Still Here
Chapter Two
I do not own any characters in this story, nor intend to break any laws. The only thing I take credit for is the plot and actual writing.
- Refresher: Kagome placed her other foot on the edge of the well and waved as happily as she could. Her voice was obviously upset, but she did her best to hide it. "Bye, everyone! Thank you! Oh, and one more thing..." Kagome couldn't hold it back any longer. She had to do it, one last time.
Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou looked a little puzzled by her thanks, but no one had time to react.
"SIT!" Kagome shouted, her voice breaking, jumping in the well. For a split second, she felt as is she had been pushed, but ignored it.
Inuyasha's fanged rosary shined and he was plunged down on the ground. "What was that for?!" -
The second Kagome's feet touched the bottom of the well in her time, she started sobbing hysterically. She was in such shock and distraught at what she had just done, she was being choked by her sadness. The girl wasn't even sure why she was so dead set on leaving for good; it was just a dream she had, after all! But, for some reason, everything just came to her at once. It was difficult for her to breathe; she had to take large, loud gasps between sobs. She climbed up the well, her whole body shaking. Kagome tried to leave the well completely, but instead she hung over the edge, half in, half out. She sat in the darkness, her face drenched in tears, crying her eyes out. If her body were shaking any more, she would've looked to be having a seizure.
Memories flooded to her head, so many, so quickly. The first time she saw Inuyasha, sealed to the sacred tree. The times she first met Sango, Miroku, and Shippou... how happy she was then! The few times Inuyasha had embraced her... and even when Kagome had her mind taken over and she shot him with an arrow, twice... when she had kissed Inuyasha. It was all becoming a blur so fast... How could she never see them again? Could she really go through with this?
A thin ray of light suddenly shone down on Kagome, and an old voice called out. "Who's there? What business do you have here?" Kagome looked up, her wet face shining with the light from outside. "Kagome?! What happened?" It was her grandfather. Opening the sliding door completely, he ran over to help her out of the well.
Kagome's cries had slowed a bit, and she looked up at her grandfather sadly. He was crouched down beside her. "Please, seal this well back up," she said between gasps for air. "I can't go back. And no one can come here."
The old Higurashi man looked surprised. "Kagome, are you okay? What on earth happened?" He placed a hand on her forehead to check for a fever.
"Just do it!!" She shouted angrily, smacking his hand away. A little shocked at her own sudden anger, her body shook less. She wiped her eyes and cheeks on her sleeves and stood up clumsily. "We will never speak of that well, or the warring states era ever again, got it? Tell Mother and Souta as well. I really don't want to be reminded of it, it only makes me upset. I'm never going back." Saying the words out loud really made her heart wrench. Why was she saying them?
Her grandfather looked up at her with concern in his eyes and nodded. "Okay," he said, standing up and walking to a nearby chest. He took out some wood and prayer charms. "If it means that much to you, we won't talk about it, and I'll seal it up again."
Kagome pulled a hairbrush from her yellow pack and brushed her hair. "Thank you." She said, and walked through the already opened sliding door. "I'm going to school." She slid the door halfway shut and started down the stairs of the Higurashi temple, a sour look on her face. A few steps down, Kagome became disgusted with herself. She had acted so rudely to her grandfather, and for no good reason. She had never acted like that so harshly before...
"How long does it last, Naraku?" A dark, female voice questioned. Her pupils were very small. "The mind control?"
"It's not exactly mind control, Kikyou," an even more sinister voice replied. This time it was a male, Naraku. "More like... mind torment. I estimate that through the Shikon Jewel fragment there, it should wear off in about three days."
Kikyou smirked and loosened her grasp on an almost completed chunk of the Shikon Jewel. Her pupils went back to regular size. "She seems to be fighting it, but as long as the girl suffers and stays out of the way, I am satisfied. This plan better work, Naraku."
"I don't think you understand the complexity of this and the internal damage it will cause, lady," a third voice spoke. Kikyou looked up and saw a very thin and pale man, looking to be the age of about seventeen, in the doorway. The man's eyes were thin and sinister looking, the color of brown. His hair was short and untamed, except for the long, lash-kissing bangs that rested on his forehead. It was a very dark shade of red. A long, metal earring of a sword hung from his right ear. He wore a short, sleeveless robe that was a plain yellow, with red trimming. The final accessory of his was a red and yellow beaded bracelet that rested on his right wrist. His large feet were bare.
"Who are you?" Kikyou inquired, looking the man over. She didn't like him by first appearance, at all.
"Kikyou, this is my newest creation, Hiro." Naraku said, looking up at him. "He is a shape-shifting demon, who excels in damaging one's heart and thoughts-"
"Which is, more often than not, much more painful than physical harm." Hiro interrupted, with a smile on his face.
Kikyou frowned and then turned to Naraku. "If he's so great, how come I've never seen him before? Such powers don't happen overnight, really."
"I've been training in the basement of Master Naraku's palace for quite some time now," Hiro interrupted yet again. "I was created a short time after my sister, Kagura. I was born with minor shape-shifting powers and slight mind modification talents, but I could only use them about once a day, it was very exhausting. However, now with plenty of practice, and the help of one Shikon shard, I can do such things whenever I want, without fail." He finished with a very large grin.
"Thanks for the lesson," Kikyou said bitterly.
"He should speak highly of himself, Kikyou," Naraku reassured. "Appreciate him, for he is certainly one of the strongest demons alive and will help us to victory."
Kikyou scrunched her face in displeasure. "What is so great about shifting and mind torment? Any demon can do that with a Shikon shard." She was starting to get very angry; she did not like Hiro one bit.
"You underestimate me, girl." Hiro said offensively, walking towards her. Stopping a few inches in front of her, he held up his index and middle fingers on his right hand and placed them in-between her eyes. Kikyou struggled for a split second before stopping and closing her eyes. Hiro's red and yellow bracelet glowed slightly, and he smirked. "Inuyasha..." he said as Kikyou's face grew obviously distraught. "Inuyasha, the hanyou, is what you want all to yourself. Your happiest memories, and your most hated memories, are with him." Hiro removed his fingers from Kikyou's forehead and placed them under his left eye. Very quickly, his eyes changed to gold, and his hair grew white. Seconds later, he was an exact copy of Inuyasha, ears and all. The only distinguishable quality was his red and yellow bracelet, which was pretty much hidden by the red fire rat's robe. Naraku's eyes glazed over in satisfaction. Hiro held his head proudly. "I could also make you completely forget those horrible memories, too, you know."
Kikyou began to move again, and looked up at Hiro. "I'm impressed," she said pitifully. "You made me hate him all over again, so much that I simply want to kill you for just looking like him." She smirked darkly and grabbed her nearby bow.
Naraku reacted quickly and grabbed Kikyou's hand roughly. "Stop acting foolish. He was simply showing you the gist of his powers. You can't kill him yet, anyway. He has to do something similar to the girl."
Kikyou ignored Naraku's hand and looked up at Hiro, who had just turned himself back into his original form. Suddenly, everything clicked in her mind. "The girl..." she started with a smirk, thinking back to what Naraku said earlier, looking down at the large fragment of the Shikon Jewel. "Three days... after the hurt of what Naraku and I have done wears off, you'll step in..." Kikyou's eyes lowered lustfully, and she paused for a second, thinking everything through herself. "We'll kill them all, right in front of him... the girl especially nicely... they'll all hate him... and he will die."
Naraku eyed Hiro proudly. "Glad to see you finally understand, Kikyou."
"I don't think he realizes she isn't coming back," Sango said, looking up at a very distant tree where Inuyasha sat. It had become clear to the group that this is where he went when he wasn't feeling his best. She turned her head toward Miroku.
"What are you talking about?" Miroku asked naively, honestly not understanding what she was saying. "Kagome said she would come back when she is feeling more relaxed."
Sango lifted the glass bottle of Shikon shards around her neck that Kagome left to her. "She doesn't have these, and she knows she needs them to time-travel." Miroku's face still looked puzzled. "Kagome can't travel through the bone-gobbling well without a Shikon fragment.
Miroku's face clearly turned unhappy. "You're right," he said sadly, realizing this, pausing for a moment. "Why didn't you say anything, though?"
"I didn't want Inuyasha to make a scene. I wanted her to have a nice goodbye, you know?" Her voice was obviously hurting; Kagome was the only girl friend she had to talk to, and they had become pretty close.
Miroku nodded and embraced Sango. This time, she didn't push him away.
- Mini-Preview for next chapter: "Inuyasha! You've come back for me!" -
Okay, a little confusing, I know. For those that want clarification... Naraku and Kikyou are using a rather large chunk of the Shikon Jewel to get into Kagome's mind and screw around with her thoughts and actions (if you remember, this all started when Kagome had her dream – the dream was Kikyou using the Shikon fragment, and this allowed access into Kagome's mind). Kikyou is the person putting all the harshness and hatred in Kagome's heart, causing Kagome to do things she wouldn't normally do. This will last three days. Hiro is Naraku's creation, such as Kagura and Kanna. He can shape shift into any person, demon, thing, etc, with visual aid. In this case, his visual aid is Kikyou's thoughts. He can also deeply read minds and modify thoughts by using his index and middle finger of his right hand as a medium. He must be touching the person, or else such powers would be impossible. His red and yellow bracelet hold original thoughts and memories, and he cannot perform such things without it. Finally, he can completely erase and/or modify memories, using his entire right hand. You will see this in the next chapter. :D
Naraku, Kikyou, and Hiro have a plan to finally get rid of Inuyasha. The plan will unravel throughout the course of the story, and if I told you now, it'd spoil the whole thing!
Hope this helps to those of you who may be confused nn any more questions, just let me know.
Thanks to Martina-sama, ACDCchicky, and ccs-lover-cq, for commenting! It means a lot!!! To ACDCchicky: Kagome "sat" Inuyasha, simply because she thought she'd never be able to do it again.
Thank you so much for reading the second chapter of Still Here!
Reviews are very very appreciated!
Love, v-kun
I do not own any characters in this story, nor intend to break any laws. The only thing I take credit for is the plot and actual writing.
- Refresher: Kagome placed her other foot on the edge of the well and waved as happily as she could. Her voice was obviously upset, but she did her best to hide it. "Bye, everyone! Thank you! Oh, and one more thing..." Kagome couldn't hold it back any longer. She had to do it, one last time.
Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou looked a little puzzled by her thanks, but no one had time to react.
"SIT!" Kagome shouted, her voice breaking, jumping in the well. For a split second, she felt as is she had been pushed, but ignored it.
Inuyasha's fanged rosary shined and he was plunged down on the ground. "What was that for?!" -
The second Kagome's feet touched the bottom of the well in her time, she started sobbing hysterically. She was in such shock and distraught at what she had just done, she was being choked by her sadness. The girl wasn't even sure why she was so dead set on leaving for good; it was just a dream she had, after all! But, for some reason, everything just came to her at once. It was difficult for her to breathe; she had to take large, loud gasps between sobs. She climbed up the well, her whole body shaking. Kagome tried to leave the well completely, but instead she hung over the edge, half in, half out. She sat in the darkness, her face drenched in tears, crying her eyes out. If her body were shaking any more, she would've looked to be having a seizure.
Memories flooded to her head, so many, so quickly. The first time she saw Inuyasha, sealed to the sacred tree. The times she first met Sango, Miroku, and Shippou... how happy she was then! The few times Inuyasha had embraced her... and even when Kagome had her mind taken over and she shot him with an arrow, twice... when she had kissed Inuyasha. It was all becoming a blur so fast... How could she never see them again? Could she really go through with this?
A thin ray of light suddenly shone down on Kagome, and an old voice called out. "Who's there? What business do you have here?" Kagome looked up, her wet face shining with the light from outside. "Kagome?! What happened?" It was her grandfather. Opening the sliding door completely, he ran over to help her out of the well.
Kagome's cries had slowed a bit, and she looked up at her grandfather sadly. He was crouched down beside her. "Please, seal this well back up," she said between gasps for air. "I can't go back. And no one can come here."
The old Higurashi man looked surprised. "Kagome, are you okay? What on earth happened?" He placed a hand on her forehead to check for a fever.
"Just do it!!" She shouted angrily, smacking his hand away. A little shocked at her own sudden anger, her body shook less. She wiped her eyes and cheeks on her sleeves and stood up clumsily. "We will never speak of that well, or the warring states era ever again, got it? Tell Mother and Souta as well. I really don't want to be reminded of it, it only makes me upset. I'm never going back." Saying the words out loud really made her heart wrench. Why was she saying them?
Her grandfather looked up at her with concern in his eyes and nodded. "Okay," he said, standing up and walking to a nearby chest. He took out some wood and prayer charms. "If it means that much to you, we won't talk about it, and I'll seal it up again."
Kagome pulled a hairbrush from her yellow pack and brushed her hair. "Thank you." She said, and walked through the already opened sliding door. "I'm going to school." She slid the door halfway shut and started down the stairs of the Higurashi temple, a sour look on her face. A few steps down, Kagome became disgusted with herself. She had acted so rudely to her grandfather, and for no good reason. She had never acted like that so harshly before...
"How long does it last, Naraku?" A dark, female voice questioned. Her pupils were very small. "The mind control?"
"It's not exactly mind control, Kikyou," an even more sinister voice replied. This time it was a male, Naraku. "More like... mind torment. I estimate that through the Shikon Jewel fragment there, it should wear off in about three days."
Kikyou smirked and loosened her grasp on an almost completed chunk of the Shikon Jewel. Her pupils went back to regular size. "She seems to be fighting it, but as long as the girl suffers and stays out of the way, I am satisfied. This plan better work, Naraku."
"I don't think you understand the complexity of this and the internal damage it will cause, lady," a third voice spoke. Kikyou looked up and saw a very thin and pale man, looking to be the age of about seventeen, in the doorway. The man's eyes were thin and sinister looking, the color of brown. His hair was short and untamed, except for the long, lash-kissing bangs that rested on his forehead. It was a very dark shade of red. A long, metal earring of a sword hung from his right ear. He wore a short, sleeveless robe that was a plain yellow, with red trimming. The final accessory of his was a red and yellow beaded bracelet that rested on his right wrist. His large feet were bare.
"Who are you?" Kikyou inquired, looking the man over. She didn't like him by first appearance, at all.
"Kikyou, this is my newest creation, Hiro." Naraku said, looking up at him. "He is a shape-shifting demon, who excels in damaging one's heart and thoughts-"
"Which is, more often than not, much more painful than physical harm." Hiro interrupted, with a smile on his face.
Kikyou frowned and then turned to Naraku. "If he's so great, how come I've never seen him before? Such powers don't happen overnight, really."
"I've been training in the basement of Master Naraku's palace for quite some time now," Hiro interrupted yet again. "I was created a short time after my sister, Kagura. I was born with minor shape-shifting powers and slight mind modification talents, but I could only use them about once a day, it was very exhausting. However, now with plenty of practice, and the help of one Shikon shard, I can do such things whenever I want, without fail." He finished with a very large grin.
"Thanks for the lesson," Kikyou said bitterly.
"He should speak highly of himself, Kikyou," Naraku reassured. "Appreciate him, for he is certainly one of the strongest demons alive and will help us to victory."
Kikyou scrunched her face in displeasure. "What is so great about shifting and mind torment? Any demon can do that with a Shikon shard." She was starting to get very angry; she did not like Hiro one bit.
"You underestimate me, girl." Hiro said offensively, walking towards her. Stopping a few inches in front of her, he held up his index and middle fingers on his right hand and placed them in-between her eyes. Kikyou struggled for a split second before stopping and closing her eyes. Hiro's red and yellow bracelet glowed slightly, and he smirked. "Inuyasha..." he said as Kikyou's face grew obviously distraught. "Inuyasha, the hanyou, is what you want all to yourself. Your happiest memories, and your most hated memories, are with him." Hiro removed his fingers from Kikyou's forehead and placed them under his left eye. Very quickly, his eyes changed to gold, and his hair grew white. Seconds later, he was an exact copy of Inuyasha, ears and all. The only distinguishable quality was his red and yellow bracelet, which was pretty much hidden by the red fire rat's robe. Naraku's eyes glazed over in satisfaction. Hiro held his head proudly. "I could also make you completely forget those horrible memories, too, you know."
Kikyou began to move again, and looked up at Hiro. "I'm impressed," she said pitifully. "You made me hate him all over again, so much that I simply want to kill you for just looking like him." She smirked darkly and grabbed her nearby bow.
Naraku reacted quickly and grabbed Kikyou's hand roughly. "Stop acting foolish. He was simply showing you the gist of his powers. You can't kill him yet, anyway. He has to do something similar to the girl."
Kikyou ignored Naraku's hand and looked up at Hiro, who had just turned himself back into his original form. Suddenly, everything clicked in her mind. "The girl..." she started with a smirk, thinking back to what Naraku said earlier, looking down at the large fragment of the Shikon Jewel. "Three days... after the hurt of what Naraku and I have done wears off, you'll step in..." Kikyou's eyes lowered lustfully, and she paused for a second, thinking everything through herself. "We'll kill them all, right in front of him... the girl especially nicely... they'll all hate him... and he will die."
Naraku eyed Hiro proudly. "Glad to see you finally understand, Kikyou."
"I don't think he realizes she isn't coming back," Sango said, looking up at a very distant tree where Inuyasha sat. It had become clear to the group that this is where he went when he wasn't feeling his best. She turned her head toward Miroku.
"What are you talking about?" Miroku asked naively, honestly not understanding what she was saying. "Kagome said she would come back when she is feeling more relaxed."
Sango lifted the glass bottle of Shikon shards around her neck that Kagome left to her. "She doesn't have these, and she knows she needs them to time-travel." Miroku's face still looked puzzled. "Kagome can't travel through the bone-gobbling well without a Shikon fragment.
Miroku's face clearly turned unhappy. "You're right," he said sadly, realizing this, pausing for a moment. "Why didn't you say anything, though?"
"I didn't want Inuyasha to make a scene. I wanted her to have a nice goodbye, you know?" Her voice was obviously hurting; Kagome was the only girl friend she had to talk to, and they had become pretty close.
Miroku nodded and embraced Sango. This time, she didn't push him away.
- Mini-Preview for next chapter: "Inuyasha! You've come back for me!" -
Okay, a little confusing, I know. For those that want clarification... Naraku and Kikyou are using a rather large chunk of the Shikon Jewel to get into Kagome's mind and screw around with her thoughts and actions (if you remember, this all started when Kagome had her dream – the dream was Kikyou using the Shikon fragment, and this allowed access into Kagome's mind). Kikyou is the person putting all the harshness and hatred in Kagome's heart, causing Kagome to do things she wouldn't normally do. This will last three days. Hiro is Naraku's creation, such as Kagura and Kanna. He can shape shift into any person, demon, thing, etc, with visual aid. In this case, his visual aid is Kikyou's thoughts. He can also deeply read minds and modify thoughts by using his index and middle finger of his right hand as a medium. He must be touching the person, or else such powers would be impossible. His red and yellow bracelet hold original thoughts and memories, and he cannot perform such things without it. Finally, he can completely erase and/or modify memories, using his entire right hand. You will see this in the next chapter. :D
Naraku, Kikyou, and Hiro have a plan to finally get rid of Inuyasha. The plan will unravel throughout the course of the story, and if I told you now, it'd spoil the whole thing!
Hope this helps to those of you who may be confused nn any more questions, just let me know.
Thanks to Martina-sama, ACDCchicky, and ccs-lover-cq, for commenting! It means a lot!!! To ACDCchicky: Kagome "sat" Inuyasha, simply because she thought she'd never be able to do it again.
Thank you so much for reading the second chapter of Still Here!
Reviews are very very appreciated!
Love, v-kun