Chapter 3: The Journey Begins
True to my grandfather's advice, I went home and slept…for two hours.
At exactly midnight, the vibrating alarm on my cell phone went off. At exactly midnight, I threw back the covers on my bed, revealing the clothes I would be traveling in tonight. First, I reached down to my belt and turned off the alarm, then quietly climbed out of my bed. Next, I walked across the room to the door, stopping only to pick up my pack, carrying some extra food, a few changes of clothes, a pocket knife, and a picture of Kagome. Until the day when I can have her back in flesh, this will have to do, and if my plan succeeds, then that day will come very soon. I carried my pack, which was pretty light considering I'm was going to be gone a few days, on my shoulder and walked out of the room and down the hall. I tiptoed past my parents, sleeping soundly in their room, and then walked out the door of our apartment and into the dark corridor. Okay, Phase One complete.
The next step was much harder. I headed out into the city of Tokyo, not too far from my home, and went down into the subway. Here, as in the streets above, the city was suffused with activity. Street performers were hard at work, and in the air could be heard the sounds of singing, instruments, and even the occasional tap-dancer. Other people were milling around as well: police officers on their beat, weary workers on their way home from a long shift, cleaners, and people on their way to start the night shift, as well as those out to enjoy Tokyo's abundant nightlife in various night clubs and karaoke bars. Several of these called out to me jokingly, asking why my mommy would let me stay out past dark, and if I was scared to be out so late. I didn't care, since the only thing I cared about at the time was getting to my destination. On the contrary, I was smiling. I really liked this place, since I had lived here my whole life and had never been anywhere else. Now I would be leaving it, for at least a little while. Passing the citizens of this great city, I stepped onto the subway train.
Clicking and clacking along, the train carried me through the dark catacombs to another station on the other side of the city. I walked out and up the stairs. One more mile, and I'll reach Grandfather's house.
The mile passed quickly, and soon I was there. Of course, I didn't walk up to the front door this time. Keeping clear of the motion sensors that trigger the lights, I skirted the house and moved to the back. There was no way to approach the house without being detected, but that was not my goal. I simply had to get downstairs before Grandpa did.
Carrying out my preconceived plan, I sprinted silently to the back wall of the house to the back door, the one closest to the lab entry door. It was locked, but I knew that Grandfather kept an extra key in a fake rock next to the door. I retrieved it, opened the door, and made my way over to the lab entry. By this time, the silent alarm had gone off. Obviously, I couldn't hear it, but I knew Grandpa's security system inside and out. I had prepared well for this operation.
I could hear the old man beginning to stir upstairs, so I quickly opened the lab entry, darted inside, and locked the door behind me. The old man would be through in a second once he realized his lab was being invaded, but for now, he was probably still groggy. I took advantage of this and quickly made my way down the stairs and into the lab itself. I then shut and latched another door behind me to further slow my grandfather down when he came to stop me. And that brings us to the current point in time.
I have just completed the hardest part: breaking into my own grandfather's house. Despite all outward appearances, I am deeply grieved over this. I respect this man above all else, and this will bring him so much misery and disappointment. However, without Kagome, I cannot hope to survive. Therefore I must make this sacrifice. I must have her back!
The tool benches filled with armament and equipment are on my right. I walk over to them just as my grandfather reaches the second door. He begins to pound on it furiously, because he knows that he cannot get through. I set the latch and barred it as well. I even disabled the electronic override. He won't be getting through for quite some time, at least until the time limit that I set runs out. The door will open in two hours.
The old man is still beating on the door, to no avail, but now he's yelling. I can barely hear him through the soundproof glass, but I know he doesn't yet recognize me. I walk over to the intercom on the near wall and press the button to talk.
"Good evening, Grandfather."
"Grandfather…Hojo! I thought you were a thief or a spy! What in kame's name are you doing in there? You're not…You're going to use the Time Gate aren't you?! I will only warn you once more, don't do it! You're putting yourself in grave danger! Please don't do this to me, to your family! We don't want to lose you! Stop!"
"I'm sorry Grandfather, but I must do this."
"Stop this madness! Hojo…" I release the button, and his voice is gone. The room is deathly silent. I turn my back to him and walk back over to the equipment racks.
Arrayed before me are the most advanced pieces of armor and weaponry known to man. Actually, to be specific, most of these are top secret projects that no one knows about. Except for me, of course. I walk over to the first set of armor, my back still turned to my grandfather, who is still ranting behind the glass. This is a collection of armor plates and pads made from a new alloy invented by a colleague of my grandfather, a metallurgist. It looks promising. I walk over to the next one, which is the same design, only it carries a pack which generates a personal energy shield around the wearer. Hmm… The final one is a complete armored battle system, codenamed AIS, or advanced infantry system. It stands ten feet tall, with a cockpit, to completely encapsulate the pilot, and integrated energy weapons. Tempting though it may look, I need something a little less. If I take that to the Feudal times, I'll probably give everyone a heart attack.
So my best bet would probably be the shield armor. I take it off the rack gently and put it on piece by piece, then stand in front of one of the nearby windows. Looks good. It's light as well, making movement easy. I'll need to be able to travel if I'm going to find this Onigumo.
Now for the weapons. I'll need something that doesn't carry ammunition, and is compact. Hmm, Shark Weapons? Apparently, these are some offshoot of fusion technology, designed to be quick firing, armor-piercing weapons. This looks good, since I may run into some of the youkai that were plentiful in that era. I choose two pistols and a short rifle that closely resembles an MP5. I sling the rifle across my back, and place the pistols in two belt holsters at my hips. That should be enough, but I like to be prepared for anything.
Therefore, I have to choose some extras. I grab three fusion charges, which should be able to get me out of a tough spot if I run into too many youkai. Wait, what's this? I pick up a small, sleek black wristband. Actually, it covers my entire forearm and goes over the sleeves to the armor. It's light, and has a small orange button near the elbow. Curious, I press it, and a two-foot crimson blade appears on the end! This should come in handy. That appears to be it, so I walk around the equipment racks and down another aisle to a door. The entry to the Time Lab. I open the keypad and type in the entry code. Yes, I did take a peek at my Grandfather's logs and notes while I was in his study. The door rushes open, and I walk through.
In front of me stands a small wire cage, which appears to be attached to the wall by four thick cables. To my left, mounted to the wall, is a small computer console. It's really just a small keypad jutting out of the wall, set below a small vidscreen. To my right is a pole sticking out of the wall. On it are three thick, black belts, each with a green button on the buckle. If I remember correctly, these are the most important part of time travel, since they are the only thing able to bring you back to the present. I grab one and wrap it around my waist over my gun belts. Now for the machine.
The time travel process is simple: log in, type in the date you want to go to, and walk into the cage for transport. The question is: what date am I going to enter? As you've probably guessed already, I'm not going to the day that Kagome died. Grandfather was right about that: if I went there, I would be killed by Naraku. He's simply too strong for a human like me to handle. That's why I'm going back farther, to before Kagome ever arrived. Fifty years before, to be exact.
I'm going to the time when all the trouble started. When Inuyasha fell in love with Kikyo. When Kikyo found Onigumo, and tried to nurse him back to health. When Onigumo lusted for Kikyo, and became Naraku to destroy her. If I can kill Onigumo, then history will be drastically changed. The Shikon Jewel won't be burned with Kikyo's remains, but will be used to make Inuyasha human as originally planned. Then Kagome won't be pulled back in time. And she will LIVE!
Anticipation overcomes me as I step to the console and enter the access code. A chime greets my ears as I am logged in. I type in the date: 550 years into the past. The cage begins to glow, and I am prompted to enter. I walk over, heart pounding, hands sweating, and step up into the glowing cage. Energy surrounds me. It buzzes in my ears, fills my nose with acrid odor, and sets my skin to tingling flame. It continues to build until the hum becomes a roar.
My Grandfather has found his way to the observation window, and he stares at me with wild eyes filled with horror. I can only smile. I'm going to save my love!
The energy builds higher, entering my body, speeding down nerves, blood vessels, muscle, and bone, and tissue. My body stiffens instantly. Pain pounds me from all sides. Oh Kame! How much longer? Then, the climax: a burst of light, blinding me, and I am taken from this world.