Chapter 2
"My lord Inu-Yasha, don't we have better things to do than sit in this tree?"
"Yeah, I thought we were going to look for rumors of the Shikon jewel!"
"Shut up, I don't feel like it." Inu-Yasha scowled. For the past two days he had stayed near the village. Kagome still wasn't back yet, and he couldn't find the shards if she wasn't with him. Curse her....
"Lord Inu-Yasha!" called a voice. He glanced down from the tree.
"Eh?" It was one of the village women.
"Milady Kaede wishes to speak with you." Having delivered the message, the village woman scurried away.
"What does that old crone want?" Inu-Yasha said as he started toward the village. Myoga and Shippo hurried after him.
Kaede sat stirring a pot of something brown when Inu-Yasha reached her.
"Old hag, what do you want?" he snapped. "I have better things to do than answer to your every beck and call." Myoga rolled his eyes and Shippo laughed. Inu-Yasha glared at them.
"Well, Inu-Yasha," began Kaede. "Have you been gathering rumors of the jewel?"
"No, curse you," he said through clenched teeth. "I can't very well do anything when she's not around. Curse that girl."
"Right, Inu-Yasha," said Kaede. She nodded. Inu-Yasha frowned.
"What's your problem, old crone?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," she said. She continued stirring the pot. "The new moon is coming soon, isn't it? In a few days, I believe." Inu-Yasha scowled.
"That is correct," said Myoga. "I suppose we are staying here while you undergo your secret, ahem, change?"
"Of course we are," Inu-Yasha snapped. "But not because of that. We need to wait until Kagome gets back. She's certainly taking her sweet time."
"Well, she did say that she'd be back in a few -" Shippo began.
"Shut up." Inu-Yasha stomped away. Shippo sighed.
"What did I do to offend him, now?"
"Nothing," said Kaede. "Just leave him alone for a while."
Kagome wasited anxiously for the new priestess to arrive. Her mother had made them clean the whole house, and Grandpa Ojiichan had fixed up the shrine. Sota sat next to her, a ball of jittered nerves.
"Kagome, what do you think she'll be like?" he asked. "Will she be nice?" She smiled at him.
"I'm sure she will be," she said soothingly. Kagome couldn't let her brother see how scared she was of having a new, powerful priestess. If I tell her about the Shikon Jewel, will she help us find the shards, Kagome wondered, or will she try to steal them for herself? Is she really a reincarnation? Did she live in the Feudal Age? Could she have known Kikiyo or Inu-Yasha? How can I be sure she's not evil?
"She's here, Kagome. called her mother. "Sota, where are you?"
"We're coming, Mom," Kagome called back. She got to her feet and slowly walked toward the kitchen. Her heart felt heavy. She could feel a magical force, stronger than any she had felt before. Anyone with this much power is a force to be reckoned with, she thought. Please let her be good. Kagome walked into the kitchen, Sota following her. The minute she stepped inside, the force she had felt was gone. What?, thought Kagome. What happened to it?
"Kagome," said her mother. "This is the new priestess, Saia. Saia, these are my children, Kagome and Sota."
"Hi, nice to meet you," said Saia. Her black hair hung straight down her back, past her waist. She wore a loose, peach colored dress and brown boots. Golden charms hung from her neck, ears, wrists, and waist.
But Kagome noticed all of this later on. The first things she saw, on Saia's peaches and cream complexion, were five red marks across her left cheek, as if someone had scratched her. Too bad, thought Kagome, if it weren't for those marks, she'd look like a model or something.
"They're birthmarks," said Saia, surprising her.
"W-what?"
"The marks on my cheek," she said, indicating them with her hand. "They're birthmarks."
"I-I didn't mean to stare," stammered Kagome. Saia waved her hand.
"It's alright," she answered. "It doesn't bother me." She turned to Kagome's brother.
"And you're Sota?" He nodded.
"It's nice to meet you, too," he said. He clung to Kagome.
"I understand that you're a little uncomfortable about this," said Saia. "You need to adjust to it, as do I. However, I'm sure that we'll get along." She smiled.
It was then that Kagome remembered what had happened to Saia. Poor girl, she thought, she loses her mother and shrine in one day and now I'm not even making her feel welcome. She smiled back at Saia.
"Let me show you to your room," she said. "Then I'll tell you about Inu-Yasha." Saia nodded and picked up her stuff.