Flashback
"Kukukuu, miko you will never win." laughed Naraku.
Kagome panted, she had only one arrow left and her powers were draining, fast. "Oh yeah!" she yelled weakly, "Well get a load of this!" clapping her hands together Kagome erected a powerful barrier around her and Naraku and notched her last arrow on her bow and took aim at her greatest foe.
"Idiot girl," hissed Naraku, "You are tapping into your own life force now to erect this barrier around us, do you have a deathwish?"
Kagome, with tears in her eyes determinedly awnsered, "If I die I will bring you with me."
Before Naraku could say anything she shot her arrow. He screamed in agony and dropped, dead.
Cheers of victory came from the surrounding youkai. Kagome dropped her barrier and plummeted to the ground panting.
"Kagome!" yelled Sango, blood dripping from her exterminator outfit, "Kagome, are you alright!?!" She knelt down beside Kagome and examined her. Her face turned white when she realised how much blood she had lost, "Miroku get over here!" she yelled waving frantically at the worried monk.
"What seems to be the problem." asked Miroku his brow knit.
"I don't know, she seems so weak." awnsered Sango desperately gesturing to Kagome frantically. "I've never seen her this weak before, she can barely speak!"
Miroku opened his mouth to awnser but was interrupted by a quiet voice that chilled the pair to the bone.
"She's dying."
Sango turned and glared at the beatiful woman in the miko garb, "Well that's obvious Kikyo."
"Now, now Sango." said Miroku reasonably glancing nervously at the dead woman. "Kikyo helped us find Naraku's hiding place, let's not get to tempermental eh?"
Sango's look of absolute disgust did not change.
Kikyo's face was still impassive as she spoke, "She's dying because she tapped into her own life force to use the barrier and her last arrow. Now, she will pay for the consequences of her actions." She glanced at the now completed Shikon Jewel resting now beside Kagome glowing brightly.
"What can we do to help her?" asked Miroku still calm though with a trace of worry in his voice.
"There is no way to help her." said Kikyo face blank. "She will need to be burned at the altar with the Jewel of the Four Souls like I had."
"Bull." spat Sango with tears coming down her face, "You're l-lying, you just want to see her dead so you can be with Inuyasha!"
Kikyo turned to look at Sango with a look of pain and regret on her face, "I had, before wished Kagome death but I really, never hated her. She feared me yes. But she never failed to be compassionate for me in my position and has saved me sometimes from dying in the hands of Naraku more than once. I may be dead but I do have honor. Do you not think I would have saved her if I could? I am giving her the most honoured way of dying, with the Shikon Jewel being burned with her this will never happen again." she gestured to the bloody battlefield with only a few living among the strewn bodies." Besides," she continued,ignoring Sango and Miroku's stricken faces, "Inuyasha has passed on and so must I."
"No!" cried Sango leaning against Miroku's white face, "N-no he c-can't be dead! He just can't!"
"He died protecting and fighting in what he considered an honourable death." said Kikyo pain clear in her voice. "It was how he imagined his final few moments."
And with that she swept away leaving a sobbing Sango and a distraught monk in her wake. She had no worry about the order that Kagome be burned, after all she, Kikyo had done the same and she was sure that Kagome would have wanted the same.
'You have no idea what's coming for you dear Kagome' thought Kikyo sadly to herself, 'You're journey has just begun.'
"...And with death comes new life. We hope Kagome will descend the heavens to join Inuyasha and all the others that lost their lives on that terrible day." rang Kaede's voice among the silent villagers and crowd.
Sesshomaru, Rin, Jaken, Ah-Un, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kouga, Ginta, Hakkaku and so many more knelt with their heads bowed around the funeral pyre with Kagome resting on top of the wood with an utmost peaceful expression on her face, the shikon jewel around her neck. Kaede stood beside her saying the prayers with a flaming torch in her hand.
"And now, for the burning." she finished and with that she knelt and carefully placed the torch to the pile of wood underneath Kagome's resting body. The wood flamed immediately and towered around Kagome.
Sango hid her face in Miroku's shoulder, "I can't watch this." she whispered. Miroku placed a comforting arm around her back, for once not groping her. His so called "cursed hand" healed miraculously after Naraku's death, he claimed that it was because the Wind Scar had disappeared that he no longer needed to have a child. Or so he said.
After Kagome had been put in the colourcul burial jar Kaede placed it in the deep pit that the villagers had made and stood up again announcing, "It is done."
After the burial Kouga announced that he was now mating Ayame. Everybody congragulated him before he headed back to his tribe with Ginta and Hakkaku.
Sesshomaru did not say anything and disappeared with Rin, Jaken and Ah-Un.
Miroku and Sango announced that they were getting married in the following spring and the fact that Sango was pregnant.
And they all resumed to their lives, never forgetting the bright and cheerful girl that had disappeared from their lives until one day...
'Where am I?' thought Kagome shivering. She stood in a dark place not able to see anything. 'Why am I so cold?'
"Kagome." said a womanly voice, all of a sudden everything was light again, Kagome now stood in a grassy hill with wildflowers spilling around her feet, "I have been expecting you."
Kagome turned to see a beatiful women in a warrior miko's outfit. "Midoriko." she whispered in awe.
"Yes, child. That would be me." Midoriko nodded and stepped forward. "Do you remember what happened?"
"You mean...how I died?" asked Kagome lowering her face. "Yes, I do remember, I died protecting my friends."
"It was an honourable thing to do." nodded Midoriko approvingly, "But that's not all, you were burned, along with the Shikon Jewel."
"So it's...gone?" asked Kagome hopefully, Kami she hated that jewel, it had destroyed so many people and had done more than enough injuries to people.
"Not exactly." said Midoriko her tone heavy, "Apparently when the Jewel was destroyed you absorbed it's power."
"What?" asked Kagome not comprehending.
"You child," said Midoriko her face sad, "Have turned into a demoness, a Pheonix, to be exact."
"I'm sorry, but I can't be a demoness." stammered Kagome shaking her head frantically, "I mean look at me, I'm just a scrawny 18 year old human. I'm not a demoness."
"Look at yourself child." said Midoriko her voice patient. "Look at your hair, your skin." A pond appeared beside the two women, the surface of the pond was completely still, acting as a mirror.
Kagome bent forward to look at herself and gasped, shocked. It was true, her normally dark hair had turned into a mix of fiery gold and red hair that was butt lenght, shiny gold markings spread across her pale cheeks like Sesshomaru's and ended at her hands. And her eyes, they were a deep, shining green almost turquoise. All twinkly and ethereal. But it wasn't just that noticed Kagome, her entire form had changed, normally a B-cup Kagome guessed that she was about a C-cup now and her butt was...well rounder and fuller but not enough to be skanky...just sexy. And her legs! They seemed endless now, like they could stretch on for miles and miles, and claws! She had long claws, but thankfully not on her toes, and her teeth! She had fangs! Oh, but that's not all her entire body had changed! She was lean, muscled everywhere and she felt incredibly strong. She no longer harboured her petite frame that screamed little girl! But now she was taller. Gorgeous, beautiful and sexy.It was disconcerting really because, when she studied herself closer in the water, she was almost god-like.
"Do you know how rare a pheonix demon is?" asked Midoriko curiously sitting on the grass, she motioned for Kagome to sit in front of her and frowned when she saw her drop to the ground clumsily.
"No." said Kagome shaking her head, "I didn't even knew they existed."
"Well they do now." awnsered Midoriko seriously, "When you absorbed the Shikon Jewel your body was not compatible to absorb it all so it altered you so it's powers could fit into your body,but first it fashioned itself by your mind." Seeing Kagome's confused voice she explained, "To the Jewel, your mind was pure and that is the most attractive thing to it about you, so..it made you attractive."
"Wait, you're telling me that the Jewel thought my personality was beautiful so it made be BEAUTIFUL?" shrieked Kagome jumping up. She paced around on the grass.
"Kagome." soothed Midoriko standing up, "A pheonix is one of the purest of all youkai, which is why you were chosen to be one, because of that you still contain your miko powers which have been boosted considerably, you can use it for almost anything now."
"This is terrible." said Kagome, her face distraught.
Shaking her head Midoriko said "This is a wonderful opportunity for you." seeing Kagome's face she asked impatiently, "Don't you know the cycle of pheonixes? When they die they are reborn from the ashes that they burn from?"
"But doesn't that make them immortal?" Asked Kagome wearily.
"Well yes." said Midoriko, "But that's not all if you ever mate, when your fangs sink in to your mate's body your blood mixes in to his and thus that makes him immortal."
"Kami this is too much." said Kagome tiredly sinking into the ground once again.
"Kagome it will be fine, but please, be aware of the fact that you are the most powerful youkai the world has ever seen, only a god and another Pheonix rival your powers, mating will also make your mate as powerful as you are."
Kagome nodded braiding and unbraiding her newfound long hair.
"Oh, by the way you will come back to life in about...5...4...3...2...and 1! cried Midoriko.
With a bam Kagome disappeared her shocked face the last thing to be seen.
Kaede hummed as she headed towards Kagome's grave for her weekly offerings. She stopped when she saw the most beautiful youkai she had ever seen sit on the steps of Kagome's grave. Naked.
"Kaede!" cried the beautiful female youkai jumping up her long gold and red streaked hair swishing around her, "I'm so glad to see you!"
'That voice." thought Kaede stopping in a halt, 'I've heard that voice somewhere...'
The youkai ran towards Kaede throwing her arms open to hug her when Kaede pointed her bow and arrow at her, "Don't come near me." warned the elderly priestess, "How do you know my name? I've never met you before!"
With a hurt expression on her face the youkai lowered her arms and sighed, "Don't you remember me Kaede? It's me. Kagome!"
"You lie!" barked Kaede furious, "I saw Kagome burn at her funeral myself! Along with the Shikon Jewel she was a human when she died!"
"No Kaede." said the youkai shaking her head her face crumpling, "No, I'm a pheonix demon now, I was reborn from the ash, when my body absorbed the Jewel's powers it altered me so I could use it's power properly."
"I don't believe you." said Kaede her tone disbelieving. "T-that's absolutely impossible, a pheonix demon hasn't been seen for hundreds of years!"
"Not anymore." said the youkai shaking her head, "I'm Kagome, the girl that was born 500 years into the future, I traveled with Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku and Shippo! I know you Kaede and believe it or not I am the girl that died the day Naraku fell and was burned alongside with the Jewel. I'm still me, just...my appearance has changed."
Kaede lowered her bow, "Kagome?" she asked tears gathering in her eyes, she dropped her bow and opened her arms to embrace the girl.
Kagome's face brightened as she threw herself in the priestess's arms. "It's great to see you again Kaede." she sobbed.
"Come, child we must put some clothes on you." said Kaede pulling herself from Kagome's warm grip, drying the tears on her face, "You must be freezing."
"Actually, no." said Kagome smiling, "It's like my body is radiating heat of something, I feel really warm!"
Kaede shook her head and smiled, "Come on child, you'll probably want to know how all your friends have turned out."
Wow! My third story in like a month! Sorry for not updating on the other story guys, I was away in Florida for 2 weeks. Yay! I promise I'll post another chapter for Shichinintai Love this week but I'll do Curse One in about 2 weeks. Sorry!
A special shout out to Bankotsus-lover210 who is the absolute best in Shichinintai Lover, she gives me the best feedback and I feel lucky to have her help me. Thank you!
