Upon A Wishing Well

Chapter Twenty-Two

There was so much Kagome had learned on her own, and so much she had yet to learn. What she had known in the past, as a miko was incomparable to the wealth of knowledge that her predecessor had. Kagome had never been privileged to be around another miko because her journey in this world was more important than learning. As it is now, she would have to do the same. Although she was here to learn, she was here to learn how to find Maiko. Time ticked quickly, and unlike her past journey, where Naraku took his time to find the missing shards of the shikon no tama, this journey would be far more difficult. They had no idea what they were up against – Kagome was the only one who had direct contact with Maiko. Should this continue on too much longer, lives would be lost. People would suffer. Maiko could already be here, somewhere, looking for a way to gain vengeance.

But on who?

The people who killed Naraku?

Or was it for some other reason?

Kagome tried to shut down thoughts about Maiko's motivation, even as she pulled up the sleeves of the miko hakama and tied the waist obi. She looked at her arms and felt every bit of her mind wander over how much she probably resembled Kikyo right now. She had known that as she grew up, there would be features of hers that would resemble her. Kikyo had been the owner of her soul in the past, and Kagome no doubt had some resemblance to the tragic woman. Kagome could not hide that the thought made her a little upset. But she knew she looked like herself too. She looked like her mother, who had a large round face. She looked like her father, who had passed away when she was much younger. She knew she had her mother's eyes, and she had her father's hair – she had seen as much in pictures. She knew she had her father's strong shoulders, and she had her mother's delicate hands. She had so much from her family at home, all of the little genetics that made her who she is. If Maiko was allowed to go back to her time, there would be nothing but suffering for those people she loved.

She nodded to herself, and managed to give the miko hakama another pull up. It would do for now.

My strength is my family. My strength is all of the people who need me to do this, for them. In the past, I let Inuyasha be my strength, but I should have known I have more than one person to depend on. I'm not going to fail. I can do this.

Just like she did all of her university courses. Just like how she stopped Naraku in the past. Kagome could do this.

She opened the straw divider and stepped out of the small hut, taking in the many miko wandering around, performing daily activities. She took in how one of them seemed to linger around the main shrine, where the doors were still shuttered. She pondered just why the doors were closed. She had been there in her own time, with her friends, but to see it closed like this felt unusual. Something about the presence within the shrine did not feel holy to her. She didn't understand enough to question it, but her instinct drew her closer. Her steps lead her to the door, where the miko continued to pace back and forth in nervousness.

The short, dark haired woman who was pacing back and forth looked as if she was in her thirties. Her face was large and round, and she had a high forehead. Her face, her entire aura, felt so familiar to Kagome. She assumed that perhaps this was another way of Kikyo, who lay dormant inside of her, recognizing someone else of her own caliber. Another miko probably felt familiar.

But why did this one feel more and more familiar? The way she paced with her arms behind her back, the concern on her face. She had an air of maturity around her that Kagome couldn't piece together. She smelled like maple trees, something refreshing. The scent almost wafted off of her, reminding Kagome of Lady Kaede's village. She desperately missed the village. She missed knowing she was safe there. Although she hadn't spent as much time as she would have liked there, when Kaede had been alive, she had been there enough to feel it was her second home. She desperately missed the way Kaede made stew for them. She missed the way the villagers just accepted them into their lives. She missed every sight and sound of that place. She could only describe it as missing home. That had been home for her, in the end. It had been a home, like the United States had been, and like her home in the modern time.

She continued to feel the familiarity, but she didn't voice it outloud. Another miko came running over. "Has Lady Tsukae emerged yet, Lady Aiya?" the woman asked, despite huffing and puffing. The miko who seemed so familiar, evidently named Aiya, shook her head. Something about the tenseness of the situation was palpable. Kagome knew something was wrong the instant she approached the shrine. Now, it made sense. She had seen neither sight nor sound of Lady Tsukae since coming here. The training she would inevitably have was pushed back until Lady Tsukae emerged from the shrine. But if she wasn't leaving, if the others were so tense from this, there was something wrong. The sinking feeling in Kagome's chest continued to sink, and sink, and sink until it hit her stomach. She was unable to take away from what she was seeing, what she was feeling. Kagome was concerned.

"I'm afraid we'll continue to wait," Aiya said. She finally looked at Kagome, something like confusion flashing in her eyes. "You must be the new miko," she began. "Come, its time for supper. Your training will have to wait. Lady Tsukae has not completed her prayer yet."

"How long does a prayer take?" Kagome asked, instantly. She had seen many miko pray in her time. They normally did not take long, not long enough to concern someone. But Tsukae was someone who had the power that Kikyo had, who had been an equal contender for the shikon no tama. Tsukae would, doubtlessly, have prayer abilities far beyond the miko of her time. She had at some point assumed no one in her time had true sacred abilities. She had always thought miko in her time were more like figureheads, unable to use their powers. Kagome had only awakened hers on coming to this time.

But Maiko had proven that entire assumption wrong. She knew, now, that the abilities would awaken on their own. Maiko had been a truly exceptional miko if she had been so powerful even while weak. That would mean Kagome had much more to learn.

She accepted that she needed to go eat for now. The telltale sound of her stomach did bring a smile to Aiya's face. The smile looked so familiar too. Kagome followed her down to another area, where several of the miko were already presented neat little pottery bowls. The stew smelled like the one Kaede had made for her in the past. It made Kagome realise that perhaps this had been where Kaede had also trained. Kaede had been just as powerful of a miko. Kagome could have learned so much from her.

Her growth had never been allowed because she had been so busy, here and in her own time. She had never been able to achieve her own full potential.

How would she do it in the short time she had now?

She took a bowl and sat down, next to Lady Aiya. The woman she looked at seemed even more uncannily familiar when she drank the stew. The smell was alright – Kagome missed fries. She wished she could have a handful of French fries instead. The thought made her crave it even more, especially drizzled in melted cheese. California style fries were the best.

But she sipped politely. And she noticed Aiya eyeing her again. "Is… everything okay?" she asked, lowering her bowl.

"I feel like I've seen you before," Aiya said.

That confirmed it, for Kagome. Aiya was familiar. She had felt something familiar. And it hadn't just been because she was a miko, or some sort of invisible tie to something else. Aiya had met her at some time. Kagome placed her bowl down, and she swallowed nervously. "I've been here, for a while. I used to learn a little from a miko, who passed away five years ago," Kagome explained. She knew mentioning Kaede wouldn't do much for anyone else here. They might not remember her. Kikyo had been the more famous of the two sisters, even though Kaede had protected her village with just as much vigor. Even Kagome, who had stopped Naraku and at one point been a powerful user of her own sacred powers, could never outdo Kikyo's legacy. Would this woman even recognize Kaede? Was it worth mentioning where Kagome had first learned about her powers?

Yes, it was.

Kagome knew how legacy worked. She was here because of her family. Kaede, that village, they were all her family. They had supported her when she first came here. She had been given food, a warm place to rest and she had been given the people she travelled with now. It was a part of what made her history here.

"I think they still call it Kaede's village," Kagome added. "Close to the Forest of Inuyasha. You might not have heard of it—"

"… Are you Kagome?" Aiya suddenly asked.

The awkward silence that followed made Kagome's heart burst. How did this woman know her name? How did she know her name?

She felt her hands shake, as she continued to stare at that face. She took in the familiar appearance. Something about it was more familiar to Kagome like this than anything else. Kagome's entire body felt like it was frozen in place. "You are, aren't you?" Aiya asked, again. "I'm—"

"Everyone. Please return to rest. We will be taking turns guarding the shrine doors. Lady Tsukae has not emerged yet," another miko interrupted. The both of them would need to talk later. It was evident that guarding the shrine doors took priority over everything else. Even food, even wellbeing.

Something did not sit well about this place. Something about how Tsukae had been in there the entire time that Kagome had been here did not sit well with her either. She had seen miko, she had experienced them, and a gut instinct told her that something bad had happened. Although she couldn't barge in there, her soul spoke to her more clearly in this instance than anything else. She was a nurse in her time, and she knew that the physical wellbeing of another human, especially one who was over fifty years old at this time, anchored on being able to eat and rest. Being locked up in a shrine for the entirety of a day was impossible for an elderly woman like that. Kagome could feel something slink along her spine, and it made her nervous. She was beginning to get the same feeling she did when she had first seen Maiko. Nothing was normal.

But she bowed down to what the other miko decided. She finished her food quickly and listened for instructions. Somehow, this felt more like boot camp. She couldn't describe how she felt like they were herding her into spaces, telling her what to do. She wanted to know the intricate abilities of a miko. Not be forced to guard a door.

"Lady Aiya, will you be staying with us tonight?" the miko ordering others around finally asked. Kagome watched their conversation in surprise. The respect given to Aiya obviously indicated that she was not a trainee. It did make sense. Kagome could sense Aiya was powerful, already separated from the other women here. "Aye, I will," Aiya responded. "If I may, I'll take first guard with Lady…" she peered at Kagome, inquisitively.

"Kagome, I'm Kagome," was her response.

And like that, she'd confirmed the name Aiya had guessed. Somehow, she saw Aiya's eyes soften. Like a shimmer of relief and happiness drifted over her. The crack of a smile on her face made her look more and more familiar to Kagome. The other woman seemed all too happy to have heard the name uttered from Kagome's mouth. "I will take first guard with Lady Kagome," Aiya responded. She sounded so confident. The way the name dripped off her tongue, as if she'd said it a million times before.

Just who is this woman?

First guard meant sitting at the shrine steps and waiting. The waiting was one thing, but to know night was creeping up on her made Kagome tired. She was used to resting, used to the amenities of her life. Now, she would have to find a way to work around what she didn't have. She would have to work with these other women, some of whom probably thought she was nowhere near as powerful as them. Most of whom probably had no idea what she had done in her life. Stopping Naraku, being Kikyo's reincarnation – these were all things that made Kagome so much different from most other women. She couldn't go around bragging about what she did. Kagome wasn't that type of person.

But she did wish she could learn the important things sooner. The things Maiko had a head start on.

Aiya finally sat down beside her. There was a momentary silence.

Kagome could hear it, though. In the air around them. There was something moving in the shrine. It was steady, like a heartbeat. There was something strange about how the manifestation inside was not human. Kagome could still sense spiritual energy. She could sense that it was something born from a miko, but there was that feeling. That something was absolutely wrong. The same feeling that had crept up on her when she'd first seen the thing that had been Rin. Something about this entire situation had changed. She had wanted to ask Aiya who she is, how she knew her name – but instead, she felt the urge to barge into the shrine. She knew her instincts were never wrong. She had spent her entire life learning these skills. She had been one of the most adept students in her classes because her instincts had never let her down.

Her instincts had lead her to stop Maiko. Her instincts had told her when things were wrong in the past. They couldn't be wrong this time.

She inhaled.

"If you know my name, and if you know who I am, then that means you know what I've done," Kagome began to Aiya. Aiya seemed to stare at her, in an instance, lost in thought. "Then please trust me when I say this… I think something is wrong inside of that shrine. And I need to go inside," Kagome continued.

She hoped her words made sense. Disrupting a miko would be a small offense. But if an innocent life was hurt, it would be far worse. She would never forgive herself if something happened to another person. She was here to help. And she couldn't help unless she followed her instincts, followed her heart. She watched Aiya, who looked back at her, frozen in space for a moment. Her plea could fall on deaf ears. Her plea could be ignored entirely. But she would try. She had to try.

This is what Kagome was, after all. A person who helped others, against all odds.

"I believe you," Aiya said. "Let's go inside."

They both stood up. They turned to the door, and together, they pushed it open. Something about this bond with Aiya made Kagome feel strong. Made her feel like she could trust this woman, who somehow knew her name. This was something that would help her finally solve this mystery.

When she opened the shrine door, she looked inside. The shrine was different than in her time. Sure, the same wooden interior existed. The details were beautiful, if not simpler than the way it looked in her time. But she could see the beginnings of what would later be the shrine in her time. She could see, when she looked ahead, four young women standing before the altar, in green and white school uniforms, praying for their exams to go well. She could see those same young women hoping their year would be successful, that they'd stay friends forever. She could see an entire class of young men and women doing the same thing, all gathering here so many years into the future.

She could see the candles at the altar, lit by each student. She saw herself, her friends, all gathered here.

The Kagome of the past, who had been here, was now here again. She was someone else, with more experience and much more maturity, but she was here alongside her old self. The teenage her who had once been here was standing here again, ready to take on this new challenge.

She could see a figure crouched over the altar. Although one candle burned, the woman was hunched over like an old lady. She had a shawl tucked around her, but Kagome could see the red hakama bottoms. Silver hair, tucked behind her ear, and long and tied back. Kagome knew, instantly, that the woman had to be Lady Tsukae. But what did frighten Kagome was that there was no spiritual power emanating from her. Now, she could sense spiritual energy. She knew there was something here, the same corrupt, fragmented one she had sensed from Maiko. But Tsukae had no spiritual energy. In fact, the area around her felt dampened and void. Kagome's heart thumped in her chest, and she stood where she was, fixed in place. She didn't know if she was the only one, she didn't know if Tsukae was even alive. But she could feel that spiritual energy becoming more and more corrupt with the passing seconds.

Maiko had been here.

Maiko had already gotten to this sacred space.

"Lady Tsukae?" Aiya asked. She asked again, and then she broke for the old woman. As she raced over, the body fell backwards.

Devoid of eyes.

As if something had eaten the very eyes out of her.

Kagome screamed loudly, and Aiya stepped back in shock. The corpse, obviously missing eyes, was lacking life. This woman, who would have known where Maiko was, was now dead. Kagome stepped backwards, until she felt the door against her back. The door had been shut, she was trapped inside of the shrine again.

And the corrupt spiritual energy continued to gather.

It was then that something emerged from behind the altar. The thing, once again an all white, corrupt figure, was crouched over as if in pain. It was crawling slowly, over the remnants of Tsukae. But it was not Tsukae and it was not Rin. It was an entirely different person. The crouched figure that stared at Kagome was achingly familiar, and she knew it because of the way the figure seemed to beg for something. For help, for safety, for attuning.

It was the deceased form of a young boy, who had died in his teens. It was Kohaku, the very same one that Naraku had tortured.

Kagome felt every bit of her blood boil. She felt her body quake with how much she despised Maiko in that instance. Looking at Kohaku, in pain, as a creature barely able to contain himself, Kagome understood that this was somehow retribution for all of the ways Naraku likely made Maiko feel she had been wrong. Kohaku, who had died, was here, and he was unable to be released from his pain. He had spent so much of his life in the same kind of pain, manipulated by Naraku and taken away from his sister. When he was finally able to have a normal life, it was wretched away. Instead of letting him live in peace, Kohaku was brought back, once again, by Naraku, for his evil deeds. Kohaku was not given a peaceful afterlife.

Kagome reached behind herself and produced an arrow. She held it to her bow. As Aiya took another step back, Kagome pointed it at Kohaku. In her mind, she thought of herself. Of how she had been confident in herself in the past. She had stopped Naraku. She had stopped Maiko from leaving back to her world. She had done so many things that made her far more powerful than she had ever thought.

She would save Kohaku, and give him his peace.

"I won't let you use the spirits of the dead for your games, Maiko," Kagome yelled. She felt her spiritual energy gather in the bow. It continued to gather, brighter and brighter. She remembered, then, that as a teenager, her strength had come from compassion. Her spiritual energy had been for the sake of others. The friends who had loved her. She had never fought simply because she wanted to. But if it meant protecting them, she would do it. Again and again.

"Kohaku… doesn't deserve this!" she yelled, louder.

And then she shot her arrow. In a brilliance of pink light, it flew out towards the crouching creature, and struck it.

The spiritual energy that Kagome had was pure, it was power built from her will. She knew her power was more than Maiko's in that instance. So many lives would be lost if she didn't.

It was as if her actions had brought about all of the attention of the world. As her arrow struck the creature, Kohaku, so too did Aiya open the doors to the shrine. People came running in at once. But Kagome watched as the creature rolled on the ground, gurgling and releasing sounds. It was in obvious pain, unable to handle the spiritual energy that Kagome provided. She hoped prayed, that it would release the soul trapped in there. She hoped it would mean the end of Kohaku's suffering, of his tragedy. As if her prayers were difficult to answer, the arrow fizzled, leaving a gaping hole in its chest. But it did not fade.

It wouldn't be easy, would it? Maiko was a skilled miko, and with Naraku teaching her, she knew more than anyone else. She had years to learn. For Kagome, the brief period of time she had been given would teach her so much.

What would Kikyo have done? Did she have another answer?

"… Kohaku!" another voice yelled.

Sango, Shippo and Inuyasha descended into the shrine at once. The commotion had obviously caused their attention to shift back here. Where Kagome stood, Inuyasha rushed over to her side. Sango, however, was rooted in place. She had probably never thought to see her brother like this. The condition he was in was ghastly. Kohaku, who was beloved by his sister. Who was a part of their little group for the duration of his life. This was someone who had not deserved this kind of pain. Sango did not deserve seeing her brother like this, regardless of how much she wanted to see him again. The love of family was the one thing that made a considerable difference to all in their world. Kagome loved hers, enough to leave her life in the United States.

Sango had loved her brother enough to leave behind her own happiness in her life. She would mourn him for the remainder of her own life.. she would never forgive herself for not being able to stop this from happening to him. Now, Kagome understood how torturous it was to lose family. She had always been fortunate to have hers alive, well and healthy. At some time, even though she had lost her father, she had assumed she was immune to the loss. She had thought she would never experience it in that way. But she had been wrong. She had never realised that the loss was permanent. She wasn't the only one who had lost someone, and she wouldn't be the last person to feel that way. She could lose her family in her own time, too. She could lose everything – all it would take was bad fortune, or a fire, or fate itself.

Kagome watched Sango rush up to the shrieking creature. But while she ran, Kagome lost focus for even the slightest of a second. What she had never considered, what she should have seen all along, was the true motives behind what Maiko was doing.

Maiko hadn't turned evil because of Naraku.

Kagome leaned against one of the door while her mind replayed something she had thought impossible to recall. Maiko had been found clutching her dead brother's body. She had jumped out of the shrine and risked her own death for him.

That day had been the one where Maiko lost her entire family.

Maiko was still grieving, the same way Sango was. The same way Kagome continually grieved the loss of her family in this era.

Now Kagome understood the real tragedy of those she had spent her time with. Losing family was difficult, regardless of what kind of family. Looking at Sango, at her pain, made Kagome feel that pain thricefold. She was doing all of this for her family – Sota, her mother, her grandfather. They deserved to live and be happy. This was what really mattered after all.

Maiko was still human. In some capacity.