I sat on the floor with a cup of steaming instant noodles in front of me. Kagome had brought modern food from her home back here to the futile era, which was incredibly smart. She was far more dedicated to this place than I was. If I had the option to go home, I'm not sure that I would return at all, let alone multiple times.
"So, you can go back and forth between our time and here?", I asked her in confusion.
"Yep. The shrine at my house allows me to go in and out as a please. Every few days I'll go home and go to school", she stopped and looked down with an embarrassed smile, "but because I'm absent so much, I'm not doing very well in any of my classes. I might even fail this year if I don't get my act together. Have you not been back home yet?"
"Nope. I lost track of where my well was. I don't really know my way around here yet, so I never tried to get back to it either. I didn't even think that it was possible to go back and that I'd be stuck with", I paused for a moment to compose myself, "you know who, for the rest of my life."
"And you were okay with that? He's so brooding and scary. I wouldn't last one minute with the guy, let alone the rest of my existence", she exclaimed, giving me a weird look. Her big brown eyes were examining me closely. Probably trying to figure out if I was crazy or not. I couldn't blame her. Right now I feel like I'm crazy too. "How did you even find each other? Sesshomaru doesn't strike me as an inviting guy."
"Uh, it's hard to explain,'' I coughed out. I wasn't really up for reliving my experience about the guy who broke my heart. I wasn't in the mood to think about him. He belonged in the past and nothing more. But, three pairs of beaming eyes were waiting on my response.
"When I fell through the well and came out here, a group of guys pulled me out. They seemed nice at first until they got a little too handsy. I freaked the hell out and kicked one of them in the nuts to get away. When I ran they followed and tried to capture me, but were scared off by Sesshomaru. He was standing behind me and they fled the scene screaming. I should have too but I he had saved me from a potentially terrible situation. But not really on purpose...", I trailed off quietly.
"Holy crap", Shippo blurted out. "Sesshomaru actually did something nice for someone. I would have never taken him for a kind person."
"That's not the whole story,'' I replied while fidgeting with my noodles. I stirred the soup with my chopsticks nervously trying to stall. If they thought I was dumb for hanging around him before, they were really going to judge me for staying after I finished the story.
"After the creeps left, I thanked him for saving me. Long story short, he tried to take my jewel from me. Unbenounced to the both of us, my jewel won't allow anyone else to touch it but me. As far as I know anyways. So when he tried to steal it by force it burned him in return. In response he pouted and attempted to cut my arm off as a loophole to have the jewel. He thought if he could carry my detached arms around with him, that he could access the jewel. I still have my arm though so clearly it didn't work."
My head was down throughout the whole explanation. I spat it out quickly in hopes that they wouldn't really understand what I said and avoid questioning me. I dreaded seeing the way their faces were probably twisted in confusion. When I finally looked up, all three of them stared back at me with expressions that appeared more fascinated than shocked.
"So, you're telling me Sesshomaru was planning to carry your lifeless arm around to use the sacred jewel", Miroku questioned. I nodded in embarrassment back to him.
"I think he had an ulterior motive for that arm of yours. A more intimate ambition, if you know what I mean", the monk said winking at me and motioning his hand up and down in front of his crotch.
"No, Miroku, you're just a pervert. Nobody else would have assumed that but you", Shippo stated.
We were all thinking that but I was too tired to correct him. Though his comment was kind of funny, the sting of Sesshomaru's true intentions with me still burned. He was selfish and power hungry jerk with a black heart. If he even had a heart in the first place.
Don't worry, Kimmy", Kagome interjected. "He's a demon. They can be sneaky and manipulative sometimes. Even Inuyasha can be a jerk when he wants to be. He's stubborn and doesn't listen to anything anyone has to say, so if he's bad I know his brother is way worse."
"Humans are much better I assure you,'' Miroku said seductively in my ear.
He somehow had scooted across the room to sit right next to me. Just a moment ago he was nowhere near where I sat. His perverted abilities were quite impressive, I had to admit. He lifted the back of my hand to his mouth as said, "If you will allow me to father of your first born child, I will prove to you what a real man can be like. Demons like Sesshomaru and Inuyasha will never be able to give you what-"
"That's enough of that,'' Kagome fumed, grabbing at the monk's ear and ripping him away from me. He then slumped in the corner like a kid in timeout. "What I'm sure he was trying to say is that Sesshomaru isn't a good guy. He's dangerous and could have really put you in danger. I mean he kind of has already and you should be thankful you didn't really get hurt."
My eyes were locked on my fidgeting fingers as I soaked in her words. I couldn't look at them because I knew they were all right, even Miroku to some extent. I needed to forget about him and live my life normally. Being in the feudal era wasn't good for me anymore. I had been here long enough and it was about time to go home.
"Hey Kagome", I said peering up at her.
"What's up?"she asked back, while tipping a kettle of hot water into Shippo's instant noodles.
"Could you guys help me find my well tomorrow? I think I want to go home. I hate to admit it, but without Sesshomaru needing my assistance I don't really have a purpose here. My parents are probably worried about me. I'm sure I smell terrible and I need a bath. Plus I've been wearing the same outfit for far too long", I explained while examining my own grotesque figure.
"I think you smell divine, Fair Maiden", Miroku commented from the conner of the room. Kagome reminded him to shut up and he sulked back into his spot.
"Don't leave, Kimmy!", Shippo exclaimed. "You could join our team. We promise Miroku won't bother you anymore. I'll make sure of it! Please don't leave just yet!"
"Though, that explanation seemed to be quite pointed in my direction, Shippo is right. We could really use you on our quests. You possess a fully developed sacred jewel around your neck. That could be quite helpful when looking for other jewel fragments", Miroku explained.
"I don't know,'' I sighed hesitantly. "I can't see jewel shards like Kagome can. I don't even know how to use this thing. What happened earlier when I slapped Sesshomaru was a fluke. The jewel did that on it's own. When it starts to work it's not because I told it too. Honestly, it's controlling me more than I'm controlling it."
I had no idea what to do with my Sacred Jewel around my neck. Kagome could use her's whenever she pleased. Shooting arrows, sensing jewel shards presence and probably a lot more. All I could do was freak out whenever it glowed up at me like a baby looking at a rattling toy. So, when it came to harnessing its powers, I was completely useless.
"It takes time to figure out how it works. I didn't understand the Sacred Jewel when I first found it. Heck, I even shattered it into a million pieces by accident", she said and we all laughed at her confession. "Sometimes you just have to believe in yourself and know that one day it'll come to you. The jewel didn't choose you for no reason. It was meant for you and it would be a shame if you didn't at least try to learn how it works."
Every one of them made valid points. Grandma must have known what it was when she gave it to me. She said it was passed down from our family and that now it was my turn to take care of it. I wondered had she done the same things as I'm doing now when she was young. Going to and from her own time to fight against evil in another world. That concept seemed way out of her reach when you see her in the state she's in now. All of these people were trying to convince me to pursue this huge endeavor but, I wanted to go home and never see this place again.
"What do you say, Kimmy? Are you gonna stay with us?", the fox demon beamed up at me.
"I'm going to go home,'' I said as their faces sunk in disapproval. "but, I've decided to come back. I don't know when or how soon, but you guys are right. If I want to fulfill my family duty to take care of the jewel then I have to come back. When I've rested and updated my hygiene levels I'll return to you guys. I promise."
The expressions on their faces warmed my icy heart. They looked genuinely excited to know that I would be staying with them. I had never really had close friends before, but these strangers welcomed me into their circle like we'd known each other for decades. It felt nice not to be alone for once.
We were finishing our instant noodles when Inuyasha burst through to doors, Tetsaiga in hand. He explained that Sesshomaru had given up his attempt to steal it abruptly and fled the scene. I was very surprised by that. He didn't strike me as the kind of guy to forfeit a fight, but then again I clearly didn't know him very well. Kagome explained to him our plan to take me home and that I would be returning to help them collect more jewel shards in the future. His dog ears perked up at the idea of someone with a whole jewel being within their comradery. Just for aesthetic purposes obviously. Everyone gave him death glares when he admitted his reasoning, but all I could do was laugh. Though his delivery could come across blunt and overbearing, he was genuine in what he said. Whatever came out of his mouth was how he really felt, unlike his older brother.
The next morning we headed out from the small village. Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo helped the villagers pick up the rubble that the dog demon and his monster had left behind while Kagome and I made breakfast. Once our bellies were full we started on the journey to find my well. Without Sesshomaru around to carry me, I dreaded having to walk such a long way to get back to the well. I was pleasantly surprised to find out Shippo's fox demon abilities were extremely handy. He blew himself up like a hot air balloon in seconds and we rode on his back for most of the way. It didn't take long to find the well. It was surprisingly only a few miles from where Kagome came and went.
We floated to the ground and Shippo popped back into his normal form. A bombarding amount of hugs and goodbye's were flung at me by three of my four new companions. However, as we all said our farewells, I felt a strange wave of emotion come over me. Not my own though, someone else's. It was sad and longing in a way that encased my whole body. I looked around the forest to find where the sensation was coming from, but it seemed to be nothing. In the distance I could have sworn I saw a glint of long white hair flowing past the trees, but there was no way. It was just my imagination playing tricks on me.
Miroku offered to help me into the passageway so I didn't fall in and hurt myself. Of course, his hand was already on my butt when he made his enticing offer. I politely declined with a punch to his arm. Kagome and I promised to meet up in the modern world and exchanged telephone numbers to ensure that we never lost touch. Shippo jumped into my arms and begged me not to leave and I could feel the warmth of his fur seeping into my chest. They were really generous for taking me in after I had been on the side of Inuyasha's enemy and I appreciated that. As I jumped into the well I could hear them arguing over who knows what. They were insane, but I knew that I would miss them for the time that I was gone.
When I got to the other side everything was completely quiet. All I could hear was my own breathing and the stale crunching of the old shrine. There was a ladder inside the well and I used it to climb my way out. Nerves struck my spine as I motioned for my feet to move towards the house. No one gave me the time traveler's guide book on how to do it properly so I was still very uneasy about a lot of things. Like, if time had stopped over here while I was away or if I would even come back to the right shrine. If time was accurate and I had actually been gone that long, my parents were going to flip when I walked through the door. Whether it would be in a good way or a bad way was still unclear.
There was a little hope left inside of me that believed everything would be the same when I stepped through those doors. Grandma would be watching a drama on TV, Dad would be working on his computer with mom in the kitchen cooking. They would greet me with open arms like and I would forget about the whole encounter ever happened. But I knew it wouldn't be that simple, nothing was simple anymore.
Stepping up to the front door, I took a long inhale. I raised my closed fist to the wood and knocked softly. There was chatter coming from inside when dad cracked the door open. Our eyes met and his widened in shock. He flung to door open and lurched me into a bear hug. His grip was cripplingly tight causing me to sputter out the rest of the air in my lungs. Warm tears seeped through my sweatshirt when he laid his face on my shoulder.
"What is it, Vic", I heard mom call from the living room. Her face appeared from behind the door and she made the same shocked expression as Dad. Her hands pried her husband's off of me and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, sobbing harder than I'd ever seen.
"Come inside right now. It's getting late and chilly outside,'' she demanded harshly, while still crying.
I sat down on the only big couch in the living room and mom pressed herself against my side. Holding my hand with a death grip. Dad stood up in front of us with his arms crossed in aggravation. His foot was tapping furiously.
"We've been worried sick, Kimora. Where have you been?", he asked me. Pressing his index and thumb against the bridge of his nose.
"How could you run away like that? And back to the States no less! Do you understand how dangerous that was for you to do? You left your cell phone here so we didn't even know how to find you. We were so scared", she sobbed, now gripping my cheeks in her hands. I looked at her with a puzzled face.
"Back to the States?", I repeated in confusion. Mom and Dad exchanged weird looks and locked back onto me.
"Grandma told us that you went back to the U. S. to go to school without asking us. We're very disappointed in your lack of judgement, Kimmy. You're usually more responsible than that", Dad huffed at me.
"But we're so glad you came back", Mom interjected. Her reassuring hands were still cupping my face as she planted a kiss on my forehead.
"I didn't go to the States, guys. I swear! I was here the whole time. Well, kind of", I stammered out. Dad shot his wife another strange glance and looked down into the hallway.
"Momma", he screamed into the house. I heard a rustling coming from the back and she made her way into the living room. Little pitter-pattering steps slowly plopped down the hall as we all sat with thick tension in the air.
"Stop yelling at your mother, Victor. It's rude and disrespectful. I should hit you over the head with my broom for that", she complained to her son. Until, she suddenly halted in her pace. She looked at me with stunned eyes and I returned the expression.
"Ah! Kimmy, you're back. How was school, huh? Break so soon? That was so fast", she said trying to play off her lie.
"Momma, that's enough. What is going on here. Kimora just said she wasn't in school or in the America. So, either you're lying or she's lying. Who is it?", Dad demanded down at the two of us.
He looked mad to say the least. Grandma looked at me again but this time with her hands below her waist trying to communicate with me in sign language. I had no idea what she was trying to tell me but I knew enough to tell that she was asking for help to cover her lie.
"Kimmy, how was it over there? So, fun right? You were gone for a long time, longer than I expected", she beamed over to me.
The way she said that led me to believe that she really did know where I had been. It came out like she was asking how college went, but I now understood how sneaky she was and caught the underlying meaning.
"I should be asking you. Clearly you know what's going on more than I do. I can't believe you knew that was going to happen to me when I went to the shrine. 'Can you go get the broom for me, Kimmy' my ass! You also know about the jewel don't you", I questioned her.
She looked down in guilt without a word trying to play up the innocent granny role. I didn't buy into it for a moment so I continued, "I almost died over there, Grandma! I don't know why you thought giving me this necklace was a good idea. I almost got my arm cut off over your gift", I yelled at her.
Suddenly I caught my parents glares. They were shifting between me and grandma with mouths agape. "What?", I asked them.
"What the hell are you guys talking about? Something about a jewel and you almost got your arm cut off? Are you two running a jewelry smuggling ring or something behind my back? I'm not in the mood for this shit any longer. Either someone explain to me what's happening here and why you've been gone for almost two weeks or it's going to get ugly in here", Dad boomed. He only cursed like that when he was really mad so I knew it was time for us to spill the beans.
I looked at Grandma and motion for her to start talking. She shook her head in defense but I didn't let her get away with her lie any longer than she already had. The gig was up and she needed to start explaining to us what was going on, because even I didn't really know. Moving her old body to sit on the couch with us, she divulged everything in great detail. How her ancient grandmother was a priestess and had acquired the jewel to watch over it. A great demon tried to obtain it, taking her in the process. Though, not before she put a spell on it to only allow women in our family to obtain it.
She explained that the jewel was a strong and powerful entity and part of a pair. One Sacred Shikon Jewel, the white one, could grant wishes and power to whomever took ownership of it. The down side was that it would turn your heart black with greed if you had evil intentions. Our family heirloom was the Black Sacred Jewel. It had the ability to sense said evil intentions and could cancel them out. Together, the two entities would create perfect balance within the universe. However, because of their massive appeal separately to creatures like demons and even humans, they were never in the same place at the same time. It was the holder's job to get the jewels together and create harmony between them. No one in our family had been able to do it thus far and Grandma gave me the jewel to try for myself. The well was the only way to travel between the two time periods and she was too old now to continue going back and forth. Passing it down to me.
The three of us stared at her in total silence. No one knew what to say in this situation. I'm sure it sounded insane to my parents. If I hadn't experienced the feudal era myself, I wouldn't have believed it either. The whole thing sounded like the plot of a bad sci-fi movie.
Dad cut the tension by saying, "Stop with the horse crap, guys. That's a total lie and I would rather you tell me the truth than to think I'm stupid enought to believie that hunk of garbage."
"You don't believe me?", Grandma asked with a raised eyebrow. "I will prove to you then, My Ignorant Son, that your Momma does not lie."
She placed her tiny hands on either side of her on the couch and raised up. Walking to the kitchen she opened a drawer roughly and grabbed a knife. With total composure she walked over to us with the weapon firmly in hand.
"What are you doing?", Mom asked. That question didn't faze the old woman as she continued to march over to me.
"Momma, why do you have that knife?", Dad asked.
Lifting the knife into the air, she plunged it towards my chest. We all screamed in unison as the blade made contact with the jewel. A flashing purple light erupted from beneath its surface and flung the knife up and into the ceiling. Mom and Dad rushed to shield me from any further abuse with their arms jutted out in front.
Hyperventilating I held my hand over my chest and screeched up the the crazy old woman. "What the hell, Grandma! You could have killed me!"
"It wouldn't have been the first time you almost died and I'm sure it won't be the last. You're lucky that your Grandma has such good aim", she replied back with a smug smile.
"Do you believe now?", she asked her son.
"Believe what exactly? I believe that your going crazy and just tried to stab your grandchild with a kitchen knife. That's the only thing that's being cleared up for me right now", he seethed.
My head was being squished by their two of their arms wrapped tightly around the base of my neck. I tried to speak up but I couldn't breathe. Tapping their forearms with my finger, they both turned to me and loosened their choke hold.
"What she's saying is true, Dad", I butted in. "Her demonstration was terrible, I agree. But it's not a lie. I really fell through the well and not on purpose. I can show you if you want."
Dad glared at me with a skeptical look as I slipped from his grip and marched outside. It would be my luck that when I tried to go back through that it wouldn't work. When we made it to the shrine the jewel around my neck began to glow. Grandma walked in front of us and swiftly opened the door to show us what was inside. From the well was a vortex of whirling power. Debris and tools were flying around the room and jutting out towards us while stood in front of the entrance. Mom started to let out a scream but her mother in law plastered a tiny hand over her mouth.
"Stop screaming, Michelle. It's not dangerous. The portal is beckoning her to the other side. There must be someone calling for you, Kimmy", she explained.
"Well she's not going. Over my dead body will I let her willingly go back into that thing. And you", he snarled pointing a finger in Grandma's direction. "Get rid of that necklace immediately. I don't care how you do it. Sell it, burn it, throw it in the river. It doesn't matter to me, but I don't ever want to see that thing again. Got it?"
Just then the glow of the jewel beamed brighter and the necklace began pulling me into its rapid spinning vortex. Dad reached out and latched onto my hand. The force coming from the well was too strong and both of our feet started to slide in the dirt. Mom grabbed onto him and grandma onto her as they all attempted to heave me back.
"You have to will it away, Kimmy! It's your power and you have to learn to control it on your own. If you aren't ready to go back then say it", Grandma yelled down to me. The wind was so strong that I could barely hear her. Everything sounded muffled and distorted.
"Say it to who?", I screamed back.
We were only feet from the well. When I look back I saw Dad grabbing the open door frame for dear life. He had to release one of my hands to hold onto the structure and I could feel my fingers beginning to slip from his.
"Tell who grandma? Who am I telling?!", I screeched in terror.
"The Sacred Jewel, Kimmy! Tell it to the jewel", she yelled.
Just as she responded, my fingers slipped out of Dad's hand. He screamed after me to no avail, when I zipped into the winds current. Before it could swallow me whole, I grabbed onto the edge of its opening. Looking down below me there was no bottom in sight. The expanse of the well went on endlessly. I wasn't ready to go back yet. I missed my family and my home and wanted to stay here for a while. A loud cracking noise ruptured from the wood I was holding onto as it began to break under my grasp.
"I don't want to go back yet", I divulge my thoughts out loud to the jewel. "My parents need me, and I need to take a break. I'll come back I promise, but for now, leave me alone!"
A sharp sucking noise erupted around me and suddenly the well went dark. All of the bright lights and wind had faded and I was sitting at the bottom of it in total darkness. I climbed out to meet the startled faces of my parents. Dad yanked me out and hugged me to his chest. He was acting like he had just watched me be murdered before his eyes. If I hadn't already been exposed to much worse in the feudal era, I'd react like that to.
We tried to pretend like nothing had happened when we got inside. Mom pulled a birthday cake from the freezer and showed it to me. I didn't realize that my birthday had already passed by while I was away. She cut me a slice once it had thawed and sat me down in front of the TV. I caught up on Dr. Phil until she called to tell me that the bath she's run for me was ready. Sinking into the hot soapy water I realized my body was more beat up than I'd expected. The two large scars adorning my body were healed but visible. Scratches and bruises layered on top of my skin in every crevice. Maybe I wasn't made for that lifestyle afterall. I clearly wasn't good at it.
I let my head submerge into the water until only my nose could be seen from above it. Soaking in the long awaited relaxation. Until, it was unexpectedly interrupted. Grandma bust the bathroom door open and hovered over my naked body. I let out a gasp and attempted to cover my parts from her vision.
"I know your father said no more jewel but don't listen to him,'' Grandma whispered to me, sitting herself on the toilet next to me. She noticed my attempt to shield myself and laughed. "I wiped your butt, Kimmy. I know what you look like naked. There's no need to hide. I have Boobs to you know. Grandma is pretty well endowed if I do say so myself."
"I locked the door. How did you get it?", I demanded, cutting her off before she scarred me further.
"My house, my locks. You cannot hide from me here. I am the Lord of this temple", she explained as I let out of disgruntled moan. "Don't huff at me. I came in to give you this back, you ungrateful child."
In her petite hand was the necklace with the Sacred Jewel on it. Dad has taken it away from me before we made it back into the house and told grandma to throw it away. She was admittedly a bad listener.
"I know why he is worried for your safety. My parents were worried too, but it's something that cannot be avoided. It's in your blood to have possession of the jewel, Kimmy. It wouldn't matter if I took it away or not, it will always come back to you. Do you know how many times I've tried to throw it away? A million times or more but it never worked. Things will get frustrating and you will want to give up, but this belongs to you now and there's no way around it. So take it", she commanded.
I looked over to her tiny palm with the jewel right in the center. There was a part of me that wanted so badly to take it, but my rational brain told me otherwise. I worried that if I went back and saw Sesshomaru's face that I would give in again like an idiot. My heart still yearned to be near him and I couldn't hide it if I tried. The jewel wasn't meant to fuel my romantic endeavors. I was supposed to be doing actual work with it. Wanting to be around Sesshomaru was doing me no good and I knew it.
Looking up I caught her giving me one more pushy look. I took the necklace from her and put it back around my neck. She leaned down and gave me a kiss on the forehead. I smiled weakly back up to her and got up to leave. Before she closed the door behind me she said "You're making the right decision I promise. This is bigger than just me and you. Remember that."