Chapter Seventeen: A Reinforced Soul
Before the group tried to break the blade, certain plans had to be made. Where were the children going to stay? The safest place was Kaede's village. Shippo knew people there and Rin would feel safe with Shippo around. However, they feared that Naraku's trap would also cause problems for the village. If he attacked there, they would be defenseless and no one was willing to risk that. Miroku was confident he could hold Naraku's attack off for a while, but if the poisonous insects got involved, which they always did, he would be out of luck. Sango was requested to stay back, but she was adamant that she would be going with Kagome. When Inuyasha and Miroku tried convincing her otherwise, Sango became irate.
"You were not there." Sango screamed at them. "You did not see Naraku break her. You didn't hear her beg him to stop and then hear her scream when he destroyed her body. I do not give a damn what either of you want. I am going to go and both of you are going to stay here, and I swear to god if either of you decide to argue with me about this one more time, I am going to castrate you in your sleep."
Both men stood silent, shaking a bit from the fear of Sango's wrath. After a moment, Sango asked if they understood and they both nodded. Sesshomaru and Kikyo both found themselves taking a couple casual steps back from Sango and Kilala was hiding behind Shipp and Rin, who were stunned.
"What's castrate mean?" Shippo asked.
"I'll tell you when you're older." Sango said, her tone barely calming from when she was speaking to the other two, so Shippo immediately decided not to ask that question ever again.
"And besides, it's my village. I'm going." Sango said her final two cents and called Kilala to her side. The demon feline was soon engulfed in fire and transformed into a large cat.
The group loaded up their supplies and started their journey to Sango's village. Sesshomaru carried the doll-like Kagome, while Sango and Kikyo rode on Kilala's back. The trip was silent. Sango worried about the repercussions of this choice. If Kikyo was right, her entire village could be destroyed by whatever blast may come. Sango knew that she would be hiding out in Midoriko's cave and waiting. The other two were quiet out of preference and Kagome was not expected to talk at all right now.
After a little over an hour of flight, Sango pointed out her village and they all landed in the abandoned place. Memories of home, her brother, her father, and all of the villagers quickly flooded Sango's mind as she hopped of Kilala and looked around, her eyes falling on the graves of her family.
"Are you sure you want to do this here?" Kikyo asked, seeing Sango's concern.
"I am. It's the one place I know there is no one around." Sango said and took a deep breath to reestablish her own confidence. "My Father and the other demon slayers would prefer it as well. We wouldn't want innocent people caught in the blast."
"Let's get this done." Sesshomaru said and set Kagome on Kilala's back. "Take her to the cave."
"Shouldn't she stay with you?" Sango asked.
"If the Priest is right, Kagome's soul and memories will reform and return to the body they know." Kikyo said, though she looked concerned about something else.
"What's wrong?" Sesshomaru asked.
"It's nothing important." Kikyo shook her head. "Let's go. Sango go hide."
Sango flew off on Kilala to hide in Midoriko's cave. Kikyo and Sesshomaru gave Sango a couple minutes to get to safety and stood in silence. Once they agreed enough time passed for Sango to be safely hidden with Kagome, they began. Kikyo held up the blade, its flat sides facing them both. They each placed a hand on the blade and held it up between their palms. After they braced themselves, the two began releasing their energy into the blade. The blade instantly began fighting back, burning their hands, but neither of them faltered. The two kept battling against the cursed blade, their energies working together to fight against its power. Suddenly, their energies caused the blade's form to waver.
They could both feel the blade succumbing to their power, but it began fighting back harder, so they had to fight harder. This kept going and going. The three forces of power flurried in the area. The wind began to pick up, light began to shine from Kikyo's body while the sky darkened and Sesshomaru's demonic aura shot outward randomly like lightning striking the earth. The power forming between them began pushing them back away from the blade, their hands no longer making contact to the weapon. They stood their ground, fighting the pressure pushing them away from it, as the trails of their feet being pushed through the dirt formed beneath them. At any moment, they could be blown back.
"Hold." Kikyo said, even though she was the one being pushed back much harder.
A few more seconds passed by, and suddenly, the blade shattered. Sesshomaru was sent back, but landed on his feet. Kikyo landed on her back and quickly sat up. Silence came over the land. The blades pieces floated in the air as a blindingly bright white light shining and shimmering from the blades center. The air around them began to pulse, and Sesshomaru took this as warning. Kikyo watched in awe, but Sesshomaru suddenly picked her up and ran off as quickly as he could. They did not make it far before the air began to swirl around the blade and suddenly an immense amount of power released.
A massive explosion erupted throughout the entire village and its surrounding area. The ground beneath Sango's feet shook as she waited from the cave and began watching Kagome closely. Energy of immense magnitude washed over the land, leveling all of the buildings, trees, and moving boulders. As the explosion reached Sesshomaru and Kikyo, the two dropped to the ground and waited for it all to subside. Both of their hair blew crazily in the wind and they knew if they stood, they'd be carried away.
Finally, things finally calmed down. Kikyo and Sesshomaru were covered in dirt, leaves, and were lucky enough not to be hit by multiple falling trees and boulders. They looked around to see the forest was completely leveled. The two stood and looked up to see souls flying off in random directions. They assumed their plan must have been successful and hurried to find Sango in Midoriko's cave. As they arrived, they found Sango holding Kagome close and crying heavily over her friend.
"Did it not work?" Sesshomaru asked in honest concern.
"No, it worked." Kagome said and sat up fully, looking around Sango to see Sesshomaru and Kikyo, smiling to both of them. "I'm okay. I have my memories back. Thank you both."
"Thank the heavens." Kikyo said with a soft sigh.
"Kagome, how much do you remember?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Everything." Kagome said adamantly, staring Sesshomaru directly in the eyes. Sesshomaru stared back at her and did his best to keep himself as expressionless as possible. Kikyo and Sango looked curiously between the two, wondering what sort of secret they were keeping.
"So, there is something going on between you and Sesshomaru?" Sango asked, almost excitedly.
"I owe him a lot." Kagome said and stood up. "He's saved me from Naraku, a giant centipede demon, and a disgusting snake demon that tried to force himself on me. I believe his name was Kitanran?"
"Correct." Sesshomaru said.
"So, there's nothing going on betwe-…" Sango asked and stood up as well.
"Sango," Kagome interrupted and hugged Sango tightly. "I also remember what I put you through. Naraku had broken my body in a way I didn't think was possible to survive and even though you tried to help me, you couldn't. I just laid there and screamed. I know that must have been terrifying…"
"It's okay Kagome. I'm just glad you're back." Sango said and then whispered as quietly as she could to Kagome, "You avoided the question."
"We'll talk about it later." Kagome whispered back and then looked to the other two. "Again, thank you both for bringing me back. It felt like an eternity in there."
"You remember being within the blade?" Kikyo asked.
"I do and I learned a lot." Kagome said and took a deep breath. "The number of souls in there was too many to count and it felt like centuries went by before I finally returned to my body. I was able to gain a lot of knowledge and experience by connecting with the other spirits. It's strange, but I'm pretty sure I've gained more power, unlike what the Priest said would happen."
"So, you remember that too?" Sango said, chuckling. "The Priest said you might lose your power."
"M'hm. I can guarantee that I didn't." Kagome said with confidence. "If anything, my soul and mind became more powerful, stronger, more durable, and even more flexible all at the same time."
"Could you… show us anything?" Sango asked.
"Um…" Kagome thought about it for a moment. "Only if you're willing to show me your back."
"What do you mean?" Sango asked.
"I'm pretty sure I can remove the scar that Kohaku gave you." Kagome said, a soft smile.
"Wh-What?" Sango replied in disbelief.
"Impressive." Kikyo said with a small smile. "You're even more powerful than before, and before you were quite impressive. You learned how to fire a sacred arrow without formal training, and now I'm sure you will reach heights that many of us never thought possible. However, this is not something to discuss right now. We have to be wary of Naraku attacking since we were sure this was a trap."
"Right. Let's get back to everyone." Kagome said.
As Kagome began to walk, she felt dizzy and fell forward. Sango and Sesshomaru caught her and helped stand her back to her feet. She was off balance and a little wobbly, but she straightened up.
"Are you alright?" Sango asked.
"Yeah. I forgot something I was told, sorry." Kagome said. "This isn't going to be natural. I'll need time for my body to adjust to the changes. I can't just use my new power without draining myself."
"You're going to need time to train." Sesshomaru said.
"Yeah…" Kagome nodded.
"Who told you that?" Sango asked.
"Her name was Himiko." Kagome explained. "I'm pretty sure she was a leader of some sort, but I don't know much else about her besides that she was enormously powerful."
"Come. Let's go." Sesshomaru said, sounding impatient.
The group walked out of Midoriko's cave and were instantly met with Naraku, Kagura, Kanna, and Kohaku, who held the Priest by the neck, as a prisoner. It was clear that this was a hostage situation.
"I knew you'd succeed in breaking the blade." Naraku said, chuckling evilly.
"And everyone knew this was a trap." Kagome said, casually shrugging at him.
"Then you know what comes next: come with me or the Priest dies." Naraku threatened.
"Don't do it!" The Priest begged. "I am an old man. Let me die!"
"Shut up, you fool." Naraku said as he snatched the Priest from Kohaku's grasp. He wrapped his hand around the Priest's neck and squeezed until he cut off the man's airflow. The Priest grabbed onto Naraku's hand, trying lessen Naraku's grip, but Naraku refused to show mercy. "Either Kagome comes with me or the Priest dies. If you aren't willing to then, I'll add Kohaku's life into the balance."
"You bastard." Sango shouted at Naraku.
Kagome stepped forward and Sesshomaru put an arm in front of her. She looked up to him and saw the 'what do you think you're doing' look in his eyes. She merely smiled, pat his arm, and looked to Naraku.
"I may need you to carry me home, Sesshomaru. I might pass out…" Kagome said.
"Kagome what are you going to do?" Kikyo asked, also concerned.
"I'm getting them back." Kagome said and narrowed her eyes at Naraku as she stepped forward.
"Oh? You believe you can rescue them?" Naraku asked. "That blade destroyed your soul. Your powers are nothing now, so come with me or they both die right here."
"Kohaku." Kagome said the boy's name, her voice echoing strangely, and Kohaku's head immediately began hurting. Kohaku found himself on his knees, buckled over in pain, holding his skull tightly. Kagome held out her hand toward Kohaku and fired a pink beam of purification energy at the boy. His body was struck, and as Naraku tried to pull Kohaku from it, his hand burned like he dumped it into boiling acid. The jewel shard in Kohaku's back was pulled out and purified, floating in the air behind him. Kohaku's eyes had the life return to them, with a shine that Sango had not seen in a very long time.
Kagome shifted her hand and then raised the other one toward the Priest, who had been released by Naraku when he tried to restrain Kohaku. A solid pink barrier formed around both Kohaku and the Priest and both were dragged back toward Kagome and the rest. Kagome was able to sit them on the ground, safely in front of her. Once she did, sweat began pouring down her face and her breathing became labored.
"Alright. The rest is up to you gu-…" Kagome stopped as she passed out.
Kikyo drew her bow and notched an arrow. Sesshomaru withdrew Tōkijin from the sheathe. Sango grabbed her hiraikotsu and Kilala transformed, all ready for battle while. Naraku, however, was taken completely aback by this change of power. The Priest stood up and helped Kohaku to his feet.
"It seems I was wrong about her losing her powers." The Priest said, smirking at Naraku.
"I can see that." Naraku yelled angrily, his jaw clenched in rage.
Naraku grabbed Kanna by the hair and threw her back through a portal as it opened up behind them. Kagura seemed distracted as she watched the other group. Seeing this, Naraku grabbed her by the throat and dragged her through the portal as well. Before he fully stepped through, he looked back to the rest of them. None of them were approaching, likely because of Kagome's condition.
"This isn't over." Naraku claimed angrily.
Kikyo let loose her sacred arrow before Naraku stepped through the portal. As the portal closed, the arrow went through and vanished along with their enemies. Sango dropped her hiraikotsu and went to pick Kagome up. She was warm, sweaty, and in exhausted. She may have been in a little pain too, but as long as she wasn't screaming, Sango knew her friend was finally going to be okay.
"Sister?" Kohaku spoke up finally, causing Sango to freeze.
"Kohaku?" Sango said as she turned around to face her little brother. "Do you remember me?"
Kohaku hesitated. The last memories he truly had were of killing their family and bits and pieces of memories of interactions he'd rather forget because they occurred under Naraku's control.
"I-I do." Kohaku said, tears forming in his eyes, as he hurried to hug her. "Sister, I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay. You have done nothing wrong." Sango reassured him, hugging her brother tightly.
"It seems Kagome has reached a level that most Priestesses only dream of." Kikyo said as she picked up the jewel shard that fell from Kohaku's back. "She rebound Kohaku's soul naturally. From what I could tell, the only thing keeping it in his body was the Sacred Jewel Shard. He's very lucky."
"I know." Sango said and everyone looked back to their fainted Kagome.
The trip back to Kaede's Village was silent, but filled with relief. Everyone felt more relaxed, even though they were curious about Kagome's condition. The Priest, after realizing where he was, chose to stay behind and pay his respects to Midoriko before traveling back to his village to rebuild it. He hoped he would find some of his people still alive, so he said farewell to the group and was on his way.
"They're coming!" Shippo shouted back to the hut.
Inuyasha, Kaede, and Miroku quickly emerged from the hut to watch everyone land. Rin was on watch with Shippo, so as Sesshomaru landed with a sleeping Kagome in his arms, they assumed the worst.
"It… didn't work?" Shippo said. Rin began to cry.
"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled angrily.
"Oh, it worked." Kagome opened her eyes and smiled at the group.
"KAGOME!" Rin jumped into the air happily.
"MOMMA!" Shippo jumped up onto Kagome's stomach and clung to her, tightly. "I missed you so much. You were suddenly gone and I thought you'd never remember me."
"Thanks to everyone, I'm back." Kagome said, holding the boy tightly.
"Put her down." Inuyasha said.
There was a moment of hesitation. There was a brief second, where Sesshomaru wanted to bully his brother by cuddling into Kagome, but he was someone who always thought of the consequences, so when he realized that would put more things in Rin's head, he just put Kagome down. This moment of hesitation caused everyone to look at him. Once Kagome was on her own two feet, Inuyasha walked up to her and pulled her away from Sesshomaru, glaring at his older brother.
"Alright. Kagome is well. You're no longer needed here and you're definitely not wanted." Inuyasha said, waving his brother off in a 'shooing' motion. "You can go now. Thank you and bye."
"Inuyasha." Kagome said to catch his attention. The half-demon tensed up and looked back to her, knowing he was in trouble. "After what Sesshomaru just did for me and has been doing to keep me safe, do you really think treating him like that is, in any way, going to be tolerated?"
"I-… Uh. Hm." Inuyasha took a moment to think and sighed. "No, you're right."
"I understand why you're frustrated." Kagome said and sighed sadly. "I remember everything, including all of the time I was with Sesshomaru and how I treated you when you found me again. I'm sorry that I was so mean to you, and I hope you understand that I wasn't exactly myself."
"You… don't really seem like yourself now." Inuyasha said, confused by Kagome's behavior. "Why aren't you yelling at me? Why didn't you just sit me a hundred times?"
"I guess that is something I normally would do, huh?" Kagome said, rubbing the back of her head and smiling. "I can do it if you miss it that much, but I am gonna try to stop using it like I used to."
"You could just take it off?" Inuyasha mumbled under his breath.
"Nope. Not happening." Kagome said.
"Yeah, right." Sango added.
"Like that's going to happen." Shippo also added.
"I'd recommend not doing that." Miroku said, nodding along.
"Come on, guys! Do none of you have my back?" Inuyasha yelled, slightly offended.
"It may happen, one day, but not right now." Kagome said, still smiling. "Sorry, Inuyasha, but you still have some reckless habits that can often only be handled by those beads."
"It is thoughtful that Kagome's decided not to use them so often." Kikyo added as a way to reassure Inuyasha. "Now, give her a hug and apologize for being an idiot."
"Yeah." Inuyasha smiled and gave Kagome a tight hug, squishing Shippo between the two of them for a moment. "I am sorry, Kagome. You ran off because of… well, you know, and all of this happened. In fact, Kikyo was teaching me something that night, something I hadn't thought of. I don't want to say what it is because, it's EMBARASSING, but… I'm going to try to do better. No, I'm not just going to try. I am going to do better. I am sorry for hurting you the way I did and always have been."
"Thank you, Inuyasha." Kagome said and then looked to Kikyo. "Thank you too? I think."
"It is a lesson that some need to learn." Kikyo smiled and nodded to Kagome.
"I, uh… I think I need to rest some more." Kagome brought her hand to her head.
"Of course, my child." Kaede finally stepped forward and made her presence known. "Please, come and rest. We have some stew making. And if you feel up to it, I'd like to know how you feel."
"Sure, Kaede." Kagome took the old woman's hand and followed her into the hut. Everyone followed the two and sat around the cooking pot. Kagome leaned back against the wall, resting her eyes a bit while everyone got settled. This was a lot of people in one small hut, but they managed to fit. Rin made it easier by sitting in Sesshomaru's lap. Shippo, of course, never left Kagome's arms.
"Wait, Kohaku?!" Miroku suddenly realized the boy was in the room.
"Yes?" Kohaku replied, confused.
Miroku looked between Sango and her little brother. The confusion and shock left Kohaku very uncomfortable, so he scooted away from the monk and toward his big sister.
"Well, I think that's Kagome's story to tell." Sango said, wrapping an arm around Kohaku's shoulder.
"Are you up for it, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yeah." Kagome said and took a deep breath. "I was in that blade with dozens of other people, many of them from very long ago. I could hear them talking to me, actually trying to get to know me. We were all stuck in a torrent of power like I've never felt before. When I told them when I was from, they thought it had been many more years than that. It was like time went by differently, faster or slower, I don't know. It felt like we were in a different realm, like a pocket dimension inside that knife. For me, I thought a couple hundred years went by. I learned a lot from them, especially this woman by the name of Himiko. They all had so much knowledge, so much wisdom, that I actually learned with them, trained my soul to become stronger. That's how I was able to get Kohaku back."
"Himiko? Wasn't she an Empress, one lost to time?" Miroku asked.
"It's not a legend I know." Sango said.
"Empress Himiko was a shaman, deeply religious and powerful for a human, but she kept herself isolated." Sesshomaru explained. "Her people loved her dearly and she was said to delve into different forms of sorcery. There is not much known about her life, but she was a very powerful person."
"She taught me a lot." Kagome said and smiled. "She reminded me of Sango and we became close. I don't think I'll ever see her again though. She's from a time much farther back than this, and I'm sure she's finally been able to move on to her next life. If your soul is in that blade, you can't be reincarnated. Now that she is free, I hope she can be and will be able to live another life."
"So, it was like hundreds of years passed by for you?" Inuyasha asked.
"Yes." Kagome said and nodded.
"Is that why you seem so different?" Shippo asked.
"Do I?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah, you didn't 'sit' Inuyasha a lot of times and you're not yelling and you seem more calm." Shippo explained. "It's not bad, but it's different. You… remind me of my first Momma."
"I'm taking that as a compliment." Kagome said and ruffled Shippo's hair.
"It is! I promise." Shippo exclaimed, a worried look in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.
"If you were in there for so long, do you still love us?" Shippo asked nervously. "Am I still your son?"
"Shippo, there is no amount of time apart that could ever make me stop loving all of you." Kagome said and pulled Shippo into a tight hug. "Our loves and our friendships will move through lifetimes. Even when the time comes that we leave each other here, my love for my son will never fade."
"Do you promise?" Shippo asked.
"I swear it." Kagome said and nuzzled her nose against his.
Shippo smiled wide and turned around, sitting on Kagome's lap and leaning his head back onto her stomach. It was the first time in a long time that the group had seen a genuine smile on his face and the sight refreshed them all. Even Rin was happy to see Shippo smile like that. After realizing Kagome was his Momma, knowing she had kind of tried taking Kagome away made her feel really bad. That didn't take away the sadness though. Rin's expression fell to sadness as she thought of Kagome going away. It was easy for Kagome to notice this as well. She would have to think of a way to keep everyone together. To do this, however, she needed rest and to have a certain conversation with Sesshomaru.