The Next Time... by FallenTenchi

The Next time

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and it's characters are property of Rumiko Takashi

A/N: This was Written for Kirai's Neverending Title Challenge. I would like to thank her for the Challenge. It was definitly fun to do. I would also like to mentiion and thank Itsy for her help on one special night when my plunnie had runaway and my choice of words were definitely crappy.

Least but not last, I would like to thanks everyone has and will read my fics.  You are all truly wonderfull!  Please comment!

FT

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The yellow streak of the sun splashed on her face as the cloud of miasma receded, leaving behind nothing but the bluest sky and puffy little white clouds, signalling the final death of the foul Hanyou. Unfortunately, the miko saw none of those signs as the smell of iron assaulted her senses making her gag.  The blood of her friends; the blood of those she had once called family in this god awful time where Demon and ningen killed each another over of overrated piece of glass that brought nothing be troubles to those who saw it fit to possess it, had been spilled on this day.

Standing in the field where laid the bodies of those who had deemed justifiable to defy the one called Naraku, the young miko looked about her at all their blood covered, grief stricken, flabbergasted, and peaceful faces.  Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, Rin, Kirara, Shippo, Kouga, Inuyasha, Jaken and even the Great Lord of the Western Land, Sesshomaru, had perished in the end.  Only she, the Shikon No Tama Miko, had survived the foul half-demon’s attacked, to finally be the one to purify his ass to oblivions.

The battle had been gruesome; none of Naraku’s minions had played fair. All of them had attacked at once from the left, from the right, from the sky and from the ground.  None of the tachi group had been safe.  The smaller Youkais and the kids had been the hanyou’s first target. The young maiden had seen Rin, Kohaku, Kirara, Shippo, and Jaken, one by one dying as the older more powerful Youkais and humans had tried to divert Naraku’s attention, but the battle had been a game of cat and mouse.

When Naraku had moved left, the group had moved with him, unprepared for the hanyou’s attack from the right, leaving the miko’s friends defenceless at best.  Although the battle had lasted hours, it was only once Sesshomaru was down for the count that Kagome’s real power awakened, leaving behind but a powder dust of pink sparkling miko energy where the foul hanyou had been.

The gleam of the Shikon No tama attracted her eyes to the little pink glass ball that lay beside her fallen best friend. As her eyes rested on the inu half demon, a small smiled appeared on her lips. The Inu-hanyou looked so peaceful. If it weren’t for the gapping hole in the middle of his chest, the miko could have easily believed he was simply sleeping and would soon wake up.

Powerless to resist the urge to touch him, the man she had promised to stay with forever, Kagome took the few steps that separated her from him, before slowly descending on her knees in the blood covered ground by his side. The half-demon’s fire rat kimono was soaked with blood.  A soft sob escaped the young maiden’s throat, as she reached to touch the already cold cheek of her friend.  “Please tell me you’re not dead” the young maiden said as she slowly tapped Inuyasha’s cheeks as if to wake him up, unable to face the truth.

A sense of denial hit her across the chest as she kneeled in the middle of the field. How had she found herself alone? Surely one of them would wake up: They were only sleeping after all... going from one fallen figure to the other, the miko touch , shook, picked up and even screamed as none of friends responded to her attempt of revival. A dry sob escape her throat, as she stood yet again beside her best friend, while holding her little kit’s cold body closely against her heart.

Hanging her head, a pear shaped crystal tear travelled down the miko’s cheek before her hand, covered in dirt and blood, stopped its progress near her jaw, smudging her face with the reddish brown soil.  The last thing she needed was to lose track of reality, she reminded herself as she kneeled beside her best friend’s body to deposited the small kit on Inuyasha’s chest, bringing hanyou’s arm to cover Shippo’s form. “Take care of him, Inu.” She whispered softly in her friend’s doggy ear before tears inundated her face. 

Time past without her noticing it as her tear rolled down her anguish filled face, unstopped in their journey to the ground.

As her heartache subsided, her tear filed eyes lifted from her friends’ face to linger on the Shikon no tama that was shining as the sun reflected on it round glass surface. Picking it up, as it rested to the right of the hanyou’s head, the young woman brought it to her chest and pressed it hard to her as if she was trying to merge with it. The sensation of the pulsating power inside the little crystal was tickling on her skin. Closing her eyes, she inwardly tried speaking with Midoriko.

“Why this had to happen the way it did? Why did they ALL had to die?” the modern girl thought, as her lids overflowed with angry tears. The young woman was furious at the Kami for all the lives that had been lost for the precious gem that she was now holding in her hand.  Opening her eyes to look around her to all her fallen friends, realizing that the jewel silence was deafening. Unable to suppress the rage that was bubbling in her heart, her hold on the jewel tighten to a crushing grip. “You have no right to be silent now, not after what you did to me!” The young woman screamed at the top of her lungs to whatever Kami was listening, but again, only silence rang in her ears.

She raged against the Kami, against herself and mostly against her fallen friends, blaming them for not being there with her but her rage was short lived, as her eyes scanned the horizon as the sun was setting. As her eyes peruse the met with the time travelling well, or rather what was left of it, as it  was seating to her far right.  Suddenly realizing where she was standing, the miko started laughing in a completely crazy way.

Who would have thought … In a few hundred years the Sunset Shrine would be build to remember the emplacement of the downfall of Naraku... How amazingly ironic all this was! Her modern house, the one place she had felt safe from all the demons and awful ningen from the feudal era was really just a burial ground of the defeater of Naraku…

As she came back to reality again, she found herself incapable of staying in the field anymore as the smell and sight of blood assaulted her senses,  rising on trembling legs, she started walking aimlessly.

As Kagome walked past the well, she knew it was still her only way back home, and although, it was now completely destroyed and inoperable, she was sure that sitting close to it would’ve brought her a bit of the comfort she desperately needed, but she just couldn’t seem to bring herself to stop.

Her still trembling leg  brought her in the forest, over tree roots, and finally below the high canopy, she found herself standing in front of the Goshinboku, her eyes resting where she had once upon a time had found Inuyasha pinned to the tree. Tears filled her eyes as she felt a heavy depression settle. Again, her reflections were a jumble of negative and self-deprecating thoughts that led to even more tears and sobs. 

Her friends, her family, in the feudal time and in modern time, where lost to her now.  The miko had never felt more alone.  As a gut wrenching sobs escaped the young girl, her legs gave away underneath her, making her fall carelessly to the ground. It was then she heard a soft, bright voice inside her dark bubble.

“Do not fear young miko, you will see your family again.” The soft voice said.

Wiping away the tears that was obtruding her vision, Kagome looked around the forest, wondering where the tender voice was coming from.

“Here, my dear,” said the gentle voice from her far right as a ethereal apparition of the Miko Midoriko appeared to the modern maiden. As seconds trickled by, the apparition started to materialize and resemble more like a person and less like a ghost, but still the older miko was slightly see-through. “Do not forget, miko you’re adventures are not finished.  You still need to wish upon the jewel.”

“If I make a wish on the jewel, will you let me be?” The modern miko replied a bit frustrated.

“I will let you be, as you so adequately put it, only if you make a selfless wish.” The older miko reminded the younger miko in an irk voice.

“Fine! I’ll make a selfless wish, IF you don’t come knocking on my door next time you need a body to travel through time!” the young maiden bargained Without waintig for an answer from the apparition, the modern girl continued “Do you want to hear my wish, now?” she hotly asked the older miko that was now standing in front of her.

“Yes, I shall now here your wish.” Midoriko said, levelling an indifferent look that could rival one of Sesshomaru’s gaze on the younger miko.

“Very well” Kagome answered. Taking a few seconds for herself, while trying to formulate her wish to include everything she wanted it to be, she raised her head as she took a deep breathe.  “I wish for you to take my life in exchange you will grant every last soul that was touched by this jewel a better, happier life, with love, friends, family, health and everything they could wish for.” The young girl replied.

“You are sure that is the wish you want?” asked the older miko

“Isn’t it selfless enough to give one self’s life for another?” the young maiden questioned.

“Very well then.” Midoriko said before slowly disappearing in a cloud of white and pink miko power.

Opening her eyes, the modern girl found herself resting against Inuyasha’s tree, as she felt a heavy stupor take over her.  Although she was annoyed with the older miko, she accepted her faith.

Acceptance was a beautiful place to be. The young girl found no reason for anger, denial, depression or any other negative emotions. She would die and she was ok with it, as long as her death meant something better for all of her friends.

Her eyes lids became heavy and then heavier as questions past through her mind. Who would have thought dying would be like this? Wasn’t there suppose to be images of your life scrolling by or flashes of memories long ago forgotten of happier times? It didn’t really matter but If the miko had it her way, she would’ve loved to be able to see her time spent with her father. Although, those time with him had been few and apart from each another, they were still times she had been happy. Of course, being the travelling man, her father had been before he died, had made it hard to pass a lot of time together.

“You will do better the next time” said the recognizable male voice that resounded in Kagome’s head as one small tear rolled down her cheek before she lost herself into the black void that quickly surrounding her.

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