Author's Note- This is my first fanfiction in a few years, so please, bear with me. I'm hoping that it goes over well and that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've had this idea floating around in my brain for some time; I just never put it to paper or anything. Don't be afraid to drop me a line or hit me with some constructive criticism, it's all greatly appreciated. I've put allot of thought and effort into this first chapter trying to set the stage for the fun to come, so I hope you enjoy.
I don't know how long it will take me to get the next chapter up, hopefully only a day or two now that the first one is here, but I really want to know how it might go over before I do too much. Who knows though, I may just let my creativity get the best of me and write it either way. We will just have to see.
Enjoy! ^-^
Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters in the Manga/Anime. I do, however, own a few characters of my own creation that will make appearances as the story progresses.
Down the Rabbit Hole
The open sky was dazzling to behold, just as it always had been. Endless stretches of azure, fluffy white cotton clouds drifting lazily, a fresh cool breeze rustling over the land, it was always so calm and peaceful. Rolling fields of endless green, dappled with sweet scented flowers. Wild and towering forests teamed with life and mystery. Majestic mountains stood tall in the distance, the sentinels of the earth. The beauty of this era was something she had feared losing at the end of their journey.
Nowhere in her time was there such fresh air. Pollution and waste had turned this once beautiful world in to a slowly deteriorating dream. It was sad but it didn't seem to be stopping any time soon. Sure, many steps had been taken to preserve their home planet, but the bottom line was it would never be this beautiful ever again. Most natural beauty had been whipped out to be replaced by technology and manmade beauty.
Sighing softly, the young woman sat on the edge of the old Bone Eaters Well, brilliant blue eyes trained on her surroundings. At least she would always have this little piece of heaven to escape to. She would always have her friends.
Had it really been four years since she'd first fallen down the well and emerged into this time?
Yes, it had taken four years to right her wrong and defeat the notorious villain Naraku. Four years of making new friends and grow to love each and every one of them. Through the good times and the bad, they had stuck together and pulled through, defying the odds. With friends new and old, the Shikon Jewel had been gathered and pieced back together, the finial battle taking place not two weeks past.
It had been a blood bath, one that they had almost not made it out of.
Miroku and Sango had faced off with Kagura, and though the two had come out the victors, they had not gotten out unscathed. Miroku's right arm had been shattered, the bones left in fragments rendering the arm useless and the Windtunnel without restraint were it to be unleashed. Sango had nearly fallen victim to her own weapon when Kagura reversed the wind and sent the giant boomerang bone back at the young demon slayer. Unfortunately Kirara gave her life to save her beloved master, jumping into the way of the weapon and tackling Sango in the nick of time. The slayer had been laid low none the less, with broken ribs and a concussion. However, the death of her animal companion had given the slayer all the strength and rage she needed to defeat the wind sorceress.
Surprisingly, it was Sesshomaru who'd taken care of Hakudoshi. The demon lord had shown up out of the blue, prepared to take Naraku's head and solve the problem of the hanyou once and for all; seeing as his half brother just couldn't get the job done. Hakudoshi had been given orders though and did quite well keeping the older sibling preoccupied. Though the battle had waged longer then he'd liked, Sesshomaru was victorious in ridding the earth of one pitiful demon swine who didn't know his place in the order of things.
That had left Inuyasha and Kagome to face Naraku themselves, and what a tedious battle it had been. Even thinking about it now, Kagome still wasn't certain how they'd pulled it off.
One moment Naraku was on his last limb, the next he had a soulless Shippo and that strange child Kanna at his side and was perfectly fine.
Fear and hatred had eaten at the pit of Kagome's stomach as she watched Naraku prepare to take the life of her adopted son. Of course he would resort to his trickery, why hadn't they thought he would? The battle had just been so intense that no one had thought of anything other than their main objective, destroying Naraku.
He had demanded the Jewel shards in exchange for Shippo's life. Kagome had been ready to act on the trade without a second thought but the voice of reason had refused to let her heart get the better of her. They needed a plan. If she gave him the shards, it wouldn't matter if she saved Shippo now, they would all be dead in the end. However, she couldn't just stand by and watch this monster impale her little boy on one of the wriggling, fleshy appendages from his back. But what could she do?
Again, it would seem that Fate had different plans for all of them.
From the sidelines, a purple arrow had rained down, slamming into the little silver and glass mirror in the Void child's hands. Both shock and pain ripped across the small child's face, the first emotions anyone had ever seen on her, as the perfect glass surface shattered and souls sprang free. The little blue orbs had raced in every direction for freedom, some moving on to the afterlife while others shot off to find their bodies. On the ground at the stunned hanyou's feet, Shippo had stirred as his own soul sank down into his back and breathed life back into him.
None of the witnessing party could react, too shocked to see the dead priestess Kikyou standing in the field a short distance away. Her cold lifeless eyes shown with hatred and venom as she stared at Naraku, another arrow in her hand but not yet strung. No one could move, not even Inuyasha, as they watched the woman lift the arrow and pose it over her own chest. "You cannot win this battle, Naraku. I shall not allow you this second victory," she had hissed.
Flat brown eyes drifted to land on Inuyasha and the young woman that was her reincarnation. Sadness had flit through those dead depths for a moment before they filled with love and regret. "At least we will be together in another time," she'd whispered softly, the words ripped away from her soft lips in a fierce wind that howled about her body as she plunged the arrow in her fist threw her own heart. Acceptance had been a glowing ember in her chocolate orbs, a sudden burst of life, before the souls that had been keeping her alive shot forth from her body.
Knocked back as her own soul became whole once more, Kagome found herself on the ground with her powers swelling to phenomenal heights. Never had she thought so much power was housed in her small plaint form. How could such a normal human girl like her have such abilities? Over the years, she'd trained herself in said abilities and had become quite skilled in manipulating her miko powers but now they swelled to more than twice their strength. It was almost scary.
Apparently she was not the only one who'd thought so for as she sat up, dragging grate gulps of air into her lungs, Naraku roared with pent up rage. He would not lose! Not because some love sick, bitter priestess had finally let go of her last strings to life. The human wench was stronger now but she would not best him, Naraku, the rightful ruler of the world. He would crush her hopes along with her heart and leave her powerless against him once more. She was, after all, only human.
Kagome screamed as she saw two of Naraku's spikes driving down towards the still disoriented Shippo. Everything seemed to creep by in slow motion when it was really but a blink of the eye. Her breath lodged in her throat, her blood ran cold in her veins, and her heart thundered wildly in her chest as she threw out her hand towards her baby boy in desperation and fear. All had seemed hopeless; she was going to lose him!
The sudden surge of heat through her body had been shocking. Like an electric tingle down her spine, it had enveloped her, filling her with a calm collected peace when her mind was frantic with turmoil. Like a flame eating away at a dry piece of wood, pink and purple flames had leapt up around her, blue eyes turned pink, glowing with an unearthly light as sparks of lightning shot from her fingertips.
Naraku screeched like a banshee in the light as his tentacles slammed into a barrier unlike anything he'd ever seen before. The magenta dome sparked and crackled around the kitsun kit, shielding him from harm. The smooth surface rippled like water under his attack but there was no give to it as unbearable pain shot up the whip like appendages. Simultaneously, as the pain ate at him, something slammed into his chest. The pain ripped through him, pooling in his body like a parasite seeking a host.
He staggered back grabbing for his chest, coughing up black toxic sludge as his skin seemed to boil from within. The tar like substance ate away at his own clothing, spilling across the blood soaked ground like acid, devouring everything in its path as it continued to spew from his lips. As it met with the barrier around Shippo's small shacking form, a hiss of steam rose into the air before the goo recoiled back and moved around the dome, giving it a two inch berth.
Kanna screamed, unable to escape as it ate its way up her small childish body. Like the witch in the Wizard of Oz dowsed in water, the small girl began to melt into the bubbling acid. Pain and fear were a living entity on her young face as she became one with the corrosive black mass on the ground.
"What… What have you… you done to me?" Naraku demanded, the words slurred together and chocked through his own melting lips. A pink light seemed to shine from within his body, beams of bright pink light beginning to push through his once beautiful ivory skin to let loose more of the toxic sludge.
Kagome was at a loss for words, and yet the answer purred from her lips in a voice that was not her own. "For thy crimes against thy fellow man and beast, ye shall parish. We purify thy soul, spirit, body, and being and banish ye from this plain. Never again shall ye know the warmth of the sun, nor shall ye know anything but pain and suffering till the end of time. Enter now demon, the Rift awaits ye." Her lips moved but the angelic and yet demonic voice that tumbled forth like so much beauty was not her own. Like two beings speaking as one, the great voice commanded obedience and the attention of everyone around it. It was almost as if Kagome were watching the scene from afar and yet she still watched through her own eyes, unable to react to anything that she was apparently doing.
Again Naraku shrieked as the light within him swelled. "No," he gurgled, trying to pull himself from his body and slip away in his miasma but something held him fast. "No!" he shrieked louder with more determination as he struggled with desperation to find an answer. He would not die! His cries of rage turned to wails of pain as his body arched, beams of pink light bursting like so many pinpricks through his skin. Convulsing, feeling as though every muscle in his body was being shredded, every ounce of blood boiling, and every bone grinding itself into dust under his skin, Naraku gave a final roar of pain and defiance before exploding in a wash of brilliant light, one so bright that many turned away to shielded their eyes less they be burnt from the sockets.
Kagome watched in an awed since of horror, unable to look away, as a jagged rip in time and space opened above the black sludge. The rip widened until it was a foot across and three feet tall, the edges rippling as time continued around it, bolts of dark energy shooting from the core of nothingness.
Shivering at the sight, Kagome didn't know what to call this gap of emptiness before her. It was cold and dead and yet that wasn't right either. It was like a void, a wormhole, a rift. Eyes widening in shocked understanding, she watched as the black slim on the ground suddenly pulled itself together into the form of Naraku. He was a mere shadow of himself, no solid form, no life force within him, just the entity of the man he'd once been.
Like a supernatural vacuum, the Rift drew the black mass in, his lips opened in a silent scream. With a sound like the booming clap of thunder and another explosion of light, the Rift sealed shut and Naraku was no more. All that remained of what he had been was the other half of the Shikon Jewel that had been in his possession.
Unsure when her reminiscing had turned into a full blown memory and back again, Kagome found herself pulled from the musings of her mind as her friends gave a shout of greeting. Smiling and blinking away the fog that had formed, she turned bright blue eyes from the sky to her friends who were making their way out of the forest towards her. Lifting her hand, the one that had been resting over the now whole pink gem once more buried inside of her body, Kagome waved to them in her own greeting.
Once the Jewel halves had been combined after the fight, everyone had been shocked when it disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. At first panic had set in. Would they have to start their search all over again? Then, like a lovers crease, the answer had shifted through her mind as the familiar warmth of the Jewel pulsed from within her. It had somehow become one with her flesh once more, now housed inside of her heart just like its birth place so long ago.
No one was sure what exactly this meant but everyone had their ideas. It had been Lady Kaede who'd came up with the answer that seemed most plausible. Just as the Jewel of Four Souls had been created by a grate priestess, so must it remain in the hands of one. Kikyou had done the right thing by having the Jewel burnt with her body, insuring that it would remain out of reach of those who would seek to use it for evil purposes. It was to remain with the priestess until it could be used for good and truly be purified from the world. Until a time arose when it was needed, Kagome would remain the keeper of the Jewel until she died and it was reincarnated once more. In this case, it had not been the Jewel that had been needed in the Feudal era, but Kagome, to release two lovers from a bitter fate and rid the world of one notorious evil. However, it had been the Jewel's power that had and still allowed her to travel between the two time periods.
Laughing softly as Shippo leapt up into her arms, Kagome pushed all thought from her mind except for the present events. Everyone was healed, thanks to her miko powers and Kaede's knowledge of healing herbs, and they were due a well deserved vacation. She just couldn't wait to tell them what she had in mind.
"Alright Kagome, what is this all about?" Inuyasha demanded as he came to a stop with the others before the well, arms folded inside his red sleeves. As always, he wore a scowl and looked annoyed, his mood ever stuck with the foul switch in the upright position.
Kagome giggled at that as she stroked the soft fur of Shippo's tail. How she loved that hanyou, foul mood and all. "Well, I have a surprise for you. Two actually, but the other one isn't here just yet," she said in a chipper mood, excitement sending her blood pumping through her veins and charged with adrenaline. Ignoring Inuyasha's deeper scowl she went on to explain. "Do you remember a while back when we were fighting a demon here at the well and Shippo and I were knocked in?"
When everyone nodded slowly, waiting for her to get to the point, she continued on in a rush. "Well we ended up in my time!" she said pushing herself up from the lip of the well. "Apparently, it isn't just Inuyasha and I who can pass through the well, just that we are the only ones who can pass through alone."
She beamed brightly as Sango took on a greater interest in what she was saying, her chocolate eyes brightening with an excitement just as bubbly as her own. Miroku too had a look of curiosity now that he was seeing where this was going.
"Since the threat of Naraku has been taken care of, I thought we all deserved a little brake, and since I've spent so much time here with you guys…" she paused, waiting until Shippo was nearly bouncing in her arms with delight and Sango looked as if she might strangle her is she didn't spill it already, before continuing. "I thought it would be fun if you came and spent time with me in mine!"
Sango gave a small excited cheer and hugged Miroku in her elation. "Oh this is going to be such an adventure," she exclaimed before she realized what she was doing. Quickly she released the perverted monk before he could get any ideas, and, turning a pretty shade of red, composed herself once more.
Grinning like a fool, his violet eyes dancing with mischief and a gleam that could only be his perverse mind at work, Miroku nodded in agreement. He'd enjoyed the warm press of Sango's soft body to his and longed for more, but for now the memory would have to do. As tempting as it was, he hadn't been slapped yet and he didn't want to press his luck just yet. "When do we leave?" he asked, eager to see what wonders lay in Kagome's time.
"Just as soon as-" she began but was cut off as Inuyasha growled and turned to the calm presence that was making its way towards them, Tetseiga already drawn.
"What the hell are you doing here?" the young half demon growled as the all too familiar form in white and red stopped a short distance from the group.
"Calm yourself, boy," the tall form ordered in a calm, albeit cold, voice. "I was invited by your miko to join in this little excursion."
Angry golden orbs rounded on Kagome, twin dog ears plastered back against the top of his head, another sign of his displeasure. "You invited Sesshomaru!" he demanded, pointing his sword in the direction of his half brother.
"And Rin!" the little bubbly youth in orange piped up from her Lord's side as she gave them all a wide, gap toothed grin.
Smiling sheepishly, Kagome gave a little shrug as she held Shippo to her chest. "Surprise," she said sweetly, knowing that he wasn't going to like this one as much as the first one.
"What the hell were you thinking?" the hanyou growled as he sheathed his sword at his side.
Sighing with exasperation and a small shake of her head, Kagome explained, "He helped us when we needed him without being asked," and before Sesshomaru could correct her, she hurried on, "Besides, Shippo is going to need someone his own age there because Sota has camp and other things to attend to and won't be there. I thought it would be a good idea to have Rin along and invited Sesshomaru so he didn't have to worry about her." Once more sensing that the demon lord was going to correct her, Kagome barreled on. "He is coming because he wants to and there is nothing you can do about it, alright?" she snapped, sending a warning glare at the older of the two siblings, telling him with her eyes to stay quite.
Slight amusement flickered through the older demon's amber orbs and one light colored brow arched upwards but he said nothing. He was here because he was curious about this girl's time and because it would be a learning experience for Rin. He was not here to make friends or play nice with his little brother, in fact, he wasn't too sure he would be able to stand much of the whelps company. However, over the years he'd learned that Kagome could be quite intelligent and that her presence was more tolerable than it had once been, so perhaps this trip would not be a complete headache and waste of his time.
Grumbling a few choice words under his breath, Inuyasha turned away with a "Feh," and glared at his older sibling. Why Kagome had to play nice with the prick, he would never know. The bastard was just too cold hearted and egotistical to return the favor. When he glanced at the small child at his brother's side, he had to wonder why she stayed with the Ice Prince. She appeared to be just as lively and innocent as Shippo, so how could she spend all of her time around a wet blanket like Sesshomaru?
Seeing the excited gleam in the small child's eyes as she looked at the well, Inuyasha decided to be nice. If only for the kid. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had a soft spot for kids, especially the ones who had it rough and didn't have anyone else in their lives. He'd been alone once, and as a kid it was just no fun.
"Fine," he snapped. "They can come." He turned back to Kagome with a small growl. "Can we go now?"
Giggling softly, she patted him on the arm gently. Let him think that he really had a say in the matter if it made him feel better. Nodding lightly she looked to the small gathering, wandering how this would work out. Deciding she'd better take Sesshomaru through with her so that the two siblings didn't kill each other in the in-between, and so neither tried to bite off any touching appendages, Kagome motioned for Rin to come forwards. When the girl ran over, she adjusted Shippo on one hip before picking up the small girl as well.
"Sesshomaru, if you would lay your hand on my shoulder and jump with me, I'll take you through. Inuyasha, can you bring Miroku and Sango through in a few? Give us time to get out, it's awfully small down there and the last thing we need is seven people trying to fit at once," she said softly already putting her foot on the lip of the well.
Inuyasha growled as he watched his brother walk over and place his clawed hand on Kagome's shoulder. His golden orbs cut into a dark glare and something very possessive reared its head inside of him.
Sesshomaru watched with some amusement from the corner of his eye as the hanyou tensed up. It didn't take a genius like himself to realize what the youth was so worked up about and it almost caused his lips to twitch. Almost. So the boy was finally coming to terms with his feeling for the miko? How interesting. However, it was rather obvious that neither were planning to act of those emotions just yet. 'This could be a very amusing trip indeed,' the demon lord pondered as he slipped his arm around the miko's waist, just to get a rise out of the little hanyou.
Glancing back at Sesshomaru with a quizzically arched brow, which he simply returned while the sculpted planes of his face remained quite passive, Kagome shrugged off the hold as just a precaution to get through and stepped over the ledge of the well. Rin gave an elated squeak and Shippo laughed, both youths clutching tightly to her shoulders as the four of them descended into the well were they were engulfed in a royal display of dancing lights.
Gnashing his teeth, Inuyasha snatched Miroku and Sango up, one under each arm, and jumped into the well right after them. No way was he giving that bastard Sesshomaru time alone with his woman. To hell if there were still two children with them!
So, the gang is heading into the 21st century, how will they handle it? Will Kagome regret inviting Sesshomaru along for the ride? Is Sesshomaru going to try and steal Kagome away from Inuyasha or is he really just looking for some amusement? How with the two sibling rivals live under the same roof without tearing one another to bits? And that brings up another question, how are they all going to live in Kagome's little house?
Please review. I would really like to know your thoughts on my work. Is it worth continuing?