Other Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome's Trial ❯ Chapter 15

Yes, it's been forever, and I apologize for it. Sayaka has college application form to fill out, and she's running out of time. If anyone sees mistakes in this chapter or any chapter, please tell me. I'm only human, and I make mistakes. Let me know where they are, and I'll fix them as soon as I can. Thanks!

 

Dryyswat: Sorry it's taken so long, but I'm updating now!

 

Hakutou: I didn't think I'd find anyone on this site who played Golden Sun. I hope I don't totally ruin the game for you with this story. I will do my best to keep it interesting.

 

~*~

 

They were woken by a very surprised Piers the next morning. He opened the door of the cabin, looked to where Kagome normally slept, and did a double-take. There was Felix, asleep, with Kagome using him as a pillow. “Did I miss something?” he asked out loud, scratching his head and looking nonplussed.

 

Felix opened his eyes, looking at his friend. “Is something wrong?” he asked, about to sit up but felt something on his chest. Glancing down, he saw the girl, Kagome, asleep still.

 

“Care to explain?” the mariner asked.

 

“I decided to stay out here last night,” Felix informed him. “Nothing happened,” he hurriedly added, seeing his friend's look. “I just got some things off my chest.”

 

“That's not like you,” Piers remarked, squatting next to the Venus Adept. “It took you a long time to warm up to me, and I've seen you around strangers. You're not exactly a social butterfly, you know.”

 

He sighed. “She reminds me of someone I once knew. Their names are even the same.”

 

“How do you know they aren't the same person?”

 

“She died in Prox three years ago. She went out into the snow and never came back. There's no way she could have made her way to the harbor and taken a boat because they were all there, and the cold or the demons on the way would have finished her off before she made it that far.”

 

“Could she teleport?”

 

“She had absolutely no Psynergy, so she was more vulnerable than I would have been.”

 

“What's her name?”

 

He looked down and smiled tenderly. “Kagome.”

 

As if hearing her name summoned her consciousness back to he body, she sleepily opened her eyes. “Good morning,” Felix told her.

 

She smiled. What an innocent smile! “Good morning, Felix.” Looking up, she said, “Good morning, Piers. Are we going to land today?”

 

“Indeed we are,” Piers confirmed. “I'll weigh anchor if Felix will take the wheel.”

 

Felix got up reluctantly and walked with Piers to the fore. “Be careful,” Piers muttered to him.

 

“What?” he asked, confused.

 

“Be careful,” the Lemurian repeated. “She hasn't told you everything. Sheba and Ivan both have tried to Mind Read her, and there's a wall that prevents them from reading anything. And another thing. If you get too close to her, don't sleep near her. I'd rather not come up to get some fresh air and walk in on something…potentially embarrassing.”

 

“Piers!” he exclaimed, shocked. “You know I have more control than that! Besides, I barely know her.”

 

The mariner just shrugged. “I'm just saying it's better to be safe than sorry. I know we won't have that problem since we're landing today, but I'd just like to address that now.”

 

Felix shook his head and took his position by the wheel. We're almost home.

 

~*~

 

Kagome watched as Felix got up to follow Piers. She could sense his reluctance to leave her. What she couldn't figure out was why. Sure, she knew that he loved her three years ago, but he thought they were different people. And they were closer to Vale, a lot closer. Why wouldn't he want to get there as fast as he could?

 

The other people sleeping in the cabins slowly drifted out onto the deck. There was an air of excitement in the atmosphere. Soon they landed and they all got out. After Piers locked the cabin so no demons would be able to enter, they were on their way.

“Aren't we near Champa?” Sheba asked Piers.

 

“Yes, but we can get to Kalay through here if we rent or make a canoe,” he explained. They entered the town and negotiated with a man called Briggs and borrowed a canoe manned by the Champa to get them to where they needed to go. The trip took some time, but it was still light out when they arrived in Kalay. They didn't stay long, just one day. For some reason Ivan was very anxious to get going.

 

“Why is Ivan like that?” Kagome asked Mia as they hustled out at dawn.

 

“He was raised here by Master Hammet, the ruler of this place. I guess he thinks that if he sees him again, he won't be able to make himself leave.”

 

Close to evening, they caught sight of Vault. “Does anyone want to stop here or go on to Vale?” Felix asked. There was a unanimous vote to go on, but the closer they got, the more slowly they seemed to move.

 

As they got closer to their goal, Jenna exclaimed, “Finally! We've reached Vale.”

Garet looked very apprehensive and didn't say anything. “What's the matter, Garet?” Sheba asked. “You're finally home again. Aren't you happy?”

 

Ivan answered her. “Garet's just worried about what's happened to everyone in Vale.”

 

“So it's just over that last hill?” Mia asked, panting slightly. They had traveled a good distance and with little breaks, so it was no surprise she was tired.

 

“I can't wait to see what your hometown looks like,” Piers said excitedly.

 

“It's beautiful,” Kraden assured the Mercury Adept. “I'm sure you'll like it, Piers.”

 

Eric and Arianna hung back, however. “I'm…just going to close my eyes,” Eric stated. “Someone tell me if it's all right to open them.”

 

“Me, too,” Arianna copied her husband. “Would someone else see how things are?”

 

“I'll go,” Isaac offered. “Come with me, Felix.” He and Felix started hiking up the last hill that hid their home from view.

 

“How's it look, Isaac?” Kyle asked from below them.

 

“I'm almost there,” his son replied. He reached the top and stopped. “It…It can't be…”

 

“What is it, Isaac?” Jenna asked anxiously. When he didn't answer, she turned to her brother. “Felix? Say something!”

 

Felix was breathing hard. “I'm sorry, Jenna, but…Vale…Mt. Aleph…They're gone!”

 

“What!?” Garet exploded.

 

The rest of the group ran up, and Garet and Kyle joined Isaac to overlook what used to by their home while Felix drew back. The glorious mountain, Mt. Aleph, was sinking right before their eyes. The setting sun cast a red hue on everything, giving the scene an eerie quality.

 

“This…This is terrible,” whispered Eric.

 

“Is that Mt. Aleph?” Arianna asked faintly, unable to believe her own eyes.

 

“Mom…” Isaac said softly.

 

“Dora…” Kyle echoed his son.

 

“Mom…Dad…” Poor Garet had no one; his entire family was in Vale.

 

Jenna stepped forward hesitantly. “Isaac…Garet…What can I do? What can I say to comfort you? They're here somewhere…They have to be here…”

 

“What can we do?” Piers whispered quietly. “How can we help them now?”

 

Kraden shook his head. “I don't know,” he admitted. “Call out to them…Such a tragedy…”

 

Felix stepped forward. “I'll call them,” he said, his voice heavy with sorrow. “Isaac…Garet…” he called, moving forward to them. “I understand what you're feeling. I've felt it, too. But standing here won't bring them back. Let's go back to Vault. We can rest there and think…”

 

Isaac and Kyle stood there, gazing at the ruins that used to be there home, oblivious to Felix's attempt to reach them. But Garet heard him.

 

“Your family's safe, Felix,” he said numbly. “You don't have anything to worry about anymore…But what am I supposed to do? …I'm all alone now.” He trailed off.

 

“Aw…Poor baby…” Sheba said, her tone teasing.

 

“Sheba, what's gotten into you?” Jenna asked, shocked at the fourteen-year-old's behavior. “How could you say that to Garet?”

 

“Tee hee!” Mia giggled. “I wonder…”

 

Garet whirled around, tears flowing freely from his eyes and disbelief on his face. “Sheba, Mia!? You think this is funny!? I've lost everyone! My whole family!”

 

“Garet! Don't be so sad!” a voice said.

 

Isaac spun around, confusion on his face.

 

“I'd thought you might be a little more confident after all your adventures!” another voice said.

 

“Ha ha! I got to see my brother crying!” a small child's voice laughed.

 

Garet looked like a fish out of water; his mouth was moving, but no sounds were coming out. Turning around, Kagome saw Garet's whole family standing behind them.

 

“So you made it back, Garet,” Mike, his dad, stated. “I knew it would take more than this to beat you, Son.”

 

“Welcome home, Garet,” his mother, Mina, said.

 

The mayor of Vale, Garet's grandfather, laughingly added, “You look surprised to see us, Garet.”

 

“How did you survive?” Kyle stammered, just as surprised to see them as Garet.

 

“The Wise One warned us of danger,” Katie, Garet's older sister, informed him. “He guided us here to safety.”

 

“Everything was destroyed,” Garet's grandmother sighed. “Our homes, our town…”

 

“But the Wise One saved you all?” Kraden asked, wanting to confirm what was on all their minds.

 

Garet looked like he would collapse any moment. “I'm…I'm not alone!” he murmured, a relieved grin crossing his features.

 

“If you all made it out, did Dora as well?” Kraden wanted to know.

 

They looked to their left, and the travelers followed their gaze. There, standing alone on the path, was Dora.

 

“Dora…” Kyle breathed.

 

“…Mom…” Isaac murmured, relief in every feature of his body.

 

Dora smiled. “Welcome home, Kyle…Isaac…”

 

“You survived!” Kyle exclaimed.

 

“So did you…” she answered.

 

Moving swiftly, Isaac and Kyle ran to her, and she held them both in her arms. That seemed to break the tension, and the travelers followed Garet's family to Vault, where the Valeans had taken refuge from Mt. Aleph. From there the group split, with Ivan, Mia, and Garet talking to the mayor of Vale. Jenna seemed to sense that Felix was feeling very out-of-place, so she jumped on his back, much to the amusement of onlookers. Piers and Sheba watched Jenna roughhouse with her older brother, as did Eric and Arianna. Kraden was talking to the Healer of Vale, which left Kagome to fend for herself.

 

“A little too crowded for your taste?” a voice asked by her side. Startled, she turned and saw a smiling woman.

 

“A little,” she admitted. “It's a bit disconcerting.”

 

“Are you from Vale?”

 

“No, sorry.”

 

“Come, I'll take you to the inn, then. These people are here because their homes were destroyed when Mt. Aleph started sinking,” the woman explained as they started walking away.

 

“Oh, I heard that,” Kagome stated. “I was there when the new people heard.”

 

“Wouldn't you be from Vale, then?” the woman asked, puzzled.

 

Kagome shook her head. “I met them in Contigo, and they invited me to join them since I had nowhere else to go.”

 

They stopped in front of the inn. “Well, if that's the case, then they probably mean for you to stay with them,” the woman said. “In case they don't, though, this is the inn. Enjoy your stay.” She left.

 

Now what? Do I go back, or should I just check in and stay here? I'd rather not live off their charity, but that's exactly what I did a couple years ago.

 

“Kagome!” someone shouted.

 

She turned in the voice's direction and saw Garet running towards her, waving. When he caught up he doubled over, panting. “What's the rush?” she asked as he got his breath back.

 

“We noticed that you weren't here, so we started looking for you,” he informed her, unintentionally making her feel guilty. He looked at the building they were standing in front of. “Were you going to stay at the inn?” he asked.

 

“I was thinking about it since I have nowhere else to go,” she answered.

 

He laughed. “We don't have a home either, but we don't have to stay in the inn,” he said. “The people here are generously sharing their homes with us. You could stay with one of them.”

 

“Oh, I couldn't do that,” she protested. “It wasn't my home that was destroyed; it would feel like I was taking advantage of their hospitality. Besides, you need it more than I do.”

 

“Well, if you really want to stay here, I guess you can, but come back,” he pleaded. “You're not the only person who's a stranger here. Piers, Sheba, Mia, and Ivan haven't been here before, either, so you could stay with them.”

 

After much cajoling, he finally got her to come back, but only after she had paid for a room and set her stuff in it. Going back to the mini-party, she immediately saw where the non-Valeans were, as they were standing in one corner by themselves and looking uncomfortable. She and Garet joined them, and Garet started working his magic, being the complete goofball he was and getting everyone more relaxed. Gradually he brought them into the midst of the Valeans and had them talking to someone. Luckily Kagome was entertaining a young child who wouldn't remember her from three years ago.

 

“So where are you from?” the child asked innocently.

 

“Oh, here and there,” Kagome answered while not answering at the same time.

 

“I've never been there,” the child said solemnly. “This is the first time I've been out of Vale.”

 

“I see.”

 

“Were you there when the Lighthouses were lit?” he asked excitedly.

 

How do I answer this? “I was there for two of them, but I wasn't with them,” she finally said, pointing to Piers and Sheba, who were talking with a group of adults. “I saw them light them, but they don't know I was there, so I wouldn't mention it.” She put a finger on her lips and winked conspiratorially. The boy nodded eagerly and smiled back at her.

 

The boy's mother called him back, so he waved good-bye and ran off. Having nothing else to do, she wandered over to Mia and started talking to her. “Hey, do you know where these people are housing you?” she asked.

 

The blue-haired girl shook her head. “I was just going to stay in the Sanctum,” she replied. “Why?”

 

“The Sanctum isn't exactly the best place to stay,” Kagome pointed out. “If you want, you could always stay with me. I got a room at the inn, and if you and the rest of your group who isn't from Vale still need a place to stay, you're all welcome.”

 

Mia smiled brightly. “You know, I think we'd all like that,” she said gratefully. “Let's go ask.” They found Ivan still talking with Garet's grandfather, and he welcomed the idea joyfully. Once they located Piers and Sheba again, they too accepted her offer. The one thing they all insisted on was helping pay for the board; after all, it wasn't fair that they all stayed in there and she was the only one paying.

 

As it grew late, they said good-bye to Felix, Jenna, Garet, and Isaac, as they would be staying with their parents, and left for the room. They told the innkeeper about the increase in guests, and she gave them the adjoining room, for a price, of course. They decided that the girls would stay in the original room since Kagome's stuff was already in there, and the boys would get the adjoining room.

 

“So, what do you guys think of this place?” Kagome asked them.

 

“I think it's nice,” Mia said. “There's no snow like in Imil, but it's not bad.”

 

“It's different than Lalivero, too,” Sheba said. “Lalivero is a desert town, so there's sand and lots of heat with little greenery. This place is full of growing things.”

 

“How does it compare to your home?” Mia asked Kagome. Sheba also turned to look at her expectantly.

 

“Well, it's different than my home, too,” Kagome stammered, buying time to figure out what she should tell them. “There were a lot of trees near my home, though not all over the city. This place is also a lot smaller than my town.” The two listeners nodded; Vault was a pretty small town. She was considering what to say next when a yawn startled her. “Well, I guess that's all the excitement I can take for tonight,” she said. “Good night, guys.”

 

They said good night to her and went to their respective beds. Kagome's eyes were closed and she was facing the wall, but her ears still worked and could hear what Mia and Sheba were saying.

 

“I think that's the first time she's described her home,” Mia whispered to the younger girl.

 

“Yeah,” Sheba agreed. “She's been traveling with us for a while, and we still don't know all that much about her. Felix seems smitten with her, though.”

 

“I noticed. He seems more open when she's around. I wonder why that is.”

 

“I asked him about her. He couldn't tell me much, but his eyes grew soft when he spoke of her. He said she reminded him of someone he knew three years ago, but she died in Prox.”

 

“Oh,” Mia breathed softly. “Poor Felix! He was taken by those two monsters, and the only person that was his age died. No wonder he was so cold when I met him.”

 

“Actually, he seemed very close to Saturos and Menardi,” Sheba corrected her, sounding thoughtful. “I could never see why, but he said that they looked after him. They treated him like he was their inferior, in my opinion, but he just accepted it. When I asked him why he let them do that, he just said that they were under a lot of stress and weren't normally like that. I didn't believe him; I still don't. Then there were times that he thought they were evil. We weren't past the Suhalla Gate when Felix defied Saturos. Saturos wanted me to do something, and Felix didn't want me to. Saturos was going to make me anyway, but Felix punched him in the jaw. Saturos didn't make me do whatever it was, but Felix felt bad about hitting him. He tried to apologize, but Saturos wouldn't even look at him; neither would Menardi. Later I tried to make him feel better, but he kept shaking his head, saying it was wrong of him to put more stress on that monster than he already had.”

 

“I don't understand him,” Mia sighed. “He seems like such a nice person when he opens up, yet he wouldn't tell us what you were doing until Isaac forced him at Jupiter Lighthouse.”

 

“He didn't want to get Isaac and Garet in trouble,” Sheba answered. “If he had his way, he would've left Jenna and Kraden out of it also, maybe even me and Piers, too. He knew he was violating Vale's teachings by lighting the Lighthouses, and while he knew it had to be done, he wanted to play `the bad guy' alone. That's why he didn't mingle with the rest of the Valeans as much as the other three.”

 

“We'd better get some sleep,” Mia sighed. “If we keep talking, we might wake up Kagome.”

 

They stopped talking, but they had already given Kagome more than enough food for thought. What happened to them? What could they have wanted to do that would actually make Felix hit Saturos? He would've sooner cut off his own head than hurt Saturos.

 

These thoughts didn't help her sleep much, and she was still sleepy-eyed the next morning, and her roommates noticed. “Is something wrong?” Mia asked her in concern.

 

“Oh, I'm fine,” she lied. “I just kept waking up last night, that's all.”

 

“I can help you if you have that problem again,” Sheba offered.

 

“Thanks,” Kagome said. “I might take you up on that.” Her stomach grumbled, causing her to blush. “Well, I think someone is telling me something,” she said sheepishly, her hand behind her head.

 

“Then by all means, let's eat!” Sheba exclaimed, laughing. They left the room, and Sheba knocked on the boys' door. “Hey, you two up yet?” she asked.

 

A groan came from the other side of the door, and a still half-asleep Ivan opened the door. “What?” he mumbled, voice heavy with sleep, not registering what they wanted or why they were covering their mouths, trying not to laugh.

 

“It's time to get up,” Mia sang out.

 

“Oh, no,” Ivan groaned and tried to close the door, but Sheba pushed it back open, flattening poor Ivan on the opposite side. “Why are you torturing us?” he asked.

 

“We need to get a move-on,” Kagome informed him. “Now where's Piers?” She looked into the room and saw him still asleep on the bed. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled the covers back enough to reveal his face looking peaceful. That wasn't going to last very long. Rising, she pulled open the blinds, which shone right on his face. “Rise and shine,” she said.

 

Piers mumbled something and pulled the covers over his head again. “I don't think so,” she stated, pulling them back down, this time revealing a well muscled, bare torso. Uh-oh. Better not pull them down any further.

 

“What do you want?” Piers asked sleepily, one arm shielding his eyes from the painful light and the other supporting him as he sat up.

 

“You're not wearing your headdress,” she said, noticing that it was missing for the first time since she'd known him. His long, blue hair was braided, she noted.

 

“Do you think I sleep with it on?” he growled. “That had better not be the reason you woke me up.”

 

Getting over the shock of seeing him without his headband, she grinned. “We need to go eat,” she informed him. “We figured we might as well see if you two were up yet.”

 

“I wasn't.” He wasn't completely awake, and his temper was beginning to show. It wasn't bad, nothing like Inuyasha in a snit, but it was a lot worse than usual; normally Piers never lost his cool or used a harsh tone with anyone.

 

“Come on,” she said playfully. “We need to find the rest of our friends and see what we're doing next.”

 

He glared at her unhappily. “Fine,” he sighed, giving in. She stood up and he swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing. She almost cried out, but he was wearing some sort of leggings, so she collapsed on the bed again, breathing hard and blushing madly. Glancing up, she saw Piers looking at her strangely. “Are you okay?” he asked.

 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she gasped. “I just thought…you might not be wearing anything when I saw you without a shirt.”

 

He stared at her, as did the rest of the room. Then he threw his head back and laughed. This set off everyone else, even Kagome. Piers fell back on his bed, still laughing heartily. “I forgot you didn't share a room like the rest of us did,” he choked out. “I'm sorry I scared you.”

 

“I forgot to warn her,” Sheba gasped. “I'm sorry, Kagome. He always slept like that while we were out, but you never saw that.”

 

“It's okay,” she assured the younger girl, tears streaming down her face still. “I'll just, um, go downstairs and grab a table.” She shakily stood up and stumbled to the door. “I'll join you,” everyone shouted except for Piers, who was still laughing and shaking his head.

 

When he came downstairs, she was still blushing. “So did anyone order?” he asked Mia.

 

“Yeah. We ordered something Sheba thought you might like.”

 

He shot her an inquiring look. “It's just catfish,” she told him. “I didn't know if you were going to be adventuresome today, so I ordered seafood for you.”

 

“Thank you,” he said. “I think I've had my fill of excitement for today. Are we meeting the rest of our group sometime soon?”

 

“They should be coming here sometime,” Ivan answered as their food arrived. “I don't know when, but they said it would be easier than us trying to find them.”

 

“Well, speak of the devil,” Kagome commented as she spotted them coming through the door. Then she noted that her table buddies were staring at her strangely. “It's just an expression from home,” she said quickly, laughing nervously.

 

Their four friends joined them at their table. “So, how did you guys sleep?” Jenna asked. They recounted the events of that morning to those who missed it, and the whole table was soon laughing again.

 

“I wish I could've seen that,” Garet managed to get out between bouts of laughter.

Kagome was as red as a cherry by this time. “What are we doing today?” she asked, wanting to get off the subject.

 

“They've started rebuilding Vale,” Isaac said. “I'm going to help since it's my home, too.”

 

“That doesn't mean we can't do anything,” Sheba said indignantly. “Can't we help?”

 

“You can if you want to, but it's a lot of work,” Felix warned her. “Besides, this isn't your home. Wouldn't you rather go back to Lalivero?”

 

She bit her lip. “I do love my family,” she said, “but I'd rather stay here. Do you want me to leave?”

 

“Of course not,” Felix denied immediately. “I was just thinking that you might want to let Faran know you're alright.”

 

“He's right, you know,” Piers backed him up when Sheba still hesitated. “Tell you what. I'll take you to Lalivero, and once you've told him, I'll bring you back.”

 

“What about Ivan?” Sheba demanded. “He's not from around here. Shouldn't he tell Lord Hammet and Lady Layana about this?”

 

“They already knew that I had to go with them,” Ivan told her, looking down at his now empty plate. “Still, I guess I should go back to Kalay and tell them I'm staying.”

 

“Okay, I'll take both of you.” Piers turned to Kagome. “What about you?”

 

“I was a wanderer before I met you,” she reminded him. “I have no ties to any town in Weyard.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Mia said, patting her arm sympathetically.

 

“Don't be,” Kagome said, brushing her words aside. “Reliving the past doesn't make it come back.” If only I could practice what I preach.

 

“Now that I'm thinking about it, I should go back to Imil and see how Megan and Justin are doing,” Mia murmured.

 

“We'll just make another stop at Imil if that's what you want,” Piers said cheerfully. Mia brightened considerably at that.

 

“Will you stay or move on?” Jenna asked Kagome while Mia talked things over with Piers.

 

“I'll stay and help rebuild, I guess,” she said. “I have nothing better to do with my time. Once it's done, we'll see.”

 

Isaac stood up. “Well, if we're done here, then let's get to work. Are you guys leaving now or later?” The last question was address to Piers, Sheba, Mia, and Ivan.

 

“I think we'd better leave now,” Piers answered. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back, and the faster we can get this over with.”

 

“Let's go to Kalay first,” Sheba suggested. “I have a feeling Faran won't want to part with me easily, so we may have to leave in a hurry.” The four of them said their good-byes and left.

 

“Well, then, let's get a move-on,” Isaac said, heading out the door with the rest of them in tow.