Hearts of Stone by inufairiegirl

Ancestors of Time

Hey guys, so here it is FINALLY! this is the first chapter of A heart within the blue moons sequel. Please forgive me that it took me so long, I haven't done any writing in so long, but hopefully this will pull me back into the swing of it. For this reason, please forgive me also if not quite up to standard yet! Tell me what you think :D

Love as always

Inufairigirl :D

xxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been centuries since anybody had been near the stone tombs entrance. Creeping wisteria and wild ivy hung in heavy strands from the rocky overhang above, forming a dark curtain of green and lilac that hid it from the view of the occasional walker that passed by. Animals had made their dens close by, drawn by the warmth which was emitted from the stone, bats nesting in the cracks of fire blackened rock, while birds roosted in the flourishing trees in the surrounding field and mice crept under stones that lay scattered where they had fallen.

It was in this state that the young girl with ebony black hair and blue eyes found it. It was a late summer day, the golden sun just slipping behind the horizon trees. She had been sent to stay at her grandmothers shrine in the city, her mother having been called away to another family members bedside and her father summoned to a far away shrine to aid a struggling priest. The holy man had been a great friend of her great-grandfathers, the man that had taught her father the ways of a man of the cloth. Papa had always told her that he had decided to become a priest after he finished his university degree in ancient history as a way to search for his lost sister within the crumbling scrolls of shrine libraries.

Kagome had been told of the amazing adventures of her aunt, the woman that she took her unusual name from. She had heard of the reality of youkai and hanyou, of time travelling wells and great battles of Miko's and demon slayers. She had seen the ever-blooming white flower that sat in pride of place in her grand-mothers shrine after its arrival through the well. In the simple logical way of her youth she had snuck close to it one day and pulled off a couple of petals, just to show her family it was a fake. When she had returned the next day and seen the full head of petals that once again adorned the flower she had been convinced. So much so in fact that she had spent every waking moment she could when visiting the shrine staring into the depths of the mysterious well, squinting into the gloom for any trace of the blue lightening magic her aunt had told her little brother so many times. She had even tried climbing into it to stamp and dig at the dirt at its base, going so far as to jump from as high as she dared to see if that helped her to traverse the time portal. Alas, it had not, and one sprained ankle later her grand-mother had started to lock the well house whenever she had come to visit, saying it wasn't safe. And so that was how she ended up here today, wandering through the grass as her mind flittered from one unimaginable story to the next.

With nothing to do at the shrine she had told her grand-mother she was going to explore outside the shrine grounds. After a long list of rules, and a lot of muttering about being fifteen now and being able to take care of herself she slid the front door closed and deeply inhaled, before choking slightly. Her own home was in the countryside surrounding the great city of Tokyo, and she always found the thick heavy air of the shrine stifling. Hailing a bus she paid the small fare that would take her to the outskirts where she could roam for hours without the bustle of constant activity. After twenty minutes the houses and shops had thinned out and the green fields were beginning to take their place. At the end of the line she hoped off the bus and began meandering through meadows, following a small stream to find the river at its end.

The thing which first drew her attention to the huge rock face that stood at the far end of such a field was a glint of sunlight directly into her eyes from within the curtain of hanging green. On closer inspection she found it was an arrow head, broken at the shaft and driven into the stone by some impressive force. It looked so old, and the slight touch to it left a razor cut to her finger, a single drop of bright red blood dropping to slide down the metal of the arrow head and drip down the stone. Glancing around she saw that sitting in front of the cliff was a large flat rock. Running her slender fingers around the edge she thought she could feel a slight breeze from behind the huge stone, it seemed to be blocking an opening or doorway of some sorts, from which warm air was seeping.

Gritting her teeth Kagome dug her nails and fingertips into the natural groove made between door stone and rock face and heaved, switching to trying to push the stone away when it gave no result, but that gave the same outcome. The stone was at least the size of her garage door back home and easily the same thickness as her body. She let out a quiet chuckle at her own expense.

"What exactly did you expect Kags? That you would be able to shift a few tonnes of stone on your own? Baka!"

At her voice sparks of fire erupted across the stone face, seeming to follow a pre-set pattern. Nonsense at first it soon began to die away, leaving charred lines and shapes which all fitted together to form kanji writing. Glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone else was witnessing this madness the young girl shivered in fear. Lightning thoughts of magical adventures and far away times skipped across her brain as she remember her aunt, the Miko Kagome and she stepped forwards cautiously. Pulling back the edge of the hanging green foliage curtain she began to read the inscription.

Here lies the Great Lord of the Western Lands and his Lady.

Overtaken by power and rage in their final battle against an unseen foe they gave their life and freedom to try to protect ours.

May their ancestors and all of Japan know that they bravely rose to be the saviours of us all when there was no other.

Though they were overcome we pray that in this time of great darkness and fear, when we need them most, they will always be remembered as our heroes, who saved the world once, and came so close to doing so again.

Lord of the Western Lands, InuTashio Sesshomaru and his Lady, and Shikon Miko, Higurashi Kagome.

The young girl stood in stunned silence.

"Kagome Higurashi? Aunt Kagome?"

Souta's daughter reached out her fingers to run them over her family name, flinching away as ice cold flames spread across the writing at her touch. Cradling her cold hand she gasped as a loud groaning and the scuttle of small rocks falling echoed around the clearing, preceding the much louder grinding of stone on stone. The large door stone rolled away, leaving an empty back void as deep as any chasm beyond.

Summoning her courage Kagome imagined what her aunt would have done if she was faced with this situation. Stories of bravery and magic, of demons and monks filled her memory as she bravely stepped forward into the unknown of the gloom.