Obsession by Kayla

Chapter 1

She had a secret.

It had called to her the moment she saw it gleaming in the distance. The others, to caught up in battle, failed to see the power, the strength, the perfection in the object which attracted her gaze. It drew her in.

It wasn’t the darkness, she thought, that drew her closer. It was the power she never had. It was the strength she never wielded. It was the determination that always failed her.

In the distance she could hear the battle cry of her best friend Sango, the sound of rushing wind as Miroku unleashed his wind tunnel, and the clash of metal on metal as Inuyasha charged blindly into battle. But her attention never faltered from the small dagger that gleamed, discarded, in the trees. The branches that surrounded the weapon swayed ominously as she approached.

And then she touched it.

Euphoria grazed its feather light fingers gently across her soul. The wind caressed her skin lovingly as the grass danced and swayed in between her toes. No longer was she in the battlefield yet she barely noticed. Inuyasha was in front of her, his eyes staring into her soul. The love she felt for him swept over her in waves when he smiled.

But wait. Inuyasha isn’t here, he’s fighting. The image flickered.

“Kagome” Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her. “You don’t want to leave me do you?” His skin felt like rose petals against hers, she sighed in contentment. “I promised I would protect you, now let me love you”

Kagome faltered and the image began to blur again. Something was wrong. Never before had Inuyasha so openly declared his love for her.

The weapon hit the ground with a dull thud. Kagome glanced at the dagger in surprise before she quickly wrapped and old torn sweater around it. She needed to hide it. Possessiveness reared its head inside her soul.

--

“Where were you earlier?” Inuyasha complained as he glowered at the dying fire. The embers were slowly going out as nightfall had glossed over the countryside.

“I told you Inuyasha, I was right there. I didn’t want you guys to have to distract yourself so I hid far enough away so I wouldn’t be a burden” Kagome whispered, her pride stung. No matter how many times she repeated her excuse in her head she still hated to admit her fragility. She was leaning against a tree, half paying attention to her surroundings.

Inuyasha grunted. “It’s not like I couldn’t protect you.”

Kagome barely heard his snide remark. Pulling herself to her feet she turned towards the direction of the hot springs.

Inuyasha blocked her path. “What’s wrong with you Kagome?” he grabbed her shoulders, as if to steady her. She pulled away roughly.

“Nothing is wrong with me, I am going to take a bath” Inuyasha looked stunned and slightly hurt as she marched around him defiantly. “And if anyone-“ She directed a pointed glare at Miroku, who was also eyeing her suspiciously “follows me, I will be very upset”

She then began her long trek into the trees, her big yellow backpack flung around her shoulder. The forest was a scene which she often took comfort in, but all she wished to do now was escape. The grass felt like sandpaper on her bare ankles and the wind made her skin feel chapped. This world which she took comfort in was now almost unbearable.

She could smell the choking humidity that surrounded the hot springs as the fog became denser. In the springtime the half frozen earth did not take kindly to the unnaturally hot water which melted its icy heart. The cracks of the angry soil often spewed thick fog that made it impossible to see mere inches in front of your feet.

Kagome almost stepped headlong into the hot water, clothes and all, due to her limited view distance. It didn’t take long for her to recover and begin to undress. She rummaged lazily around in her pack for her sweet scented shampoo and conditioner that she traveled with. She used it sparingly since returning to her own time to restock often took months now.

Her fingers grazed against a familiar fabric and her heart began to race. Pulling out her sweater she slowly unwrapped the pointed dagger. Her gaze grew hungry as she took in its beautiful design. The blade, she mused, was not made of the original steal that was common in this centaury. She guessed it was ivory, its recognisable pearl colour and soft texture drawing her in. The handle was bewitched to take on the shape of the owner’s hand. Kagome recognised this when the once large and wide hilt was now designed for its new owner. Her heart swelled as a thought occurred to her, the weapon had chosen its master.

She barely noticed the cold spring air brushing against her naked flesh as her fingers reached out to touch the blade. It was sharp, she thought.

She gasped as the blade began to grow, both her hands now wrapped around the sweater that separated the blade from its master in order to accommodate its new size.

Even though the size was intimidating the weapon appeared to be quite light. She could easily swing it with little difficulty. She itched to graze her fingers over the blade affectionately. She set it down on top of her towel, protecting it from contamination and corrosion from the dirt, and unwound her sweater that now only covered the hilt. Her breath hitched and her heart stammered erratically as her fingers reached out to grasp the weapon. She wanted- no, she needed to touch it. Every second she hesitated sent her into a state of anxiety. Was someone coming?

A twig snapped in the distance and she grabbed the sword out of instinct. Jumping to her feet she realized very quickly that she no longer was in the forest. She was home.

A startled gasp escaped her mouth as she looked around her untouched room. Did the sword have teleporting abilities? It must have sensed her fear and brought her back here. But something was different. The air was fresher, she decided as she sat down on her bed. Touching the pristine sheets that donned her mattress she sighed in content. The slid though her fingers like purified water. Everything seemed more fascinating when the sword was with her.

She could hear her mother calling up at her from downstairs. Absently, Kagome wondered how her mother knew she was upstairs, but passed it off.

“Coming, momma!” Kagome called. Her hand absently went to lay the sword down before a sudden wave of panic hit her. No, she should keep it with her, what if Souta, her brother, found it and hurt himself? Yes, she would just explain to her mother that it was a danger to Souta.

She jogged down the stairs in excitement. She forgot how much she missed her mother. The smell of fresh baked break and cookies flooded her nose and affected her in ways she didn’t know existed.

“Kagome!” Grandpa called, hunched over, as he waddled to giver her a strained hug. He looked different, youthful almost as he smiled up at her.

Behind him was her mother, a tray of fresh baked cookies, still warm, clutched in her hands. “Kagome dear, they are still fresh, do you want one?”

Kagome smiled and took one from the tray. She barely resisted the temptation to drool as the melted chocolate hit her tongue in an explosion of flavour. She never before tasted something so magnificent. “Momma! These are delicious! Did you change the recipe?”

Her mother, like always, simply smiled. “Of course no dear, these are your favourite after all!” At the back of Kagome’s mind she knew something was off, her mother never once looked at her sword, but she swiftly pushed the thoughts away. Her mother seemed to have an epiphany right before her eyes. “Oh how silly of me! I almost forgot. Your father is home, you should go up and see him!” Kagome faltered.

Her father… He had left almost 10 years ago.. “Momma…” Kagome said reproachfully. “I don’t know if I can..”

Something was nagging at her conscience rather forcibly. She couldn’t put her finger on the problem. Her mother grabbed her hand reassuringly and led her to the kitchen.  

He sat at the table, drinking his morning cup of coffee like he never left the house. His smile that was so full of warmth rather irked her. Her subconscious screamed that something was terribly wrong.

He strolled over to her, his navy blue eyes sparking in the light of the morning sun. His arms surrounded her and his scent which was purely him, washed over her in waves of recognition.

Reality hit her like a tone of bricks. The image flickered drastically as she came to a clear and sudden conclusion. Her father was dead.

--

Her head was pounding and the scent of death reached around her throat and ripped the oxygen from her lungs. When she opened her eyes there were several things that caught her attention. Her arm, the sleeve of her shirt clearly torn off, was cut rather deeply. Her sword, now small and insignificant against the grass, was several yards away as if she forcibly threw in away from her. She noticed that it was lodged in the dirt, blade down, and quivering from the force of the wind.

And then it hit her. There were several dead bodies littered around the area. She could tell by the deformities that they were youkai, however they were pilled around her in great numbers.

She pulled herself to her feet noticing the dried blood that stained her shirt and pants. Most of it, she realized thankfully, was not hers.

She was in the middle of a very large field, and she vaguely realized that the bodies, which stretched as far as she could see, were covered in armour.

Fear stuck her hard and she took several steps backwards towards her sword. Did she do this?

Her foot caught a body in the chest and fell to the ground with a large thump. She almost let of a scream of despair as her hand came to rest on the unnaturally hard skin that signified that this particular soldier had been dead for a while.

Had she blacked out and killed them? She looked at the harmless sword that lay in the distance. She was on the ground for possibly hours unarmed?

 She looked around at the mass of bodies until her eyes locked on a small green object that was only feet from her.

Kagome’s eyes widened in recognition and fear. Jaken’s lifeless eyes gazed dejected into the sky. She came to the painful realization that this was Sesshomaru’s men. If she had done this, she was dead

--

A/N I know this is very confusing at first. As you can see Kagome has a very strong obsession with the sword. Things don’t feel the same when she is not touching it, however it uses this to its advantage and manipulates her though she does not yet realize it. Tell me what you think! R&R