InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Longest Journey ❯ Two New Lives ( Chapter 1 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha, nor do I make any profit from the stories I write.

Chapter 1: Two New Lives

Nine months later:

A swirl of power echoed through the tomb, then died, before another eddy caught, and the power grew. As it thrummed through the once-stale air, a whisper was heard:

Neither your first woman, nor your second, were meant for you as your soul-mate. The one that is, must travel farther than any other has ever needed to find you. She will traverse not only a great distance, but time as well... and you will find her after you, also, have concluded a long journey, a journey back from death itself.

When you find a woman with a tale of being born with the Tama inside her, you will know her as the other half of yourself.

The whisper faded out, and the power, called up by a greedy, vicious hanyou, but unable to be controlled by him, crescendoed, and then disappeared.

All was once again quiet in the tomb of the former Western Lord.

---zZz---

Ten months later:

Kajiko wiped the sweat from her brow with the edge of her sleeve. Whew... that was close. The lesser youkai she'd been attacked by hadn't been overly strong, but there had been many of them, and now, her quiver was getting dangerously empty.

"Oh well... I guess it's time for me to hit another village. Can't do without arrows." She walked through her personal battlefield, grabbing every arrow she could find, and testing them to see if they were still usable. The more she could re-use, the less she'd have to use her hard-earned coin on.

Once she'd cleared the bloody area and moved a safe distance away, she sat down for a quick rest, and pulled out her canteen. Taking a long drink, she sighed with relief. Fighting took a lot out of a person, especially when it was hot, and she suddenly wished she was wearing something a bit cooler.

She looked ruefully down at herself... wearing priestess garb had been a difficult decision, but she'd eventually given in. The only difference between me and KIkyou now is in color, she thought, a bitter smile twisting her lips. Her hakama were a deep, sapphire blue, just a shade darker than her eyes, with a brilliant white top in stark contrast.

The combination, had she known it, was stunning on her, the white complimenting her winter coloring, with her deep, blue-black hair, and the astonishing clarity of her cerulean eyes being echoed in her beautifully dyed hakama.

She'd changed since that fateful day she'd seen Inuyasha mark Kikyou. No longer the young girl, with the slight chubbiness of childhood clinging to her frame, she was a woman now, and it showed in the hourglass curves of her body, that the priestess garb, for some reason, only enhanced.

Guess everyone's gotta grow up sometime. I might be wearing the same style of clothes as her, but I certainly don't look like her now, that's for sure. She let that thought linger soothingly in her mind as she stood, ready to move on after her short rest. Even my erstwhile 'protector' wouldn't be blind enough to make that mistake anymore.

Hmph. 'Protector'. She laughed, the irony of the situation not lost on her.

Turns out the only thing I really needed protection from was his protection.

Her mind wandered back to that fateful autumn day. It seemed she'd done well in faking her death - her former companions all did indeed think her dead. They still had no inkling that there was even someone out there that was also collecting shards, because she made sure that she never, ever spoke of the jewel at all. The only reputation she had now was that of a traveling miko... and when asked, she always gave her new name.

Kajiko. Child of Fire.

How appropriate, that name. Reborn from the flames, just like the phoenix. And it's not one that any of my old companions would associate with me. I don't want to touch any part of that life. Kagome truly is dead... and she's going to stay that way. All that made Kagome was burned away, and only Kajiko remains... at least until the jewel is whole and Naraku is dead.

Sighing, she stood and moved off, continuing on her chosen path. She'd felt Naraku's presence for several weeks, even now, faint traces of miasma were detectable, and always, they led into the northern regions of the lands. She was being very cautious - just after she'd first begun catching traces of that bastard, there'd been a tremendous release of youki somewhere in the mountains ahead - part of it Naraku's, then a different signature, then tainted shards, then nothing.

That blast was why she was on this path... and thanking the heavens and every kami she knew that Inuyasha and his friends were far, far to the east, and completely unaware of anything going on in the region she was now in. She really didn't want to have to move around in a limited area with them on her heels.

As much as she missed Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara, they were a part of Kagome, and as such, could not be a part of Kajiko. She already knew that one day, she'd have to face them again... but that day was not now. There were far too many other things to deal with first.

Like Naraku.

---zZz---

"Ugh, what a day."

Kajiko swung her bag over her shoulder, smoothly catching it on the opposite side of her quiver, with her bow coming to rest closest to her joint for easy access, and moved out as quickly as she could, following the older man that was guiding her. She was extremely glad she'd managed to restock on arrows the other day after that one battle... otherwise, there'd be a major problem helping the old guy out.

She'd already had several mishaps, and it wasn't even midday yet. First thing, she'd been attacked just as she was picking up her small pot of boiling water for tea, and promptly gotten burned, then, after that, she'd managed to twist her ankle. Now, she'd been caught by a terrified villager begging for her help against an oni that was attacking his village.

Hopefully, this is the last mishap for the day... these things usually do come in threes, and with this, I've hit my third.

"Miko-sama, here, you can come see from this spot and the oni won't see you!" The poor man was really too old for this kind of excitement... and it showed.

Shaking her head and letting out a sigh, she moved over to the elder, and peered through the foliage.

Not like the stupid beast isn't making enough noise, she thought sourly. Dropping her pack, she kept her quiver, and holding on to her bow, she stepped out from behind the bushes, and headed into the village proper.

The oni wasn't really all that large, and most of the villagers, it appeared, had managed to escape. Unfortunately, the village livestock hadn't, and it looked as though this was going to be especially hard on this village come winter, unless they could find some way to replenish their stock.

Stepping forward, she nocked an arrow to her bow, and let it fly. It took the oni in the throat, and it turned to ash almost immediately. Walking up to where it had been standing, she wrinkled her nose at the carnage. It stunk, with all the disembowled animals laying almost in a pile.

Maybe that's why she didn't notice the other oni that had snuck up behind her until she heard a warning yell from some of the villagers - turns out they were a little too late with that, though, because before she could even turn, she felt the hot burn of claws ripping into her back.

Gasping, she turned, ready to defend herself, but all she saw was a streak of white, and the oni was just... gone.

She barely had time to register it's absence before she crumpled to the ground in a dead faint.

---zZz---

Kagome woke to a burning pain across her back, and the worried voices of the villagers surrounding her. Opening her eyes, she blinked, then sat up, hissing at the pain the movement caused, but determined to stand. One of the men realized what she wanted, and helped her to her feet.

Looking around, she asked, "Where did the other oni go?"

The man who'd helped her up answered her. "T'was the new Lord of the North, my Lady. He was passing through here about three weeks ago when the former Lord challenged him. He won the fight - and we've had cause to thank the kami for it almost everyday. He may be youkai, but he is honorable, unlike the previous Lord."

Kajiko's eyebrow rose. Most human villagers were terrified of youkai and wanted nothing to do with them - so this man's words, along with the nods and sounds of agreement from the rest of the villagers, were a huge surprise.

"I think I would like to meet this youkai Lord that has the respect of his ningen subjects. It is good to find a place where youkai and ningen live peacefully."

The man nodded to someone coming up behind her, and she began to turn as a deep, smooth as silk voice spoke.

"If you want that chance, my Lady, then all you need do is turn around - I myself would like to meet a miko that doesn't advocate killing every youkai on sight... you are a rarity, indeed."

The minute she caught sight of him would live forever in her mind. All sense of her surroundings faded away, her injuries, everything, and all she saw was him. Her memories suddenly overwhelmed her, taking her back to a day more than a year and a half before... when her hanyou love had finally found the strength to fight with his brother to cast Sou'unga into hell - and a father's spirit had spoken to both his sons with pride.

"My Lord Inu no Taisho!"