Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Inuyasha, Disney, or any movie produced by Studio Ghibli and distributed theatrically through the Disney Corporation. Don't sue. The plot is also based loosely off of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles by CLAMP. The plot will eventually begin to differentiate from the manga/anime written by CLAMP, so don't sue for that either.
My Story's Ending
Chapter 9
firefox369
Kagome gazed out at the desert surrounding the city, watching as the winds blew through the sand and kicked up small drifts of the grainy particles. Something about this place was wrong. Something was off, but she couldn't quite figure out what. Ever since they landed on Agrabah a few days ago, she felt some strange feeling tugging at her heartstrings. The sensation was unnerving, but not unwelcome.
The dust neared the city, and then blew through it. She shut her cerulean eyes in the force of the wind and felt it whip through her hair. She couldn't stop the smile that came to her face as the dust and sand brushed against her face, the grainy texture seemingly wiping off a layer of debris she didn't know existed. Despite the loud, obnoxious merchants and the doe-eyed orphans, Kagome loved the palace town (she loved the large expanse of desert even more, but the thought of wandering around in it alone made her forget that).
"Kagome?"
The young miko turned to look at her silver haired companion. Riku stood from his seat on a large violet pillow and made his way to his side, stepping over and around the object placed haphazardly in the room. When he was finally at her side, he gazed at her worriedly and placed a hand on her forehead.
"You've been acting a little strange lately."
Kagome smiled and lowered her eyes with a small blush on her cheeks before continuing to stare at the golden sands and sapphire sky. With a sigh, Riku shifted his weight to one side and peeked out the large hole in the wall, trying to see what she was seeing. To his left, a ragged purple cloth billowed gently in the breeze.
"I can feel something here," she explained. "Something is calling out to me, Riku."
The young man schooled his face into a mask of indifference, trying not to let the guilt show on his face as Sora's question from weeks ago floated into his mind. What if she doesn't want to come back? He spared her a glance from the corner of his eyes and began to step away from the window. Just as the silver-haired male took one step away from the ledge, Kagome leaned over it so that her entire torso hung out the large opening. He moved to grab onto her, alarmed, but stopped when he saw the serene smile on her face.
"I feel..." she whispered, stepping even closer to the large hole a little more so the wind could brush against more of her body.
Riku took a step closer to her and gently held onto her waist anyway. If she wasn't careful she could easily tip over the edge of the floor and plummet to her death. "You feel?" he asked softly, and the young miko opened her eyes to stare at the young man, a strange hollowness seemed to suck the light out of them.
"I feel so awkward" she sighed, "as if I don't belong here."
A sudden pang clenched Riku's chest, but he quickly schooled his expression into one of slight confusion. She feels that way because she's supposed to be dead. The coeurl curled up in the corner of the room looked up at her words and gazed at Riku accusingly. The teenager ignored its piercing stare.
"What do you mean?" he questioned innocently, stepping close behind her and gently placing his hand on the small of her back. The action made Kagome's already tired posture slump even more.
"Ah, here you guys are. I've been looking for you all day! I wanted to introduce you to- Oh. You're busy."
The couple turned towards the brunette young man, both unconsciously faking smiles as he approached. The coeurl purred in greeting.
"No, we're not busy" Riku said. Kagome nodded in agreement. "Who did you want us to meet, Sora?"
Sora laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Aladdin and Jasmine. They're the king and queen of this place. I met them the last time I came here, so I thought I'd go say 'hi' to them now that I'm back. It's been a while and I kind of want to see how they're doing. And I want to introduce you two."
Riku shrugged. "I'm perfectly fine with meeting your friends. What about you, Kagome?"
The miko pointedly glanced at the bustling market streets outside the window with fascinated eyes and grinned. "Of course! Come on, Shou!" she cried excitedly, quickly pulling the ragged cloth back over the opening in the clay wall and hurrying out of the small, messy room. Shou snorted and slowly got up before lazily trotting after her.
"Wait Kagome! You don't know your way around these streets!" Sora called, frantically racing after the young girl. Finally alone, Riku allowed the smile to drop off his face and he sighed. He gently massaged his aching temples and swallowed nervously. The more portions of her soul they recovered, the more Kagome was becoming her former self and the more memories she regained. The time when Kagome would realize that she had already died and that Riku had brought her back due to his own selfishness was approaching far too quickly, but he also knew that it was necessary. He could not decide when she lived and when she died for her, he knew that.
"Kagome, watch your head!"
Suddenly, there was a loud crash and Kagome's yelp of pain. Alarmed, Riku bolted out of the room and ran down the stairs two at a time only to come across the trio halfway down. Kagome was whimpering and sitting on the ground with her forehead in her hands as Sora fussed over her like a mother hen. Standing off to the side was the coeurl. The feline watched the scene with an amused flick in its ribbon-like tail.
"I told you to watch your head!" Sora chastised, trying desperately to pry Kagome's hand off her forehead.
Riku glanced above the two and saw an enormous wooden beam stretching across the small hallway. Not surprisingly, it was just low enough that Kagome could run into it and just hidden enough to cause some damage if someone wasn't careful.
"Come on, Kagome! Let me see it!" Sora whined. The young woman was actually surprisingly strong considering how long she'd been sleeping.
"Sora, sit!" she grumbled, "Your shouting is making my head hurt more!"
The silver-haired boy sighed and shook his head. He may not be able to decide when she lived and died, but at the rate she was going she wouldn't last the week. He took comfort in knowing that (if he were more diligent in his efforts) he would be able to keep her from harm.
"I'm not a dog, Kagome" Sora huffed, crossing his arms and turning his nose upwards. Kagome blinked and looked at the brunette keyblade master in confusion.
"Wait. Why did I just tell you to sit?"
"Kairi, we'll go over magic today."
Kairi sighed in relief and stretched out her aching limbs. Although magic training was difficult in its own right, Yuffie's physical conditioning was beyond brutal and the red-haired girl wasn't sure how much more of it she could handle. She began physical training with Yuffie just a week or two ago and her entire body was ready to fall apart.
"Will I be practicing more healing magic with Aeris, Merlin?" she questioned. Out of all of her teachers, Aeris was by far her favorite. The flower girl was kind, gentle, and awfully powerful. Only Cid was capable of holding that metal rod with the same ease that Aeris could (though that may also be because Cid's own weapon, the spear, is the most similar to the rod).
Merlin shook his head. "How much do you know about Kagome?" he asked.
The girl was confused with the change of topic and hesitantly responded with "Almost nothing."
"Then perhaps today we'll have a short history lesson as well. If you are to join Riku and Sora in reviving Kagome, it's only fair that you know as much as you can about her" Merlin decided. Kairi perked up with excitement and nodded. Oh, she loved history!
"Well, I suppose this will be more of a story than history."
"I like stories, too!" Kairi chirped, trying to contain all of her excitement. Everyone held such a high regard for Kagome and she had no idea why. If Kairi could better understand the person she was saving, then maybe she would also be able to hold the same respect for her as everyone else.
Merlin chuckled and led her into his study. "You see, Kagome used to be an ordinary girl just like you. She lived in a world far from here where there is no magic, no heartless, and no nobodies. She was a very, very happy girl until the day she turned fifteen. How old are you now, Kairi?"
"I'm eighteen."
"Imagine yourself three years ago and pretend today is your birthday. In ten minutes, you will be thrust into a completely different world, and by the end of the day you will have encountered several near death situations."
"How is that even possi-"
"Ah, I'm not done yet Kairi" Merlin mused. "You also find out that demons are real, and a large centipede demon rips a hole in your side."
Kairi paled and winced.
"Unlike you, Kairi, all of Kagome's decisions were made for her. Unlike the rest of us who can take steps to change our destinies, Kagome's fate has been predetermined and she has not even an inkling of a chance to avoid it. She was forced to learn how to fight, use her magic effectively, watch all of her companions die, and take part in our war against the heartless and nobodies. Though she is powerful and may seem to behave as randomly as nature, she has no freedom."
The young girl lowered her gaze and interlocked her fingers. "That's so sad... but at least she has Riku and the rest of us, right? When we bring her back we can stay by her side and lighten her load a little, right?"
Merlin shook his head. Kairi opened her mouth to argue but the old wizard raised a hand and silenced her before she could make a noise. "We may be by her side, but her burden is her own. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to share it with the rest of us. We may be trying to help Kagome and we may be her friends, but no matter how many people surround her, she will always be alone whether she's in a bustling city or in the middle of a battle. She has been fighting alone for centuries and because of that has an amazing sense of strategy. You must always keep this in mind when with Kagome, Kairi: Kagome is a dangerous force to be reckoned with. Never question her judgment."
Kagome hurried over to a small booth with several little trinkets in their midst and looked them all over carefully with a diligence she didn't even know she had. One glance told her that they were all fake, but she had no idea how she knew that. Just what was she before she lost her memory?
"My, you're such a beautiful young lady" the vendor commented, "Would you like to buy a trinket? I'll give you half the price!"
"Ah, no. I don't buy fake items" she declined and quickly moved back into the bustling street before the sputtering vendor could retort. Everyone was staring at her, but she didn't notice and continued her way down the street with a happy bounce in her step. This type of atmosphere excited her and made her oddly satisfied.
"Her clothing is that of royalty. Perhaps she came from the palace?" a voice whispered. Curious eyes gazed at Kagome's bouncing form as she made her way from one vendor to the next. Strangely, she bought nothing.
"She cannot be a daughter of the old sultan, Princess Jasmine was his only child" another argued.
"I think he hid her and only made Jasmine public" the first voice decided. "The boss will be interested to know this."
"Let's not consult him. She'll probably be back at the palace by the time we tell him. Let's get her right now!"
The miko stopped in front of a small vendor whose items were spread across a small carpet placed on the dirt road. He had almost nothing to sell, but all the items he did have were absolutely gorgeous and, if her intuition was correct, authentic.
"I'm sorry, these knives are not meant for cooking young lady" the vendor stated, and Kagome pouted.
"Who said I wanted to cook with these?" she huffed, crouching next to the cloth and holding her hand out to touch them. "May I?"
The old vendor's wise, tired eyes gazed at Kagome warily for a few moments before he finally nodded. Immediately, Kagome let her hand hover above each knife on the cloth while scrutinizing them with and intense, cerulean gaze. Her hand stopped above a small, sapphire encrusted dagger and she carefully picked it up.
"You have a good eye, young lady. That dagger is one of a kind. It's said to be from-"
"Across the desert and sea from a royal palace. It belonged to the king's small ward. He gave it to her as a gift and it is charmed with a protective spell" Kagome finished, running her fingers across the hexagonal floral decorations engraved within the wooden sheath. A sudden sadness swelled up within her and she forced down the urge to cry. "This is several hundred years old. How did it end up here?"
"I'd like to know how you knew what it was" the vendor chuckled, taking the dagger and wrapping it up within a silk cloth. His long, white beard trembled with his laughter. The miko sighed and smiled sadly. She was wondering the same thing herself. The longer she was awake and the more she travelled, the more she yearned for the large gaps in her memory to be filled.
"Here" he offered.
Kagome blinked, then furiously shook her head. "I don't have any money, I'm sorry."
The vendor laughed. "No, my dear. As a gift. I may not be a magician, but I can see that you are close to this dagger, and this dagger is close to you."
She graciously took it and bowed her head to the vendor, drawing even more stares from the people wandering in the streets. "Thank you so much, sir."
A blush of embarrassment crept up the old vendor's cheeks and he hurriedly shook his head, trying to the make the young woman stand. "No, no. A person of you status should not be bowing to me. I am not god. Hurry, hurry, sit up."
Kagome obeyed and blinked away the tears in her eyes before standing up. "Thank you again, sir. You don't know how much this means to me." Then again, she didn't even know how much the dagger meant to her herself.
"Eh, you're welcome. Go on your way, now" he shooed, a large grin on his face. Kagome lowered her head slightly again before racing off. Not ten seconds later, she noticed that she couldn't find her companions.
"Riku?" Kagome called, standing on her toes in an attempt to see over the bustling crowd. "Riku, where are you? Sora? Shou?"
She saw nothing and heard no response. Apparently she wandered too far from her group and had gotten separated. Now what was she supposed to do? They said they were going to the palace, so as long as she continued walking towards it she would be there eventually, right? She looked for the palace in the skyline and once she had found it, began making her way towards it and completely disregarding the route she was taking. Not ten steps into a dark alley, there was a sharp pain at the back of her head and her entire vision went dark.
"Sora, you've come back!"
"Aladdin! I missed you!" Sora laughed, waving his arms excitedly as he ran towards the young sultan. "How's Jasmine doing?"
"You know her, Sora. Stubborn as ever. She's actually learning how to fight from the palace guards so she can protect Agrabah better. Lots of thieves and heartless have been running around lately" Aladdin informed, patting his friend's back. "So, you going to introduce me?"
Sora grinned and motioned to the little group. "This is Riku, the friend I was looking for the last time I came by, and then there's Shou. We picked him back a few weeks ago before we started travelling again, and then the girl is-"
Sora paused and stared at the spot Kagome was supposed to be with wide eyes.
"Where's Kagome?" he cried, grabbing his hair and starting yank on it. "Riku! We lost Kagome!"
Shou rolled his eyes and sat down as if to say "Here we go again." Seriously, the brunette could be so clueless some times. The city was safe though, and no one would dare try a kidnapping in the market streets in broad daylight, so the coeurl was sure she was fine. Even Riku had only slight fears of Kagome running off on her own. Considering everything he'd seen of the town when walking through the market, he was sure that Agrabah was as safe as it could get. Aladdin and Jasmine had done well with the town.
"Relax, Sora. I'm sure she's fine" Aladdin comforted. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen to her? She's in the market with no money so it's not like anyone will try to harm her."
"It's not that I'm worrying about, it's her clothes! Her clothes!" Sora shouted. "Her clothes are so much like Jasmine's! Some morons might think she's a princess or something and-"
A letter suddenly dropped from the sky, interrupting the brunette's loud, worried rant. Why wasn't Riku worried about Kagome? He should be!
Aladdin's eyes narrowed when he saw the hawk that had dropped the letter. He knew that hawk very, very well, and just seeing it was making his mood turn very, very sour. It would seem that the gang of stupid, blubbering idiots were at work again.
"If it's from who I think it is, they have Kagome and are trying to hold her ransom" he sighed, facepalming. "You don't have anything to worry about. Give it a day or so and the girl will be able to make it back on her own."
"A day?" Riku laughed, "as if we have a day to just sit around and wait. If they're really that stupid then I'll just waltz in and get Kagome myself."
With that, the silver-haired boy turned around and began to walk towards the market. Shou got up and followed him, knowing that Riku knew he would join him. The two had formed an unspoken bond during the few days that they had been together and now understood each other quite well. Riku needed someone to track Kagome's scent and lead the way. Naturally, Shou was the one who would be able to supply that.
Sora groaned and looked at Aladdin, who simply winked at him.
"Don't worry, I'll send some reinforcements. Those thieves won't know what hit 'em."
To be continued...