It had been about four days since Kagome disappeared with Sesshomaru, four long days that consisted of Inuyasha tormenting himself. He had been moping around the shrine house, patiently waiting for her to return. Inuyasha wanted to talk to her, he wanted to apologize and hold her. He didn't realize just how much he missed her, more than he had in a long time.
His moping kept Kikyo at bay, she wanted no part of his self-pity and anger. All she wanted was for Kagome to stay in her own time and never come back. She wanted to live her life with Inuyasha in peace. She was finally happy with the man she loved. Kikyo knew that Inuyasha would run to Kagome but she also knew he would come crawling back. Nothing was better than the real thing, Kagome was nothing compared to her. She just didn't want the drama.
The only thing that really got under her skin was Inuyasha's sulking, it broke her heart. She kept her distance from him but she watched him, praying that he wouldn't do anything reckless.
"Inuyasha, we should go down and visit the village. Being cooped up in this house is bad for us." She was right. They need to go out and get some sun, visit with the elders and check on the children. The hanyou didn't look at her, he only dropped his ears.
"I can hear Sango and Miroku talking about her. Talking about you and me. I can hear Rin and Shippo spitting curses at us…" Kikyo walked over to him and placed an arm over his shoulder.
"It's not like you to be worried about what other people think about you."
He turned around to face her, placing his hands on her hips.
"They all love her so much. I ruined… any chance they had of having a life with her. No there is no chance of them being friends and growing together."
She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair. "These people-."
"These aren't just people Kikyo! These people are my family, I've fought beside them and we've saved each other's lives. I've slept next to these people and shared food around campfires. These are not just people. You may have no connection to them, but I do."
He couldn't bear to see them right now, he didn't want to bear the looks they would give him. He destroyed the future they had spent the last three years planning. While he was with Kikyo, his friends built another house and have been keeping it up for her. They bought furnishings and clothes from nearby villages. Sesshomaru had even taken part in keeping the house ready for Kagome's return.
Most of all, he knew he ruined his friendship with Sango. She had her children but Kagome was her best friend. He would lay awake some nights and listen to them talk about the future. Kagome would laugh and say she wanted little hanyou babies, Inuyasha's babies. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He did want that, he longed for that but he'd never get it.
Kikyo had walked away from him but she could see him wiping the tears from his cheeks. She busied herself with folding clothes and tidying up but his presence was beginning to annoy her. After about an hour she watched him walk outside and wander down the steps.
"I hope she stays gone."
Inuyasha had wandered down to the bottom of the steps and surveyed the area. The villagers were working the fields and Sango was walking her three children. Did he have the courage to ask her if she had seen Kagome? Thinking it over, he thought best not to. Even if she knew anything, she would never tell him. No chance.
Inuyasha made his way to the outskirts of the village, right up to the tree line. He could check the Well, if she had gone through her scent would still be fresh. Sesshomaru did not take her that way but it was his only idea to go on.
The forest did not welcome him, something about the way the trees stood still made him uneasy. The small woodland animals usually active this time of day but he saw nothing, not even a squirrel. It dawned on him that the same thing had happened when the well closed up three years ago. Everything had gone still like time itself had stopped and life had been drained of the forest. His worst fear was that Kagome was either trapped here or there.
Kagome looked up at the sun, taking in the heat of the day. She was home with her mother like she'd been the past four days. Sesshomaru told her to take as long as she needed, gather what supplies she wanted and to heal her wounds. He urged Kagome to spend time with her family for he had no way of knowing when they would return from his castle. She spent most of her time outside with her mother, cleaning the grounds and repairing the well house.
She never once mentioned Sesshomaru or talked about Inuyasha and Kikyo. Her mother was already a little heartbroken over Kagome wanting to go back, she didn't want to add to the pile. Her mother's calls for lunch brought her from her thoughts.
"Kagome, dear, I've made your favorite for lunch. Come in and eat with your brother and me."
She bounded through the yard with a smile on her face. If it was her favorite, it had to be spicy pork curry! She met her mother at the back door and gave her a kiss on the cheek before taking her spot at the table. Sota sat across from her, his face in his handheld game system. Kagome smirked as their mother calmly walked behind him and plucked it out of his hands.
"Your sister will be going home soon. Spend time with her." The sarcastic smile on her mother's face made her laugh. She would miss her mother as well as her little brother and grandfather. It was too bad she wouldn't get to say goodbye to him since he was gone to a shrine keeper's meeting in Osaka.
Sota made a pout and eyed Kagome. "So, sis, when is Inuyasha coming to get you? It would be nice to see him again." She paused mid-chew and looked at him. There was no way she could tell him that he would never see Inuyasha again. It would break his heart.
"He won't be coming back to Tokyo, the… well won't let him cross. We think it has something to do with the Jewel." She felt her mother look at her, the older woman totally wasn't buying it. Sota, on the other hand, was easy to fool.
"Kagome, I've packed your bag with all of your hygiene items. Are you sure you don't want me to pack more clothes than those few pairs?" Kagome took another bite and shoved a biscuit in her mouth.
"I won't need much. I'll be buying clothes to better fit in while I'm over there. Honestly, I don't know why I never did that before. That school uniform was more of a hindrance than anything." Her mother let out a sigh.
"What will you do for money though Kagome? I'm sure our currency won't work in the past…"
Kagome smiled to herself. Sesshomaru's words floated in the back of her mind.
"Don't pack heavy. We will be discarding your clothes at the first major village on the coast. I will buy you new kimonos or whatever clothes you wish to wear." He ran his thumb over her cheek.
Kagome wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I have a small… account set up with the temple. I stored money there when I would do jobs and training." Her mother gave her a light smirk, no way she believed that one.
A little while later Kagome wandered up to her room. She found a lightly packed bag on her bed and two changes of clothes on the dresser. She started to rummage through the bag, making a mental check of what all she would need for her trip and if the things she had would be enough. Kagome kept wondering how long he would keep her in the west when something moved in the corner of her eye.
Upon further inspection, she saw it to be a photograph from her pegboard. She picked it up and sighed. It was a picture of her and Inuyasha together outside the family shrine from one of the last times he came to her time. She took a moment to look at the other pictures on the board and she hung it back up. There were so many of them that pictured her and Inuyasha, except for one.
On one occasion her mother had tucked a disposable camera in her bag. It must have rolled around in the bottom for a year before she found it. She was only able to take one picture. Kagome pulled the glossy photograph from the board. It was a picture of Rin and Sesshomaru a few days after the battle with the snake demon. She never told anyone of her encounter, saving Rin's life or having the tears of one of the most powerful youkai on her neck.
He was sitting cross-legged in a field of magenta and blue flowers with her in his lap. Both of them wore matching flower crowns and Rin was all smiles. It was also one of the first times she got to see him smile.
"Kagome?"
She whipped around to see her mother in the doorway, holding a double bento box. Kagome quickly stuffed the picture in her pocket.
"Thank you, momma."
The older woman approached her daughter and pulled the photograph out of her pocket. "You don't want to wrinkle your pictures."
There was a slight twinkle in her mother's eye but she said nothing.
"Are you sure it's okay that I leave again, momma? I don't know when we- I will be back this time."
Her mother sat on the edge of the bed with the bento in her lap. "You may not like what I'm about to say but you need to hear it, honey." Kagome froze. "Your heart is broken into a million and three pieces. Everything you fought for has been scattered to the wind just like the jewel back then." She sighed and flipped the picture up and looked at it.
"Some pieces are better left alone… while new ones should be picked up. But make sure you don't hurt anyone by trying to force pieces that don't fit."
Kagome sat down next to her mother and frowned. "I don't understand…"
"This man, in the picture. Is he the one you're going on your journey with?" Her heart skipped a beat. Busted.
"I uh… yeah, he is." Her mother sighed.
"Do you know him well?"
"Not entirely but I know he won't hurt me. In fact, right before I came home he protected me from another daiyoukai. He's also the one who made sure I came home to you before we went on our journey." Her mother watched as her daughter's face lit up while talking about the demon lord. Kagome told her mother all about the mysterious Lord of the West and his adoptive daughter. She told her about all the times they fought together as well as against one another.
"Lord Sesshomaru… he feels like he's indebted to me for something I did for him a few years ago. That's why he's been sticking by my side, hiding me from Inuyasha and protecting me from other threats. It's why he's offered to help me figure out why I was allowed to go back to the feudal era."
Her mother placed the bento on the floor and stood up, knocking the wrinkles out of her skirt. "I won't lie Kagome, I am worried about you but I know you can take care of yourself. If you trust him, then I trust him. It's too bad I won't get to meet him though." She smiled and gave Kagome a soft pat on the cheek and left her daughter alone in the quiet of her bedroom.
"I wish you could meet him too momma…"
Sesshomaru waited four days for Kagome to return from her own world. Four long days that shouldn't have tormented him as much as it did. He did what she asked of him though, he spent the time with Rin. The young girl was not happy with the news of him leaving her behind for his trip back to the mainland, nor was she happy that Kagome was going. She wasn't mad at Kagome exactly, he knew she was just jealous.
She had no reason to be jealous though. He was just helping someone who he owed it to, someone who needed his help. Someone who had been on his mind, even invading his dreams the four days he spent apart from her. Just having her on his mind was growing tiresome though. She should have been back by now, even though he told her to take her time.
He said goodbye to Rin and made his way to the Bone Eater's Well. The Demon Lord was very careful to stay out of his brother's sight, just like he had done the past four days. He didn't want to hear it, the excessive whining that always came from the half demon. Kagome shouldn't have to deal with the nonsense from Inuyasha and the dead priestess.
His mind wandered from the couple to the battle with Naraku, the two days Kagome spent at his side. She fought with him, they were back to back in the middle of the war. She didn't hesitate to protect him. She was fierce, her bravery matched that of generals in his father's army in the before days. He wanted to, no needed her by his side. The emotions he felt were so foreign to him it made him angry.
Sesshomaru's attention was drawn from his own thoughts to the sound of crashing. He rushed the clearing belonging to the well and stumbled upon Inuyasha. The hanyou had seen or smelled the daiyoukai yet, he was too concerned with the well.
"Damnit! It's not working! Why won't it work? Kagome!"
Sesshomaru listened to his brother's cries, unsure of why he was angry at the well. He turned his attention to the well, something was a little different. The coloring of the wood was paler than a few days ago and the grass was dying in a near perfect circle around the well. Did the well close up on her again? Was he ever going to see her again?
A feeling of deep anxiety swelled in his stomach, it was just like when he found Kagome and Rin after the fight with the snake demon. Was he afraid of losing this woman too?
Before he could stop himself, he lunged from the tree line. "Stand aside Inuyasha."
The startled hanyou spun around. "Just what do you think you're doing here?!" Sesshomaru didn't answer him. He pushed Inuyasha aside and jumped into the well.
"It's no use! The well wouldn't work for you anyway!"
The demon lord looked around and attempted to take a breath but there was almost no air. This set off alarms in the back of his mind, normally air would be pulling inward to Kagome's world. He jumped back up, punching Inuyasha in the process.
"What did you do."
Inuyasha pulled himself from the dirt and wiped the blood from his mouth. "Me? Why does it have to be my fault! You know damn well I have no power over the well!" Sesshomaru advanced on him, taking him by the collar.
"What did your dead priestess do then?" He was struggling to compose himself. It was unlike him to show such weakness, especially in front of his brother. The fear in his voice wasn't missed by Inuyasha either.
"She hasn't been here! No one but you, me, and Kagome." Sesshomaru flung him across the clearing, unhappy with his brother's answer.
"If you were smart, you would stop and realize this is not what happened those few years ago Inuyasha. Someone has tampered with the well. Now, what did she do?"
Kikyo stepped into the clearing with a basket full of berries and herbs. "I thought I sense two demonic auras over this way. Inuyasha, we will be going home now." She didn't want to linger here and she did not want to know why they were fighting. Kikyo could tell something was wrong with the area, especially the well. That wasn't the only thing bothering her though. Someone had been here and she doubted Sesshomaru and Inuyasha realized it. She went to turn away when Sesshomaru appeared in front of her.
He snatched her up, sending berries everywhere. His clawed fingers were wrapped around her throat, one wrong move and he'd kill her without hesitating.
"Since you're here, I'll ask you myself. What did you do to the well?" The breath was gone from her body and she was completely caught off guard. She struggled to find her words.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Release me." He still wasn't satisfied.
"You can feel it, maybe more than I. If you didn't tamper with it then what happened to it." Kikyo hadn't had a chance to actually look at the well, was there more to it than it just closing up again? Sesshomaru saw her thinking and shoved her in the direction of the well. "Look with your dead eyes, tell me. What do you see?"
She did, in fact, see something, something that was definitely out of her abilities.
"It's old magic. Older than even you." She gazed upon the pulsating black barrier that covered the well. "It's a demonic barrier, one that is not easily broken and cannot be broken from the outside." Both men looked at the well but they saw nothing.
He dropped her to the ground and pressed his foot to her shoulder.
"You will break it."
She spat at him. "Did you not hear me? It can't be broken from the outside." Inuyasha stood frozen, he was useless in this situation. "A daiyoukai created this barrier. The only way to break it is if you take it down from the inside. Let's just hope that fake priestess is strong enough to do it." Hearing Kikyo talk bad about Kagome angered him but he held his temper.
Sesshomaru twisted his foot into her shoulder once more before letting her go. The woman pushed herself up from the dirt with little help from Inuyasha. Her breathing was labored and she was covered in dirt. She cringed at the pain in her shoulder, causing Inuyasha to come to her side. It was the shoulder Naraku wounded over fifty years ago, a pain she brought back from the afterlife.
"You didn't have to hurt her Sesshomaru."
He looked at the hanyou. "Yes, Inuyasha, I did or your dead woman would not have told me anything. She despises the priestess because you are still hopelessly wrapped up in her. She's smart though, she values her life more than your loyalty."
Sesshomaru quickly dismissed them and turned his attention to finding a cause and a solution. He had a gut feeling, something told him he knew who did it. The youkai looked around and found what he was looking for, a puddle. He kneeled down next to the dirty pool and pressed his fingers to the surface. A series of unnatural ripples erupted at his touch and slowly an image came into view and he knew. The three of them stood over the puddle as she came into view, they all saw Sesshomaru's mother. Inukimi was smiling at them from her castle.
She had been waiting for Sesshomaru to remember. It was then he knew his mother was the one who erected the barrier, not Kikyo.
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