Who Am I?
Miroku and Sango came running, weapons in hand they were prepared to protect their home from what-ever had caused this light. They formed a semi-circle around this young woman, who had backed herself up against the well. They all looked at her, she looked like a frightened animal, she was mid 20's in age, long chestnut brown hair, odd eyes one blue the other green, slightly shorter than Inuyasha and she had the curves you could expect from someone in their early 20's. She looked petrified, her clothes were torn, she was out of breath from panic, her eyes darted from Sango to Miroku lastly to Inuyasha. Her eyes started at Inuyasha's ears, stopped on his face, looked at his clothing she then looked at Miroku's clothing and lastly to Sangos, she then looked back at Inuyasha and stopped on his claws. Everyone was thinking the same thing, "who was this girl."
Kaede approached slowly, she knelt down infront of the nameless girl, "We mean you no harm, please tell us who you are." Inuyasha looked at her, he knew what he was looking for. He wanted to know if the girl sat infront of them was a reincarnation of Kagome or if Kagome had found a way back to him in another body. They had both appeared wearing modern clothing, could she be? Inuyasha reached out to touch her arm, she flinched smacked his arm away and she tried to stand, she stumbled and the colour drained from her face. Inuyasha reached out to catch her, it seems his commitment to helping people hadn't vanished quite yet. He caught her seconds before she hit the floor, she was a crumpled mess. Inuyasha studied her face. She didn't look like Kikyo or Kagome, nothing about her felt familiar but something about her made him feel calm, he continued to study her. The clothes were burnt at the edges, her skin had soot marks on it, how did she get here without the Shikon Jewel he pondered. Her eyes glanced at Inuyasha's eyes before closing, she managed to say "I don't belong here." And then she was unconscious. She wasn't Kagome Inuyasha told himself, this wasn't his mess and he needed to leave still. Sango heaved a sigh of relief as she relaxed, she turned to leave and looked at Inuyasha "bring her to Kaede's, it looks like the evening just got interesting."
Inuyasha let out an inward sigh, he would leave in the morning he thought to himself, he picked the woman up, her skin was hot to the touch. They all travelled to Kaede's hut, Sango and Kaede banished the men from the hut while they began undressing the woman, her clothes were in such a state they needed to be changed, it was at that moment that Sango had noticed some bruising on the woman's upper arm she lifted the remains of the sleeve to investigate and that was when the woman's eyes shot open. She batted Sango's hands away from her skin, and once again reacted like an injured animal questions shooting out of her mouth, who what where why ?
The woman held the sides of her head, fingers pulling at her hair, her eyes squinted shut, she looked like she was in pain. Images were shooting into her brain, conversations flowing fast and she was left with some of her questions being answered, she knew how she had come to be here but she didn't understand the mechanics of how was she here, but she could now remember who she was. She looked at Kaede, apologetic "My name is Kiimi"
Sango, offended that her helping hand had been pushed away had forgotten the bruising she had seen, she took a step back. Kiimi noticing she had offended one of her rescuer leant forward "I'm not very good at people touching me I'm so sorry, please don't go." Sango looked at her, she was young and lost, in an era that isn't her own she could feel her rejection passing "it must be my maternal instincts kicking in" she thought to herself. A refreshing warm soak may help ease everyone, there was a hot spring not too far from the village, Kaede could sense no demonic aura and had determined this young woman was no immediate threat to her people.
Kiimi, followed the old woman and sango to the hot spring. She was reluctant but was being polite, she needed these people to be on her side in this strange world. Sango and Kaede undressed and got in the warm water, Kiimi's reluctance was so obvious it could have been seen from another country. "I'm sorry I've never been undressed infront of anyone" this was a lie, but she desperately didn't want to get in that water. She didn't want them to see her, she didn't want them to see what was underneath her clothes. She could barely stand looking at her body, let alone someone she didn't know. She clutched at the remains of her clothes and ran away, in her head she was cringing "what a wimp, they're gonna think I'm rude and weird, hell I fell out of a well of course I'm weird." Kiimi ran back to the well, willing it to open for her "Come on ! Open you piece of shit ! Why aren't you working !" she punched and she kicked but nothing happened. Inuyasha crept out from behind the trees, he looked at her inquisitively, his arms folded, he had a lot of questions mostly he was still trying to rule out if this woman could be some part of Kogame. He knew she wasn't but there was a small remnant of hope, the weight of grief that Kaede mention was still too heavy to hold. Kiimi eventually broke the silence "Please,.." she glanced at his claws, she could only see weapons. Inuyasha realising the threat she was seeing he began to sit down, cross legged and closed his eyes. "I lost someone, and I was hoping you had a connection to her somehow, I was very much in love with her. She, like you came through the well from a different era…except her travel through time was less…." Inuyasha pointed at the mess of a woman infront of him "messy looking." She laughed, she could see the pain in his eyes, that tired look that can only come from losing someone they love. It wasn't an emotion she knew of but she'd read of it and could certainly recognise it in this person sat infront of her. She sat down, pulled her knees up infront of her face and wrapped her arms around them, she rested her chin on her knees. "I'm not her, I'm sorry."
"How did you come to come through the well? Are Kagome's family not living on the other side anymore?" he asked, "My uncle bought the place, he mentioned that an old man woman and child had lived there but once the old man had died the woman and child no longer saw any point in staying there. So my uncle moved us there". Inuyasha flinched at hearing that, it was another tie to Kagome that was gone, somehow knowing they were walking in same footsteps on the other side of the well settled him. They were gone now, he hadn't even told them Kagome was dead. He couldn't pass through the well anymore. Which reminds him, without the Shikon Jewel how was this woman able to pass through, Kogame had been Kikyo's reincarnation and was born with the jewel inside her but this woman had none of that. The temperature was starting to drop, Inuyasha noticed Kiimi was still wearing her ruined clothes, he reached out to her and her relaxed demeanour vanished and once again she flinched away from his touch instantly she began apologising. Was he so repulsive? She'd sat and listened to him explaining the demon ways and his lineage, she'd been so relaxed so content just talking but the mere comforting touch sends her running, he didn't understand.
The well wasn't reacting to her, she couldn't return home. Did she actually want to go home, back to him. He was the only family she had, she couldn't hate him for what he'd done, they were blood related, if he liked it or not they were related. She ached, her skin hurt, her muscles hurt breathing in hurt, did she have a broken rib? She hoped not, but bruises yes there were definitely bruises, she didn't want anyone to see them, what would they think? How was she able to pass through, why was she sent to this specific time, why here, why now she kept asking her-self that but she had no answers but for now she was stuck in a world with demons. At least one of the demons seemed to be friendly, sarcastic but friendly. She walked back into the village, she had just remembered she'd run out away from the hot spring, she had no-where to go, no-where to be. Kaede opened her door, smiling. How much patience did this old woman have, why was she smiling. "Go bathe, soak, let some of your worries soak away. You can't return home I'm guessing, it's not an issue for tonight at least. You will rest here with me. It will be nice to have some company again." Kiimi nodded silently, and thankful. Kiimi followed the pathway to the hot springs, the air was cooling down now but the springs were nice and hot. She undressed and left her ruined clothes by the side of the water. She sat, knees brought up to her face again, she let the warm water wash over her beaten body. She didn't blame him, she didn't hate him, what was going to happen when and if she could get herself back home. She was trying to formulate some sort of a plan in her head but she still had so many questions that were unanswered.
Kaede called out to Inuyasha, "please take these to Kiimi, she's at the hot springs." She'd given him some of Kikyo's clothes, those damn red trousers of the Priestess. Kikyo was older than Kagome was so the clothes should fit better than they did for Kagome. Did she have to wear them, perhaps the clothes were the curse. Was Inuyasha just being selfish? Did he only want the women he'd been in love with to wear these clothes, he didn't even know this weird woman. So many thoughts went through his head in a matter of seconds, Kaede looked at Inuyasha "would you have her walk around naked infront of Miruko" Inuyasha laughed gently and pictured Miruko being smacked by many women at once. He walked to the hot springs, he walked out from the trees and saw Kiimi, he saw her back. She was covered in bruises, you could see a shoe print where her ribs were, you could see hand marks on her arms. All of a sudden Inuyasha had a flash back of her flinching away from him. It wasn't him she was flinching away from but she was hurt. His heart felt sadness for her. He stepped on a twig, his cover was blown and Kiimi was dragged out of her thoughts and turned her head round seeing Inuyasha standing there holding the clothes blushing bright red. "Kaede gave you clothes, I'm um I didn't see anything"
What was Inuyasha more embarrassed about seeing, the broken body or a naked woman. He turned his back so kiimi could walk out of the water and get dressed. "There are demons lurking out here, you need to be more careful. I'll walk you back" Inuyasha glanced one eye to her getting dressed, he looked at her spine – countless bruises, that shoe print where her ribs were worried him. She clearly didn't fight, if she did the bruises she had would elsewhere on the body. He looked at her one last time before setting off, those bruises were defensive bruises, he imagined she was on the floor in the foetal position, her arms up to protect her face, knees brought up to protect her front. He extended his arm, purposely not putting his hand on her but herding her closer to him, infront of him. She was wearing Kikyo's clothing, they fit her well. They talked a bit on the journey back both relaxing a bit more, she knew he'd seen the bruising and was being respectful by not asking questions.