A Tale as old as time

{Chapter One}

I breathed heavily attempting to slow my heart beat as I caught a glimpse of the god tree fighting back the sadness. It was the constant remainder of a past that was so far out of reach filling me with memories of the years I spent searching for jewel shards and around people that filled my life with love. It was ten long years ago that I was pulled from the past after the completion and destruction of the Shikon No Tama. I have mourned my comrades and tried for years to fit into a time that I no longer felt my own, there was only one person that kept me grounded.

I glanced away catching the sight of a tall woman my age with long wavy black hair with natural red tints clearly showing that was shining in the sunlight and flawless pale skin along with a toned figured that came from years of training. Just then she glanced my way showing me the dark green eyes that spoke endless volumes of knowledge and wisdom that could only be found from the path she walked. Yet the smile she gave me caused me to relax and forget the past in a moment. She just had that affect on people.

The woman was known to me as Ellie, to the world as United States Soldier Elessandria Galac daughter of United States General Daniel Galac. I met her eight years ago and had come to depend on her more then any other person I have met. My mother tired of my depression and finding that I had lost control of my powers that had grown greatly in the destruction of the Shikon sent me to Greece. It was on a shrine that the priest who could no longer held me control my powers told me of another that had come to him years before with powers unlike anything he had ever seen.

It took me months to track her down to the plains of Iran, where she had found a calling helping those injured in war and protecting people. I thought with everything I had learned of her she would be like Sango. Yet, what I found was my salvation. You see, she healed my heart and my mind while teaching me to control my powers in ways I never dreamed of. It was amazing knowing there was someone like me in my time and had a power even greater than mine. There were many moments that I had seen her fighting that I saw glimpses of a woman I knew only threw the stories of the priestess that created the Shikon.

She was way older then she appeared just like I was, I was twenty-eight looking like I was twenty. She looked near the same but, she was over forty years old. She had grown to become a soldier by the age of eighteen already with a medical degree. She became a legendary name among war, or at least her code name was, and held many skills that no one could content with. Then she suddenly resigned and disappeared. Only I knew that reason and where she was, I had been the only person to find her.

"Cold" I screamed suddenly getting pulled from my thoughts as freezing cold water was dropped over my head as the chime like laugh from my best friend rang out

"You weren't paying attention" She said through her laughing as I glared at her before giggling as well

She stopped laughing suddenly stilling completed staring off in the distance with a serious expression on her face. Confused I looked off in the direction frowning when I realized she was staring at the wellhouse.

"Something is in here" She whispered harshly stepping in front of me just as a bright light burst from the wellhouse causing me to stumble back it shock

"It's open" I whispered before smiling in realization and shouted "It's open"

"What is open?" She questioned glancing at me in confusion

I suddenly felt bad for not explaining to her my past as the familiar light wrapped around me and I felt the comfortable pull I hadn't felt in years. I glanced back taking in the confusion at the sight of the light wrapping around Ellie as well. Then the light blinded me before I could say anything, and I appeared at the bottom of the well looking up to see the blue sky.

I turned towards Ellie as she coughed and put a hand on her shoulder before beginning the climb up the well. I felt Ellie climbing up the well behind me as I climbed over the lip of the well and helped her over. She was breathing heavy looking around in complete confusion and I could tell from my own history that she was going to panic any moment now.

"Ellie, calm down" I whispered taking her hand and pulling her to the ground "Remember the stories I told you about the Shikon Miko?'

"Yeah" She choked out continuing to glance around before focusing on me

"That was me" I explained causing her to blink at me in complete disbelief

I begin to explain everything in detail to her as she started to calm down slowly getting use to the idea of her being in the past. I knew that she would adjust quickly, it was just who she was after all. After some time after I finished my story she stood and looked off in the direction of the village. I stood with a smile and a fluttering in my stomach showing my excitement at the thought of seeing those dear to me again.

As if sensing my feelings, Ellie smiled brightly and started walking towards the village. I got more nervous the closer we got to the village. After all it had been ten years, why if they forgotten about me? What if they didn't want to see me? What if everyone had moved on with their lives? What if they were dead? What if Inuyasha moved on?

"Stop Kagome" She said stopping me suddenly "There is no use worrying about things that may or may not have happened"

"Okay" I said calmly nodding slightly as I saw people moving about the village

We walked through the village that seemed larger that I remember but it had been ten years. As we approached Kaede's cottage a young woman stepped out dressed as a priestess. She paused looking at us with a strange look in her eyes.

"How can I help you?" She questioned with a guarded expression

"I am looking for Keade" I said softly wondering if she had taken an apprentice since I left and suddenly getting the feeling of dread at the deep look of sadness

"Forgive me, Keade passed many years ago" She said confirming my fears "How is it that you knew her?"

"She was dear to me" I said with tears in my eyes "What of Sango and Miroku?"

The young woman looked confused before replying "They left the village long ago" She responded "I have heard rumors of them assisting the western army"

"Sesshomaru?" I questioned in complete confusion of their choice as the woman nodded in confirmation

"Come, you may use my hut to rest for the night" She commented with a wave of her hand

"Thank you" I said still shifting through the information I had learned

"Anything for the Shikon Miko and her companion" She commented shocking me as she chuckled "Of course I remember the stories I was told growing up"

"Growing up" Ellie questioned suddenly "How much time has passed?"

"It has been thirty years since the Shikon was destroyed" She said taking all the air out of my lungs

I stood there in shock as my world spun drastically, thirty years? How could that be? I gasped out suddenly feeling my eyes fill with tears once more unable to believe this. I knew that the Shikon changed me, after all I had not aged a single day in ten years. I thought perhaps it was part of my powers because Ellie hasn't age since I have known her as well. There were too many unknowns in this world.

"calm yourself Kagome, leave the worries and questions till tomorrow" Ellie said softly

"Okay" I said softly following the priestess who introduced herself as Kari and Ellie into the hut

As we settled down into the hut Kari gave up some stew that she had prepared. She went on to explain that the village was safe and that there was protection provided by the west. She explains that two summers before a terrible enemy arose and that the west and east had united to fight against it. She described a dark army that had already destroyed the east and had repeatedly attacked the other lands. Apparently, times were dark and the lands we not safe for travel.

I fell to an uneasy rest that night and my dreams were filled with images of creatures as dark as the night. Ellie stayed at my side throughout the night calming me through it. I could feel her powers wrapping around me keeping the darkness at bay.

~Elessandria's Point of View~

There were a lot of things that I had seen throughout my years of traveling the world and helping those in needs while attempting to find out why I had these gifts. When Kagome found me, my life changed forever but never in a million years would I have thought that I would be dragged five hundred years in the past because of our friendship. My head spun with so many realizations. Fate had led Kagome to me and for some reason fate had dragged me into the past with her. The question ringing loudly in my mind, why? Why was I here?

Kagome let out a frightened gasp in her sleep and I expanded my aura twirling it around her calming her in her dreams. I knew tomorrow would bring more chaos and most likely more questions then answered. Tomorrow we would travel to the western lands through lands in a time tore by war. Tomorrow Kagome would be dragged by fate to her destiny and I would be forced to tag along, there is no other option for me and I wouldn't choose it if there were.

I sighed looking at Kagome shaking my head before allowing myself to fall to asleep. My dreams once again filled with images that I never dared to speak of aloud. Dreams of a woman that I had never met but somehow knew. She was always fighting, always wandering, always filled with pride. Dreams of a woman who held the same eyes of mine, dreams of a warrior before her time. I awoke in a gasp feeling the stillness of her death once again, the choice she had made that frightened me to my very core. It was always the same and never changed.

I looked at the woman that had taken over as Miko to the village after Kagome's friend perished. She would have the answers I needed to ensure that I could protect Kagome. I snapped my head suddenly sensing something at the edge of my senses, something darker than anything I had ever felt. I stood grabbing my sword and throwing a bow and quiver quickly on my back. I moved quietly used to being undetected towards the edge of the village in the direction of the darkness. The closer I got the more I realized what was coming, a unit of soldiers with a taint unlike anything else. I was like they were being taken over, like an oil and water situation in a soul.

I quickly threw up a barrier around the village just as one of the demons hit it screaming as it turned to ash. I shook off the shock at seeing it for the first time and focused on the force before me feeling the anger spread through them. As the villagers awoke in freight at the sounds I stepped from the barrier with my sword ready.

"Leave or die" I commanded seriously causing what I assume was the leader to laugh loudly "So be it"

I felt a strange calm overcome me, this is what I was trained for and designed for. I summoned my powers as the danced on my skin and blade, it felt so right. I stood still until the first wave neared me and swung allowing the powers to jump from the blade watching in awe as they turned to ash under so little power. I charged forward allowing the age-old dance of battle begin and all too easily sliced through the soldiers focusing on using the powers for the first time as they were meant to be used. As much as I have trained and healed with my powers, this felt like nothing I had ever done. I fought besides soldiers and yet this was me, the purest form of it.

An arrow flew hitting one of the demons behind me and I glanced to see Kagome and Kari ready to fight as well. I spun slamming my blade into the chest of the last demon besides the leader turning a few feet from him. The leader growled and charged while I wait until he was just close enough before spinning kicking him in the back causing him to stumble under the hit. I flipped back throwing punches before bringing my blade across his throat causing him to scream out clawing himself as he turned to ash.

"In all my days I have never known one to hold so much powers" Kari said seriously looking at me "None since Midoriko have come close"

"She's right" Kagome said softly looking around "I haven't ever seen anything like that, you moved so fast"

I sighed looking over to the raising sun "We must prepare to depart Kagome" I said seriously before looking at Kari "I will anchor the barrier so that it remains, but I have a feeling they were after us"

"Okay" Kagome said softly before taking off to the village and I approached the barrier to place sutras to anchor it in place

"Where will you go?" Kari questioned following me and I shook my head knowing it was better for everyone if she was not aware of that information "I understand"

"It is just better this way, once Kagome is ready we will leave and hopefully you will have no other problems" I explained seriously as the villagers gathered to thank us

Kagome smiled brightly at Kari as I took my bag from her hand placing it on my back. I nodded to Kari and waved to the villagers before stepping outside of the village. I wait patiently for Kagome to bid her farewells.

"Where are we going?" Kagome questioned softly as I looked off in the direction of the well

"First back to the well, I will go through and see if I can come back. If I can, then you will ensure the same. Then we will both get supplies we need and then come back to travel west where she heard your comrades were helping Lord Sesshomaru. We need to get weapons and food before we go anywhere"

"Clothes too" Kagome explained seriously causing me to shake my head

"Only a little bit, we need to find something that will help us blend in better here" I explained calmly knowing that we couldn't stand out too much

"True" Kagome said seriously "I guess I should be grateful for your few years as a soldier and the years you spent traveling in war torn areas"

I chuckled in agreement that at least that knowledge would help keep us safe. After confirming that both of us were able to still travel through the well we gathered everything we would need. A few outfits that were modest and easy to travel in. Food that would be easy to eat in a hurry that didn't require cooking, I would hunt when able. We gathered our bows that were both gifts from the priest in Greece and a sword that was older then I would have liked, but it would help until we could find something else. Of course, there were plenty of bath supplies for the both of us. I gathered a map from the area during this age and a compass to help with directions.

"Ready?" I questioned Kagome who was still upset over saying goodbye to her family after we agree we would not return through again until we had answers to ensure no one located and destroyed the well

"As I will ever be" Kagome mumbled taking a breath "Let's go"

"Okay" I said before walking us towards the deep woods already making the decision that it was safer to travel in the deep woods then the paths normally taken.