Chapter 5 –

Kagome –

She took a step further in, in disbelief. She had to rub her eyes to be certain of what she was seeing. How the hell did they manage to get that in here? She walked up closer to the object that had caught her attention. In the middle of the giant room, which she presumed had to be underground from the mere seize of it, she saw the statue, or last remnants of Midoriko and the youkais she had fought. How did they get her in here? But as Kagome looked around the room, the more she noticed that it was not a just a room… It had been a cave once. Reality hid her hard

'Oh my god! This is Midoriko's cave!' but she could not understand why the castle had been build on top of it… Unless… She looked around, a big hole in the ceiling was the only light source in the room, but she could see everything just fine. All around her she saw shelves with scrolls after scrolls. She saw bows and arrows hanging on display on the walls, along with different types and colors of miko garments on mannequins. If she had to guess, then this room had become some kind of library or study for mikos… She went around looking at the scrolls, and one in particular caught her attention. She gasped when she read the writer of the scroll

'Kaede' she sat down on the chair at the desk, that was furthest from the door she had come from and started to read

Year 1528, Month October, Day 2

My dear child

This Sanctuary ye friends have created in memory of ye has been standing for 10 years now. I have been assigned as headmaster and ye son Shippou is helping me to guard this place from unwanted company. As ye can believe, the Sanctuary was not well received at first, but when more hanyou's started to come into this world, the more inhabitants we got, hanyou and human mothers alike, even some of the hanyou's fathers started to live here. Sango was able to convince a miko to come and help me guard this place, and together we have put up a strong barrier with help from no other than Midoriko herself. As ye have probably noticed, we have build the Sanctuary on top of Midoriko's cave to protect her and the history that lies within the cave, like the beginning of the Shikon jewel, and later the story of the Shikon priestess who ridded the world of a great evil and who showed kindness to all creatures alike, and who's name will be known for centuries to come. Her name will be protected at this Sanctuary and when she would reemerge again, she would have a place to call her own and a place to help all those she could not 500 years ago. Yes my child, that priestess is ye and ye fame has reached the lands far beyond, and ye courage and love for all creatures have been remembered. Many have come to honor ye memory and many have vowed to protect this place until the owner returns. So Kagome, know that ye was never forgotten and that centuries of mikos, priests and youkais have and will protect this place for ye. I hope this place will be of help if ye ever need it in the future. The cave of Midoriko is currently being turned into ye personal study, where ye can follow this Sanctuary's history as well as the history of the world around it. It will become a place for ye to find help and information. A place for ye to look back into the past, so use it to ye heart's content.

Sango and Miroku have rebuilt the demon slayer village close to this place and they are currently expecting their 4th child. Inu-Yasha has now, 6 years after ye went back finally settled down with a mate, but he keeps his distance from this place, as if in pain from remembering ye.

I will protect this place with Midoriko's barrier and I hope it will remain standing till the day ye finds it.

Stay strong my child

Kaede

Kagome could not stop the tears that flowed because of the letter. She had already known the Sanctuary had been build in her honor, but it was still a bit hard to swallow. She looked around the cave with new eyes. She would have to protect this place from Naraku, no matter what, but she would need help… And maybe… Just maybe, the help she needed was on these grounds, in this cave… from the inhabitants and their research… She looked around to pick up a random scroll to read… She probably should read them all, but she would have to have help with it… There were hundreds of scrolls, and she could not go through them all alone… Not if what Kanna said was true… He would come soon… And she would need to be prepared. She opened the next scroll and had to bite her lip from stopping the sob that tried to get its way out

Year 1858, Month June, Day 4

Lady Kagome, my name is Kira and I am writing on behalf of the hanyou Inu-Yasha who is currently lying on his deathbed as I write this. I promised him to write since he cannot, so I have agreed to write his last message down to you:

Kagome

As I lay here I cannot stop but to think back to our times together nearly 350 years ago. I feel like I was only a pup then, and I must apologize for my rude behavior… I think of you as a sister and it breaks my heart that I do not get to be there for you when you return to your time, to console you of your lose of Sango and Miroku… Not seeing Shippou grow up. I have always wished to be a pillar for you to lean on, but it would seem I would have to give that honor to Sesshoumaru if he ever finds you… Yes I know of his 'obsession' of you. He was mad as hell when you disappeared and he spend years to try and find you. I did not tell him of your origin out of fear that he might change something in the future. If you two find each other, then you have my blessing, if you can put up with a cold prick whose got a stick permanently sitting up you know where. Sango and Miroku lived long lives, protecting their slayer village and this Sanctuary of yours, and their offspring continue to protect both the slayer village and the Sanctuary. They died at the old age of 65 and 68, Miroku first, then Sango a couple of days later. Kaede died 12 years after being named headmaster and did a good job in protecting hanyous and youkais alike. When the humans started to grow in numbers, they waged war with the youkais with their new weapons, and at that time your Sanctuary became the most important place in all of Japan and has protected them ever since and helped those who wished to live amongst the humans to adapt and conceal their identity for their protection. What started as a Sanctuary in memory of you then became a Sanctuary of your hope that youkai and humans could coexist and I can still hear their praises for you of your love and kindness and most of all, the praise of a miko who had and has an open mind towards others. A miko who did not kill youkais for sport. Your impact have been more greater than you might realize, but I have always known you to be special my dear Kagome, and now this woman Kira is the headmaster and she will continue to lead this place with the same heart and strength you showed us all 350 years ago. But now the main reason for writing to you, other than to express how much you are missed, I have every 50 years taken out a tooth filled with my youki, and when I die they will be handed over to Totosai who will make a new sword just for you. I hope it will find its way to you when I cannot. My offspring will be living at your sanctuary and has promised me to take care of you when the time comes. The runt Shippou has gone on a trip around the world to find artifacts for the Sanctuary and information that might come in handy someday.

Another business you need to attend to when you can and if you read this someday would be to seek the mangy wolf down when you get the chance. He has something he will only give to you.

There are so many things I wish to talk to you about, but the main thing I wish to say is that I miss and love you Kags, and may you be happy in your time and remember, you will never be alone

From your Inu-Yasha

Kagome cried from start to end. He sounded so mature! How she would have loved to see him 'grow' up. But she could not help the smile that crossed her lips either… He had, had a good life, and he had not forgotten about her. He had even gotten headmaster Kira to write a letter for him to her, knowing that she might not ever see it… She was grateful to him that he mentioned her friends. She was grateful to all of her friends who had done some much in her honor. She never felt that she had made a big impact like Aurora had said she had, but Inu-Yasha made her believe she had touched a lot more lives than she had known… She would take this scroll with her to show Sesshoumaru, but also for keeps sake. She would look at it from time to time when she needed the comfort only Inu-Yasha could give her as a 'big overprotective brother'. She tried to dry off her tears, but they just kept flowing. She looked around again. The other scrolls had to be from the headmasters over the centuries, which meant Aurora knew of this room. She got up to look around more.

15 minutes or so in, she found a chest with her initials on it; K.H. and she opened it to find beautiful sown clothes in what seemed to be modified miko garments. She looked around; though she knew no one was there with her, and changed into the garments. The black pants were a bit tight, but they fitted perfectly and she could move incredibly well in them. Her top had a dark purple color and was a lot like a mikos top. Though longer and tighter too, the arms long and widen a lot at her hands. She wrapped a black leather belt around her waist to close off the top. Her black leather shoes fitted perfectly. It was a very nice outfit and did not seem too out-of-date with this era. When she looked closer into the chest she also found a sheath for a sword and a holder for a bow. She would have loved to look herself in the mirror at the moment, but she could not find any. Instead she took more scrolls and started to read through them to find a clue of the sword they were looking for.

2 hours later –

45 scrolls later and she still had not found anything. So far it had been reports to her of what had transpired through the ages in the Sanctuary and what had happened in the world around them. After the wars against youkai, who fled to this castle, the humans fought against each other for power. Miko's and priests came to the Sanctuary now that they were no longer needed, new religions came so they had nowhere to go but here. Instead of the fear and hostility that she had expected would have grown with the priests, mikos and youkais living together, instead they helped each other in the name of, funny enough, her name, like she had become some kind of goddess they did not want to offend. The miko's and the priests helped the youkai and hanyou to blend in among the humans with incantations and other spells. They learned how to behave as a human, their psychology and biology. Funny enough, they started a school here too so they could all become educated and many left succeeding out in the human world, now being top business men and so on. She felt so proud of their progress, like a mother would be of her children… Which was a bit ludicrous… they were all older than her! This place was older than her! But none the less, it was the feeling she got when she read the scrolls. She was about to give up for the day and come again tomorrow with help when her eye caught the words

'… of Light..' She took the scroll with such ferocity that the other scrolls fell to the floor. She opened it carefully; begging to the Kami's that it was the scroll she had been looking for. She started to read

Year 1765, Month March, Day 16

Lady Kagome, my name is Saia and I am the current headmaster of your Sanctuary. I write this letter, not because of ill news, but because I found an ancient scroll the other day in the Northern palace that I believe would someday be of use to you. I reported this to your hanyou friend Inu-Yasha, but because of unknown reasons, he was not able to acquire the item that is the sole reason for me writing to you…

Kagome stopped reading. Northern palace? Inu-Yasha… Mangy wolf… She started to put some pieces together, but it was still uncertain as to what Koga would have for her? Inu-Yasha's sword he had commissioned for her? Something else? The ancient scroll? Was he the Northern Lord? She had known him to be the prince of the Northern Lands, so maybe he was now the current Lord if he had survived these past 500 years… She continued to read

'… I read the scroll, under supervision of the Northern Lord, and it told of a legendary sword of Light that banishes evil but cannot kill what is good. According to the scroll, the sword would also be a part of a prophecy in which the Shikon priestess would need the sword. So I believed it to be my duty as your loyal servant to inform you of this very fact. I will keep on trying to acquire the scroll, but I cannot promise that I will be victorious.

Your ever loyal servant

Saia, headmaster of this Sanctuary's 247th year.

Kagome got up quick, the chair falling to the ground from her quick and hard movement. This was the clue they had searched for! She took the scroll and ran out of her study to find Sesshoumaru so they could agree on when to move on to their next location, the Northern palace.

Author's note:

I have declared this chapter to be my favorite one of this story yet!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review!

Love

CayaC