Categories > Anime/Manga > Inuyasha > Foresight
Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or YuYu Hakusho. I don’t make money from this (as is evident by looking at my checking account) so don’t sue me!
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Foresight
Prologue
The day was still young, the sun only just reaching its highest point in the bright blue sky. But in Japan, year 1499, in a large field between lush forests, the ground belied the calm cheerfulness that the sky was gracing the rest of the country with.
Where once the field was overrun with tall, soft, swaying grass that rippled on the summer breeze, it was now dark and flat. The green grass was stained with blood, sweat, and tears. Scorch marks and deep crevices marred the once pristine area.
A great battle had begun only moments after daybreak and had been fiercely raging until the body parts of lesser demons meant as a distraction littered the ground and now only the battered and weary bodies of both sides participants remained. Breathing was labored, tensions were high, morale was low, and exhausted minds and bodies were desperate.
‘We have to win,’ Kagome thought as she glanced around the battlefield while panting. Naraku had absorbed his detachments some time ago not only to gain the extra power but to prevent Kagura from turning against him later on. Kohaku lay unconscious at the edge of the field, moved there by Sango, but he was badly injured and the jewel shard had already been removed from his back. Kagome knew that if something wasn’t done soon the boy would die again.
Kagome’s group had grown recently and now the original shard hunting group fought alongside The Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru, and the Prince of the Wolf Demon Tribe, Kouga, and several of his wolves. Despite the extra help they were still struggling to hold and gain ground against an incredibly strong Naraku. He was close to having the complete jewel. Only a small chunk was missing from the whole, and it resided around Kagome’s neck.
With one more sweeping look over her comrades, Kagome knew that they were in trouble. The demons were winded with several small injuries if they were lucky and her human companions looked on the verge of collapsing. The next few moves would be the determining factors in the battle that had been building up for the past two years.
Kagome closed her eyes tightly for a moment as she thought, ‘No…it’s not supposed to end like this! We’re supposed to win and everyone is supposed to get their happily ever after. Miroku and Sango would have lots of babies, Inuyasha would realize that he’s perfect and accepted just the way he is, Shippo would have a safe and steady life in a village where he’s loved, Sesshoumaru and Kouga and Inuyasha would all make their peace with one another, and I…I would…’ As her thoughts trailed off, Kagome opened her eyes slightly but was quickly snapped back to reality by one of two things.
Whether it was Inuyasha’s concerned yell as he moved to grab her or the thick tentacle now wrapped around her midsection and dragging her across the field, she wasn’t sure. She also wasn’t sure what exactly was happening until Naraku kept pulling her to him at top speed and she heard him shout, “I’ll have the complete jewel even if I have to take you with it!”
Eyes widening in horror as she saw her legs begin to disappear into the collection of demons known as Naraku, Kagome quickly turned and stretched her hand out in a final, yet futile, effort to be saved by the half-demon she loved so much. She was beginning to hyperventilate when she felt her shoulders being covered, pulling her in deeper. The last thing any of her friends saw or heard was her strangled cry of “Inuya—!!” and her small, pale hand disappearing into Naraku’s chest.
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‘Where am I?’ Kagome’s thoughts echoed through her mind. She tried to look around her but due to the darkness she couldn’t even tell if her eyes were open or shut. She had a fleeting thought in which she wondered if this was what it felt like to be at the bottom of the ocean. It was dark and she felt an odd, painless pressure seemingly trying to crush her from the inside out. It was hard to breathe and she felt as though if she didn’t concentrate on the heartbeat hammering in her ears and chest it would stop. But she wasn’t cold like one would be at the bottom of the ocean. Then again, she wasn’t hot either. Aside from the invisible pressure, she couldn’t feel anything. It was as though her physical body was completely numb. ‘Am I dead??’ She thought in slight panic.
Recalling her last memories she came to a shocking realization. ‘Naraku absorbed me…I must be dead! But…does that mean I’m in Heaven? No, this must be Hell. Not exactly what I thought it would be…what did I do to get sent here??’
Just then Kagome realized that her eyes were indeed open because a tiny pinprick of light became visible in the distance. ‘Is that the proverbial “Light at the End of the Tunnel”?’ She wondered. She had no idea if she was actually moving or if the light was coming closer to her, but either way it was becoming larger.
As the light slowly moved to engulf her, Kagome noticed that she was still dressed in her school uniform. ‘Thank the gods or small favors. But I always pictured everyone in white robes or something.’ When the light was finally completely surrounding her, she had to close her eyes and then slowly open them to adjust to the brightness. “What in the world?” She voiced aloud this time.
Kagome suddenly found herself in a large field with tall, swaying grass. The sky above was a very dull blue-grey and there was a single dying tree visible. There was a large cliff-face jutting out of the otherwise level area and she could make out a few more dying trees at the top. “I’ve been here before,” she mumbled.
Looking towards the bottom of the cliff, she noticed the small entrance to a dark cave. It was the entrance to the cave where the thief Onigumo became the half-demon Naraku. A shudder overcame her form as she felt a tug towards the cursed place. And as much as her brain and every survival instinct she had screamed out for her to avoid it, her feet began to carry her in the cave’s direction.
As Kagome peered inside she realized that it was too dark from her current vantage point, but she really didn’t want to venture in any further. Then suddenly, as if the landscape made up her mind for her, the ground lurched forward and she tumbled down the small incline leading into the cave. Wondering what happened for a moment, she spoke aloud, “That’s right…I’m in some kind of world created by Naraku. I guess he can control what happens here.”
While it was still dark in the cave, Kagome’s eyes quickly adjusted and she could see the shadowed details of the walls and ceiling. Allowing her eyes to continue to search the area, she finally let them settle on the form of what appeared to be a man wrapped in bandages resting on a straw mat. “Onigumo…” The strangled whisper escaped her throat as it constricted in a mixture of fear and apprehension.
But the last thing she expected was a response. A deep, raspy chuckle echoed through the small area before an equally rough voice followed, “That’s right, girl. Come closer to me.”
Frozen in hesitation for a moment, Kagome finally decided to venture forward after remembering that the thief was burned so badly that he could no longer move in his human body. She knelt down by his side, much the way she imagined that Kikyo would have done all those decades ago. “Where am I?” She asked him.
“You are in my cave.” He responded quietly. His eyes remained closed and he had yet to look at her. He was completely still and if he hadn’t spoken she would have assumed that he was asleep.
“Why am I here? Did you bring me here or was it Naraku?” She continued to question him.
This time his eyes opened to look at her. His eyes reminded Kagome of chocolate that had been left in the freezer for far too long. They were a deep brown but seemed cold, hard, and unpleasant to keep contact with. “You are here because I brought you here to complete it.”
“Complete what?” She couldn’t help but ask.
Suddenly, and much to Kagome’s surprise, the prone figure of Onigumo began to rise into a sitting position. Propping himself up with one hand, he used the other hand to begin tugging and tearing the bandages away from his face. What was revealed to her was a man with a very handsome face. His skin was lightly tanned and accented by dark, shaggy hair that framed his face. He had a strong jaw line with high cheek bones and a straight, sharp nose that rested above two full lips that were quirked in a smirk aimed in her direction. Raising the hand that had torn away his bandages, he revealed a completed jewel shining a dark purple color as it was tainted with malice and greed. “To complete this jewel that will give me what I desire. Isn’t it beautiful like this?”
Kagome’s eyes widened as her hand flew to the spot where her piece of the jewel had rested at the hollow of her throat. It was gone. She could feel her heart beat faster as her mind reeled at what this could mean. ‘What do I do?! Inuyasha isn’t here to help me this time. He’s just one guy…maybe I can just tackle him and take it??’ But her thoughts were cut short as the man before her continued.
“With this I’m going to get a physical body again; a strong one…one of a demon. A body like that silver-haired dog she fell in love with. Then Kikyo will be mine and all of this silly fighting can end.”
Kagome could only quirk her head to the side at his statement. But before she could ask him about it there was a deep, feral growl that came from the back of the cave. Whipping her head towards the sound, Kagome had to choke back a scream at seeing the shadowed figure of a large spider with glowing red eyes and white, gleaming fangs dripping a purple toxin that melted the ground it fell on.
Quickly turning back to Onigumo, she shouted as panic began to overtake her. “Do you see that thing?! That’s your demon side! That’s what you already gave your body to fifty years ago! It’s always going to be here and it wants Kikyo dead! That thing can’t win. You have to give me the jewel now so I can purify it and kill that thing! This part of you is still human. You can still be saved!”
Onigumo turned to look at the monster with a look of fear and confusion as though he was just seeing it for was it was for the very first time. But before anything else could be said, a deafening shriek of a roar came from the large spider demon as it began to charge forward. Hoping that since he could sit up he would be able to run, Kagome grabbed Onigumo by the hand and pulled him along as she darted for the cave entrance screaming, “Run!!”
They cleared the entrance together and made it a few feet from the cave before a large explosion made the ground tremble and flung the two humans several yards from the cave and each other. Kagome looked up to see the monster of a spider emerging from its newly made exit that allowed enough room for its size. It looked between her and Onigumo for a moment before charging after the male.
Kagome watched in horror as the terrified man tried to run but was soon knocked to the ground by his demonic side. But it was all she could do not to wretch as the spider sank its fangs deep into Onigumo’s body to, she assumed, pump in some of its toxic poison. Tears stung her eyes as she watched his body begin to convulse violently before dissolving into a steaming puddle of slime.
The demon locked its piercing red eyes on her as what she thought would be its version of a smile graced its mouth. A long tongue snaked its way between pointed teeth and began to lap at the remains of its prey like a kitten would lap at cream.
“Oh god…” was the only thing that Kagome’s mind could process as a response to what she had just witnessed. It may have been a more animalistic form, but there was now no doubt in her mind that this thing was the true Naraku. ‘I have to kill him now before he gets the jewel…the jewel…where’s the jewel?!’ She thought as she remembered that Onigumo had it before they had run.
Concentrating on the jewel’s energy, she spotted it several yards from herself and Naraku. If she took a running start and caught him by surprise she might just be able to reach it first…maybe. Locking eyes with Naraku once again and taking a deep breath, Kagome suddenly shoved herself off the ground and broke into a dead run to make it before Naraku realized what was going on.
Unfortunately his size and leg length gave him the edge and he reached it just in time to wrap his long tongue around the small sphere before she could reach it. But in a split second decision, knowing that it was probably suicide, Kagome turned sharply and ran straight for Naraku himself. ‘I have to keep him from eating it. If it goes in his body it’s all over,’ she thought as she continued to run.
Apparently Naraku hadn’t expected her to make this choice either and as she drew closer to his face where the jewel still rested wrapped in his tongue, he froze in shock. He only realized her intent when she got within a mere foot and reached out her hand to wrap her fingers around the section of his tongue that held the jewel.
Being too late for either to react to the unexpected, Kagome felt the jewel begin to purify from what skin contact she had with it only to have her eyes widen when she realized that Naraku’s contact was keeping part of it tainted. Both looked at each other in shock before the two powerful and conflicting auras surrounding the jewel caused a clash that resulted in a large explosion blowing both parties away from each other.
The bright light that engulfed Kagome’s vision, stinging and burning her eyes, was accompanied by flashes of the creation of the jewel and the destruction it had caused over the course of its existence. But when Kagome felt herself wrapped in a comforting and warm presence she heard a gentle voice laced with conviction say, “Your power will help me banish this evil for all time.”
Then as soon as the voice died away, Kagome felt a heat pool in her chest and gradually spread through the rest of her body. But what began as a soft heat like one would feel in a relaxing bath soon grew and intensified into what felt like liquid fire pumping through her veins. Her breath began to come quicker and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes which were clenched tightly shut. After what seemed like an eternity of being burned alive from the inside out, all of the heat and pressure she’d felt gathered into a single spot in her chest before it burst forth, wrenching a scream from her throat, and caused a white hot explosion of pure energy that she both saw and felt even from behind closed eyelids.
When things quieted down again, Kagome was left in the dark again. She still wondered if her eyes were open or shut and it felt like she was floating. But before all conscious thought left her, Kagome felt something solid meet her back and heard the same gentle voice from before whisper in her ear, “Thank you, child. Now we can both rest.”
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On the outside of Naraku’s body, the jewel hunters and their allies felt their hearts plummet at the disappearance of Kagome and the last piece of the jewel. The future suddenly seemed very grim as they watched Naraku’s smirk grow before he began to laugh at finally appearing to have won.
He seemed like he was about to say something, probably gloat his imminent victory, but the evil half-demon suddenly froze in place. His enemies watched on warily as his face took on a look of frustration before fading to confusion and finally landing on something akin to horror or panic. He opened his mouth and got out only a moment’s worth of what would have been a gut-wrenching and tortured scream before a white light burst from his body causing everyone to take several steps back and shield their eyes.
When they turned back after all fell silent, they were speechless at the sight before them. Lying in the place of where the demon Naraku had previously stood was a very pale and unconscious Kagome in a pile of fine dust that all assumed was all that remained of the nemesis they’d sought after for so long.
Quickly recovering from shock, Inuyasha rushed towards the girl followed by Sango, Miroku, and Kouga. Inuyasha scooped her limp form into his arms and gently tapped her cheek several times as he called out for her to wake up. But seeing their friend remain asleep, all decided that they needed to return to the village as quickly as possible.
Kouga was the first to arrive with Kagome in his arms after Inuyasha had relinquished his hold knowing that the wolf would arrive the before the rest. The rest of Kagome’s surrogate family arrived to see Kouga pacing in frustration outside of Kaede’s hut. A quietly sobbing Shippo sat against the wall and immediately jumped into Sango’s arms when he saw her.
Inuyasha turned on his long-time rival and demanded, “What the hell is going on?! Where’s Kagome??”
Kouga turned to glare at Inuyasha before he bellowed in return, “Don’t make it sound like I lost her or something, Mutt-Face! She’s still out cold in the hut with the old woman. The hag kicked me out!”
Sango let out an exasperated sigh at both males before handing Shippo off to Miroku and saying, “I’m going to go see if I can help Kaede with anything. If I can find out anything about how Kagome’s doing, I’ll come back and let you know.” She then pushed her way past the woven flap at the entrance of the old woman’s home and left the men standing around in silence.
About an hour passed and the men had moved to sit against the walls of the hut quietly, each consumed with their own thoughts. The only thing said had been voiced by Miroku when he finally checked his cursed hand and saw that only a scar in the shape of a rough circle remained. He’d then said in a quiet voice, “It’s really over.”
Sesshoumaru quietly arrived on his cloud of demon energy with the sleeping form of Sango’s brother, Kohaku. The child seemed alive and well and was merely taking a nap. When the great demon lord moved to lay the child with the sleeping forms of Rin, Shippo, and Jaken who were being protected by Ah-Un and Kirara, Inuyasha lifted a questioning brow at his brother’s behavior. Sesshoumaru merely returned the gesture before saying, “Rin has grown attached to the boy.”
Inuyasha scoffed and all fell silent once more as a few more minutes passed before Sango finally emerged from the hut. Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kouga were immediately on their feet and crowding around the brunette woman. All questions of concern directed towards her were silenced when she brought one hand up in a gesture for them to be quiet. “Kagome is fine for now, but she still hasn’t woken up. She had a few minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises as well as a few places that looked like burn marks on her chest, but those will heal. The only thing we’re concerned about right now is the high fever she has. She shouldn’t be moved much right now, but Kaede and I both think it would be best for Inuyasha to take her home if it doesn’t go down in a day or two.”
Sango smiled as she saw the tension leave all three men’s bodies. When she felt a hand rest on her shoulder she looked into the eyes of Miroku as he smiled and pointed towards the sleeping children. Tears instantly sprang to Sango’s eyes when she saw her brother resting peacefully. When she turned back to Miroku to see him pointing towards Sesshoumaru, she took a few steps forward to stand before the tall dog demon before she bowed deeply saying, “Thank you so much, Lord Sesshoumaru. You have no idea how grateful I am or how much this means to me.”
Retaining the calmness he was renowned for, Sesshoumaru simply glanced at the woman before him before saying, “I did not bring the boy back for you. I gave him life for Rin.” Then he turned and walked towards the forest to rest at the base of a tree.
Four days passed quickly and Kagome’s fever had broken on the second morning but she still hadn’t awoken. Everyone was around the village doing various jobs. Sango was doing laundry, Kaede was tending to her herb garden with Miroku’s help, and Inuyasha and Kouga helped with some of the manual labor jobs. Sesshoumaru remained near the forest’s edge while Jaken stayed in the village to keep an eye on Rin. Rin, Shippo, and Kohaku were currently inside Kaede’s hut coloring and looking for any sign that Kagome was waking up.
While Rin was leaning over Kohaku’s shoulder to see what he was drawing and causing him to blush, Shippo walked over to Kagome’s side to gently lay a small hand on her cheek. She had saved him several times, protected him from Inuyasha, let him travel with her, and treated him like a son. He loved Kagome and it hurt him to see her like this. With a soft sigh, he decided to lay with her for a few minutes, resting his head on her chest. After several minutes Rin and Kohaku asked if he wanted to come play tag with them he nodded thinking that he would come to check on Kagome later.
He didn’t know that if he had waited just another moment he would have heard an increase in the young woman’s heart rate.
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Things were quiet. Kagome could hear birds singing and children playing, but things were muffled where she was. Slowly sitting up, she tried to open her eyes to see where she was. ‘Is my face bandaged?’ She wondered.
Gently lifting a hand to touch her face and eyes, Kagome began to panic when she tried to blink and felt her eyelashes ghost across her fingertips but saw that she remained in a world of darkness. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before placing her hand on the ground and feeling wood. ‘Okay…I’m indoors,’ she thought. Taking a deep breath, Kagome could smell the clean air that she associated with the past. ‘I’m still on the other side of the well…I must be in Kaede’s hut. Nobody has come to talk to me yet so they’re either asleep or I’m alone.’
Gathering what little information about the situation that she could, Kagome pushed away the sheet that was covering her and scooted back until she felt a wall. She slowly stood on shaky legs and began to feel her way towards the door to step outside. Moving past the straw door cover, Kagome could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin but everything was still completely black to her eyes. So she did the only thing that she could think to do. “Inuyasha!!”
It didn’t take long to get a response. Before she knew it she was surrounded by people. Voices rang out around her all at once and she felt dizzy trying to determine who was there and where they were. “Be quiet!” She yelled, trying to gather her bearings once again. “Inuyasha…Inuyasha, where are you??”
“I’m right in front of you, idiot. Open your eyes! What the hell’s wrong with you?” She heard him reply.
She didn’t even realize that she had closed her eyes. Touching her face once more and feeling her eyes open, Kagome reached out and felt her fingers come in contact with what she recognized as the rough fabric of Inuyasha’s clothing. She fisted her small hands into his sleeves and positioned herself where she knew she would meet his face. She felt a sharp tug almost as if he had taken a quick step back away from her.
“Kagome, your eyes…”
“Inuyasha…I can’t see. I’m blind!”
Inuyasha fell into silence, as did the rest of her friends, as he stared not into the dark blue, cheerful eyes that he was used to, but into light, crystal blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.
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AN: So this is the latest project I’ve decided to work on in complete anonymity. I can’t help but wonder if some of my readers from my other name will find this. So this is just the prologue, we’ll be jumping into the real story next. When I picture the light blue eyes she has now, I think along the lines of that light blue Husky’s usually have. As you know, this story will be IY/YYH and will be a Kag/Hiei pairing. Hope you enjoyed! Until next time!
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Foresight
Prologue
The day was still young, the sun only just reaching its highest point in the bright blue sky. But in Japan, year 1499, in a large field between lush forests, the ground belied the calm cheerfulness that the sky was gracing the rest of the country with.
Where once the field was overrun with tall, soft, swaying grass that rippled on the summer breeze, it was now dark and flat. The green grass was stained with blood, sweat, and tears. Scorch marks and deep crevices marred the once pristine area.
A great battle had begun only moments after daybreak and had been fiercely raging until the body parts of lesser demons meant as a distraction littered the ground and now only the battered and weary bodies of both sides participants remained. Breathing was labored, tensions were high, morale was low, and exhausted minds and bodies were desperate.
‘We have to win,’ Kagome thought as she glanced around the battlefield while panting. Naraku had absorbed his detachments some time ago not only to gain the extra power but to prevent Kagura from turning against him later on. Kohaku lay unconscious at the edge of the field, moved there by Sango, but he was badly injured and the jewel shard had already been removed from his back. Kagome knew that if something wasn’t done soon the boy would die again.
Kagome’s group had grown recently and now the original shard hunting group fought alongside The Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru, and the Prince of the Wolf Demon Tribe, Kouga, and several of his wolves. Despite the extra help they were still struggling to hold and gain ground against an incredibly strong Naraku. He was close to having the complete jewel. Only a small chunk was missing from the whole, and it resided around Kagome’s neck.
With one more sweeping look over her comrades, Kagome knew that they were in trouble. The demons were winded with several small injuries if they were lucky and her human companions looked on the verge of collapsing. The next few moves would be the determining factors in the battle that had been building up for the past two years.
Kagome closed her eyes tightly for a moment as she thought, ‘No…it’s not supposed to end like this! We’re supposed to win and everyone is supposed to get their happily ever after. Miroku and Sango would have lots of babies, Inuyasha would realize that he’s perfect and accepted just the way he is, Shippo would have a safe and steady life in a village where he’s loved, Sesshoumaru and Kouga and Inuyasha would all make their peace with one another, and I…I would…’ As her thoughts trailed off, Kagome opened her eyes slightly but was quickly snapped back to reality by one of two things.
Whether it was Inuyasha’s concerned yell as he moved to grab her or the thick tentacle now wrapped around her midsection and dragging her across the field, she wasn’t sure. She also wasn’t sure what exactly was happening until Naraku kept pulling her to him at top speed and she heard him shout, “I’ll have the complete jewel even if I have to take you with it!”
Eyes widening in horror as she saw her legs begin to disappear into the collection of demons known as Naraku, Kagome quickly turned and stretched her hand out in a final, yet futile, effort to be saved by the half-demon she loved so much. She was beginning to hyperventilate when she felt her shoulders being covered, pulling her in deeper. The last thing any of her friends saw or heard was her strangled cry of “Inuya—!!” and her small, pale hand disappearing into Naraku’s chest.
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‘Where am I?’ Kagome’s thoughts echoed through her mind. She tried to look around her but due to the darkness she couldn’t even tell if her eyes were open or shut. She had a fleeting thought in which she wondered if this was what it felt like to be at the bottom of the ocean. It was dark and she felt an odd, painless pressure seemingly trying to crush her from the inside out. It was hard to breathe and she felt as though if she didn’t concentrate on the heartbeat hammering in her ears and chest it would stop. But she wasn’t cold like one would be at the bottom of the ocean. Then again, she wasn’t hot either. Aside from the invisible pressure, she couldn’t feel anything. It was as though her physical body was completely numb. ‘Am I dead??’ She thought in slight panic.
Recalling her last memories she came to a shocking realization. ‘Naraku absorbed me…I must be dead! But…does that mean I’m in Heaven? No, this must be Hell. Not exactly what I thought it would be…what did I do to get sent here??’
Just then Kagome realized that her eyes were indeed open because a tiny pinprick of light became visible in the distance. ‘Is that the proverbial “Light at the End of the Tunnel”?’ She wondered. She had no idea if she was actually moving or if the light was coming closer to her, but either way it was becoming larger.
As the light slowly moved to engulf her, Kagome noticed that she was still dressed in her school uniform. ‘Thank the gods or small favors. But I always pictured everyone in white robes or something.’ When the light was finally completely surrounding her, she had to close her eyes and then slowly open them to adjust to the brightness. “What in the world?” She voiced aloud this time.
Kagome suddenly found herself in a large field with tall, swaying grass. The sky above was a very dull blue-grey and there was a single dying tree visible. There was a large cliff-face jutting out of the otherwise level area and she could make out a few more dying trees at the top. “I’ve been here before,” she mumbled.
Looking towards the bottom of the cliff, she noticed the small entrance to a dark cave. It was the entrance to the cave where the thief Onigumo became the half-demon Naraku. A shudder overcame her form as she felt a tug towards the cursed place. And as much as her brain and every survival instinct she had screamed out for her to avoid it, her feet began to carry her in the cave’s direction.
As Kagome peered inside she realized that it was too dark from her current vantage point, but she really didn’t want to venture in any further. Then suddenly, as if the landscape made up her mind for her, the ground lurched forward and she tumbled down the small incline leading into the cave. Wondering what happened for a moment, she spoke aloud, “That’s right…I’m in some kind of world created by Naraku. I guess he can control what happens here.”
While it was still dark in the cave, Kagome’s eyes quickly adjusted and she could see the shadowed details of the walls and ceiling. Allowing her eyes to continue to search the area, she finally let them settle on the form of what appeared to be a man wrapped in bandages resting on a straw mat. “Onigumo…” The strangled whisper escaped her throat as it constricted in a mixture of fear and apprehension.
But the last thing she expected was a response. A deep, raspy chuckle echoed through the small area before an equally rough voice followed, “That’s right, girl. Come closer to me.”
Frozen in hesitation for a moment, Kagome finally decided to venture forward after remembering that the thief was burned so badly that he could no longer move in his human body. She knelt down by his side, much the way she imagined that Kikyo would have done all those decades ago. “Where am I?” She asked him.
“You are in my cave.” He responded quietly. His eyes remained closed and he had yet to look at her. He was completely still and if he hadn’t spoken she would have assumed that he was asleep.
“Why am I here? Did you bring me here or was it Naraku?” She continued to question him.
This time his eyes opened to look at her. His eyes reminded Kagome of chocolate that had been left in the freezer for far too long. They were a deep brown but seemed cold, hard, and unpleasant to keep contact with. “You are here because I brought you here to complete it.”
“Complete what?” She couldn’t help but ask.
Suddenly, and much to Kagome’s surprise, the prone figure of Onigumo began to rise into a sitting position. Propping himself up with one hand, he used the other hand to begin tugging and tearing the bandages away from his face. What was revealed to her was a man with a very handsome face. His skin was lightly tanned and accented by dark, shaggy hair that framed his face. He had a strong jaw line with high cheek bones and a straight, sharp nose that rested above two full lips that were quirked in a smirk aimed in her direction. Raising the hand that had torn away his bandages, he revealed a completed jewel shining a dark purple color as it was tainted with malice and greed. “To complete this jewel that will give me what I desire. Isn’t it beautiful like this?”
Kagome’s eyes widened as her hand flew to the spot where her piece of the jewel had rested at the hollow of her throat. It was gone. She could feel her heart beat faster as her mind reeled at what this could mean. ‘What do I do?! Inuyasha isn’t here to help me this time. He’s just one guy…maybe I can just tackle him and take it??’ But her thoughts were cut short as the man before her continued.
“With this I’m going to get a physical body again; a strong one…one of a demon. A body like that silver-haired dog she fell in love with. Then Kikyo will be mine and all of this silly fighting can end.”
Kagome could only quirk her head to the side at his statement. But before she could ask him about it there was a deep, feral growl that came from the back of the cave. Whipping her head towards the sound, Kagome had to choke back a scream at seeing the shadowed figure of a large spider with glowing red eyes and white, gleaming fangs dripping a purple toxin that melted the ground it fell on.
Quickly turning back to Onigumo, she shouted as panic began to overtake her. “Do you see that thing?! That’s your demon side! That’s what you already gave your body to fifty years ago! It’s always going to be here and it wants Kikyo dead! That thing can’t win. You have to give me the jewel now so I can purify it and kill that thing! This part of you is still human. You can still be saved!”
Onigumo turned to look at the monster with a look of fear and confusion as though he was just seeing it for was it was for the very first time. But before anything else could be said, a deafening shriek of a roar came from the large spider demon as it began to charge forward. Hoping that since he could sit up he would be able to run, Kagome grabbed Onigumo by the hand and pulled him along as she darted for the cave entrance screaming, “Run!!”
They cleared the entrance together and made it a few feet from the cave before a large explosion made the ground tremble and flung the two humans several yards from the cave and each other. Kagome looked up to see the monster of a spider emerging from its newly made exit that allowed enough room for its size. It looked between her and Onigumo for a moment before charging after the male.
Kagome watched in horror as the terrified man tried to run but was soon knocked to the ground by his demonic side. But it was all she could do not to wretch as the spider sank its fangs deep into Onigumo’s body to, she assumed, pump in some of its toxic poison. Tears stung her eyes as she watched his body begin to convulse violently before dissolving into a steaming puddle of slime.
The demon locked its piercing red eyes on her as what she thought would be its version of a smile graced its mouth. A long tongue snaked its way between pointed teeth and began to lap at the remains of its prey like a kitten would lap at cream.
“Oh god…” was the only thing that Kagome’s mind could process as a response to what she had just witnessed. It may have been a more animalistic form, but there was now no doubt in her mind that this thing was the true Naraku. ‘I have to kill him now before he gets the jewel…the jewel…where’s the jewel?!’ She thought as she remembered that Onigumo had it before they had run.
Concentrating on the jewel’s energy, she spotted it several yards from herself and Naraku. If she took a running start and caught him by surprise she might just be able to reach it first…maybe. Locking eyes with Naraku once again and taking a deep breath, Kagome suddenly shoved herself off the ground and broke into a dead run to make it before Naraku realized what was going on.
Unfortunately his size and leg length gave him the edge and he reached it just in time to wrap his long tongue around the small sphere before she could reach it. But in a split second decision, knowing that it was probably suicide, Kagome turned sharply and ran straight for Naraku himself. ‘I have to keep him from eating it. If it goes in his body it’s all over,’ she thought as she continued to run.
Apparently Naraku hadn’t expected her to make this choice either and as she drew closer to his face where the jewel still rested wrapped in his tongue, he froze in shock. He only realized her intent when she got within a mere foot and reached out her hand to wrap her fingers around the section of his tongue that held the jewel.
Being too late for either to react to the unexpected, Kagome felt the jewel begin to purify from what skin contact she had with it only to have her eyes widen when she realized that Naraku’s contact was keeping part of it tainted. Both looked at each other in shock before the two powerful and conflicting auras surrounding the jewel caused a clash that resulted in a large explosion blowing both parties away from each other.
The bright light that engulfed Kagome’s vision, stinging and burning her eyes, was accompanied by flashes of the creation of the jewel and the destruction it had caused over the course of its existence. But when Kagome felt herself wrapped in a comforting and warm presence she heard a gentle voice laced with conviction say, “Your power will help me banish this evil for all time.”
Then as soon as the voice died away, Kagome felt a heat pool in her chest and gradually spread through the rest of her body. But what began as a soft heat like one would feel in a relaxing bath soon grew and intensified into what felt like liquid fire pumping through her veins. Her breath began to come quicker and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes which were clenched tightly shut. After what seemed like an eternity of being burned alive from the inside out, all of the heat and pressure she’d felt gathered into a single spot in her chest before it burst forth, wrenching a scream from her throat, and caused a white hot explosion of pure energy that she both saw and felt even from behind closed eyelids.
When things quieted down again, Kagome was left in the dark again. She still wondered if her eyes were open or shut and it felt like she was floating. But before all conscious thought left her, Kagome felt something solid meet her back and heard the same gentle voice from before whisper in her ear, “Thank you, child. Now we can both rest.”
O-O-O-O-O-O-O
On the outside of Naraku’s body, the jewel hunters and their allies felt their hearts plummet at the disappearance of Kagome and the last piece of the jewel. The future suddenly seemed very grim as they watched Naraku’s smirk grow before he began to laugh at finally appearing to have won.
He seemed like he was about to say something, probably gloat his imminent victory, but the evil half-demon suddenly froze in place. His enemies watched on warily as his face took on a look of frustration before fading to confusion and finally landing on something akin to horror or panic. He opened his mouth and got out only a moment’s worth of what would have been a gut-wrenching and tortured scream before a white light burst from his body causing everyone to take several steps back and shield their eyes.
When they turned back after all fell silent, they were speechless at the sight before them. Lying in the place of where the demon Naraku had previously stood was a very pale and unconscious Kagome in a pile of fine dust that all assumed was all that remained of the nemesis they’d sought after for so long.
Quickly recovering from shock, Inuyasha rushed towards the girl followed by Sango, Miroku, and Kouga. Inuyasha scooped her limp form into his arms and gently tapped her cheek several times as he called out for her to wake up. But seeing their friend remain asleep, all decided that they needed to return to the village as quickly as possible.
Kouga was the first to arrive with Kagome in his arms after Inuyasha had relinquished his hold knowing that the wolf would arrive the before the rest. The rest of Kagome’s surrogate family arrived to see Kouga pacing in frustration outside of Kaede’s hut. A quietly sobbing Shippo sat against the wall and immediately jumped into Sango’s arms when he saw her.
Inuyasha turned on his long-time rival and demanded, “What the hell is going on?! Where’s Kagome??”
Kouga turned to glare at Inuyasha before he bellowed in return, “Don’t make it sound like I lost her or something, Mutt-Face! She’s still out cold in the hut with the old woman. The hag kicked me out!”
Sango let out an exasperated sigh at both males before handing Shippo off to Miroku and saying, “I’m going to go see if I can help Kaede with anything. If I can find out anything about how Kagome’s doing, I’ll come back and let you know.” She then pushed her way past the woven flap at the entrance of the old woman’s home and left the men standing around in silence.
About an hour passed and the men had moved to sit against the walls of the hut quietly, each consumed with their own thoughts. The only thing said had been voiced by Miroku when he finally checked his cursed hand and saw that only a scar in the shape of a rough circle remained. He’d then said in a quiet voice, “It’s really over.”
Sesshoumaru quietly arrived on his cloud of demon energy with the sleeping form of Sango’s brother, Kohaku. The child seemed alive and well and was merely taking a nap. When the great demon lord moved to lay the child with the sleeping forms of Rin, Shippo, and Jaken who were being protected by Ah-Un and Kirara, Inuyasha lifted a questioning brow at his brother’s behavior. Sesshoumaru merely returned the gesture before saying, “Rin has grown attached to the boy.”
Inuyasha scoffed and all fell silent once more as a few more minutes passed before Sango finally emerged from the hut. Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kouga were immediately on their feet and crowding around the brunette woman. All questions of concern directed towards her were silenced when she brought one hand up in a gesture for them to be quiet. “Kagome is fine for now, but she still hasn’t woken up. She had a few minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises as well as a few places that looked like burn marks on her chest, but those will heal. The only thing we’re concerned about right now is the high fever she has. She shouldn’t be moved much right now, but Kaede and I both think it would be best for Inuyasha to take her home if it doesn’t go down in a day or two.”
Sango smiled as she saw the tension leave all three men’s bodies. When she felt a hand rest on her shoulder she looked into the eyes of Miroku as he smiled and pointed towards the sleeping children. Tears instantly sprang to Sango’s eyes when she saw her brother resting peacefully. When she turned back to Miroku to see him pointing towards Sesshoumaru, she took a few steps forward to stand before the tall dog demon before she bowed deeply saying, “Thank you so much, Lord Sesshoumaru. You have no idea how grateful I am or how much this means to me.”
Retaining the calmness he was renowned for, Sesshoumaru simply glanced at the woman before him before saying, “I did not bring the boy back for you. I gave him life for Rin.” Then he turned and walked towards the forest to rest at the base of a tree.
Four days passed quickly and Kagome’s fever had broken on the second morning but she still hadn’t awoken. Everyone was around the village doing various jobs. Sango was doing laundry, Kaede was tending to her herb garden with Miroku’s help, and Inuyasha and Kouga helped with some of the manual labor jobs. Sesshoumaru remained near the forest’s edge while Jaken stayed in the village to keep an eye on Rin. Rin, Shippo, and Kohaku were currently inside Kaede’s hut coloring and looking for any sign that Kagome was waking up.
While Rin was leaning over Kohaku’s shoulder to see what he was drawing and causing him to blush, Shippo walked over to Kagome’s side to gently lay a small hand on her cheek. She had saved him several times, protected him from Inuyasha, let him travel with her, and treated him like a son. He loved Kagome and it hurt him to see her like this. With a soft sigh, he decided to lay with her for a few minutes, resting his head on her chest. After several minutes Rin and Kohaku asked if he wanted to come play tag with them he nodded thinking that he would come to check on Kagome later.
He didn’t know that if he had waited just another moment he would have heard an increase in the young woman’s heart rate.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O
Things were quiet. Kagome could hear birds singing and children playing, but things were muffled where she was. Slowly sitting up, she tried to open her eyes to see where she was. ‘Is my face bandaged?’ She wondered.
Gently lifting a hand to touch her face and eyes, Kagome began to panic when she tried to blink and felt her eyelashes ghost across her fingertips but saw that she remained in a world of darkness. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before placing her hand on the ground and feeling wood. ‘Okay…I’m indoors,’ she thought. Taking a deep breath, Kagome could smell the clean air that she associated with the past. ‘I’m still on the other side of the well…I must be in Kaede’s hut. Nobody has come to talk to me yet so they’re either asleep or I’m alone.’
Gathering what little information about the situation that she could, Kagome pushed away the sheet that was covering her and scooted back until she felt a wall. She slowly stood on shaky legs and began to feel her way towards the door to step outside. Moving past the straw door cover, Kagome could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin but everything was still completely black to her eyes. So she did the only thing that she could think to do. “Inuyasha!!”
It didn’t take long to get a response. Before she knew it she was surrounded by people. Voices rang out around her all at once and she felt dizzy trying to determine who was there and where they were. “Be quiet!” She yelled, trying to gather her bearings once again. “Inuyasha…Inuyasha, where are you??”
“I’m right in front of you, idiot. Open your eyes! What the hell’s wrong with you?” She heard him reply.
She didn’t even realize that she had closed her eyes. Touching her face once more and feeling her eyes open, Kagome reached out and felt her fingers come in contact with what she recognized as the rough fabric of Inuyasha’s clothing. She fisted her small hands into his sleeves and positioned herself where she knew she would meet his face. She felt a sharp tug almost as if he had taken a quick step back away from her.
“Kagome, your eyes…”
“Inuyasha…I can’t see. I’m blind!”
Inuyasha fell into silence, as did the rest of her friends, as he stared not into the dark blue, cheerful eyes that he was used to, but into light, crystal blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O
AN: So this is the latest project I’ve decided to work on in complete anonymity. I can’t help but wonder if some of my readers from my other name will find this. So this is just the prologue, we’ll be jumping into the real story next. When I picture the light blue eyes she has now, I think along the lines of that light blue Husky’s usually have. As you know, this story will be IY/YYH and will be a Kag/Hiei pairing. Hope you enjoyed! Until next time!
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