Chapter 5 – The Priestess and the Hanyou
This is gonna be good…
I spent my first night outside underneath a tree. I could see why nobody went on cross-country trips anymore – sleeping outside is hell unless you have a cat demon. Kirara transformed and I snuggled deep into her fur to keep me warm.
The next morning, she seemed to be tingling with anticipation, so I thought that the village must be close. I hadn't really been homesick for my mother – I'd only been gone one night – but as I put on the Taijiya suit, I almost wished she was there with me. Kirara purred and rubbed my leg as I put my hair into a high ponytail, and I scratched her ears as we set off.
People stared at us as we walked into town – I guess a real Taijiya is hard to find nowadays. But almost as soon as we entered the village, a priestess with bushy black hair walked out of her hut, carrying a basket of vegetables. She was wearing the traditional white haori and red hakamas of a priestess, her thick black hair was pulled back with a white ribbon, and she had cocoa-brown eyes that looked disturbingly familiar. Kirara mewed, and she looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw us, and it almost looked like she was going to drop the vegetables.
But then she regained her composure, waved and called, "Hello! Are you from around these parts?"
"I'm from a village just south of here." I called, walking up. "Do you have a bed where I could spend the night?"
"Of course, come in." She ushered me in, and in doing so, saw Kirara on my shoulder. Kirara mewed once, and her mouth gaped open for a second.
"Well, it's just me and my husband here, so we have an extra bed in the corner." She finally said. "Actually…speaking of him…" She walked to the far side of the hut, stuck her head out, and shrieked, "INUYASHA!"
No sooner had she called him than suddenly a hanyou appeared – he, too, looked disturbingly familiar. He had golden amber eyes, silver hair, and dog ears on top of his head. He was wearing the same outfit as her, except with a red haori. He sniffed me like a dog, straightened up and scoffed.
"How stupid are you, wench? Can't you smell, or at least see? That's Kaza. The Taijiya outfit should have been enough for you." He took another look at me then said, softer, "She does have Miroku's eyes."
"Wait." The priestess said, narrowing her eyes. "There's one way to know." She came up to me and said, "Show me your right hand."
I did as I was told, and she gasped and whispered, "Yeah, that's Kaza."
Then I finally burst, "Who are you, and how do you know me? Did you know my parents?"
The hanyou snorted, "Stupid girl." But priestess silenced him and said, "My name is Kagome, and this is Inuyasha. We traveled with your mother and father – Sango and Miroku – when we looked for the shards of the Shikon jewel."
Finally, Kirara couldn't contain herself and dashed towards Kagome. She laughed, picked her up and cooed, "I thought that was you, Kirara! Oh, I've missed you!"
"Kirara?" Inuyasha said, squinting and leaning down. "Baka neko. Where the hell's Sango? This is the first time I've ever seen one of you without the other."
"First tell me how you know me, and then I'll tell you where my mother is and why I'm here."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but Kagome said kindly, "Because, Kaza, we were there when you were born. I was the priestess that delivered you. I sealed up the wind tunnel in your hand the first day it opened. You and your mother also lived with us for a year before she took you and Kirara and left, and I haven't seen any of you since."
"We live in a village not too far south from here." I started to explain. "That's where my mama is. She didn't want to come with me, so she gave me Kirara and told me to come here before anywhere else."
"And where, exactly, are you trying to go?" Inuyasha asked.
"To find my father."
Inuyasha and Kagome shared a look. "Miroku?" Inuyasha asked.
"Kaza…" Kagome said. "During the nine months Sango was pregnant with you, we looked all over Japan for Miroku. We couldn't find a trace of him or Naraku. So what makes you think you can find him now, after fifteen years?"
"Cause I've got this." I raised my right hand, curled into a fist. "I'm his daughter. At the very least, I've got this Kazaana for a reason. To remind me of my mission to kill Naraku, which still hasn't been fulfilled. So my mind is made up."
"Where do you want to start looking for him?" Kagome asked.
I closed my eyes and remembered what my mom had said. 'Follow the wind…that's where you'll find Miroku.' My Kazaana started to pull at the cloth and beads that held it, and I knew where to go.
"The field where he disappeared." I said confidently. Kagome and Inuyasha shared a look again, and Inuyasha said, "But that's halfway across Japan."
"I know."
I expected them to argue, but instead Kagome broke out in a wild grin and said, "Do you hear her, Inuyasha? She sounds so much Sango, I feel like Sango's sitting right in front of me!"
Inuyasha nodded and for the first time, I saw him smile.
Kagome turned to me, still grinning, and said, "Alright, Kaza – we're in. We're going too."
"Wait, what?" Definitely didn't see that coming.
"Sango's not stupid." Inuyasha snorted. "Why do you think she consented with letting you go halfway across Japan if only you'd promise you'd come here first? She knew we'd go with you."
"And it's not like we've forgotten Miroku, either." Kagome said. "I've always wanted to find him, but never really had the motivation."
"So…you're coming with me?" My mom had always told me about Inuyasha and Kagome, but I never imaged I'd meet them, much less travel with the legendary priestess and hanyou that hunted for the Shikon shards. It almost seemed like a dream. Kagome and Inuyasha must've been my father's best friends – if anybody could find him, they could.
"Yes, dear," Kagome nodded. "Why don't you get some rest, I'll start packing." In the background, Inuyasha, with Kirara on his shoulder, was rummaging around, yelling, "You filthy wench, Kagome, where the hell's my Tetsusaiga? I had it yesterday!"
"The same place as my bow and arrows, could you get them?" She yelled back. I raised my eyebrows.
"You married him?"
She only winked at me and proceeded to pull a large yellow backpack out of a chest. I sat, stunned and thought to myself,
Well, so much for my boring life.
Okay, I know by now you've probably got a lot of questions - why did Kagome marry Inuyasha, what happened to Kikyo, why is she a priestess now - but those'll all be answered later. So no flames, cause I will tell you what's going on. Ok, hope you liked it, now please review!
