Mira cringed as she felt a pounding in her head, and there were whispers around her as well. She started to turn away from them when a hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving. She whimpered softly, and finally, slowly, began opening her eyes. She blinked, letting her vision adjust to no longer swimming in an endless darkness. The moment she was aware of her surroundings, and was alert, she instantly regretted waking up. Staring down at her was the girl, Kagome was what she was called, and the one called Inuyasha. There were two others, no three, as a little kid with a fluffy tail was in the arms of the other woman. Then there was the one called Sesshomaru, and his little dwarf servant, though they were standing a good deal away, and much to Mira's surprise, there was a little girl with those two. She then turned to the hand on her shoulder, and her eyes went wide, her throat tight, and her breath lost for a moment. She jerked, and was up, moving much quicker then she should have, because everything spun for a moment. She didn't care, she was up and moving far away from everyone, or as far away as this little temple would allow her.
When she was sure that her back was against a wall, and she had placed at least some distance between herself and everyone, she took a moment to notice that they were all just staring at her, as if she were half crazy. She probably was right now. She was in Wonderland, that was it, she had fallen through the rabbit hole, this was some mysterious thing about losing her innocence, and she would come out, and tell everyone how she really felt, and then get on a boat and travel the world. Good plan.
"You all should have disappeared, what the hell?"Mira asked, swallowing hard as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact this wasn't in fact a dream.
"You're not dreaming."The girl named Kagome said, almost looking sorry for Mira,"You fainted, but you're not dreaming, you're really here."
"That isn't possible."Mira retorted, shaking her head,"Traveling through dimensions and time, it doesn't exist, unless you're a certain Doctor, and I'm not...I'm just plain ol' Mira from New York."
"You were never plain ol' Mira,"Shinda said softly, giving a small laugh,"That was never an option for you."
"What's that suppose to mean?"Mira asked, shaking her head, frowning, and in the back of her head, she was almost certain she didn't want to hear what the woman who looked so much like her mother, had to say.
"I have watched over you to the best of my abilities, even left that shard of jewel where you would find it,"The woman said with a small laugh,"Because you're special, much like Kagome here is, and I knew that you would need to find this out for yourself, and unfortunately, the hard way, if you're anything like your father."
"You know my dad?"Mira asked, blinking with surprise, surely this woman wasn't going in the direction that Mira was thinking, that wouldn't be right at all.
"I am more then just a Keeper of the Dead, for one that must watch the dead, must also watch the time,"Shinda said, shaking her head,"I might travel to and fro through time, much in the same way yourself and Kagome can do with the shards of the jewel."
"Oh."Mira replied, before shaking her head. She glanced idly at the others, who seemed to be watching the conversation with curiosity, aside from the one named Sesshomaru, he looked utterly bored,"Well, why bother putting me in a position to come here, I'm really not special."
"You are mistaken,"Shinda said with a laugh, the sound ringing through the small room,"Though it is for you to figure out, I can not give you the answers,"
"Well, if you can't tell me, why bring it up?"Mira asked, frowning at the woman, sighing,"That's like teasing a dog with a bone."
"Just know that this place is a refuge for you, that you might use this place to return home from time to time, but trust me when I say this,"Shinda spoke, her eyes lighting up as she spoke to the young woman before her,"You are so much more then you realize, and to fulfill your potential, you must take the first step forward."
"I had dreams, I have things I want to do with my life, this,"Mira spoke, sounding hesitant over what was being spoken,"This was not in the master plan,"
"Child, things rarely go according to plan."Shinda returned, her voice sounding a little saddened as she did,"Rarely do you get what you want in life, instead you must make the best of what you're given."
"What did he call you?"Mira asked, narrower her eyes at the woman,"My father, what did he call you?"
Shinda paused, and shook her head, giving a small smile, as if she didn't understand what the girl was talking about. She turned to the others, who were all watching Mira with a certain curiosity. Kagome frowned a bit as she slowly got to her feet, it was clear this girl needed some encouragement. She slowly walked over to Mira, reaching her hand out as she came close enough, and rested it on the woman's shoulder.
"Look, give it a day or two, travel with us, let's see what Shinda here is talking about."Kagome suggested, giving a small smile,"If you're still unsure about all this, we'll bring you back, and you can go home."
"I want an answer."Mira spoke, her tone sharp as she looked at Kagome,"And I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable traveling anywhere with any of you right now, so please, don't."
"I haven't an answer for you, child, I am merely a watcher, nothing more."
"You look just like her."Mira spoke, her voice a hiss,"You're literally an exact replica of my mother, you can't tell me this is coincidence, can you?"
"I have no answers."Shinda answered, her tone stern and serious,"Now, take them on their offer, and go, do something more for yourself outside of your books about crimes and how the law works."
"You really do watch me, don't you?"Mira said with a snort, rolling her eyes,"Those books happen to be very important, I might have you know, and give me one good reason why I should go anywhere other then home?"
"Because if you don't, then we're all to assume you're scared."Inuyasha spoke, giving a bit of a huff as he did,"I mean, are you that scared of this place?"
"I'm not scared."Mira argued,"I'm smart."
"Scaredy cat."Inuyasha mocked, grinning at the way Mira's face flushed red as she began to get frustrated and angry.
"You know what."Mira snapped, rolling her eyes,"I am not scared, I simply don't feel the need to go traveling with you guys and facing demons and fighting, and whatever it is you do, I don't want to die."
"We wont let you die,"Inuyasha spoke, starting to sound annoyed,"If you want to come, let's get moving, because I'm getting tired of waiting around, if you're just too scared, go home,"
"Stop."Mira almost growled as she looked at Inuyasha,"Stop saying I'm scared,"
"Well, what other reason would you have for just running away?"
"Sensibility, sanity, I could name a few others, if you'd like,"Mira snapped, scrunching her nose.
"Child, you need to take a chance."Shinda spoke up, glancing towards Inuyasha, as if to tell him to be quiet for a moment,"I would not have given you this opportunity, if I did not feel you could proceed without much trouble."
"I didn't want this opportunity."Mira responded, almost pleading,"I never wanted to know about any of this, I was perfectly fine thinking that what I know is all there is, that this wasn't even possible, that I could go back in time, or that demons are real, or any of it, I was okay pretending that there was just that moment in time, and nothing more."
"Well it is too late to look back on that now."Shinda said, sighing,"You are here, now embrace, if only for a moment, and learn,"
"What am I suppose to be learning exactly?"Mira asked, raising an eyebrow,"I'm not just going to dive headfirst into something without knowing why, or what will be a consequence if I do."
"Child, you are more then you realize, and this is the only way for you to learn, to discover, once again, I can not tell you all the answers, but you must trust me when I say it will be worthwhile."Shinda answered, before looking towards the others,"Watch over her, or I will take your souls early."
"Of course."Kagome said, giving a nervous laugh,"Wouldn't think of doing anything else."
"If I go with them, and decide after a few days, that this is a terrible decision,"Mira inquired,"Can I go home and forget this happened?"
"Certainly, but please, for all that I have tried to do for you, do this for me."
"Fine, but only a couple of days, I have a life to get back to."
"It's about time she made up her mind."Inuyasha said with a sigh,"Can we go now?"
Mira waited while the others pulled their things together, and watched as they all started out the door. The older one, and his strange looking side kick had already disappeared, but something in the back of Mira's mind told her that it wouldn't be the last time she would see him. She shrugged that away, and sighed as she slowly started after the small group. There was Inuyasha, and Kagome, and this little boy that looked like a wolf, they called him Shippo, and another girl, her name was Sango, and a monk, who was apparently in his head, a ladies man, his name was Miroku. She glanced back at the woman, the demon, Shinda, the one that looked exactly like her mother, to a point that it was almost heart breaking, and Mira raised an eyebrow as she paused for a moment.
"You still never told me what you called my father."She said softly, hoping to get some sort of answer this time.
"You still assume that I knew him."
"You're my mother aren't you?"
"I can not give you such an answer, for I do not know myself, time is rather fickle like that."Shinda said softly,"All I know is that I have looked over you for a long time, doing what I can to protect you from my own time here."
Mira tossed that around in her head for a moment, before sighing once more. She gave a small nod of her head, and turned away from the woman named Shinda, taking a step out of the temple, and heading off after the others. Only a few days, and she could go home. She could make it, she could do this, and in the mean time, she had to hope they were right in the fact that nothing would kill her.