Ha! Mwua ha ha!

Yeah, OK, it wasn't a HUGE twist, but still!

Sorry that I didn't update sooner, but I was off on a trip. I was gone for longer than I thought I would be. And then there was that stupid glitch.

A Change in Our Future

Chapter Twenty-One: Kagome's Consequences

I knelt on the ground, my tears starting to come down faster than before. What happened? Was Naraku still alive? According to Shippo's and Gosai's stories he came back after we defeated him! But it's not like fate is set in stone or anything... The future changed, didn't it?

I clenched my fist and could feel my fingers scraping the ground, picking up stray pebbles that stuck under my nails.

I felt InuYasha's presence near me, and I heard his sniffing.

"I don't sense Naraku."

My eyes widened and I looked up at him. "WHAT? How can that be?"

Naraku was the one who was behind enslaving all the demons, wasn't he? He came back, according to the story. But, maybe something happened to change that...

I looked around, wiping the tears from my eyes. I didn't sense any demons that were very powerful, besides Sesshomaru, but he was 'helping.'

"I don't sense Naraku either..." I said, amazed.

I took out the Sacred Jewel and held it out for me to see. It looked pure and bright; it sent a powerful feeling through my body.

I clenched the Jewel and looked at InuYasha. He seemed to be thinking hard, his eyes fixed on the ground and calculating.

Those eyes of his... they were so strange, but they were so pretty.

Suddenly his eyes widened.

"Kagome..."

"What?" I asked softly, wiping away a stray tear.

He turned his gaze towards me. "What happened before we came to this time and found out what happened to the demons?"

I raised my eyebrows and looked at him like he was nuts. What was he getting at? I had no idea what he was trying to say.

"What happened?" I repeated, thinking hard. "We fought demons..."

InuYasha shook his head. "Something that you wanted to forget."

I gasped. "Kane..." Turning my head, I saw InuYasha nod.

"Don't you think that might have something to do with it?" InuYasha asked, standing up.

I frowned. "B-but how would that wor--" then I gasped. How could I forget? Kane had told us a story about what he did.

- - -

"I am Kane, a traveling demon slayer," said the man laying on the bed, looking around at all of us as best he could.

"A demon slayer!" Sango said, startled. She got up and walked over next to me, gripping onto my arm. You could tell she was curious and slightly afraid about what he would say next. "Did you live in the demon slayers village?" Sango asked. If he lived in her village, wouldn't you think that Sango would find him slightly familiar? Her father was pretty much the leader, from what I know.

"I lived in the demon slayer village in the west before I left to help other people. I can see you lived in one of them also. Your weapon is from the village that was destroyed, wasn't it?" Kane asked. Sango looked at the ground and nodded. I felt bad for her and her loss. She lost her village and her family. I didn't know what that felt like. The only hardship I've ever had to face was going through the well. "I feel bad for your village." Sango nodded once more.

"Why don't you all sit down?" Kane suggested, breathing in deeply. I sat with Sango sitting next to me. I looked at the ground, not being able to take those green eyes anymore.

"As I said, I lived in a demon slayer village to the west. As I became stronger the demons became scarce. Soon there were none trying to attack our area and village. I remained undefeated by any demon and I traveled around the lands to help other people and villages, destroying any demons in my way.

"I soon came upon a small village with a very powerful priestess. Though she was old, she knew many things and was very talented. She told me I must go defeat a demon in the east, for most of the sacred jewel was held by him. I followed the priestess's advice and started traveling to the east, stopping by towns along the way to help with any demon problems."

- - -

"Since I killed Kane, I probably prevented him from killing a lifetime's worth of demons!" I said, clenching my fist.

InuYasha frowned. "How do we fix this?"

"Kane was a demon slayer," I said, folding my arms. "We need someone to take his place."

InuYasha suggested the obvious, "What about Sango?"

I nodded. "That's our best bet. We'll have to go ask her."

InuYasha agreed and we walked towards the well house, the short distance feeling like a mile to me.

As I stood before the well, I looked down into it and sighed.

"Kagome?" InuYasha asked.

"This... This is all my fault," I said, folding my arms and glaring at the floor.

"No, it isn't," InuYasha said, gripping the side of the well.

"How can you say that?" I asked, glaring at him. "It is my fault, and you know it. It's always been my fault. The Shikon Jewel, Kane's death... I'm the one to blame."

"Kagome! Listen to yourself!" InuYasha said, turning towards me and gripping my shoulders. "It's not your fault! You didn't know that Kane was there! I didn't even know it! Anyone could make that mistake. That's what happens when you fight. Those things happen."

"No one I know makes those mistakes," I said, looking at the ground.

InuYasha sighed. "Are you sure about that?"

"What?"

InuYasha looked at the floor painfully. "Haven't you ever wondered how Kaede lost her eye?" I looked at InuYasha carefully as he continued, "Kikyo's arrow shot through a demon, but it didn't destroy the demon. The demon's claw was sent through Kaede's eye." My eyebrows practically raised off my head.

I never imagined that Kikyo would make a mistake like that.

"Are you telling the truth?" I asked, looking at InuYasha. I knew that he was, but I couldn't help but ask anyway. He nodded. Strangely enough, that made me feel better. I don't know how, but, that didn't matter.

I gripped the side of the well and said, "We better get going."

I jumped over the side of the well and InuYasha followed, both of us going through the time stream.

Who knew that it wasn't Naraku's fault that the demons were still there?

I never thought that it could be anything but. I guess that InuYasha can be a great help sometimes, even if he isn't fighting.

Right before we landed in the bottom of the well I turned towards InuYasha and smiled at him.

"InuYasha?" I said, smiling.

"Hm?" he replied, looking at me strangely. It was like he was shy.

"Thank you," I said sweetly, before turning towards the side of the well and climbing out of it.

InuYasha blinked a couple times before jumping out of the well and following me. Now we had to talk to Sango.

Sorry that this chapter isn't very long... Oh well. You can't be too upset since the story is 133 pages on AppleWorks. I wonder how long it is on Word? (I just found out it's 135 pages on Word)

Next Chapter: Kagome and InuYasha have to talk to Sango, but what will her reaction be?