Tailz: Is tied to a chair with very heavy, very rust chains Mmhm!
Sanji: Dusts hands off You're probably wondering why the authoress is tied to the chair, aren't you, reader?
Reader: Uhhh....no, not really.
Sanji: Well, it's because I'm still getting your revenge! :)
Reader: Brightens Ooh, I LIKE that plan!
Sanji: Yes! I had to revive her, so she could write the chapter—I don't want you guys hunting ME down too—but as soon as she was done I tied her to the chair!
Tailz: O.o (Perverted mind got the best of her)
Sanji: O.O NOT LIKE THAT! SHEESH!
Emmy: Cheering for one-hundred reviews, yo....Let's cheer! Hand-clap
Tailz: -
Moogle: Continues to glare ominously at Tailz
Tailz: O.O; Mmmmm.....Saanjiii......
Every other Reader: Waits for the chapter to begin, holding knives and such
Sanji: Well....onward!
-------------------------------
Darkness. That was what Kagome saw all around her. Or rather, what she didn't see. There was not a spark of light—no shape, no color, no...nothing. It was completely silent and completely still. And nerve-racking. Experimentally, she waved a hand in front of her face. Nothing. She couldn't feel anything solid beneath her feet—was she floating? Was...was she....dead?
"Hello?" Kagome whimpered, and her own voice answered back in several voices each much different than hers: Hello, hellooooo, hellllllooo.... It was like an echo with a mind with its own. She didn't like it. Once the echoes died out, the air seemed to vibrate, as if it wasn't quite ready to give up what little sound it occasionally had. The air's vibrating seemed to intensify—
And then the screaming started.
It was so sudden that Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin—assuming she still had skin. There were so many voices among the noise—children, women, men, girls, boys....they all sounded so agonized. And loud. The very noise of it seemed to shake her bones around (if she still had them.) It didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction, but from every side, every angle, every molecule around. Kagome had to wonder then: had she fallen into the fiery abyss. The cries were certainly tormented enough.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, there was a soft chuckle behind her. Kagome whipped around, looking frightfully in every direction—but, of course, it was dark, and she couldn't see anymore than she had facing whatever direction she had started facing. "Wh-who are you?" Her voice sounded unbearably squeaky, successfully giving away her fear. "Where are you?"
The laugh sounded again, this time accompanied by another, higher one. Just as the screaming and the echoes had, the laughter seemed to be coming from every direction at once. Kagome prepared herself to ask again, in a firmer voice, the questions she'd asked before, but as she took a breath, a light appeared. It started as a tiny, golden orb, floating bodilessly before her, suspended in the middle of an eternity of darkness.
And then, all at once, the little ball of light decided it wanted to be a big ball of light. It expanded, in a flash, and drifted downwards like amber snowflakes. It gathered at the foot of the light-sphere and began to rise up again, taking shape. Before long at all, two human-figures were outlined out of the dust. The figures gave themselves a shake and the gold took its place around them like the light it was. Kagome found herself within feet of two gray-cloaked figures.
"Welcome, Higarashi Kagome." The person on the left, the taller one, spoke. It was obviously a male—the voice was a full, deep base. Strangely enough, his voice didn't echo.
Kagome swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She needed to ask these people who they were, why she was here, where this WAS—
"My name is Tsuki, Higarashi-san." That was the other, the shorter figure. She was a female—her voice, in contrast to the other's, was higher and clearer. "This is my partner, Masaru." Kagome nodded and bowed shakily without thinking. Halfway down she managed to see something—her feet! Her shoes! Her legs! They were all there! She put a hand in front of her eyes, and was overjoyed to see that as well. A wild hope rose up in her chest—maybe, she wasn't—
"Do not get too hopeful, Higarashi-san," Masaru said softly. "Your trial is not finished just yet."
"Trial?" Her hope was squashed immediately. "You mean, I'm—"
"Dead?" Tsuki finished calmly. "You are not dead, Higarashi-san. But you are not far from it. You shall have to conquer a challenge in order to get your physical body back."
"The...Trial?" Kagome guessed uncertainly. She didn't much like the idea of staking her life on one event, but what choice did she have?
"Precisely," the hooded people answered together, snapping her from her thoughts.
"B-but....I have a blood disease," Kagome said, sounding hesitant. "Wh-why aren't I dead yet? And why....am I being given a Trial?"
"Surely you don't wish to remain dead?" Masuru's voice was guarded.
"No, no of course not," she replied hastily. "It's just—"
"The Trial will proceed shortly, Higarashi-san," Tsuki interrupted as evenly as ever. "You will be given one small request, and we will fulfill it to the best of our ability. Choose carefully." Kagome's mouth snapped shut in mid-protest. They were doing her a favor; she had every intention of taking advantage of it. But what to wish for? They'd said a small request....so....
"Can you....show me my friends?" Kagome inquired. As the words tumbled from her mouth, a glowing orb, no unlike the one Tsuki and Masaru had come from, materialized in front of her. It glowed a bright indigo before flashing into a moving picture. As if viewed through a round television, Kagome saw each of her friends in turn. Miroku and Sango rushed through the rain, sheltering Shippo as best they could with their cloaks, Kirara at their heels; her school friends stopped by her front door, holding get-well balloons and talking animatedly with her grandfather; Inuyasha struggled through the murk, holding a red bundle close to his body—
And then, with another spark of light, the orb was gone, and she was looking at her solemn guides once more. It was then that Kagome realized tears were rolling down her cheeks, slowly. "I-I'm ready for the Trial now, Tsuki-san," she whimpered, sniffling and brushing her wet face with a palm.
"Very well," Tsuki said solemnly. Suddenly, a light brighter than anything she'd ever seen engulfed the darkness, and then....there was nothing.
--------------------
Tailz: Free of the ropes at last How's that for a plot twist? I was planning on ending this fic here, but what fun would that be? And anyway, I must admit, I'm kinda reluctant to relinquish this ficcy just yet....it's my most popular ever, and probably my best. But I think you'll forgive me. More to read, right?
Readers: ...... Begin sharpening weapons on rocks
Sanji: O.o; Backs away Taaaaillz....they're scaring me....
Both back into a corner, surrounded by armed readers
Tailz: O.O Be reaaally still, maybe they won't notice us.... Blanches as an arrow stabs into the wall inches from her face Eh-heh.....
Sanji: Dusts hands off You're probably wondering why the authoress is tied to the chair, aren't you, reader?
Reader: Uhhh....no, not really.
Sanji: Well, it's because I'm still getting your revenge! :)
Reader: Brightens Ooh, I LIKE that plan!
Sanji: Yes! I had to revive her, so she could write the chapter—I don't want you guys hunting ME down too—but as soon as she was done I tied her to the chair!
Tailz: O.o (Perverted mind got the best of her)
Sanji: O.O NOT LIKE THAT! SHEESH!
Emmy: Cheering for one-hundred reviews, yo....Let's cheer! Hand-clap
Tailz: -
Moogle: Continues to glare ominously at Tailz
Tailz: O.O; Mmmmm.....Saanjiii......
Every other Reader: Waits for the chapter to begin, holding knives and such
Sanji: Well....onward!
-------------------------------
Darkness. That was what Kagome saw all around her. Or rather, what she didn't see. There was not a spark of light—no shape, no color, no...nothing. It was completely silent and completely still. And nerve-racking. Experimentally, she waved a hand in front of her face. Nothing. She couldn't feel anything solid beneath her feet—was she floating? Was...was she....dead?
"Hello?" Kagome whimpered, and her own voice answered back in several voices each much different than hers: Hello, hellooooo, hellllllooo.... It was like an echo with a mind with its own. She didn't like it. Once the echoes died out, the air seemed to vibrate, as if it wasn't quite ready to give up what little sound it occasionally had. The air's vibrating seemed to intensify—
And then the screaming started.
It was so sudden that Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin—assuming she still had skin. There were so many voices among the noise—children, women, men, girls, boys....they all sounded so agonized. And loud. The very noise of it seemed to shake her bones around (if she still had them.) It didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction, but from every side, every angle, every molecule around. Kagome had to wonder then: had she fallen into the fiery abyss. The cries were certainly tormented enough.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, there was a soft chuckle behind her. Kagome whipped around, looking frightfully in every direction—but, of course, it was dark, and she couldn't see anymore than she had facing whatever direction she had started facing. "Wh-who are you?" Her voice sounded unbearably squeaky, successfully giving away her fear. "Where are you?"
The laugh sounded again, this time accompanied by another, higher one. Just as the screaming and the echoes had, the laughter seemed to be coming from every direction at once. Kagome prepared herself to ask again, in a firmer voice, the questions she'd asked before, but as she took a breath, a light appeared. It started as a tiny, golden orb, floating bodilessly before her, suspended in the middle of an eternity of darkness.
And then, all at once, the little ball of light decided it wanted to be a big ball of light. It expanded, in a flash, and drifted downwards like amber snowflakes. It gathered at the foot of the light-sphere and began to rise up again, taking shape. Before long at all, two human-figures were outlined out of the dust. The figures gave themselves a shake and the gold took its place around them like the light it was. Kagome found herself within feet of two gray-cloaked figures.
"Welcome, Higarashi Kagome." The person on the left, the taller one, spoke. It was obviously a male—the voice was a full, deep base. Strangely enough, his voice didn't echo.
Kagome swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She needed to ask these people who they were, why she was here, where this WAS—
"My name is Tsuki, Higarashi-san." That was the other, the shorter figure. She was a female—her voice, in contrast to the other's, was higher and clearer. "This is my partner, Masaru." Kagome nodded and bowed shakily without thinking. Halfway down she managed to see something—her feet! Her shoes! Her legs! They were all there! She put a hand in front of her eyes, and was overjoyed to see that as well. A wild hope rose up in her chest—maybe, she wasn't—
"Do not get too hopeful, Higarashi-san," Masaru said softly. "Your trial is not finished just yet."
"Trial?" Her hope was squashed immediately. "You mean, I'm—"
"Dead?" Tsuki finished calmly. "You are not dead, Higarashi-san. But you are not far from it. You shall have to conquer a challenge in order to get your physical body back."
"The...Trial?" Kagome guessed uncertainly. She didn't much like the idea of staking her life on one event, but what choice did she have?
"Precisely," the hooded people answered together, snapping her from her thoughts.
"B-but....I have a blood disease," Kagome said, sounding hesitant. "Wh-why aren't I dead yet? And why....am I being given a Trial?"
"Surely you don't wish to remain dead?" Masuru's voice was guarded.
"No, no of course not," she replied hastily. "It's just—"
"The Trial will proceed shortly, Higarashi-san," Tsuki interrupted as evenly as ever. "You will be given one small request, and we will fulfill it to the best of our ability. Choose carefully." Kagome's mouth snapped shut in mid-protest. They were doing her a favor; she had every intention of taking advantage of it. But what to wish for? They'd said a small request....so....
"Can you....show me my friends?" Kagome inquired. As the words tumbled from her mouth, a glowing orb, no unlike the one Tsuki and Masaru had come from, materialized in front of her. It glowed a bright indigo before flashing into a moving picture. As if viewed through a round television, Kagome saw each of her friends in turn. Miroku and Sango rushed through the rain, sheltering Shippo as best they could with their cloaks, Kirara at their heels; her school friends stopped by her front door, holding get-well balloons and talking animatedly with her grandfather; Inuyasha struggled through the murk, holding a red bundle close to his body—
And then, with another spark of light, the orb was gone, and she was looking at her solemn guides once more. It was then that Kagome realized tears were rolling down her cheeks, slowly. "I-I'm ready for the Trial now, Tsuki-san," she whimpered, sniffling and brushing her wet face with a palm.
"Very well," Tsuki said solemnly. Suddenly, a light brighter than anything she'd ever seen engulfed the darkness, and then....there was nothing.
--------------------
Tailz: Free of the ropes at last How's that for a plot twist? I was planning on ending this fic here, but what fun would that be? And anyway, I must admit, I'm kinda reluctant to relinquish this ficcy just yet....it's my most popular ever, and probably my best. But I think you'll forgive me. More to read, right?
Readers: ...... Begin sharpening weapons on rocks
Sanji: O.o; Backs away Taaaaillz....they're scaring me....
Both back into a corner, surrounded by armed readers
Tailz: O.O Be reaaally still, maybe they won't notice us.... Blanches as an arrow stabs into the wall inches from her face Eh-heh.....