Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha . . .
ROCK ON!
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"You must promise us you will not return until you finished what you've started . . ."
Leaning against the large body of Goshinboku, Junichiro stared into the darkness of the forest, fingering the shard in his hand subconsciously. His obsidian hair fell down his back, save for the two forelocks that framed his frowning face.
What do they mean? Finish what I've started?
Thinking back on his entire week's stay in the Sengoku Jidai, he couldn't remember anything he could've "started."
Bring my parents together? Nah, they can do that by themselves . . .
He glanced down at the purple fragment, his frown slowly fading away to a small smile as he remembered seeing his parents for the first time in fourteen years.
It was nice . . . to actually talk to them . . .
Junichiro's thoughts were interrupted by a strange light that erupted from the nearby well, followed by a soft thud and a rustling of clothing. Placing the shard back into his pocket, he slowly stood, rubbing the back of his neck.
Kagome must be back . . .
"Hello? Inuyasha?"
The young man shook his head in amusement as he listened his future mother call out to the hanyou; even after the nasty fight they had before she was allowed to leave consisting of nasty names and numerous subduing commands, she always forgave and forgot.
"Inuyasha you jerk! Help me out of this well!"
Junichiro bit his lip from laughing out loud. Okay, maybe she didn't completely forgive and forget . . .
Strolling over to the well, he leaned over and peered inside, seeing the young woman huff and stomp her foot impatiently, her yellow backpack pregnant with the group's food.
"It's about time! How many times do I have to tell—" the miko paused, squinting her eyes as she stared up at the leaning figure.
"Junichiro! Ah, gomen, gomen! I thought you were Inuyasha!" she apologized, clearly embarrassed.
"No problem," the young man replied, jumping down and landing next to his future mother. In one swoop he gathered both the woman and her belongings, and jumped out of the well in an easy feat.
"You're getting good at your skills," Kagome admired, brushing herself off. "You're as good as Inuyasha when it comes to jumping out of the well."
"Ah . . . well . . ." Junichiro blushed, scratching his head as he set the heavy backpack down. "I—"
"Oy, wench!"
The two turned to see an angry half-demon stalk towards them, his ears twitching in annoyance as his face was molded into what seemed like a permanent scowl.
The young woman sighed, stooping down to pick up her bag. "Hello to you too, Inuyasha," she mumbled, adjusting the straps of the backpack to accommodate her body. "Sometimes I wish you could be a little nicer."
The last part was barely a whisper, but Junichiro heard it clear as a bell. As he glanced at the hanyou, he noticed that he stopped right in his tracks, his eyes that once twinkled with excitement from the woman's return suddenly turning sad and crestfallen.
Humph, that'll teach him . . .
Inuyasha quickly cleared his throat, and trying a different approach, asked in a low, gruff voice,
"Do you have ninja food?"
Kagome blinked for a moment, before shaking her head and motioning to her backpack. "Yes, Inuyasha, I have your ramen."
"Finally!" the hanyou strode to the priestess, and in one quick motion grabbed the bag off her back. Sniffing it quickly, his eyes lit up once more.
Kagome smiled quietly, knowing that the simplest things could make Inuyasha happy. Glancing at Junichiro, she noticed the strange mixture of rage and shock on his face.
He doesn't really know Inuyasha, does he?
"Inuyasha," the priestess began, "why don't you take my bag back to the village? I want to talk with Junichiro for awhile."
The hanyou gave her a strange, confused look, but surprisingly didn't protest. Seeing that there was no danger of Junichiro acting like Kouga, he simply shrugged and took off towards Kaede's hut.
The future mother and son watched as Inuyasha's red form disappeared into the forest before turning to each other. Kagome could see the many questions he had for her, and taking his hand, led him to a path she normally took when she needed some alone time in the Sengoku Jidai.
"Why do you let him treat you like that?" the dark-haired man asked, his honey eyes slightly flashing. "He's always so rude and rough."
Kagome took a deep breath, her eyes focused on the ground beneath them. "He's come a long way, Junichiro . . . a very long way."
"I know he probably told you this, but when we first met he tried to kill me. To kill me. He was loud and obnoxious, always criticizing me for everything I did, and implied that I was only a bother to him."
Junichiro blinked. "So why did you stay with him?"
"I saw something inside him . . . something good," she sighed, giving him a small smile. "He was alone for so long, Junichiro. His brother hates him, and his parents died when he was young. Its only to be expected that he acts in such a rude manner."
The young man was about to protest that he too lost his parents, but decided against it. Never hearing his father's past before, the subject caught his attention.
"How . . . how did he grow up?"
A sudden sadness filled the young priestess' eyes as she gazed into the darkness of the forest, her feet slowly slightly as they walked down the path.
"From what I have heard from Kaede and some from Inuyasha, he led a very lonely life. He was shunned by both demons and humans, never belonging to either. When his mother died, he was forced out of his home and into the wild, having to fend for himself against who knows what. Inuyasha never had anyone in the world . . . until Kikyou."
Junichiro winced at the sudden change of tone in her voice as she mentioned his father's former lover. Maybe I should stop her . . .
"You might've heard about her from the others, maybe even Inuyasha himself," Kagome continued quietly, staring up into the sky.
"Fifty-one years ago, Inuyasha met a woman in this very same village, a priestess by the name Kikyou. It just so happened that she was guarding the Shikon No Tama, the very thing Inuyasha sought. I guess, somewhere along the way, he fell in love with her."
"He agreed to become a full human for her, and in the process, purifying the jewel." Kagome paused, letting a slow sigh. "But, I guess, things never go as planned."
"Onigumo, an injured criminal who lusted after Kikyou, sold his soul to demons in order to have his body mobile. But the demons were ruthless, and Onigumo was lost in the process; instead, a new being was formed, one by the name of Naraku."
Junichiro suddenly felt lightheaded, realizing that everything—Kagome, Inuyasha, Kikyou, Naraku, the Shikon No Tama—were all connected.
"Naraku, like other demons, wanted the Shikon No Tama to become stronger. He disguised himself as both Kikyou and Inuyasha, and made them betray each other. In the end, Kikyou sealed Inuyasha to Goshinboku and she died soon afterward from a wound."
She glanced at her future son by her side, his face full of confusion. "You're probably wondering where I fit into all of this," she softly smiled, clasping her hands behind her back.
"On my fifteenth birthday, Buyo, the family cat, disappeared into the well house. Well, your uncle and I were terrified of that creaky old building, but I soon realized that I had to be the braver of the two. While I was inside, a centipede demon dragged me down the well and I ended up here, in the Sengoku Jidai."
"After a few minutes in this era, I was already in deep trouble. I was seen by the villagers near Inuyasha, and they thought I was a demon. I was taken to the village, where I met Kaede. She was speechless to find that I was her sister's reincarnation."
"Kaede is Kikyou's sister!" Junichiro gaped, feeling his head spin with all this information.
"Yes," Kagome nodded. "She knew Inuyasha fifty-one years ago, before he was sealed onto the tree."
"Well, things happened, and the demon that dragged me to this era returned, intending to take the jewel residing in my body. In fear of the villagers' life more than mine, I ran towards the forest, and towards Inuyasha's resting place."
"I don't know how it happened, but something about my presence awakened him. Realizing that I had the jewel, he killed the centipede and came after me. Luckily, Kaede had placed that subduing necklace on him, and I was able to escape with my life."
"I won't say how I broke the Jewel," Kagome smiled grimly, "But I do admit that I broke it. It was my fault this whole thing came to be."
Junichiro watched as the trees around the path they were walking on began to disperse, and soon found themselves in the midst of the stream that flowed near the village. The slowly rising moon's reflection sparkled on the dark water as the stars above began to twinkle with brightness.
"Maybe if I had stayed away from the well house that day . . . or maybe if I hadn't helped Souta find Buyo . . . none of this would be happening. Everyone wouldn't be in danger, and everyone would be happy living normal lives . . . "
The young man, not knowing how to respond, merely stood there, staring into the darkness of the sky as he cherished the short quality time with his mother.
Even though she may say she wished none of this happened . . . deep down inside her, her heart says otherwise . . .
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AN: I apologize with all my heart for the late update and the semi-short chapter . . . things have been waaaaay to hectic for me to keep up with my stories, and I feel really bad about it. Basketball season's going crazy with all our games, crazy teachers who assign projects every week, music performances, Bible camp, and all the class fundraising things I have to organize . . . akl;sdjfasdjkfjld!
I'm apologize once more . . . and I'll try to get more updates out this weekend!
thanks for all the support!