Inuvember:

Kagome

Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi

She was Kagome, your average, everyday junior high school girl. She lived her life every day, shopping with friends, going out for burgers, and spending time at her family shrine. She did what she was told and always went to bed and woke up on time.

She was Kagome, the girl who got pulled down into the old dry well on her family's property by a demon who kept raving that she had some sort of jewel...and when she came out the other side, she found herself lost in a distant time, 500 years in the past. Confused and alone, she stumbled upon the dog-eared boy that was pinned to the Sacred Tree by an arrow with roots wrapped around his body.

She as Kagome, the girl who was said to be the reincarnation of the priestess who once protected the village from demons and evil spirits. She was tasked with a responsibility that she did not ask for and simply wanted nothing more than to go home. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other ideas.

She was Kagome, the girl who accidentally shattered the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls and sent hundreds of tiny shards scattered throughout Feudal Japan. Realizing the weight of the responsibility she now held, she turned to the aid of the half-demon who hated her, and thus, their journey began.

She was Kagome, the very first friend that he had ever made. She broke down his walls and found the insecure and lonely that he hid within. She gave him kindness and understanding...but she also gave him acceptance. She did not turn away from him in fear or disgust, but readily took him by the hand and stayed by his side...even if there were times it felt like she would get hurt in doing so...because she knew that deep in his heart, he wanted to be with her more than anything.

She was Kagome, the girl who battled countless demons along with her friends and grew stronger with each one. She did not rely on the power of the one who was said to be her past life, but rather she relied on her own strength. She became capable of feats that not many priestesses could. Together with her beloved half-demon, the two conquered even the most impossible of odds...even defeating Naraku and completely the Sacred Jewel, which was the true evil behind everything, from existence.

She was Kagome...the girl who was trapped in a time she felt she no longer belonged in. She went on to the high school she wanted and threw herself into her studies...but even then, she found herself standing in front of the tree where she met the boy that she grew to love so much and missing him every day to the point where her heart ached. She would always put up a front and try to make it seem like she would be fine...but she just could not move from those days she missed. She wanted to be with him again...and thus, fate allowed it.

As she lies in her futon, she sighs quietly as she is cradled in the strong but gentle arms of her husband, soothing rumbles emitting from his chest as he held her close, his nose buried in her hair as he inhales her sweet scent, and all the while, a warm, loving smile creases her lips, knowing she is safe. All around her, her children sleep soundly, wanting to slumber in the company of their parents with her younger son clinging to her back, sucking his thumb.

She is Kagome...a priestess, a wife, a mother...and her own woman.

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