3. The Bone Eaters Well
It was morning; my brother's hands touched my face waking me up. "Hey sleepy head it's almost noon wake up!" his smiling face looked down at me.
"Can't I sleep a little longer?" I whined pulling my brothers kimono over my face. "Ha, yeah right! Get up!" he shouted pulling his kimono away from me. "Jerk!" I pouted, crossing my arms.
"Ha, you deserved it... are you hungry, I got us some fish from the nearby river!" come to think of it I was rather hungry, I snickered and grabbed the two fish my brother had started eating from his hands. He deserved to have his fish stolen, by the way he treats me, I was like a servant to him... little sis this and little sis that, ha two can play this game.
"Ha Ha, take that you evil demon!" I took a bit into one of the fish. "Hey that's not fair..." I knew that would piss him off. I got up and he followed me, chasing me around the bone eaters well. We laughed and played like little children, it was actually nice to be able to play with my brother like this. I never really got the chance too, growing up he was always the one keeping a close eye on me, protecting me, yeah we did get into trouble a lot I'll admit that. But it was worth it as long as he was by my side. My brother and I were really close, and I wanted to keep it that way.
"Ha, your fish is gone... I win!" I smiled holding up the skewers that held the fish together. He snickered and snatched them from my hands breaking them. "That's because I let you off the hook, you're lucky you're a girl I would've kick you're..." he stopped in mid sentence and sniffed the air deeply.
That was something he inherited well from father that always meant something dangerous was in the air.
"Huh? What's wrong?" I retorted looking at the sky.
"Stay behind me, something's coming!" he shouted unsheathing father's sword. Something however was different about the sword it didn't transform into the demon sword. It didn't even vibrate!
"What? Tetsusaiga what's wrong?" he protested swinging the sword in the air.
"Ahhh! Brother what's that, there in the forest?" I shouted pointing towards a dark figment coming towards us at rapid speed.
"It's a demon, it does after your jewel, I'll just have to destroy it with my claws," he cracked his fingers, and sheathed the sword. Then without hesitation using his strength he stood above the well and forced the long dormant tree out, "brother what are you doing, father put that tree in there for a reason." I shouted at him restraining him trying to pry him away from the tree.
"Enough! I'm your brother and I decide what's right, now stand back." He snapped, jumping off the well. He quickly grabbed me and pulled me behind him. The demon emerged itself from the blackened forest and darted towards us in haste, it was faster than the wind, and I could barely see it.
"Brother look out! It's coming straight at us..." I screamed, and then felt a hand push me back into the well. I screamed! The last I heard was father's voice echoing above the well opening.
"You did WHAT?"
Father came for me... "Papa!" I shouted in response.
When I opened my eyes, I realized I was on the other side. I looked up and heard different voices. None of which I recognized, one of a young man and one of a woman. Who were they?
"Mother do you think Kagome came back?" the man's voice reverted.
I climbed out of the well slowly, I was hoping I was still at home, somewhere.
"Papa," I renounced sitting on the edge of the well. "Wow, hi!" the man replied. "Who are you, where am I?" I asked darting my eyes left and right for any sign of demons. "Your safe, you're at the Higurashi shrine, I'm Sota. This is my mother!" He was careful when he spoke, as if trying not to spook me.
To late I was already freaked out.
"Higurashi shrine?" I questioned and jumped to my feet. "You are?" he asked looking towards me smiling. "Don't come near me, I'll scream and my father will come, he's a half-demon, he's powerful, he'll..." he stopped me in mid-sentence and placed a hand to my lips.
I hit his hand away and held my breath about to scream. "Easy easy now little lady we don't want to hurt you, but tell me why do you look so much like my sister," I stopped and puffed my cheeks out. His sister? Does he mean my mother?
"Your sister?" I asked.
"Yes, my sister Kagome, she disappeared from our home and left through the well to be with InuYasha, I miss her very much. But I see much of her in you," he was about to continue when we heard voices coming from the other side of the well. There was a blue sky at the bottom of the well, which means the spell that was sealed on the well was broken.
"Papa," I shouted loudly.
"Kikyko, I heard her Kagome let's go!" I felt my heart sink to my stomach my mother and father where coming for me. A hand touched my shoulder, "so you are Kagome's daughter?" the women asked. She pulled me to her chest and held me. "Who are you?" I asked again, she smelt just like mother. Suddenly her arms loosened their gentle grip around me, and dropped to her side.
"Mother it's..." the man spoke. I looked behind me and noticed my mother and father both had emerged from the well.
My heart jumped, "momma, papa," I shouted running into my father's arms.
"Ka-gome..." the man quaked. "Sis, you're home!"
"Sota, mom!" mother ran to her mother's arms and hugged her. She was my mother's mother, my grandmother, and he must've been my uncle Sota. I heard much about them.
"InuYasha it's nice to see you again!" Sota renounced also receiving a hug from mother. "Sota, you've grown," father contemplated, he pulled me out of his arms and set me to my feet.
"Mom, I'm so sorry, I haven't returned all this time. We had to keep the well hidden..." mother's voice slowly disappeared into a whisper; she started telling grandmother about why they kept the well sealed all these years. She went on talking about me and Inuko, about Sango and Miroko and everything that's happened over the years. She had drifted out of site following grandmother towards their home.
I felt like I belonged to this world I felt, like I needed to stay here, fathers arms grabbed me and pulled me into his lap. He hadn't followed. Sota stayed with us, he looked at me for a brief moment and smiled, and turned towards the house, closing the wooden doors behind him.
"Kikyko," father's words were very soft, I was worried he never spoke this way to me usually, it made my heart sink. Usually he's mean, and hot-tempered, and always picking fights, especially with brother, or mother. This time, he was completely the opposite.
"Yes papa?" I answered and looked at him. His eyes were staring at the wooden doors, emotionless, and distant.
"You are going to stay here. You're not coming home anymore. Your mother and I, we think its best, for you to be human... to follow your mother's roots and live at the shrine with Sota and your grandmother." I knew it pained him to say this, his expression was stressed, and he was scared for me. Or in other words, scared of me, scared of what I might become... or what lay dormant inside me.
I never saw my father this way before, never saw him fear for my life, or for anyone's life for that matter. I knew he cared, but he never once showed it.
"No papa, I won't. I won't be away from you or mother I won't stay here!" I shouted, jumping out of his arms.
"Don't argue with me! Your mother's probably explaining things to your grandmother, you'll stay here and that's final."
My eyes filled with tears, I cried, and ran out of the temple shrine. I kept running and slammed right into mother as she was coming out of the house. Ow that hurt!
"Momma!" I cried wrapping my arms around her, "tell me it's not true, you want me to stay here?" her hand touched my head and held me.
"It won't be forever, I want you to stay here for a few days until we can figure out what to do with the new jewel, please understand your father and I want what's best for you, Sota and mother will take care of you, okay..." somehow mother's voice calmed me, I dried my tears and looked at her.
"Okay!" I finally managed. "I'll stay!"
"That's my girl! Your father will come for you in three days, I promise!" mother said this as she passed me, towards the well. "Wait, momma!" I turned and ran after her before she and father disappeared into the well. I ran at her and hugged her one last time, fathers arms wrapped around me and held me close to the both of them. "Be brave Kikyko," father's last words echoed as he and mothered vanished through the well.
I looked down at the well and the sky, disappeared with them. I'm stuck here now, in a world that wasn't for me, the human world where my mother came from. The world, I never knew. So now what?
"Kikyko?" grandmother's voice was sincere, gentle. She came to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder, I felt at ease with her. What do I do now? What is there for me to do here in this time?
"Are you hungry little lady?"
"So you're my uncle Sota right?" I asked placing my hands on my hips. "Uncle makes me sound really old; I'm not that old you know. How about just calling me Sota hm?" he smiled and waved at me.
"Well, what is it you people do in this Era?" I asked, grandmother put her hand over her mouth and laughed, Sota did the same too. Both of them seemed bemused by my lack of knowledge.
At the least I was somewhat educated about my mother's era and what she used to do here, there was this place she would attend I believe she called it 'school' she said she finally managed to graduate and how father used to torment her always. I think that was the part I remembered most, other than that I didn't quite understand everything else about this world.
Father's side of the story and mother's side of the story were that of the opposite.
It was already night in my mother's world, Tokyo I believe they called it, I had bathed in a warm bath and eaten real homemade food; I was even dressed in my mother's pyjama's. I felt as if I was at home, with mother and father. Curled up next to them, watching Sango and Miroko's kids fighting over meaningless objects around them.
"Grandma," I shouted from the room.
"Yes dear?" she answered coming to the room. "I don't like sleeping alone, I'm used to having my mother, father and my brother with me... will you stay with me?" I asked, getting comfortable under the covers. She smiled and nodded, lying across the bed with me. We talked for the whole night, she told me stories about mother, and travelling through the well, and about great-grandfather, who had passed on to the otherworld.
She told me about mother's strength and how she yearned to be with father, and when she left grandmother was heartbroken but she knew that one day mother would return to her. She said that she did, that I returned to her as she wanted, and that I was just like her own daughter. This made me smile, I was happy to know that I was accepted in this world. But three days, what would I do for three days? This seemed like an eternity for me... long, agonizing, painful.
