All This Time: The Jewel Watcher
Episode 4
As the centuries past, the jewel was found and lost several times. As the generations rolled by, I kept watch, hoping that another with powers and sprit like Midoriko would be born into the village. In time, I began to doubt if such a person would come to be. I began to suspect that it might have to be an alliance of sorts which would be able to hold and cleanse the jewel. It was at this time that I began to examine the priestess I encountered while traveling with the demon slayers. I had known several slayers who could, together with the right priestess, be able to fill my old friend�s shoes. Sadly, when I found the priestess, none of them were alive. Her name was Kikyo and she had unusually strong powers of purification. However, she was not my old friend. Her body, while functional and well kept, did not fit well in armor. Also, she was missing something, I was not sure what it was at the time, but without it she would not be complete. This woman was more aware of sprits then most priestesses I have met. She saw through my pretense of being a dumb loyal beast in a single glance. I accepted the decision that the jewel should go with Kikyo, despite the fact that I knew that she would fail. The jewel would be lost and the slayers would find it once again. I would stay with the village and watch for a promising youngster. If one had already been born, Kikyo might have been able to endure long enough for her partner to be ready. If not, at least a priestess�s soul existed which could purify the jewel. Perhaps her next life would happen to coincide with the life of a fitting protector. When word reached the village that the jewel had been destroyed, it was met with disbelief. Eventually though, the humans accepted it. I on the other hand knew that, for as long as Midoriko still guarded the cave, the jewel still existed.