The Loss of a Child by Striking Falcon

Chapter One

The Loss of a Child (A Side Story to Unexpected Allies)

"Papa!"

Narasa turned around, his sky blue eyes flickering in amusement as a little girl kitsune hanyou sprinted toward him. Her ears twitched frantically as she ran, the same fiery red as her hair as the tot evaded her 'pursuer'.

"Papa!" she whined, colliding into Narasa's knee. Narasa scooped her up and away from her prey as another girl, perhaps 16 years old, jumped for the little hanyou.

"No fair Papa!" the older girl cried. Narasa sat the younger on his shoulders and smiled down at her.

"What have I told you about terrorizing your sister Meha-Ami?" he asked. The younger stuck her tongue out at the girl as she lowered her head.

"I apologize Papa, but she started it!"

"I'm sure she did," Narasa said as he sat the little hanyou down. "But you know that An-LaNe is only teasing. She means you no harm. And aren't you supposed to be studying?"

"Yes Papa, but the miko-"

"Ahem…"

Meha-Ami bowed, her silver and black streaked ponytail shifting over her shoulder. "I mean, the miko-sama ended my lessons early."

"I see," Narasa mused as he patted An-LaNe's head. "Then what shall you do with your afternoon?"

"I think I'll visit a friend in the west," Meha-Ami replied, her wings shivering in excitement.

"You must be careful," Narasa told her. "After all, your miko powers aren't near as powerful as some of the enemies in that area."

"I will," Meha-Ami told him. "Does this mean that I may go?"

"Hai," Narasa said with a smile as An-LaNe skipped off. "You may."

"Thank you Papa!" Meha-Ami cried, throwing her arms around his waist. "Thank you so much!"

"If you have a problem, call on the western taiyoukai. That is his land, and he and I are long friends."

"I will Papa!" she cried as she hugged him again. "I'll be back before sundown!"

Narasa watched as she leaped to the sky and flew away, waving one last time before disappearing in a swirl of feathers. He smiled to himself and followed his nose to An-LaNe, who was currently on all fours, growling at a small cat.

*

Meha-Ami jerked down her ponytail and shook her head, enjoying the feel of the wind as it blew through her hair and flapped the folds of her miko garments. 'Its such a beautiful day,' she mused as she flew a little higher in the sky.

'Nothing above me, and nothing below me.' She waved as she passed her mother, one of the humans in a nearby village. 'Mother. How I wish you could do this too.'

"Help!"

Meha-Ami stopped mid-flight, hovering in the air as her ears twitched toward the sound.

"Help me!"

Meha-Ami instantly changed direction, heading for the direction of the call.

Soon she found herself deep in the snowy mountains. The smell of youkai blood flooded her nose suddenly as she approached a battlefield.

Meha-Ami surveyed the area, her cerulean eyes rimed with gray absorbing the situation before her. A lone female inuyoukai stood alone against a legion of inuyoukai guards, with one in particular leading them. Meha-Ami felt the evil pouring from his aura, it attempting to choke the very life from her being as he approached the lone female. She stood defiantly against him, even as her blood ran from her wounds to stain the virgin snow.

"Do not do this!" she shouted, baring her fangs as she backhanded one of her pursuers. The male youkai laughed, the sound sinister and ldark as he ran a carefree hand through his midnight blue locks.

"But I have to. You see, you're in the way." He raked his claws against the female's stomach, laughing as she doubled over in agony, her obsidian tresses shielding her face from view.

"There goes the next heir to the west," he purred. "And now to remove the lady!"

Meha-Ami reacted faster than she could blink, throwing back the male in an instant. "Are you alright my lady?" she asked as the female slumped to the ground. Meha-Ami propped her up, using her cloak to cover the youkai's exposed form. Meha-Ami smiled when the female looked at her.

"Yes, I'm fine," the female said. She tried to stand, but Meha-Ami gently pushed her back down.

"You're injured. Stay here."

Meha-Ami stood and turned away, readying herself for a fight when the female youkai grabbed her arm.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered. Meha-Ami smiled, her wings twitching experimentally as the bloodlust raced through her veins. The Shikon no Tama glistened from its perch around her neck as she said

"Because you need me."

*

"Lord Narasa!"

Narasa looked up from his writings as a dark haired Immortal landed in a clearing beside him. An-LaNe and one of her friends ran up to them, their flower picking forgotten as the Immortal approached them.

"My lord, there has been a battle! It is believed an Immortal is injured!"

Narasa instantly stood up, ordering An-LaNe and her friend back to the village before following the Immortal to the battlefield.

On the way there, the Immortal explained how one of the others patrolling the southern lands when he caught wind of a battlefield. When he arrived there were hundreds slain, perhaps by a miko's power. The snow was marred with inuyoukai blood.

"The inu taiyoukai will not be pleased to hear that," Narasa remarked, trying to shake the sudden foreboding that settled over him.

"I'm sure he won't be, but there is other news. There seems to be an Immortal lying in the middle of the field, dressed in miko clothing."

Narasa's eyes widened. "Meha-Ami…" he whispered before flying past the Immortal for the southern mountains. No sooner had he reached the area did he recognize the scent of his oldest daughter. 'What is she doing here? She's supposed to be in the western lands!'

Narasa landed on the edge of the battlefield. The field looked exactly as described, with the purified bodies of inuyoukai littering the ground, the lucky ones reduced to gray ash. Narasa stepped over pools of blood and bodies abound as he followed the scent of his own to the middle of the field.

Meha-Ami lay face-down in the snow, the once white haori stained in blood as claw marks shone through the fabric. Narasa stooped down and picked her up, cradling the girl to his chest as she gasped and sputtered before him.

"Sorry…Papa," she coughed. "I couldn't let them hurt her. I just couldn't. She needed me."

"It's alright," Narasa cooed, smoothing back her blood-soaked bangs from her face. "You are in no trouble."

"She was hurt. I could do nothing to stop them. I wasn't strong enough."

"You will be one day," Narasa assured her. "You'll see. When you are rested, we'll find her together."

"Tell An-LaNe I'm sorry," Meha-Ami whispered. "I won't be there to chase her anymore."

Narasa blinked back tears as he touched the angry gash at the base of Meha-Ami's throat where the Shikon used to be. The wound refused to heal, and Narasa smelled for the first time the poison that resided inside it.

'I will lose her,' he realized. 'And there is nothing I can do.' He kissed her forehead, then cradled her face in the crook of his neck. "I will."

"I'll miss you Papa…"

Narasa smiled weakly, lowering his forehead to Meha-Ami's as tears streaked down his face. "I'll miss you too, my beloved daughter."

Meha-Ami smiled back, closed her eyes and slipped away.

This is how the western taiyoukai found his friend, holding the long-cold body of his daughter in his arms.

He helped Narasa bury her in the mountain before retrieving his only son.

"This is a bad time right now, and I apologize for asking," he started as his son clung to his pant leg. Narasa merely nodded, motioning for him to go on.

"My lady is missing. We cannot find her, nor her scent."

"I will assist you in any way I can," Narasa assure him. "Then I may mourn my daughter."

"Chichiue, what's wrong with Narasa-san," the little inu youkai asked as Narasa walked away.

"It is horrid to lose a child," his father answered. "You'll know of loss, but not that one my dear Sesshoumaru."

*

Meha-Ami groaned, rubbing the back of her head as she sat up and opened her eyes.

"Where am I?" she wondered as she gazed around her. She was in a white room, seemingly endless as a soft glow reflected from some inner reach. "I thought I died."

"You did," a feminine voice assured her from behind. Meha-Ami jumped up and spun around, instantly deflecting to a fighting stance as she glared at the newcomer.

The woman padded into the room quietly. "I mean no harm, daughter of the great Narasa. I am only here to help."

Meha-Ami nodded, dropping her defenses as she gazed at the woman. She was dressed in miko robes, with spiked armor covering her chest. Her dark hair flowed down her back to her waist, and the smile she graced Meha-Ami with was gentle and kind.

"Where am I?" Meha-Ami asked again as she glanced around her.

"You are in the world between the worlds," the miko told her. "Why?" Meha-Ami asked. "Aren't I supposed to be with my ancestors?"

"At one time, yes," the miko said as she stepped a few meters away from her. "But the Great Kami has decided to give you a choice."

"A choice? I don't understand."

The miko raised her hand and pointed to Meha-Ami. "You died helping another, in spite of the obvious danger. The Great Kami is proud of you, fledgling, and would like to grant you two requests."

"Alright," Meha-Ami said softly, resting her arms against her chest and tapping her chin with her finger. 'What could I ask for?' she asked herself. 'I could wish to be with my family.'

"That is not possible," the miko said. "Your death is already a part of history, and history cannot be changed."

Meha-Ami nodded. "Alright. My first request is to somehow keep the inu youkai safe from those that wish to hurt her."

"How would you propose to do that?" the miko asked.

"Seal her away."

The miko nodded. "Alright. That will be arranged. Now what's the next request?"

"To release her from her seal when the time comes."

The miko started, then nodded again. "That too will be done. Are you sure about this though? This is not something that can be undone if you change your mind."

Meha-Ami nodded. "Yes. "

"Then here are your paths."

Meha-Ami watched as two paths materialized on either side of the miko. Each looked like the other, with no differences and no way to see where they lead.

"One path will take you to the inu youkai," the miko told her.

Meha-Ami glanced from one path to another before asking "Which one?"

The miko raised her hand to the left. "The left-"

"Thank you," Meha-Ami interrupted as she started down the path. The miko gently grasped her arm and shook her head.

"I wasn't finished fledgling," she said sternly. Meha-Ami stood still beside her, looking down the path as the miko explained.

"The left path leads to a life of utter happiness," she said. "There you'll be loved by your friends and family. You will have fledglings of your own and there will be no need for you to make the Choice. The time is a time of peace and tranquility. You will die happy and be reincarnated to live the same blissful existence over and over until the end of time."

"And the right?" Meha-Ami asked. The miko sighed.

"That path is harder. There are many hardships there. You will be betrayed, lied to, left behind, and deserted by one you freely give your heart to. This path will demand for you to make the Choice to save thousands, youkai and human alike, who'll never know your name…nor what you sacrificed for them. This path leads to loss. But the inu youkai is there, and will wait until you arrive to free her."

"What will happen if I choose the path on the left?" Meha-Ami asked. 'A life…with a mate,' she wondered. 'How lovely would that be. And fledglings of my own,' she ran a wistful hand through her hair 'with my hair and face. All that was taken from me.'

"The inu youkai will be sealed forever," the miko told her. "She would be protected, but never live the life that was stolen from her."

Meha-Ami hung her head in shame. 'Here I was, daydreaming about happy things when the female would suffer. I know what I must do.'

"I choose the right path."

"Are you sure?" the miko questioned. "What if the youkai deserved what happened to her?"

Meha-Ami whirled on the miko, anger and resentment radiating off her aura as she hissed "She did not deserve to watch her unborn pup bleed to death! To be brutally attacked and beaten! There isn't an evil alive that deserves that!"

The miko smiled and patted Meha-Ami's shoulder. "Very good. You are most honorable. I will go with you on your path."

Meha-Ami stared in shock as the miko grasped her hand, entwining their fingers like sisters. The miko smiled and motioned for Meha-Ami to lead the way. The way down the path was uneventful, with the gray stone tile below their feet the only difference in the landscape around them.

After what seemed like an eternity, Meha-Ami and the miko finally arrived at what appeared to be a gate. It seemed to be made of some kind of metal, painted white and bent to make pretty swirling designs. The miko released Meha-Ami's hand and motioned for her to approach the door.

"Wait," the miko called as Meha-Ami reached out for the indigo jewel door handle. Meha-Ami blinked, then turned around.

"Yes?"

"You will see me again," the miko assured her. "I will be your first born, though you will not remember this conversation." She touched Meha-Ami's side gently, watching with the surprised Immortal as it glowed pink, then settled as if nothing happened. Meha-Ami gasped, then groaned.

"What of the Shikon no Tama?" she asked in a panic. "What will happen to it?"

"You and I are the only ones pure enough to hold it without taint. Do not worry. It will come to you."

"Of course," Meha-Ami said, relieved. "After all, you would know. Wouldn't you, Midoriko?"

Midoriko smiled. "You always were a bright one."

Meha-Ami smiled back, then turned the door handle to the gate. Meha-Ami waved as she faded away, a single tear shed as she thought about her sisters, brothers, and the father and mother she's never see again. Midoriko watched this and sighed. 'If only you knew what you were getting into, fledgling,' she thought as she stepped through the open gate.

'If only you knew…'

*

500 years in the future, a woman sat in a rocking chair inside a bedroom in a house on the grounds of an ancient shrine. In her arms was her newborn daughter, who giggled happily as her mother bounced her on her knee.

"See," the mother said as she showed her daughter the bright pink room before them. "This is your room. Isn't it lovely? Your daddy painted it for you." She looked to the side as the room door opened, and smiled as her husband and father stepped into the room.

Her husband smiled back, his gray eyes catching the sunlight as he moved to the mother's side. "How is she?" he asked as he twirled a strand of the baby's dark hair around his finger.

"She's fine," the mother said as she kissed his cheek.

"Of course she would be," her father said as he came closer. "She's to be the next miko!"

"Oh Daddy," the mother gasped. "Not now!"

"Of course now! I sense two presences inside the child! I-"

All talk stopped when a single ray of light settled at the mother's feet. The little family watched as the ray lengthened and widened, taking the form of a woman. The ray disappeared, leaving behind a glowing spirit. The spirit reached down and picked the baby up, holding her gently as she cooed and ooohed in baby talk. The child giggled and reached up to grab a fistful of hair. The spirit cried out in surprise, alarming the child's mother.

"Please forgive her!" the mother said as she reached for the child. The spirit quickly stepped back, then gently tugged her hair free of the baby's grasp. She smiled and shook her finger disapprovingly, which was promptly grabbed and sucked on. The spirit laughed and gave her back to her mother.

"I've come to you in peace. I mean you no harm," the spirit assured them as she smiled down at the baby. "I am only here to advise you on the life of your little one."

"Go on," the baby's grandfather said, waiting respectfully along with the rest of the family.

"Her life," the spirit said before sighing. "Will be different than her friends. A great responsibility shall befall her, and it will take your love to get her through. No matter what she does, or where she goes, always support her and never try to stop her. She is destined to save the world." She touched the baby's forehead softly, then withdrew her hand and backed away.

"There is another with her, and when the time comes they will merge into one. Until then, this spirit and myself shall protect her." The spirit smiled again as the baby tugged at her mother's finger. "It would seem that she is hungry." The spirit bowed, then disappeared in a flash of light, only leaving a solemn promise behind.

"She will be protected, this Midoriko assures you…."

The mother smiled as the men in the room stood dumb-founded. "Well," she said as she kissed the baby's forehead, lovingly staring at the babe's laughing blue-gray eyes. "It would seem that a new name isn't necessary, is it my Kagome?"

------

SF: ACK! {::dashes behind podium as shocked readers rush the stage::} HEY! Chill a moment and I can explain!

{::readers look at each other, then nod and settle down on SF's stage::}

SF: Whew. Anyway, like I said earlier, this is to tie up some loose ends in 'Chosen,' plus add some mystery to 'Trial of the Century'. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so I'll try to answer a few before I go.

Reader 1: Who was the taiyoukai with little Sesshoumaru?

SF: Surely you guys can guess. No? Then I'm not telling. ^.^ Next question?

Reader 2: Who was Meha-Ami's friend?

SF: He's not important. He was just a reason to get her where she was going. Next?

Reader 3: So this means that Kagome's not an incarnation of Kikou, right?

SF: Right-o, baby! You're good!

Ja ne!

Striking Falcon