A Path Stained Crimson by Sable

The Beginning

The clouds covered the sun, making long shadows on the Earth below. Sunlight still filled the sky, though it was getting darker by the minute. The wind blew softly, carrying the scent of rain with it. There was no one here who knew how to forecast the weather with great detail. No one save the older generation, with their bones and joints aching with the coming rain. Everyone in this time followed their advice without question, moving inside when the first ache appeared.

Kneeling near a fence, gently removing weeds from an herb garden, was a tall lady wearing a miko’s outfit. Her hair was silky and black, and hung down to the bottom of her waist. There was nothing special about this woman, with the exception of her large chocolaty brown eyes. They were filled with serenity and hope, shining in the fading light. She stood up slowly, weeds in hand, and dusted off her skirt.

“Good afternoon Kagome-sama.”

The miko turned and smiled at the family that approached her. “Good afternoon. How goes everything?”

The young woman nodded in respect and readjusted the baby in her arms. “Things go well, my lady. Thanks to the herbs you gave us, my son has stopped coughing. He looks like he feels a lot better. You have my eternal gratitude.”

Kagome simply continued smiling. She was used to the praise the villagers gave her. She had been living here in this peaceful place for almost 4 years now. The greatest enemy she had ever faced had perished a long time ago, and the Shikon no Tama had disappeared, having a pure wish made on it. After the long battles she would have loved to go home and see her friends, but that was impossible now. Ever since that day when she returned to the future…

The miko mentally shook her head, focusing again on those in front of her. She spoke with them for a moment longer before they took their leave. She walked along the fence until she came to the edge of the village, where she threw the weeds. There was no point looking into the past. Things happened, and nothing could change. Besides, she was happy here. The villagers treated her well, she was always busy, and it’s not like she was alone. She subconsciously placed her hand on her belly for a moment.

“Kagome!”

The voice startled her out of her thoughts and she turned, dropping her hand. She smiled at the fox kit running toward her. He jumped into her arms and hugged her. He had seen the hand on her stomach and felt a wave of sadness, fear and anger all at once. He had almost lost his surrogate mother once; he would be damned if was going to lose her again.

“Kagome, want to go swimming with me?” he asked, smiling up at her.

“I can’t Shippo-chan. I’ve got to make a couple of potions in the morning for the villagers, so I have to go to sleep early tonight. How about tomorrow night? I don’t think I have anything planned.” Shippo nodded happily and jumped down. He hadn’t really changed over the years; he was a bit taller and his tail a bit bushier, but otherwise he was the same fox kit she had saved so many years ago. Kagome was grateful for that fact. He was her one bit of consistency in her ever changing world.

They headed to their small house. There was only one room, much like Kaede’s place. She and Shippo slept on the floor near the fire to stay warm. Shippo had his collections, toys and items for his magic on one side of the house, and Kagome’s clothes, extra arrows and tattered backpack were on the other. Shippo had enough sense to respect Kagome’s privacy, and she in turn helped him practice his magic for the kitsune exams. Kagome changed into her nightgown before sitting down and starting to make dinner, which consisted of soup with rice. She and Shippo chatted about nothing in particular as she cooked.

“Oh yea, Kagome. I saw Sango the other day when I was out exploring.”

“You did?” Kagome was surprised; it was well known that Sango had children and did not like leaving her village without them.

“Yup. She said she was out looking for something for Kikyo, who can’t move very much because of her pregnancy. She told me to tell you that she misses you and everyone wants you to visit. We haven’t been to the village in a while. Do you want to go?”

Kagome thought for a moment. A few years ago, before Naraku had been defeated, the news of the elder miko’s future child would have hurt her simply because Inuyasha was the father. But that had stopped bothering her a long time ago. She had made peace with her feelings, and with Inuyasha’s. And she had had her own relationship as well. As her mind wandered to the past, her hand returned again to settle on her stomach.

Shippo’s eyes dimmed. He moved to sit next to his almost-mother and took her hand. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Even if we do, you know he won’t be there. He never goes to the village.”

Kagome nodded, but her focus wasn’t on the small figure at her side. She subconsciously turned her head and looked at the fire burning under the pot. Images flashed in her mind. A large house on fire. Smoke billowing into the sky. The dead body lying on the pathway, blood drying underneath. Fire and wood falling over her, but never hitting her.

“Kagome! Kagome!”

The miko’s attention snapped back to the present. She wasn’t surprised to her arms wrapped around herself. She was shaking. She took a couple of deep breaths before smiling at Shippo. “I’m alright.”

“You know you’re not supposed to look at it. Come on, it’s time to go to bed. We’ll do the dishes tomorrow.” He unrolled Kagome’s sleeping bag and helped her climb in before joining her. She hugged him close and closed her eyes. The young fox noticed that she was still shaking and tried to help her feel better by snuggling closer. He hoped there were no nightmares tonight.

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It was time to go home. She wanted to see her mom, her brother, and her grandfather. She knew she would be coming back, but she wanted to spend some time with her mom. There were things to discuss, now that Naraku was gone. She waved to her friends, having left the Skikon no Tama with Kikyo, and jumped in to the well. The familiar blue light surrounded her, carrying her gently through time. When her feet hit the bottom she smiled in joy; she hadn’t see her family in weeks.

She climbed out of the well and walked to the door. She was surprised to see light appear in the cracks of the door, as it was night when she left the Fuedal Era. She wondered if her grandfather had installed some sort of lights. She wouldn’t be surprised; her grandfather’s schemes to sell sacred items had finally taken root and the shrine had enough income for the renovations and expansions the family had been planning for years. She pushed open the doors, still smiling.

The smile fell from her lips immediately. What she had thought was regular light turned out to be flames; the shrine was on fire! The flames had already engulfed the entire building, and smoke was billowing into the air. She ran forward, wondering how long ago the fire had started.

“Mama! Souta! Jii-chan!” She called their names over and over again, listening for any kind of answer. She heard nothing but the crackling of the fire. She managed to get close enough to see that the front door was open. She peered into the house and spotted the burned up shoes; there were two pairs. The smaller ones were no doubt Souta’s, and the house slippers belonged to her mother. That means that they were inside. It was such a habit for them all to put on their shoes that they did it now no matter what was going on around them.

“MAMA! SOUTA!” She screamed again, praying that they had just forgotten this one time. There was no answer. Tears filled her eyes before she realized that one pair of shoes was missing; her grandfather’s. She knew that if he wasn’t in the house, he would have been in the shed with all of his artifacts and Ofuda scrolls. She ran around the side of the house, a spark of hope in her heart.

But that spark of hope was destroyed when she turned the corner. There, lying in the dirt and a pool of blood, was a body. She couldn’t have mistaken those clothes. It was her grandfather. She ran over to him and knelt down, putting her shaking hand on his shoulder and trying to arouse him. She called him loudly, but he never flinched. He was stiff under her hand, and cold. With a shove he rolled over and stared at Kagome with lifeless eyes, his face frozen in a mask of surprise, terror and sorrow.

She squealed loudly in despair and rocked backwards. Her family was gone. She had no one left. There was a loud crash behind her from the burning house, shocking her into moving. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the shed; its door was torn open and it was gutted, all of the artifacts and trinkets gone. More than likely the money was gone as well, meaning the shrine had been robbed. She ran quickly, tears blurring her vision. All she could think of was the well. As she got close she was terrified to see that the trees had caught fire as well, spreading the fire to the well house. The roof roared as the flames spread. She managed to throw the door open and get inside, but the sudden rush of new air caused the fire to jump into the rafters.

She jumped on the side of the rail, sparing only a passing glance to the ceiling. Already the wooden beams were being eaten away and giving in, causing the heavy roof to start to collapse. She fell over the side backwards and watched as the beams and roof fell in on her. They were going to hit her. She was going to catch on fire and die, here in the well. Her friends would find her charred body lying in the bottom of the well. She was going to die. So hot. It burns…

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“NO!” Kagome screamed as she jolted awake. Her breath was short and she gasped, trying to shake the nightmare from her mind. She rubbed her arms absently and rocked back and forth. It took her a few minutes to finally calm down. She had hoped the nightmares would stop by now. She remember she used to have them almost every night for a year or so, but they had begun to appear less often as she became more settled in her new home. She knew that looking at any kind of fire or flames brought them back.

“Gomen Shippo-chan, did I wake you up?” Kagome asked as she turned to the spot where Shippo would usually land after the nightmares. But surprisingly, he wasn’t there. She wondered if he had gotten up and went out early. Already she could see the sunlight starting to fill her home. She stood and folded up her sleeping bag, setting it against the wall out of the way. She changed from her nightclothes into a fresh miko outfit and left the house, intent on finding her young companion.

Answering greetings from the villagers, Kagome scanned through her small village. She didn’t see any signs of her friend and wondered if maybe he went swimming without her. She asked a few of her neighbors, but no one had seen him. After searching down by the river and through the nearby field, she headed back to her house to get ready for her duties.

Kagome sighed and picked up her basket for collecting herbs, but stopped when a small piece of paper fell out. She had been teaching Shippo how to write, so maybe he left this for her to find. She set down the basket and picked it up, her eyes scanning over the words. The color drained from her face as the meaning of the words soaked into her mind. Her mind worked frantically, unsure of what to do. She needed help. Yes, someone would help her. But who? The villagers were mostly older folks and weren’t prepared in any way to fight. And besides, they would probably not risk themselves for a demon child.

The miko’s head snapped up. She could ask Inuyasha and her friends. They were only about an hour away, less than that when she rode her bike. She stuck the note in her pocket and quickly gathered up her arrows and her bow before running out of her house. Stopping only for a minute to speak to a couple of the villagers, she grabbed her bike and left the village. Grateful as always that she had managed to learn how to keep her bike in good condition by minor repairs and not using it often, she sped down the path.

Not even half an hour later Kagome arrived at Kikyo’s village. She jumped off her bike quickly, letting it fall on its side. She ran through the village to Inuyasha and Kikyo’s hut. She stopped to catch her breath before calling out to them. “Inuyasha? Kikyo? Are you home?”

Kagome stepped back as Inuyasha emerged from the hut. His face was filled with worry lines, and Kagome knew that he was concerned about Kikyo and their baby. It’s hard to predict what will happen when a clay doll gets wished back to life and then gets pregnant. She was worried about the older miko as well, as the two women had become friends in the past few years.

“I know you’re busy Inuyasha, and I wouldn’t normally bother you, but I woke up this morning and Shippo-chan was gone. I figured he just went out, but when I got back to my hut I found this letter in my basket! It says someone kidnapped him!” Kagome passed the note to him and watched nervously as he read it. His already clouded eyes darkened and he crumpled up the note, rage evident on his face.

“This is bullshit! Now Shippo is gone too! Damn it, who is this asshole?”

Kagome was confused. “What do you mean, Shippo-chan is gone too?”

Inuyasha scratched his cheek with his claw, his face falling. “I mean someone else has also been kidnapped. We received word this morning that Rin is gone.”

“Rin-chan? Someone took her too? But how could they get past-?”

“That’s exactly what I would like to know,” a deep voice said from inside the hut. The miko watched as a very tall man exited the small structure. His long silver hair fluttered in the breeze, and his clothes were still sparkling white. His golden eyes stared at her face. He wasn’t smiling. “Hello Kagome.”

Kagome swallowed audibly. “Hello Sesshomaru,” she said quietly, looking up into the face of her former lover.