A Future Full of Beautiful Malice (Inuyasha fanfic)

The past brings change

A Future Full of Beautiful Malice

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated. This is for pure enjoyment and entertainment.

~Chapter 3: The past brings change~

~~~~~ooOoo~~~~~

A beautiful summer day, one of the few that were left since the season was changing. But today the hot sun and blue skies were vibrant and alive, making it seem like it was only the beginning and winter was far off. In the middle of a grassy clearing surrounded by trees was a small well, ridden with age and natural erosion. Vines accented by thorns constantly battled with the beaten wood, the victor obviously making it's presence known, and also making it nearly impossible to see anything underneath it. But even in this form, the well stood strong and proud.

THUD! Was the sound that came from deep inside the depths of the vine-covered well. In the middle of the clearing the sound could be heard by only the trees and the grass, but someone who was at the bottom of the depths definitely felt the shock of arrival.

"Son of a bitch!" Said an echoed voice.

From outside the well, the noises of rustling branches, shifting twigs, low hummed curses, and a few yelps of disapproval from thorns scraping against flesh were boisterous. A few minutes later two small hands appeared at the top of the wood, gripping the edge. Then, a small head snaked its way out and into view, scanning the area for any unwanted appearances. When the newly arrived woman saw none, she finally pulled herself out of the well and sat with her back against one of its outer walls.

Out of breath, Kagome spoke out loud, "Kami, I thought I would never forget how hard climbing that thing was. I guess I was wrong."

Still out of breath, she was angry with herself for being this out of shape, "Shit." Large inhale. "Fucking shit." Large exhale. "I probably should have done more cardio exercises in my time away instead of just archery." Her breathing was finally starting to even out. "Well, better see if everyone is still where I left them."

She stood up, rubbed the backs of her thighs that were already beginning to burn from disuse, straightened her jacket, and made her way out of the clearing. She noticed she had a few cuts on her forearms from the thorns and decided she would have Kaede or someone at the village heal her instead of having to use her own Miko energy; she felt needy at the moment.

~~~~~ooOoo~~~~~

Along the way she noticed there were a lot less trees than before. But maybe that was just her being too paranoid. She finally found the path that would lead her to the village she had been to countless times. She didn't want to seem too eager to arrive, but who was she kidding? She practically ran there. She stopped at the top of the hill overlooking the town. 'Well,' she thought, 'at least it looks the same from here.' And it was true; nothing had really changed about the village. There were still small huts with stones on the rooftops to keep them from blowing over during heavy storms. It still had the big large plots of farmland with people harvesting their crops to store for the winter, and the village still had the stairway leading up to Kikyo's shrine. As she made her way down the hill she waved to the farmers she passed. Some of the older smarter ones recognized her, mouth agape and confused, while the younger ones were just plain confused and had no idea who the mad woman was with her weird clothing.

She walked through the village's streets, reminiscing about the familiar huts she would enter to heal the inhabitants inside. She remembered the smells of fish and pork, or the rice being boiled and salted. But the smell of herbs caught her attention the most. She stopped her walking and turned towards the direction of the smell. A small smile graced her plump lips. 'Kaede'. She ran to the hut and flung open the matt door, only to reveal that Kaede was not in her home.