In The Blood
By: Ryu Katanna
Beta:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter One
Prologue
The burning heat surging through her blood was the first thing she noticed. It flowed out from her body as the feeling of the ground left her. Energy pulsed from her in waves. Shouts of her name sounded from her friends as she woke. Something she never thought she would do again.
"Kagome!"
'Sango'
"Lady Kagome!"
'Miroku'
"Mama!"
'Shippo'
"What's happening to her? Wench!"
'Inuyasha'
Laughter. The sounds of battle. An evil hanyou. The one who had caused so many insurmountable pain. So much death.
'Naraku'
That's right. This was their final battle with Naraku. The air was clouded with his miasma. Pain. She had died.
Energy exploded outward from within her as Kagome's body righted itself from the ground. A blast of youki killing any close when she opened her eyes to look up at the hanyou that had run her through with one of his tentacles. The evil being that had killed her and was trying even now to kill her friends.
'Another one has awoken. How odd. For two of my line to awaken so close together is unexpected.' A gruff voice spoke with a harsh laugh to her in her mind as her feet came down to stand upon the ground.
'Awoken? What do you mean? Who are you?' Kagome asked the unknown voice as her eyes narrowed in on Naraku when he made to attack Shippo.
Luckily Kirara had gotten them both into the air and out of reach. She had joined Ah-Un where the dragon carried Rin up and out o the way of any harm. Those two would keep them safe.
'I am Raizen. Your ancestor. You have died, but been reborn. You are now of the Mazoku.' The voice, Raizen, laughed in pleasure from within her mind.
'Mazoku. The devil clan. It can't be. I am human, a miko!'
She had heard of the Mazoku before from Sango. They were a demonic clan feared for their power. How could she be one of them? It made no sense!
'You do not even know of the true power you hold, my dear. Here. Let me show you!'
That was the last thing Kagome heard before her body started moving on its own. The power of the youki in her blood surged forth as she felt another take control. Raizen. She watched as her body moved around the battlefield slaughtering any in her path. Marked arms reaching out with clawed, bloody hands that ripped through Naraku's forces like a knife through softened butter. Her youki pulsing in waves around her and killing any weaker that came too close.
'Please! Not my friends!' Kagome cried as she sent the images of them through her mind when she drew near Sesshomaru.
'Calm young one. Learn the power you hold. Who is the enemy's master?' Raizen asked gruffly as she felt herself jump back from the Western Lord before her claws could make contact.
'Naraku.' Kagome responded as the image of the hated hanyou came to her mind and she could feel her body jerk in his direction.
She watched in disbelief as the powerful youki flowed out from her and she ripped Naraku apart. She could see glimpses of her friends who didn't know what to make of what was happening. Was this power really coming from her? The whole time she paid attention to what this being was trying to teach her.
He called himself her ancestor, and was trying to show her something. As disconcerted as she felt with her body under the control of another, she felt that he really was just trying to show her. To teach her how to use this power that she now had. She understood that the best way he could do so was like this, but she was still confused on how this had come to be in the first place.
Soon enough Naraku was destroyed. Ripped apart by the hands of the girl who he had mocked and killed not long before. His flesh burning away with the power of the youki around her. Kagome could feel the control of her own body come back as she slumped next to the jewel piece the evil hanyou had held. The youki flowing outward from her calmed as her friends came to stand around her.
'I will see you soon, daughter.' Raizen's gruff voiced sounded before she felt she was alone in her own mind again.
"What the hell was that, wench?!" Inuyasha growled angrily as he grabbed her and hoisted her up as he shook her.
Without a thought, Kagome grabbed his arm and ripped his grip from her shirt. Something a human would not have been able to do against the demonic strength Inuyasha had. Looking up she could see her friends gathered around her. They all held a wary look of astonishment, incomprehention, and worry. Even Sesshomaru seemed a little wary from where he stood looking at the carnage that surrounded Kagome.
"Tell me. Do I still smell the same?" She asked as she started to feel the confusion take over.
"The smell of human is gone from you. You smell of demon." Sesshomaru responded as he observed her.
"You look different too. You have markings on your body, and your hair, it's down to your ankles. It was white until a minute ago. Kagome what happened?" Sango asked as she looked over her friend.
"You died. We saw you die, but then youki just started pouring out of you. How is this possible?" Miroku asked her.
"I don't even know myself. I remember dying, but then I woke up again. When I did there was a voice. He said he was my ancestor. He said I was a Mazoku… He took control of me. I don't know what's happening!" Kagome cried out as she curled in on herself before Sesshomaru drew her attention.
"Transmigration. The Atavism of the Mazoku." He said as he seemed to look closer at her where she sat.
"What is that?" Inuyasha growled in irritation as Sango gasped.
"Kagome had demon blood somewhere from one of her ancestors. When she died it must have woken it." Sango replied as she thought back to what her father had taught her.
It was an oddity that very rarely occured, and only in very powerful yokai lineages. Looking back at her friend, Sango had known Kagome had a lot of raw and untrained power, but she couldn't believe this had really happened. Kagome had been training to hone her skills for months now.
She had completed taijya training with Sango, was still weapon training with Sesshomaru, and had been learning how to control her energy from Miroku and Kaede. Was this how far her friend had come? So far that she had been changed with her human death? Sango didn't understand how it was possible when Kagome was a miko, but it had happened. It was possible that one of her family had been a miko who then had a child with one who held dormant demon blood, but one should have cancelled out the other. Yet that's not what happened.
"Whatever. Naraku is dead. Finish the jewel, Kagome." Inuyasha growled impatiently; uncaring of the whole thing.
Looking over to her side, Kagome could see where the jewel lay after it had been torn for Naraku. Slowly she picked it up and watched as the dark taint was purified. She gasped a bit in surprise when the two pieces came together. The now completed Shikon No Tama floated in front of her as it shone brilliantly. Soon everyone could hear the voice of a woman. Midoriko.
"What is your wish?"
Kagome paused for a moment in though. She knew what Inuyasha wanted, but it was a selfish wish. A selfish wish would never rid them of the Shin No Tama, but there was no such thing as a selfless wish. It would remain a danger to the greed of others because of this. No, the Shikon No Tama would never be gone. She knew that. No matter the wish one always had something to gain from it in some way.
"I wish that the Shikon no longer exist. As long as it exists it will continue to be an object others will seek despite the pain it brings. I want the world free of it. Is that possible?" Kagome questioned Midoriko softly as she thought about her travels.
There had been a lot of heartache caused from the existence of this one jewel. Shippo had lost his father because of the jewel shards. Kohaku was made to live a waking death, and Sango made to watch on. Inuyasha had been pinned to a tree for fifty years by Kikyo over the jewel because of Naraku. All the fighting over the shards. All the death. Pain caused over such a small thing. Just because of the power it held.
"The Shikon can never completely cease to exist. As you have already figured out. Not while the endless battle within still rages." Midoriko's voice rang clear in denial.
"Then can its form be changed, and it's power hidden? I don't want to see anymore pain caused to others who seek it." Kagome explained as her friends around her shifted and looked on.
"It can, but it's power would remain though hidden." Was her reply.
Kagome thought for a moment before speaking. She had to make this as selfless a wish as she possibly could. Anything selfless usually came at a cost to the one who had done it. Now she was the one to make this wish. She would be the one to pay whatever price there was in exchange. As long as it meant that the past would not be repeated.
"Then I wish for the Shikon No Tama to take on another form, it's power hidden, and passed on into the stories of history. Even if that means I will be the only one to carry the burden of it's protection. Let no others pay the cost of it's existence but me!" Kagome cried as light started to pulsed from the jewel before it shattered into dust.
The dust that had been the jewel glimmered and gleamed in the air as everyone watched on in shock before Kagome was knocked back as she cried out in pain. The dust that was the gem surrounded her and she felt like she was being stabbed by needles as it settled and made it's way into her skin. Kagome could vaguely hear the cries of her name made by those around her as light blinded them all. Midoriko's voice sounding like a bell in the air before Kagome blacked out.
"Then so it shall be."
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AN: This is it for the first chapter! Pairing is so far not for certain yet, but I will mark it down when it is. I have about thirteen chapters already typed and just have to be looked back through. Posting will be weekly for the first few chapters and then it will fall to once a month by the time chapter five is out as I am working on The Other Hawke at the same time. Let me know what you think in your reviews. Thx!
-Ryu
