Chapter One: In the Wake of Battle
Among all the changes in the past months, Kagome felt the greatest change was the world finding out she was the Shikon Priestess. There was a distinct before: a life of anonymity and freedom, and an after: fame, fortune, and a crushing sense of duty. Some big shot journalist-who didn't even contact her, by the way-got the information from Myoga and Sesshomaru. Not everything, but enough to know she had the Shikon Jewel and all the old legends were real. Her mother had burst into her room one morning, waving the newspaper like a madwoman. One internet search showed the story was already everywhere.
So now Kagome lived in the after, unable to return to before she was rudely outed. After included school, but instead of walking with Eri from their neighborhood she was driven by a private car from the mayor's office. She no longer had time for newspaper club, instead rushing back to the shrine from school and fitting in a solid day of training before homework and dinner. Through it all the Shikon Jewel hung heavy in the pouch around her neck, a constant reminder that she had a responsibility now. After the spring semester ended and summer began, training was all she did.
"You're getting pretty good," Souta observed. He was sitting on the ground behind her in the new archery range. The local league had insisted on building it on shrine property, free of charge. The Shikon Priestess needed a place to practice, after all. The pine planks of the fence and shelter were still fresh and golden, not yet grayed from age like the rest of the shrine. The smell within the place was still sharp as well, and it bothered her. Souta didn't bother her though, and his quiet presence was something of a comfort. He liked to sit behind her and do homework while she practiced, and she liked the way her whooshing arrows harmonized with his scratching pencil.
"I've always been pretty good," she replied, after landing another arrow near to the center of the target.
"I need to be better than good. I need to be great," she continued.
"Why?" Souta asked, "It's not like there are any demons outside the Sector." Kagome wiped sweat from her forehead. She was baking in the red and white miko robes that Grandpa insisted on these days.
"But there are plenty inside," she replied.
"You know Mom won't let you go back, even if they'd let you in," Souta said. Annoyance twinged within Kagome, and she pushed it down. She was only miffed because he was right, and it wouldn't be priestess-like to get mad over something so trivial.
"I just need to be prepared if anything changes," she insisted, letting an arrow fly. The feathers at the end stroked her cheek for just a moment, and then the head of the arrow thunked into straw and wood. She reached up and touched the tingling spot on her face, rubbing it softly with her fingertips.
"Do they bother you?" Souta asked. Kagome looked back, and saw him watching the crowd beyond the fenced barrier. They used to come right up to the range and ask her questions, but then Grandpa had started roping areas off. It only took a few days of him patrolling the rope with a shinai to keep people at bay. Kagome suspected he asked Souta to sit out with her though, just in case anything happened.
Kagome sighed in response to Souta's question. Yes, obviously they bothered her. But they were just curious, and it wasn't priestess-like to be angry with them. She landed a bullseye, and the crowd let out a round of gentle applause.
That night Kagome lay in her bed, turning the Shikon Jewel over in her hands. It had been made whole when Kikyo trapped Naraku inside, and Kagome found it was often warm to the touch in a way the fragments weren't. She sighed, and tucked it back into its pouch.
Kagome ran to the door when she heard Sango's knock. She threw it open to reveal a startled Sango standing on the doorstep, backpack and suitcase in hand.
"Hey," Sango started to say, but Kagome interrupted her with a tight hug.
"I missed you!" she said. Sango laughed and hugged her back, then handed off her suitcase so they could move beyond the doorstep together.
"How was training?" Kagome asked. Sango shrugged.
"It was okay," she said, "My parents have been pushing me lately. They think the wolves are getting restless with all the humans visiting for summer."
The warm seasons brought people out to the mountains for hiking and camping, which made it harder to keep them away from wolf demon territory. Sango had been tied up for two months in intense training, and now that Kagome got a good look at her, she could see the effects. Sango had always been fit, but her arms and legs had taken on a layer of toned muscle that made her look older than she was. At almost eighteen, she could pass for twenty-two. She also had a bruise on her collarbone and a healing cut on her lower arm. Sango let Kagome fuss over the injuries for a few moments, then brushed her off and demanded junk food. Apparently her parents weren't into anything prepackaged.
Kagome told her to look in the kitchen for chips and candy, then took Sango's bag up to her room. It was about to be Sango's birthday, which is how she got a weekend away to hang with Kagome for the first time in weeks. Karin was coming too, but Kagome had Sango to herself for a whole day before their whirlwind friend blew into town. Sango appeared in Kagome's doorway with a bag of chips and some of Mama Higurashi's homemade chocolate chip cookies.
"Are these for me?" she asked, holding up the cookies and grinning. Kagome smiled.
"You know how my mom is, of course they are!" she replied. Then they settled down in Kagome's bed and dug in.
"I saw your new range on my way in," Sango commented, "Looks good."
"Yeah, it's handy. Now I don't have to use the one at school," Kagome replied. Sango must have heard something in her voice, because she leaned in a little and narrowed her eyes.
"What?" she asked. Kagome raised her eyebrows.
"What, what?" she replied. Sango rolled her eyes and took another cookie from the plate.
"I mean, what's up with you. Something's off," she said. Kagome was silent for a moment, then decided to give voice to her thoughts.
"I'm just...not feeling great about things lately," she said, "It was fun at first, all the people and feeling like I was doing something important. But now I just feel like some zoo animal." Sango frowned, munching on her cookie. She took time to think and swallow before she replied.
"But you are doing something important. You're protecting the Jewel," she said.
"Yes, but...from who?" Kagome asked. No one had tried to take it from her-other than Naraku. Sango reached out and put a hand on hers.
"From the dangers we don't know about yet," she said. There was steel in her voice, an edge that suggested she suspected some of those dangers already.
"Isn't that just paranoid?" Kagome asked her. Sango shook her head fiercely.
"People don't think there are demons outside the Sector, but there are. I only know of one clan, but there could be more. Not to mention all of the humans who wouldn't mind taking advantage of the Jewel's power. You are important, Kagome." Kagome nodded.
"But aren't there other important things to do?" she asked, "I'm tired of just...waiting for someone to do something evil."
"We all play a part," Sango replied simply. Kagome, however, wasn't satisfied with that answer. She kept it to herself though, instead asking about Rokuro.
"Is he still scared of your parents?" she asked. Rokuro had gone to the mountains with Sango to learn from her family. Without his wind tunnel, he knew very little physical combat skills. Sure he knew spells and incantations, but being able to throw a punch would help out in a pinch too. It only took a few days for him to realize Sango's parents didn't mess around and didn't tolerate joking on the battlefield. Since then he'd been pin straight and quiet too. Sango found it hilarious.
Kagome smiled as Sango launched into a story about Rokuro trying to complete yard work for her father. While she talked, Kagome let her mind linger on her question: But aren't there other important things to do?
They sat out by the tree that night, leaning against the trunk and letting the warm night air brush by them.
"This is really where he was pinned?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded.
"Yeah. Freaked him out when he saw it again," she replied. They were, of course, talking about Inuyasha.
"Have you heard from him?" Sango asked.
"No. Nothing since Sesshomaru said he woke up and would be fine." Sango hmmed at that, but didn't reply. Kagome sat up away from the tree and turned to look at her.
"What does that mean?" she asked. Sango raised her eyebrows.
"Defensive, much?"
"Annoying, much?" Kagome replied. Sango grinned.
"I was just thinking about how big of an idiot he is. You obviously like him, and he doesn't even write you?"
"I'm not obvious!" Kagome protested, leaning back against the tree and crossing her arms.
"Maybe he's illiterate. Would explain a lot," Sango mused. Kagome elbowed her, and Sango laughed, rubbing the now sore spot on her side.
"Okay, okay!" she said, "I'll stop teasing you. But seriously, have you thought about sending him a letter?" Kagome looked down at her fingers knitted anxiously in her lap. Yes, she had thought about it. No, she never sent one. She'd started to write a few times, but found she didn't know what to say. It was just too complicated.
"I don't want to…" she started to say, "I mean...I'm never going to see him again. And it's not like we were dating or anything. I'm the reincarnation of the woman he once-you know?"
"I know," Sango said gently. After a moment she changed the subject.
"Have you been writing?" she asked. Kagome made a face. That was something she wanted to talk about even less than her pseudo-relationship with Inuyasha.
"That bad?" Sango asked. Kagome nodded.
"Everytime I sit down in front of the computer it's like my brain freezes. Besides, everyone already knows the story," she explained.
"Maybe how some unrelated reporter tells it. You're in the middle of it. You know what's really going on," Sango said. Kagome gave her a weak smile.
"Thanks, Sango," she said. Suddenly she stood, brushing her pants off.
"Enough about me-nobody needs to hear more about my life! Sango, I challenge you to an archery contest. Loser buys winner ice cream!" Sango hopped to her feet with catlike grace.
"You're on," she said. Later, when Sango was paying for Kagome's two-scoop cone topped in chocolate chips and gummy bears, she said she was out of practice from all the sword training her parents made her do. Kagome, however, suspected Sango missed her last shot on purpose. She kept that thought to herself though, because free ice cream was free ice cream, and a good friend was priceless.
Karin came the next day, letting herself in through the back door and calling out to the whole house:
"I'm he-ere! Happy birthday bestie!" Kagome and Sango ran down the steps like kids on Christmas, then skidded to a halt when they caught sight of Karin.
"Hey," she said, beaming at them in the open doorway with her bags sitting on the floor. Kagome and Sango exchanged glances, then looked back to Karin to continue staring.
"Karin…" Kagome said delicately, "Your hair-"
Karin flipped her now silvery-white locks over one shoulder and batted her eyes.
"You like?" she asked. Kagome shoved the shock away, and went forward to help with the bags.
"Yes, but…"
"You look like a dog demon!" Sango said, accusingly. Karin shut the door behind her and shouldered her backpack to take it upstairs. She ruffled her hair in Sango's face as she passed, grinning.
"I know! I miss the boys, so I thought I'd bring a little bit of them to our world," she said. She'd taken to calling Inuyasha and Sesshomaru 'the boys'. Kagome was sure they'd hate it, and the thought of their reaction brought a smile to her lips. Sango, brushing off her own shock, nodded.
"Well, you nailed it," she said. She fell into line with Kagome as they went up to her room with Karin's second bag.
"Did you know-?" Sango started to ask.
"No idea," Kagome replied. Karin dropped her bag on Kagome's floor, then turned to face them with her hands on her hips.
"Stop whispering about me! Now, we have a birthday to celebrate and I refuse to spend it moping around. First question: where is the nearest place to have some fun around here?"
The nearest place that Kagome could think of-that wouldn't drive Sango absolutely insane-was the water park. A few blocks away, it was a popular place in the summer for people of all ages to escape the heat. Karin jumped at the idea, and when Sango said she didn't have anything to wear, pulled a variety of swimsuits from her suitcase. Although Sango wrinkled her nose at the notion of wearing an impractical bikini, she had a pleased smile on her face when she walked out of the bathroom in the least frilly of the options. So they suited up and walked the ten minutes to the park, bringing with them a basket of towels and some snacks hidden at the bottom to get through security. The sun was at a noon high, and it warmed their skin as they stripped down to suits. After a quick round of sunscreen, they were free to find the tallest and fastest slide in the park at Sango's request.
Sango screamed in rare glee as she whooshed down the slide and crashed into the pool beneath. She then burst through to the surface and took a big gulp of air, moving to the side to keep the next slider from tackling her. She put her arms up on the concrete sidewalk, pushing into the air with athletic ease. Then she joined Karin in line, ready to go again. Kagome watched them from her plastic chair across the pool. She lay out, letting the sun dry the water on her skin and hopefully give it a darker tinge. Sango and Karin were an odd couple. Karin with her unnatural hair and lacy pink bikini, and Sango with her lean muscles and old scars. When she turned, Kagome saw the large scar across her back. A smile came to her lips. Not because of the scar, but because for the first time since she'd known her, Sango didn't seem to care it was out for the whole world to see. And people did see, although most just let their gaze linger for a moment before returning to their own business. Kagome found the boys in the park more amusing. She'd been sitting for awhile, having tired quickly of the climb and slide routine. Since she'd been on the sidelines she saw at least three groups of boys trailing behind Karin and Sango. They'd chide each other, dare each other to speak to the girls, then chicken out last minute. Kagome was pretty sure Karin noticed, but Sango was completely oblivious. It was nice to see her let go a little. Normally she'd probably suspect the hapless boys of some sinister plot.
A few minutes later, Sango and Karin plonked down on either side of her, nearly upsetting the cheap plastic chair.
"Hey!" Kagome protested, but Karin just pulled a phone out of her purse and held it up in front of them.
"Smile!" she said, and Kagome barely had time to put a smile on her face before the picture had been taken. Sango moved to the next chair over, stretching out and lacing her fingers behind her head in a pose of contentment. Karin sat at the foot of Kagome's chair, examining their photo.
"We're cute," she determined, and posted it with the caption: summer bdays hell yeah
"I'm gonna get some ice cream" Sango declared. She stood and grabbed her wallet from their basket. They'd already gone through their snuck-in snacks, and too-expensive ice cream started to seem reasonably priced the longer they were out in the heat.
"Strawberry, please!" Karin answered, stealing her chair. Sango rolled her eyes, but she'd get the ice cream anyway.
"Kagome, anything?" she asked.
"Just a water, please," Kagome replied. Sango nodded and headed towards the concessions shack. Karin leaned back into her chair, fixing her knowing gaze on Kagome.
"So, what's got you down?" she asked. Kagome groaned.
"Today is Sango's birthday, can we please not talk about me?" she said. Karin shook her head.
"Sango's getting ice cream. Talk, girl," she said. Kagome rolled her head to the side to look at Karin.
"I just feel useless," she said, "Sitting around with the Jewel. It's not the Feudal Era anymore, I can't just be the Shikon Priestess."
"Agreed," Karin said. Kagome sat up a little straighter.
"Agreed? You're supposed to tell me I'm doing something really important," she said. Karin shrugged, and started playing with the strings of her bikini bottom.
"There hasn't been a Shikon Priestess for hundreds of years. Maybe the job is something more than it used to be," she said. Kagome, a little surprised Karin wasn't staring her down, leaned in.
"Then what should I be doing?" she asked. Karin paused, her grey eyes tensing around the edges as she stared down into her lap.
"It's sad," she said slowly, "How the education program just flopped. All because of one Youkai. Not all of them are like Naraku, and now people here can't see that." Kagome leaned back again, understanding.
"You just want to go back to the Sector," she said. Karin looked up to her, an edge in her voice for the first time.
"Yeah, I do," she said, "But that won't happen unless someone steps up to change how things are."
"And you think that's me?" Kagome asked.
"Who else can?" Karin challenged her. Kagome pursed her lips and looked away from Karin's piercing gaze. Then Karin sighed and spoke again, her voice softer.
"I'm sorry, let's not argue," she said. At that point, Sango reappeared with refreshments in hand and Karin was back in birthday mode.
When they returned to Kagome's house, Mama Higurashi had a cake ready for them. They sang the song, Sango blew out the candles, and all was well. Late that night, when Sango had already fallen asleep after crashing from her sugar high, Kagome and Karin stayed up talking. Perhaps talking isn't strong enough of a word though...
"I'm just saying," Karin said, "You used to protect people from demons, maybe now that goes the other way."
"I did not do any of that. It was me in another life! And demons don't need to be protected from anybody," Kagome protested.
"Okay, maybe not protected, but you're the only person who can influence how these people see Youkai."
"And who are 'these people', exactly?" Kagome asked. Karin spread her arms wide, motioning to the room around them.
"Everyone! They don't understand," she said.
"Do you mean they don't understand demons, or they don't understand why you're so obsessed with demons?" Kagome asked. That stung, and she regretted saying it when she saw the look on Karin's face. Immediately, she leapt into apology.
"No, it's fine," Karin said, cutting her off. They sat in silence for too long.
"What do you want me to do, Karin?" Kagome eventually asked. Karin, sitting on the bed opposite from her, pulled her knees up to her chest.
"I want...I want you to stand up for them. For Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha, and all of our friends. People would listen to you, Kagome, if you said something. People like my parents." Kagome wanted to remark that 'friend' was a bit of a stretch for Sesshomaru, but she kept the thought to herself.
"What do your parents say about demons?" she asked instead. Karin shook her head.
"That doesn't matter, it's all bullshit anyway," she replied. She looked up to Kagome then, and Kagome thought she saw tears forming in her eyes. Her own eyes started to water in response.
"It's not right, you know? That the last word is on how demons are monsters." Karin wasn't just being poetic, the literal last words in the article on Kagome were about how dangerous integration efforts were.
"I know," Kagome said. Demons weren't all monsters, just like humans weren't all angels. She just didn't know what she could do about it.