Disclaimer: Sesshy is mine! All mine! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! No, really, I kid.
Okay guys, this chapter is the result of a mixture of beef flavored ramen, chocolate milk, and it being 4 am. Yay for randomness! This chapter entirely takes place within Kagome's mind, and (hopefully) clears up a lot about why Naraku wants her dead. And don't be hentai, folks!
Cold Kikyo: Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing!
april: Thankie kindly!
Raithya: Yup, Kagome's a miko. Muso was an incarnation Naraku made that was supposed to detach him from Onigumo's heart. He actually went around stealing faces until he found one he liked, since he originally didn't have one of his own. I can't remember what episode he was in originally. I'm sure you'll have many more things to guess about after this one! ;)
darkpriestressofhell: :cheers: Yay Kags! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!
moonlight-freedom: Eh, never was a big fan on Sailor Moon, but I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for reading!
Chapter Fifteen – Sweet Dreams
Kagome…Kagome, open your eyes…
Kagome grunted and stretched an arm up to shade her eyes from the bright sun, smiling slightly at the warmth spreading over her body. Sun? Warm? Wait a minute…
Kagome sat up quickly, her eyes flashing open. Flowers of every shape and color surrounded her spreading out across the slight incline that she sat on. A soft breeze danced across her naked body…wait, naked?
A bright laugh rang out from beside her as Kagome hastened to cover herself. She spun around to come face to face with a regal lady, dressed in priestess garb with feudal era armor over it. Her hair was down, and her eyes were kind and full of laughter. She chuckled again at the blush that had sprung up on Kagome's face.
"Ah, don't worry, my dear. It's not like you're naked in the real world." She turned her gaze to look out over the terrain, the smile on her face wavering ever so slightly. Kagome forgot her embarrassment for the moment.
"Who…who are you? And what do you mean 'in the real world'? Where are we? And why am I naked?"
The lady laughed again. "Ah, ever the questioning sort." She turned and bowed slightly. "I am, or at least I was, Midoriko. And right now, we are in your mind, so essentially, you are in a trance, or perhaps dreaming. And you are naked because that is your purest form." She straightened again and returned her gaze to the scenery. Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but at a slight shake of the head from Midoriko, she also went to gazing about the scenery of her mind.
It was beautiful on the surface; calm and lush and green. But as Kagome looked harder, she noticed the faint graying that was spreading along the horizon. Out there, the land seemed hard and cold and covered in a mist. She frowned and turned again to the priestess beside her, who nodded with a tight smile.
"Ah, you do see it then. That blight is slowly creeping along your mindscape. It may seem small now, but believe me; it has grown quite a bit in the past year." She sighed and shook her head. "Kagome, you must know by now that some one wants you out of the picture, so to speak." She waved her hand, encompassing the beauty and the terror all at once. "The blight wasn't there through your childhood. It only began as a single dead, decaying tree, and that appeared the day of your first attack." She turned to face Kagome completely, smiling slightly when Kagome did the same.
"That tree has been growing with each and every attack on your body, its roots spreading out and decaying whatever it touches. These last two attacks have nearly doubled its range."
"But…but what does it mean? Am I wasting away too? Am I going to die soon?" Kagome was marveled to find that her voice was calm and even, though the sky began to darken slightly.
Midoriko sighed. "Kagome…if these attacks continue, if that blight continues to spread…then yes, you will die." She sighed softly at the look on Kagome's face, and reached out a hand to touch the girl's cheek. "It can be prevented, but the price will be high."
"I don't care. Tell me what I must do, Midoriko." Kagome reached up and grasped the lady's hand in both of hers. The priestess looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and pulled Kagome to her feet.
"Come with me then. I'll tell you more along the way." They began walking up the gentle slope, each lost in their thoughts, so to speak.
Midoriko was the first to speak. "Kagome, have you heard the legend of the Shikon no Tama?"
Kagome glanced over at her companion. "No, I don't think I have. Why?"
"The Shikon no Tama, the Jewel of Four Souls. It was created when a powerful priestess was overcome by a horde of demons, and in her dying breath, the Jewel burst from her body and she and the demons were petrified. But the war rages on inside this Jewel. It can give humans and demons immense power. But it is very susceptible to the true nature of the heart of the person who possesses it." She sighed and was silent for a while.
"Okay, so it's a jewel that can grant wishes. Why are you telling me this?" Kagome frowned slightly. Midoriko only chuckled.
"Well, Kagome. If the Jewel is used for a selfish or evil wish, it becomes tainted and flawed," she nodded over her shoulder to the blighted area, "much like these attacks are doing to your soul. But if it is used for a good and pure wish, the Jewel can be purified, thus making it completely useless to those who would seek its power." Midoriko halted both her speech and her gait, and Kagome turned to look.
Before her was a large stone circle embedded into the ground, with a stone dais erected in the center. The tablet was covered in carvings and runes, though Kagome couldn't figure out what they meant. Midoriko noted her companion's annoyance and began pointing out the more important parts.
"Right here in front of us is Aramitama, which means courage. Clockwise, it goes Nigimitama, which means friendship, then Kushimitama, which means wisdom, and Sakimitama, which means love. These are the four 'souls' that make up the Shikon no Tama. The rest of the carvings aren't important right now." She stepped onto the slightly raised stone and reached out for Kagome's hand. "Shall we?"
Kagome nodded and took the proffered hand, stepping up onto the cool stone and following the priestess to the dais in the center. It was slightly concave, like a bowl, and in the center was a glowing pink ball.
"Behold, my dear, the Shikon no Tama, which burst from my body so many, many years ago." Kagome looked up to her guide, startled.
"You mean, you were that powerful priestess?" Midoriko simply smiled. "But…why? Why is the Jewel here? Why are you here? Why do people want me dead? Why…"
Midoriko lifted a hand to cut off the stream of questions, and Kagome obediently fell silent.
"Yes, Kagome, I was, and potentially still am, a very powerful miko. The Jewel is here because you are its protector. I am here because I am part of the Jewel. And people want you dead because of the potential you have." At the dumbstruck look on Kagome's face, Midoriko only sighed and turned back to the symbols carved into the stone.
"I am Kushimitama, wisdom. I am here to teach you about the Jewel and the way to protect your life. Your mother is Sakimitama, love. She nurtured you and your sister through many hard times and her love protects you to some degree. Your sister is Aramitama, courage. I'm sure you know by now that Kikyo at least appears to fear nothing. And you, my child, are Nigimitama, friendship. Your friends make you strong, and they give you something to fight for."
"So…I have these four souls…inside me?" Kagome was completely baffled.
"In a sense, yes. I am completely here, as are you. With your mother and twin, it is a bit different, since they are both still alive. Your mother was supposed to be an incarnation of me, but before she had a chance to unleash her full potential, she became pregnant with you and Kikyo. Thus, she was protector of the Jewel for a while, and a bit of her soul remained embedded in it." She paused so that bit of information could sink in, then continued. "From there, it passed on to Kikyo briefly, but some outside force intervened, and the Jewel came into your possession instead. Do you know what I speak of?"
Kagome wracked her memory for a moment before nodding. "I think so. Ezekiel said something about Naraku wanting to kill my mother while she was pregnant, but he failed. Was that because of the Jewel?"
Midoriko nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that could do it. At any rate, you were chosen over Kikyo to be the Jewel's protector, but since it did spend a bit of time in your sister's care, it brought a bit of her soul along too."
Kagome nodded. "Alright then…but how is this thing going to help me from dying?"
"Well you're not very easily sidetracked, are you?" The priestess chuckled, shaking her head. "One way is to simply have it removed from your body and give it to those who seek your life, but I don't recommend that course of action. The better way would be to remove the Jewel and make a pure and unselfish wish upon it, rendering it purified and useless."
"Okay…so how do I remove it? Where is it?"
"Right now, child, it is held within your body, right about here, I believe." Midoriko reached over and touched Kagome's left side, just below the ribs. "I will warn you, though. Since all these attacks have been made on you, and not on your sister, there is a good chance that whoever wants the Jewel is not aware that you house it. Right now, blunt as it may be, killing your sister and your mother would give the Jewel the full power of all four of its souls, and would grant you immense spiritual strength. You must be careful!"
Kagome nodded, her hand straying to her left side as she stared at the little pink ball in the bowl. "But what if I were killed, what then? Would Kikyo become protector of the Jewel?"
Midoriko shook her head. "No, child. The Jewel rejected her. It rejects her still. The other three souls keep you from death during these attacks on your body, simply because the Jewel does not wish to be returned to Kikyo."
Kagome froze. "But then…you mean…"
Midoriko sighed, her face suddenly hard and bitter. "I'm sorry, Kagome. I wish it weren't true. Kikyo is the reason behind these attacks. Kikyo has found a way to force your muscles to shut down directly. The first time was an accident, but she quickly got over her fear of this new power of hers." The priestess turned to gaze out at the terrain again. "She is the reason for the blight. Kagome…the moment that blight touches this stone, you will die, and there will be nothing you or I or anyone else can do about it. You must stop her, and her master, for all of our sakes."
Midoriko turned to face her again, but Kagome noticed that she and the surrounding terrain had begun fading together.
"You should be waking up now, Kagome. Your friends will worry." Midoriko lifted a hand to wave.
"Wait! In my dreams, when I 'die'…" she pointed out towards the slowly growing darkness. Midoriko nodded grimly.
"Yes, when you 'die', you are in the blight."
The colors and sounds ran together swiftly then, swirling into a bright white before crashing into darkness.
And it was then that Kagome woke up, not ten minutes after collapsing on the dojo floor.
Great, how am I gonna explain this one?