Another story! I just cannot resist!

Summary: The battle with Naraku has worsened. The only thing keeping Naraku back is Kikyou; but Kikyou is weakening. Now, they must find the reincarnation of Miko Midoriko in order to defeat Naraku. But who is Midoriko's reincarnation? Is it Kagome, whose spiritual powers are so similar to Midoriko's? Is it Sango whom Kirara, Midoriko's beloved companion, trusts the most? Or is it the new girl from America?

I do not own the show! But how I wish I did!

Chapter one: Kikyou's Revelation

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Kagome Higurashi watched in horror as Inuyasha was pinned to the ground by Naraku's tentacles. Naraku was chuckling evilly; a manic glint in his eyes. The young miko was faring no better than her companions, Sango and Miroku, who had both received cuts and bruises from Naraku. Shippou was unconscious while he was lying on the ground.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted. She notched an arrow to her bow and released it; the arrow sped towards Naraku. It was useless due to the barrier that Naraku had created.

A white blur charged at Naraku's barrier; Sesshoumaru, too, proved useless when it came to dealing with barriers. Sesshoumaru himself looked tired and exhausted although is stoic face didn't show it. The sleeves of his haori were torn and the spiked armor at his chest was destroyed.

Even Sesshoumaru can do nothing against him! Kagome thought.

Naraku laughed at them. "Sesshoumaru-sama…you should thank me; I'm about to obliterate the stain on your bloodline."

Inuayasha tried clawing Naraku with his claws but to no avail; the inu hanyou was tired and beat.

Naraku laughed. "All of you shall perish on this battlefield…Inuyasha, you're first!" So saying, he plunged a tentacle at Inuyasha; the hanyou gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

Sesshoumaru stared as Naraku's tentacles plunged towards Inuyasha. Suddenly, his delicate ears picked up the sound of an arrow being released from the string; at first he thought that it was Kagome and in his opinion, her arrow would be useless since it was weak…

This arrow was different.

It had come out of the forest, it was alight with strong spiritual power; it was not Kagome's. Sesshoumaru watched as the arrow sped unerringly towards Naraku's barrier. The hanyou's tentacles had stopped and he turned his attention away from Inuyasha towards the arrow headed towards him. Naraku's eyes widened as the arrow easily destroyed his barrier as if it were made of spider webs…

Light flashed as the arrow made contact with the barrier. The light intensified and Naraku was obliged to let go of Inuyasha. Inuyasha quickl scrambled to his feet and picked up his fallen Tessaiga. He looked up as did his companions and his brother. The light slowly faded away and Kikyou was standing before Naraku, her hair blowing softly in the breeze.

Sesshoumaru eyed the priestess Kikyou; among all priestesses, she was the only one whom he had acknowledged as strong and tonight, she certainly proved that she was.

"Kikyou," Naraku said; he was hovering in the air without his barrier. "Come to join your own funeral?"

"Naraku…We both know whose funeral this is," the priestess replied calmly as she notched another arrow to her bow. Sango and Miroku watched with baited breath as Kikyou pointed her bow towards Naraku.

Kagome looked at Kikyou then at Inuyasha. The hanyou was throwing furtive glances at Naraku then at Kikyou. Kagome knew that he wanted to protect Kikyou…but right now, it seemed as if Kikyou was the one doing the protecting…

"Die!" Kikyou released her arrow and it sped towards Naraku. As the light faded away, the only thing that remained of Naraku was his face in his barrier.

"Curse you…Kikyou!" Naraku vanished in a cloud of miasma. There was stillness in the clearing which was broken only by Sesshoumaru as the demon lord took his leave.

Kikyou suddenly swayed. The priestess dropped her bow and arrows as she fell to the ground. Inuyasha quickly caught her and Kagome told herself that now was not the time for one of her little episodes.

"Kikyou," Inuyasha said. "Are you alright?"

Sango and Miroku glanced automatically at Kagome; the young priestess's face showed no emotion and Sango wondered is she had decided to clone Sesshoumaru's attitude.

"I am fine, Inuyasha," Kikyou said in a soft voice. She carefully stood up but fell back into Inuyasha's arms.

"There's something wrong with you," the hanyou insisted.

Kikyou looked up at him, her eyes almost as expressionless as Sesshoumaru's. "Can you not smell it…Inuyasha…?" Kikyou asked. There was a funny tone in her voice that made Kagome forget her stupor.

"Smell what?" the hanyou asked, slightly perplexed.

There was now a funny look in Kikyou's eyes…a look that almost made her look manic. "Can you not smell that I am…deteriorating…?"

There was a silence in the clearing; a silence that chilled the bone as Kikyou said her words. "What do you mean 'deteriorating'?" Inuayasha finally asked as Kikyou leaned against his bended knee.

The undead priestess looked up at the sky; the stars seemed to grow dimmer for her. "Do you remember when Naraku tried to kill me at Mt. Hakurei?" Kikyou asked.

Inuyasha looked at her. "Of course…Kagome purified the miasma that was eating you away."

Kikyou stared at Kagome who quickly looked down at the ground. "True," Kikyou muttered. "However…Naraku is clever. He had it all planned out from the beginning…When he plunged his tentacles into me…He did so not to simply just wound me but to…"

"To what?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome and the others seemed to have been forgotten.

"To make sure that I die…" Kikyou said calmly.

Inuyasha was confused. "What do you mean…?"

"He injected me with his bones…" Kikyou said softly. The idea seemed to have disgusted her since she frowned.

"His bones?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yes…his bones," Kikyou replied calmly. "His bones that are within me cannot be purified without ending my own life. Naraku and I have become one…Through his bones. His bones within me are creating miasma even as we speak."

"But that means…"

"I am dying," Kikyou said calmly as she looked up into the sky. Her words chilled the air and made Kagome and the others stare at Kikyou. She was dying…?

"But…You can't die!" Inuyasha practically shouted at her. Then, forgetting that everyone including Kagome was present, the hanyou pulled Kikyou to him in an embrace. Kagome's eyes widened and she turned away from the sight. The young priestess walked towards the unconscious Shipppou and carried him in her arms.

"You're not gonna die, Kikyou!" Inuyasha said. To Kikyou, Inuyasha suddenly seemed like a little boy who wouldn't accept reality…

Who wouldn't accept what was to come…

"I am going to die and there is nothing you can do about it," Kikyou said softly. She stood up and looked down at Inuyasha, whose face was completely hidden in shadow.

"When I die," Kikyou said calmly. "Naraku won't hold back. He will seek out the last shard with ravenous hunger…He won't hesitate to attack you all."

Sango and Miroku looked at Kikyou. "What do you propose we do when you die?" Miroku asked.

Kikyou looked up at the sky for a long moment before she answered the question. "Before I die," she said softly, "I want you to find the reincarnation of the priestess Midoriko."

"Midoriko?" Sango asked. "How can she have a reincarnation? I thought her soul was sealed up within the jewel."

"There is a part of Midoriko's soul that was not sealed away," Kikyou said calmly. She turned to Inuyasha then said, "That is my last request of you…Bring me Midoriko's reincarnation."

"Last request, huh?" Inuyasha said as he stood up. "You're not going to die, Kikyou…I'll find a way to save you."

Kikyou frowned at him. "Oh? So you are denying me my last request? Do not find a way for me to prolong my life…I am dead. Find and bring me Midoriko's reincarnation." With that, Kikyou left the clearing accompanied by her soul collectors.

Silence settled in the clearing once more.

CoCoCoCoCoCo

"Look at poor Kagome," Sango said quietly. The group had decided to camp in the clearing and Kagome was staying away from them all. Her head was leaning on her knees and Sango could tell that it would be a long time before the priestess would talk to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha himself was equally silent. The revelation that Kikyou was dying chilled his bones and hardened his heart. Once more, Kikyou's life was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it…

Presently, Inuyasha felt the eyes of his companions on him. The hanyou looked up at them. "What?" he asked in a tone which clearly suggested that he could care less.

Sango hesitated. "Um…Aren't you going to talk to Kagome?"

Inuyasha looked over at Kagome; her head was bowed and her aura held such a high degree of sadness. Kagome, Inuyasha thought. She's hurting again…All because of me…

"You should talk to her," Miroku said. "Then when you two have made up, we can talk about more important matters."

Sango nodded her head in agreement. "Like the reincarnation of Midoriko, for instance."

Inuyasha hesitated but he stood up, nonetheless. He carefully approached Kagome and sat in front of her. The young priestess looked up at him. Her eyes were slightly red.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said not knowing where to begin. "Are you…okay…?"

"I'm fine." Her tone indicated that she was not.

"You're not fine!" Inuyasha insisted. "You've been crying!"

Geez, Sango thought, what a great way to comfort someone…

"I told you, I'm fine, Inuyasha," Kagome insisted her tone melancholic.

"Why were you crying?" the hanyou asked.

Kagome suddenly gave him a death glare and the hanyou flinched. "What is the matter with you?!" Kagome snapped. "I told you I'm fine! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Why are you being all moody on me, huh?" the hanyou demanded. Sango began counting backwards. 3…2…1…

"Sit boy!" Inuyasha crashed to the ground and Kagome stood up. She walked towards the rest of the group.

"Sango, can I please borrow Kirara?" her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Of course, Kagome." Kirara transformed and carrying Kagome on her back flew off.

"You did it again," Shippou said to the inu hanyou who had managed to extract himself from the hole. A second later, loud bonk was heard throughout the forest.

CoCoCoCoCoCo

"Good morning, Kagome-chan!" Yuka, Eri and Ayumi greeted Kagome as she walked into school the following day. Kagome gave them a weak smile and returned their greeting. Inuyasha hadn't come for her and the miko doubted that he would.

"Uh-oh," Eri said. "When you see that look on Kagome's face, it means she and Inuyasha have been fighting."

The three girls looked at each other. When they had met Inuyasha, they thought that he wasn't really the type to start a fight with Kagome.

"Did something happen between you and your boyfriend again?" Eri asked.

Kagome looked at them. "How could you tell?"

"Your face has anguish written all over it," Yuka pointed out. "What did he do this time?"

Kagome didn't answer. "Does it have something to do with ex-girlfriend?" Eri put in. Kagome raised her eyes once and nodded.

"I knew it!" Ayumi said, punching the air in triumph.

"Ayumi!" Eri reprimanded.

"Sorry."

The girls turned to Kagome. "Kagome-chan," Ayumi said. "Take us to his ex-girlfriend and we'll lecture her about taking away boyfriends."

Kagome gave them all a weak smile. "Thanks…but Kikyou's not really the one chasing after Inuyasha…He is chasing after her…"

Her friends' eyes widened. "What?! He's chasing after her?" Eri exclaimed.

"In front of you?" Ayumi sounded scandalized.

"Her name is Kikyou? I think it's nice!" Yuka said. Eri nudged her in the ribs.

"It's okay, though," Kagome said, looking down at the ground.

"What do you mean it's okay?" Her friends asked.

"Kikyou," Kagome said, looking up at them, "is dying…"

Her friends were silent. Presently Ayumi, in hopes of prying the topic away from something so depressing, pointed to a limo which had just pulled up at the school gate. "Wow! Who is in there?"

They were not the only ones who were watching; a couple of the students had stopped doing what they had been doing just to see who would come of the car.

Presently, the door opened and a young woman with silky brown hair and icy blue eyes stepped out of the car. Kagome and her friends watched as the girl walked towards the school building hesitating as if afraid to go inside. The girl went into the school and Kagome and her friends looked at each other.

"She must be a new student," Eri put in. Yuka and Ayumi nodded their heads in agreement.

"I wonder who she is where she's from," Kagome said the four of them walked into the building.

The young woman whom Kagome and her friends had seen earlier had stopped outside one of the classrooms; her blue eyes were intently examining the classroom door as if she were enthralled by it.

Clara Rose sighed as she looked up at the door. Why on earth didn't she bother to fight her dictator mother when the latter had suggested that she continue her studies in Japan? The young woman heard the melodic chime of the bell and no sooner had she heard it when she saw four students hurrying in her direction.

"Oh no," one of them said with worry. "Mrs. Kurichi is gonna kill us if we're late for history!"

"Don't worry, Ayumi, she's always late!" The four girls giggled and Clara guessed that they were headed to the room she had been assigned to as well. The four girls caught sight of her and gave her a curious glance. The three of them quickly headed into the classroom but one of them, a girl with raven hair and brown eyes remained behind.

"Um, hi," the girl said timidly.

Clara managed a weak smile. "Hi."

"Aren't you coming in?" the girl asked. "If Mrs. Kurichi finds a single student out of the room, she'll go nuts."

Clara managed to give the girl a more confident smile. "It's just that…I'm a bit nervous…I'm new and all."

"So what's your name?" the brown-eyed girl inquired. "And could I ask where you're from?"

"My name is Clara and I'm from the States," the young woman replied timidly.

"My name is Kagome, by the way," the girl said. Suddenly, a woman headed towards them. Her hair was held in a tight bun over head and her brown eyes flashed with annoyance.

"Uh-oh," Kagome said. She grabbed Clara's hand and dragged her into the classroom.

CoCoCoCoCoCo

"That day went well, in my opinion," Clara said as she and Kagome walked out of the school. During the day, the girls had gotten to know each other. Kagome had learned that Clara was an only child and that mother was once one of the world's top models who left her career and ended up marrying a rich CEO, Clara's father. Her father had passed away and Kagome had told Clara about her own father who had died in an accident. When Clara's father had passed away, her mother became the CEO of the company.

"Everyone thought you didn't know how to speak Japanese!" Kagome said with amusement.

Clara smiled. "When you have the kind of mother that I have, it's a must that you speak at least five languages."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Five languages! What languages can you speak?"

"Well…Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish and French," Clara said promptly.

Kagome blinked. "You said five!"

"English too. I used that same reason with my mother. She wasn't pleased," Clara said. There was a look of annoyance and sadness in her eyes. Kagome immediately deduced that Clara and her mother didn't get along very well.

A black limo pulled up in front of the school gate and Clara frowned. "She thinks I can't walk home! I hate riding in that! I'd rather walk," Clara said. She sighed then turned to Kagome. "I gotta run, Kagome, Adolfa Hitler awaits."

Kagome nodded sympathetically then watched as Clara ran off.

"Kagome-chan!" Yuka, Eri and Ayumi called out as they reached the miko.

"You've been friendly to her," Ayumi said. "What's she like?"

"She's rich but she'd rather be poor and happy than be rich and sad," Kagome said as she watched the limo go.

"She's gotta be off her rocker," Eri said. "I mean, she comes to school in a limo!"

Kagome frowned at Eri. "Wealth can't bring you happiness."

CoCoCoCoCoCo

"How was school?" Clara's mother, Aexis asked over dinner. The dining hall was a luxurious room with a marble fireplace which had been lit. Like her daughter, Clara's mother had blue eyes but they were not the same icy shade as those of Clara's and her was golden blonde rather than silky brown.

"Good."

"I heard that you a made a friend," her mother said calmly. "What's she like?"

Clara looked up at her mother. "Kind."

Clara pushed the bits of lettuce leaves of her Caesar salad around her plate and asked, "Could we go around Japan?"

Her mother looked at her. "We can't. I am supervising the construction of the new branch of AdvanTech that they are putting up in Tokyo…That's the reason why we are here in the first place, also so that you can improve your grades. They are high but not high enough."

"Why are you doing the supervising? Isn't your position a little too high?" Clara asked somewhat mockingly. She was hurt that her mother denied her request…again.

"You can't trust others," her mother said, taking a sip of her iced tea. "Besides, I'm trying to make good connections in Tokyo."

Clara looked at her mother. The young woman pushed her plate away and said, "I'm done."

Instead of hearing the usual motherly phrase such as, "You haven't eaten enough, dear," her mother said, "Very well; now go do your homework. Do you need a tutor?"

Clara frowned. "I'm not that stupid."

Clara left the dining room and ran into the maid, Tinette. "My, my, it seems that you're mother has displeased you again," the helper commented. Clara ignored her and climbed stairs to her room. She flicked on the lights which illuminated her white and gold room. The young woman sighed and flopped down on her half-canopy bed. She stared at the canopy and frowned. She'd give anything to swap lives with Kagome…

She rolled over and from a side table drawer, she took out a small velvet box. From within the box, she took out a beautiful locket. It was made of pure gold and it was studded with a crescent moon shaped diamond in the center. She flicked it open and a sweet tune emanated from within it. It had been her mother's gift to her on her fifteenth birthday…the day before her father had died…

Clara sighed and allowed the sweet music to carry her to a land of dreams…

I see Cherry Blossoms…

The sweet scent of the blossoms filled her senses as the petals swirled around her…

Beyond the blowing blossoms, she saw a woman. She was very beautiful and the armor that she wore didn't make her look the least bit masculine…

The woman placed a hand over her heart and a bright purple light flashed in her hand. She held out her hand to Clara where something small and round was glowing…

The ball shot out of the woman's hand and Clara felt it pierce her chest as it burrowed into her heart…

Clara woke and didn't remember the dream at all.

CoCoCoCoCoCo

End of chapter.

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