Beta: Cstorm86

The Miko's First Request

Kagome woke up with the sound of birds singing outside. She opened her eyes lazily and spent a while just stretching and battling her unwillingness to get out of the bed. She closed her eyes just for a moment.

And then the worst thing happened.

She had the most annoying dream there was - one in which she actually got up, dressed and readied herself for the day. She even went to prepare breakfast in the dream and realized it was not real when she found Inuyasha perched on top of the fridge and playing a cover of 'My Heart Will Go On' on an acoustic guitar.

The young woman woke up giggling and it took her a moment to realize she was still in bed. With a resigned sigh she got up to do the things she had already done in her sleep. Still, the image of the gruff shrine guardian singing that song was enough to make her smile when she finally got downstairs. Of course, upon entering the kitchen she didn't find the said boy.

Instead she found her grandfather pouring water into a cup of instant noodles. The girl shook her head and didn't comment of the old man's choice of food for this one time. 'Is it any wonder Inuyasha likes to eat this stuff so much? He must have picked this habit from years with grandpa,' she thought as she hurried to prepare a coffee for herself.

The day was rather uneventful after all the excitement of the weekend with her family and friends. They performed their respective duties around the shrine, offering guidance and suggesting purchases in the little gift shop for the handful of visitors. They were mostly locals wanting to offer prayer to the kami, but there were also a couple of tourists, who requested to be led to the famous ancient tree that grew in the forest part of the shrine grounds.

Kagome was the one who led them down the narrow path in the dappled light of the forest. They were talking and snapping photos of the beautiful trees. At first she was half-bent on asking them not to take any photos, afraid they could point their cameras at a certain hanyou, but after a few minutes she realized that the shrine guardian was nowhere in sight. She took a deep inhale of the rich in scents air and relaxed her tense shoulders.

They reached the Sacred Tree and the tourists took their photos, amazed by the sheer size of the ancient tree. Kagome smiled at them, remembering how excited she had been when she had seen the Tree for the first time. She remembered herself as a kid, climbing on the roots, grasping at the bark of the tree, dancing in the light and shadows cast by the sunlight and shade of the leaves swaying overhead.

'Wait a minute, was Inuyasha watching me back then?' she immediately looked up, part of her expecting to see the hanyou crouched on a branch. She sighed, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer to this question. She had been a kid back then, it wasn't like she was acting silly now.

Seeing that the tourists were done taking pictures, she waved for them to follow her back.

"Better not get lost in this forest. There are wild animals lurking here," she warned. It was the common knowledge, but it was best to remind people that it was not a park in a city, but a real mountain forest. Sure, it was safe near the shrine and the village nearby, but otherwise it was dangerous for unprepared wanderers.

"Is it true that yama inu, a huge mountain dog spirit lives around here?" asked one of the tourists, a blonde girl with chubby cheeks. "I heard people in the village telling stories about a humongous canine youkai..."

"Uh..." Kagome glanced in her wide, bright eyes and smiled, thinking about the one the folk tale was referring to. Luckily, she had an answer to questions like this one prepared. After all, she had heard some of the stories, but back then she hadn't known they were about Inuyasha. "There are many stories about the yama inu of this mountain. It is best not to anger the mountain dog spirit by disrespecting his domain."

Judging by the looks on their faces, the tourists thought that it was just a superstition. 'Oh, how little you know about the sulking dog guardian of the shrine,' Kagome giggled inside as she led them back When they left the forest Kagome bid them goodbye and went to check if her grandfather needed anything at the gift shop. To her surprise, the shop was closed, with a sign indicating that it'd be reopened shortly. Frowning, the young woman walked towards the house and as she neared it she heard her grandfather's voice coming from behind the corner. When she got there she saw her grandfather sitting on the raised porch with another man at his side.

"It's better be tea in those cups, grandfather," she murmured as she paced towards the two old men. Knowing Hiro Higurashi it could be sake, the old man didn't drink much, but liked to treat guests to a cup of it while enjoying the fresh mountain air and lovely sight one could look at from the engawa of the living room.

"Here she comes," her grandfather smiled and waved a hand at her. "Mr Hashira, this is my granddaughter, Kagome. She's the shrine keeper now, while I enjoy my retirement."

Mr Hashira was one of those tiny, thin old people with nose like a beak of a bird of prey and matching eyes, that were now sizing her up. Kagome offered a polite bow when she stopped in front of the engawa.

"Pleasure to meet you," she said. The man bobbled his head.

"She doesn't look like a strong reiki user," he commented, turning to Kagome's grandfather. Kagome's smile vanished and she straightened her back, trying to look aloof and not tell the man what she thought of his rudeness.

"I can assure you that she's more than capable," the older Higurashi replied calmly and smiled at her. "Kagome, Mr Hashira came today to request spiritual assistance of our shrine."

"What's the matter?" Kagome blinked and glanced at the man with curiosity. The tone her grandfather used suggested he didn't have in mind a regular request of blessing or purifying.

"Something lives in my koi fish pond," the thin visitor said with a grimace. The way he said 'something' sounded like he was spitting the word. "And it's scaring my fish. I'd prefer a real priest to take care of it, not a girl with milk under her nose."

The cup he held in his hand cracked in half, sake spilling on his lap.

"Goodness!" Kagome gasped. Was this man's disdain so great he couldn't contain himself and spare the delicate cup? Her grandfather produced out of his sleeve a pack of tissues and offered them to the stunned man, who in silence did what he could to dry himself with one hand, holding the two halves of the cup in his other hand.

"A bad sign," he muttered. "This is a sign from the heavens that..."

"I think," Hiro cut in in a perfectly serene voice. "I think it's more like the heavens not appreciating your disbelief in Kagome's abilities. Better not to anger the deity more and accept her assistance."

'Keh, stupid old fart,' muttered a suspicious smug voice in Kagome's head.