InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Gone With the Wind. ❯ Chasing the white rabbit. ( Chapter 1 )

Gone with the Wind

Chapter 1

 

Reincarnation, meaning literally "to be made flesh again", has long been a mystical belief that some essential part of a living being survives death in some form, with its integrity partly or wholly retained, to be reborn in a new body.

In such beliefs, a new personality is developed during each life in the physical world, based upon the integration of past and present experiences, but some part of the being remains constantly present throughout these successive lives as well.

Typically it is thought that only human beings reincarnate, or at the very least, that mystical creatures, such as demons, do not.

After all, demons often lead excessively long lives. What would happen if a soul who possessed practically limitless power and knowledge was forced to live out the short, fragile, and often tedious existence of a human being?

For one tragic soul, this question would be answered, ironically with the changing of the wind.

 

“You're not the boss of me!” Keiko screamed unflinchingly, even as her employer's temple throbbed with anger.

“THAT...” The tall dark figure glowered, “...is EXACTLY what I am.”

Keiko blinked dimly as she slowly pulled a lighter from her jacket pocket and, while leaning against the brick wall that made up the small store's front, began lighting her cigarette.

So maybe he WAS actually the boss of her, it didn't mean he needed to be so BOSSY all the time.

“Keiko!” The fuming man bellowed again. “What the hell are you doing?! Are you even listening to me?”

Keiko snorted as a tiny voice within the confines of her mind added a silent `no.'

“Don't get all bent out of shape Yugi” Keiko retorted casually as she lightly puffed on the smoldering stick of tobacco. “I'll be back after my break.”

A low and almost in-human growl caught Keiko's attention, causing her to turn mid puff to confirm it had actually come from the fuming gentleman. Despite his incessant insistence that she get inside and get back to work Yugi, she decided, had a quality about him that she found almost…attractive.

In fact, Keiko noted, Yugi had been the reason she had taken this crap job in the first place. There was something about the way he carried himself and the way he calmly dictated orders with confidence.

He reminded her of someone, all though, strangely enough, she could never really figure out whom.

“Are you going back to work or aren't you?” Yugi snarled, obviously angered that his previous rant had fallen upon deaf ears.

A cruel seductive smile slowly curled the edges of Keiko's lips. She was nearly twenty now and very few people who actually got to know her ever dared order her around.

Yugi's audacity was truly enchanting.

“Make me.” Keiko teased playfully from her place against the wall as she calmly took another drag off her quickly shrinking cigarette. The arrogant smile she had been sporting was quickly growing into a full on grin as she watched the tall man's features flush into a shade of dark red. Something about this challenge made sense to her. Something about challenging a dominant male's authority felt almost familiar to her, all though she didn't understand why.

Whimsically Keiko wondered if steam would eventually spout out Yugi's ears as she eagerly awaited his response.

“You're FIRED!” Yugi bellowed before turning away from the reclining woman angrily and stomping back inside the store again. A bell resounded as he entered the store but seemed far too chipper to greet someone who practically vibrated with anger.

Keiko blinked several times as the unexpected outburst slowly registered to her brain.

Fired?!

How the hell did she manage to get fired…again!?

This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. How could she have misread things so egregiously?

Offering the quickly descending sun a small shrug Keiko snuffed out her cigarette and began the short trek home, stopping momentarily to let the air out of Yugi's tires, before losing herself in the feeling of the wind against her face and the gentle click of her heels hitting pavement.

How many times had she become unemployed this year?

Five?

That couldn't be right….could it? What was wrong with her?

Keiko sighed as she paused momentarily and wondered if she, as suggested by her second employer, “should seek mental help.”

She wasn't a bad person, she admitted to herself begrudgingly.

After all, it wasn't like she was going around killing people and keeping their hearts in little jars or anything.

Keiko shivered at the thought and casually ran her hand over her chest.

Why in the name of Kami had she ever watched that movie?

She'd been having nightmares ever since and for some reason could never quite shake the image.

Why it bothered Keiko so much she wasn't sure, but she made a silent mental note to NEVER watch that movie again.

`The plot was weak anyways.' Keiko noted with annoyance as she paused to take in her surroundings.

Keiko snorted sharply as she shook away her troublesome thoughts to find herself standing in front of a somewhat large shrine.

It wasn't unusual for her to get lost; if one made a habit of walking against the wind instead of looking where they were going they could end up almost anywhere. At least she always found her way back fairly easily.

“Thanks Mama! I will!” A girl shouted as she exited the main house directly adjacent to the shrine, gaining Keiko's attention as she seemed to stumble out the door with an extremely oversized bright yellow pack strapped tightly to her back.

Keiko's heart tightened in her chest as she moved closer to the ground to keep from being seen. She took a deep breath as she attempted to calm her nerves. What was it about this girl that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end?

The tiny voice inside Keiko's head groaned as it offered a pitiful, yet comical, answer, `Maybe you're a lesbian?'

Another snort broke free of the crouching woman's lips as she contemplated the idea.

True, she had never been with a man, but it was a little too soon to be switching teams…wasn't it?

“Bye bye Mama!” The obviously younger girl exclaimed as she opened the door of what appeared to be a well house and offered a cheery wave and a smile over her shoulder before closing the small door awkwardly behind her.

Keiko groaned again, this time audibly, as she rose to her feet. If she was a lesbian, surely she would have better taste then THAT.

Was she going to start chasing innocent school girls now?

As appealing as the idea of corrupting innocent youths seemed, she really couldn't see herself with a woman, and definitely not one who seemed so damn….bubbly.

Deciding it was getting far too late in the day to be questioning her sexuality,Keiko contemplated her next move.

To follow or not to follow, that was the question.

Keiko supposed that another young woman in her position would probably have turned away at this point.

She supposed another, possibly more intelligent woman, would have shrugged off the odd feelings this young girl seemed to evoke and simply found her way home before it grew entirely too dark to find her way at all

.Keiko supposed there were many, more logical, courses of action she could be taking right then, but found herself walking towards the well-house instead.

Whether it was the unfinished questions in her mind or the gentle pressure of the wind upon her back that seemed to move her forward, she was unsure, but before Keiko had time to really think through her actions she was opening the small wooden door and gasping softly as she found the strange structure devoid of a certain uniform-clad school girl.

Reflexively Keiko looked over her shoulder, knowing full well there was no way she would have missed the girl exiting, but canvassing the area anyway.

How could this be?

She was certain she had seen the dark haired stranger enter.

Could she have been hallucinating?

“No.” Keiko muttered defiantly as she took a few long strides into the small structure. Sure she was antisocial, and maybe she was a bit odd at times, but there was no way she IMAGINED the young girl from before.

If her mind was going to begin manufacturing companions she was certain it would do a better job of it.

`They would have to be tall,' Keiko noted off-handedly as she slowly approached the ancient wood surrounding the well. `With longer hair,' she added with a snort as her fingertips lightly trailed over the splintered wood. `And hopefully a man.' She finished with a distressful sigh as she punctuated her internal tirade while peering down into the depths of the seemingly bottomless abyss.

“Hello?” Keiko questioned the blackness as she wondered briefly if the girl was for some reason at the bottom. She paused for a moment as she waited for a response, sighing softly when the only answer was silence.

“Stupid.” Keiko mumbled, completely aggravated with her need to console herself with her own words.

She was far too old to be afraid of the dark.

Utterly disgusted with everything and more then willing to put the draining night behind her, Keiko turned from the well, giving it a brief double take and freezing in her retreat as she eyeballed a ladder hanging off the lip of the ancient structure.

`Why hang a ladder off a well?' Her logical mind questioned. `Unless….'

“Of course.” Keiko beamed as she once again approached the dark opening in the earth.

Perhaps the well leads to a cavern somewhere?

Perhaps some sort of underground tunnel?

Judging by the size of the pack the young girl had with her, Keiko theorized, it had to be a somewhat extensive journey.

Keiko tapped her lip thoughtfully with her index finger as she contemplated how to proceed.

Did she follow the school girl through the cavern or turn back?

It really was getting quite late…….but on the other hand, she had all ready come this far.

Keiko sighed as she came to the only decision she felt would allow her ANY peace in the coming days. If she didn't find out WHERE the dark haired girl had gone it would probably keep her up all night. Not to mention the fact that she would have to face the REAL reality of once again being unemployed for the fifth time once she returned home.

If nothing else, Keiko noted as she attempted to talk herself into climbing down the well, tracking this girl could at least keep her mind off of arrogant shop owners and their propensity for being all talk and no action.

With a defiant thrust of her chin, Keiko swung her legs over the lip of the well as she slowly found her footing in the dark and descended the straining rope ladder into the abyss.

As she approached what she hoped was the bottom Keiko became aware that she had quite suddenly run out of rope ladder and would have to drop the rest of the way down.

Keiko took a deep breath as she attempted to calm her rapidly beating heart. She KNEW the bottom was more then likely only a few feet further, but the darkness made it impossible to tell.

“Kagome!” A motherly voice called from right outside the well house causing Keiko to curse under her breath.

“You forgot your flashlight.” The chipper female voice practically sang as the gentle creaking of the well house door being opened caused Keiko's heart to beat rapidly again.

`So the girl's name is Kagome and apparently she's forgetful.' Keiko quipped sarcastically to herself as she attempted to think about ANYTHING but how embarrassing it would be to be discovered at the bottom of the well, clutching the rope ladder like a frightened child as she shivered in the darkness.

It was the last comparison, coupled with Keiko's distaste for having to explain herself that helped to bolster her resolve until, in one swift motion; she recklessly released the rope ladder while simultaneously disentangling her legs and preparing them for what she felt would inevitably be a rough landing.

Keiko's eyes were shut tightly as a flash of swirling purple light quickly engulfed the well-house, causing Kagome's mother to freeze a few feet away, snapping her fingers thoughtfully.

“I must have just missed her.” Kagome's mother bemused without breaking the never-ending smile that she constantly wore.

“Oh well.” She smiled again, not really expecting to catch her daughter before she departed, as she left the flashlight by the side of the well and attached a small prewritten note. With a gentle smile Kagome's mother clapped her hands gleefully and exited the ancient structure, closing the door behind her.

“OOF!” Keiko muttered as her feet finally touched ground after what seemed like an eternity. The landing was surprising soft, she noted, despite the long drop. Perhaps Kami was finally smiling upon her?

“Perhaps not.” Keiko uttered in total and complete shock as she took note of her location and the apparent lack of a cave, or tunnel, and most disturbingly of all, a ceiling.

The sun was still setting, Keiko observed with little comfort, but she was CERTAIN there was a well-house around her a moment ago.

Now, more then ever, Keiko questioned her own sanity.

“Kagome!” A child's voice exclaimed from outside the well, causing Keiko to freeze as she pressed her body against the cold well wall in an attempt to hide herself in its shadow.

“Shippo!” The girl Keiko now knew as Kagome answered back as she released a gentle laugh and began to speak too quietly and too far away for the hidden woman to hear within the confines of the ancient orifice.

From her secret location Keiko could only make out a few words here and there.

`Something about a pervert…' She noted with confusion, `…and Ramen?'

What the hell did perverts and Ramen have in common?

“You coming out or do I have to come in after ya?” A gruff voice questioned as a dim shadowy monster seemed to project itself on the opposite side of the well, despite the waning light.

Keiko held her breath as she suddenly wished she could somehow force her body into the cracks of the well wall. The shadow seemed to be that of a man, wearing some sort of strange hat, and the quickly setting sun made his outstretched hand look more like brandished claws then fingers.

The odd imagery combined with her confusion over the missing well-house caused Keiko's mind to work dangerously slow.

Had she been discovered?

Should she answer him?

How could he possibly know she was there?

There was no way he could see her through the darkness.

“Inu Yasha…what is it?” Kagome question as she joined him on the edge of the well and likewise looked down, her human eyes finding nothing but blackness.

“Last chance.” The gruff voice barked in a warning tone as the shadowy talons seemed to curl into an even more frightening pose.

“Is someone down there?” Kagome questioned the nothingness, a little annoyed that her puppy companion had ignored her previous question, but intrigued at the prospect of someone inhabiting the small space so soon after she had vacated it.

A loud snort caused Keiko to flinch as the gruff voice answered.

“Not for long.” Inu Yasha muttered before jumping into the well with lightning fast speed and plucking the unwelcome eavesdropper out by the back of her shirt, dropping her unceremoniously to the ground as she release a blood curdling scream.

“Oiy!” Inu Yasha whined as he covered both ears with his hands and attempted to curl himself into a ball. “Shut up all ready!”

“Stay away from me!” Keiko screamed frantically as she backed away from the strange shadowy figures like a cornered animal. She could barely make out their outlines as the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared over the horizon with the sun, and something told her not to trust these people.

“We mean you no harm.” A strange male voice offered through the darkness.

Keiko felt the voice could have been comforting in any other situation, but a calming voice in the middle of being surrounded by strangers, without a single street lamp in sight, only proved to be unsettling.

“Then stay the fuck away from me!” Keiko warned as she frantically listened for any indication that she was being snuck up on.

“Please, there is no need for alarm.” The voice offered again.

“We aren't going to hurt you.” Another strange female voice added.

“Where did you come from?” Kagome's voice chimed in with the others.

“We weren't the ones hiding” The gruff voice of the “Inu Yasha” person chided.

“Maybe she was scared.” The child from before reprimanded.

`What was his name again?' Keiko's paniced mind wondered. `Sheppy? Sparkle?'

“Shut up runt.” Inu Yasha barked in reply.

`Runt?' Keiko questioned internally again. `No.' She huffed….. that wasn't it.

“Maybe she was hiding from YOU …you big meanie.” The young boy's voice added before a loud *glomp* seemed to set off a fit full of childish wailing.

“Inu Yasha!” Kagome reprimanded.

“He had it coming.” Inu Yasha retorted.

“Did not!” The sobful child exclaimed.

“You want another?” Inu Yasha growled.

“Oswarii!” Kagome screamed; a resounding *thud* ending the conversation and the eerie quiet once again surrounded the group.

Keiko wasn't sure if she should laugh, cry, or scream, and decided instead….. to have a cigarette.

Promptly she pulled her lighter and a pack of cigarette's free of her jacket, easily pulling a single stick of tobacco free as her fingers ran over the rough wheel of the lighter and temporarily illuminated her companions.

“What……the…….fuck.” Keiko stated in astonishment, as the cigarette she had once held between her lips fell freely to the ground; her mouth working into a slack-jawed expression as she eyed the strange group warily.

“She seems to be from your time Kagome-sama.” A black haired man in purple robes commented softly as he continued to stare at the woman before him.

“But she looks like….” Another woman began, this one dressed in black and pink with a large white THING strapped to her back.

“Kagura.” Kagome spoke softly, gaining the stranger's attention with the far too familiar name.

“Kagura?” Keiko whispered softly as she allowed the strange name to form against her lips. She didn't understand why, but just speaking it caused her stomach to grow uneasy. As the uneasiness grew she decided she had had enough of this particular hallucination, and dropped her lighter unceremoniously to the ground before sprinting off in the direction, she hoped, home would lie.

Her mind couldn't quite understand why it appeared the boy in red, who for some reason was lying on the ground, seemed to have…. cat ears?

Or for that matter why the young child, she now recalled was named Shippo, seemed to have a tail.

In her panicked state she forced the images out of her mind, deciding they were simply some strange trick of the light as she attempted to put as much distance as she could between herself and the strange travelers.

“Wait!” One of the voices behind her pleaded, but she paid it no mind.

After all, if she didn't listen to REAL people, she wasn't about to start listening to imaginary school girls.