Here we are! Chapter three in 'Life's Changes.' I hope that all of you out there are enjoying my fic. If it doesn't seem very good then I apologize greatly for the discomfort. I just hope that you continue to send me reviews.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
Life's Changes: Kagome
Chapter Three
Festival Day
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The building was tall for its residence in Wakada. The town people were known for their preference of gravel roads instead of tar ones. But the people were kind and nothing ever happened there. It was incredibly safe. The only bad thing about Wakada was that it was prone to wild animals due to its large forests.
The number of people that resided in Wakada was one thousand. If cities were people then Wakada would have been the geek that nobody wanted to talk to. That was just the way it was.
So perhaps that was why he had chosen such a place. It reminded him of his home from five hundred years in the past, of the village his birthplace had been near…
"Have the preparations been arranged?" He asked in a dominant voice.
"No, sir." A woman stated at his feet. Her hair was long and white, flowing in a straight sheet to her waist. A pristine white kimono enveloped her form. Hard wooden geta served as shoes. She held a mirror to her chest, carefully pointed away from her master.
"What do you mean Kanna?" He snarled. In a quick, powerful move, her master had moved from his chair to her side and without so much as a warning Kanna found herself suspended in mid-air by his clawed hand.
"Kagura is not able to find them. She cannot find the Sacred Jewel, Tetsusaiga, or the hanyou Miko." Kanna stated. Her dull black eyes were the only dark thing about her amongst her apparel of the purest white. "They are well hidden, Master."
Once again he snarled before throwing her to the marble floor. "Then go out there and look as well. I want this world back. I want to rule. If I don't have those items then I will never be able to get youkai and ningen alike under my power by the next eclipse. I don't think you want to try again ten thousand years from now, do you Kanna?"
The apparition shook her head. "No, master, I do not."
Suddenly a slow, sadistic smirk curled his lips as he turned and sat back in his chair. The smirk remained on his face as he leered at Kanna. She shivered with an unpleasant feeling as she felt his gaze roam over her breasts and hips. He laughed darkly. "Good. Now, get me Kagura."
She obeyed.
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"Oh I love it!" Ayame squealed happily. "What do you think Kagome?"
The violet eyed women slowly turned to her friend. "Honestly? I think it's a piece of shit."
Ayame's eyes narrowed. The lighting was brilliant enough that the older woman could see the emerald irises. "I think it's perfect." Ayame paused for a moment before adding a few more words. "So we'll take it."
Kagome saw their black haired real estate agent's beady black eyes widen in appreciation. "Miss Ayame! How much are you willing to pay?"
"Well since it's only a two bedroom apartment with one bathroom, a small living room, and a tiny kitchen…seven hundred dollars a month." Ayame stated in a voice that brooked no arguments. The little man did well in conceding to her wishes. Sometimes Kagome felt that her friend could rip something to shreds without a second thought. Not only that, but the fact that Ayame had torn through this deal without even hearing the real estate agent's thoughts was unconventional. Then again, Ayame was Ayame. What could you do?
"Yes, Hitogashi-san." The little man, who was called Shinji, replied handing her and Kagome the papers. As soon as they were signed Shinji was out the door and two keys were in their hands.
"So…Let's get to the shrine, shall we?" Ayame laughed leading her friend out the door. Kagome laughed with her.
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"Kagome!" The voice of an old man reached her sensitive ears.
"Ji-chan!" Kagome squealed happily. She ran forward and enveloped the smaller man in the circle of her arms. "Ji-chan, how are you? How's the shrine? Where's Auntie Kaname?"
The old man laughed heartily as his granddaughter rubbed the bald spot on his head affectionately. "I've been fine Kagome, so has the shrine." He stated tugging lighting on his goatee before hiding his hands within the sleeves of his white kimono. "You look fabulous! I barely recognized you and Ayame. By the way Ayame, your grandfather's here as well. He's inside with Kaname and Miroku."
Kagome laughed and hugged the old man again. "See Ji-chan? I told you that Ayame and her family weren't evil youkai out to corrupt the shrine. You're even inviting Hitogashi-sama to the festival!"
Ji-chan merely grumbled and led the way towards his home. "Kagome, my girl, I want you to know that the responsibility of shrine maiden is on your shoulders." At Kagome's puzzled expression he continued. "Your foolish cousin has decided to take up his father's Buddhist ways. So it is now up to you."
Kagome laughed loudly. "Kami-sama, help the women of the world! And,Ji-chan, Miro-chan has been telling you about this since he saw his father beat that mugger with his spiritual staff!"
"What about my father's spiritual staff?" A new, younger male voice asked.
"Miro-chan!" Kagome yelled jumping at him. He caught her easily, laughing at her enthusiasm.
"So, Gome-chan, I see that you have decided to return after all these months of separation." Miroku stated pinching her cheek playfully.
"So, Miro-chan, I see that you still haven't stopped exaggerating." She retorted punching him in the shoulder lightly. Ayame came up next to them and gave Miroku a hug of her own.
It wasn't all that long before Ayame screamed and slapped Miroku hard across the face. "Hentai!" She squealed playfully. "I'll have you know that my bra-size has nothing to do with this conversation!"
Kagome laughed the actions of the two before her bringing back old memories, as well as reminding her of how much she had missed her elder cousin.
Ayame glared at her best friend in feigned indignantly. "I hardly find this a laughing matter."
Miroku rubbed the angry red mark on his face, frowning at his cousin and Ayame intermittently. "Is my pain that funny to you Gome-chan?"
Tears leaked out of the sides of her eyes as she laughed harder. Kagome's face was rapidly turning purple as she held her sides. Miroku and Ayame looked at each other and frowned.
"I'm worried for her health." Ayame muttered behind a slender white hand.
"Yeah, she'll need surgery at this rate," was his mumbled reply.
"I wonder if they'll be able to find a suitable donor…perhaps one with a calmer disposition?" She whispered dryly. His mouth formed the shape of an 'o' as he nodded slowly. Of course, Ayame had unfortunate timing for Kagome had heard her words.
"And what does that mean Ayame?" Kagome demanded hands on jean clad hips. "I happen to believe that being me is very important. Besides, if I ever do need any of my organs replaced, I'm sure you or Miroku would do well enough."
Ayame snorted derisively before snapping back at her friend. "Because of that mentality I wonder how you managed to get this far in life."
Kagome grinned. "I guess that I'm just a genius."
Ayame sighed. Kagome was just like Miroku sometimes…
"Come on you two. Let us change into our festival clothes and head to our places." Miroku announced throwing his arms over their shoulders.
They marched towards the house at the back of the shrine, each of them telling stories about what had happened since they had last been together.
Upon entering the house, the two women were bombarded with hugs from Ayame's grandfather Hoshu and Miroku's mother Kaname.
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"I can't believe I got stuck with storytelling!" Kagome whined. "Again!"
Her aunt Kaname sighed and pulled her long black hair into a low ponytail. "Miroku called entertainment, Ayame is helping him with a small skit, and her grandfather is selling things in the souvenir shop. Father is helping him. I have to take care of the food. That leaves you with storytelling and looking after the children."
At the mention of children, a thought suddenly occurred to Kagome. She was hesitant, however, as her aunt was an extremely private woman. Her husband's (Kagome's mother's brother) death had devastated her, and the rape that she had endured mere weeks after his passing had sent her into a rapidly closing box. She was ill, and it was easy to see that she didn't know it. It was only a matter of time before Kaname exhausted her life, and Kagome, sadly, did not believe that she would live past another year or two. However, Kagome had to ask her question, and if the question removed her from Kaname's life then so be it.
"Aunt Kaname, whatever happened to your baby?"
Kaname's hands stopped. Her big blue eyes widened to an alarming size, and seemed to darken in a sudden leap of fury. Kagome was almost sorry for asking her question, for her aunt's fingers had managed to wrap around the delicate strands of her ebony hair. Tears stung at her eyes. Kaname didn't notice as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Why are you bringing that up now Kagome?" Kaname muttered darkly. "It's none of your concern."
Kagome's violet eyes, much darker than her older cousin's blue violet orbs, or her aunt's dark blue eyes, narrowed. "It is my concern. Auntie, I've never seen my little cousin. You refuse to talk about it and it worries me. I love you Aunt Kaname and I want to know why you've been hiding from me, and everyone else, these past few years."
Kaname's eyes filled with such unchecked fear and hate that it had Kagome stumbling back. "My daughter has nothing to do with anything Kagome."
"So you have a daughter?" Kagome asked.
Sending Kagome a look filled with a sudden, frightening contempt, she nodded and spoke in a clipped tone. "Yes. I have a daughter named Nariko."
"Why haven't I seen her?" Kagome asked her brow furrowing.
"Kagome can we please not talk about this now?" The small woman asked in a tired voice. Her expression was suddenly blank.
Reluctantly Kagome nodded and stood. Her traditional red hakama felt familiar against her legs as she quickly exited the room. She folded her hands into the white gi, the slightly rough top rubbing against her skin, in an attempt to stop the trembling. Her aunt's eyes had been so…frightening. Kaname Komatsuzaki was definitely a woman on the edge of mental collapse. The intense look of fear and hatred looming in the blue depths of her eyes had frozen Kagome in her place. Seldom had she ever seen her aunt so afraid.
She shook it off rather uneasily as she made her way to the Goshinboku. The tree was sacred and held a lot of importance in Japanese history. When she was little she would step over the little fence and occasionally jump to see how far she could reach –imagine her surprise when she actually caught a branch- before falling down onto her bottom painfully. Another thing she used to do was hug the tree to see how far her arms could reach. She loved the Goshinboku. No matter how many breezes had nearly thrown her off of the branch the tree had never let her fall.
Smiling, Kagome placed her hand against the bark and closed her eyes. This tree held so many memories. Her first date with Hojo-kun, her golden birthday, her first broken bone, the first day of school. The tree knew her entire life from to beginning to end.
Kagome leaned back against the Goshinboku and slid down the trunk. She smiled and opened her favorite book of Japanese myths. The tale of the Shikon-no-tama. There was a legend that stated that if the Shikon-no-Tama, an ancient sword called Tetsusaiga, and a hanyou miko were brought together and used in a ritual something would happen. Kagome just couldn't remember what. 'Damn my bad memory.'
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"'The priestess died, taking the Shikon-no-Tama with her into the afterworld, never to be seen again.'" Kagome read steadily. The children seemed in awe of the stories and yelled for another one.
"Let's see…How about the legend of the Princess of the Moon?" Kagome asked with false enthusiasm.
"With Kaguya-hime?" A young girl with light brown hair squealed.
"Hai. Kaguya-hime, a celestial being from the moon." Kagome stated as though it were the most amazing thing imaginable.
The little boys didn't find it that amazing, unfortunately.
"No! I wanna hear more about youkai not some stupid hime!" A little boy screamed. Kagome sighed as the children started to bicker.
"Having fun Kagome?" Ayame laughed. Kagome glowered and mumbled under her breath about certain people who call themselves best friends abandoning people. Or something like that.
"Does it look like I'm having fun, Ayame?" Kagome asked with a brow raised. Her redheaded friend looked at the children and laughed again.
"I guess that's a 'no.'" She giggled. Ayame wore an outfit that made her look childish. Her long, dark red hair was up in pigtails with an iris in one. Her outfit consisted of a white wolf pelt skirt, a white cape, and a red shirt underneath hard metal armor. On her legs were white leg bracers and her wrists had white wrist bands, both in white wolf fur. Ayame put her hands on her hips and assessed her friend quietly. "So…do you still hug that tree when you think nobody is looking?"
Kagome blushed as red as a tomato. "Um…No?" She really hated herself for making it sound like a question.
"Heh. Thought so." The other woman replied in an arrogant manner. "Looks like you're still a little kid inside."
The flush darkened as Kagome stumbled to explain herself. "Well, you see…I…it…um. Can I start over?"
Kagome heard a series of soft giggles. It was the children. Covertly she shot Ayame a look of thanks. The redhead winked back at her and continued.
"No, I don't think you can start over. I'm enjoying that lovely shade of red on your face far too much to give up the glory," Ayame said. Her grin held a wolf-like quality that Kagome rarely ever saw, for Ayame hated to show off her dangerously sharp canines.
"Ah, my dear friend, I do believe that gaining such pleasure from my embarrassment is called sadism." Kagome replied in a falsely sweet voice.
"That is true but I wouldn't enjoy it as much if you didn't look so darn adorable when you're being made fun of. In fact, I think that you just might enjoy it, making you a masochist." Ayame retorted with a light, bell-like laugh.
Kagome's face darkened with false fury, and more that a bit of a blush. She doubled her fists and shook them at her companion, forgetting all about the children as they continued their verbal battle. It lasted until things got serious.
"Well, Ayame, I'm perfectly willing to tell Miroku about the crush you had on him when we were in junior high," Kagome stated matter-of-factly with a delicate sniff. Ayame's face darkened to a shade that almost matched the deep mahogany and cinnamon of her hair.
"Yeah, well, I'll tell your grandfather that you're the one who removed his spiritual seals on the shrine perimeter," Ayame retaliated, knowing that it would be enough to make her friend turn white instead of pink.
However, the two women quickly stopped when they heard a small chorus of giggles, which soon erupted into loud laughs. Ayame and Kagome met each other's eyes with some confusion before they smiled. They soon joined the laughing children.
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"Come on Daddy! I wanna go listen to a story." A little girl squealed with delight. "Please, please, please? Uncle Sesshoumaru always takes me to listen to the stories."
"Well your uncle isn't me, if you hadn't noticed Amai." Inuyasha snorted.
"I know Papa…Uncle Sesshoumaru has a more…feminine like beauty." Amai muttered with a smirk. She was lucky that Sesshoumaru wasn't around…he didn't like his name and feminine being used in the same sentence.
Inuyasha started to chuckle before hearing a loud round of laughter coming from a large tree. He quietly led his daughter to the front of the tree, a confused look on his face.
"How do you survive like this, Miko-sama?" A little boy squealed while holding his shaking sides. The priestess' reply came out between short breaths. "I…I d-don…don't know..."
Inuyasha stared at a black haired woman, who was fairly short; the top of her head would probably only barely reach his collar bone. She was leaning heavily against a trim redhead of the same height. Both were wearing traditional robes. The redhead wearing the furs of a white wolf-youkai princess and the dark haired girl was wearing traditional Shinto priestess robes. As she settled down he noticed something else. This laughing, beautiful woman…had violet eyes.
Kagome slowly stopped laughing as she felt another's gaze burning into her. Opening her eyes she looked around before she stopped, frozen in place by surprise. Inuyasha Matsushita was standing not even twenty feet away…and he was with a little girl with matching amber eyes.
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This is the third chapter at its revised point. I promise that I'll be posting up chapter seven as soon as I finish my revisions for everything else. So please be patient.