secret goddess by Aya-Chan

a death that brings life.

Summary: She wasn't a priestess, she wasn't even 17 years old, and she didn't come from the year 2007. It wasn't until after her death that Kagome learned the truth about who she was.

Chapter: a death that brings life.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where is Inuyasha when I need him?" Kagome looked at her surroundings, night had already fallen, engulfing everything in darkness, it was the New Moon tonight, so Kagome knew Inuyasha was probably in hiding. Suddenly Kagome felt uneasiness overtake her; it was a feeling like no other she had ever had. Placing her bag on the ground slowly she carefully watched and listened for any sign of danger, she could feel someone watching her.

WHOOSH

Kagome felt the glowing Arrow whiz past her, scratching her cheek, leaving a large blood oozing gash across it. Screaming, Kagome let her instincts take over and she began to pump her legs in a sprint through the forest, dashing away from her attacker. But whoever it was followed. Kagome continued to run, but a sudden cramp in her leg caused her steps to falter, and her foot got caught in a root of one of the giant tree's, sending Kagome hurdling down into the cold hard ground, scratching and cutting her legs, arms and face. As well as tearing her uniform. Crying out at the pain in her leg and her aching body, Kagome tried to push herself up of the ground, but found her self being pushed back down.

"I missed the first time reincarnation, but I won't miss this time." The cold unemotional voice of Kikyo rang through Kagome's head as she was roughly turned over to look into the face of the dead priestess.

"Kikyo, what are you doing?" Kagome asked pleadingly, tears streaming down her face.

"Getting my soul back," Kikyo sneered, raising her hand above her head, clutched in it was an arrow, which blazed bright with Miko energy. A mischievous twinkle glittered in Kikyo's eyes as she brought the arrow crashing down into Kagome's heart.

The birds that had previously been nestled comfortably within the tree's all took to the sky simultaneously, as if sensing the coming doom to a Miko, a woman of the earth.

The last thing Kagome heard before her world went completely black forever was, "............. Inuyasha asked me to get rid of you."

*~*~*~*~*~*~:: With the others ::*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha was sleeping peacefully in the corner of Keada's hut, while Sango and Miroku kept watch, in case of danger. Both Shippo and Keada had fallen asleep as well. Sango was busy waxing her Hiridkouts, while Miroku was sharpening his Staff, when a sudden commotion of birds in Inuyasha's forest drew their attention followed by a sudden chill in the air, causing both Sango and Miroku to unintentionally shiver.

"What was that?" Sango asked, eyes trained to the door incase of danger.

Miroku shook his head, "I'm not sure, but whatever it was, it was powerful."

"Should we go check it out?" Sango questioned?

"And leave Inuyasha unprotected? It would be too dangerous for one of us to go alone, but we can't both go because of Inuyasha. I think it would be best if we waited until morning. Whatever it was doesn't seem to be a threat to the village," Miroku spoke softly, as not to wake the others.

Sango nodded in agreement. But something was not right to her, she could feel something bad had happened, and she did not like it at all.

As the night wore on Miroku and Sango took turns sleeping and watching over the others until finally the first light of Dawn peaked over the horizon and Inuyasha awoke to his pulsing Demon returning to him.

"Well, good morning Inuya--" Miroku began, but was cut off.

"Kagome!!" Inuyasha exclaimed, eye's wide and nose twitching. "NO!" without an explanation Inuyasha shot up and out of the hut, racing towards the forest named after him.

Keada, who had awoken form the commotion sat up and looked at the concerned faces of the demon slayer and monk before all three got up and raced after Inuyasha, fear slowly consuming them. What had become of their friend to make Inuyasha panic so?

A fear like none he had ever felt before pulsed through Inuyasha from the inside out as he felt the hard ground beat against his feet as he raced on. The moment he had awoken the sickly metallic scent ravaged his nostrils, but what threw him into an unending panic was the light smell of vanilla and Sakura blossoms that was interlaced in the blood. Kagome's scent.

As Inuyasha finally made it to where the scent was strongest, his fear clenched at his heart and caused him to fall to his knees. In a small clearing not far from the clearing the well sat, laid the cold lifeless body of Kagome, his closest friend, and second love. A single arrow piercing through her chest, her own blood, now dried, soaked through her clothes, on the ground around her, and crusted to her now pale, colorless skin. The grass and tree's that surrounded her were wilted and dead, as if all the life had been sucked out of them by some unknown force. Slowly and ever so carefully Inuyasha placed Kagome's head on his lap and pressed his forehead against hers, tears slowly falling from his eyes. He didn't even bother to look up as the others entered the clearing.

Sango was the first to make it but what she saw knocked the breath out of her, and she turned into Miroku's arms in despair. Miroku couldn't even look, he had to turn his head away from the sight before him. "Oh Kami no," He breathed slowly.

Keada hung her head, "nothing will ever grow here again. The life of a pure and powerful Miko was taken by spite and malice. These lands shall remain dead as a reminder of her death and the pain she must have suffered."

"Who could have done something like this?" Sango whispered through her own sobs.

Everyone looked to Inuyasha, hoping, praying that his nose could pick up the scent of the creature that could have possibly done something so horrible.

Inuyasha slowly rose his head to the air, and sorrowfully took in the air around him, trying desperately to pick something up, but shook his head. "The scent has long since disappeared. Only death lingers here." He managed to get out, before his body was overcome with grief.

*~*~*~*~*~*~:: Elsewhere::*~*~*~*~*~

Sitting up suddenly, hands clutching the flesh above her heart Kagome let a scream die on her lips as she took deep gasps of air. Closing her eyes Kagome recalled the last thing that happened. But how could she still be alive, Kikyo was there, Kikyo killed her, she had felt it, she had felt the arrow piercing into her skin and through the small membrane that protected her heart before everything had gone black. Before she ended up here.

But where was here?

Snapping her eyes open once more Kagome took in her surroundings as she stood slowly. There was white. Only white. What appeared to be fog, only softer and cooler to the skin, swirled around her feet and ankles. The she looked in all directions, but all she could see was never ending white. Until a shadow began to take form.

At first it was nothing more than a silhouette, but slowly the silhouette began to take shape. Kagome took a fighting stance, ready to defend herself if need be. but, as the form finally stopped but a few feet ahead of her, Kagome's eye's widened to unimaginable sizes and she found she could barely whisper, but one word was able to make it past her now dry lips and parched throat, "........F-Father?"

There, not 3 feet in front of her, stood her smiling Father. And without another thought Kagome launched herself into his open arms, she couldn't help the tears that made their way down her cheeks. But how could this be? Kagome's father had died when she was only 7 years old, it wasn't possible for him to be here, unless..........

Kagome pulled away from her father slightly, "am.... Am I dead?" she whispered.

Her father laughed, "no my darling Daughter, you are not dead. You are as alive as I am."

Kagome shook her head, she didn't understand, "but-but you are dead. You died 10 years ago, I was 7. You stopped coming home one night, and mama said that you had passed away in a car accident."

*Yasha-Raidon Higurashi, previously known to friends and family as Rai, smiled at the young woman in his arms, "No my dear, I did not die that night. Gods cannot die. It is time you learned the family secret Kagome. It is time you returned to your old life."

*Yasha-Raidon means Demon Thunder God.