Disclaimer: If you think I own the rights to Inuyasha, you're as mad as Kikyou.
A/N: Me and my mom never really liked the titular character, so we started brainstorming on how we’d want to change the story. That resulted in this fanfic.
By the way, I fully realize that in the anime/manga, Kaede's village has no name, is not on the shore and is not called Edo, but in this fanfiction, it is. What else could it be, considering that Kagome's from Tokyo?
Also, in this fanfiction, Kagome's 18 and in the last year (3rd grade) of high school. This makes things easier for me, because she only has to finish this school year.
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- Prologue -
The miko and the hanyou.
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Sengoku Jidai – Japan, Edo – 1461
It happened five hundred and fifty years ago, in the village of Edo. It was just a small, virtually unknown fishing village by that time, which was around 1460. But unbeknownst to many, it was in that village that the miko Kikyou lived, protecting the Shikon No Tama with her life. Because, you see, the jewel called out to every youkai, and promised them to give them whatever their hearts desired.
But the miko Kikyou was a very powerful miko, and slew every youkai that came in the near vicinity of the jewel.
Until, one day, she showed pity on a hanyou named Inuyasha, allowing him to live. After a while, they even became friends.
Years before that day, a fellow priestess had warned Kikyou never to fall in love, and she was determined to keep her promise that she never would. But she couldn't fight her destiny.
In the end, she was betrayed by the hanyou, and she had to pin him to a tree, putting him into a deep sleep. The miko herself was fatally wounded, and had only a few seconds to think about the strange behavior of the hanyou Inuyasha. He had acted as though she had betrayed him, not the other way around.
But her wounds were severe, and so she passed away, taking the jewel with her to the Other World. Even now, it is unknown who betrayed who.
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- Chapter One -
The impossible made possible
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Present Day – Japan, Tokyo – 2011
Somewhere in the future, an alarm clock went off, followed by a scream and a crash as Kagome Higurashi fell out of her bed.
Please, another five minutes… Kagome thought, still a bit dazed as she sat up on the floor and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The reincarnation of the miko that died so tragic a death, groaned when she looked at her clock.
WHAT? Seven O'clock already? No time for sleep!
"Ugh, another day in the life of Kagome…" she mumbled.
She tried to be quiet as to not wake up the other members of the family while she packed her schoolbag for the day.
"Are you alright, Kagome?"she heard her mama call from across the hall where her mother's bedroom was. Apparently, mama had heard her screaming when she woke up. "Fine, mama!" she yelled back.
So much for not waking up the whole household.
She closed her bag and got dressed in her blue and white school uniform, consisting of a blue jacket, blue-and-white checkered skirt, knee-length white socks and brown shoes, a white blouse and a ribbon tied to form a bow under her chin.
When she was done, Kagome sat down on the edge of her bed. Tomorrow, it would be her birthday. Was she really almost eighteen? In two years, she'd have to attend a seijin shiki, the Coming of Age Day.
No, she really didn't feel like eighteen years had passed – her life had literally flown past. For as long as she could remember she had lived with her eccentric grandpa, her kind mama, and her younger brother Souta.
Some clattering of pots and pans told her that her mama was already up and about, preparing breakfast for all of them.
She walked past Souta's room. "Time to wake up, Souta!" she yelled, knocking on his door to wake him up. The poor kid always forgot to set his alarm clock. "Thanks, sis!" she heard him shout.
"Hey, Kagome, can you help me with breakfast?" her mum yelled from the kitchen. "Sure, mama." she replied and ran to the kitchen. Recently, she had started helping her mama prepare meals. She was almost eighteen, and in a few years she would be living on her own. And Kagome did want to know how to prepare her favorite meals. Today was Tuesday, Miso soup day.
"What do you want me to do, mama?" she asked as she observed her mother's actions. A pan with dashi soup stock was already boiling on the stove, and her mom was chopping some tofu in small cubes.
"Oh, good morning, dear, could you chop some green onion for me? You know how much."
"Sure, mama!" Kagome said enthusiastically and got a chopping block from one of the drawers. When she was done, she assisted her mother as she boiled some salted salmon and prepare some steamed rice.
She patted Buyo, who was eyeing the salmon suspiciously, on the head and pointed at his food. "Shoo, shoo! I won't have you eating my salmon again!"
When breakfast was ready she called for her grandpa and younger brother to come eat. Family meals had always been important for the Higurashi family. The most important conversations of the family were always during their meals.
Souta was already dressed for school and looked very cute in his middle school uniform. He was fourteen, his birthday two months ago, and as energetic as ever. He was currently the captain of the soccer team at his school, a fact everyone in the family was proud of, but especially their grandpa.
Kagome giggled when she spotted her grandpa, still in his pajamas and looking a bit dazed. "Morning Kagome, Souta, Nodoka…" he mumbled in his squawky voice. He yawned, but Souta didn't allow him much rest.
"Come on, grandpa, I wanna hear another legend!" Kagome rolled her eyes. Young Souta had taken an unhealthy interest to the many stories their grandfather learned during his training as a Shinto Priest. He was currently the caretaker of the Higurashi Shrine, which had been in their family for ages.
His stories were interesting, but Kagome doubted they were true. There were no youkai in her age and she'd never actually seen the so-called holy powers of a priest or miko.
"But Souta, we're supposed to be eating breakfast!"
"Pleaaaaase?" Souta's eyes resembled that of a puppy. Sneaky boy. He knows grandpa can't say no to him. Kagome thought, a smile on her lips.
"Alright, but let me eat some soup first. I'm quite hungry."
"Sure, grandpa!" Souta grinned from ear to ear, his milk chocolate eyes shining while patiently waited for his grandfather to finish his meal.
"Now, which story do you want to hear?" Grandpa dabbed his mouth with a napkin and sat back against the wall.
"Do you have any stories about a powerful youkai? I love those!"
"Mmm… I don't suppose I've told you before about Sesshoumaru, The Lord of the West, right?"
Souta shook his head, his eyes as big as saucers. "He was an actual daiyoukai?"
"Yes. Now, listen…
Lord Sesshoumaru was one of the most powerful youkai known to men. As his name suggests, he killed with perfection. Many youkai tried to overpower him over the ages, but none were successful. Known for his hatred of humans, he slew thousands of them if they were in the way. Humans were the reason his father died an untimely death. His father Tetsuo was mated to the human princess Izayoi, and their hanyou child Inuyasha was seen as a disappointment to many of the daiyoukai.
In the end, when the great daiyoukai Tetsuo had passed away, Izayoi didn't outlive him for long. Sesshoumaru had to care for his younger brother. But he did so with hatred for the child in his heart, and treated him like filth."
Kagome sighed and bit her lip. Another traditional bad boy legend, it seemed. Souta looked interested, though. Kagome stopped paying attention and began eating her Miso soup. Ooh, it was delicious.
"Is this the same Inuyasha as the one in the legend of the miko and the hanyou?" Souta asked, jumping up and down in his seat.
"Yes, Souta, one and the same…
When Inuyasha was mature, he fought his brother many times. It is said that the Lord must have gone easy on him, for he survived every last one of the battles. But in one fight Inuyasha showed more power than expected, and with a powerful blast almost killed Sesshoumaru. With the sword of their father, Tessaiga, the one that should have belonged to Sesshoumaru, he also cut off Sesshoumaru's left arm.
For many days, Sesshoumaru lied injured in the woods, vulnerable to attacks. It was a human girl that helped him recover, she who was so different from everyone else and not afraid of him."
Kagome's head perked up. A girl? Now this sounded more interesting.
"When the girl was killed by wolves, the daiyoukai used the sword he had inherited from his father, Tenseiga, the sword of life, to revive the girl that had helped him.
As the young girl had no real home, she followed the Lord everywhere he went. Thanks to this girl, his attitude towards humans changed, if only a bit.
But it was another human girl that changed him forever. However, no one knows her name. She was the new keeper of the Shikon No Tama, the jewel that had done nothing but help evil in all the years it had existed.
After the battle with a particularly dangerous youkai, the girl had to leave her mate, for that was what Sesshoumaru was to her - and Sesshoumaru disappeared. No one has seen him ever since, but some believe him to still be alive."
A sad look passed through Souta's eyes. "That's it? No one knows what happened to the girl?" Grandpa shook his head. The girl was still a mystery to him and others.
"Poor girl… I know I wouldn't want to leave my mate ." Mom said, tears gliding down her cheeks.
Kagome shook her head and said. "But it's just a legend! No one even knows whether it's true or not!"
"Why couldn't it have happened? It's not that hard to believe!" Grandpa said, looking a bit misty-eyed himself. Over the years, he had tried the craziest things to convince his granddaughter that youkai really existed, but she simply wouldn't listen.
"Because it's full of youkai! And youkai and magic swords don't exist, gramps!" Kagome said, starting the usual fight.
"Don't say that Kagome! I know for one that my Great Aunt saw a youkai herself! For real!"
"I'm going to school now."
Kagome ran to her room to get her backpack and stalked out of the door.
"Make sure Buyo doesn't eat your fish, Souta!" she yelled.
It was hopeless. She knew it was hopeless. But she still tried to talk some sense into her crazy grandpa. Youkai simply did not exist.
Youkai this, magic that… I'm sick of it! And especially because they believe it, too, she sighed, looking at her feet while she walked.
Yes, Kagome was a very ordinary teenage girl, thank you very much. She wasn't involved with anything strange or mysterious, and tried to ignore the nonsense her grandpa and brother thought to be the truth.
Kagome tried to look a little more happy. She was close to her high school and she could already see Eri, Ayumi and Yuka. Her friends really weren't all that bad, but if she showed up looking sad they'd want to know what was wrong and she simply couldn't tell her friends about the strange beliefs of her family.
But it was already too late. Ayumi was the one that noticed.
"Kagome, what's wrong? You look sad!"
Kagome blinked, being jerked back to reality from her thoughts.
Oh, it's Ayumi. And she's the one that's supposed to be the more dreamy and absent-minded one of us. Why, oh why does she have to notice now?
She started fidgeting. "Nothing, just thinking!" she said, brushing it off. And she left it at that. She didn't notice the weird looks her friends sent her that day.
"She's been acting weird lately." Yuka whispered in her low alto.
"Yeah, I hope everything's all right at the Higurashi's…" Eri fiddled with a few locks of her shoulder-length ink black hair. "She'd tell us right? If something was wrong?"
"I hope so." Ayumi mumbled, looking at Kagome's retreating back.
And neither one of them noticed the two men on top of the roof, their long raven hair fluttering the wind as they spied on Kagome and her friends.
"What do you think, Seishiro, will it start soon?" the smallest one of the two asked, wrinkling his nose. She still didn't smell different, so nothing could've happened yet.
"Oh yes, very soon. I'm sure of that." In fact, he knew it would be any day now.
"It must be hard for you." The high tenor was full of compassion.
"Harder than you know…"
With a groan, Kagome Higurashi crashed down on her bed, her long black hair spilling over the pink pillow. Finally, this far too long day was almost over. Little did she know what lay ahead of her.
As member of the archery club, she had to stay over at school late and practice.
Damn Yuka for convincing me to join, anyway.
No kiddin'! My arms still ache from pulling that arrow for hours. She grimaced. And the results? Nada. I'm still no good at archery.
So she allowed herself a few minutes of peace. But the books and their flashy titles were already waiting on her desk, nagging her to start studying for the test tomorrow.
"I suppose I should get started on my homework, Buyo." she said to her cat, who was almost always – the lazy thing – sleeping in her bedroom.
"Buyo?" she looked around for the fat cat, but didn't see him anywhere. "Buyo?"
"Hey guys, I'm home!" Souta had come home. He would be able to help her find Buyo.
"Souta, could you help me find Buyo? He's gone." Kagome sounded a bit panicked.
"Relax, Sis, I'm sure we can find him." He dropped his bag pack on the floor and shrugged off his jacket. "It's not like Buyo's that energetic. All he ever does is sleep. He's probably just in one of our bedrooms, curled up on one of our beds."
But they couldn't find him anywhere. "Oh, where could he be? The only place we haven't looked is…" "The well." They said in unison.
"Buuuuuyoooo." Souta's voice echoed through the well house. "Kagome? I'm kinda scared. It's so dark down there… Won't you look?" his voice was more high-pitched than usual.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
"What was that?" Souta whispered, jumping up to hide behind Kagome's back. "It's scratching!"
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
"Hah! Scaredy Cat." She snorted. "That's probably just Buyo!"
Something was scratching against the closed well. But from the inside. Grandpa's anti-demon seal was still there, but it was the cat. Right?
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Oh please. It was just Buyo. Angered, she stalked past Souta and descended down the stairs. Suddenly she felt something soft against her legs.
"AAAH!"
What is that!
"Buyo? Now who's the Scaredy Cat! Hah!" Souta pointed at Buyo, who was head butting against Kagome's left leg. He was making muffled noises in his sleeve that sounded a bit too much like giggles.
"Buyo!" Kagome cooed, ignoring the laughing Souta. "There you are." She petted the fat cat, her back to the well.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
"But if Buyo's here, then what's down the-…" Kagome started, but before she could finish, the well unsealed and with a crash, the cover exploded.
"What's that? Sis! Behind you!"
Kagome started to run away from the well, but was sucked in. Then arms wrapped around her, and dragged in a very confused looking Kagome. She was blinded by a bluish light that enveloped her and her captor.
Down, down, they went and all Kagome could think was I feel like I'm Alice in Wonderland before the creature started talking to her.
"Ah, you brought me back to life. Now, give it to me!" Its voice was rough, and sounded like the creature had smoked all its life – it didn't suit the female face at all. "You have it, don't you?"
This, if possible, confused her even more.
"I have what?" she cried as the creature licked her face with its immensely long tongue.
"Yeeees… I can taste it on your skin. You have it."
She looked at the creature, which was a huge cross between a snake and a woman, with three arms on every side. When she saw it, really saw it, Kagome screamed like she never had before, a high-pitched shriek that cut through the silence.
Impossible. I must've bumped my head. Really hard. Yes. That's it!
"Ewww! Get away from me!" And with that, she shoved the creature away from her. Suddenly, a bright pink light enveloped her palm and blasted the snake youkai away from her.
Unfortunately, the Creepy Snake-Woman had also been the only thing that kept her floating. With another shriek, Kagome plunged down the well.
With a thump, she landed on her knees. Scouting the small area she was in, she found that Creepy Snake-Woman was nowhere to be found. All that was left of the Snake-Woman was one of her arms.
Souta's probably still up there. I'm sure he can get me a ladder.
"Hey, Souta! Get grandpa," she yelled up the well. "And find me a ladder, please?"
"Souta? Hey, Souta? Souta?" her screams became more and more panicked as she realized no one was there.
He must've been so scared he ran off to find grandpa.
She tried to stand up, but her pained ankle told her she had twisted it. She tried not to look at the aborted arm lying a few meters away.
Ew, ew, ew! Here I am, in an old, smelling well, with an injured leg and no Souta in sight to help me.
Pushing herself up, she began to climb the walls of the well, using the plants that grew on the sides to pull herself up.
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Sengoku Jidai – Japan, near Edo – 1511
It was almost dusk, and the sky was painted with a beautiful mix of red, blue and orange. But the silver-haired inuyoukai that was riding on a sparkling dust cloud didn't pay attention to the gorgeous scene in front of him. Over the years, he had gotten used to the beauty of nature.
His sidekick, Jaken, was riding on a dragon-steed named Ah-Un. Jaken was starting to grow impatient, and was fidgeting and rearranging the sleeves of his shaggy, brown haori all the time. His peculiar black hat was threatening to fall off.
"Jaken. Stop that," ordered Sesshoumaru. "Now!"
The toad demon stopped tickling the old man's head on the Staff of Two Heads, who was giggling like a little girl, and looked at his master with his strange, yellow eyes.
"Sorry, M-master. Hai. I'll do a-as you say."
Irritating little brat. Why did this Sesshoumaru ever allow Jaken to follow him?
Sesshoumaru was in the near vicinity of Edo, the village were his younger half-brother was pinned to a tree.
His dense younger brother had allowed himself to fall in love with a village wench, and look what happened to him. No, he, Sesshoumaru, would never, ever be as dim-witted as that half-breed, his brainless excuse of a brother… Inuyasha.
Jaken's squawky, high-pitched voice brought him back to reality. "Milord, can we find a place to set up camp? Y-you see, Ah-Un here is very tired and-" Ah-Un roared, indicating that he didn't feel tired at all.
Sesshoumaru scoffed. "Very well. This Sesshoumaru will leave you two to find a place to set up camp. He has some business to attend to."
Jaken made a strange sound of delight that sounded more like a whinny than anything else, and stuttered "Arigatou, M-Milord, I'm very grateful to-"
But Sesshoumaru had learned years ago that, most of the time, Jaken's nonsense wasn't worth paying attention to.
Ah-Un nudged Jaken, who, as usual, didn't even notice his Lord didn't pay any attention to his rambling. "H-huh? Milord? Oh. He's gone." Jaken looked slightly muddled when his Lord was nowhere to be found.
Sesshoumaru sped up his dust cloud even more and steered it in the direction of Inuyasha. He was just doing his yearly check-up on his ever-sleeping half brother.
When he felt it, it surprised him so much he couldn't move his cloud for a few minutes.
It was indescribable, something or somebody so strong he could feel his beasts' self-defense trying to take over even so far away from it.
Stop it. This Sesshoumaru is in control of the situation. He can defend us. This Sesshoumaru wants to see the source of this immense power.
But we are afraid, his beast whimpered. Something as powerful as that could easily kill us without even lifting a hand! It's dangerous!
Enough! Sesshoumaru mentally roared and steered his cloud towards the blinding pink aura.
Sengoku Jidai – Japan, Inuyasha's Forest – 1511
Kagome pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the well. Taking in the different surroundings, she blinked. Once, twice. Shaking her head, she pinched herself in the arm.
Ouch. Definitely not a dream. No, this is reality.
Uh-oh. I think we have a problem.
Oh really? She grimaced. No kiddin'!
So what are you going to do now?
How should I know? Hey, wait a second. Who're you?
The voice in her head was the one of a woman. It was a high soprano, and sounded rather young. But the woman had stopped talking.
"Strange things happen to me today," she muttered, and jumped up from her seat on the edge of the well. "It's like the shrine and my home never even existed here!"
Yes, it was very odd. What's happening to me? Am I crazy?
No, no, she wasn't crazy. There must be a rational, logical explanation for this. But the problem was, Kagome didn't have an explanation.
Muttering swear words under her breath, Kagome started walking around the well. When she saw the tree, she suddenly stopped.
Goshinboku! The Tree of Ages. Finally, something I recognize.
She whooped, waving her hands in the air as she started running towards the tree that seemed to be a duplicate of the one at the family Shrine.
Pushing her way through the sharp leaves of bushes, cutting her arms and legs in the process, she noticed that it was one hell of a lot shorter than it was at home. Did that mean it was not the same tree as the one at home?
She stopped in her tracks when she noticed a boy surrounded and trapped by the roots of the tree. He was pinned to the tree by a very ancient-looking arrow.
However, that was not what made Kagome look closer. No, it was his silvery dog ears and long, silver mane, swishing in the wind that stood out. Kagome moved closer to the boy.
Is he… dead?
No, just asleep. The prick deserved it too, he insulted me all the time. And all he ever did was trying to use me for his own selfish plans, the woman scoffed. Like that was ever going to happen.
Kagome winced. There it was again. That voice in her head. She decided to ignore it for now and climbed up the tree.
The boy was handsome, and had looked very peaceful, but on closer inspection, she saw that the boy had thick, bushy eyebrows that hadn't been plucked in ages, maybe never, and he smelled a bit. And for some reason… he looked sad and depressed, even with his eyes closed.
The dog ears are cute, though, she decided, and reached up to rub his ears.
She had been rubbing them for a few seconds when she heard something behind her. She turned immediately and yelped when she saw some medieval-looking men with topknots holding brown short bows pointing in her direction.
She ducked under one of the tree's roots, and just in time, for she saw some arrows landing on the exact place she had just been standing.
"Stop it! I am not your enemy!" she yelled, trying to stand on her throbbing right foot. She had forgotten all about her injury.
"We'll listen to you after High Priestess Kaede tells us you're not a demon."
Demon? Me? They actually think I'm a demon?
Well, dear, no offense, but your clothes are rather… revealing and people in this time are simply not used to that, the woman giggled. You look and are out of place and in this time, people are aware of everything that's not ordinary.
Oh. Thanks, I guess. Now what?
You're no youkai, so just wait until this priestess confirms you aren't.
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Sengoku Jidai – Japan, Edo – 1511
Kagome sighed internally and gazed at her knees. Her hands were tied behind her back, and the timeworn rope was cutting off her circulation. The villagers were speculating about her clothes and from the glares she received, it didn't look pretty.
After a few minutes, one of the top knotted men announced; "Make way for High Priestess Kaede!" and a woman pushed herself through the crowd, silencing every last one of them.
The High miko Kaede was a rather old, wise-looking woman. Her grayish-brown hair was swept up in a traditional miko's ponytail and her right eye was hidden by an iron tsuba that seemed to serve as an eye patch. The left eye, however, was still there and was small and almost black.
In her right hand, on the same side as her eye patch, she carried a long Saigu-Yumi, a Priestess Bow, and a quiver of Hamaya, Sacred Arrows, on her back.
She wore a chihaya, which consisted of a white jacket with cords through the sleeves, white kosode, a bright red hakama and tabi with rice sandals, which, now that Kagome thought of it, must have been a tradional outfit for miko, because she saw more women in the crowd wearing it.
The many lines in the face of Kaede were visible as she frowned at the young stranger. It was peculiar that the girl resembled her sister so. The same light blue eyes and ink black hair, but somehow, this girl looked like a much more pleasant woman to be around.
Momentarily handing over her Saigu-Yumi to one of the other miko, Kaede sprinkled the stranger with some anti-demon dust that looked suspiciously like salt, but all the girl did was brush it off. So, she was not a demon. Kaede lifted a grey brow. Interesting.
"What are ye, girl, if not a demon? Where are ye from, found in the forest of Inuyasha, wearing those?" she used her head to point at Kagome's scandalously short skirt.
"I'll have you know this is a very expensive uniform, from a respected high school, and it is a common thing to wear in Tokyo!" she told the old woman, her head lifted proudly.
But while she was telling the miko this, she glanced at the other women. Almost all of them wore traditional kimonos and long skirts.
She's right. I have always thought that the skirts were short. But everyone wears them at home! Even so, it seems not appropriate in a place like this. People might think I'm a… she shivered and tried to tug her skirt down …a whore.
"To-ky-o?" the woman pronounced it like it consisted of three different words. "Is that where ye come from, youngster?"
Kagome nodded. "It's a big city, actually. It's one of the three most important cities where I come from," she sighed. "But I do not know how to go back."
"Hai. We miko might be able to help you," the older miko smiled at her. It was a much-needed sympathetic expression – the first since Kagome had arrived in this foreign place. "We'll discuss this over a warm meal."
Kagome nodded and grinned while she allowed the woman to unbind her wrists. The ropes left some nasty, red cuts. She winced slightly, rubbing the throbbing marks.
This did not go unnoticed by the High Miko Kaede. "I'm sorry about those," she said, as her hands were starting to glow a faint pink. She touched the tender skin on Kagome's wrist and after a few seconds, the red marks started to fade.
Kagome looked at Kaede with new eyes, her mouth forming a little o. The miko had healing powers? "Can you…-" she pointed at her twisted foot. Kaede nodded and healed her foot, too.
Not as "impossible" as you thought, huh?she heard the high soprano say, her snickers echoing over and over in her mind.
I guess not, she shrugged. But I'm still not entirely sure this isn't a dream.
Just as stubborn as the last one, she thought she heard the voice declare.
The "last one"? What does she mean by that? she stood up, following miko Kaede, who was stumbling towards a huge hut, using her long Saigu-Yumi as walking stick. Well, I guess that's the least of my concerns now. And with that, she dismissed it – for now.
A huge kettle hung over an equally big fire. One of the elder miko stood in front of it, leaning on her Saigu-Yumi. She dropped all kinds of herbs, seemingly grabbing random ones from the table behind her, stirring the whole mix and tasting now and then.
Kagome swallowed hard. I do hope that's edible, she thought, and she started fidgeting as she waited for Kaede and the other miko to be seated. A few miko were staring at her with an awe-inspired look in their eyes.
I'm not that weird. Am I?
"Now, youngster, why don't ye tell me how ye came here, and what that incredible power that ye carry with ye is."
She quickly ate some of her stew. It tasted better than she expected.
"Well, I was looking for my cat when something dragged me into the well. It was a huge snake demon with a woman's head and torso." she shivered involuntarily, remembering the creepy creature. "She, or it, told me I 'had it' and 'had to give it to her'." Kagome said, frowning a bit, while trying to remember what exactly the Snake had said.
"Then I screamed and pushed her away from me, and this enormous, pink light shocked one of her arms off. After that, I climbed out of the well and I stood in, as you call it, Inuyasha's Forest."
The miko started murmuring things about a 'Bone Eaters' Well' and one 'Mistress Centipede', but Kagome interrupted their musings.
"Excuse me, but could you tell me what year it is?"
They looked bewildered. "Why, we’re in the Muromachi Period, of course!" one of them said, laughing a bit. When Kagome didn’t reply she said, “We’re in the eleventh year since Emperor Go-Kashiwabara started ruling Japan.”
That means… It’s 1511? Kagome thought, remembering the history classes she’d had.
With a sharp intake of breath, Kagome pinched herself as hard as she could. But she didn't wake up. "What? Time travel? But that's…-" she muttered, trying to stop the tornado of thoughts in her head.
… Impossible? Apparently, it is not. The voice again. But this time, she believed it. It had to be true. Impossible, but true.
"This might be a little unexpected, but where I come from, it's 2011." she looked up a bit unwillingly, into the astonished faces of about four miko.
She quickly stuffed her mouth full with some stew, waiting for one of them to start laughing now. But instead, they all looked at each other and nodded.
Kaede was the first one to say something. "To speak truthfully, it doesn't surprise me in the least. Yer manner of speak, dress and yer sudden appearance is peculiar, and stranger things have happened in the Forest of Inuyasha." The other miko nodded when she said the latter.
They waited for her to start talking, their faces open and encouraging. "About this… power. Do you know what it is? Am I a miko? And what was the thing that attacked me earlier?"
Kaede grinned. "One at a time youngster. Oh my, I haven't even asked for your name yet, have I?"
"My name is Kagome." she said, bowing her torso slightly.
"Well, I do think you're a miko, and a very powerful one at that. I recognize you as the reincarnation of one I knew personally." Her eyes became softer, and she seemed to be reminiscing for a few moments, before she snapped to attention again. "As for this power, I'm not entirely sure about that, but I have an idea of wh-…"
Her explanation was cut off by a bloodcurdling shriek from outside and a yell of: "It's Mistress Centipede! She's back!"
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A/N: End of the very first chapter. I do realize it's a bit (OK, much) longer than most of the stuff out there, but I like it this way. As for the length of this fanfiction – I personally have no idea. I will not be retelling every single episode, only the most important ones. It will be my favorite shipping from Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru/Kagome, and yes, Shippou and the others do join. Rin, too!
I will try not to make them too much OOC. Guessing game: who's the voice in Kagome's head? *grins*
Also, if you have any, any questions or if you spot a spelling mistake (even after my awesome beta-ing), please do tell me!
And, the beginning may be a bit similar to the first episode, but after that it will be very, very different. Basically, Inuyasha will be replaced with Sesshoumaru!
- Erliane
Final Word Count: 5787
PS: This story will also be posted on Fanfiction dot net