InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Sealed Away ❯ Breaking of the Seal ( Chapter 1 )

Inuyasha does not belong to me. I hope that you all worship at Takahashi Rumiko's feet for this wonderful manga. It's a tad AU, but don't worry. It's still all good.

Ghostly

By: Lazuli

<Lazulidreamer@yahoo.com>

The wind blew back her hair as she tried to keep the dust from tearing up her eyes. Sneezing, she focused on the battle before her. Gods, she never thought that she would see this day. Inuyasha with bloodlust in his eyes, glaring at her, his claws dripping with the remains of what was once his brother. The Shikon no Tama hung limply from his hands, but she dared not to go closer to him. He might turn on her. She looked to her imouto, and it was hell fighting back the tears. A strip of Kaede's kimono was wrapped around her face, to stem the flow of blood as well as to hide the marred space where her eye once was.

"Inuyasha…" She whispered, and she decided to chance it, and step forward. She didn't want to hurt him…no, she loved him too much. She couldn't let the jewel stay in his hands, though.

"Stay back!" She recoiled at the snarling voice coming from the boy that she thought she knew. He clutched the jewel tighter, and seemed to be thinking about something. He took a deep breath and stalked towards where she and her imouto were standing. She couldn't chance it. She couldn't let her imouto get hurt, she couldn't have the Shikon no Tama in a youkai's hands, even one that she knew and thought that she could trust.

Inuyasha may have saved the village from his half brother and that creature, Jaken, but it still did not mean that he would not show his true colors and murder them all. She readied an arrow and him, and was shocked when he took off running toward the wooded area at the edge of the village.

She ran after him, her fear for her village giving her extra speed. She cursed her inexperience that she would let it come to something like this. She spotted the blur of red and white flying in front of her, and without a second thought, she let the arrow she loosed fill with her energy, willing Inuyasha to be sealed away…where no one could free him.

The arrow hit its mark, and Inuyasha's red eyes widened in surprise as the arrow stuck him through the heart. His eyes faded back to their normal golden color, and she was shocked by the depth of his pained emotion there, his filled with the knowledge that he was betrayed by her. They glared at her briefly before finally closing. The jewel in his hands fell toward the ground, but before she could pick it up, it flared like a small sun, and then vanished completely.

Kagome woke with a start, her heart pounding as if she had run a race. It was that dream again. She always dreamed about that. The end of the battle between Inuyasha and his half brother, Sesshoumaru, seeing Inuyasha as a full youkai, then his death and imprisonment. What did it all mean? She ran a hand through her sweat-soaked hair, and took a trembling breath. They were getting more frequent, and she focused more and more on Inuyasha every time she dreamed of it. She glanced at her alarm clock, and the hands cheerfully informed her it was 1: 43 a.m. She groaned and fell back onto her pillows, waiting for sleep to claim her again.

Kagome took in her surroundings and sighed. She wasn't surprised. It was mostly like this when she dreamed. The walls were tinged with a strange energy, and she waited for Inuyasha to appear. He always did. It never took long, either. He just had to yell at her. She supposed that he had reason to tonight. If she were him, she wouldn't want to relive the past over again through a stranger.

Just because the damn jewel that she dreamed about was somehow in *her*, she was going to dream about it all the time. And dream about him. And boy was he going to be ticked tonight. She had picked up a lot more than she usually did, and it was going to be hard to hide her sympathy. He picked up her emotions far too easily…as if they were tied together.

She felt a wave of anger come towards her and she winced, knowing that Inuyasha was due to arrive, and boy was he in a bad mood. She sighed, putting her chin in one hand to contemplate. As always.

"Wench! What the hell do you think you are doing, invading people's private memories?" Inuyasha was suddenly in front of her, golden eyes narrowed in anger as he confronted her. She grinned to herself. All bluster tonight. He must not be as angry as she thought he was, and damn it, even if he was, she wasn't going to let a dream get her down.

"Can it, dog boy! It wasn't exactly my choice to go delving into that pile of memories! You think that I enjoy seeing that happen to you, night after fricking night?"

She shoved a finger not so delicately into his chest, smiling when he winced. "I'm the one who's being put through this for no good reason, Inuyasha! Why don't you calm the flow of those memories of yours?"

He glared at her again and grabbed her hand away from him. "It's none of your business that you are here in the first place! Why don't you go back to your own little dream world, and stop messin' with my privacy? Maybe the dead would like to be left alone."

Kagome shrugged. "Sure, and when you tell me how to avoid meeting you here. Mou, Inuyasha! You're as temperamental as when I first met you! What's gotten your tail twisted?"

He glared at her briefly before smoothing down the front of his kimono. "I don't have a tail." He muttered, then he leaned against something that obviously only he could see. Or maybe it was because he was a ghost, and didn't need anything solid to lean against.

"Eh, I'm just testy, girl. You should know by now that I died however many years ago tomorrow." Kagome nodded, feeling the bottom drop out of her stomach. How could she forget that wretched celebration her family had? She groaned, wishing not for the first time that she could escape it, and spend the time with the person that the celebration was for.

"Hai, Inuyasha, I know. That's probably why I dreamed about it again. You know, I was *her* in my dream again."

Inuyasha stood up, looming over her. "What do you mean, you were her again? Kikyo?" Kagome nodded meekly. "It always happens! I don't mean it, too…." Her voice trailed off, not wanting to make him more irritable then he usually was.

"Never mind, Kagome." He grinned at her startled look, and playfully ruffled her hair. "I know that you don't mean it…" He sighed briefly, a flash of sadness darkening his eyes. "It still hurts, though."

Kagome sighed as well, knowing how much it hurt him, and she cursed her bad luck. Only she would have the ability to see Inuyasha's last moments in life, and experience it through the mind of his killer, the one that he loved.

Mou! She felt herself being awakened, and she smiled sadly at Inuyasha.

"Mama wants to get an early head start on the festival. I'll try and see you tomorrow, Inuyasha. Cheer up. You won't face it alone."

Her surroundings faded around her, and the last thing she saw were Inuyasha's golden eyes staring into her own, with some unknown emotion. She knew that she wouldn't remember that so clearly when she woke up, and tried to hold that emotion for the morning.

Kagome's eyes opened slowly as her mother shook her awake. She was having a dream…about him again. She knew it was about Inuyasha…she felt a terrible longing enter her for a moment, then she shook it off. She couldn't let her mother see that. Mama was too worried about her anyways.

"Kagome…it's time to get up. We have to start setting up for the festival!" At Kagome's bored look she frowned, and yanked the covers off of her, letting the chill of the morning hit her like a slap in the face. She heard a voice in her head and winced. There he was to remind her that she wasn't only dreaming, and that she had to get a move on. She wondered briefly if she was his only entertainment. She refrained from making a remark to him. But oh, would she love to smack the smirk she knew was forming on his face with his words.

:Well, good morning, to you too, Sunshine:

Kagome leaned against the Goshinboku, sighing. She had to get away from all the celebration. She didn't want to be in the festival this year. Her family got worse about it every year. This year was the worst by far. They only mentioned Inuyasha's name once, and that was to say how 'our brave ancestor, Kikyo', had taken down the evil youkai.

He had been murdered in that battle. Unfairly taken down by the village miko. Some say that the jewel held his soul, and that it was forever kept in there. Some say that the village priestess had trapped him there, forever with the jewel that he tried to hard to attain in life…forever linked with it in death. It was true, and she should know. She dreamt about the event every night.

She could imagine that she could see Inuyasha face to face. She knew that she dreamed about him, but she wanted to *see* him, and know that he wasn't just a dream. Vague memories of the dreams danced across her mind after she woke up, but there was always a lingering memory…something that taunted her, making her want to investigate it. She closed her eyes and idly swung the rosary her grandfather gave her.

"It will protect you, Kagome! Keep you from having those dreams about that evil youkai. Wear it well, Kagome! I fear for you…"

This speech of course was giving with lots of tears and gestures, moaning over the beads while her family looked on, mother wiping tears from her eyes and hugging Souta. Kagome rolled her eyes. As if she needed any protecting from an annoying dream.

"Hmph. I wonder what would happen if you *were* free, Inuyasha. Would you still want the Shikon no Tama?"

She held the beads tighter in her hands, not realizing the faint glow that came from around them, from around her as she unconsciously poured power into her wish.

I wish that Inuyasha could be here with me. Her thoughts were cut short when the prayer beads in her hands glowed with a power than even she could see, and then they vanished from her grasp all together.

She rubbed at her eyes; sure that she was seeing things. The beads did not reappear in her hands, however. She felt a strange presence near her and she gasped in shock as her bedazzled eyes met the angry gold ones of the demon that had only been in her dreams before now.Inuyasha…

It was impossible, yet Inuyasha realized that he was out of the jewel's tight confines. He gazed at his surroundings, and realized that he was standing in front of the tree that he had been sealed too, but his body was no longer there. The sound of quiet birdsong filled his ears, and he tried to focus on all the sounds that were making them selves known to him. It was an amazing overload of the senses, but he welcomed it briefly, before realizing that there was a girl in front of his tree. A girl wearing strange clothing, and looking remarkably like Kikyo.

Who was this? He wondered, his eyes boring into the strange girl's, who looked like she had just seen a ghost.

Her eyes stared into his, disbelieving as she mouthed his name to herself.

He took a step forward, wondering…could it be Kikyo? Did he have his chance?

Her eyes were wide with shock at the sight of him, though, and he realized that this wasn't Kikyo…it couldn't be, unless he went back in time when Kikyo was younger. This girl was also not wearing those miko robes that Kikyo always wore.

"Wench…where are we?" He bit out, angry at this situation, angry that he couldn't be confronting Kikyo over what she did to him. Instead someone who looked hauntingly like her taunted him, and she wouldn't know anything about Kikyo.

The girl took a step back, but she didn't seem scared, just shocked. "I…You're in Tokyo. At the Goshinboku tree near my shrine. The Sunset Temple."

He felt his own eyes widen. What the hell was Tokyo, or the Sunset shrine? How long had he been in that jewel?

He couldn't keep on referring to her as the girl, and decided to demand another answer from her. "What's your name? I know that you're not…" He paused, not wanting to say anything to her, but still wanted to know who she was. She might be the daughter or granddaughter of Kikyo for all he knew.

"My name is Higurashi Kagome." She bowed slightly, and an ironic smile hovered at the corner of her lips as she regarded him.

"And you have been dead for over four hundred years." She said softly, noting his surprised look.

"How'd ya know I was thinking about that, wench?" Kagome sighed. "You don't recognize me, after all the talks that we've had? I'm Kagome. You…" At his blank stare she gave up. Either dog boy here was pretending so well that he made it seem that he really didn't know, or he simply didn't remember. After all, she didn't know how it worked in that jewel of his.

"Anyways…I guess I should be going. Mama will be worried about me if I don't get back to the festival soon. She might think I'm talking to ghosts or something again."

Turning her head she started to walk away from him, leaving his staring at her retreating form. What the hell? Even though he knew it was futile, he made a leap and stood in front of her to stop her, expecting her to walk right through him. Evidently she thought the same thing, and she put one hand in front of herself and closed her eyes.

Her whole body stiffened in shock when she hit his solid body, and her confused brown eyes stared into his.

"Inuyasha…are you alive?" Inuyasha himself was surprised, and he gently touched her shoulder, and wasn't as surprised when it landed on it, not going through it. He frowned, and walked towards the Goshinboku, and leaned against it, nearly toppling completely over when he fell through it. He righted himself quickly, but he knew that something was not right here. Was he only solid for this Kagome?

Did she bind him to her with these cursed beads of hers? His golden eyes narrowed in fury. He didn't like being restrained. He loathed it. And if he was solid for her, Inuyasha could 'reason' with her.

"Inuyasha…gomen ne. I didn't mean to bind you. How was I to know that you would really be set free?"

He snorted. "Stupid wench. You have magic, don't you? Aren't you mortals trained in that anymore?"

She glared at him. "I didn't know I had magic, you idiot! I felt sorry for you. I felt as if I knew you…and I was so sick of how people viewed your death."

"Ke. A mortal feeling sorry for a hanyou? I don't believe it. You just think it's funny, don't you? You get your kicks out of torturing the dead?"

Her face grew red with anger as he taunted her, and she lifted a list, looking ready to belt him. He just laughed and patted her head, like he would a child.

"Don't mess with me, wench. I could hurt you if I chose." She shook her head.

"I know where the jewel is, Dog Boy. You want it, you're going to have to have me around."

"Maybe I don't *want* the jewel. Ya ever think about that, Kagome?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him, then she relaxed. "Maybe not. But you could use the jewel to travel back in time or something to be with Kikyo." Her voice was bitter as she spat out the miko's name, and he wondered what she had against Kikyo.

They were both glaring at each other when a boy walked up, smiling at Kagome.

"Higurashi-san! I'm so glad I caught you out here. I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to talk to you alone."

Kagome stared, wondering if Hojo was even denser then she thought, or if she was the only one who could see Inuyasha. She buried her head in her hands. Great. She was caught arguing with a figment of her imagination. She decided to test it, and hang the consequences. After all, everyone already thought she was nuts, they already knew that she talked to Inuyasha when he wanted to.

"Hojo-kun…I'm not alone. Inuyasha is here, too." Hojo gave her a sympathetic look.

"Are you still having those dreams, Higurashi-san? Inuyasha is just a legend. He's long dead, and it's a good thing that he's not here. He's an evil demon that tried to kill your ancestors! To take that jewel that's in you, now! He's probably rip you apart like the monster that he is!"

Kagome winced. Trust Hojo to spill out everything like that. She risked a glance back at Inuyasha, whose eyes were staring into her own. He didn't look very happy, and Kagome thought it would be best to get Hojo out of the way before Inuyasha's patience snapped.

"Uh, Hojo-kun…you know that's not true…and yes…I still am having those dreams. You know I have them every night. Demo…I would like to be alone right now, okay?"

Hojo-kun looked like he wanted to protest, but Kagome gave him her most pleading look and he consented. He had one last parting comment as he walked away, though.

"Kagome, if you need anyone to talk to, come to me, okay? It's not healthy for your only friend to be someone's that not even there."

Kagome smiled at him and waited until he was out of sight and earshot before backing slowly away from Inuyasha. He wouldn't have any problem with killing her now. He could just open her up, find the jewel, and that would be the end of things.

Inuyasha levered Kagome with a look. Why was she looking so frightened of him? Did she think that he honestly wanted the jewel at *this* point? She didn't have a brain in her head if she thought that he wanted to be taken back into the jewel's prison. He wouldn't have anybody there this time, he knew. Wait…he stared at her, something finally making sense. Now he knew why Kagome seemed so familiar to him.

"You were the one who dreamed about me, weren't you? You were the one who was always talking to me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Give the boy a treat! Good job! You honestly didn't remember all the conversations we had?" Her tone was slightly sarcastic, but he heard the underlying sadness in it.

"Did you think that I was Kikyo? That I was there to comfort you solely for you? I am not her!"

His eyes narrowed into slits. "You're a moron if you don't realize that you were Kikyo. Do ya think you'd know her so fuckin' well if you weren't? I wanted to be free so I could confront Kikyo. I didn't realize that so much time had passed."

Kagome shook her head. "You knew my problems. I talked to you every night, so what made you think that we were still in your era? Are you that stupid?"

She shoved a fist into his chest, angry beyond belief. To think that she ever felt anything for this moron was unbelievable. He only wanted to get close to her so that he could cause revenge of the one that killed him. Well, she may have been her at one point, but she wasn't that bitch any longer, and she refused to lay claim to a woman four hundred years dead!

Kagome finally turned to him and smiled. "Well, Inuyasha…its getting late and I better get back to the house before Hojo starts spreading rumors about my illness coming back again. You can go wherever, I guess. I mean, now that you're free…"

Inuyasha nodded silently, and watched her walk off slowly. He stared at her for a few moments before he realized that he was still near her. He didn't remember walking or going forward, he was just suddenly there. He growled. He forgot that he was bound to her. Apparently it meant that he couldn't be apart from her. He wondered if it was the jewel, or Kagome itself. Both had been in connection with him as long as he could remember, as if her soul had visited his before this lifetime.

He silently followed her, letting his self be totally invisible, even to her sight. She might still feel his presence, but she wouldn't be able to see him.