Winds of Change
jodyle1
Chapter Five
Soft sakura petals danced on the sultry breeze that whispered through the air, caressing her face in passing. Breathing in sharply, Kagome snapped her eyes open and looked around. She was laying on her back in what appeared to be a small clearing among a mature forrest. The sky was a vast expanse above her, with no stars or moon to speak of; like a pot of black ink, she could not see anything aside from darkness. She directed her attention to the trees surrounding her, standing tall and majestic, sharing secrets on the light breeze that rustled through their leaves. Where am I? Am I dead? I was killed by Naraku, Wasn't I? She asked herself, struggling to remember anything specific through the painful swirl of her last memories.
"Yes, it is true, your body was destroyed by the one you know as Naraku" a divine, velvety, feminine voice answered so quietly that Kagome wasn't sure if it was a voice at all, or just the muffled murmur of the wind breathing over her pale skin.
"Hello?" Kagome called to the night sky, her heartbeat audibly increasing in fright as she instinctively reached behind her for her long bow and quiver of arrows.
"Do not be afraid, for I wish you no harm." So it was a voice and not Kagome's livid imagination.
"W-Who are you?" inquired Kagome.
"I, am Priestess Midoriko. However the true question is, who are you?" answered the voice.
"I-I am K-Kagome Higurashi?" She had not meant for her words to form a question, but they did.
"Are you? You certainly look similar to the late priestess Kikyou. Are you she?" Kagome was beginning to feel confused and could feel her face redden slightly in anger.
"Didn't I just say that my name is Kagome? I may look like Kikyou but I am Kagome" she snapped. A soothing chuckle reached Kagome's ears.
"Then I shall call you Priestess Kagome. Do you know why you have been summoned?"
"Summoned? As in, to heaven?" Kagome's eyes widened as she looked at her surroundings once again. Gee, It's not much for heaven, she thought.
"Ye are not in 'heaven'. Both you and I are currently inside the Shikon no Tama."
"Inside the sacred Jewel? No way!" Kagome exclaimed in awe. "But, why?" she wondered aloud.
"You have been called forth so that I may ask for you assistance." Kagome's eyes widened even further in surprise.
"Assistance? From me? What could I possibly do that you cannot?"
"The Shikon no Tama requires you to cast a wish. It's power has been neglected for too long, and has accumulated over many prevent this power from escaping, which would inevitably result in the end of civilization, some of it must be dispelled immediately."
"So, by making a wish, some of the power would be used up?" Kagome wondered.
"Correct. I will allow you some time to consider your wish before you grant it." The two priestesses fell into silence. What could I possibly ask the jewel for? She was already dead, and she had no desire to return to the world and live as Kikyou did, however she did not want to be forgotten by her friends and family. So she would have to make a wish so significant that it changed the world forever. And then it came to her.
"Midoriko" she called to the starless sky once more.
"Have ye thought of a boon to ask for?"
"Yes" She replied, her eyes now depths of steely resolve. "I wish for the Shikon no Tama to disappear from the world and never, ever return."
"Is this your final decision?" Questioned Midoriko
"Hai" was the simple reply. Another chuckled reached out to Kagome from the darkness.
"Well done young priestess, I commend thee. Your intentions are pure and the Shikon no Tama will cease to exist." Kagome released a sigh of relief. "However, there are complications. The power within the Shikon no Tama is too great to simply disappear from the world. In order for the jewel to be destroyed, this power must manifest in another being."
"So the Shikon no Tama wouldn't exist, but another object would just take it's place" concluded a very dejected Kagome. She had just wasted her wish.
"Yes, and no. The power within the Shikon no Tama will transfer into another vessel. Namely, your body. Do you understand this, priestess Kagome?"
"Yes"
"And do you accept the responsibility that accompanies the power of the Shikon no Tama?" Kagome thought for a second.
"If I do, what would happen to my body, and the jewel, what would happen to that?"
"Your physical being will be restored however your body will have changed in order to contain the immense power, which in essence, is the power of the hundreds of youkai that I have fought with inside the Shikon no Tama since it was created, and also the power of myself. You will become the eternal Shikon protector and be granted immortality as compensation for the burden you must bear. As for the jewel, it will disappear from the world, just as you wish."
"I understand."
"So, priestess Kagome, do you wish to carry on?" Kagome nodded. Midoriko's voice softened slightly. "Thank you, priestess Kagome. I will now be allowed to leave this world in peace. Protect the power within you at all costs. I wish you luck, for you have a difficult path ahead. Goodbye, young miko." And with that, her world went blank, and her pure, innocent soul returned to the abyss to await the time it would be called forth to enter her body once more.