InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Mind's Eye ❯ Nozomi's Story ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

AN: Wow! I'm amazed at all the positive feedback that this story received… And thank you, everyone who left a comment! (Wow…! I'm still quite taken aback…)

By the way, Kagome might seem pretty OOC in this chapter; but then again, I think that- with her situation- it's likely that anyone would act like this… All mild and depressed, and such. I know that I, for one, would. Actually, I'd probably be worse.

Responses!:

Kumoritora: Why, thank you! It's one of those things that you think up when you're bored and have nothing better to do. I have a lot of ideas like that, but most of them are incredibly stupid…

FFchick: Don't worry, it won't be so sad for long. (I hope!) Well what I mean is, I'm not trying to write angst or anything. So hopefully the next few chapters will be more upbeat than the last one.

Rayel: Thank you! (I don't know what else to say… XD. I'm not very good at this, am I? Sorry.)

Kathryn Angelle: Heh heh… sorry for the confusion! I call Kagome's grandfather "Mr. Higurashi" because he doesn't really have a first name (at least as far as I am aware…). And calling him "Grandpa" in the narration seems rather odd to me while writing it.

Tiamath: Thank you! I really tried to boost my writing up in this one. While looking over Haunted, I realized that some parts were really quite slapdash. An attempt at redemption, I guess you could say.

Flame-sama: I used the dilating solution as the source of Kagome's blindness because I HATE the stuff and it burns, and because none of the diseases that render the afflicted blind do so as suddenly as an accident. Of all the scenarios that would render the poor girl blind, I found that this one was the most plausible. Well, as of now they don't know why her eyes reacted the way they did. I'm still turning over reasons as to why in my mind… It'll appear in the later chapters, I promise!

Mina7: Thank you! I'm actually feeling slightly intimidated by the malleability of the story thus far; so many possibilities! But then, at the beginning it's pretty much always like that. Hopefully I'll get it going in a good direction.

Katashi: No worries! I'm obligated now, no stopping!

Inu Kaiba: Wow, thanks! I really don't know what to say… but thank you, and I'm glad that you like it!

rin sama1989: I've always wondered how one of the characters would respond to being seriously disabled in some way, and I agree. It's fascinating to see how people think the afflicted would respond to it. Well, I hope that you didn't have to wait too long!

Purely Mistake: Thank you! I guess weird wasn't quite the right word, was it? More like… different. Non-mainstream.

DogDemon-4-Life: I'm sorry you feel that way about the bunnies. They are my dividers, because I hate using exes. I used haitches for a while, but those sucked and I killed them before they were published. The bunnies are so much more original! (No, I'm not spasmontically sticking little animals throughout the entire story just for kicks. That would be stupid.)

Candy617: Waah! I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to make it depressing or anything! (When you really think about it though, being blind after relying on sight so long must be so terrible…) Don't worry, I wouldn't make it so that Kagome's stuck without her eyesight because that is depressing. Really depressing.

Carly: Hello to you, too! Thank you, and I will keep writing! (I'm not going anywhere any time soon.)

Disclaimer: Not mine! (Obviously…)

The Mind's Eye

Chapter Two: Nozomi's Lesson

"Are you sure, Kagome?" Mrs. Higurashi chewed on her lip worriedly. "I mean, it's so soon after the accident. Maybe you should learn to adjust to your… condition before going back."

Kagome wrestled the large yellow backpack onto her back and fixed her sunglasses, which had gone slightly askew during her struggles. "Yeah. I should at least stop by and say hello." Her smile held a slightly grim note. "Hey, where's the door?" she asked nonchalantly, as if it didn't matter.

"Here." Inuyasha grabbed her arm and carefully led her to the side. "Watch the steps," he cautioned. Amber eyes flickered in Mrs. Higurashi's direction. The worried mother smiled quickly in return and glanced back at her daughter.

"Well, if you're sure," she said reluctantly. "But be careful, okay? Don't go wandering away somewhere…" she trailed off awkwardly. Kagome could "wander" anywhere without anyone's help.

"I'll be fine, Mom." Kagome stopped at the bottom step and turned carefully until she was facing the doorway. "Besides, I've got Inuyasha to protect me, right?" She grinned in the demi-demon's direction and he shifted awkwardly. Kagome turned back to her mother. "I'll see you in… a few days, I guess."

"…Okay. You're sure about this, Kagome?" the older woman confirmed, one hand gripping the doorframe like a vice. The black-haired girl nodded firmly. "Well… goodbye! Say hello to your friends for me!"

"Bye, Mom!" Kagome waved back as Inuyasha led her slowly towards the well-house. "You can go faster, you know," she informed the hanyou. "I'm not an old lady." A white ear flicked in annoyance.

"The footing's difficult," he shot back as he led her up the creaky wooden stairs. "Whoa, careful!" Kagome stumbled over the entrance. "See? What did I tell ya?" Kagome sighed heavily in response.

It was slow going, and she was getting impatient as her companion led her delicately down the dusty wooden steps that she'd known since a child. Despite her familiarity with the well-house, she found herself stepping carefully, unsure of the footing. Countless times she'd hurried down the creaky wooden slats without a second's thought.

"Last step." Inuyasha's voice broke through her thoughts. Her brown school shoes tapped quietly against the floor as the still cool air of the well-house swirled around her ankles. They stopped at the edge of the well and Kagome flinched in surprise as she felt Inuyasha's hands around her waist. "I'm just going to pick you up so you don't fall over when we go through," he explained unnecessarily. She'd just been surprised, that was all.

Dank air rushed by and blew back her hair as the plummeted towards the bottom. The familiar drifting feeling of traveling through time surrounded her, and then her feet hit the heavy moist dirt. She stumbled again and Inuyasha kept her upright. "I'm gonna jump now."

The air rushed by again and they were out of the well. Kagome took hesitating steps forward and the grass swished softly around her ankles. "Kagome, this way." Feeling rather foolish, the black-haired girl turned towards his voice and a familiar clawed hand grabbed her arm. "Come on." His voice was gruff.

They trudged carefully down the path; small twigs and leaves crunching underfoot as they went. Nervously, Kagome adjusted the concealing sunglasses and wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on the soft fabric of her skirt. Inuyasha stopped suddenly and Kagome turned nervously. "Is someone there?" she asked Inuyasha in a nervous whisper.

"Kagome?" Shippo's voice wavered from somewhere around her feet. Small arms wrapped themselves around her legs and a tiny body pressed itself against them. Kagome's smile was bittersweet as leaned over and picked up the kitsune.

"Hi, Shippo," Kagome replied quietly. "How've things been while I was gone?" Large green eyes stared up at her, unbeknownst to the blind girl. His bottom lip trembled slightly as he reached a small hand up towards the strange things covering her sightless eyes. A small voice in the back of his mind wondered it these things that made her blind, maybe if he took them off…

"Back off, Shippo," Inuyasha barked harshly, amber eyes smoldering intensely in the expression he usually wore when thinking of Kikyo. The kitsune hastily drew back his hand. There was an awkward silence disturbed only by the hushed murmurs of leaves as they rustled in a light breeze. Kagome laughed nervously.

"Let's go see Kaede, okay?" She turned in Inuyasha's direction. Wordlessly, he led her forward again. Shippo clung tightly to the fabric of her shirt and Inuyasha's grip on her elbow tightened slightly as the sounds of village life reached her ears. As they reached the outskirts, all talking slowly died down.

"Well? What are you staring at?" Inuyasha demanded roughly. Kagome smiled nervously. They were probably staring at her. The half-demon led her away hastily as the familiar noises of the village slowly resumed. "Gawping idiots," he muttered under his breath. "Oh, here's Sango," he said for Kagome's convenience.

"Hi, Sango!" She forced a smile on her face and waved cheerfully ahead, assuming that the demon exterminator was coming from that direction. Insecurity surrounded her like a shroud. She was completely helpless. A once familiar world was clouded, unreachable. She'd never felt so alone and helpless.

"Kagome?" Her friend's voice was soft and filled with worry. "Are you alright?" A hand briefly touched her arm, and Kagome stubbornly kept her mouth upturned in a smile so fake that it almost made her laugh. The truth? She was not all right at all. All at once, she was a stranger in this familiar scenario; the villagers stopped to stare and whisper, Inuyasha was silent and unreachable.

"I'm okay." She shrugged and adjusted the unfamiliar sunglasses. With a small tug on her elbow, Inuyasha led her through the village. As they went, Kagome could here the village sounds slowly die down to whispers as she passed. She felt Sango take her other elbow, and the two of them led her away, shielding her from the stares of the villagers. With defiant green eyes, Shippo stared them down until they went back to work. The tension was almost tangible between them.

"Oh, Kagome!" Sango's voice was falsely light. "Miroku said that he and Kaede wanted to talk to you. Something about seeing again." Kagome's false smile melted away into a genuine one and she turned eagerly towards her friend.

"Really?" A painful hope bubbled in her chest and she said giddily, "What do I have to do?" Sango smiled at the eagerness in Kagome's voice. The exterminator glanced at Inuyasha. The hanyou stared straight ahead, his expression as unreadable as his brother's so often was.

"Why don't you ask them?" Sango let go of Kagome's elbow. "Watch the step. We're at Kaede's." Kagome nodded eagerly and hurried up the steps, carefully feeling for the door.

"Ah, Kagome!" Miroku's voice was friendly and inviting. Whatever tension or awkwardness he currently felt towards her was hidden well beneath his smooth welcome. "I have some good news. It could be possible for you to-"

"regain my sight?" Kagome finished. Inuyasha let go of her elbow and she sat down on the floor of Kaede's hut, tucking her feet beneath her as the familiar worn wood scraped against her legs. Shippo detangled his small hands from her shirt and sat down on her lap.

"Have you ever heard the story of the woman Nozomi, the blind woman who could see?" Kaede's voice came from another corner of the room and Kagome turned in her direction. Taking her silence as a "no", the old priestess continued. "Nozomi was a blind priestess who managed to see through her powers. I believe that Miroku knows the story better than me."

The black-haired man nodded and frowned as he thought. "I believe that she went blind as a child. Her eyesight deteriorated over time until she couldn't see at all." Kagome nodded. "But she possessed rather remarkable spiritual powers. I'm not sure about how she learned, completely. The legend is ancient, far older than even Midoriko's. But as far as I know, she managed to train herself to be aware of her surroundings through her power, to become so sensitive to it that she could 'see' things within her mind." The monk paused. "Or so the legend says," he amended.

"But how did she train herself to be more aware?" the black-haired girl asked curiously, eagerness swelling through her voice. "Do you mean, like meditating?" Miroku glanced at Kaede, who shrugged in response.

"That's what I'm assuming," he replied. His voice took on a more serious tone. "Kagome, we don't know for sure if this will help at all, but I'm curious as to whether or not you can still 'see' the Shikon Shards."

Kagome paused and fumbled with the large fragment around her neck. Looking down, she could still see it, almost. She knew where it was, but it didn't register within her vision. "I can, it's still there." Her voice was low and excited. "It's not something I can see, though. I just know where it is." It was difficult to explain. Before, she always saw the shards with her eyes and located them through that.

"Hm," Kaede remarked cryptically. The others looked at her expectantly. "Kagome sees the things that others cannot through her mind, not her eyes," the old priestess explained. "If she could somehow hone those senses to do what her eyes once did…" She trailed off, allowing everyone to absorb the implications of her statement.

"Just as Nozomi did," Miroku added. He hesitated for a moment, then went on. "But be careful. Nozomi's… death involved some mysterious circumstances. No one really knows what happened to her."

Kagome smiled nervously. "What do you mean? Are you saying that her powers somehow killed her?" Maybe this was a bad idea after all. If the price of her "sight" was her life, then she'd rather just be blind.

She could almost hear the shrug in Miroku's reply. "That's what I mean. No one knows. As far as the legend goes, she just disappeared." Kagome tucked the Jewel Shards back into her shirt. In her mind, they shone like small bright pinpricks of light among darkness.

"What do I have to do, to learn?" She'd just have to be careful. Besides, this Nozomi could've disappeared under normal circumstances. Miroku said that no one knew. To her left, cloth rustled.

"Are you sure, Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice was rough, but serious. The black-haired girl nodded firmly. "It might kill you, if what's-her name's disappearance had anything to do with it."

"Nozomi," Miroku corrected, receiving a careless grumbled from Inuyasha. To Kagome, he remarked, "I would recommend opening your mind to your surroundings."

Behind the sunglasses, Kagome's sightless eyes blinked. "And how do I do that?" she asked patiently and sighed. "This is going to take a lot of work, isn't it?" She propped her chin up on her knees.

"Giving up already?" The caustic remark came from Inuyasha. "I knew you would." There was smug satisfaction in his voice as he goaded her on. Kagome fell for the bait.

"No way!" she retorted heatedly. "Who said I was giving up?" He'd certainly recovered his attitude quickly. "I was just wondering, that's all." She turned in Kaede's direction. "How long will it take, do you think?"

Kaede paused before replying. "I can't be sure. I have never encountered this particular situation. I believe that seeing again could take anywhere from just a month to half a year." Kagome slumped in her seat. "But with your… exceptional talents, I would say a month or two, if you really work at it."

Kagome nodded eagerly and the glasses slipped from her nose slightly. Hastily, she pushed them back up. "I will." She paused again. "But what do I do?"

"Well," Miroku began hesitantly from her right. "I'm not quite sure. Neither is Kaede." Kagome slumped over again with a sigh. "But-" he interjected quickly, "-it makes sense to try and widen your perception of the world through your powers."

"And how do I do that?" Kagome demanded with exasperation. "I need something definite here. How do I 'widen my perceptions'?" Miroku ran a hand through his black hair and looked at the blind girl with bemusement.

"You just… do it." Purple eyes glanced at Inuyasha and quickly away as the hanyou started to growl with irritation. "That is to say, observe more closely through your powers. Associate them in your mind with what your eyes would normally do- take in the world around you."

"But," Kaede added. "This means that you will constantly be using your powers, Kagome. It will be tiring, and perhaps your ability to purify will diminish. Your powers will be directed at seeing rather than purifying." Kagome nodded.

"Of course," Miroku took up the conversation where the old priestess left off. "If you build up your powers, you'll be fine in both regards." They all looked at Kagome. The black-haired girl pushed the sunglasses- what an odd contraption! Miroku thought- back into place and nodded firmly.

"I'll try it." She smiled grimly. "Starting now."

_|__|_

(•.•)

--( • )--

(____)

Kagome sighed and rubbed her temples. Easier said than done. It had been two days already, and she hadn't improved at all. She wasn't even sure what she was trying to do.

Around her, leaves whispered in the wind. The cool breeze lifted her hair from the back of her neck. The sun beat down upon her exposed knees and she curled them towards her chest. The long grass waved around her, gently caressing her arms and ankles. She could feel these things, hear them. But she couldn't see them. She didn't even know how to access her powers. She was pretty much untrained in that regard. "Not like Kikyo," she murmured, the name slightly stinging her lips.

"What about Kikyo?" She jumped, startled, and got to her feet. To her left, the grass swished quietly, signaling the hanyou's approach. Dusting off her short green skirt, she turned in the direction of the sound.

"Oh! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she stammered and sat back down. "I didn't see- notice you, Inuyasha." She received a snort in reply as he joined her in the grass.

"I guess that means your training's not going so well." She nodded in agreement and grabbed at the grass. She plucked a blade and twirled it between her fingers. He paused, and they both sat in silence for a moment. "What about Kikyo?" he asked again.

"Well, she wasn't here if that's what you mean," Kagome said flatly. "You came running at the sound of her name, didn't you?" she accused. It seemed like something he would do, and it stung.

"I was here all along, idiot." Inuyasha's voice was disgruntled.

"Oh." The wind blew again and a coarse cloth -probably Inuyasha's long sleeve- brushed against her crossed leg. She flinched.

"Someone needs to make sure that demons don't come along, looking for the Shikon and carry you off," he replied, by way of explanation. "Especially since you wouldn't even notice."

Kagome bit her lip and didn't respond. It was true; she didn't notice him when he'd been around for who knows how long. How could she see another-

"Demon!" She turned towards the disturbance. "There's a demon, over there somewhere!" She pointed in the direction that she felt the aura. Next to her, the grass rustled as Inuyasha stood up.

"What did I tell you? Stay right there, Kagome," he told her. She heard Tetsusaiga slide out of its sheath and then transform. Remembering Kaede's instructions, she tried to pinpoint the demon's location in her mind. Distantly, she heard bushes rustle as the beast moved in closer.

There was a low growl, and she shuddered in spite of herself. Before at least, she could see the demon and knew where it was. Now… it was simply a feeling, a presence coming vaguely from the right. The demon itself wasn't frightening. She'd dealt with those before. It was not knowing. Who said that ignorance was bliss?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Inuyasha drawled. "Shut up and come out so I can kill ya." The bushes thrashed as the demon revealed itself. "No Shikon?" the hanyou asked her. Kagome shook her head in the negative. "Good." Tetsusaiga came down with a rush of wind that tugged at her hair and clothes, and the demon screamed. She heard it collapse on the grass.

"Inuyasha!" The demi-demon turned, a bored expression on his face. Miroku stopped at the edge of the clearing; Sango following closely behind him with Hiraikotsu swung over one shoulder. "We heard the screams." He stopped by the well, a few feet from Inuyasha.

"You're a little late," Inuyasha replied and put his sword back in its sheath. "But if you wanna help, you could suck up all this garbage." He indicated the gory mess left by Tetsusaiga's attack. "Ow!" Miroku's staff came down upon his skull with a jangle of metal.

"I'm not a maid, here to clean up after your messes," Miroku retorted. But all the same, the demon's carcass -or rather chunks of carcass- was quite disgusting and would end up stinking and bloated in a few day's time. It was for the best to suck it up. Deftly, he removed the prayer beads from around his wrist and pulled the gory mess into the void.

"You say that, and do it anyway." Inuyasha sat down on the grass next to Kagome again. He glanced at her. She hadn't moved since the demon appeared. "Kagome? Are you still alive?" She slowly turned her head towards him, a small smile of delight on her face. Inuyasha leaned forward in concern. "Hey, are you alright? You look a little, um, weird."

"I can see!" Her smile widened. "I see the well!" She paused. "That is the well, right?" She pointed at the wooden establishment. Inuyasha looked at her in surprise and Miroku sat down in the grass across from her.

"That was fast," Inuyasha commented dryly. "Can you see anything else?" Kagome paused, her brow furrowed in concentration as she focused. The others waited patiently.

"It's difficult," she said eventually. "I can't- I don't really know how to really use my powers on purpose, except for arrows." She sighed and shrugged unhappily. "But I can't shoot those any more because I'd miss completely, being blind-" she spat the word, "and all." Sango sat down and patted her on the shoulder comfortingly.

"But if you work hard, it'll be as if you never lost your sight," she reminded her friend, trying to keep her motivated. Knowing from personal experience, it was best to focus on what she could accomplish and try not to dwell on what was lost. A dark-haired young boy, smiling shyly, entered her thoughts briefly and she smiled sadly.

Kagome nodded. "You're right," she said reluctantly and tried again. How exactly did it feel when she sensed the demon? What did she do? Trying to recall that exact feeling, things started to flicker in her perception again. There was the well. The Shikon shards around her neck were obvious, the evil aura of the forest less so. And so slight that she barely noticed it was something… "What's that?" she reached out a hesitant hand, unsure of what she was touching. "Here…"

"You can see Hiraikotsu?" Sango's voice was surprised. Kagome nodded and withdrew her hand, trying at the same time to keep her mind open. "I guess it does have an aura, with it being a demonic weapon." It was hard and she was losing it.

"Barely," she admitted. "It's like-oh, darn it!" She banged her fist against the ground in frustration. "I lost it!" She sighed. "I can't keep a grip on it, whatever it is. It's really hard to concentrate."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," Miroku assured her. The grass rustled as he stood. "I'm quite surprised, actually. It's only been two days since you first began, and already you've managed to see, even if it's only a bit."

Kagome nodded and pushed the sunglasses back on the bridge of her nose. "Yeah. Kaede did say that it would take me a while to get used to it." She turned towards Miroku's voice. "Will it be like seeing? Or just knowing where things are?"

She heard the monk sigh. "That I do not know, but it makes sense to think that you will experience your surroundings as you do now." Kagome swallowed hard and nodded. She turned away and plucked at grass that she couldn't see.

Kagome heard Sango stand up as well. After a pause, they left, the grass swishing as they walked away and Miroku's staff jingling quietly. She bit her lip, despair welling up inside her. She would never see again, unless the doctors at home came up with a miracle cure. She'd hoped that if she mastered this other seeing technique, she might be able to really see again, with colors and people. But all this "sight" was, was sensing auras. "It's better than nothing." But it did little to console her. Already she missed the sunset, the lush green of grass and the earthy browns of the clay jars that Kaede used. It was hard to imagine that once she took all these things for granted.

A hand rested briefly on her shoulder; she'd forgotten that Inuyasha was there. "Just give it some time," he murmured softly. His haori rustled as he pulled his hand away.

Kagome's smile was bittersweet as she nodded in agreement.

(\ /)

(•. •)

(><)

"Did it go well, Kagome?" Kaede looked up at the blind girl as Inuyasha led her through the doorway and into her hut. The black-haired girl's expression was unreadable, partly due to the strange things that she had on her face.

"She saw Hiraikotsu's aura today," Miroku answered. "And the well's also." They glanced at Kagome as she fumbled with her shoes and sat down on the rough wood floor. Inuyasha sat down in the nearby corner.

"It's hard to keep concentrating, though," Kagome admitted. "I could only hold if for a few seconds." She crossed her legs and leaned back against the wall wearily. The glasses slipped down her nose and she pushed them back up again. "I should go and get another pair," she complained. "These really don't fit."

Shippo looked at her curiously as he tossed around a bright red rubber ball that Kagome had given him a while ago. "What do they do?" The ball bounced away from him and he chased after it, earning a bump on the head from Inuyasha when the bouncing thing hit him in the shoulder.

"They hide my eyes," Kagome said after a moment. "In my time, blind people wear them so that other people don't see their eyes. Normal people wear them when the sun is bright."

Shippo nodded absentmindedly and rubbed at the bump on his head as he made his way back to where he was sitting. Kagome sighed again and tried to use her powers again. It wasn't working. Whatever she had done before wasn't happening again.

"-Me?" Kaede's voice broke through her concentration. "Kagome? Did you hear me?" The black-haired girl shook her head slightly and turned in the direction that the priestesses voice came from.

"Sorry. What?"

"In your time, you said that your doctors can do amazing things. Would they perhaps be able to fix your eyes?" Kaede repeated. Kagome shrugged and sat up slightly.

"It depends. The doctors are doing experiments right now to see what went wrong. Normally, people don't go blind from the dilation solution that they put in your eyes." She laughed bitterly. "I guess I was the lucky one, then." No one had anything to say to that.

After a moment, Miroku broke the silence. "Were you just trying to use your powers again, Kagome?" The fire cackled quietly as someone shifted the logs about. The black-haired girl nodded, a frown creasing her forehead.

"I don't know what went wrong, though," she admitted. The smell of burnt wood spread around the hut as Kaede brought the fire to life. "I couldn't get a hold of it like I did before." She sighed heavily. "I couldn't find it."

"Maybe you weren't looking hard enough." The caustic remark came from none other that Inuyasha. Kagome's temper flared as she whirled on the hanyou.

"What do you know about it?" She snapped, eyes behind the sunglasses stinging angrily. What she really needed right now was some sympathy, not Inuyasha's customary rude and insensitive attitude.

"You always give up so easily." She could hear the shrug in his voice, coupled with a brusque roughness. "You'll never get anything done if you keep giving up when it gets hard. If you don't stick to it, you'll regret it," he added, before falling silent again.

"Inuyasha…" There was awe in Miroku's voice as he responded. "That is quite possibly the most mature statement I have ever heard you make." Despite her present emotional state, Kagome was had to repress a giggle.

"Are you implying something, monk?" Inuyasha asked sharply, amber eyes flashing dangerously. Miroku merely shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. Sango looked up from where she was polishing Hiraikotsu- a nightly ritual- and glanced between the two. Her brown eyes turned to Kagome.

"It'll take time," she reminded the younger girl. "Remember what Kaede said?" She looked back at the old priestess, who nodded as she adjusted a log in the fire pit. The fire hissed and spat out sparks as she rotated one of the larger bits to the left, the embers glowing and lighting the darkening room with a soft orange glow.

"I'm surprised that you've gotten even this far in just two days," Kaede admitted. "With the little training that you've had, and the amount of time that you've had you've made magnificent progress."

Kagome smiled slightly, the firelight playing across the dark lenses of her glasses and reflecting the image. "I'd forgotten," she murmured softly and turned away. It had only been two days, and already familiar faces and places that she thought were set firmly in her memory were starting to fade. The last four days since she'd lost her sigh days seemed like an eternity in itself, a dark one filled with nothing but a relentless despair.

Abruptly she stood up and felt her way to the door. "Kagome, where are you going?" Kaede's voice was concerned as she somehow managed to find her shoes and struggled to put the on. At last standing upright with her shoes on, she shrugged.

"Out. I'll be back in a bit." Although her tone was gentle, they all detected a firmness that forbade any of them to try and stop her. The fire popped and hissed, the orange light dancing across the floor of the small room as the others sat in tense silence, Kagome's footsteps muffled against the earth. Kaede glanced at Inuyasha, followed soon after by Sango, then Miroku.

He glared back at them for a moment, the gave in. "Fine, fine! I'll go follow her," he grumbled and stood up, tossing one resentful glance over his shoulder as he pushed aside the door. His footsteps gradually disappeared, leaving them in silence once more. Purple eyes glanced towards the door, then to the other two. Kaede stared back blankly. Sango shrugged. Wordlessly, he stood up and quietly snuck out after the hanyou.

Sango sighed and shook her head as she stood up and followed him, leaving Hiraikotsu back in the hut as she padded softly behind him. Kaede stared back at the fire, a small amused smile playing across her lips. She shook her head ruefully and glanced at Shippo. The kitsune was asleep, a small frown creasing his forehead his even breathing filled the silence of the hut. She patted him on the head gently and moved back to tend to the guttering fire.

_|__|_

(•.•)

--( • )--

(____)

"Sh."

The bushes rustled quietly as Miroku peeked over the edge, purple eyes wide with interest as he watched Inuyasha trail Kagome. The black-haired girl was fumbling across the meadow and towards the forest.

"You 'sh'!" Sango retorted in a whisper as she poked her head up, eyes piercing the nighttime darkness. She shivered slightly in the cold. The air had a bite to it, tonight, she noticed. Moonlight pierced the dense foliage overhead, lighting the ground below milky white patches; soon it would be the New Moon. Above the clearing where Kagome sat- head in hands as she rubbed her temples wearily- stars glittered brightly in the velvety sky. Sango sighed. It was so beautiful. Somehow, it always managed to impress her whenever she paused to look around her. She glanced to the side, at first surprised when Miroku leaned closer towards her, then annoyed.

"Back off, pervert!" She hissed as loudly as she dared, her blush hidden by the dark night. Miroku backed away, his hands in the air in a placating gesture. She glanced at Inuyasha. The hanyou was standing stiffly at the other end of the meadow, clearly uneasy at following Kagome around.

"I know you're there, Inuyasha." At Kagome's voice, the two in the bushes looked up and refocused their attention. Things were starting to get interesting. They looked at the hanyou. His sigh was weary rather than bad-tempered as he trudged across the meadow and sat down next to her. His voice carried across the meadow and over the wind as it rustled the long grass and the leaves on the trees in the forest.

"Hey." Sango almost snorted. A typical Inuyasha response. He glanced at the girl sitting next to her. Weariness and despair turned down the corners of her mouth, and she tried to smile back at him.

"Hi," she replied. The smile didn't stay fixed. It wavered, then melted away again. She shuddered slightly; it was cold and the grass was damp. A warm thick fabric was draped over her awkwardly, and she turned towards Inuyasha.

"Can't have you getting sick, can we?" he stated matter-of-factly and shrugged. He looked down at the grass.

"Thanks." Kagome settled his haori around her tighter. The wind blew softly in gusts, toying with the long grass and causing the leaves to stir and whisper amongst themselves. Neither of them had anything to say.

"You wanna come back inside now?" Inuyasha finally asked. Kagome nodded and he helped her stand, his haori still wrapped around her. They walked back to Kaede's in silence.

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(•. •)

(><)

"The shards up there!" Kagome pointed up towards where she felt the shard. "It's moving now, to the left!" She concentrated, trying to open her mind as Kaede said. There it was; the demon's aura. But this time… she frowned and bit her lip, willing herself to "see".

This time, it wasn't just an aura. It had a shape; that of a many-legged insect of some kind. For the first time in the last five days since she'd started the training, a true sunny smile broke out on her face. "I can see it! It's in the head!"

"Got it!" Inuyasha called back as he leaped over a rock and towards the demon, amber eyes narrowed with concentration as he raised Tetsusaiga over his head for the final blow. "Hah!" The sword whistled through the air and came down upon the centipede, severing the head from the rest of it.

The body thrashed and convulsed, crashing into trees and knocking them over. Calmly, Miroku removed the prayer beads from around his arm and sucked up the body. He sighed. It seemed that lately, he'd just been the cleanup; the demon in the meadow, this centipede…

"You saw it!" Shippo jumped onto Kagome's shoulder and grinned widely. "You saw the demon!" Sango patted her friend on the shoulder and congratulated her; Miroku nodded and smiled. Even Inuyasha couldn't keep a smug smirk off of his face as he looked at the delighted girl.

Kagome laughed. "I got it!" She made her way slowly towards where she sensed the Shikon Shard and stooped to pick it up. She could feel it purify instantly in her mind, the distorted, dark tint that registered in her mind erased. She fumbled with the shards around her neck and added it to the bottle, the smile still on her face and a feeling of accomplishment making her happier than she'd been in days.

Without a backward glance at the battleground behind them, a mess of shattered trees and upturned earth, the five left, Kagome riding on Inuyasha's back as usual, with Sango and Miroku on Kirara. Kagome smiled slightly as the wind rushed by, lifting the hair from the back of her neck and whipping it around.

They'd left two days ago after they'd all agreed that Kagome was ready -they would've left the day before if it wasn't for Inuyasha, surprisingly- and resumed their normal activities: fighting demons, hunting Naraku and traveling across Japan. Kagome's power's seemed to be adjusting in little bits; today was the first day that she'd been able to pick up the shape of the demon through it's aura.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku looked down from Kirara's back to the half-demon as he sped along down below. He looked up. "It's getting dark. We should probably find a village soon, or a place to camp." The hanyou hesitated for a moment, the nodded grudgingly in consent. "I suggest we search over there." Miroku pointed towards rolling hills in the distance, illuminated by the sinking sun as it dipped lower on the horizon.

"What?" Kagome frowned. Inuyasha glanced at her. "There's a demonic aura, approaching quickly from behind us!" Her voice took on a relieved note as her heightened senses recognized the demon. "It's only Myoga, never mind."

Inuyasha sighed and resheathed his sword. Sure enough, a small bird swooped down from overhead and a miniscule speck dropped from its feathers. "Inuyasha-sama!" A familiar voice rang out squeakily. "I am so glad to see you!" The others were already back on the road. "Wait!"

The flea demon hurried after and leaped onto Kagome's shoulder. "Hello, Kagome!" Myoga settled down on the blind girl and adjusted the sack around his shoulders.

"Oh hi, Myoga!" Kagome's light mood carried into her voice as she greeted the miniscule demon. "Where'd you run off to this time?" Myoga bristled at the accusation, despite it's accuracy.

"I was gathering information!" He said hotly. In a more inquisitive tone, he asked her, "Kagome, what is that on your head?" He bounced up and down on her shoulder for a better look.

The black-haired girl barely flinched, but Inuyasha felt her tense on his back. Her reply was calm and almost nonchalant. "Oh, these?" She let go of his shoulder with one hand to point at the sunglasses. "They're called sunglasses. In my time, blind people wear them." The grassy hills surrounding them were reflected upon the glassy surface of the lenses

"Then why are you wearing them?" Myoga asked obliviously. "You can see perfectly well, right?" He paused when no one said anything, eyes widening with shock. "What?! You mean… you can't see?" Kagome nodded grimly, her grip on Inuyasha tightening just enough for him to notice. "But… how? When?" The flea sniffed unhappily. "Oh, how horrible! For one so young, with so much of your life ahead of you! This is so terrib-"

Inuyasha's thumb silenced him abruptly. "Shut up," he told his retainer tightly. "We already know all that. Besides," he glanced at the silent girl on his back. "Kagome's learning how to see again." That evoked a small smile from the suddenly quiet girl. And just when Kagome was starting to act like herself again… "Damned old flea," he muttered under his breath.

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(•. •)

(><)

"Are you sure, Houshi-sama?" the stooped man glanced anxiously at the large house behind him, eyebrows drawing together anxiously. "There have been no sick, none possessed in my house."

Miroku nodded solemnly. "As the demon would want it to be." He pulled out a sutra. "But I can see the aura from here. A malignant demon indeed. It feeds off its hosts slowly. I expect that you wouldn't experience any ill effects for several days to come."

In the background, Sango snorted and shook her head. "What a liar," she muttered as she dropped Hiraikotsu on the ground, a small puff of dust pluming up from the dry dirt. Kirara mewed in response.

"Actually, he's telling the truth, Kagome murmured as she focused her powers. "There's… something around the roof. But I barely noticed it at all until he mentioned it." She shrugged. "Miroku's better at this than me, still." She shrugged. It had only been five days, after all. Kaede told her a month at the least, and already she was making quite a lot of progress. It was now easier to access her powers, and they were more sensitive than before.

"So he does tell the truth, every once in a while." After a moment, Sango frowned. "But why is it always the rich man's house…?" She looked sharply at Miroku as he bargained with the village's headman.

"He probably plants the thing there," Inuyasha snorted, arms crossed over his chest. "It's the sort of thing that he'd do." Sango sighed and agreed as Miroku trotted over, staff jingling in his hand.

"We have lodgings," he told them all with a satisfied smile. At their sour looks, he backed away slightly, confused. "What?" Sango put her hands on her hips and looked at him with skeptical brown eyes.

"Why is there always a demon at the headman's house?" she demanded. Inuyasha glared at him, too. Miroku shrugged carelessly.

"They go after the big houses. They have more people in them, I guess." Sango stared relentlessly. "I don't know. Let's just go in now, okay?" He shooed them all ahead and glanced at the roof curiously as the evening sky darkened into night. "Why do they do that…?" He shrugged and went in after the others.

"…story. An ancient priestess, I believe," Myoga acknowledged. "She used her powers to see, as the monk told you." Miroku sat down with the others as they listened to the demon flea. "She was born with sight, but it deteriorated until she couldn't see, at the age of three or so. Another priestess taught her how to use her spiritual powers, and Nozomi ended up using them to see because she was so well trained. It is said that she could 'see' as well as any with true sight, if not better because she could see through things and far into the distance." He frowned slightly. "But she disappeared at the age of six, mysteriously. One day she was there, the next she was gone. No one knows what happened."

Miroku looked at him in surprise. "I wasn't aware that she was just a child. I thought that she was an adult when she disappeared." He whistled appreciatively. "To be that powerful at six…"

Myoga shook his head. "No, she was six or seven. I'm sure of that at least. Perhaps demons feared her and killed her." He paused. "Though at that time, I don't believe that there were many demons. They only started to multiply in the last hundred years or so, with all the slaughter going on."

The others nodded. "But still, six?" Kagome's voice was high with incredulity. "And you said she could see better than people who could see normally."

Myoga nodded, then cleared his throat. "That's right." Kagome sighed enviously and reached for a bao, courtesy of the household in gratitude for getting rid of the demon.

"I'm fifteen and I probably don't know half of what she did!" she protested. "And I wonder, how could she see like normal people? How could she detect trees and mountains with her power? It's not like they have auras, do they?"

"As a Shinto shrine maiden, I'm surprised that you didn't know this," Myoga told her. Kagome bristled slightly as the condescending statement. "Shikon, remember? Four souls? Everything is made up of four souls." Kagome nodded.

"Yeah, but so what?" She chewed her food before continuing. "I mean, what does that have to do with seeing anything?" Myoga shook his head at her ignorance.

"I think that Nozomi could see the souls, somehow. She trained enough that she was able to see even that." The flea hopped from Inuyasha's shoulder to Kagome's. "It is similar to what Midoriko did. She pulled out the souls of demons and righted the balance. Nozomi simply detected the souls and identified them by the balances between the four souls, and the aura of each. All things have auras, however faint, if they have a soul."

"So I'm not that far along at all." Kagome sighed and pulled a piece of the bao she was eating. "And here I thought I was halfway there." Inuyasha glanced at her sourly.

"Giving up again? It's only been five days, and you're already through?" He snorted. "Sometimes I just can't believe you, Kagome." She whirled around, clearly furious. Her sunglasses glinted in the dark

"I already told you, I'm not giving up!" She said stubbornly. "I just didn't realize how much I needed to do…" she murmured, anger abated in a moment. Miroku looked at Myoga curiously.

"You certainly seem to know a lot about Nozomi," he commented. "Did you know her, possibly?" None of them really knew how long Myoga had been around.

Myoga laughed at that. "Of course not! She's way before my time. My grandfather told me about it. It was before his time, too." He shook his head. "No, Nozomi's story is far older than me."

"I thought so," he acknowledged. "Her story isn't often told. Few know of it. Those who do usually don't know much, like me." He glanced at the flea demon on Kagome's knee. "We are lucky to have you around , Myoga."

The old flea beamed. "It's nice to know that someone appreciates me." Cloth rustled in the dark. "Ow!" Inuyasha's thumb came down upon the miniscule demon. "Inuyasha-sama, what did I do?"

"You talk to much," the hanyou replied. Kagome, Sango and Shippo moved to the other side of the screen to sleep. Miroku settled himself on the futon as Inuyasha found a more comfortable position against the wall.

"Sorry," Myoga apologized quickly. "I'll be quiet now."

"Good."

"Okay."

"Shut up, flea."

"Oh yes, sorry."

"Just shut up!"

"I am!"

"No, you're not!"

"You're right. I'm done now."

The others sighed and settled down, sleep muffling their minds and lowering shutting their eyelids as one by one they drifted off.

_|__|_

(•.•)

--( • )--

(____)

"Come on, come!"

Pale hands beckoned from the darkness. "Come with me, come." Slowly, Kagome reached out a hand. "Yes, come on! You have so much to see…" The small hands reached out.

Kagome tried to grab the offered hand, but it sank through her grasp. Gasping, she pulled back. "No, come!" The soft voice called and cajoled, begging and pleading. "Come Kagome! There is so much that you don't know… I can show you!" Her hand went out as the voice appealed to her better nature, but the hands were so far away, lost in the darkness around her. Yearningly, she reached out and tried to cross the distance between them, the flurry of soft whispers urging her on.

"Kagome, Kagome, come with me. I can show you, I can help you."

But no matter how far she walked and how fast she ran for those hands, they never got any closer. She was too far away. She couldn't reach far enough. And still they beckoned to her, trying to hurry her on as long white sleeves flapped.

"Come, come on Kagome, I want to you to see. I can teach you, I can show you what you don't know!"

The black-haired girl slowed to a jog, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She couldn't run any more. The air here was think, like fog. It resisted her movement, almost like running through water.

"Kagome…" The voice was sad. "Don't you want to see? Come with me, you will see, you will know. I can help you…"

"Wait!" Kagome gasped, struggling against the thick atmosphere. "Wait! I want to come!" She pushed ahead and ran again. Behind her, she felt reality shatter. "Wait!" If she ran fast enough, she'd escape the blank behind her as it approached with a silent roar. She didn't look back and just kept running for the hands.

"Come, come on, come with me. I can show you, show you all you wish to see. I can tell you, teach you-"

Kagome sat up quickly, her breath coming in strangled gasps, and tossed the covers aside. It was still night. Everything was dark. She strained her eyes and frowned. Even at night, there was usually some light to see by.

It hit her like a ton of bricks. Of course there was no light. She was blind, after all. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, the strange dream temporarily forgotten. She was blind, and learning to see again, through her powers. She flopped back down on the futon and stared with unseeing eyes up at the ceiling, the words from her dream echoing through her head as she mulled it over.

"Come, come, come…"

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AN: So, how's it going so far? Any complaints? Confusion?