Chapter 38: Reaching For You
A crisp autumn wind rustled the branches of the shrine's trees, causing them to tap against Alice's bedroom window. Sighing, the girl rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window lazily. It had been three whole days since her return and everything in the modern world had progressed slowly, as if something was missing.
Sure she had tried to find Kagome, but after failing to even find her family's name in the directory Alice began to feel as if looking was pointless. Was it really all just a dream? It definitely seemed that way but no matter how she or her parents who heard her story, which was now as clear as a fogged piece of glass, had tried to convince herself, the girl couldn't get the events to leave her mind for even a moment.
"What am I going to do?" Alice murmured while looking out at the oncoming storm while shaking her head, "I'm certain I went back in time but then where is Kagome? She said we lived in the same era didn't she?" she sighed, "I don't know what's real anymore."
Looking at her palms, Alice looked sadly down at them. All I have is my Shikigami that much is certain. No matter if it was all a dream or not, I will always have it she thought as she conjured up a small flame that glowed in the dimly lit room.
Staring into the fire, the Shikigami user's eyes closed a little as images appeared in its fiery depths. A man with a huge sword, jerking his head as if he wanted her to come and spar with him. A woman with a young child, playing happily together and waving at her. Another man with a ringed staff standing next to a woman holding a small cat, both staring at her as if they were waiting for her to join them. A woman standing with dignity, a bow in one hand while the other extended towards Alice, inviting her.
Who are these people? They seem so familiar… As if I should know them Alice thought as the images melted away into the embers coming off of the flame. She remained in the position, peering into the flicker of fire until a wet droplet suddenly caused the fire to sizzle.
The tip tap of the rain outside soon followed and signaled to her that the storm had arrived. Getting up slowly, she let the flame disperse from her hands and proceeded to close the window. All the while her mind was fighting to make some sense of the sights and people within her blurred mind.
Pain seared through his skin as Inuyasha flew through the wall of blue fire. Determination was strong in his gaze as he swiftly scanned the area for the person within the deadly vortex. Left. Right. Left. Right. Shards of wood and stone flew by him as the hanyou used his claws to deflect those heading straight towards him until something caught his eye.
There she is! Inuyasha thought as he directed his body, which was being supported by the strong winds of the inner winds, towards the girl.
She was curled in a ball, hands holding onto her head as if it were about to break into a million pieces if she let go, tears streaming down her face. Scarlet blood spattered on the hanyou's cheek from the wound on her left side, making him grimace as he mentally growled in hatred towards Naraku for causing such terrible damage to her.
Wiping the crimson specks off with his sleeve, Inuyasha reached out a hand towards the girl before opening his mouth to call her name. To his surprise, he could barely hear his voice over the roar of the gales around him and found his breath torn from his throat.
How am I supposed to get her attention when I can't even speak? Frowning, Inuyasha attempted to move closer but was only pushed back by the strongest of winds that cycled around the girl. Making a fist, he looked up at the girl wishing she'd wake up and see him so all the madness could be put to an end.
Gathering his breath, Inuyasha put all of his voice in one last attempt to reach out to the girl, yelling, "ALICE!"
Flash! A bright white light illuminated the room as thunder shook Alice's room. Gasping, she flinched away from the window, blue eyes wide in shock. Wha-What? She thought as her heart pounded in her chest.
The sudden event had spooked her but it wasn't what caused her to almost fall to the floor. Within the rumble of the storm she could faintly hear something. Something that sounded painfully familiar, but it was faded, almost as if she had imagined it.
Gripping her head with one hand, Alice stared hardly at the floor beneath her, her mind desperately searching for an answer. That voice… I know who it is but… Groaning she shook her head. I must figure out who it was! I feel as if I'll go crazy if I don't! She thought while taking a breath.
Within her mind, she saw the blurry image of the first man within the flames, his mighty sword held up easily over his shoulder; frowning Alice quietly questioned, "Who are you?"
Trying with all her might, she attempted to clear the person in her mind, all the while repeating slightly louder, "Who are you?"
However, not matter how hard she tried, Alice couldn't clear the person enough to see his face, crowned by snow white locks of hair and two strange ears, and furrowed her eyebrows. Grabbing onto his red haori, she then demanded, "Who are you?"
"Keh, baka you already know the answer," the figure grinned and Alice's eyes flew open in shock.
"Inu…yasha?" she stammered as the memories suddenly came back to her and she bolted to the window.
Looking out into the blackness, she searched for him or any other familiar face. However, all she saw was the shrine's stone pathways, lit by a sol light next to the entrance of her house. Disappointment washed through Alice as she frowned and stepped back from the window.
I could've sworn… But… Sighing, she shook her head. I must be imagining things. My heart's just showing me what I want to see and nothing more. Opening her eyes, she returned to the window and closed it, pausing for a moment; hope that she was wrong still remaining in her. But after a minute she gave up and closed the window fully.
Looking out the glass, she sighed and proceeded to head downstairs to see if her mother needed any help with dinner. Walking about three steps forward, Alice cast one last glance back at the window. Shock and disbelief ran cold through her veins at the sight before her.
In the window was her reflection, but at the same time it wasn't. Within the darkness she made out her own form, curled tightly together with a broken expression. That's…? Alice thought before a strong voice sounded to her right.
"Alice!" Inuyasha yelled as the named person jerked her head towards his direction, amazed to find herself within the darkness along with her other self.
"Inuyasha…Inuyasha!" Alice called back, "What's going on? Where-"
The girl cut off as she caught a glimpse at her other self. Blood soaked almost the whole portion of her left side. Gasping Alice looked down at her own arm only to wince in pain at the scarlet stain covering her pure white dress.
"This can't be…" she murmured as she returned her gaze towards Inuyasha while clutching her wound and yelling with fearful tears in her eyes, "Inuyasha! Please! I'm right here!"
More tears streaked down her face as she once more went unnoticed. Placing her head in her hands Alice tried desperately to remember exactly what happened, her memories still clouded. Please, I need to remember! Alice shouted inwardly towards whoever could hear her. To her surprise, it seemed as someone did hear her pleas, as a flash of light shined in her eyes revealing images that streamed pass her.
This is…? Alice thought as memories of her running away from the group, meeting up with Kikyo, talking about her future, splitting up and encountering Naraku, the searing pain in her shoulder, the madness of seeing her reflection and the feeling of her mind breaking down with echoes of laughter around her all came rushing back into her mind.
In an instant, everything went black. What…What happened? Alice thought as she faintly felt her hair being tossed around her. Moving her fingers she felt the hair upon her head within small, rough bundles. The odd thing was that she couldn't seem to feel the ground. Frowning, Alice, with her eyes still clamped shut, moved her toes to find nothing but air around them.
What is… Where am I? She thought in the silence that shrouded her.
Suddenly, the heavy quietness was shattered by a voice yelling on the top of its lungs, "ALICE!"
Her eyes snapped open and the named person looked in shock as the swirling vortex of dust, rain and debris swarmed around her. It was like she was floating in the middle of a huge tornado, unable to do anything but stare.
Slowly, she turned her head towards the voice's direction. Her eyes widened even more so as she saw the owner of the voice. It was Inuyasha with one of his hands reaching out to her while he desperately fought to hold his ground against the fierce winds. Alice remained staring dumbfounded at him before she felt tears begin to well up in the corners of her eyes.
Inuyasha… Alice thought as she let her hands fall from her head. Gradually, she reached for his hand as well until she had her arm fully extended. To her sorrow, their hands were just a few inches short of meeting each other, a gap of space pushing the two apart.
Feeling one of the tears stream down her cheek, Alice shook her head and pushed forwards yelling, "Inuyasha!"
Seeing the flash of determination in his golden eyes, she watched as he opened his mouth as to call out something but his voice was lost in the gales. This, however, didn't stop the hanyou from propelling towards Alice's hand just far enough to grab it and pull her within his strong arms.
Almost instantly the whirlwind dispersed, leaving the two plummeting to the ground. Feeling Inuyasha's hand supporting the back of her head, Alice buried her face into his warm shoulder and closed her eyes. Breathing in his comforting scent, she let it calm her shaking body as he dropped down onto one of the few remaining roofs in the ghost village and jumped to the ground.
Once there, he knelt down so that Alice was lying down in his arms and he spoke with a worried tone, "Alice! Hang in there, Kagome should be here soon."
The girl looked up at the hanyou, having gone numb to the once blinding pain in her shoulder. Alice then raised her hand, the task made ten times harder since her body felt weak and heavy. Shaking from the effort, she let it plop back down on her chest, letting out an exasperated breath.
Then, with her ice blue eyes shining with warmth, she spoke in a hushed, raspy tone, "It's okay Inuyasha, I'll be alright. Just let me rest a bit."
"Wait! You have to stay awake, don't fall asleep, not yet," Inuyasha replied, though Alice felt as if her eyelids were bricks, heavy and unbearable in her condition.
Nodding sleepily, she murmured, "I'll try."
The two stayed in their position for what felt like hours to Alice, though she knew it couldn't have been for more than a few minutes. Through it all, Inuyasha kept a sharp eye out for any signs of the others, occasionally checking up on the girl in his arms to see if she was awake. However, with each passing moment, her eyes inched further towards being closed.
Somehow the Shikigami user stayed awake, but by the time she heard the anxious calls and footsteps of the others she couldn't hold on any longer. With a weak smile, she whispered to Inuyasha, though unsure if he would hear her, seeing as he was calling to the others, "I'm sorry…"
The words drifted to the hanyou like a small breath of wind, his ears suddenly honing in on it from the calls of Kagome and the others. Looking back down at his companion, he frowned when he saw that she had finally passed out.
Jerking his head up, he yelled, "Kagome hurry!"
In an instant, the young girl was by his side as he gently laid Alice's unconscious form on the ground. As Sango, Miroku and Shippo pulled up beside the priestess, who had taken out her medical box and was rummaging quickly through its contents, Inuyasha caught a scent in the breeze. One that made his heart ache at the same time as it soothed it.
Looking over their heads, the hanyou's golden eyes widened at the red and white dressed person's form appeared from the dense fog as he practically whispered, "Kikyo…"
Having heard his call, the others peered over there shoulder's to confirm what he had said. Inuyasha could smell their surprised scents. As the priestess drew closer, Inuyasha fought inside his head on what to do. Should he get up and greet her, asking if she could help? Glancing over at Kagome in the corner of his eye, he felt guilt well up inside of him as it always seemed to when he met with Kikyo.
Shaking his head, Inuyasha made his way to get up, knowing that now was not the time to be worrying about such things and that Kagome would understand when Kikyo herself knelt down in the vacant place beside her reincarnation.
Looking over Alice with her sharp eyes, Kikyo turned towards Kagome, "I will help you heal her."
A wave of surprise seemed to pass through the whole group as Kagome nodded and handed her a roll of bandages. Seeing that Sango had gotten up and was already leading the males away, she pulled back Alice's once serene and pretty light blue and white kimono, which was now stained purple and red, to reveal her wound.
"How terrible," Kagome murmured before taking a wet cloth and gently cleaning the injury as best as she could.
Through it all she felt the weird pressuring sense of Kikyo who was so close to her, looking down at Alice with an emotion that Kagome couldn't quiet read. "Naraku was the cause of this," the wandering priestess finally spoke as Sango returned to kneel opposite of the two.
"Y-Yes, or at least we are pretty certain he is," Kagome agreed, somewhat startled at her sudden words.
"He was in the area," Sango added, "Though he disappeared right before Alice's powers went out of control and brought about that twister."
Kikyo nodded before narrowing her eyes in what looked to be concealed confusion. It's true that Naraku was the one who attacked Alice, but then there should be some reason why he left her alive when he easily could've stolen her life away… She thought while Kagome looked on curiously from the corner of her eyes.
Meeting the young girl's eye, Kikyo briefly wondered what she would make of the situation. But as soon as their gazes met, Kagome flinched and turned her focus back on Alice. Sighing, the priestess realized that her reincarnation was probably, if not more, confused about the situation as she was.
"Hmm?" Kagome's voice drew the attention of the other two as she looked closely at Alice's newly cleaned wound.
"What is it Kagome?" Sango asked while Kikyo looked on.
"I'm not sure if I'm right, but-" Kagome started before turning her worried eyes on the other two, "there's not even a trace of miasma or poison coming from Alice's wound."
"How can that be? Surely there would at least be some trace of Naraku's miasma within her," Sango questioned, through the concern in the demon slayer's sight only deepened.
Turning to Kikyo, Kagome asked, "What about you Kikyo? Can you sense anything?"
The named person fixed her experienced eyes on the injured person, straining to see if even the slightest bit of impurity belonging to their enemy remained within her. To her surprise, there was nothing unusual about her, which was incidentally unusual.
"No. Her wound remains free from Naraku's taint," Kikyo replied as Sango and Kagome exchanged glances that went unnoticed by the dead priestess, who remained staring at Alice.
Why does she show no trace? Surely Naraku wouldn't have thought that he'd conceal the fact that he injured her. But then why am I unable to sense anything? Narrowing her eyes Kikyo frowned. Something isn't adding up here. What exactly happened when Alice got attacked? And what is Naraku scheming of this time? If only I knew…
A dim glow from behind her eyelids gently woke Alice up from the numb unconscious dimension she was in. The pulsing pain in her shoulder caused her to moan, tossing in the cushioned place she lay with her eyes scrunched shut.
Unable to return to the harmony of sleep, she opened her eyes, squinting a bit in the light. A wooden ceiling met her eyes as well as the head of a figure leaning over her. Trying to focus on it, Alice made out longish cobalt hair with two brown eyes.
"Kikyo…?" she murmured before she blinked, causing her eyes to clear and see who the person was.
Kagome? Alice thought as she stared in surprise at the girl. Casting her gaze over the whole room, she made out the faces of her companions and instantly a wave of warmth rushed over her. So I wasn't dreaming… They did come for me… She thought until a pulse of guilt ran through her heart. I abandoned them…
Frowning she looked away from their relieved gazes but looked back as Inuyasha huffed, "About time you woke up."
Though his tone didn't show it, Alice could see the sense of relief with the amber depths as Miroku added, "Thank kami you're alright."
"Why did you leave us? Don't you realize we've been looking all over for you?" Shippo questioned, tears on the edge of his teal eyes.
"Shippo… Everyone…" Alice trailed off as she turned her face to hide the tears in her own eyes.
She felt someone shift forward and heard Sango's worried voice, "Yes, it was very stressful when you suddenly disappeared without saying anything to us."
"Yeah," Kagome added, "I know this isn't exactly the ideal life like that of the ones we have in our time but do you really want to move on without us?
Their words sent a bolt of pain, stronger than that of her shoulder, through the injured girl as she closed her eyes and practically whispered, "B-But I can't be with you anymore… You'll only get hurt!"
"Keh! What are you going on about? Can't you see that we want you to stay?" Inuyasha huffed and Alice turned in shock, tears streaming down her face.
Closing her eyes, she let the tears freely fall, faintly feeling the hands of her companions grip her own. Thank you… They remained in the position for quite some time, though through it all her companions, no friends, remained with her, offering their humble yet reassuring support.
Wiping the tears away from her eyes, Alice nodded her thanks to the others as Miroku spoke up, "So I do have one more question for you. Why were you with Kikyo?"
The question caught Alice off guard. Looking at the expressions of everyone in the room she pieced together that they knew Kikyo, yet something seemed to bother them. Like the topic sent a cloud of pressure upon them.
Shrugging off the feeling, she replied, "It's sort of a long story, but Kikyo helped me."
"I see," the monk nodded, casting a glance over at Kagome, whose eyes shone with concealed pain and sadness.
"Don't let it get to you Kagome," Sango murmured while Alice frowned, hating that she once again had caused the kind girl pain.
"I know, thank you," Kagome responded with a small smile.
"Kagome I…" Inuyasha started before Kagome interrupted in a calm tone, "It's okay Inuyasha, I'm fine. I think I'll go take a walk through the village though, just to get some fresh air."
With that said the young priestess got up and quietly exited the room, leaving a tense group behind. Alice didn't know what to say or do, so she chose to remain quiet as the scene unfurled around her. Sango and the others were looking expectantly at Inuyasha, who in turn looked down at the floor with sudden interest.
"Inuyasha, aren't you going to go after her?" Sango questioned, almost urging the hanyou to follow.
"Uhh…" he murmured before getting up and attempting to catch up with the girl.
Sighing Miroku shook his head, "Honestly, this happens every time they meet. Sooner or later it'll have to stop."
"Yeah, and hopefully that idiot will have the brains to stay with Kagome," Shippo muttered, glaring off into the direction the hanyou disappeared to.
Appearing to have noticed Alice's vague confusion, Sango explained, "I'm sorry Alice, this must all seem so confusing to you. But you see, Inuyasha and Kikyo, they were together once. Before Kagome came here that is."
"Yes, though they were bitterly torn apart through hatred towards one another. However, they were tricked into hating the other by Naraku," Miroku added.
"And after that Kikyo was reincarnated by using Kagome's soul," Shippo continued.
"Due to this, their fates are all intertwined with each other," Sango finished while shaking her head, "But Inuyasha can't seem to choose who to stay with, since he still has feelings for Kikyo."
"Yeah, which only cause Kagome pain," Shippo included.
"Inuyasha realizes this, but still there are some things can't be put to an end, even though the person knows they're a problem," Miroku shook his head, "It just can't be helped."
"Inuyasha, as well as Kikyo and Kagome, aren't bad though," Sango explained, "It's just such a tragic situation…"
A collective sigh came from the three as they shook their heads. Alice, meanwhile, had taken in all the information spoken and was trying to make sense of it. Poor Kagome, she must feel terrible that Inuyasha still feels that way about Kikyo. But he still loves her, even though they hated each other…
Suddenly, a burst of coughs erupted from the girl catching the attention of the remaining people in the room. Body shaking in pain and effort, Alice closed her eyes and waited for the stinging in her shoulder to subside. Miroku and the others were already by her side and looking on worriedly.
"It seems you have yet to fully recover," Miroku observed before adding in a more reassuring tone, "But don't worry all you need is some rest and then you'll be perfectly fine."
"Yes, though it wouldn't hurt to go out into town and see if there are any medicinal herbs if the wound gets infected," Sango added.
"Good idea Sango," Shippo agreed, "I can go out and look in the forest for them!"
With that, the eager kitsune dashed out of the room. Miroku sighed before turning to Alice, "Do you think that you'll be okay staying here by yourself for a little while? Or would you like me to stay and keep you company?"
Alice forced a smile onto her face and shook her head, "I'll be fine. You guys just go and find what you need and I'll try to catch up on some sleep."
Besides, I feel as if it would be quiet awkward with just Miroku being here with me, being a lech and all… She silently added. "Well stay safe Alice, we won't be too long," Sango informed her as the two exited the room.
Letting out an exhausted breath, Alice tried shifting herself into a more comfortable position when she felt something soft and warm brush against her head. Stifling a gasp, she turned to see the ruby eyes of Kirara as she settled down behind the Shikigami user.
"Thank you Kirara," Alice murmured as she settled back onto the neko's luxurious fur and closed her eyes, letting the serenity of sleep melt away the lingering pain within her body.
A bush rustled as a small figure scurried through the undergrowth in search of what it desired. As the scenery passed by in a blur, it steadily became more and more desolate. Lush green turned to dull. Dull turn to pale. Pale to brown. Brown to gray, until only the dead remained.
Halting, the figure seemed to be confused, as if not realizing it had gone so far. However, it had already accomplished its mission, spotting a patch of life in the dim surroundings. Reaching to pluck its wealth, the hand stopped while ears twitched.
Something or someone had yelled out in anger, startling the creature. Jumping up on a tree stump, it attempted to increase its height by standing on its toes. When the sight of the beings caught its eyes, a gasp shot out.
In a flash of fluffy fur, the creature had fled back to where it had come from while the herbs it had so intently searched for rustled in the breeze.
Hi everyone! And Happy Holidays/New Years! Hope you all have a great one ;D
Sorry about the humungous wait for this chapter =w=" School was being REALLY mean and homework is well, homework xP Anyways I hope you enjoy it~
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