Chapter One: Full Circle
"And you said you wanted to get what again?" an eighteen year old boy irritably asked his younger sister.
"A good luck charm. I want to get it for Tou-san so he'll have good luck at the dig tomorrow!" the fifteen year old girl replied, impatiently. Her brother sighed resignedly.
"Fine then. But are you sure we can't go after this thing after school? We're both late enough as it is." The boy muttered. The girl stubbornly shook her head.
"I want to get it for him before tomorrow morning. But the shrine will be closed by then! I must get it now, while I still can!" the girl said, as she started up the steps that led to the shrine grounds. Before she could get very far, she heard a yelp come from the smallest building and rushed over to see if she could be of any help. When she entered the building, she could see that a girl about her age and her younger brother had just been startled by their pet cat.
"What're you doin' here? The Bone-Eater's Well isn't a tourist attraction!" the other girl shouted, with some concern in her voice.
"Gomen! I heard someone cry out and decided to come up and see what was going on." The girl stated, looking a little embarrassed as she said that.
"It's all right. Sorry to have snapped at you." The other girl said, a little shamefacedly on her part.
"No problem! I can see why you'd be a little concerned." The first girl said, as she glanced around at her surroundings. The well house was old and dimly lit; the only light that was in there was what was coming in from outside. A real hazard when it came to the stairs that led down to the well itself.
"Sakura!" the boy's voice shouted, as he appeared at the door.
"Nii-chan, what……..?!" the first girl yelped, noting the almost frantic look on his face a split second before all hell broke loose. Something that almost looked like smoke burst from the well, grabbed the other girl, and started to pull her in.
"Hang on!" 'Sakura' yelped, as she dashed down the stairs towards the other girl, intent on helping her. She grabbed one of the girl's hands, but, when she tried to pull her out, her feet didn't find any purchase. She was getting pulled in as well.
"Sakura!!" the boy cried, again, before he also came down the stairs, grabbed both girls' hands and tried with all his strength to pull them free. But the 'thing's' strength was too much for the boy, and all three were pulled into the well; leaving only their book bags behind to tell that they had been there at all.
"Kagome…………." The other girl's young brother whispered, too shocked to say or do anything else. He didn't know that these events were only the beginning to the unraveling of an ancient mystery; a mystery that had been in the making since the Sengoku Era!
By the time all three teenagers were on solid ground again, an incredible sequence of events had already taken place. The 'thing' that had snatched the three of them from the well house had in fact been a monster centipede that had the head and torso of a woman. The girl that had originally been grabbed had repelled the thing by a blast of light, but not before it had said something that had baffled all three of them.
"Wretched girl……..I must have the Sacred Jewel." The 'centipede woman' had snarled before disappearing from sight and leaving the three of them sitting on the slightly damp earth at the bottom of the well.
"The 'Sacred Jewel'?" the other girl muttered, confusedly.
"What'd it mean by that, Nii-chan?" Sakura asked. He brother shrugged.
"No idea. Sounds like something I'd heard in a story once; but even I can't be sure. Are you two all right?" the boy asked.
"I'm kinda questioning my sanity right now, but I'm fine, otherwise." The other girl said, a little shakily.
"I'm okay, Nii-chan. But how do we get out of here?" Sakura asked, in turn, as she stood up and looked uncertainly at the walls surrounding them.
"I think I can get us out of here……….assuming my little brother hasn't gone to hide under his bed………." The other girl stated, getting some chuckles from Sakura's brother before turning and shouting up at the opening.
"Hey, Sota! Get Grandpa!" the girl called. She got no response.
"Must be saying hello to some dust bunnies right about now." The boy muttered, with a smirk. The girl sighed in irritation.
"Must be." the girl mumbled, before the boy started testing the vines near them.
"These seem to be strong enough to hold our weight. I'll climb to the top and give you a hand up. Then we'll see if we can get to our respective schools before first period is over." The boy said, before he started climbing.
"Right. By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name's Higurashi Kagome." The girl said, a little embarrassed that she hadn't done this sooner.
"I'm Kinomoto Sakura and that obnoxious guy up there is my onii-chan, Kinomoto Touya. It's good to meet you, Kagome-chan!" Sakura replied, ignoring her brother's indignant 'Hey, I heard that!' as she waited her turn to climb.
"Kinomoto? Isn't that the name of that archeologist that's been studying the area around my family's shrine?" Kagome asked, as she started climbing, since Touya was now at the top. Sakura nodded.
"Hai! He's our dad." Sakura said, as they neared the top and Touya helped them out. It was when they actually stopped and took a look around that they realized that something was different.
"Uh……………Sakura-chan, Touya-sempai, I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore." Kagome murmured, as the realization dawned on her.
"I think that was a foregone conclusion, Kagome-san. C'mon. Let's see if we can find someone who can get us home." Touya said, as he started leading the way, getting a silent agreement from both girls as he did so. After an hour of wandering, however, the three befuddled teenagers were still nowhere near an answer to their problem. It was at this time that Kagome spotted what she thought was a familiar landmark.
"The Go Shinboku Tree! We're practically in my own backyard! Come on!" Kagome shouted, as she raced over to the familiar-looking tree.
"Wait!" Touya called, sensing danger, but was unable to warn Kagome and Sakura (who was following Kagome) of it.
"Damn it!" Touya thought, as he followed both girls into the clearing, skidding to a halt when he saw that they had stopped and were staring at something.
"What's going on?" Touya asked.
"Look at the tree, Nii-chan." Sakura whispered, as she pointed out what appeared to be a boy hanging lifelessly from the trunk of the tree. Touya was dumbfounded by what he saw; the boy appeared to be about his age, with long silver hair and pale skin. Dog ears stuck up on top of the boy's head, giving him an otherworldly appearance. But the thing that shocked Touya the most was the fact that the boy was held to the tree by an arrow to the chest.
"Touya-sempai…………..is he………..?" Kagome asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be.
"I don't know………….can't tell from here. Wait here. I'm going to go and see. Though it looks from here as though his heart may have been impaled." Touya murmured, as he cautiously made his way to the tree. With ease, he climbed onto the roots that had grown up and around the boy, and firmly placed two fingers to the boy's neck. His eyes widened when he felt a faint pulse beneath his fingertips.
"Well I'll be……………He's tougher than he looks!" Touya thought, turning when his sister spoke to him.
"Is he all right, Nii-chan?" Sakura asked, afraid for the boy and fearing the worst.
"He's about as 'all right' as he can get, considering there's an arrow in his chest. His heart's still beating, at any rate." Touya replied, as both girls breathed a sigh of relief, then joined him on the roots.
"Whew! I thought for a minute that we may have stumbled onto a crime scene, or somethin'!" Kagome said, sounding as relieved as she looked.
"Same here!" Sakura agreed, getting a rolling of eyes from Touya as a result.
"Yeah, I can almost see the headlines now: three teens found near scene of bizarre murder. Are being held for questioning in the middle of nowhere." Touya muttered, sarcastically. This got identical deadpan expressions from both girls as a response.
"Very funny, Touya-sempai…………" Kagome mumbled, as Sakura grumbled her agreement.
"Get away from there!!" a man's voice shouts, before about five or six arrows impact into the tree around the startled teenagers. As the archers themselves approached them, Kagome and Sakura both gave Touya identical glares.
"You were saying, Nii-chan?" Sakura asked, dryly.
"Shut up." Touya grumbled, as the archers surrounded them.
"Hey! You didn't have to tie us up, you know!" Kagome shouted, as she, Sakura, and Touya were brought into a rustic-looking town.
"What'd we do, anyway?!" Sakura asked, looking every bit as scared as she sounded. Touya said nothing, but he gave very hard glares to any of the men who got too close to his younger sister and Kagome.
"Y'reckon it's war?" an old man whispered, on the far fringe of the crowd of onlookers.
"Of course it is! Right in the middle of rice planting season, too." Another man said, with dismay in his voice.
"Could those three be kitsune in disguise?" a woman asked, as her child stared curiously at the three from the safety of her arms.
"Nah, them shape-changin' foxes are a lot trickier." Another woman stated, matter-of-factly.
"Nii-chan, is it just me, or doesn't this look like the descriptions of the Sengoku Era Tou-san in always writing?" Sakura whispered so only Touya could hear her.
"Now that you mention it, it does look an awful lot like what he's been writing. We may be in way over our heads here." Touya murmured, as shouting came to their ears.
"Make way for Kaede Miko-sama!" a man's voice shouted, as an old woman stepped from the crowd, a bow in hand as she did so.
"Miko-sama?" Kagome, Touya, and Sakura wondered, as the old woman stopped in front of them.
"Aku ryo tai san!" the old woman chanted, before throwing some strongly scented herbs on the three.
"Hey! We're not youkai, okay!?" Kagome shouted, a bit angrily.
"Yeah! We're human!" Sakura agreed, scowling at Touya when he muttered a 'Speak for yourself' under his breath.
"Are ye now? Then why were ye found in the Forest of Inu-Yasha?" Kaede asked, her voice laden with suspicion.
"They could be spies from another village." One of the village men suggested, just as suspiciously.
"In that case, they be fools. Who would invade such a poor village as ours?" Kaede retorted, before her single eye took in the appearance of Kagome, and a hint of recognition took up residence there. Kagome and her two companions in turn gave her a confused look.
"Let me have a look at ye." Kaede said, as she firmly grasped Kagome's face in her right hand, and turned her head this way and that, trying to get a better look.
"Look, clever girl, or be you a half-wit?" Kaede asked, getting an indignant look from Kagome and a snicker from Touya in response. Sakura still looked confused. Then Kaede gazed thoughtfully at both girls in particular.
"It's there………….though I know not why." Kaede murmured.
"It is?" Kagome asked, confusedly.
"Hoe?" Sakura added, as they were released from their bonds and allowed to stand.
"What in the world just went on?" Touya wondered, as he stood and followed the miko, his sister, and Kagome into one of the huts in the center of the village.
That evening, in Kaede's hut, the three were treated to a well-deserved meal.
"Stew? Wow, it looks great." Kagome said, as she gratefully accepted the steaming bowl from the old miko, and as Sakura and Touya were given their bowls as well.
"Bear us no ill will, children. For tho' I now see that you mean us no harm, in these troubled times of war, no stranger may be welcomed among us without deep distrust." Kaede said, apologetically.
"No harm done." Touya replied, quietly, even though he still wondered why there had been recognition in the old woman's eye earlier. He watched as Kaede's expression turned somber, as though she were remembering something painful. Before he could ask, however, the sound of a nearby stable being destroyed came to their ears.
"What's going on?!" Kaede shouted, as men ran in all directions to try and find out.
"It's a monster!" one man cried, as the ugly 'centipede woman' from before rose above them with a dead horse in its jaws. When it spotted Kagome, it spat the horse out and made a b-line for her.
"Give me the Sacred Jewel!!" the centipede woman yowled, furiously. Kaede then gave Kagome a look of alarm.
"It said 'Sacred Jewel'!! Bear ye it still?!?" Kaede yelped, as Sakura watched her brother grab a fallen bow and arrows and try to take a few shots at it.
"I have no idea! I've heard of the Jewel, but I………….!" Kagome replied, as she watched in stunned amazement as one of Touya's arrows burst into pure, white-hot flames before it landed in the tough hide of the monster.
"You wretch!" the centipede woman screeched, as it knocked Touya to the ground and succeeded in knocking him senseless.
"Nii-chan!!!" Sakura screamed, then did something she'd never done before; she summoned a ball of flame into her hands and threw it at the youkai's face.
"Fire!" Sakura shouted angrily, as it exploded in the centipede woman's face in response to her voice. The youkai let out a pained roar, clawing at its face as it did so.
"I do not believe this…………….his magic lives on in her! Could she be…………..?!" Kaede wondered, as the two girls turned to her with determined looks in their eyes.
"We must lure it to the dry well!" Kagome said, knowing, somehow, that the 'centipede woman' was after her.
"The 'dry well'?!" Kaede asked, not believing what she was hearing. Both girls nodded.
"Which way is the forest? Where that light's shining, right?" Sakura asked, as both she and Kagome started running.
"Wait!" Kaede called, as the two girls tried to lure the monster away.
"Take care of Touya-sempai!" Kagome shouted, in response.
"We'll draw it away, don't worry!" Sakura added, unaware of the disbelieving looks they were both getting from the townsfolk and Kaede.
"How is it that they can see what cannot be seen in the Forest of Inu-Yasha?" Kaede muttered, before looking to another of the villagers who was kneeling next to the downed Touya.
"He still lives, Miko-sama!" the man said, as he carefully moved Touya out of danger.
"Then get him into my hut. Have someone watch over him till I return." Kaede ordered, before she rushed over to the stable, had a man saddle one of the remaining horses, then rode off to try and catch up with the girls; hoping she wasn't too late.
Meanwhile, in the forest, the strange boy from before was beginning to show some signs of life; his ears and right hand twitched, his breathing quickened, and his pulse got stronger. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked down. He then smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. His eyes were cold and angry; full of hatred.
"I smell it…………the blood of the woman who killed me! And it's coming closer……." The boy growled, then winced when the arrow glowed, reminding him of the seal placed on him……….and something else.
"Huh?! This presence…………it's familiar somehow! But whose is it?" the boy wondered, just before two girls fell into the clearing.
"Hello, Kikyo. Playin' with bugs now, are we?" the boy asked, as both girls looked up at him in surprise.
"So, you're alive?" 'Kikyo' asked. The boy just gave her a sneer.
"Why're you takin' so long to kill it? Just do her like you did me." The boy retorted, arching an eyebrow when the other girl spoke to him.
"How could she kill something like that?!" the second girl shouted, her tone and expression almost on the verge of panic.
"Feh. That was a pretty dumb move, Kikyo. Bringin' that incompetent along with ya on the hunt." The boy sneered, getting glares from both girls.
"That does it. 'Kikyo', 'Kikyo', whoever she is, she's not me 'cause my name is…..!" 'Kikyo' shouted, before the boy gave her a warning.
"She's here." The boy quietly warned, before the centipede woman dropped down from the branches above, getting startled yelps from both girls. Then, before the monster could kill the two, spears imbedded themselves into its hide, and the villagers pulled it away from them.
"So we were saved." The second girl murmured a little shakily. The boy snorted.
"You and your follower are pathetic, Kikyo!" the boy taunted, irreverently. This was when 'Kikyo' snapped.
"I'm not Kikyo. Look, I'm telling you, I'm not her. Whoever her is." 'Kikyo' retaliated, angrily.
"An' I'm saying you gotta be her 'cause if you're not there's no way you could smell so…………" the boy stated, before sniffing the air again. He was confused by what his nose told him.
"You're not………her." The boy muttered.
"I know. My name is 'Kagome'. And this is 'Sakura'." The Kikyo lookalike said, impatiently.
"You're right; Kikyo was cuter. Much cuter." The boy mumbled, getting a dirty look from Kagome while he was at it. Before anything else could be said, however, Kagome was grabbed by the centipede woman.
"Kagome-chan!" Sakura yelped.
"Let go of me!" Kagome shouted at the youkai behind her.
"OW! OW! OW! You let go of me!" the boy yowled, unaware that more people from the village were arriving to help, including an old miko.
"Miko-sama! Inu-Yasha has revived!" one villager shouted, as Kaede drew rein beside him.
"How can that be?! The seal should have held forever! Why?!" Kaede thought, wildly, as the centipede woman tried to pull Kagome off of Inu-Yasha.
"Fire!" Sakura shouted, unleashing yet another fireball, this time sending it at the monster's underbelly. This time, however, the youkai didn't even react, and swatted her away as though she were a fly.
"Sakura-chan!" Kagome cried, as the other girl was sent flying.
"Give me the Sacred Jewel!" the centipede woman howled. This got Inu-Yasha's attention.
"Sacred Jewel?!" Inu-Yasha's mind yelped, in disbelief.
"Stop it!!!" Kagome shouted, as she held out one hand and again repelled the monster. She landed with a hard thud at the base of Inu-Yasha's tree.
"Kagome-chan!" Sakura's voice shouted, as Sakura herself rushed over to see if she was all right.
"Sakura-chan, daijobu?" Kagome asked, concernedly. Sakura nodded.
"I'm fine! The trees caught me!" Sakura said, as she pointed out the trees on the far end of the clearing, those of which were now resuming their usual forms.
"You can control wood too?" Kagome asked, curious despite the circumstances.
"Apparently." Sakura answered, turning when some light caught her eye.
"Now what's happening??" Kagome wondered, as she also noticed the light. To her shock, and that of Sakura, it was coming from inside of Kagome. But before either girl could react, the youkai returned and snatched Kagome from beside Sakura with its teeth.
"Kagome-chan!!" Sakura cried, horrified as the monster tore open Kagome's side and a small, pinkish jewel flew out.
"It came from inside me…………is that the Sacred Jewel?" Kagome silently asked, before she fell to the ground again. The Jewel landed just in front of her.
"Gimme the Jewel, quick!" Inu-Yasha demanded, before both Kagome and Sakura were trapped against the tree with him by the centipede woman's coils. Both girls shuddered when said youkai cackled at them.
"I'd heard that some hanyou spawn was after the Scared Jewel. It's you, isn't it?" the centipede woman asked, with a sneer.
"Hanyou?" Sakura wondered.
"What is he?!?" Kagome's mind added, as she and Sakura both gave Inu-Yasha some disbelieving looks.
"Half's all I need to kick your scaly hide. Anything more than that'd be a waste of my time." Inu-Yasha replied, smartly.
"Listen, you talk big, but can you back it up?" Kagome asked, getting a somewhat dumbfounded look from Inu-Yasha as a response.
"Well? Can you or not?" Kagome again asked, this time with some impatience in her voice. It was the centipede woman that answered her.
"What can he do, pinned there like that? Or you for that matter? You're all powerless to stop me! You're helpless, the three of you." The centipede woman sneered, as it wrapped its long tongue around the Jewel, then swallowed it whole.
"It swallowed the Jewel!! Kaede-sama, what shall we do??!" the men of the village asked, panic-stricken when they saw the severed arms of the youkai reattach, and when the youkai shed its skin.
"At last! My power is complete!" the centipede woman roared, gleefully, as she tightened her coils around the trapped girls and hanyou.
"It's crushing me!" both girls thought, before a male voice calmly spoke to them.
"Hey, can you pull out this arrow?" Inu-Yasha asked, quietly.
"Huh?" Kagome asked, in turn.
"Look, can you pull out the arrow or not?!" Inu-Yasha shouted.
"Nay, children! Once the arrow is removed, Inu-Yasha will be free to destroy us all!" Kaede shouted, in horror.
"Don't be stupid, old hag! At least with me you've got a chance, whereas that thing's gonna eat ya!" Inu-Yasha retorted, then looked down at the girls.
"And what about you two? Are you ready to die yet?" Inu-Yasha asked, seriously. Sakura and Kagome exchanged glances; what choice did they have?
"I don't know what I should do, but……given the choice……….." Sakura thought, as she and Kagome reached for the arrow.
"I choose to live!" Kagome finished, out loud, as they both grasped the arrow and pulled. There was a brilliant flash, and the arrow was gone. In its stead, on either side of Inu-Yasha's tree, two pairs of folded wings appeared.
"It's gone! My sister's spell vanished!" Kaede cried, in absolute shock.
"And our master's spell is undone." Another, different male voice said, coolly. All eyes, even those of Inu-Yasha, turned to the wings, those of which had just opened to reveal a golden winged lion and a man with long, snowy-white hair and silver/violet eyes.
"Kerberos…………and Yue…………" Inu-Yasha muttered, before he put aside his disbelief and broke free, throwing both girls to the ground. Yet, before they could hit the ground, however, a pair of strong, gentle arms grabbed them both from mid-air and set them back on their feet.
"Are you all right, Kikyo-dono? Miko-sama?" the one Inu-Yasha had called 'Yue' asked, calmly.
"We're fine. But I'm not Kikyo. And Sakura-chan isn't a miko, either." Kagome said, as a look of confusion crossed Yue's features.
"But how could that be? Your presence is exactly like hers'!" Yue said, the confusion in his voice readily heard.
"All will be explained in time, Yue! For now, protect the two girls! Inu-Yasha is loose!" Kaede shouted. For a moment, it looked as though Yue was going to ask more questions, but then 'Kerberos' spoke up.
"The old lady's right, Yue! Inu-Yasha's always been unpredictable! Even Clow-sama couldn't always tell when he would come 'round!" the winged lion cried, as they all watched the hanyou take out the centipede woman with ease.
"Well, now I know." Kagome thought, as she stared at the hanyou with wonder in her eyes.
"He really is strong." Sakura mused, unwittingly finishing Kagome's thought.
"Young lady……..did you help the other girl pull out the arrow?" Kerberos asked, having finally noticed Sakura standing there. Sakura nodded.
"Hai, I did." Sakura replied, quietly. She was surprised when the two exchanged glances and gave her respectful nods.
"Hoe?" Sakura murmured, bewildered by this.
"Our previous master, Clow Reed, placed us within Kikyo-dono's arrow to help strengthen the seal. If your friend had tried to remove the arrow on her own, her hand would have been repelled. But you both removed the seal, thus proving that your friend is Kikyo-dono's rebirth, and you are mine and Kerberos' new master." Yue explained, as they all watched Kagome relocate the Jewel, and as Kaede removed it from the centipede woman's carcass. Kagome gave Kaede a confused look when the latter returned the Shikon no Tama to her.
"Huh…………? But…….." Kagome tried to say, before the old miko interrupted her.
"Only ye may possess the Jewel." Kaede said, matter-of-factly, as he mind added, "Ye, who so resemble the dead Kikyo."
"But how'd it get inside of Kagome-chan's body?" Sakura asked, curiously.
"Yeah. Why would I have a Jewel wanted by youkai?" Kagome added.
"Good question. Humans can't use it, so why bother to keep it?" Inu-Yasha in turn asked, before saying, "If you hand the Jewel over right now, I won't have to start sharpening my claws on you."
"What?" Kagome asked, before Yue and Kerberos got in front of her, Kaede, and Sakura; shielding them with their bodies.
"You'll have to get through us first, Inu-Yasha. Even though Clow-sama's last command was to guard you, we'll protect Sakura-sama and Kagome-dono from you." Yue said, coolly, prepared for a fight.
"Spare me, Yue. I always knew you were a melodramatic fool. Very well then……I'll send ya to Clow Reed's side, first class!" Inu-Yasha snarled, as he charged at the pair.
"It comes full circle." Yue thought, as he and Kerberos met Inu-Yasha in a counter-charge. Their first, and last, battle had begun.