Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or its characters in any way or form, nor do I make a profit from this story. The story-plot, however, is mine.
A.N.: Chapter has been revisited and proof-read (2020).
~~~O~~~
CHAPTER ONE - TWENTY YEARS
Twenty years had passed since she disappeared from the surface of the Earth. Kagome had vanished. It had happened on the very eve where she would make the completed Shikon no Tama disappear for good.
The future-born miko took a sacred arrow to the chest, an arrow meant for the Lord of the West, and tumbled off the edge of the cliff only to completely disappear into the deep dark waters below.
The arrow had hit her square in the chest and to this day the sound of that impact still haunted every soul present for the conclusion of the Shikon-adventure.
The momentum of the arrow had caused her lithe form to stagger and eventually stumble over the edge of the cliff. The sight of her raven hair whisking around her face while her arms flailed in a desperate attempt to regain her lost balance was one none of the witnesses could ever unsee. The short seconds it took for her to disappear seemed so long, yet there still wasn't enough time for anyone currently present to reach her. Shock and horror locked them all in place. They could only watch. They could only witness.
Her body had never been found. Not in the foaming waters below, nor along the shores for miles around.
It was as though she had never existed. She was gone. Her aura, her scent, her spirit - vanished. Only her memory remained. The complete Shikon no Tama had disappeared with her - no one could sense it, not even a youkai as powerful as Sesshoumaru could catch a whiff of it's power, nor its young protector.
After weeks of searching the shores, the inutachi's despair turned to a faint, lingering hope. If no one could sense the jewel, then perhaps Kagome had managed to wish upon it before it was too late.
Everyone's prayer was that the jewel most likely had returned the future-born miko home to her own time - though it had pained them once, now it was a bright and shining hope. If she had been returned to her home, then she would at least be alive, this they hoped. Inuyasha had told them all about the advanced medicine and human healers in Kagome's time - she would make it. She was home. She had to be home.
And so they hoped. And they prayed that perhaps, one day, the beloved young miko would return to them through the well. She'd find her way back to them.
Inuyasha took the loss of the miko very hard, which was only natural. He'd sworn to protect her! True, he hadn't always succeeded - to be fair he'd put her at risk more times than he could count and left her defenseless while chasing after Kikyou, but he had always MEANT to protect her! He wished he could've told her that he was sorry... He had Kikyou, though. He had his first love...but Kagome's selfless love was hard to forget. Kagome had to be alive, anyway - they all told themselves that - because Kikyou felt nothing within the small sliver of Kagome's soul, which kept her clay body animated, that could suggest Kagome had died.
The magical portal within the Bone-eater's Well was closed. This gave them all yet another small glimmer of hope that Kagome was, indeed, in her own time. If the jewel had been wished upon, and Kagome was back in her time, then the well would rightfully be sealed. So they all clung to those ideas, using them as a lifeline when they needed it the most to cope with the loss of the dear girl.
Sesshoumaru, the Mightly Lord of the West, paid little thought to the well or the strands of hope his halfbrother's pack clung to. What bothered him most was that the silly little human miko had taken that arrow for him. She had dared think that he, the Killing Perfection, the Lord of the West, had needed protecting! It was infuriating! How dared she make him indebted to her!? Her last selfless act was troublesome. He HATED the thought of owing someone, a HUMAN, a lifedebt.
After a full cycle of seasons had passed, he and Rin approached the small village in Edo where his half-brother and his pack resided. Rin had wanted to see Shippou, the kitsune kit whom the young miko had adopted and treated like her own. To say that the kit and his ward got along well was an understatement. Both were orphans, and had seen Kagome as more than just a playmate - reluctantly he'd had to admit that the miko had taken on a mothering role to the young girl and fox. How dared she leave them behind!
Shippou ended up returning to the Western lands with Sesshoumaru, to be trained in the ways of youkai under Sesshoumaru's watchful eye. And over the years that followed, the kit grew stronger and showed more potential than the Inu Lord had first thought. Now he owed the miko nothing. He'd taken care of her kit and ensured his survival. A life for a life.
So, twenty years.
Kagome never returned through the well. The old wooden structure started to slowly crumble as its magic died down. Sango and Miroku visited the site every year on the day of Kagome's disappearance and placed down her favourite flowers, remembering her. The kind soul had made such a huge impact on their lives, they would always keep her in their hearts and minds and remember her with fondness no matter how many years went by. Both the humans were now both grown adults, with five children and two grandchildren. They were happy together. They had a good life. They hoped that Kagome was happy, too, wherever she was.
~~~O~~~
Twenty years...
Kishino opened her eyes and blinked against the bright sunlight which was glittering through the canopy of leaves above her. One hand rose to shield her eyes from the brightness. She'd fallen asleep under a tree again. Great! What was it with her and trees?! Why did she still find such comfort in them?
With a quiet groan she was on her feet, stretching her long, lean figure lazily - arms reaching above her head before dropping to hang by her sides. She inhaled deeply. The fresh air of the remote countryside, far away from villages and people was like balm to her soul! She loved it out here! Under the open sky, with no place to be, no sworn duty, no hassle, no rush to be somewhere.
The peace she felt was shortlived - typical really. Her relaxed body proceeded to tense up, and she shifted her stance in anticipation. Instinctively reacting, and she stilled completely while focusing on listening intently.
"KISHINO-SAMA!"
Kishino cringed ever so slightly at the loud shriek, and quickly gathered the weapons that weren't already strapped to her person. She touched the katana on her left hip, check. She flung a quiver of long arrows across her shoulder with trained ease along with her longbow, this act was followed by securing a quiver of shorter arrows on her right hip while clenching a smaller bow in her right hand. She didn't bother reaching for the long battle staff which she had leaned up against the tree.
"HERE!" Her voice gruff, deep, melodious - managing a small sigh to herself before squaring her shoulders, setting her posture, and preparing for impact.
"Kishino-sama!"
The high pitched voice sounded again before a young boy leapt through the bushes and ran straight towards her, she braced herself. The child crashed his little body into her legs while his little arms wrapped around her left knee in a deathgrip. She merely grunted quietly. The child's big brown, almost black eyes were gazing up at her, pleading her silently. Panic rolled off him in waves, and it caused her to frown deeply. The child was terrified!
"What?" Kishino uttered shortly, and the boy pointed behind him.
"Wolves!" He cried, shuddering and pressing himself further into the taller figure.
"Hmph..." Kishino grunted, and rolled the short bow in her palm.
"How far, Tsuren?"
Kishino gently manoeuvred herself and placed herself in front of the child - the short bow ready in her hand.
The bow itself was perhaps a few inches longer than a full foot long, but it was a preferred weapon of choice for a quick distance-offense. It had taken a long time to master, as short arrows weren't as stable in the air as the longer, more balanced arrows were - but the short arrows took less time to notch and could be fired more rapidly and more accurately at shorter ranges.
"Tsuren, I want you to leg it as fast as you can to the river..."
Kishino squared her shoulders and straightened her back. She angled her jaw and her eyes became more narrow, somehow changing her features completely with those small adjustments.
"...But..."
"Do it! Run to the river, dive in, and STAY IN till I come for you!"
She barked the order, watching the child nod and do as he was told. Whenever she used her stern-voice he knew it was serious. Good boy!
Kishino inhaled deeply once she was sure the boy was safe, then flared her powers outwards and sensed the rapidly approaching youkai auras. Four adult youkai chasing one child. Honour-lacking bastards! A growl passed through her lips.
Her eyebrow twitched slightly in annoyance before a short arrow was notched on the readied bow. With trained precision she quickly determined where and when to aim, then let it fly. Another followed, then another. Three canine yelps were heard as the projectiles hit and strong barriers of spiritual energy protruded from the arrows like nets - keeping the unfortunate wolves from moving and thus effectively chaining them to the area of impact. Those arrows weren't meant to kill or cause harm, not at all - these were purely designed to contain the targets. No harm done to anyone.
She drew another deep breath, then in a smooth fluid motion pulled her katana from its sheath - swinging it upwards while bending at the knees and ducking her head to block the claws of the wolf leader. It could've been a fatal blow to the back of her neck, but Kishino was not one to be taken by surprise. She'd sensed the strong aura come up behind her and had quickly calculated how many seconds she had to react. However this had been cutting it a little too close, she would admit this in hindsight.
A bright flare of spiritual power reached outwards from her entire body, causing the wolf youkai to flinch back at the very potency of the unleashed power. Kishino huffed quietly as she sheathed the katana quickly, all while keeping the protective barrier around herself so the wolf couldn't get to her. Protecting oneself was a big must. If one can't protect oneself, then how can one be expected to protect others? Golden wisdom!
"Boy! You would come between a wolf and his meal?"
The wolf growled wickedly, but instead of intimidating her it was causing Kishino's eyebrow to twitch slightly. That's right - a woman she might be, but only SHE knew that. Others would see a young man - which was her intention. It had been an easy choice when deciding upon walking across these lands.
"Your 'meal'..." She made sure to place harsh emphasis on the word meal.
"...is my ward, youkai!"
She spat back to the wolf in the deeper tone of voice which she'd adapted to fit her male disguise, narrowing her deep blue eyes even further. The youkai's lips curled in response, baring sharp fangs at the human as he stood fearlessly against him.
"No human takes in a youkai child to care for!" The wolf sneered in disgust, however the expression turned to surprise when Kishino merely laughed in a merry tone at his statement.
"That is rich, wolf! I remember tales of a human woman doing just that many seasons ago! Why cannot I?"
"That WOMAN was special!" The wolf replied heatedly, but his anger suddenly deflated and remorse shone in his stunning blue eyes.
"She was MY woman..."
Kishino tilted her head slightly. Huh...that was an interesting thing to say. Oh no, wait... She squinted her eyes slightly as she regarded the wolf youkai more closely, then she realised just who this was. It struck her like lightning from a clear sky. Kami, it had really been too long! Those blue eyes, the hair! Kouga!? What was he doing in these parts?! Wait, were they really this close to the Eastern lands? Anyway, this was a surprise and a half! How...utterly...inconvenient! She'd not really planned to run into anyone from the past she'd worked long and hard to detach herself from - but here he wasssss...
The wolf seemed lost in thought for a moment, lost to the memories perhaps, and she gave him that moment, but it was clear that he snapped out of it by a quick shake of his head when he heard the light cough coming from Kishino.
"You're the leader of the Eastern wolf tribe, Kouga, aren't you?" Kishino then asked carefully, not really wishing to fight him unless she absolutely had to. This was Kouga, which meant he was not on her 'to fight' list.
Stormy blue eyes met azure blue, and Kouga gave a short nod to confirm her guess as to his identity.
"So, human, you know of me - care to give me your name? ...and possibly free my pack-members?"
"Hn...will you promise me to not attack my ward?" Kishino replied easily and tilted her head as she voiced her question with slight suspicion, but none the less she recalled the arrows - and they floated through the air and into her waiting hand, thus breaking the restraining spells on the other wolves.
She kept her eyes on Kouga all the time, observing the mild surprise which graced the wolf youkai's features as the arrows flew back into her hand.
"You hold great power, human..." Kouga mused, and Kishino inclined her head - not mistaking the statement for an actual compliment - she wasn't cocky, nor did she need others to confirm the potency of the powers she wielded. Kouga simply stated what he witnessed, nothing more.
"As do you, Kouga-sama, I have heard many great tales about you and your pack - not to mention your adventures and deeds in the not too distant past..." Kishino kept the polite tone, watching with slight interest how one sharp fang was revealed in a half-smile as Kouga scoffed a small chuckle at the attempted praise.
"Yeah, well...it's in the past. And you still did not give me your name..." Kouga crossed his arms across his chest. His pack members darted to his side, all growling and rubbing their sore shoulders while glaring at the priest who was now chatting to their leader like they were old friends. What was up with that!?
Arching an eyebrow, Kishino merely eyed the wolves with calm patience.
"I am sure you caught my name as my ward cried out in panic while you chased him through the forest..." that was her only reply, and the three wolves accompanying Kouga growled menacingly at her for daring to speak so frankly to their leader.
Kishino proceeded to raise both hands, palms facing them, she meant no offense. Really...
"My name is Kishino, I'm merely a simple wandering warrior-priest." She gave each of them a patient look then rubbed the back of her neck with one hand.
"With this hopefully resolved I will take my leave now." She smiled slightly at the somewhat baffled expressions spreading across the group's faces, and she dared waggle her finger at them in a tutting manner.
"I ask that you do not attempt to follow me, nor try to attack myself or my ward in the future. Next time I will do worse than simply bind your wolves to the spot..."
A ghost of a smile passed her lips again as she voiced her gentle and polite threat. She was about to start walking when she caught the sound of a deep, rich laughter. Kouga was laughing. Kishino shuddered inwardly. The sound was...all too familiar.
"I like you, priest!"
Kouga grinned mischievously, and Kishino could only stare at him with an icy calmness.
"...even if your current stare can rival the Lord Sesshoumaru at this moment. A human daring to speak so freely to a youkai is rare..."
The wolf-leader kept his eyes on the priest, studying him. This warrior-priest was of an average height despite his gender, humans in general weren't the tallest, maybe 5'6'' if he should take a guess. He appeared young though clearly adult, roughly twenty years of age if he should take another guess. Lean, with a slender chest, and a narrow waist, lanky almost. He had a finely shaped face with appealing features and alluring ocean blue eyes which again was odd among humans. His jet black hair was tied back in a loose plat which fell down to his mid-back. His items of clothing were...a little unorthodox, but if this man was a warrior-priest then he could, perhaps, understand. In battle it was important that ones clothes did not hinder ones movements.
"Easy now, Kouga-sama - you need to find yourself a woman instead of eyeing up a wandering human priest..." Kishino commented dryly as she realized that the wolf Lord was, indeed, eyeing her up.
Kouga blinked slowly, catching up to the meaning behind those sneedy words, then growled as he realised the priest had made a valid point. He should get home to his woman. They would finish their hunt and return to the dens.
"Let's go. Hakkaku, Ginta, Siel! The priest and his ward aren't prey, as stated." Kouga inclined his head to the priest before they departed into the forest. They would find their food somewhere else. The seal-youkai was now out of the question.
Kishino waited for a good few minutes, then flared her aura carefully and only when she could not sense them anymore did she drop her protective barrier. Whew...what an unexpected turn of events that had been! With light steps she walked calmly over to the tree to grab the battle-staff, then turned on her heel to run down to the nearby river.
"Tsuren!"
Upon hearing his protector's voice, the youkai boy swam to the riverbank and waded out of the water.
"Kishino-sama!" He sniffed, visibly trembling, before he threw himself at the waiting human - and like always a pair of soothing, surprisingly strong arms welcomed him and embraced him - even if he was dripping wet.
"Shh, Tsuren...it's alright. They're gone..." Kishino smiled and knelt down to look at the child's face. Gentle hands wiped the continuous stream of tears from the little boy's face.
"You did good..."
~~~O~~~
Twenty years...
Kishino sat leaned up against a tree. Her left hand ran absentmindedly through white, plush hair. Her little Tsuren. She smiled gently to herself.
Tsuren was a seal-youkai; a rare breed of youkai that had only been seen a handful of times off the shores of Japan. Few even knew, or remembered that they existed - they lived in the deep waters, keeping mostly to their own kind and remaining in their animal form most of their lives. Only she knew of their colourful and rich lives beneath the surface of the water - only she had seen their underwater caverns and dens. It was a whole world down there! And she'd seen it!
Tsuren had chosen to leave his watery life behind to follow her in her travels...and she was grateful. He was hers to protect. Hers to love. She had sworn an oath to his dying parents that she'd take care of him in their stead. That was now eleven years ago - she'd become his guardian shortly before she began travelling on land once again. He wouldn't leave her side, and had he not wanted to travel the lands with her, she'd have stayed in the water with him.
The meeting with Kouga today had revived memories Kishino had thought she'd locked away decades ago. He hadn't recognised her, 'his woman'. Though secretly she was both happy and relieved that he hadn't. Her disguise had once again given her an advantage. She scoffed and rolled her eyes to herself while carefully shifting the sleeping child closer to her, cradling the smaller body against her own and placing a gentle kiss on his brow.
Twenty years ago she had taken a sacred arrow to her chest. She'd fallen off the edge of a cliff thanks to the impressive impact and plummeted into the dark waters below. The minutes after she submerged in the water were still clouded and she couldn't remember much, but she hadn't died. No matter how long she meditated, tried to remember, or searched her mind, she couldn't remember anything else than a blinding light right before unconsciousness claimed her.
The Shikon no Tama had disappeared that day. She hadn't been able to sense it since, so she knew it existed no more - but at the same time she also knew she hadn't made a wish on it, not even in her dying moments. She hadn't died, which also was a mystery in its own right. The answer hadn't presented itself to her at first, but a dream had hinted towards the possibility of the Shikon no Tama acting on its own while seeking to protect its protector. Maybe it had wished upon itself - something she really doubted seeing as it was not a living thing as such... Then there was the chance it had fused itself with her body, to ensure her survival. Her body had, after all, been its vessel once. And upon doing so it had enhanced her powers and life-force so she could continue to live, and be safe.
Whatever it was that really happened in those moments, she was grateful.
As she had sunk into the dark waters, taken by the currents and quickly carried out at sea, she was found by Tsuren's clan-members. They had brought her to their very secret and shielded domain far below the water's surface. Winding mazes of underwater tunnels and caves several miles from shore kept the small clan of seal-youkai safe and hidden from the world.
She remembered when she first woke up surrounded by seals. A large domed cave with an impressive high ceiling. They'd all clustered together to provide warmth for her, they had offered her food, and their healer had tended to her wound.
She'd connected with them in an instant and had stayed with them for nearly a decade; swimming with them, learning gradually to hold her breath for a long period of time through free-diving under their protective watch. They'd taught her close combat, though clumsy on land in their seal-forms they were remarkably nimble and mobile in their humanoid youkai forms - by training in and around water they refined how she moved and poised her body, building strong and lean muscles which allowed for graceful movement. And living in the caves helped tune her senses and helped improve her natural reflexes as those floors were sometimes deceptively slippery.
Ten years she had been living freely with her new family before the pull to return to land became too great to ignore. It had been so hard to bid her friends goodbye, but she was drawn back to land.
And then there was little Tsuren. His parents had been killed by eagle-youkai while hunting for fish near the surface. Blasted birds had auras that couldn't be detected by other youkai. She hadn't been able to do anything for them other than swear to look after their cub in their place.
The first weeks back on land had been difficult. It had been very trying and took every ounce of patience and knowledge she possessed.
She had learned a lot about the seal-youkai, but trying to teach a cub how to change into his humanoid youkai form, and then hold that form without changing back, had been a real challenge. The other challenge had been to decide how she would be travelling... A quick monologue with herself resulted in the decision to 'genderbend' herself - well, as best she could anyway.
She'd purchased simple clothes for herself and Tsuren from a small fishing village a full day's march from the place they went ashore, using precious pearls and shells as payment. She'd also managed to purchase a simple bow and some arrows. At least it had been something to start off with.
And now here she was, ten years after she and Tsuren started travelling on land. She now wore black, slightly flowing trousers which were tucked into soft mid-calf black leather boots. The soles of the boots were soft, allowing her feet to feel the ground beneath them, provided precious grip and guaranteed surefootedness.
She had made the top she wore herself, very inspired by her original birth-era's turtleneck jumper, also black in colour. A dark blue haori hung over her shoulders, hiding most of her weapons, aside from her longbow and arrows and her battle staff.
She'd practised her walk and refined the way she carried herself to become the man she needed the world to see her as. She'd altered her voice through endless hours of training so it could match her male appearance. She would never have a very masculine voice, but it was convincing enough to suit her youthful look.
She had also set aside most of her futuristic beliefs. This wasn't the future, this was the bleepin' feudal era! A travelling man was more acceptable than a travelling woman. Even if she had posed as a miko she'd still be a woman. As a man, a self-proclaimed warrior-priest, she had the possibility of being heard and respected. Her powers were stronger, and she had owned up to them and learned how to use, manipulate, manifest, and honour them to perfection. She had become more than what she'd ever thought she would ever be. She was proud of who she'd become, she'd carved her own path, built her very own reputation from scratch, lived a life entirely her own without anyone's shadow hanging over her.
She sighed. Twenty years. She'd come a long way, indeed. Without the jewel she knew the well wouldn't work - so she had never travelled near Edo. If the jewel had indeed fused with her body, which she suspected more and more to be what had actually happened since she didn't seem to age, she guessed that...well, she'd have to endure the long route home to her birth-era.
Her blue eyes gazed down at the boy resting against her. His hair soft like plush cotton, shoulder length, white as shimmering snow - he was still just a young cub. His hair would change as he grew older, right now he looked the equivalent of a four-year-old human boy. He had the sweetest face, with the biggest, most heartmelting eyes! Big, round, dark brown orbs that one simply could lose oneself in and never want for anything else than to keep staring into them.
She had dressed him well, suited for travel. Brown trousers and soft brown leather boots, and a pale green longsleeved kosode. She'd taken the liberty of enhancing the fabric with her powers, making sure that he would never be cold, and that he'd keep cool during the warmer days, just like she'd enhanced her own clothes. It also repelled water, so rainy days never hindered them as they travelled.
Twenty years. She'd not really given her past much thought. Ever since she woke up with the seals she had felt like it was OK to let go of that past. She'd fulfilled her task; Naraku had been slain, Inuyasha could be with Kikyou and be happy, and she had repaid her debt to Sesshoumaru for saving her life by giving her own for his.
She'd moved on to live her life as she herself pleased. Did she miss her friends? Of course! She always would! She loved them! But...she would never be able to watch Sango and Miroku grow old while she remained the same. She wasn't particularly keen on seeing Inuyasha and Kikyou together either, even if she had given up on the hanyou, romantically long before the final battle against Naraku... There were just too many sore memories tied to those two. So, she'd let them go. For her own sake she'd put those three years of her life to rest.
And Shippou...her little kit...Kami, it still hurt to think about him. It was harder to let him go. She missed him so much! But thanks to her new family she'd learned that he was safe and under the protection of Sesshoumaru. He would live. She could let him go...but a small part of her still clung to the memory of him.
"Mrr, Kishino-sama.." Tsuren whined softly in his sleep, tearing Kishino out of her deep thoughts. A soft chuckle escaped her and she adjusted him in her arms.
"You can sleep a little longer, Tsuren. I'll wake you when it's time to continue our journey." She closed her eyes. She could do with a few hours of sleep herself. Her potent barrier would keep dangers away.