Kagome

Kagome Higurashi is a 15 year old student from modern day Japan and the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo. She lives on the grounds of her family's shrine with her grandfather, mother, little brother, and her cat Buyo. There are also two important landmarks at the shrine which are common to both the present day and the Sengoku period in which most of her adventures take place. The first is the Sacred Tree, which is the same tree Inuyasha was pinned to by Kikyo. The second is The Bone Eater's Well, which Kagome uses to travel back and forth through time.

Kagome is smart, headstrong, and courageous. She is very protective of her traveling companions, and even though not an episode goes by where she doesn't plant him on the ground with a "Sit!", she's especially fond of Inuyasha. In fact, even though he tries to kill her in the first episode, the two quickly develop strong, though dysfunctional feelings for each other.

Kagome starts the series as an average Junior High student heading off to school. She happens across her brother standing at the old wellhouse calling for their cat. Her brother was afraid to go into the creepy old wellhouse, so Kagome went in for him. She quickly encountered the cat Buyo, but moments later the demon Lady Centipede burst though the well cover and drug Kagome into the well. In a moment of panic, Kagome instinctively uses the power of the Shikon Jewel embedded in her to blast of a couple of Lady Centipede's arms and repel her.

That problem solved, Kagome climbs out of the Bone Eater's well to discover that her surroundings have completely changed. She explores a bit and finds an Unconscious Inuyasha pinned to the Sacred Tree, but is soon captured by the local villagers. They at first believe she's a demon, but after questioning, Kiyo's younger sister Kaede takes her in.

During the night, Lady Centipede attacks the village intent on getting Kagome. In order to lure her away from the village Kagome takes off running for the forest. Her cries for help awaken Inuyasha who tries to pull out the arrow that's keeping him trapped, but it's got some sort of magic on it that prevents him from touching it. At first Inuyasha mistakes her for Kikyo, but a few sniffs and angry words late he realizes Kagome is not Kikyo.

About this time Lady Centipede catches up to her and grabs Kagome. Kagome blasts Lady Centipede again and something in the side of her torso starts to glow. Lady Centipede attacks Kagome again, this time sending her flying through the air with a wound in her side. While she's flying through the air the Shikon Jewel comes out of the wound, falls to the ground, and lands next to Kagome. Inuyasha yells for the Shikon Jewel, but Lady Centipede pins Kagome to the Sacred Tree along with Inuyasha with her coils. Using her long tongue, Lady Centipede grabs the Shikon Jewel and swallows it. All her limbs return to her and she transforms into a much, much more powerful demon.

Inuyasha quickly convinces Kagome to free him by pulling the arrow out in order to save them both. Inuyasha quickly destroys her since it's his series and it wouldn't make much sense if they all died in the first episode. Kaede asks her if she can see the glowing Shikon Jewel in the remains of Lady Centipede. She does, they extract it, and the flesh melts away from the chunks of Lady Centipede.