Disclaimer: I don’t own InuYasha.
~
A grunt echoed into the clearing as Kagome pulled herself over the side of the well. Looking around the clearing she sighed in disappointment at her hanyou friend not being there. He’s probably off with Kikyo, she thought sourly, scowling at the thought. She let her backpack slide off her shoulders, the heavy bag hitting the ground with a loud thump. A green duffel bag fell off the top and a small book fell down into the tall grass beside the well, hidden from view.
After giving her shoulders a good rub, Kagome grabbed her bags and set off to the village, unaware of the demon who had been watching her from the shadows. As soon as she was out of view, the demon sped forward to grab the book and took off without a trace.
~
“Shippo!” Kagome yelled as she came upon Kaede‘s hut. A bright red blur flew from the hut, latching onto Kagome’s stomach. She giggled as she handed him a bag of pocky and he eagerly ran inside to start snacking. Kagome walked into the hut to be greeted by Kaede, Sango, and Miroku all sitting down and sipping at some tea she had left behind for them.
“Kagome, did you bless us with bringing more of your delicious specialty tea?” Miroku asked, taking another sip before grinning.
“Yes,” Kagome laughed, “I even brought you a new flavor to try. My mother gave it to me today for my birthday.”
“InuYasha went a little while ago to pick up his gift for you. You weren’t supposed to be back early, you knew we were planning a celebration for you,” Sango cut in.
“I couldn’t resist,” Kagome grinned.
Miroku looked up and smiled, “Sango and I went together and bought you a kimono from a demon village. We had it custom designed since this would be the birthday you come of age in your time.”
“We wanted to make it special,” Sango agreed.
“Aw, you guys didn’t have to do that,” Kagome blushed, “It’s just going to be the villagers and us.”
Sango and Miroku exchanged sheepish grins and turned away. The little sigh that escaped her lips was enough to make the guilty confess.
“Ye shouldn’t be upset child. One as pristine as the Shikon Miko should have all those that are humble to her at her celebration,” Kaede supplied, successfully saving Miroku and Sango.
“I’m not sure if I feel comfortable with that many people,” Kagome mumbled, “On a different note; look at the gifts my family gave me! There’s something in here I think you will think is useful!”
Kagome pulled out the green duffel bag and unzipped the top. First she pulled out a wooden bow, then a quiver, a pair of knee high leather boots, and finally a fighting kimono with slits up the side and matching hamakas.
“Now for what will surprise you the most,” she grinned, reaching into the bag. Her hand felt along the bottom until it came upon a hole, in which her hand slid through. Upon this new discovery, Kagome’s face went eerily pale and her eyes widened.
“No,” she whispered.
“What is it child?” Kaede asked.
“A book Jiji-chan gave me, a book that has every tale known from this era to the next and it fell out somewhere here in the past,” she said. She looked up in time to see her words set in as the color drained from the other’s faces.
~ The sight that greeted InuYasha upon his return was quite unusual. Kaede’s hut was bare. The villagers were going about their business as if there was nothing wrong with the shard hunters missing. Taking in a deep sniff, InuYasha followed his nose to the clearing the well sat in, but that didn’t turn out much better.
Miroku was upside down over the edge of the well, hanging down with Kagome’s flashlight in his hand. Sango was swinging her sword wildly through the weeds with Shippo crawling behind her as though he was searching for something. Kagome and Kaede were pacing back and forth on opposite sides of the clearing, circling the well and occasionally dropping to their knees before standing back up looking disappointed. Clearly, they had all lost their minds while he was gone.
“What the hell are you doing?”
That caught their attention. Kagome flew to InuYasha’s side, staring him down as she questioned whether her new idea would work.
“How’s your nose feel?” She demanded.
“Huh?” InuYasha truly felt as if they had all lost their minds now.
“I need you to do your little doggy thing and sniff out a book. It had a leather cover and was a couple hundred years old, and I’m sure Jiji-chan pulled it out of one of the storage sheds. I need you to find that book,” Kagome’s voice promised pain upon no cooperation. InuYasha immediately jumped into action.
Through the clearing, the only places the smell of leather came up were right by the well and through the leaves on the trees to his left. He walked to the well. The scent wasn’t very strong there, so it hadn’t sat there for long. It seemed as if it had been carted off right after hitting the ground. InuYasha flinched as he turned around.
“Sorry to tell ya, but it looks like someone got a hold of yer book,” he took another sniff, “And they were smart enough to cover their scent.”
Kagome’s knees hit the ground and she started sobbing into her hands. Sango knelt down to comfort her.
“What’s so important about this damn book anyway,” InuYasha questioned, extremely confused with Kagome’s breakdown.
“That was a book that held the tales of our time and the next InuYasha, and we fear it might be in the wrong hands,” Miroku grimly stated.
~
Clawed fingers gently traced the leather cover, outlining the red coloring of the word Mythology.The book was quite thick, most likely close to a thousand pages.
Ghostly pale finger passed through the yellowing pages. Settling on story after story until the book was finished. The missing book had been gone for two days now, but one story kept the book in place. A few more were always flipped through.
Every time that one tale opened, eyes flashed in anger and disbelief, muscles clenched in anger, and snarls ripped through the forest.
One story.
One tale.
All true facts, so the fates must be decided.