Ok no excuses.
Lets just say I've greatly lost my interest in Inuyasha thanks to the English dub which unfortunetly attracts a bunch of arrogant seven year olds who believe they know all. So I'm no longer quite much of a fan. Sadly though, this has brought upon the hiatus of both of my stories. I will do my best to continue.. So thats abuot it. Sorry for those who do like this story but do not expect many updates for a while. I just dislike Inuyasha now as well as I've forgotten most of what i had planned for this story.
As well, school is always an issue, but particularily now when I'm struggling with many personal issues too.
My apoligies.
Chapter 18 - Return to the Past
The sun was just rising as Kagome and Inuyasha sat on the roof of the shrine. The rest of the household was still asleep but the couple had decided to watch the sunrise together.
Kagome sighed and leaned her head against Inuyasha's shoulder. He gently slid his arm around her.
"Inuyasha… I'm worried…" She whispered.
He stared out at the sky and replied, "I know… I am too. There is the possibility of him being able to somehow get through the well again…"
"I mean… About Megumi's dream."
Inuyasha could feel her tense at the thought.
During the previous day, Megumi had retold her dream, in greater detail. She had talked of the white-haired child with the mirror, obviously Kanna, and the scene that had played out in the mirror.
"Kagome…" He began, unsure of how to continue for he, too, was afraid that the scene in the mirror would be played out in real life. "We know that Naraku is going to try and distract us with some demon so he can kidnap you and Megumi. As long as we pay little attention to demons other than him, we should be fine. Don't worry, I will always be there to protect you… and Megumi. I promise you that much, at least."
She smiled and nodded her head.
"I know… I just cant help but worrying…"
"Well, if that bastard ever lays a hand on you or Megumi, I will kill him and show him the real meaning of pain… If it's the last thing I do." He told her.
She sat up and looked him in the eyes.
"That's what I'm afraid of…" She said. He shook his head and looked away. "Well… All we can do for now… Is wait for Megumi to have these dreams. The prophecy can't help us anymore.. I looked at it, and it's finished. The steps are complete…"
Inuyasha nodded, having already figured as much.
"I told Sango-chan and Miroku-sama…" She sighed again. "I don't want to leave."
"I know, but we're going to have to… If we ever want this to end. We need to avenge all those Naraku has slaughtered. This time, its really going to end. He wont live. We cant let him…" Kagome agreed completely, but a selfish part of her wanted to let the others face it alone. She didn't want to leave the safety of her home, her era. But she knew you had to. She couldn't let that little voice sway her. She now had a child to protect, and would have to be stronger than ever. They were about to begin a fight for their lives. A fight for the world.
"I'm really going to miss this era…" Sango said, a touch of sadness in her voice. "Not only for all of its conveniences… More for the fact that it's just so peaceful here. The fact that demons do not exist here is so calming…"
Kagome sighed and looked at the yard, which was covered in darkness. It was almost ten o'clock.
"Maybe one day you'll be able to come back and visit." She said, optimistically. Kagome and the taijiya made their way towards Inuyasha and Megumi, who had been training all day.
"Okaa-san!" Megumi cried. She jumped from a low branch on a tree and into her mother's arms. Inuyasha jumped down beside them.
"She's done really good , Kagome. She's as ready as she'll ever be…" Inuyasha told her. Megumi nodded excitedly quickly retelling the details of the day to her mother.
"And I jumped from the highest branch on the tree! And I landed, all by myself! And all of my arrows hit near the centre! And otou-san taught me all to tell the difference between smells of stuff and how to hear stuff better!"
Kagome laughed and congratulated the girl. She held her tightly, telling the others she would take Megumi in and put her to bed. They nodded, and Kagome walked towards the house, hearing more about her daughter's day.
Inuyasha watched Kagome as she entered the house, and then turned to Sango.
"I hope you still know how to use Hiraikotsu…" He said, a look of seriousness upon his face. She seemed a little surprised at first, and then nodded.
"You actually think I would forget how to use this? Every night since you left, I came out to practise in the dark. I never knew when you might come back, so I had to keep myself in shape." She explained, with a smile.
"Yeah, I didn't think you'd just leave it." He told her, a slight smirk, aware of her attachment to the weapon. He watched as she walked into one of the storehouses and grabbed the boomerang.
Though the yard was large for this era, it was not what Sango had been used to when practising with her Hiraikotsu. Although, over the past six years, it had certainly proved it's worth to her. With all of the things to watch out for when throwing her weapon, she had gained more control over the exact location of where it would go when she threw it.
She exhaled and heaved the weapon up, throwing it into the air. It turned quickly and flew back to her. She grabbed it with practised ease.
He smirked and complimented her. Then another thought struck him. When he had been thinking about the type of fighting each member of their group was capable of, he had assumed Miroku still had full control over his kazaana. But, in the past six years, anything about it could have changed.
"Sango… About Miroku's kazaana. Has anything changed with it?" He asked, curiously.
She shook her head.
"That's the strange thing… Nothing has changed. We discussed it a few times. We assumed that either Naraku had gotten weaker, was unable to control it from the other era, or just did not care anymore." She told the hanyou. "We now know that Naraku has not gotten weaker. So it must be one of the two latter reasons."
He nodded and gave her his own reasoning.
"He was probably unable to control it across the two times. And Miroku had no reason to use it here, so it shouldn't have gotten any larger. That's good, because it'll mean when we go back, it'll be the same size as it was when we left."
She voiced her agreement and then decided they should get down to training. Sango told Inuyasha not to use any incredibly destructive Tetsusaiga techniques, as they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. He rolled his eyes but agreed, as the taijiya called Kirara. The rest of the night was spent perfecting battle techniques and strategies.
Leaving her era, though she had done it with such ease many years before, seemed quite bittersweet on this dreary night. It had begun to rain again, quite heavily, which did not ease anyone's mood.
Kagome had, for the most part, enjoyed her journeys to the past, but she knew today would be much different. They weren't going towards sunny skies and carefree days of hunting shards at their leisure. They were going to war. There was, seemingly, nothing to look forward to. Based on Inuyasha's description of the past seven years, life had become hell for those who dared defy -and those who didn't-Naraku. The landscape had become barren, the air streaked with the smell of rotting flesh and death.
Not only that, but Kagome was still weary about having to bring her little girl there. Megumi had grown in a world of happiness and peace. To bring her into such a terrible wasteland was going to be cruel. And even more, to expect her to fight for her life… It was nearly unthinkable. Nothing Kagome could tell the girl would prepare her for what was to come.
The next few moments brought a solemn air about the group. Last minute checks were made quietly and when they were sure they had what they needed to last them the next little while, the farewells began. A few tears were shed by the girls, for they were unsure if they would ever see Ms Higurashi again. Souta hugged Shippo goodbye and told him he hoped to see him again. Sango and Miroku thanked Ms Higurashi greatly, for all she had done for them. Kagome gently hugged her grandfather and he told her he would pray for a safe journey. She kissed her little brother goodbye.
Kagome held back more tears, promising herself she would see this place, and her family once again. If only for Megumi's sake…
And without a glance back, they made their way to the well.
"We're back.." Shippo stated simply. Kagome stood beside Inuyasha, Megumi in her arms. To the right of them were Miroku and Sango, with Kirara on her shoulder.
Megumi stared at the land, surprised by its simplicity. She had been expecting something more magical and colourful. She hadn't thought the world would be so similar to her own. Her face held a look of disappointment.
Kagome noticed it and asked, "What's wrong, Megumi?"
Megumi looked at her mother and said, "This place looks boring."
Despite the feelings of sadness of departure from such a wonderful era, the group began to laugh and the little girl blushed.
"Well, I assure you, this place is far from boring. In any case, you'll see soon enough what I mean." Miroku told her. The girl nodded, slightly confused.
"Well… Let's get going." Inuyasha suggested. "You'll want to see this…"
"Oh my god…"
The group made their way through what used to have been a forest. All around them the ground was burnt. The village was no longer there, but they could make out the faint impressions of the crude graves Kagome and Inuyasha had made nearly seven years ago. The place was a wasteland.
Kagome hadn't wanted to believe what Inuyasha had told them, but it was true. She turned her head towards the well, feeling unsettled at the fact that area around the well and Goshinboku remained untouched and beautiful as ever. As the group stared at their dismal surroundings, she felt she should point it out.
"Did anyone notice that the area surrounding the well is in perfect condition?" She asked, holding Megumi's hand tightly. "You'd think Naraku would want to defile that area most of all…"
Miroku gazed at it for a moment, in thought.
"Perhaps… He was unable to. Maybe the sacred tree has some sort power that protects itself, the well, and the nearby land?" He suggested. "And it can resist Naraku's evil power."
Inuyasha nodded impatiently, wanting to move along. There were many things that needed to be done before nightfall.
"Alright, let's get going. We need to find somewhere safe to set up camp for the night…" He said, glancing around as he tried to decide on a direction which would be best.
As they set off towards the west, Inuyasha was struck with a thought of guilt. Kikyo had given up her life to give him a chance at one he had yearned for, and yet... Naraku had never really been dead. Her death had been in vain. What she had thought she would be leaving for Inuyasha, a world of peace and love, had really become a world of destruction and sorrow.
He glanced at Kagome, to whom Megumi was clinging to. He was not stupid enough to bring up the subject of Kikyo yet again. Although Kagome had shown maturity and empathy when they had talked of her earlier, he did not want to press the subject. This was something, among other things, he would deal with personally.
I will avenge you Kikyo, he promised himself. He would make sure that her death had not been in vain. That all of this pain, suffering, and death was not in vain.
Hours had past, and as nightfall seemed to swoop down upon them, they settled on a small, thickly forested area. No fire was started that night, for fear of attracting unwanted attention, so they shivered through chilly night.
As everyone slept, Inuyasha sat high on a tree branch, keeping his eye on the fading moon. Within a few days the new moon would come and he would be unable to protect them. He feared Naraku would attack then, and he would be useless. He knew that as well trained as they all were, none could match Naraku's terrifying powers.
He had to get everyone to Kouga's den. As much as he loathed the wolf, Kouga had assisted him in the past and they were all fighting towards a similar goal. Inuyasha would not allow himself to be seen in his human form by Kouga or the wolves, he could not reveal his weakness to them. But at least they would be able to protect Kagome and Megumi.
He glanced down at Megumi, who was wrapped in her mothers arms, sleeping peacefully. Not once had the girl complained about anything. She had done exactly as she was told, and only once asked to stop, but that was to fix her shoes. She showed strength and determination for one so little, and Inuyasha appreciated her for it. He had expected her to whine about the less than comfortable living and journey situations… But she had not. This girl was a unique and determined one. He knew he would be able to depend on her in the future.
As he thought of her, and his plan to visit the wolf den something struck him. Kouga had not seen Kagome in years… And Inuyasha had kindly forgotten to tell him that they had a child.
What would Kouga do? Inuyasha smirked and thought that the look on Kouga's face when Inuyasha told him who Megumi was would bring a little bit of joy to this sad world of his.
Lost in his thoughts, Inuyasha barely had time to comprehend what happened in the next few seconds. From his spot in the tree, he had been unable to see the approaching demon. He cursed himself for not spotting it with his senses first. He barely had time to jump from the tree before chaos overtook the group.
Within seconds everyone was up, Kagome was screaming, Sango holding Hiraikotsu tightly, and Kirara taking off through the forest. It was clear that the speedy demon had kidnapped Megumi, but the reason for doing so was not as clear. Inuyasha ran to Kagome and as they took off in the direction the demon had gone, she told him the demon, who had a human-like form, had taken the little girl right from her arms. Kagome had fought the demon but was pushed to the ground and couldn't reach the girl.
The group had not gotten far before they saw a large burst of white light and heard Megumi's scream. They ran faster and it was Kirara they found beside the child. The fire cat was nuzzling the little girl, trying to console her. Kagome ran over and picked up Megumi, hugging her tightly.
It was only when Inuyasha came close enough did he see the lifeless body of the demon. It was clearly dead, but Kirara had not killed it. Though maybe she knew how it had died. It couldn't suddenly have dropped dead, the white light must have had something to do with it.
Kirara transformed into her small self and looked at Inuyasha, then towards Megumi. He stared, unable to believe what the fire cat implied. How could a six year old have killed a full fledged demon?
"Inuyasha…" Miroku called. He was leaning over the body of the demon, looking at something on its face.
The half demon moved closer and inspected it. He had obviously missed the large burn marks on the demon's neck when he had glanced at it before. The burn marks were the size of two small hands. When the monk pulled the demon's tunic down slightly, Inuyasha spotted a few more.
"What do you think-" The monk began, but Inuyasha moved to his daughter.
"Megumi… What happened?" He asked.
Teary eyed, the child looked up from her mother's shirt and at her father. She looked down at her hands and shook her head.
"Megumi… You need to tell me. It's very important." He pressed on.
The girl sniffled and looked at her mother. Kagome nodded, knowing how important it was and just happy to have her daughter back, safe in her arms.
"I was sleeping… And it grabbed me!" She cried, her small hands curling into fists. "It started running and I felt really warm inside. Then… I started hitting it because I wanted to go back to Mama." The little girl glanced at her hands again and continued. "When I hit it… A really bright light shot out from my hands and the thing dropped me and stopped moving… Did I kill it!" She began to cry again, the thought of inflicting pain upon others frightening her.
Kagome consoled Megumi as Inuyasha pondered what she had said. As Kagome held the girl close, she realized something that Kaede had told her long ago.
"Inuyasha, that demon has been purified." She stated simply. In one of her many stays at the village, Kaede had began to teach Kagome the ways of a priestess. She taught her which kinds of herbs to use for different wounds, very minor bits of magic that could help speed the healing process along, but also the art of purification. It was something Kagome had never grasped nor gained control over and it only occurred in small amounts when a feeling of great fear or danger came over her. When she had first travelled through the well a white light had shot out of her hands, stunning the centipede demon.
Kaede had explained that priestesses, such as Kikyo, had trained themselves to be able to purify demons at will. It required strength and practise, but over time, if one's internal power was great enough, they could purify demons and make them less of a threat by decreasing their powers. Purification of a half demon, though there had not been a recorded case of it, was thought to cause the demon to become full human or whatever less powerful side of lineage there was. Common signs, as Kaede had told her, were burn marks, bruising, and death in severe cases.
And of course the white light of a miko's power… Kagome remembered.
"How do you figure?" Inuyasha asked.
"Well, the white light is clearly a priestess' power at work." Came an answer from Miroku. "These burns are clear signs of purification as Kagome-sama has indicated. The question now is how did they come to be?"
Kagome stared at her daughter, wondering if this was what the prophecy meant by a secret power possessed by the 'chosen one' to destroy Naraku.
"I think I understand what happened…" Kagome began. As she explained to the group her ideas, things seemed to fit into place. Megumi clarified that the white light had come from her hands as she struck the demon in an attempt to free herself.
It was beginning to become strikingly clear how special this little girl really was.
"You know, even when I mistakenly used my powers, just as she did now, they were never near as strong…" Kagome said.
"And I have a feeling this is only the tip of the iceberg…" Inuyasha added, walking towards the little girl. He took her from Kagome and said that there was something important he needed to tell her. "Megumi…"
Hopefully I will begin to write more soon. Sorry for any errors, I have no beta.
I really do loathe this story. Its quite poorly written and yet I'm too lazy to go through and rewrite it because I feel its beyond help. thank you to those who actually believe in this story (can I even call something this bad that?) My writing style has fortunetly developed but I've yet to write a new chapter with my new 'skills.'
Seriously though, thank you to anyone who commented and reads this. It does mean a lot to hear the compliments and suggestions. Thanks.
Anyhow, hope you enjoyed it.