Inuyasha, sitting alone still, tried to think of something to do. He wanted to go after Kagome, but he didn't know where she had gone to. He might look all over Japan and never find her! He sighed. They would have to do the same thing they did for the Shikon no Tama shards…search for rumors.
An idea struck Inuyasha. The shards! The Shikon no Tama! If he could make it whole he could make everything the way it had been, Kagome by his side. He could tell her…everything that he'd ever wanted to say to her. But, then again, it might be to late by the time they found all of the shards. Kagome might be in even more danger, hurt, dieing…dead even by that time.
“Inuyasha?” Came Kikyo's voice. “Come and look at this.”
“What is it?” Inuyasha asked softly, making his way over to her. He really didn't care about anything right then, except Kagome. “What?” he asked again.
“Look,” was all Kikyo said. So Inuyasha did. Following to where she pointed he saw something, what looked like a book, sticking out of the rubble. “What…” he said, picking it up. It was a diary
~`~`~`~`~Kagome's Diary~`~`~`~`~
October 2
Dear Diary,
Never thought I'd be writing a diary…but I really want to get down what happened. A few days ago, I died and so did Naraku. I also told Inuyasha I loved him…*sigh* and now my heart is beating so fast. What is this ache? It can't be from thinking about Inuyasha, it hurts to much. Oh well, it must just be an after effect. I'm going to stop writing for now, it hurts to much.
The pain's gone away. I wonder what it was from? Kagura and Kanna are nice. Kanna, though she's quiet, lies to play card games with me. I guess in a way she really is a little demon girl at heart. Well, I guess I should say how I was brought back. Meant to before but it hurt to much. Well, after I was killed and made my wishes I stayed for a moment, wanting one last look at Inuyasha. Ow! Stupid pain. I wish I had some medicine. *sigh* anyways, Kagura told me that she and Kanna would bring me back. The details are really fuzzy right now, but Kagura says that's to be expected. She's like an older sister in a way, nothing like Sango, but still sisterly. She may have hated us for a while, but she says that she was only doing it under orders. Is that true? I don't know and it seems kinda rude to ask. Well, I think Kanna sucked up some blood or something, and what little of my flesh was left. Icky! That seems something that really sticks out in my mind. They took me some place, I couldn't see where, but I could hear them arguing with someone. I still haven't found out who it was, but I have a guess. I think they took me to the edge of life and death, and I think that they were either arguing with Kami or Fate. What it would be to argue with one of them! In the end, I remember waking up, in some cave, in my body and freaking out cause I saw Kagura and Kanna there. They explained to me, slowly, what had happened until I started to remember. I asked to go after Inuyasha but they said my body needed to rest. They both look really worried, even Kanna. Inuyasha…I miss you…so much. Ow ow ow ow ow!! Damnit, I have to stop again. The stupid pain, which Kagura says, while not looking at me, is because I'm not letting my body heal.
Been a while since I last wrote anything. We've been moving for a while now. Kagura said that it's not safe to stay in one place for a while, Inuyasha might come after me. I really don't care. I only want to see him, hold him, something! Ow…ignoring it. I'd love to kiss him, and I don't care if he doesn't love me. One little kiss…I might be able to live with that. Ow…why is the pain growing? I wonder…if I just ran away from Kagura and Kanna in the night, would I be able to make it to Inuyasha? Or would they stop me? Ugh, it feels like my body is getting heavy…and the pain isn't stopping now…Inuyasha…help me…why are Kagura and Kanna…yelling…is something…
Most of the rest of the page was ripped away and Inuyasha was able to see to the next one. He turned to it.
~`~`~`~`~Kagome's Diary~`~`~`~`~
November 27
It's over, finally. It seems like a nightmare now. But…if it was, then why can I still feel their blood on my hands? The child's…the parents...it must be real then…
~`~`~`~`~With Inuyasha~`~`~`~`~
Inuyasha gasped. What was she talking about? His Kagome, the one he knew, would never kill anyone.
~`~`~`~`~Kagome's Diary~`~`~`~`~
What would Inuyasha say? No, I'm not suppose to think about him. Kagura says that something went bad when they were remaking my body with all that blood. She says that somehow some of Naraku's got into the mix and has tainted me. She says that's why he was able to possess me. If I have to big of emotions, like think about how much I love Inuyasha, then I can be turned into him. I really don't understand it really well. She says that Naraku's only emotion was a brutal sort of happiness he got when he killed something. Well, that's not to hard to believe. Then again, I sorta feel sorry for him. When he was Onigumo he must have really loved Kikyo. He just wanted to be with her, but couldn't cause he was to weak. Why do I suddenly feel really light? Not as though I have weights on my shoulders? I'll have to ask Kagura or Kanna about it. They've both been teaching how to close myself off from Naraku so he won't be able to know exactly what I'm feeling. It's sorta been working. They've also, well Kanna mostly, been teaching me to not think about my emotions, therefore I won't have them…or not a lot of them. I really don't like the idea, but if it means that it'll keep me from turning into Naraku then I'll be happy. I wonder what Inuyasha is doing?
I'm still a little tired from the whole thing. Kagura says that I should just shut up and sleep. But I don't want to. I keep asking her what happened, cause she's been telling me the more I ask. She's really not that bad, once you get to know her. I wonder if Inuyasha is doing well?
Today we had some villagers come after us because they saw Kanna and thought that she was a demon. Well, ok, that's true but still. I told Kagura not to kill them so she sighed really loudly and just knocked them all over with some wind so we would be able to leave. I don't think she would have killed them, even if I hadn't asked her She really doesn't seem to like killing, but then again if I were her I would hate it even more than I do now. She's just seen to much I think. I wonder how Inuyasha would react?
p.s. didn't sleep well again because of Him…AGAIN!!
He noticed that she kept referring to him at the end of her entries now. Was it so she wouldn't have to stop think about him?
~`~`~`~`~Kagome's Diary~`~`~`~`~
December 4
I put off writing this for long enough. I stopped writing a few days ago because I knew that if I did I would put down what happened to me. Well, I think I will. It's been long enough and I want to remember this. Ok, no I don't, but I don't want to forget it either.
It started right after I did the entry for October 6th. I had dropped my pen because my hand had started to change color. Kagura and Kanna were running at me, Kagura yelling something about not thinking about Inuyasha or anyone. Well, that was a big help. The second she said that I did and then think I blacked out. I remember waking up in some field. I was chained to a pillar, I think. It was really black and ugly. I was chained to it to, all the way up to my neck. (Now it's him chained there now and I feel like laughing at him each time I see him like that.) Oh, I feel heavy now. I'm not getting fat am I? He was there watching me as I struggled to get free. “You'll never leave here.” He said and kinda faded. I don't know how long I was there. Really, I'm just glad that I didn't go insane. THERE WAS NOTHING THERE TO LOOK AT!! I do remember, now, that I wouldn't stop thinking about Inuyasha. Well, I didn't have anything better to do. Or, nothing better to do that I knew of. After a few days, I think it was a few days anyway, I remember that I started to fight the chains again. I really didn't want to be there so I fought. Naraku kept coming to “visit” after that and asking me stuff. At first I just ignored him, concentrating on fight my bonds. Then I answered him, which made him really nervous. I don't remember a question he asked, only that he asked me stuff. After a while he stopped visiting and some of the chains started to disappear. It was then that I woke up, covered in blood from head to toe and crying like mad. I don't remember what happened after that and Kagura only says that they got me cleaned up. I don't know, but I think she's lying. Would Inuyasha question her more than I did?
Nothing happened to me. I just lost the diary for a while. I want to remember that, so I don't think later that I did more killing. It's gotten easier to not think about me emotions. And I've been getting some training at any temples that we pass. The Priestesses and Priests there are happy to help me, as long as I don't tell them who I really am or what's wrong with me. It's really helped me to get by. The other day I mastered a new technique. It's a sort of illusion that's, in a way, real. You can touch it and stuff, but it's hard to hurt it. I think it might come in handy later. Along with that I also learned other illusion spells, and got the ones I'd leaned from Kikyo-sama and Kaeda (I wonder how she is?) better. They might help if we need to scare some demons or, if necessary, humans away so they don't get hurt. Kagura says there might be another use for it but she won't tell me what she's got in her head. I think it has something to do with Inuyasha. Would Inuyasha be stubborn and pout until he got an answer?
p.s. didn't sleep well again because of Him, still
Lost the diary again. I don't think I'm gonna keep writing in it. It's getting to hectic. I'll just do a few more entries to let myself remember this stuff later. He was again there in my dreams. I guess I can call them dreams. Maybe it should be DREAM? He's now the one chained to that pillar instead of me. But he doesn't stop making fun of me, or trying to get me mad. I'm not going to though cause it'll let him out again. I wonder if Inuyasha is having fun?
p.s. didn't sleep well again because of Him, I'm getting tired of it.
Had the diary this whole time, to tired to write in it though. All because of him. He's getting on my nerves sorta. I can't kill him, though, because I need him in me to get him out. What a weird concept. Would Inuyasha just kill him anyways to see what happened?
p.s. didn't sleep well again because of Him, once again…….
I had a lot of entries in here, but a demon got to it and ripped a lot of them out. Kagura kick its butt for me, I was to weak from deciphering the tablet. That's right, it got ripped out. Ok, so I don't forget I'll remind myself what the tablet is. Well, it guess I can't call it a tablet anymore really since Kanna copied it and now it's on this paper we have. It's in some ancient language which, for some reason, I am slightly able to translate. The tablet, according to Kagura, is the key to getting Naraku out of me. She also says that I can read some of it because of some demon that Naraku devoured. It's a scary thought, that Naraku is helping me even if he doesn't want to. I've also noticed that I seem to have, another scary though, some traits of his. Well, demons in general. My sense of smell is a lot better then it had been, so is my eye sight. I can see a lot better in the dark to. My Miko powers haven't been effected, which is a plus. Anyways, translating what the paper says really takes it out of me. For some reason Naraku isn't able to know what I'm doing when I'm translating. Can it have something to do with the energy that transferred to the paper from the tablet? There are a few more parts that I have to get through, hopefully soon, so I'm going to go work on it now. I wonder how this would effect Inuyasha?
p.s. didn't sleep well again because of Him at all
This is my last entry. My life is just getting to busy to keep writing. I should say, though, that there is only one more part of the paper that I have to translate…and which I can't. Kagura says that it's the most ancient part of all of the text. She says that maybe even Naraku might not have been able to know what it meant. We're trying to find someone, or a demon would be better really, who knows what it says. Maybe there'll be something that has a copy of this or something and knows what it says. Like the knowledge is passed down generation to generation or something. Well, going to bed now. Not going to get much sleep, but oh well. Will Inuyasha ever find out what happened to me?
Here's what the paper says, just in case we lose the one we have right now.
~`~`~`~`~With Inuyasha~`~`~`~`~
He wasn't able to make out a thing it said. It all looked like lines and circles and shapes to him.
~`~`~`~`~Kagome's Diary~`~`~`~`~
p.s. didn't sleep well again because of Him last night
While Inuyasha had been reading, Kikyo had wondered away, looking for another way in. Miroku and Sango had gone to gather wood, as it was starting to turn into night. Jaken, tired of caring for Ah-Un had wondered over to watch Shippou and Kirara play, yelling at them every once in a while. Shippou and Kirara, still full of energy, were still playing around. Sesshomaru and Rin were still in the woods. Inuyasha sat in a tree, reading over most of the diary again.
`Well, I did find out what happened to her.' Inuyasha thought, tucking the diary into his shirt. `I don't want the others to read this. I'll just tell them what I read.' He got ready to jump down but yawned instead. `Tomorrow. It's to dark to go now.' He looked up into the sky as his eyes closed. “Be safe, Kagome…” he whispered and drifted off into sleep.
~`~`~`~`~Inuyasha's Dream~`~`~`~`~
He was standing on a gray, flat plain. Nothing around him was moving. Off in the distance he was able to see a black tower rising up into the red sky.
“Where am I?” he asked himself. His voice echoed.
“Hell,” a familiar voice replied. Inuyasha spun around to find Kagome standing there, watching him with dark black eyes. “You are in Hell.” She said.
“How'd I get here?” he asked her. “And why are you here?” Her face was like stone, no emotions showing anywhere.
“You brought me here.” She said simply. She walked forward and Inuyasha thought she was going to touch him. Instead she walked past him, going in the direction of the tower.
“Kagome, wait!” he called, trying to go after he. His feet wouldn't move. “Kagome!” he called again. “What the Hell is happening?”
“You are being devoured.” She said. “By apple. She loves smell cooking rotten.” Her voice started to fade. Inuyasha didn't understand what she was saying.
“Kagome!” he tried again. “Kagome!”
“Meow bean sour water chest of a now be!” she called to him, as though he would understand. He didn't, of course. The world around him started to fade. For a moment he was nowhere and at the same time, everywhere.
He could see Kaeda, playing with the babies. He was able to see Jaken, lumps on his head, asleep at the edge of the camp. Kagome's Mother, getting ready for bed even though it was late at night. Souta, thrashing in his sleep from a nightmare.
Sango and Miroku, holding hands a they slept with frowns on their faces. Shippou and Kirara, curled up next to each other, asleep. A girl Inuyasha didn't know, dressed as Kagome in a short skirt and shirt, kissing a boy without a shirt on. A girl, black haired and green eyed, sitting at her desk typing something on what Kagome had told him was a `computer.'
Then he saw her, Kagome, laying asleep. She was so beautiful but looked to sad. Where was she? Inuyasha tried to look around and saw Kagura and Kanna next to her. They were in another cave, but where Inuyasha didn't know. Faintly he heard Kagome whisper in her sleep, “Inuyasha.” And then he was back on the gray plain.
“Damnit, where is she?” he said. “Kagome?” he felt someone staring at him from behind and turned to find Kagome again there. She smiled and ran past him. He turned to see where she went and as he did so another Kagome ran past, going the opposite direction. Confused Inuyasha watched this one instead, and yet another Kagome ran past him.
Soon there were many Kagome's running past him, all smiling at him, running close enough to touch then moving back as Inuyasha reached out to them. They turned into a blur, running faster then any human Inuyasha knew would be able to. And out of the blur, walking slowly towards him, was another Kagome. This one didn't have a smile on her face, though.
“Kagome?” he asked, slightly dizzy from watching all of the other hers. “What the Hell is…” she cut him off.
“Inuyasha, don't worry.” She walked closer. “I'm fine. I just didn't come back right. That'll all be changed soon though.” She was closer now, and Inuyasha was able to see that her eyes were brown, not black as the other ones were.
“I know,” Inuyasha said. “I read your diary.” He saw Kagome blush. Maybe this was really her. But…this was a dream. How could it be her?
“You…read my diary?” Kagome asked, still walking towards him. It really didn't seem like a long distance, but it didn't seem as though Kagome was getting much closer, even with all of her walking. “So you know? About the paper?” Inuyasha nodded and Kagome smiled. “Then you can help us.” She got much closer this time, only about two arm lengths away now. “But it doesn't really matter. I've found another way to get him out of me.” If Inuyasha reached out he would be able to touch her now. But he couldn't move.
“What are you talking about?” he asked her. “What other way?” If the way she now suggested didn't work, at least he could still help her. She had just given him the idea to help her find out what the paper meant. “Kagome?” she only smiled at him, now stopped and standing in front of him looking up into his eyes.
“Inuyasha,” she said placing her hands on his shoulders. The pressure there shocked him. He could feel her. She was real! Kagome hugged them and whatever spell kept him from moving broke and he swept her up into his arms, hugging her with all the might he could without breaking her. “Tell me something…”
“Anything,” Inuyasha said, burying his nose in her hair and smelling her. It smelled like Kagome, another reason for him to think it was really her. “Anything…” he said again, trying to keep from doing something girly like crying.
“Do you love me?” she whispered into his ear. “Tell me…do you?”
“Yes,” Inuyasha said. He felt like his heart would burst. He was so happy to have finally told her. He could feel her smiling and her arms tightened around him lovingly. “But,” he said and she stiffened. “In the cave…why did you…say that?”
Kagome tried to pull him closer as she said, “You read the diary? I can't show emotion. I thought if you thought I hated you that you'd stop looking for me.” She loosened her grip and drew back, looking him in the eye. “I'm sorry.” She whispered. “Inuyasha…I love you…” she smiled as Inuyasha tucked her head under his, resting his chin on the top of her head.
It was a few moments before Inuyasha noticed that all of the other Kagome's had gone away. He asked, “Why are you here?” then he remembered something. “And how can you be showing all of this emotion? What about Naraku? Can't he…”
“No, he can't.” Kagome said, not moving. “I'm in your dream. He can't see anything I do in here. And I have the paper with me. It shields me from his view.” She drew back again and watched Inuyasha a moment before she said, blushing, “Inuyasha? Would you…kiss me please? It'll break Naraku's hold over me and…I want you to…please?” her blush grew and Inuyasha now sported his own red tinge.
“Uh, sure…” he smiled and said, “I fit gets rid of Naraku of course. And if you want me to, I'll do it any time to make you happy.” Both of their blushes grew but they also both smiled. Inuyasha placed his hand behind her head and slowly drew her closer. One of Kagome's hands went to his chest and the other to his shoulder.
Then, shattering the silence and their concentration, someone called, not from in the dream but in the waking world, “No, Kagome, don't!”
~`~`~`~`~With Inuyasha and the others, waking up~`~`~`~`~
Inuyasha opened his eyes to chocolate brown ones, inches from his face as they had been in his dream.
“Kagome?” he asked sleepily. “Is that you?” she nodded sadly.
“Yeah,” she said. “I'm sorry Inuyasha.” She smiled at him and threw herself into his arms, hugging him fiercely. “Another time.” She said and, with a quick kiss that she gave to his cheek she jumped to the ground and ran off into the forest, waving to the others, now all wide awake and staring after her in shock.
Sesshomaru was the first to react, saying, “Brother, now would be the time for us to follow her.” At his words everyone shook themselves out of their shock and ran after Kagome, leaving the camp as it was. Kirara transformed and Sango, Miroku and Shippou all jumped on before she took off. Rin and Jaken got onto Ah-Un and they to took off. Kikyo's soul catchers came and carried her up, following the others. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru just jumped through the trees, leading the way.
“Inuyasha!” Sango called, pointing up ahead. “It's Kagura! I think she's waiting for Kagome!” Inuyasha jumped higher to see over the trees. Sure enough there was Kagura's feather. “What should we do?” Sango asked. “Fight her?”
“No,” Kikyo said, her soul catchers bring her within ear shot of everyone. “She and Kanna are helping Kagome. If we get them hurt who's going to take care of her?”
“She's right,” Inuyasha said, cutting Sango's hot remark off. “Don't attack her, let's just watch what she's going to do.” Slowing down, they let Kagome get ahead of them. It was as Inuyasha was looking around, to make sure that everyone knew not to attack that he noticed someone was missing.
“Where's Sesshomaru?” he called to everyone. “He's not behind us.” They all glanced around but still kept one eye on Kagura, who was searching the trees below her, presumably for Kagome.
~`~`~`~`~With Kagome~`~`~`~`~
She had sent a copy of herself on ahead, wanting to grab the stone in the river that had one of the letters she needed to translate on it. As she had been running through the trees, heading for Kagura, Kanna had come up beside her, floating through the air, and told her about the stone. Not wanting everyone to follow her scent she had copied herself, scent as well, and sent it ahead of her, masking her own smell.
“Come out come out wherever so you.” Kagome called softly at the side of the river. “Stupid rock. It's probably eroded away by now.” She scanned the surface of the water, looking for anything unusual. Something shiny, not like water in sunlight shiny but as polished rock in sunlight shiny, caught her eye. “There you are.” She whispered, walking over to it. It was large, about a foot across and three inches think but seemed to weigh almost nothing. She noticed the writing on it, some in the ancient words and some in Japanese she knew. “Come and look at this.” She called into the trees, sensing someone there.
“Your senses are heightened.” Sesshomaru stated as he walked forward. “You were able to sense me.”
Kagome knew these went questions so she only nodded and said, “Come here and look.” And she turned her eyes up to his, waiting for him to move. He didn't move, so neither did she. Sighing she said, “You're getting fat, walking over here will help you lose weight.” She glanced up in time to see the Prince of Ice smirk but still not move.
`Kami help me,' she thought. `It's the end of the world.' Instead of saying this out loud she said, “Fine, three steps for you and three for me. Fair enough?” Sesshomaru, after a moment of thought, nodded and took his steps. He respected her enough to at least compromise. She smiled and took her three, which brought her to his side.
“Since what I have in mind might not work, I've asked Inuyasha to help us look for people, things like this rock, or demons that can help us translate this rock thing we have.” She reached into her pocket and drew out the slip of paper the letters were drawn on. “These are the last of the ones that we need. Inuyasha has my diary, which also has them in it, but do you want me to make you a copy?”
Sesshomaru nodded and said, “No doubt he shall lose it.” It wasn't meant as a joke, and Kagome knew it, but she laughed anyways.
“Ok. See this rock?” she held it up and Sesshomaru glanced at it. “This is the sorta writing you're looking for. Since you don't have any mirrors like Kanna's, she'll have to come to you with any information. It'll take less time this way. Kagura, Kanna and I can go after one while you, Inuyasha and everyone else go after another.” She glanced up at him, just then realizing how weird it was to her to be having a long conversation with him.
“Fine.” Was all he said as he stepped back, away from Kagome so she could make the copy. Even Miko copying energy could purify a demon and Sesshomaru wouldn't take any chances.
“K,” Kagome said and she concentrated on the paper. A second later she held the new copy out to Sesshomaru, a line across the letter she had just gotten. “There, if you find one cross it off and it'll appear on this one to.” He only nodded and started to walk away. “Sesshomaru?” Kagome asked softly. He stopped but didn't turn. “I know it's mushy, but couldn't you tell Shippou I love him? Or tell Rin to tell him for me?” nodding at her request he disappeared into the trees.
Sighing she headed off into the trees again, heading in the direction she could feel Kagura. As she got closer, and ran underneath Inuyasha, Kirara, Ah-Un and Kikyo with her soul catchers, Kanna came up to her and help out a hand for the rock. Kagome handed it over, still running, and Kanna floated up, out of the trees, and onto the feather.
Kagome heard Inuyasha and the others shouting about something, but she wasn't able to make out what it was. Glancing to her side, up out of the trees, Kagome was able to see Sesshomaru there, jumping through the trees, silently following Inuyasha and the others again. She turned her head slightly left, and to the front, and saw Kagura's feather floating in the air, high above her.
`She's to high!' Kagome thought. `I'll never be able to jump all the way up there. Unless…' looking around her she caught sight of sturdy branches ahead of her and, timing it so she would be to the side of the feather and able to jump up into it, she jumped onto the branch, onto the next, then another. Giving a hard push she shot out of the trees and high, high into the air. Kagura, not knowing what Kagome was going to do, had moved slightly making Kagome miss.
“Kagura!” she called as she started to fall. “The older women turned and lunged forward, almost off of the feather, and caught Kagome's wrist. Moving back to get better leverage Kagura said, “I should just let you fall for all of the trouble you cause.” Kagome only smiled at this. As the feather started to speed off she looked back, still hanging over the side, and saw Inuyasha and the others watching her go. Why weren't they following?
