" 'I'm sure my memory only works one way.' Alice remarked. 'I can't remember things before they happen.' "
"Kagome!" a voice said. Her grandmother's voice. Kagome opened or eyes, or tried to; everything was dark. "Kagome!" the voice said again.
The first of the familiar things returned to her: the smell of her grandmother's hair were it hung, long and pale, against her cheek. The second followed quickly enough, the feel of the rounded swell of legs, dry and wrinkled with age beneath her cheek. Her grandmother's lap.
"I can't see."
"I know dear." That comforting voice said. "I thought it best. It will pass."
"Kaori?"
"She's gone. You have far too much power and far to little knowledge to be trapped in this prison."
"Would she?"
"Would she what Kagome?"
"Kill me."
"It's not for me to say. I never knew her." There was a pause and then her grandmother spoke again. "It is not your fault she died alone Kagome."
"I was-"
"You were born. You could no more choose when you were born then you could decide what color you wanted your eyes to be. I usually don't believe such nonsense but in that girl's case, well, the sins of the father..." her grandmother left the rest out there to hang.
Kagome shifted slightly. "Where's Inuyasha?"
"Him? Oh he's frantic. He's shaking you y your shoulders till your teeth chatter and you're about to wake up."
"I'm sleeping..."
"You're dreaming the dreams of the Shikon no Tama. You are the key, find the locked door before this realm destroys you."
"Grandmother-"
"Be prepared for where you will be."
And then Kagome could see again. The first sight she met with was Inuyasha's deep golden eyes and she blinked groggily as her awareness shifted from the darkness and the smell and feel of her grandmother floated away, replaced with then touch of could hard stone beneath her murky smell of dried mud and Inuyasha blood.
"Inuyasha..."
"Kagome! Are you all right? You little idiot." He jerked her up into his arms and folded her into a huge, sighing into his head.
Kagome nuzzled his shoulder and allowed herself to relax into his embrace a moment. "Inuyasha. What happened?"
"You just started bleeding. A huge tear just appeared across your throat and you...you were dying and I remembered..." his words fell away quietly.
Kagome knew what he had meant to say. Her remembered Kikyou. She pulled back gently and glanced around. "Where are we?"
The world of violet and lavender was gone replaced by nothing but shadows. As Kagome looked around it was as if someone had flipped on a light and Kagome gasped and tipped her head back to look up at the huge expanse of the time tree. They were in the forest where she'd first met Inuyasha!
"Inuyasha. How...how."
He shook his head. "I don't know. When you fell I caught you and was trying to shake you awake and everything...just seemed to fade away and we were here."
"Are we out of the jewel then?" Kagome asked quietly.
Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know."
Kagome frowned then nodded determinedly. "Let's go to Kaede's village. There might be something...or someone there."
Inuyasha nodded and reached out a clawed hand to take her's protectively as they moved towards the village. Sunlight filtered through the treetops. Warm golden sunlight turning the leaves to thin green crystal. And Kagome smiled faintly even though her heart ached with fear. Apparently she had good reason because they reached Kaede's village soon enough...or what was left of it.
"What...what happened here?" Inuyasha whispered in shock.
The village was desecrated. The tiny huts that had lined the streets were no more then rubble and wood then. And slaughtered people lay littered the ground, their bodies torn and dismembered and partly devoured as if a wild animal had mauled all of them. The streets ran red with blood and Kagome covered her mouth against the tears as well as the stench.
"What the hell did this!?" Inuyasha snarled.
"Inuyasha! Look!" She backed away slowly as her gaze fell on a familiar face and shook her head tears brimming in her eyes as Sango's eyes, glossy in death, stared at her. "Sango!"
"Kagome don't look." But Kagome did, turning in the direction Inuyasha was staring to see Miroku, Kirara, and even little Shippou laying dead, their bodies all as mauled as the others. Sango's weapon lap snapped near her arm and Miroku's staff was bent neatly in half.
"Who did this?" Inuyasha snarled again.
"Inuyasha." A soft, faint voice floated across the distance towards the sound and couldn't stop the cry when she saw...herself.
The other her was dying, a gaping wound in her back, one arm dangling limply, apparently broken. Her own face was almost indistinguishable because it bore brutal claw marks that went from on side of her face all the way down to the base of her throat.
"Kagome!" Kagome turned as Inuyasha screamed her name with a wracking tone of anguish. But she drew back in shock when he wasn't looking at her but at the dying Kagome. He ran to her and lifted her up carefully against him. Rage and torment written across his face. "Kagome."
The wounded Kagome closed her eyes. "I still care for you Inuyasha." She whispered. "The Sacred jewel...it's what's making you evil. It's what's making you an evil demon." He eyes fluttered shut.
Kagome watched as Inuyasha tightened his grip on the wounded Kagome. "What are you talking about? Who did this? Kagome!"
The wounded Kagome opened her eyes again and let out a long high scream. "WHY DID YOU KILL THEM INUYASHA!?"
And as a mirror appeared before him he turned to it and saw himself, a whole sacred jewel blazing like a chakra in his forehead, elongated fangs and wild scarlet eyes that burned with a thirst for blood. Inuyasha. A full demon Inuyasha. Who knew nothing of friends and compassion. And suddenly...he remembered.
" 'I can't remember things before they happen.' "
"Kagome!" a voice said. Her grandmother's voice. Kagome opened or eyes, or tried to; everything was dark. "Kagome!" the voice said again.
The first of the familiar things returned to her: the smell of her grandmother's hair were it hung, long and pale, against her cheek. The second followed quickly enough, the feel of the rounded swell of legs, dry and wrinkled with age beneath her cheek. Her grandmother's lap.
"I can't see."
"I know dear." That comforting voice said. "I thought it best. It will pass."
"Kaori?"
"She's gone. You have far too much power and far to little knowledge to be trapped in this prison."
"Would she?"
"Would she what Kagome?"
"Kill me."
"It's not for me to say. I never knew her." There was a pause and then her grandmother spoke again. "It is not your fault she died alone Kagome."
"I was-"
"You were born. You could no more choose when you were born then you could decide what color you wanted your eyes to be. I usually don't believe such nonsense but in that girl's case, well, the sins of the father..." her grandmother left the rest out there to hang.
Kagome shifted slightly. "Where's Inuyasha?"
"Him? Oh he's frantic. He's shaking you y your shoulders till your teeth chatter and you're about to wake up."
"I'm sleeping..."
"You're dreaming the dreams of the Shikon no Tama. You are the key, find the locked door before this realm destroys you."
"Grandmother-"
"Be prepared for where you will be."
And then Kagome could see again. The first sight she met with was Inuyasha's deep golden eyes and she blinked groggily as her awareness shifted from the darkness and the smell and feel of her grandmother floated away, replaced with then touch of could hard stone beneath her murky smell of dried mud and Inuyasha blood.
"Inuyasha..."
"Kagome! Are you all right? You little idiot." He jerked her up into his arms and folded her into a huge, sighing into his head.
Kagome nuzzled his shoulder and allowed herself to relax into his embrace a moment. "Inuyasha. What happened?"
"You just started bleeding. A huge tear just appeared across your throat and you...you were dying and I remembered..." his words fell away quietly.
Kagome knew what he had meant to say. Her remembered Kikyou. She pulled back gently and glanced around. "Where are we?"
The world of violet and lavender was gone replaced by nothing but shadows. As Kagome looked around it was as if someone had flipped on a light and Kagome gasped and tipped her head back to look up at the huge expanse of the time tree. They were in the forest where she'd first met Inuyasha!
"Inuyasha. How...how."
He shook his head. "I don't know. When you fell I caught you and was trying to shake you awake and everything...just seemed to fade away and we were here."
"Are we out of the jewel then?" Kagome asked quietly.
Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know."
Kagome frowned then nodded determinedly. "Let's go to Kaede's village. There might be something...or someone there."
Inuyasha nodded and reached out a clawed hand to take her's protectively as they moved towards the village. Sunlight filtered through the treetops. Warm golden sunlight turning the leaves to thin green crystal. And Kagome smiled faintly even though her heart ached with fear. Apparently she had good reason because they reached Kaede's village soon enough...or what was left of it.
"What...what happened here?" Inuyasha whispered in shock.
The village was desecrated. The tiny huts that had lined the streets were no more then rubble and wood then. And slaughtered people lay littered the ground, their bodies torn and dismembered and partly devoured as if a wild animal had mauled all of them. The streets ran red with blood and Kagome covered her mouth against the tears as well as the stench.
"What the hell did this!?" Inuyasha snarled.
"Inuyasha! Look!" She backed away slowly as her gaze fell on a familiar face and shook her head tears brimming in her eyes as Sango's eyes, glossy in death, stared at her. "Sango!"
"Kagome don't look." But Kagome did, turning in the direction Inuyasha was staring to see Miroku, Kirara, and even little Shippou laying dead, their bodies all as mauled as the others. Sango's weapon lap snapped near her arm and Miroku's staff was bent neatly in half.
"Who did this?" Inuyasha snarled again.
"Inuyasha." A soft, faint voice floated across the distance towards the sound and couldn't stop the cry when she saw...herself.
The other her was dying, a gaping wound in her back, one arm dangling limply, apparently broken. Her own face was almost indistinguishable because it bore brutal claw marks that went from on side of her face all the way down to the base of her throat.
"Kagome!" Kagome turned as Inuyasha screamed her name with a wracking tone of anguish. But she drew back in shock when he wasn't looking at her but at the dying Kagome. He ran to her and lifted her up carefully against him. Rage and torment written across his face. "Kagome."
The wounded Kagome closed her eyes. "I still care for you Inuyasha." She whispered. "The Sacred jewel...it's what's making you evil. It's what's making you an evil demon." He eyes fluttered shut.
Kagome watched as Inuyasha tightened his grip on the wounded Kagome. "What are you talking about? Who did this? Kagome!"
The wounded Kagome opened her eyes again and let out a long high scream. "WHY DID YOU KILL THEM INUYASHA!?"
And as a mirror appeared before him he turned to it and saw himself, a whole sacred jewel blazing like a chakra in his forehead, elongated fangs and wild scarlet eyes that burned with a thirst for blood. Inuyasha. A full demon Inuyasha. Who knew nothing of friends and compassion. And suddenly...he remembered.
" 'I can't remember things before they happen.' "