In a room somewhere in Tokyo, in 1982, a woman is walking around her childhood room. She's holding a baby, that isn't making a sound. The child is a newborn, but she's different from the other kids born that year. Because technically, she wasn't born that year.
She was born 500 years before.
"I'm such a selfish mother," the woman says, smiling ruefully down the child in her arms, "I guess I should tell you now, while I know you won't remember.
I was born too late sweetie. Im the reincarnation of one of the most powerful mikos in the world. Her name was Kikyou-"
The little girl begins to cry, and her mother shushes her gently, "I know, I know. I didn't like her either. Well, technically, I didn't know her...she was dead. But...Well, never mind that. The point is, I am her reincarnated self. And you my dear, you are the reincarnation of the most powerful miko ever. Her name was Midoriko. Her soul resides within me, but it is also within you. You're such a powerful girl. You don't even know.
Your father is a hanyou. I love him, even after learning that he still loves my incarnation. That's why you have to know that you are not a mistake. If anything, you're the best thing I've ever done, especially with him.
But, now, knowing what I do, I'm running away. I'm going to fix my mistake through you."
She stops when another woman walks in.
"Well child, my services have not been called upon in years. And never by a miko."
"I call you, youkai, because you share my power to see the Shikon no Tama. As you know though, a miko cannot see the jewel if it is in the body it was reincarnated into. So I need you to locate it, and remove it for me."
"And, what makes you think I shall not take it for myself?" the old woman asks.
"Because," the younger one smiles, "we both know you have no need for it."
The youkai laughs and nods, before kneeling down before the miko and clawing into her ankle. There's a shooting pain as the youkai reaches into her flesh and grabs a small spherical pink jewel from her ankle.
"Thank you," she says, breathing heavily, as she reaches for the jewel.
"It is my pleasure. But tell me, before I go. What is it a miko like you could want with the jewel? You've been defiled by a demon...no, a hanyou, and you now hold a small child with demon blood within her. You're no longer pure...is that what you wish for?"
"No, that is not. I'm going to wish for my daughter to be safe after I leave."
The youkai laughs, "So you're wishing for her purity? Very well. You're not the first to wish for that, though you may be the first to follow through with it."
The miko gives the youkai woman a bitter look, "I know all about the story of Inu-Yasha and Kikyou. You may take your leave now."
The woman vanishes, and the child looks to her mother who begins talking to her again.
"I'm going to take away everything inside of you that is from your father. You will be my child, and my child only. The jewel, and our combined powers will make you a pure miko by time you're fifteen. Just like me. So by time you discover the powers of our well, your identity won't be known to your father. If all goes well...they'll believe you to be the reincarnation of Kikyou.
And you're going to hate it. You're going to wonder why you were cursed with a soul you can't live up to. But I want you to know this, and remember it forever. You are not Kikyou. You are not anyone but yourself.
I suppose if I had learned that lesson earlier, I might have been a bit more self-assured. But it wouldn't have helped me too much I guess.
One day though, you're learn that you're not her. You're the most powerful little girl in the world. The most special child ever. You're my daughter. But above everything, you're you."
She opens her daughter's mouth, and puts the jewel inside of it, helping her to swallow it down. The first pure wish in years is made upon the jewel, and it shines from within the girl's body.
A knock on the door fills her room, and she turns to the sound.
"Come in Hika."
Another girl enters the room. The two bear a resemblance, more than most sisters do, which makes the process all the more easy.
"Are...are you done?"
"I am...Hikari?"
"Yes?"
"Promise me you'll take good care of her?"
"I will Ka-chan. I will. What did you name her?"
"I haven't yet," she admits, shyly looking out the window, where a group of kids are playing on the shrine grounds, singing a song that she remembers singing to the girl's father . . . and how much he hated it when she did.
"She's Kagome."
"Kagome...I like it Kareshi."
"Yeah, me too."
"My father was really good at hunting!" Shippou said, as Inu-Yasha carried in a deer.
"Mine was too," Sango said sadly.
"My dad never hunted," Miroku admitted, "Mushin prepared all the food. Father spent most of the time while he was alive teaching me spiritual things. And after that, Mushin also picked up where he left off. That's why most of my food is swindled," he said, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed.
"My father was a great hunter," Inu-Yasha boasted, "Well, from what I can remember anyway. He died when I was pinned to the tree...but he was great at getting really small animals like rabbits."
"What about you Kagome?"
"Well...I guess we've got something in common. I don't have my father anymore either. But...I never knew him. My mother never talks about him. And he's never been around. I don't know his name, what he looks like...anything he liked..."
She looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn't.
Sango was at her side in a second though, hugging her shoulders, and even Inu-Yasha gave her a few sympathetic looks before he put his stubborn mask back on.
"It's okay. I got over it a long time ago. The kids at school used to tease me because of it. In my early pictures, I think I looked like him. My hair was curlier. And my eyes were smaller and darker. But as I got older, my hair straightened out, and got more blue black instead of...well, purpleish black. And my eyes got wider and turned into a more bright brown color. That's really the only thing I have to go on though...but I always thought I looked like my mother. Everyone would tell me so. And that I looked like my aunt. People used to always say that, but it upset Mama, so they all stopped eventually."
Her group of friends seemed lost at what to do now, so they merely nodded, and went back to their business - which Kagome was grateful for. She'd had a talk like this not too long ago with her mother...and she wasn't quite ready to talk about it again.