War
Chapter One
You know, I was born in troubled times. At the date of my birth, the youkai and the humans had been fighting for five hundred years for supremacy. Both sides were awaiting the miko Midoriko's reincarnate, humans because she would bring peace and youkai because she would end their over five hundred year reign. It had been prophesied that the miko would be untrained, so the youkai made it a point to assassinate any girl that they sensed had untrained miko powers… but they missed one.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kagome Higurash and, believe it or not, I am the miko that the humans had waited for so long to save them. And save them I did… in a way that no one, not even myself, had expected. How I managed to hide my powerful abilities from the youkai for fifteen years is still a mystery that has yet to be solved. It's still kind of scary to realize just how many times I brushed with death, and I had no idea. Even as I sit here, writing my story, it's difficult to think of how many innocent people, human and youkai alike, had died awaiting my arrival or as a result of the prophesies that foretold my coming. I was just your average fifteen-year-old, struggling to keep good grades in school in the midst of a major war, yet I changed the world I lived in.
It wasn't like I just stood up and shouted, "Here I come, people! Today is the day of your salvation!" They would have thrown me into the loony bin. No, it happened gradually over time, and I'm told time after time that it was Fate that sent me down that path… literally. I believe it, but I'm not so sure that Inuyasha does. He's still having a hard time believing that he's mated to the miko that changed the way everyone thought of humans and youkai.
But, I digress. I am Kagome Higurashi, Midoriko's reincarnate and Guardian of the Shikon no Tama. My story starts on my fifteenth birthday, the day that my grandfather gives me the Shikon no Tama as a birthday gift and the day my miko powers awakened…
Kagome cried out silently as she pitched forward, her books spilling out onto the sidewalk. She didn't bother glancing up at the youkai that had shoved her, tears gathering in her blue-gray eyes as she slowly knelt down, gathering her books, listening as the sounds of the youkai's laughter slowly faded away. The humans had been treated like that for several months, ever since the demons had entered the city. Most of the humans had already evacuated, but the ones that hadn't been able to afford to leave, such as Kagome's family, had been forced to stay behind and endure the treatment.
Finished gathering her books and school supplies, Kagome slowly got to her feet, leaning against the wall for support. Both she and her mother had been forced to take jobs amongst the upper demon society to be able to feed both Souta, Kagome's younger brother, and Jii-chan, their grandfather. Neither of them had no idea that, in the future, their positions would save them. Kagome had spent all night scrubbing the floors and dusting the shelves and such, and it was got to be rather exhausting because she rarely ever got a chance to rest. If there was one thing she had learned about demons, it was that they tended to be slave drivers and they expected everything to be perfect.
Preoccupied with her thoughts, Kagome didn't notice the heads that turned in her direction, nor did she notice the oddly-colored eyes of the demons flicker with interest. Of course, her school uniform didn't help any, with its too-short skirt and its too-tight shirt. No, it only accentuated the problem.
She hadn't gone very far before she tripped, watching in dismay as her books, for the third time that day, tumbled out of her hands and landing on the ground. Kagome managed to catch her balance, luckily, and she took several deep breaths to try and calm her rising temper. If she struck out at a youkai, her whole family would pay dearly, probably with their lives, and she would probably be left to live in misery for the rest of her lives. Instead, she held her breath and counted to ten slowly, feeling her temper waning.
"Where are you going, little girl? School's out?" The youkai sneered at her, grabbing her arm roughly and jerking her closer to him. Her solemn gaze remained on her books, which were now being kicked around the sidewalk, but she didn't dare look up at her captor or try to escape. It was pointless to even try.
"Let me go." Kagome's voice was solemn, and her chest heaved with the effort of trying to remain calm while she was deliberately being baited for her to lose her temper. The youkai ran a clawed hand down her chin, hissing agreeably.
"You're a pretty little wench, aren't you?" he purred, and when Kagome glanced up at his eyes, she knew he was a snake. Definitely poisonous and likely to kill her if she made any wrong move. She struggled to breathe as the youkai tilted his head, his forked tongue traveling down the unknown miko's neck. "Ah, the scent of fear," he remarked, his eyes changing color ever so slightly. Kagome trembled beneath his touch, but still made no effort to try and stop him or escape, which was obviously what he'd been wanting.
The youkai hissed in displeasure, lifting her chin in a strong grip, forcing her to look at him. "You're not worth my time, wench," he spat, baring his fangs. In a lightning fast move, the snake youkai went for her neck, his fangs dripping poison, but he never stood a chance.
When his fangs were just inches from his neck, Kagome screamed and closed her eyes tightly, hands shoving at the youkai's chest. When the deadly strike never came, she opened her eyes when she heard a sizzling sound and stared into the surprised youkai's eyes. Glancing down, she could see her hands engulfed in pink flames, which were consequently burning into the youkai's flesh. She was purifying him. Kagome heard the crowd screaming, but her mind was elsewhere. The Shikon no Tama, which hung around her neck and hidden by her school uniform, was glowing brightly, lifting itself from the girl's throat and adding miko's energy to the energy already being manifested through her hands. Kagome watched distantly as the youkai disintegrated, the ashes blown by the warm summer breeze.
Once the threat was over, Kagome became conscious of her surroundings once more, aware that the youkai in the surrounding area were staring at her, a few of them closing in. Vaguely, she remembered the stories her mother told of the youkai killing those they knew had miko powers and a chill of fear ran down her spine. As a youkai, one of the snake youkai's friends, lunged at her, she shrieked and held up her hands in front of her in defense, looking away. Hearing a dull thud, Kagome slowly turned her gaze to see the stunned youkai on the ground, its lifeless gaze staring up at the skies as its body disintegrated. To her surprise, she was surrounded by a pink dome of miko energy, enabling her to move safely amongst the youkai without them being able to touch her.
Using this newfound ability, Kagome surged through the crowds, listening in fear to their growls and threats of death as she rushed past them, but luckily for her, they weren't able to act out their threats. She was far too powerful for that. All she wanted to do was get home and stay there, never leave the house again unless she absolutely had to. But… she had to go to work and, with some luck, her masters wouldn't recognize her to be the miko that had caused a scene on the streets and managed to escape…
