MIRRORED PASTS

By Priestess Skye

In response to a challenge issued by Jay FicLover: Possessed by Two Past Lovers on A Single Spark. To Jay FicLover, I don't know if you wanted the name of the fic as Possessed by Two Past Lovers, but I like shorter titles for my fics…just a personal preference, which is why I also included your challenge name in this A/N. Thank you for issuing this challenge, I was quite taken and inspired with the idea and I hope I do it justice.

Summary: Two past lovers, two present enemies. What happens when fate plays a role in their adventures? Kagome and Sesshoumaru become possessed by the souls of two past lovers who are determined to have a second chance.

Prologue

9, 842 BC

Ancient Japan

Jomon Period

He watched the tribe of humans as they made their way to the river to bathe, and to collect suitable drinking water. They were primitive folk, settling in one place until the food ran shy, and they were forced to move on. They were on the move again, searching out their third home in the past twelve moons. There was no rain this year, causing hardship for anybody who intended on staying in one place. Where there was no water, there was no food. He knew from experience that animals would not forage where there was no plant life. And those that ate the plant eating animals would not hunt where there were no plant eating animals. It was part of the grand circle, and he himself, despite his status, was a part of it. He followed the animals, knowing that they were the key to his survival.

He knew that many wouldn't survive much longer with the winter coming in another few moons. He had observed several bands of humans as they collected what little food they could and tried to store it. He watched as some of the women filled leather sacks full of water so they wouldn't find thirst upon their travels. He watched as more of the women salted strips of bearmeat and laid them out in the sun to dry. They had done this on their last three stops during the past few days. The process itself took a while. Some of the men had gone off hunting, hoping to find a rabbit, or possibly some fish for dinner. They had a tribe to provide for. Others walked further downstream and decided it was time to cleanse themselves. To be truthful, he was thankful for it. They smelled. Every single one of them smelled of dirt and sweat, which couldn't be helped as they spent long hours on the road.

This particular band of humans had been in his sight for years, and while he should have walked away when he first discovered them, he didn't, he couldn't. A demon of his status should have found them beneath his notice, he shouldn't have given them more than a passing glance. After all, why would he be interested in a small band of humans when he had to ensure the survival of his own kind. If he kept this up, he would surely be overthrown, but most times he couldn't help himself.

Sure he would go and patrol his borders, as a Taiyoukai, it was his duty, and his honour to be able to. He would reign in the renegade demons and ensure order among everybody. These humans were so primitive and could learn much if they followed his example. Instead, they worked themselves to death for such small rewards.

Yet there was one who fascinated him beyond measure, one who occupied his thoughts by day, and his dreams by night. His obsession.

His love…

Mokuren.

The human priestess traveling with the band in front of him. For years he kept tabs on this band just for her. First, out of curiosity he told himself. He had seen her from afar and noticed she was different from the other humans. He was merely curious as to how different she was.

Then out of honour, he decided. She had helped him when she was younger, and he felt honour bound to repay the decency. He did it in the form of protection, as it was something he could offer better than anybody else out there. The human world was a dangerous one, with the various bands and tribes constantly at war with each other over territory and food. This band was not immune to these wars as he learned over the years. Several times he has had to step in and rescue his priestess from peril. While other men had died, families had been butchered and food stashes raided, he kept his priestess safe, and watched as she worked to help her people heal.

She was truly remarkable.

He spied her now, leaving the side of a pregnant tribeswoman to bathe on her own, away from the prying eyes of the tribesmen. Being the holy woman she was, it was a crime to set your eyes upon her naked form. However, unlike the other men, he was allowed that privilege, and left his post to follow her.

Behind the bushes he watched as she slipped the white wolf furs off her body and bared her back to him. A better demon would have been able to resist the temptation, he could not and he stepped out of the bushes to make his presence known to her.

"Shion!" she blushed and ran to him, forgetting her current near nakedness. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close and inhaling the sweet scent that could only belong to her. He allowed himself the luxury of finding the tie that held her hair in a braid and loosening it, allowing the wavy strands to fall free down her back. It was softer than he could ever imagine, and he took every opportunity he could to run his fingers through it.

"Mokuren," he breathed, pulling her tighter to him. The moments between them these days were few and far between as her tribes people seemed to require her services more than ever.

Over the past few moons several of the women in the tribe had become pregnant and required the Priestess' service, either with her healing ways, or to bless them and their future child. Occasionally she would be called upon to ward away the evil spirits around the different homes or perform a death ceremony after a war.

However, lately her talents have been called in a different use. The people wanted rain and she was being asked to pray to the gods with all her might to bring it forth. At one point they had asked her to fast and meditate for three days in an attempt to appease the gods. He nearly slaughtered the group for even suggesting she do such a thing.

However, the kindness in her heart forced her to follow their wishes, and he watched in quiet desperation, ready to act at any moment if need be, as she fasted in an open field. It was experience he didn't want to repeat.

"Come with me," he whispered to her. As he always whispered to her whenever they would meet up.

"I can't," she replied sadly. "My people need me."

"I need you more."

Mokuren rested her brow on his chest, snuggling into the warm fur clothing him. As the great Inu Taikyoukai, he of all people should understand that duty comes before all else, but every time he asked her to run away with him, her resolve would break just a little bit more. One of these days he was going to ask and she would run with him, forsaking her destiny.

And she knew that would cause problems.

Their future together was cursed. She saw this during her mediation once, but never had the heart to tell him. She pulled away from him a moment to look up at him, taking in his jet black hair and eyes, silvery like the moon, and the navy markings on his cheeks. Her Shion, impossibly loyal, as well as impossibly stubborn. While he believed in her, he refused to believe her in this.

But still, she couldn't bring herself to leave him, to part ways forever. Just like he, she needed him. More than she could admit to herself.

"You have your life to live, your destiny to fulfill. I have mine," she said, knowing that he wouldn't listen, taking comfort in knowing that he wouldn't leave.

"We can run together. You mean more to me than my lands, my people."

"Don't say that," she whispered.

"I mean it," he replied.

"I know you do." She turned in his arms and pulled him tighter.

"Stay with me?" he asked.

"For a few minutes." They were lost, she realized, as a sense of forboding came over her. They were about to meet their destiny, and there was nothing either could do about it. Shion, her beloved Shion would fight and destroy everything just to protect her, but she couldn't let that happen. She was a priestess, a miko, and it was her job to heal, not to destroy.

She didn't say a word as legions of demons and humans alike tore through the bushes and found them.

She held him tight to her, in an effort to keep him calm and controlled, as the others shouted obscenities.

Monster.

Whore.

Demon.

Filth.

Tainted.

Dirty.

A priestess was to remain pure, she's no longer worthy of the title with a beast like him on her arm.

Silently the tears poured down her face. The names directed at her she could ignore, would ignore, but it hurt to hear them call her beloved such things.

She pressed herself against him even more, accepting their fate as it was to be, and she died happily, despite the pain of the arrow through both their hearts, knowing that her Shion was with her.

Somewhere in the night, two silvery threads of light made their way through the sky, searching for their final resting place. Aizen-Myoo watched as they wandered aimlessly, his heart going out to the two star-crossed lovers, and taking pity on them. He reached out and caught the two threads of light and placed them in a mirror, one in one side, one in the other, sealing them together until such a time that they could be released.

Together, yet still apart.

He knew they would view it as a curse, but it was the only way to give them a second chance at love.

And he knew that time would eventually allow their souls to be free to finish what they had started long ago

Author's Notes:

Hey guys, there's a few more notes here, so please bear with me.

There are going to be numerous more references to Shion and Mokuren throughout the story. To avoid any confusion, the two existed during the Jomon Period of Japan. Japan was pretty much non-existent then except as an island where people lived. Those living there were primarily hunters-gatherers, which means they were nomadic, and didn't farm. They hunted their food, or they foraged the forests. There were no fine silks then, they wore the skins of their kill. Now I tried to make the demons a little bit more advanced, but they wouldn't be that much more. Armor is made of bone and rock, weapons are made of wood, bone and rock, no swords made of steel and the like. Now a female religious head probably didn't exist back then, but for the sake of the story, she did in this one tribe.

The mention of Aizen-Myoo, he is the Japanese God of Love. At least that's what my little bit of research has pulled up, so I'm hoping it's correct.

Shion himself is a Taiyoukai, yes he's a dog demon, but no, he's not related to Sesshoumaru, or a past descendent. Not directly anyway. Keep in mind that he was killed before he could have kids.

Now this will be a Sess/Kag fic. I have written fics with all sorts of pairings, Inu/Kag, Sess/Rin, but I have fallen in love with the Sess/Kag pairing. I think it's the good girl in me loving the bad boy.

Standard disclaimer applies to this fic. Inuyasha et. Al do not belong to me. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, and I thank her for creating such wonderful characters. They shall be returned to her upon the completion of this fic unharmed. The characters of Mokuren and Shion belong to both myself and Jay FicLover. I say both of us because Jay FicLover created the characters of both, but it was myself that developed them.

Lastly, I hope you all enjoy the story as it unfolds. This is my first canon fic, everything else I've written or am currently writing is alternate universe. I hope you approve. Please review and tell me your opinion. I love constructive criticism, but I hate flames, so if you have nothing nice to say about it at all, then please don't say anything at all. But if you have some helpful suggestions, please feel free to say something. Some of you will notice that some of my words are spelled differently. I am Canadian and am using Canadian spelling throughout. So you'll see 'colour' instead of 'color' and so on and so forth. I like to mention this simply because in the previous fandom in which I wrote, I received a horrible flame from somebody telling me I couldn't spell, and all of the words cited were spelled properly, just properly Canadian wise.

Enjoy the story!

-Priestess Skye