The Shikon Miko's Diary
Arc 1
Ara-Mitama
Day 1: Fate's Tool
Kagome was no morning person.
Never was, and will never be. Maybe she simply wasn't because her body was accustomed to going to sleep in the early morning hours due to her past rather messed up sleeping-schedule when they were still hunting the sacred Jewel Shards years ago but then again, she never really liked to wake up early in the morning in her younger years either.
So here she was, standing at the tram station with a big cup of hot tea in her cold pale hands in hope of not freezing to death while she waited for the rest of her history class in the cold December air.
They were supposed to meet up in five minutes and whereas some have already arrived, they didn't seem to be in what she would call high spirits either.
A bittersweet smile crossed her lips.
Just peachy.
Still, she couldn't possibly blame them. She wasn't too delighted to be standing in the cold at seven in the morning with a meek three hours of sleep either but she couldn't deny that in comparison to them, a small and unbelievably annoying part of her couldn't help but be excited.
It was the same excitement that was apparent ever since their History teacher announced that their new topic would be the Sengoku Jidai, and that in order to formerly introduce this time-period to them they would visit one of the most famous museum in Japan that contained countless of valuable artifacts and paintings of that time this Monday.
At first, Kagome was having mixed emotions about the trip.
It's been two years ever since the well closed and whereas the wounds in her heart have somewhat started to heal already, she feared what pain the confrontation with her past would cause her.
The other, admittedly larger part of her was beyond excited to finally find out what had happened during her absence, what had changed and what stayed the same. It was the unknown of what had happened after their victory against Naraku that fueled her excitement and anticipation and this trip would pose the perfect opportunity to find out after her rather disappointed research in the internet.
“Kagome-chan!”
Kagome lazily lifted her tired blue eyes upon hearing the familiar voice calling her name and was greeted by the rather amusing sight of Ayumi and Eri waving comically at her from the further end of the station.
The Miko couldn't help but smile at the sight and lifted her free hand to greet the duo with a small wave of her own, taking another sip from her now lukewarm tea as she waited for them to reach her.
She could instantly tell by their expressions that they would have liked to be anywhere but here at this early hour, preferably in their beds, and wondered just how much of a walking corpse she must look like after staying awake for most of the night.
As soon as her two friends have reached her, Eri instantly emitted a groan as she moved to stand beside Kagome. “I seriously hate Okida-Sensei for doing this to us.” The girl muttered under her breath, clearly not too keen on going on this class trip at the crack of dawn either. “I mean come on, no human being with a heart would let us suffer like this on a Monday morning!”
Ayumi merely shook her head at her friends rather dramatic nature and gave a halfhearted sigh in return. “Come on Eri-chan, it won't be that bad. Who knows, maybe it's actually going to be pretty interesting.”
Kagome couldn't help but nod in agreement. There always was a fifty-fifty percent chance of their school trips either ending surprisingly well or as a total catastrophe and admittedly, even though she was quite excited to go to the museum the miko was still having mixed emotions about it.
The group of three kept on their light chatter until their teacher finally arrived as well and called them together in order to check the attendance list.
After Okida-Sensei had successfully written down who was present and afterwards exclaimed his displeasure upon noticing that almost half of the class were apparently sick on their day of their trip, the class started their journey.
It took them two hours until they have reached Nikko and fortunately for them, it was only a twenty minute walk from the train station to the museum.
Some of her classmates have used the time in the train to sleep whereas the rest of them chattered about the latest gossip of their school what resulted their mood to somewhat lift.
Okida-sensei was using the time that the walk offered them to tell them some facts about Sengoku Jidai but since Kagome already knew most of what he was telling, she only halfheartedly listened.
It went on like this until they reached a rather isolated part of the city and a rather huge building in the far caught her blue orbs and she felt her excitement bubble up once more.
They have finally reached it after what seemed forever and Kagome couldn't fight the smile that crossed her lips. Her anticipation was becoming more and more evident with every step that they were taking towards it and for a moment, all of her worries were forgotten.
Okida-Sensei, who was leading the group, seemed pretty excited himself and it was then that Kagome realized that he truly seemed to be a fan of everything that was related to history.
Poor guy would probably faint if she told him that she had practically lived the past.
As soon as they had finally reached the museum, their teacher came to an halt in front of the flight of stairs that lead to the large, wooden entrance doors and turned around to face them.
“Well class, as you can see we have reached our destination.” He declared in a stern voice as he run a hand through his short black hair. “I expect you to be at your best behavior and show nothing but the utmost respect towards our tour guide and the artifacts. They are very valuable and you wouldn't even be able to repay them if you worked as a doctor for the next forty years of your life.”
At that, Ayumi hummed lightly.”I guess there will be pretty valuable things in there.” She mused out aloud as she glanced at the museum with sparkling eyes.
She was no huge fan of history but she didn't consider it boring either and Kagome considered herself lucky that she could at least talk to someone about their trip and the artifacts that they had seen on their way back home.
“Are there any questions left?”
The students remained silent and their teacher gave them a nod out of content in return.
“Perfect. Oh, before we go inside, remember that we won't be the only ones in the museum so let's not leave an all too bad expression behind, alright?”
The class fell into a fit of groans but nodded nonetheless and Kagome couldn't help but shake her head at her classmates. One would think that at the age of nineteen they would have somewhat matured but that obviously didn't seem to be the case.
Her teacher then proceeded by walking up the stairs and Kagome and the rest followed suit, but just as she had reached the last step a sudden brush of something against her reiki caused a shiver to run down the length of her spine and her legs to come to an abrupt stop.
Whatever it was disappeared as fast as it had appeared and Kagome couldn't help but frown out of confusion as she looked at her surroundings through narrowed eyes in hope of finding anything that seemed out of place.
Much to her confusion however, everything seemed to be totally normal and Kagome mildly wondered if she was turning paranoid already.
I probably just imagined it. Calm down Kagome, this is your time and demons don't exist.
Why it didn't sound the least bit assuring would remain another mystery to her.
The young miko swiftly hurried to follow the others inside and couldn't help but marvel at the sight that greeted her. The entrance hall was huge and beyond breathtaking, the white marble floor was matching the champagne colored walls that were graced with a series of portraits and paintings and the large chandelier that was dangling from the ceiling illuminated the large hall together with the broad windows.
To Kagome it looked less like a museum and rather like a castle.
“Beautiful.” Eri exclaimed in a whisper next to her, clearly just as impressed as Kagome was and the raven-haired girl nodded in agreement.
Beautiful indeed.
“Class, attention please!” Their teacher called as he clapped his hands to gain their attention. Kagome's eyes fell on him and instantly noticed that this time, a young woman was standing next to him.
She seemed to be a bit older than them, maybe in her early twenties, and had short black hair that reached her shoulders. Her dark amber eyes were fixed on the group of teens in front of her and she offered them an amiable smile that brightened up her eyes.
With the exception of her rather mesmerizing eyes, Saki seemed quite ordinary to her and for Kagome, ordinary was always safe.
“Good morning. My name is Hanazono Saki and I'm your Tour Guide for today.” She curtly introduced herself and gave them a small bow that instantly left the guys of her class marvel at her manners.
Kagome fought the urge to sigh.
Men.
They didn't waste much time and after all introductions were done, they set off by entering the first broad corridor. It started off with old paintings and portraits that were hanging on the walls and practically loomed over them, similar to the ones that they have already seen hanging in the entrance hall. Saki stopped every now and then to explain some of the paintings histories and the boys in Kagome's class suddenly seemed very interested in history upon meeting Saki.
They followed her like subdued dogs and Kagome couldn't help but snort at her own thoughts.Well, she expected no less from her classmates and even though it was somewhat annoying to see them embarrassing themselves like this, Kagome had to admit that so far she really enjoyed the tour.
Still, no matter how hard she tried to focus on listening to Saki, she couldn't shake off the feeling of someone's eyes being on her.
After that incident earlier at the entrance Kagome hadn't felt anything with her reiki even after she had expanded it and scanned the entire area as she had done countless of times in the past already.
It should serve as an assurance to her, but it somehow only unsettled her further.
What if there really was something that was hiding its aura from her? It wouldn't be the first time and even though Yokai didn't exist in her time, she, a miko, did. So why shouldn't they as well?
Shaking her head at her own thoughts she followed the others once more when they walked through the door and entered a hall that was slightly less broad than the first one, but jut as stunning.
This time however, it wasn't the beautiful chandelier, the windows or the paintings that caught Kagome's eyes. This time, it was something entirely different, something that she would have least expected to be displayed in a museum.
She could have sworn that as soon as they stopped in front of the first pedestal and her eyes landed on the all too familiar artifact that rested inside of the glass cube that her heart made a painful leap in her chest.
Her eyes widened for the split of a second and she was painfully aware of the way her heart skipped a beat upon seeing it.
“Well, this here is one rather interesting artifact.” Saki started off with a smile as she eyed the group in front of her. “Does anyone know what this could be?” She inquired as she looked around in the crowd before her eyes rested on Kagome, who was seemingly oblivious to her lingering gaze.
Kagome's eyes softened as she took in the small round beads that she would recognize anywhere in an instant even after all the years that have passed ever since she had put them on him and before she could stop herself, she spoke up.
“Beads of subjugation.”
Her classmates looked at her in surprise, clearly not having expected Kagome to speak up and much less know what this was and upon noticing the sudden attention that she gained by answering the question, the miko swiftly averted her eyes from the rosary.
She mustered up a small smile even though she still felt somewhat shaken upon seeing the beads that she had used to subdue her friend with being displayed as an ancient artifact in a museum.
Kagome inwardly wondered how Inuyasha managed to take them off in the first place for them to be displayed in a museum. Whereas she knew that there was always the possibility of the spell loosing its power with her disappearance, she knew that it was highly unlikely nonetheless.
Also, how did the owner of the museum get them in the first place?
“Indeed.” Saki suddenly confirmed as her lips curled upwards into a small smile. There was a spark of something in her eyes that Kagome just barely caught, but it disappeared before she was able to identify it. “Around five hundred years ago, they were used by a powerful miko to bind a strong half-demon. When activated by the use of a certain word, the beads glow and bring the wearer under total control, meaning that all the miko had to do in order to subdue him was to utter a single word.”
There were a few sounds of surprise from her classmates and Eri, who was standing next to her, seemed awed as well.
“The Miko was able to subdue a hanyou?” She inquired loud enough for the others to hear as well, clearly impressed. “She must have been really strong.”
She was oblivious to the way Kagome's eyes saddened upon hearing her words, a bittersweet smile gracing her face.
She had been anything but strong back then and she still was very much untrained regarding her miko powers even though she did learn a thing or two during her years in the feudal era. She had been pretty useless back in the days and barely managed to be of any help with the exception of locating the Sacred Jewel Shards.
As much as it would have hurt her to think like this about herself in the past, she had come to accept that fact not too many months after she had accidentally shatter the Shikon no Tama.
“Hanyou, Miko and Yokai don't exist, they're simply made up.” One of her male classmates called from the back of the crowd, and Kagome suddenly felt the urge to snort.
She used to think the same. That was, until Mistress Centipede decided to drag her down the Bone eaters well and five hundred years into the past.
Yeah, such an experience could really change one's point of view and belief.
“I wouldn't be too sure of that. If humans exist, why shouldn't other beings exist as well? Never believe everything you see.” Saki gently advised him as she run a hand through her dark short hair. Even though the others were seemingly oblivious to it, Kagome didn't miss the way her eyes suddenly softened and for a moment, Saki looked double as old as she was.
Kagome's eyes turned questioning as she frowned but before she was able to dwell on the matter, another one of her classmates spoke up.
“Did the Miko and the hanyou travel together?” Another girl, Yura if she remembered right, suddenly inquired and with every question that followed Kagome's heart felt heavier in her chest. Why was it that everyone suddenly seemed very interested in that particular story?
Of course they couldn't have possibly chosen one regarding the paintings.
Saki's smile turned broader and her eyes sparkled as she gave the girl a nod. “Oh yes, they did. Together with a wise Monk, a kindhearted Demonslayer and a small kistune the Tachi traveled through Japan in order to find the Sacred Jewel shards of the shattered Shikon no Tama.” She told her and Kagome could tell that she had now gained even the last one's full attention.
Because let's be honest, who wasn't a sucker for a story involving demons, a Sacred Jewel and a Miko.
It still felt incredibly weird for her to hear her own story being told by someone else and the sadness that she felt upon being reminded was immense. It was as if someone had just reopened all of her old wounds that she had spent the past two years carefully stitching up. She knew that with the Jewel gone and the wish made, her friends were living a happy life but she couldn't help but miss them all terribly nonetheless.
“Did they succeed in finding them?” Another voice, this time male, questioned from her right and Saki's smile softened.
“They did.” She revealed, a sigh following afterwards. “But legends say that the hardships that they had faced and the prices that they had to pay were very high. A strong Hanyou aimed to complete the Jewel for his own selfish desires and the Miko and her companions only barely managed to defeat them. You see, the Jewel grants one wish but in order for the wish to get fulfilled, it has to be selfless. Upon defeating the half-demon and completing the Jewel, the Shikon Miko took it on herself to cast the wish and as expected, the pureness of her heart and the selflessness of her wish were the ultimate factor for her wish to be granted.”
Kagome could remember it all to well. That one fateful day was still haunting her to this very day and she would never forget it for the rest of her life. All the joy that she had felt upon defeating Naraku, all the uncertainty that flooded her senses when the others told her to make the wish when they were standing in the clearing and all the pain that she had felt upon waking up in the well house and realizing that the well didn't work anymore.
“What happened to the Miko and her companions?” This time it was Ayumi who asked from Kagome's left, curiosity clearly lacing her words as she tilted her head slightly to the side as she expectantly looked at Saki.
Another pang.
“Thanks to the Miko's selfless wish, her friends lived a long and happy life. The Monk and the Taijiya finally got married and had many children, the Hanyou found love not too many years later as well and the miko-” Saki paused for a moment and Kagome held her breath in anticipation.
She was beyond delighted to hear that Sango and Miroku had managed to get their Happily Ever After after everything that they have been through and to hear that Inuyasha had finally managed to find someone to be at peace with was quite a relief to her as well, even though she couldn't help the slight hurt that she had felt upon hearing it.
She knew that she and Inuyasha would never be anything more than friends even before they had completed the Jewel. Yes, they did love one another but not the way one would think.
He was her best friend, saving her from the bad guys and lending her a shoulder to cry on just like she was his, teaching him how to smile, how to rely on others an to make friends.
Her heart went out for the Hanyou that she loved dearly and her worries were eased upon hearing that he would also find someone to give his heart to after everything that had he was forced to go through because if anyone deserved it, it would be him.
“The Miko,” Saki once more started as she looked Ayumi and Kagome felt her body tense. “She wasn't from their time. Once the Jewel was completed she was forced to return to her time where she continued to live her old life.” She explained, and Kagome felt a sinking sensation in her stomach as she slumped her shoulders out of disappointment.
She should have known better than to hope for anything different. This was the way that things were supposed to go and no matter the circumstances she couldn't change it just because she wanted to. She was certain that fate had its reasons for closing the well and keeping her in her time, even if she didn't understand them.
Eri pouted, clearly disappointed upon hearing the story's end. She was known for being the biggest sucker for romance there was and Kagome knew that she didn't like the ending that she was being provided with.
Unfortunately, Kagome drew the shorter straw so Eri would have to live with it. It wasn't like she particularly liked her own ending either.
“Did the Miko return to the others?” Eri inquired with a disappointed frown as she crossed her arms above her chest. Kagome turned her head back towards Saki, almost afraid to do so but much to her surprise Saki's amber eyes shone with a knowing light in them that left Kagome wonder just what the young woman knew.
The pace of Kagome's heartbeat picked up and she was suddenly painfully aware of the way her heart rammed against her ribcage as she noticed the way Saki hesitated. There was the small part of her that still held onto the small spark of hope that refused to die even after all these years and sometimes, Kagome believed it to have stayed for a reason. Maybe it was supposed to stay, to keep her going and maybe someday keeping that spark of hope alive would be the answer to all of her problems.
“Not yet, but she will.” Saki, although hesitantly revealed and Kagome's eyes widened out of plain shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, it was simply impossible.
The well didn't work, she had tried it many more times than she liked to admit so how could she possibly return to the past?
As if reading her thoughts, Saki continued. “The Shikon Miko has yet to face her biggest quest, even bigger than her first and when time allows, she shall return.” The amber eyed woman told them, much to Eri's and the rest of the class confusion as well as delight.
“What do you mean by not yet?” Eri inquired, clearly confused but Saki merely waved a hand in order to brush it off.
“It's nothing, don't break your head over such a story. Now, shall we proceed and move on to the next artifact?” Saki inquired with a clap of her hands as her enthusiastic voice echoed through the hall, but Kagome only barely registered it.
She suddenly felt hot and cold all at once and her traitorous heart wouldn't stop to furiously beat beneath her chest. So there was still hope for her after all and her journey in the Feudal Era wasn't over yet. She knew that she shouldn't feel this way, she knew that she shouldn't look forward to returning home in order to try the well because it would most likely not work as it did all the times before and yet, she couldn't help the smile that brightened up her face.
So fate still had something in store for her after all.
The next two hours flew by in a blur and admittedly, Kagome didn't remember much of the rest of the tour for obvious reasons. She was lost in her own thoughts, barely noticing whenever they had continued to walk to another room and wondered what would expect her when she would get home.
“I hope that you have enjoyed this tour. I am sure that we'll see each other again!” Saki cheerily told the class before her eyes fell on Kagome and she couldn't help but feel as if the words were directed at her.
After they have bid their goodbyes and have each received a small souvenir in the form of a key chain they have made their way back to the train station where they have entered the train back home. Her two friends were chatting once more and tried to get Kagome to talk with them as well but as much as she tried, she didn't have the heart to fully participate in the conversation.
It was the unknown of what the future held for her that was beyond nerve-wracking and during the entire ride back home Kagome couldn't help but feel the dreading anticipation that filled her. She wondered if what Saki had told them was indeed true or if it was only a legend that held no meaning in it and would lead to another disappointment for her.
And even if it was true and she would be able to travel through time once more, was it really what she wanted, or more so desired?
Of course she wanted to be with her friends once more but in the end, they would sooner or later live their own lives. Miroku and Sango would get married if they weren't already, Inuyasha would find someone as well and she would be the odd one out once more.
She didn't want to be the third wheel anymore.
If she would stay here in her time she would be able to finish her degree, get a nice job and eventually find some ordinary guy that she could have a family with. It would be as easy as that.
And yet, she knew that it would never fully satisfy her.
There would always be something missing, a part that would always be absent regardless of which time she would stay in and until she would find that missing part of her, she wouldn't break her head over such things.
A year and a half ago she would have instantly jumped at the opportunity to go back and wouldn't have cared about anything but to see them again. But now at the age of nineteen Kagome found herself hesitating.
She looked at things in a different way now than she did all these years ago and whereas she would still like to go back now as well, she didn't desire to do so for the reasons she had once had.
As the Shikon Miko it had been her duty to gather the Sacred Jewel shards and to defeat Naraku so now that the Shikon no Tama and Naraku both were no longer, she had no reason to return with the exception of seeing her friends again.
If Saki spoke the truth and she would be able to pass through time once more, she knew that she would do so with a new purpose. If she was meant to live with her friends the well would have allowed her to remain at their side years ago, and if she was meant to stay in her time, the well wouldn't open once more and stay sealed.
Over the years she had matured and realized that she was nothing more but Fate's tool. She couldn't change it, nor could she avoid it and thus Kagome decided to simply give into it.
What happened, happened for a reason and what will be, will be. It was as easy as that.
There was no point in breaking her head over something like that. As long as she knew that her friends were healthy, alive and were living a happy life there was no reason for her to worry.
No matter how long it would take for the well to once more open, if it did open it would for a reason and when that time came, Kagome would be ready.
She would travel back in time for the sole purpose of fulfilling her duty as she had done before.
Kagome arrived at home just as the sun set and as soon as she reached the top of the shrine, the raven-haired girl exhaled deeply.
She got delayed on her way back home by Eri asking her to accompany her to the mall because she had seen a certain book that she just needed to get. Kagome, being the nice girl she was, couldn't possible refuse and accompanied her friend and lend her some company what resulted her to reach the shrine in the late afternoon hours.
Kagome slowly forced her feet to carry her towards the front steps of their home, pointedly ignoring the well house for as long as she could but in the end, her blue orbs couldn't help but stray towards it.
For a moment, she considered it.
It would be easy, she just needed to enter the well house and look if the well opened. If it didn't, it simply wasn't the right time and Kagome could live on as if this day never happened.
No biggie at all.
She knew that if she did so and found out that it worked, however, she would thoughtlessly jump in just like that and thus she decided against doing so just yet.
Kagome forced her eyes shut and continued to make her way to the Shrine right past the Well house and entered her home with a heavy heart. She really did need a nice warm shower and some sleep in order to process everything that she had just found out. If the well really did work it would also work tomorrow and even though her curiosity was slowly killing her, she forced herself to trust her gut feeling for once.
It had never failed her before during all these years and the mere fact that she now knew that it would someday open once more was reassurance enough for her.
There was no way around fate anyway.
Thus, the young miko entered her home and forced a smile on her face as she had done so many times before in order to not alarm her family.
“I'm home.” She called as she took of her shoes and closed the doors behind her. Strangely enough, her yell was not answered and so Kagome made her way to the kitchen to check if her family was home in the first place.
Upon entering the kitchen, the young miko found it as empty as she had expected it to be. Out of habit, Kagome walked over to the kitchen counter to look if her mother had left her a note as she had always done when they left without her and indeed, a yellow post it was laying there.
Curiously, Kagome picked it up.
Welcome home honey.
Me and grandpa went to visit aunt Ai in Osaka and won't be back until tomorrow evening.
Souta is at Soccer practice and won't return until eight, there's some cash for the two of you on the fridge.
Stay safe!
Love, mom
As her eyes fell on the last words of her mom's note, Kagome couldn't contain the sigh that passed her lips. She mildly wondered why her mother didn't tell her that they would leave beforehand, but she assumed that it was one of their spontaneous trips that they liked to do every now and then.
Shrugging, the young girl decided that she should make the best out of it and once more grabbed her backpack before she made her way upstairs to her room.
Once she had reached it she quickly tossed her heavy bag on her bed and went over to her dresser to get a fresh set of clothes that she could change into after her shower.
She guessed that a pair of black sweatpants and a gray shirt would do and as soon as she had grabbed her clothes, Kagome went on and took a hot shower.
She didn't know how many minutes or even hours she had spent in there, simply enjoying the hot water caressing her skins and washing all her worries away as she reminisced about the past as she had done so many times before. She was a sucker for hot showers and whereas she liked to enjoy a nice bath every now and then as well, it always remembered her of her baths with Sango in the hot springs.
As soon as she was done, Kagome swiftly dressed into her warm clothes and went back to her room. She didn't bother to turn on the lights and instead slumped right onto her warm bed. She buried her face into the soft cushion and deeply inhaled the fresh strawberry scent as she closed her eyes. It's been a tiring day, kami knew just how tired she was, and she should probably get some well needed sleep after her rather disastrous three hours of sleep that she had managed to get during the last night.
Kagome forced her mind to clear from any distracting thoughts that may keep her awake and allowed her body to get lost in the warmth that her bed offered her.
It took her some minutes but in the end she managed to give into the lulling darkness and drift off into the lands of the dreams.
- X -
It's been exactly four hours and twenty three minutes. Four Hours and twenty three minutes of a blissful deep slumber that Kagome found herself getting rather rudely ripped out of.
It started off as a cold gust of air that caressed her skin like a thin blanket of snow, causing her to shiver beneath her thick sheets and stir in her sleep. Kagome frowned in her sleep and unconsciously wrapped the blankets tighter around herself as a small whine of protest left her lips.
Once she had successfully created a cocoon of sort with the aid of the blankets, Kagome smiled out of content and was about to drift back to sleep when all of sudden an all too familiar shiver run down the length of her spine that she had grown familiar to over the past years.
It tugged at her reiki, begging for her attention as Kagome found herself once more freeze on her bed. It was impossible and probably the worst time possible but when Kagome reluctantly opened her sleepy eyes and the feeling didn't fade, she knew that she was not dreaming and that it was very much real.
Her heart was feeling heavy beneath her chest and she felt it pulse in a steady rhythm together with her reiki, resulting her to become more and more awake with every thump that rippled through her body.
After some moments of simply laying on her bed and trying to get rid of the last bits of sleep that filled her system, the realization of what exactly she was feeling reached her hazy mind and as soon as it did, her eyes shot open wide.
The well.
For the next moments she simply remained laying there on her bed and listened to the sound of her heart beat in unison with the pulsing of her reiki . Her gaze was glued to the ceiling and for the following minutes she contemplated on what would be the right thing to do.
She would recognize the power of the well anywhere at anytime and this was undoubtedly the same sensation that she had felt all the times that the magic had engulfed her body whenever she traveled through time.
What could only mean one thing.
The well had finally opened once more.
Of course, she knew that after what Saki had told her that it would only be a matter of time until the ell would once more open, but she didn't expect it to open the night after her discovery.
Kagome lifted her hands and covered her face with shaking hands and inhaled a shaking breath.
Was she even ready?
She didn't know what would expect her on the other side, how everything may have changed and what great evil she would have to face this time and yet, she knew that she would never allow herself to deny her aid to the people in need.
What would happen if the well wouldn't allow her to return? Was she ready to once more leave her life in the present behind in order to risk her life for the past's future?
Kagome already knew the answer to these questions.
She was ready ever since she fell down the well at the age of fifteen.
Another tug, this time stronger, and Kagome groaned.
Oh for kami's sake.
The miko kicked the blankets off of her legs and got off of her bed in a rush. She walked over to her dresser and opened the wooden doors in order to pull out a pair of plain black jeans to change into and decided to stay in her gray shirt.
As soon as she was done, Kagome grabbed her long gray coat and wrapped her red scarf around her throat to keep herself shielded from the cold that would most certainly expect her as she grabbed her familiar yellow backpack.
Her heart was thumping in an unsteady rhythm beneath her chest and Kagome turned around to look at her room for one last time with determined blue eyes.
After all these years that have passed, Kagome knew that it was time to leave her old life behind for once and for all.
With newfound courage, Kagome shut the door of her room close and tiptoed over to her brothers room. She didn't have the heart to leave just like that and with Sota being the only one at home with the exception of herself, she would have to burden him with her goodbye.
She silently opened the door to his room and peered inside through a small slit to see if he was asleep and indeed, her eye soon found his still form sprawled on the mattress of his bed, mouth open wide while he was breathing steadily.
Kagome smiled softly at the sight and felt a pang of sadness. Just when would be the next time that she would see Sota again?
She swiftly entered the room and walked over to his bed to give him a light peck on his cheek and a soft whispered goodbye as she slipped a small note under his pillow before she exited his room and made her way to the well house.
Kagome swiftly put on her boots and softly clicked the front door shut in order to not alarm Sota before she gently sprinted towards the ancient well house.
It was now or never.
With every step that she was taking towards the well the stronger the pull on her aura got and just as she had reached it, the corner of her lips curled upwards into a reminiscent smile.
Oh how she had missed it.
The sound of her heartbeat echoing loudly in her ears, the soft caress of the magic that the bone eaters well emitted on her skin and the adrenaline that rushed through her veins upon knowing that the next day would be a mystery to her urging her to go forwards.
As soon as she had reached it, Kagome threw open the worn out wooden doors and inhaled a deep gust of the icy night air.
Her hard gaze fell on the well that was standing in the middle of it and Kagome forced herself to descend the steps that lead her towards the well. She felt as if she was in a trance and all of sudden, everything came back.
It was when she reached it and her hands reached out to hesitantly touch the cold and damp surface of the well's lid that she felt a strong pulse underneath the palm of her hand and her mind was flooded with pictures, memories of a time far away from her own.
Her grip on the lid tightened and Kagome shut her eyes close. She was once more needed for reasons unknown to her and she would be damned if she would back out because of her fear of the unknown.
She would travel back once more, and finally find out what destiny fate had planned for her.
With that thought in mind, Kagome's eyes flew open to reveal her dark blue orbs that were filled with sheer determination before she gazed down into the dark well just to be greeted by the sight of a starry night sky instead of the dark ground that she had seen for the past two years.
Her heart leaped in her chest and a smile etched on her lips.
Finally.
And with that, Kagome jumped.
A/N:
Hey there! I have finally decided to post the first chapter of my Sesshomaru x Kagome Fanfiction and hope that you all enjoyed reading it.
If you did, I would appreciate if you would tell me by leaving a review.
All the love,
Sara