The Beginning
9/1/08: Author's Note: I got my first flame today. Seems someone isn't happy about this story being marked as complete when it truly isn't. Gomen to all my readers- I did not know I had set the story up incorrectly and will change it to in-progress as of 9/5/08. So if you want to read it as I write it, please put this story on your story alert list. Thank You!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the wonderful InuYasha characters created by Rumiko Takahashi, nor do I own any of the Greek gods listed within this story.
The Beginning
Dawn broke that morning just like every morning in feudal era Japan. As the members of the traveling group woke up, they started their morning tasks. Shippo went to fetch the cooking water. Miroku and Sango packed the camp gear so the group would be ready to leave as soon as breakfast was done. Kagome started preparing breakfast near the fire. And of course, InuYasha was pacing around the campsite giving orders to everyone in between whining for breakfast and complaining that they'd never get on their way if everyone didn't hurry up. Nothing in the atmosphere or their surroundings gave any clue that today was going to be any different than every other day. Unfortunately for the group, fate has a funny way of interfering with life…
"Okay guys, come and get it" Kagome called to the group. "Keh! It's about time, wench!" InuYasha gruffed, grabbing the ramen she held out to him. Kagome just smiled, knowing that was his way of saying thanks. They ate quickly, then cleaned up the breakfast mess and resumed their journey. "I sense a jewel shard to the south, InuYasha" Kagome told him as she hopped on his back. "It's about an hour from here." "Let's go!" he took off towards the south. Sango, Miroku and Shippo hopped onto Kirara's back and followed.
As Kagome predicted, they found the demon with the jewel shard about an hour later. It was a hideous creature that looked like a cross between a snake and a vulture. It was a slimy black color with glowing green eyes and a grey beak full of razor sharp teeth plus two giant fangs dripping with venom. A pair of raggedy looking wings protruded about 2 feet below the top of the head, and the rest of the 18 foot long body was covered in a disgusting mix of feathers and scales. It had two sets of sharp talons, one for standing and the other set was in the process of pulling apart a horse it had caught. Kagome fought back the nausea the vision in front of her caused and searched for the shard. "Tip of the tail, InuYasha" she called. "Alright! Sango & me'll distract it, you and Miroku get the shard." He pulled Tetsaiga out of its' sheath and it transformed into a mighty fang. With a yell, he attacked and Sango did the same. Kagome & Miroku nodded and headed towards the tail of the beast. They slipped into place quietly. "You place your slicing sutra and I'll hit it with one of my sacred arrows to cut off the part we need" Kagome instructed Miroku. "Got it!" He slapped the sutra on the tail swiftly, then Kagome fired her arrow. The creature screeched in pain as the last foot of its tail was sliced off cleanly. "Now to get the shard" Kagome headed towards the writhing tail piece. She was so intent on her mission, she didn't hear InuYasha's warning cry "Look out Kagome!" She was spun around by the force of the beast's poison fangs sinking into her left shoulder. "Stupid! I should've paid more attention!" She scolded herself mentally as InuYasha and Miroku attacked. The creature jerked, snapping off both fangs, leaving them in Kagome's body. "Now I'm gonna die without ever telling 'Yasha how I feel" she slipped into darkness as the creature's foul poison rapidly dispersed into her bloodstream.
"What the..?" was Kagome's first thought as she opened her eyes. She was sitting in the middle of a huge green field covered with fragrant calla lilies in a rainbow of colors. "I must be dead and this is heaven!" she thought as she stood up. The sky was glowing in hues of pink and orange, just like when the sun sets at night. "No, you're not in heaven Kagome" she spun around at the words. "Who are you?" she asked. Strangely, she instantly trusted the man standing in front of her in spite of the scars on his face and deformed right arm. Maybe it was his blue-green eyes, silky reddish-brown pony tail and warm smile that set her at ease. Or maybe it was the supple black leather pants- "Kami I love a man in form fitting leather!" She thought as a light blush came to her cheeks- and matching vest he wore on his muscular, tan form. "I am Hephaestus, Greek god and blacksmith to the immortals of Olympus" he introduced himself with a small bow. "This is not heaven, Kagome" he repeated "walk with me and I'll explain everything" he held out his good arm. She wrapped hers around his and as they walked, Hephaestus started to explain. "These are the Elysian fields. I asked Zeus to transport your spirit here so I could talk to you." "What about my friends? Are they all okay?" she asked with concern. "Ah yes! This is exactly why you are the Chosen One! Always putting others welfare before yours!" he laughed out loud. While his deep laugh was pleasing to her ears and she didn't want it to stop, Kagome had to ask the question. "Chosen One?" "Your friends are fine, as so will you be when we are done here" he sidestepped her question. "Now, listen without interruption and I will tell you everything you need to know so you may prepare yourself for your upcoming journey."
Kagome listened intently as Hephaestus told his tale while they walked the Elysian Fields. "Time does not pass in a straight line all of the time. Every now and again the past, present and future connect, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad. Normally everything balances out as time passes. That is until recently." He paused as they reached a beautiful waterfall. He motioned for Kagome to sit on the marble bench by the water. He sat down and continued. "In your year 1992, the three collided. At that precise moment, you were born. Why your birth triggered the events to come we have yet to discover. However, we are certain that your birth caused the normal flow of time to change, which in turn changed fate for billions." He gazed out at the waterfall for a moment to let Kagome mull over the situation. "This change in the flow- it's what caused me to be able to travel through the Bone Eater's well to Feudal Japan, isn't it?" she asked. Hephaestus nodded. "She caught on quickly. Yet another reason why she is the Chosen One." He thought. "Yes. Your birth at that pivotal moment gave you the ability to travel through time using the well. It also destined you to be the one to redirect the flow of time to save billions of lives." He looked at her. Dozens of emotions played across her face as the concept sunk in. He could tell from the set of her body she had come to a decision. She looked him straight in the eye- "What do I have to do?"
In less time than it took Kagome to blink, they were transported to Mount Olympus. "We will meet with Zeus and prepare you for what is to come." He walked her into a great open room that reminded her of the Coliseum in Greece. Zeus was waiting for them. "My dear Kagome, we finally meet" Zeus greeted her warmly, grasping her hand and placing a light kiss on her knuckles. He was about 6 foot tall, lean and well muscled but not too bulgy anywhere. The light blue toga he wore complemented his deep blue eyes and curly white shoulder length hair. If it weren't for the hair and his gray beard, she would have thought he was her age. "He's not anything like the descriptions in all the books I read" she thought as he led the two of them to a table and chairs. "I'd offer you some refreshments, however since only your spirit is here you wouldn't be able to enjoy them" his eyes twinkled as they sat down. "Down to business. Hephaestus told you what happened. Now I shall tell you how we fix it." "May I ask a question?" Kagome asked. "Of course" he replied. "If I remember history from my era correctly, the Greek gods were not known in feudal Japan, and by my era they had been replaced by other gods. Why are you involved in this if you aren't part of either era?" "I knew you were a smart one!" Zeus's laughter rumbled like thunder deep in his chest. "When the collision occurred, it affected all eras past, present, and future. Once we figured that out, we convened a meeting of all the top gods from as many of the eras as possible, regardless of the country they were from. After much discussion, it was decided that the Kami from the feudal Japan era you visit and the Greek gods would be in charge of helping the Chosen One meet her destiny." He paused to let this sink in before continuing. "The Kami were selected because they are present in the era you are in right now and are available for immediate help. We were chosen because of the superior weapons and training we can provide, as well as our ability to time travel and link to you mentally." "So what's next?" Kagome asked. "Part of you stays to train, the other returns to your body." He said. "Huh? Explain please." She asked with confusion. "You are the Chosen One. You will become a powerful Miko when all is right once again. Every Miko has two sides- the Caretaker and the Warrior. Both must be fully trained in order for a Miko to reach her full potential. You are well on the way with the Caretaker and will continue to train this side of you. Your Warrior only recently awakened and requires much work to be ready for the task at hand. Your Warrior will remain here on Mount Olympus for training. When the time comes, you will be visited by a Japanese Kami who will explain everything." Zeus finished, and then rose from his seat. Kagomi and Hephaestus did the same. They began walking back to the main area while Kagomi digested everything she had been told. Zeus bid them farewell and they transported back to the Elysian Fields.
"It is time, Kagome" Hephaestus took her hands in his. "Will I remember any of this?" she asked. She wanted to, if only because the two gods were so handsome and charming. "You will. However, you cannot tell anyone about this. To do so could destroy your one chance at fixing this anomaly." He spoke softly. "Not Even InuYasha?" she questioned. "No, not even him. I know it will be hard. Listen carefully as I explain several things to you. First, to help you I have created this amulet." He placed a delicate elliptical shaped silver and deep blue cabochon moonstone amulet at the base of her neck. "No one will be able to tell it's there except you. Whenever one of the Olympic Gods needs to meet with you, you will feel it tingle. When this happens, you must leave your group and find a secluded meeting spot. The amulet will boost your Miko power and allow you to create a barrier that will hide your scent, aura and even your body from others. When the barrier is in place, the god will join you." He paused to let her get used to the feel of the amulet. When she nodded, he continued. "Second, a Greek god will join your group shortly after you return. You will know them, however the others will not. This god will help you complete the Caretaker's training faster so you are fully prepared when the time comes." She nodded again. "Third and last, you cannot evergive up hope. To do so will cause the end of all existence. You are the Chosen One. You carry the hope of every living being that has ever been or ever will be with you." He looked at her again. "Gee, you sure know how to ease a girl's worries, don't you?" she chuckled at his surprised expression, followed quickly by a huge grin. "Boy, you sure are something Kagome!" his voice was full of admiration, which rarely happens to a god. Especially when a mere mortal is involved. "I have one more gift for you before I send you back. " he pulled a silver cuff out of his pocket. The work was intricate and detailed with swirls and patterns that created a dozen suns and moons. At the center of each sun, there was a faceted golden sunstone. At the center of each moon, there was a faceted deep blue moonstone. He placed the cuff on her left bicep. "This cuff is your new weapon. Whenever you need a bow and arrow think of your need and the power of the cuff will create a bow of blue energy and as many sacred arrows as you need. When the battle is over, the bow will retreat into the cuff until needed again." Kagome thought "bow!" A blue energy bow with an arrow appeared in her hands. "Cool! Now I'll always have my weapon handy! But what about my group? Can they know about this?" she asked. "They may. And if they ask where it came from, you can tell them it was formed when your body rejected the snake venom. They will believe this because of a spell I had Achelois- moon goddess who drives away pain- place on it." He explained. "No one will be able to take this away from you, Kagome. It is now part of you just like the amulet." He explained. "Now, are you ready to return to your friends?" She nodded. "Okay. I have to kiss your lips in order to keep The Warrior here and send you the Caretaker back." Her eyes widened a little. "My first kiss and it won't be InuYasha" she thought with a little disappointment. "Oh well, it's necessary to save billions so I'll just have to get over it. Besides, he is a handsome Greek god. Not every girl gets this kind of chance." She looked into Hephaestus's blue-green eyes, her cheeks tinted light pink. "Ready when you are". Their lips met, a strong tingling feeling shot through her entire body, then all went black.