Ultimate Sacrifice by EternalLove

Chapter One

She did it. She had hopped from foot to foot, restlessly observing the others fight on with Shippo in her arms. She couldn't do anything. Not without risking herself and the others in danger. And what could she do? She still hadn't tapped into the full potential of her miko powers and her arrows were all spent. By foolishly running into the battle would mean Inuyasha would have to run over and try to protect her. So she had no other choice but to stand and wait. But she had to do something. Anything, if it meant that this could be over. And so she did it. She reached deep within herself, in a place she never knew she had. She begged, pleaded, and urged her inner soul to create some sort of a miracle. Her soul somehow listened to her cries and she could feel a sort of calm coming over her body, as if everything would be alright. Her hand rose up on it's own and the shards hanging on her neck jumped to her palm. From far away, the shikon inside Naraku split itself from him and started to glide over to her awaiting hand. Enraged at what she had done Naraku started to make his way towards her but was blocked by Inuyasha. With all the shards in her hand she closed it and made a gentle fist. When she opened her palm again, the jewel was complete. "Make a wish." she whispered to herself. She gave a quiet laugh, it was almost like a birthday, almost. But how could she word exactly what she wanted in her heart? What she wanted was in such a tumble and disarray of words and thoughts that she found that she couldn't say anything. A cry from the battlefield made her head snap up. It was Sango and a tiger youkai had bitten her on the leg. Blood was dripping down from the wound and Miroku had run over to help. Kagome could feel her legs trying to move to Sango, but she had something to do if she wanted to end all of this. She opened her mouth and a steady stream of words came out.

"I wish that all the destruction that the Shikon and Naraku made never happened. I wish that everybody who's lives had been affected from it would be back to normal. I wish-I wish that everything that led up to this point hadn't happened!"

She could hear a voice echoing inside her head, a female one.

"Be careful of what you wish for."

Before Kagome could ask who it was the Shikon in her hand started to glow and beams of purple light began to escape from the jewel. It covered everything like a dense fog till Kagome couldn't see anything. She blinked once and she was suddenly in Inuyasha forest. What had happened to her wish? Her feet took her along the familiar path till she reached the clearing with the well. But the well looked new, as if Inuyasha had never stuck a tree down there. And the imprint of his body on Goshinboku was gone as well. She didn't stop to think for an answer but turned around and ran all the way back to the village. There were village children picking flowers and laughing but none of them greeted Kagome's figure. In fact, they acted as if she was not there at all. At Kaede's hut Kagome was about to go inside when someone stepped through the doorway.....and through her. She had raised her hands to stop the person but they went right through her hands as if they were nothing. As if they were air. She looked down at her hands and noticed that there was a faintly glow to them. Very light in the sun's rays but still noticable enough. She pressed against the wooden walls of the hut and her hands went straight through without an obstacle. *Oh Kami, no. Please tell me I'm not a ghost. Please please please* Her knees buckled and she fell hard to the ground but she felt no pain. Nothing. She had become nothing. She could feel nothing and she could do nothing. Voices from behind her caught her attention and she turned her head. It was Inuyasha and...Kikyo?! The two were laughing and talking with all the joy that Kagome couldn't feel. Fingers intertwined with each other but fell apart whenever some villager passed by. As if they were some-some shy couple? What had happened to her world?

"It was your wish."

Kagome looked up to see a young woman standing beside her, dressed in armor with the clothing of a miko underneath. Her head was faced towards Inuyasha and Kikyo with a look of remembrance and regret in her face. When she looked down at the young girl on her knees Kagome gave a gasp.

"Midoriko??"

"Yes. And it appears that you are stuck, just like me."

"But-how-this-"

Midoriko gave a hand to Kagome to help her stand up. Kagome hesitantly took it and gave asigh of relief when her hand made contact with Midoriko's as she pulled herself up.

"It was your wish." Midoriko repeated, her face turning back to the couple.

"My wish turned me into a ghost?"

"Your wish was to reverse the effects of the Shikon and Naraku but only half of your wish was granted. That is everything was reversed up till the point that Kikyo was guarding the Shikon."

"What about Naraku?"

"He was erased from the world altogether."

"Then, why am I like this?"

"Kikyo is alive and well, meaning her soul is whole. The only reason you existed in modern times was because you had Kikyo's soul to sustain you. Without Kikyo's soul, you are just a shadow of another dimension."

"Just a shadow?"

"If you were a ghost, you would give off energy from your soul. Watch."

Midoriko started to walk near the couple and both began to shiver. They rubbed their arms and started to look around them cautiously. Midoriko moved away but the two still had puzzled looks on their faces.

"A shadow is someone without any energy inside themselves, or without a soul in simpler terms." Midoriko explained. "It was why Kikyo was able to pass through you without feeling anything."

Kagome wished she could lean against something for comfort but she would pass right through. Somehow....somehow everything made sense. Of course she wouldn't be alive in her world, she never received Kikyo's soul so she couldn't exist. And yet, denial was screaming in her mind. Screaming horrible but truthful things and she could feel her hoping sinking quickly. She was a shadow, just a small memory of some other dimension, some other world. A world where she existed and when a love between her and Inuyasha would have been possible. Back then, she had known that there wasn't much of a chance of Inuyasha returning her love, but there was still a little chance. Now, she didn't have anything. No hope at all because she was just a shadow. *It's what you wished, you wished for things to be like this* While her mind tried to use logic her heart bravely resisted. *Wish for things to be like this? I'm nothing now, nothing!* A tear trickled down her face, followed by another and another. She took no notice of the salty drops sliding down her cheek. Everything in her universe had centered to one thing, she was a shadow. She could feel desperation at her current situation and Midoriko took notice of this. But she gave no kind words to her, instead she grabbed her by her shoulders and gave her a forceful shake.

"You will not despair young miko! I have watched you through your years and never once have I seen you show weakness. Don't you dare start now, not when there are things to be done! There will always be obstacles in life, even in death! And you can't escape the fact that you are a shadow by turning into some weak little child. Now stop your pitiful crying because it is not the person you are inside."

Kagome made no movement to wipe away the tears on her face and only looked into Midoriko's face with sad eyes.

"Who am I then? If I have no soul, then who can I be? A soul is what makes you who you are, and I have none."

Midoriko took Kagome into her arms and hugged her as a mother would.

"I cannot tell you who you are right now, not until the time is right. But you are who you are Kagome, nothing inside you has changed. You may be a shadow, but you are still Kagome, no matter what happens. Don't ever forget that. Death cannot change who the person was in life, and even your wish cannot alter that. Doubting yourself is the first step towards being nothing."

"But I have no soul." Kagome whispered into Midoriko's clothing.

"No, you do not. But we can change your physical being." Kagome pulled herself from Midoriko, wiping away the tears on her face.

"What do you mean?"

The miko smiled as all signs of despair flew from Kagome's face.

"There is a way to make you have at least a more solid form."

"How? Is it even possible?"

"It is more possible for you than it is for me."

"How?" Kagome pleaded, ignoring a hidden meaning in the miko's words.

"Toutousai."

"Eh??! The old man who made Inuyasha's sword?"

"He should have the solution to your problem."

"But...can he even see me?"

"Yes, he and I talk frequently. You will have to go on your own though, I have other things to attend to."

"It's so far."

"Kagome, you can fly there."

"Fly??"

"Observe."

Midoriko began to gently float up in the air, turning this way and that. She floated back to the ground gracefully.

"Sugoi, maybe this shadow thing isn't so bad. I've always wanted to fly on my own."

"Or you can teleport yourself there."

"Shadows can teleport too?" she brightened a little.

"Shadows can do many things, maybe even more than ghosts can." Midoriko said in a serious tone. Kagome opened her mouth to say something but closed it. There seemed to be some sort of secret fact behind shadows that Midoriko wasn't telling. But Kagome was patient and she had all the time in the world, literally.

"Flying comes naturally to all ghosts and shadows, all you need is a simple thought. Teleporting is similar to this only you imagine your destination and it takes a bit more energy. Try it."

Kagome thought about flying and could feel her feet rising off the ground. After a few minutes of flying around Kaede's hut Kagome stopped and floated in mid air. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the inside of Kaede's hut. She disappeared and opened her eyes to see the dimly lit room of Kaede's house. Midoriko walked through Kaede's walls.

"You catch on very quickly."

"It feels so natural and so much more easier than just walking."

Midoriko considured what Kagome said very carefully and gave a grin.

"Good, now think of Toutousai's house and you should be there. I'd say in a few hours you barely need to even think about flying."

Kagome reached over and gave Midoriko a tight hug.

"Thank you...for being there when I didn't know."

"It's what a guardian is suppose to do."

"Thanks."

With just a single thought Kagome disappeared from Midoriko's arms and off to find an answer to her problems.

*Ahh, first chapter done. I really don't know why I'm so happy. I think it's because I really like this story so far. feedback/reviews please!