InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fading ❯ A Problem Solved, Another Created ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter five here! I mean, I'm here too, but I know you'd rather read the chapter than listen to me talk, so no witty comments this time T_T R&R pplz!

Disclaimer: ……………Do I actually have to tell you again that I don't own Inu Yasha? *raises eyebrow in pathetic Sesshomaru imitation*

Chapter Five: A Problem Solved, Another Created

It was an odd feeling, fading away. Sometimes your thoughts wandered, as if your mind was disappearing as well as your body. Which makes sense, in a twisted sort of way, Kagome thought wryly as she walked along beside her companions. Something silvery flickered at the corner of her vision and she turned her head quickly, but by the time she looked it was gone.

The girl sighed. She had been seeing these strange apparitions for a while now, but whenever she looked straight at them they disappeared. It's probably something to do with my miko powers, Kagome told herself. Some piece of stray energy maybe. But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she had a sinking suspicion that it was more than just that.

It was a huge relief when Taro's house finally came into view. At the sight of the familiar buildings Kagome began to run, which left the others no choice except to follow suit. That's weird, Kagome thought, stopping at the front door. I'm not even breathing hard. Funny how you notice the smallest things when your life is in danger.

At that moment, Taro came walking around the side of the house, wiping dirty hands on his clothes. If the situation had been different, Kagome would have laughed at the shocked expression on his face. As it was, laughing was pretty far down on the teen's "To Do" list.

"Inu Yasha! What are you doing here? And where is Kagome?" Taro asked, recovering a little.

"I- I'm right here…" Kagome's voice trailed off in confusion. Was this some kind of joke?

Taro, however, jumped at hearing Kagome's voice. He looked around a little wildly until finally focusing on the girl. "Kagome? But… what happened?"

Kagome didn't answer at first. Her eyes followed the direction of his and she gasped. When had this happened? she wondered frantically, staring at the dim outlines of what used to have been her legs. She had known it was bad, but it seemed that she was barely more than a wraith now - she could clearly see the grass and dirt that she was standing on through her feet. Oh God…

"Taro… could we go inside and talk?" Kagome asked faintly.

"Of course, Kagome," Taro said, casting another worried glance in her direction. Kagome noticed that his eyes were focused on a spot slightly to her left and felt like crying again. She was never going to fix this problem in time!

Silently, she and her friends followed Taro into his house.

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Silence reigned around the worn wooden table where everyone was seated. Well, everyone except Kagome, that is. She hadn't even tried to take a chair, knowing that she would just slide through it.

Inu Yasha glanced at Taro, trying to gauge his reaction to their tale by his scent and expression. Humans were, in general, fairly easy to read. But looking at the farmer's face was about as useful as looking at a rock - stony silence was all you saw. His scent explained a little more. A small current of fear was laced in with concern, disbelief, shock, and, oddly enough, misery.

It was Sango who first broke the stillness. "We were hoping you would be able to help us, Higurashi-sama. As you can see, Kagome is in danger of disappearing forever, and we are running out of time."

Taro's face seemed to be aging before Inu Yasha's eyes. Creases appeared as his muscles tightened and his expression grew pained. "I will do all I can to help you return Kagome to normal," he said sadly. Why sadly? Inu Yasha wondered. Is he just worried about Kagome? Or is there something more to this? (A/N: Isn't he perceptive? *rolls eyes* Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll shut up now ^_^)

"May I… may I see this necklace?" Taro asked hesitantly. Kagome looked up from studying her hands and gave him a weary smile followed by a nod. As she pulled the necklace out from her backpack, Inu Yasha noticed that the lily and chain were barely visible - they were just as see-through as Kagome was. But the moment that Kagome put the broken necklace on the table and drew her hand back, it was solid again. What the hell? Inu Yasha rubbed his temples in the hopes of lessening the headache he seemed to have acquired. Why was the necklace fading one minute and then solid the second it left contact with Kagome? Does she affect the things she touches as well? The hanyou glanced at Kagome, but she had gone back to staring through her hands again. For some reason, the sight of this made Inu Yasha's eyes prickle with unshed tears.

Taro, meanwhile, was turning the necklace over in his hands, his face unreadable once again. Every so often, he'd trace the lily and mumble something, but even Inu Yasha's super-sensitive hearing couldn't pick out the words. The silence was getting to be unbearable, so the half demon cleared his throat, flushing when all eyes turned to him. "So, does the necklace have anything to do with Kagome's… problem?"

Taro gave him a crooked smile. "I am not quite sure, Inu Yasha. I know too little of your own stories to judge. I do recognize this necklace, though. I gave it to… to Riyo shortly after we first met."

Everyone except Inu Yasha looked confused, not having heard the farmer's story. The hanyou, however, understood. "So this means…"

"She has given up on me," Taro concluded, laughing bitterly. "She always did jump to conclusions." It sounded more like he was praising her than remembering a fault to Inu Yasha. Then again, the hanyou thought, Love does strange things to a man's mind.

He snorted softly. Don't I know it. Wait a minute, did I just admit that I LOVED Kagome? But… I can't! Damn it, I don't LOVE her, I just… like her. That's all. I just don't want idiots like Koga and Hojo to get her. Yeah, that's right. I care for her because she needs me. Huh, puny humans, can't even protect themselves. It's like looking after Shippou - I do it 'cause she can't do it herself, and that sorta forms a bond. Yeah. Empty thoughts, and Inu Yasha knew it. But even half-convincing himself that he didn't love Kagome was better than admitting it. Right? Inu Yasha's thoughts were interrupted as Kagome finally spoke.

"Who is this Riyo?" she asked, raising eyes whose colour had all but disappeared. She looks like a ghost… Inu Yasha thought, his heart clenching. He wondered if she realized how far gone she was. She must know, the way she's been staring at her hands this whole time. Gods, how can she be so calm?

"Riyo is… Riyo was the woman I loved," Taro replied, that self-mocking smile still on his face. "It was she I had promised to meet that day I found you fighting the demon that was in my fields." The farmer went on to describe his and Riyo's stormy relationship, as well as the cold woman Anzu. Sango and Miroku listened intently, while Shippou's eyes grew a little dazed at all this "adult stuff". Inu Yasha settled for watching Kagome, as he had already heard the man's story. He was a little surprised at the dark-haired girl's reaction - her dull expression slowly cleared as she seemed to finally understand something.

"That's it!" Kagome cried when Taro was finished. "You are my ancestor, Taro! And the thing we changed in the past was the meeting between you and Riyo, which then affected my whole existence in the future - it all fits in now! So to fix my problem and stop me from fading, we need to get you and Riyo back together." The teenager's eyes grew misty (A/N: hehehe - like they weren't already…) and she clasped her hands together. "I've always wanted to play match-maker!"

Several loud crashes were heard as everyone but the enraptured girl did the infamous anime face-vault. "KAGOME!"

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It was good to see Kagome in her usual high spirits again. She even appeared more solid, as if all the confidence that had been restored was somehow returning her to normal. Does she even remember that she has almost no time left? Inu Yasha wondered. Despite his recently-discovered feelings for her, the hanyou had no delusions about her faults. At the best of times, she could still be amazingly naïve. Once she's set her mind to something, he thought fondly, she won't let anything get in her way.

Kagome was practically skipping with the knowledge that there was a way to reverse this whole strange experience, a way to set her right again. There's the first problem solved, she thought. Now we have to convince Riyo that she's better off with Taro. This dampened her mood a little. One problem fixed, another created. It's like trying to untie a bunch of knotted strings - as soon as you've unravelled one knot, another pops up.

"Kagome, when're we gonna get there?" Shippou asked, bouncing up to walk beside his surrogate mother.

Kagome looked down at him and broke into the first real smile she'd shown in a long time. Well, what felt like a long time, anyway. "Soon, I hope, Shippou."

The kitsune gave her a cheery grin. "And then you'll be all better, right?"

"Of course!" No use worrying the little guy any more than she had to.

Following the directions given to them by Taro, the group reached the village where Riyo lived faster than they had expected. Villagers stopped their work to stare as the strange company worked its way among the houses. Kagome felt uncomfortable with all those suspicious eyes on them, but her discomfort turned to anger when she realized that the glares were mostly directed at Inu Yasha.

Can't they tell he's not going to hurt them? Kagome thought heatedly. A little defiantly, she reached over and took Inu Yasha's hand. The hanyou jumped at the contact and stared at Kagome in amazement and… Nervousness? the raven-haired girl thought in surprise. In a flash of wicked amusement she wondered what he would do if she did something more than just hold his hand. Keeping her face straight, Kagome moved her fingers in gentle circles on the back of his hand. Poor Inu Yasha nearly had a heart attack when he realized what she was doing. I didn't know his face COULD go that red… Wait, my hand! It's not… sliding… through Inu Yasha's. But that makes no sense…

However, all thoughts of teasing the half demon and why her hand had seemed solid for a minute flew out of Kagome's mind as she and her companions reached the house that Taro had described - Riyo's house. And from the looks of things, they were expected guests.

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BWAHAHAHA! A cliffy! ^_^ cuz I know how u all luv cliffys, right? Well, until next time, R&R!

~SilverMyste~