InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fading ❯ The Lily By The Lake ( Chapter 3 )

Here's the third chapter of my oh-so-great *cough* not *cough* fic! *does happy dance* I need to know what you ppl think of it, so pleaz R&R!

Disclaimer: How many times do I have to say that I don't own Inu Yasha or anything related to it before you'll believe me? -_-x

Chapter Three: The Lily By The Lake

"This sounds most grave indeed," Kaede said, glancing at the slumbering girl in the corner. "I'm not certain, but I have an idea of what might have caused it."

Miroku, Sango, and Shippou sat in a circle along with Inu Yasha inside of Kaede's hut, thinking about what the hanyou had just told them. It was disturbing to think that Kagome's only link to her time was threatened, therefore threatening the girl's very existence.

"What do you think, Kaede-baba?" Miroku asked, unconsciously rubbing his cursed hand. He, too, knew what it was like to have your life in constant danger.

"Since this is the first time that this has happened, it would seem that some action of yours, in the space of time between Kagome's last visit home and now, has affected her reality in the future," Kaede said slowly.

"Which means…?" Inu Yasha prodded.

"It appears that something ye have done here, five hundred years before Kagome's birth, has wiped out her physical existence in her time," Kaede explained. "Some choice ye made has changed the future around so that Kagome was never born, and is unable to survive in her own time."

"That's horrible!" Shippou cried, then seemed to think about it for a few seconds. His face broke into a child-like smile. "On the other hand, now she can stay here with us forever!"

Inu Yasha flushed when he heard this statement, thinking of his own, similar thoughts. Kaede shook her head.

"Nay, Shippou. Humans have not the life spans of demons. She would live for a short while here - short compared to ye and Inu Yasha - and then she would die."

"What if the Shikon no Tama made her a demon, or even immortal?" Inu Yasha asked. When everyone stared at him he scowled, angry at himself for revealing one of his most secret wishes.

"Do ye think that Kagome would wish to become a demon?" Kaede asked gently. The hanyou lowered his gaze, glaring at the floor. "Besides," Kaede continued, "it is my belief that once the year in which Kagome was born comes and goes, she will fade from existence here as well."

"Why is that?" Sango asked, speaking for the first time since hearing the news.

"Once that year has come to pass here, then all chances of fixing whatever mistake ye have made are gone. Then Kagome will fade away until nothing of her remains. Although I doubt that she would stay solid until then." Kaede's face looked aged and sorrowful in the light from the fire.

Images of Kagome fading away to nothing lent Inu Yasha the determination he needed.

"So we'll have to retrace the steps we've taken these past few weeks, find the problem, and fix it," he said, trying to sound confident. "Then Kagome can go and take her stupid tests."

The others smiled weakly at this and nodded, feeling their own resolve strengthen. Only Kaede's face still remained doubtful.

"Let's hope it's that simple," she said. "But I fear that her time is limited. Ye see, without her having been born in the future, she would never have come through the well into this time. If my guess is correct, Kagome won't last much longer no matter where she is."

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"So you see," Sango concluded, "all we have to do is find out what mistake we've made in these past few weeks and fix it. We should probably start out today, don't you think, Kagome? Kagome?"

The raven-haired teenager continued to stare at her hand, seemingly oblivious to Sango's presence. Stare through my hand might be a better way to put it, Kagome thought wryly. She watched a pair of children run by through the semi-transparent skin of her palm.

Earlier that day, she had woken to discover that even in this time period her body continued to fade. At first she had panicked again, coming close to the hysterical fear that she had felt the day before, but Inu Yasha had immediately appeared at her side and talked to her until she calmed down. Now her terror had turned into a sort of dull acceptance. Kagome sighed and lowered her hand, feeling close to tears.

"Yeah, I guess we should get going," she said to Sango. The youkai exterminator looked at her friends face carefully. She noted the tight, worried lines around Kagome's mouth and eyes, and the way she kept nervously rubbing her hands together as if to reassure herself that they were still there.

"Kagome…" Black hair swung in a gentle arc as Kagome turned to survey Sango with dull hazel eyes. The demon huntress' face tightened in sympathy and she pulled Kagome into a hug.

"Don't worry, Kagome," Sango whispered fiercely. "I promise we'll fix this. Everything will be alright. It will." But even to Sango, the words sounded empty.

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Lift foot, stretch leg out in front, step down, lift foot, stretch leg out in front, step down. The simple motion of walking repeated itself in Kagome's mind like a mantra. Lift foot, stretch leg out in front, step down. She was so much more aware of herself now, so concious of actions that before were only natural.

She couldn't help noticing that when she brought her foot down there was barely any sound on impact, and the sunlight that slanted through the trees broke off into rainbow-coloured beams when it shone through her semi-transparent body. Like a prism, she thought absently, watching her hand slide through the tree she was walking past. It felt like running her fingers through half-hardened molasses, as if some part of her, at least, was still solid and real.

Golden eyes watched the girl's movements from a few feet away, full of concern and slightly afraid. Kagome had just stuck her arm right through a damn tree! Inu Yasha felt his ears quiver as he thought about what that meant. His Kagome was half in the world of the living, and partly walking with the spirits. YOUR Kagome? an annoying voice inside his head asked. Yes, MY Kagome! Mine! Inu Yasha snarled inwardly. He could practically hear the voice sniggering at him from the back of his mind. He was really going to have to sort out his thoughts soon. The hanyou didn't think talking to himself was a very good sign.

Inu Yasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou - not to mention Kirara - were traveling through one of the many stretches of forest that dotted feudal Japan. They had started out from Kaede's hut earlier on, retracing the steps they had taken in the last few weeks. It hadn't been easy, remembering exactly where they had gone and what they had done there, but Miroku had been surprisingly informant on the subject.

"I tend to notice things that other people don't and store them away for future use," he had explained to his companions. Inu Yasha had then spoiled the moment by muttering, "Yeah, I can just imagine the kind of things you notice. Lechers are only interested in-"

"Inu Yasha!" Needless to say, the conversation ended at that.

Now the small group was on its way to a lake where they had defeated a strange water demon, earning them another shard of the sacred jewel. What if the mistake we made was killing a certain demon? Kagome thought, feeling a sudden pang of fear. We wouldn't be able to fix that mistake!

Shippou watched his surrogate mother's face go from expressionless to fearful and felt himself begin to panic in response. If Kagome was worried, then it had to be bad, right? Needing the reassurance that comes from physical contact, the tiny fox demon leaped onto the teen girl's shoulder and put his small arms around her neck.

"Don't worry, Kagome," he chirped, trying to cheer her up. "I won't let you fade away!"

Kagome looked at the kitsune and tried to smile for his sake. "I know you won't, Shippou. I feel much better with you here."

Walking slightly behind the demon and the girl, Sango looked on with a worried expression that matched Inu Yasha's. Kagome was one of her best friends, and it was strange seeing her normally cheerful face so somber. So caught up in her thoughts was she, that the youkai exterminator didn't notice Miroku until he slipped a friendly arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, Sango, you don't honestly believe that we won't be able to cure Kagome, do you?" the Buddhist monk asked with such confidence that Sango found herself almost believing him.

"But, Miroku, there's always the chance that we won't," she replied, trying to keep Inu Yasha from hearing her. She didn't think the half demon would take that comment very well.

"I know we will," Miroku told her. "We've covered a lot of ground for such a short time, and at this rate we'll find the mistake before it's too late."

"Thanks, houshi," Sango said, feeling slightly better because of his confidence.

"Any time, my dear Sango," Miroku said, his face perfectly straight as the hand around her shoulders slipped to her waist. The demon huntress' eyes gleamed, but Miroku missed the warning sign. Just as his hand traveled a little lower, there was a loud SLAP! followed by a yelp of pain.

"HENTAI!"

"Um, guys?" Kagome said hesitantly. Sango looked ready to kill. "We're here."

They had reached a break in the trees, revealing a small lake. Its surface was as still as glass, the sunlight glinting off it giving the water a mirror-like appearance. But it was something else, flashing in the sun, that caught Kagome's eye. She walked closer to the tiny object, bending down to pick it up. It was a lovely gold chain with a finely-wrought lily hanging from it, though the chain was snapped and a little dirty. Kagome stared. She knew this chain, this lily. And now she knew where her mistake had been made.

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