This is sort of just setting the stage for the rest of the story, but you learn a few important things in here, and it’s not that long, so, without further ado, here it is

And, of course, I own nothing. I get nothing. I have nothing, except a brain full of ideas, and those are all mine. Rumiko Takahashi can’t have them, any more than I can have Inuyasha. It’s for the best, I suppose. God only knows what I’d do to him if he were mine. *Mischievous giggle. You get it.

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7 years later…

Kagome sighed, much more loudly than necessary.

“Where does it hurt this time, Murichi?” she asked the old man sitting on the bench before her. She knew him very well, as he was at the shrine at least once a week with a new ailment.

“It’s the elbow again, Lady,” he said, pointing at the problem. Sighing again, Kagome reached for the offending limb.

“What kind of pain is it?” she asked him.

“Sort of sharp, but also kind of achy,” he said. It had been the elbow three times that month. Ever since Kagome, with the encouragement and assistance of Kaede, the head priestess, had decided to treat anyone who came to the shrine with an illness completely free of charge, they had been able to do the small village a world of good. However, the occasional hypochondriac was unavoidable, so Kagome had just learned to humor him.  And she knew just how to do it.

“I have just the thing, Murichi. I’ll be right back.” Trying to hide her smile, Kagome turned and went back into her sleeping quarters and looked for the ‘cure’ for her frequent patient. She found it on her bedside table. It was a small pot of a scented cream that one of the village women had given her in return for helping with the birthing of her baby. It was homemade and smelled of the jasmine it was made of.

Grinning mischievously, she scooped up a small dollop of it into her hand, and returned to the examination room.

“Here you are, Murichi. This should do perfectly,” she said, rubbing the perfumed salve gently onto the old man’s elbow. “Does that feel any better?”

“Why, Lady, you work miracles. It doesn’t hurt at all anymore! Many thanks to you!”

“Your welcome, Murichi.” 

“A regular miracle worker, you are,” continued the little man, getting off of the bench and scuttling towards the door that Kaede had just entered through. The older priestess exchanged an amused look with her young protégé before the little man spotted her as well.

“And look, Lady Kaede is here as well. Thank you both so much. You two are a god send.” With that, he scampered happily out the door.

“How long do ye think he will be gone this time?” Kaede asked. The part of her face not covered by the large eye patch she had worn as long as Kagome had known her was crinkled in a smile. The old woman, though not as powerful as Kagome, was very skilled at healing as well as a very wise and patient teacher. Kagome felt lucky to have Kaede there to train her in the arts of being a priestess, as well as in healing.

Despite her unusually strong power and natural inclination towards her position, Kagome knew well that she lacked the experience and knowledge that the older priestess had been able to gain simply through the passage of time. That was why, together, they were the perfect team.

After a long day of treating patients in the makeshift clinic that also served as a series of meeting rooms at the shrine, then helping Kaede with the evening meal (and then eating it of course) Kagome was completely exhausted. Between her duties as a priestess and the power required to heal the more serious injuries, she often found herself drained by the end of a day. For this reason, she wasted no time falling onto her sleeping mat the moment she got to her room.

It had already been many hours since the setting of the sun, so she was aware that it had to be well after midnight. She knew also that the next day would be filled to the bursting with people to help, the occasional demon to slay, and general work common to a priestess. Hum drum though it all was, she loved it. She loved being able to help. She loved having Kaede there with her. She loved being the village protector and guardian. Mostly, she just loved being a priestess, and feeling like she was needed and helpful, even if it was just for the tiny village she lived in.

These comforting thoughts swam around in her mind as she drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t long before she was having a familiar dream, one that she had very often, that never varied in its detail. It was not really a dream, but a memory, and one that had remained with her since that fateful day 7 years before, when she had been but ten years old, and met a little demon boy.

She saw it like it was happening again. He was there standing before her, looking awkward, uncomfortable, and…something else. It had taken her a while to realize that there was fear in his golden eyes when he looked at her. She had learned later in life that it was the duty of a priestess to defend against evil demons. He hadn’t been evil in the least, she would have sensed something like that, but apparently enough of the priestesses that he had met, even at that age, hadn’t cared about evil. They had only cared that he had demon blood. She felt a rush of sympathy in her heart every time she remembered the awful things the village men had said to the poor, bleeding child who had risked his own life to help someone who she now knew he had believed might kill him. He had feared her, yet he had helped her anyway. And another thing. He had not wanted her to cry. What reason could there have been for that? The only reason she could come up with, even when she contemplated it during her waking hours was that he had cared about her, even though he did not know her. That didn’t sound very evil to Kagome.

She often dreamed of her hanyou friend, although she rarely remembered it in the morning. Despite the shortness of their encounter, she still considered him a friend. Perhaps the only friend she would ever have. Not that the village didn’t care for her, or love her in a way. They did, but only as a priestess. Because of her training, she had never had the chance to really spend time with children her own age, and as such had missed the opportunity to have friends during her life. Not that she didn’t love her life, or feel as close as a daughter to Kaede, but she sometimes wondered how much she missed by not having friends that she could really just relax around, and feel safe with. As a priestess, she would never marry, never have a family. Even with her incredible gifts, that felt like an awful lot to give up.

In her waking state, unlike her dreams, the little half breed boy rarely entered her thoughts. At least not as far as she knew. In truth, it was that one encounter that had changed the way she looked at demons forever. Knowing that not every non-human was evil made her more careful in differentiating between the evil demon that needed to be slain, and the normal one that was to be left alone. It has given her a compassion for the differences in things that was uncommon in her time, and that kept her heart free of prejudice, and therefore purer than that of any other person, priestess or no.

It was that purity of heart that, unbenownced to her, was at that very moment drawing to her a being that would forever change her world.

* * *

Kagome yawned widely over her breakfast, in no mood to eat the chilled miso soup or rice that composed it. She was too tired to eat. Despite the fact that she had slept soundly from the moment that she collapsed onto her bedding till the morning, she still had gotten precious few of the restful hours of unconsciousness.

Grumbling slightly under her breath about priestesses always insisting on rising with the sun she set about her daily chores for the shrine, getting water from the well, sweeping the steps, and washing the table, before finally heading into the village to purchase some basic supplies for the shrine.

The small marketplace was flaring with activity, even so early in the morning. Everywhere she looked people were shopping, haggling, or else just sitting and talking to each other. Children were running up and down the street and in and out of huts, playing games and chittering happily. It was all she needed to dispel any lingering grumpiness. Kagome didn’t like being grumpy, and never could maintain such a mood for long.

She instead enjoyed the warm summer air as she shopped and watched the village children, giggling at the obvious silliness of their games. She had always watched the children play, but had never really gotten to join them. When she was small it had upset her, but now as an adult (well being 17 was close enough) she could watch them without any real sadness and laugh with them and at the unhindered joy on their small faces.

Her shopping done, Kagome headed back up the dirt road to the shrine that was her home. She hadn’t gone very far from the village when she spotted what appeared to be a small huddle of blankets on the side of the road. Approaching it slowly, she got a bit of a shock as the top of the pile turned towards her. Only then did she realize that the blankets had not found there way onto the road by themselves. They had apparently enlisted the help of an old woman, who sat on the ground, shivering despite the warmth in the air.

“Excuse me,” Kagome said as she reached the tiny old woman. “Are you all right?”

“Why, Child, I am but a homeless beggar passing through town with nowhere to go. Would you be able to spare a bit of change for a downtrodden and hungry old woman?”

Kagome felt a pang of guilt. She had no money left after her shopping, but she pitied the poor woman, whose gaunt face was lined with years of hardship and pain.

“I’m sorry, old woman, but I don’t have any money left.”

“I thought not,” the woman replied, resting her chin on her palm in a slight huff. Somehow, suddenly she didn’t seem so old and frail as she had a moment before. Chiding herself for her stupidity, Kagome reminded herself that the woman’s plight had not changed in the least. She simply must have been used to being turned down.

“You know, lady, I am a priestess at a shrine just up the road. Though I don’t have any money, we do have a few spare rooms there and more than enough food to share. If you would just follow me, I’m sure the head priestess there would be more than happy to accommodate anything you might need.”

The woman’s ancient head tilted up, her eyes suddenly alight. “You are a priestess?” she asked curiously, as though she feared her ears might have betrayed her. Kagome nodded. “And you are offering me shelter and food?” The girl nodded again. “In exchange for what?” the woman inquired, searching for the catch. There had to be a catch. She had only just noticed the resemblance the girl took to…her. Her kindness coupled with her position and appearance could only have one meaning, really, but she wasn’t willing to be wrong about this.

“Catch?” asked Kagome, slightly confused. “There is no catch. I am only offering to help you. I need nothing in return for charity. Now, follow me, unless you need help getting up?” she asked, concern flooding her sweet voice.

“No, dear, I’m all right now. Don’t worry.” With those words, he rose to her feet with surprising agility and grace for one who looked so shriveled.

“All right then,” the girl said happily. “You are welcome to stay as long as you want. Oh, just one thing.”

“Yes?” the woman asked, her curiosity spiking. There it was, the catch was…

“May I know your name?”         

Woops. Not there. How odd.

“Only if I may know yours.”

The girl smiled. “I am Kagome,” she said, extending her small hand to the woman, who grasped it.

The girl’s aura was pure, blinding white. Completely pure, not a smudge to be seen; now that was interesting.

“You are pure of heart, Kagome,” she said, releasing her shaken hand.

The girl, Kagome blushed brightly. “Oh, I’m sure that isn’t true. And even if it were, it’s not important.”

“Ah, you are very wrong about that, my dear girl. It means a good deal more than you could even imagine. I do believe you will see that soon enough.”

Kagome’s blush deepened, though this time out of uneasiness. “Um, you never did tell me you name, lady,” she said.

“I am called Midoriko,” the woman replied.

“That’s an interesting name,” Kagome replied politely.

She had no idea.

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