Thanks to my lovely beta: House of Eternal Moon!
Chapter Three: Yomi Cave
Leaving the Funbarigaoka Station, Kagome headed to the bus stop. Sitting there was a short boy, around 7, with blond locks and a cute face.
"Hey, little one. What are you doing here all alone?" Kagome asked nicely.
"Mum said to pick up someone here at..." The boy said looking at his watch. "...right now". Finally meeting her face, he added with a big smile. "It must be you!"
Kagome thought that was strange, but after talking with her grandfather and a little research, she went to this Funbari Place open minded.
Lowering down to the boys height, she asked:
"How can you be so sure, little one?"
"Mum told me: 'A young woman, blue eyes, around 5'4, at 1 pm...'." Kagome saw the watch's pointers. "So, everything matches. Come on! The bus is comin'." The boy picked Kagome's hand and led her to the bus.
Once in their sits, he asks:
"So what's your name? I'm Asakura Hana! Why are you looking for mum?"
"I'm Higurashi Kagome. Some bad things happened to me and now I'm looking for help with some stuff..." Not knowing should she ask things or not, the rest of the trip went in silence.
Ninety minutes after (and a little walking pathway), they arrived. The place was at a deserted region of the city, almost in Saitama. Outside, a plaque says: "Natural Hot Springs Now Open!". Once in doors, you see that it's a newly reformed inn; wooden composition, big yard, very strong spiritual presence.
"MUM, DAD, we are home!"
A young couple stood by the door: It was the woman who had invaded her dreams, 'Asakura Anna', and a man. 'Must be her husband, Hana's dad. I don't know his name though'.
"Hello, I'm Higurashi Kagome. Nice to meet you," she said with a deep bow.
"Hey, I'm Asakura Yoh and this is Amidamaru." The man, Yoh, said, pointing to his side.
'Amidamaru...? Who's...' Rising, she looks around to see... a ghost. A human Japanese swordsman, or used to be one.
With wide eyes and a dreadful expression Kagome bows to this Amidamaru 'person'.
"Don't freak out with him. There is a lot more in the house. Familiarize yourself." Anna said in a bored tone. "Come in, lunch is ready."
The lunch went as normal as possible. Kagome met some other spirits of the house, like two perverts: a tanuki with large testicles, Ponchi, a kitsune, Konchi, and a few shikigami who helped around the house. After the lunch, Yoh and Hana went out, leaving Kagome with Anna's piercing eyes.
"I have the ability to read people's heart." Anna fired. "Though, there is something wrong with your soul that is making me confused. So, start your tale before I get bored."
'She's a tough one. Okay, right to the point.' "Well, when I was fifteen..."
"Stop this bullshit and tell me what's wrong with you. The tale about youkais, time travel, breaking some jewel and stuff the spirits from Higurashi Jinja already told me. I could not have an unknown person as apprentice. I am Anna, the Itako. I can summon spirits, no matter where they are, just to say."
Kagome became very uncomfortable with this new information but also curious. Summoning spirits may be a great help in the quest for shikon shards and finding Naraku.
"Okay, but I have some questions for you, too." Shifting her position to one more comfortable, she says. "Not long after I've start the time travelling there was a demon witch who wanted to use my previous incarnation's miko powers for herself. She defiled Kikyou's, my incarnation, grave, and stole her remains and created a clay vessel to hold the soul. Urasue, the witch, did not know that the soul had already been reincarnated in me, so the spell didn't work. My... friend, Inuyasha, and I went there to retrieve the remains and, when Urasue saw me, she kidnapped me and made a spell to separate my soul from my body."
Kagome took a sip of water. She still remember the pain, the emptiness of been a souless body, even if it's for a little time. She finished her tale with Kikyou's assumed death and later return.
"And since then you have lived with half-soul. How interesting." That was all of Anna's response. Inside, she was thinking if this state could be a burden during the training. She had made some divination just before Kagome's arrival and knew that there was little time to teach. A month or so.
With no more dialogue coming, Kagome decided to make her own questions. Anna explained that Shamans have the power to connect with after life. Using their own bodies or some related object as medium to incorporate the summon. It may be human, demon, animal, or natural spirits (not human/demon/animal deceased origin). There is some specialization in the knowledge: Kagome may keep the miko training and learn to read god messages to prevent calamity; became an onmyoji, who can read fortunes and control the five elements; an Itako, like herself, to contact spirits from anywhere or banish them and create powerful prayer beads.
"Here, since there is no much time, I'll teach a bit of everything. So, let's start. Pick your Miko garbs and weapon".
Kagome did not enjoy wear full miko suit. People always mistook her for Kikyou when she's dressed like one, so she does not even have a set in this era.
"I... don't really like to wear them, so I don't have it here with me. I have some gym clothes, though. And my bow must have been lost in the last fight..." She was really ashamed by this. Going to someone home and not bringing her own stuff. 'Such a great priestess I am'.
"Well, since my mother-in-law is a Shinto Priestess as well and lived here once, we may have some spare garbs. As for your weapon, we will fix it later."
After a quick shower, Kagome stand outside in full miko garb, meditating.
The first days went in fully meditation. With Anna's 'sweet' methods, like 'sitting with no chair position', concentration under a freezing waterfall; Kagome started to connect with her inner self, her mental force, that was really shaken after all her trouble with Inuyasha.
Sometimes, she saw Yoh training with Hana and pondered if she should look for a guardian ghost. After all, wasn't it the main shaman ability? She asked Anna about it and the response was: "You are not ready yet."
Due to Kagome's previous training with Kaede, she already knew a little about rosaries and mantras. Anna told Kagome, "To finish the priestess ways you will study the practice of divination and fortune reading. To do it, you need an ancient spirit as protector. However, since there is no time to look for one, Ponchi and Konchi will be used to practice with."
Anna then picked a kokkuri board (a planchette) and recited the mantra. Kagome paid close attention to the ritual, and found that the hard part was with the constant nuisance of the spirits. At the end of the first week, she already knew the basics, though she didn't trust the messages yet. Kagome needed to find a guardian for herself if she wanted to continue developing the technique.
By the month's end, our favorite miko knew how to summon weaker Shikigami Kooni (natural spirits from leaves and stones). Had become close friends with Ponchi and Konchi, she trained her divination to know how her friends were fairing in the past. The messages were still a bit messy, but as far she knew, they were praying for her wellbeing and continued the quest at a slow pace. Something seems to be missing, but she couldn't ask for more after only one month training.
Master Yoh and little Hana also helped her Hyoi Gatai (incorporation), using Amidamaru in the process. Sharing your mind with other conscious beings seemed to be pretty hard. She had to fully subjugate the spirit or let them have full control over her body. Both ways need a lot of confidence between the parts. Sometimes, Hana incorporated the samurai and Kagome had the chance to learn a few sword movements.
Now, they are heading to Izumo. There is a place called Yomi Cave where she will need to stay for a whole week, all alone. They said that it will help her to strengthen her incomplete soul and find a spirit guardian.
Once at Asakura Hold, a big place that used to house over 150 people, but now have only the Asakura Elders as inhabitants. Kagome is sent into Yomi Cave with only a plain with robe.
Kagome was walking in a pitch black scenario; the lack of sounds making her doubt if she is still breathing at all when suddenly, a bright light blinds her vision and she blacks out.
A few minutes later, she woke up in a forest and yet there were no sounds. Suddenly, an arrow is thrown through the forest, passing right beside her right eye, leaving a light scratch in her face and piercing the trunk. In the direction that it came from stood Kikyou with her bow ready to shot another arrow.
"Lucky one, aren't you? Next time I won't miss." With that, she shot again.
This time, Kagome dodged and hid behind the tree.
"What's wrong with you? What's the meaning of this?" Shouted Kagome.
"The final battle against Naraku is coming." A manly known voice said. "You will never reach Kikyou's power level. Therefore you are no more than a nuisance. Just a copy of the perfect one; your sacrifice is needed to complete the quest".
"Inuyasha... you never said this before. I thought we were friends!"
"Friends? Keh, you are merely a Kikyou replacement, a shard detector who can't protect itself. Last time you almost died in a single attack. You are so much of a burden always in the way."
"Inuyasha.. you can't be serious..." Tears were rolling down Kagome's face. She didn't want to hear this. She loves him dearly but couldn't stand anymore humiliation. She is Higurashi Kagome, the Shikon no Miko. Not a shard detector, not a replacement. She is the living one and needed to stand up for herself. Why do all that training with the Asakura if she didn't believe her own competency? While lost in her feelings, Inuyasha prepares to strike along with Kikyou's arrow.
"Wench, give me your shard and it will not be painful for you." Inuyasha said stretching his fingers.
'The shard! It's with me! I can't let them taint it!' She put her hand around the glass keeping the shard. When Inuyasha jump to attack, a flash of white strikes him. 'Sesshoumaru!' Kikyou went to help Inuyasha while Sesshoumaru turns to Kagome.
"Run, this one will keep them at bay".
Kagome ran not knowing where to head. Seeing a cliff a few feet ahead, she tried to turn but slipped in a tiny pool of mud. She tried to hold onto anything even the grass. In blink of an eye, Kagome falls to certain death.
She is falling for what look like hours. At some point, the pressure reduced and she is floating, like a feather, reaching the ground very lightly.
It was really hot there. The foul smell of rotten flesh is anywhere. Adjusting her vision to the low light, she realize that there are indeed a lot of corpses spread. She wanders a random path when see something shining in the dark and go for it. It's a sword that looked familiar, it's tainted aura calling to her. Spreading her arm to reach, the moment her finger touched it's hilt, a strong force send her flying a few meters away. Now, behind the sword, a giant demon dog stood, baring his fangs to her.
"I can't fight this thing..."
As soon she finishes the sentence, the demon threw his paw in her direction. She barely dodges and started to run. But it's a totally open 'campsite'. No walls, no trees, only Kagome, the dog demon, the sword and bones as far as the eyes can see. She couldn't run forever, but she had no weapon to react. The sword aura is still calling for her, so powerful yet malicious. But there is no way she would die without even trying to fight.
Concentrating her miko energy, she let it pull in her feet and in her hands; she then runs and picks up the blade. Its evil aura invades her body, trying to control her mind and heart. She fights back, there is no time to lose; the demon was coming in her directing. All of sudden, she recognizes the aura. It was Sounga, InuTaisho's cursed blade. That lack of concentration made the sword fight harder to control her. However, she wasn't willing to give up so easy, so she concentrated all of her power in one hand, while reciting an ancient purification mantra. With that, she overpowers the sword aura and purify its evil will.
Without time to feel the relief, the demon pressed her to the ground. It's poison saliva melting the bones around her. Her ribs were almost breaking with the force. She screamed from pain, while trying to find out how to live through this. Looking on the floor, where the sword was are a lot of little stones. Even if her shikigami weren't that powerful, they could distract this monster while she recovered.
"Shiki Onmyo Jutsu!"
Hundreds of shikigami appears, attacking the giant dog, who let her go. Rising, she settled the blade in her hands, trying to remember some movements to do. Then, a rough voice in her mind says: "Concentrate your energy in the blade. Imagine it creating a powerful tornado of energy and target the demon."
Without anymore thinking, she does what it said.
"Dragon Twister!"
Like the voice said, a tornado is unleashed, leaving a dust cloud.
Kagome sat down on the floor, tired and in pain. The shikigami already dismissed to save energy. Panting hard, she drifted her eyes to where the demon's body should be only to see a shadowed figure, going in her direction. She didn't have any energy left to fight, but wouldn't be killed without some struggle.
As the dust cloud dismissed, the figure standing there is none less than Touga, the InuTaisho, who was smiling for her.