A Farewell To the Innocent

By: halfinupriestess

Chapter 2: Train Ride to Kyoto and Training Camp

Summary: Kagome and InuYasha have yet to defeat Naraku when Kagome's grandfather is drafted into the army. Not wanting to lose her only grandfather, Kagome decides to go in his place. She leaves for war, only to return a year later, scarred by war and death. Will she ever be the same? Inu/Kag Semi AU (I made up world war 3!)

Disclaimer: InuYasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I hold no claims to him or his friends.

A/N) Hello my beloved readers! This is the second chapter of my story, and I am delighted to have gotten reviews already! I am going to update about every other week from now on, but you never know. There have been quite a few thunderstorms recently and you never know when your computer might decide to die! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Tears slipped from her eyes as her family drove her to the train station. No one wanted her to go, and she didn't want to go. It was going to be the worst year of her life. She was not afraid, she had all the gifts from her friends and she knew that she would live, but…that was it. Just But. But she didn't want to go. But her Gramps would die if she didn't go. But she would miss her friends. But she had no choice. But she loved InuYasha and couldn't stand to be away from him. But she had to go. She took in all the sights of Tokyo on their way to the station across town. She watched as they passed her school, Wacdonald's, the mall, all with memories of her friends and childhood. As far as she was concerned, her childhood had ended the moment she stepped into the feudal era, but her memories here she would miss, too.

Her little brother was grasping so tightly to her hand that she feared she was going to lose circulation in it and need an amputation.

"Souta, I love you bro, but I fear I will need that hand and you are cutting off blood flow." He released her hand and she put her arm around him.

"What are those things on your arms, Kagome?" Her Gramps asked. Her mother added to the questions, "Yes, Kagome isn't that InuYasha's necklace?"

Kagome nodded. "This wristband is from Sango, the tajiya. There is a hidden blade in it. The beads are from Miroku and he told me they were blessed by many monks and mikos and should help protect me. Kaede gave me a charm and Shippo gave me his favorite toy. InuYasha gave me his necklace and the jewel shards." She chuckled. "He told me that he fully expects to be sat when I come back." Everyone else in the car laughed. The tension in the car was gone, to be replaced by love. She could feel it in the car, radiating from her family and all settling into her. She was surrounded by a sense of calm and was definitely no longer afraid. She would live for her friends, even through the battles.

It was not long before they reached the train station. Her family solemnly parked the car and walked into the station. Souta grasped his sister's hand for dear life, and her mother was holding tightly to her other one. Jii-chan just silently walked behind, as if feeling guilty for what Kagome was about to do.

They reached the platform all too soon. It was 5:10 and the train was already in its place, waiting for passengers to carry to Kyoto training center. Kagome hugged her mother and kissed her cheek.

"I love you mom. I'll be back. You don't have to worry about me." She said, tears building up in her eyes. She refused to let them fall.

She hugged her Gramps tightly, her arms wrapped around his wrinkled neck.

"I love you, Gramps. Don't feel guilty for me leaving. It was my decision." She kissed his cheek, again fighting the tears that begged to fall. She then turned to her little brother, who was sobbing heavily. She kneeled down and hugged him tightly before kissing his forehead.

"I love you, Souta. I want you to be strong and take care of momma and gramps for me, okay? When InuYasha comes by, I want you to treat him like family and do your best to annoy the heck out of him for me. Can you do that, baby brother?"

Souta, through his tears and strangled sobs, nodded his head and kissed his sister goodbye. The train whistle sounded, startling the family and vanquishing all hopes that the train would never leave.

"All Aboard for Kyoto!" called the conductor.

"That's me", Kagome said. She hugged her family goodbye one last time and climbed aboard the train.

Once Kagome was seated, the train lurched and began to move slowly out of the station. She spotted her little brother from her window, running alongside the train. She waved to him and blew him a kiss as the train picked up speed and left the station behind completely. It was only then that Kagome allowed her tears to come. She sat in her seat, staring out the window and crying like she had never cried before. She was leaving behind her friends, her love, her family, and her childhood innocence…to go to war. The reality of the situation hit her and she sat there, stupefied and crying. It finally sunk in.

Kagome fiddled with the prayer beads that Miroku had given her. It was right at that moment, as she touched the beads and felt the holy power, that the magnitude of her friends' gifts hit her.

'These are the beads my father used to close up his wind tunnel…'

Kagome realized the sentiments her friends had given to her through these gifts. Miroku had given her what was most likely his prized possession. These were his father's prayer beads. These were probably all he had left of his father.

'It's a good blade. My father and I worked hard to make it…'

Sango had given her something that her and her father had labored for. Kagome allowed more tears from her eyes. Sango had given Kagome not only protection, but also a memory of a loved one now lost. She fingered the prayer beads around her neck.

'I fully expect this to be back on me and for you to go back to your habits of sitting me to hell…'

InuYasha had given her their connection, in hopes that it would some how keep her safe. He had wanted her to have probably one of his most hated and loved possessions. She touched the jewel shards around her neck.

'Promise me you will return to me alive…even if you have to use the shards…'

He gave her the shards, the product of three years of their labor, just to make sure that she returned alive. She wasn't just a shard detector to him. He truly cared. She missed him already. She sat back in her seat and allowed her eyes to close. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, anyway.

Besides, it was a long 200 miles to Kyoto.

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The train whistle sounded as it arrived at the station in Kyoto. Kagome awoke from her slumber to see the doors opening as the conductor stepped into the small car.

"We have arrived in Kyoto. For those of you heading to the training camp, there is a bus waiting for you at the bus stop a block away. It will be there for fifteen more minutes."

Kagome sighed as she stood up from her chair and got off of the train. 'I guess this is my stop," she thought. She looked around at all the various people in the station. She saw a mother with two children, a boy about Souta's age, and a girl who seemed about her own age. How she wished that she could be home with her family. She spotted a man in a black suit and a suitcase, no doubt a businessman. She wished with all her heart that she could be one of these people.

'Stop it," she thought, "I need to stop wishing and face reality! I am going to war. I have to stop my stupid daydreaming!" She calmly went up to the ticket counter. The young woman was sitting there, filing her nails and reading a magazine. She looked up at Kagome and smiled.

"How may I help you, miss?" She set her magazine and nail file down.

Kagome could not help but smile back at her. "Yes, um…I was wondering which way to go to the bus stop? There is a bus there that's supposed to take me to training camp."

The young woman seemed surprised. "Oh, you poor dear. I think what they are doing is just horrible! Of course, the station is a block to the right when you exit the main building."

Kagome nodded and said a quick 'arigatou' before hurrying in the direction of the exit. The second she reached the streets of Kyoto; a sudden fear gripped her heart. She refused to let it show, of course, and she calmly began walking in the direction the young woman was pointing her. She grabbed the prayer beads around her neck for comfort as the bus stop came into sight. She was afraid. For the first time in her life, Kagome Higurashi, a girl who could face down a full demon like Sesshomaru, was afraid. InuYasha would not be here to save her as he always was. She had no friends to rely on. She had been thrown into the cruel world and all of a sudden she had no idea what to do with herself.

The stop was closer now, mere meters away, yet it seemed as if she was going in slow motion. She did not want to get on that bus, because it was the last step in giving away the innocent heart she had once held.

She had reached the doors to the bus when she suddenly stopped. She just stood there, in the doors of the bus with the driver staring at her as if she was crazy.

"Hey, girl! Are you gonna get on, or what? I ain't got all day!"

Kagome looked at him, stupefied. She knew she had to take that final step, knew that she had to cross that threshold, but she didn't want to. Everyone who knew Kagome knew that if she didn't want to do something, she was not going to do it. But this was different. She had to do this, whether she wanted to or not. Taking a deep breath, she took that one step, the one that would decide her future for the next year. She took that one step onto the bus.

And into the war.

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The bus was not all that crowded. Most of the people who were coming to the training camp had come already, and were probably already accustomed to the place that they would be spending the next two weeks in. Kagome felt as if she had just grown up. She took a seat in the back of the bus and looked out the window at all the busy people on the street. She felt afraid, she had left her homes in the feudal era and in the modern era. Truth be told, she had never had a comfort zone, or a place that she was completely secure in because she never stayed in one place for very long. It wasn't until then, at that very moment that she realized that her comfort zone and her home was InuYasha. He protected her from everything. But he couldn't protect her now.

She had to rely on the strength and battle skills that she had learned in the Sengoku Jidai. She had mastered the art of self-defense because Sango taught her. She could take down a weaker demon with her bare hands if she had to. Miroku and Kaede had taught her how to use her spiritual powers to keep away her fears and help her know when danger was coming. Even InuYasha failed to sneak up on her anymore. InuYasha had taught her how to use a weapon. Granted, he wasn't the most patient teacher in the world, but he had managed to teach her the basics of a sword. She hoped that she would be able to use one during combat. She knew she would never be able to use a bow and arrow, but a samurai sword might be acceptable. Shippo had taught her stamina, and she could run faster than most humans she could think of, even in the feudal era. A very InuYasha-like smirk crossed her face as she sat there in the bus seat.

She was jerked violently out of her thoughts when the bus began to move. She took her time to look around the bus at the other people on it. It had filled up considerably since she had been lost in thought. There were about twenty other people on it, most of them young. She spotted two girls in the front, but the rest were men. The two girls were sitting in the very front of the bus and were chatting lightly about their families. Beside them were two men whose faces remained stoic and their voices silent. This was the way the other passengers were. Some were talking about their lives, hoping to find a companion, while others were lost in thought as she had been, staying silent and staring out the windows as the bus drove down the busy main street. The mood was grim, as though the air had been sucked out the windows.

The bus stopped rather suddenly, and the doors opened with a loud screech. Seven more people entered the bus and looked around for somewhere to sit. There was one girl with them. She spotted Kagome and headed towards her. She smiled hopefully, and pointed to the seat.

"May I sit here?" she asked. Kagome forced out the best smile that she could and patted the seat next to her.

"Absolutely." she replied, "I'd be glad of some company."

The girl smiled graciously and sat down next to Kagome before offering her hand. "My name is Suzuki."

Kagome took her hand. "Kagome. I'm from Tokyo. You?"

Suzuki replied. "I'm from Tokyo, also. Though I can't really say that I live there anymore."

Kagome looked at her questioningly. "Why is that?"

Suzuki's smile faded a bit as she replied. "Well, my Dad and I moved in right down the street from the Sunset Shrine. He had a heart attack the day before we received the letter. He passed away, so I had to go in his place. I don't have any money, so I assume the government will have me evicted and have the house sold by the time I return."

Kagome's heart reached out to her. "I live at the Sunset Shrine. My Gramps was the one who was drafted. He's too old, and would die, so I came in his place. My mom had to stay behind for my brother, Souta. My dad passed away when I was seven, so he couldn't go."

Suzuki nodded. "Seems that no matter how much the government tries to keep women out of the war, the more end up going."

Kagome nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I wish that they would have a military service like America. They don't make you go to war, you volunteer for it."

Suzuki's eyes widened in wonderment. "You mean they don't draft you?"

Kagome shook her head. "Wow", Suzuki said. Kagome's back hit the seat hard when the bus lurched forward. Suzuki almost fell out of her seat. Kagome studied her face for a moment. She looked eerily similar to Sango. Her hair was short and brown and her eyes were a beautiful green color. She looked about Kagome's height.

Kagome turned to face her new acquaintance. "I hope that we end up in the same group. It would be nice to have a friend to help me through."

Suzuki nodded. "I agree. You seem to be the nicest person here. How old are you, anyway? You seem to be about 25."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Oh, goodness no! I'm only 18!"

Suzuki returned the look. "You can't be serious! I thought you were way older than me! I'm only 19!"

It wasn't until then that the girls really noticed the other passengers. They were being stared at by every other person on the entire bus. Their faces turned red quickly and they slumped down in their seats, embarrassed that they had become so loud over such a trivial thing as age. The rest of the ride was spent in silence as they tried not to laugh. It was a good distraction for Kagome, because for the few minutes left of the bus ride, she wasn't sad about what she had left behind.

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When they reached the camp the bus skidded to a halt. Kagome and Suzuki looked out the window to see the place they would be spending the next two weeks. The camp was surrounded by a chain-link fence, which was old and rusted. There was no grass inside the fence, and the small plants outside of it were shriveled and brown. There was a training field made out of what could only be described as death-by-Astroturf. Surrounding the training field were rows upon rows of grey tents, each in a new level of disrepair. The ground was muddy, as it had recently rained. Heavy clouds covered the sky, threatening more precipitation. It looked much more like a concentration camp than a training camp.

Kagome and Suzuki noticed they were the only ones still left on the bus, save the driver, who was currently yelling at them to get off. They quickly stepped off the bus and through the gate. Several guards shut it behind them. Kagome felt Suzuki grab her hand, and she squeezed back. This was one of the scariest moments of their lives. Kagome couldn't help but think this rivaled all the times that she was kidnapped put together.

They saw the registration tent ahead and headed for it. Kagome was the one to pull back the flap and step in first. It was dark inside the tent, not to mention incredibly stuffy. They reached the registration table where a man with a scruffy beard was using his pen to dig the dirt out from under his fingernails.

"Excuse me, Sir" Kagome said, "We are here to check in."

The man looked up at them with an irritated glance. "Names." He said in monotone.

Kagome replied. "Kagome Higurashi." The man smirked. "Pretty name, but it ain't gonna do ya no good out here to be purty. You gonna run home cryin to your momma tomorra mornin'. He laughed. Kagome frowned.

Suzuki stepped closer to the table and cleared her throat. "Suzuki Yamamoto." The man shot her a leery glance. He smirked at her, too. "Same thing I said to this lil' missy over here. Taint nuthin ya can do if yer purty."

Kagome was getting fed up with this guy. She slapped her hands on the table and glared at him. "All we want are our tent assignments and identifications. If you fail to give them to us, then I fear your commanding officer will not be too pleased with you" she hissed. Her harsh, yet even demands made the man lean back in his chair to get away from her. He rushed to get their papers together and shoved them in their hands. The girls left quickly, eager to get out of that tent.

Kagome checked her papers to find that her assignment was tent 1A and her squadron was 5C. She looked at Suzuki. "So what tent do you have?" Suzuki looked at her and replied. "I have tent 1A and squadron 5C. You?"

Kagome smiled. "Same."

They continued on through the mud until they reached their tent. There was a table waiting outside of it. A tall, muscular woman stood behind the table and was already getting two bags out from underneath of it. Kagome reached the table first. The woman looked at her and then nodded, as if approving for something that Kagome had no knowledge of.

"My name is lieutenant Morimoto. I will be your trainer for the next two weeks, as well as your commanding officer. Here is your clothing and supplies that you must take with you when you leave for Berlin." The woman, although she seemed tough, she was friendly enough.

Kagome nodded and accepted the small bag that was offered to her. "Arigatou." Suzuki took her pack as well and began to follow Kagome into the tent. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

Lieutenant Morimoto looked at her sorrowfully, and held out her hand. "I'm sorry, but jewelry is not allowed."

Suzuki looked down at the small necklace that she wore. She reached behind her neck and took it off, handing it to the woman. Kagome expected to be reprimanded for all her jewelry as well, but the woman simply smiled at her and told her to go on in. Suzuki followed her.

The inside of their tent was no better, if not worse, than the registration tent. There was no tarp on the ground, only mud. The water had seeped under the tent during the last storm, making ankle deep puddles all over the place. The lamps that hung from the poles were kerosene and produced a horrible odor. The beds were mere cots held on wobbly stands, and there was a place for your bag at the foot.

Kagome picked the bed closest to the middle and placed her stuff on the end of it. She looked at the thin blanked that was provided for her and sighed. She'd had worse. In the Sengoku Jidai, they had once had to camp in the middle of a swamp. She had woken up to find that her sleeping bag and pillow, along with her legs and torso, had sunk into the ground. InuYasha had pulled her out of that one, though. The way he had held her a little longer than necessary still made her heart pound. Suzuki interrupted her from her thoughts.

"So, who is this guy?" She smirked.

Kagome looked at her, confused. "What guy?" she asked.

Suzuki laughed and plopped down on her cot next to Kagome's. "The guy that you're in love with. The one you were just getting all starry-eyed over." She said simply.

Kagome automatically reached for the prayer beads around her neck. "My best friend. He was heartbroken when I said goodbye. I'm going to miss him." She replied sullenly.

Suzuki gave her a knowing smile. "So you admit that you're in love with him."

Kagome's eyes widened. Had she just admitted that? Oops. "I suppose now that you know already, there's no point in lying to you."

Suzuki shot up in the air, clapping her hands together. "Yes! Romance! Tell me all about him!" she screeched. Before Kagome could reply, however, Suzuki grabbed the hand that was fiddling with InuYasha's rosary. "What are you playing with?" she asked. Kagome looked down.

"InuYasha's rosary. Can't you see it?" she asked.

Suzuki shook her head. "I don't see anything."

Kagome frowned and grabbed Suzuki's hand. She placed it on the rosary and Suzuki's eyes widened. "How come I can feel it, but I can't see it?"

Kagome shook her head. "I don't know." She couldn't help but think that maybe it was the magic surrounding the kotodama.

Their conversation was interrupted by two more girls entering the tent, loudly complaining about how rude the man at the registration desk was.

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Several hours later, Lieutenant Morimoto entered the tent to lead them to dinner. Kagome and Suzuki had spent the last few hours telling jokes that they knew and various stories about funny things their family did. When they reached the mess hall, they were starving and ready to eat. The line was short, so they received their food quickly. They sat down by a window and began to eat. Shortly into the meal, it occurred to Suzuki that Kagome had never told her about her best friend.

"So Kagome, about this guy that you're in love with. What's his name?"

Kagome choked. "What?"

Suzuki patted her on the back. "The guy you were all starry-eyed over. What's his name? Give me details!"

Kagome hesitated. Should she tell Suzuki? What if she accidentally slipped and gave something away about the Feudal era? She looked at her friend. 'Okay' she thought, 'I can trust her if I do slip. She is not near as gossipy as my friends.' "His name is InuYasha." She said.

Suzuki smiled widely. "InuYasha? What an exotic name. Is he hot?" she asked.

Kagome was a bit taken aback by her forwardness. 'Is he hot?' she asked herself. She pictured his face in her mind. She could see his golden eyes, silver hair, and amazing build. "Oh yeah. He is beyond hot."

Suzuki's smile turned into a smirk. "You guys ever done anything? Ya know, kissed or maybe even more than that?"

Kagome blushed. She thought back to Kaguya's castle, where she had kissed him. That was the only time she had ever shown much more than simple friendly affections. "I kissed him once, but it was more to get rid of this girl. He didn't like her much." 'More like hated her' she thought.

Suzuki laughed lightly. "Your idea, or his?"

Kagome quickly shoved a bite of salad in her mouth. "Mpfhh." What she wouldn't give for a Twix at this moment.

Suzuki nodded her head. "Ah, yours. So are you going out or is this like a secret crush thing?"

Kagome swallowed her food and sighed. "We aren't going out. I'm pretty sure he knows I like him. He must care for me a lot, though. He cried when I left." She said, remembering the tear falling from his eye when she went through the well.

Suzuki shook her head. "You should ask him out. You know he would say yes, right?"

Kagome looked up from her food. "There's this problem, though. He's still in love with his old girlfriend. I'm not sure if he's ready to move on, so I haven't done anything. He will be the one to make the first move."

Suzuki sighed dreamily. "What does he look like? You said he was hot."

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, he's hot all right. He's got silver hair and golden eyes. He loves to wear red and he has a great build. He works out."

Suzuki frowned. "Silver hair and golden eyes? Contacts and Bleach, right?"

Kagome shook her head. "Nope. All natural. He had some…interesting genes."

Suzuki nodded. "Okay then. I want to meet him when this war is over, though."

Kagome smiled. "Of course. He'll want to meet my war buddy."

They both laughed as they finished their dinner.

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That night, when Kagome went to sleep, she dreamed of InuYasha. She dreamed of him being there beside her, holding her and telling her everything would be okay. She clutched the rosary in her hand as she slept through the thunderstorms that night.

A/N) Well, thanks for reading. Reviews mean alot to me, so remember to give me feedback. I have most of the story planned, already but I'm open to ideas. Although I love feedback, I am not a review nazi, so don't worry about not getting your chappies because someone else didn't push the little button! see ya next chapter!

May your tears fall gently and your laugher ring freely,

halfinupriestess