InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The World Through His Eyes ❯ Changes ( Chapter 1 )

The World Through His Eyes  

 

 

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha. I probably don’t even own this idea…because let’s face it…there’s nothing new under the sun, people. I hope I can pull this idea off with some originality though. Also, I guess you could say this is kinda AU…but it takes place in the cannon universe…erg…just read…Oh, and by the way, I certainly don’t own Changes by 3 Doors Down.  

 This chapter has been revised. Due to ff.net’s new rule about lyrics being included in stories I have decided to take out all of the songs that I have been putting in the beginning of the story to set the mood.

 

Chapter One: Changes

I'm not supposed to be scared of anything,  

~*~*~*~*~*~

&nbs p;

Darkness. Cold. Fear. 

Glazed over blue-grey eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling of the small hut. 

Loneliness. Despair. Weakness. 

With trembling limbs and shaking hands, she lay on her futon curled into a small ball. 

She was alone. 

She was afraid. 

She couldn’t see… 

Being blind had always been her worst nightmare. There had been times in her childhood when she would wake up screaming from dreams of eternal darkness. Now those dreams had become her reality. 

Kagome tried to disguise her sobs behind dry coughs. She didn’t want Inuyasha or the others she shared the small sleeping chamber with to hear her, but she didn’t try to hide her tears. What was the point? After all, this was his human night. He couldn’t smell the saltiness anyway.  Memories of the accident played on the blank screen of her mind. Tormenting her because she couldn’t open her eyes and rid herself of their images…  

 

The sun shone through the breaks in the trees with a gentle light. A few young girls from the village diligently carried water from the hot springs for the elderly women who were washing their laundry. Other young women could be seen gleaning herbs from among the tall grasses of the forest. All in all it was a very peaceful scene.

  To Kagome, it looked like something she’d seen on a postcard once when she was a child. A very simple picture of happiness. The only thing that ruined this happy picture was thatshe wasn’t happy. In fact she was seething with frustration. The morning had started out so wonderful and full of promise. There had been no shard rumors to investigate, no people to save, and best of all she had no homework because she was on spring break back in her time. Kagome hadn’t even minded when Kaede had suggested lessons in taming her rogue miko skills.  That’s when the trouble had begun. Even the simplest of rudimentary spells seemed impossible for her to perform today. She couldn’t purify water, or heal even the smallest cut on a child's body. And forget about the harder things like lighting a candle or coaxing seeds to grow. To get to the point…She was a failure.   “I can’t do this! I must be the worst miko on the face of the planet!!” Kagome thunked her head repeatedly on the tree she had been leaning up against.   “Nay child, you are just untrained. You will catch on in good time. Why it took my sister, Kikyou, many years of study to prefect her miko powers.”   ‘Everything always leads back to Kikyou doesn’t it?’   “But I don’t have years! I need to learn now so I can actually fight.” Kagome felt a flutter of desperation in the pit of her stomach.   “Keh, like knowing how to use your miko energy would even help your sorry fighting skills, bitch.”   ‘And Inuyasha always has to see me when I’m at my worst.’  

“I can so fight!” she declared as she glared up at the limb he had taken as his perch. Kagome was convinced there was some bird demon in the hanyou’s distant past. That’s the only way she could explain his obsession with trees.   “Sure, like you fought last week? Your arrow missed that huge fire-fly demon* by a mile.”   Kagome felt her ire rise. How dare he say that to her?   “It wasn’t a mile! And anyway, it wasn’t my fault that it was flying so fast!”   Inuyasha smirked down at her and then yawned loudly, “If it makes you feel better to tell yourself that bitch, then be my guest.” He jumped down from the limb and began walking away as if he had something better to do than sit there and watch her struggle for the rest of the day. Kagome could feel her anger begin to overwhelm her. Suddenly, it was all too much for her. His hateful words, and the  frustration of her failed attempt to channel her latent miko ability, caused Kagome to feel as if she would burst. ‘He had no right to speak to me like that then just dismiss me.’ Those words repeated over and over in her head, getting louder and louder until something inside her snapped. Suddenly there was a wellspring of power bubbling up inside her. It was uncomfortably hot, seeming to scorch her insides. Kagome didn’t care though, because for the first time she had a steady power stream to draw on. She finally had something she could use to show Inuyasha she wasn’t useless.   “INUYASHA!!” he heard her scream his name right before he felt the waves of spiritual energy wash over the area, “You want some proof that I’m not useless?! Well, here’s your damn proof!” Kagome pointed at the discarded candle sitting a few feet away.   “Child no!” Kaede cried. Kagome’s energy was too concentrated, too pure to be used without dangerous side effects, but it was too late. The candle and everything within a four-foot radius of it went up in an intense white-hot flash. Everyone was shocked and blinded for a moment as the hair stood up on the backs of their necks. The flame stayed in the air for a moment then slowly dwindled down.  

“Kagome! Stupid little girl! You could have killed some one!” Inuyasha hurried over to her. She didn’t respond to him. She just stood there trembling violently, staring at the scorched ground. He grabbed her shoulders and swung her around toward him.  “Bitch—“   “Inuyasha…I can’t…I can’t…see—“ her voice was weak and her skin was cold to the touch. She started to sway on her feet. He caught her as she fell toward the ground.   “Baba, what’s the matter with her?” Inuyasha growled toward the elder miko as he cradled Kagome in his arms.   “She has used too much too fast, Inuyasha. With some rest she will be fine.”  

But it had not been that simple. Nothing would ever be that simple again.  

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  

 

 

Inuyasha sat a few feet away from Kagome and watched her shoulders shake as her body was racketed with “coughs”. He knew she was really crying, he didn’t need a working nose to figure that out. Inuyasha wanted badly to reach out to her, but he didn’t know what to do, what to say…Hell, how could he comfort her when he was still in shock.

The memory of the exact moment she found out she couldn’t see would be forever engraved upon his mind. He had been sitting beside her for 3 days waiting for her to wake up, growling at anyone who so much as looked like they wanted to suggest he rest. Kaede just kept telling him to be patient, and Shippou kept telling him that it had to be his fault some how. In short, it was three days of hell for Inuyasha. But if the waiting was torture, then what came next was pain in its most unadulterated form.

On the morning of the fourth day, a few hours before Miroku and Sango were scheduled to return from the near-by village they had been called to, Kagome’s eyes fluttered open. Shippou immediately pounced on her, crying about how worried he was. Inuyasha had taken more time to move over to her side so that the brat would have a moment with Kagome before he sent him out of the room, despite wanting to kick him out immediately. Hey, he wasn’t always mean to the small kit. 

“Hey, Shippou. It’s really dark in here. I bet every one else is sleeping so you’d better not wake them up,” She whispered to him as she sat up. Shippou looked at her strangely, and Inuyasha felt a chill run up his spine at her words. 

“But Kagome, it’s lunch time!” He cocked his head to the side and patted her cheek with his small paw, “Can’t you see me?” 

“No…it has to be dark. I can’t see you at all.” The strangeness in her voice sent Inuyasha’s ears twitching. 

“Kagome…” That was Inuyasha’s voice. Kagome swung around to face where his voice seemed to be coming from. 

“No…this has to be a joke…I want some one to turn the lights on now!” She was starting to get desperate. Kagome tried to stand up but she was too weak. Inuyasha caught her before she could crash into the floor. She fought against him weakly, continually insisting that she wanted out of the dark. When her shrieks reached the point of hysteria he could take it no longer. 

“Shippou, go get Kaede-baba! NOW!” The terrified kit took one look at his struggling mother figure before dashing out the door and up toward the temple where the older miko was supposed to be. 

“Kagome, you have to calm down. Just breath. Don’t fight me.” Inuyasha was trying his best to calm her down, but she seemed to not be able to her him. 

“I hate the dark!! Inuyasha, please, get me out of the dark!” She was sobbing now, pleading with him, and he could do nothing. At that moment he knew what it felt like to feel totally helpless. 

The only way to calm her down had been a badly smelling tea Inuyasha helped Kaede pour down her throat. That had been two days ago, and the process had had to be repeated almost every time she woke up. 

Now, she was laying there crying softly and he felt as if he was the lowest worm on the planet. 

‘If only I hadn’t teased her she might not have gotten so mad. I only did it because…well…she’s cute when she’s mad.’ 

He moved closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She immediately stiffened. 

“Keh…It’s just me, Kagome. Are you okay?” He whispered close to her ear as to not wake up the others, although he was sure most of them were awake. 

“I’m….I’m sorry I woke you up.” Kagome’s voice caught in her throat painfully. Inuyasha moved over to the pail of fresh water in the corner of the room and brought her back a drink. He held it to her lips only to see her frown. 

“I can do it myself. I might be blind, but I’m not an invalid.” Her voice was bitter. Inuyasha handed the cup over to her without a word and watched as she spilt most of it down her t-shirt. When she had managed to get a little down her throat he took the empty cup from her. 

“Would you like to go outside?” He offered. She hadn’t been outside this room in five days and in his way of thinking she could use the fresh air. 

“Why, it’s not like I can see the stars or anything.” she shot back at him. Inuyasha growled deep in his throat, or as much as he could in his human body. There was no way he was going to let her start to feel sorry for herself. Besides, Miroku looked like he was reaching for his staff and Inuyasha had ne desire to feel it knock against his skull in a none-to-gentle reminder to be quiet. Inuyasha scooped Kagome and the blanket she was wrapped in into his arms and headed outside. 

“I don’t want to go!” she hissed at him. 

“You don’t have a choice.” He settled her down in the soft grass a little ways from the doorway of the hut. They were silent for awhile, Inuyasha, watching Kagome, and Kagome shifting uncomfortably. 

“I’m sorry.” His words surprised her. It was rare that the hanyou apologized for anything. For a moment her tears threatened to spill over again.  “It’s not entirely your fault, Inuyasha.” She sighed and hesitantly reached over and felt around for him. Inuyasha allowed her to capture his hand and was surprised when she relaxed almost immediately.   ‘Is she afraid that I’ll leave her?’   “I should have known better than to do what I did. If anything, this only proves you right, I am useless.” Her voice was full of self-reproach. Inuyasha cursed under his breath, did she really think he thought that?   ‘Well, why wouldn’t she think that? All you ever do is talk down to her.’ A voice in his head mocked.   “Keh, I don’t see you as useless. Don’t blame yourself for what happened. In the mean time, I’ll do what ever I can to help you get your sight back.” His words held a sincerity that surprised even him.  

“Anything, Inuyasha?” Inuyasha turned around to see the old miko standing behind them. “I hope you mean that.”  

 

 

 

TBC  

 

* The Notorious Fire-Fly demon: I wanted to come up with a demon that hadn’t been done before, and had something to do with an element. So thus the ultra scary fire-fly demon was born…I got a kick out of imagining the ultimate romantic symbol as a bad guy. Maybe it’s just me though…