A girl in a black battle kimono stood on a hill looking upon a castle as old as time itself. Her brown eyes stared unblinking into a single window that only showed the blackness of the night. Once there was a light in that window, but it was extinguished long ago.
She placed a black gloved hand upon the red hilt of a sword strapped to her side in order to calm its unease. Slowly glancing down at the shaking sword on her side, she unsheathed it and held it up in front of her expressionless face. A dark aura whipped around the sword wanting to take control, but she could not let it consume her. “Silence” She whispered to the sword and placed it back in its sheath as the sword calmed. She then ran her fingers across the hilt of the sword strapped to her other side. This one was silver with a giant dog carved into the hilt. Touching this one made her remember who she was searching for and why.
It was time for her to go. Her knee length black braid swung around her as she abruptly turned and faded into the dark forest, silently as the wind itself.
She was on the hunt, but not for food. No, what she was hunting for was more precious than food, more desired than the oxygen in her lungs, and more loved than her own life. All tried to tell her that her hunt was in vain, but she knew them to be wrong. For if he was indeed dead as they said, then she wouldn’t feel him calling for her.
She would search to the very ends of the earth if that’s what it took to find him, and kill all adversaries that stood in her way. Nothing would stop her from finding him, not even time itself.
How long it has been since the final battle with Naraku and the disappearance of the Lord of the West? How long ago was it that Inuyasha went to hell with Kikyo? How long ago was it that the shikon no tama reentered her body, extending her life span to that of a youkai and possibly beyond? How long ago was it that her two dearest friends faded with time? She watched as time slipped past her, as humankind inherited the earth driving those who they feared and despised into hiding and into myth.
She stood by and watched as her own life came to be, her first trip through the well, and every one after that. She watched, as her family grew old and faded to the sands of time as all humans eventually did. Humanity became to bold, felt invincible, and wanted to dominate everything they laid their eyes on. She knew that that would only lead to war, and wars did happen.
Countries devastated each other for failure to bend to the others will. Lives lost, revenge acted upon, theft, plagues, rape, and the list went on, until humanity was nothing but a single grain of sand lost to the desert. It was as if time itself had reset, bringing back the nature that mankind had destroyed in favor of technology, bigger homes, more land, and the ease of lazy life. She knew they were destined to fall to their own vanity and egos, and when the time for the end came she sheltered herself within the walls of his castle, using her powers to protect it from destruction.
Her time within the castle, during the time of wars, was spent training her powers and body for when the day would come when she could continue her search for him. She knew that after the wars were over, only the strong would survive, and the weak would fight to die. Of course she knew she wouldn’t die due to the power of the shikon no tama, but she’d be damned if she depend on the one thing that cost her so much, to survive.
She stepped out into the field where the battle between good and evil happened. Though the moon was only a sliver in the sky, she could see the field clearly, being every inch of it was burned into her mind. She remembers when the whole area was covered in the ashes of purified demons, blood, and broken earth. She used two quivers of arrows that day and felt as if she didn’t help at all.
Naraku the coward sent forth his army of demons to wear down his adversaries, before he attempted to enter the fray. “Coward” She hissed as she remembered seeing him standing behind his armies with a smug look on his face.
Standing in the same place she was when the battle begun she went through the motions of firing an arrow at demons long since dead. Standing there for a second with one arm held in front of her and the other pulled back by her face she relived that very first moment.
*~*~*~*~*
The group of shard hunters stepped out into the field where Kagome felt the pull of Naraku’s jewel shards, where they were greeted with Kagura’s army of the dead and hundreds of demons behind them. Naraku stood behind both lines grinning like he had already won the war and gained control of the shikon no tama.
“Naraku you bastard!” Inuyasha yelled at the hanyou while unsheathing the tessaiga. Without a word Naraku sent his armies at the group.
“LOOK OUT!” Sango screamed at Kagome as she threw her hiraikotsu at the opposing army. Kagome grabbed an arrow out of her quiver, notched then fired it at the advancing line of demons purifying hundreds as the arrow sailed past. She repeated this until both her quivers were empty.
It was then that her life was threatened by the hanyou Naraku. A black tentacle came at her and just as it was about to grab her, a strong arm wrapped…
*~*~*~*~*
No, she didn’t want to remember how it felt when he held her. She dropped her arms to her side and continued to stare at the field that held so many memories, memories that she wished she could forget. So much pain she suffered that day. No it was better if she forgot all that happened that day. She turned and without a backwards glance left the area vowing to never return, just like she has done every time her feet led her there.
Just as dawn was beginning to break the horizon, she felt a vibration against her back. Scanning the area she saw what caused the tenseiga to come to life. A young fox kit was lying on its side, its chest showing that it was struggling for breath. Walking over to it, she looked down upon it with no emotion showing in her eyes.
The kit was going to die, and from what she could see it was going to die from being attacked by another fox. This was the cycle of life, it was no concern of hers if it died or not.
*~*~*~*~*
“Kagome can I ask you a question?” Shippou stood at Kagome’s feet shifting from foot to foot in a little nervous dance.
Kagome kneeled down in front of the kitsune who she loved with all her heart. “Of course Shippou. I’ve always said that you can ask me anything. So what is it?”
“Well… I was just…. Just wondering if….” He stammered out.
“Shippou just ask me. I’m not going to get angry with you.” She placed a hand on his shoulder in hopes of easing his nervousness.
“IwasjustwonderingifIcouldcallyoumama?”
He spit it out so fast that Kagome didn’t understand a word he said except for the first and last word. “Shippou I couldn’t understand you. Take a breath, slow down and ask me again… slowly.”
Shippou’s cheeks tinged red but he managed to get the nerve up to ask her again. “I was just wondering if I could call you mama?”
Kagome looked wide eyed at the kitsune. He wanted to call her mama, she was shocked.
“Kagome?” Shippou patted her hand. “I’m sorry. I won’t call you mama if you don’t want me to.”
Tears started to form in his eyes, bringing Kagome out of her shock. She grabbed the kit up in her arms hugging the life out of him. “Of course you can call me mama.” She cooed in his ear.
The kit wrapped his tiny arms around her neck and….
*~*~*~*~*
Kagome shook her head ridding herself of the memory of her long lost son. That was another memory that she wanted to forget, but never could. Looking down at the kit dying at her feet with no emotion on her face watched as it breathed its last breath and died.
Reaching up she unsheathed the tenseiga and felt the pulse of life giving power, wanting to bring the kit back to life. Holding the sword up in front of her she waited until she saw the soul stealer and with one slash of the sword gave the kit a second chance at survival.
Slipping the sword back into its sheath she then turned and walked away. She could feel the mother of the kit hiding in the bushes wanting to get to her pup. She wondered if the mother of the kit knew that her pup died and if it felt the pain of loss. Most likely not, it was just an animal after all.
*~*~*~*~*
Sesshoumaru holding the miko leapt out of the hanyou’s reach. Without a glance he plopped her down outside the battlefield and headed back into the fray. Kagome not to be one left out headed off after him.
She wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to battle being she was out of arrows, but she’d be damned if she was going to stand by while her friends fought for their lives. Looking around she found a long thick stick and picked it up. If she didn’t have arrows to fight with she could use the stick as a staff fused with her powers.
“WIND SCAR!” Inuyasha yelled as he let off a wave of yellow energy obliterating all the demons in front of him. “Damn it!” He cursed as more demons replaced those he killed.
“Inuyasha!” The monk yelled as he battled his way over to his hanyou friend. “There’s too many. We may have to retreat for now.”
Inuyasha released another wind scar and turned towards the monk. “No way am I letting that bastard get away again.” He swung his sword at a small group of demons attacking from the side.
“Inuyasha be reasonable. We can’t win.” Miroku threw ofadas at some demons turning them into ash.
“Feh. Hōshi if you want to quit and run away then go.” Inuyasha jumped off and began working his way towards Naraku.
Miroku watched as Inuyasha battled his way towards Naraku and shook his head, then turned his attention back to the battle at hand.
*~*~*~*~*
Kagome stood at the base of a giant tree; she was always amazed that it survived through so much. No matter how the times changed and how badly mankind had destroyed the land the Goshinboku had stood against it all and survived.
Her eyes traveled from the base of the tree up to the scar, a scar that was a testament to the betrayal of two lovers. This was where she first met her hanyou friend and released him from the tree in order to save her. “I’m not Kikyo. I’m Kagome.” She whispered to the tree as she looked up at the scar on the tree.
Normally she would have run her fingers across the scarred bark but with time the tree has grown and now it was out of her reach.
*~*~*~*~*
“INUYASHA! BEHIND YOU!” Kagome screamed as Kagura sent a wind attack at the hanyou. Inuyasha jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the attack.
With an evil smirk Kagura sent another wind attack at the hanyou which he narrowly missed. “What’s the matter Inuyasha? Are my attacks to fast for you?” She said with laughter in her voice.
“Shut up bitch!” Inuyasha raised his sword in order to let loose the wind scar but before he could an arrow surrounded in pink light embedded itself into the wind witch’s back, turning her into ash that disappeared in the wind.
Inuyasha looked around and saw Kikyo standing on a hill getting ready to fire another arrow. The hanyou smiled in spite of himself. No matter how much she said she hated him she still loved him no matter what. He turned and headed back into the fight with renewed energy, he had to get to Naraku. It was for Kikyo that the hanyou slime had to die.
*~*~*~*~*
Kagome’s eyes turned almost black at the thought of Kikyo and Inuyasha. The hanyou never understood that no matter how much he loved the priestess, that if she loved him back as much, she would have never believed that Inuyasha betrayed her, nor would she have taken him to hell with her.
That was Inuyasha’s ultimate downfall. Kikyo was his weakness, he believed her to be innocent no matter the proof of her guilt. Even when they found out that Kikyo gave Naraku all the shards she had stolen from her, he still believed her to be innocent.
Kagome place her hand on the metal spike hanging around her neck for comfort. It was one of the spikes off his armor and it always seemed to give her strength no matter how down she felt. Turning on her heel she silently left the tree, she was searching for someone and reminiscing about long a lost love wasn’t bringing her any closer to hers.
She walked a little ways and came to an area where she had come and gone to Sengoku Jidai more times than she could count. This was the area where the bone eaters well used to be, but it was destroyed decades ago. She didn’t know what destroyed it, all she knew is that one day she came here and it was gone.
This was where her adventure began thanks to a centipede youkai. It pulled her through the well desiring the shikon jewel. Had Kagome known what was in store for her once she was pulled through the well, she would have never let Inuyasha bring her back once she made it home the first time. Then again had she never came back she would have never met him.
Seeking Fate by Keva
Story Notes:
I do not own Inuyasha, his friends or family. I do own Zetsumei and Iyakon... although I am not to particular about Iyakon so is someone decides to kidnap him and hold him for ransom I may just let him die.