Fragments of Time

Prologue

Japan, 1183


“Lady Kagome!”

The curtain to her small hut was pulled aside quickly and some of the moonlight fell trough the frugal decorated room. The fire, which she had lit the evening before, was nothing more but a small dance of sparks now. The eyes of the man who had called her name in a flurry of activity fell on an empty bedroll, the covers rashly crumbled at the end of it. His eyes searched the room and within seconds, he found the young woman, her back turned towards him, her arms above her head to pull out her long hair from underneath her Haori so they could fall over her back. The black mane was long enough to reach her backside now.

The priestess turned around and her left hand grabbed her sword which leaned next to her bow against the wall. She fixed her leather belt with a fast movement and put the sword into its sheath. She took her bow and quiver with her right hand and threw them over her left shoulder.

“I know”, she answered him and pressed her lips tightly together. Before he could lose another word, she stormed outside into the darkness. Within seconds her skin cooled down to the temperature of the night.

Only a few residents of the village were on the run already, some looked sleepily out of their huts, but so far it was still quiet, nothing compared the storm of adrenaline which was raging inside of her. A fine white cloud revealed her heavy breathing when she was running through the small streets of the village and scaled a small hill together with three other men. The sky wasn't covered much by clouds this night and the full moon, which pushed every now and then in between them, shone brightly enough so that her eyes could adjust quickly to the silver light.

It wasn't far till winter and the smell of snow was lingering in the air. It was so cold that night that the meadows in front of her were covered by frost. With big steps she walked up the hill. As she reached the top she could see two more men who looked westwards.

“Demons”, the oldest and largest of them spoke between tight lips and it sounded like a curse. Kagome stood next to him, heavily breathing and followed his gaze. Up from the hill she could overlook the valley and saw the near forest in the distance. To the left and right the meadow was framed by rice fields. It was almost a peaceful sight, if it weren't for the many torches which stood like a chain of lights in front of the forest.

“What should we do, Lady Kagome?”, Shii asked, the man who had stood recently in the middle of her small hut, calling for her. His eyes were wide and his hands shaking. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips.

Yes, the village had been attacked in the past by demons. So far they had always managed to fight them off. But this time it was different. Three months ago the leader of the Taira Clan had gathered all men of the village and took them with him so they could train to become soldiers to fight his war. She knew it had been their death sentence. They were farmers, no warriors and the training which was supposed to prepare them for war wouldn't be enough to defend their lives. Those few who were still remaining in the village were too old to hold up a pitchfork, not to mention a sword.

Kagome had had a difficult time to keep her mouth shut and to just accept it. But within the last three years which she had spent here, she had learned that it was a different time. She'd always known that she was stranded more than 800 years in the past. Because of her knowledge of history she could define the actual year. Even though she was used to a life in the past because of Inuyasha and the Shikon No Tama, it was different here.

Here she wasn't Kagome, no reincarnation of a dead priestess and her fate wasn't to protect the Jewel of the Four Souls. Here there was no Sango, no Miroku, no Shippou and no Inuyasha – no friend on which she could rely on, nobody who knew her secret.

Here in this time, 800 years in the past, she was just Kagome. A priestess, who'd been in the need of food and shelter when she had reached the village almost starved to death. Here where she was given a home and food and where she'd been persuade to stay. For more than one year she had lived with the priestess of the village and soaked up all the knowledge she could teach her like a sponge. Then, exactly fourteen months after her arrival, the priestess had died due age and Kagome had took her position as priestess.

Two years had passed since then. Two long years in which she fought against demons successfully. With every one she beat, her power grew. It was a long time ago that she was nothing but a young girl which had fallen through a well and crawled out of it 500 years later.

Back then she'd been fifteen years old, naive and weak. She had never really learned how to protect herself or how to hold a sword between her fingers, to plunge it between the eyes of a demon when it was needed. But after the first time she had met a demon and when there hadn't been an Inuyasha to rescue her and when she'd been more dead than alive as she was carried back to the village, she knew that she was the only person in this time she could rely on. It was up to her to defend herself and today, after many months of training, she was stronger than ever before.

With one elegant movement, she took an arrow from the quiver on her back.

“Ring the bell, Shii. The women and children shall hide in the fields. Gather all men who are still in the village. They shall take what they can use as weapons. You”, she looked at the remaining four men who stood next to her, “stay with me.” Shii had already turned and run down the hill with big steps. “Shii!”, she called after him and the man stopped to turn back around. “Get me a horse!”, she demanded before her glance fell back to the forest which stood upon the horizon like a black ribbon.

The torches of the warriors stood still; they weren't moving. They waited for her first step, Kagome knew that.

“You want to attack?”, asked Oro. He was the oldest one in the village and his hair had turned silver and grey, like the light of the moon. He had put them into a high plait, but now long and thick strands of hair had come loose and fell over his shoulders. He wasn't much older than her mother, maybe ten years and still, he seemed as old and tired as her grandfather. She nodded to herself. Indeed, it was a different time. Humans didn't live as long as they did in the future. Oro had already reached an utopian age, considering the facts and conditions he lived in. As she stared into his wrinkled face, her stomach turned upside down.

There didn't live much young men in the village. Many children didn't even survive the first months after birth and most of them didn't even see the light of the world before they died. Most of the children which had survived the first hard months died two years ago because of hunger, when it hadn't rained in the summer and bandits, who had become mad because they had been so hungry, attacked the village dozen of times and took the last of their supplies. The oldest villagers were exhausted, sick or bedridden. Kagome too had felt in person how debilitating those last three years had been for her.

When the harvest in summer wasn't enough, hunger was a constantly companion in winter.

She clenched her teeth as she felt rage rising inside of her. Those people had endured so much within the last few years, and experienced so much sorrow. They had always fought and won, even though they had lost so many. All of that, it couldn't be for nothing.

“Of course”, was her reply and she pulled herself away from her thoughts. She turned to her right and smiled at Oro. “As long as we can stand, we will fight.”

She could hear a huff and the whinny of a horse behind her and saw Shii who lead a black gelding by his side. Thanking, Kagome took the reins out of his hands and mounted the horse. She laid the arrow against the bowstring and hold both arrow and bow with her right hand before she took the reins of the horse once more with her left and urged it forwards.

“Wait!”, Oro shouted behind her. “You want to challenge them all by yourself?”

Kagome turned on the back of her horse and smiled at him. “By myself?” She pat the flanks of the horse. “I'm not all by myself.” She turned back and pushed her horse forward in a slow trot and left the men behind. The soft breeze which whispered through the night turned and now Kagome could hear the ring of the bell, the sound loud and piercing through the silent.

She knew how important it was to keep calm during situations like these and she hoped the villagers wouldn't panic. Oro believed she would attack the demons by herself, but just the thought was foolish. No, she knew she didn't have a chance, but she wouldn't surrender without a fight. Now, what really mattered was her talent to negotiate.

When she rode through the valley and when she could recognize the first single trees of the forest, she stopped. One hundred meters in front of her was a line of demons, swords and bows in their hands. Their hot breath was clearly visible in the cold of the night and Kagome was glad that the wind came from her direction because those creatures in front of her looked like as if their smell was murderous. Their armor hold no sign. Few of them wore helmets, but most didn't. The demons in the last row hold a banner to their left and right, a dark violet with a black sun in the middle. They stood in several rows in front of her and she quickly calculated the numbers and assumed that their attackers were at least 150 demons. She smiled bitterly to swallow the rising tears. 150 demons, dressed and equipped like warriors against four dozen old and weak men. It wasn't fair.

“I want your leader!”, she shouted over the grass and her gelding shifted his weight restless from one leg to the other. A long time nothing happened. The demons stared at her with inhuman expressions. Then, from of the middle row, one single figure stepped forward.

The further he went forward, pushing aside demons, the more Kagome could see his hight. Even though he was still far away, his hight was impressive. He overtopped the other demons by far with his massive body. His arms, too, were longer than those of a human and reached to the back of his knees. He walked bent and his upper body was long and as against all others his chest lay bare. A loincloth covered the middle of his body and with every step he took, it seemed as if the earth was shaking.

Long dirty hair wafted around his grotesque face. His yellow eyes seemed too big and the nose too flat and pushed in, like the one of a cat. His skin was as black as the night as it was covered with dirt and filth and just his hands looked big enough that they could easily squash Kagome's body. All he had to do was to reach for her.

When the demon finally arrived he stepped in front of the first row of warriors and stood still. He stared over the meadow at her and an ugly grin showed his teeth which stood out like jags.

“Priestess”, he spoke and there was a heavy accent swinging within his voice which she couldn't put her finger on. “You want to fight?”

“Negotiate!”, Kagome shouted at him and wrapped the reins tighter around her left hand and pressed her bow with her right one against her thigh. A laugh boomed through the night, like the thunder of a storm. The other demons, too, started to laugh and Kagome clenched her teeth.

“Negotiate?”, the demon laughed at her. “Where's the fun in that? We will take over this land and village.”

“And their residents?”, Kagome asked him, even though she thought she already knew the answers.

“They will life... if they can run fast enough.” Again he laughed and he pulled his oversized sword from his hip.

“I can't let this happen!”, Kagome told him and showed her bow. She let go of the reins of the horse and lifted her weapon and stretched the bowstring with the arrow in her hand. The wind became stronger and one single breeze let her long hair dance around her body. “Move on and spare this village – otherwise you will regret it, demon!” She aimed for the body of the leader.

“No threat, no punishment can be worse than that of our master!”, he shouted at her and lifted his sword.

She took her bow and aimed a bit higher before she closed her eyes. She felt how her hands started to tingle and there was warmth spreading from her heart through the rest of her body. The warmth moved on until it reached the tip of her fingers and with every breath she took, she felt hotter. When she thought she was burning alive, she let the arrow go.


It hit its target – right between the eyes. The demon to the leader's left had no chance. The arrow hit him even before he could react. In shock, his eyes went wide and before his body could touch the ground, he vanished in pink glowing ashes which were carried away by the wind.

Horrified, the leader looked to his side before he stared directly into Kagome's eyes. He lifted his sword in anger and an enormous scream escaped his throat. The demons took after him and they, as well, lifted their weapons.

She looked over her shoulder, up the hill from where she came.

Indeed, Shii had gathered all remaining men of the village. In the flickering light of the torches Kagome could see that some of them hold bows in their hands, just waiting to shoot their arrows. Without waisting another second Kagome pressed her heels in her horse's flanks and pulled at the reins to ride back with high speed.

She turned around, but she knew that the demons still stood where she saw them last. Only when she had made half of her way back she could see in the moon's light and the torches shine that the men took steps forward, holding their bows to shoot them into the air.

She stopped her horse, turning around. The demons, too, took steps forwards, their leader at the front. Suddenly they stopped and the first three rows knelt down on the frozen ground.

The hidden rows took steps forward as well and aimed with their arrows before their leader barked his commands and they let go. Arrows shot through the dark night and Kagome urged her horse forward. She was able to hear how the arrows turned their course, falling down back to the ground.

“Shields!”, she screamed at her men and pulled at the reins to slow down as she reached the row. She jumped down her horse as it was still running and sought shelter underneath a shield Shii was holding up for the both of them. Only half a second later the deadly rain of arrows hit the ground around them. Before the last arrow came down, Kagome came up again and pulled another arrow from her quiver, shooting it at the rows of demons in front of her and did it a second and third time while she walked among her men, looking for Oro. Never did she let go of the demons, her eyes locked onto the enemy.

The battle was fully going on now and a few men already run towards the enemy with their swords, hooks and pitchforks high above their heads, screaming. The demons as well were running now, ready to attack.

“Oro”, she screamed, trying to be louder than all the noise around them as she shot another arrow and with every shot, a cloud of pink glowing energy was dancing around her body which couldn't be seen by her men.

“Lady Kagome!”, she could hear him answer and he grabbed her arm. The wind around them became stronger and it was difficult to keep the long strands of dark hair out of her face as the gusting wind kept pushing them into her eyes. A shadow fell upon Oro's face as she looked at him and she turned her gaze towards the sky. Heavy dark clouds piled on top of each other, slowly covering the moon.


“Are the villagers safe?”, she asked him without turning her eyes from the sky. “Yes!”, came the short reply as Oro heaved his shield, seeking cover underneath it and took Kagome with him before another wave of arrows hit the earth next to them. A high scream pierced through her ears and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man falling to the ground next to her, his fingers wrapped around an arrow which stood out of his chest. Pain, shock and horror was painted on his face. Kagome pulled away from Oro, shooting another arrow above the heads of the men, her target the leader of the demons.

“Don't let them get to the village”, she shouted at them and pulled her sword free from its sheath. Her gaze was locked onto the leader who had blocked her arrow with an easy movement of his sword. When he saw her walking towards him passing the battlefield, he showed her an ugly grin and lifted his swordhand and let it crush down to kill one of the men who had run up her side and cut him in half. Kagome wanted to look away but she couldn't, not wanting to let fear win. If she'd lose her nerves now, everybody would find their death and she wanted to live.

Three more men attacked the giant demon from his left side. Kagome used the time she was given and drove her sword into the earth in front of her, fell down to her knees and grabbed at the same time her quiver to pull out another arrow. Shortly before she could let go of the string, something hard and solid hit her right side and she fell over into the damp grass. She hit her head against a stone and for a short moment the world was blurring in front of her eyes. Before she could even realize what hit her, she broke free from he stupor and tried to get up again.

She looked to her side and saw the body of a demon laying there, the same demon who had brought her against the ground and which face was hardly recognizable now. Blood soaked the earth and colored it into a deep black.

Her gaze went upwards and she could see that the leader of the warriors wasn't busy anymore with trying to fight off her men but that they laid dead on the ground now. She could feel how her tears rose but she swallowed them down. The leader turned slowly around, too slowly. Kagome realized that she lost her bow when she'd fell and she looked around frantically, but couldn't find the weapon. Panic threatened to overrun her but then she could see one edge of the bow looking from underneath a dead demon. With all of her strength she rolled him off of it and pulled her bow free, only to see that it was broken in two.

She cursed underneath her breath and peeked over her shoulder. The leader was walking towards her with big steps. It wouldn't take much longer and she'd be in range of his sword. She looked down over the dead body of the demon and didn't think much longer but took the short dagger hanging from his belt and tucked it underneath her own before she ripped the sword from him that he was still holding in his dead hands. She turned around just in time to see how a giant paw slashed after her. Her left side was hit and flew through the air and landed hard on the ground just a few meters away. The impact pressed the breath out of her lungs and for a few seconds she was just laying there, desperately gasping for air. Something damp was sticking to her body and as she looked down she saw that the demon's claws had ripped through her clothes and tore open skin. Blood found its way through the remaining fabric and run down her leg.

“You have no chance priestess!” , she heard his voice roaring above her. She coughed and spat blood. She must have cut her lip. Angry, she stood up and lifted her sword and hold it in front of her body before she turned around to meet his face.

“We'll see!”, she replied and for a short moment she was remembering all those encounters she had had with Naraku. But this demon was no match for the powerful half-demon. The difference though was that she never fought Naraku by herself alone. This demon here was strong, that was not the question. She wouldn't do the same mistake twice and underestimate the strength of a demon. She did that one time and almost paid with her life. This wouldn't happen again.

With a scream she lifted her arm and attacked. He easily outdid her with his high stature and Kagome knew she had to bring him down somehow so she could land the final blow. The demon laughed again and he swung his arm with his sword and let the blade crush down onto her. She could hear how the weapon cut through the air before she met her own. The strength which stood behind the blow was enormous and she was only able to keep her balance because she allowed herself to fall on her knees. With another scream Kagome gathered all of her strength and pushed the blade of the demon from her to collect some precious time she could use to get up on her legs again. Just when she finally stood, her attacker hit after her again. Again she heard the blade cut through the air and she prepared for the the two swords to collide.

But nothing happened. Instead she was able to hear the noise of tearing flesh and breaking bones, followed by the sound of a small impact. Before she could have reacted, Oro had jumped in front of her and stood between the demon's sword and her body, his own weapon high above his head. But the demon's sword was too big, too fast for the old man. The cool steel had pierced Oro's left shoulder and cut across his chest to his navel before the demon pulled his sword away. Oro fell to the ground and blood was pouring from his wound and Kagome fought against the compulsion to let her own sword fall to run to the man's side. She knew that there wasn't a chance for him to survive. There was nothing she could do to save his life, but she could offer him some comfort within his last seconds, maybe minutes. But would she yield now then it wouldn't take long for her to lay dead next to Oro's body.

She felt how tears run over her stained cheeks. It were tears of anger and sorrow all together. Her gaze found the demon in front of her. “Bastard!”, she screamed at him and attacked him again with new gained strength. She dashed forwards and pushed her opponent's sword aside so that his body laid unprotected in front of her. With her blade pointing forwards, Kagome hit again and her weapon pierced through the demon's left thigh. She twisted the blade inside his body before she pulled it free again.

The demon howled and tumbled two steps back. Black blood run down his leg, but Kagome was certain that it wouldn't be enough to bring him down. Before the demon was able to get up again, Kagome run around him so she was standing behind him. She swung her sword and attacked his right leg and thrust her blade into his calf right above his foot, there where she expected his Achille's tendon to be.

She kept running until she was standing in front of him again, meeting his eyes. Her assumption had been correct. The right leg of her attacker gave away underneath his weight and he wasn't able to hold himself up any longer. He screamed again, outraged, but Kagome could clearly hear the pain howling inside his voice.


“You fucking... cunt!”, he screamed at her and some of his spittle hit her. With a smile upon her lips Kagome brushed it away and took some deep, calming breaths. He tried to reach out for her with his left hand, but she jumped backwards so his hand met only empty air. What she didn't see though was the body behind her and she stumbled over it and fell down. As she got up again, she could see that it was Shii. He was laying on his back, starring up at her with empty eyes.

“Lady... Kagome...”, he whispered with a broken voice and a small smile was playing around his lips. With every breath he took blood was spilling from his mouth. Shii would die, she knew that. “My bow... take it... Lady... Kagome”, he gasped and looked left, along his outstretched arm where he was holding the weapon inside his hand.

Kagome looked at him with tears in her eyes and nodded. When she stood up she took the bow with her and took the last arrow from Shii's quiver. She bend the bow and aimed for between the demon's eyes.

“I'm going to do the world a favor by getting rid of garbage like you”, she hissed between clenched teeth. The demon still tried to get up but with his wounded legs it was no use. He was toppled over and on all fours and pushed himself up on one hand.

“You try”, he spat at her and reached for his sword, holding it in front of him. Kagome felt how all of her energy gathered inside of her body and wandered to the tips of her finger and from there onto the arrow. Shortly before she let go, she aimed for the demon's hand and let the arrow fly.

This time her arrow didn't miss but hit the demon's wrist. He screamed and let go of his sword and hold his hand, which was surrounded by pink fog. But the soft glowing didn't spread over the rest of his body but stopped right underneath his shoulder. His arm turned into dust but his body was still intact. Outraged, he screamed and pushed himself up on his remaining hand. Without letting go of him, Kagome took a few steps back. She needed another arrow, she knew that but Shii's quiver was empty. Before she could take another step backwards, she felt how a hand closed around her ankle and didn't let go.

She looked down and saw a hand and a arm which belonged to a demon laying on the ground next to her. “Let go!”, she told him, but all she got as an answers was his empty chuckle.

Kagome looked up again and saw the leader and how he got closer and closed as he crawled over the battlefield. She tried to shake off the hand and kicked after the arm, pulled and pulled until she lost her balance and fell. The demon was so close now that all he'd have to do now was to reach out with his hand and he got her. She stared upwards and into his face and watched how he got closer until all she could see was his face and nothing more.

“I have you now”, he told her and watched how he lifted his hand to cut through her with his sword. All Kagome could do was watch as the blade was rushing down on her and her fingers searched for the dagger on her belt. But it was too late, there was nothing she could do now.

Moments before she'd be hit, a strong gust of wind rushed through them and let her hair fly. The gust followed a lightning which hit the ground right in front of her and which caused the demon to fall backwards onto his back. He was laying lifeless in front of her and where his chest should have been was only a big, black hole and smoke was coming out of it. Out of breath and overrun by the adrenaline in her boy, Kagome kept still for a few more seconds, the dagger pressed closely to her chest. A shadow fell over her face and as she looked upwards, she stared into a pair of eyes and Kagome felt how a tight knot settled in her stomach while at the same time the tension fell from her body.


An empty smile lifted her lips upwards as she recognized the face above her, because truth was that she didn't have the strength for anything else. It was absurd. It was a face she hadn't seen for three years and which got bigger and bigger now as it leaned closer. A white haze caused her sight to blur and slowly she realized that it had started to snow and that it were snowflakes dancing in front of her eyes. Only now did she feel how exhausted she was.

“Fuck”, she murmured and before another word could pass her lips, the world surrounding her was swallowed by darkness as she drifted into unconsciousness.