InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Three Oaths ❯ The Creator Part II ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: this is a fictional story written only for my personal amusement. I own nothing, Rumiko Takahashi owns all.

 

~The Creator Part II~

 

For the third time that day, the chicken was burning.

 

“Mom, will you please get the chicken!” she screamed, walking away from the smoke-filled kitchen. Kagome sighed, hearing no reply from her mother and knew that it would be instant noodles for her tonight.

 

“As I was saying…” continued the voice on the other end of the line.

 

Kagome snapped back to reality. “Of course, Hojo, go on.”

 

Naturally Hojo complied, and while he continued to ramble on about their next trip to the Art Museum, Kagome balanced the cordless phone in her hand and let her mind wander.

 

Why can't I adjust to my old life?

 

Kagome sighed, wishing she had the answer but knew that she was unable to find out. Idly, she fingered the silver chain around her neck where the sparkling Shikon now lay. She could still clearly visualise the wonderful day when they'd pieced together all the jewel shards. After a long string of seemingly endless battles with Naraku's evil demons, Naraku had been too injured to continue fighting them and he'd retreated, leaving behind the final pieces of the jewel.

 

“Ha!” Inuyasha had cried, holding up one glinting pink shard. “Told ya we'd do it!”

 

The memory brought a smile to her lips. She remembered the day as being one without worries or fears. Their success had been a cause for great celebration in Kaede's village and there had been a large party to honour the occasion. Sango and Miroku had spent the entire night together, and had emerged from a villager's house the next morning with embarrassed, smiling faces. Even Shippo and Kirara were included; both of them getting so hyped up with wine they had to be sent to bed early.

 

“But I don't wanna go!” Shippo whined pitifully, draining his last cup.

 

“Quiet! Now go to bed.” Kaede snapped, looking over at Kirara. “And that goes for you too!”

 

Inuyasha had sat out most of the celebrations, his excuse being that he had enough demon blood in him to avoid degrading himself by prancing around with a bunch of weak humans. Yet somehow, after endless pleading, she'd gotten him to dance the waltz with her. Out on the grassy floor he couldn't help looking awkward; normally used to great bounding strides during battles, the small steps needed to waltz were too hard for him to manage. Not wanting to make him look silly, she deliberately stepped on his toes and messed up the steps, earning herself several shouts of, “Hey, watch it! You're not light you know!”

 

They had many laughs that night. But much later, after most of the festivities had ended, they left the party together to sit over by the hill. Alone.

 

It had been a full moon that night, she remembered wistfully, and Kikyo hadn't been seen for months. She'd been so hopeful and expecting of his love, that when he merely remarked how stupid she was for breaking the jewel in the first place, she burst into tears.

 

“Hey!?” His eyes widened in obvious fear. “What's the matter with you?”

 

But she refused to tell him. “Nothing, Inuyasha,” She managed a brief smile. “I'm just so…happy, that's all.” He sniffed uncertainly, then shrugged and left it at that. Her delicate heart dropped like a stone. Even she knew that if it had been Kikyo sobbing fretfully in front of him, he would have given a more concerned reaction.

 

After that, she swore to stop loving him, even if it meant leaving her friends in the Past and never seeing any of them again. After all, she thought, shoving her clothes into her overlarge yellow backpack. There's nothing more damning than an unrequited love.

 

The day she left was one of the saddest days of her short life. All four of them had tried to put her off leaving, even making remarks such as `But who will give me crayons and play with me?' and `Please stay. You know I will never find a better place for my cursed hand than your as…' At which point Sango had slapped him in fury.

 

It had been Sango's idea that Kagome should keep the jewel. “Go on,” she'd said. “It's safer off with you in your time anyway.” Kagome had mumbled incoherent thanks, while Inuyasha complained over her voice that things in the future - like curry for example! - could be just as dangerous as things in the Feudal Era.

 

Finally it was time to go. Kagome looked at Inuyasha and waited. He cleared his throat.

 

“I guess this is goodbye.” His voice sounded even rougher than usual, and she smiled sweetly, wanting to keep that boyish image of him always. “Goodbye, Inuyasha,” she whispered. Then she'd jumped down the well to her Time where she belonged.

 

That day and several days after that, she'd spent hours on end sobbing uncontrollably in her bedroom. Despite her mother's attempts to soothe her she was inconsolable. All she wanted was to go back and see them, see him! But for her sake she knew, she couldn't. The longer she stayed there the harder it would have eventually been to come back. After all Kagome didn't belong in the Past, she belonged in the Future. And as long as Inuyasha didn't want her then there was nothing keeping her there either.

 

Every day since she returned felt like a sentence from hell. Her mind was constantly filled with endless memories of what she'd lost. There would be no more instant noodles over the camp fire, no more baths in the hot-springs, no more exciting battles with deadly monsters, no white haired half-boy there to defend her ……Her family and friends were always there for her, but adjusting back to her old life was still a struggle. Especially since she was the only one who really knew what she'd been through. Although her family were fully aware of her double life in the Past, they only knew the things she told them. They could never fully understand the experience of mixing with creatures so alien to humans, yet similar in so many ways. Kagome could only imagine what her grandfather would have thought of her rubbing shoulders with Sesshomaru, one of the strongest demons of all time.

 

It was a life beyond description, one that only she knew. And the knowledge that she was alone only strengthened her resolve to re-adjust. Eventually she was able to live normally, attending school as usual without the constant leaves of absences due to severe, chronic illness. She continued her life as it should have been even though it was dull and lacklustre. Things she'd once cared about just didn't seem important anymore. Like shopping with Eri and Yuka, eurgh! The thought made her grimace. Nothing in the world seemed like a worse punishment than that. Still, she had to try and appear normal. She'd promised herself that she would never run back to the past, no matter how bad things got.

 

Of course, that should have been simple enough. Go to school, learn some stuff, meet up with her friends, go on dates, baby-sit Souta…and do all those other meaningless things that made up her teenage life. It should have been easy, but by now Kagome knew that her life, either in the past or future, was predestined to be anything but easy.

 

A loud shriek erupted from the kitchen as her mother finally attended the burning meal. Kagome sighed with sincere feeling. Instant noodles never seemed to taste as good anymore when they were cooked on a proper stove.

 

JJJIIZZZZIIHHH!!!!!!

 

“Huh-?!” Kagome stilled, and abruptly dropped the phone from her shaking hand. Ignoring Hojo's nattering from the other end, she tried to concentrate on the feeling she'd just felt. Strange. It felt like the portal from the well… she wondered.

 

Briskly kicking the phone aside, she ran outside as fast as she could, sweeping past her grandfather and nearly toppling him over. Her heart was beating faster and faster with each step and without realising it, she'd begun to hope that it was a certain someone returning to her at last…a prayer resounded clearly in her brain. Please let it be him! Oh, please…

 

She stopped running and instantly the large spirit energy coming from the well-house washed over her. She hesitated for a moment and then pushed open the door and stumbled inside. “Hello?” she called, taking a few tentative steps. “Inuyasha is that you??”

 

Something gave a low moan from somewhere to her left and she turned towards the sound. A figure lay crumpled on the floor, barely moving, with one arm outstretched, as if reaching for something. The body wasn't big enough to be a man and seemed to be dressed in tattered dark clothing. To Kagome's horror, she realised that an alarming amount of blood was gushing out from a deep gash in her leg.

 

“Oh, my God!”

 

She closed her eyes, wildly wondering what to do, while firmly squashing the disappointed cries echoing in her mind. Kagome was hardly much bigger than the woman and her injuries were too severe to drag her along alone. She would have to get help. But from who? Her family were hardly the most efficient of people and they would surely ask questions...

 

I'll worry later. Right now she needs help!

 

“Mom, Grandpa!” she screamed. “I need your help! It's an emergency!”

 

Hearing the distant patter of their footsteps, Kagome knelt beside the woman and swept her dark hair away from her face. The skin beneath it was milky white, soft and smooth. The only blemish Kagome could see was a dark red streak beneath her hairline where she'd obviously been hurt.

 

She reached out and grabbed the woman's pale wrist. Her heartbeat was ragged but strong. “Excuse me,” despite the urgency of the occasion, Kagome couldn't forsake her manners, “If you can hear me, please squeeze my hand.” She whispered firmly. Kagome shifted as the woman gave a feeble lurch. Her hand unclenched, and a small, glowing blue ball dropped out and rolled on the floor. Kagome stared in frozen shock as the Shikon No Tama rolled dangerously away from her. The intensity of its radiance was enthralling. What in the world…?'

 

In a slight daze, she barely noticed as her family suddenly materialized behind her.

 

“Kagome!” Her mother appeared at the doorway, panting viciously and looking absolutely terrified. Loud wheezing intensified as the person got closer, and then finally her grandfather also appeared in view. “What's the matter? Why were you screaming? We've come to help- Oh my!” her mother exclaimed, finally noticing the growing pool of blood on the wooden floor.

 

“Eh? What's wrong with you, Mikoumi- Ah!!” Her grandfather jumped in surprise as he too caught a glimpse of the injured woman. Kagome resisted rolling her eyes.

 

“Is she dead?” Her mother whispered almost inaudibly, her wide eyes fixed on the woman. Immediately Kagome felt a twinge of guilt. Her mother shouldn't have ever had to see the gruesome reality of feudal era life. It was easy enough to accept from a blind distance, safe from the bloody truth. But from up close… she suddenly wondered if the sight of a near-dead woman had brought back memories of her father's terrible death, many years before. “Not dead yet,” Kagome replied gently, conscious of the fact that with every passing second her statement was close to becoming false. “But she will be if we don't help her right now.”

 

Hearing another groan from the injured priestess, Kagome stood quickly.

 

“What are you doing?” Mikoumi asked, voice trembling.

 

“Err, I'm just…” Kagome walked to the corner and knelt abruptly. There it is! Her hand snatched up the blue Shikon before it could roll completely out of sight. I'll figure this out later, she thought, stuffing it into the pocket of her jeans. The dark material glowed faintly.

 

“Okay let's take her into the house.”

 

Carefully, she hoisted both legs in her arms then signalled for help. Her grandfather leapt up immediately and took hold of the woman's upper body. Mikoumi remained standing in the doorway, watching the scene with her mouth slightly open. “Okay then, mom,” Kagome said quickly, “You can help us with the doors.” Her mother simply stared at her, and Kagome was abruptly aware that some of the blood had smeared onto her own clothes, only further adding to her mother's distress.

 

Like some kind of comical procession, they walked slowly towards the main house. Her mother trailed alongside them, dispassionately gazing at everything apart from the awkward scene beside her. Kagome was struck by how deeply the sight of blood - or was it death? - had disturbed her. Poor mom. She had never before realised that her father's death had affect her so strongly. Good thing she never saw me injured, she thought, quickly dodging the small form of Bouyo as he crawled by her feet. As they entered the house, Kagome considered taking her to rest upstairs, but realised they wouldn't be able to manage it.

 

“We'll just leave her on the sofa, okay?” Over-exerted with the effort of lugging the woman's body, her grandfather could do no more than nod his head, puffing his cheeks with each breath. They laid her down, tenderly arranging her limbs so that they wouldn't receive any extra damage and Kagome quickly found a towel and some bandages to stop her from losing anymore blood.

 

With most of the woman's injuries well covered up, Mikoumi suddenly became herself again, apologising profusely for being so unhelpful. “Mom, it's fine.” Kagome said, “But if you really want to help, make sure Souta doesn't come in here. I don't think he should see this.”

 

“Of course,” her mother replied, giving Kagome a small smile before hurriedly dashing off, her grandfather following slowly behind. Relieved that her mother had left at last, Kagome sat down on a cushion beside the sofa. She stared at the beautiful face, elegant even in sleep.

 

Who are you? Kagome thought, brushing the woman's hair aside to see more clearly. Gently curving nose, pretty mouth, smooth pale skin…she's like some princess straight out of a fairytale. She eyed the woman's perfect Japanese features with more than a hint of jealousy. They reminded her of Kikyo and how, un-dead though she was, neither Inuyasha nor Naraku had managed to resist her charms. It also made her think of her own face; although Sango had once said she possessed an `innocent charm' that guys like Kouga seemed to fall for, she knew deep down that she was no natural beauty or that she was nowhere near as stunning as Kikyo or the beautiful lady in front of her.

 

Kagome sighed. It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she'd never be able to truly escape the Past. For a few seconds there she'd actually believed that it was Inuyasha somehow coming back to her. Never mind that the well was no longer usable or that Inuyasha didn't return her feelings, she'd still deluded herself and that was that. The woman rolled over onto her side, giving a small groan from the pain. Speaking of the well, Kagome frowned suddenly. It made her wonder. How on earth had this stranger learnt of the well's power and made it work anyway? Only Kaede could have told her, nobody else in that village knew, and for Kaede to have given a stranger passage to Kagome's home must have been for someone very important indeed. Her eyes narrowed. Or someone who didn't mind forcing information out of old ladies…

 

It was odd. Kagome now realised that she had to consider the strange woman before her as a possible threat to her family and home. She gulped. True, she had learnt a few things from her various deadly scrapes over the years, but she was still mostly useless in combat without another fighter on her side. Her bow and arrows were upstairs - she hadn't had the heart to burn them - and any fighting she would be doing would be at close range anyway. So basically, she was screwed. Oh well, she decided to downplay the whole thing since it couldn't be avoided, at least she's human and not some demon out to conquer the whole human world.

 

“Gah!!” the woman flipped swiftly back on her side with a muttered howl. It wasn't loud but she was close enough that it still made Kagome jump.

 

God…some protective instinct in her made her hand leap towards her neck, and as she waited, she watched the woman's breathing turn back to normal again. Her hand moved lower down and grasped onto the single sphere attached to her necklace. It was a source of protection for her, a comforting reminder of what went wrong in her life. Slowly she drew out her jewel, its pink rays somehow sparkling in the dim light. Like a remembered dream, the memory of her first sight of the Shikon flashed before her eyes:

 

…the well. Old and damp and dusty…but somehow different this time…

 

…confusion…where was she?

 

...a creature that came straight out of her worst nightmares…

 

…running through the woodlands in panic…images jumped out at her from her history textbook…foul men that looked like thieves…she was indecent?! She??

 

...then fear…a cold fear that settled deep into her bones…

 

…a beautiful face, white hair splayed out across the tree…amidst the horror she felt a new feeling emerge…something pure and true…

 

…then fangs, sharp claws and the thought of an agonising death…it wasn't possible!…surely she was dreaming…

 

…a fated arrow made the perfect shot…shattering! Ah, an end to his dreams!...but behind it all blazed a piercing pink brightness that would never fade…

 

She gasped wrenching herself from the memories with force. It was all as vividly clear as if it had happened yesterday, not over two years ago. But there was one thing that stuck out clearer than everything else. Her hand trembled as she began searching in her jeans pocket. She found it and drew it out, wincing as the bright blue beams of light were revealed. The dazzling shine seemed to increase as she held it up in front of her. It's beautiful…she thought, mesmerised by the force of the power radiating from the jewel, so much stronger than her own. Yanking the Shikon No Tama from the cord around her neck, she placed the two objects side by side.

 

Rays of cobalt blue met shimmering pink light in a spiralling dance on the ceiling. They flickered, intertwining in one moment and then clashing in the next as if locked in a heated battle. From what she could see, it looked as if the blue was outshining the pink.

 

It was impossible for what she was thinking to be true, she knew that, but the thought refused to go away. “There are two of them,” she whispered, feeling both a mixture of shock and horror.

 

“No…” a voice croaked, and Kagome whirled around to see her patient half-propped up on the couch with one bandaged arm extended towards her. Her face wore an expression of fierce determination. “No. there are not two.” She coughed delicately, her eyes hard.

 

“Then…” how do you explain this? She wanted to ask, but was too intimidated by the stern look she was getting from the woman on the chair. Though wounded, she looked like she could kick her butt all the way to Kansas and back without effort. Fairytale princess? Yikes, she's more like an Amazon warrior-queen!

 

“It is quite simple,” the woman replied, some of her strength returning. “Yours is a fake.”

 

The words tore into Kagome's heart like an accusation of murder. Fake? Fake?! How could she say such a thing? How could anyone?? Didn't she know, didn't she care?!

 

“I'm afraid you must be mistaken,” Kagome replied politely, though inside she wanted to kill the bitch. To hell if she was injured, she was definitely an enemy now. “My friends and I have spent over a year searching for the shards of the Shikon No Tama in the feudal era where you just came from. Before it was broken, I'd had the stone in me for fifteen years.” She smiled a little, remembering. “I think I can tell which one is right.”

 

“Well you're wrong.” The woman snapped, eyeing her disdainfully. Kagome had the sudden impression that something she'd just said had put the woman into a right fury, and she stepped back, bracing herself to run.

 

“You know nothing!” the woman continued, “Nothing of what you think is right is true, and all you have been taught is wrong.” She coughed again but rebounded back on track with alarming speed. “I can sense that you are a priestess of little power and almost no skill. If you had truly possessed the Shikon No Tama then you would be stronger, far stronger than you are. Not to mention that the Shikon No Tama would never accept protection from a weak miko such as yourself. Only the strongest are chosen for that task and in most cases they die defending it.” Scorn dripped from every word she spoke, scalding her with their heat. “And furthermore, do you really believe that the Jewel of the Four Souls, one of the greatest items ever made, would have a faint pinkish energy to herald its birth? Pink! Of all things! I can't believe you would accept such nonsense!” she snorted disparagingly. “Look at the evidence before you girl. Yours is not the Shikon No Tama.”

 

It was too much, too soon.

 

Kagome felt her whole body tremble. The convulsions grew along with her denial.

 

No.

 

NO!

 

Never!

 

She refused to acknowledge that so much blood and so many lives had been shed for a fake, a cheap rip-off of the real thing. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true!!

 

“And who are you?” she yelled, all pretence of calm lost. “Who the hell do you think you are barging into my home telling me what's right and wrong? I saved your life, you know! You have no right to treat me this way!” She continued on doggedly, feeling the tingling prick of tears in her eyes. “And what's more, h-hhow would you even know if it's a fake, huh? How can I trust you- I don't even know you!”

 

Salty streams of anger and fear trailed down her cheeks; her head throbbed painfully, adding to the agony of the moment. It seemed like the fates were laughing at her, enjoying her pain and suffering, relishing each and every agonising wound that seared deep into her heart.

 

But hadn't she suffered enough?!

 

“Tell me who you are!” she screamed furiously, each word laced with aching torment, “I want to know - who the fuck are you?!”

 

Silence reigned in the aftermath of her outburst. Kagome was unexpectedly drained of words; suddenly there was nothing else to say. The two women locked gazes for a moment; Kagome's common brown eyes were diminished in view of the stunning azure gaze of a legend.

 

“I?” the woman smiled, and the fairytale princess was back again, as radiant as a porcelain doll. “I am Midoriko.”

 

And with those words Kagome was undone.

 

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