New Life by Aria

Chapter 1

So I know I haven't been active all that much lately but I have spent some time rewriting New Life. I have finally finished updating all the chapters. Instead of just redoing each chapter, I have deleted the old one and have started a new one. Please take some time to read and enjoy. As a note, there are some mature scenes in this story. Also some religious aspects of it. I have tried to keep things to date with the time frame as well.

Year: 1533 AD
Month: August

Kagome stared in stunned shock. They were all injured so badly. How could they all survive? She didn't think about the fact that her chest was completely speared open with a tentacle filled with Miasma. Her wound had happened as the last of her group had fallen.

The jewel was basically gone, Naraku having taken what they had had. All she had left was one little shard. It was the last. No one had thought to look for it in the place it was hidden. It was hidden deep within herself. It was buried within her heart. It was the only thing keeping her alive and moving.

Her gaze rested on each of their bodies. Thankfully her son was back in the village. She could hear the evil voice behind her whispering.

"Goodbye Miko… Good riddance…"

Her body was pushed forward, causing her to fall to her knees. Still the pain did not hit her. She gasped as she felt the evil being leave, cackling in success. A faint but hard smile appeared. He would not succeed since the last shard was not connected to the jewel.

Looking toward the sea, she pushed bloody hair back away from her face. Her entire body was stained in blood. Something caught her attention though. The image of her son wavered. How did he get out here? He was sinking and calling for her. Pushing herself to her feet, she stumbled into the waves.

As she reached the spot she had seen Shippo, she was gasping. The pain was beginning to hit her. She no longer had the strength to hold herself up. She was so tired. The water began to slowly swirl around her, welcoming her into its depths. As she sank into the water, her thoughts turned to her family.

'I'm sorry Mama… Grandpa… Souta…'

She closed her eyes smiling. 'I'm coming Papa…'

Inuyasha groaned as he awoke. He could not smell the others nearby. It was then that he realized that he was inside a building.

Pushing himself up, he moved to the door, already feeling that his body had healed. Where were the others? Descending the stairs, he then scented the others. There was something missing. More like someone.

Entering, he saw Sango, Miroku and Shippo sitting on one side of the table. Sango and Miroku were bandaged up and seemed to be barely hanging on to consciousness. On the other side rested Kikyo and Kaede. Surprisingly, Kikyo looked far healthier than she had in a long time.

"Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha had a confused expression on his face. Everyone shook their head sadly. She was gone.

Shippo spoke up, his voice small. "I can barely feel her through our bond…"

Sango spoke up then. "Naraku grabbed her… He… He… He took her…"

Inuyasha's fist tightened, nails piercing his palms. "Then we'll get her back."

Kikyo hesitated as she spoke up. "Inuyasha… I don't think it will be possible."

Inuyasha frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kikyo looked down. Inuyasha looked at his pack in bewilderment. Miroku spoke up wearily as he took Sango's hand. "The Lady Kikyo has regained her full soul."

Inuyasha's face paled. At that moment, Sango burst into tears as Shippo raced out of the building.

"Child… you must awaken. Your destiny has yet to be fulfilled."

Kagome turned her face away from the source of the voice. 'I have nothing to live for. There is no reason for me to wake up. I want Papa.'

"There is still a reason to live. You have a new task ahead of you. There is a soul awaiting your acceptance. Your true soul. The soul you held has fulfilled its purpose and has joined with the rest of its own. You must choose to live though."

'I don't want to fight anymore.' Kagome opened her eyes and suddenly she saw Midoriko before her. She was stunning. Near her were the spirits of three youkai. A dragon, a phoenix and a kitsune.

"Our souls will sustain and strengthen your own. You were never supposed to be a reincarnation. We will intertwine with each other and become one. You will become as you were meant to be all along." Kagome blinked. "Your son, Shippo needs you."

The image of her son came to mind. She could not leave him. She was all he had left. 'Shippo! I'm coming!'

She saw Midoriko smile and then she felt light fill her. The Shikon shard within her heart fell out into her palm. It was dull. Empty of power. Where had all that power gone? Why did she feel so whole for once?

It was then Kagome realized that she was underwater. She then saw the mermaids. She had once thought them to be beautiful creatures. She could see now that they were not. They brought fear into her. They were so hideous, and she could feel the darkness.

Scowling she raised her hands.

'No!'

Power soared out from her. Blue light spread out from her in a ring. Screams filled the water. Feeling the need for air, she surged to the surface. Breaking the surface, she gasped for air.

She saw nothing but ocean around her. Where was the land? How would she get back?

Kagome struggled to stay afloat. She was so tired. To think, when the urge to live came, would she die anyways from drowning?

Suddenly one of the mermaid's body floated up to her. Something inside her told her to eat so she took a bite from the tail. It was sweet and juicy. She found herself clinging tightly to the corpse, taking bites here and there, every so often resting on the body.

One by one, mermaid bodies began to float up near her. The water surged around her, keeping the bodies close as though it was directed to keep her alive.

6 months later

Inuyasha growled as he faced another puppet. In the last six months, Naraku had become manic in collecting youkai. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of the real Naraku.

Looking to his side, he watched Kikyo. She was stunning as usual. Forcing his mind from the thought of her, he glanced at the others.

Shippo had stopped journeying with them. He stayed back at the village, by the well. He was inconsolable. Sango had grown to accept Kikyo. Now that Kikyo had no duties as a priestess, she acted freely. It reminded them all of Kagome in some ways. Even Sesshomaru had come to offer condolences.

Inuyasha mentally laughed. That was Kagome. She had gotten even his bastard of a brother to respect her.

As he swung Tetsaiga, he watched the puppet shatter. Turning, he began to walk away. "Let's go home." The others looked at him and nodded.

Kagome woke to find herself staring at a coast. She could see a familiar mountain in the distance. She was home. Looking at the last of the carcasses, she held on tight and began to swim toward the coast. It was meat that she would need.

As she crawled on shore, she panted softly. Then without bothering to check over herself, she began to tear pieces off the carcasses. The scales on the fin were sharp so she used them to cut slices. She used the hair to weave a basket with twigs that she found nearby.

It was late into the night when she finished. Packing the meat in, she stood. She needed to go home. She needed to see her mother. She needed her son. "Mama… Shippo, I'm coming." Her voice was soft from disuse but strong and soothing. Her eyes, now an icy blue color, narrowed. Naraku would pay. Blue fire raced across her body, her powers reacting. The waves surged on to the beach dangerously, crashing around her.

Sesshomaru tensed inside his castle. For a moment he had felt something powerful surge. It had a familiar feel to it, almost like a memory. It also had the feel that youkai had when they used the cursed jewel. The one his brother had attempted to collect for so long before his miko had died. It was too quick for him to determine a direction though. Searching his mind for an answer to this new enigma, he paused in his work. His gaze remained looking toward the window in thought. This matter would need to be investigated. First, he needed to finish his duties here. Turning back to his paperwork, he put the matter from his mind.

Kikyo tensed. They were nearing the village. She had felt the Shikon Jewel. It was whole as well. But then it was gone. It had been no more than a flash. She recognized the pull of the jewel though. How, after so many months, had the jewel come back? She hadn't felt any sign of it and now merely just a flash of power. Ever since she had found Inuyasha and his group, the jewel had been gone. Thinking about it, she hadn't felt the jewel since she had gotten her soul back. Shaking her head, she figured she was feeling things.

Shippo shot up as he felt the bond with his mother grow strong. It had grown faint, almost nonexistent when she had supposedly died. Because it had still been there, he knew she had to be alive still. He figured she had gone back to her time. She was back. He knew it. Something felt different about the bond, but he didn't care. All he knew was that she was back. The strange thing was it wasn't coming from the well. Before Kaede could stop him, he was out the door. He had to go to her. He just had to.