InuYasha Fan Fiction / Red River Fan Fiction ❯ Ereshkigal ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

For my best friend: Brent. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with the many hurdles that you will face. I'll miss you!

 

Chapter Two

 

It was unnerving to watch as the little boy, probably no older than seven, continued to stare at her as if she was the first person he ever laid eyes on. Obviously that wasn't at all true judging from the fact that the rest of the family --all nine of them-- were close by. He made no attempt to strengthen the relationship between her and himself, nor did he try to weaken it more than it already was. Out of every single person in the family, it was he who found it the most difficult to accept her.

 

He went by the name of Asu, and he was beautiful. He had his mother's dark brown hair and his father's kind and wise grey eyes. But, those eyes now only shone with a silent fear and judgment only for her. She didn't blame him. She was, after all, a stranger taking refuge within his own family.

 

“Is there something I can help you with?”

 

The boy jumped a bit at the unexpected sound of her voice. Kagome knew he didn't understand her, but it made the tension die down some. He didn't respond, just turned his eyes away from her gaze and focused on something else. Asu, beautiful and shy Asu, was a lamb lost within his own flock. In Kagome's eyes, she saw the weight of the world pressing hard against his shoulders. It was as if he wanted to cry, but just couldn't. She saw the longing in wanting to be a part of his older brothers' games and the praise from his beloved father.

 

“Asu.” His eyes fell mightily onto hers again, and this time she smiled. Shifting so that she stood from where she was sitting beside the tent, the long fabric of her skirt --another gift given to her-- lifting with her movements and trailing on the hard ground beneath her feet, Kagome made her way to the boy on the opposite side of camp. He hesitated, but shifted over for her to sit beside him. His cheeks flamed and his gaze once again found something else to focus on.

 

Kagome's smile widened at the sight. She touched his shoulder lightly to bring his attention back to her. When he did, she asked a simple one-word question that she had come to understand through her short stay with the family of nomads.

 

“Alright?”

 

Asu looked startled by the question before his blush deepened. Briefly, Kagome felt the stares from the rest of his family land on her and the child next to her. She assumed that they were just as shocked that she had spoken to Asu as Asu had been himself, or that she spoke the question in their own language. The camp had fallen into a hushed silence that made it feel eerie even with the hot afternoon sun blazing above them.

 

The boy said and did nothing that gave an answer to her question. Her smile found it hard to stay up, but she wouldn't give up so easily on talking to him. Without batting an eyelash, Kagome pointed a finger towards Asu and said his name. Then, with the same finger, she pointed to herself.

 

“Kagome,” she began to ask, “friends?”

 

He looked at her in confusion, not knowing what she meant. Gifting him with her name was obvious, but Asu didn't understand the meaning behind it. Suddenly, her hand grasped his, but he had no desire to pull it away from hers. Under the watchful eyes of his family, she shuffled through the tiny sack hanging from her waist and pulled out a gem that none of them had ever seen before. Asu's eyes widened when she presented it to him, letting him touch it. But just as he went to grab it from her out of child's curiosity, she drew it back to herself and let go of his hand.

 

Kagome looked down at the Shikon with such a mixture of emotions that she wasn't sure what to feel first, or which one was the strongest. Was there no way that the jewel could live again and be her ticket home? What happened to her decision in keeping it for the memory of those she cherished with all her being, and then left with no word? Her fingers tightened around the jewel, a white-knuckled grip that had her hand aching in mere moments due to the pressure.

 

Or perhaps, as Kagome looked from the jewel to Asu, she kept it because of something else… or someone else. All that the jewel was now was a pretty trinket. Nothing more; at least, not compared to what it once was. It had no more power. Its value to her did not lie within it, but within her heart.

 

Decision made, Kagome grabbed a heavy stone near her feet, laid the jewel on the ground, and proceeded to crack it until in broke in two jagged, uneven pieces. This, she thought, would be her gift to this boy who reminded her so much of herself. The action was not done out of pity, but rather a sign of everything the jewel had represented to her in the past: chaos, betrayal, love, friendship, and family. Once again, Kagome presented it to the boy sitting anxiously by her side, only this time it was only half.

 

He looked at it confused, but took it nonetheless. When his eyes focused back on Kagome, she held up her half and placed it back inside the small sack tied to her waist. This was a gift given to him? It sure seemed like it to him. Asu looked across the camp to his family, and saw his mother and aging father smile at him.

 

“It is a beautiful gift, my son.” His mother's words rang in his ears and his heart felt like soaring with the birds.

 

-.-

 

From the dry, harsh desert --where it was only her and the family of nomads she now called friend-- to the calm sea, Kagome was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people residing in the port city. It was one group, however, who caught Kagome's eye and made the color of her face drain to a ghostly-white.

 

Their clothes, bronze-colored skin, eye makeup, and black wigs gave her absolute proof as to where she was and, roughly, what time she was in. Five hundred years in ancient Japan was nothing when compared to this.

 

 

A/N: I know you guys wanted a longer chapter, but this will have to do for now. My mother has been in and out of the hospital for the past month, so family is more important right now. I also started school again.

 

Anyway, do you guys/gals have any guesses as to where Kagome is? I'll give cookies to those who guess it right (specific location). Next chapter will introduce Red River characters! Finally, I know!

 

Thanks to all who reviewed:

 

C.A.Q

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And whoever I missed. Also, thanks for all the favorites and story alerts. Makes me very happy! And for those who are wondering, Yuri is going to be in this story. The character “Asu” is mine. Please ask me if you want to use him in your fic before you actually do!

 

PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks.