InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Chaos ❯ Alone ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

When Kagome first arrived back in Feudal Japan she was surprised to have only an empty forest awaiting her. Her passage way from her time to this mid-evil Japan was a simple dry well. In her time, the well was sealed off inside in one of the shrine buildings near her house, but during this time, it lies in an open clearing of a forest. The forest was always nice to see, but Kagome was used to having her friends there to greet her. The first person she usually got to see when she entered this era was a half-demon named Inu-Yasha. Inu-Yasha usually would come bounding through the forest, the moment she arrived, growling of how she had been gone too long and had delayed their search for the Shikon Jewel shards.

Kagome could not repress a smile as she expected any moment her puppy dog demon to arrive. The forest remained still. Unease stirred in her as she made her to the familiar village that was settled nearest to the well.

It was in this village that Kagome learned why friends were missing. Invited for tea, she took a seat across the table from a wizened old priestess name Kaede. Kagome's friend, Sango, had decided to make a trip back to her home village for a period of mourning. The people of her village had been slaughtered by a horde of demons and it had been much time since Sango had paid her respects to the dead. Kaede then shared with her the story of how her other friends had decided to accompany Sango.

"I am glad she found time for such a trip," Kagome smiled, when Lady Kaede was finished, "But you said that my friend accompanied her as well. Was Inu-Yasha included in this escort?"

At the demon's name Lady Kaede's expression seemed to become drawn with dark lines and her face shrunk. The effects made the already decrepit old woman look almost mummified. "No. Inu-Yasha decided not to go with them. To be honest, I believe he was waiting for you, fore even after many a days he stayed near the village. And it was only up until yesterday afternoon did he leave. That morning, every time I saw Inu-Yasha his behavior appeared odd. The night before he had acted normal: temper tantrums, fights with the local folks. You know his ways do you not?" At this Lady Kaede snorted, "But that morning his energy seemed nay at all. I would catch him staring off into the forest, sitting alone and still for hours. I gazed this all through the corner of my eyes, but it wasn't until he came to speak with me that I truly saw him." Kaede paused and after a long moment breathed a deep sigh and continued, "Inu-Yasha seemed to have a dark cloud about him. His usually bright eyes hinted at some internal torment. And his face. Oh Kagome, his face! His eternal young face appeared aged. As sanded down as mine appears now. He looked old. Aye, Kagome, I have never seen the demon quite as saw him then. There was a look of grief to him, and when he asked for me to grant you dwelling for a bit, I could not say no. He told me that he was going away for awhile and that he couldn't tell me where...... He said he barely knew himself. Nor did he know when he would return. And with that he left."

Kagome sat and stared into her tea. It was all she could think to do. Her mind played with the thoughts of Inu-Yasha in such distress, while there was a pain growing somewhere in her heart that said she should have be been here. Staring into her tea she fought back tears as the story echoed through her mind endlessly. When Kaede made her way around the table and touched Kagome's shoulder, the young girl began to weep.

A few hours later after she had calmed down she tried to sense where Inu-Yasha was. Kagome had wanted desperately to follow him after hearing Kaede's tale, but she did not where he gone. She and Inu-Yasha sometimes were able to sense one another, by a connection that neither of them understood and with this Kagome tried to sense where he now. All her power would tell her was that he was a great distance away. For the first time in this world Kagome felt truly alone.

A week had come and gone since Kagome's arrival into past. She had decided to stay in Japan's warring era in case she could be of some help to her friend later. She settled in with Lady Kaede, as Inu-Yasha had asked before disappearing.

Lady Kaede was a kind old woman, and an able priestess. In exchange for mystical training, Kagome offered to help her with the daily chores. Sweeping the floor of the priestess's hut and weeding a small garden quickly became her morning tasks, so she could free herself up for her favorite chore. Afternoon laundry. At first the thought of washing laundry in the nearby river seemed just another lowly chore. But upon her first arrival to the river she was greeted by the sight of many of the town's young women. After speaking with a few of the girls, Kagome learned that this was the site where the women folk ventured to get away from the daily chores, while still appearing to be at work! The river was sight for gossiping, game playing, and laughter for the women.

The spot was now one of Kagome's favorites. Her heart still weighed heavy for Inu-Yasha but her time by the river granted brief respite from the worry.

On this particular day she found herself surrounded by numerous girls her own age, listening to idle stories of the local men. The topic was now Botchan the village's horse breeder and, she learned, it's most adored man. As the girls were speaking their admirations, Kagome's attentions were taken off of the conversation by black dot appearing in the sky. The black speck appeared to be far away but with every second it seemed to grow closer. Kagome gave a sharp cry to attract the attention of the others and raised her hand to point out the mysterious object in the sky. All the girls turned their heads to follow Kagome's gaze, but all soon turned back to her in confusion.

"Kagome-chan, I see nothing," replied one of the girls, and the rest seemed to agree. Kagome was startled to hear that she was the only one to see this now looming black object. As she was about to once again point out the thing in the sky; it stopped. She was now able to see that the object in the sky had a human shape and appeared to be bathed in the billowing folds of some black cape. The hood of the cape gaze downward toward Kagome, and its body became rigid. The two stared endless at each other, until the black garbed creature went slack, and began to fall. Kagome watched with wide eyes as the figure plummeted towards the tree line and then disappeared from her eyesight.