Kitsune Reincarnate by Midnight Song

Her Decision

Chapter One:

Kagome ran the length of the field, breathing heavy as she took aim and let loose a purifying arrow, just barely hitting her mark. Her legs were killing her and her shoulder was bleeding heavily, but it was nothing compared to the wounds of some of the others. Sango lay prone beneath Miroku, barely breathing while Miroku was having trouble as it was keeping a hoard of the mindless demons at arm's length. Kirara fought beside him, tearing into the throats of the other demons while protecting Shippou at the same time. Shippou was also doing his own little bit to help, throwing charms and fox fire at any demon that approached Sango and Miroku's turned back.

Inuyasha, the same as always, refused to let his injuries stop him. His left arm was hanging limply to the side and an arrow was sticking up from his thigh, curtsey of Kikyo. And although Inuyasha had tried to stop her, Kagome and shot her own arrow at the other miko, sealing her to the spot just in time for one of Naraku's tentacles to run her through.

The feeling of her soul returning to Kagome, though surprising and emotionally painful because of the guild she knew she would get from Inuyasha, was refreshing, giving her just a bit more hope that everything would be okay. And although Kagome would never admit it, not to Inuyasha, not to anyone, she was glad that the other Miko could finally go to rest. Kagome knew that it was only a part of Kikyo's soul that would go to hell because the true Kikyo, the Kikyo that Inuyasha knew and had fallen in love with, would never had been able to hurt Inuyasha or steal the souls of the dead and dying to survive. The true Kikyo would never have worked against them.

Focusing on her surroundings, Kagome stopped where she was to catch her breath, avoiding a blow from a crazed snake youkai as it swung its tail in her direction. One well aimed swing of her bow had the damned demon turning to ash in the air. Glancing back at the scene below her, Kagome laid her eyes upon Sesshoumaru as he continued to attack Naraku. Aside from a small scratch on the demon lords face there was not a single wound on the man and she could feel the strength in his aura still, even after hours of fighting the evil hanyou.

On the other side of the clearing, directly across from where Kagome stood, was another miko, this one just a few years older than Kagome herself, though nowhere near as powerful. Really, the only thing the other girl was good at, aside from the usually, was controlling time, even if it was just for moments at a time. This, however, was something none of the group aside from Sesshoumaru knew, for he was the one that had found the miko for her. Still, even he did not know of her plan.

The girls name was Chikara and she came from the Eastern Lands. According to Jakan, she was the pride and joy of the Kitsune clan, currently the rules clam of the East. No one was quite sure how her magic worked, only that it did. Chikara could stop time for anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. When Kagome had first approached the girl, Chikara was hesitant to help but after a few more pleading words from Kagome, she was going to do what the Shikon Miko wished her to do.

Looking at her now, Kagome watched as the wind blew a chocolate brown strand of hair into her face, her body tense and her arrow aimed. She stood still for just a moment, before releasing her arrow and watching as it hit her target, purifying it on contact.

Chikara glanced at Kagome, before nodding sharply. It was almost time. Turning to face the battle field once more, Kagome took one more fleeting glance at Inuyasha. She had long past learned that the hanyou would never be able to care for her in the same way that he had cared for Kikyo and although it hurt, Kagome was able to understand. She would no longer waste her time vying for the love of a man who thought of himself as her brother, as pack. Kagome would always love him, after all, he was her first love, but time had passed and she had changed.

Taking one more glance at her friends, she silently wished them all a long and happy life. A life filled with laughter and love, with children and family. Even Sesshoumaru, whom she knew didn't even consider them allies, whom she knew would likely try to kill her for what she was about to do. Even Sesshoumaru, who was likely the only one that could stop her.

Finally Kagome turned her crystal blue eyes to Naraku and the task at hand. It was finally time for his evil plots and manipulations to come to an end. He would at last pay for all the wrongs he had committed against humans and demons alike.

Notching an arrow and taking aim, Kagome concentrated on all the demons in her path. Only one time had she been able to do this before, killing hundreds of demons with one arrow. If she managed to do it again, she would clear a path straight to Naraku and then Chikara would take her shot. Without a moment's hesitation, Kagome let the arrow go, watching as her pure energy expanded to a twenty foot range, killing any demon that dared to get in its path. She followed closely after it, staying as close as possible and killing any demon that managed to avoid it with another shift shot from her bow. When she was only ten feet away from the vile hanyou, she motioned to the other miko without looking.

Chikara was to wait until Kagome reached Naraku before releasing her arrow, an arrow that would stop the time around them for a matter of seconds. Wrapped around the shaft of the arrow were the numerous sutras that were needed to complete the spell Kagome needed.

The other miko's arrow reached Naraku just moments after Kagome did and then everything was frozen. Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were stopped mid-attack, as well as everyone else. As Kagome took one quick glance around, she was not surprised to see the Inu Lord fighting against it, though by the time he would free himself, it would already be too late.

Turning a fierce gaze back to Naraku , Kagome pulled out the small dagger that Sango had given to her as a birthday present a couple of months ago and scurried up the half-breeds convoluted form, using his tentacles to pull herself up until she was face to face with him. Glancing down at her watch, she saw that she had 15 seconds left. Without another word, she raised her arm and slammed it into Naraku's chest; blood poured out of him and though she was loath to do, she reached inside his body and pulled out the completed Shikon no Tama. And then it was over.

Time had started again and she stared up into Naraku's shocked and terrified gaze, before turning her back to him, knowing that he had already lost, that there was nothing more he could do. She didn't scream as the combined blasts of the Wind Scar and the Dragons Cry tore into her body and Naraku's and she didn't cry. She merely closed her eyes and whispered a final good bye.

********

Little sparks flew through her body, slamming into a nerve here and there as she shook with pain. She swore to herself that she was never going to jump in front of a demon sword again. If there ever was an again, that was. If it weren't for the small pulsing she could feel coming from the Shikon no Tama, Kagome would have sworn that she was alone. As it was, she was still fairly sure she was because the pulsing was slowly becoming quieter and quieter, almost as if it was trying to be quiet.

Kagome refused to open her eyes, not just because of the pain, but because she was scared to confirm her where abouts, though she knew there really wasn't any use in denying it. She could feel the ever familiar magic that used to surround her when she went through the well, though she knew that her being there was also impossible, for Naraku had destroyed the well two days before she was killed. So she was scared, no, terrified to see what fate had in hand for her. Vaguely Kagome wondered if she was going to continue being Fates play thing.

Oh how she wanted to move. Kagome felt like she had been lying in the same position for hours even though she knew it had really only been mere moments since she had arrived in this odd place, unable to move a single limb. She wondered why instead of going to heaven or hell she had been sentenced to this place, trapped in a time where there was no time. It wasn't like she had ever done anything that would warrant sending her here, wherever here was.

Sighing, she turned her thoughts back to her final moments and the expressions she had seen on everyone's face. Chikara, though she knew that to sacrifice one life for many was an important thing to do, was still on her knees, sobbing for the loss that she had helped to cause. Miroku stood stunned over Sango, his face pale as he tried to comprehend what she had done. By this point, Shippou and Kirara were unconscious, something she was grateful for; she didn't want her pup having to see her like that. As had been expected, Inuyasha's face had been one of furious none-acceptance as he tossed down the transformed blade and rushed to save her, but the whiplash of the combined attack sent him flying back. The on Sesshoumaru face though, had been the most confusing and perhaps the most interesting. Although there was still a trace amount of anger in his tense body language, it was the slightly widened eyes of shock that had Kagome widening slightly.

Kagome knew that if he had the chance to see her again, he would likely slay her for stealing his chance to kill the hanyou, but Kagome wasn't going to let one person stop her plan and doom them all.

Suddenly there was a faint humming sound, one Kagome had come to recognize has a token of the Jewel's activity. Lying still for what she knew was coming, Kagome was stunned when she heard a strong female voice. With a start she jerked her eyes open and stared into the amused brown orbs of Midoriko.

"Sit up, child. We have a great many things to speak of." Her voice was soft and lulling, giving Kagome a bright sense of understanding and peace.

Sitting up, she was surprised to see that all of her wounds were suddenly healed and she no longer felt any pain. She wondered if that was the stronger Miko's doing. With a shrug, she glanced around, as if looking for someone, before sending a confused glance to Midoriko.

Midoriko laughed slightly, know immediately what the other girl was looking for. "You need not worry about such things, child. It was your sacrifice and purity that helped me to win the battle, purifying the demon in the jewel."

Sitting down until she was eye level with Kagome, Midoriko continued to speak, her voice reminding Kagome of the wind chimes on her mother's front door. "Dear child, you have been through many hardships, yet still you remain pure. You fought a battle that was not yours to fight and sacrificed yourself for a cause that was not yours. This sacrifice will now determine what it is you are bound by fate to do."

Kagome remained silent, knowing there was nothing really that she could say or do, but there was one thing she felt needed to be said. "The cause may not have been mine, Midoriko-sama, but the sacrifice was well worth it. Naraku was an evil being that deserved no quarter and I was not about to let him get away, even if it meant losing my life in the process."

Chocolate brown eyes stared at her with interest, before Midoriko asked the girl another question. "Do you believe your fight ended the way it did because the hanyou was just that, demonic? Do you believe if you were fighting a human that the outcome would be any different?"

"No. Race, youkai or human or whatever else is out there, has nothing to do with it. Even if Naraku had still stayed as the human Onigumo, I would have given my life to protect everyone. Human or demon, no one should be able to cause the kind of pain that Naraku has." Her blue eyes were fierce with emotion and determination to get her point across, causing Midoriko to laugh again.

"Little one, you are certainly an interesting person. A Miko from my time would certainly disagree with you, but after traveling with you for so long in that Jewel, I am forced to acknowledge your ideals. Not all demons are evil. So, little miko, I have come to you with a choice. A future and a possibility." Midoriko stared at the girl intensely, curious to see which choice she would make.

"Because your well has been destroyed, there is no way to take you to your home in the future, though I'm sure you understand that. As it is, you have two options. You can remain with me, living in the jewel and determining who are pure enough to hold the jewel, or you can be once again reincarnated. If you so chose the second of these two decisions, you will be born into a youkai family and until you reach the age of 150, you will have no memories of your travels in this time nor you battle against Naraku. At that time, when you reach 18 in human times, you will gain back all of your knowledge and once again your body will house the jewel."

Listening carefully, Kagome wondered which type of youkai she would be if she were to be reincarnated. To be honest, she wasn't even going to consider the first option, no matter how scary the second one seemed. The idea of being forever trapped in a jewel just did not suit Kagome, not at all.

"However, it will not be removable from your body as it was with this journey. The Shikon will always remain a part of you, a part of your soul. As such, aside from the typical youkai powers, you will still have your miko powers." Midoriko smiled slightly as the girls eyes widened. "Yes. A very dangerous combination you no doubt know. Your new parents will be given the proper directions as to how to raise and protect you, however, aside from that, you will be raised as a normal youkai pup. Aside from that, you will have no more responsibilities from me; only what your new culture will call for."

Kagome knew without a doubt what she would be doing. Closing her eyes for a moment, she hesitated, before looking back over at the other Miko. "Once I regain my memories, will I be allowed to search out those that knew me?"

"Only two. You must choose well, little one, for things change as do people's hearts. You will be given two chances to tell those of your past what has happened and only two. Now, what is your decision?"

Her blue eyes shining brightly and clearly, Kagome smiled. "I will be a youkai."