InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Vindicated ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: I'm reposting this on mm so I can have an uncensored version of the story.

Vindicated

Prologue

It's hard to grasp the end of a long journey, especially a journey that spanned over five hundred years. The path taken to arrive at this one moment was difficult, many died over something that to the untrained eye seemed to be so small and insignificant-the Shikon no Tama. The Jewel of the Four Souls was forged out of the never ending battle between good and evil and so became the object of this fight. The small pink orb brought about chaos and destruction as well as hope and salvation. The paradoxical cycle of death and life would continue to be perpetuated by the jewel unless a wish was made, the wisher would absorb the Shikon no Tama and it would be no more; however, the world would be forever changed, for better...or for worse.

***

"It belongs to you." The young woman said as she placed the pink orb into the hanyou's reluctant hands. "You dealt the final blow, killing Naraku. If it wasn't for you, we would all probably be dead right now and Naraku would have won. The Shikon no Tama is yours, Inuyasha. I hope becoming a youkai was worth everything that you have endured to arrive at this moment." Kagome whispered before turning away.

Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and Lady Kaede looked on as Kagome started to walk towards them. Inuyasha closed his clawed hand over the jewel and brought it towards his chest, his amber eyes shut, his expression solemn. The Inu hanyou breathed in deeply before opening his eyes and calling out to his companion, "What would you have me wish for, Kagome?"

The miko stopped dead in her tracks, a chilling sensation traveling up her spine. She slowly turned to face Inuyasha, her raven tresses dancing in the wind, her chestnut eyes beginning to swell with tears. In her heart she knew what she would wish for, it was easy, `to always together.' Kagome swallowed back her tears and tried to smile her bravest smile, "Inuyasha, this is your wish, not mine. Wish for what would make you the happiest, that is all that I ask for...that is all that I have ever wanted." She began to feel herself losing what little control she had over her emotions, quickly she turned her head as tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

The scent of saltwater and incredible sadness flooded Inuyasha's senses, he wanted desperately to comfort her, but felt unable to do so. There was nothing he could say, no words to explain how he felt about her or who perplexed he was with his wish. It was so clear before, to become a full fledged demon, he knew in doing so that no other demon could oppose him let alone ridicule him. He had already proven that he was better than his father, even as a lowly half-demon, Inuyasha defeated the dragon that the great Lord of the Dogs could not. It was obvious that as a youkai, Inuyasha could rule all of Japan if that was what he truly wanted...but that was not what he truly wanted. He wanted Kagome.

Kagome. The girl who traveled across five hundred years and freed the bounded Inuyasha. Inuyasha knew that he owed his life to her, for as many times as he saved her life, in the end it was her that saved him. Removing the sacred arrow that kept him in his suspend state was just the beginning, when his demon blood threatened to control his mind and body Kagome stayed, and even with the knowledge that he would use the Shikon no Tama to become a full demon she stayed and helped him complete it.

Then it hit him. The wish that would grant Kagome's desires and his own.

"Kagome." Inuyasha spoke her name firmly. "I know what I am going to wish for." The sphere he held started glow, illuminating his hand in a pink light anticipating the wish.

All eyes were now on Inuyasha, each silent and breathless, each wondering what the hanyou was about to say.

"Kagome, you have always been the most selfless on this quest, always forgoing your needs for others. You have denied yourself time with your family and friends on the other side of the well, you have denied yourself an education, and you have denied yourself the love that you so rightfully deserve by staying by my side. I know that what I have to give you is not enough...you deserve so much more. But I am afraid that I cannot curb my own selfishness even in the face of trying to give you what you deserve....So I will now make my wish...Shikon no Tama, I ask that you give me my heart's greatest desire."

Kagome's heart sank to the depths of her stomach, darkness consuming her mind, `his heart's greatest desire? After that speech...I thought...I thought you were going to wish my wish. Oh Inuyasha, I was so stupid to think that you would possibly choose me over becoming a youkai.' Kagome shielded her eyes as the pink light grew and consumed Inuyasha's form. As the light began to expand Kagome heard Inuyasha's voice once again.

"My heart's greatest desire is for you to have everything you have been denied by joining me in my quest for the Shikon no Tama. I wish for you to be in your own time, Kagome, with your family; to get back the time you lost here in an era that is not your own. But I also wish to be there with you as you have been here with me. Shikon no Tama, take us back to before Kagome fell through the well, give her the life she deserves."

***

And at the end of every journey another begins. Life is full of bitter sweet ironies and twists of fate. Without learning from the past we are all doomed to repeat the mistakes of old, and sometimes `do-overs' can go down exactly as the first try did.

Chapter One: A New Beginning.

"Kagome! Kagome! KAGOME!" The sleepy-eyed teenager awoke with a start to the sound of her mother calling her name from the kitchen. "KAGOME YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL IF YOU DON'T GET UP RIGHT NOW!" Mama called out again.

Kagome stretched her long slender arms and yawned before responding, "ALRIGHT I'M UP!" Swinging her legs to the edge of her bed, Kagome started to recall bits and pieces of the dream she had the night before. "That had to have been the longest, strangest dream I've ever had...youkai, hanyous, demon slayers, and the Shikon no Tama? Grandpa has got to stop telling me all of those old stories, they're really starting to affect me." she said to herself as she got up off the bed and began to dress.

Fashioned in her usually green-sailor suit uniform Kagome ran down the steps into the kitchen and greeted her family, "Good morning, everyone!"

"Kagome, you aren't going to have time to sit down with us and have breakfast, you slept in to late again." her mother advised handing her a cup of orange juice.

"That's alright, this is all I need anyway. Thanks." Kagome said politely as she took the cup and smiled at her mother. Kagome picked up her large yellow backpack that her mother had placed on her chair and swung it over her shoulder before making her way to the front door.

"Hey Kagome, wait a sec!" Kagome's little brother Sota called out. Kagome sighed and rolled her eyes as she slid open the front door. "Kagome, wait up!" He called out a second time, catching up to his sister.

"What is it, Sota? I'm going to be late for school if I don't hurry!"

"I couldn't find Bouyo this morning, did you ever let him back in last night?"

"Sota, I don't have time to worry about the cat! He'll come home whenever he gets hungry."

"I think that he might have wondered away from the shrine over to the manor next door. Can't you just go take a quick look Kagome? Please?" her brother pleaded with his most innocent begging face.

"Alright, I will take a quick look. You know you are just lucky that the creepy old place next door is deserted and I'm so brave or you would have one lost cat." Kagome smiled and waved to her brother before taking off down the shrine steps and making a left at the foot of the stairs.

Kagome quickly found herself at the beginning of a rather long driveway which lead to the Tashio Estate, the place had been empty ever since Kagome was born. Her mother and grandfather always warned them not to go play over there, but Kagome and Sota could not help themselves. They would wonder over often and just play Tag in the gardens or look at the large house and make up stories as to what drove everyone away from it.

Slowly, Kagome walk down the twisting cement driveway feeling more like a trespasser than ever before. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty." She called to the lost cat, "Come here so I can get the heck out of this creepy place and go to school!"

"Is this who you're looking for?" A familiar voice asked as a shadowy figure emerged from forest to Kagome's right. Kagome jumped and spun around, obviously startled. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just wondering if this was your cat?"

The man was now out of the shadows and completely visible to Kagome, in his outstretched hands was the large calico cat. Kagome smiled nervously and plucked the cat out of his hands and cuddled him close to her chest. "Yes, I'm sorry if he caused you trouble, ummm" her mind was erased of all coherent thought as she studied the man before her; his large amber eyes peered into her own as if he knew her, his hair uncommonly long and silver, despite his youthful appearance. Kagome would guess his age as no older than twenty. He was dressed casually in faded jeans and a red button down t-shirt.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, suddenly Kagome realized that she had stopped talking and had been staring for quite sometime. Her face went crimson with embarrassment and she wanted desperately to run and hide.

"Umm, no sorry, it's just that you look so familiar to me. Have we meet before?" she asked her voice shaky.

The silver haired man smiled a smile quite similar to that of the Cheshire Cat, "I can't say that we have met yet, Kagome. My name is Inuyasha."

Kagome felt as if her heart had abruptly stopped at the sound of his name, "Inu...Yasha..." she repeated. It had a very nostalgic tone to it, as if she had said and heard the name many times before and was quite fond of it.

Inuyasha stood their quietly watching the school girl who looked as if she was in a deep state of contemplation, "Do you remember?" he asked in almost a whisper like tone, his eyes wide with anticipation.

Kagome tilted her head to the side, everything becoming more an more like a puzzle to her, "Remember what?" she asked back.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and shook his head before responding, "That you were on your way to school and if you do not hurry you will most definitely be late!"

The "real world" came slamming back into Kagome's mind as she began to panic. Suddenly she shoved Bouyo back into Inuyasha's arms and took off running.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome's form disappeared around the corner then looked down at the confused cat in his arm, "You know I think that this is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

A/N: Okay so what did you all think, bad start, good start, confusing start? I kinda like it. I know it might be a bit confusing know but I will explain everything that happened a bit better in the next chapter. To sum it up Inuyasha wished on the Shikon no Tama for Kagome to have the life that she didn't have and to be there with her. I have big plans for this story so I hope you all stay tuned.