DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan - Yomiuri TV - Sunrise. No money is being made from this work. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media.
MAROONED HEARTS
CHAPTER ONE
BY SERAPHIM
The trek across the harsh and untamed wilderness had proven to be the longest of any journey she had undertaken. Three weeks had passed since she had packed a large rucksack and bid farewell to her mother and brother. There would be no farewell to her grandfather after all of these years. At long last, he had passed away during the time the well was sealed. He had died peacefully in their home, not knowing that Kagome would one day put herself in harm's way again. 'At least he didn't have to know I have returned...', she thought sullenly.
She looked up from her aching feet and saw the trees were beginning to thin. 'It can't be that much further...', she sighed and felt the angry blisters on her feet throbbing with each step. Miroku and Sango were just ahead walking together and seemed to be laughing quietly. The three years apart from them had changed so much. They looked so...mature and perfectly happy. Kagome remembered her utter shock and joy upon seeing their faces again, especially since Sango was holding two bundles in her arms. Miroku's painfully large grin said it all. He loved being a husband and father.
"OUUUUCCCHHH!!!", cried a familiar boy's voice from far ahead of Miroku and Sango. Of course, it was Shippou. In her absence, Shippou had become somewhat of an apprentice to Inuyasha. Whether or not this was an actual decision on Inuyasha's part, she did not know. He was proving to be an effective teacher however. Shippou had grown tremendously, as demons apparently do during puberty. He was nearly as tall as Kagome at this point. Shippou still lacked discipline, according to Inuyasha, who took it upon himself to teach the young fox to behave like a demon. Kagome smirked when she wondered to herself if that was going to include any manners.
Of all the reunions that took place, the most awkward of them was with the person she had thought of endlessly during what seemed like an eternity. He was not the same person who lingered in her dreams and stirred her emotions like an over-boiling pot. Absence clearly did not make his heart grow any fonder. Instead, he seemed to have detached himself entirely from whatever relationship they had built together. Kagome couldn't lie. It hurt, but she understood why it turned out this way. Kikyou was completely gone from this plane of existence. Her return to the living was a fragment of the past and he finally had to say goodbye. She knew that seeing her again would remind him yet again of his loss of Kikyou, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"Inuyasha, is it much further?", she called ahead, panting and pulling one of her legs over a small boulder. Despite the forest thinning away, the rocks certainly weren't. The terrain was completely different to what they were accustomed to, so traveling had been a greater challenge for the group.
"We would be there in no time if it were just me...but we should be there by nightfall", he responded without turning around to look at her.
Kagome gave a deep sigh. It had gone on like this for weeks now. Little to no conversation at all, with someone who had been so close to her. He didn't even pick fights with her like he used to. She liked to believe it was because they had both grown up and were beyond petty bickering, but it just felt too stiff and contained, so it couldn't be true. 'Once a stubborn ass, always a stubborn ass', she glared at his back. He didn't even deserve her anger, which was the most frustrating part. She can't just go off and chew him out for NOT acting like a stubborn jerk as usual.
The soft trickling of a stream pulled her out of her bitter contemplation and she stopped to pull out some canteens. Miroku and Sango stopped too, washing their faces and waiting to receive Kagome's offer of water.
"How are you holding up, Kagome?", Sango asked between drinks.
"I'm okay...I don't think I remember ever traveling this far in my life."
"It's true...seeking shards never forced us to trek this far. I wish we were traveling under less grave circumstances though...", Sango looked at Miroku seriously, prompting him to add to her concerns.
"We are traveling as far as we have because of multiple rumors. There is cause for us to believe it may be true. I would hope it isn't real, but we need to find out", Miroku grimaced and rubbed his palm. The scar from the curse remained, but they all knew he still experienced the occasional phantom pain and nightmares to go along with. He had divulged to Kagome that his nightmares involved the wind tunnel re-opening and consuming his whole family.
"It's only been a month since I returned to all of you...to think we are heading into some kind of trap...you have children now...I just...", Kagome's voice cracked.
"You think we've just been taking it easy since you left?", Sango smiled and winked.
"We've been protecting local villages and getting rid of demons during your absence, Lady Kagome", Miroku added and ruffled up her hair, but instead of it feeling perverted, it felt like a more fatherly gesture.
"I know...I just have a terrible feeling..."
"Hurry up! That's a long enough break...We need to leave if we don't want to be walking in the dead of night out in the open", Inuyasha called to them impatiently.
The three of them sighed in unison. Packing up their full canteens, they continued at Inuyasha's grueling pace. The sun overhead was beginning to dim behind the clouds and the wind was picking up. The air was beginning to smell less and less like trees and rich soil. The changes perked up the weary travellers as they realized it meant their destination was close. Soon enough they would be permitted to rest.
The group marched on as the sun dipped lower and lower and finally it was clear that they had arrived. The sound and smell of the ocean filled their senses. In the light of the amber sunset, a long harbour could be seen on the horizon. Dozens of boats were lined up with their sails flapping violently in the strong winds. A small village of what looked like markets, fishing huts, and warehouses was nearby and they would need to seek out a captain who knew of the rumors they were tracing.
Inuyasha and Shippou turned around to look at their companions. The sun drew their shadows long across the earth as their expressions were desperately trying to conceal the fear and anxiety they felt.
"Miroku...Sango...Kagome... There's no turning back now. We all understand the plan, right?", Inuyasha stared at them with apprehension.
"We do, Inuyasha. We're ready", Miroku replied and squeezed Sango's hand and emptied one of his bags in front of them. There were three pairs of shackles and blindfolds.
"Keh...If we weren't on this mission right now, I would assume the worst about you, filthy monk", Inuyasha joked as he picked up the first pair from the ground.
"And you would be right", Miroku forced a smile and held his arms behind his back. Inuyasha tightened the shackles around him and then moved onto Sango next. She grimaced as they were nearly too tight, but remained silent in her nervousness.
"This is just a precaution. We don't know how any of this is done, but I am guessing that none of you are supposed to look like volunteers", Inuyasha commented as he closed the shackles behind Kagome's back.