DISCLAIMER: As always, I don't own the original story of the Inuyasha series nor do I own the characters and I don't own the Chinese fairytale that I'm basing this story on. But as far as I'm concerned I do own the idea of mixing these two things together :).
'...Italic...': thoughts
"...": spoken words
-.-.-.-.-: time gap
-- capslocked words --: noises
-by Kittymui-
Incurable agony
Kagome's eyes slowly opened. 'Where...?'
She turned her head and scanned her environment.
Wardrobes made of wood were standing against the walls, accompanied by several bookcases filled with tons of books. The ceiling had a soft orange color of the calm candlelight burning in the room. And she found herself lying in a wooden bed with sky-blue sheets and covers and white pillows.
It all seemed awfully familiar to her and eventually she realized where she was.
It was her chamber, the place she had longed returning to all this time.
But somehow, she wasn't happy to find herself being here at all.
She turned her face aside to the oblong shaped windows. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw the planet of green and blue hanging in the evening sky.
"Sesshoumaru..." she whispered as tears escaped her eyes and wetted the white pillow beneath her.
-- KNOCK KNOCK --
Kagome quickly dried her tears with the back of her hand and carefully turned to lie on her back again. "C-come in..." she said with a hoarse voice.
Her bedroom door opened and revealed a tall brown-haired woman with blue eyes in the doorway. She was dressed in a grand soft red robe that had a wide neckline and a long silky cape running from her shoulders to the floor.
"Kagome! Thank God you've finally awoken," her mature voice spoke in relief.
"M-mother," Kagome responded. Her eyes followed the queen as she walked to her side.
"Poor Kagome...you've become thinner..." her mother wailed, sitting down on the bedside.
Kagome didn't respond to this. When she tried to sit up, a hand gently pushed her down to the mattress again.
"Your body is still too weak after being healed, you shouldn't get up."
She listened to her mother and relaxed again.
"What are you holding in your hand?" the queen suddenly asked, pointing at one of her hands.
Kagome raised her hand and realized that she had balled it up tightly.
"I tried to open it when I was healing your wounds but you wouldn't let me; even in your unconscious state," she explained.
Slowly, Kagome relaxed her fingers and opened her hand like a blooming flower.
Queen Moira was puzzled at the sight of the purplish jewel at the center of her daughter's palm. "What is it?"
"The Shikon no Tama..." Kagome replied monotonously. "It grants its beholder the power to fulfill his or her dreams and desires..."
"Sounds pretty powerful...can I see it?" the queen asked innocently.
Without suspicion, she handed the jewel over to her mother.
The chamber fell silent as her mother examined the marble. "Who gave this to you?" she asked after a short while.
"Sesshoumaru did," the princess replied bluntly.
"That demon lord???" gasped the queen with wide eyes.
Kagome scowled. "Why are you all calling him like that?! He has a name you know?!"
"But why did he give you something like this?" Moira continued, ignoring Kagome's remark.
"He risked his life to find this jewel for me so I could go home," she explained. "He's done a lot for me..."
An awkward smile formed on her lips as she stared at the ceiling. "I thought all problems would be solved after I left the castle...but things just got worse and I ended up being saved again..."
As she said that, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the queen secretly put the Shikon no Tama into her sleeve.
"What are you doing?" she asked with narrowed eyes, turning to her mother with her full face.
"Kagome, it's for your own good. As your mother, I would never do things to hurt you. You know that, right?" Moira said as she stood up.
Kagome quickly grabbed the red sleeve of her mother. "What are you going to do with the Shikon no Tama??? Give it back!!"
"Be a good girl and let go, please," the queen pleaded.
"No mother! Give it back to me!!!" the princess snarled determined, forcing herself to a sitting position to grab the fabric more firmly.
It was the only memento she had of the demon lord and there was no way she would let it be taken away from her.
"Kagome!! How dare you talk to your mother like that!!" a stern and low voice spoke from the doorway.
It was a man dressed in a grand red robe of a darker shade than the queen's with a soft white mantle over it.
"F-father," Kagome said in surprise, but she didn't let go of her mother.
Kronos walked towards the bed. "If you still see me as your father, then listen to me and forget about your fake feelings towards that demon."
She scowled. "It's Sesshoumaru..." she corrected him brutally. "And I know what I feel."
"Don't talk back to me young lady!!" the king snapped angrily. "I don't know what he has done to bewitch you but there's no way I would let my daughter be together with a demon!!"
"I will always long to be by his side and grieve for not being able to until the day I die!! There's nothing you can do to stop me!!" Kagome stated proudly.
The king's eyes reddened in fury. "If you won't forget about him willingly, I will have no other option but to force you..."
Kagome's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that??"
"That Shikon no Tama..." Kronos said. "...it can fulfill any kind of wish and desire. That's what you said, right?"
She widened her eyes. "Y-you wouldn't..." she said in disbelief.
"I'm sorry Kagome, but if you insist on keeping your stubborn behavior, I'll have you forget about everything that keeps you bounded to that horrible demon lord," he stated clearly.
After hearing that, Kagome pulled even harder at her mother's sleeve. "No!! You can't do that to me!! Give it back to me!! Give it"
Her loud crying came to an end when Kronos hit the base of her neck with the side of his hand.
The king watched her daughter collapse into his arms and carefully laid her back to the bed.
After pulling the covers up to her shoulders, he straightened himself up again, only to find Moira with a pained look in her eyes as they stared at their daughter.
"Maybe we should give it back to her...it is her only memento after all..." she mumbled with regret in her voice.
"We can't do that," the king responded. "If we give it back, she will surely use it to go back to that demon's side. Is that what you wish for?"
The queen hesitated but eventually shook her head. "I guess you're right..." she agreed.
Kronos went to her side and put his hands on both her upper arms. "She will understand eventually. After a while, she will forget about that demon and everything will be normal again," he comforted her.
"But what if the demon lord shares the same feelings for Kagome?" Moira argued.
He raised a brow. "A demon lord of the Earth falling in love with a princess from the moon...?! Ridiculous!!"
"Even if it is possible, there's no way he can come here and take Kagome away from us," he reasoned.
The doubt on the queen's face remained. "But what if...?"
"You worry too much my queen," the king smiled. "Before the demon has found a way to come here, we'll make sure that Kagome has forgotten about him completely. Then she would never agree to go back to Earth with him."
"How do we know it's safe to use the jewel?" Moira asked worriedly.
The king squeezed her arms gently. "That's why I want you to find out more about this Shikon no Tama before we actually use it. Do you understand?"
She nodded slightly. "I-I understand. I'll do my best."
Kronos placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Thank you love."
And they both left Kagome's chamber, leaving Kagome behind in her forced slumber.
-.- the next day -.-
"Ng..." Kagome groaned as she woke up.
"You're finally awake," a familiar and gentle voice said.
She slowly turned her face to the side. She immediately recognized the black-haired woman standing next to the bed. "K-Kikyou onee-sama..."
Kikyou was wearing a plain white dress with long trumpet-shaped sleeves. Her hair was tied into a loose braid that rested on one of her shoulders. "How are you feeling?" she asked with a smile.
She was surprised when Kagome suddenly grabbed a part of her dress below her waist.
"P-please...onee-sama...please help me," she pleaded as she used all her might to sit up.
Kikyou quickly lent her a hand and helped her. "Kagome, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly and sat down on the mattress.
Kagome burst into tears. "They're going to erase my memory...they don't want me to remember...and they took it from me...the Shikon no Tama..." she sobbed haphazardly.
"Calm down Kagome. Who's going to"
"Mother and father!" she cut her sister off. "They're going to use the jewel's power to erase my memory!"
"But why?" Kikyou asked with a puzzled look.
The young princess lowered her gaze to her hands. "B-because...of him..."
Kikyou widened her eyes. "Y-you mean..."
"Sesshoumaru..." Kagome finished her sentence.
She was surprised to feel her elder sister's warm hand wiping away the tears on her cheeks and looked up at her.
"You silly Kagome...so that's why you protected him from Kururo's arrow..." said Kikyou. "Do you realize how shocked everyone was when you did that? Kururo hadn't slept for days because she realized she had nearly killed her sister with her own hands."
"But he was already injured and there was no way he could have dodged the arrow. How could she take advantage of that?" Kagome argued.
Kikyou opened her mouth to respond to this but was cut off as Kagome continued.
"It isn't Sesshoumaru's fault that my wings were torn off. He saved me when I was on the brink of death. And after that, he risked his life countless times to protect me when I was in danger. He even gave me the Shikon no Tama so I could wish for my wings and go home."
Kagome closed her eyes and made more tears roll down her cheeks. "Is it so wrong...wanting to be with the one I...love?"
Kikyou's eyes hardened. "But he's a dem" her voice faltered as she realized that Kagome wasn't listening anymore.
She sighed. "Don't think too much. Get some rest okay?" she said before standing up and walking away.
-.-
After closing the door behind her, Kikyou thought about Kagome's words.
"Is it so wrong wanting to be the one I love?"
Her expression saddened. 'No...it isn't wrong Kagome...' she replied inwardly as she traveled silently down the hall.
'But do we have a choice...?'
-.- later that night -.-
'If nobody's going to help me...I'll do it myself!' Kagome gritted her teeth as she moved herself off of her bed.
On her bare feet and in her thin blue nightdress, she slipped into the hall.
After some silent twists and turns, she finally arrived at the study of the king and queen. She was more than relieved to realize that her parents' bedroom and their study were two separate spaces. Luckily, no light was coming out of the room and Kagome sneaked into the chamber without further thoughts.
It was pitch-black inside the study.
In her heart, Kagome prayed for a clue leading to the jewel's location. 'Please...let me find the Shikon no Tama...' she thought as she carefully walked deeper into the room.
As if responding to her pleads, several faint purplish rays of light started to come out of a small box at the end of the room.
'There!' Kagome thought and hurried her way to the glowing box.
She opened the wooden lid and relief filled her heart when she saw the glowing marble.
Kagome reached out to take it but before she touched it, a voice surprised her.
"Who's there!?"
When she turned around, she saw the silhouette of a guard right outside the door she had forgotten to close.
Without hesitation, Kagome grabbed the jewel and ran towards the doorway.
She pushed the guard aside to the floor and ran into the hall.
"STOP!!!! GUARDS!!!" the same voice yelled from behind her
But Kagome didn't care and she ran away from the study as fast as she could, with her bare and sweaty feet on the cold marble floor.
-.-
"Kagome!! STOP!!!" a low voice commanded.
And finally, Kagome came to a stop.
Countless guards were standing at both sides of the hall and got her completely cornered.
Tthe king was the one who ordered her to stop. He and queen Moira were standing together with the guards in front of her.
In the hall, there fell a dead silence except for the heavy pants coming from the young princess.
"Kagome, what do you think you're doing??" Moira broke the silence.
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "I will not let anyone erase my memories!"
"This is ridiculous!!" Kronos scowled. "There's no way a demon like him would feel the same way for you. Wake up Kagome! And even if he does, I will never approve it!!"
"I don't care if he returns my feelings or not!" Kagome spat in reply. "I just want to see him again!"
Meanwhile, the rest of the princesses had arrived and they went to stand with their parents. They were all wearing long-sleeved nightdresses of different colors.
"Kagome, please don't do anything you'll regret!" Kikyou pleaded.
The king's face colored in fury. "I will never allow my daughter to be with a demon!! NEVER!!!" he roared.
"Please listen to your father Kagome. We only want what's best for you," Moira added.
But Kagome shook her head. "No...you don't understand...you'll never understand..."
She turned to look at Kikyou. "Kikyou onee-sama. I finally understand what you meant back then...you were sad because you weren't able to decide to whom you wanted to marry...then...why can't you understand how I'm feeling right now???"
Kikyou dropped her gaze to her feet as she knew there was no way she could stop or convince her younger sister anymore.
But Kronos had no intention of giving up and stepped forward. "Kagome, if you use that Shikon no Tama and go back to Earth to that demon's side, I swear I will send troops of soldiers to pursue you and that demon until you agree to come back. I will do it even if it takes my whole lifetime to separate you!!" he threatened.
Kagome's eyes hardened at this. After causing so much trouble to the demon lord, the last thing she wanted was to cause him even more endless trouble.
"Why? Why are you pushing me like that?!" she cried sadly.
Kagome looked down at the Shikon no Tama in her hands and then shifted her gaze back to her family as she tightened her grip on the jewel. "Even if I won't be seeing Sesshoumaru for the rest of my life..." she said with streaming tears on her cheeks. "I will NEVER let you erase my memories of him!!!"
She raised the jewel with both her hands in the air and threw it with all her might to the hard floor.
-- PLING --
As soon as the Shikon no Tama hit the floor, it snapped into two pieces. Each halve toppled to the side and came to a rest.
"Seize her!!!" the king's voice commanded.
The guards made their way to the young princess while two got hold of her upper arms. And the whole crowd began to move towards one end of the hall.
All did, except for one.
Kikyou watched with sad eyes how her dear sister was being carried away like a prisoner.
Her eyes dropped to the white marble floor where Kagome stood before.
The two pieces of the once round and perfect jewel lay forgotten behind.
"Kagome..." whispered her sad voice.
-.- several days later -.-
A couple of days have passed and Kikyou decided to pay her dear sister a visit.
From what she had heard, Kagome caught a cold and had been staying in bed for the past few days.
Because of the incident, the soon-to-be-bride became a bit distracted and the preparations for her wedding had been delayed. Kikyou was busy with keeping up the schedule but now she finally had some free time.
Nobody had spoken about the incident ever since it took place and she was glad about it.
-.-
She was merely one step away from Kagome's bedroom door when a maid suddenly came out of it.
"Oh, Kikyou-sama!" the maid in soft yellow greeted her surprised.
Kikyou frowned as she looked at what the maid was holding. "What's going on?" the princess in white asked, pointing at the chain of keys in one of her hands. And in her other hand, she was carrying a tray with untouched food.
"K-Kikyou-sama, it's eh..." she stammered as she closed the door behind her.
"Tell me the truth," Kikyou demanded, with narrowed eyes locking on the maid's terrified brown ones.
"I'm so sorry Kikyou-sama," she suddenly apologized with a deep bow. "We were ordered to hide this from you so you could concentrate on the preparations for your wedding. Kagome-sama...she has actually been locked up in her room ever since that incident."
Kikyou widened her eyes in shock. "W-what did you say?? Who ordered you to do that??"
"It was the king, your father, who gave us that order," the maid replied. "It was to prevent Kagome-sama from committing suicide...but..." her voice trailed off and her expression suddenly saddened.
"But what?" she asked.
"But Kagome-sama has refused to eat or drink ever since she got locked up...if this goes on...she will eventually die..." the maid confessed.
Kikyou remained as calm as possible as she heard this. "I'm going to see her," she decided aloud.
The girl hesitated. "But the king"
"Nobody will know about this, do I make myself clear?" the princess cut her off threateningly.
"Y-yes, Kikyou-sama," the maid bowed and slowly walked away.
Kikyou waited until the sound of the bumping keys became inaudible before turning to the bedroom door completely.
She took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob. With a soft squeak, she pushed the door open and entered.
And she couldn't believe what she saw.
What was once a cheerful bedroom filled with brown and blue, had now become an empty space with four white, plain walls.
At the end of the room laid a lonely sky-blue mattress with white pillows and blue covers on it.
Her eyes widened when she saw the person sleeping on it.
After closing the door behind her, Kikyou approached the bed while covering her mouth with her hand. "K-Kagome..." she gasped, barely recognizing her youngest sister.
"K-Kikyou...onee-sama..." her hoarse voice responded as her heavy eyelids slowly revealed her navy-blue orbs.
The princess fell to her knees next to the mattress as tears filled her eyes.
"D-don't cry..." she said with a weak smile. "To die with my memories of Sesshoumaru...I have no regrets."
"Kagome..." Kikyou whispered. 'You're so much stronger then I am...you defied our parents' order...you held onto your true feelings...and even now...you rather die than live without ever being able to see the one you love...'
Her thoughts were cut off when she heard her sister's weak voice again.
"I just wish....I-I could see him...one...last...t-time..."
After she said those words, Kagome closed her eyes again.
Kikyou widened her eyes. "Kagome? Kagome wake up!!" She quickly lowered her ear to her face. 'Thank God...she's still breathing...' she thought relieved when she felt a soft breeze caress her face.
At the same time, the Royal family, followed by guards, stormed into the chamber.
"Kagome!!" Queen Moira cried and ran to Kagome's side. The rest followed her into the chamber.
Nobody, however, noticed Kikyou slipping out of the crowd and leaving the room.
-.-
Hastily, the eldest princess made her way to the castle's courtyard.
Once arrived, she looked around to make sure nobody followed and reached into her sleeve.
She bit her lower lip as she took out the two halves of the Shikon no Tama and looked at them. 'Kagome...I won't let you die...' After securing the broken jewel in her palm, she summoned her large white wings. 'I will definitely bring back the one who can cure your agony...' she decided determinedly and broke contact with the floor using her wings.
And the winged one disappeared into the sky.
Thought you might like a quick update after so many cliffhangers, so here it is! Hope you liked it. The coming update won't be coming as quick as this one since I've received some homework now. But still, please look forward to the next chapter okay? Thanks!!
Lots of greets,
Kittymui
Next chapter: Crumbling wall of pride
-.-.-.-.-
Needless to say, the next chapter will be about Sesshoumaru. I've got several readers asking me what had happened to the arrow Kururo shot (the one Kagome caught for Sesshoumaru). I thought it would be nice to stop there (in the previous chapter) since I would suddenly have to change to Sesshoumaru's perspective to describe what happened after Kagome got shot (Kagome became unconscious so no way I could tell things from her perspective). Never thought it would create some frustrations, sorry!! But things are going to be explained in the next chapter, so don't worry.
-.-.-.-.-
Vocabulary:
onee-sama: (big) sister
-.-.-.-.-
REPLIES TO REVIEWS:
Shiroi senshi: Haha indeed, it won't be called a Sess/Kag pairing if they weren't meant to be together. Hmm you think the previous chapter was sad? How did you find this one? Thanks for reviewing :).
Dragon of Sesshomaru: -blinks- You can actually pause midair? That's really cool :)!! How did you like the update?
Kirei Baka Kasumi: Hahaha nope, have to honestly say that Kikyou's not going to die in this story. I think this chapter was sadder than the previous one, what do you think?
INUGIRL: Sorry for the cliffhanger. Hope you still like it though :). Thanks for reviewing!
DarkAngelB: Nice guess, she's indeed at home by the next chapter hehehe. Thanks for your review and good luck with your homework!!
silverstargazing: Hehehe, I'm glad you still liked it despite of the drama :). Sorry for leaving you at a cliffhanger again, but I've updated pretty soon right?
Wake-Robin: Haha you're very welcome :). I'm glad you liked it!
trivia: Thanks!!
stoictimer: Thank you very much!! The arrow hit Kagome's back but didn't go through it much to her relief (or it would kill Sesshoumaru as well). She didn't die as you can see and it's getting more dramatic with the minute hahaha. Don't worry, things will get better, I promise.
areen: Thank you :)! I'm glad you like it.
Jirurianu: Thanks thanks!! :)
Angelic 0263: Haha I will, don't worry. I'm happy to hear you loved it hihihi.
Muki: Thanks! All your questions will be answered as the story continues :).
Kyia: Thanks for telling me! I'll keep that in mind :).
Why?What?Shutup: -Kittymui widens her eyes- D-don't threaten me... -suddenly
Kittymui's 3 faithful muses start to talk-
Muse1: "That's not fair! We've been working so hard and yet our boss is
getting threatened still!"
Muse2: "You're absolutely right! You know what? Let's go on a strike!"
Muse1,2&3: "Yeah! Let's do it!!"
-three of them fold their arms together and sit down, sticking up their noses
to the air-
Kittymui: "Uh-oh..."
ISpikedThePunch: Thank you!! I'm so happy to hear you loved it in spite of the sadness :). Although I don't find myself THAT amazing, but still, thanks!!
dragon of hope: Here you go! Hope you'll like this one too :).
Guardian-of-the-night: Hehehe thought you would say that hahaha. Hey thanks, I'm glad you didn't find the cliffhangers annoying :). Sound effects? Oh that hahaha, well it's nothing...really...honestly I thought they were starting to be annoying because I use them so often.
serenity2222: Thanks!!
Posted: 19 September 2004
Last Edited: 19 September 2004
Spelling check: YES