Summary: Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits… this world was certainly different from her home. His wish on the jewel had come with dire consequences, and adjusting to them was weighing a heavy toll on her spirits. She finds herself garnering the affection of the blue-eyed Elf prince who had brought her along with him, but she remained reluctant to move forward.
Pairing: Legolas x Kagome.
Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belong to their rightful owners.
Note:
Redoing this!
Prologue
Things felt so surreal as she turned her focus down to the pink jewel she held cradled safely in the middle of her cupped hands. It hadn't been long since Naraku's defeat, and they had successfully made it back to Kaede's village so they could rest and recover from the fight. Thanks to her abilities, her wounds had already healed up, leaving her in better condition than her friends, who were on bed rest for the time being. At the thought of them, Kagome turned her head to silently watch the two other humans sleeping on their mats. She knew they'd be just fine after a few days, and she couldn't help the small smile she felt creeping onto her face.
With Naraku gone, there was nothing stopping Sango and Miroku from having the life they deserved with one another, and she was happy for them. At the thought, she slowly let her gaze drift back to the jewel she held.
What would she do?
She knew going home would probably be for the best, but she wondered if there might be any chance the well could stay open to allow her to go between times and see both groups who she considered family. She wasn't sure if it was even possible, however, and she sighed.
As soon as her shoulders slumped, the door to the hut they had gathered in was opened, and Kagome turned her head to the direction of the light now peeking into the building. Blue met amber, and she offered the figure a smile.
"Hey Inuyasha," she said, her voice soft as she greeted him. "I hope you aren't pushing yourself too much. You got a pretty bad wound fighting against Naraku," she reminded, light reprimanding lining her next words.
His ears twitched as he looked at her. For a moment, his expression was conflicted. Before she could think to question it, it was gone as if it'd never been there. He looked at her with a soft smile on his face.
"You've been in here watching over them since we got back," he reminded, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe. "You should get some fresh air."
Kagome contemplated the idea before nodding happily. "You're right," she said, sparing the two a parting glance as she stood up. "They'll be fine now, and a walk doesn't sound half-bad right now!"
With those words, they both left the hut. The path they walked was a familiar one. Before long, they had ended up in front of the Goshinboku tree, its large stature providing plenty of shade from the sunlight that peeked through the other, much smaller trees. Kagome plopped down on one of the above-ground roots, letting her eyes slide closed as a soothing breeze brushed along her. It wove through her dark locks, lifting them and swaying them as it drifted around her.
"You're going to go home, aren't you?" Inuyasha asked as silence settled around them. Kagome blinked and looked at him, surprised by the sudden question. After a second, her expression softened as she nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "I-I mean, it'd be nice if the well remained open. I dunno… maybe there's something I can do. Some spell or something that might keep it open." She paused and sighed, "but… I don't belong here. I have my place in my time, so if I have to pick an era, then I should probably go with the one where I was born."
Inuyasha nodded but didn't look at her. Kagome downcast her gaze, eyes going to her feet as she waited in silence for a response. A part of her was hopeful that he'd ask her to stay, or even demand it in his usual fashion, but she felt like she was hoping for too much. To add to her complicated feelings, she wondered… Was now the best time to tell him how she felt? She knew she didn't want to go home with this weighing on her chest, even if he didn't return her feelings.
"... What about the jewel?" he asked after a heavy pause, and Kagome tightened her fingers in her skirt.
"Of course, he'd ask about that!" she hissed through her mind. Her thoughts went back to their first meeting. He wanted the jewel to become a full demon. She'd hoped he would change his mind by the time their journey ended, but maybe she was just holding onto a fool's hope. "... If you want to use it to become a full demon, I won't stop you," she said finally. She'd wished he'd come to see himself the way she had- perfectly wonderful the way he was. There was nothing wrong with him. She stood up and offered the jewel to him, knowing she couldn't change his mind. "All I ask is that you wait," she said as she handed the jewel off, finding it hard to meet his amber gaze. "Wait until I'm gone." She couldn't bear to see him toss away a part of him so easily.
"... you don't have to worry about that," Inuyasha said after a brief pause, eyes now focused on the jewel he held. There was something in his voice that made her look up. "I don't want to use the jewel to become a full demon anymore."
For a moment, she let her hope resurface. "Y-You don't?" she asked, blue eyes turning tearful at hearing those words. She smiled at him, cupping her hands together behind her back as she looked up at him. "What do you plan on wishing for, then?" she asked, spirits lifted due to his change of heart.
He was silent for a moment. Without warning, he gripped the jewel in a tight fist and turned away from her. Confusion brimmed in her as he looked away from her. "I'm sorry, Kagome."
A frown replaced her smile, and she tilted her head to the side. "Sorry? Sorry for what, Inuyasha?" she asked, her voice gentle and soft.
"Shikon no Tama, hear my wish," he said, ignoring her entirely in favor of his wish. "I want you to bring Kikyo back to life, as a living being."
Kagome froze when she heard those words leave his mouth. She was stunned as her brain processed what she'd just heard him say. Before she could fully collect herself on the matter or even say anything, a searing pain began to burn through her veins. Her eyes widened as she dropped to her knees, falling directly to the forest floor the moment her knees hit the leaves.
She was unable to move as darkness closed in around her. The pain continued to spread throughout her, and, before long, it felt as if her entire body was submerged in a fire, yet she couldn't free herself from it. She was immobilized, unable to stop or do anything as her soul was forced from her body in order to fulfill Inuyasha's wish.
She was able to feel her tears as they wet her cheeks, and through her blurry vision, she was able to see Inuyasha as he spared her one last glance before he turned and left her there under the Goshinboku tree.
With a sharp, painful gasp, Kagome jerked awake from her sleep, exhaustion already catching up to her. Her heart hammered within her chest with enough force that it was nearly painful.
"How long has it been?" she asked herself, keeping her voice as quiet as she could as she carefully eased herself out of where she'd gone to sleep the prior night. She had no sense of time or direction in this place. Hell, she didn't even know where she was. All she did know is that she'd gone through many nights already.
Kagome slumped back against the tree she'd set up camp under, sliding down so she was seated. She let out a sigh and rested the back of her head against the rough bark behind her.
She wanted to cry. She really, truly, desperately wanted to sit here and burst into tears yet again, but at this point, she had no more tears to cry. She was way past the point of crying, and she wanted nothing more than to scream and vent her frustrations and anger to the skies above, but she knew she couldn't do that. She had no idea what shared the forests with her, but she knew whatever it may be possibly wasn't friendly to her. The auras she could feel, the few ones she occasionally felt in the distance, were unlike anything she knew, but there wasn't any lack of hostility within them, that was for sure.
She'd come here weaponless and unable to defend herself should a foe come for her, so for now, she knew not to call attention to her. She was thankful that her senses allowed her to skirt around the creatures lurking undetected. That, and her learned foraging skills from the hunt for the shards had enabled her to survive.
She was angry, and she had every right to be.
Stupid jewel.
Stupid Inuyasha.
Deep down, she knew she should have expected something like this once he said he no longer wished to become a full demon. She felt stupid for getting her hopes up, and she kicked herself even more for being such a foolish girl.
"He had to have known…" Kagome whispered, tears blurring her vision as she fisted her hands in her slightly tattered green skirt. It was already facing lots of damage, and she had no idea what she'd do once she could no longer wear it. It wasn't like she had a change of clothes or anything- that'd all been in her bag, which, just like her weapons, hadn't come with her. She'd managed to find a few secluded areas so she could at least wash it, but mending it without supplies… that was a lot trickier to manage.
Inuyasha must've known what his wish would do to her. After all, she had Kikyo's soul, and to bring her back, she'd need her soul back. Knowing that he didn't care about what might happen to her hurt, considering she still felt so much love for him in spite of everything.
She felt like an even bigger idiot when she realized that she still loved him.
"Look at me, in love with a guy who literally can't care less if I'm dead or alive," she hissed at herself. Those words felt like poison on her tongue as she said them, and saying them out loud hurt worse than they did as she thought them. "He just left me there to die, all alone," she whispered, a tear trailing down her cheek as she once again made herself realize that. "Why…? Why do I still love him?"
She'd suffered enough. Couldn't her heart just let him go already?
The only reason she wasn't dead was because Midoriko was able to step in just in time to save her.
After he'd left her there, she'd ended up passing out as pain continued to swallow her body, thinking that she was going to die like that, alone and abandoned on the forest floor. So, imagine her surprise when she woke up again, no longer there but surrounded by nothing but a cotton-candy pink aura.
It had no physical shape. It was just an aura that spread out all around her. It looked like it expanded on forever on every side.
It wouldn't have taken her long to figure out who the aura belonged to, but she wasn't given the chance. Midoriko manifested before her only a few seconds after she awoke. She'd been told then that she was within the Shikon no Tama, and that she'd been placed within it in order to keep her from dying.
She explained that she'd have the jewel return to her body, where it was to take the place of her stolen soul. No longer possessing a physical form, the jewel would become a part of her. It would forever be incapable of being separated from her again.
Upon having the jewel re-enter her body, her mortality was stolen by it and swallowed whole. The power within the jewel would keep her from dying as she would have once done. As a result of that… fun little thing, she'd been placed in this world and taken from her original one.
"An immortal being does not belong in a world full of nothing but mortals."
Deep down, she knew Midoriko's reasoning made sense, but that didn't mean Kagome was ready to necessarily accept it. After all, she'd basically been dumped here with no means of protection or basic understanding of what this world even was. That, and the fact she hadn't been able to even say a farewell to her family before she was swooped away and dropped here.
"What do I even do now?" she asked herself. This sort of lost feeling was brand new to her. She'd never felt this lost before, not even when she first got pulled down the well.
A disparaged sigh fell from her lips as she pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on the tops of her knees while she watched the blades of grass sway in the delicate wind. Would she just be alone from here on out…? She didn't want to be alone.
She could feel the sting of incoming tears, and she buried her face into her arms to hide as she found herself crying while she sat there.
Of course, her bad luck eventually caught up to her.
Early sunrise her presence had been detected by what she had, up until now, managed to avoid easily enough. Now they were hunting her.
She ran, trying her hardest to find a good spot to hide from her pursuers. She had no idea what they were, but she knew they were ugly and terrifying all the same. When they had first come after her, she decided to test out how they fared against her spiritual energy since she had no other fighting chance against them otherwise. To her amazement, and immense relief, it worked!
However, she was also an untrained Miko, despite having the jewel's power now within her. Harnessing it was a different matter altogether. Her energy quickly began to deplete, and she realized that she didn't have anywhere near enough to get rid of them all- especially when more kept replacing the ones she reduced to cinders.
So, she decided to do the only other thing she could do in this situation: Run for her life.
She was panting hard as she continued to flee, but the longer she was at it, the more she began to believe it would do her no good in the end. She knew she couldn't go on like this forever. She might have good stamina, but she would still be in need of a break. If not, she'd eventually collapse, and then she'd be left as prey to the pack of monstrosities that were hot on her tail. She didn't know what would happen to her if they caught her, but she doubted she wanted to take the time to figure it out.
After all, no matter what it was, she was sure it'd be horrific for her no matter what.
An arrow soared past her cheek and stuck in a tree right in front of her. It hit a lock of her hair, cutting off the long strand the moment it struck. Kagome let out a surprised cry before she ducked down and crawled through the dirt as her eyes landed on what looked like to be the entrance to a cave of some sort. She hoped that it would lead to an exit somewhere else, but her hopes were dashed all over again when she met a dead end after a few seconds of crawling through the dark, cramped place.
"Urk… dammit..!" Kagome hissed as she pressed herself as close to the stone wall behind her as she physically could. She was trapped with no way out now.
She began to try and catch her breath as she sat waiting for the next inevitable attack to come, and she was surprised when it never did. A wave of relief washed over her when she realized that none of those things could fit in here far enough to reach her. They were all way too big to fit. She was safe- for now, at least.
Kagome let out a choked sob of relief. Her entire body trembled in fear as she sat there, trying as hard as she could to sort through her tangled mind to find literally any solution to her current situation. She couldn't come up with any, however, and she quickly found herself succumbing to the exhaustion that had been creeping up her spine during her run.
They were still trying to get in so they could get her, but none of their bodies could fit into the hole she wedged herself into so she could hide. She rested her hand over her rapidly pounding heart. It wouldn't settle any.
What could she do now, besides wait for them to leave her be? What if they didn't give up and leave her alone?
She couldn't remain in here forever, but she also couldn't manage her own against so many enemies- not as she currently was, that was for sure. No weapon, her energy would deplete before long… She didn't stand a chance against them.
So, she'd been saved just to die anyway by the hands of a bunch of vicious creatures that she had never seen before? That sucked. There was no other way she could describe it.
It totally sucked!
She honestly preferred the first way if she was going to die. The idea of dying to what lurked before her was so much worse.
Kagome gave up on thinking of a way out of this mess, nearly ready to give in and let sleep claim her exhausted figure when a multitude of bodies hit the ground just outside her hiding hole. She could see the head of one, an arrow lodged through its skull. She felt as many more auras filled the area. They were a stark contrast compared to what had pressured her into where she hid.
She was able to hear as several more bodies hit the ground. Before long, it seemed as though they all had been taken care of. The ones close by the entrance to where she was were kicked out of the way as a different figure stopped before the entrance.
"Tauriel," a voice silky and smooth, soothing all the same, reached her ears. "Take lead and head back. I will regroup soon."
She didn't know what this person looked like, but she knew it was the one that had come to stop right before the hole she was in. His aura was strong yet lacked all the hostility the other creatures auras had possessed. Despite that, she was still so cautious of him. She felt as most of the auras left, and soon enough it was just him present.
He stood right in front of her tunnel, and she held her breath in hopes he might overlook her hiding place and go on with whoever he'd showed up with. He didn't, however. She was tense and silent, even as he dropped to his knees as if he intended to observe where she hid. The action caused her breath to snare in her throat, and she pushed herself back further out of reflex, despite realizing that he, too, was too tall to fit in and grab her.
As a face entered her line of sight, Kagome was able to acknowledge he was a lot less frightening than her pursuers had been. He was pretty- rivaling even the most attractive demons she had met in looks.
"You can come out now," he said, and she jumped a bit at hearing him speak so gently to her. "You have nothing to fear. The orc pack has been dealt with."
Her mind focused on the last words he said, confusion hazing through her mind. "... Orc pack?" she whispered to herself. No matter how quiet she was, he seemed to hear her perfectly fine, because he nodded not long after she repeated those words.
She glanced at him, contemplating her choices here. After everything she'd been through, it felt nice to feel an aura that held no malintent for her, and, so, she decided on a whim to place her trust in him. She was on the brink of collapsing from exhaustion, and she had no idea what would happen to her if she passed out right here.
With a faint sense of caution guiding her, she slowly crawled out of the hole. Once she reached the outside, he grabbed her hand and hoisted her back up onto her feet. She stumbled a bit, not expecting the sudden upwards tug, but she caught herself before she fell into him. As she did, she saw him lower his arms from how he had them braced out in front of him, as if he was ready to catch her if she fell forward.
She felt him looking her over- most likely confused by her clothing if she had to take a guess about what pulled his focus to her. She resisted the urge to sigh and shake her head as she felt her exhaustion catch up to her full force. It hit her like a heavy weight, and her eyes fluttered a few times. The next second, she fell backward, this time unable to catch herself.
She didn't hit the ground, though.
Legolas acted the moment he saw her body sway. He took a step towards her and wrapped an arm around her small frame to keep her from dropping to the ground. He caught her mid-fall and held her gently in his arms. He was perplexed as he looked her over in search of any fatal injury. He calmed down some when he found no wounds on her, exhaling softly in relief.
She had collapsed, but she was still alive. He didn't hesitate to hoist her up bridal style, cradling her safely to his chest.
There was something about her that seemed too strange. She looked like an ordinary human, but something about her stood out. It wasn't just the odd, short clothing she wore, either.
He turned to leave with her held secure in his arms.
He'd make sure to request a valid answer when she woke up next.
Auroua-chan: Legolas and Kagome will forever be one of my favorite ships. I originally was working on this story a while ago, but now I'm revamping it.
I'm going to end this here. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.
Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!
Bye for now~
