To Love Again by Dragon'sPassion

Set In Motion

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters. I also would like to announce that I don’t own any companies and brands that may be listed here.

Author’s Note: I’ve been working on this story for years it seems. I had it posted up on FF.net for a long time until I took it down a year ago or so. I’ve gone around and changed a few things but I never could seem to get it right. Hopefully, now I can. .

Summary: Living two completely different lives was never easy for Kagome. Three years after falling into the Bone Eater’s well, Kagome is now a high school graduate. A beautiful bow with an ancient history and two mysterious demonic men trigger a series of chain reactions; the beginning of a path that leads to a past long forgotten but locked deep within. Kagome finds that she is not all that she appears to be. Who are those two mysterious men and even more mysterious band of fighters? Follow Kagome and her friends in a whole new journey where love and friendships blossom and things from the past come back with a vengeance. 

“….” –Speaking

‘…’ –Thoughts

 “…”– Beast Talking

“…”- Flashbacks and Reminiscing

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Chapter 1: Set In Motion

“Kagome, honey, is that you?” A light, warm, and slightly sleepy feminine voice inquired as she followed the delicious smell of eggs, bacon, and waffles to the kitchen. Kagome looked up from her task of pouring batter into the waffle maker to look at her mother. She gave her a happy smile and nodded. “Morning mom, I hope you slept well.”

Sakura Higurashi looked at her daughter with wondering eyes and smiled at her warmly. “Yes dear, I slept very well. What about you? You’re never up this early.” Kagome grinned sheepishly at her mother as she grabbed a glass cup from one of the top cabinets and served her some orange juice. She handed it to the older woman before turning her back on her to finish cooking the western style breakfast.

“I do wake up at this hour back at the Feudal Era, mama.” She paused for a moment, taking a quick glance at the clock on the wall to her left and grimaced. “Earlier than this actually. We’re usually up at first light. Inuyasha hounded us for years about waking up early so that we could get a head start in looking for jewel shards. At first, it left us all pretty tired and in less than pleasant moods, but after a while it just became second nature.”

She took the finished waffle out of the iron and onto a plate stacked with them then proceeded to pour the last of the batter into the hot contraption. Putting the dirty bowl into the sink, she said, “I’m reluctant to get out of bed when I’m here. It’s not often that I’m able to sleep in the comforts of a soft and cushioned bed so I take advantage while I can.” She explained to her mother as she placed the plate loaded with freshly made waffles at the center of the table.

Sakura nodded her head in understanding, drinking from her cup while she listened to her daughter. She put her half empty cup of orange juice on the table and turned to walk out of the kitchen. “What’s different about this morning then my dear?” Kagome shrugged as she went about the kitchen gathering the needed plates and utensils. “I grew accustomed to waking up to the scent of fire and earth and the sounds of nature. The modern era, for all its technological conveniences, doesn’t offer the peace of a new dawn in the forest or the clean air that comes with it.”

The Higurashi matriarch smiled at her daughter softly, her eyes alight with a warm glow as she examined the young woman moving in her kitchen with a deep seeded grace. She sighed inaudibly, wondering to herself where the years had gone and made to turn around. “I’ll go and wake up grandpa and Souta.” Kagome nodded her head in acknowledgement before serving an even portion of eggs and bacon onto the four plates on the table. By the time everyone was downstairs and seated; Kagome had pulled the syrup from the fridge and poured everyone a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice.

She smiled as she took her seat beside her brother and chirped out, “Everybody dig in. Let’s not let this delicious food go to waste.” Murmurs of agreement resonated around the small room as they happily complied. Soon, everything was gone and all four Higurashis’ were stuffed full. Kagome and Sakura stood up from their seats and began to gather the plates. Souta stood up from his chair and stretched. “I’m gonna take a bath. Thanks for the food, Kagome. It was great!” He exclaimed as he ran upstairs.

Kagome laughed at her little brother before yelling, “You’re welcome!” She put her share of the dishes in the sink and set about helping her mother to wash them. “Say, Kagome?” Kagome turned to look at her grandfather, noticing not for the first time the additional age lines that had permanently etched themselves on his face. “Yes Gramps?” Hiro Higurashi stood up from his place at the table and stretched; his back popping as the tension was released. “What are you going to do now that you’ve graduated?” Kagome turned back around to dry off the dishes that her mother had finished washing.

“Continue the quest to gather the last remaining jewel shards, Gramps. Now that I don’t have to concern myself with exams and the like, I can fully concentrate on finishing up this quest. It was difficult having to live two separate lives. I constantly worried about school and hunting for the shards of the Shikon Jewel. I was behind in a lot of my classes, failing most, and I always had to come back for tests. Inuyasha and I were always out of sorts because our priorities were different from the other.

“I was able to graduate at the top of my class; thanks to some freak miracle where Lord Sesshomaru and I were able to establish a truce of sorts. He helped me with my math and any subject that I was having trouble grasping. Honestly, despite knowing that he was a youkai lord, I had no idea he was such a gosh darn genius. In return for his help, I would care for Rin whenever he had need. Of course, Inuyasha would have a fit if he knew about it, so we kept it between ourselves. Now, all I have to concern myself with are the shards, Naraku, and enhancing my miko abilities.”

She paused a moment so that she could put the dishes back into their rightful cabinets before continuing. “The only problem now is that I’ll be gone for longer periods of time. Not to mention the battle with Naraku draws close at hand. I can’t tell you how much longer for sure, but I can say that it will be sometime within these next few months.” Sakura stepped back to look at her daughter while she dried her hands. “How do you know?”

Kagome shrugged. “Miroku and I have been toying with the idea that there aren’t any jewel shards left to find. These past two months have been fruitless. I don’t feel the certain pull I feel when I’m close to one. The last jewel shard was found in the tomb of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru’s father, Lord Toga. If anything, the hunt now is for Naraku rather than the jewel shards. As it is, Naraku has most of the jewel already intact, I have four shards, Kohaku has one in the back of his neck, and Koga of the wolf demon tribe has two embedded in his legs.”

Sakura looked worriedly at her daughter. “You’re not going to leave this and let Inuyasha and the others finish it without you, are you?” Kagome looked straight into her mother’s eyes; her normally soft, warm gaze was hard and intense. “I can’t, mama, and I won’t. I was born with the Shikon no Tama inside my body. Some would call it bad luck; others would call it destiny, but whichever it is, I can take a hint.

“It wasn’t a mere coincidence that Mistress Centipede came up the well the day I turned fifteen, dragged me 500 years into the past, and ripped the jewel out of my side. It’s also not a coincidence that the people who Naraku hurt the most are the ones who are currently hunting him. Inuyasha, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and I came together for a reason; for this reason. Not to mention, it’s my duty as the Shikon Miko to rid the world of the jewel’s curse. It’s not a duty that I want and there have been many times where I wish I didn’t, but it is what it is. Besides, they are my friends; my pack. I can’t ignore that. I’m sorry mama, but I can’t leave what I started be left undone.”

Sakura swallowed back desperate tears and smiled wistfully at her daughter. Despite the fact that fear and worry were currently clawing at her bleeding heart; she couldn’t help but be proud of the young woman Kagome turned out to be. The older woman sighed. “Just promise to do your best to stay alive and to be happy, okay?” She asked her daughter, staring her straight in her intense blue eyes; so much like those of her father.

Kagome nodded in all seriousness, knowing that her mother wanted to keep her only daughter safe and yet holding herself back so that she could accomplish what needed to get done. For that alone Kagome would be eternally grateful. “I give you my word, mama.” Sakura stepped forward and hugged her daughter tightly. “I’m so proud of you, my sweet Kagome.”

The corners of Kagome’s lips upturned slightly in a sad smile as she hugged her mother back. Her heart tightened in her chest and her eyes misted over with tears. As happy as her mother’s words made her, her heart mourned for the innocence that her mother still wished she had. Long, thick black lashes closed over oceanic gems and Kagome let go of what couldn’t be changed; choosing instead to revel in the feeling of being in the secure arms of her mother.

Hiro stood off to the side, watching his two precious females. Tired brown eyes, full of wisdom and a touch of insanity, caught the aged look in the eighteen year old’s eyes. The muscles of his waning body tensed slightly as he finally understood for himself just how much the girl had lost but like his daughter-in-law had come to forcefully accept. He also knew that despite his consuming fear for the granddaughter that was most like his deceased son, he couldn’t have been more proud of her. Silently, he turned on the heel of his sock covered feet and walked out of the kitchen and back up to his room.

Soon after the old man’s departure, Sakura finally let go of Kagome and said, “How about we wash up, get dressed, then head out to the store? I’m sure that you need to stock up on supplies especially if you’re going to be gone for longer periods of time.” Kagome nodded her head vigorously in agreement. “You have no idea. I may need to make a few trips. Although, I’m really hoping that I don’t.” She walked past her mother and said, “See you in a bit.”, than ran off upstairs.

SKSKSKSKSK

“Ahhhh! I feel so much better!” Kagome exclaimed as she walked out of the shower and into her room. Closing the door behind her, she made her way over to her closet. Throwing the closet door open, she sweat dropped at the amount of clothes that she had in it, especially at how much of it was pink. She let her head drop and sighed. ‘I think I’ll ask Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri if they want some of this stuff. This is ridiculous!’

She reached over and pulled out a pair of dark blue pants. She eyed them for a moment and shook her head. “I seriously need to get new clothes. I don’t think any of this stuff fits me anymore” She told herself as she set it down on her bed and started to look for a shirt that wasn’t pink. “Ah ha!” she cried out triumphantly as she pulled out a white shirt with a golden dragon on the front.

Putting the shirt down beside her pants, she moved to the other end of her room and pulled one of the drawers from her dresser open. Looking inside She fished around for her favorite white lace undergarments. Letting her towel pool at her feet, she began to pull them on, only to release an exasperated sigh when she put on her bra. “Note to self, get new lingerie.” She muttered to herself.

Turning back to her dresser, she pulled out some ankle socks. Sitting on her bed, she pulled them on then proceeded to get dressed; all the while grumbling about her bigger breasts and fuller hips. Stomping over to her mirror, she grabbed the brush from her desk and ran it through long locks of silken raven’s wing before tying it up into a high pony tail. She applied a small dab of gel on her hair and a light layer of gloss on her lips then turned around and pulled on her new white and gold shoes.

“Kagome, dear, are you ready to go?” her mother’s sweet voice called. Kagome walked over to her door and opened it. She beamed at her mother. “Almost, mama, I need to get my money. Go ahead and wait in the car. I’ll be down in a minute.” She told the older woman as she made her way to her bedside table “Okay.” She heard her mother respond from behind her. The soft sound of feet moving met her ears and she couldn’t help but smile. Lowering herself to her knees, she opened the drawer and pulled out a silk pouch that was stuffed to the brim with her allowance.

She looked around her room, searching for anything in which she could place the pouch into. Her gaze came to a stop upon seeing a small, dark blue backpack. Quickly making her way to it, she opened the bag and hurriedly stuffed the pouch inside, closed it securely, and ran out the house. Kagome opened the door to her side of the car and plopped down on the seat, causing Sakura to laugh at her eighteen year old daughter’s antics.

“Where to first, Kagome?” Sakura asked as she put on her seat belt. “The mall.” Kagome replied as she buckled up. “I am in desperate need of new clothes.” Sakura nodded as she drove off the Higurashi shrine and onto the main road. Within minutes, they arrived to their destination. Kagome and Sakura got out of the car, locked their doors, and made their way to the entrance. Once inside, Kagome made a beeline to the nearest lingerie shop.

Immediately upon entering, she asked one of the ladies present for a measuring. With the needed information obtained, she roamed around the store and began to pick out numerous pairs of garments; both for herself and Sango. Once satisfied with what she had, she went over to the cash register, paid for her merchandise, and went in search of her mother. She found her moments later in a weapons shop. Kagome raised a delicate, dark brow all the while wondering what her sweet mother was doing in such a place.

She snuck up behind her mother and said, “Mom what are you doing?” Sakura nearly jumped at her daughter’s unexpected voice. She turned around and smiled. “I was walking beside you on the way to lingerie shop when this caught my eye. I can’t help but think that this is perfect for you, Kagome.” She responded as she showed her miko daughter the bow that she had been looking at moments prior.

Kagome’s eyes widened as she stared at the master piece in her mother’s hand. She reached out to grab it and as soon as her hand made contact with the bow, a sudden spark of ancient powers caressed her skin. Kagome jumped at the feel of such strong magic, but didn’t let go. She took it from her mother’s grasp and carefully inspected it. Whatever it was that the bow was made of; it sure wasn’t made out of wood, that much she knew.

The bow was the color of a starless night. The texture was the smoothest that she had ever felt and it warmed instantly to her touch. In her mind’s eye, she could see foggy tendrils of red and blue rising from the bow. She paid close attention to the design engraved onto the bow. What she saw there caused her breath to still. Standing in the center, with all it majestic beauty, was an inu very much like Sesshomaru’s beast form. Only where Sesshomaru was silver white, this inu, outlined in silver to set it apart from the background, was black with red and blue markings around the chest, tail, and four legs. Red curving shapes were engraved at the inu’s feet, reminding Kagome of flames. Above the inu’s regal head were blue slivers of fog that she assumed was made to represent clouds.

She rubbed a finger lovingly along the bow’s length. Kagome then moved her eyes to inspect the string. She was somewhat surprised that it too was black. Upon further inspection, she discovered hints of blue and red on it. She ran her finger over it and had to hold back a startled gasp. The string was soft! ‘How in the world can a bowstring be so soft?’ She thought to herself as she made to stand in a firing position. She pulled the string back, expecting it to snap, but to her surprise it held.

“What in the world?” Kagome said to herself, quietly. “Excuse me, young lady?” An old, masculine voice said from behind her. Both Kagome and Sakura turned to look at the elderly man who had spoken. “Yes?” Kagome replied as she met the older man’s eyes square with her own. There was something in those eyes that made him seem a bit off to her. “Would you like to have that bow?” The man inquired.

Kagome smiled. “Yes, I would. How much is it?” She asked. The old man’s mouth curled into a kind smile. “There is no price, my dear. You can have it.” Kagome’s mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut with an audible click. “I can’t just take it.” She protested. The man shook his head. “Please do. I was going to lock it away anyways.” Sakura and Kagome scowled slightly at this. “Why?” Sakura asked him. Both Higurashi women watched as the man sighed. “Every single person who bought this bow came back saying that the thing was evil, possessed even. They refused to have anything to do with it.”

“Evil?” Kagome questioned. Her brow came together in a frown as she looked down at the bow in her hand and pondered. ‘How can it be evil? I don’t feel anything evil about it. All I feel is darkness and light, nothing more.’ She pulled out some money from her backpack and handed to the man. “I’ll take the bow but on the condition that you take this money. I don’t feel right simply taking it.” The old man smile and nodded. “You have a deal. Now may I please take the bow? I’ll have it taken to your home so that you don’t have to carry it around.” Kagome complied. She followed the elderly figure to the desk and wrote down her address. She said good bye, then walked out of the shop and over to where her mother stood.

“Where to now?” Sakura asked Kagome. “I need to look for clothes.” She told her as she made started to walk into a new store that opened up. “Let’s try this one first.” She said as she stepped inside. Two hours later, found them loading a dozen bags into the back of the car. They got into the car and buckled up. Sakura looked at her daughter and said, “Store?”

Kagome nodded vigorously as her mother started the car and drove to the supermarket. Within minutes, they were there. The two women hurriedly made their way inside. They both grabbed a cart. “I need to buy some food. I’ll see you in a bit dear.” Kagome nodded as she watched her mother take off in a different direction. Kagome turned her cart and went in search of ramen. She put a box of each flavor in the cart before moving to the candy isle. She dropped a few bags of lollipops and chocolate in than repeated the process with a few boxes of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavored pocky.

Satisfied with her replenished candy stash for the kids, she made her way over to the shampoo isle and added a few bottles of shampoo, body wash, and conditioner that she and Sango liked to her growing pile of groceries. In the next few minutes, she found herself putting flashlights, batteries, feminine products, coloring books, colors, cat treats, first aid supplies, bottles of water, and a book into the cart.

Deciding that she had everything that she needed, she went to the register and started the long process of unloading everything. She looked to the side to find her mother waiting for her. She smiled and waved, chuckling in delight when her mother waved back. Kagome paid the cashier, thanking him as he helped her load her bags and proceeded to stuff them into the back of the car along with the other stuff. “Is there anything else you need to get Kagome?” Sakura asked as she and her daughter climbed into the car. Kagome nodded. “Yes mama. I want to head over to the arts and crafts shop close to the shrine.” Sakura nodded her head once in understanding before turning on the car and driving to shop Kagome spoke of.

She waited in the car as Kagome made her way inside. She grabbed a few sketching journals along with a box or two of pastels, pencils, erasers, charcoal sticks and a collection of paints and brushes. She quickly made her way to the register, paid for her items and ran to the car. Sakura raised a brow at the bags in her lap.

Kagome smiled. “I got some stuff for me and for Shippo. I noticed that he’s very skilled when it comes to drawing. He seemed fascinated with my stuff so I bought him some for himself.” The older Higurashi woman giggled softly, knowing that her daughter loved to draw and had somehow managed to pass that love to her kit. “Is that it then?” Kagome nodded. “Yes. Let’s go home. I still have to pack all this stuff.” She said with a groan.

Mother laughed at daughter and Kagome simply sat in her seat pouting as they made their way home. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Higurashi Shrine. Souta ran out of the house upon their arrival. He sweat dropped at the amount of bags he saw and shook his head in exasperation. “Did you have to bring the entire store with you, Sis?” He asked as he began helping them unload. Kagome laughed. “Sorry Souta. I tried to resist, but it wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

The younger male laughed at his sister as he disappeared into the house. Kagome turned to get her share of bags from the car when her mother’s gentle grip on her shoulders stopped her. “I got this for you, Kagome. I thought that perhaps it was time to give your old bag a rest.” Sakura said as she handed Kagome the backpack she bought back at the supermarket. Kagome took the blue version of her yellow bag from her mother and smiled. “Thanks mom.”

“No problem dear. You go on ahead and pack. I’ll take care of things here.” Kagome nodded and made her way upstairs where everything she bought had been placed. She went about looking through each bag and separating what she was taking from what she was going to leave behind. Walking over to her closet, she emptied it of all her old clothes. Leaving the neat pile on a corner of her bed for her mother to do with as she wanted, she went about hanging up her new modern day clothing.

Once that task was complete, she ripped open the bag that contained her new backpack and set it on the floor beside her bed. The first things to go into her new bag were the slippers she had commission on her last trip home, followed by the feudal era styled kimonos and Chinese fighting uniforms she had ordered along with the undergarments. The towels and personal care products came next followed by books, flashlights, batteries, first aid supplies and ending with the ramen, candy, and cat treats. In a separate, smaller bag, she placed all of her arts supplies. The last thing she wanted was for anything to break.

She looked to the clock on her night stand and had to blink twice to make sure it was right. Her Felix the Cat clock read 2:00 P.M. “How can it be that early? I could have sworn that it was at least 4 o’clock.” She said to herself as she zipped up every pocket on the surface of the huge blue monstrosity. Shrugging, she placed a hand on her rumbling stomach and said, “Forget the time, all this packing has made me hungry. I wonder what mama made.”

She immediately left her room and made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. The delicious smell of oden made her stomach obnoxiously voice its desire to be filled. Kagome blushed as her mother, grandfather, and brother all turned to look at her. Sakura laughed at her daughter as she watched her sink into her spot at the table. “Perfect timing, Kagome, I was about to call you.” She said as she put down a bowl of oden in front of her. Kagome smiled gratefully at her mother and waited for her to take her seat before starting to eat.

SKSKSKSKSK

Calm, oceanic eyes of blue looked around the white walls of her once pink room as the owner of said gems double checked to see if everything that she needed was packed and ready to go. Confident that everything was in its proper place, Kagome turned to look at herself in the mirror. After lunch, she had changed into a new set of clothes; a set of miko garbs in the color of blue rather than the traditional red.

Grabbing her brush, she ran it through her silky black hair until it was smooth and quickly braided her thick mass into a French braid. Letting her hair hang over her right shoulder, she looked herself over once more and nodded at her reflection, Happy that she finally had clothing to suit the time period, she bent to grab her bags and carefully made her way to the living room where her family waited for her.

She walked into the room and said, “Mama, Souta, jii-chan, I’m leaving.” Five heads all turned to look at her. Kagome raised a brow at the two identical males sitting across her mother, grandfather, and brother. “Kagome,” Sakura said as she stood up, “these two young men have something for you.” Kagome put down her two backpacks and walked over to the pair, who stood from their seats with a liquid grace she found out of place for humans.

“Hello, Ms. Higurashi. We came to deliver the bow that you had purchased earlier today.” The male standing closest to her replied. Kagome beamed. “That’s right. Thank you so much. I’d nearly forgotten.” She said as she took the box from him. She opened it up to reveal her lovely new bow. “This comes with the bow, Ms. Higurashi.” She turned her attention to twin of the one beside her and took the quiver full of arrows from the young man. She inspected the objects in her hands and noticed that they matched her bow.

She looked back at the two young men, not being able to tell the two apart but for single strips of color in their hair: one red, the other blue. She smiled at them and said, “Can you hold on a moment?” The two nodded and watched as she raced back up the stairs, returning seconds later with money in her hand. She stopped in front of them and offered them the money. “Here; a little something for your trouble.”

Both took the money from her and smiled brightly at her. “Thank you, Ms. Higurashi.” The one with the blue streak said. Kagome shook her head. “No thank you. I can bet you to have better things to do then delivering my bow to me.” She looked up into their eyes and nearly gasped. Their eyes had that same off look as the old man from the store. “Excuse me, but by any chance are you two related to the kind old man from the store?”

The twins looked at each other then back at her before the one with the red streak voiced, “You can say that.” Kagome laughed and said. “Well do me the favor and thank him for me.” She offered her hand to the one with the red streak. He took it and gave it a gentle shake. “Will do, Miss…” He said letting the sentence hang in the air. Kagome grinned. “Kagome. My name is Kagome.”

He nodded his head and broke the handshake to allow his brother to take hold of her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kagome-chan. My name is Kai and this is my twin brother, Ryu. We hope that you enjoy your new bow. Don’t be afraid to drop by again.” The one with the blue streak, now known as Kai, said as he and Ryu bowed, waved their good-byes, and left the house.

Kagome looked at the bow and quiver of arrows and stuffed them into her blue pack, which surprisingly enough, still had a lot of room left. The young women turned back to her family and hugged them all one by one. After shouldering her huge blue backpack and keeping a firm grip on the smaller art bag, she said her good byes with a promise to come back in good health, and calmly made her way over to the shed built around the bone eater’s well. With a sigh and a small utterance of “Down the rabbit hole I go”, she jumped into the well and disappeared into the familiar blue light; never once noticing the two figures hidden in the shadows.

“Mission accomplished, Neji. Now all we have to do is wait for fate to bring her to us.” Said a man with shoulder length white hair; a single thick black streak running down the middle of his bangs. The dark haired man beside him nodded. “Yes. Let’s just hope that Dragon’s predictions come true. As much as I hate the events that are to follow, we have no choice but sit back and let it happen. It’s the fastest way for it to bring her to us. Do you think she can make it through, Kujaku?” Neji said turning to his light haired companion.

“For all our sakes, I hope she does. The trails that she has endured so far have served the purpose of making her stronger in spirit and hopefully in heart. Regardless of how much it may have strengthened her, however, they are nothing compared to what is coming. We can only hope that she is as prepared as can be. Come, Neji, we must leave. Our business here is done.” Said Kujaku as he and Neji both jumped into the well and vanished into the stream of time.

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Author’s Note: Well that’s the end of chapter one.