Work Text:
She had been trapped inside the damned Jewel, for ages. Watching the world around her drastically change. The Final Battle had not gone exactly as everyone had planned. Before they met with Naraku, Kagome had returned home to spend some time with her family and bid them farewell, just in case something had happened.
~X~
"Mom, Souta, Grandpa," Kagome spoke, the smile on her face faded and the once cheerful mode quickly changed. "I just…" she took a deep breath, "I just wanted to say goodbye. No one knows what's going to happen once we face Naraku. I could be killed during this battle, so I just wanted to say farewell, in case that happened."
Souta wrapped his arms around his big sister's waist and buried his face in her stomach, "You're not gonna die. You'll be okay! You're strong and so is Inuyasha!"
Kagome ruffled his hair as he sobbed, "Thanks squirt."
"I couldn't bear the thought of you being killed during this battle, Kagome. Must you return? Stay here and be safe! You don't have to return." Her mother took hold of her daughter's hands and squeezed them.
Kagome shook her head, "I brought the jewel here and It was me who shattered it. I have to do this mom. Please understand."
"Let's worry about that tomorrow! Tonight, we have fun!" Her grandfather grinned.
"Right! We'll worry about this later!" Kagome agreed, and thus they continued with their evening, the gloom of what may happen in the next few days lingered in the air.
~X~
As the Final Battle came to its conclusion and Kagome dealt the final blow to Naraku, the moment she joined the two halves of the Shikon Jewel together, she began to fade away. Somehow, she knew she wasn't returning to her own time.
"K-Kagome!" Inuyasha threw his sword down and ran at the priestess. He wrapped his arms around her only to go right through her.
"Inuyasha…"
"No! No! No!" He pounded at the ground, "You're not supposed to disappear! You're supposed to stay here with us! You're supposed to watch Shippo grow up. You're supposed to see Sango and Miroku get married and have children and play with their brats. You're supposed to aid the old hag as she gets too old to do her duties! And you're supposed to stay by my side!"
Kagome felt the tears stream down her face as she watched Inuyasha's torment. He'd lost Kikyo and now he was losing her as well.
"Inuyasha, I'm sorry. Please let my family know! And please don't beat yourself up! Sango, Miroku, I'm sorry I won't be there for you guys. Please take care of Inuyasha."
"Of course, Lady Kagome," Miroku gripped Sango's hand in his own as they watched their dear friend disappear.
"Goodbye," she whispered with a smile on her face.
The only thing left in her place was the Shikon No Tama. The Jewel took on a duller color as if it was sleeping... "It almost seems as if it's a regular jewel." Miroku mused as Inuyasha plucked it from the grass and momentarily thought about launching it as far as he could.
"Here…" he held the jewel out to Sango, "You guys take it. I don't want to see the damn thing."
Sango clutched the jewel tightly to her chest, the last thing they had of their dear friend. She accepted the jewel and the group headed back to the village. They made a small shrine in honor of Kagome who dealt the final blow and the villagers celebrated until the sun began to rise over the horizon.
"What will you do now?" Miroku asked Inuyasha.
The half-demon crossed his arms over his chest, "I think I'll stick around and make sure the old hag doesn't die before it's her time."
"You are always welcome to come with us to Sango's village," Miroku smiled at his dear friend. They had been through a lot together in the past few years.
"I'll drop in for a visit from time to time," Inuyasha offered him a half-hearted smile of his own, "Take care of the jewel, will ya?"
"Of course, my friend."
Sango and Miroku took their time saying their goodbyes. Shippo decided to stay with Inuyasha to make sure he stayed out of trouble.
None of them were aware that Kagome actually was right there with them, trapped inside the jewel. She could only watch as her friends went about their lives. Sango and Miroku had many children and the monk made sure to tell stories of their adventures together. He didn't leave out a single detail.
The Shikon No Tama became an heirloom to their family, being passed down from generation to generation. She watched as the world around her changed into what would become the time she was born in.
Eventually, the Jewel had gotten lost. Kagome was no longer in the presence of Sango and Miroku's very great-grandchildren. It fell from the pocket of a child who wished to show her friends and tell them all about it. It was picked up by an elderly woman who added it to her collection.
She stayed, tucked inside a box for a few years before a younger man, dressed in black, broke into her home and stole the jewel. He sold it for money and she sat in a display case for another few years.
"Daddy! Look!" A little girl eyed the jewel with wide blue eyes, pressing her face against the display case. The father laughed and bought it for her. She showed all her friends and Kagome was in her company for several years, watching this child grow up into a teenage girl. The jewel was considered her 'lucky charm'.
Kagome had scoffed at this, "If only she knew how much blood had been shed because of this cursed object."
The girl brought the Jewel with her everywhere she went, on dates, to parties, family gatherings, everything. It was on a day when the girl was walking home when a few others approached her, teasing her, and pushing her around.
Things took a violent turn and somehow the jewel managed to get into the hands of one of the bullies.
"Give that back!" The girl lunged for it only to be held back by her minions as Kagome called them.
"Oh, you mean this?" she held the jewel up, "I don't think so." and she proceeded to launch the jewel into the river. The last thing Kagome saw was the girl reaching out for the jewel that had been tossed in the air before she sunk to the bottom of the river and was washed away with the current.
Kagome was engulfed in darkness for what seemed like forever. She wanted to be free from this damn jewel, an eternity of loneliness. "How many years have passed since I've been stuck in this river?" Kagome wondered.
Suddenly light was surrounding her as the jewel was picked up by a goofy-looking highschool boy.
"This rock will be perfect for Yuzuriha!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The young high school student stuffed his hands in his pocket and he slumped his shoulders in a defeated manner. "Ah! How am I supposed to find the perfect gift for Yuzuriha if nothing seems good enough!" He crouched down by the bank of a river and stared into the water. He had searched through every store that his town had to offer, but nothing seemed good enough for the woman who had captured his heart, and tomorrow he planned on confessing his love to her...
It was then, at that moment, something sparkled beneath the surface of the river. Taiju plucked the sparkling object from the river. The round object was caked in mud. He dipped it back into the water and removed all the mud and brought it back up for further examination.
It practically glowed in his hand as he stared at it in awe. He jumped to his feet and held the jewel up, "This rock will be perfect for Yuzuriha!" he declared to no one.
Kagome gaped, "I'm no rock you big oaf!" she screamed at him. Of course, he couldn't hear her, but she couldn't help it. "I'm the Shikon No Tama!"
The big oaf securely tucked it into his chest pocket and practically skipped to his next destination. He entered the school, knowing exactly where his friend would be. He slammed the door open, startling the other nerds in the room.
"Senku!" He spotted the person he was looking for and approached him.
"Huuuh?" The boy known as Senku looked up from his latest science experiment.
"I found the perfect gift for Yuzuriha!" He produced the 'rock' from his pocket and held it out for him to see, "I found this rock in the river earlier!"
"You idiot," Senku swiped the jewel from Taiju, "This isn't a rock!"
"Finally, someone with some common sense," Kagome grumbled.
"It's a jewel." Senku inspected the jewel, rolling it between his fingers, "I've never seen a jewel like this before."
"One of a kind!" Kagome had a triumphant grin on her face.
"Senku! It's glowing!" Taiju couldn't help but stare in awe at the jewel sitting in Senku's palm.
Kagome blinked as she felt power resonate all around her, "Did this guy just, awaken the Shikon No Tama?" The power of the jewel swirled around her in a comforting embrace.
Senku raised a curious eyebrow before handing it back to Taiju, "Make sure she takes great care of a jewel like that. Something tells me it's a one of a kind!"
And so, Kagome found herself listening to Taiju explain to the jewel how he was gonna confess his feelings to Yuzuriha. As the next day rolled around, Kagome could feel something was off. The jewel felt restless, and it only grew more restless as the day went on.
She could feel Taiju's rising anxiety as he approached Yuzuriha, today was the day he was going to confess his love! She watched in anticipation.
"Yuzuriha!" Taiju called out to the brunette, "Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"So," she gave him a dazzling smile that sent his heart into a frenzy, "What's up, Taiju? What'd you want to tell me?"
"Hear me out, Yuzuriha!" Kagome could already see the fire in his eyes and the blush that stained her cheeks, "For the past five years, I've…"
Kagome could hardly focus as an unfamiliar feeling washed over her. "What the hell is that!" Kagome watched as a green light of sorts washed over them, petrifying everyone around them. The jewel rolled out of Taiju's hands and onto the gross next to his feet.
"You've got to be kidding me!?" Kagome screamed into oblivion.
And for over 3700 years, Kagome was forced to watch as civilization as she knew it crumbled and she was forced further and further away from Taiju. She had lost all hope until one day, she met a familiar face.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The jewel was plucked from the mossy ground and was face to face with Senku, Taiju's best friend. He let out a chuckle, "I was ten billion percent sure this jewel would be lost forever!"
Kagome's spark of hope hummed with the power of the jewel and it began to glow a bright pink color. "What's going on? This has never happened before!" Kagome's vision was blinded by the pink light of the jewel. She gasped when she felt the grass beneath her feet. She almost cried when she opened her eyes and saw she was no longer held captive by the Shikon No Tama.
Kagome could barely register Senku's presence before she found herself falling into the pits of unconsciousness.
Senku did not have a proper explanation for the woman that just suddenly appeared before his very eyes. For once in his life, his mind was completely blank as the woman fell into his arms.