InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Twisted Moon ❯ Why the Sky is Blue ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

LOL I had fun with this chapter. No big authors note for this one, Just tell me what you think.

Chapter 4: Why the Sky is Blue

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Kaede started as Kikyou sat upright on her futon. She gasped sharply sweat dripping off her healthy glowing skin. Kikyou glanced around frantically, wild black hair falling in her face.

"Kaede?" She rasped, throat dry.

"Sister" Kaede said cooly before glancing back to the fire, "it'd be in ye best interest to lay back down before one of those males comes back."

Kikyou stared as if her sister were speaking another language.

Pain danced across her side and she cringed pressing a hand to the area, Her hand met cloth. She looked down and was stunned to see herself naked and nearly wrapped from head to toe in bandages. Her side was now colored a bright red. The site of blood stunned her more than the pain.

"Blood?" She rubbed the liquid from her bindings and touched a hand to her face, feeling warm skin. "I'm alive, it's real," She breathed with wet eyes.

"What happened to me?" She asked dazed.

Kaede stared at Kikyou with a strangely blank look on her face. Kikyou felt discomfort blossom in her chest. "Ye body was badly wounded, I imagine in a body of death and clay one would not notice a little wound."

Kikyou looked away and smoothed back her neatly cut hair, her nakedness and the threat of a man spying were the least of her worries.

"Where is Kagome?"

Kaede looked up sharply, "ye have taken her soul so that ye, a woman who died many a year ago, may live. This old woman knows where ye life blood came from sister."

Kikyou was silent in shock, "She's dead?"

Kaede only stared at Kikyou a long moment, "she wished ye back to life did she not, where did you think the soul was coming from."

"That's not what happened" Kikyou retorted sharply.

The revived miko gasped at the pain and pulled her covers off, she stood and started for the backroom, swaying on her feet.

"Then what did happen?"

Kikyou leaned against the wall uncertainly before vanishing into the back room where she knew she would find clothes.

"The silly girl told the jewel to make on its own wish; to do what it thought it needed to do."

She could hear the shock when Kaede spoke, "Kagome is not stupid, had she gone insane?"

Kikyou struggled into some clothes that were just a bit too big but she couldn't worry about that.

"No she was actually very insightful, moreso than I ever was." Kikyou moved aside the flap of the backroom and stepped back out.

"What do you mean?" Kaede asked, intrigued.

"She realized that no matter how pure a human is, we are still human. We are creatures of needs and wants. We can never make a wish that is truly pure and untainted. Even I refused to acknowledge that part of myself which is why Inuyasha and I suffered."

"Sister, explain" Kaede pleaded.

Kikyou noticed something tangled in the brown sheets of her bedding. She stumbled over to the mess of sheets and pulled the red cloth free. She eyed Kagome's necktie and closed her eyes in mourning. She had hated the girl fiercely at one point, but now all she felt was sympathy and some small amount of horror that she had indirectly, or directly, caused this. Kagome had been an irritating, insufferable, snotty little brat going after something Kikyou had wished for in life, Inuyasha. Kikyou had often gone out of her way to make the girl uncomfortable but now she felt stupid and petty…horrible and ultimately tainted.

She shuddered realizing that she should have never been given the jewel despite her power. She hadn't had the right personality and a stable mind for the job. She'd been a selfish little girl and some part of her still was.

Kikyou had been trained from infancy to be a Miko, from the time she had taken her first steps to the time she'd died, she had been a Miko.

She had been taught that a Miko's only use in life was to heal and protect her village. It had been honorable, she had been the pride of the village, moreso when she'd become the Shikon Miko. Men had asked for her hand in marriage but she'd had to turn them down. A Miko didn't have a life and a family, a Miko was useless after losing her virginity and yet the men still expected to somehow be protected by their previously power filled wives.

She'd hated her existence from a young age, having to train at shooting arrows while little Kaede had been allowed to run about the village and other girls were learning to sew and cook from their mothers. They had one Miko and Kikyou had been fully content with the thought of protecting her little sister from the same existence she had suffered through. Kaede could be a little girl and not a little weapon. There was no need for two Miko's as long as Kikyou was at the mantel.

That didn't mean that Kikyou didn't want to run away from it all, she protected her now orphaned sister but she wanted a life. After a building up of issues and grievances with her life, she had grimly decided that she would leave her existence as a Miko any way possible-any decent way possible.

A woman with Kikyou's upbringing had never even thought to go and sleep with a man to get rid of her powers just to become normal. That simply wasn't the way society worked. What would she have done after that, be the village whore, powerless and in a horrible situation, a sex toy? The men who had wanted her no longer wanted a spinster who was into her 20's, no one in the village would marry her, maybe in some far off village but not anywhere she knew.

Then there was Inuyasha.

He was sweet in a weird way, they got along better than most of the young couples in the village. He'd been trying to worm his way toward the jewel; a surprisingly good smooth talker when he wanted something badly enough. Kikyou had snorted in amusement and weaved a web around the foolish boy, he was smooth but she was smarter when it came to manipulation. He'd expected an innocent little miko who thought the world was full of sunshine, and the ocasional youkai to cause trouble, he'd gotten Kikyou and all her ego and greed to go with it.

In Kikyou's opinion he was a stupid and selfish little boy wanting more than was necessary. He had power and was allowed to run wild, he'd complained about his situation and Kikyou had listened, learning his history and finding out what he really wanted by her own means. If he wanted the jewel, he would have to use it on her terms; be a human and be tied down just like the rest of them, like she was.

Their relationship had progressed.

Kikyou had gone into the forest and cried often because Inuyasha had been willing to marry her, a spinster, and she'd previously been hell bent on putting him in a similar situation as herself in spite. After she'd found the extent he'd been willing to go to be with her she'd insisted that he become human for different reasons. At some point Kikyou had been more than willing to be a hanyou for Inuyasha's sake, that's how much she had loved him. He had been willing to become a human for her, after some debating on Kikyou's part she'd decided it was easier to live as human couple than as a hanyou couple caught between worlds.

She'd forgotten her duty, she'd forgotten how dangerous her inattentiveness could be and she'd forgotten that the jewel fed off wants and twisted them into disgusting little demons that clung to you and destroyed your soul. How cruel her teacher had been to take away everything that had made her human, wants, desires, essential free will, then give her something that begged every fiber of her being to be foul, to make that wish for a happy life, to make that wish that could give her the world that had been stolen from her before she'd even realized her fate.

It was horribly unfair and like Kikyou had been warned the jewel could warp you into something foul and evil; not in the usual sense where the demons in the jewel came and convinced you to do horrible things but the idea of power and being free had tainted her.

She barely believed it herself but she felt human now, like an actual human girl, for the first time in her life, afterlife, and rebirth. The thought brought tears of pain to her eyes and a grin of triumph to her lips. She was a free, tainted, beautiful and ugly human, she had powers but she could never see herself as a proper miko, she would never be worthy to even glimpse at the shikon jewel again but she didn't care. Freedom was addictive and beautiful, and she owed it all to Kagome.

Kikyou decided that if they met in the afterlife when all was done, she would have to thank the younger girl who had given her freedom and a heart.

"Take me to the rest of the group, They should at least know her wish and what it has done."

Minutes later found the two sisters laboring their way across the brush to Kagome's grave site.

"Where are they Kaede?" Kikyou asked tiredly.

"They thought it would be fitting to bury her as close to home as possible."

This baffled Kikyou, "Why couldn't they take her home?"

She knew of the wells abilities but even she had a limit to what things she would and wouldn't bother, a well that ate the bones of demons and also acted as a passage through time was a little too much.

Kaede glanced at Kikyou with her one good eye, Kikyou had the sudden urge to cry for Kagome. A young woman, a warrior, unable to be buried at home, the one place where the heart could find peace.

Kaede looked away, not bothering to answer.

"The well closed?"

"Yes" Kaede said quietly.

They were both silent the rest of their walk.

When they came upon the group Kikyou was surprised to hear a child's cries long before she saw them. They reached the end of the path and looked to the tree line.

Something had just happened. The lord of the west was walking away from the group just on the other side of the well. The screaming child clutching at his pants legs was an astounding sight. He suddenly stopped and looked at the little girl. She grabbed hold of his leg and held on tightly.

Kikyou started in alarm, noticing the unsheated sword in the demon lords hands.

"Lord Sesshomaru is kind in his own way, he tried to bring Kagome-sama back for his human child." Kaede murmured to herself. Kikyou glanced at Sesshomaru, thinking him anything but kind, especially after her experiences with him. She was stunned into silence when he took the crying little girl up by the back of her orange and yellow checkered kimono, like one would a little pup. He draped her across his shoulder, sheathed his sword and moved her into the crook of his only arm. With that he began to walk away, the little green toad followed his master and ward silently.

Kaede sighed as the youkai lords party vanished into the forests and Rin's cries faded. She and Kikyou walked closer and saw Inuyasha and Sango wrapping a small figure in white furs. It was a moment later that Kikyou realized the lord of the west was missing his pelt. Inuyasha lifted and put the fragile package in the hole they'd dug. They quickly filled the grave and Shippou helped the adults cover the grave with stones.

"Kikyou" Inuyasha murmured when he spotted her.

Sango turned to rip Inuyasha a new asshole when she spotted Kikyou too. Her eyes narrowed in anger but she moved toward her fiancé.

Miroku glanced at her tiredly and Shippou didn't look at her at all. Kirara remained beside the kit licking away his tears.

"What do you want here, let us bury our friend in peace," Sango snarled.

"Or you could give her back her soul and we don't need to have this discussion" Miroku chimed in with a steel laced voice.

"I didn't take her soul, the jewel took it and only gave me what I needed." Kikyou blurted out.

It didn't budge Shippou but everyone else stared.

"Kikyou…"Inuyasha began, hurt laced in his voice.

"It's true." Kikyou snapped. Her gut was twisting as she realized she was partly responsible for the groups suffering.

"Where's the jewel" Kikyou asked.

That caused defensive shifts in stance but Kikyou continued, "I asked her where it was and she said she didn't know, only that she could feel it in her body."

"You aren't ripping the jewel out of Kagome if that's what your planning," Sango shrieked. Tears spilled down her cheeks and Sang's face redened in outrage.

"I don't want to, just tell me where it is!"

There was silence and when Kikyou realized no one was going to tell her she looked to Kaede. The old woman usually had more information than Inuyasha's little group and she wanted to know more.

"Sister, you were there with her when the Jewel vanished into her body." Kaede said carefully.

Kikyou vaguely remembered an odd snatch of memory; of opening her eyes in time to see the pink of the jewel sink into Kagome's chest leaving the jewels chain and bottle resting on her still stomach.

Kikyou took a deep breath as memories of those last few seconds of Kagome's life came to her.

"The jewel, it sank into her chest" She murmured quietly.

She looked up at the group, "She didn't mean for it to turn out like this. She was a young girl wanting to help her friends and be with her family, committing selfless suicide usually isn't anyone's plan at that age and in a situation like hers. She wanted to live and she was afraid…" Kikyou began, shaking at memories that had seemed like a bad dream.

The ex-shikon miko swallowed and worked to pull herself together.

"She told me she couldn't make a wish" She began, "that no human could truly make a wish with the Shikon and expect to get anywhere. She acknowldeged that she was human and had wants no matter how pure she was. She surpassed me in a basic understanding of human nature I had thought myself above."

Kikyou took a few minutes to ward off pain before she continued, "We were both thrown into a world between life and death, her limbo, she told me that the shikon jewel is a neutral entity swayed by the influence of those nearby it. She said she didn't make a wish but she gave the jewel a request and the option of making it's own wish."

That got startled murmurs from everyone, "Why would she do that?" Miroku asked sternly.

"Because the jewel will twist any wish someone else makes, but it won't do that to it's own wants. It is a neutral item, she didn't have to worry about the world being an eternally crumbling wasteland or a unrealistically pure place for only mikos and maybe normal humans. The jewel did want something though. If it left Kagome here but not Naraku it couldn't grant it's own wish, if it left Naraku here alone then it's the same case. Despite how hard we fought I don't think we would have won."

Kikyou blinked, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Kagome was dying so it simply released what Kagome wouldn't need anymore, my soul, and let her die. It also took Naraku am I right?"

There were nervous glances, Naraku had certainly gotten up and tried to keep fighting. He probably would have had his body not begun to fade to dust while he was on the battlefield.

"Okay so what did the jewel wish for?" Sango asked weakly.

Kikyou glanced away bitterly as everything fell neatly into place in her head. Something every demon and human could or had wished for at some point….

"Safety"

She shrugged.

"Home."

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Have you ever had a moment? You know one of those moments where nothing makes sense and you're just shit out of luck. Like watching someone take off with your brand new car then watching said car get caught in the accident of the century. Like watching the exorcist and praying when your sisters head does a 360 degree turn that it's all just a dream.

Well Kagome was there, except this was freakier.

She watched in amusement as an elephant made its way confidently across the clearing. It was three times the size of a bull elephant and seemed to be led by its obsessively large head; like a child trying to walk being lead around by weight they couldn't quite hold up.

It's eye's were an offensively bright green. Oh, and it was blue, specifically sky blue with a big yellow dot on its backside. It honestly looked like something she would have drawn in second grade except she had never had a scented marker high that would have created this creature.

Kagome giggled at her own thoughts and watched as the elephant-thing vanished into the brush.

She sat a moment looking either way across her clearing, hoping another creature decided to pass through.

She had no idea how long she had been there, sitting on a pile of stones, but it seemed like no time at all had passed since she had first woken up on her pile of rocks. They even had a nice little spot where her butt fit with unnerving comfort and a constant stream of strange creatures kept wandering by to keep her entertained.

She had seen little clouds of smoke float by, camels, racoons, even a whale-creature had floated by. That had been the most disturbing thus far, she hadn't been bothered by the fact a giant whale was making its way through her clearing just floating in the air. Kagome had gotten past the shock of seeing the creatures that lived in this place the first time she'd seen a bird that was on fire walk calmly by her.

She had, however, been rather bothered by the baby whale trailing it's mother with a bloody face and enough teeth to put a shark to shame. They had both ignored her and she'd struggled to ignore the bodiless head that hung from its mouth by long thin hair calmly saying an old poem. The sight of them had been wrong on so many levels but she'd only looked away and pretended they didn't exist because she certainly couldn't voice her opinion.

Kagome wondered why she was sitting there for the 30th time in 15 minutes. Everything was beautiful and ethereal if not freakishly scary. The sky was forever colored in vibrant reds and oranges that signified dusk. The only change she'd noticed between what they called night and day here was the purpling of the sky to give way to blue that never truly came and the lightening of the colors that would start the whole sun setting scene again.

The forest was forever pitch black and the only light peeking through the trees was the light of thousands upon thousands of fireflies. Despite the unnerving dark Kagome could see fine because of the little creatures. They never ignored her while everyone else of their world did so with a florish. The fireflies came to sit in her hair for a moment of rest before they would continue their eternal duty of lighting the forest.

It suddenly came back to her why she wasn't exploring this beautiful new world that glowed eerily under the fireflies light.

She couldn't move.

She couldn't speak, she briefly wondered why she'd been allowed to breath.

She couldn't even sleep, she only had brief moments where everything was blissfully black and she zoned out.

Kagome sighed and slapped both hands down on her knees. One hand met flesh, the other hand didn't exist. Her whole right side was missing from head to foot. She didn't feel any discomfort besides the occasional fancy that her right side was filled with helium and would start floating away at any second. She could feel her right limbs and could even pinch her right cheek with her left and hands, she simply didn't see her missing half. It was as if she had use of an outline of her right side that needed to be finished by some artist.

This had been her existence ever since she'd woken up on that damnable pile of rocks.

Kagome crossed her arm over her chest and waited for the next strange creature to pass by and amuse her. She looked up in alarm when the eternal sunset actually completed itself and the night sky settled in.

The bushes rustled and she glanced over. Kagome raised an eyebrow at her new guest, very sure she'd never seen another like him.

He was a man looking creature. Standing at about eight feet with massive hands but a reasonable looking body for his height. He was blue like a nice cloudy day. His hair was a rich night sky blue decorated with stars; wild and unkept, reaching his knees. His eyes were shocking and stood out the most, hidden by his dark hair. What would have been the white of his eyes was a bright yellow and his pupils were the color of moonlight… or were those two colors reversed. His eyes were drooped lazily as if he were a naturally laid back being.

She'd thought Inuyasha was fascinating to look at but this creature blew him clean out of the water. It didn't help that he had that otherworldly beauty that you expected of gods.

He walked on through her clearing, completely oblivious to her form. She stared after him a moment but jerked when his eyes opened wide and his head snapped around so suddenly Kagome thought he should have broken his neck. He kept walking but his head kept turning to keep her in his sight. It was if his brain was interested but his body was saying 'hell no.' Kagome whimpered when she realized his head was completely turned around on his shoulders.

He finally seemed to convince his mind and body to get along. His body did a strange swerve before he was walking directly toward her. Kagome sat and stared wide eyed, it wasn't as if she could get up and run away from him and something told her she wouldn't make if she could have.

He paused before her and stared wide eyed at her like a child who had never seen an ant.

No matter how Kagome looked at him he looked like the sky. Like a sky that supported the sun and moon. That nice little thought didn't stop the disturbed chills from running up and down her spine.

He reached out with his hand poised as if to grab a bottle of water. The meager instincts Kagome did have were screaming in alarm. She was sensing danger from this one innocent gesture. The young miko felt bile rise in her throat and unholy fear rose in her and refused to be beat down. His hand, massive enough to pick her up and crush her, was close to her torso, close to her throat.

Never being one to go down without a fight her hand darted up and smacked his hand away. He jerked and snatched his hand away. All was silent and they stared at one another.

He let his hand hang at his side and turned his eyes skyward as if thinking. He never once blinked instead he looked back to Kagome and brought his hand up slightly. He pointed a finger at her and brought it cautiously toward her chest.

Kagome's eyes narrowed she didn't like him poking her in the boobs anymore than she liked the thought of being strangled by him.

He poked her anyway.

His finger went right between her breast and Kagome gasped as said digit passed right through her sternum where he prodded something that rocked her body with pain. She shrieked and smacked his hand away again. His head did a side to side bobble as if he couldn't decide whether to be more dazed by her scream or by the fact she had just hit him again.

She glared into his unnatural colored eyes.

He pulled his finger away and hid it behind his back like a toddler hiding an interesting bit of lint they didn't want to show mommy and daddy.

"Try that again and see if I don't bite you?" Kagome promised dangerously.

He stared down at her hauntingly like a lord looking at someone who dumped his chamber pots. He still seemed uncertain and horribly confused by her. He brought his hand back around and motioned with that infamous finger of his to her chest.

Kagome looked down and blinked rapidly at the glowing pink light sitting between her half missing body. She could see half of a eerie glow just hovering there. She thanked the gods that her missing half just seemed to fade away because she'd rather not see her own insides looking like an anatomical model.

She looked up sharply and glared at him, "Yeah, so. It's mine and it hurts when you bother it so leave it alone."

He seemed uncertain if he wanted to obey her like a good little monster or poke it anyway. With a snort, he made his decision and was stunned when Kagome actually bit him.

He stood a moment, unaffected if not horribly amused by the sight of her biting viciously at his finger. It wasn't until a few minutes later when he began to feel pain that he began to worry. He tried to pull his finger free but the little Miko came with the abused digit.

He looked at her with an expression of mild horror on his face as she hung like a dog attached to a steak.

He grabbed her gently around the middle lest she bite harder when he squeezed her. The giant blue man pulled Kagome free and dropped her to examine his wounded finger. Kagome cried out as she hit her pile of rocks and rolled to lay at his bare feet that were as blue as his hair.

Kagome snarled in anger, she had been through so much and some giant prick goes and drops her like a doll. She stood and kicked him in the knee.

He looked at her with a truly baffled expression on his face.

Kagome glared up at him, "What's your problem!"

He blinked slowly at her, as if seeing her for the first time, "You don't go around poking people like that and you sure as hell don't go around poking me when I tell you not too."

He nodded slowly and Kagome huffed seeing he understood.

"Now let me see."

He glared at her and Kagome stared defiantly with a hand held out expectantly. She was half amused half horrified when he showed her his finger. Kagome pet it, surprised she had actually attacked this creature that could snap her in two without a thought.

"It's okay, it's not bleeding or anything but you just don't do that," She scolded.

His expression was rather neutral as he turned and walked away, his head turning on his shoulders as he walked to the tree line. She watched him vanish never turning away from her until they didn't see one another and probably then some.

Kagome dusted off her tattered clothes, "That was freaky" She huffed. Some part of Kagome was horrified with what she'd just done. This wasn't a world of humans and she had no idea who she had just bitten. Another part of her was screaming childishly that he'd started it.

There was a pause to digest and Kagome gasped, "I can talk again!"

She glanced back at the pile of rocks and smirked.

Glancing in either direction, she decided what to do with her newfound freedom, go the exact opposite direction as her last little friend. With that decided she walked off into the forestry rubbing the abused area of her of her chest.

Kagome wandered for an eternity and a hour. There were all kinds of random things to explore in this new world. Anytime she even began to consider the fact she might be dead something in her head screamed and she blissfully forgot what she'd been thinking about. Her mind seemed unable to accept the fact she might be dead but was instead trying to fill her mind with any and every bit of information it came across. Kagome saw creatures that towered over the trees and tiny human shaped creatures that loved to kiss you in greeting then run away shyly.

There were dragons and what Kagome could only call spirits. The trees seemed to breathe and speak in tongues while the wind played lovingly with her hair and clothing, sometimes tying knots in said hair or threatening to blow her up a tree at others.

The world was always shifting.

There were times where Kagome would come across abnormal pockets that transported her to the familiar human world. She could see children playing happily at one instance and a war dramatically coming to an end with the winning party cheering in blood soaked uniforms at other times. Kagome could never interfere in these glimpses of the human world, she was a ghost observing things she didn't belong too anymore. At least that's what it felt like as she watched humans killing demons, demons killing humans and anything in between.

There were more human looking creatures like her moonlight-eyed friend. She'd come across them at random intervals. They usually stared at her dryly before going on their merry way or staring curiously, as she passed them by.

Humans sometimes fell into her world the way that she often fell into theirs, usually on purpose nowadays. They wandered around lost, sometimes they made it home, sometimes they died and their spirits were left to find peace in a strange world of abnormality. There were beasts the size of skyscrapers that hunted wayward humans and demons that fell into their plain of existence. Kagome had watched in mind numbing horror as a young man who'd slipped into this world by mistake had touched the wrong plant. Said plant had lunged up, turning into a dragon like creature made of vegetation.

He'd never had a chance.

In her attempt to run she'd attracted attention and been eaten herself. At least she'd thought so until she woke after a quick death, on her pile of rocks and generally unharmed.

She had dubbed those dragons NomNom because they reminded her of the Pac man games as she watched them fly around hunting with their mouth's yapping as if it would help them reach their goal faster.

She'd been 'killed' a few times but she'd always woken up on her pile of rocks. As usual, the stubborn you miko had gotten up, dusted herself off, and wandered off to find something else to quench her frightening thirst for knowledge of this world. Her mind blocked out everything else and now seemed to be geared only toward absorbing obsessive amounts of information at least when she wasn't being harassed by her new friend…

"What did I tell you about that!" Kagome howled smacking the large blue hand away. She glared up at her yellow-eyed friend as he cradled his abused hand close. Kagome rubbed the space between her breasts before looking sharply to the massive man creature.

She was half amused when she noticed a little white cloud inching its way across his face. It had started off a few hours ago, maybe…, over by his ear. Now it sat smack dab in the middle of his face on its way through.

She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him

Kagome had run into him a few times over her stay in the forest. They usually came across each other every few days…or was it hours? He typically tried to poke the light that hung invitingly in the middle of her chest. She hadn't figure out why but she simply wanted him to stop.

She'd gotten fed up with her body telling her danger one minute and her mind saying 'idiot' or 'child' the next. In an effort to give him something else to concentrate on besides the light in her chest and as an attempt to figure out what was going on in the massive man's head, she'd given him a flower when he'd tracked her down one day.

He'd taken it, uncertain what to do with it, examined it, before he'd bent down and put it right back in the ground. Kagome stared in fascination when she saw the flower looked as if it had never been picked. He'd turned and walked away, watching with that eternally creepy stare. The next time he'd shown up she'd given him a lady bug. Like before, he had taken the bug examined it like he had the flower, frowned at it, before turning mutely and walking away, this time ignoring her completely.

Kagome had deemed that experiment a success, she now had an idea of where his priorities lay. That didn't stop him from coming back that same day and poking her in the back to reach the light that fascinated him so.

She glared at her companion, some part of her knew his name and knew who he was but she couldn't get the words past her lips. Shaking her head, she took her large blue friend by the hand and led him to a place to sit. She had one goal in mind right now, it was only a matter of convincing him to sit still.

"Your hair is annoying, how can you see," She murmured.

The look on his face suggested he would have been quite comfortable picking his nose if the need struck him.

"Do you have a name?"

Kagome smiled when those yellow eyes turned on her. His lip trembled and he reached out for the light in her chest. He poked her and she pinched his nose. He looked at her alarmed as Kagome ground her teeth in pain. His blue finger was poking that light in her chest and it felt like she was a chalkboard being scratched by a very anal teacher; even her ears were ringing painfully. She twisted his nose in retaliation and he wiggled where he sat and tried to pull away.

He glared at her and she glared in return.

"Move your finger, Now!" She ground out.

He inhaled and seemed to get bigger in defiance.

She dug her nails into the blue flesh around his nose and he prodded harder at the light in her chest. Kagome thought she would puke until she remembered she hadn't eaten in a very long time.

"Big Blue, move your finger or I'll bite it"

A look of disbelief crossed his face at the nickname but he was distracted and that's what mattered. Kagome mugged him trying to shove the massive man away.

He grabbed her arm and tugged it from his face.

It was a rather strange scene as they struggled.

Big Blue, as Kagome had decided to call him, sat cross legged on the ground while Kagome's much smaller form stood in front of him. They struggled in this manner glaring and snarling at each other. He opened his mouth and Kagome lurched back, alarmed by the five rows of teeth on the threshold to eternity. She peered down into the consuming darkness of his mouth and made a face that suggested he had bad breath.

She actually found him rather creepy, his mouth was open and not a wrinkle or fold of skin was out of place, it was like staring at a statue and the way his features had rearranged themselves perfectly to accommodate his expression was even more alarming. She tried to pull away and he didn't let her, as if he were teasing her with the threat of being licked should she not figure out a way to get free.

Kagome struggled and he slowly came closer.

She twisted her arm sharply and pinched his wrist. He could very well feel pain where she was concerned and when she twisted his skin sharply he released her. A one armed slap fight ensued. Kagome lost and received a bright red bruise on her right arm for her troubles. She quickly bent down and picked up a conveniently laid stick. She lodged the stick between his teeth in case that all consuming eternity that was his mouth decided to try and suck her in.

Big blue grunted in alarm, the first sound she'd really heard from him. Kagome mugged him viciously with a bright grin on her face. They struggled a bit more, he released her and she used both arms to try and shove him on his back while he tried to shove her off. Neither of them got very far much to the amusement of them both when they sat to ponder the exchange later.

He grabbed at the jewel in her chest by mistake and Kagome shrieked nearly blacking out from the pain. Her eyes watered and she gasped. When she was half aware she kicked him between the legs. She yelped when her foot past right through his most sensitive area.

He seemed to understand what her intentions had been and he tugged at the jewel in her body as retaliation. She tugged his nose angrily.

He shoved her off and she collapsed to the ground gasping wildly for air. With a huff he, unfolded a leg and draped it across the small female.

Kagome screamed in horror, disbelief and anger before she began to kick wildly.

Big Blue seemed horribly bored as he watched her kick like a child. His eyes drooped in a lazy manner and it was suddenly as if they hadn't been wrestling with one another moments before. She beat on his hard calf muscles and tugged at his silver hamaka's. Eventually Kagome tired and she lay in the grass staring at the sky. She quickly grew bored of watching the pitch black sky that followed Blue like a loyal dog, so she rolled over and he let her. She began to pick flowers and weave them together.

He watched her work silently. Kagome eventually stood, pushing his leg away without thought.

She went around to his side, looked to her weaving and decided it was much too small to fit around his head. She sat beside him and wrapped it around his wrist. Her work fit much better as a bracelet and so she worked on completing the weaving using his arm as a way to measure it's size.

Kagome paused when she noticed she was working with two hands, two hands that she could see at least. Kagome lifted her right arm and stared at the limb as if it were not her own.

"When did the other half of my body show up again?" She pondered aloud.

Blue took her arm and examined it too, just as curious as she was. He obviously hadn't realized he was tugging on her returned limb earlier. Kagome looked down and was stunned to see her body whole again…well she was see through now but that was better than using a whole half of your body you couldn't see but knew was there.

She smiled, some part of her not at all alarmed, in fact she felt wonderful. Before she'd felt strange inside and now she felt…well whole again.

She smiled at her good friend and they shared a glance. He shrugged and Kagome smiled in amusement. "Is that light still showing?" She asked him, unable to see it herself.

He stared a long moment. It was then that Kagome knew it was still there and he was trying to stop himself from tugging or poking the light that fascinated him like none other. Kagome pet his shoulder and stood. He looked at his bracelet curiously.

She wiggled her fingers experimentally and walked around to stand behind him.

"Be still for a bit" She laced a hand in his hair and immediately pulled her hands back. She blinked startled quickly wrapped her hand in her shirt. She stood a moment willing the extremity to warm itself. A long moment later she unwrapped her hand and stared. Her fingers were wrinkled and a painful pink as if she'd stuck her hand in a bucket of ice water.

Frowning in confusion, she looked to Blue. He glanced back and blinked innocently at her.

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. She couldn't stand seeing his hair hanging in his face like that. She wondered how he hadn't gone crazy or blind.

"Blue do you have some cloth or something?"

He glanced at her dryly then looked away.

Kagome made a face and readied to ask again when he reached in his top and pulled out a long strip of silver cloth, the same as his current clothes. He kept pulling out more and more. Kagome watched as the cloth began to pool on the ground. When she realized he wasn't going to stop she reached forward and caught his arm. He blinked at her, "I only need a little" She assured him.

He looked to the pile of cloth then looked back to her, seemingly annoyed and uncertain what to do with it all.

Kagome took an end of the cloth and looked up to Blue. He heaved a breath and used one of his horribly taken care of nails to cut the cloth. The tear was ragged but it got the job done. Kagome had him cut two more bits of cloth before she sat with the strips and held one end with her feet while she braided it tightly. She admired her work then went to stand behind him again. She held both ends and swung the braid over his head. He flailed in alarm when he was smacked in the face and the braid was dragged up over his forehead, pulling his moonlight hair back at the same time.

Kagome nibbled at her lip as she pulled the braided cloth back and quickly tied back his hair in a loose ponytail. She wrapped the braid around the underside of his hair a few times and tied a knot. The cloth held his hair back for the most part though a few wayward strands fell back in his face.

He blinked startled and cautiously smoothed his hair back. Blue turned and looked at her strangely. Kagome smiled in triumph and sat at his side.

"How's that?"

He tilted his head side to side experimentally testing the weight of his very long hair as it swayed back and forth behind him.

He took a lock of it and tugged at it. Kagome admired the twinkling stars in his dark locks. He reached over and pet her head happily. Kagome smiled amused and pet his hand in response. She watched him play with his hair a while longer before she stood.

His hand shot out without warning and he jabbed her in the side with his finger. She smacked him away and looked instinctively to see if he'd left a bruise. She was prepared to yell at him but paused when she lifted her shirt and saw what had caught his attention. While she didn't have a bruise, she found her side wasn't see through anymore. Frowning to herself she looked to the arm that was holding her shirt up. While her torso was solid she could see clearly through her arm.

She looked back to her side and noticed the pale glow around her solid flesh. His finger came at her again to poke at her glowing side but she easily smacked him away.

Kagome held up her hand and peered at Blue through the transparent flesh.

"Oh…" she blinked at him bewildered, "Is that normal?"

He shrugged.

Kagome nodded an annoyed smile curling on her lips, "Great"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A muffled thump echoed loudly in the room.

Aneko blinked and glanced up from the massive tomb she'd been thumbing through. It was quiet again and Aneko stood still hoping, waiting, for the sound to reach her again.

Another thump, then a quiet breath echoed in the room.

Humming in delight, the witch left her book and maneuvered her way through the messy study. She kicked a wayward scroll out of the way and paused, "Oooo finally decided to come back did you Kagome?" She purred.

She pulled the filthy pelt away and stared at the sleeping girl stretched out on her table. Aneko wiped away a bit of soil from her wards dark hair.

With a sigh, she leaned on the table watching the color return to Kagome's face and the slight rise and fall of her chest.

"You certainly took forever, I was ready to put you back in the ground." Aneko stared a moment longer before grabbing Kagome's arm and rolling her onto her side. She pushed the pelt aside but paused when bright red appeared in the corner of her eye. She turned to the doorway and found a blood red terrier sized kitsune staring at her with wide innocent eyes of electric violet.

She tensed in anger, "Damned fox, what are you doing in here!" She snarled

The kitsune fled with a mocking bark just as Aneko flung an empty vial at the creatures head. Grumbling angrily she turned back to her ward.

"I'll have to catch that little bastard again. He got free from my spells."

With a sigh she tore away the soiled clothing of Kagome's uniform to eye the younger females back. Aneko smiled to herself when the seals she had drawn were revealed to her. They glowed an angry red and Aneko grinned violently, her eyes flashing in the dim candle light.

"This should be interesting my little apprentice."

Eyes glowing she turned back to the doorway and rolled up her sleeves, "Now, I can't have my spell ingredients running rampant in my home now can I."

Rolling her shoulders, she started from the room.

"Katsuuuuuuu," She sang sweetly, picking up her wand of bells from a nearby table before vanishing out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome scratched absently at her back. Beside her, Blue shifted and they both watched in interest as cherry blossoms carried by a wind that somehow resembled a human, danced through the clearing. They giggled and the wind creatures would throw their wares away as if giving a peep show before snatching the blossoms from the air back onto their forms.

Boredom had drawn Kagome and Blue into another fight and Kagome had decided, after once again being pinned by his leg, that she would follow him around.

That had gone well, however Blue got into surprising amounts of trouble. She'd seen two other creatures like him get into a knockdown drag out fight that Blue had to break up. Soon after that he'd led her to another fight that he'd broken up with a well placed kick. It had been rather humors to see two Blue size people crumbled on the ground while staring up at him innocently like two younger children would stare at a big brother. From there everything had been peaceful. He'd shown her a magnificent waterfall that had reflected every color of the rainbow and then some.

Another human had fallen onto their plane existence and they'd stalked the poor woman for a while. It was more Blue following the woman obsessively trying to grab her and Kagome being his leash before he hurt said female as Kagome's instincts kept screaming he would.

The woman had fallen back into the human world soon after her arrival, with a little manipulation on Kagome's part, and frustration had caused Blue to poke Kagome. He'd been slapped in the face for his trouble and scolded good. Since then he had behaved and then it was Kagome's turn to decide what to do.

Not having a clue where to begin and afraid he might kill a human if she took him to earth, she'd taken him back to her pile of stones, sat with him, and not a few minutes later one of the many strange creatures of this plane had come passing through. That was a while ago, the dancing cherry blossom spirits were certainly interesting to watch though and Blue seemed to think them incredibly funny.

He pointed at one of the dancing spirits with the finger Kagome had gnawed on a while ago. His finger glowed brightly and Kagome smacked his hand down before he hurt someone. He held his hand close like a reprimanded child and Kagome rolled her eyes, glancing to her own hands.

Her wrists were solid and the eerie glow was nearly to her fingers. Stretching out her legs she saw that her feet were solid and glowing. Kagome wiggled her toes that had been tingling not too long ago.

The numb feeling was starting to seep into her fingers and she knew the tingling would soon follow.

With a sigh she glanced to Blue. He chewed at one of his horrid looking finger nails and bit it off. He spat it aside, the nail turned to a fog and the remains, his spit, fell to the ground and beautiful flowers sprouted.

Kagome's eye twitched in annoyance.

The cherry blossom spirits continued on their way through and all was silent.

Blue busied himself watching the fireflies until the next round of entertainment wandered through. Kagome looked to the light quickly creeping up her fingers.

"Should I be worried about this, is something supposed to happen?"

She got no answer and so they sat and waited in silence.

The bushes rustled and they both turned as a badger made of soil scampered from the bushery. It was tiny and cute with huge Kirara like green eyes. It paused, looked around, then turned into a massive drooling beast with a giant head. Both Blue and Kagome looked on in interest as it snarled at them and trashed about violently making the fireflies flee. The area quickly became pitch black and Kagome silently marveled at how much work those little glowing bugs did for the area.

Kagome looked to Blue and he held up that damn finger.

She sniffed and smacked his hand down. Kagome was beyond fed up with him and his accursed finger. She stood as Blue glared at her, confused by the scolding he'd gotten.

She stomped over to giant snarling creature. It growled at her, and Kagome glared. Without hesitation she raised a hand and wacked the badger over the nose. It flinched away from her startled and Kagome pointed to the forest, "Go on, get, I'm tired of all you wacko's. I've got one to take care of I don't need another one!" She yelled angrily at the creature.

It blinked at her and glanced to Blue. He shrugged looking horribly amused.

Kagome shoved its muzzle toward the forest and it turned obediently, looking dazed. She pet its hind leg in a praising manner as it walked into the forest quickly shrinking. Kagome shook her head and looked at Blue. He blinked at her horribly impressed and mildly amused.

She walked and eyed him in annoyance, "Is there some creature here that's not completely nuts?"

He stared at her a long moment, tilted his head, then nodded. For once he aimed that bothersome finger at himself and Kagome stifled a laugh.

"So I guess that mean I'm as crazy?"

He nodded as if this were fact.

Kagome made a face, "I'm not crazy" She said seriously.

He looked in the direction the scolded badger had run off too. Kagome followed his gaze and thought about it a moment.

"Oh…"

She turned and sat heavily on the rocks before staring into the forest, watching as the fireflies cautiously moved back into the area. Absently Kagome looked to her hands. She was surprised to find the glow at her fingertips and nearly finished. Her hand was solid once again but she was more worried about what the strange glow meant.

She watched the light finally surround every inch of her body. Kagome sat a moment expecting something to happen. Blue ignored her completely, letting the fireflies land on his finger like little birds.

Kagome huffed and slumped where she sat, disappointed and confused. Dropping her chin onto her knee's she settled down to watch the fireflies for a while when suddenly a hand fell on her shoulder.

She blinked in confusion but when she tried to see who it was, she noticed the figure moving.

A woman came forward and knelt before them. Her dark clothing and armor struck a cord in Kagome's mind. She bowed humbly on the ground before standing again. Seconds later the woman sat beside Kagome on her pile of rocks, stretched out, and looked at Kagome with a smile.

Kagome stared long in hard, disbelief in her eyes.

She looked away a moment. Blue wasn't as alarmed as Kagome was and so he openly stared. When Blue reached over Kagome with that DAMNED finger of his, Kagome was forced to smack his hand away, therefore acknowledging the woman at her side.

With a deep breath, she looked to the woman who had seemingly come out of nowhere.

"Y-your Midoriko."

The infamous creator of the Shikon Jewel was staring at Blue in confusion, oblivious to the danger he and his accursed finger posed.

"I am," She smiled, turning warm kind eyes on Kagome, "Your Kagome" she joked.

Kagome gave a half grin of disbelief.

"Can I have your autograph?"

Midoriko blinked and laughed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thank you for reading, as usual leave a comment if you'd like.