A week, that's how long it had been since she had arrived in Japan and met up with her aunt and younger cousin Souta at the airport. She remembered how nervous she had felt upon meeting them that first time but now? Well now she felt at home at the shrine where her family lived which was surprising because really she had never been a religious sort.
Chuckling softly to herself she closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the sacred tree that was on the shrine grounds. According to her aunt it had been there for thousand's of years dating all the way back to the Feudal Era. She was impressed and awed that such a tree could survive through the centuries as this one had. The Goshinboku or the God Tree had quickly become her favorite place within the last week.
Just sitting under it caused a calm to overcome her that she had never felt before in all her years of living, especially because while in school she never really had a chance to let any sort of calm settle upon her or peace for that matter. Oh sure she had those moments when she would feel calm and happy but it was never anything that compared to what she felt right now.
The only thing that confused her since she had arrived was the magic she could feel coming from someplace on the Shrine's grounds though it wasn't anything with malicious intent so for the last seven days she had put it out of her mind thinking it was just the sacred feeling of being surrounded by the Shrine's natural peacefulness. Now however she was beginning to suspect it was something else so with slight trepidation she stood and made her way to the house knowing her Aunt would be in the kitchen starting to get things ready for supper later that night.
Stretching she let her mind wander as she crossed the little courtyard and walked up the pathway to the door. She was curious and unless she was given a reason to not go looking into where the magic she could feel was coming from, well she would just investigate like she had all those times in school with Hermione and Ron. She cringed briefly as the face of her one-time best friend flashed in her mind as she opened the door and stepping in before closing it and taking her shoes off.
Pushing the thoughts of him and his betrayal aside, she moved into the kitchen and took a seat at the table while she waited for her aunt to acknowledge her. She knew it wouldn't take long and of course she was right, within minutes of her sitting down her aunt turned to her and seeing her expression she abandoned what she was doing and sat down across from her niece brushing a wayward strand of red hair behind her ear as she did so.
"Amelia? You okay?" Hitomi asked as she looked at her niece.
Nodding Amelia placed her chin on her hand. "Yeah I'm okay I was just curious about where the magic that I feel is coming from."
"Ah I was wondering when you would ask, I'm not surprised you can feel it. Lily was the same you know, always able to tell that there was magic around it's what made her so good at Ancient Runes you know." She smiled softly as she remembered her little sister's ability to sense magic.
"I didn't know that about mum." Amelia said softly a look of pain and longing in her eyes.
Hitomi's eyes softened in understanding. "You don't know that much about her do you?"
Amelia shook her head. "Most everyone talked about my dad, I only know a few things about mum and that's only because she was brilliant at charms and a few other classes. I know she was kind and warm and didn't judge people but that's all really."
Hitomi nodded then smiled. "Well I will just have to tell you stories now won't I? First though to your question, the magic you feel is coming from the well-house."
"Is it? Why would it be coming from there?" Amelia questioned an eyebrow rising slowly.
Laughing Hitomi stood and went about continuing her dinner preparations. "Would you believe me if I told you that it's time traveling well? Believe it or not but it is. It transports Kagome five hundred years in the past."
A complete disbelieving expression settle on Amelia's face. "You are joking right?"
Shaking her head Hitomi laughed. "Unfortunately I'm not. I'm sure Kagome will be back soon she usually has to come home to stock up on supplies every month or so and of course catch up on her homework and tests she has missed while being on the other side."
"O-kay and what exactly is she doing five hundred years in the past?"
"Searching for shards of the Shikon no Tama or the shikon jewel if you prefer and yes it is real. I didn't want to believe it at first either but it's true." Hitmoi replied mirth coating her response as she glanced at her niece before motioning her over to where she stood at the counter. "Help me with getting dinner started and I will tell you all about it shall I?"
"Sure. This I have to hear. If my cousin really is traveling five hundred years in the past then I want to know all about it." Amelia replied a smirk settling on her features that reminded her aunt to vividly of her youngest sister.
True to her Aunt's word, she told Amelia countless stories of Lily Potter stemming from their childhood all through her mother's time at Hogwarts and beyond. She showed her pictures upon pictures even one of her holding Amelia outside of a cafe in London shortly after she was born. Over the next two weeks she got to know a new side to not only her mother but her aunt as well.
They were both very mischievous children and loved to laugh and see the world in a brighter way than most did. Through the stories that her aunt told she felt as if she was closer to her mother than ever before and it filled her with a sense of warmth that had been missing for so long like her mother was there when the stories were told.
She quickly became close to her Aunt. When she wasn't spending time with her aunt hearing stories of her mum, she was hanging out with Sota in his bedroom playing different video games with him or out in back of the main shrine house showing him things she could do with her magic. He was entranced with her abilities and constantly bugged her to show him something new. She indulged him because why not? He was fascinated with what magic could do and she quite enjoyed it.
She was just thankful that she didn't need to use her wand as much as she used to. Her wandless capabilities had expanded greatly once she had been cleansed from everything that Albus Dumbledore had done to her, all the blocks that he had put upon her while she was younger. She of course hadn't known that until AFTER she had defeated Voldemort but still, to know that she had beaten the most vile and evil wizard even with those blocks had given her a boost in confidence not that it mattered much, she still felt as if she wasn't that great, something that Hermione was determined to change.
Right now though, she was waiting almost anxiously for her time-traveling cousin to return home from five hundred years in the past. She had spent the day before with her aunt going around getting everything that her cousin would need for her return trip and she was determined to go with if possible. It was for that reason alone that she had drug her cousin and aunt with her to the wizarding district of Japan.
If she was going through the well to travel with her cousin all over Feudal Japan, she was doing it in style. She got a brand new tent that was a bit bigger than she had used while on the run with Hermione and that red-headed backstabber as well as stocked up on food that her cousin could not normally bring due to there being no way to keep it fresh. She had also gotten armor made for them both, better be safe than sorry right? She had even called her house-elf Kreacher to her and asked him to bring her two swords to her. When her aunt had heard that she had simply raised an eyebrow at her causing Amelia to blush slightly and shrug.
"It was something that I got into when I was stuck at private drive in between school years, there was a dojo nearby and after learning how to defend myself with hand-to-hand my sensei was impressed and asked if I wanted to learn other ways and I agreed and learned how to use a sword, I can fight with either one or two." Was the only explanation that she offered.
So it was with trepidation and anxiousness that she awaited the return of her cousin. She was anxious to meet her but dreaded the meeting. She was frankly afraid that one her cousin wouldn't like her and two she wouldn't agree to let Amelia go with. Her aunt had of course told her that there was nothing to worry about but really? How could she NOT worry?
Sota was amused as well and after sitting letting her fidget nervously for a good hour drug her up to his room to distract her with his video games and to get her mind off of Kagome's return.
That was how they spent the rest of the day with Sota effectively distracting her and causing her to forget about her apprehension about meeting his older sister. That is until they heard his mom calling from downstairs. Amelia flashed him an anxious look causing him to roll his eyes and grab her wrist pulling her up off his floor, out the door and down the stairs before dropping her wrist and throwing his arms around his sister.
"Amelia dear this Kagome, Kagome this is your cousin Amelia." Hitomi wasted no time in introducing them.
"So your Amelia! I can't believe I finally get to meet you!" Kagome exclaimed brightly before throwing her arms around her startled cousin causing her mother and brother to laugh at the look upon Amelia's face.
"I told you that you had nothing to worry about Mia." Sota said trying to hid his laughter.
Amelia narrowed her eyes at him even as she hugged Kagome back. "It's great to meet you too." She finally replied as Kagome pulled back with a bright smile.
"How long are you home for Kagome dear?" Hitomi questioned as she led the three into the kitchen.
"Three days. Inuyasha wouldn't hear of me staying longer even though I told him Amelia was going to be here." Kagome replied rolling her eyes. "You would think now that Kikyo is traveling with us that he would lay off but noooo he still acts like he has a right to tell me how long I can stay on this side."
"Inuyasha? Isn't that the half-demon that is traveling with you?" Amelia questioned smiling slightly when Kagome turned startled eyes upon her.
"How do you know?"
"Auntie told me, I sensed the magic from the well, I am a witch remember?"
Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Yeah I forgot actually but yes Inuyasha is the hanyou that travels with me. There is also Shippo who is a fox demon he's just a little kit though, then there is Sango a taijiya or demon slayer, her neko companion Kirara and Miroku who is a monk. Of course now Kikyo who is Inuyasha's mate now travels with us as well as his half-brother Sesshomaru, his retainer Jaken who is a little toad demon and his ward Rin who is a little human girl."
"When did that happen Kagome? I thought those two hated each other?" Hitomi questioned.
"They just started traveling with us these last two weeks after a particular brutal fight against Naraku where Sesshomaru was injured. I refused to leave him there hurt like he was." Kagome shrugged before continuing. "Inuyasha didn't have a choice really. Kikyo and I teamed up against him on the matter. I guess she feels like she owes me something after I restored her to life."
"Wait restored her to life?" Amelia shot her cousin a sharp glare.
"My miko powers. I purified her from all the miasma that Naraku caused to enter her body. When I did that somehow it caused her to not only be purified but also caused enough of my miko powers to be left in her to bring her back. She was resurrected back when all this started by this really creepy witch. I am the reincarnation of Kikyo so she used some of my soul to do so but I took it back except a small part that was left in Kikyo and because of that she was walking around as a clay copy of who she used to be until I purified her." Kagome shrugged again.
"That's just..." Amelia trailed off she had no words really. She had her fair share of dealing with things that had to do with souls and much preferred to never have to deal with that again.
Kagome must have understood because she reached across the table and placed her hand on her cousin's. "Don't worry I promise there is nobody else with a soul that doesn't belong to them wandering around Feudal Japan or anything containing someone's soul either."
Amelia eyed her cousin before nodding once. "So three days then?"
"Unfortunately yes otherwise Inuyasha will just travel through the well and drag me back."
"I see. Then I have a question." Amelia said quietly looking down at the table.
"Sure. Ask me anything you want, we are family aren't we?" Kagome replied curious about what her cousin could want to ask her. Whatever she had originally thought that her cousin would ask it was NOT was she actually did.
"Think I could go with? You know when you go back?" Amelia looked up almost hopefully.
Sitting there for a moment to make sure she heard correctly she looked at her mother then back at her cousin she saw the hopeful look in her older cousin's eyes and couldn't say no. "You know what? Yeah if you can come back with me, who knows maybe the well will let you through with you being a witch and having your own magic and all." She smiled brightly as her cousin's emerald eyes lit up with excitement.
She wasn't sure what her cousin's presence would do within the group's dynamics but one thing she was sure of...she couldn't wait to see what would happen.
