FicWad

50 Years Too Early

Chapter 2: Compare and Contrast

Kagome wasn't sure what to think as she followed her twin through the forest. Her chocolate brown eyes were fixed on the figure in white. No matter how many times Kagome stared, it was still creepy. For the fourth time in under a minute, Kagome slapped herself. From the rising sting on her cheek, this definitely wasn't a dream. Kagome still wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

This place was scary. Ever since they had started the trek, Kagome had felt like there were a million eyes on her. As if creatures in the bushes around them were following her every move. With each step her anxious feeling only got worse. A rustle in the bushes from a squirrel made her jump almost eight feet and the slither of a snake passing by her foot caused a scream that seemed to shake the leaves. This place was terrible!

It really didn't help that her twin or clone or whatever, wasn't that talkative. None of this would be so bad if her twin just stopped and explained what was going on. But then again, what exactly was the protocol for conversing with your body double? If Soap operas were any indications most conversations involved the original accusing the twin of putting their fiancée in a coma or sabotaging some aspect of their lives. And the twin would retort that they've been neglected by the original since they were born and did it to get attention. Kagome looked up at her twin for what had to be the tenth time. Something told her the soap opera model wouldn't be of any help. But she had to say something, the silence was horrible. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat to catch her twin's attention.

"Um….so…." Kagome started, earning a glance from her twin. Kagome flinched when she saw even their eyes were the same color.

"Yes?" her twin pressed when Kagome failed to follow up.

Shaking off the shock, Kagome searched the sky for a topic. "Where…uh….where are we going?"

The twin turned back to the road. "My village." She said simply.

Kagome had to jog to keep up. "Oh! What's there? Your friends? Your family?"

"Answers."

"You mean like how I got here, what the deal was with that dog eared guy, and if I can get home?" she babbled.

Her twin answered with a simple, "Yes."

"That's good because, I need to get home, I'm sure my mom is worried sick, I'm sure my little brother Sota would love having an extra room in the house and Gramps of course would rant that I was spirited away by angry deities and all that stuff. Kind of funny when you think about it."

Kagome's forced laugh was silenced by a single look from her twin, deflating her false joviality. Crash and burn, Kagome thought. But then again babbling about random topics probably wasn't the best way to have a conversation. Maybe she needed a different approach. She jogged up to her twin once more so that they walked side by side, though Kagome was careful not to glance up at her twin's eyes again.

"So… what's your village like?"

The twin raised her eyebrow. Kagome inwardly smirked. Now her twin had to give her more than a simple answer!

"It's fine."

Or not. Was talking just something frowned upon here? Kagome opened her mouth one more time, but her twin stopped her with another look.

"Save your voice for the village," she said. "If you make too much noise here, you'll attract demons."

"D-demons? Real demons?"

"Yes, so please remain quiet until we reach my village."

Kagome bit her lip. Actual demons. That would explain that weird feeling of eyes on her. She shivered despite the June heat. Maybe questions would have to be saved for later.

OOOOO

Kikyo glanced over her shoulder as the girl jogged to catch up. The girl was almost an exact duplicate of her. But their appearance was the only similar aspect. Besides her strange clothes, the girl moved like a frightened child. She had jumped at the simple motion of a squirrel moving through the trees and Kikyo could swear that the girl alerted every demon in the area when a snake passed by her foot and she screamed with all her might. The girl also seemed to be in the habit of talking for no other reason but to fill the silence.

Kikyo had traveled with others before, but often times it was with other priestesses like Tsubaki or Kaede, both seemed to appreciate the need for silence on the road, especially during a mission. The quiet was useful to her. It allowed her to gather her thoughts, focus on her duty and plan out possible counter measures to any form of attack. That focus was currently in much need as Kikyo searched her mind for how such a duplicate could exist. The girl had no demonic aura around her or signs of sorcery of any kind.

She had been in the process of changing her theory when the girl began asking senseless questions. While Kikyo could understand the girl's curiosity, how did she expect to get answers if the girl kept interrupting her thoughts? Not one for rudeness, Kikyo answered the girl's questions as simply as she could. She couldn't distract herself with conversation at this point. She needed to figure out exactly what kind of power she was in the presence of. Yet the girl's chatter persisted. Kikyo held in the urge to groan when another question came her way. As before Kikyo answered as simply as possible to avoid breaking her focus, but that was not enough for the girl it seemed like.

It had been an easy enough task to silence her. She used a line she had seen mothers use on noisy children. A bit underhanded of her, but it served its purpose. She remained quiet for the rest of the trek to the village. But as the familiar huts came into view, Kikyo was no closer to an explanation than she was previously. This was proving to be more difficult than she first surmised. Kikyo sighed and turned to the girl.

"We have arrived," she announced, making the girl stiffen even more. "If any of the villagers question your presence here, allow me to answer them. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded and together they entered the village. Kikyo could only hope she knew what she was doing.

OOOOO

"Damn it!" Inuyasha yelled at the sky. Another bust! The Halfling struggled against the arrows that held him to the tree, cursing the priestess with each breath. That damn double had thrown him off. Kikyo must have created some kind of twin with her powers to distract him so she could pin him to the damn tree. And he fell for it! Damn it! He should have known better. The scents were completely different. The body double reeked with fear and bunch of other unfamiliar scents. The sound of the twin's step was nowhere close to Kikyo's either. The double's steps were quick and erratic like a scared rabbit or trapped prey.

He wasn't sure what made the priestess suddenly want to use decoys, but then again it really didn't matter. All it meant was that she too scared to take him head on. Keh, the next time he faced her, he'd get past that double no problem, then the jewel would be all his!

But first he had to get off this damn tree.

As he struggled against the arrows one thought drilled against skull with every move he made. Why didn't she finish him off? He was helpless. Just one arrow to the throat and he would be done, no questions asked. So why didn't she do just that? Inuyasha knew for a fact that he wasn't going to give up on the jewel and so did Kikyo for that matter. Knowing that should have made killing him all the more easier for her. Why keep him alive when she knew he would just keep coming?

Was it mercy? No it couldn't be. From the amount of demon blood that soaked her scent, it was fair to say that Kikyo spared no seeker of the jewel. So why was he the exception? Pity? Keh, that was just as ridiculous as mercy. He may be only a half-demon, but he was still a demon damn it! And demons didn't need pity to survive; they survived on power and their own strength! If pity was really the reason for his current survival then he was even weaker than he thought. His claws dug into his palms at the fact. A feral growl escaped his clenched jaw. His ears tucked back into his hair while his muscles tensed. "Weakling" floated behind his eyelids like a taunt, made even worse by the fact that he could hear his brother utter word as if he was right behind him. Inuyasha's eyes snapped open and with one frustrated yell pushed off against the tree trunk ripping himself from the arrows.

A quick look over told him that he wasn't injured. Kikyo had good aim; he had to give that much to the priestess. She didn't even come close to his vitals. But even if she did, his Fire Rat robes would have protected him. That was only if she continued to use her normal arrows. If she used any of her spiritual energy he wouldn't be standing.

"I guess I should count myself lucky," he muttered. He growled and shook his head at the thought. Demons didn't need luck to survive either!

He sniffed the air and once again found Kikyo's scent. She was back in the village, which was well within her barrier and beyond his reach. Her body double or twin or whatever was with her too. He cracked his claws, imagining the satisfaction of taking both women down and getting his hands on the Shikon jewel. His frustration gave way to the more familiar confidence and gusto.

"Just you wait Kikyo," he swore. "I'll show you that leaving me alive was a big mistake."

OOOOO

Kagome stared at the village in front of her; her jaw had long since dropped. It was like stepping into one of Gramps's period movies or Sota's samurai shows. Everything was more or less exact from their simple kimonos to their soil stained hands. If she really was back in feudal times, she was definitely getting an A in history when got back home. If she ever got back home.

The villagers greeted her twin pleasantly but stopped to stare at Kagome. One look from her twin stopped them from asking any questions. The walk to her twin's hut only took two minutes but it might as well have taken two years.

The hut was a simple one, just like Kagome had seen on TV. There was a fire pit, bare hardwood floors and two sleeping mats around the fire pit. In the corner she saw several clumps of herbs that gave the hut a strong arbor smell. Kneeling next to the herbs was a young girl. She wore a simple orange-yellow kimono. Her hair was tied with the same white ribbon as her twin and she seemed to be humming a cheerful tune while she worked.

"Kaede, I've returned," her twin announced, slipping out of her sandals. Kagome followed suit.

The little girl, Kaede whirled around a bright smile on her face. "Sister Kikyo!"

Kagome wanted to slap herself one more time. Her twin not only had a little sibling too, but even her sibling shared the same eyes and general face as her. Was this some weird parallel universe where her face was the template or something?

Kaede's smile dropped when she glanced at Kagome, making the schoolgirl shift in discomfort. The hut was silent for several long seconds before her twin, Kikyo, interrupted.

"Kaede, you're staring."

The girl snapped out of her trance. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

Kagome waved her hands trying to appease the flustered girl. "No, no, it's fine. I probably look kind of strange anyways….." she said with an uneasy laugh.

"Kaede why don't you go make our guest some tea?" Kikyo suggested, setting her bow and quiver against the far wall.

"Oh right!" Kaede grabbed a kettle near the fire pit and pattered out of the hut yelling that she'd back with fresh water over her shoulder.

"I apologize for the villagers and my sister's behavior," Kikyo said as she began lighting the fire pit.

Kagome let out another small laugh as she sat across from her twin. "Don't worry about it, like I said, I probably look weird to them."

"Indeed," Kikyo said simply.

Silence fell between them once more. Kagome's hands twitched, eager for something to do. Her fingers found their way to her hair and began twisting at her bangs. Her other hand seemed eager to test how smooth the floorboards were.

"Um…." Kagome tried, catching the twin's attention. "So…is it ok to talk here, or will demons get us here too?"

The corners of Kikyo's lips twitched upwards but quickly shifted back down to their previous position. An attempt to smile maybe? "I can assure you, we are perfectly safe here thanks to the barrier around the village."

"Oh well… that's good I guess…"

"What is your name?"

"Kagome Higurashi."

Her twin mouthed her name silently as if testing it on her lips.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Higurashi," she said with a bow, taking Kagome aback.

"Um…you can just call me Kagome if you want. Formality really isn't my thing…."

"Very well, Kagome."

"And you're name is, Kikyo right?"

"That is correct."

"Do you have a family name?"

Kikyo looked down and Kagome knew right away she hit a sore topic.

"You don't have to answer; I was just wondering, you know." Kagome said frantically.

Kikyo answered anyway. "Unfortunately, my family is no longer a part of this world."

"So they died?" Stupid! Kagome hissed at herself. Of course they died what else could that mean!

"Correct," Kikyo replied not at all bothered it seemed. "It happened when I was no older than Kaede is now."

"You don't have to say anymore," Kagome said quickly. "I'm sorry; sometimes I have to play catch up with my mouth. Funny isn't it?"

Kikyo shook her head. "There's no need for apologies. I would not be much of a priestess if I allowed such a childhood event to still affect me."

I'm guessing this is before post traumatic stress disorder was discovered, Kagome thought.

The door slid open revealing Kaede with a full tea kettle of water. Another round of silence passed as Kikyo rose from her seat and helped her sister prepare the beverage. Every now and then Kaede would glance up at Kagome, making the schoolgirl shift her gaze to some other part of the hut.

"Kagome," Kikyo said as she poured three cups.

"Yeah?"

"I am curious as to how you came here," she said sliding the tea over to Kagome. "If that is a tale you feel comfortable sharing of course."

"No, no it's fine I just don't know how to put it in words actually…." Kagome replied with a weak laugh.

Kikyo took a sip of the tea. "Take your time."

Kagome scratched her head trying to find the right words. "There's not much to it honestly. My younger brother was looking for our cat Buyo, but he was too much a coward to actually go down into the storehouse. So I had to. Then next thing I know the old well springs to life, drags me to the bottom, I climb out, and well….here I am."

"Fascinating," Kikyo said. "And tell me, what was the name of this well you spoke of?"

"Um….I'm pretty sure Gramps called it the Bone Eaters Well or something like that. Not a very welcoming name if you ask me."

Kikyo set her tea aside and sighed. Her chocolate brown eyes met Kagome's, causing another flinch from the school girl.

"It's as I thought," the priestess muttered to herself. "I had my suspicions but I never thought something like this was possible."

"What suspicions? What's going on?"

"You are my reincarnation, Kagome."

Kagome nearly dropped her cup. "I'm your what?"

"My reincarnation," Kikyo repeated patiently. "Essentially I am you and you are me."

"I know what reincarnation is," Kagome said her voice shaking. "And the whole point of it is that a person soul lives on in another body after death. So how can we be talking if I'm supposed to be you? Am I dead! Is this some kind of near death experience?"

"Remain calm. The situation is not as morbid as you believe."

"How do you figure that?"

"What brought here was not death. It was the Bone Eater's Well. It is a well made from the wood of the Scared Tree, which is, in turn, a Tree of Ages."

"A tree of what?"

"It is a tree that transcends time," Kikyo explained. "It experiences different eras in time and with proper spiritual power, those experiences can be shared."

"You're still not making any sense…."

"It's basically an immortal tree," Kaede piped up. "It can't be chopped down or burned or anything. No matter what happens it endures."

Kagome couldn't resist smiling. Even in a different time and a different place, a smart younger sibling was unavoidable.

"Well put Kaede," Kikyo said with a more noticeable half smile.

"Ok, so the Scared Tree is immortal. I kind of get that, but how did it manage to bring me here?"

"The Bone Eater's Well is made from some of the wood from the Scared Tree. When it was built it must have made some sort of connection with the well in your world and brought you here when you fell in."

"But stuff has fallen in the well all the time before and it didn't get whisked away to another time. Why did it suddenly decide to bring me here?"

"Perhaps fate has a plan for you."

"And that still doesn't explain this reincarnation thing. How can you be so sure that I'm your reincarnation without some test like they do for the Dali Lama?"

"Do you have a better explanation for our similar appearance?"

Kagome froze. She really didn't, not without citing those stupid comic books Sota usually read. Today was definitely crazy if robotic twins or a parallel universe was a more logical explanation for her current situation than what Kikyo suggested. Kagome found herself losing strength in her body. It didn't take long for her to slump against the wall, her head light and spinning.

"This is… a lot to take in," she breathed. A cup of cold water floated in front of her face. Kagome followed the arm and saw Kaede offing a cup with a warm smile. Kagome managed a smile back as she accepted.

"I understand your aversion and your discomfort," Kikyo said placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "But I promise you I will do everything in my power to find a way to send back to your world."

"Thank you," was all Kagome could think to say. She gulped down her water wishing her head would stop spinning. "This isn't exactly what I wanted for my birthday though."

Kaede's eyes brightened. "Today is your birthday as well Lady Kagome?"

Kagome gave the little girl another genuine smile. "Yep, I'm officially 15 today."

"So a birthday is another aspect we share," Kikyo said.

Kagome straightened up. "Get out; it's your birthday today too?"

"Correct. As of today I am 18."

No way! Kagome thought. I thought she had to be at least 20 or something.

"Does my age surprise you?"

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin. Could she read minds now? "How did you-!"

"It was written all over your face."

"Oh…sorry it's just-."

"You needn't worry. People are always surprised at my young age," Kikyo looked into the green liquid of her tea. A distant look began to flash in her eyes. "I suppose my duties have taken certain toll on me, hence my older appearance."

Time seemed to freeze as Kagome examined her other self. There was no denying that they looked the same at first glance, she realized the biggest difference between them. It was their eyes. Kikyo's were more rounded and for the longest time Kagome avoid looking to them because they held such a cold and apathetic look to them. But as Kagome looked into them now, she saw only sadness and loneliness in Kikyo's eyes. Kagome couldn't explain how she knew, but some part of Kikyo was crying out for someone, anyone, to ease a pain so long bottled inside. Was this why fate sent her here? To help this lonely form of herself?

"Sister Kikyo…? Kaede whispered, breaking the silence and Kagome's trance.

"My apologies," Kikyo said, snapping out of her gaze. "I must have gotten lost in my chain of thought."

Kagome waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Hey, what do you usually do for your birthday?"

Kikyo looked up, a blank look on her face. Clearly no one had ever asked her a question like that before. And from her lack of response, Kagome knew the answer already.

"I'm guessing you don't do much," Kagome said with a sigh.

A light shade red appeared on Kikyo's pale face. "I never have the time to properly celebrate-."

"That's stupid," Kagome interrupted. "You should always make time for your birthday!"

Kikyo tilted her head. "What do you usually do in your world?"

"Well my friends usually take me out somewhere like our favorite burger shop and my mom cooks a really nice dinner for me with all my favorite foods. Then we all have a toast…that's it!"

"What is?"

With a strange new vigor, Kagome filled their cups with tea and raised her cup to Kikyo.

"We can still have a birthday toast. Like this, Happy Birthday Kikyo!"

Kikyo stared at the cup in front of her then at Kagome. For the longest time the priestess didn't move. But soon the priestess raised her own cup and met Kagome's, with a look of warmth in her eyes.

"Happy Birthday, Kagome."

Kaede quickly followed suit. "Happy Birthday Sister Kikyo and to you too Lady Kagome!"

Kagome giggled. "I told you, just Kagome is fine."

With that, under the afternoon sun the three shared a warm carefree drink. Kagome looked over her cup and saw the corners of Kikyo's lips turn upward again, this time staying in that position.

Suddenly this strange place didn't feel so bad.