Kagome's Paths
folder
InuYasha › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
11
Views:
7,270
Reviews:
91
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
InuYasha › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
11
Views:
7,270
Reviews:
91
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
The Price of Knowledge
Kagome's Paths
By Kagehoshi
Ch8 The Price of Knowledge
AN* Such... Horrible... Jetlag.... *passes out*
Emily: Yeah, Tsukiko and I have just arrived back from a very long and alcohol free flight from Japan. Fucking 14 hour flight sucks all ass. I wasn't even allowed to bring my Nyquil aboard to pass out since apparently you are no longer allowed to bring liquids on board american planes. WHEN THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN!!!? Fucking bastards I was supposed to be unconcious for this damn flight!
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It seemed as if she had been walking for hours, but Kagome knew that truthfully it had only been 30 minutes at the most. The rolling hills she had walked over coming from the Library had given way to open grassy moors on her right and a forest that seemed to be entirely dead on her left. Every once in a while the scenery was punctuated by a rocky outcropping rearing from the earth like skeletal fingers, but other than that it was quite dull. Though in all honestly she could not keep much of an eye on her surroundings as every ounce of concentration was needed for keeping upright on the stony dirt road. Ha! Dirt road her pasty Asian ass! The thing was mostly stones, small loose stones that slid out from under your feet as you tried to walk over them or large pointy ones that dug painfully into the fleshy part of one’s foot. Kagome had been wearing her thin house slippers when she had been brought to the Labyrinth, and while they were quite alright for grassy plains, paved pathways and marble floored libraries; they were absolutely horrible for rocky dirt roads. She could feel everything through the thin silk and none of it was very pleasant. Kagome let out another angry exclamation as she stumbled over yet another stone. Goddamn it!! That was the fourth time she had almost fallen! Kagome had tried earlier to walk upon the grassy border alongside the road, but to her horror as she walked along, the road seemed to fade and disappear before her eyes. Quickly she had scrambled back onto the path before it was lost it completely. It seemed that in the Labyrinth you must walk directly upon your chosen path to reach your destination, instead of taking the easier route next to it.
“Mukatsuku!” Kagome exclaimed, as yet another stone dug painfully into her tender flesh. She immediately covered her mouth in horror at the vulgar word coming from her mouth, but the damage had already been done.
“My my, such language is hardly becoming of a Lady.” The voice, cool and arrogant, was one Kagome recognized immediately and she whirled around to face its owner.
Jareth lounged indolently upon a large outcropping of rock, looking too damn relaxed for his own good. Kagome remained silent, but her eyes burned with the anger she felt towards the conceited monarch.
“Oh dear, are you angry with me Kagome?” He said mockingly as he arched his lithe body off the rock face.
‘Goddamn him and his tight pants.’ Kagome thought as she quickly averted her eyes away from the approaching Fae ruler.
“What. No quick comebacks, no witty retort? You disappoint me dear girl.”
Kagome glared up at him as he stopped a few feet away, and clenched her fists into the material of her skirt.
“I don’t care anything for your opinion of me, Your Majesty.” She replied mockingly, “I wish only to retrieve my brother and be gone from this Labyrinth and your continued presence.”
Kagome could have sworn she saw a brief flash of anger flit across the man’s eyes, but it was replaced so quickly by icy arrogance that she was not sure if her eyes had been playing tricks on her.
“How touching, it makes me wonder why you try so hard to rescue this child, a child which you wished away in the first place.”
“I did not wish him away on purpose!! I was upset!! And wasn’t thinking clearly!” Kagome snarled, something about this insufferable male drove her to anger like no other had before. Perhaps it was his insistence in assuming she had no care for her family. It just wasn’t true! Her family was everything to her, both of them. Kagome struggled against the sudden insurgence of sorrow, and the emotion must have been reflected in her eyes for Jareth cocked his head to the side curiously and leaned back slightly.
“You are hiding something from me.” It was said as a statement, an accusation, a plea.
“I’m hiding a great deal from you Goblin King.” Kagome snorted, then backed up quickly as Jareth moved in closer.
“How is it that you are moving so quickly through my Labyrinth?” He switched the topic again swiftly, and Kagome was momentarily thrown back at the sudden change in direction of his words.
“Eh?”
“Almost as if you had received directions.” He continued, ignoring her confused sound. “Are you so helpless that you cannot do anything without the help of others?”
This barb struck deep and hard, and Kagome sucked in a short breath of deep-seated pain. She had had a lifetime’s worth of being called useless, and she wasn’t going to hear it from some jerk with something sharp up his ass! Her face turned deathly white, and she lashed out at the Goblin King.
“Nobody can get through life completely on their own Goblin King! Everyone needs support of some kind!” Her tone was hard, yet her voice quivered in her throat. Jareth noticed and tried to push his advantage.
“I have never needed such.” He replied evenly, closely observing the girl before him as her sapphire eyes seemed to glow with suppressed rage.
“Oh really?! Where would you be without your precious Labyrinth? Or your damnable Goblins?!” Kagome shot back, her voice just as cold if a little uneven.
“I would be free.” His voice was soft as he said it, almost wistful. Kagome paused slightly at this unexpected answer, but refused to let herself be beaten by his trickery.
“Free to do what, steal more children at will?!!”
Kagome suddenly lost the power to breathe at the sight of Jareth’s coldly furious eyes. Instantly he was in front of her, and before she could react to his presence, his arms snaked around her small body and pulled her roughly against his own. Kagome struggled violently, but she was no match for the Goblin King’s super-human strength. Her fingers clutched the soft silk of his shirt as Kagome looked up into the Goblin King’s mismatched eyes.
“Know this Little Mortal, I take only those children who are not wanted. There must be strong emotion behind the Words in order to call me, and in all the many eons of my existence I have never felt such strong feelings behind a wish as there was behind yours. So I ask you what emotion, if not hate, called me from my realm to claim your brother?”
Kagome stared up at him in shock as his words sunk in then suddenly the damn broke and everything that she had been trying to suppress since entering this realm came out it one large burst of feeling.
“It was sorrow you JACKASS!!!” and with that Kagome let lose with a blast of spiritual energy, hoping that at least the flash would surprise Jareth enough to let her go.
Jareth’s look of complete shock was lost on Kagome as she was abruptly dropped to the stone road, and the mighty Goblin King was thrown backwards several feet to slam into the rocky outcropping where he had originally appeared. Kagome drew in a shaky breath from her position and looked up at Jareth with trepidation. She had not meant to make the blast that strong, usually it was difficult to call forth the energy residing within her, yet this time the magic had responded readily to her pull and had come out faster then anticipated. Her eyes reached Jareth’s form and Kagome could not quell the small shiver of fear that ran up her spine. Jareth was supporting himself up against the rocks, his breathing hard and his normally immaculate attire utterly a mess, but it was the expression on his face that had Kagome shivering in fear.
“How did you do that?” His voice was low, yet the fury in it could easily be felt by the frightened Priestess. Kagome slowly and painfully got to her feet, remaining silent as she did so.
“HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!!!” Jareth roared and lunged forwards off the rocks intent on grabbing the girl once again. However, Kagome had others ideas as she turned and ran. Heading for the skeletal forest before her, Kagome dodged between the trees seeking to get as much distance between the enraged ruler and herself.
She used every trick she had learned from her past, every bit of skill she had was used to streak through the dense trees like a deer her ebony hair strung out behind her like a banner. She darted through the forest, her vision blurring as she pushed her aching body faster. The further in she went the thicker the forest became, the dead braches catching at her uniform and tearing at the cloth as she surged forward, too scared to slow down and untangle herself. It was dark and Kagome could see nothing through her tears, hear nothing save for the ripping of her clothes from the sharp branches, feel nothing save for the pounding of her heart in her chest. Suddenly the ground beneath her feet crumbled and Kagome was pitched downwards at an alarming rate, her startled scream lost within the dense forest branches above her.
Kagome let lose another scream as her body hit icy water, but the sound was once again lost, this time in the murky depths of the river water. Her battered and bruised body was pounded by the strong current of the icy river, and Kagome fought to gain control. She was so tired from the walk and from her frightened run, yet she refused to give up. She had to save Souta! Her little brother was depending on her. Painfully Kagome forced her aching and frozen muscles to move and bring her towards the water’s surface where she could bring air into her screaming lungs. The current buffeted her body about like a piece of dead wood, and Kagome struggled valiantly to reach the water’s surface. So caught up in her attempt to reach her goal, Kagome failed to notice the large log of half waterlogged wood heading straight for her. The log struck her in the back of the head, causing the struggling girl to see multi-colored lights. Kagome fought against the encroaching darkness, but all of her energy and will to fight had been sorely taxed by the adventures of the past several hours. Kagome’s body ceased its resistance and began to sink further into the murky depths of the icy river. As her vision darkened Kagome thought she saw an arm coming out from the depths as if to stop her descent, but that was probably just the hallucination of a dying girl Kagome thought as the darkness consumed her.
******************
“What do you think it is? I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s bottom part’s been split in two.”
Kagome swam slowly back into consciousness, her mind fuzzy with exhaustion and a combination of many other things, mostly painful. The annoyingly high pitched voice continued to speak, further dragging her back into the realm of the living.
“Look its scales are starting to sag off, do you think it’s diseased?” Kagome felt a slight tugging on her socks and opened her eyes, then promptly shut them again as her retinas were instantly attacked by blinding light. She shifted, then immediately groaned as the movement instantly sparked feelings of intense pain throughout her body.
“Oooooh it made a sound, does that mean it’s alive?”
Kagome opened her mouth to tell whoever it was to shut up and let her die in peace, but all that managed to come out was a great deal of water.
“Tsk, look at all that wasted water. How rude.”
Kagome opened her eyes once more, blinking away the light she jerked back in surprise as the owner of that annoying voice came into focus. It appeared to be a young girl, a little younger than Kagome with greenish blond hair and pale green eyes. There was also a strange greenish tint to her skin, but the thing that shocked Kagome most about the young girl was that she was completely naked! Kagome struggled upwards onto her elbows and got a better look at her rescuer. Her eyes widened in surprise, it wasn’t a naked girl it was a mermaid! Where her legs and feet should have been instead was an immense emerald green fish tail. The mermaid cocked her head at Kagome in curiosity and poked at Kagome’s legs once more, there were several other mer-people about, both males and females of various ages and coloring and they were all staring at her.
“Are you diseased?” The young mermaid asked Kagome.
“N-no.” Kagome managed to gasp out.
“What happened to your tail then?” the mermaid questioned, poking at Kagome’s legs and pulling at her socks. Kagome coughed up some more water and sat up a little straighter.
“I’m human.” Was all that she could gasp out, before she coughed up more water. At this announcement the merpeople began to chatter quickly between each other.
“Did you hear that? A human.”
“I knew what she was almost immediately.”
“What are those things called again… Legs right?”
Kagome ignored them as she took stock of her appearance. She was soaked through, and her white uniform top left very little to the imagination, thankfully she was wearing a blue bra which at least kept her breasts from view. However that was a very small concession considering the actual state of her uniform. The left sleeve had been completely torn off, while the right sleeve had ripped right up the seam and now hung uselessly at her side. The sailor flap in the back had completely ripped off along with the rest of her collar and her tie was nowhere in sight, this made the neckline of her shirt larger than before and showed quite a bit more skin than Kagome would have liked. Her skirt was in no better condition, a split ran all the way up her right leg only stopping at the thick hemming at her waist and showing her leg every time she moved and quite a bit of her blue panties, not to mention the fact that the hemming at the bottom of the skirt had come partially undone and was allowing the cloth to unravel.(1) With her personal inventory done Kagome painfully righted herself fully and looked around at her surroundings. She had been lying on a slight peninsula jutting out into the icy river in which she had almost drowned. The beach seemed to be comprised of black sand and broken chunks of white rocks, giving the whole place an eerie sinister feeling. Across the way Kagome could see the dead forest which she had run through in her panicked dash, she also noted the height of the cliff from which she had fallen and mentally winced as she recalled the pain of hitting the water from such a height. Behind her was a long stretch of rocky outcroppings and dirt ways punctuated by small tufts of browning grass. ‘how depressing’ Kagome thought as she surveyed the environment around her.
The merpeople were still chatting away as Kagome painfully sat down on a nearby boulder with her legs stretched out before her, and began to wring the excess water out of her hip-length hair.
“What are you doing?” The young mermaid questioned Kagome, thus bringing everyone’s attention back to the human girl.
“I’m trying to get the extra water out of my hair.” Kagome replied calmly, these creatures had saved her life the least she could do was be polite.
“Why would you want to do that?” The mermaid asked, still poking curiously at Kagome’s legs.
“Because humans are much happier being dry.” Kagome responded, now wringing the cloth of her shirt between her hands.
“Oh, so you really are a human then?”
“Yes, just a plain ordinary everyday run-of-the-mill human.” Kagome grumbled trying to wring out the remains of her skirt without destroying it further. Drawing her legs closer Kagome removed her thin white house slippers and attempted to peel off her baggy knee socks. The reaction from the mer-people was almost immediate.
“Ahhhh!! She’s peeling off her own flesh!”
“Oh, the horror!!”
“I think I’m going to be sick!”
Kagome paused in her ministrations and stared at the Mer-people in confusion, ‘what was their problem now?’ she wondered. The young mermaid closest to Kagome spoke up angrily.
“You are diseased!!” She exclaimed, backing away from Kagome quickly into the deeper part of the lake. Kagome frowned and tugged harder on her socks in anger.
“I am no such thing!” She said firmly, “And I don’t appreciate being referred to as such.”
The mermaid splashed the water about her roughly and responded in a tone just as angry as Kagome’s. “If you are not diseased then how is it you can peel your flesh off in such a manner?”
“Peel my flesh…? Oh for heaven’s sake these are my socks you twit! They’re just clothes!”
“Clothes?” The mermaid swam close once again and watched avidly as Kagome finally managed to remove her socks and wring them out. “What are clothes?” Kagome ignored the ridiculous mutterings of the other mer-people and held out her socks to the young one in front of her. Gentling her voice Kagome answered the curious girl’s question.
“They’re pieces of cloth we use to cover ourselves in order to keep warm and for modesty.”
“Ooooohhh…” The young mermaid reached her hand out tentatively and touched the socks which Kagome held in her hand. “They feel so strange!” The young water maiden squealed in excitement, then before Kagome could react she snatched the socks from Kagome’s hand and swam over to her friends to show them her strange new treasure.
“Hey give those back!” Kagome called out swiping ineffectually at the retreating mermaid. “I need those!” but her cries were completely ignored as the other merpeople crowded around the younger one and touched tugged and prodded at the pieces of clothing in her hands. Some of the bolder ones began to swim closer to the shore and Kagome in search of more treasures from the surface world. Kagome managed to snatch up her slippers before they too were lost to the grasping hands of the merfolk, the slippers weren’t much but they were better than walking around barefoot. Still hoping to get her socks back Kagome began to call out once again to the crowd gathered around the little mermaid, but to her frustration the whole crowd of them were gone along with her socks. The Priestess let out a very unladylike screech of frustration and considered letting loose a few choice words to let her feelings on the mater be truly known, however she refrained since the last time she had cursed she had had a very unwelcome visitor drop in which was how she had gotten into the mess in the first place. Sighing in resignation Kagome put on her thin house slippers and sloshed her way up the black sandy bank and into the rocky valley in front of her. The directions given by Hiroyuki were completely useless now, she would have to find her own way through this Labyrinth.
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(1) While the cloth used to make school uniforms is very sturdy and nearly impossible to rip, usually the sewing used to put it together is very poor. Which means that it’s quite easy to rip out the seams. In fact when girls first receive their uniforms most of them rip out the seams themselves and re-sew them so that the uniform will fit better and it won’t rip at an embarrassing time. At least this is how it was at my High School, apparently my Brother’s school had perfectly fine uniforms.
Review Response You want an update you have to review.
Kage Otome- We’ll get a deeper look into a lot of other characters thoughts as well, I’m glad you’re enjoying the story so far. Please continue to try to learn about your heritage it’s a good thing to know!
BannanaFlavoredEskimo- hee hee even if the World Falls Down I still won’t stop this story. I made my older brother Hiroyuki, watch the Labyrinth with me and Emily this summer and I caught him humming the theme music one day. ^_^
Coffee Gyrl- I’m so happy you are enjoying my unworthy writings, my English still needs lots of work, it is mostly with the help of Ellie that I am able to write at all. Please continue to read my work.
Ox King- Arigatou Gozaimasu
Lestatgurl- I always enjoy challenging myself and I had never actually seen a Labyrinth/Inu Yasha crossover so I wanted to give it a try. I’m glad it’s turning out so well.
Anne- Writing writing if I ever create a song I shall call it writing. Here’s the long awaited update please don’t hurt me.
Audra- You are not the only one who has thought this, but I am glad you gave my stry a try anyway. Thank you so much for your assistance, I went back and fixed my mistakes right away when you corrected my I am most grateful.
Sara- Thank you for your kindness, I feel much better now.
FanGirlInu- Alright you win
Obaasan- Sorry it took so long I will try harder
Crazyasswhitegirl- Please enjoy my story and have patience it will get lemony soon
Kurama’sFoxyMiko- Thank you so much for your e-mail, it made me feel very happy that I had such a huge fan out there. Please e-mail as often as you want I enjoy it!
Kookookitty- Thank you so much for your kind review. I agree as well with your description of the power in words. I have been trying to get people to see this as well so that they may improve their own writing. I hope you continue to enjoy my own poor story and look forward to future reviews. I hope you had a good summer as well.
Shadow_Theif- Glad you like the pairing, most people were hoping for a Sesshomaru/Jareth pairing, but I could never see that happen. They’re both too arrogant, who would be on top?
Vampires Will Never Hurt You- Hope I didn’t disappoint you too much, I like your new name.
Mfleetwood24- One should never assume things in the Labyrinth, you never know what could happen. I will of course check out your story in the anime section I will let you know what I think.
Inutaisho’s Mate- I hope this will make you happy
MPS Shadowmaster- *sweat drop* yes I am Japanese living happily in Juuban. I am glad you like my fic so much and that you have managed to find a copy of the Labyrinth CD. It’s amazing what you can find online. Is that really Bowie-sama? I didn’t know that! Hee hee
Angelnight15- Thank you very much
Saedy- I hope I did not cause you pain in your bout of laughter, but I am glad you found that amusing
By Kagehoshi
Ch8 The Price of Knowledge
AN* Such... Horrible... Jetlag.... *passes out*
Emily: Yeah, Tsukiko and I have just arrived back from a very long and alcohol free flight from Japan. Fucking 14 hour flight sucks all ass. I wasn't even allowed to bring my Nyquil aboard to pass out since apparently you are no longer allowed to bring liquids on board american planes. WHEN THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN!!!? Fucking bastards I was supposed to be unconcious for this damn flight!
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It seemed as if she had been walking for hours, but Kagome knew that truthfully it had only been 30 minutes at the most. The rolling hills she had walked over coming from the Library had given way to open grassy moors on her right and a forest that seemed to be entirely dead on her left. Every once in a while the scenery was punctuated by a rocky outcropping rearing from the earth like skeletal fingers, but other than that it was quite dull. Though in all honestly she could not keep much of an eye on her surroundings as every ounce of concentration was needed for keeping upright on the stony dirt road. Ha! Dirt road her pasty Asian ass! The thing was mostly stones, small loose stones that slid out from under your feet as you tried to walk over them or large pointy ones that dug painfully into the fleshy part of one’s foot. Kagome had been wearing her thin house slippers when she had been brought to the Labyrinth, and while they were quite alright for grassy plains, paved pathways and marble floored libraries; they were absolutely horrible for rocky dirt roads. She could feel everything through the thin silk and none of it was very pleasant. Kagome let out another angry exclamation as she stumbled over yet another stone. Goddamn it!! That was the fourth time she had almost fallen! Kagome had tried earlier to walk upon the grassy border alongside the road, but to her horror as she walked along, the road seemed to fade and disappear before her eyes. Quickly she had scrambled back onto the path before it was lost it completely. It seemed that in the Labyrinth you must walk directly upon your chosen path to reach your destination, instead of taking the easier route next to it.
“Mukatsuku!” Kagome exclaimed, as yet another stone dug painfully into her tender flesh. She immediately covered her mouth in horror at the vulgar word coming from her mouth, but the damage had already been done.
“My my, such language is hardly becoming of a Lady.” The voice, cool and arrogant, was one Kagome recognized immediately and she whirled around to face its owner.
Jareth lounged indolently upon a large outcropping of rock, looking too damn relaxed for his own good. Kagome remained silent, but her eyes burned with the anger she felt towards the conceited monarch.
“Oh dear, are you angry with me Kagome?” He said mockingly as he arched his lithe body off the rock face.
‘Goddamn him and his tight pants.’ Kagome thought as she quickly averted her eyes away from the approaching Fae ruler.
“What. No quick comebacks, no witty retort? You disappoint me dear girl.”
Kagome glared up at him as he stopped a few feet away, and clenched her fists into the material of her skirt.
“I don’t care anything for your opinion of me, Your Majesty.” She replied mockingly, “I wish only to retrieve my brother and be gone from this Labyrinth and your continued presence.”
Kagome could have sworn she saw a brief flash of anger flit across the man’s eyes, but it was replaced so quickly by icy arrogance that she was not sure if her eyes had been playing tricks on her.
“How touching, it makes me wonder why you try so hard to rescue this child, a child which you wished away in the first place.”
“I did not wish him away on purpose!! I was upset!! And wasn’t thinking clearly!” Kagome snarled, something about this insufferable male drove her to anger like no other had before. Perhaps it was his insistence in assuming she had no care for her family. It just wasn’t true! Her family was everything to her, both of them. Kagome struggled against the sudden insurgence of sorrow, and the emotion must have been reflected in her eyes for Jareth cocked his head to the side curiously and leaned back slightly.
“You are hiding something from me.” It was said as a statement, an accusation, a plea.
“I’m hiding a great deal from you Goblin King.” Kagome snorted, then backed up quickly as Jareth moved in closer.
“How is it that you are moving so quickly through my Labyrinth?” He switched the topic again swiftly, and Kagome was momentarily thrown back at the sudden change in direction of his words.
“Eh?”
“Almost as if you had received directions.” He continued, ignoring her confused sound. “Are you so helpless that you cannot do anything without the help of others?”
This barb struck deep and hard, and Kagome sucked in a short breath of deep-seated pain. She had had a lifetime’s worth of being called useless, and she wasn’t going to hear it from some jerk with something sharp up his ass! Her face turned deathly white, and she lashed out at the Goblin King.
“Nobody can get through life completely on their own Goblin King! Everyone needs support of some kind!” Her tone was hard, yet her voice quivered in her throat. Jareth noticed and tried to push his advantage.
“I have never needed such.” He replied evenly, closely observing the girl before him as her sapphire eyes seemed to glow with suppressed rage.
“Oh really?! Where would you be without your precious Labyrinth? Or your damnable Goblins?!” Kagome shot back, her voice just as cold if a little uneven.
“I would be free.” His voice was soft as he said it, almost wistful. Kagome paused slightly at this unexpected answer, but refused to let herself be beaten by his trickery.
“Free to do what, steal more children at will?!!”
Kagome suddenly lost the power to breathe at the sight of Jareth’s coldly furious eyes. Instantly he was in front of her, and before she could react to his presence, his arms snaked around her small body and pulled her roughly against his own. Kagome struggled violently, but she was no match for the Goblin King’s super-human strength. Her fingers clutched the soft silk of his shirt as Kagome looked up into the Goblin King’s mismatched eyes.
“Know this Little Mortal, I take only those children who are not wanted. There must be strong emotion behind the Words in order to call me, and in all the many eons of my existence I have never felt such strong feelings behind a wish as there was behind yours. So I ask you what emotion, if not hate, called me from my realm to claim your brother?”
Kagome stared up at him in shock as his words sunk in then suddenly the damn broke and everything that she had been trying to suppress since entering this realm came out it one large burst of feeling.
“It was sorrow you JACKASS!!!” and with that Kagome let lose with a blast of spiritual energy, hoping that at least the flash would surprise Jareth enough to let her go.
Jareth’s look of complete shock was lost on Kagome as she was abruptly dropped to the stone road, and the mighty Goblin King was thrown backwards several feet to slam into the rocky outcropping where he had originally appeared. Kagome drew in a shaky breath from her position and looked up at Jareth with trepidation. She had not meant to make the blast that strong, usually it was difficult to call forth the energy residing within her, yet this time the magic had responded readily to her pull and had come out faster then anticipated. Her eyes reached Jareth’s form and Kagome could not quell the small shiver of fear that ran up her spine. Jareth was supporting himself up against the rocks, his breathing hard and his normally immaculate attire utterly a mess, but it was the expression on his face that had Kagome shivering in fear.
“How did you do that?” His voice was low, yet the fury in it could easily be felt by the frightened Priestess. Kagome slowly and painfully got to her feet, remaining silent as she did so.
“HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!!!” Jareth roared and lunged forwards off the rocks intent on grabbing the girl once again. However, Kagome had others ideas as she turned and ran. Heading for the skeletal forest before her, Kagome dodged between the trees seeking to get as much distance between the enraged ruler and herself.
She used every trick she had learned from her past, every bit of skill she had was used to streak through the dense trees like a deer her ebony hair strung out behind her like a banner. She darted through the forest, her vision blurring as she pushed her aching body faster. The further in she went the thicker the forest became, the dead braches catching at her uniform and tearing at the cloth as she surged forward, too scared to slow down and untangle herself. It was dark and Kagome could see nothing through her tears, hear nothing save for the ripping of her clothes from the sharp branches, feel nothing save for the pounding of her heart in her chest. Suddenly the ground beneath her feet crumbled and Kagome was pitched downwards at an alarming rate, her startled scream lost within the dense forest branches above her.
Kagome let lose another scream as her body hit icy water, but the sound was once again lost, this time in the murky depths of the river water. Her battered and bruised body was pounded by the strong current of the icy river, and Kagome fought to gain control. She was so tired from the walk and from her frightened run, yet she refused to give up. She had to save Souta! Her little brother was depending on her. Painfully Kagome forced her aching and frozen muscles to move and bring her towards the water’s surface where she could bring air into her screaming lungs. The current buffeted her body about like a piece of dead wood, and Kagome struggled valiantly to reach the water’s surface. So caught up in her attempt to reach her goal, Kagome failed to notice the large log of half waterlogged wood heading straight for her. The log struck her in the back of the head, causing the struggling girl to see multi-colored lights. Kagome fought against the encroaching darkness, but all of her energy and will to fight had been sorely taxed by the adventures of the past several hours. Kagome’s body ceased its resistance and began to sink further into the murky depths of the icy river. As her vision darkened Kagome thought she saw an arm coming out from the depths as if to stop her descent, but that was probably just the hallucination of a dying girl Kagome thought as the darkness consumed her.
******************
“What do you think it is? I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s bottom part’s been split in two.”
Kagome swam slowly back into consciousness, her mind fuzzy with exhaustion and a combination of many other things, mostly painful. The annoyingly high pitched voice continued to speak, further dragging her back into the realm of the living.
“Look its scales are starting to sag off, do you think it’s diseased?” Kagome felt a slight tugging on her socks and opened her eyes, then promptly shut them again as her retinas were instantly attacked by blinding light. She shifted, then immediately groaned as the movement instantly sparked feelings of intense pain throughout her body.
“Oooooh it made a sound, does that mean it’s alive?”
Kagome opened her mouth to tell whoever it was to shut up and let her die in peace, but all that managed to come out was a great deal of water.
“Tsk, look at all that wasted water. How rude.”
Kagome opened her eyes once more, blinking away the light she jerked back in surprise as the owner of that annoying voice came into focus. It appeared to be a young girl, a little younger than Kagome with greenish blond hair and pale green eyes. There was also a strange greenish tint to her skin, but the thing that shocked Kagome most about the young girl was that she was completely naked! Kagome struggled upwards onto her elbows and got a better look at her rescuer. Her eyes widened in surprise, it wasn’t a naked girl it was a mermaid! Where her legs and feet should have been instead was an immense emerald green fish tail. The mermaid cocked her head at Kagome in curiosity and poked at Kagome’s legs once more, there were several other mer-people about, both males and females of various ages and coloring and they were all staring at her.
“Are you diseased?” The young mermaid asked Kagome.
“N-no.” Kagome managed to gasp out.
“What happened to your tail then?” the mermaid questioned, poking at Kagome’s legs and pulling at her socks. Kagome coughed up some more water and sat up a little straighter.
“I’m human.” Was all that she could gasp out, before she coughed up more water. At this announcement the merpeople began to chatter quickly between each other.
“Did you hear that? A human.”
“I knew what she was almost immediately.”
“What are those things called again… Legs right?”
Kagome ignored them as she took stock of her appearance. She was soaked through, and her white uniform top left very little to the imagination, thankfully she was wearing a blue bra which at least kept her breasts from view. However that was a very small concession considering the actual state of her uniform. The left sleeve had been completely torn off, while the right sleeve had ripped right up the seam and now hung uselessly at her side. The sailor flap in the back had completely ripped off along with the rest of her collar and her tie was nowhere in sight, this made the neckline of her shirt larger than before and showed quite a bit more skin than Kagome would have liked. Her skirt was in no better condition, a split ran all the way up her right leg only stopping at the thick hemming at her waist and showing her leg every time she moved and quite a bit of her blue panties, not to mention the fact that the hemming at the bottom of the skirt had come partially undone and was allowing the cloth to unravel.(1) With her personal inventory done Kagome painfully righted herself fully and looked around at her surroundings. She had been lying on a slight peninsula jutting out into the icy river in which she had almost drowned. The beach seemed to be comprised of black sand and broken chunks of white rocks, giving the whole place an eerie sinister feeling. Across the way Kagome could see the dead forest which she had run through in her panicked dash, she also noted the height of the cliff from which she had fallen and mentally winced as she recalled the pain of hitting the water from such a height. Behind her was a long stretch of rocky outcroppings and dirt ways punctuated by small tufts of browning grass. ‘how depressing’ Kagome thought as she surveyed the environment around her.
The merpeople were still chatting away as Kagome painfully sat down on a nearby boulder with her legs stretched out before her, and began to wring the excess water out of her hip-length hair.
“What are you doing?” The young mermaid questioned Kagome, thus bringing everyone’s attention back to the human girl.
“I’m trying to get the extra water out of my hair.” Kagome replied calmly, these creatures had saved her life the least she could do was be polite.
“Why would you want to do that?” The mermaid asked, still poking curiously at Kagome’s legs.
“Because humans are much happier being dry.” Kagome responded, now wringing the cloth of her shirt between her hands.
“Oh, so you really are a human then?”
“Yes, just a plain ordinary everyday run-of-the-mill human.” Kagome grumbled trying to wring out the remains of her skirt without destroying it further. Drawing her legs closer Kagome removed her thin white house slippers and attempted to peel off her baggy knee socks. The reaction from the mer-people was almost immediate.
“Ahhhh!! She’s peeling off her own flesh!”
“Oh, the horror!!”
“I think I’m going to be sick!”
Kagome paused in her ministrations and stared at the Mer-people in confusion, ‘what was their problem now?’ she wondered. The young mermaid closest to Kagome spoke up angrily.
“You are diseased!!” She exclaimed, backing away from Kagome quickly into the deeper part of the lake. Kagome frowned and tugged harder on her socks in anger.
“I am no such thing!” She said firmly, “And I don’t appreciate being referred to as such.”
The mermaid splashed the water about her roughly and responded in a tone just as angry as Kagome’s. “If you are not diseased then how is it you can peel your flesh off in such a manner?”
“Peel my flesh…? Oh for heaven’s sake these are my socks you twit! They’re just clothes!”
“Clothes?” The mermaid swam close once again and watched avidly as Kagome finally managed to remove her socks and wring them out. “What are clothes?” Kagome ignored the ridiculous mutterings of the other mer-people and held out her socks to the young one in front of her. Gentling her voice Kagome answered the curious girl’s question.
“They’re pieces of cloth we use to cover ourselves in order to keep warm and for modesty.”
“Ooooohhh…” The young mermaid reached her hand out tentatively and touched the socks which Kagome held in her hand. “They feel so strange!” The young water maiden squealed in excitement, then before Kagome could react she snatched the socks from Kagome’s hand and swam over to her friends to show them her strange new treasure.
“Hey give those back!” Kagome called out swiping ineffectually at the retreating mermaid. “I need those!” but her cries were completely ignored as the other merpeople crowded around the younger one and touched tugged and prodded at the pieces of clothing in her hands. Some of the bolder ones began to swim closer to the shore and Kagome in search of more treasures from the surface world. Kagome managed to snatch up her slippers before they too were lost to the grasping hands of the merfolk, the slippers weren’t much but they were better than walking around barefoot. Still hoping to get her socks back Kagome began to call out once again to the crowd gathered around the little mermaid, but to her frustration the whole crowd of them were gone along with her socks. The Priestess let out a very unladylike screech of frustration and considered letting loose a few choice words to let her feelings on the mater be truly known, however she refrained since the last time she had cursed she had had a very unwelcome visitor drop in which was how she had gotten into the mess in the first place. Sighing in resignation Kagome put on her thin house slippers and sloshed her way up the black sandy bank and into the rocky valley in front of her. The directions given by Hiroyuki were completely useless now, she would have to find her own way through this Labyrinth.
************
(1) While the cloth used to make school uniforms is very sturdy and nearly impossible to rip, usually the sewing used to put it together is very poor. Which means that it’s quite easy to rip out the seams. In fact when girls first receive their uniforms most of them rip out the seams themselves and re-sew them so that the uniform will fit better and it won’t rip at an embarrassing time. At least this is how it was at my High School, apparently my Brother’s school had perfectly fine uniforms.
Review Response You want an update you have to review.
Kage Otome- We’ll get a deeper look into a lot of other characters thoughts as well, I’m glad you’re enjoying the story so far. Please continue to try to learn about your heritage it’s a good thing to know!
BannanaFlavoredEskimo- hee hee even if the World Falls Down I still won’t stop this story. I made my older brother Hiroyuki, watch the Labyrinth with me and Emily this summer and I caught him humming the theme music one day. ^_^
Coffee Gyrl- I’m so happy you are enjoying my unworthy writings, my English still needs lots of work, it is mostly with the help of Ellie that I am able to write at all. Please continue to read my work.
Ox King- Arigatou Gozaimasu
Lestatgurl- I always enjoy challenging myself and I had never actually seen a Labyrinth/Inu Yasha crossover so I wanted to give it a try. I’m glad it’s turning out so well.
Anne- Writing writing if I ever create a song I shall call it writing. Here’s the long awaited update please don’t hurt me.
Audra- You are not the only one who has thought this, but I am glad you gave my stry a try anyway. Thank you so much for your assistance, I went back and fixed my mistakes right away when you corrected my I am most grateful.
Sara- Thank you for your kindness, I feel much better now.
FanGirlInu- Alright you win
Obaasan- Sorry it took so long I will try harder
Crazyasswhitegirl- Please enjoy my story and have patience it will get lemony soon
Kurama’sFoxyMiko- Thank you so much for your e-mail, it made me feel very happy that I had such a huge fan out there. Please e-mail as often as you want I enjoy it!
Kookookitty- Thank you so much for your kind review. I agree as well with your description of the power in words. I have been trying to get people to see this as well so that they may improve their own writing. I hope you continue to enjoy my own poor story and look forward to future reviews. I hope you had a good summer as well.
Shadow_Theif- Glad you like the pairing, most people were hoping for a Sesshomaru/Jareth pairing, but I could never see that happen. They’re both too arrogant, who would be on top?
Vampires Will Never Hurt You- Hope I didn’t disappoint you too much, I like your new name.
Mfleetwood24- One should never assume things in the Labyrinth, you never know what could happen. I will of course check out your story in the anime section I will let you know what I think.
Inutaisho’s Mate- I hope this will make you happy
MPS Shadowmaster- *sweat drop* yes I am Japanese living happily in Juuban. I am glad you like my fic so much and that you have managed to find a copy of the Labyrinth CD. It’s amazing what you can find online. Is that really Bowie-sama? I didn’t know that! Hee hee
Angelnight15- Thank you very much
Saedy- I hope I did not cause you pain in your bout of laughter, but I am glad you found that amusing