Chapter 3
Sakura was stirred later in the morning by Kirara who licked her face until she woke up. What the…? She thought but then remembered where (or rather when) she was. She stood up, adjusted her clothes, and pulled her dark purple hair back into a loose bun, leaving two strands in front of her face. She began to wonder if it was a smart idea to die her hair… now she was going to stick out. Then again InuYasha did have silver hair.
Pushing the straw door-flap aside, Sakura walked out only to see Kagome walking toward her with an old woman walking beside her with an eye patch and gray hair. Kagome waved and smiled, as they got closer. Sakura could only muster a small grin and a quick nod. She walked up to meet them a few feet away.
"Sakura, this is Kaede, she's a priestess. With her help we might be able to figure out why you're here." Sakura gave Kaede a polite bow. "Lets go back inside the hut and talk." Kagome finished and walked up to the doorway and walked in. Kaede and Sakura joined her.
"Well," Kaede began, "you were brought here for a reason. I've brought a spell that may give us a clue." The old woman opened up a large bag that had been resting over her shoulder. Out of it she pulled a jar of something that resembled sand and another full of a foul smelling potion of some kind. She lit the fire that was set in the middle of the room and settled the cooking pot over it. Into the pot she first poured the liquid. After several minutes of waiting for the contents to boil, Sakura decided to speak. "So… what's this spell supposed to do anyway?" she asked. "It's quite simple." Kaede answered. "When I add the crystals to the potion, the smoke will rise and form a picture of your past ancestor. Oh, I almost forgot…" she reached forward and pulled a hair from Sakura's head. "Ouch…" she cringed under her breath. She wasn't exactly expecting that.
The potion boiled violently and Kaede then added the crystals as well as the hair she had pulled. Two seconds later, a cloud of smoke billowed out of the pot. For a moment it simply hung in mid-air but a few moments later it began to spin and very subtlety it began to form a body. It was easy to tell it was a woman. She was dressed in miko attire but with the addition of some light armor on her shoulder's and waist. The smoke appeared to be solid for just a few seconds before it melted away and fell back into the pot and disappeared.
Sakura was silent, as was Kagome. Kaede seemed to be deep in thought. Kagome looked up and asked, "Who was that? She looked like a priestess…" "And indeed it was." Kaede said with her head down, "It was Midoriko… the creator of the Jewel of Four Souls." Kagome gasped but Sakura, once again, seemed lost. How could she be the descendant of the priestess who created this powerful jewel? Sakura reluctantly looked up at Kaede and Kagome. She had a feeling she wouldn't be going home any time soon.
All three women rose and walked out of the hut in silence. InuYasha, Miroku and Shippou were waiting around a large tree but before they could get close enough to hear them, Sakura turned to Kagome and stopped her. "Hey, Kagome… do you mind if I take a walk… you know. I need some thinking time." Kagome nodded and smiled. "Sure thing, Sakura." Sakura turned around and started on her way down a dirt road through the village. It was quiet but as she passed she could feel the villagers stealing glances at her. Well of course they would. She was dressed in strange clothes and had dark purple hair. People in her own time sometimes gave her strange looks.