"Kagome!" Old lady Kaede yelled,

"Oh, where is she?" Kagome's mother rubbed her hands together, looking out to see If she could see her child coming.

"Of all the days to be late!" Her grandfather huffed, "I told you that you were to easy on her," He scolded her mother slightly.

"I do not see why you all are surprised," Kikyo stated calmly "She will mess this up,"

They looked at her.

"I found her!" Sota called running forward in a blue kimono and bare feet. Behind him, walking not so fast was Kagome. Her face was red, her hair a mess.

"And where have ye been girl?" Kaede asked with a huff,

"I had stuff to do,"

"Not on a day like today Kagome!" Her mother waved her hand a sign for her daughter to hurry.

"Do you want to dishonor your father's memory!" Her grandfather snapped.

"No, of course not," Kagome rushed inside with Kaede. Sota and grandpa stayed outside. Kaede and her mother worked quickly to undress her. Kaede dumped cold water over her and started to clean her up, scrubbing hard. Kikyo glared down at her "She should wait another year,"

"She doesn't have another year," Her mother stated as they began to dry and redress her. Kagome was sixteen. They had already pushed it last year so that she could go with Kikyo.

"She is going to fail," Kikyo added, watching unimpressed as they made Kagome's hair and face up. Kikyo had been ready hours ago, and so she sat down and reapplied the red to her lips.

"Now Kagome just followed Kikyo's lead," Her mother whispered,

"The jewel will guide you, but you must stay calm and in control of it," Kaede stated as she stepped back and looked over Kagome.

"There, its the best we can do under the time limit we had," And with what money they had. Kaede approved, "Take a moment and then join us," She said as she and

Kagome's mother walked out.

Kagome looked back at Kikyo,

"Isn't less more?" Kagome asked, finally getting to stand after having her hair made up.

"Do you want a husband?"

"Not particularly," Kagome stated truthfully,

"So, you wish for your family to live in despair and with no head?"

"No," Kagome said slowly,

"Then you need to grow up," Kikyo looked up from painting her lips "Can you do that for one day?"

Kagome bit her lip.

"Besides just because they paint you up does not mean you will get a match, perhaps they will see through you as I do,"

Kagome's eyebrows borrowed together. "What does that mean?"

Kikyo stood "It means you are no wife, no woman," She stuck her nose up "Just a daydreaming girl child who should have been a boy,"

"I am a woman, and I have power,"

Kikyo laughed "Just because the ancestors left you with the jewel means nothing, when you die it will go to another, worthy Miko,"

"Who are you to say I am not worthy?!"

"You can't even show up on time to look like a girl!"

"I looked like a girl without all this!"

Kikyo huffed "Why bother; you would rather play in the dirt, it's fine really, it is where you belong,"

"Your just jealous because I have the jewel inside me!"

"Jealous, of you, please,"

Kikyo walked to the door "My power is my own, but with a husband, I won't even need to lift a finger which is more than you can say, you wouldn't know how to get a man if one was forced to you,"

Kikyo smiled "And that's the only way you will get a man, by forced marriage on their part,"

Kagome looked nervous,

"Don't worry little Miko, no one would punish any man with that,"

"Kikyo!" Kagome yelled "I would rather fight for my people,"

Kikyo walked up to her "You would rather fight because you know you can't do anything else,"

Kikyo narrowed her eyes "And you can't even fight well, you will die, but that is just as well since you like the dirt so much," With that, she turned and was ready to leave when Kagome decided to have the last word.

"Your mind words won't work on me, I know you're worried,"
Kikyo stopped,

"Worried?"

"That he will choose me over you,"

"You are nothing but a child to him, even if he did have a choice he wouldn't choose a twig over a rose,"

"What do you mean if he had a choice,"

"What part of matcher do you not get? It is an honor to get a husband even more so when you have no money and no head of family!"

Kagome swallowed, "If you fail to impress, you will end up back here, shamed, alone, and marked dishonored; is that what you want?"

Kagome's heart sped up,

"The jewel is your only saving grace,"

Kikyo made her way to the door.

Kagome did not ask for the jewel to be in her. In fact, she hated it. No one saw her for her. Anything she did right people automatically credited the jewel. She was Kagome, powered by the jewel, underscore of Kikyo. Kikyo pushed the fabric to the door away "And one can't possibly fight an enemy that they don't know,"

"I know who my enemies are," Kagome snapped,

"You don't even know who you are Kagome,"

With that, Kikyo left the hut.

Kagome sighed, and her shoulders slumped. She was beginning to wonder, did she know who she was? She looked at her self in the cracked mirror. Kagome groaned. She liked to be dolled up just like the next girl, but this felt like too much. She didn't even see herself. In reality, she wanted to get away from this place, make her mark, be herself.

She did want a husband one day, really. But not this day, not this way. Kikyo was prized because she could always put duty above everything else. But Kagome always wanted to lean on her own heart. Kagome looked at her hands; if they would only let go, she could really see what her power could do. Sometimes inside her really did want to break out, be free have no duty, no control. Only then did she think she could gain control, and really start to feel like a woman. But that was frowned upon, all because they didn't think she could do it. Because they saw her mind as that of a child. But really what she wanted was simple. But they wanted someone who could lead with their head, not their heart. As Kikyo said, hearts could never be trusted.

Kagome could not be trusted.

"Ey child, come on!" Kaede yelled, and Kagome found herself leaving the hut to join all the other girls her age waiting to be seen, inspected, judged. She should not be in this line.

"Remember follow Kikyo," Her mother whispered as she pushed Kagome to fall in line.

Tears fell down Kagome's face and leave a trail behind it in the markup. They would be pissed.

She didn't want to be a shadow to Kikyo, a shadow to a jewel. Kagome wanted to be Kagome.

But as they came to the end of their long walk, Kagome found herself bowing into the dirt. She squeezed her eyes shut and dug her nails into the dirt in defeat. Her only saving grace would be Inuyasha, but Kikyo had planted the seed of doubt, and now that too was growing. Now her power was humming, and that wasn't a good thing, her control was slipping.

The jewel would be her scarlet letter; she wanted to rip it out.

But for once, she pleaded with herself to let her mind rule her body. Her heart fluttered wildly; it felt like someone was sucking up all her air. Her heart wanted to win this fight; she squeezed her eyes tighter.

That was until she met the blade of a sword at her nose.

She opened her eyes and saw her reflection in it.

"Who are you," A woman asked,

Who was she, that was a good question?