The celebration of Naraku's death was nonexistent. There was a universal acknowledgement that the war was over, but the death of a loved one made the entire situation more depressing than anyone imagined. It didn't help that the peasants were skeptical of the spider hanyou's demise. Behind the protection and secrecy of closed doors whispers were exchanged of when and how he'll strike again.
As Shippou sat perched on the high branches of the hickory tree, staring despondently down onto the quite village, he mourned the loss of his mother. Guilt overcame him when he thought of how it was his fault. If only he would have asked her to stay, if only he was there protect her, it would have never happened. He was four years older than when she first found him, four years stronger. Yet he still stayed behind.
Doubt made the decision for him that day. He lacked confidence in himself. Unable to protect himself, unable to use his skills correctly, unable to survive, all these thoughts ran through his mind on that day. But today only one repeated itself over; he was unable to see his mother again. His childish perspective tore him apart from the inside out. Alone, he sobbed.
The village was empty. Not an animal made a sound. The ceremony was underway and all but the kit and undead miko were in attendance. Ironically, there were nearly as many demons attending than humans, considering it was a miko's funeral. They formed a pack just outside the meadow, shielding themselves behind the trees and brush, respectfully keeping their distance of the mourning humans. Only Kouga, the young wolf alpha, boldly walked forward to stand with Sango and Miroku, openly sharing in their pain. The service started and the destructive fog of melancholy settled onto the group.
Kaede led the service, leaving them to crowd around her and the well. As they said their prayers and dropped their flowers and gifts into the well, Sango walked up with Kagome's backpack and bow, "We'll miss you, sister. Never to forget." With that she released the possessions into the darkness and walked back to Miroku waiting the few feet away.
Walking, she regarded Inu Yasha, and he, her. Sango stopped, and glared, duly funneling her pain and anger. All the villagers in the crowd stopped their praying and watched the altercation in disturbed curiosity. Quickly, Miroku took the two steps forward and pulled her away, leaving the funeral in exchange for heading back to the village. Hushed whispers quickly erupted with their departure.
"Have some respect," Kaede sharply reprimanded. The murmurs were cut short. The villagers proceeded on with their ritual. After the last offering was presented the diverse audience dispersed going back to their daily routines, leaving Inu Yasha and Kaede standing in the empty meadow. "Kaede, I…"
"Stop," she said as she turned away from him, towards the well, "there is no time for conversation, only for action." With that she sealed the well shut, and turned to walk back to the village. "Come, Inu Yasha, it's time." She shuffled back to the village following the worn path beneath her feet. Inu Yasha was left staring down into the sealed well. Kneeling down he rested his forehead against the cool wood. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry," he whispered. He wiped the tear from his eye as he rose, and began the journey back to the village.
The heavyweight of the world crashed into Sango. She heaved a sighed. "Did you grab the mats?" she asked Miroku while she finished packing up her bathing supplies.
"I bundled those up before we left," he replied, "Oh and I also grabbed the clothes. Are you going to be ready soon?"
"Miroku?" Sango asked but continued on without a reply, "Why did this happen?"
Miroku dropped his box on the floor. Wrapping her up in his arms he murmured, "Sometimes the fates give us obstacles. We can either overcome them, or be overcome by them. It's our decision."
She looked up at him with teary eyes with a look of disbelief, "Enough of your sage advice I need something with substance."
"I do not know then."
"Good, because I don't know either." They sat enfolded in each other's embrace waiting for Kaede to call on them.
The pain vanished after two days of continuous torture. Alternating from area to area around her body the insufferable pain ripped through her body. Realization washed through her fogged mind. Taking her first even, deep breath since she had been awakened, she sighed in relief. Kagome laid there listening to the forest noise she took in everything, the bird calls, the water rushing past slick rocks, the deer walking through the leaves nearly thirty feet to her left.
But through all this, she thought of nothing. What was she supposed to think of? She had no idea what was going on. When she tried to find the pieces to put together into what happened, she experienced an agonizing migraine rip its way through her mind. She stopped that relatively quickly.
Her first attempt at opening her eyes failed, along with the second and the third. Unsteadily she raised her fingers to her lids, and found her eyes crusted over with dried fluid. She tried to remove it. Suddenly pain overwhelmed her again, and tears welled up behind her eyelids. She stopped tugging at the sensitive skin. Kagome flopped her arms back down; the ash billowed up and around them. She gave up.
Rolling over 180 degrees she precariously scuttled onto all fours, deciding to make her way to the stream. She hesitantly rotated toward the noise, and blindly stuck her hand out in front of her. Going through the motions smoothly and at an even pace she reached the edge of the destroyed clearing.
Once out, she proceeded slower, wincing as the branches drug against her skin, and the forest debris stabbed her from below. Avoiding most of the trees was easy if she kept up her slow pace. The closer she got, the harder her heart pumped. Excitement rushed through her when she was close enough to smell the small mud embankment with its decaying plant life. The next move she made put her in the water. Her hand slipped on the algae growing on the rock she touched, sending her face first into the swishing water. Kagome pulled herself out sputtering. After she regained her sense of self, she quickly started scrubbing her face, freeing her eyes.
Opening them, Kagome quickly snapped them shut. "Oh no! No, no, no, no ,no," she rasped out collapsing back onto the muddy bank. She slowly reopened her eyes, this time letting herself adjust to the light and then to what she was seeing. Everything was the same yet different. There was more contrast, everything was brighter, sharper. Flowers and birds were different colors than what she remembered.
Scooting over to a particularly strange flower, she uprooted it, pulling it closer to stare at it in horror. 'How could I have never seen this color before?' She asked in confusion, doubting she was even seeing it, hoping it was a dream. Everything screamed abnormal, but had an underlying natural quality to it that made it hard for her to say she was crazy. Hard, but not impossible. She clenched her eyes shut again. 'I'm crazy, or I'm dead. God I hope I'm just crazy. Maybe I didn't see it, maybe it wasn't real.' Succeeding in convincing herself she opened her eyes to get another look, and doomed herself into despair even further than before.
Tossing her head back in mental agony, she decided she was in a dream. Whilst she was pinching herself attempting and failing miserably to wake up, she felt them. Puncture wounds crowded around the juncture of her elbow. Quickly sitting up and investigating the injury she was surprised with what she found. 'Bite marks? That's…weird,' she thought as she scooted back down to the stream's edge to clean out the holes.
Splashing water up her arm, she realized over half her body was covered in sludge. Swiping her fingers across her skin she smelt it, "Uh, eww," she sorely muttered when she realized what it was, a thick pasty mixture of blood and the powder she was recently laying in. Pulling her body into the tiny water source, Kagome tried to remove as much as she could, but was miserably unsuccessful. Refocusing back onto her arm before she breakdown, she focused her miko powers onto the punctures and healed them.
Or at least she thought she did. Finally, she realized her powers weren't reacting, let alone she couldn't even feel them inside her; she let out a bone-wrenching sigh. Stopping everything she was currently doing, she meditated, and searched for the distinctive hum that she had become so accustom to sensing. Unable to find it, she reached deeper into her soul, and immediately regretted it. The unknown power she found instead was immense and all-consuming, exploding throughout her body.
I have noticed that my sentence structure is usually the same. I'm trying to work on that.
Critique, Critique, Critique!