end only to begin again

‘…’Thoughts
“…” Speaking
*actions*
Italics and bold - Writings
Italics - flashbacks
Youkai - Demon
Ningen - Human
Hakama - pants
Haori - Shirt


Chapter 2
The Dig

Deep in the mountains of Western Japan was an archeological investigation. The company Kagome interned for had found something from a very long time ago; rumored to be from before the feudal era. Upon hearing the news Kagome knew she had to go. She knew if they found proof of youkai existence she wanted to be there to see it before it was taken away for further investigation.


They had never stated what they saw, so she held on to a glimmer of hope. Maybe they did not know what they were looking at and could not name it correctly. The thought would make sense, right? Maybe they saw the bones of some huge youkai. They could think possibly that the bones, or what not, might be related to the dinosaurs. But then again maybe dinosaurs were really youkai who had died in their true form.


Ningen of this time do not believe in youkai; now-a-days youkai, oni, mononoke, and youkai are just scary tails to tell children to make them behave. Youkai have been reduced to mere myth and legends. The church will speak of youkai that will come after you if you are a sinner and when they catch you they take you to spend an eternity in hell.
'Not many people believe in reincarnation. I myself did not until I learned that I too am a reincarnation. Oh, how I hate that word.'


'The knowledge of truth is what makes me different; I can not relate with anyone here. No one knows the truth except my family. I have a hard time having a serous relationship with anyone because I can not be truthful. So, here I am a 24 year old virgin with more baggage then a divorced 40 year old with grandchildren.'


Almost everyday, she asked herself the same questions over and over again, hoping that maybe she would actually get an answer.


'How can you hope to love someone you can not speak the truth to?'

'How you can give your body to someone you cannot give your mind to?'

'How can someone be happy with secrets hanging over their heads?'

'How can you learn to trust someone when you know they can never truly know you?'


'You can't,' which was why she is 24, with no serious boyfriend and still holding strong to her virginity. The furthest she had even been with a man was second base and she made him stop as soon as he touched her bare breast. She could not let any males touch her because she knew deep down it would go nowhere in the end. She would have to break it off before he got too serious. Sometimes she wished she was still in the feudal era with her friends. Maybe she would be married and have children or pups with Inuyasha by now.
All of the 'what ifs' and 'maybes' did nothing except make her more depressed.
'So, here I am heading towards the dig to find out what they found.'


When Kagome reached the border of the search area she parked her car and pinned her pass to her shirt. She could not help but feel a little anxious and excited over what she might see.


She walked towards the men guarding the entrance of the mountains; there where two police officers and one from the company. They were posted to make sure no one went through unless they had permission.


She walked over to the men and showed them her pass. The police took a good look at the pass then stepped aside to allow her through. "Thank you," she said while walking past. They nodded in acknowledgement to her and she continued walking towards the noise.
It was a good fifteen minute walk to get to where she needed to be. The site was a clearing of sorts roped off with people on both sides of the rope. She walked towards the rope and looked over to see if she could catch a glimpse of whatever it was. She assumed it was something great because of all the commotion they were creating.


When she could not see inside the dig she dipped under the rope to get a closer look. Kagome wasted no time in talking with the people there; she went straight towards the dig. She weaved through people trying not to bump into anyone. When she reached the end of the dig she was finally able to take a closer look inside.


'Now let's talk about let downs,' she thought. She whispered, "Only that. All this for that, come on!" A huge wave of disappointment rushed through her. Now she felt silly—totally stupid. 'Well I guess it could be a good sign, it looks like a Miko.' she thought. When she looked into the site again she saw the ningen bones, shredded red and white clothes, and a broken bow that had been uncovered nearby.


She looked to the person near her; it just so happened to be the director of the dig. "So you found Miko bones?" she asked the man in the business suit.


The director looked at her and gave her a curious head tilt. "Miko bones?" he asked .
She looked at him with a sad smile, "Yes, the white haori and red hamakas are Miko cloths from that age. Along with the bow next to her it's a dead give away of what she once was," She told him, trying not to sound saddened by the discovery.

"That is interesting Ms?" he asked looking at her expectedly.

"Higurashi, Kagome Higurashi," she replied.

"Well Ms. Higurashi, how would you know exactly what Miko wore from that age?" he asked interestedly.

"I grew up on a shrine. I have a Miko outfit from that era somewhere in my things at my family's home. Our shrine has lots of history telling about Miko’s and of course a few legends with youkai and the Shikon No Tama. I was trained as a shrine maiden, in other words, a Miko. For training purposes I had to learn to use a bow. All that I learned is what started me on the path of discovering or un-discovering, if you will, the past. I find it all quiet interesting really," she said while still looking at the remains.

"For all we know this person could be a relative, as far back as our family tree goes the females are all Miko. My shrine has old stories of the Shikon that are not in history books because the tales were passed from father to son or daughter throughout the generations. But they could not be authenticated because there is no way to tell fact from fiction or even if the Shikon was fact at all. If the stories at my shrine are true then the Shikon is real. But something’s are better left to the unknown." she said before turning back the way she came.

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Beta - kookookitty, double checked by jade rain star.

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