Chickahominy Creek

Of All Possible Worlds

Chapter 3: A Past That Will Not Fade

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

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"You didn't see anyone leaving the excavation site?"

"No," Kagome said, locking her fingers around the edge of the table to keep them from rising to her head to massage the massive headache forming at her temples. It had to be the third or fourth time she'd answered that question, but she couldn't complain—Officer Ichimura had it worse than she did.

Unlike the other officers who had interviewed her within the last hour and a half, Ichimura was a relatively young man, probably in his early thirties. The dark blue policeman's hat sat firmly on his head, his dark sweat drenched hair curling slightly around the edges. Piercing eyes stared out from under the brim, boring directly into hers. He carried no notebook or any other note taking device that she could see, but it was obvious he was soaking everything in, sitting straight in the chair across from her, one finger tapping out a rhythm on the table. Kagome followed it carefully with her ears, almost able to make a song out of the beat. Making up lyrics in her head was better than making up a scenario for what happened, which was what had been dominating her thoughts since she began the interviews. She wondered if he was thinking of any particular tune, or if the rhythm was completely random.

Recognizing that he wasn't getting anywhere with Kagome, he turned to Hojo, who's facial color had finally returned to normal after seeing the scene at the main site. "Mr. Akitaki, can you please tell me what was being excavated at the crime scene?"

"A statue," Hojo replied stiffly. The words sounded like they were having trouble coming out. Kagome's mother had once told her that sometimes, a demon would hold a person's tongue to punish him for speaking ill of the demon. Perhaps that was the problem; a demon had Hojo's tongue.

Perhaps a demon caused the worker's deaths. The thought came unbidden, but the second it surfaced, Kagome immediately staunched it. Demons didn't exist anymore outside of textbooks and old fairytales. They made for excellent stories, but time had left them behind long ago—or so she kept telling herself. The way those men had been killed…

"A woman?" Kagome pushed her thoughts aside and back into the conversation at Ichimura's reply. She had to focus on the now.

"Yes, a woman. Beautiful. We were thinking maybe some kind of minor goddess or spirit. A guardian of some kind…" Hojo trailed off. His mouth was clamped shut and Kagome could visibly see him shaking.

Midori obviously noticed as well and placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She herself had a glazed look, though she at least exuded an aura of calm. "We don't know exactly who it was a statue of, but like everything else here, testing has placed it at the Feudal Age," she said. "It was the most life-like statue I have ever seen. Every joint, feature, and strand of hair was perfectly shaped. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the woman had been alive at one time. She had this look of horror on her face that was nothing short of masterful. The detail was breathtaking."

"There were pieces of broken stone on the ground found by the victims' bodies. I assume that if I were to have them tested, I would also find residue dating back to that time period and some fingerprints from workers?"

Midori nodded, frowning. "Yes, I would assume you would. It is a tragic loss. That statue was priceless to the scientific world."

Never mind the people who died excavating it, Kagome thought bitterly.

Officer Ichimura glared at her as if he was taking her apart piece by piece and Kagome involuntarily shivered. Not only was he being rude, but Kagome could swear the room temperature dropped several degrees. Heat was peeling off her skin, like tiny layers being lifted. He was trying to peer at her very soul by removing the shell around it, stripping aside, skin, muscle, sinew, blood, and bone. It wasn't painful, but the hairs on the back of her neck were on end. Strangely, the sensation didn't unnerve her. Other than an uncomfortable chill, the touch was actually pleasant. She could even feel her miko powers dancing from the contact, they reveled in the sensation—that unnerved her.

Ichimura remained silent for a long interval, and Hojo squirmed. Midori didn't even flinch. Finally, the officer rose slowly from his chair and bowed slightly. "I thank you for your cooperation. When my department knows something, we will contact you. How may I reach you?"

Midori recited a contact number then bowed in return. "I hope this is sorted out soon. These events will be detrimental to our research."

Kagome wanted to scream at her. Who cares about the research? Two people are dead and we don't know who killed them!

"You have my promise that we will do what we can." Shooting one last glance at Midori, Ichimura left the tent. When he left, the tension seeped out of the room. Kagome didn't know what to feel about Ichimura. He didn't seem to like Midori too much and there was something about him that both attracted Kagome and at the same time urged her to keep the man at arm's length.

When the officer was out of earshot, Hojo sank into his chair, letting his head roll back listlessly against his shoulders. "I am so sorry about this Kagome. I never would have guessed that—I didn't think…"

Kagome placed one of her hands over his. "No, it's not your fault. There isn't anything you could have done. It is I who should be apologizing. Two of your worker lost their lives today. It is a horrible tragedy."

Hojo opened his mouth to contradict her, but instead, just gave her his sincere thanks. He released her hand with a smile and stood up, removing his glasses to wipe them clean on his shirt. "We should probably go make an announcement to the crew, let them know what's going on."

"Yes," Midori said. "I'm sorry that we have to cut our meeting short, Kagome, but under the circumstances, it may be best for you to leave."

"I understand. It is no problem. I should probably be getting home anyway."

"You have a book signing coming up, don't you?" Hojo asked.

"Yes, tomorrow as a matter of fact, in the evening."

"Well, good luck."

Kagome nodded and bowed one more time before rising from her chair and making her way towards the exit. Before she reached the tent door, however, she paused at the table holding the two swords. Her hands itched to reach out and touch them. Her miko powers were tingling, equally eager. Those two swords, especially the Tenseiga, had their own force of gravity for her. It actually took an effort to move away from them.

The pull eased as she made her way into the baking sun, but she could still feel it at the back of her mind as she moved toward the car. She climbed in without looking back, fixing her eyes on the road in front of her, taking the path back through the grove of trees.

She could still see the faces. The two men hadn't looked human anymore, just twisted lumps. They were nothing more than piles of flesh holding broken bones at the bottom of a hole in a wasteland made by their own hands.

A small voice in her head told her that she should have been revolted, scared, sick—but she wasn't. All she felt was pity, though there was more than enough of that to make up for all the others she was lacking. She'd gotten used to seeing mangled bodies in the Feudal Era…

The group had been moving steadily forward all afternoon, Miroku and Sango on Kirara with Kagome and Shippo on Inuyasha's back. They were hoping to make the next village by nightfall. Kagome prayed they would get there; a warm bed and with a hot meal were sounding worlds better than another sleepless night on the ground and ramen noodles. Inuyasha, though, wouldn't mind the noodles.

She had been busy filling her stomach in her imagination when Inuyasha stopped and sniffed the air. Kagome leaned in, burying her face in his hair just below his left ear. "What is it?"

"Blood," he said solemnly.

Kagome clenched him tighter, digging her fingers into the thick fabric of his kimono. "Blood?" she repeated.

"Yeah. A lot of it."

"A battle, perhaps?" came Miroku's voice from above. "Should we go check it out?"

Sango wheeled Kirara in the direction Inuyasha was facing and urged the giant cat forward. "I think we'd better, especially if there's a village nearby. Someone could be in trouble."

Inuyasha didn't reply, but followed the other three up the hill. They didn't have long to go. As they reached the peak, the valley opened up to reveal the charred remains of a village. Inuyasha put her down and Kagome followed him numbly on foot towards the charred remains.

Her nose not being as sensitive as the hanyou's Kagome didn't pick up the scent until they were almost four-hundred yards from the entrance. She quickly sucked in some air and bit her lower lip as they crossed the threshold.

Burning flesh.

Anything that had been wood was now cinders and ash. The buildings were still smoldering and Kagome could feel the heat as it pressed against her body. Smoke filled her throat and clawed at her lungs. She drew the sleeve of her shirt to her mouth, inhaling deeply. She squinted, trying to clear her vision; tears ran down her face, squeezed from her eyes by the sting of the heat.

The first body was meters from the entrance; a young woman, the charred remains of a basket dangling from one limp blackened finger. Kagome could barely tell that the mangled mass had once been human. The flesh was singed all the way around, the scraps of a kimono tatters over the cooling mass. Scraggly hair covered the head, messy as overturned straw. It looked like it was glued to the skull, held fast by caked layers of blood. Thin wisps rose from an area still lightly glowing with fire.

"It's recent," Miroku said, his voice solemn. "A few minutes, an hour at most."

Sango moved next to Kagome, kneeling down to study the remains of the young woman. "I wonder how many were here."

No one replied. Kagome didn't want to think about it. The fire had been sudden, she was sure. The way the woman was positioned on the floor—she couldn't have known what was coming. It was likely most of the residence were either dead or had fled from the fire.

"We should bury them," Kagome said softly. Inuyasha nodded. "I'll start digging," he replied. Kagome eased herself down beside the body and began uttering prayers for the dead. Her voice would be hoarse by sunset.

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Soshiro Ichimura collapsed at his desk and flung his hat into the nearest corner, not caring where the damn thing landed. He forced his body to relax into the cushions of his chair, but he couldn't get it to sit still. His fingers tapped out tuneless rhythms on the armrest, his feet swiveled the chair from left to right, and he crossed and uncrossed his legs.

His mind ran through every conversation again and again. The professor, his sister, the black-haired woman, the various workers at the scene—every word replayed back to him as if he had recorded their voices onto a tape player. He kept rewinding and fast forwarding, hoping to catch a comment that was useful, something that would lead him to the right conclusion. Hell, any conclusion. At this point, the only thing he was hitting was a solid wall.

He slammed his feet on the floor and sent the chair backwards, flying into the wall behind him with an audible thump. Nothing made sense, nothing at all. No fingerprints, no suspects, no marks on the bodies. His mind reeled. What could have caused those injuries? Thousands of ideas, hundreds of scenarios, zero answers and only one suspicion—one he would never put on the record books because there was no evidence to support it. His word didn't count as plausible cause.

And then there was that raven-haired girl. Something about her nagged at him too. He was missing something…

A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts. "What do you want?" he called, hoping that his annoyance didn't show, or if it did, that it would make whoever was at the door go away.

The door swung open and a brown-haired woman walked through, closing the door firmly behind her. Soshiro had to hold back a grin; he should have known. The person in front of him had one of the strongest presences he had ever encountered. Her head held high, green eyes staring directly at him without hesitation. High cheekbones and angular features gave off the impression of a bird of prey; the full lips would fit better on a geisha.

Reia Takinao was more than a competent officer—it was why he chose her as his partner.

She didn't wait for an invitation to sit, just eased herself into the chair in front of his desk. "Have the lab reports come back yet?"

"Some." Soshiro pulled himself up to his desk so that he was closer to her. "They didn't help. No fingerprints, no footprints or hair of any kind. No evidence. No suspects." He leaned back with a frustrated sigh. "Perfect, isn't it?"

"They put us on the case?" He could hear that smile behind her comment. Well, at least one of them would enjoy this. She didn't have to do the paperwork for cases like this. Those forms were a pain to fill out when there was nothing to fill in the blanks.

"Yeah." Of course the higher-ups put them on the case. They put him and Reia on everything that was labeled 'nonstandard investigation,' also known as 'too freaky for anyone else in their right mind to handle.' There were always cases that seemed to lead to dead ends. The force never asked any questions, which Soshiro thanked his lucky stars everyday for, but they had come to trust that he would get the job done. How do you find suspects that don't leave any trails?—for most of the forces in Japan, "I just know," doesn't fit the bill.

"Do we have any leads at all," Reia asked.

"Nope, nothing. We have no leads on a suspect, however, I do have an idea of where to begin." Soshiro wheeled over to the computer and began sifting through the network's filters until he found the desired file. "What do you know about Higurashi Kagome?"

Reia arched an eyebrow in response. "The author? Not much. Is there a reason I should?"

Soshiro nodded. "She was one of the witnesses at the dig site. And she's where we're starting."

"This sounds like another one of your hunches…"

Soshiro gave her a wolfish grin. "And since when are my hunches ever wrong?" Reia groaned and shook her head.

"That one time in Odaiba…"

"That one doesn't count. And we still caught the suspect."

Reia chuckled. "Yes, but…"

"No." That was a subject never to be brought up again.

"Ah, yes. You're ego. Sorry, sir."

"Right."

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The sun was just setting when Kagome pulled her car off the freeway. She eased her vehicle onto the main street, following it past the campus. Traffic congestion, though never nonexistent, had eased past the standing crawl from the afternoon. It was near the dinner hour and most people were indoors, going about their everyday business as if nothing was wrong with the world.

Kagome was trying to clench the uneasiness that choked her.

Hojo had called her cell only minutes ago to confirm that she was okay, saying that he felt guilty for not taking her home himself and that he should have been more understanding. It was a small comfort to know that he cared, and she reassured him over and over again that she would be fine—except that she wasn't.

Her stomach was still in knots and there was an incessant tingling flowing through her blood, a pressure beneath her skin. It was like her body was a soda can that had just been shaken—the only thing holding her miko powers in place was the stopper that she put on top, a thin piece of will that wouldn't contain the power's excitement for long. She could hear it, singing softly in the back of her head.

She was far from "fine," and wasn't sure she had been so since climbing out of the well for the last time. Just once, she would have liked to tell someone how she really felt when they asked if she was okay. "Fine" was such a courtesy response, an automatic reaction to a common greeting. People were rarely "fine." They just didn't want to burden others.

Kagome turned her car into the entrance of the parking garage with a sigh, rolling down her window before fishing her key card out of the glove compartment. When the gate lifted, she eased her way in and pulled her car up to the first empty space she found, which didn't take long. The garage was deserted.

No one met her within the vast cavern, her footsteps echoing through empty corridors. With the sun setting outside, the ancient fluorescent lights were just beginning to flicker to life, blinking away the weariness after a day's rest. They cast long shadows against cement columns that obscured all vision. Kagome made a mental note to complain about the lighting in the garage again to her landlord. She had actually tripped over the speed bump last week and didn't want a repeat of the incident that nearly caused a sprained ankle.

The apartment complex was only a few steps from the garage and Kagome was through the door and up the steps in a matter of minutes. Her room was on the fourteenth floor on the east side, overlooking the city.

Once inside, she absently flicked on the entrance light and threw her keys and purse onto the kitchen counter before grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator and leaning against the wall with a sigh.

Like most apartments in and around Tokyo, hers wasn't very big. There was a small living room separated from a miniature kitchen by a single wall. The living room wasn't heavily furnished, containing only a small sofa and love seat, coffee table, and a bookcase with a television on top. Despite the cramped living space, it was immaculately neat, as was everything else in her apartment with the maybe the exception of her desk, which was the best example of orderly chaos she had ever encountered. It was where she spent the majority of her time. Her workroom was just off the living room, a small hole with a window in one side. There was a bedroom on the other side of that.

Despite being the dinner hour, Kagome wasn't hungry and decided her time would be better spent working. She needed to get the day's events out of her head anyway. The writing would calm her, even if she only managed a few pages in her distraction.

She was halfway to her work room when something on the coffee table caught her attention. Immediately, her mouth went dry and a shiver raced up her body, setting her hairs on end. The room got colder and Kagome found herself frozen in place. Though she was incapable of movement, her miko power was gushing and it made her stomach churn.

A thin ray of light fell from a crack in the curtains, reaching through the folds to caress the scabbard of two familiar swords that were resting on her table as if they had always been there.

She stood flabbergasted at the two weapons. How had they gotten into her apartment? What would Hojo say when he found them missing? What would the police say? Thousands of thoughts flickered through her head, but none of them stuck. They grew wings and flew off to roost elsewhere until she chose to dwell on them. Right now, the swords drew her like a magnet.

Mindlessly, Kagome moved toward the table until her shins brushed the end. She knelt shakily, lifting one trembling hand toward the sword with the white hilt and gray pommel. Her hand tingled. Every rational part of her mind was screaming no, telling her that she would somehow regret touching a piece of her past that had been unearthed in the present. Despite the protests, her right hand landed softly on the Tenseiga's sheath.

And the barrier on her miko power shattered.

The power that had been threatening to emerge since she first saw the sword burst through her and consumed her body, lifting her cloths and twining through her hair. Cool, fresh energy. A lavender haze filled her vision and the room around her vanished until she was standing in a light purple void. It spilled from her, filled her; she became a part of the flow. An overwhelming sense of calm filled her, replacing the anxiety and fear that had coiled within her. As Kagome's miko powers, harnessed for so long, spilled out, she resigned herself to its soothing clutches. The energy that was so harmful to demons was a balm for a miko, but there was no telling what would happen after the initial release.

A little too late to be worrying about that now, Kagome told herself. She was still vaguely conscious of the sword in her hand and the attraction between her powers and the weapon present that afternoon hadn't dissipated. Tenseiga vibrated in her hands, striking a harmonious chord with the shimmering energy crackling around her. It was a bright major in her ears, resonating in a thrilling hum.

Kagome was just getting used to the presence of her power when the mists began to accumulate into a solid form. Squinting through the haze, she could just discern a human shape through the mists, taller than her and broader in the shoulders, lithe, muscular—clearly a man.

The haze slowly lifted and revealed the figure that it had shrouded. Kagome almost forgot to breath.

Standing in the light of the rising moon was an element of her past she had hoped never to encounter again. Pale light grasped snowy locks of hair, twining through it like a natural ornament. The hawk-like features of his face were completely relaxed, the masks of authority, disgust, hatred, and arrogance removed for the moment. Although the cloths that covered his body were ancient to her modern eyes, they suited him like nothing else ever could, from white hakama to the armor protecting his upper body. His hands were at his sides, claws resting lightly against his hakama. A crescent moon symbol adorned his head, shining in answer to its heavenly counterpart.

Sesshomaru…

Kagome's eyes drank in the image, her mind reeling until one coherent word finally emerged—beautiful.

Suddenly, the demon's eyes snapped open. They settled immediately on Kagome and held her in place. The startled miko watched in shock as the demon lord vaulted her couch and drew Toukijin from its scabbard.

In less time than it took her to blink, Kagome was pressed between the body of the demon lord and the glass door leading out to her balcony. She had closed her eyes at the initial impact, but she lifted them when she felt the cold bite of Toukijin at her neck. Sesshomaru was pressing down just hard enough to break the skin and she could feel the tickle from a drop of blood that was making its way down her neck.

"Where am I?" Sesshomaru's voice came out as a sharp hiss and Kagome struggled not to squirm. She could feel his breath on her cheek, tickling her ear. She shivered. He had to hear her heart pounding within her chest, she felt like it was going to break through her ribcage.

She tried to gather enough of the power that had been seeping out of her seconds ago to form a suitable attack, but could summon enough of her scattered wits to make so much as a spark and cursed silently when she couldn't. She had fought thousands of demons in the Feudal Era, so why couldn't she call forth enough to at least shock the one currently threatening to end her life?

Sesshomaru dug the blade further into her neck. "That wasn't a request. I demand to know where I am."

Kagome shoved her hand through the crack in the curtains behind her, frantically searching for the doorknob. "Tokyo," she said, surprised that her voice was reasonably steady. She didn't want to go any further. She didn't know how she'd explain a five-hundred year jump in time to someone who was currently holding a sword to her throat. A short explanation would probably end her life and something told her that the demon lord wouldn't be willing to listen to a longer explanation over a cup of tea in her kitchen.

"I do not know of this village. What province? It isn't in the Western Lands," her captor demanded. Kagome's hand finally found the doorknob. If she could make it outside, perhaps she could run down the fire escape, though the chances of outrunning a full demon were slim.

She twisted the lock and pushed the door open behind her. Unfortunately, Sesshomaru chose that same moment to bear down on her and grasp her shoulder with one clawed hand. Their combined weight sent them both flying backwards through the doorway and onto the metal rail of the balcony.

Kagome hit the ground hard and the air rushed out of her lungs. When she found that she was trapped underneath Sesshomaru's body and couldn't draw in another breath, she squeezed her eyes closed and braced herself for death. She waited for the final bite of metal to pierce her throat. She suddenly wished with all her heart that she had spent more time with her family and her friends. Everyone had been so good to her since she emerged from the well for the last time. She kept seeing all their faces as she counted down the last moments of her life, waiting for the blow that would sever her head from her shoulders.

Except it never came.

It had been nearly a full minute since they had fallen through the door. Sesshomaru's body was pressed against hers, chest to chest, hip to hip. She was surprised to feel his heart beating in a steady tattoo against her chest; she had been under the impression that it was something he lacked. One of his thighs was pressed against hers, pinning her sharply to the metal grating beneath her. The hand that had grasped her shoulder before their fall was still there, but it had slackened its hold, enough that she could roll the bruised limb and ease some of the discomfort.

Kagome cracked open her eyes and found her face only inches from her assailant's. Eyes the color of spring rosin framed by coal black lashes were opened wide, but they were not staring down at her. They were fixated just above her. No emotion showed on his face, but judging by his wide-eyed stare, she could tell he was shocked.

Wondering what had caught the demon lord's attention, Kagome craned her head back and gasped at what should have been obvious in the first place. Beyond her balcony, the city of Tokyo, Japan's largest metropolis, was lit up against the backdrop of the rinsing moon, the lights from the city forming a galaxy of tangible stars.

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AN: Sesshomaru finally makes his entrance. This wasn't the initial entrance I had planned for him, but I think it was effective nonetheless. I also didn't plan for Ichimura to become an important character. He just kind of shoved his way in there. I wonder what he wants…

Thank you for all the reviews, I loved them  Reviews keep me happy. As far as who killed the men, all shall be revealed in due time, but I did drop some small hints in this chapter. What happened to Kikyou will eventually be revealed also (at the same time as the murderer actually, the two are intertwined). I hope you all enjoyed and please read and review.