Fragment of the Dream
A Dark Alternative for Inu-Yasha

By Mandy �Seifergrrl� Lever


Chapter Four: Eyes



The wait had been intolerable while brief, the half an hour they had been 
left with only each other had fallen to tense silence and miserable worry. 
The Shikon no Tama was not in the shrine. Inu-Yasha had never been sealed. 
This world was certainly not the one they knew.

She sees no one, Kagome recalled as the door slid open, not wanting to look 
up into a reflection of herself. She kept her head down even as she felt 
something resonate in her breast, her heart clenching painfully.

Sango�s hand was on her own, but still, she would not look up. ~Don�t make 
me look at her, please, please, don�t make me look at this old Kikyou, this 
Kikyou that lived... Lived without Inu-Yasha!~

If she saw a glimmer of herself in that face, she�d die. To live, without 
Inu-Yasha, for so long...

�Houshi-sama, Taijya-sama, and�� The voice was Kikyou�s; it was reedy with 
age and lack of strength, but it still held the quiet, unforgiving power of 
the miko that had been. �And this girl��

�I�m not a girl!� Kagome found herself snapping, her head lifting before 
she could stop herself. And then she was staring, the rest of her tirade 
cut short at the sight of the miko.

~She sees no one.~

Kikyou saw no one because she had no eyes!

Kagome�s own eyes widened in horror, her mouth sagging open, as she looked 
at the miko; scarred and ill used, this was not the proud, straight-backed 
Kikyou, the woman who could purify the Shikon no Tama with her touch. This 
woman� this woman was broken down, ugly, and old.

This woman was not Kagome�s future. She could not be. Inu-Yasha would never 
do this to her.

Four scars ran parallel across her face; dividing eyes, cheekbones, lips; 
her mouth moved in speech, but Kagome didn�t hear her. The lips -- scarred 
and ravaged by claws -- were so horrible, the movement of that wound of a 
mouth so repulsive she thought for a moment she might be ill.

But she felt Sango�s hand in hers, cold sweat springing up between their 
palms, and clenched the taijya�s hand.

�Kikyou...�

�Who are you?� the miko asked, probably for the second, maybe third time. 
Al the same, Kagome could not manage an answer for a moment, before she 
finally tore her eyes from the sight of the scarred miko.

�I am Higurashi Kagome,� she said softly.

�You carry pieces of the Shikon no Tama,� Kikyou said, leaving pleasantries 
for others to indulge in. She began to kneel down before Kagome despite the 
sound of displeasure that Kagome made. �But the Shikon no Tama is with 
Inu-Youkai, in the palace to the west, so I must ask how you came to have a 
piece of a whole gem?�

�I do not know� Inu-Youkai,� Kagome said, though already a sliver of fear 
stabbed at her heart, �But this came from the gem that was found in my 
body, the Shikon no Tama��

�Of another time.�

Kagome could not answer. Her head bowed, and she refused to look at the 
maimed miko.

Sango and Miroku exchanged looks. Miroku cleared his voice; Kikyou did not 
look back to him when he spoke, �We believe this to be the case. We ran 
afoul of a spell� I believe meant to reunite�� he stumbled here, his voice 
failing him for a moment, before he pushed ahead, �a pair of lovers who 
were rent apart by time and death.�

�I see,� Kikyou said quietly. �And I am to assume that it went poorly?�

�Yes,� Miroku replied. �I do not think it was �her intent to divide our 
group, merely to �prevent a terrible tragedy in the past that would lead to 
long separation, and death.�

�And your part, Higurashi-san?�

�I am that woman�s reincarnation,� Kagome answered slowly, her eyes still 
on her clenched hands, Sango�s fingers still gripped in her own, �or so it 
is said.�

Kikyou quietly nodded, and then rose, stepping away from the group.

�I suggest you travel south. The north is held by the wolf-prince, and he 
serves as Inu-Youkai�s general, while to the east is the sea and the west 
is only deeper into Inu-Youkai�s lands.� She did not look back at them, 
their eyes spared her scarred face. �You will not be safe here.�

Silence lingered as the three exchanged looks, but said nothing for the 
longest time. Was the Wolf Prince Kouga? Inu-Youkai truly Inu-Yasha? Did 
nothing make any sense here?

�We have to try the well,� Kagome finally said. �If � if the Goshinboku was 
used to alter time, then perhaps, the well might reconnect us to the right 
time.� She looked to Sango and Miroku. They couldn�t cross the well, could 
they? Shippou hadn�t, when he had fallen in, the shards of the shikon in 
his possession. It had only brought Kagome to him, not taken him to 
Kagome�s time.

Could she leave her friends here?

Looking to Miroku�s hand, whole beneath the glove, she could not help but 
think it might be better for him to stay here, where there was no Naraku.

�So try it,� Kikyou said, finally turning back to them. �But do it soon. 
The time of the tithe draw nigh, and I would not suggest you show your face 
when the Wolf Prince comes to collect the bride of Inu-Youkai.�

�The what?� all three blurted in unison.

�Bride?�

�Of Inu-Youkai?�

�What is going on in this village?�

�This village, like the others in the area, is under the control of 
Inu-Youkai,� Kikyou said quietly, her wounded mouth making Kagome�s stomach 
churn. �He takes his tithe in village girls, whom he keeps for a year, as 
his bride, and returns to us, poorly used.�

�Inu�Yasha. His name was Inu-Yasha.�

Kikyou did not seem surprised that Kagome knew this; she merely nodded. 
�Yes, it once was. But no longer. The hanyou is dead. A youkai lives in his 
place.�

�What happened?� Kagome finally asked the question that had been foremost 
in his mind.

�He was mad,� Kikyou said, and Kagome knew it was a lie. If she was still 
hiding their affair, after all of these years, then she would never tell 
them the truth.

�You were lovers!� Kagome blurted, finally getting a ripple of surprise to 
spread across Kikyou�s face. �At least, you were going to be. You were 
going to purify him with the Shikon no Tama, and eat away his human blood. 
But you were prevented�Murdered on the eve of your elopement by�a terrible 
youkai.�

Kikyou seemed to look to Kagome  or perhaps, looked through her. �Perhaps,� 
she said again. �This is what occurred in your time. But that is not what 
occurred here.�

�So tell us what happened!� Kagome begged. �Tell us, so I��

�So you know what has happened to your beloved, here and now?� Kikyou�s 
lips twisted, her sneer only enhanced by the slashes across her flesh. �He 
is no more. Any man you or I might have loved died when he gave up his 
heart for the Shikon no Tama.�

�But why?� Kagome demanded, half-rising; Sango reached out for her, but she 
could not be consoled. �Why? He loved you! He still loves you! He�s willing 
to endure hell for you!�

Kikyou�s brows arched, but she shook her head. �He thought I was faithless, 
that I had another. It was not so. But he murdered the man he thought was 
mine, and took his revenge on me.�

Kagome calmed slightly, and Sango pulled her back into her seat; the 
taijya�s hand found hers again and its mate sought to soothe Kagome by 
stroking her back.

�With you out of the way, he took the Shikon no Tama and became youkai,� 
Miroku finished for them all.

�Daiyoukai,� Kikyou said. �He has displaced his brother as Prince of the 
West, and hate fed his power. With the shikon no tama growing stronger with 
the hate and suffering in his heart�� She shook her head. �He was unstoppable.�

There was no scar on the Goshinboku, because Kikyou had been nearly slain 
in the field, bloodied and ravaged by claw and fang. There was no life in 
the village, because there was no hope. There was no hope because there was 
no Inu-Yasha.

Kagome�s despair could not be abated; tears welled in her eyes, despite 
everything. �I can�t believe this. I can�t!� she murmured helplessly. �I 
can�t believe� that he�d become a monster��

�Kagome�� Sango murmured, �Please, this isn�t� our Inu-Yasha.�

�I don�t care!� she cried. �I don�t care! No Inu-Yasha could be turned so 
black inside!� She was on her feet again; Sango and Miroku quickly rose to 
pursue her, but Kikyou did not move.

�Love is not far from hate,� was all the miko said. �Vengeance is not far 
from compassion. And the hanyou is not far from the youkai.�

�I don�t believe you!� Kagome cried again, and then she was running, 
running out of the shrine, down the steps, taking them three at a time, 
even though she stumbled, even though she knew if she fell, she�d break 
something.

Finally her ankle gave and she twisted in her fall; she hit the wooden 
steps and rolled hard, taking six more till she hit the bottom.

She lay there, sobbing  not from the pain in her ankle, in her scraped 
legs, or her bruised arms.

She sobbed for Inu-Yasha.

Soon Sango and Miroku were at her side, helping her up, holding her steady; 
Miroku�s shoulder was warm, his robes easy to hold as she wept; she was 
only dimly aware that the monk held her as she cried, and that Sango 
completed the circle, her body against Kagome�s back, as they protected and 
comforted her as best they could.

�What will we do?� whispered Sango, as Kagome�s sobs ebbed away into sniffles.

�I am uncertain. We cannot go far,� Miroku replied.

�We�ll stay,� Kagome said. �If the wolves are coming for this Inu-Youkai�s 
bride, I want to see them.�

�Will we fight?� Sango asked, as she drew away from, them both. Kagome 
nodded, her pain solidifying, becoming resolute determination.

�We won�t let them take another girl from this village,� Kagome said 
simply. �And if we�re lucky, one will be able to help us find this Inu-Youkai.�

Miroku looked between the two of them, and then nodded quietly. �It�s 
decided, then. But first, let us see to your injuries, Kagome.� Something 
in his tone refused argument, and he nudged her back toward the steps; 
Kagome limped along beside him, supported by his arm on one side, Sango�s 
on the other.

But even if her steps were unsteady, her plan was crystallized. She 
wouldn�t let this demon make a mockery of her Inu-Yasha.



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