The First Step to the Paved Way:
Let the path be paved…
Higurashi Kagome stared at the shards of the neutral jewel, inspecting the cuts in it surfaces, the missing slivers. She hummed as she examined it, not flinching in the least when a resounding slap cut through the small clearing she rested in, echoing in the silence.
"There was a creature! On your rear! A scorpion! I was trying to save you-" came a disbelieving masculine voice verging on frustration.
"What were you going to do, hoshi-sama? Pet the scorpion?!"
The man's voice sighed, his hand drawing back, the imprint of a palm reddening on his cheek. "What an evil-minded hand I possess," he said by way of apology. And he grimaced faintly, his tone lowering. "Although it has been hurting me for the last few days…"
"I'm sure," came the dry retort.
Kagome lifted her head, already smiling. A beautiful clear afternoon, heading into sunset. And Miroku and Sango were fighting yet again. She leaned back against the tree at her back comfortably and from above came the fluttering of a leaf, broken pieces floating down lazily, blowing in the wind.
Inuyasha sat in the tree, on a sturdy branch, and with a single claw he tore at leaves in boredom, his eyes hooded.
"Inuyasha," she called to him.
"What." It didn't come out as a question so much as an uninterested statement.
"Come down and talk to me, I'm bored," she replied.
"So?" he paused in mid-rip and then leaned against the tree trunk as well, hands lifting to cradle his head. "It's not my job to entertain you. Besides, why don't you come up here instead?"
"Because it's easier if you come down," she said, trying not to whine but at least make a point. "And I have ways to make you come down anyway. So are you going to come down?"
"Nope." He sounded as if he was going to drop to sleep right then and there.
With a small sigh she faced forward once more, playing with the Shikon no kakera absentmindedly. The day was gorgeous. Birds chirping. The wind blowing gently, playing with her hair. Another resounding slap upsetting the quiet. She was home, her second home outside the home she left behind in the future. That was a strange sentence there, she reflected, feeling a bit too lazy for her own good.
Kagome.
"Hai," she said quickly, snapping awake and out of her reverie, automatically looking toward Sango. And as Sango continued to glare at the monk where they say beside another tree she glanced around to see who had called out to her. There was no one else besides herself, Sango and Miroku, Shippo sleeping quietly on Kirara's belly and Inuyasha in the tree. She even looked up at the hanyou to see if it had been him who had called to her.
Kagome.
She hesitated a moment, a frown marring her face and still, no one had had actually turned in her direction to speak to her. Slowly, she sat forward and rose away from the tree trunk, her heart pounding. "Yes?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes?" Inuyasha echoed from above and as she whirled to look at him he had one amber eye peeking open, still feigning comfort.
You can't see me. And only you can hear me. I ask you to walk alone. There is…much I need to discuss with you.
Kagome stared at Inuyasha blankly, not even seeing him. "Who…are you?" she asked.
He opened both eyes and stared at her as if she were an idiot. "Eh?"
My name is Midoriko. You recognize who I am, do you not?
Kagome continued to stare blankly at the hanyou, blinking questioningly. And she bowed her head, whispering, "Yes."
Walk with me, Kagome. Away from the group. I promise you I speak to you not because I wish to harm you.
Kagome swallowed quietly and, pausing for a moment to compose herself, she looked up and smiled at Inuyasha. "I have to go home for a moment. I forgot something."
Inuyasha hopped down then, landing before her silently. "What did you forget?" he asked her suspiciously, studying her intently.
She searched her thoughts quickly. "My mother…made you a meal and I forgot it in my hurry to come," she explained and she winced inwardly. Now she would have to whip something up for him to eat so as not to appear the liar.
"A meal?" he asked her, his interest piqued. And then he settled once more back into suspiciousness. "Ok, then I'll come with you to go pick it up. While we're there we can pick up some more things to eat-"
"I'll go alone, thank you very much," she said and she waved goodbye to Sango and Miroku from where they both watched her and Inuyasha. "I'll only be gone for a little while, I promise-"
"Oy-" Inuyasha grabbed her wrist to stop her, his grip tight, and she paused to look down at his clawed hand. He stared at her for a long moment, studying her once more and as she lifted her gaze to meet his he said, "You're hiding something…"
She returned his stare head on, hoping she seemed normal. "No, I'm not," she said to him with a feigned smile. And her eyes widened a fraction as he came closer to her, his own eyes narrowing. "Inuyasha-"
Staring at her openly but suspiciously, he stood silent for a long moment. She kept herself still before him, looking him in his amber eyes. And he was doing it again. Lately, the closer they had gotten to reuniting all the shards of the Shikon no Tama, he had been more upfront with her concerning many things. He had been more affectionate at times, had passed his hand over her in some way or another, establishing some kind of contact, in the most innocent of ways. When she rode on his back, he held onto her hand now as well as her thigh. He sat closer to her, whispered to her more, excluding the rest of the group at times, most especially when the group did their own thing or held their own conversations. It had started to make her wonder and now, this moment, was no different.
"Don't be gone long," he said then, bringing her out of her reverie and he released her wrist, making her lower her gaze to it. He had gripped it roughly, leaving an imprint of his grip against her skin. And without another word he glanced up toward the tree and easily hopped back up, settling down to wait.
Kagome nodded silently, glancing in the direction of Sango and Miroku but leaving wordlessly.
"Ne, Inuyasha," Sango called up the hanyou as soon as her footsteps receded. "Kagome-chan would never hide anything from you. You don't have to be so-"
"I know that," he growled at her huffily. "I just needed to make sure she knew not to be gone long. You know the way she gets when she goes back home. She stays for days and days while we tire ourselves out looking for more shards." He shrugged as if he didn't care and he went back to his original position, hands cushioning his head against the tree trunk.
Sango looked toward Miroku to shrug, catching sight of his inching hand. And he smiled uncomfortably, already waiting for the slap.
Kagome walked slowly, the voices dropping away in the distance and following the worn path she took to the BoneEater's Well, she lifted her hand to the small vial that held the precious Shikon no kakera she possessed.
I apologize if I make them doubt you.
Kagome shrugged as if the voice came from a real person beside her. "It's ok. Inuyasha doubts everything anyway. One more thing shouldn't matter."
The voice was silent for a long moment as she walked, and she stared at the shards, clinking them in the vial. "Did you want…to tell me something?" she asked uncomfortably, knowing she would have looked the fool if someone were to burst in on her at that very moment and catch her talking to her necklace.
I did. I was momentarily lost in thought when you mentioned his name. Before you became aware of the existence of the Shikon no Tama it had been many years since I had heard his name mentioned. Fate is…a fickle thing…
Kagome didn't respond for a moment, a small frown crossing her face. "Inuyasha's?" she questioned in confusion.
Before you came as Kagome, you were here as Kikyo. The same soul, the same power. I feel it emanate from you, I feel it in the few shards you possess here, almost as if I myself were splintered. And I feel the same affection. I believe, Kagome, no matter the incarnation, you will always have a tie to the half-demon.
Kagome slowed at the way she said it, clutching the jewel shards with a stiffening grasp. "What is going on?" she asked, panic entering her tone. "You sound as if this were the end of the world-"
Not at all. I apologize if I do. I come to you not to frighten you but to make things clear concerning your position as the protector of the Shikon no Tama. It was a long time ago that I had this conversation with Kikyo and as much as she seemed the confident priestess, she too was afraid and she too was doubtful as to what lay before her concerning her role with the Shikon no Tama.
Kagome came to a stop then, and she instead floated over to a tree and plopped down, stretching her legs out before her and into the copper light of the setting sun. She had a feeling she didn't want to be walking when Midoriko began to make sense in what she was trying to say.
When Kikyo was Priestess over the Shikon no Tama, she had a choice to make. The Shikon no Tama can cast a wish, only one. Or the Shikon no Tama can be sacrificed. With the true power of the Shikon no Tama you can, in a sense, become a God. Or you can just wish to do away with the jewel, with its power. The choice is yours in the end, as Priestess of the Jewel.
"The choice is mine?" Kagome asked in disbelief and she leaned forward on her rear, staring at the shards. "I don't understand what you're saying to me."
The voice came hesitantly then, slowly and quietly.
When the Shikon no Tama was under the protection of Kikyo, she was given the same choice you are being given now. I give you the choice now before the completion of the Shikon no Tama so that you may know what you will do once the jewel is complete. Kikyo had made her choice, all those years ago and she chose Inuyasha over the power of the Jewel. She chose The Wish but she fell short of following through. Once the jewel was lost with her, the evil in the land rose steadily and swiftly. Without a Priestess or a jewel there was no way to hold back the demons that roamed the land. But now, with the reappearance of the Shikon no Tama, even in slivers and shards, the people are beginning to see you as their savior. The time will come when you will be forced to make a choice. Become the savior they seek, or sacrifice the Jewel to return to your life as Kagome. Or, there remains the wish. However, I see your wish now as surely as you do and it will be for the hanyou.
Kagome sat in silence, thoughtful. All the power in the world, in one small orb of pink light. She could be a Goddess. She could rid the entire land of the demons the people feared. They would no longer lay waste to this Feudal Era and it would be she who would bring it all about. Or she could sacrifice the Jewel and never worry again whether the Jewel was in good hands, in evil hands. The world would remain the way it was now. Which meant the increase of demons as time progressed with no real way to stop their numbers anymore.
Or she could finally wish for humanity for Inuyasha. She could finally do that one thing for him, the one thing he would have had, had Kikyo not been misled down her dark path. Kagome stared at the jewel shards and as if they possessed the very power she thought of, they seemed to thrum in her hand.
"If I were to choose the wish," she murmured softly, "would I be forced back to my own time? Would he and I-"
You would return to your world and he would be confined to his in the end. It is the way it is supposed to be. I have no power in that…
Kagome sat silently, numbly. And as she floated in thought she realized ever so slowly that in the end…she would never be with Inuyasha. She felt her stomach grow cold, icy, her fingers clutching the Shikon no kakera in a painfully tight grip. If she chose the power she would be in the same position Kikyo had been on. Always the Priestess and never a woman. Her pilgrimage would be her life and it left no room for anything. Or anyone. And if she chose to do away with the Jewel, it would cease to exist and it would leave the world overrun with demons and filth.
And if she wished for Inuyasha's humanity, they would always be separated, her in her own world and Inuyasha confined to this one.
There was no good answer, not for her. In Kikyo's time the choice would have been easier for her, it had been easier. She would have sacrificed it to save Inuyasha and his humanity and they would have been together always without fear of being separated by hundreds of years. But there was no such hope for herself. There was nothing but worry and doubt for her.
"I don't…know what to do," she whispered quietly, slumping against the tree. "I don't-"
The choice is not yours to make…yet. But once the Shikon no Tama is completed you will need to make your choice. It is why I have chosen to tell you now, so that you may ponder your actions…and their consequences.
Kagome settled into silence, her lips parting.
I am sorry…Kagome.
And in the setting sun Kagome sat to begin to ponder.
Ok, so I finally can get this story going the way I want it to which means the next chapter is a lemon chapter, LMAO! It's not up on the website yet, though, and I have my beta checking it out for me (*arches an eyebrow toward beta* You know who you are, LOL! Run, sharks, ruuuun!). So here's hoping to a good angsty fic since I was called on it already. =) Anyways, this is the fun part for me. I love responding to reviewers, I do it these days with all my fics so y'all will have to get used to it. =)
Hope and Harmony: And soooo it begins, LMAO! I can honestly tell you right now that I'm still unsure about the ending. I know how it's going, I know where I want it to go but I do not have a clear and definite ending in mind. Or rather, I'm slowly getting one that Inu/Kag shippers will absolutely, positively hate. Should I even think about going on with the idea then? I think I just might, LMAO!
Mai: I confused you?? Holy crap, I'm good, LOL. No I'm kidding. Well it will start to make sense as we go, don't worry. If for some reason it doesn't just let know and I'll give you a run down of it all, ok?
Yani Cardaria: I love seeing familiar names, yaaaaay! I'm happy you're liking it so far. I have a feeling this will go a bit like my last fic when it comes to lemon chapters. Eeeeh, I can't wait, LMAO!
BronteJD: *Pats BronteJD's head* Light on the angst…yeahrightthat'sfunny,LOL! I was actually talking to Hope and Harmony up there about it, the angst, and she was like "Yeah, this ain't gonna be angsty, suuuure…" I wasn't sure whether to be offended that she was correct about it or not, LMAO! *Ducks Hope's flying shoe* Oh, the obnoxious little frog…but I think I actually am incapable of writing a non-angst fic. Is that a bad thing…? Also, I'm updating this fic and Ain't Afraid to Die at the same time. Yay! Now if H&H would see her CB DVDs we'd be set. *Gets hit right in the face with Hope's other shoe* Itai..
KMF: First AGAIN! LMAO! You were my first Fallen Souls reviewer and now you're my first Pave the Way reviewer! Ooooh, Nghi is gonna be maaaad at you!! *Points and motions KMF to run*
Nghi: *Cracks knuckles and stretches neck muscles as she gets ready to type* So, ok, let's tackle this last because GOOD GOD that was a long ass review! I love long reviews, LMAO! All sorts of people and jokes crack me up and you, my dear, had me rolling! First off! *Ducks in front of KMF* Forgive KMF for beating you to the punchline. But you gotta love perseverance! LOL! A present for trying? I can sure as heck try, whatcha looking for? And LMAO, that was hilarious! First off, I TOLD myself, I CONVINCED myself that I would never do another Inuyasha fic again. I mean, Fallen Souls absolutely killed me for a nice long while. And afterwards, people were like, "Dude, your story…hohoho…" and it was just the funniest thing to me. But then Fanfiction.net went silent for like, what, five days or something? I started really flipping out when I couldn't upload another chapter to the CB fic and I did all I could think of before finally noticing that a lot of people were having problems. But in that time I saw the rest of the Inuyasha movie (the first one) and I started looking up more Inuyasha images and stuff and ideas started springing to mind so I was like, "Hmmm…maybe…" and then it started to come together and I was like, "Ok, we can do this…" I don't think I could ever write a sequel to Fallen Souls (sequels to me aren't a good thing) but I do have in mind to eventually write a lemon chapter as an ending to the fic because I always wrote chapters in which Inu and Kag almost get it on or one of them gets tricked into believing the other is who they're supposed to be. Or it was just a dream, y'know? I wanted to write a chapter where they actually DO get together. I just…haven't written it yet. Heee…But…it's not my birthday… *looks confuzzled* is that that damn 50cent guy's song. God, I can't stand music like that, I'm sorry. I'm more a Japanese rock chick. =) Give me Siam Shade and Pierrot any day. And what are you talking about?? I AM the angry mom of CB fans!! LO! =P I'm trying to get Hope and Harmony into CB but she keeps dodging me…LMAO, and the episode of Cb that you're talking about is called Toys in the Attic. Basically it's about a strange little goo thing that travels the ship and bites people and it takes down the whole crew except for Ed who at the end goes, "Oooh, my pudding!" before chomping the thing down. Yeah, funniest episode in the world. They all narrate in the episode, giving their opinion on what the lesson for the episode is. I don't remember Faye's lesson but Ed's lesson was, "If you see a stranger, follow him!" and Spike's lesson was, "Never leave anything in the fridge…" Great, great episode! If you ever get a chance to see more episodes, definitely check out Mushroom Samba as well! And no, I'm not a Kikyo fan. In fact, if I keep watching the English version of Inuyasha I won't be a Kagome fan either… grrr… but the whole point of the beginning of Inuyasha was that he and Kikyo were in love and Kikyo was taking the jewel to Inuyasha that day because he had finally decided to be a human and give up his demon side. The whole Naraku betrayal happened after that and it never worked out for them. This isn't a Kikyo/Inu fic, trust me, but it does feature a bit of Kikyo in it. In the chapter she's speaking with Midoriko who is still housed in the Shikon no Tama, fighting that neverending battle she's had for years and years. Does Aeslinn have a similar writing style? *Throws a slow glance at Hope and Harmony* Hee-hee-hee…Hope knows what that laugh means, LOL. I'll give you a hint. Aes wrote a chunk of a chapter of Fallen Souls (lemon chapters excluded, she gets red and blushes too easily) and a part of this chapter as well and if you can pick it out then you're damn good! I have a Lord of the Rings fic up and she and I used to take turns updating it. =) She also has a site up, if you ever want to stop by her site it's listed on her profile page. She's also hosting the CB fic. She's my beta reader concerning that story. And yes, she's female and I like to tell people online she's my sister (we're named after two original characters she came up with). Aeslinn has never touched a lemon fic (to write one I mean, but she reads my chapters). She's more into humor with her own fics. And good amount of angst too. Puts on a hat and holds up a taco…is that a Mexican remark? I'm Mexican, LMAO! A senorita is a young lady, a miss. And it's Como estas. =) Ah, my native language. Why couldn't it be Japanese?? And college student? *Points to herself* I'm not a college student. I finished college already. =) Dad can't rip out my modem. I just don't have one. =) I share dsl with him. =) And I think 20 years of being a good girl and an ideal student allow for my three remaining years that I went rebel and got my piercings and tattoo. =) Ok, I think I got it all *breathes happily* Did I, did I??? LMAO!
Ok, I'm going to bed, LOL! And it's only 3:45pm but that wore me OUT!
-Cassie