Yon
A/N: For those of you who don't know, the last chapter got all messed up (again I apologize). I have corrected it and the beginning is readable. There were only a few words cut out from the author's note and the beginning. You may go back to that chapter or not, its your choice. Enjoy the next chappie and I ask that you review! Please please please! I'll say it in as many languages as you like! Please...onegai...por favor...okay so I can only say it in three languages... For some reason I can't remember how to say it in Chinese...that's odd...;;;
"So are you sure that they live here?" Kagome looked at the apartment building warily and then to the paper that had the three people's names and addresses on it. She looked back up at the apartment building and then to Sesshoumaru, who was standing next to her on her left side.
He had his guise on; he looked as he did when she'd first seen him earlier this morning. The short platinum blonde hair and the hazel colored eyes. He wore a different outfit now, not the suit from earlier but a more casual outfit, black slacks and a tan dress shirt. He had on a black jacket that added to the outfit, making him look more like a supermodel than a demon lord. As she looked at him she suppressed the urge to gawk at his silent beauty.
"I'm sure," Sesshoumaru replied shortly.
Not very talkative are we? Kagome thought to herself.
"No, I am not." He said then walked past her as her mouth dropped open in awe.
She ran to catch up to him, his long legs moving swiftly and quickly, causing her to have to jog to keep up with him. "How did you-?" She began as the doors opened automatically, leading them into a lobby with two elevators and on the adjacent wall rows and rows of metal mailboxes imbedded into the wall.
"Never mind that, we need to hurry if we want to get there before they get too uncontrollable."
Kagome didn't understand what he meant by that and she didn't really want to know. All she wanted to do was finish what they were set out to do then go back to her normal life without wakening reincarnated warriors' memories and pink wish-granting jewels that chose the fate of the world.
Sesshoumaru pressed the button with the up symbol on it. They waited silently for two minutes and stepped into the elevator when it finally arrived. Kagome stayed quiet, she didn't know what to say anyway. When they arrived at their destination (floor five) just before the doors opened they could hear the loud voices of two people yelling at each other.
As the bell sounded, announcing their arrival they caught the sight of a man running the length of the hall and disappearing into an apartment then slamming the door shut behind him. They stepped out and barely missed a girl running after him with a baseball bat in hand, she swung it like a samurai sword.
"Asato! Oooh when I get to you there'll be nothing left for them to pick up when they come to arrest me for your murder!" She kicked angrily at the door and continued with her rant, not noticing the two other occupants of the hall. "You wait! I'll kill you yet you letch! If I catch you trying to pick my lock again I swear to you you'll be sorry! Do you hear me!"
Mad laughter could be heard on the other side of the door and then a sugarcoated honey flavored voice came from the man, "why Ruri-chan. You don't really mean that, do you? I know how much you really like me. Remember we've even slept together once."
This seemed to set the girl off even more, except now she was embarrassed as well. "I was drunk you idiot, and you're the one who made me drunk. I'll hate you till the day I die, and then my reincarnations will hate you. The rest of my days I will curse you."
So this is what he meant earlier...
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and walked toward the girl who was preparing to swing the metal baseball bat at the door. He cleared his throat purposefully and finally gained her attention. She glanced embarrassingly up at him and tried in vain to hide the bat behind her back innocently.
"I have no time for this," he muttered as he waved a hand in front of the doorknob (which glowed in response) then twisted it and pushed it open roughly.
Kagome gasped at his rudeness and rushed forward toward the gaping people. She put a hand on the girl's shoulder and muttered rushed apologies. She glanced into the open apartment and saw two men staring stupidly at them.
"I know you!" The girl said as she stepped away from Kagome, staring into her eyes with recognition. In her eyes the emotions changed from worry, sadness, and then to confusion.
"You are from Tsubasa-baasan's store; I met you earlier today. Daijobu ka?"
Kagome had almost forgotten that this girl knew her. She remembered their meeting this morning. How she had cried at the sight of her and then Keiseki took her away from the store so she could be reunited with Sesshoumaru and Shippo, yes she remembered well.
"Hai, daijobu desu. Gomen ne, for this morning." Kagome bowed to her in apology and was about to say something more when someone's hand touched her bottom.
In reflex she elbowed him in the stomach and slapped him across the face. "Miroku..." she growled out without thinking, holding her fist up in anger.
"Miroku?" The other male who had been the one laughing previously blinked questioningly at Kagome. She stared at him and took in his visage. She took in a deep breath, gasping for the oxygen she'd been depriving herself of since she met his violet gaze.
Sesshoumaru sensed what was happening and stood between them, blocking Kagome's view of Inuyasha's reincarnation. "We are here to speak with you three, on a very important matter."
Ruri opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Fujimaru. "I know you too; you're Taisho Maru. I work for one of your companies!" His face brightened as he spoke, and he seemed so different than the Inuyasha she knew. This man was not the person she had once loved... this was someone else entirely.
Why was he so different? She thought he'd be the same person she knew once. Then she understood why he was different, he had been brought up in a different world and without the hardships Inuyasha had to deal with. He didn't need to be so defensive for he had nothing to be defensive about. He hadn't been spit at and feared for his youkai blood because he had none. He had been reincarnated a human, not a hanyou.
Kagome managed to control herself. She knew they were not the same people she had befriended and loved. She stepped out to the side of Sesshoumaru and bowed to them, "allow me to introduce myself. I am Higurashi Kagome. I apologize to you Asato-san for my violence; I momentarily mistook you for someone I once knew."
Ruri glared at Muraki as he picked himself up and bowed to Kagome, "it is I who should be apologizing to you my lady. I simply cannot control myself around beautiful maidens, sadly it runs through my veins."
"What do you want to talk to us about Kagome-san?" Ruri asked as she guided them into the males' apartment.
She sat down on a couch next to Fujimaru, who had sat down as soon as they started entering the apartment. Muraki pulled up a high stool and Kagome and Sesshoumaru remained standing.
"I really don't know how to start," Kagome muttered as she gazed up at Sesshoumaru, seeking guidance. "What we are about to tell you may be hard to believe," she said as he remained quiet, not moving nor blinking it seemed.
"You are the reincarnations our comrades from Sengoku Jidai." Sesshoumaru spoke emotionlessly.
Ruri blinked, Muraki stared and Fujimaru laughed outright.
"That's a good one!" He laughed out through tears of amusement. "Reincarnations! The feudal era! Hahahahaha!" He elbowed Ruri and continued with his maniacal laughter, holding his stomach and kicking his legs slightly.
Ruri was not laughing and neither was Muraki. Muraki spoke first; "Maru-sama doesn't seem like the type of person to joke Fuji-san. But it does seem rather ridiculous; I am not completely convinced in what to think."
Ruri shifted forward in her seat and spoke to Kagome; "this is quite farfetched Kagome-san."
"I assure you this is not a joke; I knew your previous incarnations. I know it sounds odd but you'll have to believe me." As Kagome spoke she realized how entirely ridiculous she sounded. If someone had showed up saying that she was Kikyo's reincarnation before falling into the well she would have thought them mad and sent him or her off without pause.
"Your name was Sango, you were a taijiya." She said to Ruri, hoping her description would prove she wasn't making it up. She turned to Muraki, "your name was Miroku and you were a perverted houshi." Muraki blushed slightly but looked away indignantly. She then turned toward Fujimaru, who still looked as if he were holding in a laugh. "And you were..." she paused, unable to find words.
"My younger half-brother. You were hanyou and were despised because of that. Your human blood made me dislike you and your youkai blood made ningen fear you." Sesshoumaru said, taking a step forward and staring Fujimaru down.
Muraki stood from his seat and faced Sesshoumaru, "if that were true then that would make you the reincarnation of a youkai?"
Sesshoumaru growled, "I am not ningen nor am I a reincarnation. I have survived the five centuries that separate your past lives. My name is not Maru Taisho, it is Sesshoumaru and I am the second of two constants."
"The second of two constants?" Kagome asked him.
He looked down at her and nodded, "yes. Shippo would be the first; he is more closely tied to the jewel than I am. The chances of you making a wish that would have affected me are slim so therefore I am the second of the only two remaining constants. The third would have been Inuyasha had he not died with Kikyo."
Kagome bit back the bitter memory of Inuyasha and Kikyo dying together in the ray of purifying light. She turned back to the present, focusing on the task at hand.
"So you're saying you are youkai?" Fujimaru asked, amusement still shining in his violet eyes.
"You wish me to prove it?" Sesshoumaru queried.
He did not wait for an answer only raised his ki. Light surrounded him as he changed. His silver, gold and blue ki swirled about him as the transformation took place. When he was visible again he was back to normal. His hair was long and a pure white, his eyes the sharp molten gold they naturally were and his markings were in place.
His ears pointed, truly proving his youkai heritage. To ward off any further doubt he made his hand glow green and his eyes burn red. "Proof enough?" He growled out, showing his newly acquired fangs.
Everyone (minus Kagome) nodded; he could smell their fear and almost laughed as he returned his guise. He looked down at Kagome who seemed to be sad about something; he could hear her thoughts and was amused by them. So she likes my true form better. Very amusing...
"So," Fujimaru began, his voice no longer laced with amusement, "are you youkai too?" He directed his question toward Kagome who looked at him with surprise.
"Actually no, I'm a ningen though I also have powers. I'm a miko;" she looked toward the ground nervously. Trying to figure out a way to prove what she claimed to be true. She smiled and looked to Sesshoumaru, "could you wound me please? Right here," she indicated her arm as she rolled up the sleeve of her shirt.
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow but did as he was asked. He made a single claw form and cut down her arm, forming a long cut. The others watched in amazement as she glowed and the blood that had been oozing out slowly went back in and sealed shut without a scar.
Ruri ran up to her and observed the arm closely, she then looked up to Kagome with astonishment. "That's incredible! Do we have powers like that too?"
Kagome stared sadly into Ruri's eyes. She was so much like, and unlike, Sango. "I'm sorry but I don't think so. Sango didn't have any magical abilities but she was a good warrior. Miroku-sama had magical powers but I'm not sure if he retained them when he was reincarnated and Inuyasha has been reincarnated as a human so..."
She again looked to Sesshoumaru for help, guidance, insight, anything. "Sesshoumaru, what do we do now? I think they believe us now so what do we do to awaken their memories?"
"Awaken our memories?" Muraki questioned, "you want us to become who we used to be?"
"No," Sesshoumaru answered. "We are looking for a memory that could be hidden in one of you, something went wrong in the past and we are looking for a clue as to how to fix it. You will not turn into who you were, only remember their lives. You'll still have the memories of your past."
He turned to Kagome; "you can only do one at a time. Pick one and your instincts should guide you in what you should do."
Kagome nodded and looked at them all in turn. She closed her eyes and concentrated, who do I pick first? She opened her eyes and Ruri was in front of her, her eyes were firm "I'll go first Kagome-san. Something tells me I should go first."
"Fine," Sesshoumaru said and nodded toward Kagome.
Kagome raised her hands and pressed her fingers on the girl's temples gently. She closed her eyes and Kagome followed, focusing on what her instincts told her to do.
Paths unwound and separated, turns straightened and lives changed. Hidden in the memories of warriors fallen and risen, a sphere of gold. The key to the fissure is here waiting to be righted and filled. Unlock to door to the past...
The voice filled Kagome's mind and she found herself repeating the voice. She couldn't stop if she wanted to, it had her and wasn't letting go. Brave warrior to those in need, eternally saddened one who gained happiness. Awaken...
A rush of scenery pervaded Kagome's mind. They were flowing from her into Sango, no, Ruri. Inside her mind she heard laughter, screams, and conversations. She felt all the emotions that Sango had felt, Kagome also experienced the pain that had been inflicted on Sango through her lifetime. Kagome screamed as the emotions and memories flowed through her fingertips to Ruri's mind. Her body screamed for it to be over, but she couldn't move.
As abruptly as it started it stopped, both girls fell. Ruri sat up and gasped for breath, holding her head as the new thoughts floated in her mind. She looked to Kagome but she was not moving. She lay on the floor unconscious.
She moved to touch her, "Kagome-chan." Tears streamed from her eyes. This girl had been like a sister to her before. They had been so close...
Muraki knelt down to Kagome and moved to pick her up but a tight grip on his arm and the digging of claws into his flesh prevented him from touching her. He heard a feral growl and stared in fear at the reddened eyes of Sesshoumaru. Muraki immediately shifted backwards and out of his grasp.
Sesshoumaru picked her up and felt something flare inside him as he came in contact with her. She was alive, of that he was certain, but her ki was considerably low and her pulse slow. It had taken more power for her to revive Sango's memories than he had expected, now he felt something akin to regret hit his nonexistent heart. The fact that he had put her through this ordeal making him feel guilty.
It is necessary for our survival he reasoned to himself to make himself feel better. But his thoughts were swept aside as Kagome's eyes fluttered open. "Se-" she muttered weakly and her eyes closed again.
"Kagome-chan," Ruri muttered softly. Standing up she moved toward Kagome who was still being held by Sesshoumaru. She placed a soft hand on her forehead, "Kagome-chan I'm sorry."
Kagome weakly shook her head, "don't be. So...tired...need sleep..." And all of Kagome's senses numbed as she fell unconscious.
"Kagome? Kagome!"
She could hear voices calling her name; it was an odd feeling. The voices seemed as if she was hearing them from underwater, muted but still there. She looked around to make sense of the place she had awoken in. She was in a void it seemed, where she could hear the outside world (even if vaguely) but not see it. She looked around and only saw gray, swirling clouds moved fluidly and of their own accord. The clouds surrounded her and she was suspended in the air by an invisible force.
Where am I?
She clutched her throat as the words she tried to voice out did not resound. She looked around her wildly, looking for some form of explanation. There was emptiness all around; there was nothing to hear and nothing to feel.
Kagome...
She whirled as the voice echoed in the emptiness. Who are you! Where am I!
Calmness is key Higurashi Kagome. Control your emotions.
The voice was calm and almost emotionless yet still retaining a kind air. It was a female voice and it seemed oddly familiar to her yet she knew not from where.
You ask me who I am, but the best question would probably be what am I?
What are you then? Kagome became more accustomed to speaking with her mind in this place and took the...whatever it was... it's advice and calmed down.
I cannot tell you that now, you're not yet ready and they are calling you.
Kagome became confused. What do you mean by saying that I'm not ready? Not ready for what?
The person materialized in front of her, only showing up as a silver shimmer in the sea of gray but it was still something. Kagome could almost feel the subtle happiness and see the gentle smile in the female's voice, "I'll tell you when you're ready..."
Kagome was about to demand answers but she felt a wrenching in her stomach. She doubled over and clutched her stomach. Suspended in the void she curled into a ball as she held her aching stomach. She screamed out as she felt the pulling feeling continued. Everything swirled around her and the clouds swirled and muddled her senses.
"Kagome?"
She fluttered her eyes open then closed. At first she saw only white, eventually, as her eyes focused she saw gold. She closed her eyes and then opened them once more. Sesshoumaru was staring intently at her, his hand was on her arm and she suddenly felt heat sweep through her body. She felt dizzy and her mind was foggy.
She felt his hand on her skin and she wanted to feel him touch her more. Her other hand moved to his and covered it, touching the soft smooth skin under her fingertips. She loved the way he felt, warm and smooth. Thoughts a sane mind wouldn't think flowed through her brain, logic completely left her as she reveled in the feel of him.
His eyes were trained on her own, she felt comforted just by being near him. She hadn't felt like this about someone in a long time. Fluttering in her stomach and a sense of content engulfed her being completely.
"Kagome?" She heard another voice; it was Ruri's. The female voice helped Kagome snap out of her daze. She shook her head to dispel the feelings that had surfaced within her and the heat suddenly disappeared.
"Are you okay Kagome-chan?" Ruri asked, laying down a tray that had a bowl of what looked like warm water with a towel in it.
"Hai, daijobu desu." Kagome replied, rubbing her head as she tried to sit up.
"Hontou ni daijobu ka?" Ruri asked her again obviously still worried about her welfare.
"Hontou ni," Kagome replied.
Ruri seemed satisfied and smiled at her weakly. Kagome sympathized with her; she could only imagine what the girl was going through. It must be hard having someone else's memories floating around in your head.
Kagome looked around the room she had awoken in. It seemed that she kept waking up in different places. This time she woke in a room that was entirely female. Pale purple curtains waved with the wind coming from the open windows. Straight-ahead was a purple dresser with make-up and perfumes set out with pictures placed in different places. The walls were painted to match the colour scheme, which were different shades of purple with white stripes on the top and bottom of the walls.
She turned to find Sesshoumaru, she knew he had been there because he had been the first thing she'd seen since her wakening.
And felt... she reminded herself. Gotta apologize for that...
She was surprised when she found he wasn't there. She could have sworn he was there, she could practically still feel the warmth of his hand. It was then that she heard some shouting and the murmur of other voices trying to speak (and possibly calm down) the yeller.
"YOU GAVE HER WHAT!" The voice that sounded oddly like Keiseki's called clearly through the wall that separated the rooms.
"Would you please calm down Keiseki-chan? You're scaring the ningen..." This voice belonged to Shippo.
"Cease your infernal screeching, I have sensitive hearing after all..." That was the supercilious voice of Sesshoumaru, no mistaking it.
Kagome tried to sit up as Ruri set down the tray to see what was going on within the apartment. Kagome succeeded in making herself upright, she suddenly felt dizzy and she cradled her head in her hands. Groaning she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and walked toward the open door.
Clutching the wall for support she listened as the people argued without knowing she was there listening to their every word.
"All I did was make her better..." Sesshoumaru said defensively as Keiseki glared at him, the fury evident in her green orbs.
"Yeah..." She started out sweetly, "by GIVING HER YOUR BLOOD AGAIN! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT COULD BE!"
"What's the problem? That's how we healed her last time." Sesshoumaru seemed to be defensive about his judgment.
Keiseki seemed to have calmed down since her voice lowered; "yes Sesshoumaru-dono demo if you give her blood there are side effects. The more blood you give her the stronger the symptoms are."
"I have not experienced any such symptoms" Sesshoumaru crossed his arms across his chest as the observers watched the verbal match.
"Sure you have Sesshoumaru-sama, and so has she." Keiseki turned her head away from him, pronouncing the argument over.
"Plus, Kagome's listening and I think we owe her an explanation and a check up. You may come out Kagome-chan." Keiseki looked straight at her and Kagome saw her eyes shift and change in hew. Kagome shivered as Keiseki fixed a stare at her and slowly all eyes in the room shifted toward her.
"Kagome-okaasan," Shippo said as he came to her and helped her steady herself as she walked weakly to a chair that Fujimaru pulled out for her. "Daijobu desu ka?" Shippo asked in a hushed and concerned voice as he eased her down into the chair.
"Hai," she patted his hand reassuringly and smiled at him, "daijobu desu."
Kagome smiled at everyone else, hoping that if she smiled everyone would stop worrying over her. "Where are we?" She asked as she realized they weren't in the male's apartment anymore.
"My apartment, I am a medical student so I have medical equipment here. I had Sesshoumaru carry you here but he wouldn't let me near you." Ruri replied and found herself blushing slightly as she finished her statement.
Sesshoumaru didn't seem to have any reaction whatsoever to the comment and remained standing in the same position he was when Kagome's presence was announced. Kagome found herself staring at him and her hand felt tingly as she remembered the feel of his hand on her skin and her hand covering his. She shivered and Shippo raised an eyebrow, communicating with her without speech. She patted his arm and smiled at him as an answer.
"If Kagome is human, not youkai, then would that make her immortal?" Muraki asked, trying to change the subject and fill in the void of silence.
Kagome remained silent, thinking about that fateful day she was pulled into the well by Mistress Centipede. She could feel the power from the jewel react to the thought and she took comfort in its presence.
"No," Ruri said. Surprising everyone in the room (though Sesshoumaru didn't show it).
"Then how?" Fujimaru asked, obviously confused.
"She..." Ruri paused and rubbed at her temples. "She traveled through a... well?" Ruri then looked at Kagome as if for a confirmation.
"That's right, there was a well on my shrine that allowed me to travel to that era." Kagome sighed as she prepared to tell the whole story about her past and theirs.