Revised as of 2/13/2008.

Pairings: Inuyasha/Kagome, Sango/Miroku

Rating: PG-13/T

Warnings: Some violence, angst, and bad language

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and I never will. This is for non-profit entertainment purposes only.

A/N: This is the revised version. If anyone wants the original, just let me know… I'd be more than willing to send it to you, although I'm not sure why anyone would want it. I hope everyone likes this version much better, but if you didn't… well, that's why I'm willing to let the original stay available to those who want it. It took me at least five false starts to finally get it out how I wanted it, and finally, it is done. It may seem like I finished this quickly, but the truth is, I've been trying to revise for ages now, and I've finally got it the way I wanted it. I hope you enjoyed this and the rest of the story.

Happy reading!

DIVINE ASPIRATION: PROLOGUE

Depression and guilt clung to him in thick, unrelenting waves.

It went beyond just simple sadness—it was molded into the very recesses of his soul, dipped deep down into the very fabric of his existence.

The Entity felt it with just as much empathy as she felt other people's pain; it was horrible and difficult to endure, but just as with others, she shouldered the burden, the pain, the suffering. She felt what he felt, allowed the guilt to torture her as it tortured him, and even with the nightmares that filtered into her mind—horrible nightmares, bloody nightmares, dangerous nightmares—she would continue to share his pain, just as she felt the pain of thousands of others.

It was just a tiny pinprick in the overall scale of things; so many other people suffered just as vividly as he did, but the more she suffered the pain alongside of him, the more unbearable it became. It weighed down her heart, floundered about inside of her, strong and hot and heavy, and when she finally allowed his latest nightmare to manifest, it clung to the vestiges of her sleep-conscious mind, vicious and unrelenting.

Slowly the Entity rose from the luminescent patch of sunflowers, shielding her eyes against the brightness of the sun. Positive emotion swirled about her in an attempt to comfort—she let it nestle against her, cradled it as a mother would cradle her child. The pain was still there, yet it had dulled. She felt it thrum against her ribcage, but it was so insubstantial, almost non-existent…

The wet scent of wispy clouds clung to her incorporeal form, and the Entity moved through the Sanctuary. There were others there, others that felt just as effortlessly as she did, but they did not acknowledge her. There was hardly any acknowledgement here, hardly any interactions—Entities held their burdens aloft on their own.

They were the only ones with the strength to.

Quietly, the Entity entered the Task chamber and moved towards the giant basin; it was lined with metal, bright and silver and the liquid within swirled beautifully. She could feel it pulling at her latent powers, calling to her, and the faces of so many swirled before her, flashed in her minds eye. There was so many different emotions—happiness, despair, revulsion, hate, terror, stolidity… emotion after emotion piled up on her, weighed her down, and it was only the force of her will that kept the Entity moving, kept her from falling over and crying out in all-consuming pain.

The clouds swirled around her, touched her gently, and she could feel the calm serenity enveloping her… she was used to pain, used to the devastation around her… she could handle it so well…

Her clear crystalline reflection peered back at her as she gazed into unclouded liquid. Her fingers dipped into the water, causing ripples to mar the surface, and once again she cradled the feelings of happiness to her, thrived off of them.

His face appeared on the surface effortlessly—long silver hair, haunting amber eyes. His mouth turned down into a scowl, and for one brief moment, a look of uncertainty flashed across his face before being snuffed out completely.

The Entity watched as he lay in the stillness of his own room, the darkness permeating the sweat-scented air. He stared at nothing in particular, as though waiting…

"He needs an Angel."

The clouds surged forward frantically, pleased with her words, with the decision she was going to make.

Finding one, however, was another matter entirely.

She sensed the message in the air; it curled around her like the warm scent of buttermilk, soothing, relaxing, and so wonderful…

More faces flashed before her, each beautiful and ethereal and happy, but none fitted. She sensed it in their pasts, in the way they allowed the happiness to be cradled to them, refusing to let it go. Angels with Wings were just as well, but his image seemed to repel them as soon as they started to merge with one another—he was hurting, so horribly, but none of them would do, none of them could heal, none of them could—

And then she appeared.

The Entity watched with fascination as the fledgling Angel's face shimmered into the surface of the liquid and stuck fastidiously.

She was so unassuming, yet so incredibly vibrant. She held herself with confidence, but the Entity could see the way the currents of happiness struggled to cling to her body, to the Angel's very existence. Flashes of memory clung to the Entities expansive mind, and she felt horrors dig trenches in her heart. She saw the Angel's life—the simplicity it held. There was childish exuberance there, but sadness as well.

The Angel had experienced grief at such a young age—then there was anger, concern, worry; love enshrouded the Angel with the blue-black hair and gray-blue eyes. The Entity smiled gently, allowed the scent of sun-warmed sunflowers to tickle her nose.

There was so much compassion, so much sincerity in the young Angel; hate was something which she could feel just as easily as anyone else, but no immediate judgment was ever passed. The Angel loved people, loved life, and although she was content in the Heavens, the Entity could sense that she wasn't truly happy. The Angel yearned for her Wings, yearned for the chance to make a difference, and when the Entity saw her image merge with his so seamlessly…

The guilt erupted.

The Entity sensed it as clearly as she had sensed her own despair. It clung to her thickly, unrelentingly, and the sadness pierced her heart like a poison-tipped arrow. It clawed and scratched and clung and made it so hard to breathe…

The tears were unavoidable, and as the glinting silver blade slid cleanly from tender flesh… the world flashed red, and then the Entity sat sobbing, hating the pain, wishing it were anywhere else but there, ravaging her heart. The tears slid easily down her ethereal face, and her throat closed up in desperation.

"No," she murmured, even as the currents sought to comfort her. "I can not. I can not choose her. I can't!"

You must, the currents consoled, and the Entity let out another harsh sob before curling in on herself.

The images had merged; there was no other choice.

The Entity knew this just as she knew her true name--Midoriko--and though it ripped at her heart, made her shudder and gasp in a pain that was entirely her own, she knew that she couldn't change it. He was the Task, and she was his Angel. The laws were unbreakable.

Heart heavy with remorse, the Entity lifted her hands. The message was written in the air, unfurled slowly from around her fingers, and the clouds wrapped around her once more, seeking to comfort her.

But the Entity could not forgive herself. She was nothing like the young girl with the blue-black hair and the startingly gray-blue eyes.

The Angel was perfect, and she was not.

The message fluttered down on the tail end of the procession, and the Angel tucked her hair back behind her ear as the wind continued to blow through the air, ruffling Angels and Winged-Ones alike.

She held the message by the edges, gazed at the warm summons stolidly, and then the smile broke out across her face, bright and happy and beautiful.

Other Angels gazed at her curiously, but the Winged-Ones hardly paid her any mind. It was normal for Angels to receive messages from Entities; it didn't happen every day, but it happened enough. The girl slid off her swing and waved to the small child that had sat beside her, wanting companionship. The little boy with his bright green eyes and soft red hair waved back enthusiastically, and before the Angel realized it, the currents were lifting her up on the crest of clouds, transporting her over sunflowers, grass, lakes, and meadows.

The Sanctuary hung in the shadow of the horizon—it was beautiful with it's sun splashed towers and curling silver gates. Clouds swirled around it unrelentingly, but it only added to the beauty of the scene; every Angel dreamed of being summoned to the Sanctuary, dreamed of being called there to learn their Task… to gain their wings.

Joy and pleasure rose up within her, a cacophony of loud emotions, and when her fingers touched the gates, they melted away effortlessly like liquid, hot and thick.

Entities swarmed around her, and the Angel gazed about in curiosity before the clouds urged her forward; the desperation in their push was hard not to notice… move faster, they seemed to say, tugging at her impatiently.

Huffing slightly, warmth spread at her fingertips, attempting to snuff out the irritation, but the Angel felt it burrow deep within her, flickering like a candle in the wind.

If there was one thing that set her apart from other Angels, it was her ability to feel. Her feelings were complex, unavoidable, and the only other Angel she had seen feel as strongly as she did was the little boy with the red hair and the green eyes—Shippou, that was the name he had given her when they first met, and though the Angel felt affection towards him, she was frequently found by herself, thinking and feeling and dreaming.

She dreamt just as she breathed, and although she didn't really need to breathe, it was a habit that she just couldn't quite shake. She remembered breathing like she remembered chocolate parfaits and strawberry shortcake; it had melded to her so seamlessly, but even so, she missed the gentle touch of her mother smoothing back her hair when she woke up crying from nightmares, or the way her grandfather was always tellings her legends and ancient fairytales… even the way her brother would cry after being bullied, and the warmth that enveloped her whenever he allowed her to mother him…

She could remember, quite effortlessly, the way he curled against her after she had cleaned up his cuts and scratches, thanking her profusely, glad that he had a sister that was so understanding…

Sadness froze her, but the currents pushed it away, and the Angel cradled the pleasant thrum of happiness to her, needing it more than anything.

The clouds responded in kind; they flittered about her joyously, teasingly, and even as the Angel entered the Task room, she couldn't keep from smiling.

"You know what you must do."

The Angel started nervously; she whirled around, her eyes wide as she took in the form of the incorporeal Entity, tall and beautiful and stately. The Angel's mouth dropped open soundlessly, and she stared at the elegance, at the radiance that seemed to shine softly as the Entity emerged from a patch of sunflowers.

The message in the Angel's hand struggled—she released it in shock, the warmth giving way to a cold, chilling reality. The Angel watched in mild curiosity as it returned to the Entity, melting against her body.

Throat tight and incredibly nervous, the Angel nodded and turned… the pool sparkled at her innocently, and the Angel took a cautious step forward, her hand extended, wanting to feel the cool liquid against her fingers.

She knelt and glanced back—the Entity was watching her with a gentle expression, her brown eyes dark and observant. The Angel felt naked, vulnerable, and she could feel the skin of her back twitch convulsively… the nervousness seemed to permeate her skin, seep from every pore…

"Kagome," said the Entity gently, moving forward. Her pale fingers threaded through the long hair, and the Angel—Kagome—settled almost instantly, her eyes fluttering shut in comfort. It was just like her mother, so warm and consoling and comforting. She leaned into the Entity, allowing the soft warmth to envelope her, and for the briefest of moments, Kagome could taste the sun-warmed sunflowers on her tongue, could sense the slightest tremors in the air—

(griefdespairremorseforgivemepleaseforgiveme)

—and then it was gone, washed away as the Entity leaned forward and dipped Kagome's hand effortlessly into the silver pool.

Kagome watched in wide-eyed wonder as the pool rippled, swirled, and faces… so many faces… flashed against the surface. Each one was indistinct, blurry, but Kagome strained to catch them all anyways, even as the Entity whispered reprovingly in her ear.

"That is not for you to see, Angel," the Entity chastised as Kagome tried to dig her fingers into an image—wavy black hair, red eyes… so wicked, so malicious—

"Sorry," the Angel murmured, and the comforting warmth gripped her tightly once more.

The images continued to go by quickly, one after another after another and then—

It stopped.

The image was clear, distinct.

Kagome gazed at the image closely—silver hair, amber eyes, rough countenance—it was so odd, so mesmerizing… there was a jolt of surprise and the slight feeling of pain… but then it was gone, and the Entity was wrapping her arms around the Angel again, holding her gently.

"Forgive me, my Angel," the Entity said quietly, running her fingers through Kagome's hair once again. "For I do not think I will be able to forgive myself. This Task… your Task… it will be beyond difficult, and I am afraid for you."

Kagome gazed at the Entity in worry, but the Entity reached up a hand and smoothed out the frown lines between her eyebrows, just like Kagome's mother used to do. The familiarity shocked Kagome, comforted her, but still, she fidgeted uncertainly.

"But please do not worry," the Entity replied, releasing her as she stepped back. The winds swirled around the Angel, and the clouds clung to her. She could feel the ground disappearing beneath her feet, could feel herself being held up by an invisible force…

"My Lady," Kagome whispered, but the Entity trailed a warm hand across her cheek.

"You would not have been chosen for this if you did not have the power to complete this task. Find your Task, and do what you must. Grant him is every wish… please, bring him one step closer to happiness… try to save him from his grief, his despair." The Entity smiled gently, and her hand dropped. The sadness echoed through the brown eyes, striking Kagome to the core.

"I hope with everything I am that you succeed." The currents responded to the compassion in the Angel's eyes, and the Entity smiled again, pleased.

The winds surged again, impatient and eager for the Angel to make her descent, and the Entity stepped back.

The Sanctuary disappeared, and Kagome could feel the world flashing around her, quick and nauseating and difficult to stand—

But then her non-existent heart starting beating frantically and Kagome closed her eyes, relishing the feeling of the wind rushing through her air, curling around her so comfortingly…

It was quiet, almost non-existent as it reached her ears, but the Angel felt it down to her bone marrow, swift and sure and so wonderful…

You really are the perfect Angel.

Kagome smiled warmly as she descended to the Earth... to her Task... to life.