Shikon Ressurection
Chapter One: She Who Guards Unwavering
I am she who guards unwavering. My title is miko, and my duty is to guard the Shikon jewel. I am not like Kikyo. We are quite different individuals. I do not possess the power to purify the sacred jewel of the four souls. In fact, I would wager that were I to touch the sacred jewel, I would in fact, corrupt it.
Those few who visit this small shrine would not think anything strange. When they look at my pale skin decorated in thick black strips, they think it not odd at all. They consider me to be some sort of warrior priestess. The marks are my war paint. This is far from the truth. The marks never fade. They have been there since birth. In fact, I am not even a priestess at all. One such as I cannot be a miko. It is impossible. A guardian, that I can be.
Alone I watch over the Shikon jewel, always on guard for any youkai, hanyou, or even human who might dare to defile it and use it for wicked means. I do not rest in this endeavor. I do not take part in food and I do not slumber. I continue to guard, unmoving, and unwavering. I did not ask for this. I did not volunteer. I was taken and appointed this task. All that keeps my sanity are the sacred scrolls that I keep with the jewel. They contain the history of this alluring and dangerous treasure. They are my only friends.
Kikyo. Inuyasha. Kaede. Naraku. Kagome. Myoga. Sesshomoru. Shippo. Miroku. Sango. Kohaku. Kagura. Kanna. So many interesting characters, it is often hard to believe that any of them actually existed. If the scrolls are correct, then such amazing events took place almost 200 years ago. Hanyou. Yokai. Human. This tale touches us all. Is it history or is it a fairytale? Since the Shikon jewel is real, I consider the words written in the scroll to be close to the truth.
Ah, to be strong. Everyone desires strength and for various reasons. Some to protect others and some for survival. Some for pride and some for power. I too would like to become strong. I would like to fancy myself as strong as Inuyasha, or even his dreamy brother...Sesshomoru. The Shikon jewel is said to possess a power that could strengthen a yokai over a hundred fold. It would be easy to take the jewel for myself and gain such a power, but perhaps I am not even strong enough for that. Easy. Hmph! Easy does not make one strong.
There are days that my mind runs idle. Thoughts of home often creep into my mind. How is my clan? Does the civil war continue amongst the strips of my people? How am I to know? We tigers are divided into three stripes, or colors. These colors are: orange stripes, the most common, white strips, the uncommon, and black stripes. the rare. Indeed, the orange stripes are very numerous. They are sometimes considered to be the cowards of yokai, but this is not true. Orange stripes are indifferent and neutral. They do not take sides easily. They are as likely to fight to the death as they are to flee from trouble. Us white stripes tend to be noble. We are very proud and aloof. We often act as guardians, such as the lot I have been cast. Many humans see us as guardian or animal spirits and not as yokai. However, a yokai taijyou knows the difference. Black stripes are not as few in number as one might think. They are by far, the most elusive and most vicious of the tiger clan. They kill ruthlessly from the shadows and are thought not to exist. They are a bunch of backstabbers who ally themselves with no one, and often even their own stripes. They are, however, more powerful than the rest of us.
I wonder if ever will I be freed from my watch...