Chapter Text
Something around her felt… wrong. With great effort, she was able to push herself up into a seated position, arms shaking as her palms braced her weight against the grass underneath her. There was a sharp pain that pierced through her head, and she flinched, drawing one hand up to cradle the aching area. To her relief, the ache faded, albeit slowly. After a few minutes, she finally opened her eyes. With a dawning sense of trepidation, she swept her gaze across her immediate surroundings.
This was definitely wrong, she realized almost instantly.
Towering overhead was the familiar branches of the Goshinboke tree, yet…
One look was all it took for her to know that this was a place she'd never been in before. She knew the tree had stood for centuries, but this just seemed…
"Where am I…?" Kagome murmured to herself. She glanced around herself once more, the frown on her face deepening when she realized that there was nothing familiar she could feel in her surroundings- not even for miles out. It was in that moment that she came to the realization that she was missing something. She brought a hand up to the collar of her shirt, feeling around for the pink bauble that should've been hanging around her neck. To her immense dread, there was no sign of it, and she slowly pulled her hand back as she tried to rack her brain with a reason as to why it would be gone, but she couldn't recall anything.
Along with where the jewel had gone, she also knew that she had no recollection of how she ended up in this unfamiliar terrain. She was lost like a fish out of water. While not her first rodeo at being displaced, she was a lot more unsure about this time.
After sitting there for a moment longer, she pushed herself up onto her feet.
"... Maybe if I try to locate the jewel's presence, then I can track it down here…" she murmured to herself, trying to come up with a solution to at least one of her problems. "Either way, I can't just leave it here. If I want to find a way home, then I've got to get that thing first," she muttered.
Leaving the jewel here could lead to all sorts of adverse reactions. Who knew the sort of trouble it could bring to some poor unsuspecting soul? She knew it wouldn't take long for something to go wrong when the Shikon no Tama was involved.
With a sigh, Kagome shook her head. She turned to glance at the large tree behind her, blue eyes lifting to gaze up at the lush branches.
"... Just where am I…?" she whispered, the question hovering in the air as she mulled over it on her own. "I can't feel anything or anyone familiar, no matter how far I search… That can't be good."
The last thing she could remember was the jewel finally returning to a whole state, and then the conclusion of the final battle against Naraku. Then, after that, there was just nothing. Surely she had tried to go home, but maybe the well hadn't worked? Even so…
"Why can't I remember…?" she murmured softly, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. After all of that, everything went dark. After a moment, she huffed in frustration. "For once, can't one thing just go right…?" she muttered, frustration briefly settling on her expression. She shook her head a second later, schooling her expression as she tried to brush off that frustration. "Complaining won't do me any good here," she muttered. "I should-"
The words she was going to say died on her tongue when she felt an unfamiliar aura bee-lining for her. She turned just in time to spot an unusual creature running up the hill she stood on. Confusion contorted her expression as she gazed at it, its pace slowing to a halt a few feet away from her. It sat down, staring up at her as if expecting something to happen, and Kagome was left dumbstricken at its presence.
It wasn't any sort of animal she was familiar with, yet she doubted it sought to pose a threat to her, given the way it just sat there. She stood there for several long seconds as they merely observed one another. After a moment, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Well, hello there," she finally said. Her voice broke up the silence that had gathered, carrying faintly on the gentle breeze. She took a few steps forward to meet it, and she crouched down so she was closer to its eye level. "How unique…" she murmured to herself. She held out a hand, and it leaned forward some to sniff at her fingers. A moment later, it leaned its head closer as it nudged at her hand.
There was an earthy scent that hung in the air around it, something akin to fresh grass. The fur along its lithe body was primarily a tan cream color with a few spots of green that seemed to sprout at random. Its ears and tail looked like leaves, and there was a large patch of green that stood up with a faint curl at its forehead. There seemed to be a keen sense of understanding reflected in its brown eyes as it watched her.
She idly rubbed gently at the top of its head, smiling softly as it leaned into her touch, clearly enjoying the offered petting.
"Well, at least you're friendly," she mused softly. It sure was a nice change from how her first encounters in the Feudal Era went. She felt the approaching aura of someone, and Kagome automatically lifted her gaze when they came into her line of sight.
"What gives? Why'd you take off like-" As if only just then seeing her, his voice faded out as his eyes landed on her crouched there. There was a silence that hung in the air for several seconds, and Kagome hesitated in being the one to break it. Not so much out of fear, but out of caution. She didn't have to wait long for him to break the silence, at least. "How did you find your way out here?"
She hadn't expected him to pose that question, and she was one more left to recall that she had no real understanding of her current predicament. With a sigh, Kagome rose back up onto her feet, smoothing out the red hakama she wore. "The thing is…-" she started to say, only to trail off with a faint sigh.
She couldn't just say she woke up there. Who in their right mind would buy into that?
She shook her head, glancing at the tree behind her. She brought a hand up, faintly fisting her hand in the front of her white haori. "What is this place?" she asked then. Maybe if she could get some information, then maybe…-
"You stand before the Tree of Ages." His answer solidified what she had assumed. There was a rustle of grass as he came to stand beside her, reaching a hand out to rest it on the sturdy trunk of the tree. "Almighty Sinnoh blessed this tree long ago, and now it acts as a link throughout time."
Kagome glanced at him at hearing those words, confusion briefly clouding her mind.
Almighty Sinnoh?
"Not many know how to traverse the land to get here safely. Outside of myself, maybe only a handful of people in the Diamond clan can find their way here," he stated, once more looking at her. "So again, I'd like to know how you found your way here," he stated, reiterating his prior question.
Kagome sighed, realizing there was no way for her to get out of providing him with an answer. "You see…-" she began, trailing off softly as she shook her head. "I don't really know how I got out here. I woke up underneath the tree, but I can't recall how or why I'm here," she confessed.
"You really don't remember?" he asked, a brief flash of surprise appearing on his face before it faded. The look that replaced it was one she could remember Sango giving her several times. He looked at her as if he were looking for any possible injury she may have. "You're not injured, are you? Were you attacked by any Pokémon that might've led to you losing your memory?"
Kagome felt her brows furrow in confusion, and she shook her head. "I wasn't attacked by anything," she said. "I'm perfectly fine, I just…-" she paused, folding her arms across her chest in a defensive gesture. "-... don't remember." Even if she had been injured somehow, there was nothing left behind. Anything that might have been wrong would have been healed by now.
"I see," he responded. It sounded like he was relieved to hear that she wasn't hurt. "That's good. A lot of Pokémon around here can be territorial, and they'll attack without much warning. If you've managed to avoid getting hurt, that's a blessing in itself." He paused, fixing his focus on her face as he observed her for a moment longer. "I am Adaman, leader of the Diamond clan. What is your name?"
He was a man who looked to be about the same age as she was, maybe a year or two older. He was tall with pale skin, the color a sharp contrast to the blue and green gradient of his hair. A small section of his hair was pulled up in a small ponytail by a light blue tie. His eyes were a light brown, and he had a line of blue ink at the end of each eye, making his gaze appear sharper. He was dressed in primarily blue and black, his blue haroi and the dark clothing underneath flecked with sparse lines of gold. Around his neck was a thick gold band, with what looked to be a diamond fixed at the front. His right arm was covered in bandages, just as his left hand was.
While his clothes weren't as old-fashioned as the people in the Feudal Era, it was still hard to get a firm grasp on where she was in time. Keeping her disparaged expression to herself, she cleared those thoughts from her mind.
"I'm Kagome," she said.
Adaman nodded, and a brief expression of thought passed across his face. "Are you from Jublilife Village?" he asked. "I don't think I've seen you before during my visits, but the Galaxy Expedition team are often getting more settlers from time to time."
The location and name had no familiarity to her, and perhaps that showed on her face before she could compose her reaction. He took note of it the moment it appeared.
"So is that a no?" he questioned, though it seemed as though he knew her answer, given her reaction.
"... No, I am not," she conceded, not having a reason to try to deny his accurate observation. A moment later, she sighed. It was becoming clear to her that holding onto secrets might not be the right move for her to make here. "I know it might sound strange, but I…" she paused, trying to put the words together in a way that made sense to herself, as well. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get them to make any sense.
Just as she was about to give up on trying to find a way to explain, there was a sharp pulse that raced through her entire body. She stiffened up and turned around, her eyes lifting to the sky. For a moment, when her gaze landed on a dark spiraling cloud fixed around a bright, white star-like point in the sky, she knew that what she had felt had not been a mistake.
The jewel was there, of all places?
She could feel its aura coming from there, but it was fleeting. It faded before too long, seeming to be overwhelmed by the energy produced by the strange rift.
Still, it was far from what she'd consider good.
"Oh, that's just perfect…" she muttered, her expression contorting with mild aggravation. "How in the world am I supposed to get up there?"
It was only after she uttered those words that she remembered that she wasn't on her own there, and she froze once more.
"Have you got a reason?" Adaman's voice reached her ears, and she sighed softly. She saw no point in trying to hide or trying to lie.
"I think something I need is up there," she said, her hand moving to rest against her collar, where the jewel once resided. "Without it, I don't think I can go home."
There was silence that fell over the area between them, and she eventually turned to face him. She hadn't been sure if he'd believe her or not, but she also hadn't really cared. If he didn't, it's not like it'd affect her in the end. To her surprise, it seemed like he didn't doubt her words.
"You've come from the rift," he stated as their eyes met. Kagome felt her frown deepen, but she didn't deny the remark.
"If the jewel is still there, then I think so," she conceded. It must've gotten separated from her while she was there. She glanced to the side, her expression turning thoughtful as she tried to recall how she ended up here. "I don't remember how, but…" Deep down, the idea felt right. Even without remembering, she knew that to be true.
"Almighty Sinnoh is said to reside beyond the rift," Adaman said. She glanced at him upon hearing those words. "If you've come from the rift, then could that mean that Almighty Sinnoh sent you through time here? Placing you before the Tree of Ages so as not to harm you…" It seemed as if he was speaking out loud to himself, yet his words were audible to her.
"I'm not sure about all of that," she said after a moment. "Though, if that is true, then it's not the first time I've been displaced in time," she admitted. "It's usually due to the jewel, though…" she added as an afterthought. If his words were true, and there was some sort of deity beyond the rift, had it assumed ownership of the jewel for some reason? Or had the jewel latched onto it?
"Then I'm sure of it," Adaman stated, the remark taking her by surprise. "There must be some reason that you were sent here," he decided then, catching her gaze. "You, who was chosen by Almighty Sinnoh, who bears a connection to time. It must've been fate that I was led here by my partner."
Kagome glanced down at the creature at his side. The entire time, it had yet to take its eyes off of her, watching her with a calm expression.
He held a hand out to her. She tore her gaze away from the creature at his side, her gaze swapping to his outstretched palm.
"From this day forward, you are a part of the Diamond clan," Adaman stated.
Kagome frowned. "You don't even know me," she said. "How can you be sure that-"
"Through my faith in Almighty Sinnoh, the ruler over time, I know you," he stated. "You've been brought to us for a reason, and it is my responsibility to protect a gift such as this."
Kagome furrowed her brows in faint confusion. Sure, she knew she wouldn't willfully cause any harm, but how could he be so sure? Maybe she was just expecting to have more pushback given her prior experiences in the past. It felt strange to be accepted as she was. Despite that, she shook her head with a faint sigh. She reached to take his hand, placing her hand against his bandaged one.
"I'm not so sure about the whole protecting thing," she stated. "I'm not so helpless that I can't help myself, but I suppose I appreciate the sentiment."
He chuckled at her comment, tugging her a bit closer to close the gap some. "I do well to remember that," he stated, seeming to trust her remark. "For someone so strange, you have such an honest face. It's easy to see what you're thinking- even when you're trying to hide it."
Auroua-chan: Wrapping this chapter up here.
So, Kagome will be brought into the Diamond Clan. She's a bit out of place, but she'll settle in rather nicely.
She'll eventually get a partner Pokémon, but not sure which one. I could give her an Eevee that'll evolve, or she could get something different. Not sure yet.
Anyway, that's it for now! Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed. Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not, sorry.
Please remember to Review, Favorite, and Follow, thank you!
Bye for now~