Journey to the Future - Chapter 6

“What?” Kagome said flatly, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen. “What do you mean, it isn’t working?”

“I tried to take you back home when you passed out, but we were still here,” Inuyasha explained hastily, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere else but having this conversation.

Kagome’s jaw dropped and she stared at the uncomfortably shifting hanyou. She was certain that she hadn’t heard him properly. The well had just brought her to the past a day ago; how could it possible not be working?

She gasped raggedly, digging her fingers desperately into her hair. “It was that cursed jewel,” she whispered manically. “Kaede warned me… she warned me that it never worked right!”

Kagome let out a cry of disbelief and fought the blanket that constricted her limbs. She staggered to her feet, slapping Inuyasha’s hand away when he tried to steady her. Ignoring him as he called after her, she ran through the village, tears beginning to stream from her eyes. She nearly tripped on the hill up to the well, but managed to keep herself upright.

As the well came into sight, Kagome didn’t bother slowing down to use the vines, desperately hoping that the magic would catch her and send her home. She vaulted over the edge of the well and jumped inside. Before she could fall into its depths, a pair of clawed hands caught beneath her arms and stopped her freefall.

“Let go of me!” Kagome shouted, struggling against the hold. She kicked her legs useless and tried to pry the fingers off of her, but the grip was iron solid.

“Stop it, woman!” Inuyasha yelled back, pulling her out of the well. He grunted as one of her flailing legs made contact with his knee. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”

Kagome gave one mighty kick backwards, barely noticing Inuyasha’s pained curse as he finally let her go. She didn’t even look back at him before throwing herself over the lip of the well again. The wind rushed by her ears as she fell, but no warm darkness enveloped her.

She landed hard on the bottom, grunting as her legs crumpled beneath her. Kagome looked up at the blue sky and let out a sob. “No, no, no,” she moaned, pounding her fists against the cool dirt. “Please let me through, please!”

A warm weight landed next to her and she allowed Inuyasha to gather her into his arms. “I don’t want to be stuck here,” she sobbed. “I just want to go home!”

“I know, I know,” the hanyou sighed, leaping out of the well.

“What am I going to do?” she asked, covering her face with her hands. “I was supposed to go to Ayumi’s show… I promised, I promised that I would come back. Oh, Souta,” she sobbed. “He’ll kill himself waiting by the well for me.”

“The old hag… may have an idea to get you back,” Inuyasha said after an uncomfortable moment. He walked back toward the village, careful not to jostle the woman in his arms.

Kagome quieted with a final sniff, wishing that the time-traveling really was just a dream and that she would wake up any moment in her old bedroom in her mother’s house, having just come home to find a job. She would even take over her grandfather’s duties at the shrine if she could just go home.

Kaede was waiting outside of her house, her expression pinched with worry. “You did not hurt yourself, did you child?”

“I don’t know,” Kagome said flatly. She felt physically and emotionally numb.

“Set her inside, Inuyasha,” the old woman sighed, holding the door open.

The hanyou ducked through the entrance into the hut and carefully set Kagome down on the pallet that she had previously been using. He shifted uncomfortably as she curled on her side, facing away from him. “I’ll just… er… I’m gonna… I’ll be back later,” he stammered before making a quick exit.

Kaede entered the hug and closed the door behind her. She let out another sigh at the sight of the young woman. “Kagome, I am sure that there must be a way to reactivate the magic within the well,” she said softly.

Kagome sniffed loudly and glanced over her shoulder. “Do you really think so?” she asked in a small voice. She hadn’t felt so unsettled and vulnerable since her father died.

“I do,” the old woman confirmed. “The well has been imbued with magic for centuries. There must be a reason that it has been closed to you. I do not believe that its power was due to the Shikon jewel. Besides,” Kaede added. “If you search deeply, you can still feel a hint of power within the well. It has merely become dormant.”

Kagome turned back to face the wall and curled in more tightly on herself. She heard Kaede sigh once more and leave the hut. She knew that she was being difficult and that she ought to accept Inuyasha and Kaede’s comfort, but she was facing the equivalent of her entire family’s deaths. Although Kaede believed that there was a way to reopen the well, Kagome’s wasn’t entirely convinced. The well itself had felt so much like the jewel did that she had a hard time believing that the two were not connected.

Intellectually, Kagome knew that the well would definitely not reopen if she just lay there uselessly, but she wasn’t quite prepared to put on a happy face just yet. Once again, she could hear Inuyasha and Kaede shouting at each other, but she couldn’t make out the words. She choked on a sob and buried her face in her hands. What in the world was she going to do?

~*~

Kagome eventually cried herself to sleep and for the next two days, she refused to move from her spot or even eat. She vaguely heard many arguments between the hanyou and the aged miko, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to care.

After yet another breakfast cooling untouched at her side, the door to the hut slammed open hard enough to startle her out of her miserable thoughts. She peered blearily over her shoulder. Inuyasha stormed through the entrance of the hut.

“You’ve moped around long enough, woman!” he shouted at her.

Kagome gasped in surprise as she suddenly found herself slung over his shoulder. “Put me down,” she croaked, smacking her fist harmlessly against his back.

“No way,” Inuyasha snorted. “The old hag and I have had enough of you wallowing away in here. Also, you fucking stink!”

The hanyou sped through the village to the slow, wide river that cut through the land, supplying the villagers with fresh water. Kagome shrieked as she found herself flying through the air and when she plunged into the chilly river, she accidently inhaled a lungful of water. She kicked frantically to the surfaced and coughed violently between gasps for air.

“Inuyasha!” She shouted angrily. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

The hanyou sat on the shore with his arms crossed over his chest. “Keh! Trying to snap you out of it, woman! How are you gonna find your way home if you just lie around all fucking day, starving yourself?”

Kagome blinked in shock. She hadn’t realized that she had gotten that bad. As if the mere mention of starvation was enough, her stomach rumbled fiercely. She scowled at the hanyou, not really wanting to admit that he was right, and swam to the shore. He held out a hand to pull her out, but she ignored it sullenly.

Shivering slightly, Kagome stomped back toward the village. Halfway there, she realized that she not only owned the hanyou an apology for her behavior, but her gratitude for snapping her out of her funk as well.

“Inuyasha,” she said with a sigh, turning over her shoulder to look at him. He was sulking slightly and didn’t look at her. “I’m sorry for being a brat. You were right,” she admitted. “I may not be able to get the well working again, but it definitely won’t open if I don’t do anything at all.”

“Keh,” Inuyasha replied.

Kagome hid a smile and turned to face forward again. He really was similar to her little brother. During the rare occasions that she and Souta fought, he liked to play it cool when accepting an apology.

Kaede was waiting with a rough towel and a change of clothing back at the hut. She also wore a knowing smile, which Kagome stoically ignored. After changing, she painstakingly combed through her tangled hair, making a mental note to actually wash it soon, before tying it off in a thick braid. She tucked the front pieces behind her ears and laid out her modern clothing to dry. It was just a pair of pajamas; the material was too thin and delicate to be of any use in the feudal era, but Kagome wasn’t quite ready to part with them yet.

Kagome opened the door to let Kaede and Inuyasha back in and the three sat around the fire pit as the old woman cooked dinner. “So, do you know of anyone who might be able to… refresh the well’s power?”

The miko hummed thoughtfully as she cooked. “There is a very powerful miko to the north who may be more knowledgeable about such things. She is a dear friend of mine and would be willing to help you. It is also necessary for you to learn control over your power and I fear that this old woman is not up to the task.”

“Why would I need to worry about that?” Kagome asked in surprise. She had been able to focus her energy to the tip of the arrow easily enough, and she wasn’t planning on living out the rest of her life in the Sengoku era.

Kaede leveled a serious look upon her. “It would be very dangerous for both yourself and for others should your powers go untrained, child. It was very irresponsible of me to request your aid against the boar youkai.”

“I thought it turned out alright,” Kagome protested weakly, feeling ill again at the memory of the demon’s expiration.

“Keh, you nearly roasted me too,” Inuyasha cut in.

“Did I really?” She asked with a worried frown. “I am so sorry! I couldn’t really tell how much energy was going into the arrow, so I didn’t even know if it would work.”

“So you see, child, why it is important to learn control?” Kaede asked, serving them each a bowl of hearty stew.

“Of course,” Kagome agreed. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” She took small, slow bites of her meal, not wanting to make herself sick by eating too much after two days of fasting. “About how far north is this miko?”

“Hitomiko-san resides at the base of Mt. Asahidake in the middle of Hokkaido,” Kaede said after a moment of thought.

“H-Hokkadio…?” Kagome parroted in surprise, dropping a spoonful of stew back into the bowl with a plop. “That has to be… nearly 1200 kilometers from here!”

“Aye, it is quite a long journey,” the old miko agreed. “What is a kilometer?”

Kagome sweated a little. “Don’t worry about it; it’s just a way to measure distance,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “So, why do you think this miko will know more about how to reopen the well?”

“Hitomiko-san is an expert in barrier and spell usage, and she is also very knowledgeable about Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon no tama,” Kaede explained. “If the well’s power is in any way related to the jewel, Hitomiko-san will know.”

Kagome nodded, but silently fretted. What if this miko had no information? She would have wasted months traveling to the northern part of Japan for nothing. By then, her family would have probably assumed that she had died. But unless someone else had a better idea, this was her only option.

“Inuyasha…” she hesitated after addressing the hanyou. Kagome wasn’t really sure how he felt about her. Sometimes he was exceedingly gentle and thoughtful, but other times it was if he wanted nothing to do with her.

“What is it, woman?” Inuyasha snapped when her silence become awkward.

Kagome blinked back to the present and blushed as she realized how long she had kept him waiting. “Sorry about that… Um, Inuyasha, will you come with me to meet Hitomiko?” she asked, forcing herself to meet his intense golden stare.

“Keh, you’d die within a day if I didn’t,” he stated with a cocky smirk. “Besides, I got nothing better to do.”

“Thanks, Inuyasha,” Kagome said warmly. “I really appreciate it.” She already felt better about her upcoming journey, knowing that she wouldn’t have to make it alone.

“Child,” Kaede said after a moment. “You will need to procure warming clothing before you get too far north. It can get quite cold there.”

Kagome hummed thoughtfully. “I guess I’ll worry about that when we get a little closer. I don’t want to have to carry any unnecessary weight.”

“The choice is yours to make,” the old woman conceded. “You should spend tomorrow preparing and depart on the following morning. Inuyasha,” she turned to face the hanyou. “There is something I must discuss with you outside.”

Inuyasha stared at Kaede with suspicion, but followed her through the door of the hut. Kagome burned with curiosity, but she stayed put out of respect for the old woman whom had given her so much care. After a few minutes, Kaede returned alone.

“Where’d Inuyasha go?” Kagome asked, helping the old woman clear away the mess from dinner.

“There is something that he must do before accompanying you on your journey,” the miko said cryptically. She laughed at the slightly petulant expression on Kagome’s face. “I am sure he will tell you about it when he is ready, child.”

Kagome supposed that Kaede was right. After all, she hadn’t known Inuyasha for very long and it was rather presumptuous of her to poke into his business uninvited. Still, she couldn’t help a nagging worry about what he was up to and she hoped that he returned unscathed.

~*~

When Kagome woke the next morning, she was relieved to spot the white-haired hanyou sitting on the roof of Kaede’s home. She called up a greeting to him and received a grunt in reply, but he showed no desire to more from his perch. Shrugging, she decided that he must not need to prepare anything. She idly noticed the worn scabbard that he cradled in his lap, but decided to ask him about it when he was in a better mood.

Kaede was kind enough to provide a large supply of dried meats, a medium bag of rice and a large packet of herbs, the content and usage of which she painstakingly explained. Kagome’s brain was whirling with information and she longed for a notebook to record all of the different herbs. Some were for cooking, some for bathing, and some for healing. Kagome only hoped that she could keep the different types straight. It would be truly unfortunate to season meat with soapweed.

“If you doubt your memory, show it to Inuyasha,” Kaede had advised her. “He has an excellent nose and should be able to identify most plant life.”

Kagome spent most of the day trading services for supplies with the villagers. She gathered firewood in exchange for a spare yukata and helped tend to a rice paddy for cooking supplies. By the time she returned to Kaede’s hut with all that she needed, she was exhausted.

She walked in on Inuyasha sitting topless as Kaede spread a salve along several angry looking gashes on his torso. Gasping in shock, Kagome dropped the bag of supplies, which clattered noisily as they fell on the ground.

“Oh my god, Inuyasha! What happened?” She asked, rushing to the hanyou’s side.

“It’s nothing, woman! Don’t get yourself all worked up,” Inuyasha groaned, leaning away from her as she tried to inspect his wounds.

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” she protested. “What on earth happened?”

Inuyasha grumbled something inaudibly, ending in a slight yelp as Kaede wrapped bandages tightly around his torso. “Oi! Ease up, you old hag,” he protested.

“Quiet yourself, Inuyasha,” Kaede scolded. “You are acting like a child. Just tell her what happened.” The old miko dusted her hands and left the hut, muttering something about “foolish pride”.

Kagome waited, somewhat impatiently, for Inuyasha to speak. The hanyou fidgeted under her gaze.

“Oh, alright,” he snapped, slipping his arms back through his sleeves. “I ran into my fucking older half-brother. We fought, I got that sword, and that’s it.”

A whole slew of questions ran through Kagome’s mind after the inadequate explanation, but what came out of her mouth was, “you have a brother?”

Inuyasha growled, jerking his clothes straight. “Half-brother,” he stressed. “We don’t get along. He’s a fucking bastard.”

“So he’s a…” Kagome trailed off, not wanting to upset the hanyou who was quickly becoming her friend.

“Yeah, he’s a full youkai,” Inuyasha said flatly. “It won’t surprise me if you meet him sooner or later,” he grumbled. “I hate his fucking guts, but he seemed different from the last time I saw him. He would have never given me something like this before,” he said, brandishing the shabby sword.

“Is it a special sword?” Kagome asked diplomatically, not really impressed by its appearance.

“Keh!” Inuyasha scoffed. “It’s made of one of my old man’s fangs. That asshat Sesshomaru can’t even touch it,” he said smugly. “It was meant for me.”

Kagome noticed something slightly off about his tone, but couldn’t place the source of it, so she let it go. Instead, she smiled, grateful that he had something of his father’s. Judging by his words and what Kaede had told her, Inuyasha’s father was long dead. “I’m glad you have it then,” she said sincerely.

Inuyasha huffed and turned away, but Kagome could make out a faint blush on his cheeks. She padded back to the entrance of the hut and gathered up the supplies that had fallen. Kaede had proved a burlap sack for her to store everything and Kagome began carefully packing the bag. She wanted to make sure that nothing would get damaged as they desperately needed everything she had gathered.

With a sigh, Kagome set aside her modern pajamas. She didn’t want to risk losing them or ruining the soft material, so she had asked Kaede to look after the small pile of clothing for her. The old miko had given her a slightly sad look, but had agreed. Kagome kept her sneakers, not willing to wear the exposed, uncomfortable sandals that most people in this time period wore. She knew that the flimsy bottom would never last travelling over hundreds of kilometers and potentially rough terrain and her feet felt cold just thinking about wearing those sandals once the weather started to turn. She really thought that it was a shame that she couldn’t have been stranded in the past at the beginning of the summer rather than the end of it.

Kagome frowned to herself as Inuyasha’s sword crossed her mind again. “Does your half-brother live around here?” she asked.

The hanyou startled at the abrupt question before scowling fiercely. “No, thank god. I don’t really know where he actually lives though. Bastard’s constantly on the move,” he replied, sounding reluctant to continue talking about his estranged family. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Kagome’s questioning. “Why do you wanna know?”

“No reason, really,” she responded truthfully. “I was just wondering what he was doing around the village if he didn’t live in the area.” She carefully watched the hanyou’s reaction and surmised that his brother must have told him the reason, but Inuyasha didn’t feeling like sharing. Kagome had to remind herself how little she actually knew of the hanyou and that it was perfectly normal for him to be less than forthcoming with her when they were practically strangers, but it was difficult to bit her tongue. She already felt like she had known Inuyasha for years.

Just as Kagome finished putting her pack together, Kaede re-entered the hut, carrying several fat fish that had already been cleaned. Kagome’s mouth watered at the sight of them and she belatedly realized that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

“Are you prepared, child,” the old woman asked, checking that the hut was well ventilated before stoking the smoldering embers at the bottom of the fire pit and adding fresh wood to the pile.

“Yes,” Kagome replied, taking two of the fish from the other woman and working them on well-used wooden skewers. “I think that I have everything that I need for a while. We’ll have to make a few stops here and there to restock, but we should be alright for a few weeks, at least.”

“We’ll only stop by a village if we really have to,” Inuyasha said assertively. “I can hunt for food if we need it and the old hag here taught you enough about plants that you can find some if you run out.”

“Inuyasha is right about avoiding most villages,” Kaede explained before Kagome could ask about the hanyou’s reluctance to make stops.

“Why is that?” she questioned.

Kaede glanced at the hanyou before answering in her usual blunt manner. “Youkai and hanyou are not welcome in most villages and you will be looked at with suspicion if you are seen travelling with Inuyasha.”

“Oh,” Kagome frowned, situating the speared fish over the fire pit. “I guess most people don’t want to risk encountering violent youkai… but I still think that it’s kind of stupid.” Discrimination was something that had persisted even to Kagome’s time. When she was a child, she had not only been teased for her name and its presence in that silly child’s game but for her unusual eye color as well.

She felt a twinge of annoyance at Kaede and Inuyasha’s exchanged glance, as if she were extremely naïve, but she remained silent. It wasn’t an argument that she really wanted to get into, but Kagome decided that if anyone mistreated Inuyasha while they were travelling, she would not hold her tongue.