InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Price You Pay ❯ Chapter 1

I want to say that this story may be kind of boring at first but it gets better, I promise!!

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--1--

 

In the early morning, a small group of young warriors finally reached their expected destination. After three days of travelling, they had returned home, and none of them could believe it was true. All that they had lived for, all that they had resolved to do had all been completed.

 

Simply with the end of one hanyou's life.

 

`I can't believe it!' Kagome sighed, specks of tears in her eyes. `I can't believe it's finally over!'

 

It was a precious moment as they stood there, huddled in pairs while dawn broke out across the field opposite them. They did not boast or tease each other. They just stood, marvelled by the strength and excellency of their own power.

---

 

Much later, after Kagome and Sango had bathed and Inuyasha and Miroku had soothed their aching limbs, the four gathered again inside a humble hut. The home of the elderly priestess Kaede.

 

Though she was old, and yes, she was blind in one eye, it did not mean that she was oblivious to the change in mood that had so recently occurred, directly under her nose. Patience is a virtue that all holy men and women must learn, but Kaede was bursting with curiosity and almost dying to know what had occurred. They had obviously fought Naraku: what was the score?

 

“Well what has ye done?!” she snapped angrily, stirring them from their thoughts. “Is all finished and completed?”

 

In answer, Miroku lifted his right hand where the former death-trap kazaana had manifested. His palm was pale and smooth almost as if its murderous tyrant had never existed. Smiling in an almost petrified way, the young monk nodded, but did not speak.

 

Words were not enough to describe his current emotions.

 

“So where is the Shikon jewel, Kagome?” Kaede asked softly to the youngest member of the group. Her entire demeanour had changed with the realisation that all the terror and suffering was finally over.

 

The young priestess opened her mouth to reply, when she felt the young man next to her, stir with consternation.

 

Until then, Inuyasha had sat beside Kagome, uncharacteristically still and staring off blankly into space. Though when he caught the name of the jewel in their conversation, his ears swivelled round in a circular motion to face the old miko before him. Snapping out of his blank state, he fixed Kaede with one of his fiercest glares.

 

“Don't worry about it, old hag! She's got the jewel okay! Now can we talk about something else?! He said brashly.

 

Apparently the subject of the jewel was something he would rather not talk about, considering he seething over it. Inuyasha continued to stare at her with open hostility, till, seconds later; he was gone, vanished into the distant woodland.

 

Sango barely spared him a backwards glance as he sped out, as did the remainder of the party. They all knew what he was like: brash and coarse on the outside, yet soft and fragile inside. They all knew what it was costing him to have what, he had so longed for his entire lifetime in his reach, but denied of ever obtaining it. Truly, they had all known the truth from the start, as Kagome had decided to be brutally honest with them, with Kaede backing her up to verify her words. But, even with all the warnings, Inuyasha had simply refused to believe that the Shikon would never be his. And now it was time.

 

Two years on the hunt for Midoriki's jewel had brought a startling change to the girl. Without Midoriki's maturing elegance to hone her appearance, she no longer looked graceful or charmingly sweet. Instead, she had grown on her own, so that she tripped and fell, had humiliating mistakes, could blush several shades darker than a tomato… and yet was still refreshingly beautiful.

 

In the beginning, with her other soul trapped inside the mystical Shikon No Tama, and an evil spider demon that was crawling up on her at every turn, kagome had been at a loss at what to do. All the knowledge of demons and spells that she could have tapped into had been erased with their separation. Nothing made sense to her in this strange and foreign world.

 

So she had been forced to learn the hard way, and had struggled immensely with learning to physically project her purifying powers, under the knowing eye of mistress Kaede. For her, there were only a few perks; weeks off school, a chance to get a real tan, and the hope that the cute, yet obnoxiously friendly hanyou boy would notice her…

 

But as usual, something had to screw it up, and their relationship had flailed here and there, back and forth, until it ended, quite abruptly, with her wondering, if there had ever been anything between them at all.

 

Fortunately, fate took pity on them and they chose to remain friends. There was never a day when she would be lost without him to save her.

 

That, she supposed, was what had attracted her to him in the first place. His confidence and strength could always boost her morale when she was down and he never failed her when he was needed the most.

 

…Well except for those times when he was off with the mother fucking bitch of a bitch that'd died and couldn't face the light and had almost killed her intentionally on several occasions-!

 

But apart from that, no! He never failed!

 

Before she could continue on her Kikyo hate mail, Kagome realised that she was being poked, and rather ferociously too.

 

“Hey, hey! Wait a minute! C'mon Shippo stop that!” the teenager exclaimed wildly, suddenly aware of the throbbing pain in her forehead.

 

“Sorry, Kagome but I had to! Besides my method was a lot nicer than what Miroku and Sango had planned in store for you!” the kitsune squealed, fearing a smack.

 

Kagome raised an eyebrow at her two friends who were instantly feigning looks of pure innocence. She felt her head up while Sango snickered childishly.

 

`Damn!' she cursed, rubbing her temples tenderly. `That's sure to leave a bruise!'

 

Both Kaede and Shippo watched with hidden amusement as a large bump grew and extended off the side of her head. Kagome couldn't see it however and a frown appeared as she wondered why they were all watching her with clogged-up laughter on their faces.

 

“Um hey guys, what's up? Do I have something on my face or what?”

 

“Um, well …its nothing Kagome,” Kaede said, looking down at the floor while rearranging her sagging miko garb. “Nothing important to ye - now can we please progress onto more pressing matters?”

 

The laughter that had begun immediately died down and the group took on a sombre tone.

 

“Now well, you see that Kagome has finally been reunited with the jewel,” she began slowly, hoping that each word she said could be heard coherently. “But, I am not sure as to how she can spiritually reunite.”

 

There was a long pause as the group considered her words. It seemed unrealistic that they could simply sew the jewel back into her side as viciously as it had come out. Or that they could perform a binding of the souls, which would involve much more advanced sorcery than Kaede was able. Only Miroku perhaps, had that peculiar insight to the magical and unknown which was essential in their plan. Realising this, all four of them turned to face the monk, who regarded them silently.

 

“Well, houshi?” Sango ground out, quite frustrated. She hated asking him for knowledge concerning the magical arts, especially considering that whenever they needed the information, it was then that he chose to withhold it from them.

 

Miroku's upper lip twitched at her impatience, but did not waver in his silent speculation. He could see that the nerves of the others were beginning to wear as well but he stubbornly ignored this. After a while, he realised that they were not going to think about it anymore than they already had and would probably skewer him if he didn't spill the beans soon.

 

A short sigh escaped his lips as he spoke. “You all have no imagination at all, do you?” he said calmly.

 

His audience growled at him fiercely, making him take a few steps back.

 

Once again he sighed, but this time in his own impatience. “Think harder, all of you! I know that you can figure this out.”

 

So, giving it another thought, they spoke aloud to each other, making sure that they heard each other's opinion's clearly. It was easy game for Kagome since she was a very avid listener, but Sango and Shippo were at a complete loss. What they could do to help kagome was surely out of their mental capacity, and soon only Kaede and kagome were left deliberating.

 

Finally, they presented themselves to Miroku, with Kaede, as eldest, to speak for them.

 

“After much thought and deliberation on ye words monk,” the elderly woman said sheepishly, not totally sure if her answer was correct. “We have decided that the best way would be for us to perform a simple spell with an ofuda to regenerate the bond between the two so that they in turn, would be rejoined.” The woman finished with a flush and waited nervously for the monk's final assessment.

 

Playing mind games was a favourite pastime of the immodest hentai, and while he considered their intelligence, he confused them, sending mixed messages with his face, to pass the time smoothly. Unluckily, Sango was not in the mood, and after a casual wink at the venomous taijiya, she raised her offensive boomerang in a non-verbal warning. Taking the hint, Miroku sat up straight and pulled his collar.

 

“Harrumph!” Miroku cleared his throat noisily and gave a bright smile. “Well all of you, I am mightily impressed!” he emphasised this with a wiggle of his eyebrows. “You clearly know how to think outside the box.”

 

Shippo leapt in triumph, finally glad that his mother could be whole again, while Kaede donned a smug grin. Even Kagome ignored her natural modest instincts and cheered for herself.

 

Only Sango noticed that the monk was sporting an even bigger grin than before and made a small remark as to why.

 

“Its quite simple really, Sango,” he said, beginning to laugh loudly, so much so that it drew the others away from their previous celebration and towards his own. “You see actually I hadn't even thought of what you four thought of,” he paused from his enjoyment to stare at his companions with a composed expression. “ To be totally honest, the simplest way for her to get the jewel back is…”

 

The hut was filled with static as the monk finally revealed his knowledge to his fellows. A loud crash could be heard as the demon slayer mercilessly knocked him out, successfully muffling Kaede and Kagome's yells.

 

Shippo walked outside of the small house to where he knew his father figure was hiding. Walking around the surrounding trees, he jumped, startled, when a small sound of disbelief came from above an old oak.

 

“Stupid idiot.” Inuyasha grunted in amusement. “As if they'd known she was supposed to swallow it…”

---

 

Midoriki was ridiculously tired. She had never realised how much it would hurt being separated from the child's body until it had happened. Of course, the pain was substantial to the actual physical pain of splitting into several tiny pieces and spread all over Japan, but somehow, she managed to be tolerant and patient. If she could not endure this, how would she survive the dangers that would come while she was alone, without her body?

 

The ingenuity of the jewel seemed insignificant when she realised the danger she could be in if she was never found. Every single piece of the Shikon No Tama contained an equal portion of Midoriki's soul. All her priceless knowledge could be tapped into by mere simple-minded ruffians; like those buffoons who had attempted to kill her all those years ago. It was a terrifying thought, especially when she saw the increased evil in the demon population since her death. The world seemed to be totally corrupt, even to her standards and she found herself doubting the help she had supposedly provided the world.

 

`What good am I if I cannot even dispense of a few mere youkai?' she thought in a state of utter sadness. She had drowned in pity that night, especially when two of the shards were picked up by a passing wolf demon. His name was Kouga and he seemed quite the pompous ass, even if he did have amazing legs. Legs which; to her utter amazement suddenly became ten times more powerful when the shards were impended into them.

 

She had never realised that a simple shard could increase one's strength and once again she was struck with horror.

 

`If that's what happens to a fairly strong demon, what happens to a taiyoukai or an A class demon?!!'

 

Her life and her powers were at stake, and as different parts of the jewel were embedded into different demons, she felt the true separation. It was then that she encountered Naraku.

 

The demon had been the talk of the town for over fifty years, she'd discovered, and was more than capable of destroying everything. He was also another one of the competitors for Midoriki's jewel and therefore an irreplaceable enemy. It had already been decided; he was their greatest foe and must be defeated by all costs.

 

But, only a while later, when she was forced out of a centipede demons body, through its eyes, she saw the girl. Kagome.

 

From then on, she had decided to monitor her shards progress and aid the group whichever way she could. Though she could not talk to them, she influenced the demons' actions so that they would direct themselves to the shard detectors. It wasn't much, but she felt a lot better to be helping Kagome. After all it would do no good for an already fast youkai to be given super speed as she had unknowingly gifted Kouga.

 

So she had followed, and watched through kagome's shard as the group encountered failure and success. She saw Kagome's attraction to the hanyou boy and their failed relationship in the midst of the dead priestess Kikyo. She saw, as young men saw, how beautiful the girl grew with each passing moment, till she could hardly believe how much she had matured. Their difference was now definite; no one would be able to mistake the cheerful, tanned, blue-eyed teen, for the legendary, stunningly beautiful, miko-goddess. It surprised her, but still she knew that when they united again, all that was lost would be regained and their bond would strengthen infinitely.

 

But there was one thing that had confused Midoriki during her confinement: Kagome's sudden aptitude with her powers. True, Midoriki had been singing spells since she could talk, but she had been raised in the Pure environment with other priestesses. Kagome had learnt it all without any spiritual help or guidance, except for that of the woman Kaede. Clearly, the girl was talented and had realised her true potential, without her other half's help. Her progress was extremely impressive, and she made a mental note to congratulate her when they were rejoined.

 

Though, after two long years, when all was done and completed, and the time came for them to be rejoined, she began to feel a lot less eager than she had previously envisioned.

 

Now that Naraku's evil had been eliminated, the only thing left to do was for Kagome to swallow the spherical gemstone and return through the well, forever sealing it from use. Hardly anytime was left before their souls were united again.

 

Midoriki ached, both physically and spiritually, to be bonded again, but she couldn't help feeling a tinge of regret. How much she wished that it could be her own body she was returning to, instead of that of a young girl. As a youth in the present day world, there would be no more adventure, no more thrills and fights. The life she had chosen to live with was both safe and bleak, without the usual thrills she had become accustomed to. Even though her isolation had been excruciatingly painful, she hadn't died, and was therefore still able to focus on her surroundings at all times. The nature, the woodland; coniferous trees and hills that scattered over endless valleys and plains. How could she have forgotten it all? And now that she could remember, how could she give it up?

 

The call of mankind was always in her ears. It burned to not answer it. She had been born to serve, to protect!

 

Now that same desire was in Kagome's heart. Would they both be able to resist?

---

 

Kagome walked towards the well, with her feet dragging behind her. Nighttime was approaching steadily, and the air permeated her modern day clothes, so that they were filled with a cool breeze. It was the perfect setting, one that she would have liked to share with her loved ones: family and friends, who loved her back. But, her goodbyes had been said, and, wiping stray tears from her face, she knew that she could always come back. Nothing was really stopping her. She could return whenever she chose. There was no need to cry.

 

So why, why on earth wouldn't her tears stop coming?

 

Every thing felt so wrong to her. Even though she was retuning to her homeland, it felt more like she was deserting the home she had made in the Past. She'd always known that she'd eventually have to leave. It was a sad fact that she could never ignore, even when her adoration for Inuyasha had been at it's peak, the uncertainty had always remained, lingering in the background. But now, away from her friends and adopted family, the reality was disturbingly painful.

 

As the ancient construction came into view, she traced the outline of her skirt pocket, where the Shikon no Tama lay. If her friends had known that she hadn't eaten it yet, they would have been shocked, especially since it had taken all of her strength and will power to retain the jewel.

 

`I will do it,' Kagome promised herself. `Just…not yet.'

 

She felt guilty for delaying her reunion with Midoriki but she also knew that there was something she had to do first before she left. She looked up, startled, when she saw the darkening sky and quickly sat on the well's rim to think.

 

In the past two years of her life, there had only been two important things to her. Get the jewel and stay alive. With each passing day, her tasks had become more difficult and less easy to bear. She had never dreamed of falling in love, at least not until she was much older. Her progression in the wilderness of the Feudal had been a miracle; who would have ever expected, normal high school kid, Kagome Higurashi, to cope in such a situation? Time and time again, she wondered what her mother would have said if she'd known the true dangers in the Past. Naturally, she would have had a fit, and loudly declared that her daughter would never venture on such a perilous journey ever again. And even still, later, she would have demanded to know why kagome was relaxing at home instead of going back and helping those in the past who needed her. But, to her great surprise, throughout it all, her mother had remained a firm standpoint of encouragement. Her understanding had been unexpected, and suddenly things had changed for them: for the better.

 

School though, was another looming issue. She would have to catch up with lightning speed if she ever wanted to return to her previous standards. Then there was college, and growing up, and getting married and having kids…

 

Kagome tried to stifle a frustrated groan.

 

It was all a routine. One that she had evaluated several years ago, and found lacking to her many needs. After all, Midoriki and Kagome would live together forever. There had to be someone who could understand their situation and be able to cope with it sensibly. Not to mention that they would have to be extremely handsome. It would be impossible for her to marry a man, who wasn't even half as beautiful as Inuyasha, or Kouga or even Sesshoumaru! Now that she thought about it, there didn't seem to be any man in the Future who could rival them for beauty, or muscles!

 

`Maybe I'll get married in the past.' She thought, swinging her legs vigorously.

 

It was certainly an idea, considering how she was so repelled by the thought of men from the Future. And marrying or rather mating, with a youkai wasn't all that bad. Nowadays humans and demons got married all the time. After all, hadn't Midoriki taken several of them as lovers? Even Kouga didn't seem to care that she was a miko, even when her powers increased tenfold; he still kept an eye on her, with less of the obsession but more of a maturing interest.

 

As the final specks of sunlight dwindled in the distance, kagome realised that her time was up. There was nothing left for her to lose. Her fingers trembled with anticipation as they searched for the pearl-like gem lost in her green skirt pocket, until finally, they curled round the stone and revealed it's glorious form, shining in the dark.

 

Trying not to fall backwards, Kagome stared at its opaque surface, as if deciphering its hidden meaning, before throwing it, rather hastily, into her widely spaced mouth.

 

`Oh well,' she thought, suddenly debating whether to chew or to swallow, `Here goes nothing!'

---

 

`Lalala-la la-dee dee dum-dum,'

 

Midoriki sat on her elegantly shaped rear, humming an old folksong. It was dark inside her spherically shaped prison, but she didn't notice.

 

`Lalala-la la-dee dee dum-dum,'

 

`Lalala-la la-dee dee dum-dum,'

 

She believed that all hope was lost, and that she was doomed to be stuck in the Tama for all eternity.

 

`Lala-la de-dee doo-dun dun,'

 

It was the thought of this that had reduced her, to a rambling, bumbling, nincompoop.

 

`La la lalala, dee dee de-doom bap, delalala la,'

 

Nothing mattered anymore, especially now that her chances of freedom were practically zilch.

 

`Dee-doom bap deelalala la,'

 

So it didn't really matter if she went mad. Nobody was around to witness her insanity anyway.

 

`La la la laaaaaaaa! La!'

 

`………'

 

Now that her song was over, and with nothing else to do, she decided to begin counting the stars in the sky.

 

`One…two…three…'

 

It was quite a relaxing pastime; she noticed absently, one that she was sure would continue to amuse her for the several thousand years that were to come…

 

`Seven…eight…nine...?'

 

She stopped counting and stared with confused eyes at her hands. For some odd reason, they were glowing a deep blue haze.

 

“Midoriki?”

 

She heard someone calling her name in the distance, and then, as the voice got closer, she became aware of a familiar form.

 

“Kagome?!”

 

Making a desperate grab for the girl, they clung to each other's hands and watched fascinated, as the walls of the Shikon No Tama cracked all around them. All around them, pieces of the jewel began to fall in large shapes, getting closer and closer to where the girls sat.

 

“What on earth-?” she whispered in slight horror. She had created the Tama after all, and to see its destruction, in spite of all her suffering, was quite infuriating.

 

It seemed, that the jewel was no longer stable, and as shards of it began to crash down from above, Kagome gave her a winning smile.

 

“C'mon Miki,” she said smiling. “It's time to go home.”

 

So as Midoriki stared, in open-mouthed horror, Kagome tugged on their spiritual link and dragged her, rather reluctantly, out of the gemstone prison.

---

 

They returned back to the physical world in a bundled heap, with Kagome sitting with her back to the well, and her legs tangled before her. Despite this, she seemed in high spirits, now that she and Midoriki were joined together again.

 

`I'm so glad you're back, I've missed you so much!' she sang out, her words reverberating loudly in her head.

 

There was no reply from the ancient miko, and Kagome hastened to ask why.

 

`Midoriki?' she asked, scanning a look at the other woman's spirit form.

 

Though both were spiritually linked, there were times when their thoughts did not blend with the other and so, the only way to assess her disposition was to inspect her facial expression. Luckily, in this case, it was easy to read, but also one she had never encountered before. Lying on the face of her lifetime companion was a mixture of extreme perplexity and confusion.

 

Finding Midoriki's befuddlement rather awkward, kagome tapped her side gently with the hopes of rousing her from her daze.

 

Tap tap.

 

Tap tap tap.

 

Tap tap tap ta-

 

`What???'

 

Midoriki stared at her angrily, with her eyes narrowed in annoyance. What was wrong with her? Why wouldn't she leave her alone?

 

Kagome's lip quivered. She had never predicted that their reunion would turn out this way. What had happened to the calm, serene goddess she had previously known? Was the two year gap such a larger force between them?

 

They stared at each other. Neither moved.

 

`Maybe this is how it's meant to be…' she whispered, watching silently when Midoriki caught her thoughts.

 

Midoriki heard the words and felt the pain and anguish that filled them. She also knew that she was undeniably responsible for them.

 

She had not meant to be distant; she was just, being herself. After all the months of imprisonment she had grown accustomed to, her conversation skills had lowered somewhat. There had been no one to talk to or spend time with. The isolation had left an irreparable space in their intimacy, but with time, she murmured, perhaps it could heal.

 

Hearing this, Kagome smiled gently and resurfaced to the present world, where the night air hung fresh to her skin. If space was what she needed, then she could provide it. After all, the sooner they began to connect, the closer they would come to having things as they used to be.

 

`Yes, I agree.' Midoriki put in quietly, and then, resuming to her previous grace, `Are you ready to go home?'

 

Kagome inhaled deeply with a sudden ferociousness.

 

Yes, she was ready, and ready to continue her life, as it should have been. The thought did not bring as much happiness as it should have, but she brushed the feeling aside, knowing there was no place in her mind for those type of things. She supposed that it wasn't as bad in the future as she made it out to be. Life was different, but not bad, after all, hadn't she lived and grown up there for the majority of her life? That point at least was true, and she felt renewed by it somehow, knowing that there was one standpoint of truth in the world that she was plunging headfirst into.

 

Her life would now include, everyday schooling, dating, endless hours of work and studying…

 

Drawing breath once again, she mollified her fears and reasserted herself. All would be fine.

 

Taking strength from Midoriki's overflowing presence, she grasped the side of the well as she stood up. Distractedly, she noticed that she hadn't tripped or fell since she'd eaten the jewel; her counter part's personality was starting to meld itself in her body.

 

In that last moment before she jumped, a picture appeared before her, seen only in her mind. It was of her, Kagome, as she had always wanted to be: elegant and strong, with none of the childish affronts that appeared on her own face. That there was hope for this, gave her another thing to live for, and then swiftly, she jumped, with her guardian once more at her side.

 

~~~*~~~