Note: Thanks all of you for the love! I hope you enjoyed the omake. I have four or five of them that I'll be posting sporadically between chapter updates! Also, be prepared for something a little unexpected in this chapter :)
Journey to the Future – Chapter 5
"Mama, don't we have any potatoes?" Kagome called over her shoulder. She was standing over a burbling pot of stew in the kitchen. Her friend Ayumi was coming over for dinner and Kagome had offered to cook for the evening. She felt like she had looked everywhere but had seen no sign of the potatoes, despite purchasing them at the store just a few days ago.
"Look on the floor of the pantry, dear," her mother's voice sounded from where she in the office.
Kagome lowered the heat and stepped away to rummage through the pantry. When she saw the sack of potatoes lying in the corner on the floor she felt like smacking her head against the wall. She could have sworn that she looked in that very spot three times.
"Stupid potatoes," she grumbled, grabbing a few and heading to the counter. "Hiding under the cover of air…"
She quickly peeled and diced the potatoes before dropping them carefully in the pot. The stew smelled fantastic and Kagome was glad that she had asked Kaede about her herbs. As she stirred the potatoes into the stew, she wondered how the old miko was getting along with Inuyasha, or if he had left the village entirely. She wished that there was some way that she could know how they were doing and felt another pang of temptation to go back to the well.
"Stop that…" Kagome muttered, rubbing the skin over her heart. Her hand brushed against the jewel hanging around her neck and it hummed happily against her skin. "You quit that too," she scolded it, withdrawing her hand and adjusting her collar to hide the jewel.
She put the lid on the pot and left it to simmer. "Mama, I'm going to go change," she said, poking her head in the office. Her mother waved her on without looking up from the paperwork she was sorting.
Kagome padded upstairs, peeking in at her brother as she headed to her room. He was passed out, sprawled bonelessly across his bed. Kagome smiled fondly at the sight. Souta had worn himself out keeping vigil outside her room on top of the exhaustion from waiting for her by the well and his body had finally forced him to sleep. She tiptoed through his room, stepping around little piles of clothes and a discarded game controller. Shaking her head in exasperation at the clutter, Kagome scooped another bundle of clothing off the foot of Souta's bed and, after an experimental sniff, set them on his dresser to be put away. She carefully maneuvered him until he was lying properly on the bed and then pulled his blanket up to his shoulders.
Sneaking out as quietly as she had come in, Kagome closed the door softly behind her and continued on to her own room. She exchanged her sweats for a pair of jeans and ratty t-shirt for a purple plaid button-up, rolling the sleeves to her elbows. After running a brush through her hair to tidy it, she decided that she was presentable enough. Ayumi had always been easygoing, which was why hers was one of the few friendships she had maintained after going away for high school and university. Hojo had been a surprisingly good friend, once he finally stopped trying to court her, and Kagome thought that Eri, who was somewhat high-maintenance, was perfect for him.
There was a knock on the door just as Kagome started back down the stairs and she broke into a jog. "Ayumi!" She squealed, opening the door and pouncing on her friend.
The other woman laughed gently, returning the embrace. "It's nice to see you too, Kagome." She stepped inside, slipping off her shoes. "Is that stew that I smell?"
"Right in one," Kagome grinned, leading her friend to the kitchen table. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
"Tea would be nice," Ayumi replied, taking a seat at the table and lacing her fingers together in her lap.
Kagome set about making tea, taking surreptitious glances at her friend from under her lashes. Ayumi looked both the same and completely different. Her hair was still shoulder length and wavy and her soft brown eyes smiled with the same affection. She had always been gentle and kind, but a little on the quiet side. Ayumi now was heading the top of the music charts in Japan. Kagome could hardly imagine her shy friend up on the stage and she determined to go the next concert.
"How goes the business?" Kagome asked, setting the kettle to boil and plopping down in the chair next to her friend.
Ayumi blushed faintly. "I've a new album coming out in next week and then a three-month tour."
"Wow, that's fantastic! It sounds like you're about to get really busy!" Kagome enthused. "Where's your first venue? I'd like to see you on stage."
"I'll actually be heading up to Hokkaido first and then working my way back down," Ayumi explained. "So I'll be here about two months in. I can get you some passes if you'd like?"
"That would be great! Souta really loves you, you know," she said teasingly.
"Oh, Kagome!"
Kagome laughed and attended to the whistling kettle. She stirred the stew a few times before filling the tea pot and bringing it to the table with two cups. "Well, you won't believe what happened to me last week…"
As Kagome got ready for bed, she couldn't believe how well Ayumi had taken the news of her time traveling. But then again, her friend had always been a rampant science fiction fan. She had encouraged her to write a book about her experiences, but Kagome was a helpless writer.
Dinner had turned out well and Kagome had thoroughly enjoyed seeing her friend again. Ayumi had left just as it was starting to get dark with promises of sending her a few passes for her Tokyo concert and a copy of her newest album.
Now that she was home, mostly healed, and doing normal things like visiting with her friends, Kagome almost felt like the week spent beyond the well was a dream. Maybe she should write it all down, if for no other reason than to keep the memory fresh.
Kagome flopped back on her bed, glad that her family had relaxed enough to stop the watchful vigil. While she was touched at their level of concern, it had started to feel a little smothering. It also wasn't healthy for Souta to stay up all night, worrying about her. He hadn't come down for dinner and Kagome was sure that he would keep sleeping through the night.
With a yawn, she snuggled under her covers and reached over to table by her bed to click off her lamp. The moon shone through the window in her room and she could make out the top of Goshinboku on the other side of the shrine. The tree made her think of Inuyasha again and his vulnerable golden gaze and she wondered for the millionth time since coming home if he was doing well.
Kaede speculated that Inuyasha could potentially live for hundreds of years. It wasn't too farfetched that he was still alive in her time. Kagome decided that she would try to find out… in the morning, anyway.
Kagome awoke to the sound of shouting. She sat up too quickly and tumbled off her bed to land with a thump on the floor. After a moment of fighting with her blanket, she managed to stumble to her feet. The voice doing the shouting sounded familiar and she thought it was coming from the front yard.
She exchanged her pajama bottoms for a pair of jeans and slipped on a gray cardigan over a lace trimmed green camisole, and padded down the stairs.
"Kagome, what's going on?" Souta emerged from his room, rubbing sleepily at one eye.
"I'm not sure," she replied, heading toward the front door. She slid her feet into her sneakers and cracked open the door to take a peek outside.
To her immense surprise, a familiar scarlet-clad hanyou was running around in her front yard.
"Kagome!" He shouted, his voice strangely nasally. He sneezed violently. "Dammit, why does it stink so much here? Kagome, where are you?"
"Is that him?" Hana whispered from over Kagome's shoulder.
"Yeah," she replied softly. "You guys stay here, okay? I'll go see what he's doing here and send him back through the well."
"Be careful," Souta cautioned, worry creasing his young brow.
"His bark is worse than his bite, I think," Kagome reassured, slipping out of the front door.
"That's not what I…" her brother started to protest before being shushed by their mother.
Kagome shut the door and pulled her cardigan more tightly around her torso. "Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" she called, taking a few steps toward him.
The hanyou's head whipped around and the expression in his golden eyes caused her breath to catch in her throat. "There you are," he said grouchily. "Let's go!"
He bounded over to her and scooped her into his arms before she could even think about what he had just said.
"I-Inuyasha? What in the world are you doing? Put me down this instant," Kagome demanded, struggling against his hold.
"Stop it, woman," he said, tightening his arms around her body. "The village has been under constant attack from youki since you left and the old hag's injured. She can't keep up by herself anymore."
Kagome stiffened for a moment but burst back into movement as he started toward the well. "Hold on just a moment. Let me tell my family what's going on so they don't think that you're abducting me."
She wiggled out of his grip and jogged back to the house, where her family crowded on the porch. "Kaede needs help," she explained helplessly. "Inuyasha said that the village has been attacked by youkai ever since I left and Kaede's been injured."
Hana pulled her into a desperate hug that both Souta and her grandfather joined. "Please be careful, Kagome," she said. "And come back to us soon."
The expression on Souta's face nearly broke Kagome's heart and she knew that he was going to be waiting by the well for her again.
She blinked back a few tears that burned her eyes and nodded. "I will; I promise."
After one last hug, she tore herself away and jogged back toward Inuyasha, knowing that if she looked back that she wouldn't be able to leave her family standing there on the porch. She allowed Inuyasha to swing her back up into his arms again.
"You alright?" he asked gruffly,
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Kagome replied in a slightly choked voice.
"Well, hold on tight," he said awkwardly, leaping into the well. They were quickly enveloped by the warm darkness that Kagome had experience twice before.
"Inuyasha," Kagome muttered, waiting for the strange weightlessness to end. "How did you get through the well?"
"Keh, was I not supposed to? I just jumped in," he stated simply.
Kagome opened her mouth, but closed it again without saying anything. She didn't know why, but she had assumed that only she could use the well. Now that she was thinking about it, the centipede woman had also utilized it to pull her through into the past.
When they finally touched down on the ground, Kagome bit back a shriek as Inuyasha leapt immediately into the air. She looked around in awe at how high the hanyou had gotten. She could see the damaged village clearly and the large youkai that was attacking.
Inuyasha touched down lightly and jumped again, making it to the village with the second leap. He sped through the small houses and it made Kagome's heart hurt to see how few of them were undamaged. Inuyasha took her to the far side of the village, where Kaede was directing the villagers.
Kagome stumbled slightly as he let her go and leapt toward the demon at the edge of the trees. It looked like a massive boar with glowing red eyes. She stared in horror at the mangled bodies that littered the ground between the youkai and the bare fortifications that the rest of the villagers had erected. She felt ill. "Kaede, what in the world is going on?"
"What are you doing here, child?" Kaede asked in surprise, then she shook her head. "Never mind, I need your help. As you can see, I am unable to aid to my fullest capacity," she wiggled one arm, which hung in a sling. "Can you shoot?"
Kagome laughed unsteadily, but accepted the bow that Kaede held out in her good hand. "I was in archery club in high school," she said. "But I haven't shot in years. My aim may be a little off."
"That will have to do," Kaede stated. "You must focus your power on the tip of the arrow before you loose it."
Before Kagome could ask for clarification, Kaede moved away, calling out instructions to the villagers. She chuckled nervously and shakily slotted an arrow into the bow. "Inuyasha," she called out to the jumping, white-haired figure attacking the enemy youkai. "You may want to back away for a moment!"
The hanyou glanced at her and her drawn bow, leaping hastily away from the boar. Kagome searched for the pressure in her chest that she had when facing the centipede woman, struggling to somehow channel it into the tip of the arrow. Her heart pounded with adrenaline as she sighted along the shaft of the arrow.
Kagome took a steadying breath and aimed for the boar's head. As she exhaled, she loosed the arrow, narrowing her eyes against the brilliant pink glow that flared into existence. It flew straight and made contact right between the creature's eyes. The youkai let out a horrible shriek that was cut off abruptly by the explosion of power that consumed it.
The flare burned down in seconds, leaving behind nothing but a slightly smoking patch of grass. Kagome stared in horror at what she had done before dropping to her knees and retching on the grass. She vomited until her stomach was empty and then staggered away from the mess. Breathing heavily, she wiped her steaming eyes and pressed the back of her shaking hand to her mouth. She pushed to her feet and walked unsteadily toward the smoking ground. The grass was blackened in random patches and she felt sick all over again.
"Damn, woman," Inuyasha whispered as he sidled up to her cautiously.
Kagome blinked back tears and turned to then nervous hanyou. "I think I'd like to go home now," she said shakily.
"Um, sure," Inuyasha drawled, gingering picking her up and heading back toward the well, bypassing Kaede and the rest of the staring villagers. Kagome rested her aching head against his chest.
"Why have youkai been attacking the village, anyway?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly. She felt faint, both from the expenditure of power and of her stomach.
"The old hag thinks they sensed the jewel," the hanyou responded unthinkingly. He missed the horrified expression that crossed Kagome's face.
"So, it's my fault for bringing it here?" She struggled out of Inuyasha's grip and scrambled away.
"What? No, of course not!" Inuyasha tried to reassure her, holding his hands out helplessly.
Kagome ripped the jewel from her neck and stared at it accusingly. It seemed to wink at her as it pulsed lovingly and she shuddered in revulsion. "This is horrible," she whispered. She barely registered the hanyou's clumsy attempts to console her. The stress of the last week was too much. She could handle time traveling; she could handle a jewel being ripped from her body; she could even handle suddenly possessing youkai-annihilating power. But that she was the cause for such devastation in a place where the people had treated her with such kindness was the one thing that she could not take.
"I just wish this stupid jewel didn't exist," she cried bitterly, clenching her fist around the bauble that had caused all of her recent troubles.
Suddenly, the Shikon jewel burned brightly within through her fingers. The glow intensified until Kagome could barely see it. She thought she heard a whispered "thank you" and the jewel burst into a brilliant sphere of light. As the power of the jewel dissipated, a tiny pink mote of light floated unsteadily toward her, sinking through the skin over her heart. Kagome gasped as her body was suffused with a brilliant pink glow and she felt a rush of power through her veins.
And then it was all over as quickly as it had begun.
She collapsed forward, barely holding up her weight on shaking arms. The pulling, nagging connection that she had with the jewel was gone. Instead, she felt much like she had before she was pulled into the well in the first place.
"What the hell just happened?" Inuyasha demanded, his ears plastered back against his skull in alarm.
Kagome stared at him in shock, vaguely registering his white pallor and dilated pupils. "I think… it's gone," she breathed. Black spots danced in her vision and she felt herself hit the grass before falling unconscious.
For the second time in as many days, Kagome awoke to shouting. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and recognized the thatch roof of Kaede's hut. She still felt vaguely ill; her head ached and her stomach cramped unpleasantly.
She turned to the doorway as Inuyasha burst into the hut. His expression was furious but when he noticed that Kagome was awake, the anger faded away. He sat cross-legged at her side.
"What's going on?" Kagome croaked, pushing up to lean on her elbows.
"Just arguing with the hag," Inuyasha grumbled. He looked at her with piercing eyes. "Is it really gone?"
Kagome winced and flopped back down, grinding the heels of her palms into her eyes. "Yeah," she sighed. "I think it is. I'm really sorry, Inuyasha. I know how much it meant to you."
"Keh," the hanyou scoffed. "I've been thinking anyway. I guess you were right about not needing it," he said gruffly.
Kagome peeked at him through her bangs and saw that he appeared to be genuine. She was glad that he didn't seem to be angry with her. "Why were you fighting with Kaede?"
Inuyasha shrugged one shoulder irritably. "She was fucking yelling at me for bringing you back through the well." He shuffled uncomfortably. "I… I got some bad news."
"What is it?" Kagome asked, her stomach twisting at his somber, guilty tone. "Has something happened?"
"It's just…" he hedged, his expression extremely contrite. "The well doesn't seem to be working.
His words hit her like a bullet right through her heart and her vision went black.