Chapter 2: Shattered Pieces

When Asami came to, the first thing she noticed was the pain. Her body screamed at her, her head pounded, and she could honestly say it felt like she had been run over by a train. She slowly opened her eyes, intent on yelling for her mother to ask for some pain medicine, but found she didn't recognize the ceiling as her own. Her brows scrunched up in confusion, a few beats passing before the memories came flooding back. She gasped and sat up quickly, wincing as her side pulsed with pain. "Ye shouldn't move yet. Ye wounds have been bandaged but ye took a great fall." Asami turned her head to see Kaede tending to Kagome, her lips pulled to a frown. "Now that the Sacred Jewel has reappeared, there will be others who seek to possess it." Asami groaned softly as she sat up, noticing she had been changed into a kimono, causing her to fidget uncomfortably. She had never been a fan of them, much-preferring leggings or the traditional priestess garbs, clothes that allowed her to move freely. "Speaking of possessing the Jewel. What happened to that Inuyasha guy? The one who was after the jewel before?" Kaede looked over at her before turning her head towards a shape she hadn't noticed before, the noticeable bright red of Inuyasha's outfit looking back at her. Raising an eyebrow in question, Asami looked at Kaede as Kagome fixed her shirt. "What are you still doing here?" Inuyasha turned his head to look at them, his face in a deadpan expression. "The jewel stupid." Asami's nose flared and she pointed a glowing finger at him threateningly. "Don't talk to her like that." He stared at her finger before huffing and turning back around. She lowered her hand as she stared at her finger. "We need not worry about Inuyasha any longer. The beads around his neck have rendered him potentially harmless. It's the only way we could allow him so close to the Jewel."

Asami scrunched her face in confusion as she looked over at Inuyasha, seeing what looked like a beaded necklace peeking from the top of his robe. Kagome voiced her own confusion. "But he seems awfully strong already. Why would he want the jewel anyway? Isn't he a demon too?" Kaede nodded as she cleaned up her supplies. "Ay, but he is only half-demon." Asami heard a growl come from Inuyasha and jumped slightly as he punched the floor, causing it to crack. "I'm sick of some random old hag talk about me like she knows me. Quit it." Kaede seemed unfazed by his reaction and simply looked back at him. "I figured as much. I guess it can't be helped. I am younger sister to Kikyo, the one who bound you to the tree." Inuyasha seemed to tense as he narrowed his eyes, seemingly trying to remember her, only just starting to relax as he finally did. "You were the little brat always following her around." Kaede smiled sadly, nodding. "Fifty years have passed since then, and I have grown old." Inuyasha stuffed his hands into his sleeves and scoffed as he sat properly. "If you're this old, Kikyo must be ancient. I'm sure glad I don't have to worry about getting old." Asami watched Kaede's eyes shine with sadness, her face falling grim. "Kikyo didn't have to worry either. She died, the day she bound you to the tree." She looked at Inuyasha, catching the glimpse of sadness passing his face before he schooled his features, scoffing once more. "So she kicked the bucket huh? Can't say I'm sorry or anything." Kaede shook her head, before looking over at the three, landing on Kagome. "I wouldn't be so relieved. For I now know Kagome is the reincarnation of my sister."

Kagome and Asami looked at each other in surprise, the older subconsciously grabbed the other's hand to squeeze it reassuringly, barely noticing as Inuyasha quietly slipped out of the hut. "It's not just your powers or appearance that shows this, but the fact that the jewel was inside of you. That alone is irrefutable proof." Kagome shook her head, standing up as she dusted off her clothes. "This is too much. I need some air." Kaede nodded, giving her the jewel on a necklace. "Protect the jewel Kagome." Asami watched as Kagome left the hut, letting out a soft sigh as she finally let herself relax, forgetting that Kaede was still there. "Ye place a big burden on yourself Asami." Clearing her throat, she straightened her back, wincing as it pulled on her injured side. "I made a promise. To always protect my family no matter what. Kagome...my family was taken from me at a young age, and Kagome's parents took me in. I don't want to lose another family." Kaede nodded in understanding and stirred a pot. "Here, ye must eat to regain strength if ye want to protect her." Asami smiled gratefully, taking a bowl of what appeared to be stew and sipping carefully. After a moment, she looked over at Kaede. "I noticed you didn't say anything about me. You explained how Kagome has her powers but what about mine?" Kaede stirred the pot for another moment before sighing as she looked at Asami. "I'm not sure. My theory is... far-fetched at best but the only thing I could think of. There has only been one that had powers like you do, with a soft blue glow, a priestess of extraordinary power. Her name was Mizukiko, the older sister of Midoriko." Asami shook her head, her confusion only growing. "I don't know either of their names."

"Midoriko was a great warrior priestess in her time, but even she paled in comparison to the power her sister held. They battled demons so in sync those that saw them swore they moved as one. But sometimes demons can be smart and crafty. They had gathered together to attack the sisters at different times, keeping them separated. Legend says that Mizukiko made quick of her demons, but she wasn't quick enough. By the time she had reached Midoriko, she was gone. Mizukiko was the first Protector of the Shikon no Tama. My theory is that you, Asami, are the reincarnation of Mizukiko." Asami sat there in silence, thinking over the woman's words before shaking her head. "No. There must be some kind of mistake. I mean, I'm not even Japanese. How can I be the reincarnation of a Japanese Priestess?" Kaede seemed like she had expected such a reaction. "There are no set rules for reincarnation Asami. Souls choose bodies that are best equipped to handle them, regardless of looks. This is your destiny. Besides, Kagome is your sister. I don't think that's a coincidence. It is just as much your duty to protect the jewel as it is hers." Kaede gave her a reassuring smile before standing up, leaving Asami to her thoughts.

"To think, the most difficult thing I thought I'd face was being a young mother." She stared down at her hands in wonder, considering all she knew about priestesses. For once, she was happy that she took her grandfather's lessons seriously, unlike her siblings, they'd prove to be helpful now more than ever. "I wonder..." Asami moved her left hand over her right side, where her bite was, and focused on healing the wound. While she was grateful for Kaede's help, she was also curious if she could speed up the healing process. It took a while, how long exactly she couldn't say, but when Asami finally felt too tired, she removed her hand and lifted her shirt. To her joy and slight surprise, she saw that her wound was now fully healed, leaving behind only a scar in its place. Satisfied with the result, but feeling drained, Asami shakily stood up. Her intention to find Kagome was lost as the world spun around her, once again plunging her into darkness.

The next time Asami woke up, it was Kaede shaking her, lips turned into a frown. "Kaede...what is it?" She sighed as she waited for the young woman to wake up a little more before bearing the news. "Kagome is missing." Asami wasted no time in standing up, ignoring Kaede's cries of protest as she looked for her clothes. "Your wounds!" Spotting her clothes folded neatly in a pile, she quickly made work of removing the kimono, revealing her newly healed side. "But how?" Asami shrugged as she changed her clothes. "I figured out how to heal myself. Takes a lot of energy though, I kind of passed out after." Kaede nodded, her eyes thoughtful as she watched the other. "Knowing my sister, she probably tried to find her way back home. Why she didn't wake me is beyond me but I'll deal with that later. You stay here in case she comes back, I'll go look in the forest." Kaede opened her mouth to protest, but never got the chance as Asami walked out of the hut, making a beeline towards the forest. A flash of red in her peripheral vision made her smile quickly before hiding it, continuing to walk as if she didn't notice. When they were a good bit away from the village, she spoke loudly. "You know if you wanted to help you could have just asked."

Inuyasha walked out from behind a tree, his face set in a scowl as his hands slipped into his sleeves. "How did you know I was there?" Asami chuckled and stopped, looking him up and down. "You're dressed in bright red, you're kind of hard to miss. Besides, you're not as subtle as you think you are Inuyasha." Smiling softly, she walked over to pat his arm good-naturedly before continuing her walk into the forest. "Now are you going to help me track down my sister or am I going to have to just walk aimlessly until I find her?" She could hear him scoff behind her, causing her to roll her eyes but smile as she heard movement following her soon after. "I'm not going for the girl. I don't care where she went but she took the jewel with her!" She glanced at him as they fell into step with each other, finding herself noticing him for the first time. The moment she had been pressed against him on the tree flashed in her mind and her cheeks reddened, causing her to quickly look away. "Of course she took the jewel, you idiot. She's one of the protectors and I was passed out." He made a noise that she knew was him voicing his discontent but deciding not to argue, which she appreciated.

There was a few moments before Inuyasha huffed in annoyance and moved to step in front of Asami, kneeling down slightly. She stumbled to a stop and stared at his back with an eyebrow raised. "Tying your shoelace or something? What are you doing Inuyasha we need to move." He turned to look at her quizzically. "What's a shoelace?" She shook her head quickly, wincing slightly at the slight headache it gave her. "Nevermind, why are you like that?" He gestured to his back with his hands. "Get on, I can track her scent and it'll be a lot faster if I just carry you than us walking at this painfully slow human pace." Asami found herself rolling her eyes at his obvious dislike for human disadvantages, but only after a moment's hesitation, climbing onto his back. Inuyasha barely made sure she was on before taking off, his arms around her thighs to ensure she didn't fall. It was the second time she had been so close to him, and once again she found herself admiring his beauty. His hair was long and soft, like silver silk, and she wondered if it was a demon trait that caused his hair to be like that. It took a lot of work to get her own hair to be like that and his just seemed to flow naturally, it made her slightly jealous. In no time at all, they reached a hut and Inuyasha set her down, motioning for her to be quiet. Narrowing her eyes, she complied standing there as she waited for him to say something else. Instead, he simply took off, crashing into one of the walls of the hut, Asami running in from behind.

She came in just in time to dodge a monster of a man stumbling towards her. Her eyes searched the room before zeroing in on Kagome, her body relaxing with relief as she ran over to her, pulling the younger woman into a fierce hug. "Don't you ever run off like that without telling me do you understand?" Kagome seemed in shock to find both of them here, but Inuyasha only had one thing on his mind. "The jewel. Where is it? Is it safe?" Kagome's eyes widened as she had the decency to look sheepish, reach immediately caused Asami to worry. "T-The jewel?" Kagome laughed uneasily and Asami bit back a groan, but their attention was brought to the man that came towards them with a sword. Asami's eyes narrowed as she noticed the paleness of his skin and the odd way he stood and walked. Kagome hid behind her as Inuyasha stood in front of them, covering his nose as he groaned. "That putrid smell! It's like rotting meat or something." No sooner than the words left his mouth, a buckle came loose on the man, revealing a hole in his chest where a crow with three eyes was hidden. "I should have known. Corpse Crows use dead bodies to fight their battles, he must have had his heart torn out and the crow made himself a bloody nest."

Asami looked over at Inuyasha, appreciative of his knowledge of the demon, but still had a question. "So how do we kill it? Can it even be killed?" Inuyasha glanced at her before looking back at the man. "Their relatively weak demons, it doesn't take much. They're just hella nasty." He ran forward as he spoke and plunged his hand into the hole in the man's chest, causing the Corpse Crow to fly away. Asami watched as the body completely disintegrated and shuddered before turning back to Kagome, subtly checking her over. "It's getting away! Aren't you gonna go after it?" Inuyasha scoffed and slipped his hands into his sleeves. "I'm not about to run after every demon we come across. It's not my problem. Now, where's the jewel?" Asami's eyes widened as she happened to look out the window, watching the demon crow pick the jewel up and fly away. "Uh...guys? The demon just made off with the jewel." Inuyasha immediately glared at Kagome, who put her hands up in surrender, looking sheepish. "I never said I had it on me." Inuyasha cursed under his breath before looking between the two women.

Asami took a step back, putting her hands up. "Oh no. This isn't my problem. You two figure it out." She resisted the urge to smile at Inuyasha's obvious dislike for the situation, but he hesitated only a moment before grabbing Kagome and running off. Once they were out of sight, Asami sighed and knelt on the floor, the weight of the situation finally falling on her. Kaede's words echoed in her mind and she groaned, putting her head in her hands. Running her fingers through her tangled hair, she wished she had a hair tie or some type of ribbon to keep her hair away from her face. She tried to ignore the urge to go after them, but it lasted only a few minutes before she was sighing and taking off in the direction she saw them go in. "I still don't get any of this...but Mizukiko, lend me your power." With newfound determination, Asami raced forward, reaching the others just in time to watch a young boy fall into the water of a river. Wasting no time, she kicked off her shoes before diving into the water after the boy, glad for her swimming obsession phase. Grabbing the boy, she quickly swam to the riverbank, her body protesting once again as she pushed it to its limits.

She watched as the boy ran to his mother, embracing her as she got out of the water. The villagers surrounded her as she attempted to dry her hair, giving her thanks and praise for her rescue. She gave them a small smile, bowing in gratitude for their words. "Stupid. The demon is getting away with the jewel!" Asami looked over the river towards Inuyasha, an eyebrow raised in question as he yelled at Kagome who seemed to ignore him. While Asami was distracted, she noticed Kagome notch an arrow, smiling when she saw the foot of the demon attached. From what they had seen before, the arrow would surely hit the demon and they could get the jewel back. Her smile slowly turned into a frown however when a moment later, a bunch of lights flew in different directions. "I have a bad feeling about that."

It wasn't long before the three were looking around for the jewel, all the while a heavy feeling weighing on Asami's chest that she couldn't explain. "Are you sure it's around here?" Kagome huffed in annoyance as she too searched the area. "Yeah, I saw it...but that light..." Asami looked over to Kagome, prepare to share her thoughts when she noticed the head of the demon heading straight for her. Almost instinctively, she ran in front of her and thrust out her arms, creating a barrier that disintegrated the demon upon contact. Despite her satisfaction with the result, the heaviness in her chest increased when she noticed what the demon had left behind. Releasing the barrier, she bent down to pick up what remained of the Sacred Jewel, a shard. "Is that?" Kagome's voiced seemed muffled to Asami, who struggled to comprehend what she was witnessing, and why it was affecting her so strongly. "A...a shard of the Shikon no Tama." Just saying it out loud seemed to cause Asami great pain, and for the first time since being in this strange time, she felt like crying.

Ignoring the outraged cries of Inuyasha and the worried ones of Kagome, Asami cradled the shard against her chest and stood up, making her way back to the village. She felt numb, as if her own very soul had been shattered along with the jewel. It seemed to take way longer to reach the village, but even the relief of seeing Kaede wasn't enough to break Asami out of her spell. She stared down at the piece of the jewel in her hand, her heart twisting with emotions yet her eyes remained empty. As they sat down in Kaede's hut, she ignored Kagome and Inuyasha as they explained what happened with the crow demon. She heard her name being called, but as much as she wanted to speak, she felt unable to even form proper thoughts much less words to speak. Kaede and Kagome watched her worriedly while Inuyasha watched her intently. None of them had seen the young woman act in such a manner. "She's been like that ever since we found the shard. I don't know what's wrong." Kaede's expression turned thoughtful as she looked at the shard. "Perhaps she's more connected to the jewel than I first realized." Seeing the confusion on the other two's faces, Kaede explained her theory on Asami being the reincarnation of Mizukiko. "It's possible, as the first protector of the jewel, that Mizukiko did something to strengthen her connection to it. What exactly that would be no one knows but it would explain Asami's reaction to the shatter."

Kaede's face fell grim as she looked at Kagome and Inuyasha seriously. "It's up to you three now. Ye must collect all the shards and restore the jewel. If even one shard falls into evil hands, the destruction will be incalculable." That night, as everyone else slept, Asami couldn't. She simply sat in a corner, turning the shard over and over in her hand, closing her fist around it, and then opening it as if it would suddenly make the orb whole again. The next morning, she allowed Kagome and Kaede to lead her to a nearby river for them to wash up. As Kagome helped Asami get into the water, it wasn't until the shard had been taken from her hands that she felt slammed with a cold feeling washing over her. Suddenly, it was like she could see and hear again and she blinked rapidly, looking at Kagome in surprise. "Kagome? Wh-what happened? Where are we?" A soft sigh of relief left Kagome as she quickly came into the water and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're back. You were starting to scare me." Asami brought her arms around Kagome slowly, confusion still etched in her features. Kagome pulled away and quickly explained her state since they discovered the hard of the jewel, causing her confusion to grow even more. "I don't remember any of that. It's like...it's like I wasn't even here."

"The important thing is you're fine now. You are fine right?" Asami shrugged and walked deeper into the water. "I suppose. I feel fine anyway. It does feel nice to be clean now though." She sighed before taking a moment to dive into the water, the coolness of the water wash over her and soothe her. When she reached the surface again, she chuckled as she heard Kagome complaining about the temperature. "If you hate it so much then hurry up and finish cleaning and get out." Following her own advice, Asami did the best she could to clean herself off and made her way over to the fire that Kaede had made where her clothes laid over a fire to dry. She sat close and let the fire warm her up and dry her off before checking her clothes. Though Kaede offered her a set of priestess clothes, she thanked Kaede but denied them and got herself dressed just as Kagome screamed. Thinking she was in danger, her head snapped towards her, only to see her glaring at Inuyasha. Asami briefly wondered how long he had been there before shrugging it off as Kagome yelled "sit" and she watched the beads around his neck glow before he got pulled to the ground. Wincing, she let out of sound of pained sympathy for Inuyasha. "So that's what the beads do. Interesting. Seems painful though."

A young woman came to them and asked for Kaede, who looked over at the Kagome and Inuyasha with worry. Asami chuckled and shooed Kaede away. "Go take care of your affairs. I'll watch the kids." She smiled teasingly and Kaede nodded appreciatively before walking away with the young woman. Looking back over at the two that were still arguing. "Oh, can you two just stop it already? You're giving me a headache." Inuyasha looked at her for a moment before turning away, shocking Asami at how easily he complied with her request. Using the opportunity of his back being turned, Kagome got out of the water and got dressed in the priestess garbs that Kaede had left her. Asami noticed the sadness in Inuyasha's eyes when he noticed her new attire, and wondered if he saw Kikyo at that moment instead of Kagome. "Hey. Get undressed." Asami almost exploded with laughter as Kagome released a series of sits before grabbing her clothes and walking away. Sighing at her sister's impulsivity, she looked over at Inuyasha that was starting to get up, and stood up herself. "I'll be back, I'll go talk some sense into her. Mind the fire will ya?"

She didn't wait for him to answer before walking off in the direction Kagome had gone. It didn't take long before she caught up to her at the well. "You really need to stop doing that Kagome." Kagome folded her arms over her chest and huffed in annoyance. "He's such a child! He acts so rudely towards me and won't even use my name no matter how many times I say it." Asami chuckled and patted her shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. "We don't know what kind of childhood he's had Kagome. Maybe that's just his personality. Either way, I don't think you should hold it against him." A glimmer in the sunlight caught her attention, but as she went to investigate, they heard a feminine laugh before a scantily clad woman appeared from the forest. She stood on a strand of hair like a tightrope, and Asami bit back a groan, immediately recognizing the woman as a demon. She took a protective stance in front of Kagome and glared at the woman. "We don't want any trouble. Just go on your way demon." The woman glared back at her and shifted her stance, looking ready to fight. "They call me Yura of the demon-hair. But that doesn't matter, I'm here to get the Jewel!." She thrust out her hands and as it came towards them, Asami pushed Kagome out of the way, though it was in vain as the hair surrounded them and cut them in different directions.

Yura used her hair to grab the pouch that Kagome had been keeping the shard in. "You naughty girl. Look what you've done to the jewel. Where are the rest?" Kagome shook her head and shakily stood up. "I don't know!" Yura narrowed her eyes as a sword appeared in her hand. "Well then, there is no need to spare your life is there?" Just as the sword came towards her, Asami ran in front of Kagome, ready to take the hit but tripped over the pile of clothes that she had dropped, causing both girls to tumble into the well as a light surrounded them. Asami squeezed her eyes shut as she waited to fall to the bottom of the well, but was surprised when she gently felt the dirt of the floor under her as if they had floated. As always, she immediately looked over Kagome for any injuries. "Are you okay?" Kagome stared at her with wide eyes. "You...you were gonna take that sword for me." Asami chuckled and patted Kagome's head before tapping her nose. "Of course little sister. I'll always protect you remember?" Kagome let out a soft cry as she threw her arms around Asami and sobbed, the events of the last few days finally breaking free. Asami felt her own tears start to form as she heard the distant yet familiar sound of a car horn. She had no idea how they managed to do it, but they were finally home.

Ending A/N: It only took me rewriting the ending twice to be satisfied this time! But this chapter took longer because my dominant hand decided that it was going to give me trouble so I had to rest it for a bit, but I'm also in full-time uni so I couldn't rest it as much as I would have liked to. Anyways, I don't know if anybody actually reads these notes but if you do, I'm conflicted. Should I bring Takeshi (Asami's son) into the adventure in the feudal era or keep him in the modern era? It doesn't change too much but it will mainly determine how often Asami travels back to the present. Let me know your thoughts in a review or even a pm if you don't feel comfortable leaving a review. I truly appreciate anyone that helps me decide.