Just a Fake

Kagome was alone for the afternoon; she had a heavy cold and was feeling deserted and sorry for herself. She'd been doing very well at school now that she could attend regularly, and there were hopes that she would do well in her exams. But right now she felt unwell and was missing her friends; enough time had gone by for Sango and Miroku to get married she thought, and wondered how they were doing.

Was Inuyasha still in the village, someone had to keep an eye on Shippou and Kaede? Yes, she mused to herself, of course he was; Inuyasha had a human heart and would need to check that the pack was still O.K. Besides it was his home and it had been the longest amount of time that he had known in one place, he was accepted there.

But what else was happening, was Sango pregnant yet; were Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha friendlier, what about Rin? So many questions and she had no way of finding out the answers. It was stupid, they were all only on the other side of the well, surely she could find a way to re-open the well and get back to them.

She had her Miko powers still, even if there was no jewel; was there no way she could harness those and open the time slip? It was a good idea and something that would keep her mind occupied while she was unwell. But the thinking gave her a headache and nothing seemed to shift it, so by the early evening she was cross and fed-up and no nearer finding a solution.

Souta was soon annoyed at her picking on him; Kagome was not normally a fault finder but anything the little boy did grated on her rapidly shredding nerves, so to keep the peace she decided to go back to bed. Her brother called after her that she really needed some of Inuyasha's cold remedy and then he sniggered remembering what was in it.

But it made Kagome smile a bit to recall the incident until she thought of how tender Inuyasha had been and yet at the same time how young, as he spoke of his mother. Kagome relished the times when he showed her his less brash side and when they could just talk. There was a sudden scraping sound at the window and her heart leapt for joy as she waited for the familiar gruff greeting from Inuyasha. He must have somehow opened the well.

But nothing happened and her heart stilled slowly into disappointment again, it was just a phantom sound and it wasn't fair that everything conspired against her by bringing her hope, just to dispel it. She couldn't take it anymore, and burst into noisy tears and hacking sobs that shook her whole body until her mother came in to try to calm her.

It was no use, Kagome made herself feverish on top of her cold and Mama stayed with her until the girl fell into a fitful sleep at last. But Mama was concerned, Kagome was flushed and was definitely running a temperature now, so she went and got some medicine to have ready if her daughter awoke.

In the morning Kagome was better but still had her cold and felt drained and tired, her sleep hadn't been effective to cure her misery; but the strength it imparted meant that she could try again and again to test her power. All day she sat by the tree or in the well house trying anything she could think of. Mama didn't think it healthy but recognised the need Kagome had to try anything to reach her friends and especially Inuyasha. Who knows perhaps it would work and so Mama too got engrossed in her daughter's display.

Mama too missed the young hanyou who she had come to know well, even to the point of calling him son. There had been plenty of times when she and Inuyasha had talked together while he waited for her daughter to return from school, and she had shed her own tears when it was discovered that the well had closed. If Kagome could re-open it everyone would be happy.

However Mama had other responsibilities and couldn't stay all of the time with Kagome outside, she needed to prepare the evening meal and went indoors. That was until she rushed out to the Goshinboku after hearing a heart piercing scream from Kagome. In front of her was the pink glass dust from one of the fake Shikon jewels that Grandfather sold in the shrine shop.

Mama took the hysterical girl in her arms and held her tight while telling her firmly to calm down and tell her what was the problem. Kagome's body shook and all she could say at first was that she had failed and that she would never see Inuyasha again.

"It's all wrong, all wrong Mama; it shouldn't have done that its wrong, wrong. It should have shattered into pieces not this mess. The shards are all long diamonds not this, not this." Kagome cried again and Mama knew that she had hoped to infuse a fake shard to take her back to the past. It would do her child no good right now to tell her that the fakes were only glass and had no youkai or miko infusion such as the original had.

Kagome was grasping at straws desperately but now she must come in and eat if she was not to get sicker, but neither could they move away from the dashed bauble and for a long time all mother and daughter could do was look at the pink dust in sadness. Eventually they moved indoors however and neither heard the whispered words that followed them mournfully.

"Don't worry Kagome, it will be alright; keep strong."

Lj Community First Tweak; Love Takes Shape-Diamond