"Hmph, you return empty handed Saigen?" Snickered a demon with big pacific blue eyes, and short white hair.
"Just who are you and what are you doing in my castle?" Saigen asked, stepping inside the dimly lit room.
"You can call me Akito, and I am your servant." The demon, Akito, explained.
"Akito huh? And what makes you my servant?"
"I should be under Master Naraku's reign, but sadly, the man died before I could be born. I am his incarnation who was never able to be released. My brother and sister, Takeshi and Haruka are about to awaken. When they do, I shall guide you to the place where the Shikon no Tama is."
Saigen couldn't help but be impressed and he smirked. "You know where the Shikon is? How do you gather such information?"
"I have my… sources. However, I do not know the exact location of the jewel. That, my friend, you will need the aid of the priestess, Lady Kagome." Akito said. "Which brings me back to my earlier question, why isn't she with you now?"
"No need to worry about that." Saigen said, reaching into his kimono to show the ruby that contained Kagome's heart. "Within this ruby, is her heart. I hold it in my hands. When I need her, I'll call her. When I have no use for her, I will simply send her back to the grave."
"I see, but wouldn't the journey be easier if she was at our side?"
"The wench would do better being on her own, surrounded by her comrades. When she does find the jewel, I'll find her." Saigen promised.
"Well, she will be an easy target anyway. She no longer has the half breed to protect her and the humans are nothing to fret over. I suppose it is alright to let her wander."
"Don't forget, her heart is in my hands and I can crush it at anytime." Saigen said, tucking the precious ruby inside his kimono.
As he hid the gem, the sound of heartbeats ricocheted the room. He knew it did not solely belong to the ruby, it must be the siblings of this little half-pint. Akito bowed to Saigen, tending to the bodies inside the kiln. Saigen followed, engrossed by the sight of the muddy faces coming together to create a pulsing sculpture of human beings. Akito bowed his head, chanting silently to himself as the kilns shattered.
Simultaneously, a boy and a girl, appearing to be teenagers rose from the kiln. Akito bowed again to Saigen before walking off into another room. Saigen ignored Akito's absence, choosing to study the naked demons who just took their first steps into this world.
The girl was gifted with beautiful chocolate curls that spewed over her shoulders, tickling her belly-button. A heart shaped clip pinned her long bangs away from her pacifying orange eyes. She was a skinny little thing, practically had no muscle on her. She seemed as her appearance, fragile and like a porcelain doll. The boy who ascended beside her had more of a stronger, muscular build. His short, raven hair was pulled back into a tiny ponytail, leaving his bangs to curtain his stormy gray eyes.
Akito returned then, carrying in his arms two kimonos. Haruka coddled herself in a scarlet red kimono that dipped low enough to show cleavage. Takeshi preferred the more baggier black and blue haori, stuffing his hands inside the sleeves. All three then bowed to Saigen, who quickly hid his fluster when they rose again.
"Now my master, we lead you to the Shikon jewel." Akito replied.
The three incarnations began to leave, but Saigen refused to follow them. "You are all Naraku's incarnations, so why do you insist on serving me? Just because your master is dead doesn't mean you should be loyal to me. I didn't create you, he did."
"True as that may be, but we need you to find the jewel and we are going to help you find it." Akito said.
"Yeah, haven't you heard the voice?" Takeshi asked.
"Of course I have. I don't understand it." Saigen scowled.
"That's the voice of Naraku, telling you to find the jewel." Takeshi answered.
"But why?"
Akito smirked. "You are going to be the one to use the jewel to bring our master Naraku back to life."
_ _ _
Sango finished the rest of her tea, downing it in one vicious gulp. She reached for Kagome's cup, believing her tea was gone as well. She just about nearly spilled the liquid and that's when she discovered the cup was still full. She gave a wary glance at Kagome, but shrugged it off and instead let both their cups soak in the hot water.
"So, Kagome, explain. How are you here?" Sango asked.
Kagome recalled the events that unfolded today. As each memory of her new life replayed in her mind, her lips moved to put a story to them. Sango absorbed the story like a sponge soaking up water. Kagome decided to leave out the part of Saigen holding her heart and how at any minute now she could be writhing in agony. She complimented her sweet boy, who refused to leave her all alone on the outskirts of the village.
Sango chuckled. "Yes, Hiroshi is very kind and polite to strangers. Miroku and I raised him well. Akina is just as gracious to other people and Amaya, well, you just have to make a good first impression on her. She's not very talkative."
"I see. So ,where is Miroku?"
"He left just a while ago to exterminate demons from a nearby village. There have been many attacks as of late, it's quite unsettling. I would've gone with him, but I had so many things around the house to get done and I didn't want to dump that work load on poor
Kisho." She giggled.
"Kisho, he's so familiar." Kagome said.
"He should be familiar. Remember? We ran into him one night cowering from another demon much larger than him. He was just a pathetic, scrawny little thing and had no backbone. You stayed with him in that healer's hut for three days trying to repair his wounds and then we went on our way." Sango elucidated.
Kagome nodded. "Now it makes sense. Why is he living here with you?"
"About three or four years ago, when the kids were much too young to stay home by themselves, Miroku and I had to leave to exterminate a headman's castle plagued by demons. I always worried about the children and Miroku, though he would tell me they were alright, I knew he was concerned too. After we were done and we walked back home, Kisho came to us. At first, we didn't recognize him either, but he knew our names and addressed us so formally. We gave him the chance to talk and then we remembered him. He said he wanted to live with Miroku and I and be our servant. Miroku didn't go for it, neither did I at first, but then I thought that the kids needed someone to watch them. So, we let him stay and he just grew on us, so this is his permanent house. He told us that serving under us was his way of thanking us for saving his life." Sango replied.
Kagome nodded. "He really is a nice guy."
"That he is." Sango smiled, but then her expression turned grave. She walked over to Kagome, enveloping her in her arms again. "Oh Kagome-chan, I wish there was something I could do. I'm glad you don't feel like clay, at least you're still warm. I hope you don't share the same fate as Kikyo."
"Don't say that Sango, I feel totally alive." Kagome said, her arms coming around the woman she had adopted as her sister.
"That's what I don't understand." Sango said, pushing Kagome away with her hands on her shoulders. "How is that possible? When Kikyo was resurrected, she had to steal souls from dead maidens to stay alive. How come-"
"I was also the reincarnation of Kikyo, remember? Her soul moved on and became a part of me. Since she couldn't extract my whole soul, only a portion of it, she had to continue to steal souls to sustain her life. I guess I don't have a reincarnate, so that means, I have my whole soul." Kagome said.
My whole soul maybe, but not my heart. That's the only part of me that keeps me from living my new life. Kagome thought bitterly, her anger brewing as she remembered the sight of Saigen's pompous smirk as he taunted her.
"In this ruby, I contain your heart."
"My… heart? Without my heart… I would be considered…"
"Dead yes, but not entirely. You see, I knew you would refuse to help me in my quest for the jewel willingly, so I had to tie you to me. Whenever I need you, I can call upon you with this. Go to your friends if you want, but remember that you won't be able to escape me."
"Child, you can run, you can hide, but you can't elude him. He will find you."
Kagome gritted her teeth and her hands curled into lethal fists at her sides. Their voices disgusted her to the point of wanting to retch. They said he will find her and she had no doubts about that. Her heart, her freely beating heart was trapped inside his filthy hands, barricaded by a simple ruby. It was frustrating, to live with this fear that at any moment now she would collapse on the floor in absolute pain.
Her reverie snapped when Sango came to her, fingering the shabby kimono which her friend wore. "Go in my room, you can have any one of my kimonos. You can't just live with this kind of clothing."
Kagome smiled. "Thanks Sango."
Sango nodded. "Hiroshi! Could you guide Kagome to your father and mine bedroom please!"
Hiroshi called back. "Absolutely Mother!"
He stepped into the kitchen, Keiko attached to his arm. Kagome smiled at Sango again before leaving with the couple. Sango watched her friend go, her heart suddenly heavy. A tear dripped down her cheek, a testament of her pain that she felt for her sister, and of her perpetual joy.
_ _ _
Keiko pushed Hiroshi out of the room, telling him that this was now girl time. Hiroshi only shook his head, joking at Kagome by apologizing for being stuck in the same room as the vivacious Keiko. His jocular mood served to raise Keiko's spirits even higher as she thumped him on the head playfully and then kissed his lips briefly. One look at Kagome told him it was alright to leave them and so, he went back to join his sister and mother.
Keiko secured the door, clapping her hands together with such exhilaration and energy that for a fragment of a moment, Kagome envied her. Keiko moved to the closet which was a home for almost a hundred of kimonos. Kagome was impressed by all the gorgeous and seemingly expensive kimonos that were inside the closet. Keiko glanced back at Kagome then back at the closet, tastefully picking out the ones that suited the young priestess better.
Kagome walked over to the bed, examining the kimonos that Keiko strewn about. Keiko then sealed the closet, marveling at her selection.
"I chose the ones that would look good on you, Kagome-sama. I hope they are to your liking. It' just, you have a really curvaceous body and such beautiful ivory skin, it had to be flaunted." Keiko smiled.
"Why thank you Keiko." Kagome said.
"No problem. Would you like some privacy?" Keiko asked, already moving towards the door.
"Do you mind me asking if you also live here?" Kagome asked.
Keiko blushed. "Well, I guess you could say this is my second home. I actually live in another village just down that path with Sakiko, she's like my mother."
"Like your mother? So then, where are your real parents?" Kagome asked, but felt discouraged as the energetic girl suddenly appeared upset. "If I'm upsetting you, then you don't have to-"
"No, it's ok. It's my past after all, my present is much brighter and my future with Hiroshi will be just as bright." Keiko smiled. "You see, my mother died from a strange illness. My father, in his moment of grief, hit me and cursed at me and kicked me out. I thought he was just blowing steam so I left, then I met Sakiko. She looked as lonely as I did in that moment. We talked and by the end of it, I felt I wanted to be with her. So in the end, I abandoned my father to live with Sakiko and be her adopted daughter."
"That quick, you two bonded?" Kagome asked.
Keiko nodded. "Yep, she's been really protective of me since that day and takes really great care of me."
"And how did you meet Hiroshi?"
Keiko giggled, her voice becoming shrilly as she spoke. "One day, Hiroshi and his family came to our village to slay a demon. Sakiko and I didn't know about it and while she was sleeping, I thought I could surprise her with a fruit basket since we love to eat fruits. So I went to gather fruits and well, the demon found me. I was petrified, I thought it was going to be the end of me, but Hiroshi came and he saved me. He took down the demon with less than five swings of his chain blade. My first thought was that he was really handsome and the suit he wore clung to his muscles. He smiled at me and then carried me home. After that, he and his family left. I couldn't get him out of my mind, so the next day I went to the demon slayer village and we struck a friendship, and I noticed more than one girl was all over him. Finally I asked him… if I could be his only girl. He said yes and then, he kissed me. My first kiss…" Her cheeks tinged red, provoking a small, hollow laugh from Kagome.
Kagome then turned away from the girl, her mind calling back the kisses she and Inuyasha shared one, passionate night. It was the eve of the final battle and everyone was preparing themselves for the fateful day. They would sacrifice it all, their friendship, their love, their lives, just to see the end of Naraku. The battle that loomed ahead stirred fear in all of their hearts. Each member of the group worried about themselves and of the other and once liberation from Naraku was achieved, they worried if they would have to say goodbye.
Sango and Miroku at the time, made their feelings known to each other and were engaged. They promised to be wed as soon as Naraku was excised from the world. They fretted though, if they would get the chance to become husband and wife. Worried if they would leave the battle unscathed or if, they would have to let go. That night, Sango and Miroku separated themselves from Kagome and Inuyasha, informing them that they wanted to spend this short time with each other.
After they left, Inuyasha and Kagome were alone. They never made their feelings known to each other. Inuyasha, though he loved Kagome dearly, he still grieved for Kikyo. Kagome understood and because of that, she kept her feelings a secret, not wanting to burden the man she loved any more. Kagome could remember the starry sky, the chilling ominous aura that corrupted an otherwise beautiful night. She recalled how Inuyasha suddenly gripped her hand and pulled her into his chest, his arms wrapping so tightly around her they nearly suffocated her.
It was that exact moment that he confessed his love with a fervent whisper blowing through her ear. Kagome felt the world halt its spinning and turned in his arms. His eyes were alight with passion and his face was beginning to redden. At his penetrating stare, she leaned up and kissed him for the second time in her life, on his mouth. He pulled her closer, returning her kiss ardently, letting their tongues mingle for the first time. This blissful kiss made her head feel like it was whirling and she never felt so weak and yet, so safe in all her life.
Then, everything else was a blur. She remembered his fingers gingerly peeling her kimono off her. His hands caressing her bare skin, the sudden jolt as his flesh pressed against hers, the warmth of his kisses, the satisfaction that came when finally, their bodies joined as one.
When Kagome was free from the flashback, she found herself sitting atop the kimonos Keiko selected for her. Looking down, she saw she sat on a particular one. She stood, plucking the article of clothing from its spot, examining it. Keiko clapped and gave her the thumbs up. With a giggle, she exited the room, giving the young woman some privacy.
Kagome slid the pathetic kimono given to her by her "birth mother" off her shoulders. A breeze that felt more wintry than it should swept around her. She didn't even shiver, like her body could no longer offer heat. She hurriedly slipped on the kimono, but in her haste, she dropped it. As she reached down to get it, she suddenly saw what was once a gaping hole in her chest that claimed her life, now a dark, angry scar she would keep with her for eternity.
She pulled herself out of the daydream, shuffling inside the kimono. The color of it was a bluish purple with a green sash tied around her in a bow. There were light green lily imprints that bordered around the cuffs of her sleeves and the bottom of her hem. It was short in the front, barely covering her knees, but behind her legs was a train that flowed behind her. It clung to her petite form, displaying all of her voluptuous curves and complimenting her ivory skin.
She turned away from the vanity mirror, preparing to meet up again with Sango and her children. As she walked, she laid a hand on her chest, reaching past the scar to the place that was devoid of a beating heart.