Summary: Upon arriving to Sengoku Jidai, Kagome decides to go a different direction than the one leading to Goshinboku. Her decision sets an entirely new chain of events into motion.
Disclaimer: InuYasha is (c) Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Comics, et al.
Note: This fanfiction was written quite some time ago and was supposed to have been multi-chaptered. Since I doubt I will ever complete the multi-chaptered version, I revised the first chapter to be a oneshot.
A DIFFERENT PATH
Higurashi Kagome blindly raced through the dense forest and made a valiant effort to not weep. The only sounds to be heard were the frantic patter of her feet and an occasional sniffle or hiccup. While oblivious to all else, she was acutely aware of the crafty enemy swiftly advancing at her rear. It was a terrifying monster that had abducted and brought her to this foreign realm. Dare she say... youkai?
Due to her singular focus, it was not surprising when the teen soon stumbled over one of the many unobserved rocks littering the path in which she fled. A strangled cry escaped when her ankle turned at an awkward angle and caused a loss of balance. She collapsed to the ground with a solid, painful thud.
Kagome wiped at moisture-laden eyes from her position on the earthen floor, concurrently wheezing from hurt and the exhaustion of her accelerated trek. She simply did not know what to do. After all, it was not every day that she was kidnapped, lost, injured, and hunted by a centipede woman searching for something called the Shikon no Tama.
This had to be a dream. No, not a dream - a nightmare. There was no other explanation.
Nightmare or not, Kagome realized that she needed to start moving. Her chance of survival dwindled the longer she was stationary, so there was absolutely no time to be idle. Thus, she determinedly ignored the swell of her ankle and stood on shaky legs.
Intent did not always equal outcome, however.
The sudden rustle of nearby foliage distracted Kagome from her resumed flight. A canopy of trees obstructed the sun's rays from illuminating the vicinity in which the sound came, making it nigh on impossible to view what was causing the disturbance. Though, in all likelihood, it was the monster that was giving chase. Not good.
There was no way she could evade the monster in her present condition. Shoulders drooping in defeat, Kagome finally accepted the inevitability of her gruesome fate. Still peering into the foliage but unable to make out the oversized centipede's approach, she morosely thought it just as well that her vision was obscured because she would rather not have the fiend's hideous visage be the last thing she saw ere journeying to the hereafter.
She despairingly whispered her farewells. "Okaasan... Souta... Ji-chan... sayonara."
Then allowing her eyes to drift shut, Kagome braced herself for the pending attack. She prayed that her death would be quick and merciful but did not hold out much hope. Remaining rigid in her stance, she counted down her final seconds. Yet, when no assault was immediately forthcoming, she bravely cracked a lid and frowned. Her customary temper peeked through as trepidation shifted into irritation.
The nerve of that vile monster to prolong her anxiety by delaying its attack!
Kagome was incapable of biting her tongue and impatiently demanded, "Why are you stalling?! If you're going to do it, then kill me already!"
At her suicidal command, two bodies neared and neither was the one expected. The most noticeable was a statuesque, pristine clad man graced with a flowing white mane and beautifully impassive face. In contrast to the first's perfection, a miniscule, toad-like creature with bulging eyes, drab garments and a staff crowned by two shrunken heads stood at his side.
Was it possible? Could she be saved?
"Is she touched of the mind, Sesshoumaru-sama?"
The towering figure made no response.
Not to be deterred, the apparent servant pressed on. "Shall I, your faithful retainer, eliminate this mad and disgusting ningen in your stead, my lord?"
Without waiting for an answer, the inquisitor threateningly progressed and swung his ghastly staff.
Kagome was granted a reprieve from the hit thanks to a trio of soft-spoken words. "Stand down, Jaken."
The staff halted mid-swipe. "My lord?"
"We do not cater to the whims of lower beings. If the ningen seeks death, let her find it elsewhere," was the apathetic reply.
Kagome snapped from her stupor at the last insult. Enough was enough. "Hey! Just who do you think you're calling a mad, disgusting lower being?! You pompous-"
Jaken interrupted her diatribe at its beginning. "Silence, insignificant mortal! Do not be so disrespectful to Sesshoumaru-sama, the great Lord of the Western Lands!"
Kagome was chagrined by the title and gave a discomfited scratch to the back of her head. Anger abruptly forgotten, she cast a surreptitious glance in Sesshoumaru's direction while giving a tense, apologetic laugh. "Sorry, never heard of him."
If feasible, Jaken's eyes bulged even more than their normal bulbous state. So distressed at the considered offense, he failed to remember Sesshoumaru's edict and took a menacing step forward. He fully intended to reprimand Kagome for the inadvertent slight to his master.
But the imp's aim was again thwarted, this time by the powerful swish of an elongated tail. He was roughly struck and the impact resulted in his being propelled an impressive distance into the forest.
"Aieeeeeeeeee!"
Jaken's screech of terror was overridden by an enraged, feminine wail. "The Shikon no Tama is mine!"
The newly arrived centipede woman did not dither after disposing of the smaller youkai. Instead, she promptly impaled Kagome's side and wrought another exclamation. As Kagome's knees gave way, she blearily caught sight of a small, glittering sphere sailing through the air. She was stunned, to say the least. Was that a jewel? Had it come from inside of her? Could it be the Shikon no Tama? Oh my...
Rumination came to a standstill as the ache in her side intensified. Yearning to do nothing more than block out the day's tumultuous events, Kagome attempted to think happy thoughts: teasing her otouto, Souta; playing with her cat, Buyou; gossiping with her girlfriends, Ayumi, Eri and Yuka; consuming heaps and heaps of oden…
Regrettably, her attempts were for naught. There was no respite to be found, especially when the terse conversation of the mysterious Sesshoumaru and her assailant made its way to Kagome's ears.
"The Shikon no Tama is mine," the centipede woman reiterated.
Her fanatical declaration received a cold reply. "This Sesshoumaru cares not for that bauble."
"Then stand aside. Let me have what's mine!"
Kagome vaguely noted that Sesshoumaru had stationed himself between the Shikon no Tama and its seeker.
The mandate to stand aside was not adhered to. "You dictate to this Sesshoumaru? For that you shall perish."
Physical outlet of the lord's ire was demonstrated by the flexing of his right hand, which now bore an emerald luminosity as an eerie discharge seeped from the claws. A droplet lingered on the talon of his index finger before plummeting to the ground with a foreboding hiss. Then, faster than Kagome's eyes could track, he leapt and dismembered the unfortunate opponent with a single, annihilating strike. Acidic residue ate at the flesh and bones of the fallen corpse thereafter.
Overwhelmed by nausea, Kagome forced herself to look away. Never had she witnessed such a horrific scene. Sesshoumaru was the incontestable victor.
Speaking of whom, Kagome unavoidably blanched when his attention returned to her. His piercing orbs offered no comfort or kindness as he drew close and loomed.
"You will live," he pronounced.
It was an order, she gathered. No matter how substantial the injury, she would live because this... man... said so. He would not be denied.
Kagome was spurred on by his callous disregard for her well-being. Not wanting to appear weak, she struggled to her feet.
"I'll live," she wearily confirmed.
"Retrieve the jewel," was his second decree. If she were to continue in Sesshoumaru's presence, Kagome suspected that she would have to accustom herself to his domineering attitude.
"What is it?" she asked.
"A highly sought item, miko. An item you must learn to protect. An item you must guard with your life."
Miko? Protect? Guard with her life? What?!
Dismissing the stitch in her side and throb of her ankle, Kagome obediently moved to recover the jewel. It was at that precise moment Jaken elected to re-emerge from wherever he had been hurled. He unwittingly flailed his staff and bellowed in an obnoxious manner, "Where is that cowardly youkai that blindsided-?"
The kappa stopped mid-sentence at seeing the mutilated youkai. His elation was quite obvious, but hurriedly squelched upon recalling his current company. Puffing his chest out in prideful comport, he said with exaggerated disappointment, "Oh, if only you had not chosen to challenge this pitiful youkai, Sesshoumaru-sama. I would have gladly slain it myself."
Sesshoumaru merely turned on his heel and directed, "Come." He was ready to depart.
Kagome was at a loss. She did not know if the instruction included her too, so she hesitated whilst the sycophant scurried to do his master's bidding. Should she follow? Was being with this odd pair better than being alone? Sesshoumaru did vanquish the centipede woman and did not covet the jewel. Not to mention he seemed to know what the jewel and its purpose were. She had questions, he had answers.
Decision made, she followed while fervently hoping that whatever route they took would also be the path that led to home.
THE END
Terms To Know:
Goshinboku: The God Tree/The Sacred Tree. The tree in which Kikyou bound InuYasha with an arrow at the brink of her demise.
Ji-chan: Grandfather.
Kappa: Demon from Japanese folklore. They supposedly inhabit ponds and rivers and are green, yellow or blue with webbed hands and feet.
Miko: Priestess.
Ningen: Human.
Okaasan: Mother.
Otouto: Little (younger) brother.
-sama: Denotes respect to a person of a higher social class, such as royalty.
Sayonara: Goodbye.
Sengoku Jidai: A period of constant civil wars in 15-16th century Japan.
Shikon no Tama: Jewel of Four Souls. It is a powerful, sacred jewel that contains the souls of an ancient warrior, Midoriko, and many demons. To possess even a fragment of the jewel will dramatically increase its owner's strength.
Youkai: Demon.