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Kaede

"Thank you for your kindness once more, Hisaka-san." A dark haired child thanked and bowed politely, holding the received fresh picked vegetables onto her arm's, shifting her steady bow into a more comfortable position with her shoulder, the motion making the small arrows on her back clink together within in its dark hold.

The elderly man smiled widely and waved the usual polite gesture off with a hand. "It's no trouble, Kikyo-chan. After all, us folks owe you for that spirit you warded off last week!" He laughed brightly, the surrounding older farmers who were listening in adding their loud agreements from their various position's in the paddy field filled with the clear water. "Thank you though I am still in learning." The dark haired child straightened from her light bow, revealing azure eyes deep with gratefulness and a bit of amusement when one of the men slipped with a splash, the other's laughing with him. She chuckled good naturedly and bowed once more, a light smile on her lips before turning to resume her walk to her hut. Her now waist length straight hair ruffled in the hot breeze. She mentally chided herself for forgetting her white ribbon at home while bowing back at one of the bows from a passing adult woman. She continued the calm walk on the sandy pavement, instinctively bowing back to the villagers that bowed at her on her way.

It has been…..a while, she would admit. Tilting her head back, she raised her free hand over her squinting eyes, shadowing them from the heated sun. She gave up on multiple theory's long ago. She has fully accepted the fact that somehow, someway, some utterly rule-breaking situation has happened and she has been reborn into some kind of youkai infested anime-like world with ancient Japan being it's main occupation. Resuming her walk, she lightly tugged on her front ebony lock's, feeling the familiar tugging on her scalp. By now, the folks in the village were used to her sometimes strange antic's.

She would pat her cheeks, poke her lips, tug her hair sometimes, even bite her tongue at times. And yes. Each and every single time she felt the same as her other body used to. She never got tired of it, until she realized nothing was going to change, then it just decreased to rare tugs on her hair. One thing she never got tired of was observing everything she came across. The wooden houses, the beautiful light blue cloud infested sky, the far away hazy mountains, the greenery surrounding the village, the purity of the water, even the people. Every single thing was animated. She would no doubt say that the air was defiantly more pure if she wasn't used to the smell since she came to this world.

Ah, talking about this world!—she skipped lightly over a rapidly rolling basin then shaking her head and smiling at the apologetic young woman who laughed with a small bow, continuing on her way after bowing back. Her charges—which she now knows are her parents, were in awe at her high spiritual reiki since her birth, though didn't know what would become of her until that day she used her energy to upgrade her hearing and eyesight. After that, it was basically destiny. She had to be taught how to control her spiritual energy right, her many accidental burning or light injuries showing just how much energy she had, and what slippery control she had. She could just heal herself, she told them. But of course, that never went as planned either since she could hardly fall asleep afterwards.

She sighed long, slumping her shoulders in response to the large cloud blocking her figure from the vengeful heat. Turning a corner, she smiled and bowed back at the bright kids yelling and grinning at her excitingly.

When she told one of the priestess elder's teaching her of what she used to do when she was just an infant, they looked at her in awe and hidden prudence. After that conversation it was hardcore training. They gave and gave and she took and took. They knew she had larger reserves than anyone spiritual, even they themselves, so they were a bit wary around her but never decreased the tortu—cough—training. She herself was a selfish taker so of course anything given was sponged up into her multiple abilities. Now she was—"Kikyo!" She stopped and calmly turned around, smiling and bowing politely at the younger man walking towards her away from his hut, waving back with a large smile at the happily waving four year old girl in his smiling wife's arms. "Keisuke-san, Yumiko-san, Mika-chan. I hope everything is going well in this time of the season." She eye smiled. Keisuke, one of the younger farmers of the village nodded with a bright smile. "We've got just enough saved for the winter this time!" He chatted vigorously. She nodded with the flow as they began exchanging comments here and there.

"Keisuke! Remember what you called Kikyo-chan for, you baka!" Keisuke winced, his rather floppy brown hair shifting when the thrown object hit center behind. Kikyo raised a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh when he began grumbling about 'woman and their violent tempers' or 'abusive wives'. Her eyes sparkled when they met the eyes of his wife, both communicating a rather humorous moment. His shaking head brought Kikyo's attention back towards the taller male. "Eh-right, I completely forgot." He laughed sheepishly before tugging an object from inside his covered basket. She smiled and laughed lightly, tilting her head when he brought forth the object. Her slightly widened eyes stared at his, glancing behind to his knowingly smiling wife. "I know how much your mother need's a new one. Yumiko here was persistent enough to blow my ears off." He grumbled the last sentence, cringing when his wife's angry yell sounded behind him.

Kikyo chuckled and with a grateful expression and bow of her head towards the watching couple, she gently held in the soft smooth fabric. Her smiling face stayed composed as she pondered on her last life just which kind of material this was. It must have been such hard work knitting this soft orange fabric, considering what era this was. Her eyes softened.

She carefully folded the light fabric into a smaller square, holding it against her chest with her free hand before bowing lower and straightening with a chuckle when Keisuke waved it off with a snort, his wife's 'use it well, Kikyo-chan!' ringing in the background. "I thank you greatly, Keisuke-san, Yumiko-san. I will use it fairly." She eye smiled at them gratefully. "Eiish, it's no big deal!" "Kikyo-chan's always so polite." His wife brightly exclaimed from the back. Kikyo chuckled politely and began her walk again after a wave from both individuals and an excited one from the brown haired toddler.

She sighed in relief, her lips curving upwards into a small smile. She would certainty use the clothe wisely, especially since it was a handmade gift.

Her father at this time of day would be out in the patty field's farming with the rest, and her tired mother would be at home resting because of her condition. It was very close too, maybe a month or so until it happened? She was never an expert in pregnancy, sue her. Talking about specialists, she glanced downwards at her attire. At random times, it made her feel like she was cosplaying. With the traditional miko outfit of white top with chords through the sleeves and open shoulders and bottom red nagabakama (a long hakama). And many other details she couldn't bother to remember at the moment even though it was embedded into her brain since young.

Right. Specialists. She was almost done with her miko training, the priestess elders informed her less than a week ago. Obviously, Kikyo was stunned. Shouldn't there have been more years to her format until they approved that she could at least defend the village properly without their help? She verbally asked and received a strange proud explanation from the elders.

Stating that she should remember that it's been more than seven years that they have been training her in anything she could possibly excel at. In which another elder calmly interrupted and just told her straight out what they all decided (she liked that elder the most, bluntly humorous with a dry sense of humor. Though maybe that was just her since she always indirectly teased the older woman?), that she had more than enough spiritual power on her side to now be able to protect the village. All she needed was the experience against stronger youkai and her power would automatically adjust to the strain and grow into its own chor. Surprised wouldn't exactly be the word to describe what she felt at that time, but close enough.

Thank goodness for spiritual control. Kikyo sighed once more, silently basking in her sudden coolness, the inward energy keeping her body from overheating. Her features brightened when they caught view of her hut, bowing lightly at the passing bow of an elder woman. She tightened her hold on the objects and carefully weaved pass through the familiar straw door with her head, "Mother!" Her voice was returned with a painful grunt from the older woman lying on a soft mat near the put out fire in the hole of the middle of the room. Kikyo instantly looked up at the strange sound and widened her eye's, hurriedly placing the objects near a corner of the room and rapidly made way towards her panting mother who was holding her stomach with both hands.

"Mother please calm down. Take deep breaths and please trust me." Kikyo sternly instructed and gracefully sat on her knees. Her eyes softened when her mother grunted a gritted yes. Her mother knew that Kikyo, no matter how young, was always more intelligent than normal children her age and her training added to that list. Kikyo gently placed her hands on the left over space of her mother's bloated belly, a warm pure white see though light coating them. Her mother's groans of pain's decreased in noise until she was only lightly panting. Kikyo blinked multiple times in confusion. Turning her head towards her mother, she decided to inform her of the turn of events. "Mother, it appears that there is no more waiting. I will go and call for helpers with more experience." She softly told her mother, who only nodded weakly in response. "I have healed you of most of your physical pain's, it should last your for more than an hour. Please wait until I have come back with Father and the helpers." She gently patted her mother on the arm before rising when she received a hesitant nod.

Kikyo swiftly left the hut and ran, finding her father almost immediately since he never got too far on the field's with his wife on their second child. When she was well within hearing range, she stated out, "It's time!" She would have laughed at the expression on his and the near folks if she wasn't in such a hurry. She couldn't stifle her laugh however when he stumbled out of the wet field and tripped over his own two wobbly feet, trying to follow after his now loudly laughing daughter. He scowled at her playfully, then yelled out for the elders that helped with the birthing process. The near villagers who heard instantly jogged to where they knew the pair of older woman lived.

"Dear!" Kikyo's father instantly dropped down next to his now growling wife (Kikyo mentally mused at how such a growl sounded rather feral), holding her upper body in one arm, the other around her shoulders. After a few minutes, the black haired smaller miko swiftly moved out of the way when the elder pair of women in their village known for helping in these processes hurriedly entered and instantly began the trail of birthing. One of the elder women thanked Kikyo tremendously for healing the physical pains, now all her mother needed to do was get in position and push for all she was worth. Kikyo nodded with a gentle smile as she gracefully sat on her legs and knees, already used to the style of sitting from years of practice. (Not that it wasn't easy at first, remember that she was a western woman in her past life, so sitting like that at first brought her the numbing pains and electric currents from her feet to her legs. If it wasn't for her training…she mentally shivered.)

After a few hours, she didn't know how long exactly since she was so concentrated on her mother and the helper's action's, there was a collective breath-taking moment when her mother gave out the last scream of pain. A 'plop' sound was heard, the helpers smiling widely and congratulating mother who was in her smiling husband's arms. Kikyo smiled warmly at the scene and strode forward then sat down next to her proudly smiling father who patted her on the head warmly. She watched her mother carefully take the cleanly washed baby. Baby. She felt warmth flutter on the inside of her chest, a small proud feeling of being an older sister. In her last life, she was an only child, so she never experienced what it felt like to be a sibling. But this time, she had a baby sister; if what she felt when she healed her mother was correct; and she would do anything to protect her. Her eyes softened at the image, taking her small family in even as she sent small healing bit's to her mother and newly born wailing baby sister.

"Kaede."

Kikyo froze in her spot. Her mental activity halting its process. What…..did…mother just..say? Her eyes numbly blinked at the scene, heart beating erratically in her chest, pounding its harsh nervous drum in her ears. She blankly stared at them, trying to think but uselessly reaching nothing. "Her name will be Kaede." She vaguely recalled that black spot's entering your view isn't a very good thing before the darkness tore her view from her. The ground was nothing but a small disturbance compared to the frantically sliding memories taking over her sense. She heard the dim yelling voices of everyone in the hut, but even they faded away. Well then Kaede. Thank you for taking her back to 'road-trip-your-screwed!'