Chapter 23: The Miko of the Shikon no Tama
Sesshoumaru had to watch the entire end of the battle. His legs wouldn't allow him to move. So all he was left to do was watch. Watch while his mate fought alone. Finally at the end he could move. He and the others ran to where she was standing. He heard her say, "We won." And then he watched her knees buckle from under her. He extended his arms and caught her before she hit the ground.
Cradling her body next to him, Sesshoumaru slowly sat on the ground. Everyone gathered around him, softly calling Kagome's name. It wasn't long before Tsuki and Haruka joined the circle, added their worry gazes to Kagome's uncons
cious figure as well.
"Kagome... please wake up." Sango said with tearful eyes. "You did it." She whispered as the tears made steady streams down her cheeks. "You saved everyone."
"You're a fighter. And I never gave you the chance." Inuyasha said, with regret deeply embedded in his voice. "Wake up. Wake up and tell me how wrong I was."
"My curse is gone because of you." Miroku added softly. "My life is no longer held by what ifs. You saved me Kagome. Wake up." He pleaded.
"My comrades have been avenged, Kagome." Kouga said gratefully. "Because of you they can rest in peace. Wake up, please."
Sesshoumaru remained silent. Instead he just caressed her face. So many things he needed to tell her. She needed to wake up, but there was a growing fear deep inside him that said something was wrong.
And something was wrong, for Sesshoumaru was never afraid.
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When Kagome awoke, she was once again in the room of swirling white mist. Slowly standing up, she began walking towards the figure in front of the weeping fountain. The maiden wore a beautiful red and purple kimono and her shiney black hair flowed beautifully past her hips. She turned around and Kagome gasped at what she saw.
It was Midoriko. But instead of wearing her battle uniform, she wore a beautiful kimono. Her eyes were bright and her smile was happy. No longer did she look like a faint spirit but a real human being. She smiled easily this time, and there was no hint of pain.
"Ah, we meet again." She said. Her voice was cheerful and bright.
"Midoriko?" Kagome asked, needed this beautiful lady to confirm it.
"Yes, it is me. You probably have a lot of questions, but do not fear, they will all be answered. I am Midoriko, the miko of the shikon no tama. As you know the jewel was made from my soul and the souls of the demons I could not defeat long, long ago." Her eyes clouded over. "I did it to protect everyone from the evil demons. And inside the jewel the battle between me and the demons raged on and on for centuries."
"I left the jewel in the hands of the demon exterminators from Sango's village." Midoriko continued. "But the power attracted too many demons for the village to destroy. You see, because the jewel had both good and evil inside it, it could do both good and evil things. As long as humans with pure hearts held it, I was winning the battle inside the jewel. But as soon as an evil heart or demon held the jewel, the demons inside would be winning the battle."
"Soon the jewel fell into the hands of a miko. A miko by the name of Kikyou. She would be the keeper of the jewel, and when she died it would pass down to someone else in her family because only they could truly protect the jewel. And it would continue as such until you, dear Kagome. For you are my reincarnation." She said.
"Me? I'm your reincarnation? But I thought..." Kagome trailed off, confused.
"You've been told it was Kikyou. No, Kikyou's soul was more like a carrier soul. Kikyou is actually your great ancestor. Something happened that I didn't expect. Kikyou fell in love. And she wanted to use the jewel to turn Inuyasha into a human. Which would have been one way to destroy the jewel. But Naraku came into the picture, and he was something that was not intended to be." Her eyes darkened once again.
"Onigumo the bandit should have died in the fire that burnt his body. But Kikyou, out of her good nature, kept him alive. Something that should not have been done. And because of her kindness, a monster was born. A monster that took so many lives. And then Kikyou died. And with her body she burned the jewel, but it did not destroy the jewel." Midoriko explained.
"Her soul carried the jewel to you, Kagome. My true reincarnation. You are the keeper of the shikon no tama. It has been inside you since birth. And it was your duty to come back in time and set right what should have never been. Do you understand?" Midoriko asked.
"No. I don't. You're telling me that I was sent back in time to destroy Naraku and the shikon no tama because I'm your true reincarnation?" Kagome was utterly confused.
"It was my unfinished business that caused this horrid chain of events. And you were sent to fix what
I couldn't. You were chosen because Kikyou is your great ancestor that protected the shikon no tama. And you are the keeper. The one to open and destroy the demons within. The one to give my soul rest." Midoriko explained.
"So it wasn't an accident that I'm here. It was all for a purpose. It was all predetermined." Kagome whispered.
"Yes." Midoriko smiled. "You, Kagome, fixed that which was ruined. Now the shikon no tama's power can never be used for evil. Now you understand where you really came from. You are a warrior. A strong miko from ancient times."
"But I don't want to be that!" Kagome yelled. "I'm sick of people telling me I'm someone's left over soul. I just want to be me; I just want to be Kagome, my own self, my own soul."
"You are! But a part of you is me. And you must understand your past so that you can be better with your future." Midoriko said gently. "You, Kagome, are so much stronger than I ever was. Without you none of this would be. You are the key."
"I don't understand any of this." Kagome moaned.
"It's ok. It's hard to grasp, I know." Midoriko chuckled.
Kagome walked over to the fountain and looked at the statue. "That's you isn't it?"
"Yes." Midoriko said. "I knew the fairies quite well. I also knew Inutaisho."
"Inutaisho!" Kagome gasped.
"Yes." Midoriko laughed at the memory. "He and I would always go to Fairy Fountain, and in its waters we saw where something bad was happening and would go and fix it."
"Wow..." Kagome smiled. "I guess you knew Tsuki."
"Oh yes," Midoriko laughed again. "That fairy is something else."
"That fairy is the reason why I found the love of my life." Kagome remarked softly. Suddenly she turned her head and stared at Midoriko. "What's going to happen now, now that my task is done?"
Midoriko was silent for a long time and then finally she turned to Kagome, her eyes sorrowful. "I'm going to use the last of my powers and reset the hand of time."
Kagome stared, tears filled in her eyes. "What the fuck does that mean!" She snapped.
"I'm rewinding time, Kagome. You've lost a year and a half to your life dedicating it to fighting and collecting shards. I'm going to return it to you."
"I don't want it back!" Kagome yelled. "What are you going to do?"
"In the feudal era I'm resetting the clock to fifty years ago. But this time there will be no Naraku and Inuyasha will become a human. He and Kikyou will live together, they will live the life they should have." Midoriko explained.
"And what about Sango? Miroku? Shippou?" Kagome asked.
"They won't even be born. And when they are, Shippou's father won't die from the thunder brothers for they will have no reason to kill him now that there aren't any shards. Miroku's grandfather and father will live to see him grow and they will not bear the curse of the kazanna. Sango and her family will live and prosper as they should have. Everything will be set right again." Midoriko said.
"What about me?" Kagome whispered her voice fragile, her heart breaking.
"You will be sent back to your time." As the words left her mouth, Kagome slowly closed her eyes and tried to keep the tears from falling. "I will send you back the very same day you fell in the well. Only you won't fall in this time."
"And... will they remember? Will they remember me or our time spent together, our journey? Will they remember at all?" Kagome was crying now. "Will I remember?"
"Their memories will be erased. They will have no recollection of this journey."
Kagome met Midoriko's gaze. "And what of me and my memories?"
"I cannot erase them, or else I would so I could ease your pain. I can only hide them in your subconscious so that it will be easier for you to move on. But at any given moment they could come back to you." Midoriko's voice was sorrowful.
Kagome looked into the water. In the reflection she saw her friends circled around her body. Her gaze fell on one being. Sesshoumaru. He was looking down at her body with such worry that it broke her heart. Tears streamed down her face as she watched him.
"I want to say goodbye." She turned to Midoriko, her voice determined. "I need to say goodbye."
"If you must..." Midoriko said.
"I must." Kagome replied firmly.
"Then so I shall grant." Midoriko said and then everything went black.
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Kagome slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was unclear so she blinked a couple of times and everything came in focus. Surrounding her were friends and comrades. They all said her name in relief, but inside Kagome felt empty. This would be the last time she would see them. Sesshoumaru help Kagome sit up and slowly he brought her to her feet.
Everyone blurted out questions about the battle, about how she was feeling, but Kagome remained silent. All she could do was nod and give small smiles in response. Only Sesshoumaru picked up that something was wrong.
Tears came into Kagome's eyes as she looked at everyone. Finally their conversation and questions died down. "Kagome are you alright?" Sango asked and gently touched her friend's arm.
Kagome fell into the girl's arms and began sobbing into her Sango's shoulder. Quickly Sango's arms folded around her. "Kagome please tell me what's wrong." Sango pleaded.
"Sango..." Kagome slightly pulled away from her so she could look at the girl's face. "You are like a sister to me. You've protected me, you've cared for me, you've helped me grow in so many ways. You will never know how thankful I am for you. I love you so much, my dear Sango. And I want you to grow and be happy." Kagome said through her tears as she gave the girl a good hug.
"Kagome?" Sango's eyes filled with worry. "Why are you saying these things?"
Kagome pulled away from her. "Never mind why, I just want you to know."
She then moved to Miroku, who was standing close to Sango. "Miroku." Kagome dove into his chest and hugged him as well. Miroku slowly hugged her back, making sure he didn't let his hands go near her butt... for it was not a groping moment.
"Your wisdom has put out many fires between me and Inuyasha. And despite your leeching tendencies, I know how great of a guy you are. You've protection of me and Sango has not gone unnoticed and I'm forever grateful I got to travel with you." Kagome whispered in his ear. She gave him a good squeeze and then pulled away. "You've been such a brother to me, my dear friend."
"Kagome what's going on?" Miroku searched her eyes for some answer, but he found nothing.
Kagome shook her head and then pulled away. She then moved to Kouga. She hugged him as well and then stepped back to give him a sad smile. "Kouga your sweet nature will find you a wonderful mate someday. But I just want to say thank you for all the times you've save me and given me lovely flowers, your friendship was much appreciated."
Kouga was too stunned for words.
Now Kagome turned to Inuyasha. Their eyes met and Kagome tentatively stepped closer to him. "Inuyasha..." He pulled her in for a tight embrace. After giving him a hug, she stepped back and met his eyes once more. "We've been through so much. Good and bad. You've protected me from so much. You've been a better friend than anyone could wish for."
"No I haven't." Inuyasha whispered.
Kagome gave a soft laugh. "Not always. But you knew how to cheer me up. And I knew you had good intentions. Deep down, I knew that there was good in you heart and that you really cared for me. And everything that we've been through has just made our friendship stronger, don't you think?"
Inuyasha gave a small smile as Kagome turned away from him.
She ran over to Tsuki and threw herself in the fairy's arms. "I use to think you were crazy." Kagome cried softly. "But if it weren't for you I would have never..." She couldn't finish her sentence.
Tsuki just nodded and stroked her hair. "I know. It's ok." Kagome pulled back and smiled softly at her and Haruka as she turned away.
Her eyes met with golden orbs. Tears sprung into Kagome's eyes as she slowly approached Sesshoumaru. Saying goodbye to him was going to be the hardest. She kept her head down as she walked to him. And when she was inches away from him, she felt his finger hook under her chin. She felt her eyes being lifted to meet his.
And she felt her heart being shattered into pieces.
"Kagome." His eyes searched hers. "What is wrong?"
"I'm leaving." She whispered and everyone gasped. "Midoriko is taking me back to my time, forever." Sesshoumaru who usually hid his emotions, had shock written all over his face. "But don't worry, you won't remember me."
Anger clouded over his eyes now. "She can't take you away."
"She will. And none of you will remember." Kagome gazed into his eyes, sorrow filling hers. "You won't remember me, or us being chain together." She broke into sobs. "You won't remember how you helped me become a stronger person, how you showed me who I really was. You won't remember our inside jokes, you won't remember our witty fights." She was choking out the words. "You won't remember your damn catch phrase, telling my friends we were lovers, our damn 'showing me a ten' joke. You won't remember our first kiss, when you made me yours. You won't remember me!"
Kagome was heaving uncontrollably as tears of despair fell from her sapphire orbs.
Sesshoumaru who had listen silently now wrapped one arm around Kagome's waist. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I am Mr. Lord of Who Gives a Shit," Kagome smiled as she got her sobbing under control. "And no one tells me what I can and can't remember. I will never forget you, my Kagome."
"Sesshoumaru." Kagome pulled back to look into his eyes. "I have to say this to you, if I don't I may never get the chance." Taking a deep breath Kagome began, "I...I..."
"I love you." She said and then leaned up to kiss him. She felt him return the kiss more fervently than ever. But Kagome also felt something tugging hard at her mind. It was time to go.
Pulling away from Sesshoumaru she could see he was about to say something.
But then everything went black.
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"I'm sorry Kagome. I tried to delay it as long as I could, but now it's time to go." Midoriko said when Kagome opened her eyes. She was back in the white room, Midoriko standing over her.
Kagome mutely nodded as she took Midoriko's extended hand.
They walked over to a well. Kagome peered down into its black depths. "Goodbye Kagome. And thank you. Thank you for everything that you've done."
Kagome stared at Midoriko and then she said, "I've only done what was expected. And now I've lost everything. Who would have thought that killing my enemy met losing those I love." And with that Kagome jumped into the well.
Midoriko stared into its blackness. And something inside her told her she was doing something terribly wrong. Kagome's monotone words began to haunt her. There had to be some way she could repay the young girl...
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In an instant Kagome awoke. Her head pounded and she felt she was lying on a floor. "Kagome!" Souta came running down the stairs. "Kagome are you alright!"
"Ugh..." Kagome sat up and rubbed her head. "What happened?" She looked up and realized she was at the bottom of the well.
"Byou came down here and I asked you to get him. As you were coming down the stairs you tripped and fell right into the well. Wait there I'll go get help!" Souta yelled from the top of the well.
"I feel like I've been it by a train." Kagome muttered. Something felt odd, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Don't bother, I can get up myself! Nothing's broken." Kagome called back up to him as she climbed up the side of the well. She climbed over the ledge and stood in front of the well. Turning around she looked into its black depths and felt a shudder go through her.
"C'mon Kagome, let's get you inside." Souta said softly.
Souta helped Kagome up the stairs. As they stepped outside, Kagome had to shield her eyes against the sun's bright rays. "Maybe you shouldn't go to school today, nee-chan." Souta remarked.
"No..." Kagome stopped walking and said slowly. "I think I should go to school... after all I've missed so many days..."
"Kagome? What are you talking about? You've never missed a day of school in your life." Souta pointed out and Kagome gave him a confused look.
"You're right... then why do I feel as if I have?" Kagome asked more to herself than Souta. "How old am I, Souta?"
"You're fifteen. Seriously Kagome I think you should go inside and lay down. I'll tell Momma to call the doctor." Souta said and gently guided Kagome inside the house.
Inside Kagome felt something was missing. But she couldn't really tell what it was. As they got into the house, Souta led Kagome to her room and then sat her on her bed. Quickly he left to get his mother.
Kagome sat on her bed and stared at her room. Everything seemed right, but it just didn't feel right. Standing up, Kagome walked to a mirror. She took a good look at herself. What was so different? Turning her head, Kagome caught a scar on her neck that she had never seen before. It looked like bite marks. Kagome touched them gently. Where did those come from?
It was a mystery. Kagome had no clue where she got those marks from. Maybe her brother was right. Maybe she really should lie down. Taking her brother's advice Kagome went to her bed and laid down her soft sheets. Her eyes felt suddenly heavy and so Kagome slowly closed them. Falling into a deep sleep, Kagome kept dreaming of man, a man with long silver hair and golden eyes. But as she ran to this man, she could never quite reach him.
He would just disappear.
End of Chapter
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Moonchild: That's it. The end. I've hope you've enjoyed this fanfic as much as I have. Its been a pleasure-
Yasei-hana: Whoa, whoa, WHOA. That is not the end.
Moonchild: Yes it is.
Yasei-hana: But they don't get together in end, she doesn't remember anything! That's the worse ending ever!
Moonchild: No. It's the perfect ending. How else was it suppose to-
(someone grabs MC's throat from behind)
Moonchild: (cough) (wheeze)
Sesshoumaru: That isn't the end, bitch.
Moonchild: (cough) I... just... (cough) joking! Joking! (wheeze)
Sesshoumaru: (drops hold on MC) Better be.
Moonchild: And where the fuck have YOU been? (rubs neck)
Inuyasha: Yeah we were looking for you and Kagome everywhere!
Yasei-hana: She even called ME to help, and that's saying something!
Kagome: (pops up behind Sesshoumaru) Ah... heh heh, we took a vacation.
Moonchild: Oh, right a "vacation" And where was it to? Paradise Closet Island?
Kagome: (blushes) Try Paradise Attic Island.
Moonchild: THAT WAS ALL THE BANGING I HEARD! Holy shit Kags.
Kagome: (blushes)
Moonchild: Alright guys I better close this chapter pretty quick here. I just want to thank you for reading this fic, it's been really fun. And thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews I got, please keep sending them. However I just want to say that for those who told me the last chapter was not my best, it sucked, blah blah, you're not telling me something that I don't already know, haha. I'm horrible at battle chapters! Just give me the romance. Heehee. So anyways thanks again for your reviews! This fanfic is NOT over so put your fears to rest... for now.