Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha... But this story is mine...
Alright! I am sooooo happy to see so many reviews! I am sorry for such a long pause, but I was on my spring break from my wretched high school and had virtually no internet access. Enough excuses, though! On with the story!
Translations for the day:
Chotto: Hey
Hai: Yes
Jiichan: Grandfather
Iie: No
Ite: Ouch, sore, hurt
Kami-sama: God, deity
Miko: Priestess
Nani: What
Oneechan: Sister (sis)
Oneesama: Older sister (with much respect)
Tadaima: I'm home
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Author: Sakura-chan88
Title: Taking the Long Way
Chapter: A Few Explanations
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She walked toward the well in a daze. Everything was so confusing. First he saves her, then he attacks her, then gets knocked unconscious by his brother... Who was that man anyway?
She paused, listening to the sounds of forest night life that circled around her. It was so tranquil; a complete contrast to the earlier events that evening. It was also frightening. She, being alone and vulnerable, was open for any dangers that lurked in the shadowed wood.
The clearing that held the well now lay before her. With a glimmer of hope, she raced forward. This well had to be the way back. It just had to! Yet, when she peered inside, all she saw was darkness. A darkness that put the night to shame.
She glanced behind her, searching for any watchers. Something told her that this well's abilities should remain a secret, if it had any at all. With that thought, she grasped the vines that led into the well and began to descend them, slowly.
Half way to the unseen bottom, she felt the hairs on her arms and those on her neck begin to raise as an overwhelming, yet welcomed, power filled the seemingly endless space. A warming blue river untangled her body from the now vanishing vines as it gently brought her to the ground.
******
He rose slowly from his pain filled rest. His chest felt like fire after that blow Sesshomaru had dealt him. He growled as another ache shot through him. Sesshomaru would get what he deserved one of these days. However, the first thing on his to-do list was track down that annoying girl and the Shikon no Tama she carried.
"YAMERU! Onegai... don't kill him..." pleaded a voice from the back of his darkening mind. What was she thinking, saving him after he'd tried to kill her?
"He saved my life. I'm only returning the favor," it answered. She had saved him, because he had saved her... Was that all though? Her eyes were curious as well as frightened. What was it about her? This...
"Kagome..."
******
She awoke, slightly stiff from the ground, to the sounds of birds chirping. Above her was a vast darkness, beneath her, the dirt covered ground.
She rose to her feet, placing her hands in front of her as she searched for walls of some kind. She easily found one, only steps away. She then searched for a latter or vine of some kind. All she could remember was that she had gone into a well for one reason or another...
"Ite," she winced as her foot was the first to locate the wooden latter. Placing one hand and a foot on the lateral bars, she made her way to the top. She was in the shrine's well house.
"Hai, she was grabbed by a giant monster!" a voice cried from the entrance as she pulled herself over the rim.
"Souta! Stop babbling and tell me where Kagome really is," another voice commanded.
"I saw oneechan, though, jiichan!" Souta said. The shooji shot open and sunlight poured into the dark room, creating a small spot light on the teenage girl who sat in front of the well, staring at a small jewel in her hands.
'Shikon no Tama? I... remember it now... It came from inside my body,' she thought, looking to her side, just above her left hip. Blood stained the uniform she wore.
She winced as a pain crawled up her side. The wound needed tending to.
"Oneechan!" Souta screeched, running toward the preoccupied girl. He turned his gaze to see what it was that she was so enthralled with and gasped. "Jiichan, oneechan's hurt!"
"Kagome!? Where have you been?" asked the elderly man. He came toward her, spotting the blood on her uniform. "What happened?"
She stood numbly, ignoring the concerned pair, and made her way to the house. Opening the front door, she tossed her shoes to the side, shouting out, "Tadaima!", and walked the stairs to her room. Buyo lay on her bed, stretching as his owner entered the room.
"You have such a simple life," she told him, sitting next to the cat. "No time traveling for you... 500 years in the past, huh? Sengoku Jidai... Edo... What was all of that? Inuyasha... Sesshomaru... Brothers? None of it makes any sense! How can I go back in time? How can such a thing exist?" She soliloquized, looking at the jewel once more.
The ball gleamed a light pink as she held it. When she had held it after Kaede had pulled it from the centipede youkai's remains, it had been dull; a tarnished look about it. Yet, now it shined in the sun and even without it. The jewel the hanyou had wanted... Inuyasha... What a strange man.
******
"Hmm...? I thought I felt it... I did, briefly. The Shikon no Tama... is back?"
******
"Mama," Kagome called as she sat down to dinner. A lady with chocolate colored curls and kind brown eyes responded to her.
"Hai, Kagome?"
"I was wondering... Can I go back?"
"What for?" She asked. She had been worried for her daughter. When she came home, she had found her on her bed, sleeping soundly with Buyo stretched beside her, and a large blood stain on the side of her school uniform. She had rushed her to the hospital to have it looked at. The doctors stitched the wound and questioned her as to how the injury came about. She told them she did not know. Kagome said the same.
Later, after they got back home, she had asked for an explanation, but, to be frank, she couldn't believe what she heard. Time travel, Shikon no Tama, youkai, hanyou.... These were all fairy tale's told to children. She just didn't know what to think.
"I have a few questions for Kaede-bachan," replied Kagome, as she picked at her food. "I... want to understand what's going on..."
"When?" Kagome looked up with a hopeful smile filled with excitement.
"Now?"
"It's awfully late, Kagome. Wait until tomorrow," she replied, smiling at the her anxious daughter. It wasn't that she didn't believe her, it was that something so bizarre would take a while to settle her mind. If Kagome said such a thing happened, then it happened.
******
"Itakimasu!" She shouted, heading toward the shrine's well house. It was early and the sun had just started to fill the sky. Souta, thank Kami-sama, was still asleep. He had plagued her with questions until he fell asleep. She sighed. He could be really annoying sometimes.
Sunlight poured into the small room as she slid the shooji open, thinking of only one thing. The Shikon no Tama and Inuyasha's interest in it.
'Why is it so important to him? Would he really have killed me?' she wondered, walking to the well with slow, cautious steps. Last night she had been so sure that she wanted- and needed- to go back, but now she wasn't sure anymore. Sengoku Jidai was not the most friendliest of era's.
'Baka. Of course he would have,' she reprimanded herself, sitting on the wells wooden lip, staring into the darkened bottom. With one deep breath, she bound into it, closing her eyes as the gentle blue light once again engulfed her.
The ground slowly materialized under her, creating a soft landing. Pulling herself up the vines and unto the grass covered ground, she looked at the place afore her. Just as the previous days, the sun shone bright and birds sang cheerfully. This world- this time- was a soothing, calming type of place, if you ignored all of the death and destruction.
"To the village," she sighed, walking toward the village she had been in when the centipede attacked. She expected the residents to be hostile when she arrived, since she had, in a way, been the one to cause the ruin. However, she was pleasantly surprised to find the villages genuinely happy to see her.
She made her way to the hut Kaede lived in, hoping to find the woman there. She was.
"Kagome, ka?" The elderly woman asked her as she stood in the door way. "You have come back?"
"I wish to learn about this," she responded, holding the Shikon no Tama in sight. "And the hanyou- Inuyasha."
"Ah... Hai," she sighed, beckoning the girl into the room. "Come, sit. Are you hungry?" Kagome shook her head. "Very well, then...
"The Shikon no Tama is a jewel that has the ability to raise a youkai's power. If in the wrong hands, it may become a very dangerous item. However, in your hands, the jewel is purified and unable to be used for such a thing. Kikyo-oneesama was its previous protector and she had it burned with her when she died. That jewel is not something to take lightly."
"So... Youkai are after the jewel?" Kagome asked, looking at the small orb in her hand.
"Iie. Anything with an evil heart will search for the Shikon no Tama. Those with corrupt souls will find a way to use it to their will. You must guard it as oneesama did."
"W-Why me, though?" She stuttered in confusion, closing her fist around the small jewel. She could still see the pale pink glow from the Shikon no Tama, even through her hand.
"Because, the power you have, your looks, and the fact that the jewel was inside you... You are Kikyo-oneesama's reincarnation," she explained. "Oneesama was the most powerful Miko around, so the people entrusted it in her care, certain that she would keep it pure and safe. You have to do the same. You must protect the Shikon no Tama with your life. Give it to no one."
'I'm... Kikyo's reincarnation? The same Kikyo Inuyasha mistook me for?'
"The jewel will be pure when in your hands."
"Kikyo died protecting the jewel?"
"Hai," she replied, looking to the sky with her only seeing eye. She looked back to Kagome, muttering, "I must seal this hut. With the jewel here, Inuyasha will make himself known soon enough."
"Nani?" She asked, her eyes widening at the thought of his earlier threats. He wasn't going to give up, she should have known.
******
He raced through the woods, locating her scent. He had tracked her back to the well. It was strange. Her scent seemed to enter the well... But it didn't go any further than that.
A newer trail from her was easily sensed, leading toward the village Kikyo once resided in. Off he was, searching for the mysterious girl that had saved him, not once, but twice. Unsealing him may not have been the smartest thing for her to do, but he was grateful to her. For the whole Sesshomaru thing... He was more than grateful for that. He surely would have died at his half-brothers powerful poison claws, and it was one of the more painful ways to die.
As he neared the village, the scent grew stronger. He took to the trees, locating the girl from above. She was in a hut with the same elderly lady that he had seen her with before. The one that had warned her not to give up the Shikon no Tama.
"Who is he?" the girl asked.
"Inuyasha is a hanyou that has been after the jewel for a long time. Kikyo-oneesama was the one that pinned him to Goshinboku 50 years ago," replied the one-eyed woman.
"50 years ago?" gasped the girl. "T-that long?"
"Hai. That is yet another reason that I can say with great certainty that you are Kikyo-oneesama's reincarnation." It was his turn to gasp, and he promptly did so.
'That girl... Kikyo's reincarnation?'
"The seal she placed on Inuyasha was unbreakable by anyone but herself. His seal should have lasted through eternity," the woman finished.
"May I ask how you know all of this?" the girl named Kagome asked.
"I am Kikyo's younger sister, Kaede. Also a Miko, though my powers are shallow compared to that of hers."
'Kaede? That little girl is the old hag?' he thought, sitting in the tree above, listening to the two chat about him.
'So, it's been fifty years? Why don't I sense Kikyo... Wait! Reincarnation! Kikyo's... dead?'
"How did she die?" Kagome asked, answering Inuyasha's mentally formed question.
"She was slashed across her right shoulder; a fatal wound. With the last of her strength, she sealed Inuyasha away, stopping his escape with the Shikon no Tama. He had earlier attacked the village and had succeeded in acquiring the jewel. How she was wounded is beyond my knowledge," responded the Miko with a slight sigh.
That day... He remembered it all too well. She was supposed to have brought the damned stone to him, yet when she showed up, she had shot three arrows at him. The bitch actually betrayed him!
With sudden, renewed anger, he leapt from the tree, straight toward the hut with its unsuspecting occupants.
"Senkon Tessou!" His claws extended, glowing in a bright yellow hue as his youki channeled itself into his attack. The claws merely scratched an the wood, leaving no sign of every having felt such a blow. "What the...?"
"Ohayo, Inuyasha," Kaede called, walking toward the window. Kagome sprung up behind her, looking to the hanyou in fright.
"Inu... yasha... What are you doing here?" She asked, backing away slightly.
"Give up the jewel!"
"Iie," Kagome stated calmly, sitting back down with a slight frown. "This jewel... Why do you want it? You seem strong as it is..." he growled, glaring at the curious girl.
"He seeks to become a youkai," the elderly Miko replied. His gaze snapped to the woman, glaring for all he was worth. She had no right to tell this girl anything about him.
"Oh..."
"Give me the jewel!" he snarled, striking at the hut once more.
"Iie," the girl responded, staring at the purified orb.
"Give it up!"
"Iie! You can't touch me from there, so I'm not in any real danger," she stated nonchalantly, her gaze dead set on the hanyou.
'She's actually challenging me?' he thought at the sight of her defiance. "You can't stay in there forever."
"I don't have to leave anytime soon."
******
She just couldn't believe it. She had been stuck in that hut for three days now. Inuyasha seemed to be a very stubborn boy. He didn't even
sleep! Kami-sama, what was she to do?
"Give up yet?" an arrogant voice called from an overlooking tree. Inuyasha lay on a branch, surveying the land with an attentive gaze. He had been like that the whole time.
"Never," she stated sleepily. It was getting late, now. In approximately nine hours, she would have been stuck in Sengoku Jidai for four days and the thought was making her more than a little grumpy. "Do you?"
"Nope."
"Don't you ever sleep?" she hissed.
"Keh! Don't need to," replied the hanyou with an amused snort. "I'm not some sensitive
human."
"Still, it's hard to believe that you don't sleep," she said, looking around the hut in boredom. She had had nothing to do for the past few days and it was getting rather tiresome.
"Well, I don't need to anytime soon. You might as well go to sleep."
"Inuyasha, I am surprised at your stubbornness," Kaede said, staring blankly at the hanyou.
"Keh!" he snorted, looking to the sky from his perch.
"Kaede-sama! My daughter," called a woman from the village. Something was troubling her. "She needs your assistance."
"I am on my way," the elderly Miko responded, standing to leave.
"Ch-chotto! Where are you going!?" Kagome stuttered. Surely she didn't think it was safe to leave with him right there!
"I need to tend the villagers. The seal will hold, you will not be harmed."
"You sure about that babaa?" Inuyasha smirked, flexing a claw.
"You would not harm me, Inuyasha," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
"What makes you so sure about that?"
"Just a guess," she stated, walking away from the protection of her home. Inuyasha stood there, sputtering at the uncaring manner she had left with. He just couldn't believe his ears- not that they ever betrayed him or anything.
'Well, she may be brave, but I'm not,' Kagome thought, watching the Miko in awe. Now, how was she going to get past him?
******
He could sense something was wrong, out of place, which was the only reason he allowed the Miko to live. And of course, give the girl a glimmer of false hope. Maybe that way she would be less cautious when trying to leave...
"KAEDE-SAMA!" a shout rang throughout the air. Unknown as to why he did it, Inuyasha ran toward the voice.
A village girl, about the same age as Kagome, levitated from the ground, wielding some type of butcher's knife. With his sight, the thin sheet of blood was easily seen and the scent was none other than Kaede's.
"What the...?" The woman flew towards him, lifting the knife as she prepared to strike. He, in return, brandished his claws with a smirk. "So you want to get rid of me, do you? Go ahead and try!"
"Iie, Inuyasha!" He looked to a nearby hut in the general direction of the voice. Kaede stood limply, huffing as blood formed a stain at her shoulder. "You mustn't harm the girl. She is being controlled."
"Kaede-babaa? What are you saying? She tried to kill you," he reminded her.
"Look at her! She is human, yet she floats," Kaede noted, watching the girl as she struck at the hanyou. He knocked her aside with ease. "More are coming... Inuyasha..."
"I know!"
******
Inuyasha had left at the sound of a woman's shout, but she had slowly dozed off and didn't exactly hear what was said. Even though she was curious as to what caused such a disturbance, Kagome wasn't going to give up the chance to return home. She ran from the hut, straight for the well. Nothing was going to stop her.
That was, nothing was going to stop her until she got there. She had found the portal with ease and was about to hop in when a strange feeling stopped her. She turned to find a leaf, as it fell gentle to the ground, being cut in half by an invisible razor.
Closing her eyes to clear her vision, she was confronted with taunt wire going across the cleared meadow. "Hair?"
"You see it, do you?" She looked up. There, standing on the razor sharp hair, was a woman who looked roughly twenty years or so. "That matters not," she stated.
Kagome had a feeling that this was not a woman she wanted to mess with.
"Anything with an evil heat will search for the Shikon no Tama," a voice rang. "W-what do you want?"
"The jewel, of course," she giggled.
'Definitely not someone I want to mess with.' Taking in a deep breath, she pushed herself over the wells edge, bracing herself for impact.
******
A/N: Ano... that's it. It is Yura and I know that I changed it around, but THAT IS WHAT MY STORY IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE!!! I should have the next chapter up on Monday...
Anyway, good, bad, could be better? Comments, questions, suggestions, anything goes! Readers, onegai, review!
Ja ne minna!