True Power

A/N: I'd like to thank my reviewer, LADY-SILVERFOX-aka-charita-ra.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, but I claim ownership over my OC Rikka.

Two

Rikka stood in the well house, brown eyes eyeing the well in the centre of the room analytically. It permuted an unusual air, the same one she had felt before. Now that she was standing before the well, she could easily distinguish the power it held. Time. It was able to manipulate time, therefore allowing Kagome – who was connected to the past – to transverse through the time rift to the Sengoku Period. That was five hundred years in the past.

'What do you think?' the old man asked, standing next to her with his hands behind his back.

Rikka briefly glanced at him. 'It has power over time, thus, allowing Kagome to slip through the rift between the present and the past.'

'But how did the well come to possess such power?' the woman asked her, standing behind her father and the girl.

'Most likely a witch cast a spell over the well,' Rikka answered. 'For what purpose, I'm not entirely sure myself.'

'So, you're going?' Sōta asked her.

Rikka nodded. 'I cannot forsake a Higurashi in danger. Rather, I'm not allowed. Besides, Kagome's my friend. Can't let her have all the fun, can I?'

Sōta smiled. 'Onee-chan's really lucky to have you, Rikka-san.'

Rikka smiled. 'More like I'm lucky to have her,' she mumbled.

'Are you sure you shouldn't go home and prepare yourself for the journey?' Kagome's mother asked her, worried for the child.

Rikka looked back at her and gave her a reassuring smile. 'I've already packed everything.' She laughed at the looks on their faces, seeing as how she was emptyhanded, besides the bag slung over her shoulders. 'Being a witch comes in handy, especially when you need to travel.'

'You've shrunk everything to fit in your bag?!' Sōta exclaimed excitedly.

Rikka laughed. 'Not quite,' she said ruffling the boy's hair.

'Be careful, Rikka,' the woman said embracing the young woman.

'Fulfil the vow,' the old man said patting her arm.

'Please come back soon!' Sōta said hugging her around the waist.

'It's possible I won't be back for a while,' Rikka announced stepping away from the warm family. Sōta and his mother looked like they wanted to argue. 'I cannot abandon my duty, no matter how hard it gets.'

'Why not just come back with onee-chan?' Sōta asked, looking like he was pouting slightly. 'She comes back from time to time.'

'While I'm certain that Kagome can go back and forth between the two timelines, I'm not so certain that extends to me. The less I return to this time the better.'

'But-'

'It prevents me from risking being stuck in the past,' she explained to him.

'Oh,' he said looking dejected.

Rikka took out the box from her bag and passed him the chest, removing the pouch with the necklace first.

Sōta accepted the chest, looking both ecstatic and confused. 'I can't take this!'

'I'll be coming back for this,' she said, 'so look after it for me.'

'You promise?' he asked, pouting and looking dejected, again.

Rikka smiled. 'Promise. So promise me you'll take good care of it.'

Sōta nodded happily. 'Can I read it?'

'Only if you're extra careful,' she said. 'It's around five hundred years old.'

'Wow! It's so old!' he said amazed.

'Take care,' she said smiling at the three of them.

She then walked down the creaky and rigidity wooden steps and onto dirt. The place was clean. Nothing was shoved beneath the walkway, and nothing blocked the way to the well. As she approached the wooden well, she eyed the holes on the rim. It was obvious someone had nailed the well shut on occasion. With Kagome disappearing to the past via the well, it was clear there was no point in sealing it anymore. Not that it worked, seeing as how the old man had no reiryoku whatsoever.

Jumping onto the rim, Rikka peered into the darkness. She was unable to see the bottom, but that was not what she was searching for. Closing her eyes, she focused her sixth sense. In her mind's eye, she saw a swirling blue spiral in the well's depths. This was clearly the split in time that enabled Kagome to travel back and forth. She was unable to see what had made the fissure, but there was a pink light in its midst. She was sure that if she followed it, it would lead her directly to what was responsible.

She took the necklace out the pouch and clasped it around her neck, stuffing the pouch in her bag for safekeeping. A red light engulfed the jewel, turning its surface a deep red. Without any further delay, she jumped into the well, her power connecting with the time fissure to allow her to pass through. The blue light engulfed her sight, causing her to throw her arms out in front of her to protect her eyes.

She landed lightly on her feet and moved her arms away from her face when the light disappeared. She was surrounded by darkness with four towering brick walls boxing her in. It was a good thing she was not claustrophobic. Lifting her head back, she eyed the blue sky that wasn't there before. That means it had been a success.

Now then, to find Kagome.

Eyeing the walls for any hand and footholds, she spotted vines growing down the sides. She grabbed three and pulled. When none snapped, or began to slack, she began climbing. Pulling herself out of the well, she sat on the rim and eyed the forested area. The Sacred Tree towered over the other trees, and while that was a comfort, it reminded Rikka that she was no longer in her own era. The shrine had trees surrounding it, but trees did not run through the shrine grounds itself. The only one on the grounds was the Sacred Tree. If anyone ever confused this to be the shrine grounds, they were stupid. Completely and utterly stupid.

Rikka headed towards the Sacred Tree, the only landmark she knew that connected both past and future together. Upon seeing the beginning of a village, Rikka knew she had made the right choice. She headed for it, clenching her fists in nervousness.

What was she to expect? Would she need to fight? She heard that the feudal era was completely different to her time, more barbaric, savage and bloodthirsty. It was a world ungoverned by police like her time. But that didn't mean that they didn't have authority. Daimyō were the rulers over lands. This village didn't look to be under a lord's authority, but rather isolated from the rest of the world. Rikka recalled that human populace was much smaller, and often in small villages where the nearest help could be days away.

Ignoring the stares of the villagers, Rikka eyed the torii gate at the bottom of a hill, where steps led up towards what must have been a shrine. A lone house sat to the side of the torii gate, segregated from the rest of the community. Was this the living abode of the miko? Perhaps she might know something about Kagome.

'Excuse me,' she called out.

The sudare door moved and then a small hunched woman, clad in the miko attire, stepped out of the house. Straw coloured hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, exposing the slightly aged skin of the old miko. It was clear that she was an old woman, but she handled herself well despite her age. Her skin looked clean and smooth, wrinkles only adorning around the eyes and mouth. She looked very healthy, for an old woman.

'Oh!' the miko exclaimed in surprise and recognition. 'Ye come from Kagome's time, do ye not?'

So she does know Kagome-chan! Rikka thought surprised.

'Hai,' Rikka answered. 'Forgive me, miko-sama, but I'm looking for Kagome-chan. Is she here?'

The miko shook her head. 'She left three days ago.'

Three days?! She thought distraught. How am I supposed to catch up to her now?

'If it's not too much trouble, could you please point me in the right direction?'

'What do ye possibly want with Kagome?' the miko asked suspiciously.

'I bear no ill will towards Kagome-chan, miko-sama. I'm here to help.'

The miko sighed. 'Ye best come in, child.'

Rikka followed her into her home, a small hut that lacked everything Rikka possessed in her room. Her futon was folded away, possibly behind the screen that leaned against the back wall. There was a fire pit dug out in the centre of the room, currently lit and provided warmth to the chilly air. There was nowhere to store clothes, or any comforts that Rikka possessed back home. The Warring States was truly a place of struggle and survival of the fittest, but they were closer to nature than those of Rikka's time could ever be. In a way, Rikka envied them the ability to live surrounded by nature.

The miko sank down before the fire, as if to warm the chill off her bones. 'Tell me, why have ye come to this era?'

Rikka slipped her boots off and left them by the door and stepped onto the wooden platform. She sat on her shins, her butt warming her feet, sitting on the opposite side of the fire from the miko.

'I'm not sure how much you know, miko-sama, but I'm afraid I do not yet trust you enough to disclose the true reason to why I'm here.'

'Kagome's a friend of mine and the village. I do not wish anymore harm to befall the child, not if I can prevent it.' The miko looked at Rikka sternly.

'I assure you, I'm here to prevent Kagome-chan from getting hurt.'

'Ye must tell me what you know.'

'I know all about the Shikon no Tama, the hanyō who Kagome-chan and her friends fight, and all about Kagome-chan being the reincarnation of a miko.'

'That miko is my onee-sama, Kikyō,' the miko announced, stoking the fire.

Rikka, inwardly surprised at the news, identified the sadness in the old woman's eyes. 'I'm sorry for your loss.'

'That was fifty years ago,' she announced, surprising Rikka once again.

The miko eyed Rikka's lack of emotions, only keeping a calm and collected expression much like a high ranked yōkai. But she could not feel any jaki from this young woman, let alone yōki. She did not possess reiryoku, like a miko. But she did possess a power that the old miko could not identify. The young woman was beautiful with her long brown hair, lighter than any she'd ever seen before with dark brown tones. Her eyes were even lighter than her hair, almost like a brownish yellow. She wore the exact same outfit as Kagome, but hers clung to her body whereas Kagome's was slightly baggy. This foreigner was a well-developed young woman who would encounter far too many problems in this world.

'I'm not sure how much is known about my family in this era, but have you heard of the Manami family?' Rikka asked, taking the risk.

The miko's eyes widened. 'The Manami family? That family of pure-blooded witches? Are ye related to them?'

Rikka nodded. 'I'm the last of the Manami family from the future.'

'Now I understand why I can feel power from ye,' the miko said, stoking the fire again. 'I never thought I would ever see a Manami witch. Ye claim that ye are tied to Kagome?'

Rikka nodded. 'At some point in this era, a witch of the Manami family and the first of the Higurashi family bind the two families together through a blood bond.'

'I've heard of the blood bond,' the miko said, saving her from explaining. 'And so, ye are bonded to Kagome and have come to assist her and prevent her from being harmed.'

Though it was a statement, Rikka nodded. 'It's imperative that I find and join her as soon as possible.' She then bent forward in a bow, hands positioned like a lady of high positioned would. 'If you'd be so kind, miko-sama, could you please point me in the right direction?'

'No need to be so formal with me, child. You can call me Kaede,' the miko said warmly.

Rikka looked up at her, the slightest look of surprise on her face shone through her mask. 'Hai, Kaede-sama.'

Kaede laughed. 'Why don't you spend the night here and leave out in the morning?'

'I would love to take you up on your offer, but I really must find Kagome-chan before it's too late.'

Kaede nodded, her eyes shone with understanding. 'I'll accompany you to the edge of the village.'

Rikka smiled, her carefully erected mask disappearing, leaving Kaede surprised at the warm expression on her face. 'Thank you, Kaede-sama.'

Kaede got up and slipped on her waraji. Rikka pulled her flat black boots on, erecting that neutral mask, and followed after Kaede. The villagers bowed to Kaede as they passed and looked at Rikka with puzzled looks. She could see the wheels turning in their heads, comparing her to Kagome due to the school uniform they both wore. As she followed after the miko, Rikka looked at the villagers out the corner of her eyes. Each and every one of them were peasants that lived secluded lives from the daimyō. At least the taint of a power greedy, money grabbing, feudal lord didn't extend to this peacefully warm village. For that, Rikka was grateful, but it also left the village unprotected.

'If ye follow this path, ye will meet up with Kagome,' Kaede explained, stopping at the village border.

'Thank you, Kaede-sama,' Rikka said warmly to the miko, bowing once again to her.

'Will ye at least take provisions with ye?'

Rikka smiled. 'No need. I can hunt for food.'

'Good luck…'

'Rikka,' she supplied. 'Manami Rikka.'

'Such a gentle name, like the snow,' Kaede said approvingly. 'Well, ye best be off if ye hope to cover ground before the sun sets.'

'Thank you again, Kaede-sama,' she said bowing politely.

'Just make sure ye come back. I'd like to see ye once more.'

Rikka's smile brightened. 'I'll definitely come back.'

With a final goodbye, Rikka set off down the dirt path, following in Kagome's footsteps. With her emotions firmly under control once again, Rikka opened her sixth sense and sent it out to continuously probe the land around her. She was confident in her abilities, but she kept an eye out just to be on the safe side. This was a time different from her own. The dangers were risen by ninety percent, especially since the yōkai race loved to feast on human flesh. She couldn't drop her guard for a second, especially since she did not know how to identify a yōkai from a human. Recognising a miko was easy since she had always been around Kagome, and then she met Kaede. They were surrounded by a pink purifying light. Perhaps yōkai would be surrounded by a dark light.

She'd just have to wait and find out.