First Chapter to My Sanctuary, redone! I hope you guys like this version! :) It has the same plot line and everything, just made.... better. Haha. So, here you guys go. :) Review?
Chapter One – The Difference.
The Feudal Era, Japan.
Sometimes Kagome wondered why she bothered. But somewhere in that huge heart of hers, she found it in her to care for Inuyasha. But she supposed that everyone deserved a second chance. Inuyasha was on his thirty-seventh. And everyone knew he was cutting it close. She wandered aimlessly near Edo, reminding herself that Inuyasha said he would be back by around noon. The sun and the wind played with her hair, brushing it in front of her face. She needed a hair cut. Her uniform, classic as ever, was blown by the wind as well, but the warm summer breeze hardly bothered her. She looked up toward the sun. Almost straight above her, just a little past noon. She frowned, and sat under a large tree on the brink of the forest. She knew he was probably... Ugh, she didn't want to think about it. It even sounded ugly in her thoughts. One thing Kagome disliked. Dwelling on bad things. It never helped a situation, it usually just made the prospect of making it better all the more hard to consider. She took a deep breath, and sighed all of the bad out, leaning back on the tall grass, which waved in a way that sounded like soft whispering to her ears.
The silence was broken by a voice calling her name from a far distance away. "Kagome, are you there?"
"Under the tree, silly." Kagome sat up and waved, smiling at her friend. Sango smiled and walked over, dropping her Hiraikotsu on the ground next to her. Kirara mewled in her arms, jumping onto Kagome's lap, purring. She petted the cat demon gently. "What's going on?"
"Just Miroku, trying to grab me again. I swear the next time he does that he'll wake up with a bruise in the shape of my Hiraikotsu. Kagome grinned, knowing that even though Sango threatened, she almost rarely delivered on her threats.
"Does he have a red mark on his face again?" Kagome asked, giving Sango a look.
The demon slayer blushed. "Of course he does!" Kirara made a sneezing noise, staring pointedly at Sango. She blushed again before leaning back on the ground, arms behind her head. "Anyway, what are you doing out here?"
Kagome shrugged. "Just waiting for Inuyasha to get back." She sounded somewhat uncomfortable. "You seen him?" A familiar tug on her soul she refused to acknowledge brushed at her senses.
Sango furrowed her brow, letting more concern for Kagome out than she meant. She knew what kind of man Inuyasha was, if you could call him that. He was a dog, and he didn't deserve Kagome one bit. "I haven't." His recent escapades with Kikyo flashed through her head.
Kagome translated her face with grim certainty, her heart dropping into her stomach in an instant. "Kikyo?" She felt anger and betrayal bubble up through her emotions.
Sango stood up, pulling Kagome up with her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You know I'm always here for you, right?" Sango whispered, staring into Kagome's eyes.
The priestess in question closed her eyes for a moment, as if preparing herself. "I know, Sango. Thank you." Kagome nodded.
Sango frowned, grabbing her Hiraikotsu, and clutching it tightly. Kagome's pain and suffering needed to end. Now. "But... How are we going to find him?"
Kagome made a noise in her throat. "You know that Kikyo has a part of my soul, right?" Sango nodded. "Well, whenever I'm near Kikyo, I can feel that part of my soul calling to me. Like a radar on her, if that's what you wanna call it." Kagome sniffed, trying to push back tears. Kirara growled and transformed, following Kagome and Inuyasha's scent, which led into a darker part of the forest. Sango jumped onto Kirara, and left a hand out to Kagome to take. She did, and swung up onto Kirara's back. They flew through the forest, making not a sound, and the feeling of Kagome's partly complete soul seemed to multiply as they went deeper, the empty sensation making her want to howl at the world like a wolf. The feeling got stronger and stronger until they reached a small clearing, partly shadowed. Kikyo and Inuyasha were in the middle of a heavy make out session, but Kagome heard his ragged whisper to her. He'd told her he loved her. His arms were wrapped intimately around Kikyo, the same arms that she'd found almost perfect safety in. She slid off of Kirara, who was growling darkly at the clay priestess, whose dark soulless eyes seemed as if they were in a different place.
"Inuyasha..." Kagome whispered. Inuyasha had jumped back from Kikyo as if he didn't do anything. Kikyo acted as if she didn't care. She probably didn't.
"Kagome, I-" Inuyasha spread his hands wide.
No, Inuyasha." Kagome cut him off, her heart feeling like it was being ripped slowly. "Don't start this. I just can't take it anymore. You can try to choose me over Kikyo, but we both know that Kikyo holds your heart." Her tears were barely concealed under the surface, refusing to show that kind of weakness to him. After all the abuse, all the "can't you move faster?" and "you're so weak!", she just wanted it to stop.
Inuyasha's ears flattened against his head, and his eyes widened. Kagome, don't do this. I... Kikyo... It wasn't... He knew what he thought was a lie.
"I have to get away from you. Don't try to stop me from leaving. My heart was yours for a while. Now I'm taking the pieces back. If Shippo's damaged in any way, I'll make sure you don't wake up for a while. Or you can go to Hell with Kikyo." Kagome sounded icy, and ferociously angry. Sango laid a hand on her shoulder, this time in comfort. Inuyasha's eyes stayed wide. He couldn't believe Kagome had said what she just did. She couldn't mean it. She just couldn't.
"Kagome.... You're leaving?" Sango's voice almost convinced her not to go. She was like a sister.
Kagome hugged Sango in her arms. "I'll be back." She leaned back, looked into her eyes and nodded. "Kikyo; don't think you can go on living with that part of my soul for too much longer. Because I'm coming back for it, whether you live or not."
Kikyo glared at Kagome, her dead eyes just barely letting a spark of light through.
"Goodbye, Sango." Kagome said. She patted Kirara on the head. "I'll miss you Kirara." She walked out of the forest, a sense of grisly pride welling in her. She'd finally ended that pain that Inuyasha kept stringing along for her. Wonderfully sweet one day, and totally uncaring and rude the next. The nice days were when Kagome thought that Inuyasha was changing, but then the days where he was worse, she just hoped for the nicer Inuyasha to come back, starting a cycle of hope and breakdown. Kagome found Shippo and Miroku sitting on a blanket near the well, her overstuffed backpack leaning against it. Shippo glanced up and ran to her, up into her open arms. She hugged him close, realizing that this would be the last time she saw him for a long time.
"Kagome, are you okay?" He asked her, his ever close bond to her showing.
"Not exactly. Inuyasha's being Inuyasha. I have to leave for a while." Kagome answered, pushing strands of hair from his face. "You have to be strong for me, I'll come back for you."
"But Kagome, why can't I come with you?" Shippo cried, tears forming at the edges of his eyes. She wiped them away.
"I don't want you to get hurt, but when I'm strong enough to protect myself and you, I'll come get you and take you with me." Kagome murmured. "Until then, you must stay with him." Miroku watched silently, sadness in his face.
Shippo sniffed and nodded sadly. "I'll wait for you. Promise you're gonna come back."
Kagome lifted her pinky finger to Shippo's and linked it with his. "I promise." She murmured.
"I love you, momma." Kagome broke into tears, and hugged Shippo close to her chest. That was the first time he'd called her momma.
"I love you too, Shippo. My baby." Shippo started crying too, burying his face in her neck. She patted him slowly, pushing tears back again. She went to Miroku, and hugged him gently. His eyes were soft as he took Shippo from Kagome's arms.
"Thank you, Miroku." He nodded. "I'm going to get stronger, and get that missing part of my soul back." He handed her the infamous yellow backpack, which she took.
"I hope you are safe where you're going." Miroku said softly, as Shippo had fallen asleep, tears still wet on his cheeks. He sniffed occasionally. Kagome brushed the tears away lightly, giving him a last glance before walking down the road, away from Edo, and away from her past. She didn't look back, for fear of losing control of her emotions, and just breaking down before she could even get out of their sight. She would miss them terribly. Like losing her family. But, she'd see them again. Right? Fate couldn't be that cruel.
End of Chapter One – The Difference.
A/N – So, I hope you guys like this version better. 'Cause I do. Haha. :)