AN: wow.. I read the ending of chp 4 again, and it kinda scared me.. I must've been really short on sleep when I wrote that. This chapter goes back to happy PG rating. (I am no longer low on sleep.. now I'm high on MSG)
Many thanks to my ONE reviewer!! You have my undying and unfailing gratitude!!
…
Falling. Down, down, down.. feeling herself drifting down.. It was dark, in these last few moments of her life. And painful. The cuts on her body stung. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable impact with the ground that would surely break some bones and her life.
Wait.. she was no longer falling, but .. floating? And then she landed with a very soft thump on a hard dirt floor. Rei crumpled to the ground with the impact but then her eyes shot open. I'm not dead.. How could that be? Hadn't she just fallen down the well? And why was it so dark? Surely the well couldn't be that deep..
"Aughh.." She pulled herself together and sat up. She felt so weak.. how much blood have I lost? Surely not that much. But Kouga-kun has survived much worse, and so I must survive this! I am the daughter of a miko and an ookami! I must not shame them by dying from such trivial wounds.. She laughed at herself. How I would be scorned.. to be reduced to such weakness, by only two wounds! The cut on her thigh bled sluggishly, and stung painfully. The cut in her side.. it was a deeper gash, and she was fortunate that it hadn't reached anything vital. Even so, she felt a sudden weakness overtake her.
"Wha-?" Her strength left her, and she collapsed onto the dirt floor again, feeling a sudden pain bite at the wound in her side. It seemed that her consciousness was slipping away.. Her vision blurred.. but not entirely.. it was as if there was a bright, luminescent wisp that flowed from her body. At the same time, she felt so disconnected to everything, and the dark well grew darker again, accompanied by the feeling of floating. Clarity returned to her vision, and her consciousness returned a little. She still felt weak though, and there was that sharp, piercing pain in her side! And she realized, she was no longer in the well.. she was once again in the strange space, not falling down into the well, but in some other place…
…
Kagome was walking home with Asami. Asami was feeling a little dejected, having attempted to ask out the hottest (and most oblivious) guy in school, and failed. Houjo just wasn't the kind of guy who knew how to take a hint. Of course, Kagome could have told her that.
Kagome sighed. Inuyasha.. she felt so.. lonely. She had rarely gone this long without seeing the sometimes annoying but strangely loveable hanyou. Please.. I want to see you again!
Asami suddenly stumbled beside Kagome, who instinctively reached out to stabilize the other girl. The hanyou looked pale and shaken. A glowing light emerged from her, and Kagome nearly jumped back in shock. Asami's soul! But in another instant, a bright flash of light came from the direction of her shrine, and the soul dissipated back into her body. Wha-? What just happened?
The hanyou looked up and straightened. "S-something happened!! Kagome, do you know what.." She stopped at the look on Kagome's face.
The miko was staring in the direction of the Higurashi shrine, mouth open in surprise. Whatever happened there, it must have something to do with this! I'll bet the well is somehow involved in this! She looked at the hanyou. "I think I know.. but we have to run quickly!" Without another word she locked her hand around Asami's wrist and dragged the girl down the street. The two girls raced breathlessly until they reached the shrine. Up the stairs, past a very surprised and indignant Grandpa, and straight to the small building that sheltered the bone-eater's well.
"Kagome.. please explain."
"I don't think we have that much time, but.. Asami, have you ever heard of the Shikon no Tama?"
"Yes. The Jewel of Four Souls. It is a very old legend, dating from the Sengoku Jidai. Kagome, what are you getting at?"
"Weell.. I can get to the Sengoku Jidai through this well. But only with the help of the Shikon no Tama!" She peered anxiously over the well. She could just barely sense the fragments, but they were still there. Someone had definitely been through here just now, but they had left almost immediately. If she hurried now, she might still be able to get through..
"Kagome, that's the craziest thing I've ever heard. It's a legend, the Shikon no Tama. Not only that, but time travel is impossible, never mind.." her words were cut off as Kagome hooked her arm through Asami's, and jumped into the well.
…
If only Kagome were here.. Inuyasha fumed at the small, white-clad child youkai. Kanna stood waiting, her mirror in her hands and a small smile on her lips. Miroku gripped his staff so hard that his knuckles turned white. If looks could kill, she would be dead yesterday!
How do we always get stuck in these situations? Miroku felt frustrated and peeved. It seems, every time we fight one of Naraku's little shadows, we're always missing just one of our group, and it's always the one that matters the most in that situation! He glanced over at the seething hanyou. Inuyasha looked as if he were about to explode. But what can we do? If it were just me, I would retreat. That is the safest and most logical option right now. We are virtually weaponless against Kanna; between her mirror and those poisonous insects, it is impossible to harm her right now. But I know Inuyasha could never be persuaded to retreat. To him, that is purposely losing the fight, and he would never, NEVER agree to that.
Surely even Inuyasha had to realize the futility of their situation.. they were stuck like this, until either one of them, or Kanna made a move. But the youkai was not going to move first, and Miroku knew, and hoped that Inuyasha knew as well, that attacking Kanna was a waste of effort, as well as a danged to themselves when she reflected it. Because he knew it wasn't a matter of if she reflected it; but when.
If only Kagome were here.. he unknowingly echoed Inuyasha's own thoughts from moments before.
…
Sango stared down into the blank depths of the well. "Rei?" The free ends of the leather string that had held the shards around her neck swayed, before slipping off and falling into the shadows. "Rei?" she called again. Rei.. are you still alive? I cannot see anything.. and.. where have the shards gone?!
Panicking, she searched the edges of the well, then turned carefully and looked at the grass around her. No.. it did not seem like the shards were here.. there was no sparkle, no glimmer of light reflecting off the small pink shards.
She gasped as several blades of wind caught her, slamming her against the wooden edge of the well. Blood streamed from the ugly red slashes, and she crumpled to the ground, straining to hold on to consciousness. The wounds she'd acquired were not enough to truly cripple her, but there were several. Judging from the amount of blood that flowed from one particularly nasty one on her thigh, the cuts were only deep enough to draw blood, but not enough to do too much damage. There was one, however, that had caught her across one side of her face; it was shallow, but even so one eyelid was already swelling shut and her vision was turning red with the blood that ran down her face. Through her one good eye, she saw in her wavering vision Kagura.
The demoness strode forward, ignoring Kirara completely. The latter growled, but one leg had been cut deeply enough that the neko youkai could stand only on the other three legs. Kagura smirked as she held her fan close, fanning herself delicately.
"Ah, Sango. Such a pity that your friend isn't here. I guess I'll just have to kill her later, won't I?" She raised her fan.
Sango closed her eyes. She was now too weak to fight; blood matted the grass around her, staining the ground and the wood behind her a deep red. Her Hiraikotsu was too far away for her to reach in time. I always hoped I'd die in battle with a demon. But not like this! Not like this.. weary, defenseless.. unable even to reach my weapon. Oh.. Kohaku, now I cannot save you! I am sorry, my little brother. I hope.. one day, you will be free of Naraku! She clenched her hands, waiting for the death blow. How I wish I could live! Please.. do not let me die.. Miroku.. I.. have never told you how much I really care!
Kagura narrowed her eyes. She does not fight me.. I suppose she is too wounded to do so. But she does not plead with me either! Perhaps I will make this quick and painless. She snapped open her fan.
Pink light exploded from the well, and she was forced to throw up her arm to shield her eyes. What the-? She backed away, closing her fan. Obviously something was going on with that well.. and she could bet that it would not go well for her if she stayed. Besides.. doesn't that miko have something to do with this well? She jumped on her transformed feather and fled, passing over Kanna as she headed for Naraku's castle. The little youkai was, it appeared, at a standstill with the priest and the hanyou.
Sango opened her eyes. Or rather, the one that could open. The other one did not hurt, but the eyelid was now swollen shut and caked with drying blood. Kagura was gone. And Sango was still alive!
Kirara was limping over. The neko youkai looked over the edge of the well. Sango reached up and took hold of Kirara's fur, dragging herself up. She hissed in pain as the movement jarred the wounds and caused more blood to trickle down her ragged clothing. She braced herself against the solid wood as she peered down the well.
"Rei!" The hanyou looked up at Sango. She stood up, and looked around her before spotting the rough ladder that hung down the side. Slowly she climbed it, once stopping as she reached too far with her arm and so stretched the wound in her side. She hissed in pain, her hand immediately going to the gash. Amazingly, only a little blood trickled from the newly jarred wound. She hauled herself over the edge of the well and fell to the ground, gasping. She pressed one hand against her side as she sucked in breath through clenched teeth.
Sango hobbled over. "Is it bad?"
"No.. it didn't hit anything vital. It just really hurts!" She took away her hand and looked down. Strangely.. it seemed as if there was a slight pink glow coming from the wound..
…
Kagome reveled in the feeling. She was once again headed for the Sengoku Jidai! She would see Inuyasha again! But first, she would have to deal with the issue of that bright flash of light.. And Asami. Kagome closed her eyes, comforted by the familiar and long-awaited sensation of drifting between the two times. Finally, they touched down in the well, with the bright sky overhead.
She pointed to the ladder. "You first."
Asami looked skeptically at it, and her, then shrugged and climbed up the ladder, followed closely by Kagome.
When she did get out, she gasped and fell over the side in shock. A giant cat, with two tails, and two very badly wounded girls greeted her eyes. Kagome followed and nearly fell on top of Asami.
"Sango!" She rushed to the demon exterminator. "Ohmygoodness!" Sango was covered in lots of blood.. all of it her own. Not to mention the multiple slashes in her clothes, and the ugly wound on her face.
Asami's eyes were locked on the other girl. The hanyou resembled Asami. They were not spitting image, like Kikyou and Kagome, but very similar. In a very shocking and rather scary way, too. The same eyes.. nose.. mouth.. or she guessed, considering the other girl's lips were drawn taught in a grimace of pain at the moment.
Sango and Kagome saw it, too. And the first thought that Sango had was, is this girl a reincarnation of Rei, just like Kagome is a reincarnation of Kikyou? But surely, no, for she saw upon closer examination that the two only resembled each other and were not heart-stopping identicals.
What's going on here..?
…
well.. hope you like that chapter! I think I have maybe one more to go.. and sadly it will be the end.
I would also like to say.. how sorry I am that I have not updated in such a long time.. I had March Break.. (the canadian equivalent of the americans' 'spring break') so yeah.. I was away most of that time.. with no access to a free computer. And just this past week I had Robotics!! (woohoo!! Go team 1291) unfortunately. We didn't win. Ah.. s'ok. We weren't dead last either.. *cough.. we came pretty darned close tho!* lolz. Ok. c ya.. I hope to update again soon.. I have long weekend now, (for Good Friday and Easter! aka. my Saviour's Resurrection!!! :D) so maybe I'll get something done.