Kagome's POV
"Mom, I'm leaving!" 'Ahhh I'm going to be so late if I don't hurry and Inuyasha will be really mad if I'm not there on time. I wonder if he'll forget to get mad if I bring extra ramen well couldn't hurt to try it. Ooo and I can't forget to bring Shippou some more treats.' "Hey mom could you also pack some extra treats for Shippou and lots of Ramen so I can keep Inuyasha from being mad when I'm late?"
"No problem dear." Hinako called back to her daughter. "Should I pack mainly chocolate or lollipops for him?"
"Half and half would be great if you could."
"Okay honey"
(Five minuets later next to the well)
"Bye mom, I'm not sure when I'll be back" Kagome told her mother as she hugged her good bye ' I hope I'm not gone as long as I was last time mom was so worried.'
"Good bye dear, you be careful now okay?" Hinako asked as she hugged her daughter good bye.
"Don't worry mom I will be" She really does worry a little too much about me, I can take care of my self. Not to mention Inuyasha wouldn't let anything happen to me.' Kagome thought as she jumped into the well and was engulfed in the bright light at the bottom.
(Half and hour before on the other side of the well in the feudal era)
Inuyasha's POV
"Grrr" Inuyasha growled under his breath as he sat starring at the well from were he sat at the foot of a tree twenty feet away. 'If that wench doesn't get here soon all the ramin in the world wont stop me from loosing it with her.' "Grrr." He growled again. "If she isn't out of that well in ten minutes she'll be late and there is know way I'm going to let here off easy, and there is no way that I am going in to get her she'll just sit me into oblivion" the hanyou mutter under his breath. Then getting fed up of being on the ground were his view of the surroundings was limited, Inuyasha leaped into the Goshinbouku tree to survey his environs better.
(A few miles away upwind form Inuyasha sat none other then his older half brother Sesshomaru)
'Hmm Inuyasha is waiting for someone, it must be the wench, I don't smell her and he doesn't seem to be moving so that must be it. Well this should be interesting I had hoped to get that wench alone to talk to, but now I am going to have that Hanyou half brother of mine to deal with. Oh well, I might be able to get something more out of this visit then I had first imagined I would gain. Hmmm that smell moonflowers, spring blossoms and vanilla, the human must be back from that well I saw her disappear into I must ask her were it is she goes after I have my little chat with her.' Standing up form underneath the tree he had been leaning against Sesshomaru prepared to leave for the well.
"Jaken, I shall be back in a short while do not stray far from here." Sesshomaru commanded his obnoxious green ward. With that said he lent down picked up a small package he had recently taken off of Ah-Un he left towards the Bone Eaters Well, and to were his brother and his wench would be.
(Back at the well) Kagome's POV
After throwing her gargantuan yellow backpack over the rim of the well, Kagome proceeded to climb out. 'Apologize right away, that's what I'll do, maybe if I do that I can stop him form having a tantrum.' Kagome thought quickly to herself as she finished crawling over the edge of the well.
When she stood up by the lip of the well she came face to face with a furious Inuyasha. "Umm…h-hi Inuyasha…" Kagome stuttered futilely. 'Crap may as well just apologize right now and not beat around the bush, and hope that he forgives me farley quickly, without a fight. "Inuyasha I'm really sorry about being late, it's just that I got caught up in getting sup-"
"I don't care why you're late, the fact is that you are!" Inuyasha yelled, cutting Kagome off before she could finish her apology. "And offering me Ramen wont get you out of this either."
' Hey how did he know I was going to offer him Ramen? Heh guess I'm a little predictable… (Sweat drop) Hey, just why is he so upset, its not like I was that late of that I am often tardy? "Hey, just why are you so mad? Three years I have been coming threw this well and you have never been this upset about me being late before." Kagome questioned him angered that he was upset about such a small thing.
"Grrr, look lets just get you back to the village, I want to hurry so I-" Inuyasha halted in the in the middle of his rant to inhale a deep breath of air.
"Inuyasha what is it?" Kagome inquired. 'It must be something really important to stop him in the middle of fuming, but I don't sense any shards so that cant be it.' "What is it?" She asked again. " I don't sense any of the shards so is it a youkia?"
" Its nothing" Inuyasha replied, a little to quickly for Kagome's liking. "You go back to Keade's I'll be back later." With that said Inuyasha quickly fled off into the woods opposite form the village. Watching him go she saw in the sky just over the forest he had headed into one of Kikyo's soul stealers. Seeing him leave left her with a sad realization, one that she was, by now, quite familiar with.
'He's gone off after Kikyo again, he was going to meet her after he dropped me off at the village, that's why he was so upset about me being late.' Kagome thought slumping down on the ground to lean against the well, tears now streaming down her cheeks. Curling up into a little ball, burrowing her face into her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, she wept in soft sobs. 'That's it, I'm done I am not doing this ever again. He can have Kikyo; I refuse to go through this anymore. He doesn't love me so he can go do whatever the hell he wants.' And with her final realization she wept even harder.
After a few moments she felt a strangely familiar aura heading very quickly her way. Before she could think of a plan of action she felt the presence stop a few feet short of her. Lifting her head up she saw full on none other then Inuyasha's half brother Sesshoumaru. 'Oh crap, he's going to kill me isn't he?' Kagome concluded, as it was what he tried to do every time they had run into them, she feared the worst from this meeting.
The powerful Taiyoukai lord just stared at the young miko with his emotionless mask in place. He just continued to glare at Kagome with a bored expression while he watched as she started to squirm under the intense gaze of those golden eyes.
'Why hasn't he killed me yet? He has every opportunity. Or is he expecting me to beg for mercy?' Pondering on this Kagome sobs lessened as she concentrated more on the problem at hand and not her thoughts of Inuyasha. 'I wonder if Inuyasha will smell him and if he does will he come back?' Finding the intense golden gaze aggravating, Kagome decided to concentrate on sifting through her bag to find a Kleenex.
"Were has that filthy half-breed brother of mine gone?" Sesshoumaru asked her, and when he didn't get an immediate response he growled at her "I will not ask you again wench."
"He went off with Kikyo if you must know" Kagome answered trying to hide her feelings as tears started to stream down her face once more.
" The dead Miko?" Kagome only nodded. "Hmm…" he seemed to ponder on this for a moment, when he saw her tears he inquired of her "Why are you crying wench? Surely you do not care about my brother and the dead priestess."
"Hun!" Kagome yelped as her head snapped up in surprise, he had guest dead on what was making her cry. "H-how did you know that?" she hiccupped.
"I can sense the sadness in your aura, it is disgustingly strong, I can also smell that my brother and the dead wench are "close" at the moment. Along with the fact you have displayed your emotions towards that baka hanyou in front of me before during battle so it was not hard to calculate what would be disturbing you. However it is good for this Sesshoumaru as it leaves me to talk to you without the fool baka interrupting."
"Wait, if you can smell him then cant he smell you?"
"No, he is down wind from us and so can not smell us, also he seems to be preoccupied at this moment in time." Sesshoumaru responded in his usual monotone way, with his visage in its normal emotionless mask.
"Oh…" was Kagome's only response.
"Well anyway, to get to the point, this Sesshoumaru is not here to kill you. There is something of utmost importance that the lord of the Northern Lands wishes me to tell you. Though this Sesshoumaru does not wish to be seen as some errand boy, so do not perceive it that way. I am doing this because the Northern Lord is unable to do so." Sesshoumaru stated as her stared down at Kagome impassively.
"Okay so what is it exactly that he wants me to know, I don't believe that I have ever met this lord. So I have absolutely no idea what it is he would want to tell me.
(Sesshoumaru's POV)
'That is peculiar; she says that she does not know Haru at all. Yet he wishes to give this human girl peculiar information and what ever is in this package. One would think she had at least met him for him to go through such a great effort to give her information and what ever is in this package.'
(Flash Back)
"Sesshoumaru, you told me once that you knew of a human girl by the name of Kagome who was searching for the pieces of the sheikon jewel, and that this girl had strong miko powers." Haru stated to the Western Taiyoukai.
" Yes, she travels with my half brother Inuyasha and wears the most indecent and peculiar clothes, why do you bring this up?"
"I know that you are not an errand boy, however this is of dire importance and I am unable to go myself on this task I am about to ask of you. You are someone of whom I trust to get this to the young miko and that is why I ask it of you." With a nod of his head Sesshoumaru showed that he was listening to the older lords request. "You must give her this," Haru told him handing over a small package and a sealed letter. "You must also give her the information I am about to tell you as it is just as important.
(End Flash Back)
"Okay, now desist in your crying wench and listen carefully, for I will not repeat myself." Sesshoumaru told Kagome after he finished pondering why it was Haru would make him go through this for some nigen that he hadn't met before. "Now, listen well and do no interrupt me while I tell you this. That means that if you must ask a question do so after I have finished for I have just told you that I will not tolerate being interrupted." With that said he mentioned for her to get up so that they might go and sit against the trees, wear it was not so open.
After they sat down across from one another, each leaning against their own tree trunk, Sesshoumaru began to relay his information. "Though you say that you have not met lord Haru of the Northern lands he wishes for me to give you this package." Sesshoumaru told her while he produced the little box from here it was hidden in his hatori. Then tossing it gently to her he proceeded. "This Sesshoumaru does not know what it is, however, Lord Haru insists that you wait till you are in your mothers presence to open it.
"He also wishes you to remember that you must not give up, even at times when you may wish to. Haru also wants you to know that you should be aware that some of your greatest allies might be the ones that you would never think of.
"Haru would also have you know that not all legends are myths. Though what he means by this I do not know. In addition he asked me to give you this letter, and asked that you open it while you are in my presence." Sesshoumaru tells her as he pulls the letter from his hatori. "This Sesshoumaru is furthermore to stress up on you the importance of not opening that letter until you are with your mother, as she will be the one best able to answer your questions. Now, wench, hurry and read the letter I have important things to do, and I cannot leave until you have opened and read that letter; as I am to answer any questions you may have." Sesshoumaru told Kagome, getting up from his seat against the tree trunk to offer her the letter.
Taking the letter from Sesshoumaru Kagome slowly opened it, and then couldn't help but stare at the beautiful calligraphy that it was written in. 'Great, she is just starring at it, I had thought this wench could read. Maybe I have assumed too much of her to think that she could read.' "Wench, this Sesshoumaru was under the impression that you could read have I assumed to much?" He inquired of her.
"What! Of course I can read I was just admiring the writing so stop being a..." she hesitated a moment " prick! Asshole!" Kagome shrieked, slightly surprised that she had sworn at him.
"Well then read it, I would like to make haste, I would rather not have to fight my baka brother today. I have more important thing that I wish to attend to." Sesshoumaru told her, finding her lack of immediate response annoying, though he did not share it. After a moment Kagome proceeded in reading the letter out loud.
"To one Miss Kagome Higaroshi I am writing this down rather then have Sesshoumaru tell it for I imagine that it is something that you will want to ponder over a bit. First is something simple that Sesshoumaru could have told you but I wanted to spare him a little. Have you ever heard of a the legend of the Youkai Miko? It is one that you might find intriguing. And remember what was told to you about truth and legends.
"This next bit of information is the main reason that I wrote this letter. It may confuse you now but should make sense given time
The change will come swiftly
From a dark water stone,
Your past is hidden,
And your future is not known.
You must not fear for your memories,
For you will gain what is your own.
And with the knowledge of the past,
Your destiny will start with a stone.
You will find that your kin are lost
But with this rock find the mystery of your own.
"This riddle may seem incredibly odd right now, but it will soon make sense to you. Just think on it a bit and I stress again that you talk to your mother about it, for she may be able to make sense of it all. It would also be good for you to learn about the Youkai Miko legend, for that is what humans have made of it. They have turned it into a legend; I recommend that you ask Sesshoumaru for more information on the matter. He is very well apt in the history of youkai and is the best person to ask on the subject.
Yours truly, Hatsuharu, Lord of the Northern lands."
(Kagome's POV)
After she had finished reading it out loud, Kagome just stared at it and thought for a moment. 'What is that legend, I haven't even heard of it before, and why would he want me to think and find out about it. Even more odd is why he would assume that my mother would be able to help me with any of this. This is getting just a little to weird for my tastes. I guess that my best option is for me to take Lord Hatsuharu's advice and ask Sesshoumaru, then its back home to have a chat with okaa-san. "I have a question for you Sesshoumaru, I am going to take the Northern Lords advice and ask you about the legend of the Youkai Miko. What can you tell me about it?"
"I assumed that you would ask this question, it is not a common tale so it is not surprising that you do not know the story. There was a one point a small tribe of silver dragon youkai that also had the powers of a miko. The tale is known as the legend of the miko youkai. They mostly kept to them selves not bothering to leave their area of land; they rarely joined into any battles even though most of them were incredibly powerful.
"They now however seem to no longer exist, they disappeared over a hundred years ago that is why they are considered as a legend among nigen because they have forgotten about the seldom seen dragons. Furthermore since they did not associate much with them most youkai just dismiss there disappearance without thought. Though my assumption is that they left there lands because they were pushed out and did not wish to fight as there are now a vast amount of black dragon youkai living were they once did. And black dragons are known for their aggression.
"Just before the tribe went missing one of there less dominant members met and mated with Hatsuharu. She was the only one to have mated out side of their group. Although she and their two pups went missing just a month after having the second pup, no one has really talked to Haru on the topic, he seemed quite withdrawn on that subject." Sesshoumaru told Kagome and was about to continue when she quickly interrupted.
"Why do you call them pups would dragon children be called something different? More like hatchling?" Kagome asked confused as to why you would call a dragon a pup.
"Haru is a blue striped Inu youkai so the pups would be half Inu youkai there for they may be called pups. May I continue with the tale?" He asked Kagome, she responded with a nod of her head. "Well it is a tragedy that they have gone missing as they are really the only ones left that would be able to find the lost tribe. That is if the tribe has not yet died out."
"Hmm", was all Kagome could really say she was thinking intensely on everything that the taiyoukai had told her. Then she thought of something that seemed mighty odd. "How is it that they would not purify themselves? Oh, and has Lord Hatsuharu told you anything about what happened to his mate?"
"I do not know how it is that they would not purify themselves that is something that would have had to been asked of Haru's mate. I imagen that the black blood and the miko instinct would build up a tolerance for one another and prevent purification. Also no, I have been told nothing on the topic, nor do I pry him for information. Such behavior is not acceptable."
"Oh, okay"
"Now is there anything else that you wish to ask before I leave?"
Thinking on it a moment Kagome found that there was nothing that more that she wished to ask of him and quickly shook her head. Then just as he was turning to leave she thought of something that she wanted to say to the taiyoukai before he took flight. "Wait I have one last thing" she called out.
With that he turned around, his eyes baring down on her he asked "what?"
"Arigoto" Kagome thanked shyly.
Sesshoumaru just nodded then turned around and summoned his youkai cloud, leaving her without a word and a tremendous amount to think about. " Great now I have a huge mystery to think about. I better explain this to Keade; maybe she will have an idea about what is all means. But first, I think I want to have a word with my mother." Picking up the small package that had come with the letter Kagome grabbed her backpack and climbed over the edge of the well. Leaping into the bright blue light she thought intently on finding out just what her mother might be hiding form her.
Chapter 2 Truth and Change