Omg, guys, that last chapter WAS SO ON POINT I ALMOST DIED. I love writing so much. It gives me so much happiness and satisfaction. I hope you guys liked that last chapter as much as I did. I'm doing good with getting it rolling now that it's more exciting. Let's keep this up! Remember to review! (:
Chapter 16
It was dark. Too dark. The only thing Kagome could hear were the sounds of birds chirping. She didn't hear her companions' voices which worried her. The last thing she heard before darkness engulfed her was Inuyasha screaming for her. Why was he screaming? Because she fainted? The pain in her shoulder had intensified and she groaned, her eyes still closed. She needed to get up so no one would worry about her. She was probably back in Kayede's hut. Opening her eyes Kagome looked up and noticed stone walls around her. "What? Where am I?" She questioned to the darkness around her. She rolled onto her back and looked up and noticed a roof over her. "…oh no." She said worriedly. She was starting to freak out now. Sitting up, she got to her knees and put her hands on the wall to try and stand. She noticed that she was in a well. Not just any well, but her well, in her time! "This can't be happening!" She screamed to the roof. "No, please kami no! I'm not ready to go back! Inuyasha and Sango and Miroku…and Sesshomaru…" She stated softly tears leaking from her eyes. She was in great pain, not only from the hole in her shoulder, but her heart ached something fierce. She felt more alone now than ever. "I just want to go back." She cried to herself, sobs racking her small form. She stayed there and cried as much as she could. She noticed that it was starting to get dark and it would be night soon. Wiping away her tears she grabbed onto the rope ladder inside the well and started to climb. She fell a few times from lack of strength and not being able to climb properly with her wounded arm, but she ended up getting to the top. Swinging her legs over she walked to the shrine doors and opened them. She was in so much pain. Even her wound that she got when that bear demon had given her when he attacked her hadn't hurt her that bad. She looked at the ground and noticed that she was trailing blood everywhere. Her vision started to blur and she slowly made her way to her house door. Grabbing hold of the door handle she opened it slowly and stepped inside. "Souta, is that you?" Her mother called from the kitchen. "Momma…help…" Kagome said softly. She was going to pass out. Her mother came running around the corner and stopped abruptly seeing all the blood on the ground and covering her daughter. "Kagome! Oh kami! What happened?!" She said panicking and running over to her. Kagome fell just in time into her mother's arms. "Father! Get out here, Kagome's injured!" Her mother called to Kagome's grandfather. Her grandfather came running, as best as any elderly man could, down the stairs. "Kagome child, what happened to you!" Her grandfather asked hurriedly seeing his blood soaked grand-daughter. "It's over…the jewel…the well is closed…please I'm going to…" Kagome barely got out as she fainted. "Father, quickly call 911. Tell them nothing but to come here. We need to take her to the hospital! She's lost too much blood!" Her mother commanded crying while holding her daughters unconscious and bloody form.
Kagome awoke from the best sleep she had ever been in. Opening her eyes she looked up and noticed a white ceiling above her. "Where am I?" Kagome questioned quietly. She sure was waking up in random places lately. She felt a hand on her arm and looked over seeing her mother sitting next to her smiling sadly. "Sweetie, you're in the hospital. I don't know what happened on the other side of the well, but you were in a terrible accident. We told the doctors that you fell out of a tree and hurt your shoulder terribly while helping your grandfather pick apples for dinner." She said quietly so no one else could hear her. Kagome thought about this information and then remembered back to what happened a few hours ago. "It's over, Momma. I won't ever see them again…I'm back for good. It's not fair, I wasn't ready. I miss them all." Kagome said with new tears streaming down her cheeks. "Shh, it's okay now. Everything is going to be okay. You did your part and completed your destiny. If fate's plan was for you to come back here to us, then you shouldn't question it. Be happy that you got to experience what most others have not been able to do." Her mother said smiling and rubbing her daughters' cheek. Kagome just smiled softly. "I am happy. But I miss them terribly. I feel like my heart has been ripped in half and the other half is with them." "I understand, and it will take time to heal, but time is what you have so we need to make the best of it." Her mother replied giving her a warm smile. "You were hurt pretty badly. The doctors said that if you hadn't come here when you did you would have bled out. You had a huge hole in your shoulder and you had to have surgery and 100 stitches to close it up. What happened over there?" Her mother questioned worriedly. Kagome tilted her head remembering everything. "Naraku came and the battle started. I helped Kouga, my wolf leader friend, kill Kagura. Then me and Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, his brother who I'll have to tell you more about later, took on Naraku. Naraku turned into his hideous demonic self and grew in size. He forced tentacles from his body and one pierced through my shoulder. I was so pissed, Momma. He has done so much to hurt everyone. I put my pain aside and faced him alone and completely destroyed him. Then it was time to make the wish. I said goodbye to everyone just in case, made my wish, and then I thought I fainted. I woke up and was in the well at home. That's all that happened in the last day or so." Kagome said finishing her story. Her mother just nodded her head in amazement to what her daughter had just told her. Her daughter had just saved mankind. HER daughter had saved their future and present and everyone's lives. Her mother smiled widely. "Kagome, you are such a gift from the kami's. You are a saviour. I just wish that people knew of your struggles. I wish they knew that they owe you a great thanks. I am so proud of you and I love you so much. What else happened while you were away? You've been gone half a year. You look so different. Very beautiful and grown up, but different." Kagome just stared in shock at her mother's confession then scrunched her eyebrows. "I-I've been gone half a year? Has it really been that long?" She asked stunned. "Yes, Sweetie. We had to tell your school how sick you were with a rare sickness and you ended up "dropping out" for the remainder of the year. The next semester starts next week so I was hoping you'd be done in time to go back and finish. I guess fate is funny like that." Kagome just stared wide eyed. "I guess that makes sense then. Over the last few months jewel shards have just been popping up everywhere and we ran into Naraku a couple of times but he always ran away scared. I guess I just got so wrapped up in everything." "Well I'm sorry that you had to come back an are not able to see everyone again, but I'm glad you came back safe. Or, came back at all rather." Her mother said laughing slightly. Kagome just smiled at her. "Yeah me too. Momma, I love you." She said. "Oh I love you too sweetie." Her mother said smiling at her daughter. Kagome's eyes suddenly went wide. "Wait! How are we going to pay for this hospital bill? Oh momma…I'm so sorry…" Kagome said as tears threatened to spill. She knew her family didn't have that much money and probably wouldn't be able to afford the bill. "Oh that's taken care of. Don't worry about it, dear. Some nice anonymous donor paid for your bill in full." Her mother replied smiling warmly. "Someone actually paid for it? That's weird. Not that I'm not thankful, but who would do that?" Kagome asked confused. "I don't have a clue, but I thank kami that they did." Her mother replied laughing.
Kagome sat in the car on the way home. She had been in the hospital for two days for observation. Her shoulder wasn't in that much pain from all the meds she was on, but the doctors had questioned her ab0out her injury on her side where that bear demon had attacked her. Her mother covered for her and told them that she had been attacked by a neighbourhood dog and since her mother was a part time nurse, she was able to stitch it up herself. Her mother had asked her what had really happened and Kagome had told her and told her many more of her adventures like honing her powers and helping others and finding jewels. She also told her the really sad details. About all the destruction and death that she had faced. The famine and poverty, and how she had had to kill in order to survive. Her mother just hugged her when she was done and told her how proud she was of her. Kagome smiled while looking out the car window. Souta had been at soccer camp and would be coming home today. He wasn't told what had happened; only that she was home for good now and he was ecstatic to see her. Her mother had also mentioned that they were really low on money and struggling to pay the house and shrine payment. Kagome made up her mind to go that week and find a part time job so that she could help0 them out financially. Her grandfather was too old and she was the oldest child, so it was her job to help out. "We're here sweetie." Her mother said next to her. Kagome shook herself mentally out of her daze and stared at the well house in front of her. Frowning slightly she made up her mind that she would put the past behind her, but still remember everything, but she would make the best of the life that she had here. She really was blessed after all to have been through all that she had been through. Smiling to herself she got out of the car and stretched but winced when pain shot through her shoulder. "I need to ease up on doing that. I'll start back training when I feel better." She said out loud. "Training? Whatever for, dear? You don't need to train anymore." Her mother said looking at her curiously. "Well it keeps me in shape and it's fun. You never know when you could use it." She answered her smiling. "I'm going to run upstairs and take a hot bath." Kagome said smiling excitedly. She hadn't taken a real bath in months! Running into the house she bounded up the stairs and grabbed some sweatpants and a t-shirt and underwear from her room and proceeded to the bathroom. Filling the bath with water and jasmine bubble bath she climbed in and settled down, leaning her head against the back on the tub. "Ahh man, this is heaven." She said sighing. "I need to find a job, but where could I find one at? I really love history so maybe a museum? There's a new museum downtown that might be hiring. I'll try there tomorrow." She mentioned to herself smiling. She really was maturing. But in her opinion, she was more mature than anyone her age. She had seen more and been through more. She had experienced things only others experienced in their nightmares. She had faced countless demons and had killed and been hunted. She had fallen in love…twice. "Wait, I've fallen in love…twice? Is that was I felt for Sesshomaru?" She wondered a loud. She had fallen for him a little over a year ago when he started showing up randomly to their group. And then his confession had just sent her into a state of over enjoyment. Ashe was in love with him! This was a different kind of love though. She knew that he returned her feelings, but his was probably not love. "Wait…but I won't see him again." She thought sadly as tears threatened to spill forth. Then she remembered his last words to her. "Until the future, my little one." She smiled remembering his endearing words to her. "Until the future." She said to herself.
Kagome laid down attempting to sleep. She had just finished dinner with her family. Souta had come home from camp and ran into her arms. She squealed in pain when he did so though, startling him. At dinner she sat down and told them everything that had happened, aside from the part about her and Sesshomaru. Everyone stared in silence and awe as she told of her adventures. She had even told them of all the bad, even though her mother had already heard it, and they became sad for her and what she had to experience. Kagome had just shrugged her shoulder. "You can't have good without the bad." She had mentioned to them. They then commented on how mature she had become and then started talking about her looks; how long her hair was, how tone she looked, and how beautiful she was. She was now a young woman. They were very pleased with her growth over the years from adolescent school girl to a mature and beautiful woman. "All of your friends will envy you, dear. You look much older than your classmates now." Her mother had commented making Kagome blush. Kagome closed her eyes and fell into a blissful sleep that featured a beautiful man with golden eyes.
Kagome awoke to her alarm going off at 9am. Groaning she opened her eyes and sat up. "Ugh, it's way6 too early." She commented. She was used to getting up at the crack of dawn every morning in the feudal era, but ever since she had come home she had woken up at 12 every afternoon. She had called the night before to the museum and set up an interview with the manager for 10:30 this morning. Kagome got up and went to her closet and picked out a cute black dress with sleeves than hit just above her knees and some cute black strappy sandals. Putting on her outfit, she brushed hair and decided to keep it down where it fell in waves to her hips. She sprayed on some jasmine perfume and grabbed her blue over the shoulder purse and headed downstairs. "Hello sweetie. How did you sleep? You look beautiful in that dress." Her mother commented smiling from the kitchen. "I slept amazing! Thank you." Kagome said smiling back at her. "I have to go though so I can catch the bus and not be late." She said as she hurried to the door. "You sure you don't want some breakfast?" Her mother asked as Kagome stepped out the door. "No time, gotta go! Love you bye!" Kagome called from outside. She walked down to the end of her driveway, caught the bus, and rode it to downtown Tokyo. 'I really hope I get this job.' She thought to herself. The bus stopped at her stop and she got out and headed up to the double doors of the museum. Walking in she noticed that she was in a huge room that had displays in the center and glass cased walls on the back and sides. She noticed a desk in the front and walked up to it where a woman with blonde hair was sitting staring at her. "HI, I'm here to meet Mr. Kurama." Kagome said politely. "Do you have an appointment?" The lady asked snobbishly while looking her up and down. "U-Um yes. I do." Kagome said embarrassed. "Just a moment." The lady commented before getting up and heading to the back. A short man soon walked out from the back and came up to her smiling. "Ahh you must be Ms. Higurashi. My name is Kyoto. It's nice to formerly meet you." He said shaking her hand and smiling. "Do you know anything about ancient Japanese culture?" He asked her. Kagome smiled at his question. "Yes, sir. I know quite a bit." She told him most of the things she knew without giving away too much information about the feudal era. "Well it seems you are most equipped for the job. The items on display today are from a man who collects ancient artifacts. He should be by here any minute now to tell us what each one is. His name is Sasshoru Taisho. Would you like to look at some of them?" He asked her leading her to the center of the room. They came upon a glass case in the middle and Kagome gasped. In it was a sword. It was her sword! How is this possible? "Do you know of this artefact?" The manager asked hearing her gasp. "Y-Yes, it belonged to a great priestess." Kagome answered. "That is correct. You really do know your history." The manager commented giving her an approving smile. While they were speaking the door opened and a figure stepped in. Walking up behind them, he tapped the manager on the arm. "You are Mr. Kurama, I presume?" He asked silkily. Kagome gasped before turning around to meet amused golden eyes. "S-Sesshomaru?" She asked surprised. "Hello, little one. It has been quite a while." Sesshomaru said smiling at her.