InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Ano Fugato Tama ❯ Episode 2: Another Chance ( Chapter 2 )

Ano Fugato Tama

~By fictionqueen1 (A.K.A Angel Kisses) and her little buddy Andy~

Episode 2: Another Chance

A young man of around eighteen with smoky black hair stood in a forest, looking down at a patch of ground marked with a sacred emblem. This place was where his father had died. This young man was in fact Saionji, the son of Inu-Yasha. Father, he thought, I must avenge you. It was not yet your time…He closed his eyes, a single tear running down his cheek. He wiped it away, and then heard a voice calling for him.

He turned, smirking as he saw who it was. "Saionji! Saionji!" called a little girl, dressed as a priestess, who was running toward him. It was his baby sister, Shina. "Saionji, I've been looking all over for you!" she said, happily leaping into her older brother's arms. She looked exactly as their father had. Silver hair, amber eyes, and little dog-ears at the top of her head. Even though he had become human, she had inherited his demonic traits.

"C'mon," Saionji said, tweaking one of his sister's ears, "I'm sure mom's getting worried about you." Shina simply giggled, nuzzling against his chest. "Saionji-chan…will you tell me about dad again?" she asked. This struck a nerve with the older quarter-demon, but he loved telling stories about him. "Well, you already know that he was the bravest half-demon to ever live, right?" he asked. Shina nodded, a big smile on his face.

"People thought he was a weakling, but he was able to destroy every full-blooded demon that came after him, even if they were using the power of sacred jewel shards," he said. "Really?" she giggled. He nodded. "Really. He even helped mom, and uncle Miroku, and Aunt Sango complete the Shikon jewel," he said. She grabbed onto him, her laughing finally ceasing, "He was a great dad, wasn't he?"

Saionji nodded. I'm sorry you'll never know him… By then, they were already back in the village. They passed a few people, a teenaged girl waving and flirting with Saionji. He smirked a bit, setting little Shina down. "You're getting big, kiddo," he said. She smiled, laughing a bit, when two older priestesses walked over.

"Oh, hey mom, hey Amaya," Saionji said. Amaya was Kagome's apprentice. When she was fully trained, Kagome planned to retire from her duties as a priestess, and simply guard the pure half of the Shikon jewel. "Hi, mama!" Shina said happily. Kagome smiled and rubbed her head. "You weren't giving your brother any trouble, were you?" she asked.

Shina shook her head, her smile growing. "No! I'm a good girl!" she exclaimed. Kagome chuckled a little. "I know, sweetie. I just kidding," she said. Then, she gave Amaya an odd, serious look. "Shina, do you want to come with me and get some sugarcane?" she asked. Shina smiled. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" the yelled, taking Amaya's hand in hers. The priestess took the young girl away, and Saionji gave his mother a questioning look.

"What was that all about, mom?" he asked. She sighed a little, looking sad. "Saionji, please come to the temple with me. I wish to speak with you," she said simply. With that, she walked off to the temple, Saionji quickly followed.

Saionji walked down the busy road after his mother, to the temple in the village's heart. They lived right next to it, so he had always gone there. When he got to the temple, he walked passed the two guards, and walked into the main room, where his mother kneeled before the Hikari no Tama's pedestal.

"Mom," he started, "What did you want to talk about?" She sighed a little, setting the glowing white jewel onto the cold marble. "Come here, my son," she said gently. He did as she asked, sitting down next to the miko. A single tear rolling down her cheek, Kagome slid an arm around her son.

"The jewel you seen before you, the Hikari no Tama, is the pure half of what once was the Shikon no Tama," she explained simply. Saionji nodded. He knew this fact very well. She continued, "Although it is pure, it has only the power to deal death to creatures with wicked souls. And though I doubted it for a long, long time, there is a second half, the tainted half. The Kurai no Tama. This jewel…"

Saionji cut her off. "Has the power to deal life." He turned his head, gaping at her. "Mom…do you think that--" Kagome pressed a finger on his lips, silencing him. "I've been sensing an evil energy nearby lately. I believe that it may be this Kurai no Tama."

Saionji had been sensing the presence of evil as well. He stood, a slight smirk on his face. "Mom, do you think this jewel will be able bring back life?" he asked. "I…I'm not completely sure," she said. "Just give me an answer!" he yelled. He didn't want to be that harsh, but this was urgent. She sighed slightly in understanding, nodding. "I have faith in this theory," she said.

Saionji smirked and walked to the door, stopping only for a moment. "Mom, where is the Tetsusaiga?" he asked. Kagome's eyes widened, and she turned to him. "Just what do you plan to do?" she demanded. His smirk grew. "I'm going to get this jewel so I can revive dad," he said simply. Kagome stood and ran to him, almost tripping.

"Please," she said in protest, "I don't even know where exactly it is…or who possesses it! What if Naraku is the one behind this?" Her son simply smiled. "I owe it to him, mom. Dad died defending me, and if I have to die trying to give him a second chance, then so be it."

Tears welled in Kagome's eyes. She slid her arms around her son's neck, crying into his shoulder, as if silently begging him not to do this. But he was like Inu-Yasha. He would persist until her got what he wanted. "I have do to this. I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt and the feeling that I could have done something," he said.

Kagome looked up at him, releasing his neck. As she wiped away a few tears, she walked over to the jewel's pedestal. Picking up the jewel, she spoke, "If you must go, then please, take the jewel with you. It will bring you protection, and you'll be able to sense when the other half is near." She held it in the palm of her hand, and after uttering a quick incantation, a small chain poured from either side, meeting when they formed a large circle. Kagome put the necklace around her son's neck, smiling.

"I'll tell everyone but Amaya that you are simply off on a training mission. I don't want your little sister to worry. And be careful. I don't know what I'd do without you," she said. Saionji smiled. "You don't have to worry. I'll be fine. And you don't even have to tell anyone where am I, 'cause I'll be back before there's even a need," he said proudly.

Kagome sighed a little. She knew that he would be safe. Though he was only quarter-demon, he still had a lot of strength, and with the Tetsusaiga and the Hikari no Tama, he would be nearly invincible. She had no worries at all…