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Disclaimer: Listen to me...I am a fan, just a fan. A very big fan who can only wish and dream of owning Inuyasha
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A Haunting from the Past.
Her hands busied themselves with the elastic in her hand. She looped it around and around her long thick hair that flowed down her back to her waist. She was looking less and less like the dead priestess she had helped turn back into a living breathing human. Her blue eyes stared at the figure in the full length mirror. With her hair-pinned back you could see her vivid blue eyes and high cheek bones. A purple blouse clung to her torso and a black knee length skirt clung to her lower body. Her long legs were her best feature according to guys she had dated. But she never found anyone she could have a serious relationship.
Things were different now. Kagome had been forced back to her time the well was sealed. Worst of it all was she didn't know what had happened. She had wanted her friends to be happy so had made the wish but this was before Naraku had been defeated. She could remember everything in her last moments in the past.
Using her miko powers, she was able to find the nearly completed jewel. Sesshomaru had been the one to help her retrieve it as Inuyasha fought off another swarm of lesser youkai. As soon as the jewel was in her hands Sesshomaru pushed her away and told her to leave. She was apparently interfering with his fight.
Naraku had pulled out Kohaku's shard and that left Kagome with the ones from Koga. She had run to him and begged the ookami to let her have them. He willingly pulled them out taking his time as too not cause any crucial injury. When Kagome had all the shards in her hand she only had to mould them together. It was an easy task as easy as deciding what she would wish for.
All Kagome ever wanted was happiness for her friends after all the suffering Naraku had put them through. She held the completed jewel in her hand and picture Kohaku alive as well as Kikyou. But the minute she made her wish she began to vanish. She looked to Kohaku who was lying a few feet away. His body twitched his chest heaved in breath. She saw the soul stealers moving away from Kikyou. Her wish had been granted but it would seem she wasn't allowed to stay in that time period.
When Kagome made it back to the other side of the well she couldn't help but try and jump in the well. It really wasn't working. Instead she had sprung her ankle. Her mother had seen her and took her to the emergency room questioning her what had happened. For nearly a month Kagome was less cheerful and chirper then usual. She mourned the loss of her family and friends she would never see again on the other side of the well.
At the present time, Kagome had just finished college. It took some hard work but she had made it into college, finished and was now working at an impressive new company. It had only taken three years. Her job was with computers and she couldn't ask for anything better.
She looked at her image once more but a flicker of movement behind her caught her attention. She turned around to look around the small room that was still hers but there was nothing there. The woman shrugged and left to start her first day of work.
Things had changed considerably. Her mother and brother had moved outside of the city. Her grandfather had died a year after she entered college. With him gone her mother became a little more depressed around the house. She would mumble that there were strange things that occurred when she was alone, which was often since Kagome had to attend classes and Souta was still in school or hanging with his friends. A few months passed and Kagome suggested they move to the cottage for a few years to see if it would help her mother.
Kagome would visit but her mother loved the place out in the country so much that she wanted to stay. This left the young girl with the house to herself. She didn't mind at all. Except there was a bit of work involved and she was always alone. Buyo her cat had gone with Souta.
Her mother may have had a point to the strange things. Every once in a while Kagome swore she could her footsteps on the stairs or elsewhere around the shrine grounds. She never let it get to her though, sometimes she had an overactive imagination.
The first few hours of work went by well. She was getting along finely with her co-workers. Then it became hectic as someone attempted to hack into their computer system. Kagome remained calm through the situation and pointed out to those around her what to do. This was her specialty. What she was hired to do. She did it well. During her lunch break she went to a café with a friend. Then return to work for a few hours until home time at eight.
Kagome pulled out her keys as she walked up the steps. She was always prepared to bolt to the door if she had to. You never know what may lurk in the dark. She found that she overreacted as usual each time. But then again you never really knew what might happen. She was a young girl who lived alone. Perfect prey to a person who was looking to harm her.
She entered her home, dropped her keys and purse on the table in the entrance way and made her way to the kitchen. She was hungry and needed food. Kagome rummaged in the cabinets and then the fridge before making a decision of what to eat. She prepared a light salad, set it on the table and went back to the fridge to find something appealing to drink. With a carton of milk and chocolate syrup in her hand she turned back around to her meal in time to see the salt shaker in the centre of the table fall over. All on its own.
Ah, okay. Perhaps it was unbalance and fell over?
Kagome was question how her conclusion what even possible. It was on the table and the table was flat. There wasn't anything else on the table but her salad. Shaking it off she walk to the table place the items in her hands down and set it back up. She made her chocolate milk and began to eat her salad.
When she finished her salad she went to reach for her half-filled glass. It tipped over before she could touch it slipping the brown tinted milk over the surface of the table.
"What the heck?" Kagome whispered to herself.
Blaming the occurrence on lack of sleep she cleaned the mess and then washed her dishes before retiring for the night. She had to be up extra early tomorrow.
_______
The next day past without incident. The day after that was another story. It was a Saturday morning. Kagome was going to spend the morning reading under the tree of ages. It was her link to the past. The only thing she had left to remind her that she had really been there.
As she settled under the tree there was a movement from the corner of her eye. She turned quickly to catch what it was. There was nothing.
Probably birds . She was outside after all.
She finished most of her first chapter before she was interrupted.
"Hurry up. I want to pick some flowers!" A voice yelled.
Kagome jumped startled at the sudden voice. She looked from her book up to the view in front of her. There was no one there but the woman was certain she could hear a little girl. Kagome wasn't really sure what to think but she let herself calm down and begin her reading again.
"You confounded girl come back here!"
Kagome was stunned at seeing no one there once again. Yet she had clearly heard a voice. Male this time. It seemed a little familiar and she wondered if and where she had heard it before.
"But I have to pick some flowers for my lord ."
Again she heard a child's voice. A little girl had to be in the area. But Kagome could not find a person when she looked to the direction it the voice came from.
"Just great Kagome. You're going crazy." She closed her book and head to the house. She wasn't going to confuse herself with these things on her day off. She went back inside to watch a little t.v. before she cooked some lunch. Besides it was probably someone playing some prank on her. Who she wasn't sure of but it was the only explanation.
That evening she had to reconsider her theory. As she turned on the light to her bathroom something short white and shimmer, yet see through, ran right into her. She expected it to hit her but it passed right to the other side. When she turned it was gone.
Kagome was freaked but continue with her actions to get a bath. It was the best way to calm her nerves.
Thankfully nothing else happened that night. But she was considering the truth behind her mother's words.
Is it possible that my house is haunted?
_______
The next morning didn't go well. It was creepy for Kagome as she walked down the stairs but could hear soft steps following her. Of course the woman turned to find nothing at all, leading her to really believe that her house was haunted. She wasn't as afraid as she thought she would be because she didn't fear ghost or spirits thanks to her time in the feudal era and her grandfather. She didn't think these ones were there to hurt her so she would just have to investigate why they were there.
Cereal would be her choice of breakfast foods today. She pulled the cereal from the cabinet and put it on the table with a bowl. As she took the milk out of the fridge, she heard a name would help her to understand everything.
"Jaken no! Don't do that!" The voice of the same girl from outside spoke out.
Kagome heard a crash and shattering of glass. Apparently Jaken had decided to knock over her bowl. It was in pieces on the floor but Kagome was more interested in the conversation the two ghosts were having.
"Say sorry." It was the girl again.
"Wretched girl. I don't have to apologize to a human who can't see us." Kagome could remember who it was that was speaking considering that she had a name to go along with the voice.
Jaken had been the horrible toad youkai who followed Sesshomaru around. But why were they here? Why were they haunting her? Well there was no better way then to ask. Unfortunately to anyone else Kagome was about to look rather foolish.
"Why are you here?" The woman asked the ones she now could identify as Rin and Jaken but couldn't see.
"Don't answer that Rin ." She heard Jaken warn the child.
"We don't know," the child replied anyway.
"When did you die? " Kagome asked slowly. Was it okay to be so direct to a ghost?
"We don't remember dying." Rin and Jaken replied at the same time.
"What do you remember?"
"Sesshomaru-sama! " Rin replied quickly. Jaken never answered.
"Anything else, like what you were doing last?" It was really bothering her that after so many years they were suddenly showing up now.
"Of course not you silly human." Jaken replied.
"Okay. I guess we are going to have to figure out what happened and why you are here before you can pass on."
"How?" Kagome could tell Rin was questioning her methods. She was uncertain about everything.
"You need to find things to jolt your memory. I will help you." Kagome replied to reassure the girl.
Something cold wrapped about Kagome's waist. She looked down to see the outline of a girl who was not much bigger then the one she had left in the feudal era all those years ago. Rin was hugging her.
"Thank-you Kagome, " the child spoke into her waist.
How is it that ghosts can go through you one day but hug you the next? Kagome was going to have a lot of work to do. And she had just started her new job. There were definitely about to be some stress filled moments ahead of her. However, she could never leave a person in need and right now, two people were depending on her to help them out.
_______
Kagome knew that something recent must have change if this was happening now. The only thing she could think of was her job. Before it had been only home and school. Her classes had taken up a lot of her time. Now it was her job. The her first day of work was when she became more aware of it, so maybe there was a link to it. However she couldn't figure out what it was that would cause such a disturbance in her little ghost of the house. It was a normal big incorporation that dealt with computers and other technologies.
Her days were dedicated to work. The minute she got home she was greeted by a grinning Rin. Jaken had taken a week before he let himself be seen by the 'worthless human' of the house. Now she could commonly see him walking the house at random as if searching for something.
That idea flowed through her head again. Maybe they are searching for someone. Or something. But what would it be? It's been over 500 years. No one is around anymore. I think it might be an object .
Kagome went to make dinner. She found that the little ghosts were the company she needed so she wouldn't feel lonely. Rin would talk to her with Jaken mumbling his comment from behind them. Sometimes Rin would try to help Kagome with cooking. Other times she would watch. Tonight she helped.
As much as she found it interesting in listening to the girl, Kagome's mind was elsewhere. She was listing off items in her head that they could be searching for. An image of a staff passed through her mind and she stopped. Jaken was always holding a stick he called The Staff of Two Heads. It could be the thing they were looking for.
"Jaken where is your staff you carry around?" Kagome asked without turning around.
"Use your head girl. I wouldn't be able to keep it as a ghost." Jaken snapped.
"It was worth a chance. It might have been what you're here for." Kagome place her meal onto a plate and took it to the living room where they could watch a few shows before sorting through the mess of Rin's brain.
It was tiresome working trying to find out why both Rin and Jaken were here. If it was one or the other then the possibilities could be limited down a bit. With both of them here then that would mean she might be looking for two complete different things. Kagome sighed at the thought.
"Is something wrong Kagome-sama? "
Rin had taken to honouring Kagome by calling her lady. Of course the 'lady' tried to stop her but Rin was insistent.
"No Rin I'm fine. Just thinking," the woman replied before turning her attention to the t.v.
_______
Another week past. Another long week after that and soon it was two months since she had discovered Jaken and Rin were the ghosts of her house. Jaken had taken to scaring her house guest. He would slide the objects on tables or float small things in the air. Sometimes he would relocate items, which wasn't too big a deal except they were not in usual places. He never did it when Kagome was looking but she realized what was happening when Eri shoes were found in a drawer.
Now very few people came to her house since they feared it was haunting. Of course it was but Kagome didn't mind so she pretended to not know what anyone was talking about. She frequently would receive phone calls from her friends every few nights. They would always start the off by asking if she was okay or if anything strange was happening. After reassuring, whoever it at the time, everything was fine they would have a light conversation before wishing her good night and hanging up.
It was now a ritual that Kagome had to come home to. Make dinner and eat while watching television with Rin. Then she would tidy up before siting down with the two for an hour or two to talk about anything and everything. All three would take turns sharing stories. Kagome thought it was amusing how Jaken would refuse to partake in the activities at first but later he would be excitingly telling a tale to them. Most of them about his travels with Sesshomaru.
It was one night when Kagome asked about him when Rin lowered her head.
"What's wrong Rin?" Of all the times the woman had seen Rin she was never one that showed depression.
"I wish I could have said goodbye to him , " the child's voice was little more then a whisper in the quiet room.
"Who?" Perhaps they were getting somewhere.
"Sesshomaru-sama, " Rin supplied.
"Me too," came Jaken's voice as the little toad inched nearer to the little girl and pulled her into a hug.
"You're here to wish Sesshomaru-sama a goodbye?" It could be possible if it were 500 years in the past. But this was the future and there were no youkai left. It wasn't possible for them to say goodbye to someone who wasn't alive any longer.
"Yes." Both of their voices were filled with sorrow.
"But he isn't here anymore. There are no youkai around anymore." Kagome wished she could help them. She didn't want to hurt them but the truth was the only that would show them their path to take.
Rin shook her head. So did Jaken.
"We can feel him." Jaken told the woman.
It was a shock to learn there were youkai about in the modern day. She couldn't feel any of them and Jaken had explained that the youkai were now evolving enough to adapt to their surroundings. This meant hiding their presence to those who would be a threat.
They were progressing. Kagome now knew why they were hear and who they were looking for. Now it was finding that person in question. Tokyo was big. The world was bigger. Jaken and Rin may be able to feel Sesshomaru but they couldn't tell if he was near or far. They just knew he was alive.
With one mission completed she was onto starting another. It was going to be more difficult then her last task.
_______
She wasn't having much luck after two weeks of searching. The internet yielded nothing. Well it did pop up a few tales of an Inu youkai that roam the Japan area 500 years in the past. But it was information Kagome already knew. It was stupid to think that anyone would use the same name for 500 years. Obviously someone would catch on eventually. But it sure would have made Kagome searches that much easier.
She walked into work the following day a little more exhausted then usual. She was spending her breaks looking too but she didn't think that the internet was going to help her in anyway. Not unless she had some sort of lead. She was browsing through history sites now seeing if anything unusual or odd would pop up. Or maybe a person who looked remarkably like the youkai she had met in the past. Things for her just didn't want to work out for her.
Except her job. She had received a promotion and had many people jealous of her since she had made it to the top of her floor in mere months. People worked for her now if she chose for them to. Most of the time she preferred to do things herself. After all the saying does go 'if you want something done right do it yourself'. Kagome didn't like having to go back and fix someone else work so she did as much as she could on her own.
Marie, who would take messages for her when she was busy, knocked on her office door. Kagome looked up as the door opened and Marie greeted her with a hello and a warm smile. She held up the papers that Kagome had asked for and placed them on her desk. Kagome nodded and signalled for her to leave. She left the room quietly leaving Kagome to her work.
The woman rubbed her eyes and pulled the filed closer to her. On top was a small note written to her.
Tomorrow at 1:00 you have a meeting with the boss about the Command Project.She had forgotten about that. There was a big meeting about the program she had created. She was tired of having to look over small basic task that her workers had to do before beginning their work. The task were really simple but the people doing them weren't really the brightest. There were more then enough mistakes done in a day that could have been avoided. Kagome, being a person who likes to make life easier, fixed the problem. Her invention was a program that overlooked an employee's work. It would fix any mistakes about basic programing and give helpful hints for improvement.
Her boss had loved the idea. Or so she was told since she never met the guy. He had given her, her very first promotion the very same day. He must have told other companies he worked with because they had taken an interest and now Kagome was stuck meeting her boss for the first time to go over details about the companies' heads' she meeting at the end of the month.
Another thing to add to her growing stress level to do list. All she wanted to do was sleep.
That wish was granted a few hours later. She ate, watched t.v., talked, and was now permitted to take a long hot soak in a bath before she slept. Rin had stayed with her in the bathroom talking to her while Jaken flipped through the channels of the television. It was a really long and boring day. Kagome wouldn't be able to keep up with this for too much longer. It was getting to be too much work. But she really didn't want to let Rin and Jaken down.
_______
Kagome was nervous when she got up in the morning. At first she couldn't remember why. Then the memory of her meeting that day decided to drop by. So on her way to work she was a nervous reck. She proceeded into the building and quickly made it to her office before she locked herself in there. She needed to calm down but something inside her told her that this meeting would change her life. Really it wasn't too big of a deal.
Except Marie had often told her that it was. The boss was not the social type and he never met with people if he didn't have to. Kagome was about to meet the person whom no one on her floor had even seen in all their time working here. She wondered if this was the reason that she was so wound up but something told her that this wasn't it.
The hours ticked by very slowly. Finally lunch was upon her but Kagome couldn't eat. Instead she sat at her computer looking up random tidbits of history. Hoping to find a pattern that may lead to Sesshomaru. She couldn't concentrate too well and she knew she was getting no where when she read the same line three times. Kagome close the window on her computer and looked at the clock on the screen. 12:30. Another half hour.
It was like time was against her. The close it got to the time she needed to leave her office the slower it moved. By this point Kagome just wanted to have the stupid thing over and done with so she could come back and maybe manage to be more productive.
At last it was time that she made her way out of her office and into the elevator that would take her to the top floor. Upon reaching her destination the secretary of the floor told her to wait and the boss would be with her in a moment. She looked around and saw another elevator. It was the one that led directly to the parking garage below the building. Everyone knew about. No one took it. It was only for the boss.
The secretary cut off her thoughts, telling her that she needed to knock on the door before she entered the room. Kagome moved to the oak double doors and knocked firmly three times. She slowly opened the door waiting, listening for someone to tell her to stop. It never came. She walked into the large, dark room. A long desk was on the far side of the room. There were windows along the left wall but blind kept the light out. A bookcase decorated the right wall, ceiling to floor.
Kagome gathered her courage and walked up to the desk. Her boss had his chair turned and was looking out the window behind him. The building's angle made sure little light came into the room through this window. The overcast day didn't help. The woman prayed that it wouldn't rain before she got home.
"Sir, I have the forms explaining in exact details the procedures that the Command Project does." She placed the folder on his desk.
He turned at that moment and Kagome was face-to-face with a person she never expected to see again. His golden eyes bored into hers in disbelief as she gasped. Sesshomaru hadn't changed much at all. His expresses were more visible and his eyes looked sad. He wore none of his markings and looked human. His hair was still the same colour of moonlight and was tied back. His voice that spoke to her took its usual bored look and it was like she was back in the feudal era.
"Miko." A simple statement of fact that she was indeed there.
"Sesshomaru." Kagome copied.
Then the events that had occurred over the past few months made their way into her brain.
Rin and Jaken had shown themselves to her on her first day of work. The day she became physically nearer to Sesshomaru. Kagome's mother had a friend that worked here before and she was sure that her mother experience the haunts after her visit to the company with said friend.
"I have something you really need to see." Sesshomaru continued to stare at her. He made no effort to move or stand in anyway.
"Please Sesshomaru. Trust me. You will really want to see this." Kagome implored.
He stood and led the way out of the office and to his elevator. The doors opened and he stepped in. He stepped to the side and let Kagome join him.
They took his car and the former miko didn't say anything except when to take a turn. The rain began to fall as they pulled up to the shrine. The cloud releasing overhead always darkened the mood. The woman wondered if it was predicting the things that would happen next. She stepped out of the car. This time she led the way. She let herself into the house and hope this would work, even if she would miss their company.
"Hey guys I'm back." Kagome didn't have to yell. Rin was never far.
"Kagome-sama! You're home early." Rin screamed, running into the entranceway and cling to the woman's leg. Rin didn't notice the guest until she felt something tug deep within her.
Rin looked up and saw who she was dearly missing after all these years. Jaken joined the group a few seconds later feeling the same pull.
"Sesshomaru-sama I missed you, " Rin was quiet but heard by the youkai.
"Milord. I did what you said and watched over her all these years." Jaken told the one he served even in death.
Sesshomaru's emotions weren't as hard to read. She could see his sorrow, confusion, and disbelief.
"We wanted to tell you good-bye. I love you Sesshomaru-sama," Rin was crying now and Sesshomaru fell to his knees.
Kagome knew it was shocking for him. The three had figured out that Rin and Jaken had died in a war shortly after Kagome left. Sesshomaru was away from the palace leaving Rin under the protection of Jaken and the soldiers guarding the castle. Exterminators came and Jaken ran with Rin trying to find a place of safety. They fled until they reached the Inuyasha tree. Sesshomaru was too late to save them and couldn't bring them back since they had both already been resurrected with Tensaiga.
Now all the woman could do for her little ghost was watched as they began to disappear. But not before Sesshomaru pulled both of them into a hug. He let a tear fall from his eye as Rin spoke the last words.
"We don't blame you. Thank-you Sesshomaru-sama for taking care of me. Be kind to Kagome-sama please. She helped us find you."
The little girl kissed his cheek as she vanished from the world moving on to the next. Jaken bowed crying his relief of finding his lord.
Kagome was sad to see them go. She was really enjoying their company. Even Jaken. Her eyes filled to the brim with the salt water as she watched their final farewell. Now she would be left to live in the rather empty house alone. She really would miss them.
Sesshomaru was now staring at Kagome silently asking her the story of them.
"Uh, would you like some tea?" Kagome offered. Her mother had told her plenty of times. It was the best comfort drink in a time of depression and stories.
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Ja ne
Angelic Memories
(c) 2008