Other Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kagome's Trial ❯ Chapter 2

For those of you who continued reading, here's the next chapter. I guess I should have put this under alternate universe because most of it won't happen in the Sengoku Jidai, but I forgot. Anyway, enjoy!

 

~*~

 

Pain. Light. Too much light. Kagome squinted at the onslaught of brightness on her closed lids. Opening her eyes, fiery lances of pain penetrated her pupils, and she immediately closed them again. Where am I? What happened? What was that thing?

 

Cautiously, she tried to open her eyes again, and had to close them because of the pain. Let's try this a different way. Turning over and wincing at the twinges of pain the action caused, she lay on her stomach and then opened her eyes for a third time. Since she was facing away from the evil light, she could get her eyes bigger than the slits from before. Grass covered by her shadow met her gaze. Okay, now let's turn over and see where I am. Slowly turning over again, she found herself surrounded by trees. It doesn't look like I've moved anywhere. What did it do? Did it just die? Was it even alive to begin with? She carefully stood up and took one experimental step. It was able to hold her weight, so it wasn't broken. Another step told her that both of her legs, while a little wobbly, weren't broken.

 

“I guess I'm just bruised,” she said aloud. “Everything seems to be working.”

 

Picking up her backpack, she slung it over her shoulder. I'd better get home, or Mom'll throw a fit. I don't know how long I was there, but it doesn't look too long; the sun is still up. She carefully walked around trees in what she hoped was the direction of the park. Since she didn't make a habit of walking in the area surrounding the park very often, she had to guess at the path she had taken. When she was still walking five minutes later, she began to worry that she was headed in the wrong direction. After all, it had taken her only a couple of minutes to get to the rocky eye, and here she was, five minutes later, and still no clearings in sight. Where is the park? I should've hit it by now. The sun was…already past its zenith, and I was facing it when I entered the woods. It's on my back now, so I am headed in the right direction. So why are there still so many trees? Avoiding more foliage, she pushed past two saplings…and suddenly there were no more trees in front of her. Unfortunately, while she realized that there were no more trees, there was also no park. At first, Kagome couldn't make her mind accept that there were no more trees. Then, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The woods did eventually end, but there was a park at the end of it. The strain of walking after she woke up and facing the eye's energy was too much; her legs gave way and she fell down.

 

“Where did that thing bring me?” she whispered aloud. Even though it was sunny out, a cool breeze blew and sent shivers through her body. “Inuyasha…where are you? I need you.” It never occurred to me how much I rely on Inuyasha to save me from these situations. I'm pretty pathetic. I need to save myself this time; something tells me that Inuyasha won't be able to get me out of here.

 

Straightening her shoulders, she used one of the saplings she had stepped around to get herself on her feet again, took two hesitant steps, and continued across the plain. There were a few trees here and there, but nowhere near as many as were in the woods. While Kagome knew that she could be headed away from civilization, if she stayed where she was, she would probably never find help. She didn't know where that thing had dropped her, but it wasn't Tokyo. In addition to that, something seemed to be drawing her in that direction. It seemed like the mountain, which was steadily getting larger as she walked in its direction, was calling to something inside her.

 

When she got closer to the base of the mountain some time later, judging by the shadow in front of her, she could see houses clustered around it. Great, people, she thought with relief. Maybe they can tell me how to get back to Tokyo. Speeding up as much as she could without being in pain, she reached the gate within fifteen minutes. Gasping, she staggered through the gate opening and looked around. There were people walking around and talking, but their style of dress was not what she was used to seeing, not even in the Sengoku Jidai.

 

Gathering her courage, she walked up to the closest person, a man who looked to be in his thirties, and asked, “Excuse me, but I'm lost can you tell me how to get to Tokyo?”

 

The man looked at her strangely, so she repeated her question. “Do you know how I can get to Tokyo?”

 

Again, he said nothing, just looked at her. Keeping her frustration in check, she thought, Maybe I'm in a different part of the Feudal Era, so Tokyo doesn't exist. “Can you tell me where Edo is located?”

 

The man said something unintelligible and pointed towards the stairs that looked like they were carved into the side of one of the cliffs. Kagome bowed to him and started moving towards the stairs since that's what it seemed like he wanted her to do, even though he didn't answer her question. I guess whoever can answer my question is up here. Or maybe he's sending me to someone who can understand me.

 

At the top of the stairs was a small flat area, some houses, and more stairs. After that, it seemed that all she did was climb and go down stairs. Crossing a bridge, she saw, several yards ahead, was house, except this one was partly on the river and had a dock.

 

Walking up to the door, she knocked and a redheaded woman answered. “I'm sorry, but do you know where I can find Tokyo or Edo?” Kagome asked her.

 

The woman shook her head and pointed towards the north. Kagome thanked her and continued on her way. Before the woman closed the door, Kagome saw a child that looked about her age behind the woman. Then it hit her that that was the first time she saw a child of any kind in this village. The people were all in their late twenties and older. She kept going, always asking where she was supposed to head, but all the people did was point toward a set of stairs, so she just trudged on. Following the road she was currently on, she passed some steps, tired of them, and almost ran into an old man.

 

“I'm sorry,” she apologized. “Do you know where Tokyo or Edo is?”

 

The man looked confused. He shook his head, said something she couldn't understand and pointed up. She thanked him accordingly and dragged herself in the indicated direction. There was another bridge, but since the road ended there, she walked across. The road on the other side split north and south, but since she had always been told to head left and north, she took the northern branch. It also helped that to the north there were large stairs that led to a large building. Now very sick of stairs, even though she had a long stairway that led to her home, she climbed up and pushed open one of the double doors. Two men in blue and white robes were standing by the door and a much older man was at the end of the room behind a stone table. Not sure what to do, she stood in the doorway, waiting for someone to tell her what to do. The two men at the door took one look at her and rushed forward to her.

 

Surprised, Kagome stammered, “Um, hi, could you tell me-”

 

The two men didn't seem to be listening to her because they took hold of her arms and dragged her forward to the old man. He hurriedly came around the desk and stood in front of her. The three men spoke to each other, and their tones were worried.

 

Tiredness caught up to her suddenly and her legs gave way, and she would've fallen if the two men hadn't been holding onto her. They set her on the ground and spoke faster.

 

“Please, can you tell me how to get to Tokyo or Edo?” she asked tiredly. Why are they not answering me? I just want a `yes' or a `no'. Is that too much to ask for?

 

At that moment, the three men seemed to come to some sort of agreement and turned their attention to her. Kagome was about to repeat her question, but they all put their hands close to her and blue bands surrounded them, like the floating eye. Since the last time this happened she was thrown into a place where no one understood what she was saying, she panicked. Trying to push their hands away, she squirmed away from them, but they followed her, keeping her in between the three of them.

 

“No, stop it!” she shrieked, still trying to break out. Those villagers weren't helping me; they sent me to these evil people. Maybe they sent the eye to collect people and then when they come here, they're killed. Maybe they're brainwashed or mind-controlled by the eye. Inuyasha, please help me!

 

Even while she was panicking, she noticed that this time it was different. They weren't glowing, just surrounded by blue rings, and the world wasn't shifting; everything was still in focus. This knowledge was taking the edge off her panic, though she was still flighty. She also noticed that the pain in her legs and in places she didn't even know were in pain was receding. When the rings vanished from the men, she wasn't in any pain at all.

 

“Wh-what did you do?” she asked, not sure what happened, but she was still with the men and she wasn't in any pain.

 

The old man said something that she didn't understand and all three stood up. She copied them and looked at them, not sure what to do next.

 

One of the younger men asked her something, but she didn't know what he wanted, so just looked at him in confusion. He sighed and shook his head. The other man said something to him and he, taking her hand, led her out the door. To Kagome's surprise, it was already dark out. She would have gotten lost trying to make her way back the way she came if she had been by herself, but he kept a firm grip on her hand and took her back by what seemed to be a much shorter route than the one she had taken earlier. They stopped at what Kagome assumed was an inn of some sort. The man spoke to the woman at a…cash register? When they were finished, he led her up even more stairs and into a room. He said something that made absolutely no sense to her and closed the door.

 

I guess this is where I'm staying for tonight, she thought. I wish I had something to eat; I haven't eaten since lunch, and I'm starved, but I don't think I'd get anything. These people don't even understand what I'm saying, so it would probably be a wasted trip.

 

Crawling into the bed, she closed her eyes and wished to be at home or the Feudal Era with the rest of her friends.

 

~*~

 

As soon as she opened her eyes, she knew she was dreaming. She was floating in nothingness, and the rocky eye was with her again.

 

“Why did you bring me here?” she demanded.

 

“You are needed,” it responded.

 

“How am I needed? Even if I was needed, don't you think it would've been nicer to tell me before I was dragged here so I could at least bring some things with me, like clothes? And it would've been nice if you'd brought my friends with me. They're stronger than I am, and they could've helped with whatever it is.”

 

“You are the only one who can do this,” the thing said patiently. “Anyone else who would have come with you would have been a hindrance, not a help.”

 

“You still haven't told what exactly I'm needed for,” Kagome said pointedly. She knew she was being rude, but she wasn't feeling charitable at the moment, and this was the thing that took her against her will.

 

“I sense that the time the Lighthouses will be lit is near. Your body will absorb some of the power of the Lighthouses, which means when the Golden Sun rises, if there is a person who wishes to claim its full power, they won't be able to.”

 

Kagome started at it. “What you just said went right over my head,” she stated. “What Lighthouses, why do they give off power, and what is a Golden Sun?”

 

“Do know about alchemy?” it asked.

 

Kagome shook her head negatively.

 

“Alchemy is what makes up everything in this world. Fire, water, wind, and earth are the four elements that make up alchemy. Long ago that power was free for anyone to use, but men used it for war and killing, so they locked up its power in four elemental Lighthouses. The keys to theses Lighthouses, the Elemental Stars, were buried somewhere so that no one would be able to light the Lighthouses again.”

 

“That doesn't tell me why they would give off power,” Kagome said.

 

“If the Lighthouses are lit again, the power they contain will be unleashed on the world. It could be releases as natural disasters, like earthquakes or volcanoes.”

 

“Okay, I'm following you so far, but what is a Golden Sun?”

 

“If all four of the Lighthouses are lit, their power will converge in one place and form the Golden Sun. The Golden Sun itself is the burst of energy released when the Stone of Sages is formed.”

 

“The Stone of Sages?”

 

“I believe that you would call it the elixir of life, and it has the power to turn lead into pure gold.”

 

Understanding dawned on Kagome. “Oh. Wait a minute, though. I thought you said that the keys, the Elemental Stars, were buried somewhere. If that's so, how come you're worried that the Lighthouses will be relit? Wouldn't they have to find the keys first?”

 

“There are people who research alchemy and the Elemental Stars. Unfortunately, there is enough information in the world about those subjects that it is possible for their location to be uncovered. I'm afraid that there are some people who are close to finding out their location and will use it to take the Stars and try to relight the Lighthouses.”

 

“I can understand why relighting them might be dangerous, especially if it causes earthquakes and volcanoes and the like. But other than that, is it really so bad.”

 

“Those are just the reactions when the Lighthouses are first lit. Once all four are shining again, the entire world might be destroyed.”

 

That sent chills down Kagome's spine. “So if I absorb some of the power of the Lighthouses once, no, if, they're lit, then the world won't be destroyed?”

 

“That is correct.”

 

Fury stiffened her body. “If you expect me to stay here for the rest of my life just because you thought someone would light the Lighthouses, then you're crazy. I'm not spending the rest of my life here!”

 

“I do not expect you to,” the eye said. “I sense that someone will try to take the Elemental Stars very soon, however, and if they succeed, I need you here to absorb the energy. If it doesn't happen within a certain time period, I will return you to your time.”

 

“I am not going to waste my entire summer vacation here, you know,” Kagome stated.

 

“I will return you with only a little time lost,” the eye promised.

 

“There seems to be a problem with communication,” Kagome pointed out. “They can't understand a word I'm saying, and vice-versa. What's the deal with that?”

 

“I will instruct them to allow you to stay for as long as necessary and you will have to learn their language. That is the best I can do.”

 

“Wait,” Kagome called after it as it started to fade. “Can't you just magic it into my head or something?”

 

It didn't answer, just continued to fade until it disappeared completely.

 

~*~