Here's ch. 12! yes I worked hard on this one. Well I did this like 3 weeks ago but I did try hard.
ch.13 is done and I'm working on 14 as we speak. So let me explain. I'll put ch. 13 up when ch. 14 is done. And 14 when when 15 is done. And so on so forth. Get it? Hope so anyways remember when I said there was going to be a time skip in 13? yea well I lied lol. Turns out I wrote too much so the time skip will be in the beginning of ch. 14. oh and inuyasha and the gang will reappear in ch. 14 too. So you won't be seeing them in this chapter or the next one. For now enjoy this chapter and please review as always I'd love to hear your opinions on my story! Thanks :)
(Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me...sadly)
Upon entering the room kagome already had a terrible vibe of the place. It was absolutely dark only eight small lights shone around a tall, semi-circular table with eight empty seats. Standing in the middle of the floor was a rather weird looking stool. The legs were curved a peculiar manner, and glowed from the words written on it. It was also strangely cold, more like freezing. The light miko outfit kagome wore now seemed too light as she hugged herself in means to keep out the chill. Kaname walked past her and revealed the seal she had used on the guards earlier to light the whole room. Kagome shut her eyes by the sudden turn of the lights. She painfully blinked a couple of times to get her eyes to get used to the bright light that now lit the room. The young miko's jaw opened up in amazement to see how drastically different the room looked like now that kaname had turned on the lights. The table was decorated a fine coating of gold and silver designs. Each depicting a different symbol of the spirit elements. The chairs were made of a fine maple wood giving the chairs a fine red glow. The surrounding area of the room was just as decorated. The four pillars that stood behind kagome and kaname resembled the ones of the roman empire. They were also decorated with a "classical" touch of gold and silver. The young miko slowly regained her composure and shook her head. She walked up to the large table and traced her fingers over the symbols inscribed in the clear marble. She turned to kaname who was too busy checking something with a guard that had just come in. kagome turned back and began to read in her mind each of the elements.
'Fire...Wind...Ice...Water...Earth...Light...Shadow...and Time. How strange I've only heard of the first five what could the other three mean? Are they really elements? Because as far as I know with my high school education these aren't considered elements. Putting that aside for now this is sure a very well..."royal" room. The elders sure know how to make someone like me uncomfortable. I wonder when this meeting thing is supposed to start?'
Kagome attention was brought back to kaname when she heard the miko let out a soft cough. She turned and gave kaname a questioning look when she noticed the fidgeting the miko was starting to do. The guard had left since then and the two now stood alone together in a large well decorated room. Kaname walked up to the young miko, placing a soft hand on kagome's shoulder she gave her a reassuring squueze before she looked down and began to talk.
"well, looks like they'll be a little late since they're talking peace contracts with a neighboring village. They'll be here soon though in the next five minutes I'd say."
The fidgeting from kaname hadn't stopped on the contrary it was getting worse. Kagome was starting to get a feeling the miko was not telling her everything. Poking kaname on the nose the young miko gave her a "what's going on" glare that made kaname look back down. Her normal cool, calm, and collected self had disappeared and kaname was starting to wonder if kagome had already noticed. She got her answer when she hear the tapping of a foot on the marble floor. She looked and saw kagome still had the same glare and her arms were folded. The young miko apparently wanted answers and wanted them now. Letting out a long sigh kaname continued talking.
"well I hadn't expected them to take this long or the fact that they'll be a little late. I had planned on staying here until about the half of your interview and welcoming as a new trainee to be a fellow miko. I have to leave and continue my duties as a captain for one of the many teams formed in our miko village. so...it appears...you'll be handling them on your own. I'm terribly sorry kagome but I cannot change my schedule now please understand."
Kaname had managed to let all of this out within a minute and a half leaving her breathless and nervous as to what kagome's reaction would be. Kaname's nerves only increased when all the answer that she was getting was dead silence. She gulped loudly before looking up at kagome again to see if the silence was just her thinking through her thoughts. The expression on the young miko's face wasn't what kaname was expecting. Kagome was trying to hide a very wide and humorous smile. Kaname fell to the ground and sweatdropped.
'That little brat here I am pretty much eating myself with guilt and she wants to laugh?! What's so gosh darn funny anyway?! Isn't she afraid of the elders after all I've told her she should be at least a little intimidated by them.'
Kaname stood back up and straightened her clothes before directing a very evil glare at the young miko. Kagome let out a small giggle before shaking her head and giving the miko a sympathetic look.
"Lady Kaname forgive me I didn't mean to be rude by laughing but to be honest it's really funny."
"and how so kagome?" the miko gave her an agitated stare.
"well even if you were to stay here for a little while it wouldn't have made a difference since I'm already a nervous wreak as it is?"
kaname stared at her a bit surprised, since she should have known that from the very beginning.
"I see...I guess that would make sense. Forgive me I guess I felt bad for leaving you at such a short notice."
"It's all right I suppose it's best for me to do this alone or otherwise I'll always be afraid of their authority ne?"
Kaname nodded and looked in the direction of the huge wooden doors. She gave kagome a sad smile.
"Well then...I suppose I should go then huh?"
"Hai... don't worry I'll be fine since you've done these sort of things before then I'm sure you already know what I'm in for right?"
"Hai...ano ...I'll be back around evening so we can discuss your training schedule and well everything else."
Kagome gives a quick nod before turning around and sitting down on the strange stool she saw when they came in. the young miko took out a book she had apparently taken with her from her hut and began to read it. Kaname sighed and exited the room. She walked down the empty corridor until she made back to the entrance. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted eight cloaked figures walking up a set of stairs that led in the direction kaname had just come from. She looked down another sigh escaping her lips. Her icy blue eyes held sadness. She left the castle with a clouded mind. Before disappearing into the large crowd of miko teams that had formed near the gardens of the castle she turned to give one last look.
'Forgive me kagome...the elders will be giving you a harder time then they have with the others..all because of the demon running in your veins now...because of the power you now possess ...because you escaped their destiny for you...and now they want you back...whatever the cost...please forgive me ...you're in their hands now.'
The miko walked into the crowd and disappeared.
Kagome was actually more than nervous then she led on when she convinced kaname she would be fine on her own. After all she's never met the elders. Who were they? What kinda jobs do they do and have in their village? What exactly was she to do in order to begin her training? What did kaname mean when she said she would be given a number? And why was kaname so anxious about her and the elders? Would they treat her right or yell at her for the smallest things?
Kagome shook her head in an attempt to escape the thoughts that were blocking her mind from her reading. The young miko sighed and put the book back inside her miko's outfit. She knew she couldn't concentrate. Kagome was about to leave and look at the symbols on the table again when she heard a door on the far side of the table where the last seat was located at being opened. She let out a soft gasp and quickly sat back down her nerves from earlier coming on in full force.
She found the patterns on the floor a lot more interesting at the moment than the pattering, slight stomping, and scurrying of feet getting louder in the room. Suddenly the room once again became dark as the eight light from before feel upon the once empty seats. Now filled with the eight bodies of the elders. Kagome continued to look down hoping this would just end quickly so she could escape and go hide in her hut.
The young miko squinted an eye shut as a blinding bright white light fell on top her seat. She put up her arms to cover her eyes as she slowly got used to the lights in the room. Once her eyesight returned to normal she stared and studied the eight people before her. It appeared only one of the elders was a female the others were males. The female sat at the highest chair and looked to be the leader. Her eyes were a soft gray her hair a glossy white it almost seemed fake. Her skin was a creamy pale color, and her cloak matched the color of the symbol underneath her, ice blue. The older man on her right seemed to also be an important elder since he had a tall chair as well. His eyes were a bright intense red and his hair seemed black but traces of gray could be seen he held it back with a ponytail. His skin was slightly tanner than the woman but still pale. A thin line appeared above his forehead. He was also studying kagome.
His cloak was as red as his eyes. The symbol below him was, fire. The other man on the left of the elder woman had a gentler look to him. His eyes seemed to be closed so kagome couldn't tell his eye color. He wore what appeared to be some sort of glasses and he seemed to be giving her a genuine smile. His skin was as pale as the woman elder and his hair was a jet black color. His cloak was a creamy white color and the symbol below him was, wind. The remaining five elders wore the same brown cloaks and seemed to hide their faces well, it took the young miko nearly five minutes to figure out they were men. She was so busy studying these strangers she failed to notice their intense stares directed at her, or the fact that they seem to be murmuring back and forth to each other about her.
Kagome moved to a more comfortable position on the stool before she looked back down to the floor. Her nerves had finally caught up and she realized the stares they were giving her.
She kept fidgeting on the stool and she felt a cold sweat coming on from their stares.
The young miko was starting to wonder if they had died or something since none
seem to be saying a word now. She let out a small sigh and then quickly straightened up when the voice of the female elder echoed in the room.
"Is the floor that more interesting to look at then at us young miko?"
kagome looked up and gulped before she shook her head and gave her attention to the elders.
"no...lady elder...I'm sorry."
"well then will you pay attention while evaluate you during this meeting?"
"yes I will please continue."
Kagome gave a small smile before putting on a straight face for the elders. The woman elder let out a sigh and put two fingers between her furrowed brow. She then turned to the man the stood above the wind symbol and whispered something into his ear. He nodded and handed her a small green folder, that seemed to be stack with quite a few papers. She dug into her cloak and removed what looked like a pair of glasses and placed on her eyes and began to read the papers. She looked up and proceeded to begin the meeting.
"Higurashi, Kagome. Sixteen years old, born June 25th , eyes blue-green, hair black, height five feet two inches, weight 105 lbs. Reincarnation of the miko kikyo. Protector of the shikon jewel. And now the bearer of a demon's curse that has awaken your sealed powers...am I correct?"
The woman elder looked up from the papers and gave the young miko a stern stare. Kagome flinched
and nodded in agreement to the information but something troubled her.
"Excuse me...lady elder?"
"hmm?"
"how do you know all of that?? and how did you get that folder with all MY information on it?"
she gave kagome a slightly surprised look but then chuckled before putting the folder down and placing her elbows on the table then putting her chin on her folded hands.
"we have been following you since you first arrived to this sengoku jadai era. We knew the capabilities you had as a miko not only because of your connection with kikyo, but because of your abilities to cross over from one period to another. It was about a year ago when we noticed that your power was nothing compared to what you had sealed up within your body. We wanted to wait until you had collected all the jewel shards and completed the shikon jewel before we proceeded to tell you about your sealed powers...and how to possibly activate them. Of course the sudden and unexpected attack of the demon Toruko ended up doing our job, with an added annoyance."
the woman elder sighed and continued.
"kagome I'm going to be honest with you...the two elders next to me and I decided it was best to get you now before it was too late."
Kagome raised an eyebrow she was confused as to what exactly the woman elder meant.
"what do you mean...too late?"
"the demon curse is not only mixing with your spiritual power...it's mixing with it too much...which is causing a strain in your body...if you do not train yourself within the next year...you will die."
kagome let out a raspy gasp. Her eyes had widened clear shock and fear could be seen in them. The young miko looked away for a moment
trying to contemplate what she just heard. The three elders gave each other glance before turning their attention back to the miko. Kagome slowly calmed herself as she realized that if she was capable of having all this power and still be alive and well now then
perhaps she could train herself to control her body's increasing strength. And not have to face something like death. Kagome looked back up with a new determined attitude surprising the council of elders.
"well ...I suppose I'll just make sure to learn everything I need to know so I won't die right?"
The elder on the left of the woman elder gave her another warm smile and nodded.
"That is what we were hoping you would say. If you have such determination by just our simple words then your actions will prove to be just as great."
kagome gave a small bow to the young elder before turning her attention to the woman elder. A slight blush appears on the young miko's face as she asks a question.
"forgive my rudeness lady elder. But I never learned your name or the name of the other elders in this room. I'd at least like to talk to you with a less sense of formality don't you think?"
The woman elder let out a soft chuckle and nodded in agreement.
"I suppose you should know our names and duties before we continue your meeting and evaluation."
the woman elder coughs before continuing.
"My name is Jiruu Shizmiru I am the head elder of the village of miko's. I also stand guard over the symbol of the element of ice as you can see below. Of course I'll tell you more about that later. As the head elder I see who is chosen to be accepted as a fellow elite miko in our village. I also track down and meet with other villages to assign the missions the teams get."
Jiruu turns her attention to the older elder on the right of her so he can introduce himself. He nods and glances down at the young miko.
"my name is Ryu Nakamaru I am the second in command in the village. I look over peace treaties for the village and in other cases write up the peace treaties. I'm also part of a council for our judiciary branch and sometimes hold power as the superior judge. I am the protector of the symbol element of fire. I will also be your evaluator once you become an elite miko."
Kagome stared wide eyed at the older man. His voice was deep and loud and held a lot of authority. He made Inuyasha's usual gruff voice sound like that of a young teenager. She bows in respect at the man in which he gives a simple nod before he gives his approval to the man on the left of Jiruu to introduce himself.
Now the man was definitely younger than the other two elders but he seemed older than kagome. He was most likely around the age of her mother, the young miko concluded that as the truth. He removed his glasses and opened his eyes to reveal a very lovely purple for his eyes. The young elder gave another warm smile to kagome causing a slight blush to appear on her face. He then continued the introductions.
"my dear miko my name is Haru Aburakoji. I'm the third in command of the village of mikos. My duties lie in the military and as a sort of clan leader for the remaining village that isn't made up of mikos and priests. I sign and/or deny any war contracts that are brought onto our village. I'm also the lead general of our miko and priest army. I'm also going to be your evaluator for your graduation test once training is complete. As you can see I'm the protector of the symbol element of wind."
He gives her another warm smile and then nods at Jiruu. She smiles and look back down.
"do not worry about the other five you will be seeing them around soon enough. They will be the evaluators during your training. They report to me and Haru of your process and if we should increase or lower your regimen of training."
Kagome nods and bows again to the whole council before sitting back down on the stool. She had never felt so relieved to know that the elders were not as bad as kaname had made them appear.
Apparently the young miko let her nerves calm down much too quickly. Ryu's stoic expression turned to that of questioning anger.
"miko!"
kagome straightened up once again and stared up at the man.
"H..Hai?"
"There is a matter I wish to discuss with you before we proceed with giving you a name and a number for your training. Will you be loyal to us miko? No matter what obstacle you face when or if after you graduate and become an elite miko?"
"of..of course what kind of girl do you take me for?"
"we have studied you over the year miko...we have seen how loyal you are to that...hanyou...Inuyasha."
Kagome flinches upon hearing the name of the man that had betrayed her. Her eyes dull over once again as the memories come back again to haunt her. This sudden mood change does not go unseen by the three elders. Jiruu and Haru throw Ryu an angry glare for upsetting the young miko. Jiruu whispers in his direction.
"Ryu-san how dare you hurt the girl's mental health like that?! You know very well the condition she's in right now. She's still recovering from the betrayal!"
"Do not act the innocent one here Jiruu-san we all know very well that that little incident back in the illusions test was your doing."
Jiruu gives him a cold stare before it turns to shock hearing Haru agreeing with Ryu.
"Forgive me Jiruu-sama but he is right. Though I don not agree to what he's doing to the poor girl what you did is no better."
"Fine continue the questioning but don't blame me if she decides to run off on us."
The argument abruptly ends when they hear the sound of the young miko's cough. They all look up to see a completely different girl. Her eyes didn't shine with any emotion they had completely dulled over. She had a blank look on her face and it looked like she had been wiping away tears. Jiruu and Haru give the young miko a sympathetic look while Ryu watches with curiosity. Kagome looks up and says.
"I..I may have once been loyal to that...to...that half...that man. But I am not blind either Ryu elder. What he did to me...is unforgivable so you can trust me to be loyal to you...I will not betray you for him."
Ryu raises an eyebrow at the unexpected answer. What troubled him the most though was the sudden change in tone on her voice. It was hallow, blunt, and empty. No emotion was evident in her voice. He stared at the miko and then asked.
"is that so?...well what about your other friends miko? The monk Miroku, The demon-slayer Sango, the kitsune Shippo, and the old miko Keade? If they were to ask for your return...will you betray us then?"
The same expression remained on the quiet miko. The whole council watched the miko to hear her answer. Kagome was herself wondering if she would really go back for her other friends. Images of sango and miroku flirting with each other came to mind. Then of shippo lazily sleeping on her lap. And keade trying to teach her which herb was for a headache and which one was for a sprain. The young miko's mouth curved into a small smile but disappeared just as fast. They would obviously side with that half demon wouldn't they? After all they seemed to believe what inuyasha was saying and not her. She can't trust them...not anymore. As long as that half demon remained with them. They would never understand her. Her fists tightened and she answered.
"no...I will not betray you...not for them...or anyone else Ryu elder."
This took the three elders by surprise they had expected her to be more friendlier with her comrades. Apparently the damage was done and she had lost all faith in her former friends. Jiruu let out an exasperated sigh and bend her head back as she tried to control her headache.
'I did not expect for kagome to become this cold hearted over such a betrayal...perhaps I underestimated the love she had for the hanyou...'
Ryu looked at Jiruu with a smirk and then at Haru. Who shrugged his shoulders and then shook his head as he directed his stare back at the miko. Ryu nodded at the miko.
"very well...Kagome I will trust your words as true and expect you to follow them is that understood?"
"hai."
Ryu nudged his arm to Jiruu's side to get her attention. She sighed and bend her head back to normal. She opened up kagome's folder again and removed some papers. She then looked at Haru. Haru handed her another folder that seemed to hold a list. She looked through it and wrote a couple of things down in kagome's folder. By that time the young miko had sat back down on the stool and took her book out again. Finding more interesting then what was going on above her. Her eyes were still dulled over she was clearly trying to once again suppress the memories of the past days. She was drawn out of her book when she heard a cough coming from Jiruu. The woman elder stood from her chair and tossed a scroll towards the young miko. Kagome caught it and proceeded to open it. Inside she found her name, kaname's name, rules, laws, and instructions of the village, what appeared to be a schedule and another strange name and number. She gave the three elders a questioning look in hopes they would understand what bothered her. Haru nodded at the two and began to talk.
"my dear kagome that is your ...how to put it...citizenship scroll. You are to keep that with you whenever you leave the village. Or when you are required to leave in order to go to your visits on the other side of the bone eater's well. Kaname shall be your training instructor for the next year. If you are to finish you're training before the year is out you'll be put on a team to carry out some missions for us. Now if you notice the number and name at the bottom of the scroll...those are your code name and number. You will be known as "Yoshiko" and your number will be 283. is that understood young miko?"
Kagome stared down at the scroll it was decorated with a gold trimmed boundary and the words written in silver ink. She let another small smile appear on her lips. Without looking back up she nodded to the young elder. He gave her a warm smile and then put his glasses back on. All the elders collected their papers and notes, and slowly stood from their chairs. Jiruu looked down at the young miko.
"kagome?"
"...H..Hai elder Jiruu?"
"welcome to the village of mikos...training begins tomorrow. We will talk to you again."
with that the elders left the large room in a single filed line. Leaving behind the quiet miko who was trying to hide her sudden joy of being accepted into the village. Once she heard the last footsteps leave the room and the door being closed behind them, she silently jumped in the air holding onto the scroll as if it were a precious treasure she just found. Kagome let out a sigh of relief before walking towards the large wooden doors and exited the room.
She went down the hall and through the exit that led to the courtyards of the castle. Kagome found herself humming a small tune as she strolled down the path that led to large gates. Upon arriving the two guards politely bowed and sent a signal to the guards above to open the gates. Soon kagome found herself once again in the large village. Apparently the meeting had lasted longer than she had first thought. The sun was beginning it's descent which meant it was around mid-afternoon. The young miko sighed and decided she head to her hut. She took out the map kaname had given her and started to read it in order to find her way back
above the castle walls stood three shadowed figures staring down at the young girl as she walked down a street and soon disappeared around a corner.
"Jiruu-san I hope you realize that if she were to find out you were the one that planned the scenario of her finding that hanyou and the dead miko together, it will not only jeopardize your so called mission to bring the strongest miko alive into our ranks, but our village as well. As we saw today her emotions are unstable when it comes to the hanyou and her so-called friends. If she were to lose control of her powers..."
"I know Ryu-san, I know. We will just have to make sure she never finds out is all. Remember...she's also part of our village's prophecy. If we lose her it will also be a loss for our village."
"Jiruu-sama are you sure letting her harbor such a hatred towards the hanyou is a healthy choice? She could possibly kill the hanyou unintentionally and that would cause her more harm to her mental well being."
"Haru-san I know what I'm doing is best do not question me and just follow orders...now go back to your duties."
Both men bow and leave the agitated elder alone to stare out at the spot where the miko once stood.
'my hopes and dreams have been put on your shoulders kagome...don't disappoint me.'
the elder vanishes soon after leaving an empty space over the once vacant window.
