Kikiyo heard Kagura's footsteps echoing down the hallway well before she ever reached her cell, and she knew that within moments her suspicions would be confirmed. Since her capture almost two weeks ago, Naraku had made no advances towards her regarding the Shikon or her potential knowledge of the whereabouts of the last shard, nor had he exerted his standard level of effort to keep her guarded. She suspected he knew for sure somehow what she had been suspecting for some time now. Hearing Kagura's footsteps now was nearly enough, but she was waiting to hear her message to confirm it for sure. Seated in the corner, Kikiyo made a conscious effort to stare at the opposite wall as the echoes grew louder upon their approach, not wanting to give Kagura the satisfaction of knowing that she was waiting for her with any level of anticipation.
Soon Kikiyo heard the noises stop and a metallic click that she recognized as the cell door, and before a word was spoken, all the questions Kikiyo had been pondering the last few weeks were answered. She focused in on a dark spot on the stone wall and waited.
"Get up," Kagura commanded harshly. "Don't you want to leave? Naraku has granted you your freedom."
"You mean Naraku has no use for me anymore," Kikiyo replied, her eyes not wavering from their focus.
"Does the reason really matter?" Kagura shot back. "You still have your freedom."
The priestess paused, pondering this statement for a moment. "We both know it's not the same anymore," she said, turning her head towards the other woman to look at her finally. "Otherwise Naraku would not be so generous about my release."
"I don't try to understand Naraku's plans. I'm only a pawn after all," Kagura voiced with spite.
Kikiyo's look did not waver, but her voice softened as she spoke. "Do not discredit your worth so quickly. Naraku has no qualms about the loss of disposable life, but he seems to place a good deal of effort on your protection. If you truly despise him as much as you say, you sit in a position to do something about it, if you have the courage."
Kagura stood still, letting the words sink in and physically tensing as her anger and frustration built at the truth of the priestess' words, but she knew that starting a battle here would be futile. Still, she couldn't help throwing in a jab of her own, and mockingly she called out, "I suppose you should run and tell the hanyou since you know Naraku's plan, but it must be devistating to have to admit it."
For a split second Kikiyo's composition broke, to Kagura's utmost delight, but then she stood and started for the cell door. As she passed the other woman she paused and said softly, "I'll deal with Inuyasha when the time comes," before exiting down the long hallway. Kagura watched until she disappeared into the darkness with a satisfied smirk, reviling in the small victory that at least the woman wasn't going to be around her anymore. It was enough for now.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Kagome awoke with more energy than she'd felt in a long time. She snuggled under her covers for a moment, but ultimately the bright sun and chirping birds outside made the urge to be up and active almost unbearable. But, even more disturbing, she was actually looking forward to going to school. The thought made her stop in the middle of brushing her hair to stare at herself in the mirror. Where had that notion come from? She didn't look any different than she did before she went to bed last night, much less like she was clinically insane. For god sake, only nerds and crazy people actually looked forward to the torturous workload that accompanied sitting in that desk every day. But she had to admit it was becoming more comfortable again. Without the constant competition between her time and the Feudal Era, Kagome had made huge strides in her effort to catch up over the past couple weeks. Even more, it had been wonderful seeing her friends again on a regular basis. She loved walking with Sota in the morning and the time they'd been spending together. She loved getting her last test back with a perfect mark on the top and not having to shove it instantly in her backpack to prevent anyone else from seeing it. She liked sitting with her family for a good meal. She loved the cozy feel of her bed at night.
The only piece missing was Inuyasha and the others.
Thinking about her friends sent a small pang of guilt through her stomach. Despite all the wonderful things about being home in her time, there was no denying how much she missed her friends. Every day she wondered what they were doing, if they had found Kikiyo yet, and most importantly if they were thinking of her too. But the longer she spent at home in her own time, the more she remembered why she had initially been so adamant on finding a way home when she had first stumbled into the Feudal Era. Home was warm and comfortable with hot bath water, clean sheets, and a real mattress. Not to mention grocery stores, movie theaters, and of course, WacDonalds. She wished all her friends were able to come and see her time judging by how excited they always seemed to get when she brought things back with her.
The longer she thought about her friends, the more determined she was to see them again. Quickly Kagome assessed her workload in her mind. She had really been working hard to finish her history report, and she had just had a test in both math and chemistry, so there was just a little to study over the weekend. It really wasn't much of a debate in her head. As she stood up to head downstairs, Kagome had already made up her mind that she would be visiting the Feudal Era for the weekend. After all, she deserved a reward for all her hard work, didn't she? There was always the chance that Inuyasha and the others would be away looking for Kikiyo, but Kaete might have a clue as to their whereabouts. Besides, it would be good just to visit with the old priestess and the villagers too, and she could always come back home if she was just sitting around.
With an even more inspiring drive to get through her day, Kagome bound down the stairs in a flash, much to the surprise of her family who by this time had gotten used to eating breakfast with a silent sloth like creature every morning. Before Grandpa had even had time to finish explaining this particular day's astounding importance in the Higureshi family chronicles, Kagome had finished her entire breakfast and cleared her dishes only to run out towards the front door calling for Sota to hurry up. Sota froze in amazement, not really quite sure if that was really his sister that had just gone through the kitchen, Grandpa mirroring his emotion beside him. Kagome's mom just smiled and held out a small sack toward her son.
"When you catch up to her, tell her she forgot her lunch in her hurry to get to school."
It didn't take Sota long to catch up with her. Kagome was waiting for him outside in the temple yard, standing next to the god tree gazing up into its branches as the morning sun filtered through. As he came up next to her, Kagome sighed and smiled strangely, as if she was suddenly very close to solving some puzzle that had been plaguing her for a long time. He held out the lunch bag and cleared his throat, which finally drew her attention away from the sky.
"What's your deal, sis? You've totally been acting weird all morning. And since when have you ever been in a hurry to get to school?"
"I don't know," she replied. "I just had all this energy this morning for some reason. It's no big deal."
Sota gave her a look, not really accepting her answer, but not really in the mood to pursue it any further. Instead he eventually shrugged his shoulders and started taking off toward the long staircase, calling over his shoulder, "We'd better get going or we're going to be late."
Soon enough, his sister had caught up with him and the two were on their way down the road toward school. Kagome remained unusually quiet and deep in thought, but at the same time Sota noticed that she really looked content and peaceful in a way he had never seen her before. Usually at this point in the day, Kagome was ranting about all the work coming up and the test that she hadn't started studying for and then crying at her lack of a social life because of it. So it took him by surprise when out of the blue Kagome announced that she would be spending the weekend in the Feudal Era and taking a break from the workload.
"Really? You mean you've caught up already?" he asked.
"Well, no, but I think I deserve a break. Besides, I keep getting distracted wondering what everyone is doing and not concentrating on school as much as I should. Maybe taking a short break will get it out of my system."
"Whatever, you just want to go see Inuyahsa," Sota replied with a smirk.
"That is so not it! I want to see everyone and find out what they've been up to. I'm part of the group too, you know. They might need me."
"Don't be stupid. If they really needed you, don't you think Inuyasha would have come for you by now? I mean, from what you've told me about your friends, you're probably more in the way than you are helpful."
By the look on her face, Sota wished he could have taken his little joke back right then and there, but the damage was already done. Kagome's face sank and in a tiny voice she said, "Maybe…" but her mind was already racing. Had they found Kikiyo? Were they already planning on how to take out Naraku without her? Maybe they were doing better without her. After all, usually she was just in the way…getting captured…staying in the background…
Noticing the change in her demenor instantly, Sota quickly went into damage control. "Kagome, that's not what I meant. He's probably just-"
His speech was cut short as, from seemingly out of nowhere, a tall white haired boy was standing next to them. At first glance Sota thought it was Inuyasha until he quickly noticed that the hair was much too short and minus a couple of pointed ears, and he seemed to be wearing the uniform from Kagome's school. He gave his sister a sideways look, but Kagome was already smiling and saying hello.
"Kanota! I didn't know you walked to school this way," she exclaimed.
"Well, this is actually a little detour from my normal route to school, but I thought I'd get some breakfast this morning," he explained. "I've been finding a bunch of really great little restaurants and cafés in this area." Kanota stopped and glanced at Sota who was standing quietly next to his sister. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"No, it's alright. This is my brother Sota. We were just walking to school together. This is Kanota. He's new in my class at school."
Sota gave a small smile and waved in response to Kanota's cordial greeting, but stuck close to his sister as they continued to walk towards the school. From that point on the other boy seemed more than happy to completely ignore the younger boy and focus completely on Kagome, chatting about general happenings from the school and the workload from their cram school classes. Much to Sota's irritation, Kagome fell right in, giggling happily about her friends and the upcoming test in chemistry in a lighthearted tone, leaving the topic of Inuyasha far behind.
"She's in a totally different mood now," he thought. "It's like she forgot we were talking about Inuyasha at all and how upset she was."
He watched the other two from behind as they walked, and surprisingly found himself thinking of Inuyasha as well. It wasn't just Kanota's white hair, but his body frame, the way he walked, and even his upfront attitude, although he got the impression that this guy wasn't quite as recklessly impulsive as the half-demon. Either way, something about him made Sota want to investigate him a little more, especially since his older sister seemed to be so interested in him as well. He frowned.
"What does she think she's doing? I thought she was going out with Inuyasha. What's with this new guy? I wonder if she's spending so much time at home more because they had a really big fight and not really because of this school thing. I mean, she never really felt like she had to study this much before…"
By the time the three reached the point where Sota typically split off for the last leg of his walk, he had made up his mind that this situation needed further investigation. Not that he really should be spying, but Inuyasha might just want to know where his sister was in case he needed to find her for some other emergency. As Kagome's brother and the man of the family, it was his responsibility to watch out for the welfare of his sister after all. After saying goodbye and breaking off, a plan was already formulating in his mind as to how he was going to be keeping tabs on his sister and how she was really spending her time while she was home.
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Inuyasha sat quietly in a meditative pose as the others started to wake up and get ready for their day, or continue to snooze in Shippou's case. Sango had announced that after five straight days of traveling and searching, she needed a morning to bathe and refresh herself, and soon after had taken off for a nearby riverbed that she had scoped out the evening before. Kirara had gone with her, presumably to guard the pathway to where she was going to be from one lecherous monk who was bound to try and follow. Eventually, sure enough, from a short distance behind him there was a distinctive growl and yelp before Miroku reemerged from the surrounding forest and settled himself down at the campsite. Inuyasha let out a small snort, trying to hide his amusement at the pair, mainly Miroku's unrelenting persistence. He figured the monk would have learned not to try things like that by now. Maybe he had some sick fascination with pain. Unconsciously, he fingered the prayer beads around his neck.
Eventually Shippou woke up as well and announced that he was not taking a step further without first finding some food. Inuyahsa raised an eyebrow at the fox demon as he walked out into the forest cover by himself without so much as a look back. It was remarkably unlike him. Miroku too watched as the bushy tail disappeared behind some bushes before he sat down across the fire pit from his companion and pulled some dried fish and bread from his robe. He offered some to the hanyou who shook his head.
"He certainly seems to have grown up a bit since Kagome's been gone," Miroku remarked.
"Hhumph. It's because she's not around to baby him all the time these days."
His response took Miroku by surprise, and he let out a small laugh. "I suppose you have a point. Still, I think he's taking her being gone a lot harder than we all think."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it until she gets back, so he may as well suck it up and get over it." Inuyasha crossed his arms firmly across his chest.
The corner of Miroku's mouth rose slightly while he chewed, and he eyeballed Inuyasha from across the way. "Really Inuyasha, you can't tell me that you haven't thought about Kagome at all these past few weeks. You have to admit that the dynamics have certainly changed since she went back to her time."
Inuyahsa's eyes popped open wide for a split second at Miroku's comment, and he quickly tried to recover his composure before the monk noticed. "I don't know why we're even talking about this. It's not going to make her come back any faster."
"So you have missed her," Miroku nodded with a knowing tone, taking another bite of bread.
"So what?" he shot back. "It's not like I'm moping around about it. We have a job to do."
"Relax, I miss her too. I'm sure Sango does as well. We've all become pretty close since we started traveling together."
Inuyasha closed his eyes again, not wanting to display just how close to the mark the monk's comment was. The reality was that at this point his feelings went beyond just missing Kagome. Ever since the night he had watched her slip down the well, he'd felt like there was a small piece of him that he couldn't seem to settle, like an itch that he couldn't quite get to whatever he did. It wasn't so much that he didn't recognize that he missed Kagome. Miroku was right; they'd been traveling together for a long time now, and with all they had been through together there was no denying that they, as well as all the others, had developed a strong and lasting friendship. But Kagome had gone home for stretches in the past, sometimes lasting a few days or more, and he had never experienced anything like this before. He thought about bringing it up to Miroku, but quickly dismissed it. It was probably nothing, just overreacting to all the stress of these past few months. But undoubtedly something had changed, something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
And then the feeling started again.
It was something he'd been experiencing since Kagome had left, a feeling of dread, as if something was seriously wrong around him and his demon instincts were kicking in to alert him. Most of the time it was like a hollow feeling in his stomach that made him instantly assess his surroundings for danger, but as soon as it was determined that his own situation was safe, his mind instantly flashed Kagome to the forefront. It usually took him a while to convince himself that she was safe. In fact, of all the places she could be, her time had to be the safest of all, strange as it was to the rest of them. But no matter what he did, it seemed like he couldn't convince himself otherwise when these feelings came.
"Kagome."
This made Miroku take notice.
"Inuyasha, is something wrong? You suddenly look on edge."
His mind raced, debating back and forth whether or not to tell him what was going on without sounding like a hypochondriac, but eventually pride got the better of him. "Nah, it's nothing," he said with as much authority as he could muster, thankful that at this point the feelings seemed to be subsiding. "How long is Sango going to be anyway? We need to get moving."
Miroku eyed him skeptically, but continued to chew his breakfast in peaceful thought. There was something strange going on, something he couldn't quite figure, but at the same time couldn't be ignored, and it had all started with Kagome's leaving. Too many pieces didn't fit. For one, there had been no sign of Naraku, even knowing that the group possessed shards of the Shikon. Strange as well, there had been absolutely no sign of Kikiyo's existence whatsoever. All the villages they had been through were also eagerly awaiting the mysterious healer that had previously been wandering through the country. Even her two companion priests had seemingly disappeared. In fact, they had not had an ounce of trouble since they had left Kaete's village. It was like the world had gone from focusing on them to ignoring them completely. Was Kagome really the link in all this?
For now, Miroku decided to let it sit. There was no need to stress out Inuyasha even more with his theories. If there was anything he had learned during his time of traveling together with their strange group, it was that when events were ready to unfold they usually had no problem finding themselves right in the middle of them.
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Kagome sat in class, marveling at how Kanota's popularity seemed to have skyrocketed seemingly overnight. After parting with Sota, the two had completed the walk to school, only to be interrupted right away by a group of boys who tore him away with talk of a pick-up basketball game before class started. Kagome had giggled at the time, thinking it was a little presumptuous how they had just about literally carried him off before even so much as asking him if he really wanted to play. However, as he was on his way towards the school grounds, Kanota had called back about wanting to talk to her about something after school today, which she thought was odd. They weren't really in the same cram class, so there couldn't be anything he needed to know about that, and anything in regular class could be answered by anyone sitting around him. He certainly seemed to have enough people swarming around him during their break times.
It wasn't as if she'd had time before class to talk anyway. As soon as she hit school grounds Ayume, Yuki, and Eri were right in her face starting in about the school dance again, especially Yuki who seemed to be in an outright panic about the fact that she still didn't have a date lined up yet. As adamantly as Kagome tried to quell her fears that not going to the dance would not destroy her life outright, Yuki had announced that by the end of the day she would personally find someone to take Kagome to the dance. Kagome sighed. At one point she had just stopped talking and started phasing out the lists of classmates that her three friends were reviewing frantically with each other.
"I may as well just go with the flow. They're going to do it anyways I suppose. Although it's nice to know they're looking out for me, whatever their insane reasoning is."
The teacher was reviewing a test that the class had taken a few days before, so Kagome decided to tune out for a while and think about her plans for the weekend. The more she thought about going back to the Feudal Era, the more excited she found herself. This had been the longest stretch she could remember since she first fell through the well that she had spent back at home away from her friends, and as much fun as she was having enjoying her own time, she was ready to go back and see what had been going on. Of course, by the time she finished with classes and got home to change and get her things ready, it would probably be close to sunset, but she supposed that if the group was going to be back at Kaete's village, they would more likely be there around sundown than any sooner before. If not, she could spend some time with Kaete and find out if she knew anything about what they had discovered if anything.
Class this particular day seemed to pace along with an unrelenting slowness, so when the bell rang for lunch Kagome bolted from the room, excited to get to spend some time outside in the bright sunshine. That was definitely something she missed already, being able to spend so much of her time outside in the beautiful countryside of Feudal Japan. There was certainly no doubt that although progress made their lives easier and more advanced, it was paid for in the destruction of the glorious forests and plains of Inuyasha's time. She had never thought to ask him what he thought of her world. She wondered if he found it intriguing in the way that she found his world so appealing, or if it really was a shock to the senses to have ruined nature to the extent that her time had. For a second she felt a pang of sadness from somewhere deep within that seemed to fade in and out briefly, leaving her a little confused.
"Where did that come from? It never really upset me before when I've thought about my time like this. Sure, we have a lot more progress, but it's ultimately for the better, right? And it's not as if the whole world is covered in concrete and buildings. The God Tree lasted this long for one. It can't be the only bit of nature left over from the past."
Before she had time to ponder her thought further, Eri's voice carried from across the grounds and soon Kagome found herself carried away by her friends to meet a large number of boys that she had honestly never known she attended school with. After a bunch of "hellos" and smiles and barely getting some food in her mouth, the bell was ringing and they were headed back to class. "So much for spending time outside," Kagome thought with a sigh. "Good thing I'll be able to spend some time outside soon."
As she came back into the classroom, she noticed Kanota sitting in his seat, watching her as if he was waiting for her to get back. He started to stand up but was quickly intercepted by two girls from the class who seemed to have a question for him but couldn't seem to be able to spit it out to save their lives. Kagome smiled, her overwhelming good feeling from that morning taking over again and filling her with a contentness that nothing seemed to be able to penetrate. Even as she sat down in her desk, the sun crept through the window and splayed her with its warm rays, as if it somehow knew that doing so would make that moment perfect. For a moment, she forgot about everything, the past, school, the jewel shards, Naraku, and just existed. It was exhilarating.
By the time school let out for the day, Kagome felt as if she could accomplish anything and that nothing could spoil her good mood. Even the thought of spending another afternoon in cram school couldn't touch her. After waving goodbye to her friends for the weekend, she headed out down the road towards her destination, humming happily to herself and enjoying her time alone. Although the walk wasn't very far, Kagome found herself thinking about Kikiyo wandering alone through the countryside and forests of Japan unaccompanied by anyone but the silent soul collectors. Before, Kagome had always felt a little sorry for her in some way, that the loneliness and solitude were part of the reason why Kikiyo was the way she was and she couldn't help coming off so cold and distant all the time. But today as she walked, Kagome seemed to understand just a little more how someone could choose to wander alone for a while. It was so easy to really be in touch with her real thoughts without the distraction of everyone else's lives bombarding from all sides.
"Funny thinking of Kikiyo like this since I've been so meditative myself today," Kagome found herself pondering. "Maybe I am a little more like her than I realized, for all that people talk about me being her reincarnation. Still, I'm not really any closer to being a priestess than when I first learned about Kikiyo. Best I can say is I'm a little better shot with an arrow. But today, for some reason, it's like I can almost figure out this whole priestess thing and how someone could actually be like that."
Instead of her direct route, Kagome found herself taking the long way around through the small park in the middle of town. Above her in the breeze the cherry blossoms snowed down in a pink and white blanket onto the entire world below, catching in her hair with small specks of ordination and dusting her uniform in specks of color. She stopped, marveling at the sight of a winter in the spring. "I guess there really is still some great things to see still, even amongst all our new technology. If we can just somehow keep this balance, maybe this time can be just as nice as the past, but in our own way…"
Despite the enticement to just sit and enjoy the day there, something triggered in her mind that she really did have somewhere to be. Quickly she glanced at her watch, and instantly felt her stomach sink. Quarter to four. She had completely lost track of time on her detour. Seconds later she was running full speed toward the cram school, praying desperately that she wasn't already locked out of the classroom.
"God, Kagome," she thought angrily as she ran. "Sat around wasting time all afternoon, and now you're late."
But as she rounded the corner, it was instantly obvious that her mysteriously good day was not about to be ruined by her tardiness. To her surprise, the doors to the school building were closed and the building windows dark, and the campus strangely void of its usual array of students. Only one person stood leaning against the building, arms folded across his chest. Kanota smiled as he noticed her approaching.
"I figured if I waited long enough you'd show up sooner or later."
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"Kagome!"
"Ow!" Shippou cried out as he ran straight into the back of Inuyasha's leg. "Whadda ya stopping for!" But there was no answer. Inuyasha stood staring straight ahead, eyes completely transfixed into the distance. Shippou poked his calf a couple of times as he rubbed his nose. "Inuyasha? Are you okay?" he asked quietly, a slight waver in his voice, but the hanyou didn't move.
"Kagome…"
It didn't take long for Sango and Miroku to take notice of Inuyasha and hurry forward to see what was going on, but even their approach didn't seem to break the trance. He stood silent, completely focused, and uncharacteristically serious. Nervously Miroku slowly stepped up beside him, knowing the danger that a state like this could potentially mean if for some reason his demon side was fighting for control. He placed a hand gently on his shoulder, trying to link his consciousness back to reality. "Inuyasha, what is it? What's going on?"
His response was almost a whisper. "Kagome…she's in danger…"
"But Kagome isn't here. She's in her time. I'm sure she can handle anything there."
"No, it's serious. I'm sure of it," he replied, still unable to move, but Miroku noticed his fists seemed to be clenching tighter.
"But how do you know?" Miroku asked, reflecting the confusion of the rest of the group.
"Is Kagome okay?" Shippou asked in a panic.
It was sudden, like something finally snapped inside him, and Inuyasha knew what he had to do. "I have to go," he said firmly, not giving the others a chance to react as he bounded off in the direction of the bone eater's well. "Go on without me. I'll find you as soon as I know she's safe." It was the last thing they heard before he was completely gone in the distance, long before anyone had a chance to say anything.
Shippou blinked a couple of times, trying desperately to make any sense of Inuyasha's actions. If he was that intent on finding Kagome, something serious must have happened to her. But everyone kept insisting she was safe because she was home. And then it hit him. Anxiously he tugged on Miroku's robe. "We haven't seen or heard from Naraku or any of his bad guys since Kagome left. Do you think somehow he found a way to get to her time?"
Sango nodded, looking pale and serious. Even Kirara let out a small growl. "Is it possible? Could he have figured out that she has the jewel shards and found a way to follow her?"
"We can't rule anything out," Miroku replied frowning. "But Inuyasha's the only one of us that can travel to Kagome's time. The only thing we can do is keep looking for Kikiyo until he comes back. I have a feeling that finding her may give us some of the answers we're looking for." But despite the calm he hoped he portrayed in his voice, there was no denying the feeling of turmoil that Inuyasha's hasty departure left him with. Glancing around as the group took off again, there was no doubt that everyone's mind was on Kagome and what could possibly have panicked Inuyasha so much that he would abandon the mission that had up until now occupied his complete attention.