After I'd cried for a good long while, I got off my knees (not dusty at
all, of course) and walked back to the village. It's really something to
get used to, being able to walk through walls—it shocked me pretty badly
the first time a villager pushed his ox cart right through my stomach. I
can walk though solid things, and they can walk through me—but I've
discovered something. I can make the psychical word react to my presence.
If I stare at something really hard, it'll rock back and forth. Logs on top of the woodpile will fall off; a child's ball will mysteriously bounce out of his hands. But I don't like doing those things—it scares the villagers, and I don't want to scare them.
Anyway. Everybody was gathered at Kaede's house—even Inuyasha. There was a subdued sort of conversation going on as I entered and stood behind them all, almost sitting beside them on the empty spot out of habit—almost. Sango was stroking Kilala and talking to Miroku about a rumor of the jewel shards that she heard from this village woman and that man—the priest listened intently, pretending to be interested and nodding appropriately. Kaede was cooking something in a big bowl in the corner of the room—I smelled herbs. (How odd is it that I can smell just fine, but I can't taste a thing?)
And then there are the other two demon pals of ours. Inuyasha was sitting cross-legged on a rug with Shippo still clinging to his haori. Normally this would really tick him off, but at the moment he seemed to have no problem with it. Maybe he felt it was his duty to be a bit more patient—after all, I asked him a while back to watch over the kit if anything happened to me. Maybe he was just too out of it and lost in thought to care.
Whatever the reason, the two seemed to have called a ceasefire.
Kaede began passing bowls of soup around. Everyone accepted it—grudgingly or otherwise. Everyone at least tried it, with the exception of Inuyasha. He was sitting there, looking the part of a serious and handsomely sculpted statue.
"Come on, Inuyasha. Eat it. Starving yourself isn't going to help me at all, or you for that matter."
Of course, he couldn't hear me. But still I talked to him. I found myself doing that more and more since my death—just talking to them, as though they could hear me. It made no difference, of course, except for Miroku, and only once. He FELT my presence. I'm sure of it.
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably and stiffened as I came and sat beside him. Maybe he could feel some sort of my vibe, because he did pick up the bowl at that point and take a small sip of the soup. He had to be hungry—he hadn't eaten a single thing since three days before. I sighed and scratched my head, at a loss for anything else to say except a forlorn, "I wish you could hear me, guys....."
And then suddenly, as though I had called upon some force that had been waiting for its cue, a bright light came behind me. I jumped up and looked around wildly, expecting the others to do the same—but they didn't. They just kept eating and talking, completely unaware of anything. As I watched, swirling blue orbs began appearing in the air, and a sort of rip became visible in front of me. As if that weren't odd enough, a figure pulled itself from the tear.
At this point, I was more than a little freaked out. I backed away, passing through Sango's soup bowl and not feeling a single thing. "Wh-who are you?" I cried, falling backwards and sliding down the wall.
"Don't be afraid, little one. I'm not going to harm you." It extended a pale white hand to me, as if to help me up, but I just stared, not quite ready to trust the phantom thing that had just appeared in front of me. The being sighed, pulling back its hood.
Long folds of ebony hair fell from the hood and swayed around as if blown by wind. I found myself looking into the face of a very beautiful woman. She was about mom's age with a pale complexion, indigo eyes, and an easy smile that made me relax a little. I accepted her hand then, allowing her to pull me to my feet and steady me.
I was at a loss for words. The last two days had been the strangest of my life, and things were only getting stranger.
As I tried to regain the use of my speech, the woman was gazing about the group. Her eyes traveled from each of my friends to the next, stopping at last on Inuyasha and Shippo. Her expression softened and the deep indigo pools held glittery traces of tears.
I felt like an intruder. "Um.....miss....?"
The woman looked up at me, smiling again. "I'm sorry, dear. I'm still having trouble accepting......" I waited for her to finish for a few seconds. "......my death......"
"I'm sorry," I said, truly meaning it. Being dead was awful. This woman looked much too young to be dead—but then, she probably thought the same about me. I was too young too.
"It's alright, dear," she said, shifting her eyes toward mine. "I've come here to fix all this."
"Fix it.....?" A crazy hope rose up in my heart but I shoved it down. Could she possibly mean.....?
"Yes, Kagome, fix it." I was too deep in suspense to care much that she knew my name. I listened. "I died an early death, as you did......the difference between us two is this: you weren't destined to pass on in that battle." I was shocked. Not destined to die? So basically, this woman was telling me that the Almighty Powers had screwed up on a matter like my death.
"I......you mean......." I spluttered, at a complete loss for words once again. My face had to be as red as being transparent allowed. "I should be alive right now?"
"Yes."
I was ready to faint right then and there (could spirits faint?) before the woman reached out and caught my wrist. "That's exactly why I'm here. The Fates have realized their error and they are prepared to give you your life back."
Give me my life back? That was WONDERFUL! Splendid! The best news I'd ever gotten! This woman obviously cared for me. Why was she looking at me with sympathy and patience?
"What's wrong?"
"There is....." She paused. "....One condition."
One condition. There was one condition standing between my life and my....er......afterlife. No problem! Nothing to worry about! I was ready to try anything.
"And that is....?"
The woman straightened up and fixed me with her penetrating stare, her face showing the highest seriousness I'd yet seen from her.
"Higarashi Kagome, in order to have your life reinstated by those in charge of such things, you have but to complete one task." I was listening so desperately; I hadn't even noticed that I was holding my breath. "You can breathe, dear," the woman stated slowly, and didn't resume until I had taken several deep gasps. "Your task is to become observable to one mortal being that could link you to this earth—to your life."
What was that supposed to mean? I waited for her to explain further. She took the hint.
"Meaning you have to make one person that you know see you."
"See....me?" I asked foggily. "How am I supposed to do that? I'm dead! I'm invisible!"
"I know, dear."
Silence.
"How do I do it?"
The woman looked around the room at my friends again, as if summing them up. "Pick one person first. Someone you had a deep connection with—a friendship, a blood relation, or something to that extent. You've already discovered your ability at affecting the physical world. Use that to your advantage. Invoke the uses of your spiritual aura—lift objects, make signs, do whatever you wish."
She waited.
"So.....it's like a big game of charades?"
"Essentially," she answered, nodding. "My only warnings are these: there are certain beings lurking about that could be harmful to you—demons that specialize in essence thieving. Also, each time you use your spiritual energy, you will feel fatigue, as if it were physical energy you used. Be wise and careful with all your choices."
"I will," I assured. "I think I've already chosen who I'm gonna try to reach."
"Would you mind my asking?"
"No," I said shyly, looking down. "I think I'm going to try to get Inuyasha to see me."
The white-robed woman smiled, looking at him as well. "I can see why. He's obviously grown an attachment to you." I was puzzled. How much did she know about us, anyway? As if she could sense my thoughts, the woman answered gently, "I must confess to a little spying every now and then." Her smile faded as she followed my gaze to the silver-haired hanyou. "No matter how many times I steal a look down here, it's not the same." Her smile became wistful. "My little Inuyasha's grown up into a handsome young man, don't you think?"
I blushed (as much as I could), looking away so she wouldn't see the answer in my eyes. I heard her laugh sweetly. "Don't be embarrassed, dear. I didn't mean to tease."
"It's okay...." I met gaze with the woman again, feeling my face regain its normal transparent paleness. "H-he hasn't told me much about you, except that you were very pretty, and a good mother."
"Thank you," the lady said softly. "But I wasn't a good mother.....I left my only child when he was too young to fend for himself, when he still needed protection.....the villagers were so cold to him. It was my fault that Inuyasha didn't trust anyone for so long."
I was touched by the sadness in her face. "It wasn't your fault," I assured quietly. "You didn't die purposefully. Inuyasha doesn't blame you for it." She looked like she wanted to say something else, but whatever it was, she bit back, smiling again and brushing a lock of hair from my face in a motherly way.
"I know you will succeed in this, Kagome. When you get back.....take good care of my Inuyasha." She backed away, dissolving into the rip again. All the blue orbs extinguished themselves, and everything looked normal. I still stood in the same spot, watching where Inuyasha's mother had disappeared.
"I will," I promised, touching the strand of hair she had a moment before. "Thank you. I promise I will."
@-}-----------------------------
A great big thanks to all my readers including Lil, DemonMiko, Inuyashsa- gal-97 and Laura O., who took the time to e-mail me (thanks a bundle!) but forgot to leave her screen name. Hope you guys liked the chappy!
If I stare at something really hard, it'll rock back and forth. Logs on top of the woodpile will fall off; a child's ball will mysteriously bounce out of his hands. But I don't like doing those things—it scares the villagers, and I don't want to scare them.
Anyway. Everybody was gathered at Kaede's house—even Inuyasha. There was a subdued sort of conversation going on as I entered and stood behind them all, almost sitting beside them on the empty spot out of habit—almost. Sango was stroking Kilala and talking to Miroku about a rumor of the jewel shards that she heard from this village woman and that man—the priest listened intently, pretending to be interested and nodding appropriately. Kaede was cooking something in a big bowl in the corner of the room—I smelled herbs. (How odd is it that I can smell just fine, but I can't taste a thing?)
And then there are the other two demon pals of ours. Inuyasha was sitting cross-legged on a rug with Shippo still clinging to his haori. Normally this would really tick him off, but at the moment he seemed to have no problem with it. Maybe he felt it was his duty to be a bit more patient—after all, I asked him a while back to watch over the kit if anything happened to me. Maybe he was just too out of it and lost in thought to care.
Whatever the reason, the two seemed to have called a ceasefire.
Kaede began passing bowls of soup around. Everyone accepted it—grudgingly or otherwise. Everyone at least tried it, with the exception of Inuyasha. He was sitting there, looking the part of a serious and handsomely sculpted statue.
"Come on, Inuyasha. Eat it. Starving yourself isn't going to help me at all, or you for that matter."
Of course, he couldn't hear me. But still I talked to him. I found myself doing that more and more since my death—just talking to them, as though they could hear me. It made no difference, of course, except for Miroku, and only once. He FELT my presence. I'm sure of it.
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably and stiffened as I came and sat beside him. Maybe he could feel some sort of my vibe, because he did pick up the bowl at that point and take a small sip of the soup. He had to be hungry—he hadn't eaten a single thing since three days before. I sighed and scratched my head, at a loss for anything else to say except a forlorn, "I wish you could hear me, guys....."
And then suddenly, as though I had called upon some force that had been waiting for its cue, a bright light came behind me. I jumped up and looked around wildly, expecting the others to do the same—but they didn't. They just kept eating and talking, completely unaware of anything. As I watched, swirling blue orbs began appearing in the air, and a sort of rip became visible in front of me. As if that weren't odd enough, a figure pulled itself from the tear.
At this point, I was more than a little freaked out. I backed away, passing through Sango's soup bowl and not feeling a single thing. "Wh-who are you?" I cried, falling backwards and sliding down the wall.
"Don't be afraid, little one. I'm not going to harm you." It extended a pale white hand to me, as if to help me up, but I just stared, not quite ready to trust the phantom thing that had just appeared in front of me. The being sighed, pulling back its hood.
Long folds of ebony hair fell from the hood and swayed around as if blown by wind. I found myself looking into the face of a very beautiful woman. She was about mom's age with a pale complexion, indigo eyes, and an easy smile that made me relax a little. I accepted her hand then, allowing her to pull me to my feet and steady me.
I was at a loss for words. The last two days had been the strangest of my life, and things were only getting stranger.
As I tried to regain the use of my speech, the woman was gazing about the group. Her eyes traveled from each of my friends to the next, stopping at last on Inuyasha and Shippo. Her expression softened and the deep indigo pools held glittery traces of tears.
I felt like an intruder. "Um.....miss....?"
The woman looked up at me, smiling again. "I'm sorry, dear. I'm still having trouble accepting......" I waited for her to finish for a few seconds. "......my death......"
"I'm sorry," I said, truly meaning it. Being dead was awful. This woman looked much too young to be dead—but then, she probably thought the same about me. I was too young too.
"It's alright, dear," she said, shifting her eyes toward mine. "I've come here to fix all this."
"Fix it.....?" A crazy hope rose up in my heart but I shoved it down. Could she possibly mean.....?
"Yes, Kagome, fix it." I was too deep in suspense to care much that she knew my name. I listened. "I died an early death, as you did......the difference between us two is this: you weren't destined to pass on in that battle." I was shocked. Not destined to die? So basically, this woman was telling me that the Almighty Powers had screwed up on a matter like my death.
"I......you mean......." I spluttered, at a complete loss for words once again. My face had to be as red as being transparent allowed. "I should be alive right now?"
"Yes."
I was ready to faint right then and there (could spirits faint?) before the woman reached out and caught my wrist. "That's exactly why I'm here. The Fates have realized their error and they are prepared to give you your life back."
Give me my life back? That was WONDERFUL! Splendid! The best news I'd ever gotten! This woman obviously cared for me. Why was she looking at me with sympathy and patience?
"What's wrong?"
"There is....." She paused. "....One condition."
One condition. There was one condition standing between my life and my....er......afterlife. No problem! Nothing to worry about! I was ready to try anything.
"And that is....?"
The woman straightened up and fixed me with her penetrating stare, her face showing the highest seriousness I'd yet seen from her.
"Higarashi Kagome, in order to have your life reinstated by those in charge of such things, you have but to complete one task." I was listening so desperately; I hadn't even noticed that I was holding my breath. "You can breathe, dear," the woman stated slowly, and didn't resume until I had taken several deep gasps. "Your task is to become observable to one mortal being that could link you to this earth—to your life."
What was that supposed to mean? I waited for her to explain further. She took the hint.
"Meaning you have to make one person that you know see you."
"See....me?" I asked foggily. "How am I supposed to do that? I'm dead! I'm invisible!"
"I know, dear."
Silence.
"How do I do it?"
The woman looked around the room at my friends again, as if summing them up. "Pick one person first. Someone you had a deep connection with—a friendship, a blood relation, or something to that extent. You've already discovered your ability at affecting the physical world. Use that to your advantage. Invoke the uses of your spiritual aura—lift objects, make signs, do whatever you wish."
She waited.
"So.....it's like a big game of charades?"
"Essentially," she answered, nodding. "My only warnings are these: there are certain beings lurking about that could be harmful to you—demons that specialize in essence thieving. Also, each time you use your spiritual energy, you will feel fatigue, as if it were physical energy you used. Be wise and careful with all your choices."
"I will," I assured. "I think I've already chosen who I'm gonna try to reach."
"Would you mind my asking?"
"No," I said shyly, looking down. "I think I'm going to try to get Inuyasha to see me."
The white-robed woman smiled, looking at him as well. "I can see why. He's obviously grown an attachment to you." I was puzzled. How much did she know about us, anyway? As if she could sense my thoughts, the woman answered gently, "I must confess to a little spying every now and then." Her smile faded as she followed my gaze to the silver-haired hanyou. "No matter how many times I steal a look down here, it's not the same." Her smile became wistful. "My little Inuyasha's grown up into a handsome young man, don't you think?"
I blushed (as much as I could), looking away so she wouldn't see the answer in my eyes. I heard her laugh sweetly. "Don't be embarrassed, dear. I didn't mean to tease."
"It's okay...." I met gaze with the woman again, feeling my face regain its normal transparent paleness. "H-he hasn't told me much about you, except that you were very pretty, and a good mother."
"Thank you," the lady said softly. "But I wasn't a good mother.....I left my only child when he was too young to fend for himself, when he still needed protection.....the villagers were so cold to him. It was my fault that Inuyasha didn't trust anyone for so long."
I was touched by the sadness in her face. "It wasn't your fault," I assured quietly. "You didn't die purposefully. Inuyasha doesn't blame you for it." She looked like she wanted to say something else, but whatever it was, she bit back, smiling again and brushing a lock of hair from my face in a motherly way.
"I know you will succeed in this, Kagome. When you get back.....take good care of my Inuyasha." She backed away, dissolving into the rip again. All the blue orbs extinguished themselves, and everything looked normal. I still stood in the same spot, watching where Inuyasha's mother had disappeared.
"I will," I promised, touching the strand of hair she had a moment before. "Thank you. I promise I will."
@-}-----------------------------
A great big thanks to all my readers including Lil, DemonMiko, Inuyashsa- gal-97 and Laura O., who took the time to e-mail me (thanks a bundle!) but forgot to leave her screen name. Hope you guys liked the chappy!