Leaves crunched under her feet as she trudged through the forest. She made it her mission that before she left to her world she would at least say goodbye to her 2 best friends. She replayed over and over the scene that happened that afternoon and every time she did, she felt more and more wrong.
She felt so stupid that she didn’t believe their pleas that Inuyasha had really come back. When she walked out of Kaede’s hut the whole foreground was bathed in his aura and even though he seemed to have hightailed it out of there it felt as if he never left.
Kagome was kind of ashamed to admit that she liked the feel of the place.
So there she was trying to locate Sango and Miroku and tell them she was sorry.
Another thing was gripping Kagome’s nerves though. She didn’t want the emotional barrier she had built to collapse. Especially now since all she heard about was that it was fast approaching the day Naraku would draw his last breath.
Walking deeper into the forest she passed under the tree of ages. Feeling slightly calmer she reached out to touch the rough bark of its trunk. Kagome peered up into the branches, sighing heavily.
“ So what if he’s back? We have a greater thing we have to finish, forget my feelings for a moment lets worry about everyone else.” Kagome said nodding to herself.
“ Kagome are you talking to yourself?” A voice said behind her causing Kagome to squeal and go crashing to the ground.
“ ACK! Sango? You scared me” Kagome said, brushing herself off. She looked at the concerned and tear stained face of her best friend and soul sister. Kagome threw herself into Sango’s arms.
“ Kagome?” Sango said. Kagome hadn’t been the one lately to show emotion. She had kept to herself but Sango knew that if it was her who suddenly had a person that you had a rocky relationship with bounce back into your life she would be unstable too. Sango felt kind of mean though because she was happy that the old Kagome was shining through even though all she seemed to do was cry.
“ Sango I’m sorry I shouldn’t have been an ass to you! I should have believed you and Miroku! If you see him can you tell him Im sorry...” Kagome said while trying to keep the tears at bay.
“ I sure will and I’m sorry too” Sango said standing Kagome up on her feet. Kagome gave her a confused look.
“ The only reason I tried to stop you was because he was sitting outside and it would be awkward but maybe should have let you too see each other at least.”
“ No I’m glad you stopped me since he was out there, I don’t think I’m quite ready to see him yet.”
“ Sure, Hey! Where are you going?” Sango asked shifting gears as Kagome continued her walk toward the well. Sango jogged a little to catch up but soon fell into rhythm next to Kagome.
“ I’m going home for a couple of days...Kaede says its for the best, she said i need to rest and take all this in..” Kagome said omitting the little bit about the scroll and the end. Kagome didn’t believe it was the end, she was told it time and time again and what came from it? Death, despair and hate that's all.
“ Okay when you come back are you going to be ready to see Inuyasha?” Sango asked as the well came into view.
“ I don’t know but I’ll try. I’ll be back in 3 days okay? BYE SANGO!”Kagome said swinging one leg then the other over the sides of the well. With one last glance at her friend and a simple wave goodbye Kagome dropped into the abyss only to be gobbled up by the eerie blue light. For moments the light lingered then it went back to nothing more.
Sango peered over the edge to see if Kagome was really gone. In all the years she knew the time traveling priestess she couldn’t grasp the idea that a well could link to ages together.
Just like the tree linked Inuyasha to the world by a thread for 50 years.
Sango turned and prepared to make the sickening trip back to Miroku. He had went in search of Inuyasha who had ran into the forest when they both stormed out. And in all this adult drama where was Shippo?
**********************
“ Man adults are so over dramatized aren’t they Kirara? “ Shippo said petting the small twin tailed cat who mewed in satisfaction. When Sango grabbed onto Kagome’s arm Shippo had conveniently left the hut, he couldn’t take another emotional blow.
In the past 4 years he had seen more than any child should ever see. He saw the person he had come to see as his adoptive father leave, his adoptive mother cry herself to sleep every night, His adoptive uncle quietly suffer with his curse, his adoptive aunt reach her stress capacity and he saw the death of a family friend.
When Inuyasha had seemed to come back he thought it was going to go back to the way things use to be. He was going to call Inuyasha an idiot, get hit, tell Kagome and get a sucker.
To bad things have gotten so complicated! Shippo no longer felt like the innocent little kid that could do no wrong. He felt like someone who saw too much blood and battle to ever feel normal again.
“ Meow” Kirara said. To a mere human it sounded like Kirara meowed, to Shippo she was agreeing with all that he just said and he was happy about. Staring at Kirara he saw for a moment that she could see into his soul with her eyes. He stared motionless into her face, not wanting her to run away scared but to make sure she wasn’t looking through him into his heart.
“ Nope, must be imaging things...” Shipo said as he continued to pet the small kitten.
********************************
“ Inuyasha I’m sure she will come around sooner or later” the young monk said as he perched himself on a small boulder opposite his friend.
Inuyasha had been in such good spirits when they had promised him a sit down with Kagome after she woke up. Too bad Kagome wasn’t totally agreed with this plan of action. Inuyasha had left as soon as he heard the sounds of a struggle and went to the mouth of the brook that ran through Edo. That was where a fuming Sango and a disappointed Miroku found him later.
“ Feh whatever! What happened to the hate you guys had for her” Inuyasha snorted skipping another rock across the still surface of the stream.
“ We don’t hate her Inuyasha we never could and you shouldn’t either...” Miroku said.
“ Feh! I don’t hate her, but still why the hell won’t she talk to me, after all these years she’s afraid of me..”
“ She is afraid of knowing the truth!”
“ What truth are ya talking ‘bout monk!”
“ That 4 years ago we were wrong, we saw blood and you and her and we lost our heads!”
“ Shut up about that! I don’t know what happened then but I swear I didn’t do that intentionally...”
“ Okay okay Inuyasha I believe you”
“ FEH!” Inuyasha snorted before turning his attention back to the pebbles he had been skipping. Moments later Sango who had just returned from seeing Kagome off walked onto the scene.
“ Why is everyone quiet?” Sango asked as she moved to stand next to Miroku.
“ No reason...where did you go” Miroku questioned as his hand
“ I went for a walk to calm my nerves and I ran into Kagome.”
“ You did? What happened”
“ Nothing really, we talked and she said she was sorry,” Sango turned to glance to face Inuyasha,” To all of you”
“ Feh! Whatever, where did she go?” Inuyasha asked. Even though he didn’t believe that Kagome came out with a blatant apology to him he was engrossed in the details of where she went. It had been a long time since he had gazed into the large brown pupils of Kagome’s eyes. Being so close to her now, knowing that soon they would have to work together again.
He anticipated them.
“ She said she had to go back to her time but she would be back in 3 days”
“ So we have 3 days till Inuyasha and Kagome meet again.” Miroku said rubbing his chin
“ Yea I suppose so”
“ Well it has to go well or we will never be able to trust each other to defeat Naraku as one”
“ I think Kagome will be a little standoffish at 1st but after a while she will come to trust all of us again.” Sango said looking up into the sky.
“ Well maybe we should do something to ‘reacquaint’ ourselves when she returns hn?” Miroku said letting his eyes sparkle with Mischief. Reaching behind Sango with his ‘cursed hand’ he began to ‘ reacquaint’ with Sango’s rear end.
“ LETCH!!! I ALREADY HAD THE DISPLEASURE OF MEETING YOU!” Sango said slapping him and turning a beautiful shade of beet red.
“ Once a pervert always a pervert!!!” Inuyasha snorted skipping another pebble.
“ You people give me no justice”
“ YOU DON’T EARN ANY” Sango huffed trying to gain control over her complexion.
(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)
Lightly grazing the stone bottom of the well, she landed.
The birds chipped lightly from there place outside the well house. Throwing her bag carelessly over the side Kagome hoisted herself up and out of the old bone eaters well.
Shivering slightly as she exited the well house she looked around. The shrine looked so dead without tourists or her grandfather bustling about or even little Souta playing soccer in the yard.
Walking into the house, she deposited her shoes on the mat.
“ MOM! GRANDPA! SOUTA! I’M HOME” Kagome yelled before advancing into the house.
Kagome relaxed a bit as she walked throughout her home. Already the weight of her problems and duties in the feudal era were sliding off her back and she felt free.
“ Looking into the kitchen she spotted her family sitting around the table, preparing to eat lunch”
“ Hey guys! Didn’t you hear me come in?” Kagome questioned as she affectionally stole the rice ball Souta was about to devour and took a bite.
“ No I’m sorry dear, how are you feeling? Do you need anything?” Kagome’s mother said with a smile. Kagome noticed how old her mother looked in the light. Gray was visible in her hair and lines covered her face.
Kagome knew the added stress was from her Grandfather’s illness.
Ever since her Grandfather’s stroke her mother had lots on her hands, she had to keep the whole grounds neat and tidy and oversee Souta’s training as a Shinto Priest till Kagome finished her task in the feudal era.
“ Well mom you know she’s hungry because she is willing to steal from her young growing brother!” Souta said getting up to give his sister a hug.
“ Growing? Your almost twice my height!!!!!!!!” Kagome said looking at the towering Souta. He was already tall for his age and it seemed that he grew every time she saw him.
“ Well that is all the more I need to eat! Well I have to go meet my instructor so I’ll seeya later sis...You will be here when I get back tonight?” Souta questioned.
“ Yes I will I’ll be here to annoy you for 3 whole days”
“ Good” Souta said placing a kiss on his sister’s forehead before grabbing his jacket and kissing his mom goodbye.
“ Bye Souta study hard” His mother said. He replied with a smile.
“ I will and one day I will be more powerful than Sis!” He joked before heading out the door. Kagome and her mother were the only ones left in the Kitchen. Kagome crumpled into a seat.
“ So really how are you Kagome?” Her mother asked sitting a cup of green tea next to her. She could tell through Kagome’s pained smiles and forced warmth she was hurting. From what her daughter told her she fought demons and traveled far tapping into her immense powers often .
Then the whole Inuyasha story.
Her mother’s intuition told her the 1st time Inuyasha walked into her home he was Kagome’s true love. They bickered and he often left her daughter hurt and confused but she knew his intentions were true and they belonged together.
Then that fateful day she came home tear stained and wrapped in bandages; she knew something bad had happened.
In their home Inuyasha was never mentioned or seen again.
“ I....I don’t know” Kagome answered truthfully. There was no reason to lie to her mother, a person who could see through it anyway. Kagome got more and more confused everyday. She knew she had to defeat Naraku and she knew she had to complete the jewel but that was all she knew anymore.
She didn’t know how to act around Sango and Miroku, her best friends that for 4 years she had handled on a long handled spoon. She didn’t know how to live in the present anymore either.
In the past 4 years she hung out with her friends but she seemed like an outcast. they had inside jokes and gossip that she couldn’t follow.
The only placed she had ever belonged was by Inuyasha’s side. But she had pushed him away when he needed her most.
Another thing that grated on her nerves even more was trying to figure out what happened 4 years ago.
She wasn’t even going to start on that, it was too much heartache and drama included.
Then there was the tiny old scroll that was hidden in her pocket that Kaede had given her.
That was an enigma in itself.
“ What’s going on dear?” Kagome’s mother said wrapping a supportive arm around her daughter as she hid her head from the world.
“ He’s coming back, we have things to finish. I said I was going to put my feelings for him, for our situation aside but how can I? I haven’t seen him in 4 years, last time I saw him he hurt me deep, how can I ever see him again and then I still have some feelings for him and I feel like us not talking was my fault in the beginning! Then my best friends in the whole wide world probably think I’m a lunatic and then I have to fulfill my promise to Midoriko to restore her soul. But there is more to her soul than it appears and I’m going into the hardest part of my life!!!!’”Kagome said in one breath before hiding her head once again.
“ Okay okay calm down........now who is he?”
“ Inuyasha” Kagome said softly
“ Oh” things began to click in Kagome’s mom’s mind. Her daughter was still in love with Inuyasha and afraid to say it. That was what her big sentence was all about, Inuyasha.
“ Yea, I think I just need to mellow out for 3 days and then go back and face my fears.”
“ Okay sweetie, want me to draw you a bath?”
“ That would be nice, I want to see Grandpa first though” Kagome’s mind was turning.
“ Sure sweetie, he should be in his room go right up!” Kagome’s mother said returning to the dishes in the sink.
**********************
Kagome softly knocked before entering into the dimly lit room that belonged to her grandfather. Sitting like a small doll in the middle of a big ocean of covers was he.
He cracked a smile when she entered and he beaconed her to him. She moved towards him, placing a kiss on his forehead.
“ Hey Gramps! I see you are looking good today.” Kagome said giving him a smile. He rubbed her hands affectionately and smiled at her again.
“ I’ve been working hard to complete my tasks in the feudal era, Everyone keeps say that it’s almost over and its almost time for the final battle! I’m actually happy then I’ll be able to spend more time with you!” Kagome said holding his hand and looking deep into his eyes.
“ Ya know you know me better than anyone I know and I thank you for that” Kagome said kissing the hand that she held.
He smiled once again and sank back into the covers. Kagome stood up to leave and headed into the bathroom.
She ran herself a steamy bath before stripping down and submerging into the depths of the water.
She sighed. Her life in the present was just as scary as it was in the past. Every time she looked into her Grandfather’s aging face, she lost a piece of her heart. When she looked a her mother, no longer smiling all the time unless to put on a show for her children, she lost another part. To see Souta growing up too fast to fill the shoes he wasn’t ready for, her already broken heart broke again.
She couldn’t take anymore.
She knew that when Inuyasha stepped into her line of sight, her little heart would crumble into dust.
And she was somewhat okay with that. She deserved it.
Kaede’s words rang in her mind. She wasn’t the only one to come out with battle scars. He carried her torch as much as she carried his.
But she wasn’t going to let it beat her.
Reaching down she pulled out the small scroll.
She had to memorize its contents before she could go back.
Midoriko was right.
The time was coming, war was here.