Author's Note: Hallo again! Thanx for all of the reviews, everyone! They made me SO happy! I'm glad that you enjoy this story! I wanted to reward everyone for reviewing, so I decided to come out with a second chapter as soon as possible. Well, here it is. Remember my rule, you stop reviewing; I stop writing. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I've never owned InuYasha or any other anime. Wish I did though… InuYasha and Kenshin would be all mine! Hugs imaginary people in front of her
My Will
Chapter 2: Dreams and Memories
"Kagome, dear, can you hear me?" The voice seemed far away, and the girl barely recognized it. She winced as she began to regain consciousness, and her mind tried to clear the blackness. "Can you hear me? Open your eyes, hun."
"Mom?" Her voice was raspy, alerting her to the fact that her throat was very dry. As she opened first one eye, and then the other, someone handed her a cup of water. She drank it down quickly.
After downing the cup of water, Kagome looked up, squinting her eyes in the bright light of the hospital room. She soon realized that her mother sat next to the bed, patting her arm soothingly. A nurse took the empty cup out of her hands and placed it aside.
"Do you know where you are?" The nurse asked slowly and rather loudly. Kagome, still in a slight daze, allowed her eyes to wander around the room before she answered. The walls where white, with one picture of… a giant pink mess.
Kagome rubbed her gray eyes with her knuckles, hoping to dispel the blur that invaded her vision. Dimly, she heard the nurse repeat her question, slightly louder this time.
"I heard you the first time. I'm not deaf," Kagome muttered, annoyed. She turned her gaze to the nurse. She was a rather plump woman with curly, light brown hair that didn't go past her ear lobes, and grayish skin. The large amount of make up she had on did not help to hide the gray color that told she did not get enough sleep. She narrowed her eyes, putting her hands on her hips, and reminding Kagome of a disgruntled hippo.
"Then answer me, girl," She stated, glaring hard at Kagome.
"I'm in a hospital."
The nurse nodded and left the room in a huff, grabbing the empty cup on her way out.
"How are you feeling, dear?" Kagome turned her head to meet her mother's gaze. It held both worry and relief at the same time, and Kagome briefly wondered if her mother had been up all night next to her.
"I think I'm okay," Kagome smiled weakly at her, but it quickly turned into a frown when she realized something. "How did I get here?" There seemed to be a large gap in her memory. She could remember walking down the path towards her favorite spot, and then waking up here.
Mrs. Higurashi looked slightly distressed by the fact that her daughter could not remember, but she pulled herself together quickly. "You fainted while you were in the park. Luckily that jogger was nearby, or they might not have found you so quickly. What were you doing so far in the woods?"
Kagome shook her head, "I… I was going to this place that I like to study at, but I don't remember ever getting there."
Mrs. Higurashi leaned closer and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "It's okay, dear. You must have passed out on your way there. The doctors say that you're fine. They can't find anything really wrong with you, so that means that you can come home today."
Kagome smiled at her mother, "Oh, good. I need a shower." She pulled a piece of her matted hair towards her face so that she could see it. Her mother gave a weak chuckle and hugged her tightly.
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The man pulled his katana out of the woman's body, glowering at the blood dripping from the tip. As he wiped it off calmly with the handkerchief her always kept in his pocket for such an occasion, slight scuffling alerted him to a survivor.
Turning around quickly, brandishing his weapon high, he faced the noise coming from the corner.
An old man, his eyes wide and face as white as his matted hair, pressed himself up against the wall, a look of utter fear in his eyes.
The tall man smiled wickedly, pointing the katana at the old man's throat, and preparing for another slaughter.
"No! Please…" The old man's voice was forced, as though he hadn't the strength to talk. Naraku's smile widened. He loved it when people begged for their lives. It made killing them all the more pleasurable.
"Why shouldn't I kill you?" He asked, taking a step forward so that the tip of the sword barely touched the old man's neck, "After all, I've already killed your family. Wouldn't you like to join them?"
The old man's eyes burned with hatred as he narrowed them. The man pressed the katana blade deeper into the neck, just short of breaking the skin. "Tell me!" He demanded. This game was quickly becoming a bother.
"I'll give you something," The old man's eyes flashed maliciously as he pulled something out of his robes.
The man took a step back, lowering his blade as he stared. It was half of a very beautiful pink jewel. Even in the dark of the apartment it glowed. The man took it without another word, turning to leave the apartment.
Suddenly, his heart clenched in his chest, and pain shot through his nerves to every limb. There was something wrong. This was no ordinary jewel! The man gasped as he as though something were slowly leaving him. Through the pain and his own yelling, the man heard the screeching of the old man.
"The Shikon No Tama Curse is passed to you for your evil deeds! Your soul has been taken from you, and you can never have it back! Not unless you find the other half of this jewel! And you NEVER will!"
"NO!" Naraku bolted upright, yelling. A cold sweat ran over the bare skin of his neck and arms. He hated the memory more than anything. It haunted his dreams at night, and his thoughts during the day. He would never be free of them unless…
"Not unless you find the other half of this jewel! And you NEVER will!"
"NO!" Kagome screamed, opening her eyes only to be met by the dark. Her breath came in deep, heaving gasps as she fought to keep herself under control. Where had that come from?
Suddenly, a mass of memories came flooding back to her. She remembered the man on the rock… the same man that had killed that whole family in her dream. She remembered shaking his hand, and his blood. She remembered…
Kagome winced as she recalled that he had given her a handkerchief. The same one he had used in the dream to wipe the blood off his sword.
"Kagome, are you alright? I heard yelling!" Mrs. Higurashi ran into the room and turned on the light, forcing Kagome to groan and close her eyes as the harsh light invaded the darkness.
"Kagome?!" Another yell, this time from her grandfather. He dashed into the room, almost tripping over her mother.
"I'm fine," Kagome muttered, deeply sorry for waking them up, but tired all the same, "It was just a nightmare. I'll be fine."
But as her mother and grandfather left the room, Kagome began to wonder if she would really be okay. Her headache was coming back full force. With a groan, she turned over and fell into a fitful sleep, her dreams full of bloodshed and pink jewels.
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"I'll use her…" Naraku snarled after waking up for the second time with the same memories plaguing his dreams. He stared at the symbol carved into his right palm, and then clenched his fist. "I'll find the other half of that jewel if it's the last thing I do. Probably the last thing she will do…"
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Extra Author's Note: I hope that everyone understood this. If you're a little confused, just ask in your REVIEW obsessed that I am and I'll be sure to answer you through an email, or after the next chapter!