::Last Dream:: by c.o.m.t.e.s.s.a

Hajimaru

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha.

(***)

::::Last Dream::::

-an Inuyasha fanfiction-

by C.o.m.t.e.s.s.a

(***)

Chapter 1:

::::Hajimaru::::

-Tokyo City. Higurashi Shrine.....9.30 a.m.-

The sun of that particular summer's morning beat down warmly on the young woman's back as she knelt in front of the altar. She was kneeling perfectly straight and completely still. Her eyes were closed and her hands were entwined in front of her in the ancient Shinto praying position.

Through the open shoji screens penetrated the outside sounds. The hum of birds and the bustle of metropolitan Tokyo resonated in the empty silence of the shrine, yet the young woman paid them no heed.

Nothing seemed to reach her. Nothing could disrupt the absolute concentration and peace that enveloped her as she honored her ancestors on that fine mid-summer's morning.

Suddenly, a creak. The moan of the paneled floor was heard as feet stood over them to her right. The footsteps were soft and measured, as if the intruder did not desire to be caught just yet. Quietly they glided round the darkened interior of the shrine, and surrounding the young woman that kneeled at it's center.

The girl fidgeted.

More quiet steps. The rustle of fabric, the ghost murmur of a prayer.

The girl's left eye twitched.

"Grandpa..." she muttered through gritted teeth. "What are you doing?"

Her eyes opened half-lidded, to find her vision obstructed by a piece of rectangular paper hanging from her forehead.

"Ne, Kagome-chan," an elderly voice intoned from somewhere to her right. " I'm protecting the life of my only granddaughter with these Sacred Ofudas, of course." Here again the soft rustle of fabric was heard as the old man moved about, purposefully sticking little rectangular papers round -and over- the girl, forming a somewhat `shaky´ pentagram. "Do not worry child, I'll ensure that you do not abandon this mortal body of yours when you encounter the flooding currents of the Nether World!"

The old man said this with such passion, such unquestionable certainty that, were the spectator someone else beside his granddaughter, he'd never question the man's outstanding conviction and dedication.

Kagome, however, knew better.

Left eye twitching more noticeable now, she parted her lips as air was inhaled...before the explosion. "Okaa-san!! Jii-chan`s doing it again!"

The girl's words seemed to echo and reverberate throughout the entire household, beyond the wooden walls of the Shrine and far out to the cobbled garden.

A moment's silence followed, in which the elder man scowled his decade's old features at his granddaughter's brashness and apparent unapreciation of his selfless worry for her well-being. Suddenly, or as if on cue, soft padding was heard behind them coming through the paneled corridors, approaching the scene.

"Tou-san," a woman said appearing at the doorway "I told you to leave Kagome-chan alone when she's meditating," said woman reprimanded as she stood wiping her wet hands on her apron at the entrance of the shrine. She was young, probably in her mid-thirties. Of slim complexion and not very tall, she portrayed the typical Japanese shufu. Her hair was short, chocolate brown, kept neatly pinned at the base of her head. She was wearing a simple, grape coloured blouse and a knee-length light brown skirt. A frilly white and pink apron completed her attire.

"Now now, my daughter, you know perfectly well that the safety of our Kagome-chan here is of primal importance," he crossed his arms and nodded to emphasize his words. "You cannot understand how perilous are the Lands Beyond! It is my responsibility as Head of this House to ensure my beloved Kagome-chan`s safety as she wanders in her meditation the Realms of the Dead."

The other two occupants of the scene sighed.

Kagome shook her head and began muttering sourly about obsessed old people as she plucked, one by one, the twenty something ofudas her grandfather had deemed necessary to glue all over her.

"Tou-san, she was only saying her morning prayers, ne Kagome-chan?"

More grumbling was the only answer the woman received from her daughter.

The woman walked forward and kneeled next to her. Softly, she helped Kagome pluck off the ones sticking on the back of her head.

"Ajajajaja," a youthful laughter came from the parted shoji screens "Jii-chan`s been trying to keep you on Earth again, `nee-chan!"

"Oh, shut up Souta!" Kagome answered bitterly without turning to face the newcomer on this parade that was her typical day: her 14 yeared-old brother. "This isn't funny! Mou, `kaa-san... they won't come off," the girl said, pulling the one that was glued to her forehead for emphasis´ sake.

"Mmm...perhaps if we try with that glue-and-paint solvent I bought the other day..."

"No, no Kagome-chan! Let the Protecting Charms on! That way no demon will dare approach you," argued the old man.

"Yeah, and no other human being either!" said Souta, smirking.

"Y....es, I suppose they wouldn't. But that is good, too. My granddaughter is the descendant of the powerful Midoriko-redi, she must remain untainted by the hands of greedy mortals or lustful males who beseech only her body for--"

Kagome blushed and, closing her eyes, she covered her ears, trying to shut the sound of her grandpa's voice. `It's so embarrassing...Why does he have to keep on babbling about that!´

"--and I will ensure with my own spiritual energy that she remains thus pure. She is, after all, descendant of a line of mikos and priests, the guardians of the fated Shikon Pearl!" The old man said, with the air of a professional imparting his expertise to an ungrateful posterity. In other words...

"I think we lost him, okaa-san" muttered Souta.

"Souta-kun, don't so disrespectful to your grandfather," replied the woman calmly. Then, turning, she fixed her eyes on her daughter, who was currently standing up, and dusting her white chihaya off. "Kagome-chan, please don't forget today you must visit the governmental Council. Tatakai-san has explicitly requested for your presence."

Kagome sighed and, turning to face her mother, smiled. She now stood at the shrine's entrance. The morning sun streaked tendrils of silver and white in her black hair, enhancing the soft paleness of her ivory skin. The picture was almost perfect....

"Hai, `kaa-san. I'll go change now."

....where it not that she still sported the ofuda firmly planted on her face.

"Ehmm.... Kagome dear?"

"Hai?"

"Don't forget to grab that solvent I told you about."

(***)

Two hours later, and Kagome was ready to face the day.

She yawned loudly and turned to descend the 104 steps that separated her house, the Higurashi Shrine to the Moon God, and the side walk.

Once down, she straightened her back and stretched her arms high above her head, walking away.

Higurashi Kagome was a simple, 18 yeared-old student at a typical Tokyo High School. She did not posses great sporting abilities, nor the supernatural power to change the course of the future....nor great grades either, but she survived quite happily with her fairly normal life. Fairly, that is, because Higurashi Kagome was also a miko. An onmyouji miko, more precisely, and the guardian of the legendary Shikon no Tama, the Wish Granting Pearl.

The Higurashi Household had been the possessors of the fated Pearl for over 500 years now, or at least, that is what legend says. Her ancestors, mikos and priests alike, had faithfully guarded it from coveting hands, for the Pearl was very powerful and, in the wrong hands.... Well, no one was quite sure what could truly happen if it fell in the hands of the bad guys but legend supposes it's bad. And so, for centuries on end the Shikon no Tama had remained shut and sealed from the eyes of the world in the central pagoda of her house. Ten spells and countless wards kept it safe and locked in the depths of the Kami-dana to the Moon God...in Kagome`s backyard.

But also, besides being protectors to a supposedly power-granting piece of jewelry from the Warring Era of Japan, the Higurashis were mediums of the spiritual world. This, too, had been in the past "when demons and spirits had ran rampant on the surface of the Earth, reigning with a fist of steel and accosting the innocent minds of humans", her grandfather would say.

Yes, the Higurashis had been a famous line of spell-casting onmyoujis on the times when the world had been an earthly Hell full of demons, ghouls, mononokes and no plumbing whatsoever.

Time had passed though, and it seemed that the mythical power her family tree had once held had slowly died away for she knew with complete certainty that nor her mother, nor brother, nor aunts or uncles and most especially her Grandpa possessed any sort of spiritual ability.

That is, until she turned 16, of course. On that autumn day, while the sun had set in the far horizon wrapped in fire and the maple trees on the island of Okinawa had shed their ragged leaves the colour of sand, she had been attacked by a centipede youkai lady in the well house that resided to a side in her home.

Her wuss of a brother had been too scared to enter alone in search for their lost family pet, so he'd asked her to do it instead. Shrugging, she'd gone in calling the calico's name and cursing the void-like quality of the lighting in the shed. After much stomping, bumping, and fallings, Kagome`d raised her hands to the air, Buyo the Fat Cat tightly held between them. And there is when her life as she'd known it did a literal `poof´ and disappeared.

The well at her back had glowed yellow and silver, and from it's dusty depths a beautiful woman's head had emerged. Beautiful until one saw the rest of her. Half human and half centipede, the youkai lady had launched, two sets of arms outstretched towards the unsuspecting average high school student. Grabbing her in a fierce hug, she'd dragged Kagome down the well and into the watery essence of space-time while chanting something on the lines of "The Shikon...give me the Shikon Pearl, child!". The lady had wound one arm around her mid section and had scratched her tummy with long fingernails, poking, prodding, as if looking for something inside of her, making Kagome bleed.... and hurt like Hell! Screaming, Kagome had somehow disentangled herself from the vice like grip and had extended her arms towards the lady....

From there on, she wasn't sure what had happened exactly. She remembered closing her eyes tightly, feeling desperation and lack of understanding of the situation seize her, the environment as she knew it through visuals disappear.... and the world explode in colours. A tingle in the tips of her fingers, her arms outstretched -palms out- and power released in a single blast from her very soul to the approaching centipede youkai.

Kagome sighed and shook herself from the spell the memories had cast upon her to see where she was heading. Standing on the corner of Daio Street, she surmised that she was indeed heading in the right direction. Now, let's see... Four more blocks ahead until reaching the Miyamura Cafe, and then...ehmm...to the right until reaching the river bank of the Suruga and three more blocks ahead.

The street light turned green, and she crossed, lost in a throng of people.

Wait. Was it to the right of the Cafe or to `kaa-san`s right when she was explaining it to me?...

"Damn."

Stopping once again, she delved her hand in the pocket of her tartan skirt. She took out a piece of folded paper and unfolded it. Her mother, who always thought in everything, had drawn her a map so she wouldn't get lost. Like I always end up doing, she thought bitterly.

O...kay. Yep, it's to the Miyamura`s right, then river, then Five more blocks. Yep, ok, got it.

Putting the little map away again, she continued her trajectory.

Her mind began to dawdle off one more time...

It would be the biggest understatement of the century to say she'd been scared when she'd opened her eyes, back on that fateful autumn evening, to find a pair of crystal green ones staring fixedly at her. Her family cat, Buyo, had been lying on top of her chest, purring happily his damnably comfortable cat life away, as they both laid sprawled at the bottom of the well.

She had been dirty, her clothes askew, and her face the picture of the truly terrified. She'd also been covered in a green goo that she had distantly thought to be the youkai lady's remains.

Buyo`d looked at her and purred, it's eyes condescending and almost mocking, as if nothing had happened. Then, the voice of her brother at the other end of the well had reached her.

"Oy, onee-san, you alright?"

"Souta..." she whispered. Her throat had felt raw, as if she'd screamed her lungs out. The ripple of a thought had occurred to her then. You did.

"Did you fall down? Can you climb up? No? Ok, I'll get okaa and jii-chan to help." He scampered off, the quiet giggle he had tried to hold down, emerging from his throat.

Help had come and with little effort she'd been lifted up and driven inside the house. At the first glance of her goo-covered persona, Souta had laughed outright and remarked something about her having sneezed too much on the well's dust. Her mother had been shocked and asked if this was some sort of joke from her friends on account of being her birthday.

She hadn't been able to form a coherent thought for at least an hour...after which she had screamed and wailed with terrified liberty.

Much talking and thinking had ensued later. Theories were given, conclusions drawn, but it was only after her grandfather had brought a brownish, haggard-looking piece of kakemono he'd found laying around his dusty library shelves that the Truth was brought forth.

Apparently, Kagome was the first in over 100 years to show `any´ spiritual ability in her family line. How? By bursting into tiny green pieces the centipede protector of the well whom, when feeling her miko aura approaching had been quite eager to munch it...and her in the process.

Her power had been dormant until reaching her sixteenth's year, the age were most students of the holy arts became priests and priestesses in old times. Thus they had awakened and, as belonging to the descendant of the Shikon guardians, it had brought forth power craving creatures...such as the centipede lady back at the well house.

Now, as miko power did exist in her bloodline one more time -something she had hardly believed until then, and had assumed were only the vapid wishes of her grandpa's old mind-, Kagome was forced to accept her family legacy and became the Shrine's brand new priestess.

She reached the murky banks of the Suruga river. Many tables and outside games` sets were scattered on it. Already at noon time the place was filled by countless youths enjoying the somewhat cooler breeze coming from the ocean through the river.

Sighing, she kept on walking.

Ever since that day, her life had been...different. Between miko training, her responsibility for the Pearl, archery -"the traditional ability all priestesses of our lineage possessed, child!" her grandfather had dreamily said with misty eyes- homework, and trying to resurrect her rapidly decaying normal teenage life, two years had seemed to fly past her without saying goodbye.

Now as an adult and on the brink of finishing high school, she was quietly re-thinking her priorities. Perhaps some holidays might do, she mused. Yes.... somewhere far and warm. Like.... ehmm... .the Caribbean Islands or Fiji. Oh, soft white sand, the endless blue ocean and a cold drink with a little green coloured umbrella on it.... Perhaps a hot Caribbean waiter wearing only a pair of tight-fitting shorts, too. The day would be too hot to wear anything else, anyway.

Kagome groaned. She knew it was impossible. But dreaming is so easy... and addictive too.

But no, I mustn't! I have a responsibility to fulfill here. I am the Shrine's miko and must perform my given duties at all costs -not mentioning the fact that I'm the only one with any capacity to really exorcise a demon for miles, anyway.

Oh, but what I'd give for some time off. Just a couple of days on a distant beach...Me, some palm trees, the waves, a huge Mai Tai and hot waiter making a little hoopla dank-- Oh, I'm here.

Standing in front of the big, black glass edifice that was the city's Council Building, Kagome shook herself awake -though wearily- from her daydreaming. Taking a deep breath and fixing her blouse and skirt, she entered.

The glass doors opened automatically, allowing her passage to an enormous circular hall. The place was richly decorated in browns and blues. Sofas, low tables and chairs of mahogany laid in perfect order over a deep blue carpet that apparently covered the entire floor. The ceiling, Kagome noted with a gasp, was held far up, and in its circular surface the battle of the Bakumatsu no Douran was painted in all its bloody glory.

Dazedly, she stepped inside and walked towards the receptionist's desk that stood in the middle of the entrance hall.

"Konnichiwa," a petite woman of very short, raven black hair told her, through the brim of her glasses. She was typing fastly in a computer, and her focus barely strayed to Kagome.

"How may I help you?"

"Anou, konnichiwa. I'm Higurashi Kagome and I have an appointment with.... ehmm...." she blushed slightly.

Argh. I forgot his name.... so embarrassing! Why does this keeps on happening to me?!

Rapidly, she dug in her skirt's pocket for the map. On the top of the page, in her mother's neat handwriting, the kadous `Tatakai Yiu´ were written.

"Yes?" the woman urged, politely.

"Ah.... Tatakai Yiu-san. Yes, I have an appointment with Tatakai-san at 12."

"Hmm." The woman began to swiftly switch windows off, and with her mouse, opened new ones. "Let's see.... Ah, yes, Higurashi Kagome. Yes, Tatakai-sama is in a meeting at the moment, but you can wait for him in the Commodore Kawuro Room, 5th floor. That'd be.... four doors starting from the elevator, to your left."

"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu," Kagome bowed and moved towards the elevators. She pressed the button and as the doors parted, she got in.

The elevator was a cylindrical tube of glass and shiny metal, that allowed it's passengers to feast their eyes on the interior of the building and the outside surroundings at the same time.

My, governmental facilities are surely grand. Kagome chuckled but thought ruefully.

If I'd known this is where all the tax money was invested into, I wouldn't have complained so much about it.... Such decor is sure worth the citizens blood.

Soft music was playing, and the view of noon-life Tokyo made her smile. It may be over crowded, polluted and overbearingly human, but it was the city she knew....and couldn't help loving.

Inaudibly, the elevator stopped and the doors parted again. She stepped out to a long, blue carpeted corridor. To the right, the whole wall was a humongous window-pane, with a view to the sprawling city and the distant Tokyo Tower. To the left, brown doors, each with a golden tag signaling the name and office number.

Mmm.... Kanajo, no.... Itouchi.... no, no.... Aja! Commodore Kawuro of the Emperor's army.

Hm.... Each room is named after a captain or commander of the old armies. My, the interior decorator sure had a fetish for the past....

Quietly knocking, Kagome waited at the door.

A moment later, a young woman of clear brown eyes and hair opened and, smiling, said "Ah, konnichiwa. You must be Higurashi-san." Stepping to a side, she gestured Kagome to enter.

"Please come in. Tatakai-sama will be arriving shortly. I'm his personal assistant, my name is Kikuchi Yoko."

"A-arigatou, Kikuchi-san." Kagome bowed politely.

"Please have a seat."

The interior of the office continued the `dark colours of the Warring Eras´ theme. A long, deep black sofa stood to a side, in front of which was a mahogany low-table. In its middle was a neat crystal vase with fresh white tulips.

The woman motioned towards the sofa with a light hand gesture. As Kagome sat and fixed her skirt, the secretary asked "Would you like something to drink, Higurashi-san?"

"A glass of water would be fine, thank you."

"Very well," and the woman exited through a side door.

Kagome sighed, and reclined against the sofa.

She knew why she was here, or at least she had an inkling of why she was being required at the city Council of Tokyo.

Another case. This is the fifth in less than ten days....

Ever since her powers had shown themselves to the outside world, she had suddenly realized how many cases of rampaging supernatural....ness there was lying around! Many a time people had come to the shrine for serious cases of hauntings, exorcisms, hexings, etc. She had thought during the times her grandfather had taken care of this matters -and old man whose only incursion on Shinto priesthood had been, until this day, the indiscriminate sticking of wards around anything.... and anyone- that it was all a bit of `hocus-pocus´ really, or a prayer here and there, or something the like.

Oh, the grave mistakes of the unknowledgeable....

On her first case, where a little girl had been possessed by the spirit of her deceased sister, she had had to perform a series of high level spiritual `blessings´.

To say they hadn't gone well was to put it lightly.

Half the little girl's bedroom and the garden's oak tree that had stood near the window had been blown to pieces when she hadn't correctly calculated the aura needed to pour into the first step of the exorcism -the placing of the 16 ritual mamori around the body of the victim-, and she had overdone it.

Too much power had been wrongly channeled in the charms, and as the little papers hadn't been able to hold it, it had exploded, spreading all throughout the place like a tidal wave. Luckily, she'd reacted quite fastly, chanting a norito and erecting a simple barrier to protect herself and the child.

Three more priests from a neighboring Shrine had been summoned after the embarrassing episode. Between the four of them -majorly the three more experienced priests and Kagome´s sad attempts at helping-, the spirit had been fastly pinpointed as coming from a piece of white nuno the little girl had hid under her pillow. Apparently, it had belonged to her sister's death cloth, and she had secretly taken it as a keepsake of a sort from the funeral. The deceased's spirit had clung to it even after the parting's rituals and, slowly, had taken full control of the girl.

Once the spirit had been controlled and safely sent on her way with an amiable preemptive push and a soft scold, the attention of the other three monks had been directed entirely to her.

They had been flusterly outraged at her lack of control, lack of restrain and especially lack of brains to take up such a complicated task on such obviously untrained hands, without thinking once on the almost certain possibility that she might hurt the child!

At the time she had stood motionless, head bent, hands nervously clenching and unclenching... quietly wallowing in self-pity. She had acted rushedly, stupidly, and all because she'd thought that after having the devil's luck destroying a centipede lady and having taken some random classes on Shinto priesthood from her grandfather for three months, she'd be able to achieve anything.

In a few words, she had moronically taken for granted her miko powers.

And the price had almost been too high.

If anything had happened to that little girl...I don't know what I'd done with myself.

But, ever since that episode, she had intensified her work to more successfully tame her aura, and had practiced more. Experience makes you smarter.

It had been a tough lesson, but it had helped her see the reality behind what she didn't know of the spiritual world, and that, as a miko, she'd have to face whether she wanted it or not.

It was her assigned job to help anyone in need of it, and she was going to make it the best she could.

"Higurashi-san? Here you are," the smiling face of Kikuchi Yoko appeared through the haze of her daydreaming, one hand extended holding a glass of water.

Blinking a couple of times, Kagome smiled in return and grabbed the glass.

"Arigatou, Kikuchi-san."

The door through which Kagome had entered opened. A man of medium height and jet black hair came in, holding a briefcase and several manila folders in his arms. Yoko hurried towards him and bowed, welcoming him. Then she proceeded to help him with his burden.

"Doumo, Yoko-san," he said and groaned as he moved his shoulders in a slightly circular motion to ease the tension. "I thought I'd never reach the office."

"Aa, Tatakai-sama. You should've left the papers for me to handle..."

"Iie. It's alright."

He turned, and his eyes focused on Kagome, who had stood up and was quietly waiting for his acknowledgment.

"Ah, Higurashi Kagome from the Higurashi Shrine, I presume?"

Kagome nodded, and bowed slightly.

"Yes, I was expecting you. I must first apologize for making you wait, but... you see, a nasty little business popped up this morning...and the meeting could not be postponed."

"That's ok. No harm done."

"Very well, then, if you're so kind as to come with me, we'll discuss things in my office."

Tatakai gestured to a door on the right side. He walked to it and opened it. Inside there was a small and rather cozy room, largely taken up by a big mahogany desk filled to its brim in stacks of papers and folders.

"Ah...I apologize once again for the state of my desk, but we've been rather busy as of late," he said lightly.

Kagome smiled. "I understand," she simply replied.

"Please have a seat, Higurashi-san."

"Hai."

She sat in the blue chair that was directly facing the desk, while Tatakai sat on the one behind it.

"Ok...Well, as you must've already guessed, I have bid you to come today to ask for your help in the solving of a rather... urgent matter." He said distractedly, as he scanned fastly through several of the folders he had sprayed in front of him.

"Ah! Here we are," he said, extending a black folder to her. On the cover, the kanjis for "Jinja no Zojoji" and the chrysanthemum crest in gold lining stood up perfectly against its dark background.

Kagome looked at the Emperor's family and Shinto shrine crests, puzzled.

She opened the folder and skipped through the pages. A couple of pictures of the Zojoji Shrine, and also of several priests and priestesses she didn't know but easily recognized for their black and white garments as the Emperor's personal clergy, were stacked in.

"Ehmm....what's this?" she asked slowly.

"You see, Higurashi-san, a couple of weeks ago the Emperor's daisaiin, Kajiura-redi, fell into an inexplicable trance....and hasn't woken up still." Tatakai said with a grave voice. "All the other shoten and nai-shoten of the Emperor's Shrine had tried everything in their power to bring her back to consciousness, but nothing's worked thus far."

Tatakai stood up and walked to the window. His black eyes hazed slightly, as though fixed on something beyond the moment.

He seems awfully tired.... Kagome thought, as she looked upon the frowning wrinkles on his forehead, and the dark circles under his eyes. The minister position of a city like Tokyo must be exhausting.

"Both the Emperor and Empress are truly worried for the daisaiin`s safety, as all of us are, of course. Without Kajiura-redi commanding the Imperial clergy.... Kami! I shudder at the thought of what may become of the entire Koshitsu no Shinto." Tatakai muttered darkly.

Sighing, he continued.

"It is of primordial importance that the High Priestess is brought back to us....yet none had been able to reach her. Nevertheless...is it true, Higurashi-san, that you're the fabled Shikon Pearl's guardian?"

"Hai, I am. The Shikon no Tama has resided in my temple for over 500 years....or so my grandfather -the temple's current historian- claims."

"So, the Pearl really exists, eh...." Tatakai murmured without turning to face her. He seemed to be talking more to himself than her, and Kagome suddenly had the distinct suspicion of where exactly this conversation was heading.

"I am curious, Higurashi-san.... Please tell me, has the Pearl been used before? Have you ever seen its powers?"

"Iie. I'm afraid not. I haven't even had the honor to see the Tama itself, for it is rigorously protected at the main pagoda of my family's shrine, Tatakai-san." Kagome said evenly.

Yep, I know exactly where this is going....

"Ah, I see...." This time, though, he did turn around and his keen eyes focused squarely on her.

Taking a deep breath he said, "Higurashi-san, I must humbly ask you to please unveil the Shikon Pearl and use it to bring Kajiura-redi back to us."

Kagome instinctually flinched. I knew it.

His tone was hard and even, yet there was something in his eyes....Where before they had shone amiably, now a sort of steel-like glint appeared reflected on them.

Kagome opened her mouth to reply her negative, but he cut her off rapidly.

"Please," he continued, this time a pleading visage openly evident on his features. "You do not understand how important this matter truly is. If the High Priestess were to fall under such.... ambiguous circumstances, the Emperor's divine nature would be put to doubt and the groups that oppose his Highness` rule will take pleasure revolting! The city`d become a chaos! And the new Minister elections are barely a couple of months away.... The imperial system is already standing on clay feet, what with all the useless communistic and democratic ideas coming from the West and our young people being so foolishly prone to believe everything that comes sailing from the exterior without first remembering the importance of tradition and keeping one's national identity, without the foreigner's taint!"

By now, Tatakai Yiu was deeply flushed and out of breath. He had even pounded the desk a couple of times during strategic parts of his speech for emphasis.

"I....ehmm...." Kagome, on the other hand, was speechless.

Tatakai closed his eyes and sighed, apparently trying to regain some semblance of control. Then, he passed a slightly trembling hand through his brow.

"S-sumimasen, Higurashi-san. That was terribly rude of me and completely uncalled for." His eyes opened once again, and their earlier calmness seemed to have returned. "I hope you can forgive me." Then he sat down again....and promptly burst out laughing. "I seem to be apologizing to you quite oftenly this day, ne?"

Kagome blinked, baffled. My, he has more mood swings than a group of schoolgirls after a chocolate-induced fever....

"I-it's ok, Tatakai-san....I, ehmm.... I think I understand. But," here she looked down at her lap, where her hands lay over, entwined. "I'm sorry to say that, though I see the urgency behind your request, I cannot comply."

When she looked up at him again, her storm colored eyes were calmly impassive, the complete opposite of her inner turmoil.

She knew she had the civil obligation to do everything that was in her power to assist her distraught Emperor, yet she also had the duty to protect and secure the `untouched´ nature of the Pearl at all cost.

What to do? What to do?! I want to help, I really do....but to use the Pearl is....

No-no-no-no. Besides, it can only be used by someone with an unselfish wish for it to remain pure and not destroy everything into bloody tomorrow. But Tatakai-san`s wish is tainted in way. For though I'm sure he's worried for the daisaiin`s health, he's also doing this because he's being pressured....probably by the Emperor himself or someone from the higher levels, or whatever. No, I can't let him have it.

Argh.

Kagome shook her head.

How do I explain this to him without getting arrested for opposition of the law?!

"Tatakai-san, the-- the Tama is a dangerous object. Not even I am sure exactly what kind of force is contained within it. If it is used incorrectly, a greater tragedy than loosing the daisaiin may happen. I cannot give it to you, please understand." Kagome said firmly, and in the privacy of her head, she gave herself an appraising pat for her quick thinking.

Tatakai Yiu looked at her for a long time, as if measuring her words. Then he sighed.

"You do realize I could simply order you the hand it in, and have your entire household arrested for opposing a direct request from the Court, don't you?"

"H-hai. But still I would refuse....as am sure my family would, too."

Tatakai closed his eyes, and shook his head defeatedly as he murmured a quiet "I'm sure you would". Then he stood up and moved to the window again.

He remained in silence for a while, deeply thinking his next move.

"I give up," he finally said, looking outside at the summer's sun. "I knew it was a long shot asking for the fabled Pearl.... Many members of the clergy were outraged when I even suggested it, even refused to let it enter the Zojoji premises were I to attain it.... But, I had to give it a try." He stretched a hand and placed it over the window pane. "I do not know what to do with this case anymore," he muttered, and it was so soft that Kagome almost missed it.

Tatakai turned, then, and regarded the young woman sitting at his desk.

"I will not force you to give me the Pearl. I'm sure your....reticence is well founded."

"The Tama is legendary fabled for causing more troubles than those it fixes, than for its prowess," said Kagome, remembering her grandpa's stories.

"Indeed, I was aware of it. Yet, I had the hope that perhaps--But, it doesn't matter," Tatakai smiled slightly.

"It was very kind of you to come today over such a short notice, please, do no let me detain you any longer...."

"Wait! I-if you please, Tatakai-san," Kagome said hurriedly, casting her eyes downwards. "I.... ehmm.... I would like to help with whatever I can. Not with the Tama, of course, but, if you want, I could come over and see if something can be done. I'm not very experienced and my abilities can't be even remotely compared to those of the shoten, but....still...." Kagome mumbled, blushing pink.

God, I never know how to offer help with these things....There should be a manual that gave you some tips as to how to approach the matter without looking like a mumbling idiot....

Tatakai chuckled.

"You are a strange creature, Higurashi Kagome."

Kagome sweat dropped. Really, now? Come tell me about it....

"Y....es, I don't see why not. There's no harm in trying, they say. Plus, you are the Shikon`s protector, you must have some amazing abilities, ne?"

"Anou....that's not what I--" Kagome began, confused.

"It would be an honor to have you in the case, Higurashi-san."

"Ah....hai. Arigatou." Kagome mumbled, still shocked at the other's change of thoughts, and stood up. I better leave, `cause I swear if he changes moods one more time, I'll scream. "I better be off, then."

"Very well. Thank you very much for your help, and hopefully I'll see you at Zojoji...is tomorrow afternoon alright?"

"Hai, it's fine."

"Well, we'll be seeing again Higurashi-san."

"Sayounara, Tatakai-san," said Kagome. She bowed and, opening the door, left.

My God, what an inconstant man...her mind supplied as she bowed one more time to Kikuchi and headed outside to the elevators.

(***)

Meanwhile, a couple of blocks away, a white dog -only a black spot on his left ear marked any imperfection-of medium height sat mesmerized in front of a butchery, silently gaping at it's contents.

Suddenly, he felt an itch on the left cheek. `Must scratch.´ He sourly thought, cursing the bloody nuisance that fleas were on summer....

But also, next to the Tower of Tokyo, in a small nondescript shrine of ragged appearance, two boys discussed the prison that held locked the once powerful Lord of the West.

The place they were in had obviously been, a long long time ago, a traditional Buddhist Shrine of rather cozy proportions. With just the long stairs, a grim looking red torii and a main temple that was slowly falling to pieces, it looked as if abandonment had been the lest of what had happened to it.

Time and the inclement weather had taken its toll upon the poor woodwork and the once delicate masonry. Now everything was grubby and dark, green moss and grass covering almost completely the cobbled floor.

An orange and white tape surrounded this little shrine from the trees of the backyard to torii, to shrine and back to trees again; and to a side a small wooden sign proclaimed that it's once holy grounds would soon become a WacDonald's, for lack of funds to keep it.

Inside the main temple, through grayen wooden corridors and down half-crumbling stairs, two boys sat, one next to the other, throwing small pebbles and branches to what laid in front of them...

Which turned out to be three concentrically drawn circles of red rune-like kadous, upon which middle stood a monolithic stone from where several sets of silvery chains emerged.... that kept a demon tightly bound. Or at least Ae Deamon Sleepths here, Be aware! was what a small moss covered wooden sign to the right, read.

That noon, right after school, Hasode Mamoru, the eldest of the two boys -13 years old- had stumbled upon this holy hovel and, as he'd read the sign, he had snorted.

"Oh, p-lease," he had said derogatorily and confident, while his friend had stood behind him, grabbing his shirt between nervous finger and shaking, taking small peeks of the demon from the cover of Mamoru`s shoulders.

Mamoru snorted again, more loudly this time.

"As if that overgrown, obviously stuffed puppet would be dangerous. It's obviously there as part of a tourists attraction or something."

Then he had proceeded to throw a rock at it to show his intellectual superiority to that of the apparent looser who'd thought a rag doll would be scary, but the rock had suddenly stopped in mid-air and fallen inertly to the grown, without reaching it's target.

Frustrated, he'd thrown another...with the same result.

One after another he'd thrown things, but not one of the pebbles could pass the first of the drawn circles on the floor.

Mamoru`s best friend, Kawato Toshihiro -Toshi, for short; 12 and a half years old- had supplied the idea to throw something....bigger.

Mamoru, as the ambitious, implacable 6th grader he was, had smiled wolfishly and thrown the stone head of what once had been a small Buddha.

Again the head seemed to momentarily be held in the middle of nothing by an invisible barrier at the border of the first outermost circle, then fell lifelessly to the floor.

Now, four hours later, they both sat silently pondering the true source behind this apparent `invisible wall.´

"You know," Toshi said abruptly, as he distractedly threw another pebble....only to watch it stop and fall. "I once saw in.... ehmm....in one of those American comics.... ehmm.... I think it was the Great Fours or something, and....is like they were four guys, y`know? And like there was a woman that could.... ehmm....like use her invisible powers to make shields and everything with just thinking it. Maybe....maybe this is like that?" He explained this all with great hand gestures and onomatopoeic sounds...for his friend to better understand.

"The cartoon you're talking about`s called The Fantastic Four.... and no, I don't think the Invisible Woman is behind this," his partner replied, drawing his knees up and glaring at the still form of the demon.

"I think," and here Mamoru made a pause for dramatic effect. "I think that that thing is the one behind the barrier." He said and pointed in the demon's general direction.

"The d-dae-diem--diemo--?"

"DEMON, you ass! Don't read the sign, it's written in old kanji."

"Uhmm.... but didn't you say the de-demon was a dolly?" Toshi asked in a squeaky voice, uncertainly eyeing at their topic of conversation.

"Well, yeah! of course it is! Duh! But...oh, I don't know.... What's up with all that loony writings on the floor and creepy statues lying all around, anyway? And look," he stood up, and approached the demon as far as he could go without touching the barrier. "Look at that. It's all covered in wards and paper." He circled the still, kneeling figure.

"Mou! `Moru....don't go near, it's dangerous!"

Mamoru squinted his eyes at the demon and bent slightly forward.

"The only thing you can see are his eyes, the rest's covered...." he muttered sourly.

Indeed, the prone figure was chained and circled by countless wards and charms....apparently to prevent it's movements. The only thing visible were it's hair -that was so long it pooled about him-, and one slanted, closed eye.

"Tsk. I wish we could get to it.... ne, Toshi?"

"Mmm.... I-I don't know, `Moru. They must've locked him for something, right?" Toshi said uncertainly. "What if it's really really a demon and it eats us?! Or-or what if it's a walking curse from the Gods?! I heard `kaa-san once say that walking c--"

"Oh, p-lease. Don't be such a wuss. It's only a puppet. No one can live prancing about with that hair anyway, not even a girl. And curses are ugly." Mamoru said knowledgeably.

"You know, those five little Buddha statues near the circle look....suspicious. Maybe they're the ones holding the barrier, ne?" Mamoru continued and circled said statues -that stood reaching barely to his waist-, right hand scratching his chin in thought.

Then he stopped and poked one with a finger.

No barrier protected it.

"Mamoru....wh-what are you doing? I don't th-think that's a--"

Grabbing it with both hands, Mamoru pushed. The little Buddha fell backwards and cracked with a dry sound against the floor.

Mamoru smiled and turned to his friend.

"Cool! Yo, Toshi, try throwing a rock now!"

"You broke a B-Buddha! Now what if it--"

"Come on, baka! Throw the damn rock!"

" Mou, `Moru.... I don't--" Toshi wailed.

Behind them, no sooner had the statue fallen, that the outermost circle of written kadous began...waning, and slowly disappeared in a puff of blood-coloured smoke. It rose gently in light, hazy rivulets and....vanished. Only the two inner circles remained.

Mamoru, oblivious, crossed his arms.

"Argh! Do I have to be the one to always do EVERYTHING?!" Stomping back a few steps, Mamoru bent down and picked up a piece of the temple's masonry. Then he turned and, aiming, threw.

The projectile flew through the air like a comet, reached the external barrier.... and passed....

Mamoru cheered.

Toshihiro gasped.

....until it reached the second circle where it stopped, stood still....and fell languidly to the ground.

Mamoru groaned.

Toshi sweat dropped.

"Damn! it was so close!"

"Ne, Mamoru.... I think you shouldn't have done that--"

"Oh, shut up!" Mamoru rasped, stomping towards the entrance. Collecting his discarded backpack in a furious whim, he said "I'm out of here, this place sucks, anyway!" Without turning, he continued over his shoulder. "Come on, you baka! Let's go. My `tou-san`ll be worried."

"Mou, wait for me, `Moru!" Toshi hurriedly stood and, wiping dirt off his shorts, ran after the already out-of-the-shrine Mamoru.

Their steps and bickering voices faded slowly through the gnawed corridors. The shrine fell silent again.

Outside, the trees` foliage swayed gently in the warm, summer's breeze embrace.

The white dog with the black spot on his left ear now laid curled up under a parked car, still a couple of blocks away. He had been fed some cookies by a girl in the Tome Square, so now, content, he rested under the cool shade of the car.

His black spotted ear suddenly twitched as it caught the faint buzz of an unknown power.

His right ear twitched, too. A flea had inaudibly bitten into it. `Must scratch,´ he thought....and cursed the nuisance of fleas in summer again.

Back in the old shrine, the demon that stood trapped behind 1001 sealing wards regained consciousness.

This demon that once in Sengoku Jidai had ruled as the Lord of the West, cracked one eye open after three hundred years of imprisonment.

And smiled.

(***)

Glossary of Japanese words: (in order of apparition)

Hajimaru : beginning, dawning.

Shufu : housewife

Midoriko-redi : Lady Midoriko

Chihaya : white long-sleeved top worn by a shinto miko.

Onmyo-ji : mediums, exorcists. Any priest/priestess with the ability to manipulate his/her

powers to help others.

Kami-dana : ("Shelf of Gods") an altar with central place in temples and homes of believers.

A mirror is placed in it's center and Gods are thus connected to Earth through

them.

Mononoke : spirit of the woods.

Bakumatsu no Douran : the battles brought forth throughout all of Japan by the end of the

Shogun's leadership.

Doumo arigatou gozaimasu : thank you very much.

Mamori : charms used as aid in healing and protection, both from real sickness or spiritual

ones. They have many forms and purposes.

Norito : a prayer. It is a Shinto custom for the high official of the shrine (in this case,

Kagome)to pray to the God when power is being invoked, thus they're blessed and

protected.

Nuno : a piece of cloth.

Doumo : thanks.

Jinja no Zojoji : lit. The Zojoji Shrine (The Emperor's Shrine).

Daisaiin : Grand High Priestess of the Emperor.

Shoten : male clergy.

Nai-shoten : female clergy.

Koshitsu no Shinto : the Shinto of the Imperial House.

Torii : wooden gate standing at the entrance of shrines. It is the special gateway for the

Gods. It marks the world between the finite one (living) and infinite one (dead).

Kadous : Japanese symbols (hiragana, katakana, kanji, romanji).

C.o.m.t.e.s.s.a:::::