Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, he would have made his freaking choice [between Kikyou and Kagome] already.
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"…" – speech
'…' – thoughts
--- - change in scenery or time
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--Previously, on The Sealed Garden:
{His mouth opened soundlessly.
Tetsusaiga fell to the floor with a soft clump.
"Whoa."}
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Important: I'm leaving for Italy in two days from when I post this. (30.05.04) I will not be writing for the duration of that trip, so the next update will be in a while- perhaps more than 3 weeks. Gomen!
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--[Check out the AN at the bottom for information about a Notify List on SG!]--
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Chapter SIX:
Meeting
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Inuyasha blinked slowly, trying to determine whether or not what he was seeing was truly real.
The dust continued to settle, revealing what the powerful blast had uncovered. Huge slabs of stone lay on the grass-covered ground, accompanied by torn vines, but the actual standing wall itself… it seemed as though nothing terribly monumental had happened. The vines and flowers lay scattered, torn, and defeated, all around the structure, which stilled looked, and was… whole.
But first, one must describe the area in order to draw conclusions.
There remained, in front in Inuyasha, a wall of stone, as was partially anticipated. However, in the middle of this great barricade, there was embedded, a set of double entranceway doors. These were crafted from a deep red coloured wood. They were perpendicular to the floor, but rounded in the top, and the entranceway was lined by a golden archway with intricate designs engraved on it.
Near the corners of the doors, the archway stuck out with three prongs at each corner, creating an interesting effect. In the centre of the archway, over where the two doors met, was a large circular shape that stood out from the rest of the design. The circle was surrounded by two flowers that also seemed to stick out of the archway, and were connected to the circle by a couple of intricate lines.
In all appearance, it seemed as though no ruin had been brought to the structure itself, but as Inuyasha lowered his gaze to the ground, he saw many chunks of stone lying among the quickly withering plants. In fact, there was enough of the rocky material to have easily covered the standing wall. Peeking around the corner, the hanyou found that the destruction continued around the entire structure, looking for the entire world, like something large had fallen down.
And yet, there was still another wall preventing his access into the alleged garden? Apparently, there had been a double- no, triple defence against intruders, and he'd broken through two (or was it one?) of them.
However, even as golden eyes scanned over the ground, assessing the damage (and how much he would have to clean up), the stone and vines slowly seemed to fade away.
Inuyasha rubbed his eyes. "What?"
Ever so gradually, the mess upon the green grass was becoming more and more translucent, seeming to evaporate into the air itself. Indeed, the grey and green was steadily disappearing, becoming wisps of smoke. It was as if the solid material was turning into vapour to disperse in the wind.
Jogging over to a chunk, the half-demon picked a piece of the destruction up… or attempted to.
His fingers simply slipped through the rapidly vanishing substances, passing through it as though it were made of air. Although he had felt nothing, the image of the piece of rock shimmered, and like smoke being blown away, slowly vanished. In a matter of minutes, all of the mess 'evaporated', leaving the grass lay clean and devoid of any rubbish. Even the dust had vanished.
Try as he might, the hanyou simply could not make it clear that anything physical had actually lain there. He bent down, passing a clawed hand lightly over the grass. Tilting his head, he gazed over the entire expanse of flat ground- but nothing was there…
The outer wall and vines must have been some sort of an enchantment, designed to disappear should anything counter it. Inuyasha had heard of such spells, but only the most powerful of individuals had been able to conjure a defence enchantment of such calibre.
Bewildered, Inuyasha stood up from his crouching position, studying the wall. He discovered that without the vines obscuring his view, the wall seemed a lot more… different than before. For some reason, it seemed less impenetrable than before, but no less impressive.
Instead of being some tall, cold structure that repelled all, it had a warmer, far more welcoming atmosphere to it.
Walking up to the structure, the hanyou reached out a hand to delicately touch the stone leading up to the golden border. He expected something- any physical sign, to tell him that the plants had really been there, that it hadn't been just a figment of his, and everybody else's imagination.
But there was nothing.
The stone was smooth and cool, holding no evidence of anything ever having grown on it.
It wasn't that this sight wasn't entirely unexpected to the hanyou- he'd actually anticipated something more than just an enchantment blocking the garden, it was just that he'd expected… more damage to the wall.
Far more damage.
After all, the winds of that aftershock had been really quite powerful, signifying the sheer force of the blow itself. However, all that had happened was that the plants had been blown off along with some 'outer wall', that had magically disappeared.
Greater forces were certainly at work here.
Shaking his head somewhat disappointedly (he'd wanted EXPLOSIONS, dammit!) Inuyasha stepped up to the centre of the closed entrance to figure out what he had to do now.
He tried to push open the doors, but soon discovered that that would prove unsuccessful- there was a lock situated directly between the two doors, linking them together. The half-demon bent down to study it, and frowned in confusion. It prevented the doors from moving, but the strange thing was that there was no way for the lock itself to turn.
When a person unlocks something with a key, they generally have to fit the key in, then turn it in a given direction in order unlock the lock. However, this keyhole carried no method for the key to turn. It seemed that the key would just be… pushed into it?
Absently, a clawed hand scratched a white-topped head.
Well, the lock didn't look anything besides the normal… in fact, it seemed flimsy enough that he would be able to cut it off with his own claws!
It was amazing that he didn't think to look for the key first…
Inuyasha's mouth quirked up in a cocky smirk, certain that the simple metal didn't stand a chance. He cracked his knuckles and brought his right hand up towards the lock.
"Sankon Tetsusou!"
The cry rang out in the empty courtyard, as several lines appeared on the door of the enclosed garden. The lock, however… had not been damaged in any way. And even as Inuyasha gaped disbelievingly at the small silver latch that had withstood an attack that had devastated many of his opponents, the slash marks slowly faded until the wood was unmarred once more.
"Wha-what?!" The hanyou reared back in astonishment.
Leaning forwards, he tapped a sharp claw to the metal, finding that absolutely nothing had changed.
Huffing in slight embarrassment and frustration, Inuyasha tried again, this time with a faster slash- but his second attempt was just as successful as his first had been.
Ok. That was it.
If the lock wasn't coming off, the entire entranceway would have to suffer.
Taking a few steps backwards, the silver-haired man brought his right arm up again, his smirk a little forced this time.
"SAKON TETSUSOU!" This cry was much louder than the previous two, and actually scared several birds into flight.
The resulting attack brought five deep gauges into the wood of the door, and grinning rather darkly, Inuyasha strolled up to the door, ready to push it over.
However, before he had taken even a step, the marks slowly began to become shallower, and by the time the hanyou had reached the doors, they had disappeared completely, leaving no marks- again.
"Keh!"
Narrowing golden eyes at the obstinate lock, the half-demon stalked over to where he had dropped his katana, yanking it up from the ground with more force than necessary. Practically fuming that his own attack couldn't overcome a simple (but enchanted) door, Inuyasha brought both hands onto the hilt of Tetsusaiga, watching in satisfaction, as it transformed before his very eyes.
Glancing upwards at the wooden door, the half-demon smirked again. 'It doesn't stand a chance. Tetsusaiga can break barriers.'
Holding the sword confidently above his head, the blade caught several of the sun's rays. The man swung downwards in a powerful sweep, landing directly down upon the silver latch.
However, there was no effect.
Nothing- not even a scratch. The katana bounced harmlessly off the metal, causing not so much as a dent.
Inuyasha's eyebrows drew together in an unpleased frown.
"Dammit."
Huffing again, the hanyou threw down the sword, which landed softly against the grass. It immediately shrunk into its smaller size. He himself sat down roughly, habitually crossing his legs. A pout on his face, he crossed his arms, looking for all the world like he was sulking. He had, after all, overcome one obstacle, only to be faced with another that he couldn't tackle with brute force.
'I obviously need to do something- there has to be someway to get into the stupid garden…' The morning sunlight glinted off the silver of the latch onto the man's face, but he ignored it. 'Why would they have a door if there wasn't some way to open it?' He shifted to avoid the sunlight that was being reflected onto his face. 'How should I get rid of that lock? I'd need something, but what could it be? What does a person unlock a lock with?' Suddenly, realisation dawned onto the hanyou. "I'd need… a… key…"
Suddenly reaching the conclusion, Inuyasha literally fell over in the sheer simplicity of it all. A hand slapped to his forehead has he grimaced and shook his head.
'Of course! I can't believe I fucking forgot!'
The hanyou hopped onto his feet, dragging the sword along with him. Sprinting around and along the length of the house, Inuyasha quickly slammed into the side entrance, his mind barely recognising the sudden change in light. Running through the long hallway, the half-demon jogged straight into his room, placing Tetsusaiga in the doorway, before digging through the many piles on the floor of his bedroom.
"Where is… it?"
Inuyasha flung clothes at various states of cleanliness around the space in a way that didn't make his search for 'it' any more successful. In fact, he found himself picking up the same pair of jeans three times, before the hanyou finally had the sense to toss the items he'd searched into the corner in an 'organised pile'.
"I know it's here somewhere!" He pulled out a shirt from under his bed. "I really need to clean all this up… sometime…"
Not soon, everything that had taken up residence on the floor of the room had been examined and thrown into the now-huge pile in one corner of the room opposite the entrance to the bathroom. The half-demon ran into his closet- which he found empty, except for a couple of unpacked suitcases and his large bag.
"Ah ha!"
Abruptly yanking up on the straps of the black bag he'd used all through high school and partially in university, the hanyou dumped it onto his bed. Quickly unzipping it, Inuyasha dug through its contents, casting them onto his soft bed.
"MP3 player… headphones… cards… pen… gum- hey, I was looking for that… water… ack! Wet!" Wiping his hands off on the back of his jeans, Inuyasha finally pulled out a large manila envelope, easily opening it. "Here it is!" Inuyasha pulled out the contents- a colourful magazine. A frown adorned his face. "Hey- this isn't it…" The hanyou opened it, blatantly ignoring the cover. The hanyou's eyes grew wide at the graphically provocative images contained within the magazine before shutting it closed. He took one glance at the cover. "Play-! Damnit Miroku, why did you give me one of your mags?"
He'd remembered that when his former roommate had given him his 'moving away' present, Miroku had had a rather perverted smile on his face, but too busy in loading his baggage, Inuyasha hadn't taken notice.
"Enjoy." He'd said.
The hanyou sighed, shaking his head, before tossing the magazine (facedown) onto the bed. He'd have to give it back… soon…
Returning to the task of searching for the mysterious object, Inuyasha examine the remaining items in his bag before reaching the very bottom. At last, there, lying harmlessly on its side, was the white envelop that Sesshoumaru had given him before excusing him from his office.
Picking the envelop up, Inuyasha quickly flipped it upside down, like he had that day he'd discovered he'd inherited this property.
And just as before, a single silver key dropped into the palm of his hand.
Deciding to examine the key later, the half-demon grasped the key in his hand, rushing out of his room, pausing only to grab Tetsusaiga. Again, the golden-eyed man ran along the hallway, and again, he stepped outside through the side entrance. Sprinting, Inuyasha made good time along the green grass, reaching the back of the courtyard in a matter of minutes.
Stopping right in front of the door, the hanyou had barely broken a sweat, thanks to his youkai heritage and vigorous training. It was here that he opened his hand, raising the key so that he could see it clearly.
It looked the same as it had before- a simple design that seemed almost cliché of keys. In fact, he would have thought it to be some sort of novelty if it weren't for the print on it. There, engraved in its side, were the words "Flower Garden" in flowing kanji. Also, there was a small pattern near identical to that on the arc of the entranceway.
How he hadn't noticed it before was unknown to Inuyasha, but on the flip side of the pass, was a ball with two flowers connected to it- just like on the arc.
Clearly, the two items had been made to compliment each other, and hopefully, the key would be able to unlock the door for Inuyasha.
Sucking in a breath, the man slowly brought the tip of the key towards the keyhole. Pausing right before entering, Inuyasha let out the breath in a sweep, quickly pushing it in.
For a split second, the hanyou wondered how he was to turn the key, when a bright light began to glow from the silver lock and key. In fact, not only were those two glowing, but the golden archway as well. A sort of tingling began at the base of the half-demon's neck, warning him to a magical presence.
The half-demon shielded his sensitive eyes from the bright light, turning away from the source.
There was no extra noise- nothing to signify that anything at all had happened. The birds continued to chirp like they had before. The wind continued to blow, sweeping across the long grass. Nature took no notice of the spiritual forces at work in this single archway.
Slowly, Inuyasha turned his head to check if the light had faded yet, and indeed it had. The glow gradually became dimmer and grew smaller before it disappeared all together.
The hanyou was left a little shocked at the outcome of the simple gesture of fitting a key into its assigned lock.
It had vanished.
Simple as that.
No force had been needed at all.
Now, nothing remained that gave any evidence to any latch ever being between the two doors. The young man passed a couple of fingers along the smooth edge of the wood panels, noticing nothing different about the entranceway except for the lack of lock.
Slowly, as his mind caught up to the events, the fact finally processed that his endeavour had been successful- there was no longer anything preventing the door from being opened- at least, he hoped.
A bubble of excitement grew in him at the prospect of finally being able to explore what nobody had for, quite literally, centuries. Pausing, Inuyasha stepped back to retrieve his katana and its sheath before standing before the doors again. He masked his thrill well, maintaining a fairly neutral face, but slightly shaking hands gave him away, as they reached out to push on the doors.
He had barely given them a slight nudge, when the soundlessly swung open to reveal what they had hidden for so long. The contents of the enclosed area came into view slowly as the doors came to a rest.
A grand view met golden eyes.
It was a garden- at least, a wild one. Actually, it was not so much a 'garden', as it was an area of organic growth.
And a very colourful one at that.
Trees rose up in small groups, with the occasional huge one standing alone. Bushes with small glittering flowers grew around these trees, and grass sprung up on the ground. Among the grass, were wildflowers that were no less beautiful than ones that were cared for in modern gardens.
Inuyasha even thought that he could hear the trickling of a river, although it could have been his ears playing tricks on him. That, or it was the stream that was running along the perimeter of the house.
Not an inch of the area was man-made, everything having grown undisturbed for about five hundred years.
That's when it really clicked.
Five. Hundred. Years.
Inuyasha was stepping on ground that hadn't been touched for about five centuries.
Suddenly a little self-conscious, he took off his athletic sandals in respect for the plant life. His mother had once told him, as a childhood story, that the spirits of the flowers didn't like to be crushed by the hard soles of modern day shoes. Of course, back then, it had been a small lesson that he'd taken very seriously, but over the years, much of the carefree times had been forgotten.
Now, his mother's lesson came back, and while Inuyasha wasn't sure whether or not to believe in the 'plant spirit' aspect, he did heed Izayoi's teachings in respecting nature.
The hanyou could only see the part of the garden that was not covered by trees, for there was what seemed to be a small forest-like group of trees further back. Taking in a deep breath, he could smell the fresh scent of flowers and green life. The fresh air tickled his hanyou senses. He had never encountered this degree of unpolluted air before, and it was as if by stepping into this relatively small area of earth, Inuyasha was stepping back in time, to a time when machinery had been simple.
An almost unearthly wind blew around from seemingly nowhere, encircling Inuyasha in a soft embrace before blowing off deeper into the garden. He closed his eyes to just enjoy the sensations of being in this place, for it seemed to be almost… magical.
Yes, that was it.
It was a scene straight from a fairy tale.
Suddenly, the half-demon was startled out of his musings by a quiet 'clunk'. To any human, it would have been an insignificant noise, but to his enhanced hearing, it was like an alarm bell. He whipped around to face the door- to discover it had closed on its own.
"What the heck?"
Inuyasha became slightly worried, hurrying up to the door. He didn't want to spend the rest of his life trapped in here, however peaceful it was. Upon reaching the great doorway, the half-demon breathed a sigh of relief- there were two large rings on hinges designed to allow a person to pull the door open.
Shaking a silver-topped head, the hanyou rested his forehead on the cool wood of one of the doors. His eyes closed, as he became a part of the stillness of nature.
The seconds passed by, but the silver-haired man took no notice- time wasn't too much of an issue with him at the moment. With no pressing appointments and no real company to attend to, Inuyasha was constantly left to his own devices- something that had been sadly true while growing up.
Suddenly, the wind picked up- although how and from where, the hanyou knew not. However, what he did know, was that this occurrence was strangely familiar. The soft breeze blew around him like it had a few minutes before, carrying with it the scent of…
…of spring.
The same scent he had sensed only days prior.
The half-demon kept his eyes closed, head still leaning on the wooden door- he was almost afraid to turn around, afraid of what he would find.
But this time, the fragrance was much stronger, mingled with herbs and something he could not describe- something that was purely… unique.
Slowly, the gentle wind died down, until the air was peaceful once more. However, while the breeze had disappeared, the scent did not. Instead, it lingered in the air, tickling at Inuyasha's nose with its sweetness.
Not one to be afraid of anything, much less a legend, the silver-haired half-demon brought up his head, doggy-ears twitching as it caught the soft rustle of the tree leaves. Abruptly, he whipped around-
-to find that he no longer alone.
Not at all.
Golden eyes widened in slight surprise, even though he had been hoping for this to happen.
She was here.
That girl- the miko.
She was standing right before his very eyes! The familiar attire of red and white met his gaze, and her delicate face graced his vision. Ebony-black hair fell onto her back, and she carried that ever marking bow and a quiver full of arrows. However, just as before, the girl was spectral- slightly translucent. He could almost see the outline of the trees behind her.
This time, what was different was that she wore an expression that must have mirrored his own-
One of absolute shock.
Her mouth was open, and her blue-grey eyes wide in amazement. It seemed to be an unconscious act when her hand went up instinctively to rest on her delicate bow. Another strayed upwards in preparation to draw an arrow- an action that must have been long practised in the feudal ages.
Inuyasha fared no better, as his jaw had also dropped, and his hand was drifting towards the Tetsusaiga, prepared to draw it.
The silence stretched on as both individuals studied each other with a growing curiosity.
Then, she interrupted the peace with the first words he had heard escape her lips.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Her tone was soft and held a pitch of wonder in it. There was a sort of echoing or faint quality to it, as if it was travelling from within a void. It was low with surprise, and was laced the barest hint of suspicion. Upon retrospect, Inuyasha could understand her uneasiness- he was probably the first person she had seen face to face for centuries.
"…Hi?" The half-demon unconsciously scratched the back of his head over the awkwardness of the situation, but that only focused her attention on the movement of his unusual ears.
She gasped, taking a step back. "Youkai! Here?" She drew an arrow and readied her bow- he was frozen in the spot. "What are you doing here?" She repeated with more force. "If it is the jewel you seek, then leave, for I will not relay its location to you."
Inuyasha was surprised at the sudden change in her attitude and demeanour, not daring to move unless she shot that arrow. Although the miko and her accessories didn't seem to be of this world, there was no telling that the force radiating from the point of her arrow would purify him upon 'contact'.
Slowly bringing his hands up in a show of peace, the hanyou shook his head. "I'm not here for… the 'jewel'."
Ocean-blue eyes narrowed in doubt. "Then what brings you here to disturb my peace…?" She added in a soft whisper, "My punishment?"
The last comment had obviously not been meant for his ears, but the fuzzy triangles caught what she had said nonetheless, and Inuyasha's interest was sparked once again.
"Punishment?" He'd never liked to mince words, even in the most delicate of situations- like this one.
Her eyes widened once again. "Excellent hearing, though I suppose it is to be expected of you." Her mouth straightened into a sad line. "It is expected of most youkai." For a moment, the priestess was lost in her memories before she blinked, raising her attention back to the still demon. "You swear not to betray my trust?" Her azure eyes had saddened at this question, and Inuyasha could almost sense a double meaning to the request.
"I… swear." The half-demon stared directly in her eyes, trying to convey his honesty. He may be coarse, rude, and almost arrogant at times, but he always kept his promises, however few they were.
Slowly, her hands weakened their grip on the bow, and they now dropped to her side after determining his integrity. After another moment of silence, the girl's head rose to meet his gaze once more. A faint smile tugged at her lips and her head tilted to the side.
"You're not a true demon, are you? A hanyou- half demon, half human, and not entirely accepted in either world." She laughed without humour. "A feeling I know only too well." Before he could make any comment, she continued speaking. "Don't deny it. Your aura defines you for what you are." She looked off towards the distance. "A life of solitude…"
Inuyasha frowned. "How could you know how I live? What gives you that right to categorise me?" He realised too late, that after spending about five hundred years alone, a person did become very lonely.
She looked at him once again, but her eyes seemed to gaze right through him. "I know much more about seclusion than I should…" She drifted off, leaving the response not entirely complete.
The silence stretched on again, leaving a rather uncomfortable pause in which Inuyasha began to fidget. White ears twitched as a soft wind picked up again. Suddenly seeming to notice his restlessness, she shook her head, a true smile gracing her lips. For an inexplicable reason, the hanyou found her smiling face to be pleasant and pleasing, but he shook those thoughts out of mind before they could expand further.
She sat down on the grass, though how, he did not know, since she was supposedly a purely spiritual being. Her legs stretched before her, and she lay her bow at her side with her quiver. Looking up, a hand gestured towards him before patting the grass besides her. "Come," was her simple request.
The half-demon hesitantly moved closer to her before he too, plopped a little ungracefully onto the ground, crossing his legs and arms. He sat beside her, although a little distance away, but she took no more notice of him, gazing off into the forest with lonely eyes.
There was another silence that was filled with the soft rustling of the leaves and an occasional chirp of the birds.
"What's your name?"
The girl was surprised out of her thoughts, as she turned to look at the man at her side. "My… name?" She cocked her head to the side. "What is yours?"
Inuyasha looked straight ahead, not willing to meet her gaze. "I asked you first, woman."
"My name…" She frowned, as if trying to remember something that refused to reveal itself. "My name is… K-Kagome?" The word sounded foreign on her tongue, and the miko repeated it, "Kagome… yes. I was named Kagome by my parents." She studied his face. "What are you called?"
The half-demon kept his eyes away. "Inuyasha," he answered gruffly.
The simple introduction caused 'Kagome' to relax as another smile came to her face. "Inu-Yasha? Dog-demon? Or perhaps it is dog-forest-spirit? A fitting name for one such as yourself."
The light-hearted tone of her voice made the hanyou to turn his watch onto the girl next to him. For some reason, he felt so much at peace with her- something that was been rare with strangers. She carried such an air of friendliness, that it was hard to believe that she could, and would, have killed him only moments ago.
A fluttering butterfly flew close to one of Inuyasha's ears, and Kagome watched as it flicked, trying to rid itself of the disturbance. After a few unsuccessful tries, the butterfly grew tired, landing on the furry triangle. The hanyou flicked it off, but the winged insect continued to pester him, when light laughter filled the air.
He turned a rather annoyed stare at the giggling girl next to him. "You enjoy it when I'm suffering."
Her laughter died down to a grin. "I would hardly call that suffering, Inuyasha-san."
"Don't add that to my name, wench. It's Inuyasha, and just that." He didn't like titles- they made him feel more professional than he cared to think about.
"Okay, then Inuyasha, I will not add a suffix to your name, if you would use my name."
He cast her a sideways glance. "… No, bitch."
The expression on her face darkened, and she crawled a little closer. "No?"
"You heard me, wench."
Smiling again, Kagome shook her head and sat back. "Everything in its time."
Inuyasha was slightly thrown off guard by her relaxed atmosphere. After five centuries of solitude, this girl certainly wasn't acting terribly strangely. She had a naturally friendly demeanour, while he was still cautious in accepting her presence. In the past years, Inuyasha had had few friendships that been true, making him less prone to be sociable towards those he'd only just met. It surprised him that a person like her had been trapped for so long- and his mind drifted back to what she had whispered moments ago.
"My punishment."Deciding this was as good a place as many to start collecting information, Inuyasha turned his attention back to the softly smiling miko.
"What were you talking about when you said punishment?"
Her entire form stiffened at this, and the smile faded a little, becoming forced. "Wh- what do you mean?"
He kept strong. "What are you doing here, in this place, when you should have moved on after you died?" Inuyasha almost winced at the sheer bluntness that was considerably rude according to long-practised customs.
A sad smile replaced the tense one. "You know, then, that I am not truly 'alive'?"
He remained silent, waiting for her explanation.
"I suppose that it is true that I am 'dead', though what can be classified as 'dead'? It is, after all, simply a word, is it not?" She turned to meet his gaze morosely. "I know not how long it has been since my body was broken, except that I have been here for a long time."
She stopped talking for a while, taking a pause. Inuyasha waited.
She continued with her explanation, "When a person dies, their soul moves on, whether to be reborn or to be lifted into the different stages of the afterlife. Some people spend their entire lives preparing for their death, to rectify their sins, and to be able to rise to the highest heaven, while others live a life of sin so wicked that they are sent to burn in the seven hells before given another chance through reincarnation."
There was another pause, but this time, Inuyasha felt the need to prod her. "What about you?"
Kagome lifted her head as blue clashed with gold. "I… was not able to move on." She abruptly stood up. "I was foolish, and believed in something frivolous that caused my death." She turned her back to him and began to stroll into the forest. Inuyasha jumped to his feet, attempting to follow, but she whipped around again. He was startled to find a shimmering layer of emotion over her ocean-blue eyes. "I was locked away into the very sanctuary built to house my ashes…" She drifted off.
"Why are you here?"
She drew in a shaky breath "… I am here for my punishment."
The hanyou reached out for the miko who had started to walk away. However, with each of her light footfalls, her image began to fade as she slowly disappeared.
The hanyou had never studied ghosts much in school, since they were so rare- spirits that were half in this world, and half in the spirit world. They could fade away, disappear, only to return when they saw it fit. They had no physical shape, but did have an image, and a shadow of the scent they had carried while alive. He knew that some spirits were kept in the physical world as a form of punishment, while others had lost their way. However, that was the extent of his knowledge.
He'd have some more researching to do inside…
Inuyasha tried once more to gain more information. "Punishment for what?"
The girl turned around, shadows covering her rapidly fading image. "For what?" Especially now, her voice had become more hollow, but if it was entirely due to her fading, Inuyasha did not know. The smile on her face was dispirited, and her gaze was far-off. "For what? Do you truly wish to know?
"…
"I…
"I… loved… and was punished for it."
And she disappeared completely, leaving a greatly puzzled hanyou.
"Loved?"
And it was only then that it struck Inuyasha how much he didn't know, and that he hadn't asked her while he'd had a chance. How simple had it been, to just break into the place, when now, he had uncovered a tragedy that could be far deeper than he had ever assumed. The hanyou could only stand there, accompanied by only his thoughts, staring at the place where the spirit called Kagome had last been.
The wind continued to blow.
R-r-review R-r-responses! For the future reference, if the chapter gets to be too long, I'm going to have to scrape out on some review responses… i.e. answering only questions, or by email… But remember, reviews are always appreciated.(hint hint… =D):
-- hanyou-elf
I'm glad you enjoy it! That makes stories so much easier to write! And yes, it is best to keep the characters in… character, but also in co-ordination of what has happened in the universe they were spit into! Thanks for the review!
1 Inu/Kag
-- animemistress419
Thanks for the review… here's the update!
-- anechan
Every day? How about every… five or six days? The updates will be a little slow with school and all, but if you want to know how I'm progressing on a chappie, check out my profile page! Also, I'm going to create a notify list- in fact, by the time I post this, it will have been started! (Scroll down to the bottom of the page for more info!) Also, I'm glad you decided to read InuYasha fanfics- there are a lot of gems out there!
-- AnimeSoul3
Short review! : ) Inu/Kag it is!
1 Inu/Kag
-- bebe
Heh. Sure!
1 Inu/Kag
-- Poison Death Tree
Heh. I'm only hyper every other day… -.-;;
-- Angelic0263
Sure (Inu/Kag rocks), I'll keep writing till the bitter end! …cough Thanks for your review!
-- Izayoi
I'm sorry… I really did intend for them to meet, but then I got lazy… and that seemed like a good place to stop… -.-;; They met in this chapter though! (Yay!)
-- Kaiya-inu/kagforever
Heh. I agree. It'll be interesting how this fic'll end ne?
1 Inu/Kag
-- BabyBat0127
Thanks for the compliment! I try to keep my writing quality up… But there are lots of good authors out there too!
1 Inu/Kag
-- WhiteDloud
Cliffhangers? ::evil grin:: You ain't seen nothing yet… (Oh the grammar…! .) You're going crazy? Don't want that to happen… (Yes, I'm serious…)
-- WinterBlossom/YukiSakura
Thanks! And thanks for the review too!
1 Inu/Kag
-- Amanda Trinh
Cold? As in- bad? Don't worry, the story will be Inu/Kag… whether they'll be able to stay together, however…
1 Inu/Kag
-- darkscorpio
Well… what happened, happened… And this is what happened. Get it? Heh. I don't get it… .
1 Inu/Kag
-- Dark-Magician-41
It's quite all right. School… is not very… co-operative right now.. Rei… I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. But anyway, thanks for your review!
-- CJ-Chan
Heh. That would have been an interesting take of the situation…
-- Yooso
Oooh… If you hate me for this cliffy…XD. Thanks for your review!
-- FieryDemonFox
Wind Scar? But then where did the demonic forces come from for him to use it? Hn… Ha! I got it! He-! …Whoops. You'll just have to find out… ; )
-- pattycake
The chapters should keep coming… Ah yes, what kind of story would this be without lots and lots of suspense?
1 Inu/Kag
-- Samieko
Heh. I agree… not as she is now, anyway. Maybe she had a chance before (I'm referring to the series), but 50 years later? Nah.
-- fairy tail faerie
Yes, I gathered that. Thanks for the review!
-- Katami
Heh. I see, but technically (according to the story line), Kikyou has part of Kagome's soul- the part that hates and all that stuff (so how she can love is beyond me). Her 'body' is made of clay, but apart from all that, she's still a 'human'. At this point in the (Japanese) manga, I think she's finally beginning to wake up… but I won't spoil anymore in case you haven't read up to here yet. (and I'll stop rambling!)
-- astro-24
Kikyou lovers are out there, but this is definitely going to be an Inu/Kag fic!
-- Azmidiske
I'll try, I'll try… =D
[Ok. The voting will continue throughout the entire story, and I'll post the final result in the final chapter. I have to re-calibrate the votes because… well… I wasn't really paying that much attention to it… -.-;; But, to make my life easier from the screening and all, please, vote only once. By the way, the count's still 0 for Kikyou…
As you may or may not have noticed, the properties of Tetsusaiga have changed somewhat. Now, it transforms whenever Inuyasha (or it?) feels like it, instead of when a person is in danger.
!! I have created a notify list for The Sealed Garden, just in case you don't have author alert (or are too lazy to get it?). The URL to join rid of the spaces.
Till next time…
Ja!]