Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or its characters. Say hello to the very talented Rumiko Takahashi who owns him and the entire cast. Hello Rumiko Takahashi. Hehehe!
By: year of the snake (at fanfiction) (aka.) crescentmoon (at mediaminer) And now Opal-Dreams on DeviantArt and Dokuga.
Midoriko's Gift
Chapter 1: The Lady Miko
Inu no Taisho shivered, the place was chill but that wasn't why he shook. The entrance of the human girl he had come to see was physically chilling. Her raw spiritual power grated against his form in unpleasantly pure ways. He had known that her power was amazing, but he hadn't expected it to be so strong. Even with all he had heard of her before.
“A demon..?” murmured the priestess, curious as to what such an unholy creature would be desperate enough to seek her out for. She could feel it in his aura, he recognized her power, yet he didn't flee. “Interesting...” She knelled on one of the free cushions.
“My lady miko.” Inu no Taisho bowed humbly to her.
“Very interesting.” She could feel the dark hum of his power, it could rival her own. Yet this proud demon was humbling himself before her. What could he possibly want so badly? She waited for him to continue.
The demon seemed to be waiting for her. She let the silence continue until he finally spoke again. “Lady miko I have come for your aid.”
She blinked. She nodded. Then she spoke, “Why else would you come?”
Inu no Taisho hesitated, would it be wise to share what he would about his own son with one who could kill him. Just as she had so many others. Still she was the last resource that he could ask that might be able and willing to help. So he swallowed his fear and his wounded pride and told her. “Is it true that you have the power to heal all living things, even demons?”
Again she blinked and nodded. “It is true. Yet I neither see nor sense any wounds on you. Furthermore I no longer heal demons.” She arose to leave the dog by himself.
“Please wait!” he lunged and grasped her wrist. The priestess looked down at his hand with disgust. Yet she paused momentarily. So he lept at the small chance she'd listen instead of purify him. “It's my son. He's the one who needs healed.”
“As I have already said, I no longer treat demons.” She yanked her arm away so harshly that it would leave bruises as well as nicks from his claws. “Return home, before I decide that you never leave this house.” She brushed past the hanging door back into the room she came from.
Inu no Taisho was desperate, she was his last hope and he hadn't come this far to be rebuffed before he could even explain. He got up and followed her into the other room.
She whirled around faster then he would have thought possible. Rage filled her face with hot intensity. “How dare you!?! How dare you follow me here!?!” Her arm flung out and he noticed that this little room was her personal chamber, the room in which she would sleep.
“Lady miko, please....”
She cut him off in her fury. “I have a name you know! Not that there is a demon alive who would dare use it!” Her holy power was beginning to give off a light show that expressed her anger more than her words and face could.
Inu no Taisho's skin was beginning to crawl. His fight or flight instinct was flaring. Still he forced himself to stay calm and stay around. “Midoriko-sama.” He bowed to her again.
Instantly the level of her anger plummeted.
Bravely he continued, “Please at least hear my request. Then if you still refuse I will leave you in peace.”
Midoriko headed back to the other room, her serenity returning. “Very well. Let us return to a more appropriate setting.”
Inu no Taisho swept the door aside for her and let her enter first.
When they were both seated again he began. “You once were known to care for demon kind, if you ever had any love for us please do what you can!” He looked down from her face to continue. “My son, my only child, he is blind.”
“How long has he been blind?” asked Midoriko.
“Since birth.”
“It is not uncommon for demons to be born blind if their animal counterpart is also born without sight.”
Inu no Taisho sighed, “That was two months ago. His life will be hard enough as I am now leader of the Western Dog Pack. I can't have him even more likely to be killed with his blindness adding to the harshness of life.”
“I see. If he was born blind I cannot heal him, he is not wounded.”
Inu no Taisho drooped and rose to his feet. “I see.” The way he said that was so hopeless it tugged at her heart. He had a hand on the outer door when she stopped him.
“Western Lord, I said I could not heal him, not that I couldn't help him.”
He looked at her shocked.
“Did you know that a miko's eyesight corresponds with the power she holds, the greater her power the better her eyesight? I know of one way that I can help you. But It will require a sacrifice on both our parts.”
“I am willing to do anything it takes.” he announced.
She smiled, “Not you, your son.” The color drained from the lords' face. Still the priestess continued. “I can give him my eyesight. I can probably see almost as far as yourself. And I would take on his blindness. Even my descendants with holy powers will never see as they should, although they should have some sight of varying degrees.”
“And the sacrifice my son would make?”
Her brown eyes gazed intently at him. “Teach him control early and well. Without it the bond made by my eyesight will kill us both. His demonic power would kill me or any of my descendants with spiritual power and my spiritual power would purify him. Also any lack of control, if it's not strong enough to kill will make it hard for priestesses of my line to control their power. As you know that can be most dangerous.” She fingered her rounding stomach.
“And if you die for any other cause?”
“It will not affect him.”
“I am willing to make this sacrifice.”
“So be it.”
Soon it was so. And a star like sign appeared on the miko's brow when it was completed. A symbol of the bond between her and the newborn lordling.
Not two months after trading her sight Midoriko welcomed her first descendant into the world.
Chapter 2: The Fresh Eyes
Kagome sighed. Ever since coming to the past that first time the deterioration of her eyesight had picked up. Grandpa took her second eye test, the one you take to get into school as a sign that she was a powerful miko. Her first eye test just half a year earlier was 20/20, the second she had dropped two points.
Ever since that test when she was four grandpa had been pounding it into her head that she had inherited the family cruse, one that only affected mikos. The more powerful the miko the quicker her eyesight failed her. He hadn't wanted her to get reading glasses, and then he hadn't wanted her to get the prescription changed to all day long glasses as her sight continued to fade. By the time she was fifteen, the day she was pulled down the well by that icky bug demon, she was on her third new, stronger prescription, and her second pair of contacts. That was an average of almost three years before needing stronger lenses.
Since falling back through time however, her prescription had had to be changed four times, in just three years. Kagome closed her aching eyes and gently rubbed along the slits. It seemed that it was time to get a stronger prescription again. Last time she went to her eye doctor he had been worried, he figured with her current rate of wear she would be completely blind in a few short years, likely before she was twenty.
When grandpa heard that news he was ecstatic. That she would be the youngest Higurashi miko to go completely blind in recorded history. He took that as further evidence of her power.
Kagome herself just felt like crying. She didn't want to be blind.
She was already near completely night blind. All she could see at night anymore was things that shined in their own right or reflected the moon's light back to her. So she could still follow Inuyasha without trouble at night, as long as he wasn't too far away and it wasn't his human night. But how much longer would she be able to keep up the charade? Sooner or later one of her friend or worse one of their enemies would notice her failing sight. And then what would she do? Yet what could she do?
Still her miko senses were coming stronger just as quickly as her eyesight was going fainter. She was even beginning to sense the intentions, whether they meant well or ill that is, of people and demons around her. She had even stopped Shippo from pulling a somewhat malicious prank on Inuyasha just yesterday night because she sensed his intentions. And just this morning she slapped Miroku before he grabbed her, before his hand was even very near her.
Kagome looked at her hands, how long would it be before she wouldn't be able to tell where her hands were by sight? Would she be able to use her miko senses and aim a bow, or would that be too dangerous? Kagome curled her fingers in and closed her eyes bitter sadness in her heart.
“Oi, Kagome! What's holding you?” yelled Inuyasha from half a mile away.
Forcing a smile Kagome looked up at Inuyasha. “Nothing, I just got lost in thought.” With a well practiced carefree smile Kagome ran to catch up.
Inuyasha muttered something about how Kagome thinking could be dangerous knowing that she wouldn't hear. Miroku did though, he silently agreed.
Kagome continued to pretend that she was fine for weeks. She managed to get home for an eye doctor's appointment during that time but her mother had to pick up her new prescription contacts and emergency glasses as she had gone back to the Feudal Era.
No one seemed to notice any change in her when she finally traded her older contacts for her new ones. She was surprised at how much better her sight became with the exchange. She always forgot how well a person could see. She could once again separate the multiple shades of green in Shippo's eyes when she held him. It looked like heaven to her, the entire world was a paradise. She saw the world with fresh eyes again. It was wonderful. She couldn't stop smiling, even knowing that it was likely that she wouldn't keep this view for long, for now enjoying the beauty of the world was enough for her.
On a relatively normal day they crossed paths with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha and he started a fight. Kagome watched them trade blows more thankful to be able to able to see them than she was worried for Inuyasha.
When Sesshoumaru caught her smiling at them he abruptly stopped. It was not normal for the girl to smile when they battled. Inuyasha came charging at him and Sesshoumaru dealt him a blow that sent him flying and then sliding along the ground. He graced them with a few parting words and then left.
Inuyasha rubbed his aching jaw as he slowly regained his feet. Everyone ignored Inuyasha's murderous mutterings.
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Here is chapters one and two. Originally the entire story was going to be a one shot for a contest at Dokuga_Contest but I didn't finish it in time. So It will be a chapter story. I will be giving you two chapters each update.
Please enjoy it. Thank you!