~ Introduction ~
Hello everyone! I am very excited to begin this fic and I hope you enjoy this introduction chapter. Stay tuned, I hope to post at least once a week!
This chapter contains a trigger warning on the topic of rape and sexual assault.
Please read with caution.
"Hey Kagome!" Eri called out, waving her hands at the young girl clad in her school uniform, "You're still coming to the movies tomorrow, right?" As Kagome turned, pausing in her walk home, as she had just finished eating dinner with them, she saw her three friends, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi with their hands clasped together tightly as if praying to the Kamis that she wouldn't cancel on them.
Smiling, Kagome waved them off in reassurance, "Of course I'm still going! And I'm excited, too!" She added for good measure, earning cheers from her friends as she called out her goodbyes and continued on her way home. The wind danced around her skin as she made her way, her joyful expression remaining plastered on her pale face, eyes sparkling with pride in every step. She didn't think she would be, but she was in fact excited to go to the movies tomorrow, re-experiencing her normalcy with her sorrow now pushed back by her acceptance.
It had been three months since she had come back from the Feudal Era, permanently resigning from her position as jewel detector, though it hadn't really been her decision. After a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs with Inuyasha, him showing affection to her but always running after Kikyo, he finally pushed her away. It had been a cold night where the half-demon, with his head hanging low, admitted that his obligation to the dead priestess had taken precedence over his feelings for Kagome. He had suggested that he did bare romantic feelings for the young woman, but it didn't matter because he wasn't going to let himself act on them. Kagome had felt the stinging of his words like a million needles poking her chest, along with the flames in her throat that burned the words she wanted to say before they could pour out of her mouth. But they were both in pain, feeling helpless to the situation. Though he didn't force her to leave, she knew that it was hurting him to have to continually go back and forth between the two. She knew he wanted to be by Kikyo's side, even if it was just to ensure her safety. And pain was too much. So, she had said her goodbyes to her friends, suggesting that maybe sometime in the future, she would visit them again, though she needed time before she did. And when she jumped down the well, she felt her heart hadn't quite made it through, stuck in the past.
But, after weeks of tears of grief, the young schoolgirl was finally feeling the warmth of her acceptance. She still loved Inuyasha, but it was bittersweet, and she wanted to begin looking forward to her own future. She began running and doing yoga, and even spent more time on her hair and makeup, wanting her appearance to reflect the change that was happening within herself. And it was finally paying off. She barely cried about it now and thought of her time in the Feudal Era as just good memories to hold onto.
Maybe I will go back after a year or so, because it's not just Inuyasha that I miss, but my other friends, too. And I think by then, I'll be able to see him, even with Kikyo, without relapsing into my depressed state. I think by then, I'd like to have moved on. It's not like we ever dated or anything. And Naraku will probably have been defeated, too! Maybe in a year, I'll be able to go back and forth and they'll all be able to be a part of my life again.
Her smile widened at the thought, feeling like she was capable of having it all.
She continued her walk, taking in the scenery and the highs of a good day. The pinkish-orange horizon indicated that nightfall was quickly falling upon Tokyo, and the crisp evening air filled her lungs. She had even opted to take the scenic route, which lengthened her walk by an hour, passing a small forest path that flaunted it's flowers at the entrance, always emitting a nice aroma when she walked by. After being back in the Modern Era, Kagome was beginning to realize just how much she appreciated the wonders of nature, especially the smell, and looked forward to passing by whenever she took this route home. But, as she neared the forest, she noticed a small child wandering around the entrance before waddling in, following the path that would carry him deep into the forest. He looked about five, and it was pretty late for someone that age to be alone in the woods.
"Hey!" She called out, jogging towards the entrance, worried that the child may have been lost, but he didn't hear her, as he was already making his way down the path. As she approached the forest, she couldn't see any sign of the child, the tall trees casting shadows and making it hard to see, "Hello? Are you lost, kid?" She shouted again, but was only met by silence. Feeling compelled, she waltz down the trail, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness better. She noted how empty this place was, given that, during the daytime, it was usually crowded with joggers. Then again, it was rather creepy now, so she could understand why people avoided it at this time of day.
It had been a few minutes, and the schoolgirl had continued to call out for the little boy, but was losing hope of finding him. But I can't lose hope now! What if something terrible happens to him? I've been up against countless monsters before, so there's no reason why some creepy forest should scare me away.
As she continued, she could hear voices in the distance, and began to run in the direction.
"There you are, buddy! We were worried sick about you! Don't you know you can't wander off like that?" A man came into vision, and he was picking up the little boy and hugging him tight, "It's okay now. Don't worry. Let's go find mommy so we can go home." They took off deeper into the forest.
Kagome sighed in relief, finally feeling ready to turn around and go home. She picked up the pace as she did, the darkness only getting worse as the clock ticked on. The trees seemed to loom over ominously, whispering to themselves as branches shook and leaves ruffled in the wind. She really wished she had her bow and arrow, or even Kirara to soar above the shadows. Something just didn't feel right.
With the wind and the crackling of the leaves, she hadn't even heard them as they approached her. One covered her mouth while another held her wrists together behind her back. It had happened so fast that she didn't know how to react, her eyes just widened as she struggled to even process what was going on. The stranger pushed her off of the trail and into the greenery, where even that family wouldn't be able to find her.
"Hey, got the duct tape?" One asked, his voice ruff.
"Yeah, don't worry." The other replied.
She could hear as they ripped off a piece of tape, her mind racing as she struggled to break out of the grip, but it was to no avail. Soon after, the hand uncovered her mouth and she tried to scream, but was stopped as it was quickly re-covered by the tape. All that came out was muffled sounds that would surely gather no one's attention, if there was even anyone else around anymore. The family had gone in the opposite direction. It was just her and these two men.
They duct taped her hands behind her back and pushed her up against a tree, her forehead pressed against the bark, but she continued to struggle, trying to remember what she would do if they were demons, but feeling helpless without her friends around to help.
"Hey bitch, stop moving!" One man growled in her ear, "Ain't no point. Better just let it happen."
But she only squirmed around more, kicking her feet and managing to kick him close enough to the groin area to solicit another growl, "Oh yeah, wanna play like that?" He angrily wrapped her hair around his fist until he was close to the scalp, and pulled her head back before smashing it against the tree in a fit of rage. He chuckled darkly as she felt her body go numb, losing her ability to fight them off any longer.
Blood trickled down her forehead and traveling down her face, and it felt warm against her skin. They pushed her to the ground and she could no longer even try to get up, her vision getting blurry, breathing slowed. Everything began to feel distant to her, even the men who were now hovering above her.
"Man, I think you did her in pretty good. She sure is bleeding a lot." One huffed, though his voice was muffled in her ears. She tried to focus on the two, but found herself falling in and out of consciousness.
"She's fine." The other replied, "But she sure is cute, ain't she? Let's see what's under them clothes."
"Take pictures of it." She began to hear phone cameras going off.
"Now, let's get down to business."
As they violated her, she could barely comprehend the feeling of their rough hands all over her, but tears still poured over her lids, her hopelessness not becoming numb like the rest of her. It mixed with the blood and spilled onto the grass, creating a pool around that she wished she could drown in. The minutes felt like hours as they passed her by, and it soon felt like lifetimes as she imagined herself somewhere far away. She imagined being back in the Feudal Era, bathing with Sango after a big battle with a demon. They would finish and walk back over to the campsite, where Inuyasha would be waiting for her. She would sit next to him, warming herself to the fire he had just made, and, eventually, she would lean her head onto his shoulder and he would blush, but he wouldn't push her away. In fact, he would eventually lean into her, as well.
A sharp pain registered in her head as she began to hear their grunts. They had torn off her underwear and spread her legs, now thrusting into her. She tried to go back to her thoughts of the Feudal Era again, but found herself too drenched in the pain to find it. She was too helpless to find that happy place again.
"Inu...Inuyasha..." She whispered, exhausting her last hope that he would just appear out of nowhere and save her.
But it never happened. They had her way with her, filling her with despair as they finished. Kagome found that she could no longer move any part of her. She could no longer see. All she could do was feel her agony like her soul was used and was now rotting away. Like she was becoming a forgotten body that the ground would soon swallow, carrying her to oblivion.
"Man, I don't think she's gonna make it."
Dying? Was she dying? Was the Kamis so cruel that she would die only after they were finished with her?
"Huh? You're right... that's more blood than I thought there would be... I ain't hit her that hard."
"You fucked up, dude. What we gonna do about this one?"
There was a pause. And Kagome soon realized she wouldn't find out what they planned on doing with her before she lost all of her consciousness. And as the pain, faded, so did she. Her thoughts vanished from this world, and one last heartbeat faintly cried out before falling silent. She had died.
One month later...
"Inuyasha, I'm hungry! Can't we stop to eat?" Shippo called out, noting how the night was quickly approaching them as they traveled the land in search for jewel shards. He places a small hand on his stomach as it sent out another growl, and he sighed, seemingly trying to comfort himself and his cravings.
The half-demon just huffed, "We ain't done looking for today, Shippo. We'll stop when we've made more progress." He places his hands on his hips, sticking his nose up in the air as he did, showcasing his desire to remain in movement, feeling sure that if they stopped now, they would only fall farther behind Naraku in the jewel search. His golden eyes quietly scanned over his friends, determining that everyone, save Kikyo, was somewhat exhausted, but still capable of moving forward. Yes, the dead priestess, who Inuyasha had convinced to join them now that Kagome wasn't there to help, never truly felt exhaustion, given that her body wasn't susceptible to the same effects as the living, human body was.
Shippo, feeling defeated and annoyed, whispered quietly to himself, "If Kagome was here, we would have stopped by now."
Though the monk and demon-slayer hadn't heard, Inuyasha tensed up immediately at the sound of her name, suddenly feeling the build of anger at Shippo for daring to bring her up, and guilt for having pushed her away from himself and everyone. Still, he planned on knocking the kid, balling up his hands into fists and hearing the young fox demon gulp as he anticipated the hit. But, he wasn't able to land the blow before a calm voice stopped him.
"The little demon is right." Kikyo placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling the material of the red fire rat robe, "We should stop and eat. If we encounter Naraku, everyone needs to be at their peak condition."
And, as he had begun to do now that Kagome was gone, he listened without argument, barely even showing his disdain. Miroku and Sango had been quick to notice how obedient he was when Kikyo was around, as if his main priority was to not upset her in any way. And it did not seem as though it was something the dead priestess herself had demanded of him. In fact, she had been very pleasant and gentle since she joined the group, but he almost feared getting into any sort of conflict with her.
So, he made a fire and they ate. Their meals were rather quiet, conversation only initiated by Sango, Miroku, and Shippo. Inuyasha would lean back and keep his focus on Kikyo, while Kikyo seemed to distance herself from the conversation, as if she had nothing much to add unless it had to do with defeating Naraku. She, like Inuyasha, was very focused on the task, and didn't seem to engage in anything else.
In her defense, she didn't mean to be any sort of stand-offish. Understanding that he replacement was bitter for the group, she did her best to smile, showing special preference to the fox demon. But she just could not associate with any of them in the way she knew Kagome had. She couldn't find humor in their jokes, nor did she feel comfortable participating as Shippo told his stories. She didn't bathe with Sango, and she didn't sleep near Shippo. She tried her best present herself as being a warm, gentle woman for the sake of making the loss of Kagome easier for everyone, but she knew she lacked the humanness that her living counterpart had.
Still, she hoped she didn't cause them too much grief.
"We should all rest. And regain all of our energy." She spoke, her voice melodic as the wind carried it around them.
Sango nodded her head, "Yes. We haven't run into any demons in a few days, which is odd. I'm sure our luck will run out tomorrow." Miroku silently agreed, and Shippo hopped over to where the small Kirara was, and curled up next t her, shutting his eyes. Kirara purred in response, snuggling up against her friend. Inuyasha leaned up against the closest tree without a word, but just stared up at the sky for a bit. Kikyo, who also didn't need much sleep, lied her head on the ground, deciding that, even if she didn't fall asleep, she would allow herself to relax. She shut her eyes slowly, her thoughts falling silent and her body letting go of the tension.
This lasted all but five minutes before Inuyasha hopped to his feet, startling everyone into opening their eyes with hopes to identify what what wrong. The silver-haired man was rapidly sniffing the air, his brows furrowed together and his muscles visibly tensing up. Feeling as though sleep was inevitably going to escape them for now, everyone sat up, confused.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, shaking off his tiredness.
"A demon. And it's heading straight for us." He growled, pulling out Tessaiga. His fangs began to peek out, as he awaited the demon, who he was sure would show themselves at any second. The air began to thicken around them, the atmosphere dulling itself as every second crept passed them. Kikyo readied herself, now beginning to feel the dark aura approaching them.
"Inuyasha..." A harsh whisper cut through the fabric of their peaceful campsite, carrying the dry desolation that seemed to promote sadness with every syllable. The hairs on the back of everyone's neck began to rise like a weak army of fear, a despairing defense against the eerie mood that had begun to invade their spaces. It was odd, how instead of rage and anger, this demon seemed to be full of sorrow, so much so that it was seeping out into its aura.
"Who's there?!" The half-demon demanded, "Show yourself!"
A small, hunched over old woman appeared from behind the trees, her grey strands falling in front of her face. Her skin appeared sickly, pale but flaunting green undertones. Torn cloth dressed her, like rags on the poor, laying plainly against her body. It was lifeless, gray. As if it once had color, but something had drained it out. She raised a wrinkly hand to pause Inuyasha as he readied himself to swing.
"My name is Unmei." Her voice cracked, and its rasp sounded as though her words were forced from her burning throat, "Still your sword, Inuyasha. For I am a demon of vision, here to relay a message."
"A message, huh? And what makes you think I wanna hear it?" He retorted, clutching his sword harder as he did.
"Because it is a warning. And failure to head to it will lead to the demise of many innocent lives." She waved her finger around, then used it to move her hair away from her face, revealing wan and ashen skin decorated with lines that sunk in to create hills. Her nose was small, like a button, and her lips so thin, they were barely there. But what caught everyone's attention the most was her lack of two eyes. Instead, there were just empty, dark sockets that looked like black holes on her face. It was a mystery how the old woman could possibly see in front of her, but there was this otherworldly way about her that suggested that she had her ways, no matter how odd.
Still, everyone remained ready to fight her, not canceling out the possibility that this could be a trick. "Are you suggesting that you will hurt people if we refuse to listen to you?" Miroku asked, fingers playing with his beads, ready to open his wind tunnel and suck her in.
"I will not be hurting anyone. I am a demon of vision, my demonic powers allow me to see things that no one else can." She turned her head in the monk's direction, but the holes on her face left the group unsure of where to look, "But there is a demon out there right now who will if you allow him to succeed."
Kikyo raised her bow and arrow, readying herself to shoot, "Unmei, it seems you are stalling. Tell us of this demon, or prepare to die!"
"Oh, Kikyo. Fallen priestess. This concerns your soul as well, so lower your arrow." The demon woman hissed, "Death has already befallen your group twice."
Inuyasha's face was now red with rage, "What the hell does that mean?"
"Lower your weapons. And I will tell my tale." Unmei ordered, and everyone but the half-demon hesitantly obliged, worried for what was to come. Sango and Miroku glanced over at each other, their expressions filled with concern. They had to admit, physically, Unmei seemed harmless, her appearance reeking with age. It was hard to believe that she was setting up a trap for them. And no one could sense that there was any other demons around that could possibly be working with her. Still, the silver-haired man held his sword for a bit longer until Kikyo motioned for him to put it away. He did so, but he did is reluctantly.
"Alright, ya old hag. Go on and say what ya came here to say." He said bitterly, his attitude still prevalent in his tone.
After a few moments, the demon woman took a step closer in his direction, "Fifty years ago, death haunted you for the first time. Kikyo had perished at the hands of an unknown enemy, the same day you found yourself stuck on the Tree of Ages. Having been found by an unskilled sorceress, her remains were used to call her soul into the clay vessel that it resides in now. Not alive, but among the living."
"Keh, what's the point of you bringing that up!?" It took all of his will power not to pull Tessaiga from its sheath and slice her up for bringing up Kikyo's death, and he couldn't fathom why she had done so in the first place. But he knew that if Kikyo was in danger, he would no doubt have to do everything he could to protect her, and Unmei had mentioned it was Kikyo's soul that was concerned. So, he took in a deep breath, and prepared himself to listen carefully to whatever the older woman had to say, his jaws clenching.
"There has been a second death. One even more horrific, that has struck a member of your group. And, like Kikyo, she has not been allowed rest." As he processed her words, Inuyasha's eyes widened. She didn't need to specify who she was talking about, because the half-demon had no doubts now. His heart came to a full stop. There's no way... this old hag can't be serious. He struggled to breathe, flirting with the idea that the old woman was, in fact, delusional or even just trying to trick him for whatever reason, but something in his gut told him others. She said it concerns Kikyo's soul... but she didn't it concerned Kikyo herself... But it can't be.
"Kagome. My reincarnation. You are speaking of her." Kikyo hissed, suddenly feeling overwhelmed at the idea that her reincarnation was suddenly being thrust into her life once more. And in the most unfortunate of circumstances as well. But to her, she began to wonder about the last part of Unmei's speech, becoming worried with what she meant by Kagome not being allowed to rest. After having heard of the Modern Era, she was sure that Kagome's world would have been safe from demons and witches alike. Inuyasha never sensed demons while he was there, and there had never been any signs. So, if the priestess had truly passed away, what would be disrupting her peace in a manner similar to Kikyo's own suffering?
Everyone in the group paused, as if collectively working to process the situation. But they were soon marked by the understanding of why this demon had seemed to full of sorrow. The aching that was present in every word the spilled from her cracked lips uncomfortably danced through everyone's ears like a sad ballerina. She was not just the bearer of news, but the bearer of tragedy, and disbelief lumped itself in everyone's throats.
"You're a damn liar! Kagome did not die!" The half-demon beared his fangs and his readied his hands to claw at the old demon, "I don't know what kind of trick this is, but I ain't falling for it!" He heaved as he awaited the woman's response, hoping that maybe she would then reveal different intentions. He preferred the idea that Naraku put Unmei up to this. He preferred battle. Any battle. But the seriousness that had laid itself over Unmei's features were telling a different story.
"What would I gain from telling you lies? The girl has died, and I can prove it to you." She maintained, not holding out her hand, seemingly reaching for the hanyou's face, "I see through the eyes of others, and others can then see through me. I will show you her death, half-demon. And then thou shall believe me."
As her hand reached, he contemplated his next move. He knew he could swipe her away, but what good would that do? He needed to know whether or not Unmei was lying, and he knew that if she managed to show him Kagome dying in the Modern Era, he would have to believe her. Even if some know that Kagome travels to the future, they wouldn't know what it looks like exactly, how everyone dressed, the polluted sky. None of it. So, he decided he would allow the woman to show him whatever she needed to, with hopes that he would be able to prove her wrong in the end. Leaning his face forward, her wrinkled hand first grazing his cheek.
"I warn you. It is most horrific." She mumbled, but the hanyou merely nodded his head, mentally preparing himself for the sight of Kagome dying, fake or not. Her hand then lifted from his face and hovered over his eye, a glowing purple light emitting from it which connected with Inuyasha. He gasped, as he saw Kagome walking around in what he knew was the Modern Era. She had her same schoolgirl clothes on, and the people around her were dressed just as oddly. He even saw cars, as she had called it, passing by her on the navy path she was walking next to. He shuddered as he saw her notice the small child, following him into the woods. It was so like her to take matters into her own hands, even when she was walking around helpless without her bow and arrow. He cursed her pure nature and her desire to always help others. Still, though, he watched on. Feeling relieved when she saw the child make it safety, but tensed up as she walked away from them. He begged for her to turn around and stick with the family until they left the forest. But she didn't. She just kept walking.
The steps she took were slow for him. She was so gentle. Fragile. He watched the expression on her face continue to stain with worry, almost as if she was able to predict that something was going to happen. Her eyes became dull with fear as he watched her stare up at the trees. He wanted to jump in and walk her out. But every time he told himself to move closer to her, he was painfully reminded of the fact that he couldn't. This was just a memory. No matter how many times he called out her name, it would play out the same way. And as she continued to walk, picking up her pace, he dreaded each and every second.
He watched. Watched as the men appeared from behind her, the way her expression morphed into one of pure terror as the one man put his hand over her mouth. He found it physically hurt him to see this, but he couldn't look away. He was stuck in this vision until Unmei released him.
So he remained witnessing the horror, every passing moment of abuse that she endured, from the moment he knocked her against the tree until the moment both were done with her. He wanted to believe it was fake, but he was reminded of the reality when the man took out his camera, a contraption the hanyou had seen during one of his visits. But what tore him the most was when she used her last words to call out his name. His. After he had abandoned her, she still had some twisted hope that he would magically appear and be the hero he knew she thought of him as. A title he didn't feel like he ever deserved at the moment. And when the light in her eyes faded away, Unmei released him from the memory, and he collapsed onto his knees.
"Inuyasha... Wh-What did you see?" Kikyo asked, hesitant to bend over to try to console him. She knew this meant that the demon was telling the truth, but it drained all the life out of him, that she had to assume that Kagome's death was far worse that her own. In a matter of seconds, the half-demon had paled until he was like the moon, his body twitching and he took heavy breaths, the air seemingly evading him.
But he couldn't answer. He couldn't say it. How would he even describe what he saw? The ever-sweet Kagome which everyone had loved was raped and murdered in cold blood, living out her last seconds suffering from abuse until she bled out. No, he couldn't bring the words to his lips. He was filled with more hate than ever, wanting to return and slaughter the men who did this, but more than that, he wanted himself to die as well. It was him who pushed her away. He was the one who made her feel like she had to return, that she needed to do it for him. Because she cared for him in the way he never deserved for her to. In that moment, he decided it was his fault. He was responsible for the pain. He failed as her protector. He failed as her companion. He failed as her...
"Inuyasha, please. Answer me." Kikyo pleaded, now feeling even more unsure of how to react. She didn't feel as though it was her place to try to comfort him, because she knew that he was blaming himself for letting Kikyo replace Kagome in the first place. She wondered what her place was in this group. All she desired at this point was to destroy Naraku so that she could finally rest in peace. And she could manage to do so even if the group did somewhat resent her. But now, she wondered whether she would be welcome.
Shippo hopped over to where Inuyasha was kneeling, his eyes already filling with tears, "She...She's dead, isn't she...?"
He nodded.
"Oh, but that is where you are wrong. The time-traveling priestess, Kagome, did die, but she is not dead." The older woman spoke up, reminding everyone of her presence again. All eyes fell back onto her. Even the silver-haired man lifted his head.
"How...How can that be?" Kikyo asked, now stunned. Even if someone had managed to resurrect her reincarnation, she surely would still be dead. Kagome would be a wandering dead soul just like Kikyo was.
"Kikyo, like I have stated, you were found by an unskilled sorceress. She was unable to truly bring life into your body." Unmei replied, "You see, this is my warning. An evil demon has resurrected the preistess, Kagome, using her connection here to call her soul back to the Feudal Era. Giving her true life again. However, he has done this with the intention of unlocking her true spiritual powers in order to use her for terrible deeds. If he succeeds, many will die."
Inuyasha hopped up to his feet, wiping the tears that had managed to spill from his resentful eyes. There were flames in his dry throat that threatened to burn him to a crisp, but he still managed to bark out a the woman, "No... Even in death, Kagome would never cause the death of innocent people! You might be right about her death... But you're wrong about your warning. If she's out there, I will find her. And I will save her."
"You would have become unrecognizable to her. Her memories now lost deep within her soul. What once was familiar is now unfamiliar." The demon woman huffed, "At this moment, she has been brought to a timeless realm by one of the Shikon Jewel shards to be trained. The demon who has her will spend three years within the realm, though no time would have passed here. When you find her, you will see that she has grown stronger. The strongest priestess to have ever walked this Earth. And she will be your enemy."
"Are you saying that we are tasked with fighting our fallen comrade?" Miroku's voice grew dark at the suggestion, his fists shaking at the thought of having to go to battle against their Kagome.
"I am suggesting that the demon's plans must be stopped. She is no longer the Kagome you once knew. If she refuses to surrender, you must kill her." Her words lacked any emotion, "She will try to do the same to you."
"If we have to, we will do what is right." Kikyo nodded, knowing that she was earning some shocked, disappointed glares from her knew companions. But she would never allow her own personal feelings to get into the way of doing what is expected of her. Doing what needs to be done. The last time she had gone against her duties, she died.
"I will be going now. Good luck." Unmei's body began to glow and she slowly disappeared, leaving the group to face their new dilemma on their own.
But no one said anything. Everyone just stared at the place where the demon woman once stood, feeling overwhelmed by the new piece of information that had just been fed to them. None of them would have ever even thought that Kagome would have died so suddenly in her time. It had only been four months since her departure from the group, and with the way the Modern Era had been described to them, it had seemed like her home was much safer than being out in battle with them anyways. They could not fathom what could have possibly been the cause of her death, but no one dared asked after he even refused to tell Kikyo. They just knew that it must have been unbearably tragic if it had brought the hanyou to tears right in front of everyone.
"I-I am going to go back to the Modern Era." Inuyasha mumbled, "Maybe...Maybe I can figure out a way to track her if I see her body." And it wasn't a lie. He did think that maybe he could connect with her soul if he found its previous vessel. But, he also felt a duty to go see her family. And maybe, just maybe, this whole thing would have turned out to be a fake and he would find Kagome studying in her room like always. And he would bring her back indefinitely and never let her leave. No, not after witnessing that.
Kikyo reached out to stop him, but he leaped away, dashing through the path on his way back to the Bone Eater's Well.
"My dear Sango, are you alright?" Miroku turned to face the demon-slayer, whose cheeks were now damp from her tears. She wiped her face and nodded in his direction, though he could see the pain in her eyes. He knew that Sango and Kagome had grown close, and that Sango had been holding onto Kagome's half-promise to return someday to visit. Sango only had one brother, and he was sure that the priestess had become like a sister to her.
"I will be alright. I'm sure we'll save her..." She replied, "But Inuyasha..."
"I know." Miroku quickly answered, hesitantly taking a peek at the dead priestess who was still looking in the direction that the hanyou had disappeared off to, "If it is as bad as Unmei suggested, I don't know if he will be alright."
Kirara snuggled up against the weeping Shippo, licking his face.
"I guess all that's left to do is wait for him to return."
I hope you all have enjoyed this introduction chapter. As far as my decision to include her being raped goes, the frequency of sexual assaults are just extremely prevalent, even if many people don't believe so. So, I imagined the most realistic way to make Kagome die would be through that. I just couldn't believe that she would just be randomly murdered. I wanted her death to be caused by her being unable to resist helping someone out, so overall, it just seemed like rape and murder would be the more likely cause of death of a young girl like her who doesn't partake in any other common causes (such as drugs or violence). I did my best to avoid going into a full description, but still wanted to capture the misery of an event like that. Being a sexual assault survivor myself, that was important to me.
Let me know what you think about this so far! I am excited to write the next chapter and hope to get many encouraging reviews!
Also, just to clarify, Unmei means Destiny/Fate/Doom in Japanese!