Nyoko opened her eyes as she heard her mother's voice calling her name. She looked around, and noticed that it was still dark outside.
"Mother, why have you woken me?" she asked, a slight frown forming on her face. "The sun isn't even up yet." She knew she as being immature; her twentieth birthday was just a few days away, and with that she would become a full-fledged priestess. But right now, Nyoko didn't care. Right now, she was still a tired teenager.
"Nyoko, your father and I have something important to show you. Please dress quickly, and meet us at the shrine."
Before Nyoko had a chance to ask any questions, her mother had disappeared out into the darkness. She stood up and stretched, pulling her light blue miko garb on lazily over her night clothes. Mumbling under her breath, she slipped her sandals on and slowly made her way to the shrine at the center of the village. Her family had been guarding this place for centuries. As she entered, her mother turned towards her and frowned.
"Nyoko, what took you so long? And you couldn't even bother to get dressed properly?"
"Aiko, leave the girl alone," said her father, putting up his hand to quiet his wife. Then he turned to Nyoko and said, "Come here."Nyoko climbed the steps to the altar, and her eyes widened in shock. All her life, she had heart the stories, and was well aware of the fact that the Shikon Jewel had been shattered into hundreds of pieces. But she could not believe that the glowing pink jewel shard before her could possibly be a piece of that sacred and cursed jewel.
"Is...is that what I think it is?" she stammered, unable to take her eyes off of it.
"Yes, Nyoko," her father said softly. "This is a shard of the sacred Shikon Jewel." He put his hand on her shoulder before he continued. "Senichi found this while he was out hunting. Apparently, it came out of a demon he defeated."
Nyoko blushed at the mention of Senichi's name. He had been courting her for the past two years, and their parents had just approved of their engagement. They were to be married shortly after the ceremony which would make Nyoko a priestess.
"Senichi found this? When did he return to the village? And what was he doing fighting demons?"
Tomoko squeezed his daughter's shoulder a bit tighter, trying to put her at ease. "Senichi is safe, Nyoko. He left this with me a few hours ago, and said that he would return to see you in the morning."
Nyoko nodded, and returned her attention to the jewel shard. It was pulsing with an almost eerie glow, and she found that she couldn't look away. She reached down and picked it up, holding it loosely in the palm of her hand. She felt an immense surge of power flow through her body. Her head begain to spin, and she suddenly blacked out, falling to the floor.
When Nyoko opened her eyes again, the world around her was very blurry. She felt a sharp pain in her hand, and looked down to see it bandaged. What did that jewel shard do to me? she wondered. Then, as her surroundings came into focus, she noticed that both of her parents and Senichi were standing over her, and the sun was high in the sky. She was back in her bed.
"Nyoko-sama, you are alright!" cried Senichi, taking her hand in his. "We were all very worried about you."
Nyoko blinked her eyes, and shook her head slightly. "I'm...I'm fine, Senichi-sama. I have no idea what happened." She looked at her father, and asked him softly, "What happened to me, back there?"
Tomoko knelt down by his daughter's side. "That jewel shard is tainted with evil, Nyoko. Your pure heart rejected it, when you touched it, and the shock was too much for you. You've been out for a full day and a half now."
Nyoko couldn't believe what he was saying. I've been unconscious for a day and a half, just from touching a piece of the Shikon Jewel? I guess all of the stories are true then; it does contain a lot of spiritual strength. She sat up, and immediately felt dizzy and sick, but tried not to let it show on her face. "What do you mean the jewel is tainted, father? How could that be?"
"The jewel absorbed the demon's evil strength, and retained it even once it's host had been defeated. Sadly, there seems to be no way to purify it. I thought that perhaps once you touched it, it would become neutral once again." Tomoko furrowed his brow slightly. "But your touch seems to have had the opposite effect."
He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the shard, showing it to his daughter. Now, the tiny fragment glowed a deep, dark red, and it seemed almost angry. Nyoko didn't understand. How could she have done this? She was no one special...
"Please, Nyoko," she heard her mother say, and was pulled back out of her thoughts, "You need to rest. I will stay here with you. You need not worry about the jewel shard; your father will take care of it, and keep it safe. We never should have concerned you with this."
Nyoko shook her head. "No, mother. I am going to inherit the position of protecting this shrine, one day. You and father need to learn to trust me." Then, she turned to Senichi. "Stay with me for awhile, while I rest?"
He squeezed her hand, and looked into her light blue eyes. "Of course, Nyoko-sama. I will not leave your side."
Tomoko took Aiko by the hand, and led her out of the room, saying, "Come, koi, let's leave them alone for awhile." Aiko nodded, stopping only to brush Nyoko's hair back out of her eyes. Then, with a look of great sadness, she followed her husband out the door.
Nyoko breathed a sigh of relief once her parents were out of sight. "What is wrong with them?" she asked Senichi.
He shook his head. "Everyone was worried about you, Nyoko-sama. Strange things have been going on since you lost consciousness." He frowned, not sure if he should tell her, but then decided she would only become angry if she thought he was trying to keep things from her. "There have been demon attacks on the village almost constantly for the past day and a half. At least ten of our villagers have lost their lives. It's almost as if..." he let his voice trail off, becoming silent.
"Almost as if what, Senichi-sama? Please, tell me."
He looked away from her, not wishing to see her expression as the words poured from his mouth. "It's almost as if, when you touched it, you called them to it."
Nyoko became enraged. "Why would anyone think that I would call demons to attack this village? My family has been protecting this place for generations!" She stood up, slightly shaky, and began to walk towards the door. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this." She stormed off toward the shrine; she needed to find her father, and get her hands on that jewel shard again.