InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon A Time ❯ Just Keep Swimming ( Chapter 1 )

Part 1- Just keep swimming. . .

By: RAO

 

 

 

 

 

“Kagome.”

 

No, go away, I'm tired. . . Kagome thought and turned her head away from the voice.

 

“Kagome, wake up.”

 

No, please and thank you.

 

“Kagome, it's time you awaken. The celebration is to commence soon. It is held in your honor for defeating Naraku.”

 

“What are you talking about, Kaede? It wasn't just me who killed him. We all helped.” Kagome grumbled and her hand flopped out of her sleeping bag, searching for her water bottle.

 

“Do you not remember?” Kaede smiled. “You landed the final blow.”

 

“Did I, now?” Kagome cringed, knowing how she gets when she loses control of her anger. “No I do not remember, Kaede. Sorry.”

 

“No need to fret, darling child. Now, let us get you cleaned up and ready for the celebration. We can't have you looking like you've been trampled by horses, can we?”

 

“Of course we can't, Kaede!” Kagome giggled and sat up. Today was going to be one hell of a day. Kagome couldn't wait to see what such a day would bring.

 

 

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Once upon a time. . . There was a young woman . . .

 

“InuYasha, where are you?” Kagome called. She was dressed in her finest, a kimono fit to be worn by the empress herself. It complimented her sea-blue eyes, midnight blue in color with silver embroidered leaves falling around the edges. The other layers of silk cloth consisted of earthy tones. This young priestess was a sight to behold that was for certain.

 

InuYasha didn't answer back. Once again, Kagome lost herself in the throng of the thick crowd. A strong young man by the name of Sho took her by her hand, nearly dancing her into a coma. Man that boy could dance. Soon, Kagome forgot all about InuYasha and enjoyed herself with the village women and men, eating and dancing the night away.

 

She lived in a world where magic still ruled and love was so elusive that not many knew what it was. . .

 

Miroku and Sango danced together for a few dances and went to their beds. They needed rest because the next day was their day of marriage. The village couldn't be more proud of them, or happier, because not only had those two skirted around each other for years . . . they would have strong children to help protect the village one day.

 

Soon the dance ended and everyone started to go to bed, yet Kagome stayed out, sitting by her favorite tree to watch the moon.

 

But even though love was such an elusive emotion for many people, she knew what it was.

 

And so Kagome started to think; she thought about InuYasha and her love for him. But would he be willing to spend the rest of his life with her? That was the only question.

 

Below her tree, the road to Lake Ohmu wound around trees and rice patties. Two figures walked upon it in the pale moonlight. It was InuYasha and the Head Villager's daughter Maiyu. She was young and beautiful, small and dainty; everything Kagome felt she wasn't. Kagome's heart broke once again that night, for probably the last time in her life. She may love InuYasha with all her heart, but even for Kagome; enough is enough.

 

 

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Once upon a time there was a woman who loved a man . . .

 

“InuYasha?” Kagome called out to him from the entrance to the village. He had just dropped off Maiyu at her father's house. “InuYasha, what are you doing?”

 

“I am doing nothing, Kagome, why do you ask?” He replied, hurrying towards Kaede's hut.

 

“Please don't lie to me,” She whispered. InuYasha stopped, faced her, and opened his mouth to speak. “I know about Maiyu.”

 

“Kagome . . .” He whispered and reached out to her, only to have her jerk from his touch.

 

“You think after four years you could at least be honest with me!” Kagome snapped. “After four years of loving you unconditionally and waiting for you to realize that I have loved you more than anything I have ever known, you still do not see me. You never have.”

 

Her heart ached more than anything right now, but she knew she had to finish what she wanted to say for so long. “I loved you more than my life itself. I sacrificed my own self to save you. Why couldn't you just be honest with me once? Why couldn't you just tell me that you never wanted me more than a friend? You always led me on, letting me believe that you wanted me for more than that.”

 

InuYasha's eyes softened and he reached for her again. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Sorry isn't enough anymore!” Kagome screamed. “Don't ever say it again. Your words are useless to me. They hold no meaning; they are only empty words for my poor heart to hear.”

 

His ears drooped but he did not try to touch her. He knew she was right, and for the life of him could not understand why he did this to her. She deserved someone better he knew. He knew she loved him, but not to this extent.

 

“You haven't even been here for me. The well closed and you have yet to come and talk to me about it. When I needed you most, to help me figure out what I was going to do with my new life, you weren't there. What if I had done that to you? You would have hated me for it. Don't lie, I know you would have.” Kagome glared. Never before had she held such vehemence in her words towards InuYasha. “I'm done being here for you.”

 

InuYasha winced and she turned away. With quick steps she made it to Kaede's hut, gathered her items and went to her own home, close to the forest's edge

 

 

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Her friends had helped her build the small home a week before Naraku came. It was cozy and small, decorated in engraved wood cupboards and deer hide rugs. Though it looked like a house from those old western American movies, Kagome incorporated her own feminine ideas into it: The engraved wood, dried flowers and she had Miroku help her build her own table with wooden chairs. Shippo helped engrave flowers and other designs on the wood by burning it into them. He was quite good at using his fox fire now.

 

Weeks passed by since the defeat of Naraku and Kagome's powers grew substantially, she had enough power to protect the villagers from youkai attack by herself. She no longer needed the protection of InuYasha and the others.

 

One day, a huge bear youkai attacked the village children. Sango and Miroku were off defending nearby villages from hordes of rodent youkai who were devouring their food supplies for the winter. InuYasha was God knows where with Maiyu doing God knows what. So that left Kagome and Shippo. It wasn't all that hard to take down the lumbering beast. An arrow to the eye socket destroyed its brain, rendering the beast dead at the village men's feet. Everyone was proud of their little future priestess. Yet, at the same time they all wept their sorrow at the thought of her broken heart. Long since finding out of InuYasha's behavior the young men of the village confronted him. They told him to let her be instead of hoarding her all to his self.

 

Kagome was after all, first and foremost, a woman. At the ripe age of 19, going on 20 in the winter months, she was near her prime of bearing children. Her desire of wanting more was showing, not only to her friends but to everyone around her. It was in her longing looks at the way the children played in the fields, her care of the young fox demon, the way she blushed at every talk with the local handsome men. Everyone knew what the young priestess desired in her heart, except for the young priestess herself.

 

It wasn't until the spring after Naraku's defeat that something had occurred that shocked the villagers. A young human girl, the age of 14 or so, pranced her way into the village wearing nothing but a blue and green checkered kimono, black boots and a fur coat over her shoulders. A medium sized two-headed dragon lumbered behind her, happily docile on a leash.

 

“Kagome-chan wa doko desu ka?” She sang merrily. Her voice was nicely pitched, having grown up with a dog youkai. They did have sensitive ears after all. “Kagooomeee?”

 

In a flurry of fur blankets, mittens and boots a rumpled Kagome stumbled from her home. “Rin?”

 

“Ah, there you are!” Rin exclaimed cheerfully. “I have been looking for you! Ah-Un is excited to see you as well.”

 

Said dragon bumped its head on Kagome's hip, like an overgrown horse. “I have missed you both too! How are you? Is your Sesshoumaru-sama with you?”

 

“We're fine. Sesshoumaru-sama is on `official' business.” She even added in the quotation marks. “So we have come to spend time with you. I hope this doesn't complicate anything.”

 

“It doesn't bother me at all!” Kagome grinned and grasped Rin's hands. “Come in, you must be freezing. I'll make us some of my left over hot-chocolate.” Rin's eyes twinkled in delight.

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes really, come on! Shippo will be excited to see you.”

 

“I missed Shippo.” Rin sighed dreamily.

 

“Oh I bet you did, Rin-chan.” Kagome smirked and poked Rin in the ribs, who blushed darkly and batted the offending hand away.

 

“Hidoi desu!” Rin exclaimed. “Don't tease me!”

 

“I'm sorry Rin, it's not often your adopted son is pursued by such a sweet pretty girl like yourself.” Kagome amended and shooed Ah-Un off to the barns where he would be warm for the night. “Let's get you some of that hot -chocolate, shall we?”

 

Rin smiled and nearly charged into the home. It wasn't often she was spoiled like this. It almost reminded her of the days back with her mother. Her father was, oddly enough, just like Sesshoumaru; quiet and not much to say, yet when he spoke he meant it. Kagome was just like mama; happy and loving, always wanting to please yet she had a tougher side when it came to protecting those she cared for.

 

If only . . . Rin thought, then shook the idea out of her head. No, that wouldn't happen. The only human he really likes is me.

 

Rin sighed. If only that wasn't true.

 

 

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Sesshoumaru-sama's `official' business ended up going on longer than expected . . .

 

“Daiyoukai Sesshoumaru, what say you to the proposition we have for you?” Sesshoumaru winced unnoticeably, eyes scanning the group. He hadn't been listening. His dreams of late were bothering him, torturing his rare sleep.

 

“Restate your proposition.” Sesshoumaru commanded. The room gasped; shocked that he hadn't heard one thing. While calm on the outside, Sesshoumaru's mind scurried for a way to retain his image. “Usually what you have to say isn't important enough for me to listen to.”

 

He could nearly feel his eyebrow twitch at the words that slipped from him. What was this world coming to?

 

The little fat pig youkai cleared his throat, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. “The lord of the East requests a treaty be installed between you both, that you may end these years of hatred. After all, dog and wolf are brothers in a kind, are they not?”

 

“And what, pray-tell, should the ookami have to offer?” Sesshoumaru sneered.

 

“The help of his wolves whenever you should need it, and the sharing of crops and cattle is what he offers in order to create this treaty.” The pig youkai cringed, his little beady eyes darting from the exit to the agitated canine in front of him. He tried to relax himself as much as possible; he knew he couldn't outrun the Daiyoukai before of him. Plus, fear made the chase much sweeter to their kind.

 

“The ookami must give me a quarter of his lands in order for this treaty to begin.” Sesshoumaru stated. Bleh, not that he needed that damn wolf's land anyways. Stupid wolves.

 

“I am certain he will consent Daiyoukai Sesshoumaru.” The pork-chop scuttled away, hooves clicking with sharp little steps. Little squealing piglet noises could be heard as he disappeared down the hallway. This caused a female cougar to snicker in the background only to be shushed overdramatically by her mate.

 

She only laughed harder.

 

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Japan-lingo:

 

Kagome-chan wa doko desu ka: Where is Kagome?

(I sang this on my trip to Japan, except instead of Kagome-chan, I said “Tabemono” (food) >_> Believe me, after a while of being in Japan you'll crave greasy American food. (I was only there for 18 days))

 

Hidoi desu! Or in American: “That's awful!!” or “How cruel!”

 

 

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AN: Ok, not really much happening here yet. I'm forming the plot as the story gets pulled from my noggin. Its already forming (I think) and I'm interested in where my brain will lead it. I have bad news to inform you with. I believe I have trouble finishing things. >_< You should see the fanfics I haven't finished on FF.net. It's awful! So, for a while I wrote one-shots only. This will be my first try at a multi-chapter fanfic in. . . . A year perhaps? Hmm. . . . I know this chapter isn't long. I'm going to try my damnedest to make the next ones longer, more humorous, maybe more dramatic . . . add a bit of lusty intentions . . . -gurgle-

 

By the way, I named the chapter title after Dori on Finding Nemo because it fits Kagome perfectly. Can't you imagine her, after being hurt by InuYasha singing "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" to keep herself happy and moving on?

 

Anyways, for my first writing attempt in years, please review kindly and respectively. Please include constructive criticism or just plain nice things to say. I do not take kindly to rude, boorish people. Fear my Irish wrath >:C