Alrighty, so I know I should be working on the next chappie of "Imaginary", but it wasn't really MY fault. It was my HANDS fault. And my MIND. See, at midnight, when my hands plus my mind team up, strange things happen. Like this one-shot, for example. Anyway, I thought it was kinda short-ish, but I kinda liked it, so I'm posting it. Enjoy :) (And please review!)
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Once again, the little girl hiked up the waistline of her red hakama.
As yet another loose strand of ebony hair stuck to her sweaty face, she attempted somewhat pathetically to roll up her long white sleeves which hung to her knees.
"Keep up, child. We are almost at the temple."
Her navy-grey eyes focussed once again on the elderly miko in front of her. The miko's shoulders were slouched and her hair was a vibrant white, all effects of old age. Her voice sounded like the rustle of leaves in the autumn, and the little girl pictured her piercing eyes in her mind, wisdom and fatigue swimming in their silvery depths.
As her small, sandal-clad feet finally made their way to the top of a rather ridiculously large hill, she felt he breath hitch in her throat at the sight before her young eyes.
The sun was setting, it's final golden rays seemed to clutch at the sky, almost as if it wanted to pull the heavens down with it. Reds, pinks, oranges and purples clashed and mixed, but still seemed to reflect such balance and beauty. This side of the hill was a considerable amount smaller than the side she had come up, and situated at the bottom sat an ancient looking shrine. The elderly miko was almost there.
"Mizori-sama!" her voice was frail and high pitched. As the miko froze, she internally flinched and chided herself. That had sounded childish, even to her own ears.
Mizori did not turn, but simply waited for her pupil to run down the hill, stumbling all the way with her lengthily robes. She would have to speak to the village seamstress to do something about that.
A smile tugged at her dry and wrinkled lips as the flushed and panting girl stopped when she was exactly beside her, straightened her back, and tried to even out her breathing. She was trying so hard to act grown up...
"Come." was the only word she spoke, and she felt the child's strong aura pulse with fear and excitement as she the pair walked into the temple.
The floor was covered in dust, and the air was thick and earthy smelling. Cobwebs lingered in every corner, and darkness seemed to have engulfed the supposed Holy place. A fire suddenly ignited in the centre of the room. She saw the young one flinch.
"Child, do you know why I have brought you here?" she asked slowly, tiredly, eyes never leaving the flame.
"Iie, Mizori-sama."
"You have led a long life so far, and I'm afraid it will only get longer." she murmured, but the empty walls seemed to echo her words.
The little girl said nothing.
"Your parents were slain by youkai, and you were left an orphan before you had even earned a tooth," she started slowly.
"I raised you, watched you grow, and taught you everything I knew before you were even at age. I have seen many things, slew many youkai, and healed many people. But even in all my knowledge and power, in any miko's for that matter, we cannot heal ourselves, nor are we immune to time."
She saw the child's eyes rip away from the firelight's eery dance to look at her with pain.
"But as I watched you grow, I saw more than just the stages of a young woman. I saw, and still see, the abilities of a miko surging through you. The Gods have favoured you with the power of the miko, and already I can feel your strength surpassing mine. You will prove to be an excellent miko, and will serve your village well."
The girl's eyes were watery, so she nodded in response. "I am honoured..." she whispered.
"But I must warn you. A prophecy has been foretold, a shadow in our future. A future were you will need to make important choices, and even more important sacrifices. With a power as great as yours, you will probably have to make the biggest sacrifice of all..."
She finally turned from the flame to gaze solidly into her successor's eyes. The child was taken aback by all the emotion that burned in her mentor's eyes.
"Are you willing to take this burden? This sacrifice? The worst will come, my child. And it will all fall upon you. You need not take this path, there are others."
The miko seemed to be pleading her. But pleading her to do what?
"I...I accept. I accept for my people. I won't let you down, Mizori-sama."
The miko bowed her head, and closed her eyes. The girl thought she saw a single tear slide down her weathered cheek, but it must have been a trick of the light for when Mizori looked up again, nothing was there.
The elderly walked around the flame. The young girl made to follow, but she was instructed to stay.
"Give me your hand."
The child's eyes grew large as she saw the miko's hand outstretched in the burning pit.
"You can still turn back, girl. You don't have to do this."
Doubt settled on the child's face for a moment, her eyes wandering uneasily to the temple entrance. But she took a deep breath and submerged her hand in the fire, shutting her eyes to block out the pain.
She felt something surge through her, a warmth, a light, a knowledge. It burned just as hotly as the flame, and she vaguely wondered if her entire body had caught on fire. But the sensation ebbed away, and when she opened her eyes again, her hand was not singed, nor was the fire burning anymore.
"Mizori-sama?" her voice wavered in the darkness.
No one was there.
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Stormy blue eyes popped open.
Raven tresses flew around her in her sudden movement of sitting straight up in bed.
Heart pounding, the little girl held up a shaky hand, her palm tingling and her fingertips encased in a burning warmth. But just as quickly as the feeling had come, it disappeared, leaving the sleepy child with a confused sense of wonderment.
Closing her eyes as she leaned back on her pillow, she frowned as she tried to grasp her dream, but it was as successful as holding onto a fist full of water. It dribbled away, but left her with a few droplets, bits and pieces, feelings and thoughts.
Rolling over, she shoved the dream aside as just that, a dream. She had plenty of them, why get caught up on this one?
Sinking back into the blissful depths of sleep, she failed to hear the voice of a woman's whispered words above her head.
"The Eternal Flame was given to me when I was no younger than you, nor no older. You powers have awakened and are now at your command. Teach yourself how to hone them, for you shall be even more powerful than I someday."
The spirit surveyed the sleeping child and murmured something more before leaving.
"And take good care of Inuyasha."
With that, it was gone, leaving it's reincarnation of five hundred years a memory from her past, but also with a prophecy of her own for the future.
A prophecy of a powerful miko and her kind heart, defeating one hanyou's wickedness, and another hanyou's heart.