To Be Alive Again

A/N: Here’s another one for you all. Hope you enjoy it! I’m having a lot of fun bringing this one together.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.

To Be Alive Again
Chapter 2: Going Home

Stepping quietly out of the portal, each demon took in the shrine with mixed reactions. Kurama first noticed the Goshinboku jutting out of the ground, white papered sutras hanging around it’s large base. Hiei was drawn to the well house as he felt a strange magical energy coming from it. Kuwabara shivered involuntarily at the sheer amount of energy that flowed over the property, while Yusuke seemed indifferent for the moment, just checking things over visually.

Each followed Kagome as she led them into the house, noting that her mother was gone, and for that, she was rather thankful. Explanations would take too long and she didn’t want to go over things right now. Tears were clouding her eyes, but she forced them back, however, the salty scent didn’t go unnoticed by Hiei or Kurama. Quietly, the both observed the young miko, wondering what the reason for her tears would be.

Running upstairs, she closed the door to her room, leaning back against it heavily. She was tired, and…alone. She felt the tears come again, but once more, forced them down. She wasn’t going to cry, not here, and definitely not around the demons whom were ordered to protect her and the jewel. Why was it that wherever the jewel was concerned, she needed protection? Why couldn’t she be more like Kikyou, who protected the jewel on her own in the past? Forcing back the feelings of inadequacy, she pulled out a fresh backpack, and loaded it with her clothes. Slipping into her tennis shoes she pushed all thoughts away of escaping out of her window, not wanting to really go to this Genkai’s. The only thing keeping her from bolting was the fact that she was alone now. She couldn’t protect the jewel on her own unless she knew how to control her power. Closing up the clips on her bag, she lifted it over her shoulders, slipping her wallet in her back pocket before doing one last lookover of the room.

Silently, she walked over to her desk, picking up the small cylindrical glass bottle that used to hold shards of the Shikon. Next to it was a picture of all of them in the past, Kaede’s village being the backdrop. That did it, that broke her resolve as she picked it up with shaking hands, a sob tearing through her throat. Falling to her knees she let the tears fall unchecked, as the figures in the picture blurred with her tears.

She didn’t know someone had been watching her. Had seen her packing and then, had seen her fall to her knees. Hiei had quickly exited her home, feeling extremely uncomfortable indoors, and had made himself comfortable in the Goshinboku near her window. Quietly he thought of ways to kill the demi god slowly and painfully. He wasn’t too happy about having another human female to protect, but he understood her position. She had spent years protecting the jewel and reassembling it in the past, so he had to give her credit for surviving years in Feudal Era Japan, and not getting killed. He knew how dangerous a time that was, and was curious to find out how she had done it. She seemed to be just a normal, human female, but there was something different about her…something that tickled at his senses. Once more the Jagan flared to life, and puzzled him. He knew that the implant had a mind of its own, and he had taken years to train it to do his bidding, not the other way around. But what would be so interesting about this one, seemingly normal, ningen onna that it would want to explore so determinately?

He smelt her tears on the air, and frowned. For some reason her sadness made him more uncomfortable than he was before. Growling in spite of himself, he vacated the tree, exploring the first thing that grabbed his attention upon stepping out of the portal. Curiously, he stepped into the dusty well house, feeling the magic intensify as he did. His crimson eyes adjusted to the dim light, and he scanned it carefully, but there wasn’t anything in here except a dried up old well. Curious indeed…

Stepping forward, he placed a cautious hand on the lip of the well, feeling the magic seize him and wrap around the dragon on his arm, awakening it. Startled, he ripped his hand away, his eyes wide with uneasiness. Slowly, he placed his hand back on the well, feeling it wrap around his hand once more. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but rather unusual, and it made his heart ache for some reason. Why would he feel anything from just touching a well? Before he could pull it away, a figure appeared in front of him, and he quickly drew his blade.

‘Who are you?’ the figure asked, her eyes soft and gentle as her hair waved in an invisible breeze. ‘…and why do you feel of the Shikon?’ she added, her almost hollow eyes staring into his crimson ones.

“Hn.” He replied. He had little experience with spirits and ghosts, but he wasn’t scared. He, however, was curious, and watched her with slightly wary eyes.

‘Do you see what I do?’ she spoke again, her eyes soft and sad, as she stared into the bottom of the well. Cautiously, he stepped forward, and slowly looked down into the black bottom of the well. It wasn’t that deep; he could easily jump in it and jump back out. He didn’t see anything however, and looked up, just in time for her to descend into it, lighting it up as she went. ‘…she always comes to this well…falling in…and disappears. She goes to the past…back and forth. But not just her. Her and her first love…Inuyasha.’ Her hollow eyes slowly scanned the bottom of the well, before sighing and coming back up, only to sit on the lip of the well.

‘My name is Kikyou. At least, that is one of my names. After the final battle with Naraku, she disappeared…with part of her soul within me. Now I am stuck here…forever to remain watching over the portal that will never work again.’ Confusion laced Hiei’s eyes. Koenma had also told them the story about Kikyou and Inuyasha, but what did she mean by having part of Kagome’s soul within her? How was that possible? He quickly thought of Youko, but at the shaking of the spirit’s head, he refrained from voicing anything aloud.

‘Because I was brought back as an undead, I had to have a soul to live, and use other’s souls to remain on the earth. Kagome is my reincarnation, and since she was in the past, a part of her soul was stolen by me in order to live. After the final battle, she disappeared. Soon after…I went to hell with my lover, Inuyasha.’ Her voice was soft, sad, and regretful, while Hiei’s Jagan flared with anger. “Why?” he growled out, eyes flashing. Pieces of the puzzle were coming together, Kagome’s immediate sadness, and the despair she was displaying.

‘…because I was jealous of her.’ She said softly and simply. ‘…and Inuyasha was angry…she left without a goodbye. And without giving him the jewel.’ Anger now filled her voice, and she narrowed her eyes. ‘She promised it to him! Promised him that he would be able to become full demon, but just as the battle ended, she disappeared! He tried for months to go through the well, before giving up. It no longer worked as a portal between times.’ She shouted out, an evil wind picking up in the tiny shack.

“She didn’t have a choice.” He growled back, his own aura swirling and picking up dust. “Koenma demanded her spirit be taken to him when the battle was through.” Why he was explaining this to a spirit, he didn’t know, but it pissed him off to no end. She went through hell protecting the jewel, and offered love to a hanyou, a race of demon despised by all demons, and here his ex-lover was, still haunting her with her own spirit no less!

“She always had a choice, damnable hybrid. She is Kagome, she has the Shikon, she has the power to do the impossible.” She replied, glowering at the hiyoukai, a flash of pink coming to her eyes.

Stepping back from her, he growled menacingly, before someone else stepped in the shack, her eyes decidedly sad. “…Kikyou…” She had heard it all, heard everything, and even as she spoke her name, terror filled the spirit’s eyes.

“Kagome! No!” she cried out, as the spirit flashed bright pink before dispelling, leaving only Kagome and Hiei in the small wooden building.

Quietly, she walked past Hiei, looking down into the well house, before whispering softly, “I want to go home…”

Confusion came once more to the fire apparitions eyes, before he replied in a calm voice that he didn’t know he possessed, “You are home.”

Turning to him, she finally noticed the pain and suffering in the little hiyoukai’s eyes. Something she hadn’t noticed while she wallowed in her own self pity. Unfortunately, the pain was matched in her eyes, and Hiei frowned, feeling the Jagan pull slowly from under his bandana.

She didn’t stop it, and neither did he. She was a mystery, and he wanted to know what kinds of things she was hiding, what kinds of things she had been through. Silently, the connection was established, and she relaxed, letting him have free reign in her mind. Quietly he contemplated why she was trusting him in such a short period of time knowing him. They couldn’t be called friends or even acquaintances, but she still allowed him within a foot of her person and even allowed a dangerous appendage such as the Jagan to freely roam her mind. Pushing that thought aside, he finally took in her memories, shock and wonder coming forth as he saw things that even he would have trouble surviving. She showed strength in things he didn’t know any human that took seriously. Courage, loyalty, undivided love and devotion. Things he hadn’t seen in any other human as strongly as she possessed.

He watched her growing love and compassion for Inuyasha, the hanyou whom took it upon himself to degrade her every opportunity he chanced. Insults slung at him through her memories, and he growled, tensing in anger. He watched her care for a kitsune kit as her very own child, often putting herself in danger not only to protect him, but to protect the hanyou, and a taijya and monk that traveled with them. He watched her struggle with her betrayal, as she saw over and over as Inuyasha ran off to be with the undead miko, Kikyou. He saw her return time after time to him, even knowing that he was unfaithful to her or her feelings for him. The hanyou promised protection, and yet, he betrayed her time and time again in order to give his attentions to Kikyou. The raw pain he felt from her mind was disturbing to him. He knew betrayal better than anyone, and to feel it so fresh and so real in her mind made his heart ache. He didn’t know he had a heart to begin with. Slowly, he made his way through the years of memories to the final battle, watching in silence as she regenerated the Taiyoukai’s arm and stood at the front of the army lines to attack the evil hanyou, Naraku.

Pain contorted on Kagome’s face as she relived the battle, her eyes twitching lightly as she saw Sango and Miroku fall. Hiei couldn’t stop the feeling of sadness that ripped through him. They had both survived so much, much more than normal beings, only to be subjected to death. But even that was uncertain. He watched as she healed both of them as best she could, even though he could literally feel her soul ripping from her body. He saw her eyes lock with Sesshoumaru’s and he saw a look of shared requests. ‘He’ll make sure they live…’ she whispered in her mind, the soft voice caressing the apparition’s senses. He wasn’t sure how that was possible, but he knew that the Taiyoukai was indeed powerful, and didn’t question it at this moment in time, rather, opting to divert his attention to the small kit, watching her reach for his tiny hand as he barreled after her. Physically, Kagome reached out her hand again, her hand stretching as far as she could. Then her final memory came; that of her first love, the one she had devoted her life to. His eyes were sharp, and devoid of any emotion but anger. He spoke nothing to her, not even a good bye as she crossed the dimensions of time. As the livid eyes of the hanyou faded, Hiei gently pulled the Jagan back, leaving her mind as slowly as he had entered it, as to not harm her mind.

Her sapphire eyes opened, looking to him with a look of immense sorrow and despair on her face. “…I didn’t get a chance to make him happy.”

Confusion sparked in his eyes, before she whispered, “…I never got to bring her back to life.”

His eyes widened as his youkai awakened. Even after all the hell she sacrificed for him, she was still willing to give more. He stole her heart, her time, her energy, and her love, and even when the time came where he would never see her again, he stole her happiness, and instead gave it to an ungrateful bitch like Kikyou. Even after all of it…she was still going to give the woman life, and see him happy. Devotion like that he had never seen in all of his years of living, nor had he heard of anyone showing such strength in the multitudes of situations she found herself in. She was an enigma and he would be damned if he didn’t feel a little strengthened just by being in her presence.

As quietly as she had entered the well house, she exited it, but no more tears did she shed. The blanket of purity remained, but it was deeply laced with hopelessness. Before he knew what he was doing, he followed her, and made himself a silent promise to her, one he vowed to keep. ‘I will never ever betray you, or forsake you…’

~*~

Slipping through the portal once more, they walked into Genkai’s temple, each feeling uneasy at the expressionless miko. Tear streaks trailed her face, but she wasn’t talking, though her aura screamed her dejection to each of them. Yukina quietly led the despondent girl to a room she could use, and placed a small amount of calming energy into her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. “Though times are tough…I am sure they will get better, Miss Kagome.” She spoke quietly, before she was surprised by a hug from the girl.

“Thank you…” she replied softly. Reassuring words were something she had yet to hear. Everyone was too busy forcing her to her house, and then to Genkai’s. It was as if they had all forgotten she had lost all of her friends and a large part of her life in one day.

“It is no problem, Miss Kagome. If ever you need to talk…please, I am a very good listener.” She said, returning the gentle hug.

Before Kagome knew what she was doing, she had shared her story with the young girl. She was beautiful, she noted, but noticed her kind expression, her giving nature, even if it was just an ear to listen. Behind the bedroom door, an ear listened to all of it, in the girl’s words. Yusuke frowned gently, resting against the door a moment. Though he knew he had stood there for a couple of hours already, knowing what she had gone through was information he was glad to have. It made things easier where she was concerned. ‘No wonder she was so upset…’ he thought, listening intently as Kagome spoke. Hearing someone walking down the hall, he leaned up, acting like he wasn’t just eavesdropping on the girls and walked down the hallway, and around a corner.

Kurama was sure he heard voices, and paused when he came to Kagome’s door. Eyes widening lightly at the word “killed”, he paused, taking in a few minutes of her story, before hearing a cleared throat.

“What are you doing?” Yusuke asked, smirking lightly at the kitsune avatar.

“Probably the same thing you were doing before I came walking up here.” He couldn’t mistake the toushin’s scent, and smirked back.

Grinning sheepishly back, he directed his hearing back to the room, only to hear silence. Chocolate eyes met emerald and they both sprinted down the hallway and out the temple. Nope, they weren’t eavesdropping, not one little bit.

Walking quietly side by side, they kept silent until they reached Genkai’s forest, before speaking up.

“…so…” Yusuke started, unusually preoccupied with the foliage around them.

“…what do you think?” was the kitsune’s reply, his eyes traveling over one of his very few friends.

“…it would explain a lot of things…” he said, breathing a bit deeply, his eyes taking on a myriad of emotions. The most prominent being sadness. He felt sad for her.

“…yes, it would…things like that…no one should have to go through, yet she had to because of her duty. I would imagine she feels betrayed, by not only Inuyasha, but also the jewel itself. After all, it was made of Midoriko’s soul.” He replied, a soft frown marring his features.

“Duty, honor…I don’t understand about a lot of it. I mean, Kuwabara has his honor code, but, being forced to protect something like that…I don’t think I could do it.” He replied honestly, watching as the plants on the path they were walking moved out of their way via Kurama.

“Nor do I think I could.” He also admitted, before pausing as they came to a lake in the center of the forest.

They remained silent a few moments, before turning to look at one another and smiled softly, identical looks in their eyes. They wouldn’t let anyone hurt her anymore, not if either one of them had anything to say about it. Quietly, they made their way back to the temple, where Kurama left to head to his mother’s, and Yusuke went to meet up with Keiko. Kuwabara had since caught back up with Yukina, and Kagome had made her way to one of the training rooms, starting her lessons with Genkai.

Hiei never left her out of his sights.

~*~



A/N: Yay, done! Please, r/r. I love them, yes I do.