The Beginning
Chapter 2: The Beginning
Kaede had been peacefully at work in her garden when she looked up and saw Inuyasha and Kikyou coming from the direction of the well – together with a distressed Kagome. With a sense of foreboding, Kaede got up and hurried as fast as her old bones could go to the trio headed in her direction.
“Kagome, child, whatever is the matter?”
Instead of the young miko who started to scramble for words, Kikyou answered.
“The time passage did not open to let her trough. We wondered if you might happen to know the reason for her rejection”
“I bet it”s the jewel. She was never able to travel without the shards.”
Just as Inuyasha voiced his opinion the consequences of such a scenario hit him. Since the jewel was now gone from the world, Kagome would never be able to return home. Kagome came to the same conclusion and tears started to form in her eyes. She didn’t even want to start thinking about what it would mean for her if she had to stay forever in the Feudal Era. She was interrupted in her musings when Kaedes old hand touched her arm in a sympathetic gesture.
“Calm down, child. The Shikon jewel, while it is quite powerful, would not be able to send ye through time on its own. Methinks the well is connected to yer fate. And yer fate was to carry the Shikon jewel, that is why ye were not able to pass without it.”
Kagome’s world started spinning. Kikyou’s face was unreadable as if she had already came to the same conclusion while Inuyasha looked dumb folded from Kaede to Kagome who was obviously not ready to accept the old miko’s words.
“But if that is the case then I should be able to go home! Maybe the well needs the jewel’s power… maybe if we found something with similar powers we could make it work again!”
But Kaede just shook her head slowly and patted her arm.
“The well cannot be forced, child, and neither can fate. It seems yer fate here is not jet fulfilled.”
As realization sunk in, Kagome clung to the old woman’s hand to keep herself from losing it then and there. Was Fate trying to be funny? She had completed the jewel, defeated Naraku and set things alright between Inuyasha and Kikyou! What more could be asked of her? If it hadn’t been so before then it was now official: Fate sucked.
“Kagome. Ye can of course stay in me hut, Shippo and young Rin will be delighted and meself will welcome yer presence.”
Kaede’s words were comforting as was her presence. Of course, Inuyasha scrambled to also issue an invitation to their new home, a small hut at the edge of the village whose occupant had been hit by some debris of Naraku’s body and died, but that was the last thing Kagome wanted now. She wanted time to think and come to terms with her new situation and not be distracted by her first love’s domestic bliss. Kikyou, too, did not seem overly thrilled by the prospect of having her incarnation in her home and so it was fast decided that Kagome would stay at Kaede’s until they could figure out a way to get her home.
Shippo was playing a game of tag with Rin when Kaede and Kagome arrived. Because of his demonic abilities, the young fox demon was no match for the little human girl but she seemed unfazed by that. Giggling loudly she chased Shippo and howled in triumph when he allowed her to catch him. Both children were ecstatic when Kaede told them the news.
“Can I sleep with you, Kagome? I will be quiet, I promise! Jakken always tells me that I snore but that’s not true! I asked lord Sesshoumaru if I snore and he did not say yes!”
In fact, Sesshoumaru had just looked at her with a contemplative expression and then resumed staring into the night sky. Jakken, however, had received a bump on the head by the time she was ready for bed.
“Of course you can, Rin. And don”t worry about snoring. I’m used to it.”
As nasal spray would not be invented for another 400 and something years, there was a lot of snoring in the Feudal Era. After a few months of trying to stuff grass in your ears, you just learned to ignore it. Kagome ruffled Rin’s hair affectingly. How that sweet child had managed to stay her cheerful self in the company of Sesshoumaru, the master of the stoicism, was beyond her.
A little later, after Shippo had made it clear that sleeping next to Kagome was, in fact, his privilege but had then graciously offered his new friend to share the pleasure, all for occupants of Kaedes hut sat down for tee. While Rin and Shippo continued their good natured bickering, Kagome’s eyes wandered over the sparse furniture of the hut. She would try to find a place of her own if she really had to stay long-term. Then, her eyes caught a parcel, wrapped in expensive paper in one of the corners. Rin, who observed her scrutiny, leapt to her feet and brought the parcel over for her inspection.
“That is the gift lord Sesshoumaru gave me when he left. Jakken said, that it is for me to wear when lord Sesshoumaru visits me each month so that I don’t look like a simple village wench.”
Carefully, the little girl unwrapped the parcel and showed Kagome an exquisite silk kimono in pretty shades of pink. Kagome was stunned. She had initially thought that Sesshoumaru would leave Rin in Kaedes care permanently and quickly forget about the human child now that he found a suitable caretaker for her. But it seemed she was mistaken and the icy demon lord planned to visit his ward regularly and continued providing for her. Maybe there really was more to Inuyasha’s half-brother, as she had suspected ever since Rin showed up around him.
