Blind by FireFalcon1414

Autumn 1999 to Spring 2004

Blind by FireFalcon1414

Disclaimer: I do not own, in whole or in part, the Inuyasha series. All rights belong to Takahashi Rumiko. The poems at the beginning and end of each chapter can be found in the book "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu", or "100 Poems by 100 Poets", a collection of traditional Japanese poetry.

*** *** ***

Chapter One: Autumn 1999 to Spring 2004

As I view the moon,

Many things come into my mind,

And my thoughts are sad;

Yet it's not for me alone,

That the autumn time has come.

--Oe no Chisato

*** *** ***

My story begins in the autumn of my seventeenth year, my second year after falling into the Sengoku Jidai. It begins with a feud – over fifty years old, at the time, yet still heated, and still bloody. It was between two half-brothers: one, my best friend, who I, at the time, thought to be the love of my life; the other, a cold, sadistic bastard, who I thought to be nothing more than that. My, how times have changed.

In any case, – my contradicting feelings aside – these two brothers were fighting over a sword called the Tetsusaiga, the "Steel Cleaving Fang", forged with the fang of their father by the great smith, Toutousai, to have the ability to slay an army of demons, all at once. Not a power you want to fool around with, if you ask me, but, of course, nobody did. Both brothers wanted the sword: Inuyasha, my half-demon friend, who had inherited it from previously mentioned father, and Sesshoumaru, his full-demon foe, who had inherited another sword, opposite in nature, which restored life to the dead, yet could not harm the living, and thus was considered utterly useless by its esteemed owner, whose favorite attack shot poisonous acid out of his claws (which says a bit about his character), and who happened to be the current Lord of the Western Lands. No, they didn't have a more original name for the western part of Japan back then; the Feudal Era, that is; for that is where the beginning – if not the majority – of my story lies. Approximately five hundred years away; or, more simply, a few steps from my house, through a conveniently placed well.

However, I have gone off on a tangent, and I apologize; I tend to do that often, I am told.

At the moment in time that I am trying to tell you about, my entire traveling group – with the exception of the fighting Inuyasha, of course – was huddled behind a large rock, observing the battle from a distance. We were a very diverse group, consisting of Sango, a demon exterminator whose village of similarly employed people was entirely annihilated by Naraku – who, by the way, is our arch-foe – and whose only remaining "living" relative was her brother, Kohaku, whose dead body was animated and given a semblance of life by said arch-foe, who used him against us whenever the possibility arose of causing even more emotional pain to my friend; and Miroku, a Buddhist monk who was cursed by that same Naraku to have a void in his hand that would eventually grow to encompass him in entirety, as it did his father and grandfather before him; he had known he would die at a young age for as long as he could remember, and the only way to discharge the curse was to destroy Naraku. Also joining us was Kirara, a small cat demon that transformed into a larger one – with much larger teeth – when there was need of battle, who had been Sango's companion for as long as we knew them, and Shippou, a young fox demon whose parents were slain by the Thunder Brothers, who were searching for Shikon Jewel shards that Shippou's parents happened to have obtained somehow. After Inuyasha and I – more Inuyasha than I, I admit – killed the brothers, he took to following us, and was slowly becoming more adept at his skills of illusion and trickery; they came in handy in sticky situations, saving our lives more than once, I am sure.

I mentioned the Shikon Jewel, did I not? In essence, the Jewel of Four Souls, or Shikon no Tama – we often shorten it to "Shikon Jewel" because it is shorter, though grammatically it does not make sense – was a, well, jewel... that had the power to grant any wish. Upon first arriving in the Feudal Era, I made the horrible and regrettable mistake of shattering it into more pieces than I would care to count; and so my duty was to collect all these fragments and reassemble the jewel before any of them fell into the wrong hands. The "wrong hands" being those of Naraku, who'd gotten a similar idea into his cruel mind, though instead of wanting it to keep it from being used, he wanted it to keep it for himself, to use as he pleased. Therefore, basically, we just really did not like him. Moreover, did I mention he was the one who turned Inuyasha against his first love, and vice versa, so that they killed each other (in effect)? Well, now I have. Because he did. And he is a very, very bad man.

And there goes another tangent. Get used to it. They will probably decrease, now that I have informed you of the basic plot up to this point.

A recap: Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were fighting over the Tetsusaiga, for the umpteenth time. Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippou, and I were staying back and out of the way, out of respect for the brotherly feud or out of fear of the demon lord, I am not really sure; though we always said the first reason when faced with the question. Across from us, on the other side of the clash, hid Lord Sesshoumaru's companions, in a similar position and behind a similar rock as us. They consisted of an ugly toad-like imp demon thing – I never found out what exactly he was – named Jaken, whose voice and personality were each as abhorrent as his disgusting looks. In addition to the gross (and probably slimy) toad thing, there was an absolutely adorable little girl, Rin, who was sunny and bright and everything her two companions were not. I regret not knowing much about this child, but what is done is done and in the past.

What I did know about her was that she was a young girl, and did not deserve to be exposed to such gore, and so – in an attempt to save the child from being traumatized too much – I ran headlong, idiotically, and regrettably into the midst of battle, just as Sesshoumaru was attacking Inuyasha with his Dokkasou attack – basically, meaning he was spraying highly acidic poison at Inuyasha through his claws; don't ask me how. I, stupidly, happened to be in the way of this, and the acid got into my previously 20-20 vision eyes. Needless to say, the pain was excruciating. My senses overloaded, and I blacked out.

*** *** ***

I awoke late the next day, briefly, in the hut of my elderly friend and mentor, Kaede, a miko of small power and stature but great spunk, as I like to say. I woke slowly, and it took me a while to realize I had a thick cloth blindfold on. I shifted to put a hand up and touch it, and heard the slight scuffing sound of Kaede's step.

"Are you awake, child?" her voice asked.

I think the stress was a bit much for me, and the anxiety leaked into my voice as I responded, "Yeah," quickly followed by the questions, "What happened? Why am I wearing a blindfold? Where is Inuyasha? And Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara? Did we beat Sesshoumaru? Are they alright?"

"Your friends are fine, dear. There was a... accident. The blindfold and what happened will be explained when Inuyasha returns," Kaede said quietly as she smoothed the hair from my forehead.

"Returns? From where?" I insisted, refusing to let the soothing sensation put me to sleep just yet.

"Jinenji's farm, dear. He has just gone for some herbs I requested. Sleep, now, child; you will need your rest for the disquiet that awaits you."

I obeyed, sleeping a bit longer, before reawakening to the sounds of familiar voices, though I did not let them know I was awake just yet. I wanted to hear a few things, first.

Shippou's shrill voice was the first thing I heard. "Inuyasha! You're back!" was shortly followed by the sound of a small body impacting with a larger, and being shoved off.

The quiet voice of Sango asked, "Did you bring the plants, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha's voice, quiet as well, for once, answered, "Yeah. She awake yet?"

"She awoke earlier to ask what happened, but I reassured her that answers were in the coming and bade her sleep on. She has not opened her eyes since," Kaede informed him. A pause followed. "She hasn't spoken since." There was a moment of silence, and I thought I could make out the sounds of Shippou beginning to cry.

Inuyasha snapped back with his usual harshness towards the boy. "Cool it, brat. I'll take all the extra time we can get before I have to tell her what happened."

Miroku spoke up in accord. "I agree, Inuyasha. Telling Lady Kagome of her injuries... we could all use a bit more time to consider how best to break it to her gently."

"True," Sango judged. "Though I wish she would wake up, just so I could be sure she's... otherwise alright."

"She's fine, Sango. I would've smelled it if anything else were wrong," Inuyasha declared, though I detected the hint of a doubt in his sure voice.

Shippou, still sniffling, said, "Inuyasha, what's Kagome gonna do if she can't track the shards any more? She'll still stay here with us, right?" Inuyasha's response was a sigh, and Shippou pushed a bit more, "Inuyasha? Kagome will be able to stay with us, right?" Silence. "Or... or visit, at least."

"No, Shippou. Kagome will have to stay in her world. No visits," Inuyasha said.

I shot upright. "What?"

"Ka-Kagome!"

"I am not staying in my time! I am staying right here with you guys until my job is done, and maybe even longer if it suits me, thank you very much! Besides, I can still sit you, even with a blindfold! So sit! Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit!" I got up slowly, carefully, and inched my way towards where Inuyasha's voice had been until I felt the edge of the crater beneath my bare toes. "I don't want to stay at home while my best friends in the world, who I love dearly, risk their lives to fix something I broke when I should be there with them helping out! I will not, under any condition! So you'd better damn well tell me what your reasoning is before I s-i-t you all the way down to America!" I stopped when I felt Inuyasha's hand grab my wrist, and his breath on my ear.

He spoke very simply, in a whisper: "You're blind, Kagome."

I stumbled backwards, but was caught by Inuyasha's hand on my back. I could only whisper, "What?"

I felt Shippou hug my leg, sobbing. "Kagome, you're blind! You can't see me anymore, but I'm still here!"

I felt numb, but found the strength to stoop down and give the child a hug, as warm as I could make it. "It is okay, Shippou. I can still hear you, and feel you. I'll be okay." My blindfold, regrettably, hid my glare, though it was in Inuyasha's general direction. I bit my words off, especially for him. "And I am not leaving you for good. Just until I get better. There are doctors in my time who can fix this sort of thing, so I'm sure I'll be better in no time."

"I hope so, Kagome." Inuyasha's quiet response to my biting tone was what convinced me that this was my new reality, and I began to weep silently; although the blindfold soaked up most of my tears, they soon leaked out, and Inuyasha simply wrapped his arms around me and let me cry on him without comment.

*** *** ***

The group made their slow way up the path to the Bone-Eater's Well, my hands firmly held by Miroku and Sango, Shippou and Kirara perched on each shoulder, my blindfolded face upturned to feel the limited warmth of the early morning sun. One of the few advantages of blindness, I had realized by then, was that I noticed things more; small things, like temperatures, smells, sounds. Though I did miss my vision sorely, I was ever the optimist, and was determined to find that silver lining, even without being able to see it.

I knew when we entered the clearing. I felt the tug from the Well, the same tug I felt whenever I was near it, though stronger now that I was less distracted from it; the feeling that the time I belonged in, that I had been born and raised in, was but a few steps away.

Sadly, going to that home meant leaving this one, potentially forever. And that meant goodbyes. And I notoriously suck at goodbyes.

I turned to Miroku first, trying to break the ice with a bad joke: "Lecher, if you grope me..."

"I won't," he said, pulling me into a tight hug, his hands, for once, staying where they should.

I hugged him back, and felt a big of wetness trickle through my hair. "Miroku, are you crying?"

"Of course not," he disclaimed, a cracking voice proving the lie. "We'll see you again soon, right, Sango?"

Sango, more obviously crying, answered, "Right. Nevertheless, I am still crying. And so are you."

I lurched into her arms, saying, "I'll miss you both so much; you were like brother and sister to me, respectively."

Miroku, following my lead of bad jokes, gave a small laugh as he said, "Sometimes I feel like even I am more feminine than Sango."

She followed up with an equally horrible joke and small laugh. "And sometimes I feel more masculine than you, pervert."

I gave a big, forced laugh, before reaching up to cuddle Kirara a moment before passing her to her mistress. Shippou replaced the cat's place in my arms, a plaintive cry reaching my ears: "Don't forget me, Kagome!"

I hugged him and said in a reassuring voice, "Of course not, Shippou! How could I ever forget my little fox?"

Shippou, suddenly serious, said, "I'll never forget you if you never forget me, Kagome. Deal?"

I nodded sternly, as serious as he, and replied, "Deal. I could never forget any of you guys. I love you too much."

"Pinky promise?" Shippou begged.

"Pinky promise." I extended my pinky finger, waiting for his smaller finger to join before clasping and shaking decidedly.

"I love you, too, Kagome," he said quietly, wrapping his little arms about my neck in a weak embrace, which I returned more strongly, reminded more than ever that he was just a small child. I wish I could have taken him with me. It would have made both of our lives far easier.

Miroku and Sango were murmuring their agreement when Inuyasha's coarse yell, coming from the direction of the Well, reached us: "Oi! Sap-fest! Time to turn off the waterworks; Kagome should be going home now if I'm getting back in time for dinner."

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled back angrily, "How could you be so heartless? This could be the last time we ever see Kagome!"

"Of course I'm heartless, monk! I am a demon! What'd you expect?"

Shippou protested, "I'm more of a demon than you are, Inuyasha, and I'm not heartless!"

"You? You are no demon! You're just a puffy fur-ball!" Inuyasha said scornfully, and I had to hold onto Shippou more tightly in response to the aggressive movement I felt him make.

I bent my head to whisper to him, "Don't worry about it, Shippou. Inuyasha just is not as good at expressing sadness as we are. Just leave him alone for now, okay?"

I could tell he was sulking, but he still answered, "Okay."

I handed Shippou to Miroku and took a hesitant step toward Inuyasha. "Alright, alright, Inuyasha. I'm coming."

"Good." He grabbed me around the waist, waited politely (for him) for me to wave to my friends one last time, and jumped into the well. I felt the familiar warmth and... rightness – I suppose would be the word – which jumping through the well always gave me, but I couldn't help thinking how different it was without the shining blue light billowing about me, welcoming me into the new time.

*** *** ***

I felt the rush of air as Inuyasha leapt up and out of the Well, with me still secured in his arms, and set me down when we got outside. He led me to the house in silence, and I was not inclined to break it. Mom came out to greet us at the doorstep: "Welcome home, de – Why are you wearing a blindfold?" She brushed her hand against the side of my face, touching the new fashion accessory.

My mother's proximity was a bit much for me, I guess, and I broke into sobs and ran into her arms. I think she must have given Inuyasha a speculative look over my head, but she hugged me tightly.

"We had... better go inside," Inuyasha said respectfully. "There's a lot to explain, and you should sit down."

'He's being more considerate than usual. I guess this has shaken him more than even I thought,' I thought, letting my mother take me by the hand and following obediently, groping for the couch before sitting. I felt the cushions sink comfortably as my mother's familiar weight fell beside me.

Inuyasha began. "Missus Higurashi, there's... no better way to say this, which I know of, but..." I could almost see him shifting nervously. "Your daughter was in an accident while trying to stop me from fighting the other day, and... she's..."

I cut in; she had a right to hear it from me. "I'm blind, Mom."

Her voice was very quiet when she spoke, and a bit hoarse. "You're... blind?" I nodded. There was a moment of silence. Mom cleared her throat. "Well, then." Her damp voice informed me that she had been crying. "We have health insurance. It will take a while, but we can save up the money... Eye surgery is not entirely out of reach. We will call in a few debts, borrow some money... We will manage. However... it will take several years... And with Grandpa's medical problems, on top of that..."

I heard the worry in her mother's voice and cut in quietly. "It is okay, Mom. I can wait. Just focus on Grandpa's health; my vision is nothing compared to his life."

"You're sure? Without your vision, you can't... be an active part of society." Her voice cracked again. "He's an old man, at the end of his life; you're just beginning yours. It's up to you how you want us to prioritize; I'm sure he'd happily give up his health for yours."

I shook my head decisively. "No; if the blindness doesn't drive me mad, the guilt of Grandpa dying would. We should help him as long as we can, and when he is beyond our reach... Then, we will do whatever is best for the family at the time. Nevertheless, for now, just focus on what Grandpa needs. I can live without sight." There was another moment of silence.

"Kagome, you've... become more... mature, since your loss. Even though it has only been two days, you have grown up in just that time. Or, maybe..." Another sniffle. "Maybe you've grown up while you've been away, and I just haven't noticed it until now. Maybe I just haven't seen you enough to know you at all."

I had to reassure her. "No, Mom; no. You know me better than anyone; you gave birth to me, remember?" I tried to get a laugh; failed. "And besides, this injury will slightly hinder my ability to leave the house; I think we'll be spending more time together than ever before." This did get a small, dry laugh from my mother, who then said:

"Not exactly how I'd go about it, dearest. But we'll take what we can get, I suppose; and be thankful for it." She held me close, and there was a lull in conversation before, reminding me of the other presence in the room, all but forgotten, she added as she rose from her seat, "Well, you two should probably say goodbye now. I'll give you some privacy." I heard the footsteps as she left the room, leaving us, two long-time companions, in an uncomfortable silence.

"So," he said into the living room.

"So," I echoed. There was a pause, before I asked quickly, anxiously, "Will you visit?"

His voice was passionate. "Every week. Sometimes more. And I will bring things back and forth, too, like letters to and from the others. And crayons for Shippou. And Ramen. I... I only wish I could bring you. That's what we'd all really want, anyway." I nodded. There was another uncomfortable silence, and I heard Inuyasha stand. "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

I stood as well. "For now," I finished quickly for him. "Only goodbye for now. Nothing permanent."

He barely hesitated – I caught it, though – before answering, "No, nothing permanent."

I launched suddenly into his arms, holding on tightly to his rough fire-rat kimono. "I don't want you to go..."

He hugged me back instantly. "I don't want to go; but sometimes we have to do things we don't want to... because of responsibility. It is my responsibility to get the rest of the shards, and to destroy Naraku. It is my responsibility to take care of Shippou, and keep an eye on that lecherous monk and Sango. I... can't just stay here with you, in safety, forever."

I nodded against him. "I know. But I want you to."

It was a day for bad jokes. "What happened to that new maturity your mom was talking about a moment ago, hm? Now you're acting more like that wimpy, cry-baby fifteen-year-old I met two years ago, waking me up with your irritating, sweet smell." I heard him take a deep breath from my hair, before feeling him let go of me and step away. I was cold. "I have to go now. I'll... see you in a week."

"Y-yeah," I whispered. "See you... in a week. Bye, Inuyasha."

He hesitated. "...Bye, Kagome." Then I heard his quiet footsteps quickly leaving the room, and the door snapping shut behind them. My mother came in next, slowly.

"Kagome? Are you alright?" she asked me gently.

I turned my tearstained, blindfolded face in my mother's direction. "I... I will be, Mom. I think."

Mom sat beside me and rubbed my back soothingly. "Good. Grandpa should be coming in from the shrine in about half an hour and Souta an hour after that. We will break the news to them at dinner. Any requests?"

I forced a smile. "Oden?"

I heard a decided clap from her. "Done! I'll go prepare that; do you need me to help you to your room?"

I grimaced at the thought of needing help to find my own room, but nodded. My words sounded ashamed, even to myself: "Yes, please." I stood, letting my mom take me upstairs by the arm.

*** *** ***

Inuyasha's first visit was, as would be expected, earlier than the predestined week; three days earlier, specifically. He came bearing reassurances that Miroku had made plans to pick up Shippou's reading lessons where I had left off, a letter from Sango, and news of a Jewel Shard to the North, along with more reassurances that they would be back in under a week. It was not said that the hunt would be considerably more difficult without my abilities. It was, however, thought by us both.

He came again a week later, when, apparently, the group had returned empty-handed from the North. He returned a few days after that, and again just under a week later. Thus, the pattern – if it could be called that – of Inuyasha's visits was set.

My friends from my time turned out to be somewhat shallow. They came by a couple of times that first month, but after that, I heard nothing from them, nor did I particularly want to. The friends I wanted to hear from could not come, and I could not go to them.

So the time passed. As I said, Inuyasha's visits had developed a pattern of sorts, but, little by little, the visits become more spread out. What was twice a week, became once; thrice every other week became once. Eventually it was only once a month, where it seemed to settle for a while. This lack of visitation was by no means to be blamed upon my half-demon friend; I believe seeing me simply caused him too much pain, and I now understand this. Then, however, I was too young, and understood nothing. I spent nearly every night sitting awake, awaiting Inuyasha's presence, to no avail; and yet I would not hesitate to stay up just as late the next night. I regret worrying my mother so; yet nothing she could say would detain me. She eventually set up a futon in the living room for me, and I hardly ever used the stairs after that.

Souta – my brother, if I hadn't mentioned that before – was surprisingly helpful in all things inconvenient: helping me around the house, fetching things for me, and keeping an eye on me when left alone being only a few of the many chores he did for me in that time. Grandpa also took it well, though I think he disagreed with me on the issue of medical priority. He never said anything about it, though, for which I am extremely grateful.

In any case, time passed, and Inuyasha and I grew distant. I cannot say when, precisely – somewhere between the second and third year since my blindness – Inuyasha stopped coming. I remember his last visit vaguely – only that it was a warm day, and I think Mom had commented to me on how bright the sunlight was. Inuyasha had come late – just in time for dinner, as opposed to his usual arrival in the morning. All I really remember clearly is that he had seemed distracted throughout the entire visit, and had not stayed long; he had answered clearly none of my questions about the others, whereas the time before we had talked for hours about Sango and Miroku's upcoming wedding. Even Shippou, who he'd previously told me was growing like a weed, and whose fighting lessons had been the topic of many of our discussions, wasn't a subject he'd been able to pick up on to my full satisfaction. He had left early, having said next to nothing, and I cried for a while that night.

Grandpa died one year later, on July 3, 2002. I had just turned twenty that spring. I tried to cry. I could not.

Until then, the doctors had been saying that an eye surgery was possible, though not affordable; but I was miserable in that house. I couldn't stand being there any more; so close to the portal between times, yet unable to use it, to visit my friends, or find out if they were even still alive. I was depressed; I saw it, my mother saw it, I am sure even Souta saw it. Leaving was not a luxury; it was a necessity. Therefore, when presented with the option of moving or surgery, I chose moving in an instant.

The search for a house was begun. Mom and Souta would look at them, and I would sense them – despite being blind, I was still a miko of some power. Sensing the auras of houses was a simple enough task; even in my budding insanity – looking back, I can now call it that – I could tell if a house was fit to be our home. For example, one of the ones we explored had experienced murder with the last owners; another had been repeatedly robbed. I guided my family away from these negative vibes.

Nearly a year after we began our search – we were yet to find a house within our price range upon which we could all settle – we found a small house about an hour's drive from our current place of residence. It was a good size for three people, with room for a guest or two, should extended family come over for a holiday sometime. It was not a shrine – the chances of mystical wells turning up were minimal. It was a short distance from the city, so there were not likely to be loud noises or disturbances, but the conveniences of the city were still accessible. There was a bedroom available in the back of the ground floor that I would be happy with – I had gotten into the habit of sleeping downstairs. Souta had a few friends who lived in the neighborhood, and Mom liked the view.

Personally, I thought I felt a slight disturbance in the air. I passed it off as gas.

We moved in half a year later – we had to wait for Souta to finish school – and called it my twenty-second birthday present. I was overjoyed at the move; getting away from the house I had grown up in was good for my mental stability – especially since I had gotten into the habit of speaking to Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, or Shippou. A moment after telling one of them a thought I'd had, I would realize that they weren't there; hadn't been there, in fact, for five years; hadn't been alive in nearly five-hundred.

Needless to say, my mental state was precarious.

Under a week after moving in, I felt a presence in my room. It was raining that day, and I was alone in the house; Souta was at school and Mom at work. I did not know who this was; so I said nothing, suspecting my precarious mental state had fallen into a condition of utter disrepair. The feeling receded in under an hour, and I was alone with my memories once more.

The situation repeated itself a couple of days later: a presence was in my room when there should not have been one. I recognized it this time as the same presence as the one from the other day, and recognized that presence as the cause of the disturbance I had felt upon initially visiting the house. I was curious as to what the disturbance was – I suspected a ghost, like the little girl, Mayu, I had saved from the shinigami early on in my travels with Inuyasha – yet could not gather my courage to speak.

During the third such visit, I gathered my wits enough to say a few words: "Hello. I know you're there."

I sensed startlement from my companion; yet they said nothing in reply.

I did not mind the silence; I only wanted company. The lack of threat their aura portrayed gave me strength to continue, "Will you stay here with me? I am lonely, staying here alone all day, every day; and my fate is unlikely to change in the near future. Will you keep a blind girl company?"

I thought they would not respond; I expected them to leave, as they had before. Instead, I heard a low, masculine voice, hoarse from disuse, answer, "Yes."

"Aha! So, you are a man. Tell me, Sir, are you a ghost?" I asked curiously, aware of the fact that this was one of the very few people outside of my family whom I was given the chance to converse with since Inuyasha's absence.

A pause, then, "You could call me that; a ghost of the past."

A grinned amiably upwards in his general direction. "I suppose you could call me a ghost of the past, as well. Tell me, Sir Ghost, will not the shinigami come for you if you do not move on soon? I would hate for you to go to hell; it cannot be terribly pleasant there."

I was growing used to his way of pausing before speech. "No shinigami would come for me," he eventually responded.

"In that case, you may stay here as long as you wish." I extended my hand to shake in greeting. "My name is Kagome. What is yours?"

"My name faded in the dust of crumbled histories," he said quietly, as he said all things. "It is of no consequence now. Call me what you will."

"Alright, then; I'll have to name you something. What do you think of..." I paused, trying to think of something appropriate; my hand lowered to my lap. "Keiji?"

"Keiji?" he asked. "Why this name?"

"As you can probably tell, I am blind. I must be led everywhere I go. The name 'Keiji' means 'Lead Cautiously'; will you do this for me?"

His pause was followed by a monotonous, "As you wish."

I grinned, overjoyed at the prospect of company in the long days ahead; I raised my hand again for him to shake, and this time he took it. I felt the skin of his hand; it was cool to the touch, with a soft back but a callused palm. "You can use a sword?" I asked him as he withdrew. I sensed his shock at the question.

"Yes," he answered after a slightly longer pause than usual. "I used to."

I smiled again, more softly now. "I once had a friend who used a sword."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

I was going to ask him about himself, but was interrupted by the sound of my mother's key turning in the front door; she was home early. I opened my mouth to warn him to disappear back to wherever he came from, only to realize he was already gone. I rose to meet my mother in the front hall.

*** *** ***

Truly, this is where

Travelers who go or come

Over parting ways--

Friends or strangers--all must meet:

The gate of "Meeting Hill."

--Semimaru

*** *** ***

Author's Note: The beginning of a new fanfiction. I hope you like it so far. It has been in my head for a while now. I'll be updating every Thursday, so check back for the next chapter!

~FireFalcon1414