In the Sands of Time
Souls' Hatred
Chapter 3 Memories unseen.
Kagome yawned as she stretched out her muscles that had tightened during the night. "Is it morning already?" She whispered to herself.
"Sure is." Came a cheerful reply from across the room. Kagome looked over to see Sango smiling warmly at her. She returned the smile before getting out of her bed and scanning the room.
"This room is huge." Kagome said, eyes wide.
"Really? I couldn't tell." Sango said in a light airy voice.
"Oh knock it off. I haven't seen a room this large in a while." Kagome dropped her head. "My room was about this large."
Sango didn't say anything as she walked over to her friend. "Kagome, look at me." Her voice was soft and gentle but at the same time commanding.
Kagome slowly lifted her head to peer into the eyes of the person before her. The brown eyes that spun like a maze never ending and never beginning. There was something that she kept to herself and never told anyone.
"Promise me...that no matter what happens we will always be together...no matter what." Kagome continued to stare into the eyes not answering or moving, as if she was lost in the forever-continuing maze.
"Please, promise me, my friend." Her voice held fear, pain, sorrow, regret, tears, and rejection. Her eyes held unshed tears and emptiness. Her hands trembling from the emotions she kept from showing. In addition, her lips twitched to keep up false smile.
"Only if you promise first." Kagome replied quietly, an empty smile formed on her lips.
A knock on the door caught the attention of both girls. Kagome silently walked up to it and opened it with ease. "Good morning." She greeted sweetly.
"Good morning miss, please take these clothes and be ready for your first trial." The young woman bowed her head while holding out her arms presenting Kagome with clothes of fine silk. Kagome gently took the clothes from the servant.
"Thank you. We will be ready in a few minutes." Kagome in turn bowed her head slightly before moving back and closing the door.
She turned to the awaiting person. "Pick your clothes for today. Our first trial begins in a few minutes." Kagome relayed the message to Sango.
Sango walked over and selected a simple gold skirt and shirt leaving Kagome with a short-skirted kimono. They dressed in silence and walked out of the room when they had finished. Gripping each other's hand tightly to assure the other one was still there, right beside them as they went.
"Good morning everyone." The elder lady greeted the group of women once they were all there. "As you see there is a door that stands behind me. You will place your hands on the door. Your journey will begin the moment after you touch it. Are there any questions?"
One lone hand stood above all the heads around it. "Speak." Was the command given.
"What will happen after we touch the door?" a shy squeaky voice whispered out.
"You will understand when you have moved on." Was the calm and collective reply to the unsure question.
"Best wishes to you all." She stood and held up her hands.
"Begin." Was the simple word she spoke.
At first, the women just looked at one another, not fully understanding and waiting for another to make the first move. By now the elder woman had dispersed and was watching from a higher point.
The first person to move from their standing point was an unlikely black haired woman. She walked with poise and confidence in ever step. She placed her hands on the door and vanished.
A sudden stillness spread across the room. No one dared to move or speak. They were all afraid of what might happen but even more terrified with the thought of failure.
Sango released the tight grip on Kagome's hand and walked down the aisle that had formed. Her hands met the door and she vanished just as the woman before had.
The elder woman walked quickly down a hallway. "Go get my son. Bring him to room 748. I expect him to be there in 3 minutes." She ordered a servant as she walked, at least she thought he was a servant.
"Ma'am, I'm just the monk. I would know how to address that to the Prince." The monk said with no pause in his words.
The woman slowed down to a stop and gazed at the monk. "Well, Miroku, just tell him if he's not there in 3 minutes his royal ass is going to be kicked out of this kingdom before he can breathe." The queen whispered to the man who looked a bit uncomfortable at how close they were.
"Oh and one more then Miroku." She looked behind her shoulder at the grinning monk. "I don't think you would like it if I told everyone that the Monk has been groping the Queen. Would you?" At that, she continued her walk down the hallway.
Miroku just stood there for a moment not knowing what to do before dashing off into the direction of Inuyasha's room.
The monk raped on the door to Inuyasha's room. "Inuyasha, your mother would like to see you." He looked down at his watch. "You have 2 minutes to get down there. Or else you won't see the light of day again."
"Go away. I'm trying to sleep." The monk sighed, not sure what to do to save the poor prince.
"She also said that your Raman supply would be given to all the people, including the young ladies who are currently in their first trial." He grinned when he heard Inuyasha fall off his bed and scramble to get up.
The door opened to see a windblown hanyou prince. "Where is she?"
"Room 743, or is it..." before the monk could finish Inuyasha was far down the hall. "748?" he sighed in defeat, figuring he better follow Inuyasha just incase he had directed him to the wrong room.
Inuyasha made it to room 743. He turned the knob and walked into the room before running out almost screaming bloody murder. "Lock the door next time!" Inuyasha yelled. 'Miroku, remind me to kill you the next time I see you.'
He looked behind him when he heard quick moving footsteps. 'How fortunate.' Inuyasha smirked. "Miroku, how nice to see you." Inuyasha said lightly as he wrapped an arm around the monk's shoulders.
"Hello Inuyasha." Miroku looked a bit confused by Inuyasha's sudden actions. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think I'm doing here? You're the one who sent me here, saying my mother was waiting for me, in a sex room." Inuyasha's voice rose with a hint of anger.
"I didn't mean to say room..." Miroku looked at the room number on the door. "743. I meant to say room 748."
"Perverted monk. How did we manage to hire you?" Inuyasha asked as he walked down the hall with Miroku still beside him.
Before the monk could answer Inuyasha had opened the correct door and peered inside. He saw his mother standing and looking through a window down on something he couldn't make out.
"Fei! Why did we hire such a perverted monk?" The queen turned around to look at her son and the man in his arm. A shocked look played across her face.
"Did he grope you too? I knew I should have fired him the moment he did that." Fei looked toward the ground in thought.
"Wh-what!?" Inuyasha sputtered out. "He did what?" He looked down at Miroku with a death glare that said 'I'll deal with you later.'
"N-nothing. Could you please not call me by my name, Inuyasha? Oh, and by the way Inuyasha, you're late." She turned to look back into the glass.
"Yeah, no thanks to this lech." Inuyasha yelled. "Don't you dare take away my Raman just because he directed me to the wrong room."
"Mmm, what room did he redirect you to?" She asked with out looking at her son.
"Room 743." Inuyasha said. She turned to look at him with shock.
"We'll deal with that later." Fei said composing her expression. "Come watch these girls." She motioned for them to come over.
Kagome smiled and followed her friend. She breathed in a relaxing breath of air before placing her hands gently on the door. Her surroundings went black before slowly fading into color then clear images.
She looked around at her desolate surrounding before looking down at the items she held in her hands. Her left hand tightened its grip on the smooth wood of a bow as her right moved the quiver over her shoulder.
She looked ahead of her with determination in her eyes and heart. She move a foot in front of the other slowly and gracefully, and repeated the action quickening her pace as she moved on farther and farther into the gray woods. She broke into a full sprint running with a straight back and arms extended behind her. Her hair whipped around her face at the speed she ran.
'I feel so free, so alive.' Kagome thought as she breathed a crisp breath of air. She came to a sudden stop when she came to a clearing before a lone tree. Her hair whipped in front of her face and came to a peaceful rest by her shoulders.
"Wh-what is this." She breathed. Her gazed moved up the tree and stopped at the face of a boy. She snapped her eyes close and shook her head as if to shake away the image she had seen. 'I'm dreaming.'
She slowly opened her eyes again and saw the same young boy against the tree.
Her feet slowly carried her up to the boy and she looked at his face. His relaxed face gave him the look of peaceful slumber. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw his silver hair and ears of velvet.
She took a step back looking abandoned and confused. Refusing to except the picture she saw. She drew an arrow and placed it in her bow aiming it to the boy that slept so quietly on the tree.
"What the hell is she doing?" Inuyasha yelled as he watched Kagome aim. "She's trying to shoot me. Except I'm up here." He turned to his mother. "How am I down there?"
"That's not really you, it's just a memory of you." His mother explained. "This test is of fear, and memories none of them remember or want to remember."
"How do I fit into this?"
"You must have been in her life at one time. Doesn't she look familiar to you?" Inuyasha stared at the young girl who rose an arrow at his heart.
Her hand shook making it difficult to keep a good aim. "You're dead!" Kagome screamed. "You're dead!" Her hand released the bow sting and she watched in horror as the arrow sped toward the unsuspecting boy.
The arrow pieced his flesh near his shoulder. Kagome collapsed toward the ground. "You died, not in protecting me but in failing to protect me." She looked up to the young boy. "How could you die?" She screamed. She rose to her feet and walked up to him. She stared at him with fire in her eyes.
"I hate you." Her voice was laced with venom. He hand rose up to his face and touched it gently before pulling back and slapping him.
"I don't get it. What did I do?" Inuyasha yelled at the window. "And why am I there?" He touched his cheek feeling a faint sting. "Why don't I remember?" He turned and walked out of the room.
"Inuyasha! Aren't you going to watch the others?" His mother called to him.
"I've seen enough." Inuyasha yelled as he closed the door.
A/N: Ok that's the end of that chapter. Ok, I left it open so the next update will be really soon. It had better be because schools starting soon and I'm doomed if I don't. Well, how did you all like it? Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks.