Kagome saw her sulking companions in the distance and went to meet with them. Sango and Miroku noticed her and they feigned a smile. The absence of Kagome's cheerfulness pained them. They disapproved of this new Kagome who seems to talk to them strictly for business. Not once since she's been there had she enquired about their lives and how happy they are. She's also never said that she was happy for them as she usually would in the past. Her eyes were drab, devoid of that lovable spark.
"So, what did you guys find out?" Kagome asked, stopping just inches away from them.
"The jewel exists in another world." Miroku responded. "The priestess claimed Inuyasha made the wrong wish."
"And what was his wish?"
"He at first wanted to wish you back to life, but in the end, decided to let you go. Therefore, he merely wished for the jewel to vanish."
"And how come the wish didn't work?"
Sango intercepted. "She said there was no place for the jewel to vanish. It exists somewhere but, not here."
Somewhere, but not here. Kagome thought, pondering on the true meaning.
That day, Kagome was a hermit to the group as she wandered off to think on her own. Sango and Miroku were tempted to follow her, but decided it would be best to leave her be. Kisho had other plans of course, and after completing his duties for the day, he set off to locate Kagome. It didn't take long for him to find her, since she bore a distinct smell that separated her from the rest of the individuals in the world. Only her scent could lull him into a state of absolute tranquility.
She was in another village, very close to the demon slayers. He immediately recognized it as the temporary home when Kagome and her friends were merely shard hunters on a mission. He also remembered it, and a chill slid down his back, as Kagome's resting place.
Kagome, he found out a few moments later, was standing above her burial. What was once a lump of dirt concealing a jar of ashes, now a demolished mess and the bottle containing a precious memory of a beautiful girl was gone. Kagome dropped down, her finger tracing over her name engraved on stone. Her composed face as she observed her final bed bothered him slightly. How could one be so calm looking at the place where she was buried, twenty years before she would rise again?
"I see Kaede has passed on." Kagome said, startling him as she spoke suddenly.
"Who?" He croaked.
"Kaede. The old woman that used to care for me and the others." Kagome said as she stood, looking at the grave next to her, Kaede.
"Uhh, yeah. She died probably about…eighteen years ago if I remember the story right."
Two years after I died. Kagome thought. "Do you know how she died?"
"Sango said she just didn't wake up. It was her time. It was Inuyasha who alerted them of her passing."
Kagome nodded. "Kaede was great to us, she will be sorely missed."
"You were too." Kisho said, standing to wrap his arms around her from behind. She stiffened, but that wasn't the only thing that surprised him. Her skin was unnaturally cold, but she wasn't shivering. "You feel really cold."
Kagome pushed him away in that instant, pinning him down with a single glare. He could've sworn death was etched into those emotionless eyes. He expected her to scold him, but she merely turned her back, walking away. He shakily brought himself to stand, watching her beginning to fade from his view.
Kagome let her feet guide her through the village, thrilled nobody stopped her in her solitary trek. She traversed around the farming fields, following the path of the skinny river to the beginning of the ocean. She situated herself on a boulder, overlooking the clean, uncontaminated sea. She breathed in the fresh air, closing her eyes, and tried to make herself believe she was completely alive.
Suddenly, her chest clenched and she found breathing to be more torturous. She slid down the boulder sluggishly, clasping both hands to her chest. Tremors racked her body as the pain intensified. She tried to muster up the voice to scream, but only a squeal was permitted. That one squeal though reached Kisho's acute hearing and before she knew it, his hands were on her and he pulled her into his lap.
Kagome struggled in his grasp, believing it was him inflicting this agony upon her. The pain refused to ebb and with it, came a shuddering voice deep within her conscious. Another part of her, she thought angrily, that he could control.
Kagome sweetheart, I hope you didn't forget our bargain.
The pain vanished suddenly, leaving her crumbled on the ground at Kisho's feet. Kisho waved his hands in a panic, helpless about how to sooth away this mystery pain. Kagome greedily sucked in large quantities of air, relieved that the excruciating squeeze in her chest was dissipating.
I need you to find the jewel and bring it to me.
One problem idiot, I don't know where it is. I haven't felt its presence at all.
It's not where you are, it's here.
Where?
The mental conversation was silenced by a strident cry from the demon slayer village. In the desperation of the moment, Kisho gathered Kagome in his arms and raced back home. Kagome didn't protest since his incredulous speed would get both of them there faster than going separately. They found the demon slayer village bombarded by a towering demon.
Sango and Miroku were there, battling the best they could. Sakiko was also preparing herself for battle. Akina, Amaya, Hiroshi, and Keiko were nowhere near the vicinity. Kagome leapt out of Kisho's arms, running up to Sango who was nursing her bleeding knee.
"Kagome, there is a bow and arrows inside of that storage shed there. Help us." Sango pleaded as she forced herself to stand and fight once again.
Kagome rushed to the shed Sango indicated to her before. She threw open the doors, finding the three offspring of her friends and Keiko. Keiko was pleading Hiroshi, who was wearing a tight uniform with armor and a chain blade, to not fight. Akina had her brother's hand and was wearing similar as him except with another smaller Hiraikotsu as her mother.
Akina won over the squabble and Hiroshi called to Amaya to protect Keiko. Amaya agreed and she grasped Keiko's hand. That's when they noticed Kagome, who asked for the bow and arrows. Amaya nonchalantly pointed to a cabinet then rushed out with Keiko in tow. Kagome approached the cabinet and felt a wave of nostalgia tug at her as she reached for the weapons.
She shouldered the quiver of arrows and darted outside with the bow. She joined her companions, each burdened with a bothersome wound. Kagome notched an arrow, aiming for the demon who was currently swiping at Hiroshi and Akina. She let the arrow fly, its point aiming for the demon's head. The lizard demon noticed this and darted to the side, making the tree behind him the arrow's impromptu target.
Sango threw her Hiraikotsu with all her might, prompting the lizard demon to swipe at the projectile with his tail, throwing it off course. Sango ran to retrieve it, as Miroku approached with his holy staff. The demon swat him away as well and Kagome released another arrow while he was distracted, this one impaling his leg.
He roared with fury as the blood trickled down his leg. He then turned his odious gaze to her, hissing and baring his fangs. His tongue slithered out of his mouth, almost as if he was trying to taste her from a distance. He rushed to her, prompting Hiroshi and Akina to put their skills they had acquired from years of training to use.
The lizard demon halted at the assault, whining and hollering as the joint efforts of the siblings wounded him drastically. Kagome let another arrow fly, this one burrowing deep into the lizard's cranium, purifying him instantly. Just as that threat vanished, the group were encased by a hoard of demons floating towards Kaede's old village. In the struggle to free herself, Kagome accidentally dropped her archery weapons.
The demons finally cleared, but the threat on the late Kaede's village was still present. "Let's go after them." Miroku replied.
Everyone else nodded and they set off. Kagome opted to ride on Kisho's back, much to the demon's enjoyment. Sango, Miroku, and the two siblings ran on front, all of them carrying their weapons. They followed the trail of terrorizing demons, slaughtering the hungry ones who veered off the path to taste a human.
The hoard of demons glided through the air, shattering the dead silence of the night with furious hisses and growls. The group followed closely behind, their surroundings bringing on a feeling of nostalgia. This related especially to Kagome, who felt a tightening in her chest as Kisho whizzed past the Sacred Tree, coming to a full halt in front of the Bone Eater's well. The valiant demons aimed straight down the opening of the well, only to be thrown back by an invisible barrier.
Kagome shifted, prompting Kisho to deposit her on the ground. The demons saw the threat and turned their intentions to the intruders. Kagome realized in that moment that her bow and arrows were not with her. Sango and Miroku attempted to fight, but the number of demons pursuing them made the situation hopeless. Akina and Hiroshi were both engaged in ferocious battle with monster after monster and could only handle one at a time. Kisho remained by Kagome's side, seeing as how she was the only one without a weapon and a simple target.
"You ok Kagome?" Kisho asked as he pummeled yet another demon who made the fatal attempt of approaching Kagome.
Kagome nodded. "For now. How could I have been so careless as to drop my weapons in battle?"
"Don't worry about that." Kisho assured, turning around as another brave demon charged for them.
He didn't take into an account of another unsuspecting demon behind them. Kagome's sudden scream as the demon sunk his fangs down into her shoulder. Kisho furiously swiped at the offending demon, severing its head from his body. Kagome immediately cupped her shoulder, her eyes widening at the absence of liquid warmth coating her wound.
Kisho drew her into him, trying to check her wound, but Kagome adamantly refused him. The two were occupied and failed to see another demon flying towards them. Sango and Miroku tried to call out, but their warnings were carried away by the wind.
Suddenly, a twang stilled the night. A solitary arrow sliced through the air, sizzling with the intensity of spiritual power. The demon saw the oncoming projectile and cocked his head to the side, not understanding what was happening. The spear of the arrow, shrouded in a gleaming magenta light nestled deeply into the demon's neck. The beast howled in agony as the spiritual power tore apart his insides. He collapsed to the side, falling to the ground with a sickening thud. His carcass reduced into ashes, which were hurriedly carried away by the night breeze.
The demons who were engrossed in other members of the group turned their attentions to the new threat. Everyone, with the exception of the monsters of course, were in shock as Sakiko fired arrow after arrow. A brilliant light of priestess energy encased the vicinity, glowing brighter until it dissipated, leaving sparkles of it to coat the ground. The threats were vanquished.
"Sakiko? You're a priestess?" Hiroshi asked incredulously.
Sakiko sighed. "I guess you could say that."
"That's unreal. I never heard of a half demon possessing spiritual powers." Akina said.
"Have you mom?"
Sango responded. "No, never."
"And not with such intensity." Miroku said. "I'm still having chills from the aftermath."
"Guys that's not important right now! Kagome's hurt!" Kisho called.
Sango, Miroku, Akina, Hiroshi, and Sakiko rushed to Kagome and Kisho. Kagome was moaning, the pain still searing in her shoulder but not as intense when she was initially attacked. Miroku aided Kisho in prying Kagome's hand off her shoulder, where he was further confused and worried by the absence of blood.
Sango also noticed from where she stood, the condition of her best friend. She tried to bury her cynical thoughts, but seeing no blood where the demon pierced her was alarming. She knelt on the ground next to her surrogate sister, inhaling sharply as she observed rough edges the fang marks left behind and the chips descending from the wound. It was identical to Kikyo's clay body.
"Oh my God." Sango breathed out, fighting back the tears but having difficulty doing so.
Akina and Hiroshi were alarmed by the sudden tension that filtered in the air. Both of them just stood off to the side, uncertain of what was unfolding in front of them. They debated on leaving the adults to cope alone, but seeing their mother's tears and their father's perplexed expression pass over his usual composed face, rooted them to the spot. They just couldn't abandon their parents until they knew what was happening.
"Kagome, you're like Kikyo." Sango said, which was a blunder on her part.
The name sparked an ire so deep within that in retaliation, Kagome whipped her arm out and nearly smacked the married couple adjacent to her. "Don't say that Sango. I'm nothing like her."
Miroku sighed, standing and backing away to avoid another hit. "Kagome, yes you are. Sango and I have noticed differences about you that are strikingly similar to Kikyo, when she was first resurrected."
Kagome gritted her teeth together. "Stop comparing me to her!"
Sango reached out to her, hurt when Kagome shrunk away from her. "Please Kagome, we only want to help you."
Kagome scoffed. "Help me? So what? You're going to kill me and let me rest in peace again?"
"No we-"
"Liar. Don't lie Miroku. You know very well that's what we wanted for Kikyo, was for her to finally die so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore."
Miroku tried to keep his voice calm, but his anger was beginning to overwhelm him. "That's different! There wasn't any way we could help restore Kikyo's life completely, but there must be a way to help you! And we will do that Kagome, we will do anything for you because we love you. You are stil a major part not only as a group member, not only as a friend, but as family, our sister."
Kagome listened as Miroku's words resounded in her head. His promises lit up a feeling that she dreaded would be gone forever. It was slight, barely there, but she could feel just a twinge of happiness. She held on tightly to that feeling, willing for it to stay perpetually, but it was gone the next instant. She felt it slip away, provoking a single tear to traverse down her cheek.
Miroku went to tenderly wipe away the tear, ignoring the iciness that accompanied his touch. Kagome fell into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. Sango scooted towards her husband and sister, partaking in the embrace as well. Kisho and Sakiko only watched, their hearts lurching. Akina grasped Hiroshi's hand and pulled him into a hug, which he immediately reciprocated.
Kagome felt the stinging cold on her skin, the desire to shiver to produce some warmth but she was denied that. Even with two pairs of arms from the people she loved so much in her past life, wrapped securely around her, she was still cold. Inside however, and she delighted at the feeling, a warmth far more powerful than what the sun could bequeath her pooled inside of her. And that feeling alone, was enough to warm her inside and out.