Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.
I Want Tomorrow
©2001-2002 by Kei
VI – Uncovering the Truth
The monotony of walking along the well-developed traveling path was getting to Kagome. Shippô was snoozing on her shoulder, and his rhythmic breathing next to her ear only augmented the drowsiness welling up inside her after not having slept for about five days now. Her head was tilted slightly downwards, and the same patterns ran before her half-lidded eyes in her line of sight: Inuyasha's steady, self-assured stride; Kagome's own tabi-socked feet reaching out in front of her with every step; and her wooden geta sandals that created a recurring clack on the gravel.
Kagome wasn't sure how well she was fooling Inuyasha into thinking she slept a full eight hours every night the way he and Shippô did. Instead she did her best to lie on her sleeping mat without sleeping. Instead she stared up at the stars and thought; sometimes she daydreamed. During those times when she allowed fanciful notions to enter her head, she imagined what it would be like when she and her traveling companions finally arrived at Inuyasha's home.
She envisioned his mother rushing out to embrace her son, with long sable locks flowing out behind her slim, elegant figure. She would have smooth skin and enchanting dark eyes; her tomesode kimono would be fashioned of only the finest silk and dyed a soothing, pale peach hue. Her obi would be intricately embroidered with multicolored blossoms, and of course a handmaiden would have spent tedious minutes tying the back into the complicated butterfly bow. However, her outward beauty would pale in comparison to the magnificent soul inside. She would be a sweet, adoring wife, and an endlessly doting mother. She would be willing to help anyone in need, discounting species and social status. She would treat her servants well, not like slaves with no minds of their own. She would be, in essence, the perfect woman.
Inuyasha's father would be tall, with a sleek but strong facial structure and two reddish slashes on each cheek demarking his species, a dog demon. His hair would be long and snowy like Inuyasha's, highly contrasting with the deep black of his kimono decorated by winding golden dragons that set off his glimmering topaz eyes. His muscular arms would be able to easily swing the sword that hung in its sheath suspended from a belt encircling his waist. He would be a powerful creature, in both physical and mental regards, with a commanding voice that demanded to be heard; but he would also be a loving mate and caring father. He would be swift with punishment, but that's not to say he was merciless. No, he would be a just and judicious individual who would raise his offspring with similar convictions.
Kagome had to be careful not to be lulled by her fantasies and allow them to morph into dreams, though. When she felt herself drifting off into dreamland, she would quickly hop up from her bedroll and walk around the campsite a little bit to keep her blood moving. She would recite childhood songs and rhymes in her head to keep herself occupied while she ambled about the area.
Inevitably, her legs would grow tired and Kagome would spend the rest of the long night sitting upright, usually against the trunk of a tree, as Inuyasha was wont to do. Speaking of the hanyou, he soon entered Kagome's thoughts as well. She would often watch him sleeping, as she lacked nothing better to do. She conjectured about his past, of course, but she also contemplated his future. She wondered if her future was intertwined with his. As she considered it more and more, and studied his peaceful countenance as he slept night after night, she decided that she would be overjoyed if she and Inuyasha had a shared future.
But pondering over this gave way to recollections of her dreadful visions. The ones she'd had so far all seemed to be presentiments relating to Inuyasha's impending premature expiration. Kagome didn't know if she could endure another of the haunting visualizations. The thought of losing Inuyasha was simply unbearable to Kagome.
But then, in the very first vision, Shippô had been gone; the second one portrayed him covered in blood, the same blood that had been drenching Kagome's hands; and in the third one she had envisaged him as a skeleton. Inuyasha had been murdered by Kagome's reflection in the first vision; he had not been present in the second one, but subsequent to Kagome experiencing that nerve-wracking sight, Inuyasha had smelled the blood Kagome saw, and then she'd noticed the fact that his kimono was blood-red. In the third nightmare, she was chasing him and they were both laughing, but then he'd disappeared and later returned as a skeleton.
The first two seemed to indicate that Inuyasha and Shippô would perish, and that their blood would be on Kagome's hands. She recalled the wicked reflection she had been confronted with, and no amount of analysis of this could provide her with even a loose interpretation of that element's meaning. The idea of her somehow, for some strange reason, turning evil was absurd. It was possible, she knew, but highly improbable.
Then how was she supposed to account for her maleficent twin?
Fortunately for Kagome, by the time these thoughts became overwhelming it would be a couple of hours past dawn and Inuyasha would be rousing from his slumber. He offered conversation and companionship to Kagome, keeping her engaged until they broke camp and set off down the road again.
"Oi! Get outta the way! MOVE IT!" bellowed the driver of a horse-and-cart clattering down the street. He was urging his horse to go faster and faster down the dirt road through the busy center, just shouting warnings to passersby without any consideration for the people crossing.
Inuyasha had already stepped to the wayside, assuming Kagome would follow him because she was always alert and observant, though lately she seemed to be less sentient than usual. It took him several moments to realize that she was still shambling along in the middle of the road with her head down, right in the path of the speeding wagon.
"KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled at the top of his lungs, not hesitating for even a moment before darting the few yards to Kagome, snatching her and Shippô up, and diving over to the opposite side of the street. The cart driver cursed at them as he passed, but Inuyasha ignored him and instead turned his attention and concern on the disoriented kitsune and incoherent miko.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha barked, shaking her roughly by the shoulders as she lay sprawled across his lap and the dirt. Her dull blue-grey eyes were out of focus as her lips barely moved, trying to form inaudible words.
"You fool! What were you thinking walking right in the path of that crazy cart driver?" he rebuked her. "Not only did you put your own life at risk, but Shippô's as well! How could you be so stupid?" he demanded, though the admonishment lost much of its power because of the shakiness of fear that accompanied it. He could hardly remember the last time he had been so scared. He couldn't release the idea that, if he had been just a second slower, Kagome and Shippô would have been killed or fatally maimed. He had come far too close to losing the dark-haired priestess he had endeared so much, not that he would ever tell her so outright.
Inuyasha gathered Kagome's limp figure up in his arms, hugging her close to him. "What were you thinking?" he reiterated in a whisper right beside her ear, his voice nearly breaking with distress.
"I was thinking," Kagome murmured in a thick voice, "how nice it would be…to fall asleep in your arms again…just…like this…"
And with that, her head slumped onto his shoulder as she fast descended into unconsciousness.
Kagome was standing at the crest of a bright green knoll, staring out across the rolling emerald hills and into the setting sun. Oranges, pinks, purples, and blues meshed together across the sky behind the flaming yellow orb of the sun. Several birds flitted across the firmament, chirping tuneful messages to one another.
"Kagome…" a haunting, hollow voice beckoned her from behind. Kagome immediately whirled around to see the same mirror from her previous vision. The phoenixes glinted into the dimming sunlight, and Kagome studied her reflection closely for any signs of evil intent.
All of a sudden, a silver grin flashed across the sharp visage of the reflection, and her hand shot out from beneath the glass, creating ripples across its smooth surface as though it were water. The hand clamped down painfully hard on Kagome's shoulder and dragged her through the mirror. She stumbled forward a bit from the force, but when she regained her equilibrium she found herself at the end of a long stone corridor dimly lit by a few flambeaux mounted high on the cold, damp walls. She thought she saw a shadow in the flickering light far at the end of the hall, so she began moving forward to discover whence the shadow fell.
'What am I stepping in?' Kagome wondered at the sticky liquid substance coating the soles of her bare feet. She cast her eyes downward and nearly choked on a gasp when she saw that a layer of blood was spread across the entire length and width of the floor. Trying to quell her churning stomach, Kagome pressed on, her face contorted into a mask of agony at being forced to walk through someone's blood.
After several minutes of trudging through the shallow crimson river, Kagome finally arrived at the place where the shadow had been. For a second she didn't see anything, but then she met eyes with the malevolent reflection that had yanked her through the mirror.
"I'm going to kill Inuyasha, you know," Kagome's copy stated plainly.
"Not while I'm still alive," Kagome retorted defiantly.
"Who says you'll be alive?" the other replied, obviously amused by Kagome's assertion.
For a second Kagome was silent, but then she asked, "Well, why do you want to kill us? No, wait, before you answer that, who are you?"
"I am…your evil twin," she smirked.
Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I know that, lady, but what's your damn name?"
"That is something you should ask Inuyasha."
Kagome wanted to enquire as to how Inuyasha would know the woman's name, but the dreamscape was fading and Kagome was returning to cognizance.
The first words spoken to her fell from Inuyasha's fang-baring mouth: "What the hell is wrong with you, Kagome?"
Kagome groaned, blinking her heavy eyelids and rolling away from the pissed off half-demon. Her joints creaking, she stood up and yawned while she rubbed her left shoulder. The pressure from her fingers sent tiny rivulets of pain flowing on her nerves, and she silently questioned how she had gotten a bruise there. For a second it entered her head that she had acquired the bruise from when her "evil twin" had gripped her shoulder and tugged her through the mirror. She shook her head at the sheer illogicality of that notion; she knew she couldn't be physically injured by a dream.
As she looked around she realized that the setting was different from the one she last remembered. She surmised that Inuyasha had carried her to this quiet thicket to rest and wait for her to regain consciousness.
"What is that stuff caked on your feet, Kagome?" Shippô questioned innocently. Kagome arched an eyebrow in confusion and quickly sat down again to examine her soles. For a brief moment she worried about the location of her sandals, but immediately caught sight of them over by her pack, bow, and quiver. One of her friends must have taken them off.
She gripped her right ankle and brought her foot up into her lap, turning it slightly to view the underside. Her eyes widened and speech escaped her when she realized that the hard dark-colored substance encrusting her soles was dried blood. She remembered her evil twin's words about the name Inuyasha would know. Her eyes shot over to the dog demon, who was watching her intently while his nose twitched, trying to discern the nature of the material on Kagome's feet.
"Inuyasha," she said with more severity in her voice than she intended, "what is my evil twin's name?"
His topaz eyes clearly exhibited surprise at her question, shock that she would know to ask him such a question. Trying not to think about the consequences in store for his unrevealed knowledge, Inuyasha said in a soft, ashamed voice, "Kikyou."
Kagome couldn't remember the last time she had felt so hurt, angry, and betrayed. As she stormed through the unfamiliar forest, using her power to shove aside brush that impeded her and turning every so often at a large tree, all she could think about was the fact that Inuyasha knew the evil twin. He had tried to explain about it, but the fact that he had allowed her to suffer the utter helplessness induced by the strange dreams was explanation enough. Kagome never wanted to see his face again.
She wanted to scream "Curse you, Inuyasha!" as loud as she could, but some small part of her, the selfless, benevolent priestess Kagome, wouldn't allow her to utter the condemnation. Because, in spite of Inuyasha willfully concealing the truth from her about her evil twin's identity, it was no lie that the evil twin intended great harm to Inuyasha and Kagome cursing him would probably ensure his death. As furious as she was at him, she didn't want him to die.
With a wild ululation of aggravation, Kagome shook her head violently and balled her hands into white-knuckled fists. She punched the nearest thing available, an old, dead tree, and the power behind the blow sawed the tree off at the point of collision and caused it to slam down on the forest floor. Kagome, breathing heavily, stepped back and surveyed the damage she had caused in her blind rage. Her hands loosened and her expression softened, and she exhaled to release her frustration and anger.
Now that her fury had been erased, though, the hurt bubbled up in Kagome and overflowed. She had to sit down against another nearby tree, hug her knees to her chest, and cry. She had never been away from home before; these horrible presentiments predicting brutal deaths were bombarding her; she hadn't slept more than two hours in the last five days; and now Inuyasha had been keeping important things from her, things that could have helped alleviate some of the anguish that came with not knowing what her dreams meant.
Abruptly, a male voice broke through Kagome's quiet sniffles. "Right now you would be very easy prey."
"So why not just kill me and get it over with?" she replied bitterly, not even raising her eyes to look at the predator. But then an image of Shippô flashed through her mind and she realized that she was being selfish. Just as the guy was about to pounce, Kagome jumped up and shouted, "STOP!" She had to stifle a giggle when he fell over.
After he scrambled to his feet, Kagome was able to get a good look at him. He had a build similar to Inuyasha in terms of stature, and they were probably equal in strength as well. He wore armor partially constructed of tawny fur, and a sword hung at his waist. He also had lengths of fur enclosing his forearms and his lower legs; furry shoulder pads completed the ensemble. His black hair was tied up in a ponytail that hung down quite a ways past his fur-padded shoulders, and a tawny headband encircled his skull. He had angular features, humanoid ears with pointed tips, and startling blue eyes. Had they met under different circumstances, Kagome might have allowed herself to be wooed by his good looks.
Kagome tentatively released strands of her power that slithered across the ground and lightly touched the youth's feet, then rapidly retreated back into Kagome. From that delicate contact, she determined that this creature was a wolf demon. Having concluded this, Kagome noticed a tail with fur the same color as the pieces of armor protruding from the youkai's backside. She rolled her eyes at her own ignorance.
"Why'd you tell me to stop?" he inquired.
"Because I don't feel suicidal anymore," Kagome replied simply. "I was feeling really sorry for myself when you found me, but that was just foolishness. Now, I'm very tired and I have some obligations to fulfill, so if you'll excuse me—"
She had just been starting to walk away when he leapt in front of her, obstructing her path. He smirked down into her stunned face, parting his lips and running his tongue over razor-sharp incisors that could rip the meat from Kagome's bones with no trouble.
"You're really tired and I'm really hungry," he said softly, with a hint of a threatening growl in his voice. "That means you'll be very easy to catch and kill."
Kagome pursed her lips. "I need to go, and your persistence is annoying me," she told him, trying to shove her way past him, but he pushed her back in front of him with only one arm. She sighed, and he took it to mean that she had accepted her fate to be his meal. He took her by the shoulders, unintentionally pressing on her bruise and making her hiss in pain.
"Since you're feeling suicidal—"
"I said I was feeling suicidal, dummy!" Kagome interjected, but he seemed not to hear her exclamation.
"—I'll make your death quick. I'll tear out your gullet, how's that sound?" he asked rhetorically, opening his mouth wider to sink his teeth into Kagome's throat.
"That doesn't sound very nice!" Kagome yelled, heaving him away from her with forceful bands of her power. He fell back onto his rump over the fallen tree and sat there for a moment, staring at Kagome in bewilderment. She glared back at him.
"I thought you were tired and suicidal," he said, getting to his feet and brushing off his seat.
"I'm not suicidal anymore!" Kagome roared, earning a slightly cowed look from the wolf. "And I haven't slept in FIVE DAYS! But I've no intention of being killed and eaten, so I'm not so tired that I can't defend myself against you, you pig!"
"But I'm a wolf…"
"Yes, I'm aware of that—"
"Could you just let me eat you? I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I'm starving!"
"NO! Just who do you think you are?" she demanded. This demon was unbelievable!
"I'm Kouga, son of the youkai wolf tribe leader," he answered.
"Oh, my name's Kagome, it's nice to meet you," she responded out of habit, and she was halfway into a bow when she realized what she was doing. She righted herself, flustered, and glared at Kouga again.
"The bottom line is, if you want to eat me, you'll have to fight me, and I doubt you'll win," she clarified for him, because he was obviously quite dim in the head.
He didn't say anything as he approached her, his body language offering no sign of malice or intent to devour her. When he stopped in front of her, he pierced her eyes with his and smiled. It wasn't a ravenous or predatory grin, but a small smile of genuine happiness.
"I decided just now that you'll be my woman, Kagome," he informed her, as though it were nothing of real significance.
"E-excuse me?" Kagome sputtered. "Your 'woman'? Just what do you mean by that?" she questioned suspiciously, fearing the answer.
"You know, you're my woman, I'm your man. We go back to my home, make cute little wolf babies, and live together happily until we die," he explained. "Or until a really gorgeous she-wolf comes along…"
With a resounding "SMACK!" Kagome slapped Kouga hard across his left cheek. When he rubbed his jaw and looked down at her in confusion, she said hotly, "How dare you treat me that way? I'm capable of making my own choices, Kouga! And when it comes time for me to decide who I want to marry or mate or whatever, I won't be choosing you! I'm not just a brainless baby-maker!" She had to stop for a moment to catch her breath, but she continued on a second later:
"Even if I did like you—which I DON'T—do you honestly think I would be with someone who would be unfaithful to me the moment he saw someone a little more attractive or appealing in some way? NO! You pretend to be a grown wolf, but in reality you're just a bratty little pup!"
To Kagome's complete and utter shock and vexation, Kouga chuckled, his smile returning with even greater magnitude. He met Kagome's eyes once again and said, "Don't worry, Kagome, I was only joking. When we wolves mate, it's for life."
And with that, he swept Kagome up in arms and started bounding away with her. Kagome couldn't believe this situation. She had really been hoping that vituperating Kouga would make him leave, because after that single burst of force she'd used, she was unable to summon any more. Her exhaustion had depleted her power, and she had no physical strength to rely on, not right now. All she could do was cross her arms over her chest and fume. And because telling off Kouga had gotten her really riled up, her anger at Inuyasha had returned, and so she wasn't about to yell for him as loud as possible to come and save her.