, we haven't seen her since either."
"We are worried but she said not to follow, as she wanted to deal with it on her own." Sango paused "Deal with what…We do not know." she finished her comment and began back to cleaning her large weapon while letting the other's go about their business.
Kagome felt the air thick with worry, anger, and signals that they all wanted to drop the conversation and focus on Kagome's arrival. She respected their wishes and began pulling small gifts out of her bag along with food and setting them up for each person. An assortment of goodies for all five friends she loved dearly, but she knew she would need to leave to look for the pair in order to feel at ease.
"I have brought you all Christmas presents from my time along with some homemade bento boxes for this special day. I want you to open them and enjoy the food, but while you are all doing that I will go look for Inuyasha and Kaede. Please enjoy your gifts and don't fear for me, I will be right back with the pair in no time!" As the last words were said before anyone could interject she was handling her bow and out the door.
They seemed to understand why she was going, to find Kikyo and Inuyasha and hopefully not together.
'How could that no good dirty dog go off with that clay bitch! I have done nothing but be nice to him, give him my heart! My soul! How dare he use me like that, I am Kagome not a reincarnation!' Kagome's inner voice was shouting from ear to ear, her face red as a chili pepper, her anger was controlled by jealousy, betrayal, and sadness. Tear's were fighting to not fall down her soft cheeks as she stepped over logs, rocks, and vines trying to not slip on ice and the fallen snow.
The whole time she was steaming mad and bitching Inuyasha out in her head, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and in these forest that is a dangerous thing. She walked on with no mind, looking for her idiotic hanyou and his whore.
The sun was inching to the top of the sky to signify the late afternoon, it was beautiful with the snowy white canopy of winter frost and frozen icicles in the western forest, and the fields of once beautiful spring flowers heavy with snow along the outskirts of the castle walls. The western kingdom was always the most beautiful among the four provinces in the land. Inside the royal white stoned castle covered with vines and gold roofing and framing, was also the most powerful, dangerous, graceful, and ravishingly gorgeous lord.
This was no ordinary lord, he was a handsome inuyoukai a large white powerful dog demon. His name is Sesshomaru, he has white soft luxurious hair that just barely tickles the back of his knees. Perfect razor sharp claws on slender fingers that can crush a skull in a second if he was enraged enough, silky soft fair skin with a purple crescent moon on his forehead, along with slash style markings on his cheeks in magenta and his arms. A sure sign of his demon blood and royal heritage would be the publics guess.
Thick pauldron adorned across his left shoulder attached to his cuirass and kusazuri, an 8 foot mokomoko across his right shoulder acting as a very large boa, which is in fact part of his Inuyoukai heritage and his tail just slung over as to not drag it about, then underneath all that armor is a white hankimono with red sleeve design, his white nu-bakama pants match his upper layer perfectly starched to puff out, a long yellow with blue tipped heko obi around his waist, and black boots to finish the look.
He was a god like sight for mortals and demons a like, just a vision of beauty, grace, and dangerous instincts. That is the lord of west, the proud Inuyoukai who rules the land with stern understanding and powerful respect.
"My lord, My lord! Please don't go alone take some men with you, they are strong and-" The frantic guard was stopped in his pleads by the demon lord as he turned around and gave a look of silence.
"This Sesshomaru is more powerful than any priest or priestess, so do not question my power again Ren." The lord stated in a smooth cold voice to the tall head guard and walked away leaving Ren alone in the long white corridor.
Ren looked on as his lord walked off to deal with some pressing issues on the outskirts of the western lands. There had been powerful holy energy coming from a small clearing near Inuyasha's forest, knowing it might have something to do with his whelp of a brother he insisted on taking care of the issue himself.
Ren was the head guard and has been for 700 year's, since he had first joined the western army he knew he was going to be important one day. Ren's look was that of a 25 year old man, short red hair spiked and held back in style by a green leather headband. He had imperial white and gold armor about himself with green trim around his rank, cape, and hilt on his daggers placed at his side. He was a young, strong, responsible, handsome tiger youkai and very sought after with the ladies of the high court and popular among the staff members.
Ren brushed his lords cold behavior off and went back to tending to his army and military duties as head officer.
Sesshomaru was already halfway to the location he wished to investigate with the pace of a demon, when he noticed the sound of retreating footsteps and loud angered whispering coming from the very direction he was heading. 'Someone else is going to the energy, this Sesshomaru does not take kindly to being beaten even in a petty investigation such as this.' he knew it was the miko the moment he hurried his pace up in the tree's, he smelt her, he saw her.
'She looks pleasing in the white kimono with that red obi, she looks like a women ready to be-' he stopped his thought's slightly confused as the nature his mind was going for a human women.
He noticed the miko had stopped in her tracks and her hands were trembling in what he assumed was rage, he looked at what she was looking at and was surprised to see the dead miko embracing Inuyasha as the elderly priestess seemed to be performing a ritual.
Kagome was utterly shocked at what she was seeing before her, she had just walked and walked and walked for the love of her life. She was cold, feet hurt, had scrapes and had a run in with two very large but weak rat demon's who had met their demise after catching her off guard, which was all because of her inner abuse to Inuyasha playing in her head distracted her to the world around her. All she wanted to do at this moment was notch an arrow and shoot straight into Inuyasha's heart along with Kikyo's.
'I have been worried about him, wondering if he ran off with her or not! He did! He love's her not me...I have been a fool! What is Kaede doing?...Why is she helping them...I loved him-I love him! How could you bastard!' Kagome's head was about to split from the anger and hurt she was feeling so deep down inside, that feeling from earlier was coming back.
The suffocating grip on her heart 'it shattered my heart, I feel it has shattered! broken piece by piece, every time he ran off to her and held her, every day he compared me to her, I am breaking!' At that moment she felt the heart she knew, she felt everything with it die down and close, her love for him and those around her just seemed to slip away into the darkness of her pain.
"STOP!" Kagome shouted toward the trio of betrayers, "What are you doing Kaede? Why are you helping them?" She asked as tears fell down her cheeks and onto the ground.
Kaede jolted a bit at hearing Kagome's voice, she stopped her chanting and frowned with sadness in her eyes. Inuyasha looked scared, sad, but not regretful and well Kikyo she had a smirk but did have a glint of pity in her cold hollow eyes. None of them moved from where they were, Inuyasha and Kikyo stayed embraced with one another and Kaede didn't move her body from the spot she was or set the scroll aside she was reading.
'Has this world gone mad? Do I have a smile on my face, yes they look at me with sadness but not regret or worry over my feelings!' Kagome moved a bit closer she was now out in the open clearing staring all of them dead on. unbeknown to them with a curious Sesshomaru peering from a near by tree, he was looking for answers as to what was going on too. He never understood why his brother preferred a dead wench over a living one. 'Let us see how this plays out.' He thought to himself.
"Child ye must have a lot of questions, I followed the two of them here...I told them ye loved him and trust him. He understood that but ye have to understand these two are meant to be together. I get that now, that they have explained it to me the story of their love before and after is just meant to be continued. I found-This scroll it was what I have been looking for, to bring my sister back to life to be human again not a soulless being. Please child ye have to look at it from my point of view I lost my sister. Inuyasha lost the love of his life, if you truly cared for us and loved him ye would want us happy, no matter what. This is a selfish and painful thing I am asking of ye child. What is the answer child?" Kaede sorrowful explained and left it with the open question but Kagome was frozen in thought or in horror neither of them knew.
Not getting a response from her with a blank tearful look she had, Inuyasha spoke up while holding Kikyo close.
"Kagome, I love you so very much. I think the love I have for you is only-now don't get upset but the love I have for you is because you're Kikyo's reincarnation. Everytime I look at you I think I love you so much kagome, but when you talk and smile I love Kikyo. It took me a long time to figure out the difference between loving you and loving kikyo, I know what it is now. I love Kikyo, I need her to be alive so we can live happily ever after, wasn't that the point of defeating naraku four years ago? To be happy..." He paused looking at Kagome's hurt face.
She started biting her lip and running her fingers through her hair as she let her tears fall. It was true they had defeated him for the purpose of happiness and safety, the jewel was purified and hidden away as a means for Kagome to continue traveling through time and not be separated from her feudal family. She was 17 when they defeated the half breed Naraku and his goons, she had aged into a beautiful curvaceous 20 year old. She looked older then her beloved hanyou at this point, where as kikyo was ageless with the young dog demon.
Kagome looked on at the hugging lovers as she rubbed the tears from her eyes.
Inuyasha saw a light return to her eyes after a few minutes, signaling she was focused on them again so he continued "Well this is my happiness and without it I won't be truly happy. I am so sorry again Kagome, I hate hurting you...I do love you." Inuyasha finished with the heaviest look of guilt and sadness on his face while he just held the silent Kikyo, she figured it was best to stay silent and let the two of them talk it out. That was the nicest thing she could do at that point in ending her mean streak with Kagome.
Kagome's tears increased 10 fold as she processed everything everyone had said to her, her shaky legs slowly began to retreat toward the first sighting of the heart breaking scene of her beloved loving another.
"I-I don't know what to say...You all are-how could you think this is okay? You two-I just-I can't see you! I don't want to see you! You can have her because I don't want you! I am leaving! I will be doing my own thing from now on you bastard! As for you Kaede-I...Hope you get what you want and tell Shippo I love him and will see him soon!" Kagome spit on the ground toward Inuyasha and said a few more hateful words with a shaky voice.
Inuyasha reached out from a far to hold her to calm her down but he paused because he knew if he moved from this spot he would break the chant they have worked so hard on night and day.
They all looked on at the broken down, pitiful looking girl dressed in white with her long shiny black locks covering her flushed face, stood in front of them trembling and wiped her tears away vigorously with her delicate pale hands from the cold chilly weather.
"Do not look for me Inuyasha! You or the others! if I see you I will-I will gosh I will do something painful like how you hurt me!" With that she ran off into the forest not looking back once as the late afternoon turned to a dark evening. She just ran until she would feel nothing, see no one, and cry forever until her heart found a beat again.
Sesshomaru saw everything from the first sad look to the last sympathetic word that left his useless half brother's mouth. 'I don't find this ritual an issue for my land, just for my brother. I will do nothing as of now, but will check up on them occasionally. I am a bit more curious about that fiery miko and where she thinks she will go if not the village that cares for her?' Sesshomaru's thoughts were true because where would kagome end up if she wasn't going back to the village especially with a disgruntled outlook on life at that very moment.
[Thank you for reading! Will update soon leave comments let me know what you think, corrections and suggestions are welcomed!]
[very aggressively writing chapter 2 at the moment but I have had a few distractions and I tend to do tedious research for the story. I apologize but it is 1:30am right now and as a mother of a 10 month old I should be resting but I feel like when else would I get a chance. Lol anyway, just wanted to let y'all know I'm putting thoughts on tablet so don't fret loves.]