Of course, I don’t own any of this. Inuyasha and Kagome and everyone else you recognize belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not that this is news to anyone, but it’s still a bit depressing. *Sigh. Oh well.

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Midoriko’s eyes burned into Kagome’s back for the duration of the walk back to the shrine, and Kagome felt very uneasy with being regarded so closely by one so unfamiliar. The old woman moved rather slowly, but with strength and grace that bellied her apparent years and gave Kagome the distinct impression that her unhurried pace was deliberate.

Kagome made sure to turn every so often and make sure that the woman was able to keep up, despite the fact that they were already being passed by turtles. Each time she did so, she noticed the way the ancient woman swiftly averted her eyes, further proof that she had indeed been watching Kagome. Not very subtle proof either.

By the time they reached the shrine, the walk had taken twice as long as it usually would Kagome on her own. After relieving herself of her shopping, she finally addressed the woman for the first time since their original encounter.

“If you’ll just follow me, I will take you to a room where you can rest until the evening meal has been prepared.”

“And who will be doing that preparation,” the woman inquired politely.

“Um, that would be me.”

“Isn’t such a thing the job for a servant to do?”

“Um, well,” said Kagome, wondering what had ever given her the impression that the person who stood before her was in the least bit frail. “We don’t have servants here. This is a shrine. Lady Kaede and I do all the cooking for ourselves.”

“You cook well, do you?” Midoriko asked. Kagome was beginning to get the distinct impression that the woman had something rather specific up her sleeve.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that, but I can take care of myself.”

“Do you fight as well?”

Okay, that was a random question.

“Why would you ask such a thing?” Kagome asked her curiously.

“I assume you use a bow and arrow, am I right?” continued Midoriko, completely ignoring the question as though she hadn’t heard it.

“Actually, yes, how did you know that?”

The woman made no answer. Instead, she just smiled to herself. She knew it. It was true. It had to be. The resemblance, the aura, and now the weapon of choice. The girl was doubtless the great priestess reborn, and just as certainly unaware of it. She had been waiting a hundred and forty-nine years for this, with the time limit drawing ever closer, and she had simply stumbled upon it, now, in this tiny little village.

“Did you ever notice, Kagome, that, when you are searching for something, especially something important, it is always in the last place you look?” she asked, following Kagome through a winding corridor.

“Well, of course it is,” the girls answered with a shrug, turning a sharp right, then a left almost immediately.

“How do you figure that?” Midoriko asked curiously.

“Simple. It’s always in the last place you look because whenever you find it, you stop looking. I mean, who keeps looking for something they have already found it? Where it is will always be the last place.”

“And what if you never find it at all?”

“As long as it’s out there, you can find it, and if you don’t then you just didn’t look in the right place.”

Midoriko smiled. “Is that your philosophy, Lady Kagome?”

“Yup,” said Kagome certainly. “Well, it’s one of them anyway. Here we are.”

It was only then that Midoriko realized all their talk had brought them to a door, which she could only imagine led to the room she was meant to stay in.

“The washroom is just down the hall, that large door there,” Kagome told her, pointing to an ornately decorated sliding door. “Dinner will be ready soon. I will be preparing it as soon as I tell Kaede you are here. Do you have any idea how long you will be staying, and it’s ok if you don’t. I just know she will be curious, but you are welcome as long as you want.”

“I do not think I will be staying too long, Kagome. I do not imagine I will need to, not anymore, and there are places I must be going to now.”

“Oh,” said Kagome, sounding mildly confused. “It’s just I had gotten the impression…you had said…never mind. It doesn’t matter. One of us will come find you for dinner.”

Midoriko nodded but didn’t respond, nor did she stop staring at Kagome. There was an odd look on her face, a mixture of awe and determination, as though Kagome was a rather large steak that she was dead set on finishing no matter what. It was rather unsettling. The feeling of being watched stayed with Kagome until she was well out of sight of the room, and indeed seemed to follow her the rest of the night.

* * *

There was so much to do, and Midoriko knew that there was not a moment to waste. It would have to be tonight. The time limit was fast approaching. The girl would even now only have a year what those with much more experience and skill had been trying to accomplish for a hundred and forty nine years.

It was not so great a journey, but treacherous and uncertain, and the girl would be alone. Well, now that didn’t have to be true. She could change that.

Midoriko smiled at herself. Now this was about to get interesting. It simply couldn’t be left to chance. She was going to have to interfere. Midoriko rather enjoyed interfering

She knew what had to be done. She had to find someone, preferably someone the girl had met before, who would be able to accompany Kagome on the journey.

She needed someone who would be able to protect her. They would have to be strong.

She needed someone that Kagome would be able to trust. They needed to be good-hearted and innocent on some level.

She needed someone who would be willing to put themselves in danger. They needed to care about her.

Lastly, she needed someone who would have no problem setting off on a long journey with the very real possibility of no return. They had to have nothing to lose.

This was going to take some thinking. Midoriko smiled happily. This was going to take some seeing!

Seeing was a dangerous and uncertain art. Looking into ones own past or future was very unsafe. Looking into even the past of someone else was downright perilous. Midoriko loved to do it.

Without further ado, a smile on her wrinkled mask of a face that had served as her appearance for a few years now, (It was probably time for a change) Midoriko rummaged in her small pack, pulling out a few herbs, a vile of a nasty smelling crimson liquid, a sage sprig, flint, and a bottle of pre-spelled water. Now she just needed something to mix them in. Praising her luck, she noticed that the room Kagome had led her to was complete with a small washing basin, shallow, wide, and absolutely perfect for seeing.

Dumping the cool water inside unceremoniously on the floor, Midoriko the proceeded to pour in her own enchanted water, and then add the herbs. After that she lit a tiny bit of sage, allowing the smoke to swirl around the surface of the water, and then dropped it in. last, but not least, she added the most important ingredient. Making sure to keep her face far away, Midoriko dropped a single drop of the foul red liquid into the mixture. It began to seethe evilly, then the surface turned completely white and settled. It was ready.

It took nearly an hour of seeing into the girls past before she found the perfect candidate. A hanyou child who Kagome had met once.

 He had killed a demon, proving strength.

 He had stayed her, he was trustworthy.

He had fought for her. He would protect her.

He was all alone. He would have nothing to lose.

Midoriko added another herb and the small figure of the half-demon child glowed blue. He was still alive. Surprising, and perfect. He would do very nicely. Now to lead Kagome to him. Perfect. He still lived very near, out in the woods of that very village. That could be done easily enough. One little disguise, a few tiny illusions. Easy enough.

Ending the spell with the wave of her hand and a single word, Midoriko sighed. She was not an unkind woman, and hated the idea of shoving such a responsibility off onto a young girl, and one as sweet as Kagome no less. She simply had no choice. If the girl was who and what she thought she was, and she was absolutely sure that Kagome was, then there was no one else who could do it.

She was startled out of her reverie by a knock at the door, and Kagome’s voice announcing dinner. She needed to know soon.  It would have to be that very night in fact.

There was no doubt about it. This was going to be an interesting night.

* * *

Dinner was an unusually quiet affair that night. Kaede, never much of a talker herself, was always content to listen to Kagome, commenting every so often when she felt necessary, but with Midoriko staring at her the entire meal, never taking a single bite, as though she wished Kagome were the dinner instead of the chef had squashed any desire she had to talk.

Instead, Kagome shoveled food into her mouth just short of choking in the hopes of leaving the table in as fast as possible without being conspicuous. As such, the only sounds to be heard was the gentle click clacking of chopsticks, the occasional flop of the bits of fish that fell from between them in Kagome’s rush, and chewing, which most people try not to listen to because it can make anything sound slimy.

“May I be excused?” Kagome asked with a mouthful of rice as soon as her plate was clear.

“Yes, I suppose Kagome,” answered Kaede, regarding the girl curiously.

“I would ask that you wait a moment Kagome,” said Midoriko.

Damn, and she had been so close to escaping the most awkward meal of her life.

“Of course,” Kagome answered in an attempt to keep the disappointment from her voice.

“I’m afraid I must tell you both something that you aren’t going to like,” she continued, again ignoring the fact that there had been any response at all.

“Oh?” asked Kaede curiously, “And what pray tell would that be.”

Midoriko sighed loudly. “I think it might be best if you heard this from my true face. You may want to sit down, Kagome.”

The girls stayed where she was a foot from her chair. “No thank you, I’m fine,” she replied with suspicion in her voice.

The old woman, for that is the last time she could be called such, sighed again. “Very well, girl. Have it your way.”

Standing up, she waved a hand over her face, bringing it to rest under her chin, and grabbing at the wrinkled folds at her neck, pulling upwards sharply. Kagome was about to be disgusted when she saw what happened. The wrinkled skin pulled away, as did the old face and grayed wispy hair that had been covered by the many blankets before than. Those too fell to the ground, and the ancient skin was no more, all that remained of it being a leaf that drifted slowly to the earth. Kagome recognized it immediately as illusion magic, the same used by some kinds of demons.

What stood before the two gaping priestesses was no demon.

Kagome pulled the chair toward her and fell sideways onto it, absolutely astonished.

There, in the old woman’s place was a very beautiful young woman, looking barely older than Kagome herself, although her eyes were sparkling with knowledge. Her black hair had an unearthly and incredible glow and hung past her waist, the ends tickling the tops of her thighs. Her clothing was as grand as any princess’s and a bright emerald color with jewel’s sewn in along the hems of the sleeves.

“Oh dear,” said Kaede calmly, shaking her head. “It’s you.”

The woman smiled agreeably. “You know me?” she asked.

“You are Midoriko.”

“Did…did I miss something?” Kagome choked, unable to stop staring at the apparition before.

“I am indeed Midoriko,” the woman nodded.

“Yeah, I had that, but what are you?”

The woman smiled indulgently. I, dear, am a guardian. Actually, I’m the guardian. I exist to protect the world from the things that could harm it. I am here for you Kagome.”

“I…I’m a danger to the world?” Kagome stuttered, completely aghast, but the woman simply laughed, a beautiful sound almost like music all on its own.

“Of course not. You are the one who is going to save it, if you choose to accept. Allow me to explain.”

Kagome pulled the chair closer to the table and sat on it correctly, nodding.

“Just about 200 years ago, there was a great battle between demons and a single priestess, myself. In an attempt to purify a demon, I inadvertently forced out my own soul along with the souls of the demons attacking me. The result was a jewel, called the Shikon. This jewel had the power to increase the strength of any demon or human who had control over it. For about 50 years, the jewel passed from one cruel owner to the next, becoming more and more tainted as time progressed. Finally, it fell into the hands of a priestess called Kikyo, who was able, because of her soul, to purify the jewel of its evil. However, it was simply too great a task to defend against the demon constantly attacking it, so Kikyo decided the jewel had to be destroyed. Are you with me so far?”

Kagome nodded numbly, and Midoriko looked somewhat relieved.

“Good. Now, a small part of my soul that had not been pushed out with the jewel was called upon and given flesh by the spells of several priestess and spell casters, in order to ask how such a thing could be destroyed. I told them that the only way to destroy it would be to purify it out of existence. Try as they might, no one could find a way to make it completely untainted, not even Kikyo. It was then that the most terrible demon of all attacked, by the name of Naraku.”

“Naraku?” gasped Kagome. She had heard of such a demon, and was amazed to learn that he had been in existence and destroying lives for so long without anyone managing to purify him.

“Yes, Naraku. The priestess, including Kikyo, and spell casters all fought and died, but they did manage to give the jewel to me before they did. I did the only thing I could, and sealed it away in a mountain called Hakurei. There the demon could not find or remove it, but there is a problem. The spell I used only lasts for one hundred and fifty years, and if it is not purified by then, it will be unprotected, and Naraku, who has waited all this time to get it, will finally achieve just that and the world will be at the mercy of the evil, soulless monster.”

Kagome was horrified. Though she had never met the demon, she knew that the human race wouldn’t last five minutes if he gained that sort of power. “That’s terrible,” she said, unable to come up with a more accurate expression for her horror.

“Yes, it is.”

“But,” Kagome gulped, “What can I do about it. I’m just a priestess.”

“No dear, you are much more than that. It took a hundred and forty nine years for it to happen, but it has, and you are the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo. I am absolutely sure of it. With an aura as white as yours is, as white as hers was, you will be able to purify that jewel. If you cannot do it before the time limit is up, then Naraku will have it, and the world as you know it will be doomed.”

“Um…wow,” said the girl. It was all she could manage. “So no pressure than.”

Midoriko smiled lightly. “I’m sorry to have to foist such a thing on one as young as you, but I have no choice. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders, and I know it must be very heavy.”

Kagome nodded vaguely.

“It’s not as bad as you think. All you really have to do is find the thing, and you will be able to sense it when you get closer to the mountain, and then purify it. Your heart will know how to do that when the time comes.”

“And how do I find this Mount Hakurei,” Kagome asked.

“Ah,” said Midoriko biting her lip. “That is the hard part, I’m afraid. First you must go to Renji city, and there you will find the Keeper of the Garden. He will be able to tell you what you must do next. That is as far as I can direct you.”

“And how long do I have to do this thing?” the young priestess pushed.

“You must do it before the year is up, or all is lost.”

“And I have to do this all by myself?”

“No, of course not. Along the way you will find four companions. I know that much. Two men, a woman, and a child. You needn’t look for them. They will come to you, in one way or another, and they will indicate they have similar goals or no where to go. They will be alone and either in need of help, or helping you. None will have any place that they call home. You will need them all to complete this task…if you choose to accept it.”

At that, a hope sparked in Kagome’s chest. She didn’t have to do it. She could decide. But wait, that seemed just a little too easy to her.

“What happens if I choose not to?”

The woman sighed heavily and sat back down. “Then the world will be at Naraku’s mercy in a year’s time. In a year, he will have the jewel, and in 13 months, we will most likely all be gone.”

Kagome swallowed hard.

“Kaede, what do you think of all of this?” Kagome turned desperately to her mentor.

“I think,” the old priestess responded turned to Midoriko, “that this is an abominable thing for ye to ask of a child, and that you should be ashamed for it!”

The woman nodded sadly, and Kaede turned to Kagome, suddenly softened.

“And I think that we all have a purpose, and if ye should choose to accept it, that this be yours. I can not tell ye what to decide, Kagome, but I can say this; sometimes ye must do what is right, and not what is easy. Sometimes ye must give up small dream in order to honor a greater one. It is hard, but if ye do not do this, I fear ye will regret it the rest of your life, be it a year or a hundred years.”

Kagome nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “I understand Kaede.”

“And know, child, then when this task is done, if ye should want it, there will always be a home for you here.”

Smiling slightly, the girl nodded again, though her tears still flowed.

Kaede got up and moved over to Kagome, wrapping her in a warm hug. The large older woman had been the only family Kagome had had since her parents’ death when she was a child, and the thought of leaving her was comforted only by the kind words she had given, and the hug she was giving now.

When they finally broke apart, Kaede wiped away her apprentice’s tears with one stubby thumb in a grandmotherly way, and the turned on Midoriko, her tiny height seeming suddenly much greater.

“And as for ye, if any harm should come to that girl in pursuit of this, I will take ye and string ye up myself. Ye will rue the day you laid eyes on her. Is that clear?”

Midoriko nodded, somewhat taken aback. Then she turned to Kagome.

“Have you made a decision?” she asked calmly.

Kagome laughed icily, standing up and crossing her arms.

“It looks like I’m going on a jewel hunt.”

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I just want to apologize for the fact that there is so much Midoriko, and yet still no Inuyasha, at least not all grown up. I know it was kind of explanation heavy, but at least now you know what in the hell is going on.  I swear to you that it changes next chapter and things really get kicked off. Coming at you next chapter (Which I may well put up with this one or very soon after) will be Kagome’s departure (finally), a chase with not so real bandits, and, of course, everyone’s favorite hanyou, so don’t give up on me just yet. Oh, and, just so you know, I didn’t keep you waiting this long to make you squirm. Well, at least that’s not the only reason. *malicious smile.

Just cause I cant say this enough, and no one seems to listen, REVIEW! I want you to review. I want to know what you think. C’mon, I’m a big girl, I can take it.