For the Love of Shikigami

Ch.1: Color Me Green with Envy?

Finally…after almost three whole years of rigorous training and emotional hardship I'm finally given witness to my destiny; the ultimate proof that my older sister isn't the only one blessed with our family's spiritual bloodline. The same bloodline I've numerously imagined to have forsaken me; the younger, weaker sister. At least that's what I had always thought, until today.

My heart pounded through my chest like a tuneful drum, and my body shook violently as the anxiety coursed through my veins.

All my excitement…

All my hope…

All my fears…

Every little emotion that dwelled within my body surfaced all at once, because of one little egg... An egg that was, at this moment, cracking before my very eyes. A faint light was shining through each little crack, and the further the cracks travelled the brighter the light became as it illuminated the dark forest of trees around me. I could remember countless times when such an occurrence had me panicking like a wild hog when I thought I had broken it, but I could sence this was different. My heart told me it was time…

I could feel the sting of tears hit the back of my eyes; I dreamt of this moment for a long time.

I was finally going to meet him.

I was finally going to meet my Shikigami.

~Three Years Earlier~

"Come on Rin, Hachi's waiting for us."

The distant command of my sister's voice persuaded me to lazily open one eye, and upon squinting at the morning light that peeked through my window I managed to drag my feet out of bed...wait...morning light? I usually wake up a little before dawn.

What time was it exactly!?

I dashed to my window and pulled the curtains back to reveal a beautiful sunny morning; the kind of morning that I normally should be enjoying atop my big, yellow transportation...and I'm not referring to a school bus.

"What happened to my alarm?!" I shouted for all the household to hear, until my focus remolded when I heard a childish chuckle erupted from, what I had assumed to be, my alarm clock. I picked up the purple contraption, and only a blind man wouldn't have noticed the fluffy tail sticking out the back.

"Shippo," I said, calling out the name of the mischievous little fox-demon that had a reputation for causing all kinds of pranks around the shrine; my late arrival to school apparently being at the top of his list this morning. "Why you little-" I attempted to go for his tail, only to end up with my face shoved towards my pillow as my alarm transformed into a little red-headed boy that proceeded to wave me goodbye as he escaped through my window. "You're gonna be late," he teased. Out-beat by a little fox-demon, that seems to describe the basis of my abilities so far; the funny thing in being I have no abilities. At least none similar to my sister, Kagome.

I'm the younger sister. I go by the name Rinnie; Rinnie Hiyori or as most people prefer just plain Rin. I'm thirteen years old, however, judging by my classmates I've learned nothing I do at home consists of the typical things teen girls do. I own no magazines, watch no television, and the only type of "sports" I'm allowed is when I'm sent out into the forest to train.

I've lived in the mountains all my life; my family has been the caretakers of our ancestral shrine for generations or so I've been told, and I'm no exception. I share a modest size home with my older sister, younger brother, and grandparents. Here the forests are beautiful, the air is clean...but there's hardly a moments peace when my backyard houses a very unique set of neighbors.

Demons.

I rushed to get my clothes on. I had just begun my 7th grade year in middle school; the typical uniform consisted of a blue knee-length skirt with a white, buttoned top followed by a red tie. Then of course the standard white socks and brown, leather shoes. I draped my school bag over my shoulder, and rushed downstairs to grab a piece of fruit to serve as my breakfast for the day.

Now, I can only hope Hachi decided to wait a little longer before taking off, but once I stepped outside and looked toward the sky it seemed I was hoping for the impossible because there he was in all his-banana looking-yellow glory. The raccoon demon has been my family's main source of transportation down the mountains for years; a family friend had tamed him to serve under us and, unlike Shippo, uses his powers of transformation to aid us in making our lives as easy as possible. Like taking us to school, or rather forgetting to take me to school.

I called out to them in the hopes that one of them would respond, but alas neither he nor Kagome could hear me from their position near the clouds. It looked like I was biking it today, which meant I was going to miss my first morning class.

"Jerks!" I bellowed, fully aware that my insult would fall on deaf ears, but it sure made me feel better.

I took my bike out of the shed, having anticipated this setback because well...this wasn't the first time I've been left behind. The ride down the mountain went smoothly at first, that is until a few monkey sprites decided to leap in from the trees and position themselves at the top of my head. There constant movement and tug of my hair had me sighing, staying home was starting to sound like the more reasonable option, but school was one of the few things in my life that made me feel like I was a normal girl.

There's nothing more frustrating than going about your childhood and having to pretend that your life revolves around normalcy. Unfortunately, the term "normal" for me means daily sessions of training in the arts of sorcery, and determining the fate of whatever demon that decides to lurk near my family's shrine. Thirteen years of age and my life already feels hectic.

I know everything so far seems strange; the whole "demon" thing being the particular subject of insanity, but rest assure there is reason behind all the madness and I'll try and make it as brief as possible.

I come from a very...well...special family.

A family of Onmyoujis; sorcerers native to the Japanese country.

Some ancestors leave their upcoming families with housing, currency, or acres of land. My ancestors left us with a little of all that, plus more. The blood of an onmyouji runs deep within my family, deep enough to bless me (or at least I think me) and my siblings with the magical capabilities to maintain peace between the demons on the mountains, and the humans down bellow. Humans starting wars with one other is hard enough; now imagine the kind of damage that could be done if demons were to cause such a chaotic mess.

Protect the lands.

Protect the humans.

Protect the demons.

Protect the legacy…

That is, and has been, the job of my family for centuries. The storage-shed on the property is filled from top to bottom with dozens of scrolls. Each telling the story of my ancestor's history from the moment they were given the title as an Onmyouji, to the moment of their death. Even the mountains are rich with tales of my family; some good and some bad. You can imagine the victories, and you can imagine the deaths that have taken place on the very grounds I'm riding on. From generation to generation, the responsibility now falls on us.

With so much pressure weighing down on my shoulders it's no wonder why I look to school as my momentary getaway, and I suppose my unnatural lifestyle is the reason behind my maturity. My looks compliment well with my age, but my personality often labels me to act much older than what I really am. I guess I did have to grow up faster than normal, but I never saw anything wrong with that.

After what seemed like an eternity of bumpy, mountain road I could finally feel the smooth pavement of the sidewalk hit my tires, and waved farewell to the monkey demons as they leaped back into the trees. Now that the hard part was over school didn't seem like such an unmanageable distance anymore. After a few more minutes of breathless pedaling I finally made it to the entrance, and once my bike was locked up I rushed to my classroom; determined not to fall too far behind.

I made it a point to be the first person to meet up with Hachi after school; he normally drops us off on the school's rooftop, and picks us up in the same area. Kagome is in the beginning of her 8th grade year, so with both of us attending the same school it makes it easier to meet up in the same spot. Once she arrived, Hachi wasted no time in transforming as we settled comfortably atop his head with my bike in tow.

"So what happened this morning?" Kagome asked, "I thought for sure you were sick or something when you didn't answer my call."

"Shippo," I replied, and it was all the answer she needed to understand. "Just give him candy," she advised, "That's what I do to get him to bother someone other than me for a change."

"Hey," Hachi suddenly questioned, "how come I'm not given any candy for giving y'all rides to school?"

"Because candy is the last thing your belly needs," we teased.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

After a brief laugh, Hachi spoke again.

"So I was wondering, how come it's ok for me to pick you girls up so close to school? I mean, won't people see me hovering over the building or something?"

"It's not that simple for someone to see you," Kagome answered.

"What do you mean by that?"

I spoke next, "Only those who believe in demons can see them, any sort of doubt could easily blind them to your presence. We've grown up around you guys so there's never been any question whether or not you all are real," I explained. It was true, though I've had to witness plenty of demons executed since I was old enough to walk, that was also around the time I began to really bond with a certain amount of other, smaller demons on the mountains. Shippo, Kirara, Bokuseno, Myoga, Hachi, and a few others; they slowly became as much of a family to me as Kagome and Sota.

"Normally only animals and small children are aware of a demon's presence, but eventually children grow up and stop believing; much-like the students at our school."

"Which is why Sota is home-schooled for now, at least until middle school" Kagome added. "Could you imagine how many eight year olds would be scared senseless of you?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Again we laughed, and as we settled into a comfortable silence my eyes darted toward my sister.

I may think a great deal about my onmyouji bloodline, but in truth if there's anyone who possesses the natural talent for sorcery and magic it's Kagome. Her skill level surpasses far above mine, and unfortunately for me it has nothing to do with the two (soon to be three) year age gap. I remember back when she was my age; perfecting the power of illusions and materialistic creations seemed to come as easy as breathing to her. Now here I am at thirteen, and I can barely pull off one measly spell, a task even Sota is managing to surpass me in.

Believe me; it wasn't as though I didn't try to improve my skills. Whenever Kagome trained, I trained twice as hard…and then faint from exhaustion in the end.

Whenever she meditated in the forest, I would try my luck at meditating underneath a waterfall…I've nearly drowned.

Whenever she vanquished a demon...I find myself being nearly eaten.

It just didn't seem to make any sense to me. I know I have the capability considering I've managed to accomplish some with my power, but it barely scratches the surface when compared to Kagome's strength, and I know it affects my position in the family.

My grandmother makes it a point to mentor Kagome more than she does me. I know she's struggled juggling both school and training in the past, which is why she's still in 8th grade despite being nearly sixteen. As for me I'm the one who excels in school, but it's been a challenge masking my hurt over grandmother picking favorites; deep down I know she's just looking out for the safety of her family.

My relationship with Sota pretty much revolves around the same situation; unless it involves a math question he'd much rather stick closer to the sister that he's convinced would protect him in the heat of battle and I can't say I blame him.

For years it's made me question my status of the household; what purpose I serve if I couldn't even defend myself much less what's left of my family?

As if growing up as the middle child didn't already come with its own set of difficulties, I never imagined I'd feel so much envy toward the one person that didn't see me as another piece of the wall in that house. That's right; despite the shadow she unknowingly casts upon me Kagome is the only person I feel actually has just as much hope in my strength as I do. She's nearly sixteen, and definitely makes me feel like I'm the more responsible one most of the time. Regardless of my jealousy in the past, the image of her cheering me on during most, if not all, of my training sessions always lingers in the back of my mind. It's comforting to know I can always count on her for a smile, and in return she never has to worry about receiving one back.

When you look at it in that perspective I could never find it in myself to hate her; even if the rest of my life just blends in with her natural talent. She is my sister after all, and quit honestly the only person I feel closest to in the family since our mother passed a few years ago. Our father was never quite the same after the funeral, and since has been traveling out of the country on business. It was hard enough accepting that we were motherless so you can imagine the hurt in accepting that we were pretty much fatherless too. It's a rare occasion when we see him face to face rather than through a computer screen or picture.

We inherited our rare abilities from our grandmother Kaede; and ever since our father's presence became less and less she and out grandfather have taken on full responsibility for us. I don't know where we would be without them, and I'm grateful for all the support we've been given from aunts, uncles, cousins-

"Kikyo?"

I blinked at my sister's inquiry and turned my head in the direction of our home. I needed a minute, but soon even I began to sense a strong spiritual presence below near our shrine. I recognized the feeling, and in the midst of our landing I couldn't help but smile at the irony. Speaking of family support…

Within minutes Hachi prepared for his landing; the pressure bumped us from his back and once he felt us off he proceeded to transform into his innate, raccoon-dog self. With clumsy precision I felt my head land face first into the dirt while I heard Kagome laugh as she landed evenly on the spot next to me. Naturally she would stick the landing while I…well however way I landed.

My initial reaction would have been to join in her laughter, even if I was the butt of the joke, but my attention was suddenly drawn to the muffled sigh coming from above my head. My eyes met with the onyx-colored eyes of my cousin, Kikyo. The look she sent me was distantly cold, my head immediately darted down. She knew where I stood in my training, and needless to say my lack of progress these past few years have left her anything but impressed. I could take the sigh she sent when my childish antics became too much for her, but it absolutely tore me apart to see her own gaze drift past my very existence to the person I knew she really came to see.

She addressed Kagome with full attention, "You're grandmother awaits us back at the shrine." Us…I knew I wasn't included in that picture. My stomached turned as I watched Kikyo offer my sister her hand, a sign of compassion I knew had no reason to be directed toward me.

Kagome give me a small glance before she allowed her arm to be tugged in the direction of our home. Hachi yawned beside me, obviously ready for his afternoon nap. "That Kagome," he praised, "She'll make a great Onmyouji one day, that's for sure." I felt the blood boil to my head until a soft paw surprisingly patted my shoulders. "And there's always a place here for you too Rin." My eyes began to swell at his words, not too many creatures stood to comfort that particular concern of mine till now. "After all, someone has to keep this place spotless while Kagome's on duty."

I felt the vein near my forehead pop, and after a few thrashings left Hachi feeling broken and bruised by my heavy book bag. So much for comfort….

I felt the dirt below my shoes turn into solid concrete as I made my way toward my family's shrine. I had a feeling everyone would much rather prefer me to just go home and start on my homework or tend to the needs of Sota and Grandpa, but it wasn't every day that Kikyo appeared and (like my dad) usually came during a moment of importance. I paused at the stone stairway, hating that I had to take this forty-step route on foot, but once at the top I was greeted with the scene of my Grandmother and Kikyo discussing what appeared to be a very serious topic with Kagome.

All it took was one step and already I had my grandmother's stern stare slapping me in the face. "This conversation be for Kagome's ear alone Rin," she informed, "Head home."

"Wait," my eyes widened when I heard Kagome interject, "Let's let her in on what's going on. After all she'll be sixteen soon and so why not inform her of this now?"

I felt a light of hope illuminate my dark tunnel thanks to my sister's persistence, and soon I imagine the rest of my family felt it too because I saw a tiny nod of approval come from my grandmother. If she accepted my stay then so did Kikyo; I couldn't help but smile at Kagome, even if I sometimes wish I had the voice to change my grandmother's mind rather than just her. That's the perk of being the favorite though.

I walked the few steps till I was presently in the group, and sensed a thick air of solemn tension as the elder set of eyes both directed my own gaze toward Kagome.

"Kagome, y-ee be sixteen now. Your mind be sharper, and your training be progressing more each day," my grandmother proceeded to explain while my sister merely nodded. Its high time y-ee be sent to retrieve y-ee Shikigami."

I heard a subtle groan rumble from the back of Kagome's throat, and assumed she was in the same boat as me for once. Even with our advanced knowledge of our heritage neither of us could help but not see the whole picture here, and soon my voice began to speak out in wonder.

What was going one?

What was going to happen to Kagome?

What was the significance of being sixteen? Then above all…

"A Shikigami?"

To Be Continued